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STUDENTS DEBATE GOING HOME, STAYING IN TOWN FOR HOLIDAYS

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NEWS

News Editor: Heather Bair – zzzx@iup.edu

(The Penn Archives/Facebook) North Dining Hall is offering a Thanksgiving meal for students Nov. 18 consisting of turkey, ham, stuffing, corn and more, with CRU’s Thanksgiving meal being offered in the Hadley Union Building (HUB).

Students debate going home, staying in town for holidays MEGAN DONNY Staff Writer bbcx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP With Thanksgiving break quickly approaching, students are scrambling to make decisions about whether or not they plan to return to campus for the last week of classes and finals, or to stay home.

Thanksgiving might look a little different this year for most families. Many students have already heard about the push for a virtual Thanksgiving to limit the spread of COVID-19. With case numbers on the rise, students have to decide if going home and seeing extended family members is really the best idea.

“I go home for break every year,” Olivia Tavoletti (senior, marketing) said, “but this year, it is especially easy to go home because all of my classes are online.”

Tavoletti plans to return to her off-campus residence after the Thanksgiving break. She believes she will be able to focus better on

News

(Facebook) IUP’s CRU organization is offering a virtual Friendsgiving Nov. 19 from 4 to 6 p.m. with a free, homemade Thanksgiving meal available for pickup in the HUB. finals and the last of her schoolwork from her apartment.

“I’m going home for break to visit with my family for the holidays,” Danielle Zdrale (senior, marketing) said.

Unlike Tavoletti, Zdrale plans to

stay home after the break to begin working during the holiday season.

Both Tavoletti and Zdrale plan to attend small gatherings for the holiday with only family members.

“We’ve all been keeping our circles small and have been seeing

November 18, 2020

each other frequently already,” Tavoletti said.

For some students, they see break as a short escape from school.

“I want to be with my family for break, and it will be a nice break to be in a different environment than school,” Thea McCollough (senior, fashion merchandising) said.

McCollough said that she plans to stay home after Thanksgiving break as well.

“I live four hours away from IUP,” she said. “It’s not worth it to go back out to school for only two weeks when all my classes will be online.”

McCollough plans to also attend a Thanksgiving event with her mother’s side of the family.

Virtual Thanksgiving is a new option this year for students to gather with their families without risking the spread of COVID-19.

While this idea might sound smart in theory, many students disagree with the idea.

“I don’t like the idea of a virtual Thanksgiving at all,” Tavoletti said.

“It would be the first time ever that I’m not with all of my family for the holiday, and I don’t think the day would be as exciting without everyone there.”

Zdrale agrees with Tavoletti in that “the holidays are a time where families are supposed to be together.” She also understands though that with COVID-19, it is no longer easy to get together with friends and family.

“I haven’t seen my extended family in almost a year,” McCollough said. “So, I would like to actually see them in-person.”

All the students did agree though that a virtual Thanksgiving would be safer overall, just not the same.

“This year has already been bad enough,” Tavoletti said. “I couldn’t imagine not spending the holidays together on top of it.”

McCollough responded similarly.

“Life has been stressful for everyone,” she said. “I think it would be nice for people to have a little taste of ‘normal’ again.”

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News

Holiday breaks concern professors, changes happen for finals week EMILY LOOSE Staff Writer e.d.loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Last minute changes are happening in many places, including in the classroom.

People all over the country have had to change the way things are done. Aside from stores switching from Black Friday to a month of sales, universities have had to change the way classes are taught.

As Thanksgiving break approaches, professors at IUP have had to make choices on how to finish the semester.

Some in-person classes have decided that it may be too dangerous right after the holiday break.

One of these professors is an assistant professor in the biology department and asked not to be named.

In an email sent to their Principles of Ecology and Evolution students, they said that after Thanksgiving break, the class would not have any more labs in-person.

“As you know, the number of

IUP has a total of 419 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday.

COVID-19 cases has been spiking around the country and at IUP in the last two weeks,” the professor said. “Thus, I no longer feel that it is safe to have students attend face-to-face for the last two weeks of lab.”

As of Tuesday, IUP reported 62 new positive COVID-19 cases. This makes for a total of 419 cases all semester. So far, 359 have recovered.

“I planned my labs so that the

(Facebook)

most important hands-on skills were covered earlier in the semester, and labs that could better translate to remote learning are later in the semester,” the professor said.

Their class will attend its final weeks through Zoom to finish the semester. They also encouraged their students to continue to social distance during their break.

As for next semester, they said

they will continue with the hybrid model, but does have a backup plan.

“I am prepared to go entirely online if the situation does not improve.”

Another professor who had to make changes to their class is Dr. Randy Jesick of the journalism department.

In his class, introduction to public relations, Jesick’s students were not able to attend a professional visit due to many organizations not being fully open.

Now, his class will also not be having a final quiz or test either.

Their final will be turning in their semester project instead.

Brianna Lockard (senior, communications media) said she was happy with the change.

“Not only does it give me more time, but it’s one less test I have to worry about to study for,” she said.

To make up for there being no professional visits, Jesick has brought in alumni to act as class speakers for his students.

These include people who have worked for IBM and Hershey as

well as people who have their own public relations firms and organizations.

Lockard found this change useful, as well.

“I learn a lot about the fields of journalism, public relations and communications,” she said. “I also can connect with them so I can have future connections along with great advice received.”

Overall, most classes will remain the same and complete the semester as per their syllabi.

“All of my finals are the same, just online and after Thanksgiving,” Elizabeth Stash (sophomore, kinesiology) said.

This was the same for Ann Gamble (sophomore, geography).

“All of my finals are after Thanksgiving, too,” she said. “I have tests for three of them, a paper for one, and a combo of paper and a multiple-choice question test for my last class.”

Due to IUP using the same hybrid model for learning next semester, similar last-minute changes may be a possibility for finals then, too.

IUP one of two schools to be SHRM certified BETHANY BAILEY Staff Writer zgdy@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The Master of Arts in Human Resources (HR) and Employment Relations program at IUP has become affiliated with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)’s “HR Curriculum and Templates.”

In a press release Nov. 9, IUP’s HR Department said, “IUP’s Master of Arts in Human Resources and Employment Relations is a multidisciplinary, graduate-degree program designed to prepare professional practitioners in the field of employment and labor relations and human resources in public and private management, unions, government agencies, and neutral and service organizations. Students can complete the program in one year through multiple learning modalities.”

Out of nine universities in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, IUP is one out of two schools with a program acknowledged by a SHRM certification.

SHRM was founded in 1948 and is the biggest human resource membership organization in the world.

On the SHRM official website, it

says that the purpose of the organization is to elevate the HR profession and empower not only people but workplaces as well. There are 300,000 HR and businesspersons located in 165 countries associated with SHRM. There has been a SHRM student chapter at IUP since 2003.

“Joining SHRM was the best decision I’ve made here at IUP,” Vice President of SHRM Shannon Urich said. “The club has allowed me to expand my knowledge in the field and helped me to grow into an aspiring young HR professional. Not only am I able to network, volunteer, and go on company tours, I am able to connect with other aspiring HR managers.”

She said the club is not only professional, but also “very fun.”

In 2019, the Indiana County SHRM chapter collaborated with the IUP chapter. These SHRM chapters join forces to develop professional and networking opportunities.

Sometimes alumni are invited to speak about their experiences as HR professionals and provide helpful insight to the students that attend the meetings.

The HR Curriculum Guidebook and Templates were created to have human resource content studied.

Since 2006, these guidelines are created and revamped every couple of years. This heightens HR education throughout universities and business schools to establish degrees that reflect that caliber of education.

“This certification from the Society of Human Resource Management confirms that our program aligns with the standards set by this agency as an approved Human Resource Graduate program,” Dr. David Piper, chair of the IUP HR department, said. “This is like being an accredited program. So now potential graduate students looking for a quality program in HR can assured our program meets the standards of the professional association they will likely join.”

According to the press release, IUP’s goal is to make this accessible to every student, whether that be in-person or online instruction.

If students are having a difficult time financially, IUP offers assistantships that can help defer the cost to students.

“The program can be taken through face-to-face instruction, online instruction and distance education using Zoom technology that allows students to remotely attend class.”

News

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News

Biden named president-elect does not mean fight is over CAIO GOMES Staff Writer hysbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

(Facebook) UpStreet is a non-profit organization located in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh mental health clinic offers free services OLIVIA CARBONE Staff Writer kxxw@iup.edu @ThePennIUP There is a new mental health facility in Pittsburgh that provides free services to teens and young adults ages 12 to 22 to stay connected and receive both therapy and advice.

UpStreet is a non-profit organization located at 5743 Bartlett St. in Pittsburgh. You can chat, schedule an appointment and seek mentoring remotely. Additionally, you can check out their blog posts on their website at upstreetpgh.org.

“This was my idea four years ago,” founder of UpStreet Dana Gold said. “I grew up with a lot of family issues and worked at a lot of nonprofits. I realized that there weren't a lot of options for people that were quick and easy. People will direct you to services to get them wealthy.

“Youth can walk into UpStreet and get a coffee and have support such as ‘my mom’s mad, I’m upset I can't go home.’”

UpStreet has been up and running for about two months now, and it is help run by a board of youth.

“We are not here to sell you anything, but to make mental health easier and for people to get relief,” Gold said.

She has many goals and aspirations on how she plans to help UpStreet grow.

“We hope to be a walk-in/dropin center, not only therapy, but creative expression groups. Also, we plan to start other activities to help with mental health wellness.”

She said they offer text-based peer mentoring.

“These are people who have been through hard times and can

now help someone younger than them trying to get through their journey. In the new year, we want parent-to-parent text based as well.

Sometimes fear can create conflicts that are life changing to youth.

Parent’s need help, too.”

Additionally, Gold hopes to implement wellness activities like drawing or yoga.

“Many of our ideas are new and innovative from programs in Israel, Australia and Canada for youth to self-initiate,” she said.

Gold then went on to describe how the pandemic has affected UpStreet and how they plan to keep it going throughout the next few months.

“We provide drop-in hours for all over the world in the form of a chat box. If someone wants more service, students can just make an appointment through chats which have no waiting time and are immediate.”

Good news, especially for teens and young adults who don’t have much money, is that these services can be free with no insurance.

“UpStreet is there to support people until they can get an appointment,” she said. The group that is impacted the most by the pandemic is 11- to 17-year-olds, and the second highest is 18- to 25-year-olds,” she said.

UpStreet is a great new and innovative program that is a blessing for the madness of 2020 and for years to come. Youths should be able to have a safe place where they aren’t judged when talking about how they feel and staying healthy.

UpStreet is and will save the lives of the youth not just from Pittsburgh, but from local counties as well. This will pave a new way for online support groups.

The 2020 U.S. Election’s drama continues as President Donald Trump refuses to concede.

Despite the Associate Press (AP) calling the 2020 presidential race in favor of President-elect Joe Biden, Trump and his supporters say the fight is not over.

“The states, not the media, determine election outcomes,” Tara Ross, author of ‘Why We Need the Electoral College,’ said.

Trump’s campaign has opened more than a half-dozen lawsuits against the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Arizona and Georgia. Most of them allege voter fraud and question the legitimacy of the votes that were cast by mail.

“If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” Trump said. “If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.”

As of Tuesday, none of the lawsuits has brought good news to Trump.

Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar (Democrat) called the lawsuits “a last gasp attempt to prevent legitimate votes from being counted.” Boockvar is backed by Senator Pat Toomey (Republican).

“I'm not aware of any widespread or systemic fraud or anything of the sort,” Toomey said.

Timothy Kenny, Wayne County chief judge, ruled against Trump’s lawsuit in Michigan saying that “[Trump’s] interpretation of events is incorrect and not credible."

The campaign backed off on their lawsuit in Arizona before any ruling has been made. They stated that a judicial ruling in the matter was unnecessary. The AP called the Arizona race in favor of Biden.

Apart from lawsuits, Trump’s campaign has also requested recounts in the states of Wisconsin and Georgia. While Wisconsin hasn’t decided yet, if a recount will be needed, Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (Republican) issued an order of recount. The order requires the recount to be made by hand.

Raffensperger’s decision is supported by Georgia’s governor

(Facebook) President-elect Joe Biden with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Brian Kemp (Republican).

“People just want to make sure we have integrity in our elections,” Kemp said, “and I think the steps that [Georgia is taking] is going to do that.”

Kemp is one of the handful Republicans that have come out in favor of the president. Among him are U.S. Attorney General William Barr (Republican), Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones (Republican) and Senator Lindsay Graham (Republican).

“If Republicans don't challenge and change the U.S. election system, there will never be another Republican president elected again," Graham said on an interview to Fox News. “President Trump should not concede.”

Graham’s stance, however, might be shifting as Biden gets more support within the Grand Old Party (GOP) also known as the Republican Party. Merely four days after claiming that the president should not concede, Graham told CNN that Biden should get intelligence briefings that is daily given to the president.

Graham isn’t alone in the GOP. Senators Chuck Grassley (Republican), James Lankford (Republican) and John Thune (Republican), as well as U.S. Rep. Rob Portman (Republican) all have come out in support of giving Biden the daily intel briefings that are given to

the president.

Former President George W. Bush, the only living former Republican president, is the highest-ranked GOP member to publicly recognize Biden’s victory.

“Though we have political differences, I know Joe Biden to be a good man,” he said. “The president-elect reiterated that while he ran as a Democrat, he will govern for all Americans.”

“I offered him the same thing I offered Presidents Trump and Obama: my prayers for his success,” he added.

Former President Barack Obama, who Biden served as vice president from 2009 until 2017, has also congratulated the president-elect for his win.

“I could not be prouder to congratulate our next president, Joe Biden, and our next First Lady, [Dr.] Jill Biden.” Obama said. “I also couldn’t be prouder to congratulate Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff for Kamala’s groundbreaking election as our next vice president.”

Biden and Harris have both made history in this election.

While the former broke the record of most voted president-elect in America’s history, the latter is the first female, black and Asian-American to hold the position of vice president-elect.

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News

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Lucy Rae (left) and 7th St. Marketry (right) both participated in the Ladies Day Out shopping event Sunday.

(Heather Bair/The Penn)

Shop ‘til you drop in downtown Indiana

Small businesses prepare for holidays with first event of the season HEATHER BAIR News Editor zzzx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Downtown Indiana saw many customers out for the annual Ladies Day Out shopping event.

The event lasted from noon until 4 p.m. Nov. 15.

Thirteen businesses in downtown Indiana participated in the event: 7th St. Marketry Artisan Market, The 700 Shop, The Coney, Dan Smith Candies & Gifts, Europa Interiors & Gifts, The Finery for Men & Women, GC Wyant Jewelry, Holiday Beverages, Lucy Rae Gifts & More, Luxenberg Jewelers, Michael B. Shoes & Campus Corner, William and Mary Gift Shoppe and Woody Lodge Winery.

Most businesses participated in support of small businesses.

“We’re a retail store,” Josh Rosenberger, owner of The 700 Shop, said. “Anytime you can get a bunch of people out shopping, you want to be open and take advantage.

“We support downtown Indiana and incorporate its promotions. You want to be a part of that and help support the local economy.”

The 700 Shop sells men and women’s clothing and are located on Philadelphia Street.

“We appreciate people shopping downtown and coming into town to shop locally,” Jean Dennings, clerk at Dan Smith Candies & Gifts, said.

“There are very few businesses downtown, so we’re glad they come in and help us. It was a joy to see so many ladies out.”

Businesses also saw this as a great way to reach the community and as a fun day.

“It’s a great community event,” Hastie Kinter, owner of Lucy Rae Gifts & More, said.

“It’s a way for all the businesses downtown to get together and hold an event for the community.

It’s a fun day.”

“We always participate in the event,” Michael Boiano, owner of Michael B. Shoes & Campus Corner, said.

“It’s a great event to get people out and have foods and beverages and a specialized opening. It kicks off our holiday season.”

It is also seen as a way to collectively come together as businesses to support each other and bring people into Indiana, Shelly Rosborough, owner of William and Mary Gift Shoppe, said.

Sunday was dark and rainy but that didn’t stop ladies from participating in the event.

“We’ve done the event for the past four years,” Gary C. Wyant, owner of GC Wyant Jewelry, said.

“I was not disappointed. It was a well-attended event.”

Other businesses were not disappointed either, like Holiday Beverages, which sold alcoholic slushies during the event.

“The turnout was better than expected,” salesclerk Glenn Dean said. “Considering the cold

weather and that we were promoting our alcoholic slushies.”

Woody Lodge Winery also participated in the event and thought it was “as best a time as any” for wine, associate Paulie McNealis said.

“We’re normally closed on Sundays,” Jeff Widdowson, owner of Luxenberg Jewelers, said. “It was an average turnout.

Customer’s buying habits aren’t used to us being open on a Sunday, so we didn’t anticipate a lot of traffic.”

With the cold and rain, businesses were expecting less of a turnout for the event than what happened. Most were surprised at the turnout that happened.

“It went better than expected with everything going on,” Boiano said. “It was definitely a nice turnout. People were looking for something safe to do and every store was set up safely to ensure social distancing.”

Rosenberger was surprised, too.

“Given the weather, I was surprised how many people

ventured out. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a good, steady flow of traffic throughout the day.”

Others, like Lucy Rae Gifts & More, weren’t sure what to expect.

“What with the weather, I didn’t know what would happen,” Kinter said. “I was very pleased with the turnout.”

“The Steelers were playing later,” Rosborough said, “so we weren’t sure what to expect.

What with COVID-19, I thought the turnout would be less than in previous years, but it was very good.”

With the holiday season approaching, businesses are getting ready for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and other holiday sales.

“Downtown Indiana does a big promotion for Small Business Saturday,” Rosenberger said.

“We’re hoping to remind people to shop small and, this year more than ever, it’s really important because we need to remember the little guys during the holiday shopping season.”

“We usually do a men’s night and promotions through the holiday,” Wyant said. “Sometimes we do a giveaway, but we haven’t decided anything on that yet.”

“We’re currently running a red-tag sale,” Widdowson said.

“Merchandise is discounted from anywhere between 20 and 50 percent off throughout the entire store.”

Dan Smith Candies & Gifts aren’t sure of any holiday events, but they will be participating in Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

Lucy Rae Gifts & More are having specials for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday as well as sales throughout the month of December, Kinter said.

For Michael B. Shoes & Campus Corner, Sunday is the festival kickoff for Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday.

“We participate in Small Business Saturday,” Rosborough said.

“We’re also available to make an appointment to shop if folks aren’t comfortable with being in the store with other customers. We can open on days we’re closed or even afterhours.”

For Small Business Saturday in Indiana, for every $10 spent in a business, the customer recieves one Downtown Dollar, which can be used at any participating business through the end of December, similar to getting 10 percent back in purchases.

Woody Lodge Winery is holding a wine cork wreath-making event Sunday.

“You can purchase a glass of wine while doing the cork wreath,” McNelis said.

“We’re only allowed a certain number of people, but we’re happy to help get people back out doing stuff again.”

This holiday season remember to shop locally and support local businesses, whether in downtown Indiana or in your own town.

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November 18, 2020

News

Activism, a massacre, teddy bears changed history forever HEATHER BAIR News Editor zzzx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Nov. 18 holds significance in history as far as historical events go.

In 1872, activist Susan B. Anthony was arrested by a U.S. Deputy Marshal and charged with illegal voting.

In 1902, a British toymaker named the Teddy Bear after Theodore Roosevelt and, in 1978, the Jonestown Massacre in Guyana shocked the world.

In 1820, Susan B. Anthony was born to a Quaker family who fought for social equality from the time she was born. She became famous for her anti-slavery and woman’s suffrage movements and advocacy.

Women were not allowed to vote until 1920, and even then, women in minorities were not allowed.

On Election Day in 1872, Anthony and 14 other women attempted to vote after convincing the election inspectors to allow them to. She was arrested Nov. 18 and charged with illegally voting.

Anthony’s trial began June 17, 1873, seven months after she’d been arrested. The judge directed the jury to give a guilty verdict.

During the second day of the trial, the judge allowed Anthony to speak and, after repeatedly being told to “sit down and be quiet,” continued her protesting against the guilty verdict.

She was eventually ordered to pay a $100 fine, to which she refused. The judge threw the case out.

Anthony died in 1906, 14 years before women would be given the right to vote.

A few years before Anthony’s death, British toymaker Morris

Michtom created the cuddly Teddy Bear, named after U.S. president Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt.

Roosevelt received the nickname “Teddy” in 1902 on a bear hunting trip in Mississippi.

A cartoon was drawn up by Clifford Berryman, a cartoonist for The Washington Post, to run in the Nov. 16, 1902, issue.

Michtom saw the cartoon and was inspired to create a soft, tiny bear cut and placed it in his shop window, calling it “Teddy’s Bear” after receiving written permission from Roosevelt to use his name.

The toy became an instant hit among customers, and Michtom and his wife, Rose, opened the “Ideal Novelty and Toy Company” in 1907.

Michtom passed away in 1938, but his legacy lives on in every teddy bear cuddled and loved.

In 1978, the Jonestown Massacre shocked the nation to its core.

Originally named “The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project,” Jonestown was a settlement that started in San Francisco and moved to Guyana.

Jonestown was started by Jim Jones, who became the leader and person in charge among those in the cult.

Jonestown was supposed to be a utopia among those who lived there, but when government and media attention started focusing on it, the utopia turned into a nightmare.

Members of the media had arrived in Jonestown, and Nov. 17, 1978, when they were headed back to the U.S., Jones called a meeting of those in the compound. He said that the pilot was going to be shot and the plane would go down. He

was convinced they were taking the compound’s children with them, which Jones’ didn’t want.

He distributed a liquid mixture of grape Flavor Aid, chloral hydrate, cyanide, Phenergan (an antihistamine) and Valium. Children were to drink first, then parents, then the guards. Jones died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

All 909 members of Jonestown died Nov. 18, 1978. The massacre was constituted as the greatest single loss of American civilian life until Sept. 11, 2001.

The compound of Jonestown is still in Guyana, but a high vegetation rate has covered the ground and daisies are said to now grow where the bodies were found.

While November is mostknown for Thanksgiving, other historical events happened that are worth remembering.

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Women’s rights, a massacre, teddy bears, oh my Susan B. Anthony was arrested Nov. 18, 1872.

The Susan B. Anthony Museum is in Rochester, New York.

Jim Jones, who was the leader of the Jonestown Massacre Nov. 18, 1978.

The cartoon that Michtom created the Morris Michtom made the Teddy Bear Nov. 18, 1902 teddy bear from.

(Facebook) Susan B. Anthony (top left) fought for women’s rights. Her house (top middle) is now a museum located in Rochester, New York. Morris Michtom (top right) created the first teddy bear (bottom right) after seeing the cartoon (bottom middle) in The Washington Post about President Theodore Roosevelt. Jim Jones (bottom left) was the founder and leader of the cult, Jonestown, in Guyana, which was also the site of the Jonestown Massacre in 1978.

Opinion

COVID-19 affects those with poor mental health Surprise, surprise. COVID-19 is still here despite conspiracy theories claiming it would be gone after the election, and it is causing more health-related issues.

According to the New York Times database, as of Tuesday, “at least 623 new coronavirus deaths and 135,187 new cases were reported in the U.S.” That means that over the past week, they said that there has been an average of 150,265 cases per day, which is an increase of 81 percent from the average two weeks ago.

There are memes spreading over social media saying, “The ‘China virus’ (as Trump calls it) is looking a lot more like the ‘U.S. virus.’”

This is partially due to what psychologist Dr. Carisa Parrish of John Hopkins Medicine calls “pandemic fatigue.”

Before the pandemic started, no one was wearing masks, which is an obvious bit of information.

However, this contributes to

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why precautions have become exhausting, and many Americans are giving up. Also, this is probably why cases are going up, too.

“Trying to adhere to anything extra is always a challenge,” Parrish said in a Hopkins’ medical article. “You can add extra steps to your routine for a few days, but sustained behavior change is hard. Especially when no one around you is sick, and you just don’t feel like wearing a mask or saying no to things you like to do.”

Check your Snapchat, or if you are at IUP, check out frat row. Some people just are not afraid of the virus anymore, and they are continuing about their days as if the threat is not there anymore.

Ironically, too, it is not until someone they know is affected

by COVID-19 that it feels real, which Parrish also mentions.

Shift gears, and other Americans feel the complete opposite.

With threats beginning to spike again, mental health is suffering

as well.

Those who have preexisting conditions of depression and anxiety have not only been afraid of what could happen if they contract the virus, but the isolation has forced them into a never-ending state of panic.

Even worse, there are spikes in interpersonal violence, suicide and substance abuse.

Now, we have two types of people. Those who do not care, and those who are frustrated that others will not take this pandemic seriously and suffering as a result.

“When there is no end in sight, the duration of the crisis itself becomes a psychological stressor,” Dr. Daniele Fallin, chair of the Department of Mental Health at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said. “In terms of cumulative impact, that makes the COVID-19 pandemic more like the Great Depression or World War II.” Now, I do not have the answers to how we can fix this, nor do I think anyone does. We can't

November 18, 2020

just pretend COVID-19 isn’t a threat because it is. How do we solve the burden of deteriorating mental health?

We may very well go back into another lockdown since cases are increasing yet again. Perhaps this will slow the spread, and we will be able to get back to normal sooner than later.

Companies continue to work on a vaccine with two companies making breakthroughs. Those are Moderna and Pfizer.

The later announced last week that they were ready to start mass producing their vaccine.

Through trials, it was around 90 percent effective. The one issue they are running into is how to keep it cold.

When they are distributed, they need to be kept at cold temperatures. Cold as in minus 100 degrees, which is colder than Antarctica in winter.

Moderna announced Monday their progress on a vaccine. The RNA-1273 vaccine, as they are calling it, was 94.5 percent affec-

tive during trials.

It also has to be kept at low temperatures. The good thing is it has to be at minus four degrees, which is a little easier to maintain.

The reason for the cold conditions is because they are using RNA in the vaccine. If it gets warm, then it will dissolve and will not work.

These companies are still waiting to gain approval through the Food and Drug Administration before widespread distribution.

For those struggling with mental health related issues, virtual therapy and crisis shelters are still here to help. Experts also recommend creating a list of hobbies to engage in, make a journal to reflect on your health and get organized. Take it one day at a time and stay in contact with friends and family to make sure both you and your loved ones are OK.

Opinion

Culture

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

(IUP Lively Arts/Facebook)

The performances were held Friday and Sunday beginning at 7 p.m.

The Dance Theatre presents Poe on Friday the 13th HALEY BROWN

Lead Culture Writer

tbfx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

On Friday the IUP Dance Theatre presented “The Phantasmagoria of Edgar Allan Poe.” The show was both directed and choreographed by Holly Boda-Sutton, and the dancers in the show were all IUP students. The music was originally composed by David Martynuik, and the orchestra during the performance featured IUP music faculty members.

The show was composed using some of Poe’s poems and short stories as inspiration for the music and choreography. It was meant to explore the life and unexplained demise of one of America’s greatest poets and writers.

The dance theatre began the show with a few screens about information concerning Poe’s mysterious death and how it served as some of the main inspiration for this performance.

The first dance began with Chris Singer who represented Poe. The backdrop changed according to each number and was a sketched scene to represent the setting of each story or poem.

Culture

(Wikimedia) The second number, titled “Cortege of the Grotesque and Arabesque, Overture of Characters,” began with the Poe character entering the performance space through a side door and flipping open a book. As he whipped out a feather pen and began to write in his book, the characters appeared onstage and flowed along with the music.

As each dancer flitted on and off the stage, it became apparent that they would each have their number in Poe’s “life” on the stage as the show progressed. The dancers were all in dark costumes, and the music took on a mysterious and menacing tone as Poe continued to scribble. At the end

of the number, he set his writing book down and fled the stage.

The number titled “Pas de Deux of Annabel Lee and Poe” came next with Poe dancing, Paige McLaughlin as Lee. During this number, Poe and Lee waltzed across the stage along with the music-box-like song, and at the end of the pas de deux, Poe laid Lee on the stage as if he was laying her to rest.

The following number was titled “Tell-Tale Heart Tango” and featured a young man (the murderer), danced by Amanda Valinotti, an old man (the victim) danced by Bricelyn Webber, and two inspectors, danced by Gabriella Harley and Danielle McCormick. During the number the dancers acted out Poe’s famous story of the “Telltale Heart” through dance.

When the inspectors entered the stage, the “killer” was tormented by guilt and driven to confession by the pressure, as the storyline goes. The inspector dancers were in sync with one another.

The following number was titled “Bon-Bon” with the Bon-Bon character danced by Sierra Cramer, and the Devil character performed

by Amy Kukula. During this number, inspired by Poe’s comedic

November 18, 2020

short story of the same name, the checkered-vested Bon-Bon, believing himself to be a great philosopher, pranced about. Since this short story focused on the verbal exchanges between the Devil and Bon-Bon, but the dancers made it easy for the audience to comprehend.

The next number was inspired by “Fall of the House of Usher.”

The characters were a brother danced by Brianna Adkins, a sister danced by Danielle McCormick, and a traveler who was danced by Sierra Cramer. The lights came up on the characters of the traveler, and the brother stood while the sister laid onstage, and he soon began banging on what was presumably her coffin lid. They did not have a coffin for a prop on stage The following number was titled “Black Cat/Lenore/Sleeper Pastiche.” The characters involved were Black Cat #1 danced by Rachel Kovach, Husband danced

by Charles Arterbury, and Wife danced by Brooke Ippolito. In this number, there were also dancers for Lenore who was portrayed by Madison Bauman, Black Cat #2 danced by McLaughlin, and Sleeper danced by Henshaw.

“Nevermore Pas de Deux”

came next with Poe’s character once again portrayed by Singer, and the Raven character danced

by Bauman. During this number, the Raven entered first wearing all black and a feathered mask as Poe approached from the other side of the stage.

It appeared as if they were battling one another. They circled each other gracefully, facing off in front of a backdrop resembling a sketched scene of a cemetery.

The next number was inspired by “Masque of the Red Death,” and had Singer, Death was danced

by Gabriella Harley, and eight other dancers played characters called “Accusers” also shared the stage.

The backdrop for this number was a mansion where the dancers participated in the festivities until Death showed up to crash the party, and the accusers were slowly killed by the plague character.

The show was ended with a quote from Poe’s “The Raven,” and the final bow was taken by the company of dancers.

After the final company bow, a slide show of the professors involved in the music ensemble scrolled on the screen along with a short biography about each of them.

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November 18, 2020

Culture

STATIC brings AJR to your living room

(Haley Brown/The Penn) HALEY BROWN

Lead Culture Writer

tbfx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

AJR writes, produces and mixes their music in their living room.

(Haley Brown/The Penn)

The Student Activity Committee (STATIC) hosted a virtual concert Thursday featuring the winners of IUP’s Conquer the Mic competition, The Placeholders and AJR. The concert lasted from 8 to about 10 p.m. with a short question and answer (Q&A) portion with AJR at the end of the night. The event was held virtually on Zoom and was free for the IUP community.

There was no preregistration required, and questions for the Q&A portion were accepted from the audience in the Zoom chat, STATIC’s Instagram, Twitter and Facebook’s direct messaging and through email.

The concert began with The Placeholders playing a handful of their songs to warm up the audience and open for AJR’s performance. The Placeholders earned the opening place by winning IUP’s Conquer the Mic event Nov. 6.

The winner of Conquer the Mic was determined by audience votes. The Placeholders is made up of Noah Saylor (communications media), Jesse Brown (student affairs in higher education), Jon Biller (information systems) and Luke Miller (geography.)

Saylor provided the vocals and played guitar, Brown played lead guitar, Biller played bass and Miller provided percussion, and their performance was filmed by Eyan Szazko.

AJR is an American indie pop trio with multi-instrumentalist brothers Adam, Jack and Ryan Metzger.

They played the majority of their mainstream songs including “Burn the House Down,” “100 Bad

Days,” “Weak” and “Sober Up.” They also played some fan-favorites like “Don’t Throw Out My Legos,” “Three-Thirty,” “Dear Winter” and “Karma.”

The audience, judging by the Zoom group chat, was inarguably excited. Though the fans watching were obviously dissappointed that the event couldn’t take place in-person, everyone was pumped nonetheless to share a night of music.

There was a portion in the middle of the concert where AJR decided to give their audience a small look into their creation process. Jack played around on his launchpad to explore different possible sounds for the song they were demonstrating while Ryan guided him by narrating the process.

This part mirrored the weekly “breakdown” live streams Ryan used to do where he explained the band’s creation process in-depth for the fans. The experimentation portion of the concert led seamlessly into one of AJR’s most popular songs, “Burn the House Down.”

The event was finished with a short Q&A section with the three Metzger brothers. STATIC moderators asked fan-submitted questions and audience questions which ranged from “What their lyric writing process consisted of,” to “Why they make certain wardrobe choices onstage,” namely Jack’s iconic rabbit-skin hat.

Jack answered many of the questions with Ryan filling in the blanks, and the ever-quiet Adam keeping mostly mum.

Though the night would have been even better if it could have been in person, the opportunity to enjoy a concert during the pandemic was an incredibly appreciated one.

Culture

November 18, 2020

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November 18, 2020

Culture

Crazy Horse was an Native American Oglala Lakota chief most known for the “Battle of Little Bighorn.” His monument is in South Dakota.

(RJA1988/Pixabay)

Thanksgiving through the eyes of Native community

EMILY LOOSE

Staff Writer e.d.loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Ignorance is not always bliss, as it can stop real voices from being heard.

Thanksgiving was taught to many in elementary school as the story of pilgrims and Native Americans uniting and working together. They ate together and became friends.

However, as many grew older, the true story was revealed, which included more colonization and death. This does not stop most from their celebrations, however, because the holiday is still a day of union to them.

Native Americans and those of indigenous ancestry disagree on this outlook.

In a Time article about the Native American perspective on Thanksgiving, Sean Sherman said that even predominantly indigenous schools taught the holiday the way that other schools taught it.

“It represented a time when ‘pilgrims and Indians’ celebrated

(Timeship/Pixabay) together, and it was about being thankful,” he said. “Only later would we find out that it was a lie.”

When Sherman had first learned the truth about Thanksgiving, he said he had felt bitter about the holiday.

Now, however, he said he had

a new sense of how it should be celebrated. He said he understood why other Native Americans protested it but felt there was a way to keep the holiday without the false narratives.

“We can focus simply on values that apply to everybody: togetherness, generosity and gratitude.”

Similarly, Jo Ironshield told KWQC in Iowa that she was taught the romanticized version of Thanksgiving.

“I don’t understand why our culture is not being taught,” she said. “Why is our truth not being taught in schools? I don’t understand why there are no history books really for kids at that age.”

To stop them from being ignorant on the subject, Ironshield told her children and grandchildren the true story of Thanksgiving and what it meant for their ancestry.

Unlike Sherman, she said she still had a distaste for the holiday, but she knew not everyone would quit celebrating. Instead, Ironshield wanted people to be more aware.

“At least take the time out to really think about what happened on Thanksgiving Day,” she said.

For Ironshield, remembering the history would help keep from disregarding indigenous people and their struggles.

With these perspectives in mind, there are multiple ways that one can continue to celebrate Thanksgiving without forgetting what happened.

An article written for Cultural Survival, they gave nine tips to help keep from continuing with stereotypes Americans are taught from a young age.

One of these ways was through food.

At Thanksgiving, most families may eat stuffing and mashed potatoes. Those are not the foods that were really eaten at that time.

Sherman mentioned the importance of food in his article, too, and he gave examples of what Native Americans ate.

“Most of our Thanksgiving recipes are made with indigenous foods: turkey, corn, beans, pumpkins, maple, wild rice and the like,” he said. “We should embrace this.”

The Cultural Survival article pushes for an end in misrepresentations and cruel stereotypes

in media.

Though this can not be done overnight, the article recommends that people start listening to indigenous musicians and take in media that was created by Native Americans to get a true outlook.

“Native people were silenced, and their stories were marginalized. That’s why it’s especially important to read stories about Native characters, told in Native voices. “ The full article can be found at https://www.culturalsurvival.org/ news/9-ways-decolonize-and-honor-native-peoples-thanksgiving.

November is also Native American Heritage Month. Use these tips not only to decolonize Thanksgiving, but to celebrate the importance of indigenous people.

Thanksgiving is a day of mourning and remembrance for people of Native American ancestry, but that does not mean there cannot be celebrations.

Keeping the actual history in mind and respecting the culture of Natives can help stop the lies spread through the education system and can keep indigenous people from being silenced again.

Culture

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November 18, 2020

The Health Center

hides QR codes AMARI WALKER Contributing Writer jqtbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

The heathy tips QR scavenger hunt continues all over campus as part of the Health and Wellness Promotion as well as other events to help students during these trying times.

There’s a total of 32 QR codes that have been posted in various locations on campus. The first 16 codes were posted in October, and another 16 have been posted this month. Each of them provides information on how to stay healthy during quarantine.

If you make it through all the clues and scan the codes, you will be rewarded with prizes each month.

The first code was posted on IUP’s Health and Wellness Promotion’s Instagram page, @IUPAWARE. If you’re just hearing about this, here’s your first clue: “Go outside of where you’d get your flu shot on campus.”

You’re not too late to join the fun as all the clues are still around campus. Once you start at this clue, there will be more information on where to find the next one. Also, make sure you look at the benches.

If you’re looking for some stress relief, then you can go to room G60 in Suites on Maple East to meet the therapy dogs.

Ranger is a beagle-mix that comes Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Bam-Bam is a golden retriever that comes in Tuesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. Sapphire is an Australian Shepherd that comes Mondays from 4:30 to 6:30pm.

Students can register at https://iupranger.setmore.com/.

If you need to relax between classes, there are Meditation Mondays held from 1 to 1:15 p.m. via Zoom. If you want to join, be sure to check for the link on Instagram and Twitter, @IUPAWARE and @IUPRanger1.

For anyone who is competitive or just wants to have fun, you may enjoy Kahoot Trivia Night Thursdays via Zoom. Between 7 and 8:30 p.m., you can win a prize by joining via Zoom

(OpenClipart-Vectors/Pixabay) using the link posted on their Instagram and Twitter.

If you’re looking for more food options to make while staying at home or on campus, they also post Fresh Food Fridays on their Instagram pages. Each week is a new recipe demonstrating ways students can eat healthy. In the caption, you will see the ingredients that you will need listed along with how long it will take to cook and how to cook it.

Of course, you can always add your own ingredients to the recipe as well to meet your standards. These are quick and easy recipes that you can make and enjoy by yourself or with friends and family.

If you have wanted something to do besides homework and working, make sure you check all of the Health and Wellness Promotions’ social media pages to stay up to date about upcoming events that may help you take that big, deep breath of relief.

With everything going on, please make sure you are wearing your masks around others and when you go out to public places. If you want to know more ways you can stay safe, there are also weekly posts every Wednesday.

To find more information on the Health and Wellness center and the events they present, check the IUP central calendar.

Piece of the Pie

What do students like to eat for dessert after a Thanksgiving meal?

(JillWellington/Pixabay) This year’s Thanksgiving will look a little different due to social distancing guidelines.

MARTY WEAVER Staff Writer zglz@iup.edu @ThePennIUP An age-old argument rears its gnarled head once more as we progress through fall: What’s the best Thanksgiving dessert?

Pumpkin-based concoctions are usually the first to come to mind in this debate. And sure enough, many IUP students ride the pumpkin train every year.

Gina Biancarelli (senior, nursing) and Jordann Noel (junior, special education) prefer the staple pumpkin pie.

“It’s simply classic,” Biancarelli said.

This dessert consists of a thick, spiced, pumpkin custard baked in a pie shell. The traditional pumpkin pie spices are cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove and sometimes allspice.

“I love the texture, and you can add all the whipped cream you want,” Noel said.

Another fairly common pumpkin confection is the pumpkin roll. “[It’s] just a staple dessert,” Elizabeth Stash (sophomore, athletic training) said. “It’s literally something I look forward to every year.”

A twist on the Swiss roll, pumpkin rolls are thin, light cakes that are rolled into logs with a filling, usually cream cheese frosting.

Swiss rolls (also known by about a million other names) can be a bit daunting to make because of their tendency to crack during the roll, but a good way to combat the dreaded crevasses is to be sure you don’t overcook the cake.

Despite the notoriety, many bakers love to make pumpkin rolls every year.

“It’s just so creamy and soft,” Kayla Johnson (senior, hospitality management) said. “It’s also super fun to make.”

In recent years, however, home cooks have gotten more avant-garde in their pumpkin presentation.

“My mom makes us each an individual dessert for Thanksgiving every year, and I always choose pumpkin cheesecake,” Brooke Cassidy (senior, psychology and anthropology) said.

The other most popular fruit (pumpkin’s a fruit, right?) dessert is the American classic, apple pie.

Alec Petrosky (senior, geography) and Emily Dulion (graduate student, criminology) swear by the traditionally double-crusted delicacy. Generally speaking, crisp, sour apples are diced, tossed in a mixture of sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and baked between two flaky crusts.

“My mom makes it from scratch every year,” Dulion said.

Apple pies are also a good substitute for those who don’t like

the orange gourd.

“I never liked pumpkin, and fruit pies are the best kind of pies,” Petrosky said.

Though pumpkin and apple are the reigning champions of Thanksgiving, there’s more than enough room on the table for other desserts.

Dakira Jones (junior, nursing) is a fan of sweet potato pie. “[It’s] way better than pumpkin,” Jones said.

Kimberly Rodemaker (junior, speech and language pathology) loves cranberry salad, and Josh Olarsch (senior, music education) swears allegiance to chocolate bourbon pecan pie.

“It has a great contrasting taste of bitter and sweet,” Olarsch said.

Whatever your taste, there’s surely a Thanksgiving dessert for you. Even if you’re staying at school this year to limit exposure to friends and family, quite a few desserts are fairly simple to make, even if you’ve never baked once in your life.

Pre-made pie crusts are a godsend. Almost every grocery store will have all the ingredients you need to make a serviceable dessert – usually all right next to each other – and if all else fails, store-bought pies and cakes are pretty good.

Stay safe, follow CDC guidelines, and above all, treat yourself this Thanksgiving.

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Culture

Horror creators are changing the game

(Wikimedia) Jordan Peele (left) produced films featuring a predominately Black cast to touch on important issues. Lupita Nyong’o (right) is talking about her role in ‘Us’ during an interview.

RACHEL FOOR Staff Writer R.G.Foor@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Black storytellers are changing the horror film genre by addressing racial tensions and trauma still prevalent in American society.

Jordan Peele, the critically acclaimed director of films such as “Get Out” and “Us,” ushered in this new era of Black creatives telling their story through film, television and writing.

“It’s apparent that racism is still a huge problem in the world today,” Joseph Crissman (junior, communications media) said.

“With the rise of Black horror storytelling, people of color such as Jordan Peele can make films illustrating what it is like to be a person of color, dealing with the horrors of racism.”

In many stories by Black creators, the “villain” is often racism.

In “Get Out,” this manifests itself when the main character, played

by Daniel Kaluuya, visits his girlfriend’s rich white family for a weekend. While there, Kaluuya’s character unearths a disturbing secret about the family.

“When we think of horror, we think of jump scares, blood, and the occasional demon or crazy psychotic murder,” Crissman said.

“What ‘Get Out’ does that sets itself apart is the major villain/horror is just some rich white people.

As the audience, we get pulled into this lie that the main character’s girlfriend is good from what happens when they get pulled over by the police during the beginning stages during the movie.”

He said it completely blows your expectations away, especially if you’re not a person of color.

The success of “Get Out” certainly paved the way for other Black stories to be accepted into the mainstream media. The film made a net profit of $124.8 million, was chosen as one of the top 10 films of 2017 and won Peele an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Peele’s second film, “Us,” was also largely successful. It starred Lupita Nyong’o of “12 Years a Slave” and addressed systemic oppression and the guilt of privilege.

“Both ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’ take your expectations and throws them in the trash with twists you never saw coming,” Crissman said. “Most horror movies nowadays rely on effects and costuming to scare you or leave you in suspense, but ‘Get Out’ and ‘Us’ do it with fantastic writing and directing by Jordan Peele.”

Another Black storyteller,

writer and producer Misha Green, who produced the HBO series “Lovecraft Country” alongside Peele in which a young Black man travels across the Jim Crow South looking for his missing father.

Along the way, he learns dark secrets about a town on which famous horror writer H. P. Lovecraft supposedly based the location of many of his fictional tales. The show features Black main characters, including actors Jurnee Smollet, Jonathan Majors and Aunjanue Ellis.

“They’re talented,” Jeremy Waltman, a professor in the communications media department, said. “We’ll have to wait and see how the current wave of films affects the genre. Horror is broad and can allow for comment on society without taking the viewer out of the movie.”

Black storytellers are not going anywhere anytime soon, nor would we want them to. Peele has several highly anticipated projects in the works, including a remake of the 1992 supernatural horror film “Candyman” that follows a graduate student in Chicago who uncovers the legend of the Candyman, the ghost of an artist and son of a slave that was murdered in the late 19th century for his relationship with a white painter’s daughter.

Lovecraft Country is a succesful HBO series.

(Wikimedia)

Culture

November 18, 2020

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Lost ‘Turkey Day’ family traditions OLIVIA CARBONE Staff Writer kzzw@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The Holiday’s may be adopting some new traditions this year, but there are many old ones that we’ve forgotten about over the years.

Thanksgiving is one of the holidays where mostly everyone participates in the same things.

However, there are some traditions that have been forgotten over the years, and they are listed below.

Retelling the story of the first Thanksgiving Although we learned about the first Thanksgiving in elementary school, it’s important to brush up on all the facts. Whether it be from a history book or a TV documentary. It’s important to know the origin as to why we celebrate this day even hundreds of years later.

Using place cards Believe it or not, many people in the past used to make festive place cards with every guest’s name on it which was placed at their seat. This small gesture helped guests feel extra special at the meal since it is a family-centered dinner that brings togetherness.

Splitting the wishbone Although it’s a superstition, that’s what makes it fun. This is especially fun for younger guests to make a wish on the holiday.

Two people hold their own end of the wishbone of the turkey, make a wish, and the person holding the longer piece was said to have good fortune or their wish granted. This tradition comes from the Romans. It was also believed that birds could bring good luck and are very powerful.

Passing down family recipes Sure, it’s nice to have all the delicious traditional foods each year,

but why not try something new?

Traditions are made from trying new things, right? Thanksgiving is the perfect time to break out an old recipe and cook it with family.

Taking an annual Thanksgiving walk In the past, many families would walk in the morning or right after they eat in order to walk off some of those Thanksgiving pounds.

It’s important to enjoy the fresh air and the beauty of fall before winter finally appears.

Reflecting on the year 2020 sure has been an unusual year. Take this time to go around the table and talk about how we’ve grown from start to finish.

Even though this year is hard to find something to be thankful for, we can all talk about how it’s forced us to grow from a comfort zone.

Playing your own Turkey Bowl rather than watching it Thanksgiving is a huge day for football lovers. Yet, very rarely do people take part in their own football game on Thanksgiving morning. This is a tradition that helps us bring joy to the holiday along with much needed physical activity.

Start binge watching a new show Not often do we have time to slow down and take some time with family. Kick off your holiday season early by binge watching Christmas movies or TV shows to get you in the spirit for the upcoming month ahead. This is a great way to bond with family and to unwind.

As you can see there are many Thanksgiving traditions that have been lost in the shuffle over the years.

This year hasn’t been easy on any of us, but it’s an important time to say what we’re thankful for and focus on the things that haven’t changed: the ability to bring back or start a new tradition

(The Penn Archives)

Students upset by new spring break changes MEGAN DONNY Staff Writer M.Donny@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Students discuss changes to spring break Students received an email Nov. 10 with announcements about changes to the spring semester, including the dates of our spring break.

It had been previously announced that the break would no longer be one week, but seven separate “self-care” days.

These days are Feb. 25-26, March 13-14, April 5-6 and April 21. Two of these are weekend days.

Students’ initial reactions to the changes to the break were negative. Many students usually take destination trips or travel home to see family.

With these recent changes, students now have to alter or change the plans they might have previously planned.

“I’m not necessarily happy with the change to the spring break,” Maran Davis (senior, fashion merchandising) said. “I feel that spring break is a week that everyone looks forward to during

the semester as a way to unwind and to do something fun.”

While non-class days are nice, it doesn’t decrease the amount of work students will most likely have to do. Usually, spring break gives students the opportunity to have an extended period of time off from assignments or to get a head start on classwork for the rest of the semester.

“I don’t think we needed to change the break,” Aaron Hoda (senior, criminology) said. “It’s what worked best for all of the students.”

When the dates were released, many students immediately noticed the fact that they gave us two weekend days off: Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14.

“I think that they gave us seven days to kind of make up for the fact that they are cutting our spring break and trying to also make the students and faculty happy,” Davis said.

Some students took to social media to express their disinterest about the break and even went as far as to repost memes about it.

“It’s not really time off, but it will allow us to take a small break from the constant work and

Zoom classes,” she said.

One good thing about the selected days is that IUP did give us two long weekends in February and April. While it might not be as beneficial as seven days in a row, it still gives students the opportunity to plan a small trip home or a short vacation.

“I personally don’t have any plans, but I think students will still try and fit some plans in during these short breaks,” she said.

Davis also said that she thinks there isn’t much time to even make plans due to the shortness of these small breaks. She said that it would be possible to take a day trip but not much else.

Other students will most likely use these days to do schoolwork.

“I’m probably going to catch up on homework or try to get ahead of upcoming assignments,” Hoda said. “I don’t think the days selected for days off are fair to students who may need that spring break time off.”

With the pandemic continuing to trouble our society, it’s also important to note that no matter what you plan to do for spring break, don’t forget to practice social distancing.

Sports

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

(The Penn Archives)

PSAC cancels fall sports, announces plans for spring JAKE SLEBODNICK Managing Editor J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu @slebby24 After months of uncertainty, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced its plans for fall and spring sports after its Board of Directors met Nov. 11.

The board, consisting of all 18 university presidents, announced that the 2020 fall sports season will be canceled entirely, while the regularly-scheduled 2021 spring sports season will continue as expected.

In a press release, the PSAC said the decision to cancel fall championships follows the same action by the NCAA which canceled all division two championships earlier this season. The

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following sports were affected by this decision: men and women’s cross country, soccer, women’s volleyball, field hockey and football.

The PSAC also said that “if six or more universities commit to participating in any of the aforementioned sports, the conference will reinstate a championship season,” however, the decision for whether or not schools participate is still to be determined.

Todd Garzarelli, IUP’s athletic director, told IUP athletics that the decision “brought a mix of emotions, as our student-athletes are both positively and negatively affected.” Garzarelli said he was heartbroken for IUP’s student-athletes, athletics department and the university as a whole, but he supports the decision made by the board of directors.

He also added that IUP will continue to work together to find opportunities for student-athletes to play this spring.

For spring, mandated schedules and championships will still proceed as scheduled, unless a conflict, such as another major COVID-19 spike, calls for its cancelation.

The following sports will continue this spring: men and women’s outdoor track and field, tennis, golf, baseball, softball and women’s lacrosse.

“I am super excited that the PSAC plans on having a spring season,” Haleigh Zimmerman (sophomore, safety science) said.

Zimmerman, a returning infielder for the IUP softball team, and her teammates, had their 2020 season cut short in April due to the pandemic. However, the pan-

November 18, 2020

demic was a major curveball for Zimmerman as 2020 was her first season in the crimson and grey.

The Crimson Hawks finished 4-10 last season, with the last coming on March 12 where they lost 12-2 in five innings to Ashland.

“Missing one season was already hard enough to take in, and I hope we can come back next semester and have a full season.”

Zimmerman also said that she expects multiple health and safety plans to be adopted by the PSAC to ensure sports can go on without a hitch in 2021.

“I think there will be some changes to our game, like wearing masks in the dugout and using our own softballs at games,” she said. “But I will do whatever I have to in order for me and my fellow sophomores to have our

first real season.”

After the announcement, president Michael Driscoll told IUP athletics that he is pleased that the PSAC was pushing for spring sports this year. He said student-athletes had “no competition in spring 2020,” and he added that we need to do all we can to get them back in action.

The board will meet later this week to discuss the fate of winter sports seasons and championships, which would affect sports such as men and women’s basketball, wrestling, indoor track and field and swimming.

Garzarelli concluded that he remains optimistic that winter sports will happen this year, and he thanks all medical professionals, athletic trainers, and coaches and staff for working diligently for athletics to return since summer.

Sports

November 18, 2020

Sports

19

Steelers show their true colors against the Bengals JAKE TAYLOR Staff Writer J.M.Taylor8@iup.edu @JakeTaylor8726

This article contains opinion.

Queue the Pittsburgh Polka, “We’re from the town with the great football team, we cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Now if you are familiar with that tune, it would have been read to the beat. If not, don’t fret, you’ll hear it echoing through the football world come February.

Pittsburgh squeaked a win out in Jerry World last week. So naturally, the NFL media goes crazy.

In their biased, “What have you done for me lately?” approach to analyzing the game, Pittsburgh was assumed to be cooling off.

Blame it on the Cincinnati Bengals’ Twitter intern for posting a video of T.J “Whosyamomma” Houshmandzadeh cleaning his cleat with a Terrible Towel. Or, blame it on Big Ben who took his week on the COVID-19 reserve list to travel back to 2014 and bring back that arm and mobility.

The Bengals do not serve as a formidable foe; however, a win is a win, and Pittsburgh has nine of them. For the first time in their storied franchise, Pittsburgh begins

a season undefeated through nine games.

The match-up against Cincinnati was on paper different than what it played out to be. The Bengals sit at the bottom of the barrel in pass protection, and the Steeler’s defense ranks first rushing the passer. The game had fewer sacks than I imagined, and the defense seemed to be letting up a few gash plays.

Obviously, holding your opponent to 10 points is a recipe to win 98 percent of the time. Pittsburgh does a fantastic job stopping teams on third down. This is one of the biggest reasons why the Steeler’s defense is so dang efficient. The Steel Curtain also managed to produce two key turnovers.

In a season focused on the defense, Pittsburgh’s offense sure made a statement. Not only putting up their third-highest point total this season, 36. Ben Roethlisberger, “Big Ben,” lead attack picked apart Cincinnati as they pleased. There were big plays from Eric Ebron, Diontae Johnson, James Washington, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool, proving how lethal this offense really is.

Playing the Steelers has to be miserable to prepare for. They can excel through many different avenues, throwing, running or impro-

vising as they go.

Pittsburgh’s wide receiver core seems to be the best in the league right now. Washington and Ebron both have three touchdowns, Johnson has four, Smtih-Schuster has five, and rookie sensation Claypool has seven receiving and two rushing. Consider James Conner’s five on the ground, and it is safe to say Pittsburgh’s high-octane offense of years past is humming just as well.

The most important takeaway from Pittsburgh’s Week 10 performance is this: the Steelers are just getting started. It seems week after week Pittsburgh brings something new to the table.

Pittsburgh can exceed specific performances in every aspect.

In Week 7, they proved they can come out hot and still pull out a win after their opponent’s adjustments. In Week 8, they proved their defense can let up major yards but still provide crucial turnovers and opportunities for the offense. In Week 9, they proved they are not the Steelers team of years past and actually win a trap game. In Week 10, they proved Big Ben is back and lead his team to victory without having to take big hits in the pocket and on the run.

Roethlisberger is the clear-cut favorite to win comeback player of the year. I think the NFL has to con-

sider Big Ben for MVP. He provided 88.3 percent of the team’s total yards Sunday.

Not to mention his in-game adjustments. Roethlisberger is Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator.

Compare this to the years when Pittsburgh was favored in the AFC, he refused to speak to Offesnive Coordinator (OC) Todd Haley.

In addition, he had to deal with the locker room drama of Le’veon Bell and Antonio Brown. Now, he has no outside distractions, and he calls the plays as OC Randy Fichtner watches from the sidelines.

Watch an entire Steelers’ game and tell me the difference when Roethlisberger calls the plays versus when Fichtner calls the pays. Fichtner has been Big Ben’s quarterback coach for eight years prior to his hiring of offensive coordinator in 2018. What Roethlisberer says, goes. Rewatch the Baltimore Ravens game in Week 8 if you don’t believe me.

The real reason this team is playing so well is their off-the-field/ in locker room relationship. Week after week, it is obvious how well the guys get along. It is evident on the sidelines, post-game interviews and social media. The defense and offense are such a close-knit group, it is impossible not to like.

Pittsburgh has that feeling that

championship teams do, that “storybook Cinderella story” feels.

Years of being favorited but choking, a year after playing with thirdstring QBs, and now it is all coming together. Coach Mike Tomlin, Big Ben and the city of Pittsburgh are all on the same page.

And that was all on display on Sunday. The Steelers were everything we thought they were.

Pittsburgh routed Cincinnatti, and made them look like they didn’t even belong on the same field.

In a 36-10 blowout, the Steelers dominated on both sides of the ball. The Steelers threw for four touchdowns and 333 yards.

On the defensive side of the ball, Joe Burrow was constantly under duress. He was taken down four times, two of which coming from T.J. Watt.

After this dominating performance, the Steelers sit atop the league at 9-0. The road to the Super Bowl is looking even more clear.

This year is going to be special from the Steelers. The rest of the world will be able to watch and enjoy as Pittsburgh pushes toward their seventh Super Bowl.

So, sit down, shut up, drink an Iron City, and play the Pittsburgh Polka. Stairway to Seven is coming.

(behindthesteelcurtain.com)

November 18, 2020

20

Sports

St. Louis is the ideal NHL franchise piece AUSTIN SMITH

Staff Writer A.S.Smith7@iup.edu @ThePennIUP How do you define someone as a hero in sports? Is it based on statistics? Is it their personality and who they are as a person? Could it be a combination of both?

If I were to start an NHL franchise, it would be the man named Martin St. Louis or the “Little Big Man,” that I would choose to be the face of it.

St. Louis is retired and has been since 2015. You may ask, why would I want to start an NHL franchise with a player that has been retired for years? I would want a player that has wisdom and leadership throughout their career, and that’s exactly what St. Louis had to offer.

St. Louis started his career with the Calgary Flames back in 1998 and then played the majority of his career with the Tampa Bay

Lighting. That was a total of 14 seasons with Tampa.

St. Louis hung his skates up after playing with the New York Rangers for a year and helping them get to the cup final in 201314. He officially retired in 2015, and of course, his number 26 was hung up in the rafters at Amalie Arena, the home of the Lighting.

“Former captain, forever will be the heart, soul of this organization,” Steven Stamkos, captain of the Lightning, said.

St. Louis was a guy full of wisdom and knowledge, like I mentioned earlier.

“Every day wanting to be better and making his teammates better, it's such an inspiration to me to have been part of his journey," former coach John Tortorella said.

"I just have so much respect for how he did it. It's just unbelievable."

These are a few huge quotes coming from some big people in the hockey world.

So, what kind of stats did St. Louis bring to the game? He posted 391 goals and 642 assists, giving him a total of 1033 points.

In today’s game, those numbers are getting higher and higher overall, but goals have been harder to come by.

If you ask me, those are some stellar numbers to put up as a right wing who wasn’t the biggest guy. That was one thing that stood out the most to people who had played with him, and of course, the fans watching.

This shows how much determination and passion St. Louis had as a player, which adds more why I would want to have him in the front of my franchise.

Hockey is a tough sport on skates and being able to fly around and control a puck that could go over 100 miles-per-hour is not a task everybody can do.

St. Louis made it look easy at the height at 5 feet 8 inches.

He had to play against play-

ers like Zdeno Chara, who is the current tallest player in the NHL right now and plays for the Boston Bruins. He stands at 7 feet tall on skates.

You also had big trains as defensive like Dustin Byfuglien to get through who weighed in at 265 pounds. The point I am trying to make is size doesn’t matter as much in the NHL if you had the determination and mindset like St. Louis.

The charisma and ability of his speed is what would scare me if I was playing against him. Some of those 391 goals he had were highlight reels that boosted his teams to success, especially on one of his best career moments where he was with his Lighting family.

He helped Tampa hoist Lord Stanley during 2003-04 season and put up some crazy points.

He put up 94 points and led the league in scoring. St. Louis was the first player since Wayne Gretzky to win the Art Ross Trophy

as highest scorer, the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the granddaddy of them all, the Stanley Cup, all in the same year. It showed right here that the size of the bear doesn’t matter.

Being able to put up numbers, bring motivation, help a team make sure they are OK and deal with the hectic schedule of the NHL sounds pretty convincing to me.

In today’s NHL, new players are coming in like crazy, and those being players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and so may make you forget players like St. Louis or at least put him in the back of your mind.

There is no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t pick any other player right now than St. Louis.

Passion and wisdom will forever be on the top of the list rather than worrying about how big you are as a player for me. I wish he was still playing right now, but eventually, age and your body catches up with you.

IUP Basketball sits No. 10 in power rankings From Tuesday’s IUP Athletics Press Release.

In what has become an annual occurrence, the IUP men's basketball team is included in the NCAA. com Division II men's basketball preseason Power 10 ranking, recently put together by Wayne Cavaldi.

Cavaldi releases his power poll each week during the regular season, with the Crimson Hawks a consistent name included in the top-10 during its existence.

IUP opens the 2020-21 season at No. 10 according to Cavaldi, the only school from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and one of only two from the Atlantic Region. Here's Cavaldi's notes: No. 8 Indiana (Pa). It's not a DII men's basketball preseason poll without a mention of Coach Joe Lombardi's squad. Four starters return, including Armoni Foster who should be a PSAC player of the year candidate. The key here is the return of Tommy Demogerontas who was averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game before getting hurt in just the fourth game of the 2018-19 season.

The Crimson Hawks boast five

players with starting experience from last year's conference championship team, including preseason All-American junior guard Armoni Foster and forward Ethan Porterfield, last year's PSAC West Freshman of the Year. Foster averaged a team-high 19.8 points per game while Porterfield averaged 10.3 points and was among the league leaders with 54 blocks.

Senior guard Shawndale Jones scored more than 10 points per game and shot nearly 54 percent as IUP's top reserve a year ago.

Junior point guard Dave Morris enters his second year as a starter after averaging 9.5 points, 4.1 assists and 2.0 steals in 2019-20.

Forward Tommy Demogerontas looks for a strong return, averaging 16.8 points and 9.0 rebounds through four games last season before losing it to injury.

IUP was also tabbed as the preseason No. 5 team by the Basketball Times last month.

The PSAC suspended all sports during the 2020 fall semester, so the Crimson Hawks cannot start their abbreviated year until January 2021. No schedule or start date has been determined by the conference.

(IUP Athletics)