The Collegian, May 3, 2024

@Collegian_GCC

@gcc.collegian

They picked pickleball!

Class of ‘24 gift will serve

campus

Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief

Plans have changed for the Class of 2024’s senior gift. The College can now look forward to pickleball courts on campus.

Before the recent announcement that the gift would be the new courts, the seniors were putting their money towards a study room in STEM Hall. While pickleball courts were the leading idea for the Class of 2024’s gift, many operational hurdles stood in the way of the project.

“The administration de-

Lux Mea brings illuminating films to audience

Kristiana Shirk Staff Writer

Be prepared for a night of illumination, creativity and celebration, because the annual Lux Mea Film Festival is here. After an entire semester of planning, the Communication Arts students in Professor Gregory Bandy’s Special Events and Promotions course are proud to present the final product of their dedication and careful planning.

Communication Arts major and member of the video production team junior Blaise Kilmartin is excited to see the efforts of Bandy’s class come together. She hopes it will point students to the reason for the event.

“The event’s name, ‘Lux Mea,’ which means ‘my light,’ is something we wanted to continue to pay homage to and utilize when deciding on our theme for this semester. We eventually gravitated towards the idea of a silhouette. As Jesus’ light shines brighter upon us and, as the shadows dissipate, we no longer just see a mere silhouette of who we could be.” Kilmartin said.

The evening will consist of the showing of 17 studentmade short films, followed by an award ceremony. Awards are determined by judges with experience in the film

industry with one fan favorite award determined by the audience. Once the formalities have concluded, the guests are welcome to enjoy the reception to celebrate the filmmakers’ hard work.

Bandy and the Department of Communication and Visual Arts (CVA) launched the Lux Mea Film Festival four years ago, and since then it has been enjoyed for its artistry and creativity.

“I love the part of the festival where students get to experience having their work seen by hundreds of people. Many of the filmmakers have invested easily over 100 hours in the longer films,” Bandy said. He continues stating that filmmaking is a “quintessential ‘liberal arts experience,’” and the goal of Lux Mea “is to nurture a storytelling culture, to guide and encourage students in learning how to become better storytellers.”

Between the filmmakers and the event planners, Lux Mea is a display of skill and practice, just like games and matches are for athletes.

“An appreciative audience is a tremendous reward and encouragement for any artist or athlete,” Bandy said.

“I’ve got almost 20 talented, industrious GCC students in my Special Events class who

cided that with the multitude of construction projects that are already underway and were planned for this summer, adding an additional project was not feasible. The final change to the pickleball courts was made after a couple administrators met to try and figure out how to make

the pickleball courts a reality and deemed it possible,”

senior class president Megan Mathes said.

The pickleball courts will be located on lower campus and will replace the current bocce ball courts.

Execute President of the Student Government Asso-

ciation senior Sierra Grissom hopes to see the Class of 2024’s gift provide students and alumni with more oncampus activities.

“Given how popular pickleball has become on campus, from IM games to the

Address your stress

Violet Whitmore News Editor

Release your finals season

anxieties at the annual DeStress Fair next Wednesday, hosted by the Counseling Center. The free event features food, music and fun as a chance to breathe before exams. Activities will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on May 8 in the Breen Student Union Great Room and the Courtyard of Staley Hall of Arts and Letters (SHAL).

After working at the College for 11 years, licensed counselor and Outreach Coordinator for the Counseling Center, Cara Papay, understands students need a break.

“Students should attend the De-Stress Fair for

a chance to relax and enjoy themselves before finishing out the school year,” Papay said. “We believe that encouraging students to relax and ‘de-stress’ will help them better prepare for the week ahead.”

The Fair will feature live music by student volunteers and members campus ministry group Met By Love.

\There will also be projects like watercolor painting lessons, potting flowers and henna art, as well as outdoor activities such as spike ball and corn hole. Free food, beverages and more will be available.

The De-Stress Fair has occurred for approximately 15 years, and in 2020 was hosted by THRIVE, a student-led organization that focuses on

mental wellbeing. This year, the Counseling Center is working in cooperation with THRIVE to bring students “an even better De-Stress Fair experience,” Papay said.

To connect more with campus, the Counseling Center is taking the opportunity to engage directly with students.

“The Counseling Center is moving towards doing more outreach to serve the campus community, and we felt the De-Stress Fair was the perfect opportunity to do so,” Papay said.

The Center serves students during the academic year and has six full-time counselors and one part-time counselor. Appointments are free and confidential and can be made by contacting Michelle Hummel at mhummel@gcc.edu.

First place winner of the annual spring photo contest, Senior Madelyn Karchut’s photo titled “Progress is Beautiful”.

GRACE DAVID

Sigma Alpha Sigma Fraternity brothers flips burgers for their annual Family Weekend lunch.

Spring photo contest winner

From the Tower

Gonna miss ‘em :(

The end of the semester is so great, except for the major detail that all your senior friends leave you. While they take their 600 words to address their time with the paper, I’d like to address our time with them.

Joel was my only staff writer during my year as Sports Editor, and now this year a talented and unbiased Sports Editor. We met on my first night designing in the Tower at the end of my freshman year.

Joel has humility and patience while tirelessly covering all of our college sports in a role that is quite difficult. This semester, Joel was the only man on staff. Even when others offered unsolicited condolences, Joel was not phased. He clearly was the right man for the job.

To Joel, it’s been a pleasure to work with you for three years and take countless classes together as well. Your hard work, humor and thoughtfulness will be sorely missed in the Tower. I will bother you next semester plenty, don’t you worry!

When I first became the Sports Editor, the only person I wasn’t scared to ask questions to was Grace David. She is loving, loyal and whole-heartedly dedicated to this newspaper and its staff. She’s served as the eyes for this newspaper, giving truth to the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Everyone knows Grace for her phenomenal photography. If you’ve seen a picture in our paper or on social media and been impressed, then there’s about an 85 percent chance it’s one of Grace’s.

To Grace, your photography skills are only a fraction of what makes you so incredible. You have not only been such a help to me in my first year as Editor-in-Chief, always pushing the paper to be the best it can be, but you are also a dear friend.

Hannah and I have worked together for two years, four semesters and 40 newspapers. Rough estimate – Hannah has edited about 200 of my articles. During that time, she has made about 200 of my articles much, much better. She has an impeccable eye for detail, an unhindered drive to ensure each paper is excellent and AP style coursing through her veins.

While Copy Chief is often a thankless job occurring entirely behind the scenes on Wednesday nights, this newspaper simply would never operate to our high standard if it wasn’t for Hannah’s work. Word of advice to our loyal readers: thank your local Copy Chief.

To Hannah, don’t leave me, I’m begging you. Just kidding (not really)! I am excited to see where life after Grove City takes you. Your enthusiasm and commitment to your work are admirable, and your humor and caringness are a blessing to those around you.

I hired Maercy on a Thursday afternoon in the SAC as one of my first acts as Editor-in-Chief. I knew she would be a perfect fit for the team since she came from the recommendation of Grace.

Maercy treks out to Meadville every Friday morning to pick up the newspapers, long before the sun comes up. She then distributes them to each stand on campus. In short: no Maercy, no newspaper.

We like to brag that, come rain or shine, the Collegian will make the stands. It’s truly thanks to Maercy’s consistency and willingness that all our hard work throughout the week can be enjoyed by this campus.

To Maercy, Campion Delivery Service deserves a five-star rating. I’ll miss your drop-offs in the Tower of all the leftover papers, and I’ll miss the texts from you that read, “It’s no big deal!” when, sometimes, it is a bit of a big deal.

Each of you will be greatly missed. In fact, I miss you already. Thank you for what you’ve done for this newspaper and thank you for what you’ve done for this staff.

Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief

Collegian Staff

Editor-in-Chief

Emma Rossi

Managing Editor

Grace Scheller

Section Editors

News

Violet Whitmore

Community

Emily Fox

Perspectives

Grace Scheller

Entertainment

Vince Clay

Sports Joel Sledd

Photo Chief

Grace David

Copy Chief

Hannah Welker

Business Manager

Maercy Campion

Copy Editors

Mia Gallagher

Melody Shillito

Kathryna Hoyman

Hannah Williams

Staff Writers

David Smith

Dom Puglisi

Garret Gess

Mia Gallagher

Abigail Kengor

Hunter Oswald

Brae Sadler

Helena Ritenour

Mara Brak

Kristiana Shirk

Staff Photographers

Luke Paglia

Luke McLister

Staff Adviser Nick Hildebrand

The Collegian is the student newspaper of Grove City College,

A tranformational experience

Maercy Campion Business Manager

My time here at Grove City College can be summarized in one word: transformational.

My fellow senior classmates can likely resonate with the uneasy feeling of wondering how Covid-19 would affect our first year. After getting sent home early for our first semester, I was full of doubtful questions. Would we get sent home again? How much of our experience would be lived online?

As I went home that winter, I considered transferring or taking a bit of time off school to figure out what the future might hold.Thankfully, life did not stop at Grove City College, unlike a lot of

my other friends’ experiences at state schools. We were able to gather, initially at a distance but later in person, providing opportunities to build a community I did not realize I would be grateful for until my last year at the College.

Beyond the worries and fears and my first semester, the rest of my time at Grove has left me feeling a lot of emotions. I developed new character qualities, friendships, core memories, skills and new hobbies that will last me a lifetime.

As I laughed through the halls of HAL, hung out with friends on the Quad, studied like crazy in the stacks and cried in the MEP dorms, I can confidently say I am not the same person I was when I accepted admittance to Grove.

I am so thankful for the

support I received from my family, friends and faculty to pursue my degree and achieve higher than my set expectations at this institution, but I am not done yet. As my favorite Human Resource Management professors would say, I am a Grover-Achiever. But that does not stop once I walk across the commencement stage. I am looking forward to my future beyond Grove City College and have bittersweet feelings about departing. But I can launch forward into post-grad life knowing I have a strong foundation.

If I could leave anyone with a piece of advice, it would be that it is never too late to try something new and reach out. We are all still figuring it out. Some of my favorite memories came from getting involved and trying new things during my senior year!

It’s time to go, and I’m sad

Hannah Welker Copy Chief

It’s time to go. That’s about as much emotion as I can muster regarding my departure from Grove City College. After transferring to this school in 2021, trudging through demanding academics and somehow surviving semester after semester of emptying my energy reserve, my collegiate career is begging to be put out of its misery.

Although I am very ready to move into the next season of life, there are things about the future I find frightening: the encroaching reality of an unfamiliar career, the formation of new friendships and the complete financial independence, to name a few. In the fall, I’ll be moving to Louisville, Ky. by myself to live in a community of total strangers and begin a job I’ve never done before. The predictability and consistency of college will certainly be missed.

Among the rigorous but rewarding academics, sleepless study nights and blue light-

induced eyestrain, a shining spot in my three years as a Grover has been this newspaper.

Last year was my first year with The Collegian. If I’m completely honest, I don’t remember picking up a copy of the paper before I was hired for this job – sorry Emma. Regardless of my readership, I learned of the paper’s open positions, knew I loved editing and within days, found myself awkwardly interviewing with David Zimmermann in the SAC. I visited The Tower for design night that spring and that fall delegated my own team of copy editors for the first time.

To think that this past Wednesday was my last time editing this paper in the top corner of Crawford makes me think I might actually miss pieces of this place rather than just the regularity of the college routine.

For the past two years, there have been very few things I’ve loved more than reading and editing every single article, announcing the joyous removal of an Oxford comma to the whole staff and picking up a fresh copy of the paper on my way to class ten Fridays per semester.

I’ll miss that the most. I’ll miss the satisfaction of contributing to a printed publication for all of campus to read, feeling proud to see my name under the Copy Chief title at the bottom of a little box on the ‘Editorials’ page and working with some of the most genuine and reliable people I have had the pleasure to meet on this campus. Emma, you are the strongest woman I know. You face each day and organize each issue with enthusiasm like I’ve never seen before. You love this paper, and this paper loves you. Violet, I’ll miss reading your amazing ledes and discussing the negative effects of Red 40. Grace David, your talent is undeniable, and with that your persistence. Please take more naps in your next phase of life. Grace Scheller, I love your realism, unapologetic perspectives – pun intended – and how supportive of a friend you are; it’s more than admirable. Emily, it’s been a joy to see you succeed this year after a year of diligent copy editing. It’s also been lovely to have a fellow English major on staff. You’re

TIME 3

Anticipation over anxiety

Joel Sledd Sports Editor

Over three years ago, my family moved over 350 miles to settle down in the unfamiliar territory of Pennsylvania while I started my collegiate escapade at Grove City College. Two years ago, I wrote my first article for The Collegian’s sports section and last year, I took the role of Sports Editor.

I have spent almost four years of my life in a place I didn’t even know existed until the spring of my senior year of high school. I had no clue where I was going or what I was going to do once I got here, and I carried this anxious mindset into every semester. The truth was that this anxiety was unjustified. When I expected the unknown to be filled with hostility and judgment, instead, I was met with peace and empathy.

I have never been good with new experiences. I

wrote my first article for The Collegian for the issue on April 1, 2022. At this point, I had never written any kind of news article. I spent at least seven hours trying to perfect this one article because I wanted to pretend like I knew what I was doing. When I trudged my way up to The Collegian office on the fourth floor, I expected to have a long and meticulous one-on-one talk about the many mistakes I probably made in the article. But when I was expecting humiliation, I received compassion. The mistake I made was not in my writing, but in my pessimistic nature. I had so little faith in the quality of my work that I did not even think compassion was an option, and this was the challenge I slowly overcame every year I spent at this college. With the help of others, I moved beyond my old habits, and fear of the unknown a little less. I have the whole staff of The Collegian to thank. For the past two years, I have been introduced to a lot of new faces. Working with the

athletic department allowed me to see a side of sports I otherwise wouldn’t have known. But more importantly, my friends on The Collegian staff have helped me lay down a path for my future and what I hope to be when I’m done with my education.

My friends at this paper helped develop my collegiate experience into something more than countless hours spent studying.

And for that, I am extremely grateful. I would like to thank the entire staff for creating a welcoming environment where I could recognize the faults of my old pessimistic habit. Now I can anticipate the future with assurance rather than anxiety.

My experience at Grove City College has been mixed at times, but it was nice to be a part of a team that was consistently supportive. I will remember these times wherever I go and whatever I end up doing.

Thank you for making the last two years of my college experience better than I could have ever hoped for.

Growing, going, gone and graduated

Grace David Photo Chief

Four years ago, I was nervously walking up and down the sidelines of Don Lyle Field, taking photos of my friends on the men’s soccer team for the first time. I was excited to practice taking action shots and capture some good memories of my friends for them to look back on — a kill-two-birds-with-onestone type beat.

Today, there is rarely a home game I am not capturing through the lens of my camera. Never did it cross my freshman mind that one day I would be working for the student newspaper surrounded by friends who would make me laugh the loudest I ever have.

My camera has become an extension of myself. As I developed my skill in photography, it developed me as a person. I might never be in any of the photos I create, but there is a part of me in each image. Every artist leaves a mark on their work, my mark may be the way my photos are framed or colorgraded, but I hoped it might be the smiles on the faces of those in my photos because I said something silly behind the lens.

Like my artwork, I hope the mark I leave on this campus is full of joy. I know I will certainly end my time here with many happy memories and a brain full of growth.

The Collegian certainly has left a joyful mark on my life, and it is something I will look back on with great pleasure and pride!

This student newspaper has shown me who I want to be; I hope to one day become a photojournalist and

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have been working all semester to produce this event for the campus. I think it’s going to be great.”

For senior communications major Caleb Vinoverski, the event will be bittersweet. After two years of showing his films at the festival, this

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great. Joel, you’re good at what you do. Don’t tell yourself otherwise. Maercy, we’ve shared nine years of friendship and one of those spent as your co-worker; it’s been an honor and a privilege. I’m

capture God’s inspiring creation and the truth of history everywhere I go. But it is the staff that has truly impacted me more than the weekly 12page issues ever could.

I have been a member of this staff for four years and the Photo Chief for almost three. I will remember every Collegian late-night (and the Hawaiian pizza that I only consumed within the walls of our hidden office) forever!

To the Collegian staff of years past, thank you for your kind guidance and encouragement! We miss you up in the Tower every Wednesday.

To our wise and patient advisor Nick Hildebrand, thank you for your calming presence in our chaotic office as well as the wisdom and experience you have imparted to me these four years. Your dedication to each member of the staff has encouraged me greatly and I can’t wait to share with you where my career takes me post-graduation.

To our sweet Community editor Emily, I am so happy to have spent this fun and crazy year with you up in the Tower. Your excitement to jump into new things and flexibility are so inspiring to me as a senior — I look forward to seeing all you create by your senior year.

To Joel, the only remaining man on staff, thanks for putting up with our joyful chaos and silly jokes. Nothing is funnier than your one-liners! I’ll miss your dedication to our athletics and working together to add photos and make the Sports section a perfect cap for every issue.

To Violet, I will greatly miss the intense creativity you bring to every corner of our office. From ceramics to headlines to your wittiness, I have so enjoyed working with you and I am so proud

year will be the last. He won an award for Best Screenplay in 2022, and Best Actor and Best Narrative with Aaron Phillips ’23 in 2023.

“My favorite part about the Lux Mea film festival is that it allows young filmmakers to have their films played in front of a packed theatre. Being able to sit in a seat and watch the audience’s live

sorry I stopped coming with you to pick up the papers at 4 a.m. Kathryna, I have no doubt that you will be nothing short of superb next year as the new Copy Chief. Read up on AP Style this summer!

Each of you has been effectively excluded from the

of your work this year as News editor.

To our amazing business editor Maercy, it’s always a party when you pull up to the function in the office. Thanks for driving across creation every week at the crack of dawn to deliver the papers! We couldn’t do this without you.

To Grace, our perfect perspectives editor and managing editor, I am so proud of you and the way you are so dedicated to every part of this campus. You are an intensely talented actor and performer, and that talent flows through you, into your section and handling our wild staff every week!

To Hannah, my partnerin-chief at the table—I have loved spending these years with you! You have been such a dear friend to me and I am so grateful to graduate with you. You are so intelligent and skilled, and I know that you are going to do spectacular work wherever you go.

Finally, our beautiful editor-in-chief Emma! You are so incredibly strong and talented. I’ve enjoyed nothing more than becoming such close friends with you. From when you were Sports editor to working under your fearless leadership as EIC, you have added such a powerful spark to this staff that encourages us to produce our best work every week and to have so much fun while doing it. You are such an inspiration to me, and I can’t wait to see where you will go, you amazing woman!

Wednesday nights have become my favorite part of every week — even when I get back to my room at 3 a.m. God truly has blessed me with each of you and the opportunity to do what I love in service of our campus. Thank you and I love you all!

reactions to your film is an experience like no other,” Vinoverski said. Attend the Lux Mea Film Festival at 7 p.m. on May 4 in Crawford Auditorium. This is a semi-formal event. Tickets are available for purchase now and on the day of the event. See luxmeafilmfestival.com for more information.

drudgery of earning my degree and has often found a way to turn that drudge into a delight. My time on this staff has meant more to me than you realize.

So, it’s time to go, and maybe I am just a little sad to leave.

Wherecomeslearning alive

Violet Whitmore News Editor

Walk the streets where Julius Caesar walked or see Michaelangelo’s David in person this summer while earning class credit with the Office of Global Studies’ travel courses.

There are six destinations for students to travel to this summer, with 11 courses available for course credit in the humanitiews, SSFT, business, education, math and more. Faculty-led travel courses are short-term and typically last 10-14 days.

“Travel courses are a great way to see different parts of the world with a group of people you enjoy spending time with, so friends often sign up for travel courses together,” Rachel Anderson, Global Programs Coordinator at the College said. “It’s a fun way to earn credit, and students often take advantage of travel courses to take their required courses (HUMAs, SSFT, or a required course in their major).”

Material comes alive when you see historical landmarks in their context. “Travel courses enhance the subject material: taking Civilization and the Arts in France – with all its museums and concert halls – taking Western Civilization to Italy – one of the actual birthplaces of western civilization – and taking SSFT in London – where you visit Darwin’s actual house and see Isaac Newton’s elaborate grave in Westminster Abbey – is an amazing way to see what you’re learning in its worldwide context,” Anderson said. “You just can’t get that in a classroom, no matter how good the slides are.”

Students can also sign up for a travel course without doing coursework for credit as a participant for a slightly lower cost. The travel course to Costa Rica is covering two Management courses (MNGT 214 Business Ethics and MNGT 302 Lean Management) and two International Business courses (INBS 205 Global Business Issues and INBS 417 Global Supply Chains). This course will include a

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homecoming tournament, this gift seems like a great way to reinvest in our college community,” Grissom said. Seniors can pledge to the

visit to a coffee plantation in Costa Rica. Dr. Butler and Dr. Smith will be teaching two of these courses, plus another professor still to be determined.

The travel course to Finland & Norway next year is covering EDUC 488 Issues in Education and will include visits to schools in both countries (Finland is known for having an excellent education system). Dr. Linda Culbertson ’84 and Dr. Susan Dreves will be leading this trip.

The travel course to France will cover HUMA 301 Civilization and the Arts, taught by Dr. Beverly Carter, with Dr. Erik Bardy doing the organizing of the trip.

The travel course to Italy will include HUMA 200 Western Civilization taught by Dr. Michael Coulter ‘91, and a new math course that was just approved this year. “Math 115, History of Math –being taught by Dr. Remi Drai, a math course that satisfies the quantitative reasoning requirement, which is something we think students will be delighted to hear,” Anderson said. This trip is going to both Rome and Florence.

The travel course to London & Germany will cover SSFT 212 Studies in Science, Faith & Technology, taught by Dr. Erik Anderson. In London, site visits will include a tour of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the British Museum and Darwin’s house in the countryside. In Germany, site visits will include Düsseldorf, the Cologne Cathedral, the Neander Museum and the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz.

The travel course to Bolivia takes place from July 19-Aug 2, 2025, rather than May 2025 because it includes several days of service at a youth conference in Bolivia. The courses on this trip are RELI 320 Theology of Missions, taught by Dr. Shepson, and GOBL 310 Bolivia and Latin American Literature, taught by Dr. Melissa Carruth. To apply for a travel course, students can go to tinyurl. com/gccogp and type “travel course” in the search bar.

gift through the online link sent to them in a recent email, as well as pledging in person from 11 to 2 p.m. on May 3 in the Staley Hall of Arts and Letters courtyard. The target for fundraising is 20,000 dollars.

Second place winner of the annual spring photo contest, Emily Marasco’s ‘23 photo titled “Fluorescence”.

Third place winner of the annual spring photo contest, Junior Calista Robbins’ photo.

Grovers go to war

Emily Fox Community Editor

The Urban Gaming Club (UGC) is expecting 75 people to participate in their annual invitational taking place this weekend. The theme of this year’s humans vs. zombies game was inspired by Star Wars Clone Wars. The club has prepared for the event by writing missions, getting props and creating costumes designed to make participants feel as if they’ve been

transported into a galaxy far far away.

The game is a version of tag in which participants are assigned to be either a human or a zombie. Participants assigned as humans are to wear orange armbands and blast the zombies with Nerf blasters while the zombies try to tag them. Humans attempt to complete six missions, such as finding an object or solving a puzzle, while attempting to escape from the zombies. The zombies’ goal is to convert all the humans

into zombies. If the zombies tag all the humans, they become the victors of the game. Participants will meet tonight to go over the rules of the game, and then begin completing missions Saturday.

“HvZ (humans v zombies) is an event that promotes physical activity and teamwork. For those who may feel out of place in a traditional exercise setting, like a gym or sports team, HvZ is an exciting alternative. The game’s missions involve relying on

your team, building teamwork and communication within the group. Not only that, but the members of the UGC consider each other to be a second family,” Urban Gaming Club President sophomore Jenna Stanski said.

“We do our best to stay out of the way of those who didn’t sign up to play. We understand that they don’t want to be part of our event, and that’s okay.”

“Ultimately, we just want to give people a space where

they can relax, destress and have fun. HvZ also connects with other college communities internationally, which presents its own unique opportunities to get to know and work with others,” Stanski said.

Students interested in participating may sign up using the QR codes found on posters around campus. The game is open to anyone to participate in and is free to play, but students may choose to purchase club merchandise.

Sing it from the rooftops

Mia Gallagher Staff Writer

Stressed out over finals?

Looking for some fellowship and fun to fill your Friday night? Love listening to music on a scenic spring night?

If any of these questions apply to you, look no further than Rooftop Concert, an exciting all-campus event taking place tonight from 6-9 p.m. on Lincoln Lawn.

I’ve had a crush on my lab TA all semester. I’ve always been nervous to talk to him, but the semester is wrapping up, and this might be my last chance to tell him

I like him. I don’t want to make things awkward, but I also don’t want to forever regret not telling him. Should I go for it?

Spring is in the air, flowers are in bloom and classes are coming to an end. It’s always so tempting to confess at the end of a semester, seeing as you might not have a reason to see this person again.

Here’s the thing – jumping

Sponsored by the Wolverine Broadcast Network (WBN), Rooftop Concert looks to bring together the Grove City community for a night filled with awesome

music and fantastic performances. The event not only provides student singersongwriters the opportunity to showcase their talents and share their original melodies, but it also promises to bring the community together for one final night of fun this spring semester.

I’m in love with my lab TA

straight to confessing you like him might come on as a bit strong. Your TA is technically in a position of authority and has probably been maintaining a bit of distance between himself and the students in your lab class. If you haven’t ever talked about

anything but questions in the lab, it might come out of the blue for him. I recommend starting by asking him to hang out sometime.

I wouldn’t rush the confession. It sounds like you guys don’t really know each other that well. Hour after hour in lab might not be the best place to get to know someone. I know it’s the end of the semester and finals are coming up, so maybe the two of you could have a casual study session! It’s not something crazy, and you might be able to have a really good conversation if it’s just you two. If the study session goes

well, maybe ask if he wants to get a meal after, or sometime before the summer. If the study session goes really well, maybe he’ll ask you! If you have been regularly speaking, even if it’s only about homework, that means you are at least good acquaintances. Personally, I wouldn’t confess my feelings until you are 100 percent sure you have good chemistry (haha). It would be good to have a mutual understanding before jumping into anything. The days are winding down, so opportunities to hang out are getting a bit limited. Don’t let that

“Rooftops has been in the works for over a year now. The idea was presented last year to have a live music event on campus that highlighted Grove City’s talented

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“Rooftops is an event that the radio did in the past back when it was still WSAJ before we rebranded to WBN, and because of the long-standing history of the station on our campus, we are excited to bring back old traditions while still keeping the radio station modern and relevant,” junior Nikki Collins, WBN General Manager, said.

stop you!

Basically, don’t just confess your feelings for the plot. If you think there’s a good chance you guys could get along really well, then take that first step! I wish you the best of luck!

Auspiciously,

Dr. Love Love M.D.

GRACE DAVID

The Urban Gaming Club is hosting their annual invitational this weekend. The theme of the invitational is Star Wars Clone Wars. The club expects 75 people to participate.

AWS unites women

Emily Fox Community Editor

Students at Grove City College are known for their hard work, dedication and perseverance through the challenges they face. The Association of Women’s Students (AWS) is no exception.

The student-coordinated organization’s mission is to create a community of women who support and celebrate each other.

But without the help of a group of current sophomore women and their advisors, the club would have disappeared completely.

“In fall of 2022, The AWS was at risk of dying due to Covid and a lack of new membership. Our advisor, Mrs. Diana King, sent out an email to all the women students and facilitated an information meeting. I decided to attend this meeting just to see what AWS was all about. When I arrived, I realized that I was the only person who decided to attend. Mrs. King explained to me the rich history of AWS and how it has been around on campus since 1910 and that in its current state, it was at high risk of dying as it did not have a single member.”

“After this meeting, myself and five of my freshman friends, Veronica Klein, Anna Roe, Hannah Slisher, Leah Morgan, Rachel Eggleston, became executive members. We put in a lot of administrative work in reworking our club format and constitution. We also began to plan events and outreach to women on campus! AWS has made significant prog-

ress,” AWS President sophomore Leia Steele said.

The club has grown from the original six members to a current 40 active members and invites women who are not members of the club to participate in their various events and outreaches.

AWS welcomes women from all across campus to enjoy monthly events hosted by the club, and members get together every other week for AWS dinner.

The club plans a variety of events that serve students and the wider community, including their fall Craft Fair and the Women’s Spring Social. They also conduct interviews with faculty members for Women’s History Month and contribute to the Elderly Outreach Program.

In March, the club interviewed several women pro-

fessors and faculty members for their Faculty and Staff Series. These interviews were posted on their Instagram account to help students get to know the women working on campus and share their advice with students.

The Elderly Outreach Program, previously known as the Adopt a Grandparent Club, creates opportunities for students to attend cluborganized events at Grove Manor and correspond with the residents of Grove Manor through a Senior Pen Pal Program.

“The Elderly Outreach Program has created a mutually rewarding exchange between club members and residents of Grove Manor. Through meaningful connections, both groups find fulfillment, joy and a sense of purpose in enriching each other’s lives!

It is an avenue for students to minister to the elderly and for the elderly to pour their wisdom into students,” Steele said.

The club has already begun planning for their annual Craft Fair next fall.

Students may browse through a variety of booths set up by vendors invited by the club and purchase crafts, food and other goods.

AWS is proof of the opportunities available to young students at Grove City College.

Students do not have to wait until they are an upperclassman to start making a difference on campus.

Women interested in joining AWS should email Steele at SteeleLE22@gcc.edu and follow their Instagram account @gcc_aws to learn more about the club.

Club supports international students

Anastasia Brown

Contributing Writer

Grove City College usually isn’t associated with great diversity of cultural experience – most students hail from the state of Pennsylvania or other parts of the United States.

But for the approximately 100 international students, and for many more students who have spent substantial time overseas – whether for missions, work or the military – the stresses of transitioning to college life can be exacerbated by the pressure to conform to a new culture and new societal expectations.

Freshman Jessica Li, a current Grove City international student from China, felt underequipped to face these challenges when she

started her freshman year last fall, which is why she has been passionate about starting a club that will meet the needs of this unique population. That dream has finally become reality with the start of a Mu Kappa chapter at Grove City College at the end of March, with Li as the first president.

Mu Kappa is a national collegiate organization with dozens of chapters at different college campuses, and its goal is to provide students who grew up in a “crosscultural setting” with a deep-rooted Christian community. Li says this club is exactly what she would have wanted at the beginning of the school year, and she’s excited to serve the next class of freshmen in the fall.

“Grove City is so focused on community, and having

community,” she said, “but it’s hard for some students – especially students from other cultures.” These aspirations are hard to pin down into a checklist of action items.

Freshman Zeke Frerichs, the chaplain of Mu Kappa, grew up in Romania as the son of missionaries.

“I said, ‘I don’t know how helpful I’ll be, but I’ll try,” he said. His heart for service has carried him to great lengths in getting the club off the ground.

Frerichs also vividly remembers his first few weeks of school, and the lack of meaningful connection that pervaded some of his first interactions. It can be especially hard for students who have diverse cultural backgrounds but who visually fit the mold of a stereotypi-

cal, white, English-speaking Grove City College student, to find resources as they learn to adjust to the new culture around them. Most people look at them and just assume that they “”it in” and “belong.”

But now after almost a year of College, Frerichs has his feet firmly on the ground, and he’s ready to use what he’s learned to be a blessing to future third-culture kids.

“I really enjoy connecting with people and making sure they have friends who love them – especially for people for whom it might be harder,” Frerichs explained. He would love to see the club partner with other campus groups to organize events and trips, as well as develop some form of mentorship program so that

CLUB 10

WHAT’S FRESH AT THE GROVE

On Lincoln Lawn... Rooftop Concert

May 3 at 6 - 9 p.m.

WBN hosts a night of musical performances featuring original songs written by students.

Read more on page 4

In Ketler Auditorium... Spring Orchestra Concert

May 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Hear the GCC Orchestra perform “The Typewriter,” “Flying Home” and more tonight in the PFAC.

In Crawford Auditorium... Lux Mea Film Festival

May 4 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Come view 17 student directed and produced films and see which ones are take home the awards Saturday.

Read more on page 1

Laura Rybka

Head Cross Country and Track & Field Coach

What do you like the most about being a coach at Grove City College?

I really love the values that this school stands for and the ability to incorporate faith into coaching. I also like that there isn’t micromanaging, and we are trusted to do what we need to do to get results.

I love the actual coaching part, of course. Seeing improvement and potential before someone else sees it, and believing in them, and seeing it come to fruition is really amazing. I also love the life lessons in coaching. Life is hard, and sports are almost a microcosm of life – we learn about how to fail and succeed and put your all into something bigger than you.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Healing.

If you could go to the Olympics in Paris this summer, which events/ sports would you attend?

Track and Field all the way.

If you could hire one singer/band to write the soundtrack for your life, who would you choose? Fun question…my worst nightmare is the world knowing all about me, but if it was just for my friends and family, Zach Bryan and Taylor Swift write great stories. I think they would make a great collaboration album whatever the topic.

If you could take your team on a retreat anywhere in the country, where would you pick?

Love this question! I am going to pick a realistic choice, and then an unrealistic choice. First Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The trails are so beautiful and running in places like that is one of the best parts about running. Secondly, probably Mammoth Lakes Calif. or Boulder Colo., a running hotspot with altitude and mountains.

If you could try any job for one day, what would you choose?

Being an actor or actress would be fun. Also, a dog walker.

What are you looking forward to doing this summer?

Spending time with my family and friends and doing all the non-coaching things I enjoy and other work.

GCC_AWS INSTAGRAM

The women who organized the relaunching of the AWS club with their advisor Diana King.

Reflecting through the lens

A collection of captured moments over the years at Grove City College

In high school, I dreamed of taking photos of Grove City College’s beautiful campus. After taking (literally) a thousand photos of almost every event and game, I think it is safe to say that I fulfilled that dream.

I have learned more about myself here than I ever thought possible, but the community here has made it feel like home.

So thank you, Grove City College, for providing such a special place for me to create art and tell stories that will be woven into history.

I am very excited to see what God has in store for me, but I will always joyfully reflect on my adventures here!

Photos by Grace David, Photo Chief

Perspectives

Today’s Shakespeare? Swift self-proclaimed tortured poet

Hannah Welker Copy Chief

Taylor Swift’s main goal isn’t to be a literal poet like Whitman or Wordsworth.

But her new album “The Tortured Poets Department” seems to imply that she considers herself to be The Department’s tortured poet resident.

Music from Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan can, in an amazing way, frequently blur the line between poetry and music. I wondered if Swift could be included on that list of poetic songwriters. However, I found that she lacks qualities that would qualify her to be among those names. Her music is, for a self-proclaimed tortured poet, not very poetic. I can’t speak on the rest of her albums as I don’t regularly listen to Swift’s music. However, this new addition specifically makes me recall what I have learned about poetry in my time as an English major at the College. To summarize the last few years of my education, poetry’s purpose is to bring pleasure, communicate truth, bring about ideas and reflect the world surrounding the poet.

The first purpose may be more subjective than the rest. Swift’s album brings me no great pleasure simply because of her choice of metaphor. But just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not poetic.

In the album title track, “The Tortured Poets Department,” she compares her exboyfriend Matty Healy to a “tattooed golden retriever,” assumedly because he’s a nice guy with a lot of tattoos. While the metaphor makes a comparison, it’s not helpful. It’s laughable. If it pleases me at all, it is because there is humor in the horror of her lyrics. I remember sitting in Dr. Rawl’s Romantic Literature course

laughing at the poetry of William Topaz McGonagall. His poetry, to put it lightly, is hilariously bad. Upon my reading of Swift’s lyrics, McGonagall came to my mind. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of her songs.

Her ways of comparison in general have an unserious quality to them. It’s very hard to tell if she’s being genuine when she writes lyrics like “You know how to ball, I

know Aristotle / Brand new, full throttle / Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto.” Here she’s supposed to be comparing her romantic interest’s set of knowledge with her own: he likes sports, and she likes philosophy. Fair enough.

But the Grand Theft Auto reference is totally lost on me; it’s a very Instagram poet-like allusion – see Rupi Kaui’s Instagram profile. The language lacks purpose and precision. It is as if she needed a four-syllable proper noun and went with whatever came to mind; her lyrics are too liberal to be poetic. She seems to insist on being edgy rather than producing a worthwhile piece of music. If you want to smoke a cigarette Taylor, just do it.

Another Instapoet-influenced line occurs in “I Hate It Here,” when Swift sings “Quick, quick / Tell me something awful / Like you are a poet / Trapped inside the body of a finance guy.” This simile, I’m guessing, is discussing the hope for her lover to be poetic even though his external appearance wouldn’t communicate his love of poetry. I really don’t know.

She comes out of left field with the line “We could pick a decade / We wish we could live in instead of this / I’d say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid.” She’s completely lost me.

Poetry is also meant to bring about new revelations or impart some kind of wisdom to its reader, but Swift sings, “I think some things I never say.” While it is

wise, thinking before speaking isn’t a new or unique concept. However, relatability is not the point of poetry; Swift fails again.

Despite these unfortunate performances, her song “The Albatross” is a spot of redemption. For any English major, the title would immediately seem like a reference to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Notions of the poem can be found in the song. Lines like “Cautions issues, he stood / Shooting the messengers,” and “She’s the albatross / She is here to destroy you” recall central plot points like the shooting of the albatross and the curse put on the Mariner. I can appreciate this potential attempt at homage to an influential poet.

Swift does tell a small truth though: “You’re not Dylan Thomas / I’m not Patti Smith / This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel / We’re just modern idiots.” Hey, she said it, not me.

‘Walk toward the fire’

Isaac Willour Contributing Writer

There’s a surreal sense you get from asking what it feels like to kill another human being. Yet, talking with Ron McAndrew, that question ended up being the least difficult to get through in our hour-long conversation. I was working as a reporter at the time, writing a long-form piece on the victims of American capital punishment. Being a good reporter, who do you go to with a topic like that? The executioners.

McAndrew oversaw the execution process at Florida State Penitentiary and told me about his worst day on the job. During what should

have been a simple but grisly execution of a convicted murderer, the sponge intended to conduct electricity dried out, becoming tinder for a ball of blue and orange flames that consumed the man under the copper helmet. The inmate burned to death over the course of 15 minutes three feet away from where McAndrew was standing. This would be the final straw for him. After his trauma manifested itself in substance abuse and nightmares of execution victims sitting on his bed and staring at him, he left the prison industry, becoming an outspoken advocate against capital punishment.

This wasn’t the story I went into our interview prepared to hear. And I don’t think it was the story my conservative readers expected me to

lead with. However, I opened the article with that story, not because I loved it—but because I hated it. My job wasn’t to write what I wanted to hear or to give readers what they wanted to hear. My job, as I understood it, was to tell real stories about real people for real people. I was 21; the best I could do was ask good questions and trust an honest presentation of reality could carry the day.

I’ve heard stories and asked questions of Antifa members, war criminals, Ukrainian refugees, West Virginian coal miners, Hong Kong expats, free speech advocates, antisemites, fatwa holders, DEI practitioners and everyone in between. I can only look back on those moments as part of the tapestry that’s made my cultural and political outlook diverse

in the best possible way.

As useful as the past four years of liberal arts education have been to me, they weren’t what taught me about the intricacy and complexity of lived experience. Journalism did. The liberal arts, after all, are about learning what to do with freedom, that’s what liberal means. Dabbling in journalism has been a tremendous primer in understanding how people from all walks of life make use of the freedom given to us, for good or for ill.

In a way, it’s that profoundly human experience that makes the perfect antidote to the worst stereotypes of liberal arts education: the temptation of endless navelgazing and speculations, locked carefully within our ivory tower walls. That’s not a world that people like Ron

live in—it’s the real world. I’m not qualified to end this column with advice, few 20-somethings are, and I am no exception. If there’s one thing I can leave you with, however, it’s this.

There’s tremendous value in saying what everyone in the room is thinking. In the best moments, it’s moral courage. But don’t forget the value of saying what no one in the room is thinking: the uncomfortable truth. There’s value in acknowledging the cultural blind spots no one else has eyes to see. In the darkest moments, those truths are light to darkened eyes and fire to hardened hearts. It’s the most morally courageous thing you can possibly do. In the words of veteran journalist Andrew Breitbart, “Walk toward the fire.”

Hate the sin, love the sinner

Abigail Kengor Staff Writer

Accusations of intolerance, exclusion and judginess abound in our culture. These attributes can be summed up in one word: hate. To be fair, there is much hatred in this world, and sin and discord arise when love is absent, and hate abides.

But how often is hate a misnomer for “love?” How often are the difficulty and nuance necessary in applying the commandment of love accurately to daily life—often entailing sacrifice, discipline and the harsh abolition of evil — dismissed as hatred? Quite often.

Love is a complicated, but ultimately rewarding, path involving humility and vulnerability. Hatred is the easy way out that lets one leave hastily on a harsh note, keeping his pride and perpetuating his misery. While hatred feels strong at the moment and is our sinful reflex when offended, the true and lasting power is in love.

While most of the Grove City crowd is probably well aware of the overuse of the word “hate” in today’s diatribes, it might be valuable to consider. We know that much of true love, though mislabeled, is not hate. But

what is hate?

The Catholic Encyclopedia calls hatred an intense aversion commonly broken into two types: loathing and hostility. The first is the proper aversion to evil or sin. The second is an uncharitable aversion to a sinful person. This hatred is a sin. Thus, we can be expected to hate sin and also love our enemies. Additionally, hate is commonly considered the opposite of love, and thus ultimate

Farewell, GCC

Hunter Oswald Staff Writer

Well, that went by fast. After four years of constant early morning classes, perpetually writing papers, nonstop studying and pulling all-nighters – I highly recommend not doing that, unless you’re a diehard Grover, – I am finally seeing the finishing line in sight. By the time this piece is published, it will be two weeks until graduation, where fellow seniors as well as myself will walk across the stage to receive our bachelor’s degrees and become Grove City alums.

As I reach the end of my time here, I can’t help but reflect on the past four years of my time at Grove. The beginning of my freshman year was a bit of a baptism by fire when considering most of the College was restricted, due to being in the middle of the Covid pandemic with mask requirements, few events to attend and still facing the stresses of every new freshman.

As someone who knew no one from my area attending Grove City and was extremely introverted, it took time for me to adjust and settle in, which led to occasions of homesickness. By the end of my spring semester of freshman year, the homesickness had ceased to exist and the opportunities to find community and fellowship became plentiful.

Since then, I have had the chance to grow and engage in the community in impactful ways. Looking back now on the past four years, I recognize how blessed I have been and how I’ve managed to collect some important life lessons during that time.

The first among those lessons is the value of commu-

nity. I think back to what Russell Kirk said: “True community is governed by love and charity.” When contemplating those words, I found myself seeing the love and charity here at Grove City. Whether it was the students, faculty or the folks in the area, it surrounded me. The love we share with others is essential to any harmonious community. As Christians, we are told to do exactly that. As Christ tells us in John 15:12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” For those of us graduating, this lesson is certainly worth learning as we enter the next stage.

I am also reminded of another lesson, one that I really didn’t take to heart until recently. Don’t be afraid to say no.

As we aspire to achieve great things and take advantage of opportunities in our lives, whether it’s through our academics or our future work, saying no can sometimes be seen as scary. I can’t count how many times I didn’t say no because of fear that I would be judged by others or because I didn’t know if I’d ever get a chance to do it later.

While it can feel like saying yes to everything is the right way to go, it’s not necessarily a good thing for us to do. Sometimes what we fail to realize when saying yes is that what we think may be the greatest opportunity will have an even greater cost, like sacrificing time with our families or the well-being of our consciences.

Remember, God closes doors to open new ones, and saying no is not a bad thing. If anything, it can be a moment to truly understand the opportunities that we may, at times, overlook. And sometimes, those can be the greater.

selfishness, as this would mean willing one’s good at the expense of another’s.

Accusations of hate often fail to understand this, settling for “love” as a stagnant, polite acceptance and “hate” as any attempt at honest contradiction or correction, however loving it may be.

As explored in the March 22 article “Love is not love,” we can know what love is. God is Love. Jesus summarized love by dying on the

cross in complete denial of any fleshly desire or comfort. Love is self-sacrifice for the perfection of the beloved, with both concrete and abstract elements. The actions seeking to express love can complete or demolish it, by inappropriately pursuing a desire. Such is the case of a couple pursuing marital love before marriage – the analogy proposed in the response article. By trying to achieve love inappropriately, they

destroy it in the sin of fornication, willing their mutual selfishness over their mutual good.

The case of homosexuality is even more obvious, as not only is this sin explicitly condemned in Scripture with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, but also the desire in the first place is disordered, as opposed to the natural desire for marriage in the first example. A denial of the possibility of homosexual love is not a denial of the feelings called love, but a correction of the confusion conflating those feelings with the reality of love. A correction like this is very loving, seeking to help people discover real love and freedom from sin.

This is what Christ did throughout the Gospels, gently correcting the adulterous woman and firmly reprimanding the money changers in the Temple. He was never hateful towards the sinners, but towards their sins, explaining the evil of sin and the beauty of divine mercy. He did not abandon them but bade them abandon sin and follow Him. The Christian way of spreading love in this world is by, likewise, charitably explaining the evil of such sins as homosexuality and giving those people the hope of a fairer way, the way of repentance and love, the way of Christ. How is that hate?

Perspectives Policy

The purpose of the Perspectives section is to give a space for student voices. Here, student writers have the space to critique, question and analyze the world around them.

Perspectives articles represent the views of the individual writer. They do not represent the views of The Collegian, The Collegian staff or Grove City College.

While pieces in Perspectives are subjective by nature, The Collegian has standards for publication.

Articles submitted for publication are expected to provide arguments of substance that rely on fact and are void of foundationally emotional and biased arguments.

This is not a space to parrot party lines. Perspectives articles are expected to take original stances, and, where applicable, consider the interaction of faith within their topic.

This is a space where all voices can be heard. It is our goal as The Collegian staff that Perspectives reflect the

diversity of thought represented on the college’s campus. Additionally, The Collegian will not accept a Perspectives article if the topic has not been reported on by the newspaper. If you would like to submit an article for publication or want further clarification of The Collegian’s expectations contact Editor-in-Chief Emma Rossi or Managing Editor and Perspectives Editor Grace Scheller.

IDS

‘Dune: Part Two’

Sequel lives up to franchise expectations

David Smith Staff Writer

Denis Villeneuve’s sequel to the 2021 star-studded masterpiece “Dune” is, again, an absolute triumph.

Based on the 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, “Dune: Part Two” follows Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) as he forms a union with the Fremen people of the desert planet Arrakis to wage war with House Harkonnen.

Following the destruction of House Atreides by House Harkonnen, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), the daughter of Padish Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), privately writes of her disdain for how her father betrayed the Atreides.

On Arrakis, Fremen troops subdue a Harkonnen patrol, including Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson).

They retreat to Sietch Tabr, where some of the Fremen suspect Paul is a spy. Still, Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and others see signs of the prophecy that a mother and son from the “Outer World” will restore prosperity to Arrakis.

‘Dune: Part Two’ is easily the most beautiful film released this year and most likely will be for the entire year. It captures the es-

sence of Herbert’s work better than the previous ‘Dune’ adaptations and elaborates on its predecessor in a fashion that will render it a science fiction classic. Although the first ‘Dune’ film in this series is shorter, ‘Part Two’ has much better pacing and less exposition, which was to be expected.

Still, ‘Part Two’ functions so seamlessly that it merits several viewings. I had the privilege of seeing it in XD and Arrakis seemed so tangibly natural it was nauseating at certain moments, especially when the sand -

worms appeared on scene. The arena fight between Feyd-Rautha, portrayed by an almost unrecognizable Austin Butler, and Paul, is nearly devoid of color, creating an uncanny sense of dread as Feyd-Rautha fervently attempts to please Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard). Interestingly, this scene was captured with infrared cameras, bolstering the cinematic experience. The blatant authenticity Villeneuve employs with all his movies is abundantly clear, just as Kubrick had when using NASA cameras and filming with no artificial lights for “Barry Lyndon.” That is precisely what sets

“Dune” apart from other contemporary science fiction films. Villeneuve handles all his films with such intricate and delicate care that they invite viewers to enjoy, appreciate and love all aspects of their beauty and wonder.

Although ‘Part Two’ is a triumphant film fulfilling the audience’s expectations, some questions remain. What does the outcome mean for the prophecy? What troubles might arise in Arrakis now? Although Paul follows a trajectory like Luke Skywalker’s, a faintly ominous undertone lingers throughout. So many unknown elements are simply not straightforwardly answered. Still, Paul must navigate through it all to develop personally, understand himself and protect the Fremen people.

It is because of these aspects, I believe, that it will appeal most to even the casual viewer. Those who were only lukewarm about the first film will definitely feel rewarded watching the sequel. It is exceptionally rare for a sequel to be superior, but Villeneuve manages to accomplish the feat. Even those skeptical of the first ‘Dune’ will be transformed into believers after seeing ‘Part Two.’

No Garfunkel, no problem

A half century ago Simon sets off on his own

Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief

Declared both a “brilliantly executed masterpiece” and criticized as “deficient in spontaneity, excitement and strain” by critics of the time, Paul Simon’s ‘There Goes Rhymin’ Simon” encapsulates what makes the artist so great.

On this day in 1973, Paul Simon released his second solo album ‘There Goes Rhymin’ Simon.’ The album was released just a day before his tour of the United States began, marking his first tour without his former musical counterpart Art Garfunkel.

After the 1970 Simon & Garfunkel split, Simon took three years off before setting out on another tour. Simon himself said that he was worried the tour would fall flat without Garfunkel with him, but he was proven wrong, thanks to ‘There Goes

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new students have someone with whom they can safely discuss their observations, experiences, and questions.

But the club ideally will not be exclusively for students with a certain background.

ROOFTOPS

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Rhymin’ Simon.’

The album opens with the upbeat and funky ‘Kodachrome’ which shares nostalgic and youthful sentiments of life in color with subtle undertones of memory putting a distorting filter on reality.

The third song on the album, ‘Take Me to the Mardi Gras’ was recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in Sheffield, Alabama. The four studio owners, also the house band, were known to play for Aretha Franklin, Etta James and many other iconic artists. The song is inspired by the Dixieland sound born from the iconic Shoals Sound Studio, with undertones of gospel and a closing instrumental that sounds like it was taken straight from the famed New Orleans parade.

‘Something So Right’ is truly the album’s showcase for Simon’s songwriting. While at first listen, it is a simple-sounding love song,

the lyrics tackle the complications of pessimism, fear of vulnerability and skepticism.

The sixth track, ‘American Tune,’ is a poetic eulogy for the American dream.

Simon sings, “We come on the ship they call The Mayflower/ We come on the ship that sailed the moon/ We come in the age’s most uncertain hours/And sing an American tune.”

Followed by the chorus, “Oh, and it’s alright, it’s alright, it’s alright/You can’t be forever blessed/Still, tomorrow’s going to be another working day/And I’m trying to get some rest/That’s all I’m trying to get some rest.”

The album picks up its pace with ‘Was a Sunny Day’ which tells the fated love story between a sailor and the only woman he’s loved, Lorelai. The song is one of many from Simon’s discography that pulls directly from Caribbean music, with which he

was obsessed.

Perhaps the album’s most famous song, ‘Loves Me Like a Rock,’ has a gospel sound with lyrics to match, with a sprinkling of folk. Simon takes the listener through a man’s life, even using an analogy where the man imagines he is the president. The consistency throughout this song is that the man resists sin and evil thanks to his mother’s love, which is like a rock. The use of rock in the lyrics’ main simile is a play on the “Rock of Ages,” God. Each track on this album has a distinct sound and pulls from several genres, making it difficult to define under any label other than “a Paul Simon album.” Both the artist’s songwriting skill and his eclectic sound are on display, making it the perfect album to preface what would be a landmark American tour.

Tunes from the Tower ‘Beautiful Things’

Dom Puglisi Staff Writer

The other day, I was scrolling on BeReal attempting to avoid doing work when I noticed an odd trend in the BeReals of my friends back home. Five or six of them all happened to be at a concert; none of them were together but had all gone out to see a guy named Benson Boone.

I had never heard of this artist before. So, I decided to check him out and find out why many of my friends had decided to see him live, only to find that he is currently holding the number 15 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 with his single “Beautiful Things,” the song I will be reviewing in this article.

The first striking thing about this track is its resemblance to the works of other popular artists right now, such as Noah Kahan and Zach Bryan. Like these clear inspirations, Boone crafts an emotional track with plenty of selfdeprecation, portraying himself as a broken man fearing to lose a woman he doesn’t deserve. This character of a downtrodden but well-meaning guy is a popular one in music as of late, with the relatively specific and heartfelt lyrics also calling back to these two inspirations of Kahan and Bryan.

The days of the squeakyclean generic popstar for anyone could relate to are over; the rise of the hyperemotional and lyrically truthful alt-pop antihero has ascended to the forefront. Where Boone departs from Kahan and Bryan is his musical style; he ditches the folk/country musical aesthetic and instead dawns the strong sharp guitars and stomping drums of alt-rock.

He moves from acoustic guitars to garage band backing and experiments more vocally than some of his other popular contemporaries, precariously reaching high as he strays from lo-fi aesthetics to a big stage vibe. All of these factors check out as my friends who attended his concert are also fans of Kahan and Bryan. Overall, this song struck me as rather bland, an emotional guitar-driven alt-pop song that may be seen on infinite vibe-themed playlists.

Instead, Li (and the rest of the club’s executive team) hope that “people who care about learning about other cultures will come…we’re all made in the image of God, and our difference is good,” she said. Li remembers her concern at the beginning of college that spending all her time immersed in American culture would affect her Chinese heritage and cultural background, so she has been intentionally holding on to traditions and memories that are important to her. At the same time, she sees things to love in American culture, and she wants her time here in the United States to be an opportunity to “shape herself” with the knowledge she now has about both cultures. Mu Kappa’s team hopes to aid other students in this process of cultural education and growth.

songwriters! Several of the artists performing at the event are performing original music, and we are passionate about supporting the careers of our student artists.” Not only will students have the opportunity to support the musical styles of their peers, but they will also be treated to free pizza and a beautiful night under the

songwriters on display, the Rooftop Concert is certainly an event you won’t want to miss. So, break out those blankets and lawn chairs, and head on over to Lincoln Lawn at 6 p.m. CLUB

stars. Additionally, WBN plans to have various lawn games set up for students as well. With such an exciting lineup of events and the promising talents of student singer-

What is truly interesting about this song is Boone’s adaptation of the new popular style of his contemporaries to a somewhat new sound. Will we one day be hearing Kahan and Bryaninspired rappers, R&B artists, rock bands, or mainstream pop stars? Only time will tell.

For now, we are sure to see many more artists blowing up off of their brooding yet inspiring tales of yearning and love, and right now it’s Benson Boone’s time in the limelight.

Baseball fights for first

Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief

Wolverine Baseball is now 13-5 in the PAC after sweeping the Washington and Jefferson Presidents in a doubleheader on Monday, clinching a berth in next week’s conference tournament.

The Wolverines remain mathematically alive for the top seed in the six-team tournament, which will be held May 8-11 in Washington, PA. Grove City gave W&J their worst loss of the season after taking the first game 13-1 in only eight innings of play.

The Wolverines held the Presidents scoreless until the fourth inning, amassing a 5-0 lead before W&J ever scored.

While one run was all Game One had to offer for the Presidents, the Wolverines kept rolling, scoring eight more runs across the remaining four innings.

Grove City entered the last inning leading 6-1, but a seven-run landslide sent them far enough ahead that the 10run mercy rule was enacted.

The last inning’s offensive showcase featured a two-run single from junior right fielder Josh Minnich. Senior first baseman Markus Williams then doubled in two more runners. The game was over once sophomore centerfielder Nick Sampson had his first collegiate homerun to cap the eighth inning, following Vittone and Williams across home plate.

Freshman third baseman Sam Bevin went three for three at bat, hitting a triple, double and a single. He had four runs. Minnich and junior shortstop Luke Vittone each had three RBIs. Minnich went three for five at bat and Vittone went three for four at bat.

Vittone is now tied for fifth place all-time at Grove City

with 111 runs scored. He is tied with Ben Wilson (200609) and Marcus Magister (2008-11).

Senior pitcher Nick Guidas earned his fourth win of the season after only allowing one run in 5 1/3 innings. The Wolverines secured a 4-0 lead across four innings in the second game. Despite the Presidents’ best efforts, they could not catch up. W&J only scored three runs across nine innings. The Wolverines took the second game 4-3.

Williams led Grove City by going two for three at bat. Three of the team’s four runs came after sophomore outfielder Trey Wagner doubled

to left field, sending three Wolverines across home plate.

Bevin pitched 8 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs while striking out four men. Bevin yielded six hits. He earned his seasons’ sixth win.

Umland now has 10 career saves, which ranks second in program history. Justin Miller recorded a dozen saves from 2004 to 2007.

The conference competition is tight, with four of the top six teams within two wins of one another’s records.

W&J has a 15-3 conference record going into tomorrow’s PAC action. The Presidents visit the 13-5 Allegheny Ga-

tors. If Allegheny sweeps W&J, and Grove City sweeps the Chatham Cougars in their respective Saturday doubleheaders, then there would be a tie for first place.

Now that the Waynesburg Yellowjackets have concluded their conference schedule with a 15-5 record, the tie would consist of four teams with a 15-5 record.

In that scenario, Grove City would be 4-2 against the other teams in the tie as the Wolverines previously split with Allegheny and Waynesburg. Waynesburg and Allegheny would both be 3-3 in the four-way tie and W&J 2-4.

Lacrosse crushes Westminster

Joel Sledd Sports Editor

To kick off their postseason, Grove City’s Women’s Lacrosse began their postseason with a 17-5 win over Westminster at home in round one of the PAC Tournament. At the end of the regular season, Grove City held a 12-5 overall record and a 7-2 conference record. In the initial PAC postseason standings, the Wolverines were placed behind the Washington & Jefferson Presidents at No. 1 and the Allegheny Gators at No. 2.

The Wolverines went into the PAC playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the six-team tournament. Grove City was matched up against no. 6 Westminster for the PAC quarterfinals held on April 30. Fifth-year midfielder Madison Nazigian opened the match with the first goal of the game. The Wolverines then proceeded to score nine more points uninterrupted to set the score 10-0. After Westminster replied with their own two goals, Grove City hit a six-point streak to put Westminster at an even larger deficit.

The Wolverines successfully knocked Westminster out of the tournament 17-5. Freshman attacker Taylor

Blythe led with a personal best of five goals and five assists. Nazigian scored six times to extend the Wolverines’ lead and junior defender Amber Wartman forced four turnovers, while the defense as a whole caused 20 turnovers. Two single-season program records were broken this year. Before the matchup against Allegheny, Blythe had 31 assists and

Wartman caused 57 turnovers. On April 27, the Wolverines closed their regular season at Washington & Jefferson. As underdogs, Grove City kept it close throughout the entire match, but the Presidents would pull away with an 11-9 victory. Blythe and Nazigian scored the first two goals of the game, both assisted by senior midfielder

Tennis takes runner up

Joel Sledd Sports Editor

Grove City’s Men’s Tennis found their end at the final game of the season in the PAC Championship. Unfortunately, the Wolverines fell to their opponent, Allegheny College, to take runner-up in the conference for the 2024 season.

On April 27, the Wolverines entered a face-off against the No. 1 seed Allegheny Gators for the title match.

By the end of the regular season, the Gators were the only PAC teams without a conference loss. Grove City was ranked second in the PAC standings going into the postseason, with only one conference loss during the season.

The Wolverines skipped ahead to the semifinals for being No. 2 in the conference standings. Their first matchup in the bracket was against the Saint Vincent Bearcats on April 25. The Bearcats were third in the conference rankings for having a conference record of 5-3. However, the Wolverines made short work of them, sweeping Saint Vincent 5-0 to advance to the championship.

Lucy Martin. The score was tied at the end of the first quarter 3-3.

After Martin scored her own goal in the middle of the second quarter, the Presidents started to run away with the game, setting the Wolverines back 7-4. There was a lot of back-and-forth scoring in the third quarter and Grove City went into the last quarter down 8-11. The fourth quarter was uneventful until Blythe scored the last goal of the game with 43 seconds remaining, but the Wolverines’ loss was cemented.

In their third year of competition, Grove City’s Women’s Lacrosse team has amassed a 32-18 regular season record. Head coach Cassley Jackowski spent the last three seasons at Grove City helping to set up the program in a competitive conference.

The team has played consistently, winning at least one postseason game every year since they started in 2022.

Women’s Lacrosse played yesterday against the Allegheny Gators in round two of the conference tournament. Due to the publishing schedule of this issue, results from yesterday’s match cannot be included. Check Grove City College Athletics’ official website for the results and upcoming schedule.

Grove City won six of the seven games before entering the championship and their only conference loss of the regular season came at the hands of Allegheny. They also went 61-11 in singles and doubles matches across eight conference games. Unfortunately, after experiencing some rain delay, the Wolverines’ chance at the Division III tournament ended with a 5-1 loss against Allegheny.

The lone win of the game for Grove City came at third doubles when partners senior Collier Kaufman and sophomore Benjamin Jones won 8-2. Kaufman and Jones also earned a spot on their All-Tournament team.

Head Coach Nathaniel Horner has led the Wolverines to the PAC Championship every year since he started in August 2020. Coach Horner currently holds a 51-19 overall record and two men’s tennis PAC titles across four years at the helm of Grove City’s Men’s Tennis program.

Wolverines Tennis will end their season with a 13-7 record and a runner-up finish in the PAC conference.

MEN continued from 12

with goals from Petrolle, Jones and Lehberg in the final minute.

With this commanding win, Grove City College secured the top seed in the upcoming four-team conference tournament. The Wolverines will face off against no. 2 Allegheny at 4 p.m. tomorrow at home on Robert E. Thorne Field.

GRACE DAVID

Freshman pitcher/infielder Sam Bevin moments after a pitch. Bevin pitched 8.1 innings on Monday.

LUKE PAGLIA

Junior midfielder Maddie Krabitz on the move.

Men’s track goes back-to-back

Joel Sledd Sports Editor

The Wolverines will have to make room for yet another Men’s Track & Field PAC trophy after back-to-back victorious seasons for the men.

On April 25 and 26, the men and women of Grove City’s Track & Field teams returned to Morgantown, W.Va. for the 2024 PAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship where they would cap off their season competing against 10 other teams for the trophy.

The men of Grove City College claimed their second championship in a row after taking six events, compiling a team score of 164.

At runner-up in the men’s side was Washington & Jefferson trailing by 18 points.

The men also won the indoor championship earlier this year.

This is the first time in program history that the men have won both the indoor and outdoor championships in the same year.

Sophomore Alex Mitchell was awarded the meet’s Most Valuable Performer (MVP) and Track & Field MVP honors for contributing 25.5 points and two first-place finishes in the 200 and 400 meters. Mitchell’s time of 21.61 in the 400 meters set a conference and school record in the event.

The Wolverines also won the 4x400 meter relay with

Mitchell, sophomore Isaac Young, senior Tyler Eagan and sophomore Isaac Busler leading the charge.

Senior Gabe Dunlap provided a win on the field in the javelin, throwing it 185 feet and 8 inches. Following Dunlap’s performance in the javelin event was sophomore Ethan Wiley in second and J.D. Black in fourth.

Junior Nick Petucci marked 45 feet and 8.5 inches on the triple jump for first place. Meanwhile, senior Nick Gustafson took first in shotput and junior Ryan Lenhart placed second.

The team was assisted by several other key performers that boosted Grove City’s score in the final rankings. In the 3000 steeplechase, sophomore Michael Singley set the third fastest school record in the event to place third while freshman Max Ware took fifth.

A four-man team for the Wolverines took second in the 4x100 meter relay in 42.86.

On the field, Sophomore Tucker Ownes finished at second in the pole vault, while Black earned fourth in both discus and javelin.

In her seventh year leading Grove City’s Track & Field Program, Head Coach Jessica Cooper was crowned PAC Men’s Track & Field Coach of the Year for the 2024 outdoor season.

The women finished third

Men’s lacrosse moves on to Championship

Garrett Gess Staff Writer

Grove City Athletics

The Grove City College men’s lacrosse team earned a 17-6 home victory Wednesday night over No. 4 seed Westminster in the semifinals of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, held at Robert E. Thorn Field.

Top-seeded Grove City will host No. 2 Allegheny in Saturday afternoon’s title game.

Junior attack Kobi Bui and junior midfielder Zachary Hougan both fired in four goals to help pace the Grove City offense while junior attack Matt Blythe had three goals.

Grove City held a 3-2 lead with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter but Blythe scored twice and Hougan scored off an Agawa assist to help the Wolverines take a 6-2 lead into the second period.

Bui, Blythe and Hougan all scored in the second quarter as Grove City led 9-4 at halftime. Senior midfielder Agawa and sophomore midfielder Colton Lehberg scored in a 10-second span of the third quarter as the Wolverine lead grew to 12-5 after 45 minutes.

In the closing match of the 2024 regular season, the Wolverines displayed an extraordinary offensive performance, securing a dominant 31-3 victory against Washington & Jefferson in PAC play on the road. This win marks Grove City’s remarkable 10th consecutive triumph, further solidifying their position as a

force to be reckoned with in collegiate lacrosse. Leading 6-0 after the first quarter, the Wolverines continued to dominate, extending their lead to a commanding 16-1 by halftime. Freshman attacker Davis Schneider showcased an outstanding performance, tying Grove City’s singlegame scoring record with an impressive 11 points. Schneider’s contribution included six goals and five assists. Notably, eight of his teammates also made significant contributions, with graduate student attacker James Petrolle,

in the final team rankings for the 2024 PAC Championship with an accumulated 101.5 team points. The Westminster Titans secured the 2024 championship title.

Two women earned a gold in the two-day event. Junior Lydia Bennett won the 1500 meters in 4:43.29, and classmate Grace Smith took home the second win of the day for the women in the 3000 steeplechase with the second fastest time in program history. Junior Virginia Williams earned fifth in both the 3000 steeplechase and 5000 meters.

Senior Katie Baller was the second Wolverine to set a new school record, this time in the high jump. Baller’s best attempt cleared 5 feet and 6 inches and placed her in third. Sophomore Rebecca Vezzosi and freshman Elly Bruner earned fourth and fifth in the long jump respectively.

The Wolverines also took fifth in the 4x400 relay.

Young and freshman Alayna Bishop both earned a spot on the PAC Sportsmanship team.

For some, the track and field season isn’t over yet. More than a dozen athletes from Grove City College have qualified for the All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference Regionals, which will be held on May 15 and 16 at the State University of New York at Cortland.

Softball ends regular season

Emma Rossi Editor-in-Chief

Wolverine Softball has a new program record after sweeping the Saint Vincent Bearcats last Friday. The team now has 23 wins under their belts this season.

Grove City went 12-8 in conference play, ranking them behind Allegheny, Geneva and Westminster, who are all tied for first with records of 15-5.

The Wolverines were 3-7 in conference play only a few weeks ago, but with half of their PAC schedule still to play, the team rallied and bulldozed through their last 10 conference games, quadrupling their wins and adding only one loss to their record.

On Friday, Grove City traveled to Latrobe, Pa to close their regular season play against the Bearcats. The day ended with a sweep for the Wolverines, with a 15-1 win in the first game and a 6-2 win in the second.

midfielder Alec Jones and sophomore attacker

Greene recorded a careerbest four assists, accumulating seven points in the match. Petrolle provided three assists, while Law and Bui each contributed two points.

Schneider’s impact was felt early on with two goals in the first quarter, followed by assists to Jones, Walton and Zabroski in the second.

Grove City sealed their dominant first-half performance

The Wolverines took an 8-0 lead early in the game thanks to a smattering of six runs in the first inning. Four of the first inning’s runs were thanks to a grand slam from junior right fielder Annika Rinehart.

This was Rinehart’s first career homerun.

Two innings later, Rinehart added another homerun to her repertoire, which added two more to Grove City’s lead.

After adding another six tallies to their side of the scoreboard, the Wolverines took the first game.

Freshman pitcher Abigail

Meadors earned her 10th win after striking out eight batters in five innings while only allowing one run.

In the second game, the bulk of the scoring came in the first inning. The Wolverines put a pair of runs on the board, which the Bearcats answered with their own set of two to cap the first. The tie was broken in the second thanks to sophomore infielder Riley Eaton’s ground out to second base. Grove City added another run in the fourth and their final scores in the seventh inning. The final decision was 6-2.

Sophomore outfielder Noel Anthony led the Wolverine offense with two triples. She was joined by junior first baseman Brooke Brodie who had a pair of doubles.

Brodie also earned the pitching win after throwing four scoreless innings.

The Wolverines faced the Bethany Bison in the PAC Tournament yesterday. The Bison were ranked behind the Wolverines with a record of 11-9. On March 29, the Wolverines traveled to W. Va. to face the Bison in a doubleheader.

Grove City earned a split against Bethany, winning the first game 5-0 and dropping the second with a final decision of 4-2. Since their meeting in March, the Wolverines have won nine conference games and Bethany has won eight. Due to the scheduling for this publication, coverage and results cannot be included in this article. For information on the game’s results, visit athletics.gcc.edu.

junior

Rigdon Greene each securing hat-tricks.

GRACE DAVID Sophomore attack Rigdon Greene with a shot on the goal.

LUKE MCLISTER Junior Lydia Bennett.

LUKE MCLISTER Sophomore Alex Mitchell.