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2023

STAFF STUDENT MEDIA ADVISOR Tommy Housman President

Paris Himes

Creative Director Jasmine Brents Creative Lead

CONTENTS CRESCENT MAGAZINE

is the University of Evansville’s student magazine. It is written, edited and designed by and for UE students and published six times during the academic year.

Circulation is 1,500 distributed to 18 campus locations and housed online at www.cresceent.evansville.edu The Crescent it is funded through advertising sales and a subscription fee paid on behalf of students by the Student Government Association.

Baylee Minton Designers

Madison Adams Abbey Kyle Remington McDaniel Mari Mueller Valorie Marx Nicholas Kee Ilustrators

Mikayla Duffy Joan Cleven

LETTER SUBMISSIONS: Crescent Magazine welcomes letters from UE students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni, but material the CMEB regards as libelous, malicious and/or obscene will not be published. Letters should not exceed 250 words. For verification, letters must include the author’s name, class standing or title and email address. Crescent Magazine does not print anonymous letters or those that cannot be verified. Letters will be edited as needed.

Photography & Video

Alexis Fletcher

EDITORIAL POLICY: Commentary expressed in unsigned editorials represents a consensus opinion of the magazine’s Editorial Board. Other columns, reviews, articles and advertising are not necessarily the opinion of the CMEB or other members of staff.

Social Media

Elshaday Teferi Editor

Dani Parisi

Maddy Webb Myia Danek Heather Rak Sam Tarter Liam Allen Catherine Bev Rowley Devon Langley

Dog Day 5

Sunset Skatepark 9

Dalila Rodriguez

Grace Burnell

Asexualityand What it means to be ACE 4

TEL HAZOR 8

Samantha Pelfree

Andrea Lenser

211 1

Fall Fest Finds 7

Madison Adams

Writers

OCTOBER 2023

Mason Taylor Audrey Blanner Destini Beckham Abbey Kyle Madchen Fox Mason Taylor Andrew Pool Tiva Frushour Paige Radel Parker Andresen

The Gary Lady of Willard Library 11 Disable Marine Veteran 12 Halloween Movie Tier List 13

COVER

A Night In The Gravestone 18 The Life and Times of a Dell XPS 15 19 How Long Will We Let This Continue 21 Light and Darkness 23 Book Talk 25 The American Climate Corps 26 Obtaining Opportunities 27 The Impact of College Sports 28

HOW TO CONTACT US

SOBA, University of Evansville, 1800 Lincoln Ave., Evansville, IN 47722 Editorial e-mail: th208@evansville.edu www.crescent.evansville.edu facebook.com/UECrescentMagazine twitter.com/crescentmagazi1 instagram.com/crescentmagazine

211.

Years later, I still hear that number echoing in my mind when I think of my hometown.

I’ve always been the kind of person who thrives when I’m part of a team or community. I have so much pride in any group I’ve been involved with. I still wear t-shirts from my high school robotics team and feel the warmth spread through my chest when I think of the amazing things we did together.

When I’m not in Evansville and see a t-shirt, sticker, or license plate frame that references my university, I feel that same joy and find peace in that connection.

I’ve always wanted to feel that way about my hometown. Being one of those girls who pines for her town and finds bliss in going home and walking those familiar streets seems like it should be in my DNA.

But that place isn’t built for me.

My hometown is about half the size of Evansville, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, even though I do love big cities.

The problem is that it’s not structured to engage young adults.

Small businesses struggle, and infrastructure isn’t updated to take advantage of valuable resources that could make the town grow. It drives people away who want an exciting dayto-day life because it is stuck in a pattern that won’t be broken.

There could be endless possibilities if the city cleaned its streets and developed, cleaned, and created a lively space on the riverfront it’s right next to. But young adults don’t want

Crescent Magazine 1

211 Votes:

Local Elections and the Power of a Single Choice

By Devon Langley to stay there and one day send their children to the underfunded, moldy, and cockroach-infested schools they grew up in.

Many of these opportunities could be catapulted forward by decisions made by the local government. But my hometown has had the same mayor since 2007.

I was sixteen when I got involved with my first campaign. It was for the 2019 mayoral election that was to happen the following year. I remember the heartbreak I felt when I realized my eighteenth birthday would occur just two weeks after election day – meaning I wouldn’t be able to vote in it - but that didn’t stop me from showing up to parades, campaign events, and more.

On election day in 2019, I went with the candidate’s daughter to stand (a legal distance) down the street from the polls, waving signs and cheering for cars who pulled into the parking lot at the polls. We even made up a dance, holding our signs proudly the whole time. It was freezing that day, so we were bundled up head to toe, with oversized campaign shirts layered over our coats.

I remember the excitement like it was yesterday. The version of my hometown that this candidate spoke about was the one I craved year after year as I grew up.

It was a place where small businesses had the resources they needed, litter wouldn’t cover the city like snow, and opportunities for young adults to build a life for themselves would finally exist.

He lost by 211 votes.

When I go home on a weekend, my hometown looks just the same as it did in 2019. It breaks my heart to say it, but I look forward to the day when I won’t live in Indiana anymore. I wish it wasn’t like that.

Regardless of your political affiliation, beliefs, or values, voting matters. If 211 more people out of the almost 60 thousand individuals who live in my hometown had shown up to the polls that day, we may have had a very different turnout. Votes always matter, and close elections like this one

illustrate this better than anything.

Another reason this election was so unique is that the candidate I was campaigning for was running as an independent. In our two-party system, it is so unbelievably rare for an independent candidate to do so well and to have such a strong following.

Because of this unique three-way race between the republican incumbent, independent candidate, and democratic candidate, a unique discussion about political literacy can be illustrated.

This was a very fierce election. The republican incumbent had rarely faced such a strong opposing candidate as he did with the Independent, and many Republicans in the community had taken to slandering the Independent as a result. The Democratic candidate did not poll well from the beginning. He had few plans, wasn’t charismatic, and wasn’t well-known within the community.

The Republican party viewed the Independent candidate—not the Democrat-- as a threat, and so all their efforts went into fighting the Independent. This is important to note as a voting citizen because it gives you a clue as to who the front runners in an

election are.

Many of the individuals who voted for the Democrat were doing so because they wanted the Republican incumbent out of office, whoever that new candidate may be. However, some general research into the dynamic of this race would have shown these individuals that, in order to vote out the incumbent, they should have voted for the Independent.

This is made even more clear when you compare the policies of the Independent and the Democrat.

The two had very similar goals and platforms; the difference was the development of the plans. This goes to show that it is important to research all candidates involved in a race at some level as opposed to voting Democrat or Republican down the whole ballot.

Perhaps you will find somebody you agree with more. Perhaps some of the individuals who voted for the Democratic candidate would have compromised and voted for the Independent if it meant getting the Republican out of office. There are a lot more possibilities for yourself when you stay educated and engaged in what is

happening in politics.

Regardless of my personal opinions of how this election turned out, this extremely close the three-way election highlights how important it is to be an educated voter and to understand the platforms of all candidates involved.

Having goals about what you want to see out of an election can help you decide who to vote for. Do you want to see a certain candidate in office? A certain candidate out of office? What’s important to you and your values?

Everything is political, from taxes to school systems to the roads we drive on every day. Your vote impacts every aspect of your daily life. As a new election season approaches us,

make it reflect the life you want.

A A

PODCAST PODCAST

SEASON 2 COMING SOON!

LISTEN NOW!

with Troy Schroeder The University of Evansville Student Media team is now producing The Crescent Sports Report, a weekly podcast dedicated to bringing the Evansville community the latest and greatest in sports news and entertainment. Tune in weekly and follow the Crescent Magazine social media accounts to make sure you don’t miss any updates!

Scan to catch to the latest episode

Contact Tommy J Housman Student Media Advisor about advertising in the Crescent Magazine, on our website, or on any of our podcasts. th208@evansville.edu

A

PODCAST

CORRECTION FROM THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE The Ace of Clubs A Spotlight On UE’s 2023 Organization Fair By: Gabrielle Hardoin “UE Students for Life is an extremely active club on campus, organizing events supporting mothers and giving individuals a space to learn about their values.” Also, the issue was that it was under religious instead of governmental, so in order to make that clear out of context, maybe: “As a governmental organization, UE Students for Life is an extremely active club on campus, organizing events supporting mothers and giving individuals a space to learn about their values.”

LISTEN NOW!

Asexuality and What It Means to Be Ace

By Andrea Lenser

An Overview of Asexuality Here at the University of Evansville, we call ourselves the Purple Aces. It’s an identity that we will carry with us even after we have graduated. For me, I have two “ace” identities: one as a UE Purple Ace and the other as an asexual, or ace, person.

important to know and understand.

For example, a demisexual person is someone who does not experience sexual attraction toward a person until they have formed an emotional bond with that person. A graysexual person is someone whose asexuality lies in a gray area between being asexual and sexual.

Asexuality is one of the lesser-known sexualities under the LGBTQ+ umbrella.

The basic definition is that people who are asexual, or ace for short, experience little to no sexual attraction toward people of any gender. We are capable of feeling other types of attraction, such as romantic and aesthetic attraction, but we do not have any feelings of sexual attraction.

One common misconception about asexuality is that it can be used as a synonym for being celibate. However, celibacy is a personal choice to abstain from sex, whereas asexuality is a sexual orientation that is part of the LGBTQ+ community and is, therefore, not a choice. It is just like any other sexuality, except instead of feeling sexual attraction to one or more genders, an ace person doesn’t feel sexual attraction toward any gender.

Another misconception is that asexual people cannot enjoy or engage in sex. Asexuality is a spectrum, meaning that ace people can have a variety of opinions and feelings toward sex.

For instance, some ace people are sexpositive, meaning they participate in intercourse despite not experiencing sexual attraction. On the other end of the spectrum are sex-negative people, who have no desire to have sex and do not experience any sort of sexual attraction.

Because asexuality is a spectrum and is fluid, there are some identities under the general asexual umbrella that are

How I Discovered I Was Asexual When I was in elementary and middle school, I would often hear my friends talking about their crushes on classmates and celebrities and I always wondered why I had never developed a crush on anyone. For a long time, I just assumed I was a late bloomer and that eventually I would develop a crush on someone. But as I grew older and started high school, I started to realize that it was never going to happen for me. I knew there was something different about me, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was.

For the most part, I didn’t mind that other people had crushes and I didn’t.

However, it did make me uncomfortable when the topic of crushes would come up and I would have to admit to not having one. I vividly remember being asked who my celebrity crush was once and I got so panicked that I would be judged for not having one that I told them I had a crush on Zac Efron. This was not true, but I knew they

wouldn’t accept the idea of me not having a crush, so I blurted out the first conventionally attractive male celebrity I could think of to avoid embarrassment.

The idea that everyone has the ability to form a crush or has to have a certain type of attraction toward a person was so ingrained in me that I often wondered if there was something wrong with me. How come everyone else had crushes and had desires for sexual and romantic relationships when I didn’t?

I first learned about asexuality in 2020 when I was 16 years old. Reading about people who never had crushes growing up, never desired a relationship, and who had never felt sexual attraction toward anyone gave me an epiphany.

This is who I am. All my life I had felt out of the loop and like I was missing something, and learning about asexuality gave me clarity. There was nothing wrong with me; I was asexual. I had a unique, whole sexual orientation that is just as valid as any other sexuality.

Acceptance of Asexuality I am now 19 years old and I am happy and comfortable with my sexuality.

I have an identity that sums up my feelings in a concise word (“ace”) and I have had the privilege of telling my friends and family about my asexuality, who have for the most part accepted who I am.

I don’t want any ace person to ever feel isolated and alone because of their sexuality, which is why my goal now is to share my experiences as an ace person and raise awareness about asexuality.

Educating people on this lesser-known identity is a passion of mine and I hope it helps to bring together more knowledgeable and accepting ace allies and ace people like me who finally have a word to describe how they are feeling.

2023 Fall 4

Dog Day Downtown is an annual event in Evansville, Indiana that helps collect funding and spread awareness for organizations in the community. This year, it took place on September 16, 2023, from 11am to 2pm, and it invited community members and their dogs to enjoy the festivities on Main Street.

Dog Day brings together a mix of non-profit organizations, small businesses, event sponsors, and local volunteers for a fun and interactive afternoon. The attending booths run along both sides of Main Street, offering dog treats, care services, photo booths, or information on how to help support the animals in Evansville. The care services include free nail trimmings, vaccines, and microchipping on a first-come-first-serve basis, which are funded entirely by the organization that distributes them.

This event centers around community building and providing a happy, healthy, and loving home for all dogs. Dog Day Downtown is presented by German American Bank, and sponsored by several other organizations, including F.C. Tucker Emge Realtors, Southern Indiana’s leading real estate Company.

“Our downtown office is heavily involved in the Evansville community, and this is a great event to be a part of each year,” said F.C. representative Nikki Davis. “We are out here today offering free pictures and treats for anyone who would like a picture with their dog.”

This year, during the 4th annual Dog Day Downtown event, several nonprofit organizations were represented.

Vandenburg Humane Society and It Takes a Village No-Kill Rescue are both committed to giving animals the best possible quality of life, spreading awareness, and offering services to help dog owners care for their pets properly.

Vanderburgh Humane Society (VHS) is a non-profit shelter that runs 100% on donations, and this year they brought several of their puppies with them to give puppy cuddles, all of which are available for adoption. They also provided free microchipping for dogs in attendance.

Events and fundraising coordinator, Mackenzee Mckittrick, said, “A lot of people only see us as a humane society where you can adopt a pet, but not everyone knows about our other services, like our spay and neuter clinic or our services like vaccines and microchipping.” VHS holds two large Fall events locally and an annual auction in May. “We want to be a resource in the community to make sure that dogs are staying happy and healthy in the home and getting all the care they need,” said Mckittrick.

DOG down

Tammy Schmitt also attended Dog Day Downtown this year, representing It Takes a Village No-Kill Rescue, as their board chair. They are a rescue organization that takes in animals no matter the breed or circumstances and finds them their forever homes. Their efforts are to help more people keep their animals in home as best they can, so they don’t have to rehome them.

“We love days like this where they’re offering affordable or free health care, free nail trims, and free resources,” said Schmitt. “We are overflowing right now, and dog day is a great way to spread awareness and try to find safe and loving foster homes for these dogs.”

To help either of these organizations, donations are accepted and greatly appreciated, as well as advocating for the messages that they represent. “Help in any way you can,” said Schmitt, “even if you are just bringing attention to organizations like ours or anyone else out here today.”

Main Street welcomed Evansville Obedience Classes (EOC) to Dog Day Downtown, educating owners about the importance of dog training at any age. EOC offers obedience classes for puppies up to advanced levels, and they compete nationally in obedience and agility competitions.

Alley Metzger, a representative for EOC said, “Training is really important for safety, especially when it comes to basic recall and making sure your dog will come back to you. There are so many lost or stray dogs out here

in Evansville, and we want to help prevent that for as many families as possible.” Metzger said her favorite part of Dog Day Downtown is seeing the different breeds of dogs and getting to visit with them.

Dog Day Downtown is an annual event that brings like-minded individuals together and educates the community on quality animal care. Individuals who are interested in funding or supporting these organizations can find the contacts linked below and are encouraged to follow their social media accounts for updates. Whether you are an animal owner or an animal lover, Dog Day Downtown is a fun and welcoming event that adds to the community and supports the pets of Evansville.

DAY town Myia Danek

Fall Fest Food Finds By: Paige Radel The sweet smell of funnel cakes overflowing in powdered sugar, the subtle sound of kettle corn popping, the joyous outbursts of children devouring deep fried desserts– it is festival time!

This year, the 102nd annual West Side Nut Club Fall Festival kicked off Monday, October 2nd celebrating the arrival of another Fall in Evansville, Indiana. With over 137 food booths the Fall Festival has just been named the best festival in the country

by USA Today. This has been in the works for more than a century and truly illuminates their slogan, “From Small Acorns, Large Oaks Grow.”

The festival started off with just a few local businessmen on the west side of Evansville, but now is known as one of the largest food festivals in the nation, and with so much food, there ought to be some famous favorites!

Starting off strong, found at food booth 85, locals recommended the apple dumplings with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This fall flavored dessert could also be ordered sugar free and while it took some by surprise, it left others longing for more!

Chloe Cline greatly enjoyed her corn dog, more commonly known as “pronto pups” at the festival, but was hopeful to try much more as she ventured through the numerous food vendors. Her friend chimed in and agreed that while the pronto pups were “gas,” they would find more unique food there and were excited to continue looking for their

Crescent Magazine 7

new favorite finds.

Chloe Clinden on the other hand knew without hesitation that her favorite food find was the deep fried s'mores- this was a popular favorite.

Joelle also said, “For a sweet treat I liked the Mickey Mouse, where the deep fried oreos are the ears and then the deep fried s’mores is the body.”

The chocolate covered strawberries at vendor 104 were also a hit according to Amelia, a performer at the festival.

Various other chocolate dipped desserts could also be found at the festival though, including grapes, bananas, and clown noses (red velvet cake balls).

Fall Fest has no limitations though and can please more than a sweet tooth, the classic Munchie Map lays out not only the places one can find the vendors, but also categorizes the various foods. For example, the chicken category includes the well-known chicken bacon ranch mac and cheese and tells readers just where to find it at the Evansville Rescue Mission booth located at number 136.

The banner above the food truck claims, “This mac & cheese saves lives!” And according to customers close by, the mac and cheese also saved their appetite. Various combinations are available such as buffalo mac, chicken fiesta mac, and cajun mac in addition to the chicken bacon ranch mac.

Another familiar favorite was the pork parfait, Camille said, “My favorite is the pork parfait because it has a mixture

of different flavors and it is so good, you can’t just get it anywhere else.”

Found at food vendor number 5, the pork parfait offers a unique layered BBQ delicacy that consists of mashed potatoes, pull pork, Hawg N Sauce Barbecue, corn, and baked beans.

Another well-known dinner option is the donut burger, courtesy of Donut Bank and Grace and Peace Lutheran Church.

This popular item is the only thing found on the menu at food booth 41, but 104.1 WIKY’s Diane Douglas assures customers they will not be disappointed in her recent article when discussing the burger.

The West Side Nut Club Fall Festival has food for everyone’s liking, your festival classics, all the way to pumpkin spice puppy chow. With over 137 vendors, and 100 years of experience, it is bound to have unforgettable food that one can only experience the first week of October in Evansville, Indiana.

Photos By Paige Radel

TEL HAZOR lower city excavation

BY MADDY WEBB

Over the summer, six University of Evansville students and three alumni joined Professor Dr. Ebeling in an excavation in northern Israel. This was the Tel Hazor Lower City Excavations with Site Director Dr. Shlomit Bechar.

This dig was a University of Haifa field excavation. For many of the UE students, this was their first excavation.

Digging through the dirt, many artifacts were uncovered, including many that cannot be spoken of yet!

Valuable skills were taught in the field, including learning new equipment and pottery reading.

These valuable lessons

continued for the students out of the field as well. The excavation group stayed in a Kibbutz, an Israeli community that was created early in the 20th century based on an agriculture Jewish community.

On the weekends, students traveled to various locations in Israel.

Their first weekend in Israel, UE students traveled to Jerusalem. They traveled during Shabbat which is a time of rest.

This means that in Jerusalem, Friday evening to Saturday evening it was very quiet and peaceful. Of course, the Old City of Jerusalem had a different feeling. Many tourists filled the streets,

with souvenirs lining the roads. During this trip, I was personally able to visit the Western Wall and leave a small note of prayer as many others around me did.

All in all, this experience was one that many of these students won’t forget. They will use what they have learned in the future to further their careers.

2023 Fall 8

SUNSET

the largest concrete skatepark BY: BEV ROWLEY

SKATEPARK

k in indiana.

Sunset Skatepark is a skatepark located on the riverfront that is currently under construction. Upon completion, it will be the largest concrete skatepark in all of Indiana!

The designs for Sunset Skatepark were finalized in May of 2022. Many events and fundraisers led up to the moment on groundbreaking in December of 2022.

Sunset has had many fundraisers and benefits to help raise money for construction: • May 2021 - Evansville bands put together a benefit show to raise money for the park’s construction.

• May 2021 - the Art Council held a show and silent auction, raising the cause an additional $1,500. They also received a matching grant for the event, doubling their total.

• June 2021 - CenterPoint Energy donated $40,000 • June 2021 - High Score Saloon held a fundraiser gaining over $1,200 with a doubling grant.

Construction is scheduled to be finished in December 2023. The first concrete pour was just in these past few months on August 26th!

Since then, a Facebook post made

by Deputy Mayor Steve Schaefer on September 16th shared that the Sunset Skatepark has had several updates in construction. More concrete fixtures have been poured and parts of the steel infrastructure have been places as well.

Sunset Skatepark posted on September 20th that street lights have been installed around the park. They also posted a video on their Instagram page of some concrete being placed and shaped in the park, making tracks, dips, and loops for skaters.

Those helping with construction were tagged in the post. Tagged organizations include: • Garmong Construction • Hunger Skateparks • Evansville Department of Parks & Recreation

• Sunset Skatepark Construction is staying timely and is scheduled to be finished at the end of this semester!

The Gray Lady of Willard Library

By Liam Allen Located on 21 N First Ave in the city of Evansville, Willard Library is considered one of the most haunted buildings in Indiana, and the most haunted library in the United States. One figure keeps standing out in tales of its haunting, that of the Grey Lady. Described as a figure adorned in a grey dress, the Grey Lady is often found near the children’s section of the library and has enough sightings to develop defining attributes.

Many sightings of the Grey Lady include details like a thick scent of perfume, objects like books and chairs moving, lights flickering, and the faucets turning on at random.

The Gray Lady is often connected with the construction of the Library by Willard Carpender in 1885. Willard donated much of his wealth to the library’s construction and maintenance, and he desired the library to be open to all residents regardless of background.

Though he was admired by much of the community, Willard had a strained relationship with his family, even going so far as to cut his children out of his will. When he died of a stroke just before the construction of Willard Library finished, he left all of his wealth to his Library and other charities.

Willard’s decision to cut his children out of his will is often cited as the inciting incident in the creation of the Gray Lady, who many believe to be none other than Willard’s daughter Louise

Crescent Magazine 11

Carpender. The story goes that Louise never forgave her father for denying her the inheritance, and held a grudge against the library, which she haunts to this day. Sightings of the Gray Lady have become so prevalent that the library has placed a 24/7 surveillance system through which anyone can view the most active areas in the library and try to search for her.

Access to these live streams can be found at Willardghosts.com.

“I felt like a swimming duck, calm on the surface but underneath there’s a lot going on.” This is how Nic Scott felt at the World Knife Throwing League World Championship long before he had played his first game. He knew he had a chance to beat any other thrower, but when you’re live on the throwing lane anything can happen.

Nic Scott is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and a current amateur axe and knife-thrower. Nic is different from most active knife throwers thanks to his back, which Nic said “looks like an upside-down question mark” at the base. He has a 45-degree curve at the bottom of his back from a military training accident which left him 80% disabled. According to doctors, he should not do anything physical, let alone compete in a league where you throw things. Nic never let that stop him, and within two years of starting to throw knives competitively, he made it to the world championship. Nic didn’t expect to get a chance to compete at the world championship because he felt he was too new, but thanks to his high scores and ranking 36th in the country at the time he managed to get one of the 139 chances.

The eight-hour drive to Appleton, Wisconsin, was easily the most difficult for Nic, who can’t sit for too long without being in pain. Nic describes his pain as “being in pain every day, it varies in intensity but everything I do from sitting to moving will lead to more pain. The only thing keeping me going is the shots I get in my spine to numb some of the pain.” Fortunately, while he was at the world championships he had his girlfriend Natalie to help distract him. He was very excited to arrive as this was his first knife-throwing tournament.

Nic would end up spending three days in Appleton with the first day spent going around town. He found a local brewery from which he had been trying to acquire some bourbon, and after visiting a few more stores with Natalie they ended up going to the local axethrowing venue, Appleton Axe, for a meet and greet. Pizza was served and everyone who attended got the chance to meet their potential competitors.

“Everyone was so friendly in spite of the coming tournament; it was surprisingly friendly,” said Natalie.

On Nic’s second day in Appleton,

Disabled Marine Veteran Competes In Knife Throwing World Championship By: Dan Murphy everyone competing in the tournament went to the convention center where the tournament would be held to learn the rules and be told where they’d be going on the day. The tournament was a double elimination, where you get a second chance even if you lost a match.

The A-bracket was where everyone started, and after a loss, the competitors were moved to the B-bracket. If the thrower lost there, they were out. The individual match setup was the best two-out-of-three games where everyone threw 10 times per game, five from beyond 10 feet and five from beyond 15 feet with a perfect score being 64. After leaving the venue, some people went to a local Denny’s to hang out and have dinner, and Nic joined them.

Nic’s third day was the day of the tournament. He started his day by picking up Bryan Hotz, another member of Nic's local league who flew to Appleton and needed a ride. They were in different brackets but could see each other throw in their downtime.

“Nic started very well from close range, it was the drops from long range that killed him,” said Bryan. Despite being in a relatively new environment, Nic had a lot of familiar faces that he’d seen at other axe-throwing tournaments. His long-time friend and current boss Kyle Rickenbaugh was also attending, and having him there definitely helped Nic to feel like part of the gang.

Greg Ward, Nic’s first opponent, and a very recent acquaintance thanks to the meet-up at Denny's the day prior, was a tough match-up. Unfortunately for Nic, he didn’t win any of the games.

He dropped five knives total across two games, sealing his fate and sending him to the B-bracket. Nic never expected to win, but even with his low expectations

losing still hurt. “It was those damn drops, man, I was on pace with him but fell apart at the end both times,” said Nic. In match two, which was his first in the B-bracket, Nic was keeping pace with his opponent Joe Divine until right at the end of each game, when he would fall slightly behind and end up losing. Overall, the last two games went slightly better, considering he only lost by a collective six points across the two games. Nic said about his losses, “It must have been the nerves man, my drop rate and overall play were solid this season but for some reason, I didn’t live up to my potential enough to secure a win.

Taking one game would have made me feel better” Despite losing his matches there was still some upside to his trip. After losing his second game, he joined some of the other people who went 0-2 for a little tournament at Appleton Axe. Having already been eliminated from the world championship Nic’s nerves were completely gone. “Once it didn’t matter anymore I was on fire,” Nic said.

His nerves were so far gone that he completely swept that tournament, going undefeated and winning $75.

A small compensation, but enough to make sure that the trip wasn’t a total loss.

Having accomplished this feat despite his difficulties functioning day-to-day, Nic is very proud of himself: “I made it to the worlds, man, how is that not cool in its own right? I don’t care that I didn’t win anything, the fact that I made it at all is enough for me” said Nic. This proves that no matter what you’re afflicted with or how physically able you are, if you set your mind to something you can make it a lot further than you think, especially if you have the toughness of a Marine.

2023 Fall 12

CHILD’S PLAY

These are films that are fun for the whole family!

No need to worry about too much blood and guts.

ParaNorman (2012)

Following the smashing success of their first feature film, Coraline, Laika Studios was ready for more. After three years in production, they finally released ParaNorman, a stop-motion zombie film featuring a young boy who can speak to the dead. Each frame of this film is unique, and it is clear they were precise and intentional in all that they did. Not enough praise has been given to the animators of this film who put so much effort into their creation. Each character is distinct, and their visuals reflect their personalities; this fact extends to the numerous ghosts and zombies featured in the movie. Because of this, the film is character-driven and spends much of its runtime delving into what makes everyone different. It emphasizes that no one deserves to be mistreated for who they are. ParaNorman is a fun movie filled with references to past horror movies and charming characters you want to root for.

Overall Rating: 4/5 Violence: 2.5/5 Gore: 1.5/5 Jump Scares: 1/5 Acting Quality: 3/5 Production Quality: 5/5

Halloweentown (1998)

Halloweentown is the first in a series of films that packed Disney Channel’s schedule for the whole month of October. We follow a young girl named Marnie as she learns secrets about her family and is forced to save an entire town from losing its magic. For any former Disney kid, this film is steeped in nostalgia that hugs one like a warm, comforting blanket. The opening score is iconic and immediately sets the movie’s whimsical, magical tone. The town of Halloweentown is filled with all things fall and spooky, which is emphasized by the warm orange glow over everything and their delightful costumes. When this film aired on television, it was a favorite for many, and most aspects of the film still hold up to this day. The struggles with CGI are overshadowed by the incredible practical effects used to create the townspeople. The late Debbie Reynolds as the children’s grandmother is one of the film’s highlights. She does a wonderful job at making her character into a grandmother that anyone would wish they could have. This sweet film enjoyed by children and parents alike is perfect for settling into the cozy Halloween season.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Violence: 1/5 Gore: 0/5 Jump Scares: 0.5/5 Acting Quality: 2.5/5 Production Quality: 3.5/5

Beetlejuice (1988)

For many, Beetlejuice is a film that needs no introduction. Not only is it a cult classic, but it was transformed into a popular musical on Broadway as well. From the getgo, this film makes viewers aware that they should not take it seriously. It is a quirky horror comedy filled with gags and, while dated, wonderfully crafted special effects.

It is clear that so much effort was put into crafting these characters’ identities, even the minor ones. Beetlejuice does not follow its titular character for most of the movie, instead focusing primarily on a dead married couple and a teenage girl.

This teenage girl is played by the one and only Winona Ryder, who gives a standout performance in her breakout role as Lydia Deetz. She has gone on to become a household name but is remembered fondly by many for her iconic dancing scene at the end of this film. While it may be suggestive at times, Beetlejuice is a wacky movie that has kept audiences laughing for nearly 40 years.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 Violence: 2/5 Gore: 2.5/5 Jump Scares: 1.5/5 Acting Quality: 3/5 Production Quality: 3.5/5

Halloween Movie Tier LisT

Are you looking for a movie night full of scares? Or just a little nudge into the Halloween spirit? Here is a list of nine Halloween movies you must watch this year.

By Grace Burnell

HORROR HALL OF FAME

These are some of horror’s most iconic films. Beware, these include a lot of blood and quite a few naked bodies.

Scream (1996)

Scream was a revolutionary movie that changed the horror genre after its release. Beginning as a self-aware parody of the slashers that had come before, Scream was adored by audiences and critics alike enough that a sequel was released a little under a year later. Not only do the scares deliver, but so does the star-studded cast. Neve Campbell (The Craft), Courtney Cox (Friends), and Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo) are all standout performances that only enhance the viewing experience. Campbell plays Sidney Prescott, a character who has gone down in the Final Girl Hall of Fame as one of the most loved. Audiences follow her through a night filled with dread as the small town of Woodsboro attempts to unmask the mysterious Ghostface killer. This movie is bloody, which comes with the territory of being a slasher. This is especially present during the film’s opening scene with Drew Barrymore, which sets the tone for the rest of the series. The Scream series has long been held dear in the hearts of many, even as they continue to pump out more films, which have yet to top the first installment.

Overall Rating: 5/5 Violence: 4/5 Gore: 4/5 Jump Scares: 3/5 Acting Quality: 4/5 Production Quality: 3.5/5

Halloween (1978)

How does one review a classic? A cultural phenomenon? Halloween was a smashing success at the box office when it was first released and has influenced numerous horror films that have followed it. Looking at it through the lens of 2023 horror films, Halloween seems slow and dull. Most of the action does not occur until close to the end of the film, but director, writer, and composer John Carpenter uses music in a way that fills the movie with intense suspense. The main character, Laurie Strode, is a babysitter stalked and hunted by a man in a mask, Michael Myers.

Laurie is played by 20-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis, who was making her film debut.

She gives an impressive performance and lands herself in horror history with this film. Halloween not only includes a few deaths caused by teenagers having sex but also the deaths of two dogs, which happen mostly off camera. Halloween is a must-see for horror and movie fans, but is skippable for people with short attention spans.

Overall Rating: 4/5 Violence: 3.5/5 Gore: 2.5/5 Jump Scares: 2/5 Acting Quality: 3/5 Production Quality: 2.5/5

Friday the 13th (1980)

Taking direct inspiration from its predecessor, Halloween, Friday the 13th is a slasher filled with people being killed for having sex and first-person views from the killer’s perspective. This series of films has become synonymous with the name Jason Voorhees, though he only makes a brief appearance in this movie. Instead, this film follows a different killer as they slash through the grounds of Camp Crystal Lake. One thing to note about this film is how it handles the kills between male and female characters. When one of the men is killed, it is nearly always off-camera.

In contrast, when one of the women is killed, their murder is clearly on screen with blood and guts. This troupe is present in many horror films that came before it, along with the insistent need to show naked women’s bodies. Even with all its flaws, Friday the 13th has gone on to become a successful series, topping off at 12 movies at present.

Overall Rating: 3/5 Violence: 3/5 Gore: 3/5 Jump Scares: 2.5/5 Acting Quality: 2/5 Production Quality: 2/5

BLOODY MESS

These movies include lots of blood; some are far more violent than others, but they are all excellent.

Saw (2004)

The Saw franchise is notorious for its sadistic traps and horrific deaths and has spawned a subgenre for torture films. The first installment is not as graphic as people have made it out to be. The action begins right from the start of the film, where viewers are dropped into a small room with two men, Adam and Dr. Gordon, chained to the wall. The film explores why these men are there and how it is connected to an entity known as Jigsaw. Many moments in the movie are difficult to watch, especially for squeamish people. Even so, the filmmakers did an excellent job of only showing what was necessary; there are limited scenes of gruesome nature that feel out of place. The characters in this film are thoroughly fleshed out in a way many horror films avoid. Because the audience feels such a connection with these characters, their survival becomes crucial. The editing of this film clearly shows it was made in the 2000s, but through that, it shows the many sides of being human and what extreme situations can do to a person.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 Violence: 4/5 Gore: 4/5 Jump Scares: 2.5/5 Acting Quality: 4/5, Production Quality: 3.5/5

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

The atmosphere of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre sets it apart from most other horror films. From the beginning, the characters are cramped, sweaty, and stressed out. It was not just the characters feeling this way; the actors did, too. This film is infamous for the grueling conditions on set, and many of the actors said it was one of the worst experiences of their lives. They said filming such intense scenes in the heat messed with their heads. The audience feels this level of anxiety through the screen as a group of friends traveling through rural Texas get more than they bargained for. This series stars the killer, known as Leatherface, and his cannibalistic family. The camera they used to film this movie gives it a gritty and dirty look that adds to the intensity of what is happening on screen. The set is covered in blood and bones, much of which was from real animals, which smelled terrible in the heat.

All these reasons add up to this film being the highest-grossing independent film until Halloween premiered four years later. The success of this movie led to a series of 10 movies, with the most recent installment coming out in 2022.

Overall Rating: 4/5 Violence: 4.5/5 Gore: 4/5 Jump Scares: 3/5 Acting Quality: 3/5, Production Quality: 3/5

Carrie (1976)

Carrie, originally a book by Stephen King, attempts to tackle telepathy and the fight against high school bullies. It is a story very much written and directed by men, as the first five minutes show a look inside a high school girl’s locker room.

This is followed by an intimate scene of Carrie, a 16-year-old, in the shower as she gets her first period. It is an uncomfortable watch that has next to nothing to do with the rest of the film. The audience follows Carrie through her arduous life, filled with tormentors and the overbearingness of her mother. Sissy Spacek does a phenomenal job portraying the wide-eyed, terrifying Carrie, and her performance shines the most during the third act. The cinematography during the film’s last act stands out against the others. The frantic camera angles and flashing lights immerse the viewer in the terror of what is occurring. Carrie is a good lesson in not making fun of people just because they seem lesser.

Overall Rating: 4/5 Violence: 3/5 Gore: 3/5 Jump Scares: 1.5/5 Acting Quality: 3.5/5, Production Quality: 3.5/5

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2023 Fall 16

TAKING CONTROL: Becoming Aware of Other Cultures By: Emma Mitchell

Social Awareness

noun; The ability to take the perspective of and empathize with others, including those from diverse cultures that may be unfamiliar to one’s own.

Culture contains factors of different values, traditions, communication, learning styles, and relational patterns that require the surrounding to be respect full and open-minded.

At the University of Evansville, students are always learning about the diversity within the campus. There are many different cultural student organizations on the campus! UE’s International Club was created by students to represent and give support to the diversity present on the campus.

On Friday September 29th, the International Club hosted their monthly members meeting with free pizza, snacks, and soda for their committed members. This meeting was also the callout for the 37th International Bazaar. From 5 to 7 pm, the club enjoyed each other’s company and was presented with a speaker.

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UE Ace, Fiza Imran spoke to the audience of her home country, Pakistan. She shared her culture to students. Her goal was for her audience to understand that, “students are better able to understand and appreciate the diversity around the world when they are aware of various cultures” (Imran). Fiza explained to students that understanding various cultures is important for the world to function and be “interconnected”.

Overall, Imran states that, “in general, knowing about different cultures promotes a more welcoming and connected society and gives future generations useful life skills.”

The goal of allowing others to share their cultures is for the UE community to gain social awareness and treat all fellow Aces with respect!

Thus, social awareness is an important and necessary skill for teachers and students, employers, and employees – and the list could go on.

Familiarizing oneself with other cultures creates the yearning for lifelong-learning, avoids creating social chambers and leaves the audience, and the ones putting in the effort, with a diverse and open mindset, making a change in our world.

A Night in the Graveyard In the graveyard mist abounds on every surface there is no hallow ground.

Light flickers in quick and dim on little candlesticks creating little patches in the mist.

But a cool wind blows from over the bend extinguishing the light from the candlesticks the mist is suffocating and thick.

The groans from the damned echoes across the land accompanied by ghoulish hands sticking out of the sand.

Run like the wind to the entrance tall and thin pray that you’ll make it before a ghoul does you in.

Shut the metal door loud and old pretend you don’t see your gravestone right beside the door.

By Destini Beckham

2023 Fall 18

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A DELL XPS 15

By: Catherine

Before I was starting college, one of the most exciting things for meit wasn’t the dorm I would be staying in, or the classes I would be taking that excited me most. Instead: it was the getting a new laptop. I had spent time looking into what would be the best for college.

I knew I wanted something that had Windows on it, for no other reason than I just wanted to be able to play games on it when I had free time, and I wanted to be able to upgrade the different components when I wanted to. This led me to find it: the 2020 XPS 15. It had just had a refreshed design,The design had just been refreshed, having a beautiful screen with excellent colors, and I could even switch out certain parts. I placed my order just a few days later and was the most excited I had ever been.

About a month later, during a summer class, I saw a UPS truck pull up, and I ran straight out of the house, signed for the box, and went straight back inside. The part I had ordered a RAM kit to help make the computer faster was a RAM kit, bumping it up from 8 gigabytes to a whopping 32, which meant thatmaking it was lightning fast. I had to ask my uncle to come help me switch out the RAM, which we had to do outside since it was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once it was

Crescent Magazine 19

finally ready, I was thrilled. It could do everything I needed it to, and it even ran games well too thanks to the RAM upgrade I had purchased.

I did notice one small problem though… the trackpad was noticeably stiff. I didn’t think anything of it at first, but as the days passed by, I started to see more and more articles talking

about how this was an issue with multiple people who had purchased the same laptop, and I started to get worried. When looking at the inside of a laptop, the battery usually sits right below the trackpad, and when your trackpad starts to get stiff, it can usually be a sign that the battery has already

begun to expand, and in some cases, even explode. Knowing this, I decided I wasn’t going to take any chances, and decided to send the laptop back in to Dell. This made my idea to upgrade the RAM a problem since I knew I would most likely have to get a replacement from them, rather than just a simple repair. I was lucky though, getting to experience the saving grace of Dell: the customer support team.

Since I had just purchased the laptop only a month ago, I was still in the warranty period, so they were kind enough to just ship me a brand-new laptop, and they even let me keep the old one until the new one arrived. This made the process significantly easier, as I could simply just move the RAM I had bought into the new laptop.

I still didn’t feel confident doing it on my own, so I had to call my uncle to come back to help. He returned, wearing a Sailor Moon mask with a face shield, and guided me through the process from a six-foot distance on our porch, since he was extremely concerned about contracting COVID. As I was finishing up and just about to reseal the laptops, I noticed a drop of rain land inside the laptop. Panicking, I rushed the two machines back inside to get them

to safety, since I knew iIf I sent Dell back a water-damaged laptop, then I would have much worse problems than before. I let both laptops dry out overnight, and to my surprise, both were entirely fine. The rain hadn’t been a problem, so I sent back the original one to Dell and thought that would be the end of my troubles.

For a while, it was. I finished up my online class, moved into my dorm on campus, and was just about to go to bed for the first night in my dorm when I noticed that it started to act strangely. It wasn’t responding to the mouse or keyboard, and it felt like nothing I could do would fix it. At first, I assumed it was because of the RAM I had installed into it, but since I was up in college, I couldn’t ask anyone for help on it, so I was on my own. While fumbling through the laptop’s internal settings, I managed to find out how to run different diagnostic tests on it.

Everything came back perfectly normal it said, even the RAM I had installed which was a relief. I spent a few hours trying different ideas to get it to work again, only to inevitably give up and have to reset it from scratch, losing everything I had on it. Thankfully, since I had just gotten it a couple weeks before starting college I didn’t lose much, but it was still extremely frustrating to deal with.

My troubles did not stop there. , as lLater that same year, Windows was suddenly unable tocouldn’t update itself anymore. I went through the classic steps of simply rebooting the system then when that didn’t work, waiting to see if it would just somehow fix itself. Of course, it never did. I dug deeper into the issue, eventually finding the specific error code it would give me each time it failed. Armed with my newfound knowledge, I began to search for solutions – before finding that Windows surprisingly came with one built-in, but it was with the command line. When you use the command line on Windows or any kind of computer, you need to be careful of the syntax that you follow, or else it just won’t do anything. After several attempts, I managed to discoverfigured out how to type in what it wanted, and I watched the computer dash through lines of processes, looking through my hard drive to determine the error, and

before findingit found it. One specific file had somehow become corrupted, but that was all I could find. I couldn’t figure out how to repair it, or any other steps to take from there. After weeks of looking up solutions, I was stuck. All I could do was tell Windows to stop updating for as long as I could, and once it forced an update, waited for it to fail just for me to tell it to stop again.

This continued for several months until I finally made it to summer break, at which point I immediately contacted Dell to ask for a replacement. This time, unfortunately, I would have to send it back in, as I had gone over the return and exchange limit. Exhausted with the process, I sent it back to Dell and received it back in perfect condition.

By my third year, the problems that the laptop gave me went from manageable to absolutely hellish. Sometimes just trying to power on the laptop wouldn’t work, and it would just flash through several different colors for five minutes before finally starting up, or when I would get Windows to properly update, the laptop wouldn’t want to work again because I hadn’t used a separate program to make sure a bunch of other software was up to date beforehand. One of these times it did this was on April first., which Iit took me around two hours to fix, making it

one of the worst April Fool’s pranks I had received. It was overall a miserable experience, but I tolerated it because it had stuck with me for so long. The final nail in the coffin though was when it just started shutting off for no reason.

When a laptop does this, it is usually when it gets too hot and shuts itself down to prevent itself from getting damaged. When I would inspect the laptop myself though, it wasn’t hot at all, and the fans usually were not even running when it would shut down. It never gave me any kind of error code for the system when I turned it back on –, it would just act like nothing happened –, even if it had just shut down in the middle of a class, causing me to miss some of the notes for the day. By this point, I was done. As much as I had loved that laptop, it had just given me too many problems to want to keep using it. I ended up just buying a Macbook and I haven’t looked back once. As much as I would have loved to keep my old Dell, it just wasn’t working for me anymore, since the problems it had just kept getting worse.

I ended up dumping the old laptop onto my mom, who needed it for her new job. It’s her problem now.

2023 Fall 20

How long will we let this continue?

By: Madchen Fox

issue that scientists believe caused this was increasing river temperatures. The dolphins were in water that was like a hot jacuzzi, except they could not leave it. They were cooked in this water. It is not just the dolphins either, which helps rule out issues relating to diseases. Fish, dolphins, and aquatic plant life all have suffered due to the intense heat.

As the global temperature begins to climb, the trend of extinction will too. A little over a third of all aquatic (marine and freshwater) life is being threatened with extinction according to the National Resources Defense Council and the World Wildlife Fund.

However, it doesn’t feel like much is changing to change this statistic.

As the temperature increases, droughts will and have become more common.

These droughts often force animals to either migrate or die, and often migration will lead to death. Aquatic species are usually specialists, meaning they have more specific prey and habitat behaviors.

This means that migration can end up harming these animals just as much.

Aquatic species can also be broken up into marine species and freshwater species, both of which are affected about equally by climate change. These droughts also affect people, especially people who live by isolated areas of water. Droughts can be detrimental for a community's available drinking water, but it can even go as far as starving communities out.

The increase in temperature also causes the water to get hotter. It absorbs a lot of our heat, our belts that take warm air and water to colder places and cold air and water to warmer places will begin to circulate differently, which will change weather patterns and predictability around the globe. Not just this, but the increase of water temperature causes aquatic life to drown. Many scientists have named this “boiling seas.”

These animals drown because the

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When will we decide enough is enough?

How many species will have to die out for our selfishness to wean?

How long will people continue to fervently deny what is happening right before our eyes?

temperatures get so high that oxygen cannot be stored efficiently in the ocean, which leads to drowning.

There were over 100 dolphins that died this week near the amazon river.

The dolphins, which are called pink river dolphins due to their pinkish color, were found beaching at an extreme rate. Part of the problem is due to droughts affecting the Amazon and areas around it. However, the larger

We have gone from politicizing opinions to politicizing facts, and it is deeply disappointing. Since we treat climate change like a political problem, we continue to ignore and avoid its objective, detrimental effects. I hope that for our future generations, we will decide to be selfless enough to act against these problems. However, since it is already a political issue, we need to hold our politicians and lawmakers accountable.

Individuals cannot do much to prevent climate change, but if there was more legislation to allocate spending or hold huge corporations accountable, we may be able to slow down the effects of climate change.

Keeping the Fall Funk at Bay

The sunny, warm days of summer are over, and with that comes the cooler weather of fall many have longed for. But some people are not yet over those long, bright days. This feeling is not quite seasonal affective disorder (which is a real mood disorder that should be checked out by a professional) but just makes the whole fall season feel dreary. We can call this the fall funk, and is something that can be made better with a few simple things.

Get in the mood

Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness has always proven to be a great way to realize the here and now, which includes the feeling of the season. Fall is not going to last forever! Now, this isn’t grounds for wishing it away, rather it is something to remind you to appreciate what you have.

You are going to miss fall when a hot, muggy summer day rolls around next year.

A simple thing to do that also exercises your imagination is to picture a desirable fall scene (cliche or not). Is it a cozy, warm evening inside? Or is it a crisp morning walk wearing your favorite jacket? Now, make that more of a reality. At night, curl up with a blanket and wear some comfortable clothes. For your outfit in the morning, try wearing warmer or neutral colors to be one with the season.

Take part in activities

One of the worst things to do when you feel gloomy is to keep yourself cooped up and marinate in negativity. Your brain might feel good doing it, but eventually it will wear you down. Try going to events around campus. Clubs and organizations are constantly hosting activities that are often free to students.

2023 Fall 22

Light in the Darkness: How to Be a Respectful and Effective Advocate for Suicide Awareness and Prevention By: Parker Andresen This article is dedicated to my grandfather, my mom, and anyone else who has been affected by or touched by suicide.

The music echoed through my ears, hand over my chest and eyes closed.

It was one of my favorite artists, Noah Kahan, playing his song “Call Your Mom.” This song is especially close to my heart because it’s about suicide awareness and mental health, much like many of Noah Kahan’s songs. This one, however, hits different.

I heard Noah Kahan live on September 15, and I haven’t been able to get the live version of “Call Your Mom” out of my head. I have a history of mental health issues in my family, and my grandfather died by suicide on July 4th of this year. I remember the shock, sadness, and disbelief that went through my mind when I found out. It is because of this that suicide prevention and awareness has never been so relevant to my life.

September was National Suicide Prevention Month, a month wvhere many choose to reflect on the impact of suicide in the United States and the importance of mental health resources in a country that pushes productivity

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over psychological wellbeing. Once September ends and October’s fall presence makes itself known, suicide awareness is often pushed to the back burner.

Suicide killed one person every 11 minutes in 2021, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also a leading cause of death.

The importance of suicide awareness is clear. It is responsible for the deaths of family, friends, and even acquaintances.

Many people live in silence with suicidal thoughts daily or have experienced them at some point in their lives. What some struggle with, and the reason many might stray away from prevention and awareness efforts, is not knowing how to best advocate in their daily lives.

It can be confusing, difficult, or scary to navigate the world of suicide prevention and advocacy and mental health advocacy overall. But there are some relatively easy and respectful ways to get involved year-round, not just during September.

Organizations across the country are focused on mental health advocacy and education, with some specifically centering their attention on suicide.

One such group is Project 99, which is based out of Murrieta, California and focuses on educating teens and the community about suicide. They conduct trainings on how to talk to someone who is considering suicide and even lead a rock

campaign, where they paint rocks with positive messages and spread them throughout the community.

As well as this, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has an Indiana specific chapter that offers several events and resources for anyone to participate in. Every year, they offer 10 Out of the Darkness walks around the state of Indiana to unite communities and spread awareness. Involvement in organizations and events such as these provides advocates with valuable education and training on mental health and suicide.

Beyond getting involved in organizations, it is critical to approach advocacy with care and respect, especially if you are using the story of others to shine a light on the importance of suicide prevention and

awareness. Consent is always necessary before posting or sharing someone else’s story in a public or private space.

Others’ mental health stories are sensitive and personal. So, ensure that person is okay with having their story told to others.

If you do have consent to share or tell others’ stories, make sure to not center yourself in their story. After all, their experiences are theirs for a reason. If you’re sharing your own story, only do so if you feel comfortable with it, not because you feel pressure to or are guilted into it.

Another way to best incorporate advocacy into your daily routine is being sure to use appropriate language surrounding suicide. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada created a guide to using positive language around suicide. For example, it lays out the importance of saying died by suicide/death by suicide/lost their life to suicide instead of commit/

committed suicide because “commit” implies suicide is a crime or a sin and reinforces the idea that suicide is selfish and a personal choice.

Working to incorporate better, more direct language allows the stigma around suicide to be broken down.

It also helps to raise awareness and advocate for more resources.

Overall, trainings, education, sharing about suicide, and changing the language around suicide can be instrumental in advocating for prevention and awareness. This becomes even more important in a country such as the United States where significant stigma and stereotypes surround mental health and suicide. Be cautious and respectful when sharing others’ stories and check on those around you.

turned on.” This is one of the lines that hits me the hardest. While it may seem forever, darkness is only temporary.

Suicide awareness and prevention is of the utmost importance now more than ever. When and if you can, help those around you turn the light back on. Check on yourself, too, and give yourself a reason to keep going. You are not alone.

If you or someone you know is thinking of suicide, reach out to Counseling Services on the second floor of Ridgway University Center (or by phone at 812488-2663) or call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat with them at 988lifeline.org. Reach out to loved ones.

There is hope on the horizon.

In “Call Your Mom,” Noah Kahan has a line that goes “Don’t let this darkness fool you/ All lights turned off can be

2023 Fall 24

Book Talk: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder How the Protagonist Loses Herself to Obsession CONTENT WARNING: discussions/

mentions of death, assault, trauma, pet death, and substance abuse. Minor spoilers for the “Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” series, excluding the prequel, “Killjoy”.

By: Tiva Frushour

Fans of true crime know how alluring the genre is to millions of people across the globe. Whether you find intrigue in how a criminal’s mind works or you just prefer to be cautious in case of such an event, those who get it, get it. In fact, this is my favorite genre of media. I love a good mystery, especially one that tests the limits of my mind. My go-to background noise for cleaning and relaxing is true crime, whether it be an official documentary on a streaming service or one put together by an amazing YouTube creator. If it’s true crime, I’m all in.

Because of this, I found Holly Jackson’s series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder to be utterly fascinating.

True crime “junkies” know just how easy it is to become enraptured by a case. If you’re anything like me, you want every single piece of evidence, Crescent Magazine 25

every possible suspect, every motive; the whole nine yards. But Jackson’s protagonist, Pippa Fitz-Amobi, takes this obsession to a whole new level and then some.

This series is composed of three books: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Good Girl, Bad Blood, and As Good As Dead.

Jackson recently released a prequel to this series titled Killjoy, but I have yet to read it so it will not be included.

The first book follows high school senior Pippa, or Pip to her friends and family, as she re-opens a five-year-old case about a murder/suicide that took place in her hometown in order to complete her senior capstone project.

Though everyone around her is wary of her decisions, she decides to continue it anyway. Along the way, she records her findings and interviews, compiling evidence against various suspects, and befriends the convicted killer’s younger brother, Ravi. Mystery and danger ensue, and the end is something that you will likely never see coming.

In the second book, Pip has decided to start a podcast. With Ravi’s help, the podcast is dubbed “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder”. However, after an attack on Pip and the devastating loss of their family’s dog, her loved

ones ask her not to continue the podcast anymore. Pip agrees until her friend’s brother goes missing under mysterious circumstances. As she falls into the rabbit hole once again, she becomes increasingly aggressive towards people. She vandalizes the private home of someone who had gotten off of assault charges, she physically pins her “friend” to lockers in a fit of rage, and her temper explodes at the people around her. If the obsession with solving mysteries hadn’t taken over Pip in the first book, it definitely does in the second.

In the third book, Pip becomes the victim of hate crimes and ominous foreshadowing. The climax of the book sees her kidnapped and the rest of the book is about her escape and revenge on the person who kidnapped her. I won’t spoil it for you, of course, but I will say that Pippa truly becomes the thing she desperately seeks to destroy, and that is both an issue and an incredible way to end this series.

Her obsession drives her to insanity and actions she never would have committed if she’d picked anything else for that senior capstone project.

I highly recommend this series for those who enjoy true crime, mystery, and thrillers. The twists will have you reeling, the clues will keep you speculating, and the writing will keep you held within the world that Holly Jackson has created.

The American Climate Corps On September 20th, 2023, Joe Biden releases the American Climate Corps plan that promising to create a cleaner energy workforce. Biden has promised climate action sense he took office, and it is finally appearing, creating a breakthrough for climate conservation. The American Climate Corps plans to create millions of jobs for those entering the workforce. The Corps is going train incoming workers for a “clean energy economy.” The White House states, “The American Climate Corps will put a new generation of Americans to work conserving our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, advancing environmental justice, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and tackling climate change.” The program will set up a future of climate friendly careers and begin planet healthy progress.

Let’s dive into the program. The national Climate Corps came after

several states already implemented their own statewide climate program.

As of September 20th, 10 states have their own climate organization. These states include California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Washington, Arizona, Utah, Minnesota,North Carolina, and Maryland. The Biden-Harris administration hopes to create a federal program to work alongside these state corporations.

Specifically, the corps will focus on training for restoring coastlines, creating clean energy, protecting forests against forest fires, cutting energy bill costs, and other climate-focused problems.

The program will invest in pre and registered apprenticeships through the Department of Labor. The connection to the DOL will ensure that the youth can begin working towards climate progress as soon possible.

They will also partner will Native American programs already in place.

It’s important that the US government

By Caroline Bullock

connect with Native tribes on climate issues because they have been activists for the environment since the beginning of American history. “This effort will be facilitated in collaboration with the Office of Strategic Partnerships, which was launched during the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit to assist with building partnerships, leveraging resources, and promoting innovative solutions for Indian Country.” says The White House Briefing Room.

With the state that our climate is in right now, this is coming at a much-needed time. As a community, as Americans, it’s important that we recognize our responsibility to protect our planet, the planet that protects us.

2023 Fall 26

Obtaining

BY ANDREW POOL

Days passed after the interview and

Mohamad El Osman or “Moe” as he likes to be called waited in anticipation for a phone call. Moe said, “We made a group chat with many of the applicants, and a few days after the interview they were saying that they had won, but I had not yet received a call.” Finally, a US embassy member contacted him. “I got an email that said I got placed and I would be flying tomorrow.” Moe said, “We were rejoicing in the kitchen and my parents told me they were proud of me. My life was about to look a lot different.”

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study program. better known as the YES program. is a scholarship given by the United States government to qualifying students from mostly middle eastern countries with a Muslim majority. The goal is to eventually eradicate the post 9/11 stigma that people from the Middle East are dangerous. Finalists for the YES program can study in a US high school for one year fully paid for by the federal government. Finalists receive a host family who are expected to teach them about their culture. The scholarship is highly competitive, only 1% of applicants become finalists. In Moe’s home country of Lebanon, over 2,000 students applied and only 27 were accepted as finalists.

Born in the outskirts of Beiru, Lebanon, Moe came from humble beginnings. The son of a factory steelworker, the family fell on hard times when war began.

Moe said, “In July 2006 a war broke out between the Islamist political party called Hezbollah and the Israelis. It was good that we were away from the action.” They chose to escape the fighting and live with their grandparents in a part of Lebanon that was distant from the fighting.

Unfortunately, soon after they moved, Moe’s father lost his steel job due to a rise in outsourcing of steel to China. “Back then my dad did a lot of random work just to put food on the table.” Growing up was challenging, but despite his father’s circumstances, he never ceased to stress that education was vital.

Private schools were unaffordable

Crescent Magazine 27

in the United States. for the family, but Moe’s father was headstrong that he would go despite the costs. He worked overtime and during the weekends just so they could afford the private catholic school’s expensive tuition.

Throughout middle school and junior high, he perfected the French language and devoted all his time to his studies.

During his freshman year of High School, Covid-19 struck the world. English was not a popular course at his high school, so he figured that he would spend all his much available time to learn English. “We only got one hour of English a week at my school. During covid. I binge watched Netflix to learn English vocabulary. I read books and practiced with my friends to become fluent.” Moe did not realize at the time that he was setting himself up nicely to win the scholarship.

“The first time I ever learned about the YES program was in 6th grade during a parent teacher conference. I forgot why I was even there, but a teacher that I was close with convinced me that I would be a great candidate.” The scholarship is only available for rising juniors, so several years had passed before it was time to apply.

“It was August 28th, 2020, during Covid lockdown and my sophomore year of high school. I was scrolling through Instagram and I saw an ad for the YES program, I had almost forgotten about it, but I downloaded the forms and I applied that day. I did not think much about it, I just figured I would try.” The entry Zoom call began a month later and featured reading, speaking and grammar tests. “After each test they would only take people with the highest grades. There was a first test, second test and then the interview.

Before the interview they were down to 60 people.”

Moe was surprised to have even reached the interview process; he knew that it was incredibly rare to even get to that point. “Reaching the interview meant the world to me. There had only been a handful of people from my high school to have an opportunity to hop on an interview. None had ever made it as a finalist.” The US embassy staff asked

him challenging questions. “We were in groups of 6 or 7 and they were asking us to describe ourselves in three words. They asked us to describe what methods we would use to spread our culture in the US, and what we would share if we were in the US right now.” A week after he heard about his peers winning, he was informed that he was a finalist.

There are many skills needed to win the YES scholarship. One must be proficient in English, communication skills and critical thinking. Moe was proficient in French throughout high school, but he did not pick up English until it was close to the time of the application process. Moe attributes much of his academic success to his high school. “I was extremely disciplined to work and to study because in my school it was not easy to get good grades. The teachers would push you to the limits.”

Through hard work and determination Mohamad positioned himself for success in the early years of his life. The YES program is a prestigious scholarship, and Moe capitalized on it by soaking in knowledge during his junior year of high school in the United States.

He was able to gain the presidential scholarship from the university of Evansville, and he is now receiving a great education at UE with support from his scholarships.

His commitment to academics is relentless and he is actively fulfilling his family’s dream for him.

The IMPACT of College Sports on Division I Athletes By: Mason Taylor College sports in the United States are more than just games; they are a cornerstone of campus culture, a source of pride, and a life-altering experience for the athletes who compete at the highest level, particularly in Division 1.

While Division 1 athletes are known for their exceptional skills on the field, court, or track, the impact of college sports extends far beyond the scoreboard into many different aspects of life.

Personal Growth and Development Participating in Division 1 college sports demands more than just physical prowess. It requires discipline, time management, teamwork, and resilience.

These attributes contribute significantly to the personal growth and development of student-athletes.

Division 1 athletes often

juggle rigorous training schedules, competitions, and academic responsibilities. Managing their time efficiently is a crucial skill that serves them well in all aspects of life.

The demands of college sports instill discipline and a strong work ethic in athletes. They must adhere to strict training regimens, dietary plans, and academic commitments.

Athletes on Division 1 teams learn how to work together, communicate effectively, and lead by example. These skills are transferable to future careers and life in general.

Academic Opportunities Contrary to the stereotype of “dumb jocks,” Division 1 athletes are often high-achieving students who excel in the classroom. The unique blend of academics and athletics opens doors to various academic opportunities.

Many Division 1 athletes receive scholarships that cover their tuition, which can be a life-changing opportunity, especially for those who might not have otherwise afforded a college education.

Most Division 1 programs provide academic support services to help athletes balance their studies and sports commitments.

This support can lead to improved academic performance and graduation rates.

Networking and RelationshipBuilding Through their involvement in college sports, athletes build strong networks with professors, coaches, fellow students, and even other team members, which can benefit them throughout their careers.

The bonds formed within a Division 1 sports team are often unbreakable. Athletes

spend countless hours practicing, traveling, and competing together, fostering friendships that last a lifetime.

These connections provide a sense of belonging and support that extends beyond the college years.

Exposure and Career Opportunities Division 1 athletes often gain exposure to a broad audience nationally and sometimes internationally. This exposure can lead to endorsements, professional contracts, and career opportunities beyond sports.

Additionally, the discipline and dedication developed during their college sports career make them attractive candidates in various fields.

Physical and Mental Health Benefits Participating in college sports promotes physical fitness and mental well-being. Regular exercise reduces the risk of chronic illnesses and helps athletes develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime. Furthermore, team support systems contribute to athletes’ mental resilience and well-being.

The impact of college sports, particularly in Division 1, goes far beyond the confines of the playing field. It molds individuals into well-rounded, disciplined, and resilient individuals equipped to excel in various aspects of life. While the journey of a Division 1 athlete is not without challenges, and no two stories are the same, the personal growth, academic opportunities, lifelong connections, and career prospects they gain make it a transformative experience that shapes their future success and contributes to the rich tapestry of college life. Division 1 college athletics are a testament to the profound influence that sports can have on young athletes, leaving a legacy that extends far beyond their time on campus.

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