The Alvernian Vol 61 Issue 2

The Class of 2024 Comes Down with a Deadly Case of Senioritis

Sarah Mies Managing Editor

It is real. It is here. The Senioritis epidemic has hit Alvernia University hard this semester.

Senioritis is defined by Oxford Languages as an “affliction of students in their final year or high school or college, characterized by a decline in motivation or performance” and no matter what your teachers or parents say IT.IS.REAL.

It has been a long four years for the class of 2024.

We came into our university careers during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our first year here was full of masks, social distancing, and regulations that took away our ability to truly get to know our classmates. We pushed ourselves into our work because there was virtually nothing else to do.

We stayed in our dorms with our roommates and played Among Us on our phones. The

gym was closed, the cafeteria was takeout only, there was no way to make friends. Looking back, this feels like decades ago.

As the years went on and things slowly returned to normal, we started socializing more, and focusing on school less. Sophomore year we could have friends in our dorms again, and by junior year COVID-19 was a dark memory. When we were finally free of the masks and restrictions are we were ready to finally have some real fun. Yes, we still studied and got our work done on time, but we never said no to a late-night trip to Wawa, a night out on Penn Ave, an Alvernia happy hour on the patio, or going to support every team that plays on the Alvernia turf. Now, here we are, the last semester as an Alvernia student, and we are consumed. The balance of school and fun is getting harder and harder to manage

Seniors Feel the Pressure of Adulthood

Sherrin Smith

Contributing Writer

Since high school, many students have received advice on how to prepare for the “real world” after graduating from college. Save money, get a job, find your own place, the basic steps to adulthood. However, due to inflation, employers’ fear of hiring “lazy Gen Z’ers,” and salaries that barely cover living expenses, those basic steps have now become steep mountains for college graduates to climb.

Sara Hallameyer, a graduating senior, is a Golden Guide at Alvernia. Hallameyer is looking forward to having a sustainable amount of money – one day. “Right now, I have a job on campus, but I’m like ‘I can’t do a lot with anything [be]cause I don’t have any money,’” she said.

But off campus,

Hallameyer has been looking for lab technician positions and her search has been difficult. “It’s been kind of hard because most of them want you to have a master’s [degree] anyway,” she said. “But it’s mainly those type of jobs. And it’s not that there’s not a couple [of jobs] that I could [work], but some are in far away locations or just not a good pay type of deal.”

Hallameyer isn’t the only one struggling to find jobs. Most college graduates are struggling and online debates, primarily led by employers, are blaming the grads themselves. The New York Post conducted a survey of employers in New Jersey this past January and found numerous reasons why employers are hesitant to hire recent graduates.

“The respondents reported that Gen Z

and we are getting tired. Some students have more on their plate than others. For example, spring studentathletes in their final season struggle to keep up with classes, practices, and their social life. “Senioritis feels like you have 10 tabs open in your brain,” Lily Summerson, senior Psychology Major and captain of the Alvernia Women’s Tennis team, said, “but you have to put that on pause to go to practice and then half prices appetizers

and happy hour at Applebee’s with your friends.”

Our symptoms of senioritis include fatigue, backaches, an increased tendency to be an introvert, and lots and lots of crying. At this point in the semester, most of us know what we are doing after graduation on May 11. Some of us are going to med school or graduate school and some of us found full time

Continued on page 9

candidates struggle to pick up professional cues, causing 39% of employers to favor hiring older candidates,” Angelica Stabile, a writer for Fox Business, said. The article also mentioned that most college graduates struggle with interview etiquette in terms of lack of eye contact, inappropriate dress, their refusal to turn cameras on in virtual interviews, and even by inviting parents to their interviews.

Kristina Archie, another graduating senior, has had success with her job hunt.

“I currently have a nurse externship at a hospital close to my hometown,” Archie said. “Within my externship, I am guaranteed a job at the hospital upon passing the NCLEX [National Council

Licensure Examination].”

Archie is very confident about landing this job, but she is interested in working in the oncology unit. However, applying to other units does make her nervous.

“Applying for specialty units like the one I want a job on has been a bit nervewracking because many nurse managers tend to want their nurses to have at least a year’s experience before they dive into a specialty,” Archie said. Despite her concern, Archie is very confident with her post-graduation plans.

Once a graduate gets a job, they now have to deal with the American housing market, which is in the worst state it has ever been. Continued on page

The end of senior year is very hard for students

Credit: Tony Tran via Unsplash.com

the alvernian

Managing Editor/ Layout

Sarah Mies

Section Editors

Emily Barret

Daniel Galindo

Kaili Klimas

Sarah Mies

TJ Turkvan-Sinchak

Grace Wanner

Atticus Wickert

Contributing Writers

Emily Barrett

Luke Bergeer

Joseph Fragale

Daniel Galindo

Duke Garrison

Kaili Klimas

Sarah Mies

Tony Mongeluzi

Kyle Rudart

Dane Sabarese

Peter Smith

Sherrin Smith

TJ Turkvan-Sinchak

Grace Wanner

Atticus Wickert

Faculty Adviser

Ryan Lange

The Alvernian is the official student newspaper of Alvernia University.

To contact newspaper staff, the office telephone number is 610-796-8358.

Articles submitted for consideration into The Alvernian should be written in some semblance of AP style. Letters to the editor, requests for advertisements, and general comments and questions may be submitted to ryan.lange@alvernia.edu.

The editors reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, accuracy, and length.

The views expressed in The Alvernian are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the student body, faculty, staff, administration, or sponsors.

Apple Bites Smaller Companies

TJ Turkvan-Sinchack

Contributing Editor

In recent months, Apple has been dealt with a civil lawsuit from Masimo, a health tech company that patented a blood oxygen monitor. The lawsuit from Masimo claims that Apple used Masimo’s technology without permission since 2020.

The conflict between Apple and Masimo highlights the ongoing problem of bigger businesses allegedly stealing the concepts and inventions of smaller businesses without suffering serious repercussions.

A wearable tech business called Masimo claims to have patented an essential feature for smartwatch operation years before Apple debuted its revolutionary Apple Watch line. Based on proof of infringement, the U.S. International Trade Commission decided in October that the infringing Apple products had to be taken off the American market. Apple said in a statement that it is contesting the trade commission’s ruling, despite having previously turned down a request to halt the ban while the appeals procedure was ongoing.

To avoid infringing on Masimo’s patent, the business might be able to make software adjustments, such as altering how the watch communicates with the pulse oximeter. However, it might take some time for this to happen, and there is no assurance that the ITC will approve Apple’s suggested remedy. Apple added a statement “Apple strongly disagrees with the order and is pursuing a range of legal and technical options to ensure that Apple Watch is available to customers.”

The larger tech businesses are often accused of using their size and power to bypass smaller innovators’ intellectual property rights, a problem opponents claim is highlighted by this case. Smaller businesses and startups are more likely to be exploited and have less ability to innovate since they lack the means to effectively dispute the dominance of multinationals like Apple in the legal system.

Additionally, some commentators point out that the existing legal system

frequently benefits large, established companies, enabling them to fight long-running legal fights creating a cycle where smaller innovators struggle to successfully protect their ideas and innovations and cases of alleged patent infringement go uncontested.

Alexander Madrigal, graduate of Duquense with a Bachelor of Business and Finance, gives his opinion on the matter. “While some may see this as a minor inconvenience, I think this sends a message that big corporations like Apple cannot always get away with ripping off smaller businesses. Also, something like this is not a simple redesign or color change, it is a stolen design, and it is good they got some backlash for it.

The dispute, however, serves as a timely reminder of the complex factors at work in technological innovation, where it is often difficult to distinguish between inspiration, infringement, and imitation. As the legal process progresses, the verdict in this case may have a significant impact on how intellectual property disputes are handled and settled in the computer industry going forward.

Editor’s Book of the Month

Apple Watch dispay in Target

Credit: TJ Turkvan-Sinchack

Fueling The Mind: The Pandemic’s Influence on The College Diet

Daniel Galindo

Contributing Editor

If people compare the nutritional landscape of student nutrition in 2019 with that of today, there was definitely a change, although not major, but significant for the trends that most young people would choose when consuming food products in their daily lives.

Text BoxFrom the beginning of the tragic and well-known 2020, with the pandemic at its peak, the beginning of a confined lifestyle changed the realities of all families for at least the next eighteen months, especially the eating habits, which on most occasions, were a clear reflection of the great anxiety and fear of the people. The poor mental state that the families were experiencing, in turn, prejudiced the children who lived through this historic event in both their mental health and their nutrition.

According to the recollection of an Alvernia University student, who preferred to remain anonymous, his experiences at home with his family drastically changed the way he lived his adolescence and, especially, his eating habits.

“The first months were not so bad. I had to spend every day at home studying with my laptop while my parents worked the same way, and we always got along well since we liked to spend time together. But when the news did nothing but report people dying, and our relatives and friends were also starting to get sick, everything began to feel desperate; we started to feel anxiety almost every week, and that honestly made me even forget to eat sometimes, something I had never done in my life. And then, later in the year (2020), I could see all those unhealthy habits reflected in my weight. Since we weren’t in the mood to cook anything, we preferred to order fast food more frequently,” the student stated. The outcomes of the quarantine significantly influenced food preferences over time. Although parents could buy individually at supermarkets, there was a significant risk of exposure to the virus, so it was logical that families preferred to order delivery food instead of exposing themselves and their relatives.

“Since that time, my weight has increased considerably, and I am aware that it was

more due to anxiety; although I am already trying to resume my classic diet progressively, it is still difficult for me to follow my nutritionist’s plan; it is difficult to get my body used to it again,” the student said.

In that case, two things can be concluded: the first is that confinement contributed to changing the habit of eating healthy food and replacing it with fast food. The second conclusion was that the progressive change of not eating at times due in the day generated a deviance and metabolic disorder that induced the student’s weight gain. Students are trying to replace fast food with healthy food. The equation looks simple, but many do not exactly recognize the

Friends eating lunch together

consequences of not eating at due times or skipping meals, which in the long term could even be counterproductive for good physical health, especially for studentathletes or fitness people. Extended fasting or skipping meals frequently can notably decrease metabolism and pose challenges for long-term weight loss efforts. Amanda Spina, a registered dietitian at “Banner Health” health care system, states, “In starvation mode, when your body finishes its preferred energy source (glucose), it will switch to burning fat (a state of ketosis)” Spina said. “As this fasting phase continues, it may also start breaking down protein in muscle tissue, which can damage your kidneys.” In

other words, if the body consistently goes into states of deprivation and then overcompensates by storing more energy when food is available again, it could contribute to weight gain due to the breakdown of muscle tissue, which can lower your overall metabolic rate and make harder to burn calories efficiently.

In conclusion, the ways a person can unintentionally self-damage are varied. The pandemic led to a change that, for many, could be unnoticed, so becoming aware and paying a little more attention to food health would not be bad at all. A brief appointment with the nutritionist could help prevent a life of bills to pay hospitals.

Crossing the Country Carefully on a Road Trip

Atticus Wickert

Editor

Growing up is realizing that those road trips you used to go on as a kid were a nostalgic memory that was once a boring car ride is now an enjoyable time to explore and feel alive. Going on a substantive road trip can be liberating, and even help us understand the beauty of life around us. However, it can also feel like a daunting task that almost seems impossible. A long drive requires the driver to pay attention to the open spanning road, find places to take bathroom breaks at sometimes sketchy rest stops, and enough caffeine to kill a horse. Your planning can make a road trip either the best time of your life or the worst.

To ensure that you can make the most out of your

trip, however, there are some effective ways to ensure that you will not be panicking and can instead focus on making the most of your time. Whether it is you are traveling back to school, taking a fun trip with friends, going somewhere for family, or just going on a drive you need to take, we can make all these trips easier!

Tip 1: Plan out a route

If you are going somewhere far away that you have not been to before, it is best to map out directions and pick a route that you want to follow. It can be the one that gets you there the fastest or the one that takes a few stops in different areas, but you should find a route that best fits your

trip itinerary and plan of time. Searching for cool things to do along that route is a wonderful way to look forward to the drive ahead, and not burn out from the winding road ahead. One student from Alvernia, Hao Ha, had an opinion on road trips that lined up with this tip as follows. “When I first started driving long distances, I never had a plan and it always ended up taking way longer than the maps estimated, and the drive was long, tedious, and boring. But when I started to plan out my trip, I started to arrive on time, and I was able to stop and get some tasty food on the way every time, and it has become a routine now.”

Tip 2: Music, audiobooks, and distractions

If you are going on a substantive trip, you should have something to keep you

occupied while you drive. Music or an audiobook are some great ways to keep your brain stimulated while also being able to pay attention to your surroundings. Preloading music or downloading chapters of a book before the drive is a fantastic way to find something to look forward to on the drive, while also making sure you do not need to fiddle around with your phone while driving. Remember, if you need to check your phone or change music, always pull over and do not do it while you are driving. Another student, Shawn Brotschul, wanted to say “I really think listening to music in the car is the best way to pass the time regardless of the distance you are going. It is just a wonderful way to enjoy some of your favorite artists or

Credit: Dan Gold via Unsplash.com

A beautiful view of a canyon

Credit: Atticus Wickert

Soccer For The Win

Contributing Writer

It has been no surprise that U.S. soccer is at its peak with huge players like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Lionel Messi, considered the best player today, possibly the best in soccer history. With this rise in talent comes the interest of many new and existing soccer fans in U.S. soccer. The MLS isn’t everything though. How has this sudden rise in interest in the largest sport in the world affected the U.S. Men’s National Team?

The U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) has always been a dominant force in their region which is CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football). This means that the best competition for the USMNT to go up against is Mexico. The reason it’s only these two countries is because the U.S. and Mexico are the only two countries consistently seen as the top teams in this region. There have been certain countries like Costa Rica who have had runs where they have gone as far as the quarterfinals in the 2014 World Cup, but they have not been able to sustain anywhere near this level of success since. Canada has a phenomenal young team with the likes of Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga (First Division German League) and Jonathan David of Lille in Ligue 1 (First Division French League) headlining the team. Even with that, they have only ever made two World Cups, so they still have a lot to prove. Other teams who’ve made the World Cup from CONCACAF include Jamaica, Honduras, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Panama. These nations have never been able to have any consistent success and instead have hot and cold years in terms of their play. To put into context the difference between those other teams and the two top dogs, we’ll start with Mexico.

Mexico has been a team that since 1994 has been capped at either the group stage or round of 16 in the World Cup. The last time they made the quarter-finals of the World Cup was 1986, so it’s clear that this team is not in the presence of a golden generation (players of similar ages who achieve success or

are expected to achieve success for their country) and seem to be on the downturn. In CONCACAF though, Mexico has dominated winning 9 out of 17 CONCACAF Gold Cups (the champions of CONCACAF).

The U.S. isn’t far behind in recent World Cups as they have consistently reached the round of 16 and even a quarter-final finish in 2002. In terms of dominating CONCACAF, the U.S. is also right there with Mexico winning 7 CONCACAF Gold Cups.

For both top nations of CONCACAF, it’s clear that they have stagnated and seemed to cap. How could this happen to countries as large as both the U.S. and Mexico though?

This is where you will now see why going against other nations other than CONCACAF nations is so important.

Dominating teams like Belize, Saint Martin, Martinique, and Guyana are fun, but far from the best way to build a soccer powerhouse. That’s no offense to all these countries, but they don’t compare to teams like England and Argentina who are teams the U.S. and Mexico played and lost to in this past World Cup. You must consistently play the best to beat the best. It’s not these countries’ fault that they play in CONCACAF, but some things can be done to ensure that these teams play against better competition to prepare for the next World Cup. That’s where the U.S. hosting the Copa America comes into play.

The Copa America is mainly a South American competition, but the U.S. alongside CONCACAF hosting this competition is huge. Not only are the U.S. and Mexico going to be in this competition, but also the likes of Jamaica, and Panama, the winners of Canada and Trinidad and Tobago, and the winners of Costa Rica and Honduras. Canada is the clear favorite to advance past Trinidad and Tobago. Costa Rica against Honduras is a little more up in the air as Honduras is on the rise while Costa Rica is in the middle of a transitional period. Whoever competes though, this will be great for CONCACAF and the U.S. especially. The CONCACAF teams will now go against teams like Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Ecuador, and Columbia just to name a few.

This competition will also expose a lot of CONCACAF teams to South American soccer, which is widely regarded as one of the most

competitive and passionate areas of soccer in the world. Games like Brazil versus Argentina and Argentina versus Uruguay are always classics filled with intensity. How is this best for the U.S. though?

The U.S. is a country that has so many resources at its disposal for youth players to flourish. Some of these include well-kept fields, thousands of different cleats to choose from, and the top technologies to get better and stay fit, amongst many other things. Certain countries like Croatia for example have nowhere near the resources the U.S. has, and they’re consistently seen as a top team in Europe. This begs the question as to why has U.S. top talent consistently struggled to adapt to playing in Europe. One of the biggest reasons is the lack of competition in CONCACAF to prepare U.S. players. The USMNT B Team made it to the semi-finals of this past Gold Cup losing 4-5 on penalties against Panama. Many top U.S. players don’t take this competition seriously anymore as they wait out for bigger competitions like the World Cup and now the Copa America. This competition will give these players some real experience against some of the world’s best nations somewhere besides the World Cup. The U.S. group is very manageable besides the clear favorite of the group Uruguay.

An x-factor here is that the U.S. will have home homefield advantage. There’s no doubt that Uruguayan fans will pack the stadium, but this is a real competition for U.S. fans to show their passion for this nation they love so dear. Homefield advantage is a real factor, and if the U.S.

could manage to beat or even draw Uruguay which would send shockwaves through the soccer world. Uruguay is a team that is one of the favorites in this competition and recently defeated the World Cup champions in World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Uruguay has the quality, but there is a real scenario where the U.S. could win if they bring their best into this competition. Beating a team like Uruguay would for sure make the world turn its head even more at what the U.S. is doing. As said before, this Copa America is a steppingstone for the biggest stage, the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted by Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. If the U.S. gets the most out of the Copa America, the young players on this U.S. team like Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun, Brenden Aaronson, and a player like Cristian Pulisic, who is currently playing in top form at AC Milan, leading the way this team should have a real shot to make a statement at World Cup 2026.

It is not just a statement for them being able to play as we know these players have the talent, but this is a statement to the world. Many European and South American fans joke at the U.S. for calling the sport of football soccer. They joke about how the U.S. is always hyped up to maybe take a step but never do. If there is a time to take this step and for the U.S. to solidify itself as a true soccer force the time is now.

All eyes are turned to this competition, and even if the U.S. ddoesn’twin which is highly likely, just the fact that billions will tune in to watch a soccer competition of this magnitude being played on North American soil is a huge deal. That’s not just for the U.S. but

for all of CONCACAF. Of course, the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994, but this time around if things go well in the Copa America, the U.S. may have real expectations going into this next World Cup.

Both competitions will test something though which is a major factor in being a global powerhouse in soccer. The thing it will test is if the U.Shasve a dedicated soccer fan base. Mexico has one of the best fan atmospheres in all of soccer already, but the U.S. fans don’t have their identity yet. Of course, for local sports like football, hockey, baseball, basketball, etc., the U.S. has shown to have amazing fan support. When it comes to soccer, however, there has never truly been a solid foundation of fans in the U.S.

Hosting both the Copa America in 2024, the World Cup in 2026, and even the Club World Cup in 2025, will be a time for U.S. fans to show out. Even though it is not the U.S.’s main sport, it is the most popular sport in the world. Why not here? It may be U.S. pride as they don’t want to stray away from what they know most, but it is time to show what U.S. fans are about. The passion is there, and the upcoming years show that there is a opportunity for U.S. fans to show why they are some of the most passionate the world has to offer.

It is finally time for the USMNT to take a massive step forward in the coming years. With these competitions being on home soil, U.S. fans can now be a part of this change of guard in the global soccer world.

Soccer is the biggest sport in the world

Tony Mongeluzi

Credit: Emerson Vieira

SporTS

NFL Honors Recap

Joseph Fragale

Contributing Writer

The NFL Honors for the 2023-2024 season highlights the greatest players and their achievements throughout this past season. This year we saw some surprising awards, some controversial awards, and some awards we could have predicted at the beginning of the season.

We are going to look at every single award won during this ceremony, and even a couple of awards won days later during the Super Bowl. Every single year the NFL gives out 10-15 awards. These awards are:

*AP= All Pro

AP Most Valuable Player

AP Coach of the Year

AP Comeback Player of the Year

AP Offensive Player of the Year

AP Defensive Player of the Year

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Best Moment of the Year

Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

NFL Fan of the Year FedEx Air & Ground Players

Salute to Service Award

Bud Light Easy to Celebrate Moment of the Year

We’re going to look into every single one of these awards and who ended up winning them.

AP Most Valuable Player

Winner: Lamar Jackson, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens

AP Coach of the Year

Winner: Kevin Stefanski, Head Coach Cleveland Browns

AP Assistant Coach of the Year

Winner: Jim Schwartz, Defensive Coordinator Cleveland Browns

AP Comeback Player of the Year

Winner: Joe Flacco, Quarterback Cleveland Browns

AP Offensive Player of the Year

Winner: Christian McCaffrey, Running Back San Francisco 49ers

AP Defensive Player of the Year

Winner: Myles Garrett, Defensive End Cleveland Browns

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year

Winner: CJ Stroud, Quarterback Huston Texans

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Winner: Will Anderson Jr, Defensive End Huston Texans

Best Moment of the Year

Winner: CeeDee Lamb, Wide Receiver Dallas Cowboys

Alvernia Tennis Recruitment

Lucus Berger

Contributing Writer

Have you ever played tennis or have been interested in learning the game? Alvernia has a men’s and women’s tennis team, but we are currently looking to increase our numbers.

Tennis is a great sport. Our team is close-knit and supportive and has students from both local schools as well as from out of state. We have a variety of majors and outside interests. While our spring season officially starts March 1, we practice five days a week until our matches start.

Everyone is always excited to go to practice. We work hard, but we have a lot of fun. We still have practice if we don’t have a match.

“Tennis is about working towards one goal individually,” said Jayden Lewis.

“Tennis has helped me become a student-athlete, to grow as a person, and being on a team has given me a support system and leadership skills in the community,” said Jayden Lewis.

“From the bus rides, to away matches, to the MAC

Tournament, and to the team dinners, it has been a good time,” said Tommy Figurelli.

We have eight matches scheduled so far this spring. We play home matches at the courts by the Plex, or if it is men and women together, we play at the courts at Governor Mifflin. When we have away matches, we travel there by bus. Our trips are always entertaining, and on the way home, we stop for food. Each team member gets meal money to spend however they want.

The away matches that the tennis team has are always a great time because both the men’s and women’s teams have a fun time on the bus rides. I remember my sophomore year in the fall the team went up to the MAC Individual Tennis Championship that went through September 10-11.

The ride up to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The individual tennis championship was held every year in the fall but in 2022, during my sophomore year, it was the last year. The team frequently stops at restaurants to eat during our bus rides. I remember one time when we went up, the team stopped at Chipotle, and we were telling

Walter Payton Man of the Year

Winner: Cameron Heyward, Defensive End Pittsburg Steelers

FedEx Air & Ground Players

Winners: Brock Purdy, Quarterback San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffery, Running Back San Francisco 49ers

Salute to Service Award

Winner: Joe Cardona, Long Snapper New England Patriots

Bud Light Easy to Celebrate Moment of the Year

Winner: Tommy DeVito, Quarterback New York Giants

Deacon Jones Sack Leader Award

Winner: TJ Watt, Outside Linebacker Pittsburg Steelers

Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

stories about our recent tennis matches.

Professors will be aware that you are on the tennis team and are very understanding when it comes to missing class because of matches.

Recruitment is another big area that could increase numbers for tennis. Our normal recruitment process ranges from current Alvernia students, local players at another college who want to transfer, or from outside around Berks County. While both teams have a core of solid players who know the game and are willing to support you through the process, both teams will need new players as their current senior’s graduate.

It seems like many Alvernia students may not be aware of the tennis team. Students around campus that I have talked to have heard about the tennis team but do not fully understand the sport. “Tennis can be a unique sport because it requires cognitive ability and is a mental game. The meaning of love in tennis means zero, but in life, it means a lot.”

Tennis is not very expensive to support. Players don’t need much equipment to play, but they do need a place to play tennis. Alvernia’s tennis teams are reliant on other facilities because the university doesn’t have many tennis courts.

In the past, the team, head

Winner: Bobby Wagner, Linebacker Seattle Seahawks

NFLPA Alan Page Community Award

Winner: Calais Campbell, Defensive Line Atlanta Falcons

Angry Run of the Year

Winner: Najee Harris, Running Back Pittsburg Steelers

Jim Brown Award

Winner: Christian McCaffery, Running Back San Francisco 49ers

coach, and even my Dad (my Dad is a good supporter) have met with the athletic director, Bill Stiles to talk about the tennis program. The tennis team recently got new uniforms because our old uniforms were used for many years. We have talked to Stiles about the situation of only having four courts for our home matches down at the Plex. There are talks about adding two more courts, so we have six total courts. This will allow us to put all of our singles matches on at the same time. This will help to reduce how long the time of matches last.

If Alvernia had six tennis courts, both teams could play all their singles matches at the same time. However, the only way to get more tennis support will be if students support the team, either as fans or players.

There haven’t been many tennis alums who have played for Alvernia. There is one that I know of. The current coach, Coach Dave was a graduate from Alvernia in 2007. He played all four years and had a great record in his senior year. Since I have been on the team, I have gotten to know many of the seniors. The seniors I have talked to over

Player, Jayden Lewis, practicing

Credit; Lucus Berger

TayLor SwifT

Karma Favors the Fortunate

Kyle Rudart Contributing Writer

Whenever someone checks the news every day, there is one common thing that is reoccurring in the global news sphere: Taylor Swift. The sensational singer from West Reading is a global superstar, but she has been the talk of the town for the past year since starting her relationship with Travis Kelce, a star NFL player on the Kansas City Chiefs.

The public knew about the relationship since Travis said on his “New Heights” podcast with his brother Jason Kelce that he tried giving Swift a friendship bracelet during her Eras tour. Recently, Swift and Travis Kelce celebrated the Chiefs championship win with an embrace.

The amount of free publicity the couple has generated for themselves and for the NFL is astonishing to many. But how did this all start?

When Taylor Swift was first seen back in the beginning of the 2023 NFL season at a Chiefs game

against the Chicago Bears in Arrowhead stadium in the same suite as the Kelce family, the public began to speculate on a relationship. The mystery took over the sports world as her fanbase, known as “Swifties,” started to watch these football games because their idol was on the screen supporting her partner.

The NFL capitalized on this opportunity to increase and maintain viewers by showing her after every big play the Chiefs would have, but especially Travis Kelce, to try and keep the interest of those new fans. The NFL tried different things to monetize these new viewers. This year’s playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Miami Dolphins was the first NFL playoff game ever to be exclusively shown on a streaming service, Peacock. So, if these fans wanted to watch this game and see if the Chiefs moved on, you had to get the service in order to watch it, which could entice people to stick around and keep it. This ended up paying off for the NFL since it was the most live-streamed event in U.S. history with over 23

million viewers. According to Jordan Valinsky of CNN, this event took up 30% of internet traffic that Saturday which is wild to think about how many people were tuning in to a game behind a pay wall.

All of this stemmed from the national attention the Chiefs have been getting thanks to not only Swift, but all their personalities like quarterback Patrick Mahomes, coach Andy Reid, and star tight end Travis Kelce. Travis Kelce has always been a charismatic figure in the league since he and his brother Jason are one

of the most famous football families in league history. The Chiefs are a dominant team in the NFL in recent years: If you want to win the championship, you must get past them somehow.

Right now, the Taylor Swift train is not slowing down either as she won a record amount of fourteen Grammy awards and four just for “Best Album of the Year.” Then, she announced a new album after winning her award for her work, “Midnights.” After the Grammys, the Chiefs won their third NFL championship in the last five years. The

embrace between Travis Kelce and Swift became one of the enduring visuals of the game.

A student here at Alvernia who is a huge “swiftie” but would like to remain anonymous had this to say about her impact: “I would say I like Taylor so much because I feel as if she portrays a strong woman. She is a billionaire with millions of fans, and she only really puts good actions into the world. Her responses to public drama is an example of how she is a strong woman.” The connection Swift has with her fans is something that is not unprecedented but when done right could be overall heartwarming to see.

The phenomenon has gone beyond the NFL. United Airlines named UA-1989 for those flying from Kansas City to Las Vegas to watch the Super Bowl in person (1989 being the name of one of Taylor Swift’s awardwinning albums). When fans wondered if Swift would make it in time for the game as she had a gig in Tokyo,

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The Taylor Swift Era at Alvernia

Sherrin Smith

Contributing Writer

How do you create a fun and engaging college course?

Take a global superstar and pair them with a popular professor and you’re bound to succeed. Dr. Jessica Hamlet, assistant professor of English, created a popular course with LIT 420: Major Writers: Taylor Swift. The course had 45 seats available, and it rapidly filled up during spring registration last semester.

Dr. Hamlet is known for her unique and diverse classes such as African American Literature, Queer Literature, and True Crime, another course that garnered a lot of attention. Alongside Taylor Swift’s appearances at NFL games and her “Eras” world tour, Dr. Hamlet’s Taylor Swift course arrived just in time.

The course was inspired by similar ones at other schools such as Harvard and New York University. Dr. Hamlet believed that this would be a fun course to bring to Alvernia.

“I think they [the students] would like it and I think that

Taylor Swift is an interesting and exciting way to get students in the classroom to think critically about words which is at the heart of what literary analysis is,” she said.

The students are not only fans of Swift but the course itself. Morgan Wenrich, a junior, is a fan of Swift, but that wasn’t the only reason why she took the class. “I was just interested to see everybody’s point of view on the different subjects and how would we talk about them and relating to Taylor Swift,” she said.

The course goes beyond the pop star’s life and her songs. The course also

focuses on the controversial topics surrounding Swift like feminism, politics, and economics. “I think [this class] brings up issues that we don’t really get to talk about in other classes,” Don McKenzie, a junior, said.

One major discussion that was brought up was the recent controversial opinions about the class seen on social media. After being featured on Alvernia’s Tik Tok page and in a CBS Philadelphia news segment, conservative accounts and users began voicing their negative thoughts about the course.

“Inflation remains above the Fed’s target,” Dr. Ryan Lange, associate professor of

communication, said. “Opioid abuse in this country is at all-time highs. Our nation’s roads and bridges are falling apart. So, of course, the thing conservatives on the internet want to get mad about is an upper-level English literature elective at a small private university about a modern poet. Their profound outrage at a single upper-level English literature course is how you know they are serious people whose views should be considered in a serious manner.”

To make the students aware about what was taking place, Hamlet informed them about the issue and in return she received a lot of love and encouragement from her students. Despite the online hate, the media highlights of this class have helped generate interest for Alvernia.

“It [the class] got people really excited and it got a lot of positive attention and I think we had some new applications because of it,” Dr. Hamlet said.

The course also pairs well with the local facts of Swift being from Berks County and visiting Alvernia’s campus

in the past. So, in the words of Swift herself, “the haters gonna hate,” and Hamlet is going to “shake it off” as she prepares to teach this class next spring.

“I will be teaching this class again,” Dr. Hamlet said. “After that [spring 2025 semester], I’m sure I’ll teach it again, but I don’t know when.” She plans on switching the focus person of this class in the upcoming years but for now, Swift is here to stay.

Maddie Miskar, senior, recommends that students take the course next time it is offered. “[This course] helps you think outside the box,” she said. “It’s like taking any other course about a specific individual in history... except she [Swift] is the phenomenon of our time.”

If your interest in the course has peaked, and you are an upperclassman at the time, be on the lookout for Swift’s return in spring 2025.

Statistics displayed in Alvernia’s Public Relations Class

Credit: Dr. Jodi Radosh

Dr. Jess teaching LIT 420 in the lecture hall

Credit: Sherrin Smith

pop cuLTure

TikTok Deal with UGM Goes Sour

Contributing Editor

The TikTok dance floor has gone quiet after Universal Music Group (UMG) withdrew usage rights for their music from the app on January 31.

Universal Music Group is one of the largest music corporations on the globe. They own music from artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, Justin Bieber, and many other famous artists. All their songs are used on millions of TikTok videos throughout that platform. This was only possible because of the deal TikTok had in place with UMG. The original contract expired on January 31 of this year. UMG then pulled all their artists’ music from TikTok, and new negotiations ended quicker than they began.

UMG released an openended letter to artists and songwriters, highlighting that one of their main priorities is ensuring proper compensation for artists and songwriters, safeguarding human artists from the negative impacts of AI, and promoting online safety for TikTok’s users. UMG said, “In our contract renewal discussions, we have been

pressing them on three critical issues— appropriate compensation for our artists and songwriters, protecting human artists from the harmful effects of AI, and online safety for TikTok’s users.”

“TikTok’s success as one of the world’s largest social platforms has been built in large part on the music created by our artists and songwriters,” the UMG statement continued. “As our negotiations continued, TikTok attempted to bully us into accepting a deal worth less than the previous deal, far less than fair market value and not reflective of their exponential growth. How did it try to intimidate us? By selectively removing the music of certain of our developing artists, while keeping on the platform our audience-driving global stars.”

On January 30, 2024, TikTok released a statement in response to Universal Music Group on the community portion of their site.

“It is sad and disappointing that Universal Music Group has put their own greed above the interests of their

artists and songwriters,” the TikTok statement read. “The fact is they have chosen to walk away from the powerful support of a platform with well over a billion users that serves as a free promotional and discovery vehicle for their talent.”

This whole ordeal is particularly interesting when you think about the handful of other platforms that have deals with UMG, as well as the artists whose whole careers have launched directly from TikTok. TikTok asked for appropriate monetary value in relation to the value their app brings to UMG. In a tweet from @Metroboomin on the platform X (formerly known as twitter) he says, “I love the creativity and appreciation the kids show for the music on TikTok, but I don’t like the forced pandering from artists and labels that result in these lifeless and soulless records.” Metro is an American record producer who has produced hits for many of the artists signed with UMG. Other artists have commented on the situation, many of them being at the most recent Grammy awards. When speaking to Rolling Stone on the red carpet of the

Screenshot of Taylor Swift’s TikTok

Grammys, Conan Gray said: “My career is over, for sure. I’m never gonna have a hit song again at this rate. No, no, it’s fine. TikTok has its ups and downs, and I guess we’ll see what happens. I guess

Twice is Nice for Disney

Peter Smith Contributing Writer

A deluge of Disney sequels is swiftly approaching.

In early February, Disney CEO Bob Iger made a surprise announcement: Moana 2 will be released this year. The first look video gained nearly one million views in under a week, and entertainment journalists immediately jumped on the bandwagon.

This is not Disney’s only sequel in the works, though. Inside Out 2 is set for release in June of this year. Zootopia 2 is projected for late 2025.

Toy Story 5, as well as both Frozen 3 and Frozen 4, are in development for the future.

The website TV Tropes defines a film phenomenon called sequelitis. The page reads, “As the number of installments in a series grows, the probability that the latest entry will be terrible increases geometrically. While the first sequel of a work is something of a coin toss between ‘totally awesome’ and ‘mediocre,’ the

more they milk the cash cow, the less cream you see.”

By this definition, properties like Moana 2 could be fantastic. For some people, even the fifth Toy Story could be great! “I think I’d rather have movies that already have established sequels,” a junior who does not wish to be identified said. “You can’t easily make sequels out of [certain] stories.”

One reason why Disney is fixated on sequels is because of their recent original films. Raya and the Last Dragon

and Encanto, both in 2021, were critically praised. The movies received “Certified Fresh” ratings of 93% and 91%, respectively, on Rotten Tomatoes. Encanto also won several accolades for its music, specifically the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”

So, what happened?

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ next film, Strange World, received only 72% on the Tomatometer. The film only made $73.6 million worldwide compared to its $135 million budget.

Many Disney fans believe the reason for this to be the company’s lack of marketing for the film. Whether it is due to lacking a compelling hook or a lead character being gay is still unclear. What fans know is very few ads were shown for the film, and many who saw the trailers had no idea what the film was about.

Disney’s next animated outing, Wish, received more marketing for being the company’s 100th-anniversary film. It racked up a more respectable $246 million at the box office out of a $200 million budget. However, critics were not as kind in their reviews. Wish stands at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes. This makes it the animation studio’s third-worst film by critical response, only beaten by Brother Bear and Chicken Little, both tied at 37%.

After the disappointing performance of both Strange World and Wish, Disney could be focusing more on franchises people are already familiar with. Why take the

we’ll be creative. There’s gonna be a lot of interesting acappella covers happening from UMG artists until this is settled.” His song gained popularity on the video-

Continued on page 10

risk with a new story when a third Frozen may do much better financially?

“Honestly, with the way Disney has been now, I think I’d prefer a sequel,” an anonymous junior said. “With a sequel, they don’t have to worry as much about failing or looking bad.”

It is unlikely that the studio is completely giving up on original films. There are likely plenty of projects being worked on behind closed doors. The onslaught of sequels, remakes, and revivals will please modern audiences but may do little to excite them. The media juggernaut will need a new, heavy-hitting masterpiece to balance out the milking of their cash cows.

Credit: TikTok

Emily Barrett

Disney CEO Bob Iger

Credit: Nagi Usano via Flickr

Students Chase Dreams with O’Pake

Dane Sabarese Contributing Writer

The O’Pake Institute at Alvernia University’s Fellows Program is structured to give high-performing undergraduate students real-world professional experience by working with local businesses and entrepreneurs.

The O’Pake Institute is one of the school’s most prestigious work-study assignments where student workers, or Fellows, are tasked with consulting small local businesses with any groundwork they may need to be done. Fellows specialize in things from finance and accounting to social media and engineering.

Some students, even Fellows themselves, have decided to utilize The O’Pake Institute’s tools to make themselves student entrepreneurs. The O’Pake Institute provides students with the resources and support needed to start their businesses and get themselves running. For example, through the O’Pakes business incubator, small businesses are granted space within the building on the corner of 4th and Penn to kickstart their journey.

Logan Minford, a sophomore and the O’Pake Institute’s Fellow of Finance, can display a resume with many professional experiences thanks to his work as a Fellow. However, it is Minford’s business that serves as his crowning achievement. Wooden Chair Coffee Co., created by Logan in his first year, has hit the ground running. Minford’s company even took home a top 5 place at the TecBridge competition, where businesses pitch their plans in hopes of receiving up to $10,000 from the company.

Logan raved about O’Pakes involvement in his business, saying, “The O’Pake Institute has been extremely helpful in building my coffee company,” continuing with, “While competing in the TecBridge business plan competition, they helped me by hosting scrub sessions to improve the pitch deck.” In which he beat out 25 other companies to become a finalist.

Preparation for TecBridge wasn’t the only service that Logan was provided through the O’Pake Institute; however, he states, “I have also been able to work with the O’Pake fellows to assist in my marketing through

social media!” In talking with Logan about his experience as a business owner, it often needs to be noticed how critical it is to have active social media accounts, and sometimes, based on the service you are providing, it is tough to stay up to date with it. Through other O’Pake Fellows, Logan can turn his attention solely to the finances and production of his product.

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. Ambition is the name of the game, and Logan is living proof that even as a sophomore, if you are willing to work with the

Credit: The O’Pake Institute

O’Pake Institute, they will work with you and put you on the trajectory for success.

Another O’Pake entrepreneur is Emily Sano, a Digital Media and Management Fellow. Emily, a senior at Alvernia, embraced a new challenge in the summer of 2023. After illustrating Time to Fly, a book by client Jerry Moyer, she decided she wanted to create her own story.

“Without O’Pake, I don’t think my book would have ever happened,” she stated when asked about O’Pakes involvement in the process. A passion project like

Millie’s Many Choices is challenging and only possible with the support of your friends and family, and in this case, your job. Emily said, “It’s really difficult to prioritize a project whose only reason for completion is because it’s a passion of mine,” she continued, “O’Pake has always taken my idea seriously and made me feel like every other client; they made sure I knew it was a project worth finishing!” With that and the support of the O’Pake Institute and staff such as Michelle Conway, Max Horn, and Jennifer Weasner, Emily’s book, Millie’s Many Choices, was made available through Amazon on February 23rd, 2024.

O’Pakes unique experience that they provide undergraduate students fosters an environment of success and growth. Logan and Emily are just two examples of excellence within the institute’s office walls. The O’Pake Institute strives to provide long-term enhancement through its Fellows Program, and by assisting in projects like these, students are nurtured in a space conducive to their professional development.

Help Wanted! Internship Opportunities

Grace Wanner Contributing Editor

As Alvernia students, often an internship is part of the graduation requirement for particular majors. Even if it’s not part of your graduation requirement, internships and on-campus jobs look great on your resume. Finding an internship, however, can be tricky. Fear not, there are plenty of internship opportunities for students on and around campus.

he best first step when looking for an internship is to go to the Office of Career Development. “We help students find what interests them, and then we go off of that and do an internship search. Then basically go from there and see what best suits them,” said Olivia Noel, a junior majoring in healthcare science and employee at the Career Development Center. Inside the Career Center, there is an ever-changing bulletin board with the newest internship opportunities.

“One of the goals for the office of career development is we are trying to forge and create a career services unit within academic affairs and be able to effectively serve students, faculty, and staff in their career readiness and employer engagement needs,” said Paul Whalen the Interim Executive Director of the Career Services. You can visit the office’s website on the University’s page or stop in and talk to a Career Development Advisor. An advisor will have a more expansive list of internship opportunities, but here is a general outline of what’s available. First, there’s the O’Pake Institute. Most Alvernia students have heard of O’Pake, but for those of you who don’t know, the O’Pake Institute is a center for educational and business expansion. The O’Pake Institute is always looking for new fellows and they’ll pay you too! As an O’Pake fellow, you’ll work with different clients and aid them

in growing their businesses to help them reach their full potential.

Second, there’s the Washington Center. The Washington Center is ideal for Political Science and Criminal Justice majors or students who have an interest or passion

for politics. Alvernia’s relationship with the Washington Center is through the O’Pake Institute which offers residential internship opportunities. Through the Washington Center, you will be working in Washington D.C. and will be placed in an internship in a governmental

or criminal justice agency, health care facility or a financial or media institution. Alvernia is also looking for social media and marketing interns. If you’re a person who likes making social media content and has a lot of

Continued on page 10

Logan Milford, O’Pake Fellow

The front desk of the Office of Career Development

Credit: Grace Wanner

The

Class of 2024 Comes Down with a Deadly Case of Senioritis

Continued from pg 1 jobs. Some of us are moving somewhere new and exciting while some of us are staying locally. We are all ready for the next steps, and with every assignment, test, or lab given to us, we find doing the routine work ever-harder to complete. The to-do list keeps getting bigger while our motivation gets smaller.

Many students are starting to get sad to leave all the friends they made over the past few years; We want to focus on making memories before it is all too late. “Senior year is really hard because I have a lot of advanced science classes,” Gabe Wunderlich, senior biology major, said, “But all I just want to do is hang out with my friends and girlfriend.”

Students in occupational therapy, athletic training, and physical therapy are also in their fourth year here, but they are not done yet. “I am really feeling senioritis,” Aidan Chumas, fourth year Athletic Training student, said, “And I still have another full year left.” These students are struggling to make it to May 2024, let alone May 2025.

Battling senioritis is hard. Do not let anyone try to convince you that you are being lazy. Four years of endless studying, papers, assignments, parties, meetings, games, and practices is bound to burn you out at some point. While this is completely normal, do not be afraid to fight back against this horrible disease. Schedule time to knock out some work early in the day and spend the rest of the night with friends. Visit the counseling services if you are really feeling down. There is help out there!

No matter what you are going through right now, Class of 2024, it has been a hard few years. While in some ways freshman year feels like years ago, when we all lived in Clare or Veronica, wearing masks every time we walked outside and looking up at the seniors like they were real adults, the time really did fly. I am proud of you for being here today and pushing through to the end. Congratulations!

Seniors

Feel the Pressure of Adulthood

Continued from pg 1

Fortunately, senior Madison Pertl has had a positive outlook and plans for housing after graduation. “It’s been quite the experience as there is so much to consider, from location, to price, to square footage, and beyond. Luckily, I have decided to rent, so that has made the search process somewhat easier,” she said.

Pertl is looking at starting her own business for pet treats. “I am looking forward to being able to put my full attention towards that and not having to worry about tests or homework,” she said. Pertl has high hopes for both her small business success and living on her own.

Her advice for anyone who is looking for housing is to start early. “While looking at housing, again make sure to start that process early on in your senior year, as there are a lot of options to look through than you may realize. I would also suggest making sure you talk with the landlord/owner and seeing if you can take a walk through the place before you make any decisions.” Pertl also adds to use friends and family as a resource for information and advice.

Despite the reasonable doubts of the economy improving, there are steps students can take to increase their chances of landing a job and finding a home. Interning during your sophomore and junior year can help you gain experience and be offered a permanent job position after graduation. With housing, narrow your options down to where you possibly want to work or attend grad school. Look at various housing sites, like Zillow, Apartments.com, or Realtor, to see what’s available and in budget. Postgraduate plans do not have to be scary or worrisome if you plan accordingly and have options for any and every opportunity that is presented to you.

Crossing the Country Carefully on a Road Trip

Continued from pg 3 albums and relax”

Tip 3: Take breaks

An important part to remember is that you will get to your destination eventually. While time crunches are a thing, it can be very taxing to watch a spiraling road for hours on end. Pulling over and taking bathroom breaks, getting snacks, looking around at your surroundings, and taking a deep breath of the unfamiliar air around you can help you stay focused and remind you that you are on a fun new adventure.

A student, Madison Cobb, had to offer a piece of advice that was not covered here, and wanted to share her thoughts on road trips in general. “I really think that road trips can be a scary, or daunting task, especially for people who have not done a long-distance travel before. One thing I like to remind myself If I get nervous is how close I am to my destination, or how close I am to home. There is always a halfway point to one of the two, and it helps keep me grounded and feel safe while still being able to head to my destination.”

Road trips can be an amazing experience and can help with feeling the freedom that comes along with being in college. Visiting parts of America or other countries with friends while on the open road is an important part of growing up and exploring the world. Just make sure you do it responsibly and safely.

Alvernia Tennis

Recruitment

Karma Favorts the Fortunate

Continued from pg 5

the time I started tennis were positive. In my first year, in the fall of 2021, the tennis team was solid and went to the MAC Championships. After my freshmen year, the team has had some bumps along the road, and the team is rebuilding.

Alvernia’s tennis courts are located at Angelica Park, which is found on the lower bottom of the Plex. The tennis team hosts matches there if it is not a doubleheader, which means both the men’s and women’s teams play. Matches are only played there when only the men’s or women’s have a home match. If it is a home doubleheader, then Alvernia will use the Governor Mifflin Tennis Courts. This is only a fourminute drive, so it is not too long of a distance.

Continued from pg 6

Japan, the Japanese Embassy released a statement saying she would make it to the game on time.

All of this craziness seems to be positive, but with the good there is bound to be some bad. Kelce caught internet heat for a moment during the Super Bowl where he was visibly frustrated and bellowed at Coach Andy Reid. Kelce was also seen partying after the shooting at the Super Bowl parade with his team. Kelce addressed the controversy by talking about the ‘deeply tragic’ scene and donated $100k to the Reyes family who lost their two children at the parade.

Absurdity continues to compound in this story. Some people were printing bags of fentanyl that had a blurry image of an NFL player and called the drug “Travis” to lure kids into using fentanyl.

Of course, Swift herself is never far from controversy. Fox News decided they cared about the environment and pushed a story about her private jet’s carbon emissions, which may be the first time in the history of the network they have acknowledged anthropogenic climate change as something other than a Chinese hoax.

Per Benja Faekes of Carbon Market Watch, Swift’s jet has released 8,300 tons of carbon emissions in 2022 alone, which is 1,800 times the average human’s annual emission. Swift, as has become standard practice whenever a billionaire is embarrassed by journalism, threatened a lawsuit for this release, but to this point flight details are considered public information.

But when towing that fine line of controversy, you must know how to steer in the right direction, which is what Swift and her team have done. In fact, here at Alvernia there is a public relations class taught by Dr. Jodi Radosh and the theme is Taylor Swift to learn how she handles herself on that public platform.

As mentioned earlier, these two are everywhere right now and this momentum does not look to be slowing down.

TikTok deal with UGM Goes Sour

Help Wanted! Internship Oppertunites

Continued from pg 7

sharing platform TikTok, creating the idea that one can use the lines from the song to describe a “beautiful girl” which one aspires to look like, specifically “Heather.”

“TikTok has been able to reach ‘artist-first’ agreements with every other label and publisher,” the TikTok statement read. “Clearly, Universal’s selfserving actions are not in the best interests of artists, songwriters and fans.”

Currently, TikTok pays artists $0.03 for e new TikTok video that uses their song. So, if 1,000 videos use your song, you will earn $30. How much of that $30 comes to you depends on which music distribution service you use, as they all have different royalty payment plans.

Nonetheless, TikTok has skyrocketed multiple artists careers and a lot of them feel as if they have relied on it, and now they can no longer use the app for free advertisement. UMG is claiming to look out for their artists and demanding more pay since only 1% of their revenue comes from TikTok. In terms of promotions and advertising, UMG is willing to fight this battle because they can afford to seeing as they are one of the three major music labels in the world. At this point, it seems like this fight will continue.

Continued from pg 7

school spirit, then this could be the perfect internship for you. Alvernia is looking for students who are passionate and interested in social media and marketing to help promote the University and also promote the new company CampusReel, which aided students in their college search. CampusReel is also looking for a student videographer! If you’re interested in filmmaking and videography this is the ideal internship for you! Oh and not to mention, these internships are paid too!

There are also always internships available outside of the university. For the more artistic internship seekers, HEX, a visual storytelling agency is looking for an artist and social liaison intern. As the artist and social liaison intern, you would be working on promoting their platform on social media. HEX is also looking for an individual who is good at photography, self-motivated, and a social butterfly. If this internship sounds like something you’d like, you can apply through Google or Indeed.

There are many more opportunities out there for Alvernia students of any year and any major. Going to the Office of Career Development and asking your professors and advisors about available internship opportunities is always a good route to follow when searching. Hopefully, this list was helpful and provided an idea of how many opportunities are available to students so close to campus!

Mission Moment Happy Easter!

“And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.” 1 Corinthians 6:14 Enjoy a well deserved break with your family and friends.