The Peace Times Spring 2019 by Peace Times Media

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APRIL 16, 2019

WPU Reacts to Investigation, Resignations By Alexandra Garrison and Caitlin Richards, Staff Editors

At the opening of the hip-hop symposium, the Prancing Pacers and “Double D” (Dariane Matthews and Damian Perry) performed a routine on stage to exemplify the history of hip-hop (Photo by Ana Teresa Galizes)

Symposium explores hip hop as a genre, culture and story

By Christian Branch, Staff Writer

For the first time in its history, William Peace University hosted a “Hip Hop and Higher Education Symposium” on campus April 4 and 5. The event created an opportunity for the WPU community to be educated, enlightened, and inspired by hip-hop. It initiated the process of opening the doors to a deeper understanding of the impact this genre on the world and how it educates people in the process. “The overall experience of the symposium for me was exhilarating and satisfying,” said Stephanie Reed, director of diversity and inclusion. “I say this because the complexity and size of the event was more than I had imagined.” The symposium was implemented by Reed and Janelle Jennings-Alexander, assistant professor of English. “I think we made a impression to the community,” said Jennings-Alexander. “As we start to establish ourselves as an institution that hosts these kind of events regularly, I look forward to more people being involved.” Dr. Marc Lamont Hill’s keynote address involved a discussion of how to critically interrogate hip-hop as a culture. Dr. Hill has author several books on hip-hop and its impact.

As a culturally relevant pedagogy, Dr. Hill provides a unique assessment of hip-hop both performative and intellectually. “Hip-hop culture is bigger than music. It’s a cultural movement, it’s cultural practice. It’s a way of living, a way of seeing the world,” said Hill. “Hip-hop is so rich and so nuanced and so thorough that it demands an investigation.” Dr. Kate Maddalena, professor of communications, said the event exposed

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill addressed the symposium’s attendees from the podium in Browne-McPherson (Photo by Ana Teresa Galizes)

Beyond Millenials: Students Classified By Mary Kubeny, Editor-In-Chief

The media seems to always talk about millennials and what they are up to or into at the time. On social media, you see people referring to millennials as the ones who are deciding whether or not to have kids and the teens who are deciding to eat Tide pods, but are they right? Pew Research Center defines millennials as those born between 1981 and 1996. Anyone born in 1997 or after is now labeled as a part of Generation Z. “I still identify with millennial and I feel like a lot of people do, to me millennial is a broader term to describe us,” said Zoe SintonCovens, WPU sophomore born in 1999, and therefore technically a part of Generation Z. W h a t e l s e i s trending now? C heck ou t pa g e s 4 - 5 .

P. 3 Leaders of Tomorrow

students to current research and helped start important conversations. “Over the course of two days, I was able to interact with so many scholars, artists, law enforcement, etc. all in the name of hiphop and education,” said Dr. Kate Maddalena, professor of communications. “Many of these conversations may not have happened without such an open space to bridge many of the gaps that can often exist around these topics.” For many, the symposium brought a change to how people see and view hip hop and the way that it is involved in society. “Having such a special event on our campus that discusses just how connected hip-hop and the academy are really shows the WPU and Raleigh community that we value innovation and diversity,” said Chelsea Hayes, WPU assistant director of student involvement. One of the most popular events allowed students and other participants an opportunity to meet J Cole’s manager and president of Dreamville, Ogden Payne, as well as Sascha Stone Guttfreund, the producer of Dreamville. The interview and discussion was focused on the realities of entrepreneurship. Continued on Page 3.

Gen Z Disagree

The sudden resignation of two athletic staffers and an investigation into a possible inappropriate relationship between a staff member and student has caused a variety of reactions in the William Peace University community. The investigation was made public April 2 in an email from President Brian Ralph to students and a story on WRAL later that week that was critical of the university’s handling of the issue. The university confirmed that former Athletic Director Kevin Daniels and Head Baseball Coach Curtis Owen have resigned, though it is not clear that this was in response to the investigation. “The reason for resignation for each employee is their own,” WPU Director of Communications and Marketing Ian Dunne said in an email. Daniels and Owen did not respond to requests for comment. Students received a brief email from President Brian Ralph April 2 stating that a Peace employee was being investigated in response to unnamed allegations. The email stated the possibility of WRAL questioning students because of this investigation. The next evening, a second email made students aware that WRAL would be airing a piece on the investigation into allegations made against an already resigned employee having a relationship with a student. The emails did not name the employees in question, and left many students wondering what was going on and how it would affect the university. Rumors and tension spread around campus and the community, particularly among athletes, some of whom claim to have never have witnessed any inappropriate behavior. “I was shocked and concerned for what this meant for the athletic department,” said Peace junior and women’s tennis player Mackenzie Braden. “This is the type of stuff you see in movies. I didn’t think it would ever happen on my own campus.” A WRAL story that aired April 4 named the employee being investigated, citing an anonymous student athlete whose face and voice were disguised. It also included information about the ongoing investigation, and was critical of Peace’s response. Head Softball Coach Charlie Dobbins said that he had feelings of “shock, sadness, [and] confusion” in response to the allegations and the WRAL story. “It obviously did not put a positive light on the University,” said Coach Dobbins in an email. “One thing I will say, if I had information or evidence that I knew to be pertinent and impactful to finding the truth, you would not have disguised my voice and you would have seen my face.” Continued on Page 3.

An infographic indicating that 60 percent of William Peace University students believe that they are millennials (Graphic by Mary Kubeny)

P. 5 Scooters Leaving

P. 6 Senior Survival Guide

P. 8 Women’s Lacrosse

Peace News

W PU S t u d e n t s a n d S t a f f B e m o a n N a t i o n a l C o l l e g e A d m i s s i o n s S ca n d a l By Angela Gamble, Staff Editor

For many students and families across the U.S., the recent college admissions scandal, with authorities announcing 50 indictments involving wealthy parents bribing off individuals to get their children admitted into prestigious universities,was worst admissions scandal in the history of higher education. Reports have presented an abundance of outrage and resentment among university leaders and students across the country, with some focused on the advantages given to children born from affluent families compared to disadvantaged minority and lower-class families. It has left the lingering impression that the scandal cheapens the worth of obtaining a college education as a whole. Colleen Murphy, WPU’s interim vice president for enrollment management, said the issue is of obvious concern and emphasized WPU’s commitment to its students, families, and community. She also emphasized the continued efforts toward admission equality among athletes and other students. “Overall, it is an unfortunate situation for all parties involved,” said Murphy. “Like

many of my counterparts, we here at WPU are outraged that parents, university officials may have committed fraud involving the scandal. WPU has an exemplary in-depth protocol in admitting students, and we are committed to providing the due diligence to all who invest in our institution.” According to The Associated Press reports, the scandal, which revealed to the public in March, was the worst college admissions scheme ever prosecuted by the justice department. Iit ignited debates across the country about socioeconomic disparities between affluent and disenfranchised families. Parents, including famous actresses, and university officials were charged with bribery and academic and athletic fraud by securing their children entrance into elite schools such as the University of California, Los Angeles [UCLA], the University of Southern California, Georgetown University, Yale and others. Locally, Wake Forest University located in Winston-Salem was named in the scandal. According to the University’s website, the volleyball coach, Bill Ferguson, was accused

of acting independently of the university to accept bribes for a student’s admission to the school. Ferguson has since resigned. In response to the scandal, Luke Sweeney, WPU assistant director of admissions, condemned the indicted parents’ illicit behaviors and reaffirmed WPU’s commitment to a fair admissions process. “I think students that have been indicted in the scandal should be properly reevaluated and if it is revealed that their merit has not been fully established then they should not be allowed to continue at the university,” said Sweeney. Sweeney said that he values every student who applies, and is seeking to see if they are a good fit for Peace. “I do not feel like we actually [changed] any particular method or strategy right now to alter how we do our enrollment,” said Sweeney. “For the most part, we are looking for their [prospective student] story ultimately looking for a reason to say yes, welcome to WPU.” The wake of the scandal provides an opportunity to examine another issue: how does

this weigh in on race? The students involved in the scandal were white and affluent, while students of color, mainly black and Hispanic students, continue to struggle to access quality education. Anthony Guerra, WPU senior, felt outraged and wished universities and colleges would focus more on the needs of students’ merit than their affluence. “As a minority student at WPU I am outraged and disappointed at the current situation,” said Guerra. “This is taking away from the rest of us that have to go through so many challenges only to find out that the only thing we need is in life is to have ‘deep pockets.’” For many students, particularly of color, who are going through the process of interviewing for postsecondary education, whether the schools are elite or not, the WPU student provides encouraging words of wisdom. “Let us keep doing what we have been doing because we are not the issue,” said Guerra.

F u l l C i r c l e : W PU A l u m n a L e a r n i n g a n d T e ac h i By Kenneth Timper, Staff Writer

Several of the hosts of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival speaking to the wide array of people who have gathered to watch a marathon of documentaries (Photo by Caitlin Richards)

F all I n L ove By Mary Mills, Staff Writer

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The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of nonfiction cinema. Each spring, Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham for a four-day, morning-tomidnight array of nearly 100 films, as well as discussions, panels, and Southern hospitality. William Peace University offers a special one-credit course in the spring that allows students to attend the festival. Although COM 108 is targeted for communication majors, anyone is welcome to take the course. There are a wide variety of genres to choose from so there is no need to worry about limited options. This year for example, there were documentaries covering animals, politics, poetry, music, history, relationships and so much more. This makes the festival all that more interesting because there is so much to explore. “The Full Frame event can feel like a long weekend, but it’s worth every second,” said Coleman Arehart, senior at WPU who attended the festival. “Sitting through film after film becomes worth it when you can hear from the filmmakers and characters themselves.” “Hearing their words and seeing their passion can push your own personal reflection to the next level. If you go into Full Frame with an open mind, you will come out as a better person.” Typically once the documentary is

F ull F rame

over, the director, editor, producer or a special guest will host a Q & A. This allows students a chance to participate as well as learn very valuable information about the efforts of making a film. Viewers can also participate in the event by filling out ballots and surveys. The festival wants feedback on what people think of the films, and therefore people vote on a scale of one to five with their opinion of the film with five being the best. On the final day of the festival all the ballots have been calculated to award winners on their film. Some of the categories that directors can be nominated for are best short film, feature film, environmental award, and emerging artist award. The winners of the awards have their films featured for the second time during the festival on the final day. These special sessions are referred to as encore screenings. This gives attendees a chance to experience the best voted films from the event. Located in the heart of downtown Durham, the festival is a perfect place for exploring. Although the convention center offers food, drinks, and snacks, there are many great places to dine within walking distance. Whether it be breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there are unlimited options for everyone. Food trucks are set up daily around the block to add to the variety.

A young woman strolls into her classroom every Tuesday morning, dressed cool and casual as she approaches the front of the room. A Kris Jenner sticker adorns the back of her phone. At first glance, it would be easy for someone to mistake Hannah Mullis for another student at William Peace University. They would be half right. Hailing from Fayetteville, North Carolina, Mullis is 28 years old and a professor at Peace. In 2012, she graduated from the same college she teaches at today. Mullis has worked in various environments ranging from account management and marketing to education technology. She explains how she got her start at Peace and how both roles as student and teacher have played a key part in her success. Teaching was always something she had been curious about. Teaching at Peace, however, was a dream come true for Mullis. She found herself looking for new and exciting challenges throughout the different stages of her career. Teaching was one that she was always interested in and having taught customers and employees alike in the education technology field, it felt like a logical progression. “I thought if I don’t start teaching,” says Mullis, “I’m always going to wonder what it was like.” From there, she reached out to Roger Christman, her former professor and the head of the communication department at Peace for advice. Instead, he offered her a job teaching public speaking. It was a position, she explained, that would play a great role in helping her land her dream job at Pendo, an analytics company based in Raleigh. In her public speaking class, she teaches her students how to better communicate and present their ideas. Having obtained a master’s degree in communication, Mullis insists that these skills are imperative to students entering the workforce. “It is so important to understand how to communicate with others from different backgrounds,” explains Mullis. “Being able to talk to other people in the same major is one thing, but if you can’t get your point across to an engineer or the CEO, then your ideas are useless.” If anything, Mullis’ career is a strong testament to this statement, having spent much time in the ed-tech field. She attributes many of these lessons learned to the professors at Peace, many of whom still teach there today. “They are still just as plugged into

on n g

Professor Hannah Mullis teaching her Public Speaking class effective communication skills in front of the white board (Photo by Kenneth Timper) student lives and they are so caring,” says Mullis, “to come back ten years removed and still have teachers remember me is kind of crazy, but it’s what makes Peace so great.” Mullis also looks to make a lasting impact on the students at Peace before she leaves at the end of the semester to focus exclusively on her career at Pendo. Like many of her professorsturned-colleagues, Mullis gets a great deal of fulfillment from watching her students learn and grow. “I really love teaching,” says Mullis, “You get to see a progression of students, who at the beginning have no idea what public speaking is, but by the end, are so much more confident.” In turn, many of her students would agree that Mullis is among the best at Peace. “She is very inspiring and has a unique and relatable sense of humor,” says Nolan Davis, a freshman at Peace, “In one word, she is motivational. She has taught me how to better communicate my ideas to multiple audiences.” Mullis encourages students by letting them know that it is okay if they don’t have all the answers yet. “Don’t expect to have it all figured out the day you graduate, that is just you opening the door to the world that lays in front of you,” advises Mullis, “You don’t know what your future is going to look like, so by pigeonholing yourself into thinking you’re going to do one thing for the rest of your life is a waste of time.”

See more Full Frame Documentar y Film Festival coverage and “People of Peace” profiles at www.peacetimesonline.com

Peace News P A

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p a r t m e n t s

By JaDa Paulk, Staff Writer

Two Peace students gathering near some of the harder seating that was promptly replaced with couches after student outcry (Photo from The Peace Times files)

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W PU

By Hannah Ericksen, Staff Writer The WPU Orientation team stops for a group picture before going to their very first event at SROW (Photo by Austin Arias)

Training The Leaders of Tomorrow

By Julia Hardy, Staff Writer

William Peace University’s New Student Orientations are events that happen during the summer on our campus. The orientation leaders that participate in these sessions are a key component in making sure the orientations run smoothly and give the new students a memorable, enjoyable, and comfortable experience. Orientation leaders and the Student Involvement staff at Peace work hard all throughout the school year to prepare for these sessions and to welcome all the new students and their families to campus the best way possible. “Many of the orientation leaders hold various leadership positions on campus, are involved in their communities, work part-time jobs, are members of Pacer Athletics, can be seen in our latest theatre production,” said Chelsea Hayes, Peace’s Assistant Director of Student Involvement. “Our orientation leader’s diverse experiences and commitment to serving new students allows them to connect with our new Pacers and their loved ones while easing their transition to college.” Over the weekend of March 1517, the WPU orientation leaders and student involvement staff got the opportunity to attend the Southern Regional Orientation Workshop, also known as “SROW”, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on Coastal Carolina University’s campus. This workshop was for all orientation leaders, staff that work within the orientation leader position at various institutions, and other leaders. Other than the workshop being “tacky tourist” themed, the over 2,000 orientation leaders were in one giant room swapping their college’s t-shirts with each other, and the constant sound of different college’s chanting about their school pride could be heard. All the orientation leaders and staff got to attend many different sessions to gain more knowledge and tips on how to improve their orientation experiences to take back to their

campus. The orientation leaders and staff also learned new ice-breakers and other interactive activities to use during OL training, new student orientations, and family orientations. The hope is that this workshop helped the orientation leaders be more prepared for training this summer. “I was so proud of our orientation leaders for the work they did. This was the first time WPU has attended this conference and they exceeded expectations,” said Director of Student Involvement at Peace, Austin Arias. Student Coordinator and WPU sophomore, Jayda Bernard, is working the role of student coordinator for the very first time after being an orientation leader last summer. She describes herself as a “pillar of support” for the orientation leaders. “I’m looking forward to the fresh new faces that are coming on campus and putting our ideas from SROW into action,” said Bernard. Freshman and First Year Orientation Leader, Christian Langley, was one of the many first year orientation leaders who attended SROW last month. “My favorite part of SROW was being able to network and make connections with students from schools across the region,” said Langley. “As an orientation leader, I’m looking forward to welcoming all the rising Pacers as they transition into WPU.” For some orientation leaders, this summer will be their last time being an orientation leader. Even though these students will only have attended SROW once, the experience provided ways to improve in their role as an orientation leader this summer. After attending the workshop, there is already thought and potential planning for the WPU Orientation team to go next year. Until then, the team will begin to incorporate all their new knowledge they absorbed while at SROW to make Peace’s New Student Orientation sessions even stronger.

I n v e s t i gat i o n (C o n t i n u e d

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By Alexandra Garrison and Caitlin Richards, Staff Editors Others were critical of the way that the situation was handled by the university. “Unfortunately, I agree it was handled poorly so I believe the article brought attention to an issue that wasn’t being adequately addressed otherwise,” said former Peace softball player Jordan Byrd, who graduated in 2017. WPU policy states that “Consensual romantic, amorous and/or sexual relationships between William Peace University employees (faculty and/or staff) and students are prohibited.” According to the NCAA “Staying in Bounds” handbook, student athletes and coaches or other athletic staff at member institutions must not engage in relationships. “Whether the student-athlete is 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, or older, she or he is significantly less powerful than a head coach, assistant coach, athletics trainer, sport psychologist, athletics director, or other athletics department staff with supervisory control or authority over studentathletes,” the handbook states. When asked about policies regarding such relationships, a USA South representative stated that the individual institutions handle campus matters based on their own policies. “The Conference would become involved should, for example, an issue violate NCAA policy and currently we are not aware of that being the case at William Peace,” said USA

South Associate Commissioner, Mike Christie in an email. Peace officials also said they were not aware of any investigation beyond campus. Dunne urged students to share any concerns about misconduct or other grievances they may have by contacting the student life or human resources departments. More information is available on pages 46-47 of the student handbook. “The safety and wellbeing of our community is paramount,” the university said in its April 4 statement. “We expect all faculty and staff to uphold the highest ethical standards, and respect and integrity are chief among these.” Dobbins said it’s likely the Peace community will never know for sure if the allegations were true. “[It’s] time for the University to start healing and move on,” said Dobbins. “The easiest way is when people open their hearts. They get better.”

The university urges students who have witnessed misconduct to report to it. Here’s how: -Fill out a grievance form (found on MyPacerNet under “Student Grievances” or -Reach out directly to staff in Human Resources (919-508-2028) or Student Life (919-508-2004)

William Peace University students are notorious for posting or discussing issues about our school without addressing them to professors, staff, or trying to fix them. Generation Z is known for using social media rather than building social capital or verbally communicating. The issue with this, in WPU’s case, is that people who can help make the change, do not read your daunting Facebook posts. Chief Financial Officer for the Student Government Association, Hugo Fiscal-Martinez, explains what students should do to reach their goals for WPU. “SGA works to advocate on behalf of students as direct liaison between students and administration,” Fiscal-Martinez said. “If a student has a concern they feel makes an impact on the overall student experience, they can email sga@peace.edu and SGA will work to get more information from the student and then share it with the administrator they feel most appropriate to hand the concern.” Professor Roger Christman is the Department Chair of Art, Communication, and SGD and a professor students can contact with school needs. “Everyone who works at Peace want students to be happy. We are here to help,” Christman said. Current Issues Parking: Parking on campus is currently being discussed and actions are being put into place. Administration has evaluated the issue and realized the struggle students are having. Professional architects have came out to campus to assess the issue. There is no time frame on the issue, but a current solution is to park on Delway Street. Staff has reviewed the cameras and there seems to always be parking on the back end of campus. Moving From the Vie: Students have been very loud about their dislike for the current apartments, The Vie at Raleigh. WPU President Dr. Ralph has recently addressed this issue and announced that next year students will live at Village Green. Village Green appears to be a cleaner and safer environment for students. Couches: William Peace University tried to modernize the lobby between Flowe and Pressley with new, fancy seating a few months ago. Although it looked good, students cared more about comfort. Students started a petition to return the couches and they have already returned to the lobby. “Faculty, Staff, and Admin want a few things from Peace students. The first one being to walk across the stage and the second to advocate for yourself, your school, and others who can’t,” Christman explains. Our president, professors, and staff want the students to be happy. It is easy to complain, but understand that our school is working to make these positive changes. Before you make a Facebook status or Snapchat a video of yourself complaining, consider sending an email to an administrator or your SGA official and see what happens first.

Resident Life at William Peace University has made it known that next year, things will be different. WPU is changing the location of our student off-campus housing option after receiving feedback from students and professional staff. Last semester, they announced that students living off campus would now be living at Village Green. Cody Greene, Resident Life Area Coordinator for the Vie, explained that they were happy with the decision that they made and they felt that student would enjoy the change. There aren’t too many different changes to expect; amenities that the Vie had that Village Green will continue to offer include a basketball court, a volleyball court, a pool to enjoy in season, 24-hour workout room, tanning beds at the clubhouse, and grilling stations. Some students are noticing there may even be new amenities to enjoy. “I hear there is a TV already in the living room already for them and a lot of folks have said they like that,” said Rachel Robinson, a junior at WPU, “and they also have actual walkin closets too.” Village Green will also have shuttles that take the students back and forth from campus to the apartments. The new apartments are only three miles away from campus, cutting the distance in half. The apartments will have three bedrooms, a kitchen, a place to wash your laundry, and a living room to chill out and relax in if you don’t want to hang out in your room. Right now, students at the Vie have three roommates, students moving in to Village Green will only have two. “Most of the time when students requested roommates, someone wouldn’t get their choice and would be living with random assignment, so lowering it down to three roommates would make it easier to for people to get their picks as they wanted,” said Greene. Village Green is a gated community making it safer and providing more privacy. It is about a third of the size of the Vie and easier to manage for the campus community. Resident Life hosted several sessions about housing for returning students because the students were excited and curious about the change to come and received positive feedback. Applying for housing is on a first come, first serve basis and has been rolling since the beginning of March and continues all the way to the beginning of August. To apply for housing, fill out the application soon so that you can get your top choices of where you would like to live so that you won’t be stuck with a random assignment. If you have any questions about housing you can visit Resident Life offices on campus at the Brown McPherson building or email them with any concerns you may have.

The brick sign in front of Village Green that will greet all Pacers who plan on rooming in an off-campus apartment next school year (Photo by JaDa Paluk)

Hip-Hop Symposium (Continued from Page 1)

By Christian Branch, Staff Writer

“Modern Social Identities and the Hip Hop Artists” session helped participants critically think about identity and its impact on our understanding of people, places, products, and practices around us. Other sessions that sought to have attendees think critically and have an open dialogue about themes within Hip Hop like justice, hope, growth, race, and gender included “Possibilities for Empowerment through Hip Hop” and the “Beefing and Rappin” session. The two-day event led up to another WPU-sponsored event, “Dreamville Fest,” the biggest event in Dorothea Dix Park history. “It was so amazing to attend the first ever Dreamville festival and to see William Peace

University as an official sponsor made me beam with pride as an alumni and employee,” said Peace Alumni and Annual Giving/Engagement Coordinator, Maya Bryant. “I am so proud to be a part of an institution that supports staff, faculty, and students to think outside of the box in this way.”

Read us on issuu Read the news we have released for s t u d e n t s by s t u d e n t s o n o u r m a ny previous print editions of The Peace Times online at https://issuu.com/tpeacet

William Peace Trending Now A rending of new dorms is part of the Campus Master Plan. Courtesy of WPU.

Next Steps for Peace Campus, Athletics

By Ethan McElvaney, Staff Writer and Design Editor

Design Editor Ethan McElvaney spoke with WPU President Brian Ralph about what changes are upcoming on campus. Read his whole article, with a history of Peace, at www.peacetimesonline.com. The transformation of campus that WPU’s administrative body is really focusing on is the Believe in Peace plan. Phase one of Dr. Ralph and his board’s vision for campus is already being carried out as Peace now has a new welcome center, the Pacer Performance Center for athlete training, and additional renovations to the library will be finished in the Fall 2019. In the next half-decade, Dr. Ralph seeks to add more immersive experiences to the curriculum that could tie more closely with the opportunities available in Raleigh. WPU is also in talks with different local sporting venues that could house new athletic fields for all the on campus sports. “We’re [currently] working at ten different sites in Wake County and beyond, so what we’d like to do is to narrow the number of sites we’re using to create a better experience for our student athletes, fans, students, as well as parents and guests,” says Dr. Ralph. He claims to not only be looking to expand the amount of sports William Peace University has at the moment, but would also like to spend

more time helping the six sports Peace has added in the past three years, like swimming, to mature and develop into larger and more successful programs. In terms of adding other sports in the future, Dr. Ralph is open to monitoring what other schools in the USA Southern Athletic Conference are doing. While some in the Peace community believe that the university is becoming a more athletics-focused school due to the expansion of the sports department, the core goal will always be to provide a stellar place to study and learn. “We’ve been adding athletic programs over the past several years in part to catch up with the institutions with whom we compete and also because we went co-ed,” said Dr. Ralph, “We’re not going to continue to grow [Peace’s sports and athletics] at that rate… our highest priority is to provide an outstanding academic experience for our students and athletics is part of the social and school -spirit experience on campus, but there are a lot of other areas where we are growing

that are really contributing to the life of the institution.” A development that Dr. Ralph says his team would be eager to add to WPU would be new on-campus residence halls, hopefully within the next five years or so. “We know that families (and students in particular) who have looked into coming to Peace want to live in downtown to take advantage of all that Raleigh has to offer, but right now we don’t have enough beds to accommodate everybody on campus. I’d love to be able to have some apartment-style buildings on campus in the next five years,” says Dr. Ralph. The possibility of adding graduate programs to WPU in the next five years or beyond is also something that has been in the works for WPU in the future. Currently, it is said that the focus will be on adding more Health Science majors and selectively adding new Business, Communication, and Liberal Arts majors.

Scootering Through Downtown

By Caitlin Richards, Staff Writer

For more information on places to ride Bird scooters to before they leave Raleigh, go to Caitlin Richards’ blog, A Capital Idea, to see the full post. https://acapitalideaweb.wordpress.com/2019/03/12/scooter-your-way-through-downtown/

New to the William Peace University community and used for transportation by college students are Bird Scooters, but they will only last in Raleigh until June, so ride them while they are still in town. When driving around Raleigh, especially downtown, there is no denying that Bird Scooters have become the new way to commute and with spring weather right around the corner, there seems to be more scooter riders everyday. Not only do college students use the Bird Scooters for commuting, but they also use them to make some extra money. People that want to make money by charging the Bird Scooters just have to scan their app and take them to charge. By the next morning, their app tells where the scooter can be taken back to. Places where the scooters can get dropped back off at are called “Bird Nests,” which Peace has recently added to campus. There’s only one rule for the people who charge

them and that is that the scooters have to be back at the Bird Nests by 7:00 a.m. so that they can be used by whoever needs it next.

Senior and SGA Traditions Coordinator, Audrey Moore said,“Having Birds on campus gives our students an opportunity to get out in Raleigh in a new and fun way as well as getting WPU connected with a new ventures in Raleigh.”

Pew Research Center defines millennials as those born between 1981 and 1996. Anyone born in 1997 or after is now labeled as a part of Generation Z. I still identify with millennial and I feel like a lot of people do, to me millennial is a broader term to describe us,” said Zoe Sinton-Covens, WPU sophomore born in 1999, technically a part of Generation Z.

Beyond Millennials: Students Classified Gen Z Disagree

Despite the official definitions of who is in which generation, because of media and social influence, many students still identify themselves as a millennial. A recent study of 50 William Peace University students revealed that about six out of every 10 students identify themselves as a millennial. Most students interviewed didn’t know what the differences between the two generations were. Pew Research Center identifies a few different specific reasons for the classification. If born in 1997 or after then: You weren’t alive, or old enough to comprehend 9/11, Iraq and/or Afghanistan. You always had exposure to cell phone service, WiFi and iPhones. Many millennials participated in the 2008 election where the youth vote became a serious part of political discourse, while no one from Generation Z was old enough to vote. The explanation makes sense to most scientists and many generations in the past have been

By: Mary Kubeny, Staff Writer

defined by about a 20 year range. Despite this, quite a few students felt that around the year 2000 or after would be a better cutoff point for the next generation. “It feels like the distinction is cultural, [Generation Z is] probably around 2005 and after,” stated Emily Prince, WPU junior who was born in 1998. Researchers at Pew Research Center and beyond scrambled to find a name for the generation even considering titles like “iGeneration” and “Homelanders,” but the current choice is most popular with sources like Merriam-Webster, Oxford and Urban Dictionary. Marketing and research will use the generation classification to try to follow and anticipate our trends and engage us in commerce. How do you feel about being classified by when you were born? Let us know on our website or reach out on social media! Read more about Gen Z from the Pew Research Center: bit.ly/genzwpu

More Than A Mural By: JaDa Paulk, Staff Writer

Downtown Raleigh is filled with all different types of entertaining and artistic things but have you ever taken the time to admire all the cool murals popping up? The first, and most well-known, mural is the “All Are Welcome” by Luke Buchanan, an Instructor of Art at WPU. The mural is located at 426 S McDowell St. This colorful artwork lets everyone know that no matter where you come from, Raleigh will gladly welcome you with open arms. This spot is especially popular with seniors looking for a great spot for their commencement photos. Exploring Raleigh you may also see the “Love is Love” mural by artist Mscaseyo. Located off of 237 S Wilmington St. the mural pretty much speaks for itself about love being love regardless of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. “The Dare To Dissent” mural came at just the right time, after one of the biggest women’s marches held in the state. The mural shows people of all different backgrounds letting the world know that we unite for greater causes and we want to help each other through the struggles. Dare to Dissent is located on South Salisbury St. Dare Coulter is the mastermind behind this mural.

North Carolina.” This piece of art helps identify well known artists from North Carolina. It is another display of how many people come from different backgrounds in our area. The artist behind this is Kevin Lyons, a local. This piece exemplifies that J. Cole is not the only or first artist from North Carolina who put their city on the map and represented well. If time permits, don’t forget to visit “The Augmented Mural” by Google Fiber. This mural is right down the street from “Dare to Dissent” and will catch your eye because of its bold purple and blue color scheme. It shows five different people in different positions who look like runners or other athletic people. A fun fact about this mural is that Google chose raleigh for the first AR mural because Raleigh symbolizes technology and is a city for innovation.

Using your smartphone the mural then becomes three-dimensional, which makes this even cooler and shows how innovation can impact art. Raleigh is a great place to see beautiful murals and paintings from our own citizens and learn the history of North Carolina’s capital city. Go explore today!

Styles that Make a Statement

By: Julia Hardy, Staff Writer

Clothing has a way of giving people the freedom to express themselves and their personal taste. Patterns, vibrant colors, different textures, or just simple basics can make you feel more confident and ready to take on the day.

Peace students all have very diverse senses of style. Athletic, free spirited, vintage, or somewhere in between those three. Many students have created their very own style that doesn’t fit a category, which makes them unique. No matter what your style is though, all college students can agree that it’s important to be comfortable while you’re sitting in class or walking around campus.

Another favorite mural is “The Morgan Street Jazz Monsters: A Tribute to the Jazz Giants of

While we’re on the topic of comfort, it’s obvious that the trend of wearing Crocs has spread all over Peace’s campus. So many guys and girls have crocs now and in all different colors. Freshman Taylor Schramm owns 12 pairs of crocs and her favorite pairs of shoes. “I wear crocs because they are comfortable, easy to put on, as well as easy to clean. They’re also really convenient to just slip on and go,” said Schramm. “I feel like Peace students wear crocs because they are just quick and easy shoes to wear when you’re in a rush to get out of the door. Also, they’re good for any season since you can wear socks with them.”

Sustainable Clothing Options for students By Michelle Presutti, Staff Writer When building a wardrobe, it is important to invest into pieces that are long lasting, especially on a college budget. Rather than replacing clothes after a few weeks, months or even a year, students can now buy long-lasting items to build a wardrobe that is not only stylish, but that can be used in the future at nearby stores that carry sustainable clothing. The apparel industry as a whole is the second largest polluter in the world, after oil. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated each year in the United States, and the amount has doubled over the last 20 years. Madewell is a sustainable brand that not only produces jeans, but also timeless leather jackets, great boots, slouchy tees and totes, all from recycled and environmentally friendly materials. The store closest to William Peace University is located in Crabtree Valley Mall, making it the most local stop to purchase sustainable products. “Madewell is for denim lovers-or basically anyone who appreciates timeless designs that put you at ease,” says head designer, Joyce Lee, on the Madewell site. At this store, shoppers can also find shoes, accessories, cruelty free makeup, and home decor. On Feb. 12, Madewell launched their sneaker line. They are minimal low tops in neutral tones with unique detailing like python prints, metallic sides, and a classic stripe. H&M has been a leading contributor to fast fashion environmental pollution and waste for

Pacer

Birkenstock sandals are also very convenient and comfortable to just slip on and get started on your day. Many Peace students wear these, and a common way to wear them around campus is to add some fun and colorful socks to wear with them with. Who doesn’t love a good thrifted chunky sweater or loose fitting t-shirt? Oversized t-shirts, sweaters, and sweatshirts are also a common

clothing theme among many people on campus. The coziness of wearing a big sweatshirt makes even the most dreadful classes seem a little bit bearable. Several students wear items of clothing that they have bought from the thrift store, which gives them a more vintage look. Freshman Nolan Davis loves thrift shopping simply for the easiness of it and the low cost aspect. “Thrift stores have a more vintage style, which is what I like,” said David. “Sometimes it’s a bit hit or miss, but it’s definitely worth looking. I usually wear things that are more loose fitting or things that fit well. It really just depends on the day and occasion I’m dressing for.” Distressed and ripped jeans have been popular in the past, but as sophomore Elizabeth Kaspala says, “They’re popular now because history repeats itself in every occasion and the 80’s and 90’s are repeating themselves fashion wise currently.” Many Peace students, guys and girls, wear them because they’re easy to dress up or to dress down. Also, vintage and past decades clothing styles are considered “on trend” again. No matter what kind of clothing style a person may have, everyone wants to dress in a way that makes them feel confident and represents them in the best way possible. Sophomore Juan Pleitez can be seen around campus with a more business professional style. “My clothing choices are based on convenience. Since I have a job and go to school in downtown Raleigh, it allows me to go back and forth between my classes and my workplace,” says Pleitez. Of course, we cannot forget about the daily occurrence of seeing several Peace students wearing WPU hats, tshirts, sweatshirts, leggings, and sweatpants. Representing Peace colors and our incredible amount of school pride is something that will never go out of style.

years, but is now having a change of pace as their new conscious collection for spring 2019 launches. The brand is making sustainability more common in the everyday market, hence making trendy clothes more eco-friendly and accessible. Another sustainable shopping option located near WPU is H&M Crabtree Valley Mall and Triangle Town Center. “H&M doing sustainable fashion is the start to the change that we need in the fashion industry, and the world actually, because they are such a big fashion house and that them setting the precedent for sustainable fashion will make other brands follow suit,” said Peace junior, Nicholas Aumiller. H&M announced that their SS19 collection is introducing three new sustainable materials this season: BLOOM™ Foam, a foam created using algae biomass, Piñatex®, an alternative leather made from fibers extracted from pineapple leaves, and Orange Fiber®, which is a sustainable fabric similar in nature to silk, but made from citrus juice by-products. It poses the question of if plant derived materials will be the future of fast fashion brands. Sustainable clothing helps decrease the negative impact of the apparel industry with their conscious clothing and various items that are loved by many, as the unisex collection is great for students who need comfortable shoes to go to class, run errands, work, and more.

Several Peace students expressing their individual styles as they pose around campus. Source: John Ingram, Endeja Carter, Elizabeth Kaspala, Emily Berch, Davyous Melvin, Juan Pleitez, Emily Freer.

Features

Nipsey Hussle’s Death and Legacy By Tyler Connor, Staff Writer

Photo Illustration by Angela Gamble, Typography by Mary Kubeny Nipsey Hussle was a professional rapper located out of Los Angeles, California. He was well known for over a decade for his selfmade music that was never published through a label, some of which was nominated for a Grammy. He was also well known for his helpful outreach throughout the young community in LA. On March 31, Nipsey Hussle was shot alongside two others outside a clothing store he owned in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, his wounds were fatal, when the three wounded victims were transported to the hospital the rapper was pronounced dead. The untimely death of the rapper hit the community hard especially since he was doing so much outside of the rap community. He was building up his own program to let kids in low-income areas take STEM, or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, classes. “He was someone to look up to,” said Raleigh resident Anthony Howard said. “He did so much. I just can’t believe we lost someone like that.” Also, the day after he was shot he was

scheduled to speak to the LAPD about reducing gang violence due to his ties to local gangs. Being so close to the LAPD they created special rules and personally watch over the Nipsey memorial reported by Deadline. vThe shooter was caught and was subsequently charged for the murder. Nipsey was also creating a documentary around the life of a figure named Dr. Sebi who had claimed to have cured AIDS. After Nipsey died celebrity Nick Cannon announced on Instagram he was going to pick up production on the film. This announcement received positive feedback. He was widely known for his activism. Other things he has done include giving jobs to people that needed one to survive in his community. The LA Times reported that he also helped provide and support art installations at Destination Crenshaw in south LA and trying to rebuild a roller skating rink in the area to give the youth a place to be away from crime in the streets. All of his activism was a part of his self-claimed marathon, he said he wouldn’t stop until he did. His goal was to give back and to help everybody he got the chance to. According to the LA Times at a funeral service held for him 15 year old Leeya Berhane said, “The marathon must continue.” Even after his death Nipsey is helping bring people together. Recently several enemy gangs from the LA area all got together in a big demonstration of peace. They marched all the way to the clothing store he was shot outside of. This is the biggest union of gang peace in LA since 1992, TMZ reported. Even though his death was unfortunate and came soon in the rappers life the community and people around him still join together and celebrate in his name. It seems that his legacy will live on and shows no sign of stopping. Just as Leeya Berhane said, “The marathon must continue.”

Anxiet y Interferes with Students’ Lives A c r o s s t h e U n i t e d S tat e s By Sheriden Stanley, Staff Writer

Anxiety seems to be interfering in the lives of many students across U.S. college campuses. According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) an estimated one third of adults in the United States experience an anxiety disorder some time in their lives. “It’s normal and we have to learn how to deal with it,” says Dr. Mark Cushman, a cognitive psychologist and professor at William Peace University. Cushman says that anxiety comes from stress and he does not see it ever going away because it is a normal human response. Since it is a normal human response Cushman says he has not seen a discernible increase in college students being affected by anxiety, but rather a difference in how it is being expressed. Cushman believes that social media is exacerbating the stress. Students are now posting about their stress and bringing other people into the situation in a way that is not helping them cope with the stress. According to an informal survey of WPU students, 74 percent said that stress interferes with different aspects of their daily life. Some of the common sources of stress included school work, sports and finances. “Sometimes I get so stressed out that I procrastinate and not do anything because I’m

so stressed out, and then not doing the thing I was supposed to do ends up making me even more stressed out,” says Sara Siwinski, a student at WPU. “It’s like an endless cycle of being stressed.” There are different ways to cope with stress or anxiety. Cushman suggests diet and exercise, playing with dogs, and making sure you have a good support system around you. The National Institute of Health suggests some relaxation techniques like meditation or yoga. “Somethings I do to cope with my stress is having some alone time, that is always nice when I need to calm down a bit,” says Marie Ann Del Valle Coppin, a student at WPU. “Also talking to friends helps a lot because it’s good to know that you’re not going through it alone, everyone is a bit stressed out.” Cushman says that in order to be more successful in coping with stress there needs to be a change in the outlook that some people have towards stress. He says that optimistic people tend to deal with stress better. “The words that we choose to use is hugely impactful in terms of how we approach the problem and eventual success in dealing with the problem.” says Cushman. Not all stress is bad though according to the NIMH. Stress can be a good motivator or

A photo of a square bathroom mirror above a marble sink. The mirror is covered with red text painted on it saying “KEY TO UNEARTHING YOUR BEAUTY STARTS RIGHT HERE!” (Photo and typography by Angela Gamble)

e d e f i n i n g

By Angela Gamble, Staff Editor

Redefining beauty and body image in the media are not impossible. Have you ever felt troubled to stay up with society’s standards of beauty? What are society’s standards of beauty anyways? Who determines this? We must admit that we compare ourselves to this perception by what we see in the media. Of course, there is nothing wrong with staring in the mirror to take a moment to spread mantras and positive affirmations of yourself and there is indeed nothing wrong with caring for your physical appearance in some way. I must admit that I do, and I hope you do. This characteristic has nothing to do with conceitedness; however, the media has parlayed the illusion of control in beauty standards, and that is a problem in the world we live in today. As a woman of color emerging in today’s society where media is incredibly important, I have great concern in this particular topic. I inherently want to know how all individuals’ more importantly, minorities; are perceived in the media, and why we continuously allow societal ideals to dictate how we view ourselves. Reports have shown that American women felt that the images of women in movies, fashion magazines, and advertising make them feel insecure. According to Joel Miller’s article on media and body image, only five percent of women in the US actually fit the current body type popularly portrayed in advertising today, and sixty-nine percent of girls concurred that models found in magazines had a significant impact on their perception of what a perfect body shape should look like. In addition to already unreasonable standards, the media lacks real illustration for plus size individuals, and individuals of color, this can be a considerable consequence on negative body image. This might cause effects in psychological state, physical health, and might contribute to self-damaging thoughts and behaviors. Western beauty ideals are subliminally embedded everywhere from social media, TV and magazines all intentionally using flawless, tall, skinny, and fair-skinned models as a portrayal of “beauty.” Therefore, they have

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resulted in psychological and physical effects of women and women of color. Due to this increase in exposure, women of color are more susceptible to negative images, making comparisons to the media ideal more detrimental. For example, the stigma that having white, or “light,” complexion skin is preferable over dark-skin proves the media has succeeded with this notion that lighter is better and dark is bad. These kind of judgments have led numerous amounts of women of color to undergo the process of skin bleaching, to match societal beliefs. While battling with not having “flawless, light complexioned skin,” women are also having to compare “ideal” body types by worrying about having a not-so-perfectly flat tummy, stretch marks, or cellulite. I even struggled with the insecurity of body image. When I was younger, I would feel jealous as to how tall and slim the women were throughout the magazines, such as Allure and Victoria’s Secret, and I told my mother that I felt inadequate because I wanted to look just like the models in the magazines. I should’ve never allowed myself to believe such falseness. I came from a great family who instilled high-self-esteem, and I was a healthy teen, who regularly played sports and engaged in other physical activities. On reflecting back to that memory, why I did not embrace my physical shape? Manipulations within the media are continuously putting the pressure on people to strive for an unrealistic perfectly shaped body to feel content with themselves. As efforts for redefining ideals are starting change; have we seen more diversity within beauty industries from makeup, modeling, to fashion. What all people, of every color, should be working towards is self-love, awareness, and acceptance. We need to continue reversing media’s control of “one-dimensional” beauty by spreading empowering messages through communications that all women, men, adolescents are beautiful and that we all must love ourselves for who we are and what we represent. Beauty comes in many shapes and forms of individuals, of all colors, must not let the media tell them otherwise.

in some cases a life-saver when put in situations where you need to respond quickly. So when does someone need to seek help? Cushman suggests students seek help when they see there is a sudden change in behavior. When things that used to bring them joy don’t bring them joy anymore.

A pie chart depicting that 74 percent of all American college students surveyed said that anxiety affects their daily lives (Infographic by Ryan Sabroski)

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Features

Best College Tips By Junior Ayala-Zavala, Staff Writer

There are about 20 million college students in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Education, and that number continues to grow. Every college student must go through similar issues like they have tough classes, they need to work, or they lose motivation. An issue I see on campus is students finding time to do their school work and finding ways to pay for their college tuition. According to studentloadhero.com college students on average had over $30,000 in debt. Having an education is an important tool for the world to become a better place because it allows humanity and life to grow. Having a smarter society will eliminate many issues in the world right now. Having debt is not so bad because the minimum wage income makes $15,000 to $20,000 a year, and someone who graduates with a bachelor’s degree on average makes $50,000 a year, according to the National Association of

for

Colleges and Employees. With these five simple, but powerful, tips can make you become a better student and person. Tip #1 Have a Calendar/Agenda Having a calendar is the key of planning ahead. Having a calendar lets you plan one year ahead and it can really expand your mind to think past one day or one week. Having a calendar will help you manage your time much better and will help you keep up with assignments but the student needs to put time updating and organizing the calendar accordingly. Having an agenda is similar to a calendar but the agenda should stay with you at all times, especially at school. An agenda will help you organize and keep track of any new assignments or anything small you forgot and need to plan quickly. Tip #2 Work a job Being a college student takes up the same amount of time as a full time job maybe

Students more depending on your major. It is possible to work while you’re in college full-time. Having a part-time job is more recommended because part-time jobs are more flexible with their hours. You do not want to be spending too much energy juggling a fulltime job and being a fulltime student because that can get really busy and stressful. Tip #3 Pay off debt It is smarter to pay off your school debt while you’re in school because that means you will graduate with less debt. Instead of going out to a party or vacation think about paying off your debt so you can travel after college. Another way to pay off debt is looking up scholarship opportunities that could help you pay off your debt. There are many sites online that can help fund your tuition. Tip # 4 Exercise It is very important to having a healthy body and mind because physical activity relieves the stress that college puts onto the body. When a student

is just doing school work and not doing any other physical activity then the gaining all the extra knowledge from school will be pointless because you will be damaging your own body for not taking care of it. People have a trend of feeling better after working out. Keeping a balance with mental work and physical work will help deal with stress better as a student. Tip #5 Make time for the things you love College is important and you need to focus the majority of your time on school. If you’re not happy doing what you are doing maybe planning some time in your schedule to do the things you love will help your mood and performance in class. Taking time away from doing homework or work can help self-esteem and bring back motivation to keep working strong. Information from Statista.com, studentloanhero.com and money.com.

Graduation Game Plan By Mary Kubeny, Editor-In-Cheif

The Class of 2019 is gearing up for Commencement in May. Students picked up their caps and gowns in early April and are eagerly looking forward to the celebrations ahead. Receiving your diploma is often seen as a first step into the “real world.” After graduation former students are tasked with figuring out their next steps. For some people that means finding their own place or their first professional job, but other students are planning to continue their education or face the reality of moving back in with their parents for a while. “I think the first few months after [graduation] are going to be really hectic,” said Easton Payton, a senior in the political science degree program at Peace. “I’m planning on living

with my parents and saving up some money while I decide what I’m going to do.” It’s easy to worry you are falling behind when you don’t have a clear plan for after graduation, but it’s important to remember you are not alone. While some students have a game plan and defined goals for after May, there are many seniors who are looking forward to exploring their opportunities. Peace student Aubrey Kitchin, a senior in the business administration degree program, is excited to be entering the job market while the economy is doing better and there are more jobs available. He doesn’t quite know what life is going to look like in a few months. “I have some ideas like either staying in Raleigh with this internship or going back home

to the Outer Banks to find work,” said Kitchin. “Peace has helped. I definitely feel prepared for it.” Ideally, every student moving on from Peace would feel completely prepared for their next move. Some seniors mentioned the internship process and consistent course loads as especially helpful for feeling qualified and adapted to the professional environment. Baccalaureate will be held Friday, May 3, at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church across from campus from 3 to 4pm. Commencement will be held on the Main Lawn on Saturday, May 4, from 9:30 am until noon. No matter where your game plan takes you next your fellow Peace Pacers will be cheering you on!

WPU Simulation and Game Design senior Augusto Batista looking pensively at his hunter green cap and gown as he recieves it from the career services office on cap and gown day (Photo by Mary Kubeny)

Top Row: Michelle Presutti, Jewell Manley, Damani Toudle, Ely Murray, Hannah Ericksen, Caylan Harrison, Andre Tidwell (Podcast Editor), Mary Mills, Bergin Gillespie, Jesse Brown, Anthony Mercer-Walker, Junior Ayala-Zavala Middle Row: Julia Hardy, Christian Branch, Ethan McElvaney (Design Editor), JaDa Paulk, Will Dalton (Staff Editor), Caitlin Richards (Social Media Editor), Alexandra Garrison (Staff Editor), Sharon Scott Bottom Row: Tyler Connor, Angela Gamble (Staff Editor), Mary Kubeny (Editor-in-Chief)

T he P eace T imes S taff Page Design done by Ethan McElvaney, Michelle Presutti, S p r i n g 2 0 1 9 and Jesse Brown

Sports

Women’s Lacrosse’s Landmark Year By Caylan Harrison, Staff Writer

The women’s lacrosse team has been dominating its first season with a current overall record of 8-3, while standing 5-3 in conference play. Although this is WPU’s first year with a women’s lacrosse program, it does not change the fact that this team is making history at our university. Their spring season started out strong with a six-game winning streak against their opponents, two of which were conference games. They outscored their opponents 113-31 in those six games during the first three weeks of their season. “We all came into this not knowing what to expect and everyone else didn’t know what to expect either,” said Dana Florian, a freshman. “We were looked down upon in the conference and then we came out and won six games. That got us some respect on campus and people started noticing that we were a threat.” The team is made up of mostly freshmen, with a couple sophomores and juniors, and one senior. The team is led by Head Coach Nicole DeSalvia and Assistant Coach Dijoné Scurry. Although the team is new, there have been no problems with the girls creating chemistry or making headlines. Florian was named USA South’s Rookie of the Week April 8. “Our team has such good chemistry with everyone, and we all are just out there to learn and not get down on each other,” said Florian. “Instead we have fun, push each other, and keep the energy high to stay positive.” Even though the team may be small in numbers, their experience and knowledge are growing. After the team had lost their first game, they took the actions necessary to fix their mistakes in order to compete better for the next game. “We’ve been working really hard and we apply a lot of things at practice. Although small numbers is a challenge sometimes, it gets everyone involved all the time, ” said Coach DeSalvia. “Anybody who has not even played before is learning quickly.” During their fall season prior to spring

conference play, they practiced, worked out, and scrimmaged other teams to prepare themselves. They were successful in their scrimmages and the players started to build their chemistry and become closer as a team. “When we had our fall season, we got our base of what my coaching style is like,” said DeSalvia. “We celebrate all of the little things and we fix the small things.” With three more games left until the USA South tournament starts, WPU is expected to go into the tournament ranked fourth in the conference. Their last regular season game will be against Salem College on April 20. “Were all motivated and ready to go into this and actually put a name to WPU’s women’s lacrosse team and make history,” said Florian.

Dana Florian trying to catch the ball with her lacrosse net but being intercepted by another player on the field at an away game (Photo courtesy of the William Peace University Athletics Department)

Dupke running with one of the opponent team’s players as they scurry for the ball with their lacrosse nets (Photo courtesy of the William Peace University Athletics Department)

Dupke on College Lacrosse Experience By Drew Von Werne, Staff Writer The main priorities for freshman lacrosse player, Nathan Dupke, at William Peace University, are contact sports and a focus on academics. “I started playing football in the third grade and I immediately grew a passion for contact sports. As I became older, I wanted to find another sport, that was based around contact,” said Dupke. Dupke, born and raised in Kernersville, North Carolina, found his interest in the sport of lacrosse during his sophomore year of high school. With his experience in football, it allowed him to easily transition into being a physical defender in lacrosse. “It is because of my coaches and family who pushed me to be in the position I am in today,” said Dupke. Dupke is a freshman defenseman on the men’s lacrosse team. He hopes that with the talent of the freshmen class and the returning players that they will be able to make the conference tournament in the team’s second year of competition. There are many reasons why Dupke has continued his career in lacrosse but none more pressing than being able to be a student athlete. Knowing that academics is the biggest focus in college, he loves having lacrosse to fall back on. Connecting athletics to life lessons is what has guided him to be successful with his teammates and academics.

“Lacrosse has shown me that I can be me. I can lead by example, fix problems, and it has proven to make me a more responsible individual,” said Dupke. Dupke came from a large school, making the playoffs in both his junior and senior years. Starting as a defenseman on the varsity team after only playing one season before, proves that he has a lot of athletic talent. These talents were the driving force in many different college offers from not only Division III, but Divisions I and II schools as well. At first, the decision making process was difficult. As Dupke furthered his research about the different schools that were trying to recruit him, he stayed heavily in contact with the head coach at Peace. This was something that other coaches did not do. He greatly enjoyed how personable the coach was and how much it showed that he cared more about him as an individual and not just a number to fill out a team. The reason he chose WPU’s Division III program was to have a good sports-work-life balance. The small setting and teacher to student ratio was also a major portion of the decision making process for Dupke. Being on the lacrosse team further helps him with academics since the head coach is heavily involved in knowing the athletes grades as well as scheduling a team study hall twice a week.

M i ka y l a R a y R e ac h e s 1 0 0 0 P o i n t s , M ak e s H i s t o r y By Anthony Mercer-Walker, Staff Writer

Left: Mikayla Ray standing and smiling proudly as with William Peace University Athletics Department celebrates her record with a special basketball (Photo courtesy of the William Peace University Athletics Department) Right: A younger Mikayla Ray trying to take possesion of the ball in the middle of an intense home game for the WPU women’s basketball team (Photo courtesy of the William Peace University Athletics Department)

Mikayla Ray, rising senior at William Peace University, is being recognized for her athletic accomplishments being apart of our Women’s Basketball team scoring 1,000 points in her career. Ray has consistently been a key component to the success of our Women’s basketball program. She shares with me her journey with basketball and her accomplishing this amazing feat . Q: Why do you have a love for the game of basketball? A: I mean, I like to say my love of basketball came from my mom. She played basketball in high school and in college, and when she passed away, I just wanted to play for her. I feel as if she is with me when I’m on the court. It’s how i stay connected to her. She is the reason I love the game so much. Q: To be able to score 1,000 points, it’s obvious

that you have had some offensive success. What gives you offensive success on the floor? A: I have always played on teams with great players and I accredit a lot of my offensive success to them! They trust me with the ball in games, and in practice they go hard at me so that when it’s time for the real thing, it’s like second nature. I try my best to make sure that I am helping my team to the best of my abilities, and leaving everything that I can on the floor so that ultimately my team leaves the court with the dub. Q: Give a brief reflection of the season. A: This season was a year of rebuilding and reestablishing the WPU women’s basketball program. We were an extremely talented team and we made several steps in the right direction this season. We faced a tough preseason schedule which put us into the right position to come into

conference and be a strong contender for that first place spot. We ended up falling short on the goal of being conference champions, but it was a valiant effort by all who were involved. I would all in all say the year was a success, and we didn’t graduate any seniors. So, as far as I know we are all returning so it’s only up from here going into the next season! Q: Senior year is coming up. What are some of your goals for your last season? I believe you are at a position, barring health that you will break records by the time next season is over. How do you feel about breaking records and being on top on some all time stat sheets for Peace? A: I think that my main goal right now is just to make it back healthy and to try to work my hardest to make sure that I am 100% ready to go when it comes time to start the season again. As far as the record-breaking, I don’t think that

is my main concern as much is winning games, hanging up a banner, and making sure that my team is as successful as possible next year. That’s my goal. However, I’m excited to make history here at Peace, and to have the women’s basketball program be as successful as it can be. I am excited for the future and potentially having my jersey hung alongside of some of the greats to have gone through Peace, which is something that motivates me every day. Q: What are your plans after graduation? A: I am going to graduate school! Nursing or med school to be specific! I think I’m more so settling into the idea of a nurse practitioner! I want to help people but at the same time i want to be in a field where I am comfortable and knowledgeable! Science has always made sense to me and I feel like I have a lot to offer the medical field, and that’s just how I want to impact people and help them!