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VOL. 110 NO. 3
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News Editor: Jake Slebodnick – J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu Lead News Writer: Emily Loose – E.D.Loose@iup.edu
New executive board eager to engage students this year JEREMY STOUT
Staff Writer J.W.Stout2@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
With the start of a new academic year underway and a new student government executive board members sliding into their positions, there are plenty of new developments that have taken place with SGA. Imani Nelson, who was supposed to be treasurer this year, was for unspecified reasons unable to fill the role. This leaves SGA with only three active members of the executive board: Alex Fefolt, president; Chris Carrington,
chief justice; and Jessica Poley, secretary. The position of vice president remains unfilled from last semester, and there is not a current director of internal and external affairs. Fefolt said that the remaining executive board is meshing well together. “We’re all relationship builders, so we’re a good gang of people,” Fefolt said. “I’m excited to work with all of them.” Fefolt said he adjusted to the role of president over the summer. “I never left Indiana over the
(Crimson Connect) Alex Fefolt (above) expects to help bring students closer to SGA through relationships.
summer, so this past summer I’ve been meeting with many
members of the administration,” Fefolt said. This was done to prepare administration members for the interactions with other members of student government in the coming months. “I have fully moved in,” Fefolt said. Student government is expanding the number of times that members will meet with people in administrative positions on campus. “Previously, the president of student government would meet with President [Michael] Driscoll and the vice president of student affairs [Thomas Segar], and the [SGA vice president] would meet with the provost [Timothy Moerland],” Fefolt said. “That was it.” “There’s a vice president for the administration of finance; we have a Title IX coordinator; we have athletic directors out there; we have a director of public safe-
ty,” Fefolt said. “We’re reaching out to each of these persons, and we’re going to have a member of student government there to meet with them every month.”
One of the first major events for SGA, “Breaking the Barriers: Meet Your Student Government,” will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Elkin Hall Great Room. The event is in conjunction with the Multicultural Student Leadership and Engagement Center. “It’s an opportunity for students to meet the members of student government,” Fefolt said.
IUP ranked as one of top eight online schools in Pennsylvania EMILY LOOSE
Lead News Writer E.D.Loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
The past year has seen IUP garner recognition from various publications. This trend has continued as IUP ranks as one of the top 25 best values for online education in Pennsylvania, coming in at No. 8. Ranked by Best Value Schools, IUP was chosen due to its affordability and the amount of different degrees that the school offers its students, which includes 140 undergraduate degrees. Best Value Schools uses independent unbiased data to conclude its ranks. Editors at Best Value Schools also said that IUP does a great job at giving its long distance students valuable resources, claiming the school to be “one of
News
(IUP Website)
(Facebook)
IUP President Michael Driscoll (left) is committed to giving students a premier learning environment, whether it’s in the classroom or online. Best Value Schools (right) ranked IUP in the top eight online schools in America.
the best.” IUP’s work in online education has also been cited by EdSmart.org as part of its best in the nation list, ranked at No.
19. The only other Pennsylvania institution to make the list was Villanova University, which was ranked at No. 2. The goal of both of these
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rankings is to give prospective students an idea of where to find the most affordable universities that also help give back high investment returns. In the past, IUP has also been ranked in the top 200 schools for different graduate programs, according to U.S. News for 2019. This includes rankings for its clinical psychology, criminology and education programs. Michelle Fryling, IUP’s media relations executive director, was asked about the school’s thoughts on the accolades. “We know, firsthand, the incredible opportunities that we offer to our students, and we see how the IUP experience changes lives,” she said. “It’s very gratifying that these independent, external publications and educational resource sites see it too, recognizing IUP for its value, academic
excellence and rigor, selectivity and how we make a difference in our world.” IUP President Michael Driscoll also praised the university’s efforts. “IUP is committed to face-toface education, and our faculty excel in the classroom,” Driscoll said. “That said, we also are committed to student success and to offer our students the flexibility they need to complete their coursework, which sometimes means online instruction. These rankings for our online coursework recognize that we remain true to our core mission of providing excellence in all of our academic offerings, regardless of delivery method.” The recent changes and rebranding that the school has made may help factor in future results.
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Remembering the life of Dylan James Harris (1996-2019) JAKE SLEBODNICK
News Editor J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu @Jake_WIUP
Dylan James Harris, born Nov. 16, 1996, in Minot, North Dakota, passed away unexpectedly August 25. Dylan was a senior at IUP and studied business finance.
Harris is remembered for being a stubborn, yet determined individual, who put forth all of his effort in anything he did. This characteristic shaped him into a very dedicated student, resulting in multiple appearances on the honor roll, according to his obituary. Alongside his dedication to his
studies, Harris also possessed uncanny wit, as well as the ability to win over anyone with his charm. He is also remembered for his athletic mindset, playing football throughout the early years in his life. He played for both Phoenixville and Oxford, Pa. Dylan is survived by his mother, Michelle Roques,
Police Blotter THEFT •
An unknown person stole a brown and tan purse from a parked vehicle in the 1300 block of Klondyke Avenue around 11:12 p.m. Sept. 2. The suspect is described as a white male, 20-21 years old, wearing a gray sweatshirt with plaid, according to borough police. Anyone with information is asked to call Indiana Borough Police at (724)-349-2121.
• Mynah Marcel, 18, was cited for retail theft after borough police received a call about a theft that occurred in the Co-op Store at 2:32 p.m. Aug. 29, according to borough police.
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An unknown person stole food and money from a parked vehicle in the 1100 block of Church Street between 5 p.m. Aug. 28 and 6 a.m. Aug. 29, according to Indiana borough police. Anyone with information is asked to call borough police.
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An unknown person stole a black wallet from a parked car in the 400 block of Elm Street between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, according to borough police. Anyone with information is asked to call borough police.
Alcohol Violations •
Harry Irvin III, 56, was taken into custody after police received a report from a female that she was being followed and harassed by an intoxicated male around 11:00 a.m. Aug. 30. Irvin was discovered by police publicly urinating on the side of a building in the 500 block of Philadelphia Street. Irving was cited for harassment, public drunkenness and public urination, according to borough police.
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Ronald Scott Kunesky Jr., 37, of Indiana was arrested at 6:22 p.m. Sept. 4 for public drunkenness in the 500 block of Grant Street, according to borough police.
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Mark Klinger Jr., 22, of Hegins was discovered by borough police face-down and unresponsive across from Horace Mann Elementary 12:07 a.m. Aug. 31 in the 200 block of S Fifth Street. Citizens Ambulance assisted on the scene, and Klinger was charged with public drunkenness, according to borough police.
Drug Violations •
Cory Murdock, 25, of Indiana was discovered by police under the influence of heroin in a business in the 300 block of Philadelphia Street at 6:01 p.m. Aug. 30. Charges for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness have been filed against Murdock, according to borough police.
Miscellaneous Violations •
Jamie-Lee Brooks, 24, of Wayneport, N.Y. was issued a citation for violating borough code for hosting a loud gathering at his residence in the 1100 block of Church Street Aug. 31, according to borough police.
father Brian Harris, sister Taylor Grace, step-brother Tigue Cumens-McAveney, grandmothers Betty Harris (paternal) and Bonnie Hunt (maternal) and the various members of his extended family. IUP offers grief counseling for those affected from the death of a loved one. To make an appointment,
contact the counseling center, located on the ground floor of Suites on Maple East at 724-3572621. The walk-in hours are Monday through Friday, 1-3 p.m. In case of emergencies, the Indiana County Crisis Hotline is open 24/7 and can be reached at 1-877-333-2470.
Vertil selected to join IUP Council of Trustees
at the forefront by always ensuring that they, too, are a part of the conversation and therefore included in any decision making by our board,” Vertil said in an Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Aug. 27 news appointed a junior release. psychology and “Our trustphilosophy major ees play a very to the role of important role student trustee on in guiding the the IUP Council of university and Trustees. setting goals Abigaelle and expectations Vertil represents for the future,” students’ interests IUP President when the council Michael Driscoll makes decisions. said in the news The position release. “They assures students bring an incredhave a say in the (Facebook) ible amount of decision process. Vertil was selected for the IUP Council of Trustees wisdom, experiShe was ence and experofficially sworn tise. I am confident that Abigaelle in by the council Aug. 16, but she will offer unique perspectives to started learning the role back in the council and April when she to our university and five other leadership, and students attendI look forward to ed State System the contributions Advocacy Days that she will make in the state in this role.” capitol, repreVertil said senting IUP. her philosophy There, she professor recomand the other mended her for students were the position, and on a panel on she talked herself which they into the idea. could tell legis“I’ve always latures what the wanted to repstate system has resent something bigger than done for them and why legislamyself,” Vertil said. tures should keep investing in the She was preceded in this role system. by Caleb King, and she will serve “As I fulfill my responsibilities until she graduates. The council as a newly admitted trustee, my meets quarterly and other times first priority will always be putting as needed. the IUP student body I represent KATIE MEST
Editor-In-Chief K.A.Mest@iup.edu @katiemest
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Water wasting worries: Adopt shorter showers KATIE MEST
Editor-In-Chief K.A.Mest@iup.edu @katiemest
Take a moment to think about how much water you waste in a day, even if you think you aren’t necessarily careless with your consuming. A nice, long shower might help you start your morning, but 2.5 gallons of water wash down that drain every minute. Now think of how much time you spend waiting for the water to heat up or just letting it run over you so you can feel the warmth as you start to wake up. Set some guidelines for yourself in the shower so you can develop a sustainable shower routine that you’ll actually stick to. The obvious answer here is to shorten your showers, and I am
at fault here as much as anyone. Showers are therapeutic. I get it. But we need to go over some general ground rules. Rule No. 1 is getting in as soon as you turn on the water. So much waste comes from the little routine you do while waiting for the shower to heat up. Your shower doesn’t take that long to heat up, so stop waiting. You can still have your warm, cozy showers, but make your time count. Get in, wash, get out. I know women especially have different types of showers, so make sure you know which one you need before turning on the water. If it’s a hair-wash day, you know your shower is going to be a little longer. You may physically be standing in the shower for a longer period of time, but that
doesn’t mean the water has to be running. Turn the water off when sudsing up or exfoliating and turn it back on only when you need to rinse. Keep the pampering, but lose the poor consumption practices. But if it’s just a bodywash kind of day, you shouldn’t be spending more than a few minutes in there. If you have to shave, consider bringing a small bucket or cup of water into the shower with you to rinse your razor so you’re not just having the water run when it’s
not necessary. Think about how much water you lose in the time it takes you to shave your legs. It’s practically a whole other shower session going to waste. So the next time you hop into the shower, observe your own practices. Do you find yourself just standing under the showerhead soaking up the warm water without actually washing yourself? Are you brushing your teeth or picking out your clothes while waiting for the water to warm up?
Create a challenge for yourself. If you know you’re averaging 10 minutes in a shower, shoot for nine or eight next time. Brave the lukewarm water and start washing yourself during the 10 seconds it might take your hot water to kick in. Set a time limit for yourself and stick to it. Find ways to conserve water that work for you and your routine. Even just cutting down your showers by a minute or two can save a lot (refer back to the statistic in paragraph two). And if you need a little guilt trip to whip yourself into shape, this is your friendly reminder that places like Flint, Michigan, and Newark, New Jersey, don’t even have clean water. So, don’t waste yours, and count your blessings for having clean water for showers in the first place.
Technology: This generation’s unlikely way to succeed in school CONNIE DIVEN
Contributing Writer C.L.Diven@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
This article contains opinion. “Are you going for your master’s???” This is a question I always get from one brave student sometime during the first few weeks of a new semester. Going into a college classroom at the beginning of the semester is never easy for a non-traditional or older student. I get strange looks from students and sometimes the professor. Then comes the other question, why? Explaining that I am trying to finish a degree I started several years ago and several times is never easy, and it comes with mixed reactions. As the semester goes on, the dreaded group project is assigned, and yeah, that’s fun! I feel like I am back in elementary school and the last kid on the playground to get picked for the team. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t always have to have the professor assign me to a group. Sometimes I’m assigned by the professor for
(The Penn Archives)
(IUP Website)
This generation of college students relies so heavily on learning through technology that it’s becoming easier to cheat on assignments.
my typing skills alone – or at least I would like to think that. I make no apologies for my age and my naiveté. After all, I have learned so much from the younger students: online shopping sites, for example. If I’m lucky enough, I will get behind a student who is browsing under the ruse of having the e-book opened, and sometimes, if I get really lucky, I can watch a gossip session going on. Some students actually have a very active social life.
I have seen students have a multiple-friend chat session open while searching for apartments for the next semester, getting thumbs up or thumbs down from people I can only assume to be roommates. Personally, I am impressed with the tastes of some of the students; they pick apartments that rival those I have seen in Manhattan. I have also found that you don’t actually have to study for a test – well, the online tests anyway. Really, it’s true.
I once watched a student sitting in front of me during a biology class do an entire math test online by flipping back and forth from the test to a cheat site. It was cool. She would put in the equation, and the answer would come up, and she would just put the answer down on the test. Although I have to question her academic integrity, I now see how some students can balance school, a job and still have a fruitful social life. I hope she did well
on the test. OK, so I’m getting off track here. I really wanted to talk about technology, especially cellphones. Really, if the cell towers crash one day, I think it would freeze the entire campus. It would look like a zombie apocalypse. Dazed and confused wouldn’t even begin to describe the atmosphere. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just jealous, because these young people can walk and text at the same time, a feat that I have not yet mastered.
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New restaurants pop up on Philly Street over summer
(TNS) A view of the under construction learning area at Fruitport High School, in Fruitport, on Wednesday. Curved walls are one of the several new safety measures being installed to thwart active shooters.
IUP students offer advice on how to stay safe this school year ANNA MECHLING Staff Writer A.Mechling@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
School has started for elementary, middle, high school and college students. Students are getting back in the groove of classes, extra-curricular activities and social aspects of school. All students must think of safety in different ways. For example, elementary school kids think of safety as looking both way to cross the street. For college students, it is safe to bring a friend when going out late at night. College students tend to have more freedom and time to do what they want and go where they like compared to grade-level students, who are required to follow a strict class-by-class schedule. Therefore, college students are often more aware and self-conscience about their safety. Even though college students may think about safety on a different level than grade-school
students, college students think safety is an important priority to think about regarding younger students. “Safety is a top priority for all teachers and staff working at the elementary school level,” IUP Student Government Association (SGA) President Alexander Fefolt (junior, history/pre-law and political science) said. “All students should feel comfortable going to a trusted adult for help if they have any concerns or need to report an issue. “In addition, students should always listen to their parents, teachers and principals because they’re in the authoritative position and know what’s best.” Using resources like teachers, parents and dependable people in the community as a reliable source of contact can help students feel comfortable and prepared for their journies through school. The use of technology is also a helpful, modern tool to use to help with safety. Nowadays,
most grade-level students have a cell phone and are able to maneuver through its smart ways. Technology can also be used to see people’s location or whereabouts, especially if they post on social media daily. Texting or calling parents or relatives, letting them know your whereabouts after you leave home, get to school and are leaving school is a great way to ensure safety and trust on both ends. The buddy system is used in grade school and can be effective in all walks of life. In college, especially during the nighttime, it is smart to travel in pairs or a large group. When walking alone students are left more vulnerable. The same rules apply for grade-level students. Walking in pairs or larger groups tends to bring a sense of comfort, trust and unity. “Try to walk in groups if you live near people by your home,” Ronald Inniss (sophomore, Asian studies) said. “It’s safer. That way if something happens, it’ll be easier to notice than if you were by yourself.” Being friendly but also cautious toward people you don’t know is a good balance of how you should approach strangers. Students should also be aware of the people and things around them and report any suspicious activity. “Make sure you’re not walking alone,” Lyndon Darwin-Shelton (senior, computer science) said. “Don’t talk to strangers because that is unsafe. Students need to be aware of your surroundings.”
(Robert Hinkal/The Penn) With students returning to Indiana, businesses are starting to pick up.
KATIE MEST
Editor-In-Chief K.A.Mest@iup.edu @katiemest
This article contains opinion Lots of changes came to Indiana while students were away on summer break. In addition to changes with IUP Dining locations on campus, two off-campus eateries brought new menu items to the table. Indiana welcomed a new restaurant to its Philly Street hub, while another restaurant underwent a name change.
Villa II Pizza Villa II Pizza opened July 29 on Philadelphia Street, between Seventh and Eighth Streets. Becky and Jeff Marshall also own Villa Pub and Grill and Market Street Bakery in Blairsville. The idea of Villa II came from Jeff, when he suggested to his wife the idea of combining their specialty Jioio’s pizza with sweet sauce from Villa and the variety of baked goods from Market Street to bring the best of both businesses to Indiana. “Even though there are a lot of pizza places in Indiana, the Jioio’s pizza is very different,” Becky said. “It’s a sweet, thin crust. So we offer both the hand-tossed Villa pizza and the Jioio’s pizza.” When you first walk through the door, you’re greeted by a case of colorful desserts, all made daily at Market Street Bakery, including macarons, cheese-
cakes and opera cakes. “The opera cake is layers of almond sponge cake, soaked with espresso syrup and espresso buttercream, and chocolate ganache on top.” Online ordering is an option Becky said she hopes to have in the future, but for now, customers can call in their orders for pick-up or delivery. Customers can also dine in. Becky described the staff of her restaurants as instrumental in helping to open the third establishment. She said they will continue hiring at the new location as time goes on.
Kangaroos The restaurant, formerly known as Firehouse Brewing Co., next to Boomerangs Bar and Grille will now go by Kangaroos. Owner Shannon Penich said the name change was the final step after renovations to the interior and changes to the menu. “We wanted a fresh start,” she said. Penich explained that Firehouse was known as a burger place, so it was very limiting for those who didn’t wish to order burgers. The new menu includes hot dogs, gryos, paninis, different appetizers and desserts. While burger lovers can still enjoy their favorites, others can have more entree options to choose from. Kangaroos is also serving ice cream from Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream in Pittsburgh.
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Hurricane Dorian picks up speed as it moves upcoast MARK PRICE
Charlotte Observer TNS
Hurricane Dorian was pounding the Carolinas with winds and rain Thursday, leaving a trail of destruction and flooding behind as it slowly moved north. The Category 2 hurricane picked up speed and was traveling at 10 mph with sustained winds up to 105 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in a 5 p.m. EDT update. The eye of the storm was about 45 miles southeast of Myrtle Beach. "The center of Dorian will continue to move close to the coast of eastern South Carolina for the next several hours, and then move near or over the coast of North Carolina (Thursday night) and Friday," according to the NHC. As the storm continued to trek north, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster lifted his evacuation order for Jasper, Beaufort and Colleton counties, areas of the Lowcountry that the storm had passed. Evacuation orders were still in effect for Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties, as Dorian was forecast to hit the Grand Strand region. "We are still battening down the hatches in the other five (coastal) counties, and we want everybody to be alert," McMaster said at a news conference. Flash flooding and storm surges remain the greatest threats caused by Dorian, the hurricane center tweeted. More than 230,000 power outages were reported by coastal South Carolina customers Thursday, and most were in the Charleston area, where more than 120,000 people had lost power. Dozens of roads were flooded, and watches and warnings for tornadoes, flash floods and storm surge were growing north of Myrtle Beach into North Carolina. A 98 mph wind gust was recorded on the South Carolina coast at 3 p.m., according to the hurricane center. Tornadoes began to form on the northern edge of the storm just after dawn, including two reported in Horry County near Myrtle Beach, according to the Myrtle Beach Sun News. Multiple tornadoes were also
(TNS) Hurricane Dorian is rapidly becoming one of America’s worst hurricanes. Relief groups are taking immediate action to aid those affected.
reported in North Carolina. (The storm was about 100 miles south of Wilmington, according to the hurricane center's 3 p.m. update.) A waterspout ripped through Emerald Isle about 9 a.m., destroying multiple mobile homes. A tornado touched down in Brunswick County, "leaving a trail of damage approximately 10 miles long near Calabash and Sunset Beach," according to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper's office. A funnel cloud was also recorded on video about 7 a.m. in Pender County near Fire Station 18, the National Weather Service tweeted. As the damage and flooding mounted, evening curfews were announced in multiple communities near the North Carolina coast, and a daytime curfew began at noon Thursday in Southport, N.C., "until further notice," according to the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office. "Conditions are deteriorating and with confirmed tornadoes in the area, it is simply not safe
to be out," Brunswick County officials said on Facebook. Coastal communities in South Carolina are expected to get six to 12 inches of rain Thursday, with isolated areas of 15 inches, according to the National Hurricane Center. In North Carolina, predictions of rainfall in excess of 10 inches continued to grow Thursday, with nearly all coastal counties expected to get 10 to 15 inches of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center. Heavy rainfall is predicted to fall far from the eye of the storm, the hurricane center tweeted. While Dorian is expected to slowly weaken in the next few days, it will continue to be a "powerful hurricane" as it moves up the Carolinas’ coast, according to the NHC's 5 p.m. update. Even if it never makes landfall, the storm can affect areas far inland with tropical stormforce winds that extended 220 miles out from Dorian's eye at 5 p.m., according to the hurricane center. Hurricane force winds extended 60 miles out.
A video tweeted by Live 5 News reporter Paola Tristan Arruda at 1:15 a.m. showed Charleston's famous North Market Street had become a river through the historic downtown, as emergency lights flickered on buildings. Charleston had more than 50 road closures early Thursday, many due to flooding and others due to high winds bringing down trees and power lines, according to the city's website. A tree crashed into a North Charleston home just before 5 a.m., but the damage could have been worse if the little boy whose room was demolished hadn't been sleeping in another room, WCSC reported. In North Carolina, mandatory evacuations were in place for barrier islands. Coastal counties near the bays, coastal rivers and sounds also called for residents to evacuate near the coast. Dorian is expected to bring deadly storm surge, flooding and tornadoes to the coast through the day Thursday as it heads toward the Outer Banks. Forecasters have not predict-
ed a potential area of landfall on the Carolinas, but suggest it could cross onto land at any point. Coastal flooding was expected to reach 4 to 8 feet above normal levels from the Savannah River in South Caroline north to Cape Lookout on the Outer Banks, the National Hurricane Center said. "The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the how close the center of Dorian comes to the coast, and can vary greatly over short distances." North Carolina's state medical examiner reported the state's first Dorian-related death occurred Monday, when an 85-yearold Columbus County man "fell off a ladder while preparing his house for the storm." At least three of the 20-plus deaths attributed to the storm have involved men falling off ladders as they prepared for the storm or tried to remove trees, according to The Weather Channel. Most of the deaths occurred in the Bahamas.
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Hoodlebug entrance construction, Grant Street in progress
(Autumn Dorsey/The Penn) Construction continues to connect downtown Indiana to the Hoodlebug Trail by way of Eighth Street. IUP’s Grant St. construction continues into the semester.
(The Penn)
Opinion (TNS)
(Facebook)
Melvin Gordon (left) and Neymar Jr. (right) are examples of athletes having disputes with their teams.
Athletes starting to become dictators over teams
Opinion
serve to get paid more? I do not think there is any doubt, but if he loves the game, then he should deal with the current situation. If he does not get the contract from the Chargers, he will get it with another team, similar to Bell. Another league where players are starting to have more power is the MLB. Again, going back to hold outs, players such as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado wanted long-term deals. Two of the best players in the game go into the free agent market at the same time will cause a market crash. Many players and teams waited to see what they would decide. The reason teams did not want to give long-term contracts is the risk. In baseball and other sports, players have gotten the contract they want and have not produced. It is like the stock market: a team invests money into someone they believe will help a team. At times a team gets their money back; other times a stock crashes, and the money spent disappears. The final sport that will be talked about is soccer. In the sport, players have arguably the most power. They decide where they want to go nine out of 10 times. They also do not have to finish their contract;
most, in fact, leave halfway through. All other sports players could be traded and released at any time. In soccer, players that do not want to be on a team could go into the coach’s office and hand-in a transfer request. They will be gone by the end of the next transfer period. You may be asking, “So what if players want to holdout of a contract. The more power to them.” The owners and personnel have a limited amount to spend on the team and upgrades to a stadium. Teams across all leagues want to keep these players. The problem is, with higher demands every year, when will teams start to say enough is enough? Teams at some point will say to players, “We are not going to pay your demands.” They will start to pay for more average players than on one big one. The mindset will be, “If I could get two or three good players instead of one great player, that could be a championship team.” Next time you are out with friends and they are talking about holdouts, ask them if this one player will make a championship team. It might be best to get a young player and build for one more season to save money. The real-life example that is currently happening is the Pitts-
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burgh. This last offseason they let go of two of their best players, Bell and Antonio Brown. Time will tell if their plan will work and if upper management will change
their viewpoint on holdouts and contract disputes.
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Athletes are considered powerful and sometimes wealthy people in the world. They are also called superheroes at times, but do they have too much power on teams? Currently across the sports world, players are moving to teams that they want, which is a great thing for the respective sports. If the team has the money to improve the organization, then why shouldn’t they make the move? Then there is the case that players are ruining the game. Le'Veon Bell, who is a top running back in the NFL, sat out an entire year just because of a contract. The number of players that are holding out because of their current contract has increased by a significant amount the past five years. This offseason has seen five of the biggest stars in the NFL hold out because of contracts, one of which is still holding out now. That player still holding out is Melvin Gordon of the Los Angeles Chargers. It is still not known how much he wants in his new contract, which expires at the end of the season. It is expected that he will want a deal like Ezekiel Elliot, who just came out of a holdout with the Dallas Cowboys. Does he de-
(Chandler Bouton) “Labor Day.”
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Culture
Culture Editor: Megan Donny – M.J.Donny@iup.edu Lead Culture Writer: Heather Bair – H.Bair@iup.edu
(IUP.edu) “RENT,” “Finding Neverland” and “1984” will all be performed in Fisher Auditorium during the 2019-20 school year.
Lively Arts Ovations! tickets $10 for all students MEGAN DONNY Culture Editor M.Donny@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
Lively Arts, IUP’s performing arts program, has decided to make student tickets $10 for their Ovations! events. The Ovations! events includes different types of performances, from orchestras to off-Broadway musicals. “Every year, we bring a variety of performing arts events for Ovations! to IUP that normally a patron would need to go to a city to see,” said Cate Planisky, Lively Arts’ performance service assistant. Some of the events coming for the 2019-20 Ovations! season include the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, “1984,” “RENT,” “Finding Neverland” and the West Virginia Dance Company. Planisky said that many students do not know that with each of the events coming for Ovations!, there is a “corresponding outreach program” that is open for all students to attend. Some of these programs include dance lessons, mini-concerts and Q&A sessions with the performers. While they are open to students in every major, some of these programs are specifically focused for majors involving music, theater and dance.
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“We also collaborate with our campus and community to bring performances which will enhance our living experience on the whole,” Planisky said. An example of this will be seen in an Ovations! performance by Iranian-Canadian duo Niyaz. The duo is led by Azam Ali, whose voice tells the stories of ancient Sufi poetry blended with Middle Eastern to Indian folk songs. Intermixed with their heritage-inspired melodies is a multimedia experience. The duo always tries to break down the traditional boundaries limiting them for the purpose of uniting people of different backgrounds together. The group not only sings Sufi poetry and folk songs, but have been featured on tracks in many blockbuster films and hit television shows. This includes “The Matrix,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “True Blood,” “Prince of Persia” and “Bones.” Niyaz has also released four best-selling albums. Niyaz will be coming to campus Oct. 22 from 8-10 p.m. in Gorell Recital Hall, the second floor of Sutton Hall. Events like Niyaz that are held in Gorell Recital Hall are more intimate experiences for the audience. This year, three Ovations shows will be held in Gorell Recital Hall: Niyaz, The Swingles and Imani Winds.
“The Lively Arts and Aramark have also paired up over the last several years to host a post-show reception after the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performance,” Planisky said. “Everyone who attends that concert is invited to join us afterwards at the reception.” This year, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s concert will feature Beethoven’s “Erotica” along with compositions by Schubert and Strauss. The Orchestra will be accompanied by German baritone Matthias Goerne. “We also provide opportunities for our College of Fine Arts students to perform alongside professional artists,” Planisky said. This year, there are two opportunities to see IUP students perform with professionals. These shows include the River City Brass “Brasstacular” and the West Virginia Dance Company. The River City Brass “Brasstacular” will be held Feb. 7, and The West Virginia Dance Company will be performing April 9. Both shows will be held in Fisher Auditorium. A play coming to IUP for the Ovations! Series is “1984” by George Orwell. This play, which will be performed by the Aquila Theater troupe from New York City, is based off the dystopian novel many have read for either school or for enjoy-
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ment. The show was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play. “1984” will be performed at IUP in Fisher Auditorium, Nov. 15. A fun Valentine’s Day performance coming to campus is “Mummenschanz: you & me.” This Swiss-based theater troupe has been putting on visually stimulating performances for 45 years. Its program will feature “larger-than-life” animals who glide across the stage, impressing their audiences. “We are looking at our options to tie into a local restaurant for a ‘Dinner and a Show’ combo to make the evening even more special,” Planisky said. “Mummenschanz: you & me” will be performed the evening of Feb. 14 in Fisher Auditorium. The two musicals coming to campus this year are “RENT” and “Finding Neverland.” “RENT” is a rock musical that follows the story of a group of artistic acquaintances who struggle to thrive in New York City during the beginning of HIV/AIDS outbreak. The musical features hit songs like “La Vie Bohéme A,” “Seasons of Love” and “Out Tonight.” “RENT” is one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, lasting 12 years. The show was adapted into a movie in 2005. “RENT, the 20th Anniversary Tour” will be performed Thursday,
Nov. 21 in Fisher Auditorium. “Finding Neverland” is a musical adapted from the 1998 play, “The Man Who Was Peter Pan” by Allen Knee. The show follows a playwright as he tries to become the writer and person he truly wants to be. The playwright, Barrie, finds what he has been looking for when he meets a widow and her four sons. The original Broadway cast included Matthew Morrison alongside Laura Michelle Kelly. In 2015, a score was released featuring covers of the musical’s songs. Some of the artists who sang these covers include Nick Jonas, Ellie Goulding, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend and Christina Perri. “Finding Neverland” will be performed Wednesday, March 18 in Fisher Auditorium. Each IUP student can purchase one $10 ticket per each of the Ovations! events. The ticket is non-transferrable, and the staff will be checking to make sure the name on the ticket matches the name on your I-Card. You will need to bring your I-Card when you purchase the discount ticket as well. Tickets can be purchased at the box office located in the lobby of Fisher Auditorium. On the night of the event, there will be a specific VI(U)P Student entrance for all students who have purchased their discount tickets.
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Disney+ streaming brings old favorites back to life HEATHER BAIR
Lead Culture Writer H.Bair@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
This article contains opinion. August 2017, Disney announced their new streaming service, Disney+. As of Aug. 23, Disney+ announced a new batch of young and old projects that are in the works as we speak. “Star Wars” fans can be expecting new movies, such as three “Obi-Wan Kenobi” movies starring Ewan McGregor, who will reprise the role. “Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” an animated series, is being renewed, and a “Star Wars: Rogue One” prequel was mentioned. The Marvel Franchise was bought by Disney in 2009, and MCU fans are receiving some much-desired and anticipated movies in the 2020-21 year. “Ms. Marvel” stars the first Muslim character as the lead of her own comic story.“She-Hulk” features Bruce Banner’s cousin, who, after receiving a blood transfusion from Banner himself, receives his powers. “Moon Knight” is about a superhero with multiple personalities who must work together to become a crusader. Marvel is also releasing “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” in which Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will reprise their roles, respectively. Fans of the “Thor” series and Thor’s somewhat evil brother, Loki, will be excited to hear that the lovable villain is receiving his own series, in which Tom Hiddleston will be reprising his role as the trickster god. “Loki” will follow the events in“Avengers: Endgame,” in which he stole the Space Stone and vanished. Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner, will also be receiving his own series, titled “Hawkeye,” centering around Clint Barton “passing the Hawkeye mantle” to protégé Kate Bishop. Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany are starring as the Scarlet Witch and Vision, respectively, in their new series, “WandaVision,” in which the superheroes try their hand at living a “regular, suburban life,” until trouble finds them, as it does all heroes. Benedict Cumberbatch is
(Facebook) “Lady & the Tramp” (top left) , “WandaVision” (top right), “Monsters at Work” (bottom right) and “Loki” (bottom left) were some of the movies and televison shows spoken about at the D23 conference.
returning as Dr. Steven Strange in his own movie, “Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.” However, you’ll want to watch “WandaVision” before attempting Dr. Strange’s movie, as spoilers are far and wide. At D23, it was announced that Hilary Duff will reprise her role as the lovable Lizzie McGuire, who is almost 30 years old and navigating her way through New
York City, with the dream job, perfect boyfriend and perfect apartment. There’s just one little problem: her 13-year-old self is also returning in the form of the Animated Lizzie – the voice in her head come to life. Fans of Disney’s classic movies can expect a new take on Disney’s “Lady & the Tramp.” A live-action movie promises the classic scenes from the original – such as the
spaghetti-kiss scene. If you’ve been missing the Wildcats, Disney’s bringing back the story of “High School Musical,” just not in the way the public expected. This time around, East High is counting down to opening night as students present “High School Musical: The Musical.” We met lovable Sully and oneeyed Mike Wazowski in “Monsters Inc.” and “Monsters U.,”
and now Disney+ is giving us a new storyline featuring Sully and Mike, along with new monsters as they get used to making children laugh, rather than scream, in “Monsters at Work.” Along with these are many other fan-favorites coming to the streaming service in 2020 and 2021, so while there’s a long wait, be sure to rewatch the originals while you can.
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Students believe Instagram should remove the ‘like’ count from posts HALEY BROWN
Contributing Writer H.Brown@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
This article contains opinion.
(The Penn Archives) Cogswell Hall houses the music department at IUP.
IUP music ensembles open to students of all majors KATIE MEST
Editor-In-Chief K.A.Mest@iup.edu @katiemest
If you have a musical talent and are interested in joining a musical group on campus but aren’t a music major, ensembles may still be an option. The music ensembles at IUP welcome students from all majors to audition to join. There are more than 30 ensembles in the music department, and they’re looking for new members at the beginning of each semester. Though most ensembles already held auditions last week, some are still open. You must audition to join most groups, though University Chorus, Men’s Chorus and Women’s Chorus do not require an audition. If you’re interested in joining an ensemble, you can contact the professor that leads it, which can be found on the Music Ensembles page under the Department of Music’s page on IUP’s website. Some ensembles are better suited for those looking for a less intense audition experience. For instance, Wind Ensemble is the top ensemble for band, and the Symphony Band is the second. You can audition for your instrument and be placed in one, or you could audition directly for Symphony Band. You can take a more intense audition for a top ensemble if you wish. Most groups will give at least
one performance during the semester. A lot of the bands and choirs will give two or three. Some ensembles, such as the choral groups, will partner with area orchestras for bigger productions. The choirs this year are involved with the Altoona Symphony. Almost all the ensembles function as classes, according to Dr. Zach Collins, so if you’re considering joining, Collins recommends acting quickly. There are, however, a few that act more as clubs than classes. Hawkapella is IUP’s student-run a capella group. To become a member, you have to attend an audition and also be part of one of the Choral Department’s vocal ensembles. Other extracurricular ensembles include Crimson Chords, Jazz Vox, Legacy Brass and Popular Music Ensemble. For information regarding ensembles or if you wish to set up an audition, you can contact Craig Denison (Craig.Denison@iup.edu) for choral ensembles, Jason Worzbyt (reedtip@iup.edu) for Symphony Band, Alexandra Dee (Alexandra.Dee@iup.edu) for Symphony Orchestra and James Flowers (James.Flowers@iup.edu) or Kevin Eisensmith (tptprof@iup.edu) for Jazz Band and Jazz Ensemble. You can also reach out to the professor that teaches the instrument you play.
April 30, 2019 at the F8 Facebook developer conference, Instagram announced that it would be experimenting with removing public access to like counts. Instead of showing the number of likers at the bottom of a post, Instagram plans to display a single liker’s account name as well as the words “and others” with no numerical values included. It began a trial period of this alteration in Canada, but, due to the nature of Instagram’s release of the concept, it appears that the change is a viable option and could be spread to other countries including the US. It has not been explained if this will be a permanent change to Instagram’s format, or if users will be able to choose whether or not they remove the like-counts feature themselves as a toggle on/off option. The idea of removing the like-count feature is based on the goal to lessen social pressures caused by users equating self-worth to numbers of likes, followers and views, which affects and motivates many who participate in social media use. “Social media causes people to constantly compare themselves to others, so not being able to see other’s like count would take the pressure off how well your pictures perform,” Thea McCullough (junior, fashion merchandising) said. The idea of social pressures affecting what people post on their social media profiles is the main driving factor in this push for change to the display on Instagram. Limiting the audience’s access to numerical values on the app is expected to encourage viewers to focus on what is shared, as opposed to focusing on how well a photo is doing, as compared to what others are posting. Eliminating the validation of exceeding someone else’s likecount is expected to encourage social media users to post more of what they are personally drawn
(Facebook) Instagram ‘s “like” count can pressure students to try to achieve as many likes as their friends.
to, instead of using operant conditioning, a term used in psychology, to motivate the content they decide to post. Operant conditioning paired with positive reinforcement occurs when a positive stimulus is utilized to produce a desired effect, like training a dog’s behavior with the use of treats instead of scolding. A high like count acts as the positive reinforcing stimulant, which encourages social media users to post more of what their audience approves of, as opposed to what they might genuinely want to post if there were no validating rewards such as likes. “I always compare the amount of likes I get to my friends, Ashtyn Edwards (junior, criminology) said. “I believe this
[change to Instagram] would affect what people post. They may post whatever [they want] versus just what gets a bunch of likes.” The projected positive impact of the change of format to the app will encourage users to be truer to the content they would promote if the app had nothing to do with the validation of likes. A healthier self-image would also be encouraged by the elimination of driving factors such as exceeding the likes of another account’s maximum-liked photo. By only having access to your own number of likes, this option is expected to introduce a more positive experience for all Instagram users and encourage more genuine self-expression across the board for all social media.
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The Scourge Pit Five new underground heavy metal albums to stream CHANDLER BOUTON Cartoonist C.Bouton@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
This article contains opinion. Welcome back to another semester of “The Scourge Pit,” where I give unto you, dear reader, a list of albums from the hallowed halls of the underground that I’ve been enjoying and that I think need to be given their due recognition. Here are five albums that range in sound from beautiful to grotesque:
Pharmakon “Devour” Power electronics and noiseguru Pharmakon returns with “Devour,” her follow-up to 2017’s “Contact.” “Devour” is an album that is all-parts misshapened and horrifying. An apt title for a sonic experience that consumes you in the truest sense of the word – by leaving you fully and effectively worn down and used up in the best possible way. Her shouted vocals are distorted and warbly, making the harsh sounds she’s singing over even more unsettling. The production is cavernous and simple. The layering of sounds here is not overly complicated, but never fails to feel crushing and destructive. If you are at all a fan of noise music, you would be doing yourself a massive disservice not checking this out.
Drab Majesty “Modern Mirror” It’s hard for me to talk about this album in a way that doesn’t sound overly gushy. I’ve been listening to this nearly nonstop since it came out in July, and I feel it’s become an essential part of my being. With “Modern Mirror,” Deb Demure (formerly of Marriages) has, in my opinion, created a masterpiece of modern gothic rock. It’s beautiful, melancholic, catchy, and danceable all at once. It doesn’t display the gran-
(Facebook) “Modern Mirror” is one of the five best metal albums of the year so far.
deur of something like The Cure’s “Disintegration,” but the otherworldly feel of the album, Demure’s genderbending aesthetics and vocal performance, the catchy, programmed drums and ethereal melodies all come together to form a wondrous piece of gloomy bliss.
None “Damp Chill of Life” None is a depressive black metal band I’ve been spinning pretty frequently since their sophomore release last year, titled “Life Has Gone On Long Enough. ”With a title like that, I was bound to be sucked in. On “Damp Chill of Life," None continues to impress and depress me. The anonymous Pacific Northwest act has maintained a consistent sonic quality to their trilogy of releases, even employing certain motifs across the three albums. Black metal is no stranger to pianos, but I love the way None uses them. Rather than layering synths over the heavier parts to create a symphonic sound, None uses the pianos, often on their own, to create a somber mood, as if walking through a decayed woods after a heavy rain.
The style of black metal here is not fast or aggressive. There are no blast beats to be found and seemingly no tremolo picking, although they could be hiding behind the fuzzy guitar production. This is slow, melancholic, depressive black metal at its finest.
Mylingar “Doda Sjalar” Sweden’s Mylingar have cursed this decaying planet in its time of need with “Doda Sjalar,” which works as a fitting soundtrack to chaos and sewage roaming through post-apocalyptic streets. This album is absolutely repulsive to say the least. Death metal isn’t always my thing, but when it’s got this kind of blackened element and is as unrelenting as this album, I listen well. Mylingar have summoned a piece of unmitigated grime, unrelenting in its sheer ferocity, noise and auditory decimation.
Filmmaker “The Love Market” This mysterious darkwave act from Colombia has put out a slew of releases this year, but “The Love Market” is the one that
(Facebook) “Devour” (top left) and “The Love Market” (top right) are some of the latest metal albums.
really stands out to me. I suppose the cover was the first thing that caught my attention, which makes sense if you’ve seen my cartoons in the Opinion section. In fact, the music was made to fit the artwork, according to Filmmaker’s Bandcamp page. Next, the music immediately hooked me with programmed drum beats that are catchy and
hefty. Filmmaker continually adds layers of sound throughout a song, sometimes as subtle little synth bleats and sometimes as swirling demonstrations of electronic decay. At times pretty, and others unnerving, “The Love Market” has been scratching my itch for nihilistic post-punk or darkwave with programmed drums for the last few months.
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Culture
Mesmerizing ‘Ms. Purple’ follows family drama in LA’s Koreatown KATIE WALSH TNS
Tribune News Service
(Facebook) Students read their horoscopes for amusement as well as for entertainment.
Students enjoy reading their daily horoscopes EMILY LOOSE
Lead News Writer E.D.Loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
In the “Life” section of many newspapers, there is a column featuring horoscopes that details what the near future holds for those under a specific zodiac sign. While many in the science field have classified horoscopes in the same category as healing rocks, as pseudoscience, there is still a population that believes in them. Horoscopes have been a popular method for people to understand themselves. According to a survey done by the National Science Foundation in 2012, 45 percent of Americans think astrology has some science behind it. Studies have also shown that more than 90 percent of Americans are aware of what their zodiac sign is. Students at IUP are mixed on their beliefs in horoscopes. However, many of them do agree that there is a certain enjoyment to seeing and reading about them. Alexis Hussey (freshman, management) is a student who does read her horoscope, but she says her life does not revolve around what it tells her. Aside from predicting outcomes of events, horoscopes also detail personality traits of different zodiac signs. For example, those who are Leos tend to
be focused on themselves, and a Taurus is supposedly stubborn. These traits and ideas have been used as ways to help make compatibility charts among signs. Hussey said that she believes that horoscopes may hold some truth in those details. “Every person has an individual birth chart especially specific to their time and place of birth,” she said. “I believe that time, place and date correlation holds some truth as to what traits we will have resulting from the planets.” Jessica Trout (sophomore, communications media) may read her horoscope as well, but she has mixed feelings on what it tells her. She does not always think much about it. “It just depends what it says,” she said. Andrew Secula (junior, Spanish education) said his roommate and he are part of the group of students who find them interesting, but do not read them. “They sound like a great idea, but we do not really read them,” Secula said. “It is not our thing.” While modern science agrees that horoscopes and astrology are not all based in fact, students at IUP are willing to look at them for enjoyment, citing that there is no harm in them. For those who do read them, they said they would not go too far with them, only using them to seek advice when needed.
There’s never any question as to the identity of the titular “Ms. Purple” in Justin Chon’s third indie feature. In an opening sequence, Kasie (Tiffany Chu) wanders home in the early morning light, wearing a violet hanbok, a traditional Korean gown, its formality juxtaposed against her bedraggled hair and the smoggy Los Angeles streets. Chon wraps around at the end of the film to show us how Kasie got here, laying out the context that leads to this strange moment in her life, garbed in the culture she doesn’t know, stumbling through the place she’s always been. Chon, who gained fame as an actor on the Disney Channel and in the “Twilight” films, has of late turned his creative energy to chronicling the intricacies of Korean-American life in Southern California. His award-winning 2017 film “Gook,” set around the LA Riots in 1992, captured the racial strife that roiled the community. “Ms. Purple” is a contemporary Koreatown piece, a drama about family, gender and the complexities of labor. Kasie spends her days taking care of her comatose father (James Kang), bed ridden in their home, dependent on a feeding tube. She sponges his skin and tends to his bed sores, lost in memories of childhood with her single father, bereft after his wife abandoned their family. At night she dolls herself up to work as a hostess in a karaoke club, tending to and soothing the egos of wealthy men who buy her company for a night of partying. When the nurse who helps Kasie quits, citing the difficulty of a job waiting for a man to die, Kasie calls her estranged brother, Carey (Teddy Lee), who also leads an existence on the margins of society. Like his sister, he’s in limbo. Or is it paralysis? He spends his days getting kicked out of cyber gaming cafes and has little choice but to return home and begrudgingly look after a father he rejected at 15. “Ms. Purple” has a low-budget, lo-fi aesthetic, which lends immediacy and authenticity. But
(Facebook/TNS) Tiffany Chu (top) and her co-star Teddy Lee are featured in “Ms. Purple.”
Chon imbues the film with surreal elements that draw out the numb yet heightened emotional states of the characters. Cinematographer Ante Cheng plays with film speed to blur Kasie’s movements around LA, and it’s mesmerizing to simply watch her move, reacting or not to the people around her. Overpowering and sometimes ostentatious music choices sometimes steamroll the tone, but it lends to the sense of unreality as the characters swim and sleepwalk through their lives. As Kasie begs nurses in a hospital parking lot to care for her father, a moment of rock-bottom desperation, a Western-style Mexican guitar tune drowns out her pleas, all sound dropping away save for the music. It’s
tonally jarring, drawing attention to but distancing us from her plight. These moments happen frequently, as guitar, jazz or classical music overtakes the scenes. It’s a bold but sometimes distracting choice, as Chon creates a layered aural and visual landscape for the characters, who are simultaneously grieving the past and the future, their present an almost uncanny hallucinatory state. Chon’s film goes to some brutal places in grappling with the tough realities of death, and even tougher facts of life as Kasie faces down the darkest humanity has to offer. Although it’s unclear what it ultimately adds up to, Chon’s film is as scrappy, messy and earnestly felt as life itself.
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Movie frightens viewers with a tale of childhood trauma CASEY COFFIELD Contributing Writer C.Coffield@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
This article contains opinion. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” is a screen adaption by Andre Overdal based on famous macabre stories as told by Alvin Schwartz. On the night of Halloween 1968 in Mill Valley, Pennsylvania, a group of friends led by Stella (Zoe Colletti), explore an abandoned house fabled for the mysterious, sheltered life of Sarah Bellows. Upon entering Sarah’s old bedroom, the group finds and carelessly takes a book in which stories continue to write themselves. Stella and her gang find themselves in the middle of their own horror stories. As Stella races to rewrite Sarah’s masqueraded past, each night a new story is written, resulting in a horrible fate for those who entered Sar-
(Facebook) “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” captures audiences of all ages.
ah’s home. While Stella and her group of offbeat friends don’t stray far from today’s stereotypical teen horror clique, it’s Schwartz’s spin on classic childhood campfire stories that make this movie a good psychological thriller. Progressively, the audience is
faced with the real heart of this story: childhood trauma. This becomes clearer through each monster presented as we learn its role in the victim’s upbringing. The Pale Lady doesn’t have much on-screen time but is the monster most capable of im-
printing a long-lasting image in your mind. Her appearance is foreboding, but her shy smirk is faintly welcoming. Producer Guillermo del Toro was inspired by the book’s original illustrations by Stephen Gammell. The Pale Lady’s muscular, misshapened body, benign expression and coy walk as she closes in on her prey was Overdal’s closest depiction of a nightmare. The film has a solid group of teen actors. Stella is a strong female lead who manages to care for five loved ones while suffering the worst fate of them all. With a PG-13 rating, teens are likely to feel a connection with these actors. Chuck (Austin Zajur), one of Stella’s best friends, acts as the comedic relief, while Auggie (Gabriel Rush), the other best friend, acts as the responsible caretaker. Adults can connect with this film because they already lived it. As stated above, this film is set in the late ‘60s. These chilling ghost
stories have circulated for decades, older generations having read them for bedtime stories. The film also engages in political history. Set during Nixon’s presidential campaign, the audience catches glimpses of posters and speeches. We are reminded of the Vietnam War dread as impending doom rest on the hearts of those not fated by Sarah Bellows. The ending of the film certainly suggested a sequel, and just like the title, this film has more than one story to tell. The scares left something to be desired as they fell short of compelling. There is something to be said for the suspense leading up to a monstrous introduction. The character dynamic of this film is overdone, but Overdal is to be praised for leaving the viewer reflecting on the stories we tell and the people they shape us to be. This film is worth seeing for anyone who enjoys fear, nostalgia and old school horror.
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(Facebook) Tom Holland (left) and Kevin Feige (right) both attended the D23 confrence and spoke about their love for the Spider-Man franchise.
Sony-Marvel split leaves Spider-Man with unknown future MEGAN DONNY Culture Editor M.Donny@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
After much deliberation, Sony and Disney’s Marvel have planned to split ways, leaving the future of the Spider-Man franchise hanging with an unknown future. The decision made between the two companies would remove Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, from any future Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films. When “Spider-Man: Far From Home” grossed nearly $1.1 billion, slightly more than Sony’s highest-grossing film “Skyfall,” Sony decided to pull Spider-Man out of the MCU. The two companies could not come to a decision regarding the financial aspects of the film franchise. Disney had suggested splitting the films profits in half, but Sony declined that offer
and instead completely pulled Spider-Man out of the deal. The decision to remove Spider-Man from Disney’s MCU caused an uproar in the fan community. The news spurred many memes and postings online regarding Spider-Man leaving the MCU after only recently becoming part of it. Sony has owned the rights to the franchise since 1999. In 2015, the companies had announced that they would share the rights to the Spider-Man films which then led to the creation of the two most recent movies in the franchise: “Spider-Man Homecoming” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” During the D23 expo that occurred Aug. 24, Holland addressed the news about his character leaving the MCU. He did not delve into any details but just said that it has been a hectic week and that he “loves you 3,000,” quoting previous
MCU character Tony Stark. He also said that he will continue to play Spider-Man and enjoy doing so. Holland will be part of Disney’s new movie, “Onward,” which also stars MCU actor Chris Pratt from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise. The two men will star as elf brothers in this animated adventure film set in Los Angeles. Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, thanked Sony for allowing Marvel to experiment with, Spider-Man. He also said at the D23 conference that he was very gracious to be given the opportunity to make the films. All together, Spider-Man was featured in five MCU films before the split: “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
Marvel and Sony will be meeting again next week in order to further discuss the future of the Spider-Man franchise as well as the terms Sony would like Marvel to agree to before they pass the franchise back to Marvel. The future of Sony’s “Venom” movies lies in wait because Spider-Man is said to appear in the second film. Tom Holland, who has played Spider-Man in the most recent two films, did say however that there are new crossover movies between Spider-Man and Sony’s other Marvel movies in the making. Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” completely redefined how fans of the character viewed the franchise. The animated movie was released in 2018 and was a hit according to many fans. The movie even won an Oscar for the Best Animated Film, crushing Disney/Pixar’s “The Incredibles 2.” The movie follows multiple different Spider-People who all
work together to save their individual universes from which they came. This made the movie very culturally diverse, breaking down the stereotypical Spider-Man character. Fans have voiced through social media how doubtful they are about Spider-Man’s future success without the backing of the MCU. The hashtag “#SaveSpiderMan” began trending as soon as the news about the split between Sony and Disney’s Marvel broke. Many have said though that they believe the franchise will still succeed, due to Sony’s triumph with the “Into the Spider-Verse” film. The belief is that Sony has the ability to create films that are just as good as MCU’s Spider-Man films. The future of the franchise is still unknown, but the hope is that this week there will be more news about the franchise and the direction Sony will be taking it in.
Sports VS.
Sports Editor: Elliot Hicks – E.Hicks@iup.edu
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MILLER STADIUM
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(IUP Athletics) Running back Justice Evans scored nine touchdowns in 2018.
Crimson Hawks preparing for challenging Chargers to open season JEFF HART
Staff Writer J.R.Hart2@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
Don’t look now, but it’s already that time of year again. Electrifying plays, explosive tackles and storylines that will last even past the gridiron. That’s right folks, it’s football season in Hawk Nation. Saturday the Crimson Hawks begin the road toward competing for a national title, and IUP is hungry to win it all. After last season, the Hawks are hoping to rebound from missing the playoffs. They finished 8-3 last season and missed the postseason following a national
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semifinal appearance in 2017. Many Hawks fans have faith in this team. After taking a glance at the roster, it’s easy to understand why. IUP has a plethora of talented players that are returning this season. In particular, the offense has a surplus of depth at the running back position. Last season, Justice Evans and Samir Bullock destroyed defenses and combined for more than 1,100 yards. This deadly dynamic duo aided both the passing game by making the offense multi-dimensional and the defense by extending time of possession. Both prolific backs are returning this season and are ready to pro-
duce and help their new quarterback spark this offense. After losing star quarterback Lenny Williams, many were left wondering who was going to fill such big shoes. Williams has set virtually every meaningful Crimson Hawks passing record. It seems that the QB position has been put in good hands. Ohio University transfer Quinton Maxwell played seven games for the Bobcats in 2018 and gave meaningful production as a backup QB for Ohio. In high school, he threw for more than 3,100 yards and rushed for more than 2,000 yards. Maxwell is a superb talent to have leading the offense this year
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with his experience and athletic ability. Combined with a strong backfield, the Crimson Hawks appear to have deadly potential on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, the Hawks have a solid core for this team. They have returning members like senior linebackers Damon Lloyd and Nick Amendola, who combined for 70 tackles and five sacks. All-PSAC West safety Shaq Jones and former All-American JR Stevens will be looking to lockdown the Crimson Hawks’ secondary. With a healthy defensive core of returning members and new talent, it is looking bright for IUP on the
defensive side of the ball. Saturday, fans are going to be able to see how this team is going to play together against New Haven. IUP is 18-21 for home openers; however, New Haven is a formidable opponent that went 9-3 last year. New Haven received seven votes for first place in the Northeast-10 preseason coach’s poll and is no stranger to competition. The last time these two programs met up in 2012, IUP narrowly escaped with a 17-14 win. Last season was an off year. This is the dawn of a new day, and IUP looks ready to take on the daunting tasks of a new season.
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Crimson Hawks Roundup
(IUP Athletics) The IUP fall sports teams each begin their seasons this weekend.
Fall sports teams ready to roll as seasons begin ELLIOT HICKS
Sports Editor E.Hicks@iup.edu @ehicks39
CROSS COUNTRY: Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are looking to improve from solid seasons in 2018. The men’s team will return six of its seven top runners from last season. “Returning everyone except for one person is awesome,” Noah Mandel (graduate student, kinesiology) said. “We have a strong group of guys who are all leaders and very talented.” Despite having solid returnees up front, the team’s depth may become an issue throughout the season. “While depth is a potential concern, we have an experienced group that projects to be in key scoring positions,” head coach Joey Zins said. “We’ll need additional runners to get into that All-PSAC and All-Atlantic Region group in order to move up and potentially emerge as a dark horse contender for an NCAA bid.” Overall, the team has high hopes for improvement on its fifthplace finish in last year’s conference and regional tournaments. “Our major goal is to go to nationals in Sacramento, which [requires a] top three at regionals,” Mandel said. As for the women’s team, Zins is
optimistic that it can “take a step forward” in 2019. “We are adding a lot of newcomers to the mix,” Zins said, including Jessica Jones (senior, applied mathematics) a track and field athlete running in her first full cross country season for the Crimson Hawks. “She has looked very strong early on in practice,” Zins said. With three of the top four finishers in last year’s Atlantic Region championship returning to blend with five newcomers from the freshman class, Zins is eager to see how well the mix of returners and new additions can perform in 2019. The season begins Saturday with the Bethany Bison Invitational in West Virginia.
FIELD HOCKEY: IUP field hockey will look to rebound in 2019 following a disappointing season last fall, finishing the year 3-14 and ending on a seven-game losing streak. Head coach Gary Agard is eager to start fresh and look for better results this fall. “I think this season will be an impactful one with a great blend [of] experience and young, dynamic freshmen,” Agard said. The Crimson Hawks will have nine freshmen on their roster this season, led by midfielder Paeton Hartmann and defender Emma Wilhelm.
“All of the freshmen have come into preseason prepared to take their skill to the next level,” Agard said. “I’m totally impressed with all of them.” IUP also has a great deal of returning talent that will look to help navigate a young team through the challenging PSAC conference, filled with nationally-ranked squads. “I think we have a solid core of players, led by our two [senior] captains Kimberly Kelly and Camen Weber,” Agard said. The team’s five seniors will look to lead the team back to a winning season for the first time since 2016. “This will be an exciting year for the program,” Agard said. “We will enjoy the journey.” Their season starts Saturday with a home matchup against Frostburg State following the football game.
GOLF: The IUP golf team begins its first full season without former head coach Fred Joseph also facing the graduation of one of the program’s best golfers in history in Matt Cocorikis. Despite this, the Crimson Hawks are a talented young team, returning standout freshmen from last season in Jack Buccigross, Jack Steve and Nicholas Ward, all entering their sophomore years Each of the trio had top-six average scores on the team last season.
The team’s lone senior, Jeremy Eckenrode, was fourth best last season and will look to lead the team to another successful year in 2019. The fall season begins with the Hal Hansen Invitational, taking place Monday and Tuesday in DuBois.
SOCCER: The IUP soccer team will look to take its success to the next level in 2019. The team hasn’t had a record below .500 this decade, but came just short of a postseason spot last year with a 9-8-1 record. The Crimson Hawks lost six seniors from their 2018 roster, but bring in a freshman class of 11 to help bolster the roster, something head coach Adel Heder is excited to see. “I see [our] freshman class bringing energy, youth and challenge to a team of upperclassmen that [bring] us experience, giving us a great mix for the fall,” Heder said. One impressive returning player is forward Mahogany Willis, who started every game for IUP last season as a freshman and scored 14 goals for the Crimson Hawks, good for a third-team All-PSAC selection. Heder’s expectations for the season didn’t stop short of the top. “Our goal is to win the PSAC Championship,” Heder said. The season begins Saturday with a home matchup at South Campus
Field against Glenville State.
VOLLEYBALL: IUP volleyball will hope to rebound from a disappointing season last fall, as the 2017 PSAC champions fell to 7-24 last season. The Crimson Hawks were swept in 19 of those losses and ended the season losing seven consecutive matches. Nevertheless, head coach Scott Pennewill is impressed with the team’s hard work in the preseason and depth around the squad heading into 2019. “While we will be relatively young again, with only one senior, there are several players with experience from last season,” Pennewill said. That lone senior, Jessica Ignace, led the team with 248 kills, 2.41 kills per set and a .147 hitting percentage in 2018. Seven freshmen and five sophomores will look to continue the rebuilding process for the Crimson Hawks. “With the schedule for this fall, including our opening match against the DII National Champion University of Tampa and against the always tough PSAC, we will see very quickly how our preparation transfers to game day,” Pennewill said. The team is in Florida for four matches taking place tonight and Saturday.
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Sports
Steelers open with Sunday night game in New England NICK DADOWSKI
Staff Writer N.J.Dadowski@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
This article contains opinion. Steeler Nation, take a moment to relax and breathe. Take another long breath. Once again, the Steelers are marching straight into the regular season with a healthy roster on both sides of the ball, which seems so right coming into the 2019 season. The team looks very refreshed from last year’s fiasco of a trial. Last season had much more potential, but after an enduring training camp and a 3-1 preseason, the Steelers could have the same potential as they had in 2018. It will definitely be tough to disappoint as badly as the 2018 Steelers, so that should take some pres-
(Facebook) The Steelers will have the tough test of playing a Sunday Night Football game in New England’s Gillette Stadium.
sure off of their shoulders. Their first opponent is no small task, however. The Steelers are set to face the defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Led behind the greatest coach/ quarterback combo of all-time, the Patriots will be looking to come out and make a statement in their home opener under the lights of Gillette Stadium. The game will be the first Sunday Night Football
game of the season. You already know the starting quarterbacks are going to be on their game for the prime-time spectacle, but will their respective teams show up for the occasion? Both teams, usually not known for their offseason transactions, have made numerous changes to their rosters this off-season. The Steelers’ offseason moves were covered in my most recent
article, but I would be damned to have mentioned New England’s offseason brilliance. Do I even have to mention them? You know Bill Belichick has completely mastered every aspect of putting together a roster. They’re going to be good regardless, year in and year out. The additions of rookies Chase Winovich and N’Keal Harry add insurance to an already loaded roster. The
loss of Tre Flowers and, of course, Rob Gronkowski may prove costly, though. Enough about the Patriots; they’ve gotten enough spotlight the entire offseason. Who knows how they’ll find ways to win (cheat) this season. The G.O.A.T. will most certainly be present in Foxboro as Al Michaels returns for another year live on NBC covering Sunday nights, joined by colleague Cris Collinsworth. As they call the game, it’ll be fun witnessing Ben vs. Brady for perhaps the last time ever. I know myself and millions of other yinzers world-wide will have their eyes glued to the television. I hope for a competitive, clean and healthy game for every single one of the players on the field. Everyone except for Tom Brady, that is. The only thing I can hope for him is T.J. Watt burying him back-first into the turf all night.
Eagles look for division win against Washington AUSTIN SMITH
Contributing Writer A.S.Smith7@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
This article contains opinion. The time has finally arrived: Philly football is coming back Sunday at 1 p.m. against Washington. The Philadelphia Eagles will be hosting their division rivals at Lincoln Financial Field for their home and season opener, and it should be a good one. The birds have dominated Washington for the most part in their past several meetings. Philadelphia won with ease in their last meeting Dec. 30, 2018 with a blowout score of 24-0. Going into Week 1, the Eagles will look to use their “dynamic duo” of tight ends to put up yards and points in this upcoming game. Philly has the best two tight ends in football right now: Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Ertz set the record last year for receptions by a tight end with 116.
(TNS) Zach Ertz had 1,163 receiving yards for Philadelphia in 2018.
He has been a lethal threat among tight ends across the NFL and his numbers show it. Goedert may not have the big numbers like Ertz, but can still do damage on third and long situations and even maybe run a screen of some sort with Ertz out there. So, when Ertz and Goedert are
on the field, you have to be sure to tune in. As far as other weapons for the birds, quarterback Carson Wentz is finally returning after overcoming an injury and is ready to get back in the swing of things for Philadelphia. Luckily, he will have some weapons to pick from as far as to whom he
will want to throw the ball. Personally, I’d rank Wentz’s top five weapons as Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffrey, Dallas Godert, Nelson Agholor and, of course, the veteran DeSean Jackson, who is reuniting with Philly this season. For Washington, its run game will be the key to give it any kind
of success to win this game against the birds, which would be a big surprise. Washington has Adrian Peterson for its ground game, and he’s a very talented running back for that. Derrius Guice should also see action coming off a torn ACL which wiped out his rookie season. The Eagles’ rush defense has not been the best, but it will have to improve from last season if they want any shot at stopping the ground attack. Without Washington having a solid running back, this game would be more of a blowout due to the mediocre passing game that it will have this season with Case Keenum starting over Dwayne Haskins coupled with a weak offensive line. The moral of the story is if Wentz hits his targets Sunday and Washington has no passing game, the birds will roll out with a huge W to start out their season. A win would put them not only 1-0 overall but 1-0 in the NFC East, and a division win this early in the year would be huge no matter which team takes the W.
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Start, Sit & A Little More Summertime SETH WOOLCOCK
Sponsorship Coordinator S.M.Woolcock@iup.edu @DFF_SethW
About this time every year in Indiana, a unique college town in rural Western Pennsylvania, something fills the air. A buzz, filled with a mixture of anticipation and excitement, sweeps from the Oak Grove to Philadelphia Street. One that only the return of 10,000 undergraduate students to a small town can produce. This nostalgic feeling pushes us through late August and early September. And before we know it, we’re fully submersed in the swing of the semester, and summer is just a distant memory. But before we fully break out the hooded sweatshirts and cornucopia decor, I’d like to shine one more light on just a little more summertime. As for me, this unforgettable summer served as a pivoting point from my fleeting youth to the rest of my adult life. Flashback to last May, at the conclusion of my junior year spring semester. I found myself alone after both my friends and girlfriend parted for home or new adventures. Most of my friends’ time in Indiana had come to an end following their graduations. And Katie was heading to the Big Apple for the summer, chasing her dreams as an editorial intern for the American Society of Magazine Editors. And I would be spending the summer doing maintenance and media work for IUP’s Student Coop Recreation Park, after turning down a last-minute offer to spend the summer in Nashville at a magazine company. While working in Nashville was once a dream of mine, it now felt distant. And for some odd reason, I felt like Indiana is where I needed to be. It was there, in that moment, sitting in a half-empty college house that I realized this would probably be the final summer of my youth, before I was hopefully a full-time professional and leaving the class-
(Seth Woolcock/The Penn) While Seth always enjoys a good vacation with his girlfriend, there’s no place like Indiana.
(Seth Woolcock/The Penn) James Conner will enter his second season as Pittsburgh’s starting running back in 2019.
room behind for good. I promised myself that while I would continue to dig roots in Indiana, my college community that became home, I would explore what else the world had to offer. During the week, I’d work… a lot – the Co-op Parks during the day and serving at Tom’s Pizza and Restaurant at night. But, on the weekends, I’d travel. Sometimes it was just visiting family, catching a ball game in the ‘Burgh, or camping at the lake with some old friends. But then there were the moments I found myself watching fireworks on a peer in Connecticut, on a cliff in Rhode Island or on a rooftop deck in Queens, overlooking the city. Regardless of if it was fishing off a jetty with Uncle Greg or just sitting on my deck in Indiana with Chris, I made the most out of it. And weirdly enough, no matter how lost or in-between I felt at times this summer, I always found my way back, to this. Writing. And fantasy football. So, let’s get to it.
New England to a play prime time Sunday night game against their conference rival. We’ve seen New England, dating back as far as last year’s post season, attempt to run a power style offense, with the goal in mind to control the time of possession. In order to combat with the Patriots, the Steelers will have to do the same. With Big Ben not having regular season playing time to get acquainted with his new targets, I expect a heavy dose of James Conner and Jaylen Samuels, both on the ground and through the air, Sunday night as Pittsburgh looks to defeat the Patriots.
Quarterback I’d Start this Week: Russell Wilson (Seattle): Even though Wilson is typically a slow starter to the season, coming off brand-new contract and facing a
Cincinnati defense that allowed the fourth-most points to opposing quarterbacks, it’s hard not to love him off the rip. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has said he wants both Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny to be more involved in the passing game this season. If that’s the case here in Week 1, Wilson should be a top 10 quarterback this week as he looks to lead Seattle back to the postseason. Quarterback I’d Sit this Week: Ryan Fitzpatrick (Miami): In 2018, nobody would have expected Ryan “Fitzmagic” to score 42.3 fantasy points in Week 1. But playing against a weak New Orleans pass defense in a shootout with talented offensive weapons helps. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Fitzpatrick does not get more than 40 points again in Week 1 this season. Now, with arguably his best weapon in Kenny Stills gone via trade and playing with what feels to be the leftover, non-matching Legos of the NFL against a good Baltimore defense, I’m out on the Harvard grad this week, and declaring the end of “Fitzmagic” to start the season. Running Back I’d Start this Week: James Conner (Pittsburgh): The Steelers will be traveling to
Running Back I’d Sit this Week: Derrius Guice (Washington): Guice is a talented, second year back, coming off a torn ACL that robbed him of his rookie season. And while I think could have legitimate value down the road, going up against a Philadelphia defense that was top-12 against opposing running backs last season at home is a tough task for anyone, let alone for someone with zero NFL snaps under their belt. I could be dead-wrong on this one. Guice could come out and light the world on fire. But in a divisional game where veterans Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson are healthy and fighting for touches,
he’s a wait-and-see for me. Wide Receiver I’d Start this Week: Dede Westbrook (Jacksonville): Let’s face it – unless Nick Foles continues his extraordinary magic he had in Philadelphia, he and his Jaguars should by trailing the majority of the opener against Kansas City. While it may be a bad day in Jacksonville, it doesn’t mean it will be for the third-year wideout. Westbrook is coming off a season where he paced all Jacksonville receivers with 66 receptions and has already showed a great connection with his new quarterback in the preseason. Consider him a mid-tier WR2 and a high-end flex play this week. Wide Receiver I’d Sit this Week: Sterling Shepard (New York Giants): Typically, you’d think you’d want to play a team’s unquestioned No. 1 wide receiver. But when that receiver’s quarterback is Eli Manning, playing in a tough divisional game in Dallas, you should probably do everything to avoid it. After missing all of the preseason with a broken thumb and playing against a Cowboys defense that ranked sixth against opposing receivers and only got better, I’m sitting Sterling Shepard this week.
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(Facebook) Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dustin Poirier will face off in the main card of UFC 242.
UFC 242 sees return of Nurmagomedov following suspension BRAD O’HARA
Staff Writer B.L.Ohara@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
The UFC will be making its return to the United Arab Emirates as UFC 242 comes live from Abu Dhabi Saturday. Headlining the event will be a title unification bout between the undefeated lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the interim champion, Dustin Poirier. Nurmagomedov is now set to make his octagon return after finishing up his suspension from the brawl following UFC 229 with Conor McGregor. The No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter has one of the most impressive records in the UFC with 27 wins, no losses and 16 finishes. What makes Nurmagomedov even scarier in the octagon is his versatility. His wide skill set makes him a threat in any position. Nurmagomedov can easily win a fight standing up with a strong background in kickboxing and army hand-to-hand combat. However, as soon as he wants to take the fight to the ground, he can. He is a world champion in Sambo, Judo, Pankration and grappling. Nurmagomedov’s ability to win the fight at any position is what makes him so dangerous and is why he is still undefeated and holding the belt.
That being said, do not rule Poirier out of contention. He has not lost a fight since 2016, has finished three of his past four and has taken home fight of the night honors in four of the past six. Much the same as Nurmagomedov, Poirier’s versatility is not to be questioned. He is well known for his striking and his knockout power, picking up almost half of his career wins by knockout. However, Poirier also has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has finished seven fights by submission. No matter where this fight goes in the octagon, expect this to be a long, well-fought brawl. The co-main event of the afternoon will see Edson Barboza take on Paul Felder. Neither man is high on the lightweight rankings, as they are ranked seven and 10 respectively. However, a major win in the co-main event could easily springboard either man into being a contender for the title. These two have already faced each other once in their careers. In July 2015, Barboza got the unanimous decision in a bout that won fight of the night honors. Since then, Barboza has been struggling to gain traction as he has been sliding down the rankings starting with a loss to Nurmagomedov in 2017. However, his striking is unmatched. Along with having a black belt in Taekwondo, Barboza
is also black praijed in Muay Thai. Felder has a very similar background with a second-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a black belt in Shotokan. However, Felder is not slumping at all. Instead, he has won four of his last five fights with his only loss
coming in the welterweight division. His pain tolerance is also not to be questioned. In his loss in the welterweight division, Felder broke his arm and then took the fight all the way to a decision while still throwing punches with the broken
arm throughout the night. No matter who wins, it is going to be a great fight to watch. Despite not having the star power of other UFC pay-per-views, UFC 242 still offers a variety of quality matchups that are sure to keep fans entertained.
This Day In Sports: Pirates retire Stargell’s No. 8
(TNS) On Sept. 6, 1982, the Pittsburgh Pirates retired Willie Stargell’s No. 8. Stargell, who primarily played either first base or left field, had a career batting average of .282 with 475 home runs, tied for 31st in Major League Baseball history. He was named an MLB All-Star seven times and won the 1971 and 1979 World Series with the Pirates. In the latter season, he was named MVP of the National League and the World Series. Stargell spent all 21 seasons of his career in Pittsburgh and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988. He died April 9, 2001, two days after the Pirates unveiled a statue bearing his likeness outside PNC Park.
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(TNS) Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors may not be a lock for another NBA Finals appearance in 2019-20.
Upcoming NBA season may be most wide-open in years JEFF HART
Staff Writer J.R.Hart2@iup.edu @ThePennIUP
For arguably the past decade, basketball fans have been subjected to the fact that they are relegated to having a pre-determined winner of the NBA season. Whether it be the Miami super team with LeBron, the Popovich-led Spurs or, most recently, the Golden State Warriors, these superteams have been the league’s dominant forces. The NBA has always had one team that has stood out above the rest for the last decade. If you asked any NBA fan over the past three years, they could have told you that Golden State was at least going to make the finals. This is the year where all that changes. We have all been witness-
es to a truly historic and amazing offseason for the NBA. With the departure of Kevin Durant from the Warriors, the floodgates were opened for a bevy of moves that have allowed a surplus of teams to improve their rosters. Everywhere you look, there are teams that one could make an argument for winning it all. Most notably, both Los Angeles teams have dynamic duos that are some of the best we’ve ever seen talent-wise. NBA fans are salivating at the chance that we could be subjected to a Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Lakers. Many analysts have justly ranked them as the two best teams in the league. Regardless of the potential playoff matchups, it is going to be can’t miss LA basketball this year with LeBron James, Anthony Davis,
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George all playing in the same town. Let’s take a look elsewhere in the West. We have one of the more recent offseason acquisitions taking place in Houston. The Rockets managed to unload Chris Paul’s atrocious contract and bring in the far younger and more athletic Russel Westbrook. Harden and Westbrook both put up surreal numbers and could compete with just about any team if they learn how to play together. Meanwhile in Utah, the Jazz have finally added in what they hope is the last piece to take them over the top. The recent trade for star guard Mike Conley has many believing in the ability of this team. They were already the best defensive team in the league before Conley’s arrival. The triple team of Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley and Rudy
Gobert have the ability to truly make some noise this season and thwart a few teams’ plans for league dominance. Taking a trip to the East Coast, we are going to look at one of the last teams that has truly added an embarrassment of talent to its squad. Brooklyn has now become the center for basketball in NYC. With the addition of superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, it is obvious that the Nets are going to be a perennial playoff threat to the league. This killer tandem does have plenty of competition, especially with the addition of Al Horford to the Philadelphia 76ers. This offseason, many had little hope for the city of brotherly love after the departure of star guard Jimmy Butler. Philly somehow managed to add
a veteran talent in Al Horford, who is going to dominate the paint with the help of Joel Embiid. Many believe that this is the year Philadelphia finally takes the next step. With the emergence of teams like the 76ers, many are overlooking the obvious contenders that managed to keep their squads together from the year before. Portland, Denver, San Antonio, Golden State, Boston and Milwaukee are all potential contenders and candidates to hoist the NBA Finals Trophy. Almost a third of the league’s teams have a chance to win it all, and NBA fans are ecstatic for this next season. It’s anyone’s league. If you are a fan of basketball action and enthralling drama, then you do not want to miss out on any of the action the NBA has to offer this year.