November 2018 Roar

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Penn State Beaver Roar

News

November 2018

One out of every four ALEXEY STERN

Senior Staff Writer ams8317@psu.edu

At age 15, “Daisy” had a zest for life and was optimistic about the bright future that laid ahead of her.

She was a sophomore at the time, attending a Pennsylvanian high school in her hometown.

She felt that everything was going her way, as she started to date a boy who seemed to be so sweet and so nice to her…at first.

As the months passed and the so-called honeymoon phase started to wear off, her boyfriend started to show his true colors.

He was eager to start a sexual relationship, she said, but she wasn’t ready, and she constantly rejected his advances. But he wouldn’t give up.

At first he was only emotionally abusive, she said.

As his patience wore thin, he finally snapped.

She will always remember the day he dragged her by her hair across the room, grabbed her by the back of her neck, and threw her down a flight of stairs in a state of rage. The next time he asked for it, she was afraid to say no. She was so scared of getting hurt again, she let him rape her.

This would go on for the next seven months. Daisy was afraid of breaking up with him, in fear of how he would lash out. She blamed herself for being in this situation, and her guilt made her start to hate herself.

He convinced her that she was powerless.

Eventually, she tried committing suicide, just as a way out of this abusive situation. After she was saved in the hospital, Daisy never saw him again.

Daisy never reported him because she said she

didn’t have evidence and she was terrified of his violent nature, of him lashing out and trying to hurt her, her friends or her family.

Daisy was robbed of her innocence, her ability to trust stunted by her abuse, she said. It took years until finally, in her senior year of high school, she came out about her sexual abuse with her therapist. Only then did she start to heal and embark on the difficult path to recovery.

Today, Daisy, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, is a student at Penn State Beaver. She is only one example of millions of people who suffer from sexual abuse each year.

Undergraduate female students are one of the highest risk groups, with one out of every four female undergraduates experiencing some form of sexual assault before graduation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The scariest part? According to the American Civil Liberties Union, they estimate that at least 95 percent of campus rapes that occur in the U.S. go unreported. Many survivors who finally do come out about their abuse take years or even decades before they do.

Assualt

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Graphic by Shelton Hilliard Cover illustration by Sophia Kramer and Jordan Davis

Two students share their stories of sexual assualt and why they didn’t report

November 2018

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Assault Continued from Page 2

According to Ann Colella-Murray, education training coordinator at the Beaver County Women’s Center, there are a lot of factors that come into play such as self-blame, selfvictimization and attempts to just “handle it” by themselves.

“I think that there comes a point when people realize they can’t ignore their abuse anymore. A lot of people only come in for help after years have passed since their abuse,” ColellaMurray said. “Something happening in their life acts as a trigger and finally forces them to address their situation.”

“A lot of the time, people blame themselves and feel responsible for their abuse. That’s why it is so important to be supportive of survivors who come out. We need to try to take the blame off the victims,” Colella-Murray said.

According to Brenda Schultz, personal and career counselor, the impact that sexual abuse has on its survivors is huge. “It can impact every part of their life…their ability to trust, their academics, their ability to have relationships. It can have an effect on everything,” Schultz said.

According to Schultz, the best way

that survivors can heal and move forward is to talk about what they experienced. “They cannot truly start the process of healing until they take the time to process it and talk about it. It gives them a chance to address the blame they put on themselves,” Shultz said.

Another Penn State Beaver survivor, “Lily,” said she still feels that she is at fault. “Yeah, absolutely I self-blamed…I should have seen it coming.”

Lily, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, said that her experiences with sexual abuse has impacted her. “It’s made me hyper aware of my surroundings. I don’t like being touched. I hate when people surprise me with a random hug from behind me. I’ve become so vigilant of my environment and where I’m at.”

Lily said that a special sense of loss happens during the trauma. “It’s been years since that happened to me and I still wake up at night crying,” Lily said. “It takes something away from you…a loss of humanity. A loss because the person that did it to you didn’t even treat you like a human being.”

Marissa Mendoza-Burcham, an assistant professor of psychology, said that she believes this trauma can be especially difficult for students in college. “When it comes to college stu-

dents, it’s an especially challenging time. They are still figuring out how to be adults and when that abuse happens, it is that much harder for them to grow and overcome that abuse.”

Mendoza-Burcham also said people do not “choose” to wait when it comes to speaking out about their abuse. “I don’t think it’s a choice of wanting to wait, but more of a reaction. The perpetrator is usually someone the person knows or loves.

It’s shocking for them,” MendozaBurcham said.

“They are shocked and processing what happened. Most of the time the victims are so traumatized that they aren’t seeking revenge. Usually they just want to move on and try to put it away.”

Mendoza-Burcham said that the national situation that occurred recently with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is a great example of this. Kavanaugh was investigated for sexual allegations that allegedly occurred during college made by Dr. Blasey Ford, now a college professor from California.

Although Kavanaugh was still appointed to the court by the Senate, the national conversation still rages on surrounding this controversial topic.

“Look at what happened with Dr. Ford. She only came out about Kava-

naugh because he was being considered for a job that would have a very huge impact on the country and she wanted people to know the truth about him. She did it despite knowing full well how much it would cost her,” Mendoza-Burcham said.

According to John Chapin, professor of communications, social media campaigns like #MeToo and the discussions the country is having right now about sexual abuse is moving in the right direction.

“The conversation [about sexual abuse] has been going on for decades, but now it’s broader and louder largely due to social media,” Chapin said.

Chapin said he believes having Kavenaugh being appointed as a Supreme Court Justice will act as a detriment to other people who are debating about coming out.

“Imagine you are a high schooler right now thinking about coming out about your abuse and you see someone like Kavanaugh, who has multiple accusations made against him, get appointed. I mean, it’s going to be discouraging,” Chapin said.

Overall, Chapin said he believes progress is being made when it comes to sexual abuse in the national conversation. “We are already seeing some evidence of that. Look at what happened to Harvey Weinstein. Seeing somebody of his stature being

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brought down so quickly shows that there has been some progress made,” Chapin said.

However, Chapin said he believes that this social movement still has work to do. “Trump’s successful campaigns and the appointment of Kavanagh to the highest court of the land has shown that we aren’t quite there yet,” Chapin said. “There has certainly been an attitude change, but we are seeing the line being drawn. A lot of strides forward have been made but we aren’t quite there yet. ”It has been years since Daisy has started on her road to recovery. There are still some things that she struggles with as a result of her abuse.

She said she is a lot more reserved, gets anxiety from any sudden movements or noises and still has a hard time trusting people. However, with every passing year, she said she feels herself become stronger, more selfassured, more outgoing, and most importantly, happy.

Her message to other survivors is not to give up.“People need to come out and talk about it. I needed to accept that it happened and admit it to myself. You need to teach yourselves that it wasn’t your fault and you need to learn to stand up for yourself,” Daisy said. “After a long time of healing, I realized the truth of the situation and that you need to talk about it. You are not alone.”

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Penn State Beaver Roar

News

November 2018

Students’ drug use goes off campus GABBY FIFFICK

Senior Staff Writer gef5101@psu.edu

The scent of marijuana that typically wafts through Harmony Hall on occasion has been strangely absent this semester.

University Police have had no reports of marijuana use or even the smell of marijuana in Harmony Hall this semester, according to the incident log. In past semesters, it was not uncommon for multiple reports of marijuana use or odor to be reported to police.

“It’s possibly just from cracking down on it last year after we had a lot of reports,” said Officer April Martin.

“We haven’t had any reports lately,” Martin confirmed. “We have a good group of kids, whether they’re not doing it or doing it elsewhere.

Reports have been low in general.”

Although the smell of marijuana has not been reported on campus this semester, it does not mean that students are not partaking in the illicit activities.

After making the campus tobacco free this fall, the sight of billowing smoke pouring from students’ mouths has almost disappeared completely.

The tightening of the smoking policy may be contributing to the absence of marijuana on campus, according to one campus staffer.

Resident Life Coordinator Andy Kiefer said now students cannot be in the smoking hut and disguise a joint for a cigarette.

“I’ve seen people smoking cigarettes in there [the smoking hut]. It smells like a Marlboro or tobacco.

Now the plume coming out of someone’s mouth raises more eyebrows

than it would in April (before the smoking ban took effect),” Kiefer said. “We’re at a point now that a lighter looks out of place.”

This semester, marijuana may be out of sight and smell of the campus, but according to multiple students, it can be found not too far away from campus.

Students say there’s an off-campus location just a short 15 minute walk from campus, where they can smoke marijuana without the fear of a resident advisor or University Police officer knocking on the door.

“A buddy took me my freshman year,” sophomore Jackson Glenn said. “It’s very positive vibes. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. When we go, we hang out and chill. It’s like a small kickback.”

Resident Assistant Zelma Daye said she knows students have been

going somewhere to smoke pot.

“This year it’s different because you can tell who smokes or you have your ideas of who does. Then you see them leave campus and they come back smelling like marijuana,” Daye said.

“I know it’s illegal, but I appreciate that people are taking it off campus and respecting this campus. It’s nice to not have to take extra time on rounds to deal with these issues.”

Glenn said he feels that it’s better and safer for everyone.

“I think that the reputation surrounding the house isn’t right,” said Glenn. “It’s a safer environment to hang out. There are no rumors to be spread or RA’s to be found. It’s a win-win for all involved.

“Bottom line, a pothead will always be a pothead. As long as they’re not hurting anyone and

it’s not on the campus, where’s the issue?” Glenn asked.

“We, as the resident life coordinators, have made it very clear the ramifications of smoking on campus.”

Kiefer also said the rise in the use of vape pens makes it easier to hide the smell of marijuana. “You can cut it with raspberry bubblegum and hide the smell of weed and the smoke dissipates faster.”

Kiefer warned that students may believe they have outsmarted the system, but they may not be aware of the repercussions if they are caught with marijuana.

“I do not believe that marijuana is harmless, for the simple fact that it can gravely affect your academics. If you get caught you lose your scholarships and if you’re an international student you could even lose your academic visa,” said Kiefer.

November 2018

News

Penn State Beaver Roar

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Campus now has access to overdose drug LAUREN ALYSSA RICE Staff Writer

lar5769@psu.edu

Photo by Cathy Benscoter

The tower of Westerkerk overlooks the Prinsengracht Canal in Amsterdam, while a canal boat moves through this long-exposure photo. Students who take Marketing 297 in the spring will walk along the banks of the Prinsengracht before moving on to explore Paris.

Spring break in Europe?

There’s still time to sign up PAUL A. HERVATINE Staff Writer

pah5384@psu.edu

In the spring semester, the Marketing 297 class plans to travel abroad to experience foreign culture in the Netherlands and France.

Participating students and faculty will depart March 1 for the weeklong trip abroad.

The students will first arrive in the Netherlands to tour Amsterdam, then take a train to Hague to tour the city and Hague University.

Students will explore significant landmarks while abroad in their host countries.

In the Netherlands, the class will see such attractions as the Anne Frank House, Urban Farm and Amsterdam Diamond Museum.

After their stay in the Netherlands, students will travel to France to explore Paris before arriving at Lille to see the city and tour Lille University.

During their stay in France, they

will experience landmarks such as the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower.

The trip was organized by Assistant Teaching Professor of Business Daniel Smith and Professor of Marketing Talha Harcar who are both teaching the class.

The two chose France and the Netherlands because of their radically differing culture from the United States.

Harcar said the aim of the outing is to “open the minds of the students by exposing them to different cultures.”

The Marketing 297 is a class that aims to educate its students on worldwide business ideas.

Smith said travel abroad programs are a very crucial opportunity for any student, and encourages students to take the time to study out of the country.

“I think it is important for students to visit other countries in order to better understand cultures, his-

tory, international business, people, etc. A one-week study abroad trip such as this will provide students with a great international travel experience,” Smith said.

Junior Maddy Shoaf, president of the Business Club, said she believes these trips to be an excellent opportunity.

“I feel that abroad trips are a good experience for everyone and everyone should go to learn more about other cultures and what it’s like to go to school in another country,” Shoaf said.

“The large reason many people don’t is the unaffordable cost of studying abroad.”

Students attending this trip must pay a $1,355 fee which includes their plane tickets, room and admission to the various places they will visit.

Smith said 35 students are interested, and a minimum of 10 are needed in order for the trip to go as planned.

University Police officers and Nurse Barb Kugel are trained to use and carry Narcan, the drug that can be used to counteract a drug overdose.

Narcan was first implemented this school year at seven Penn State campuses. It is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Officials said it has not been used yet, but if it is suspected that someone has overdosed on campus, opioid or not, Narcan will be administered because it will not harm the body.

For a kit with two doses in it, the cost is $130 to $140. The cost is covered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant.

Pennsylvania is the sixth leading state in the country when it comes to overdoses. Narcan was implemented to help save students in the case that one occurs on campus.

Narcan is a drug that is administered nasally and is most effective when inhaled.

It chemically reacts with opioids in your bloodstream and slows down the effects of them.

University Police Sergeant Marque Weise says that everyone should know how to use Narcan in the event of an emergency. There are directions on the box and all you need to do is follow them.

Officers went through their training program from the Red Cross along with departmental training.

Officer Davis Huang stated that the training was a mix between hands on and online training.

“

We have not seen anything that would require us to use it, and I hope that we would never have to use it. If we do, we know it’s there.”

Davis Huang

University Police officer

Huang says the training wasn’t too difficult.

“Having Narcan in the residence hall adds a kind of safety net if anything were to happen,” Huang says.

“We have not seen anything that would require us to use it, and I hope that we would never have to use it. If we do, we know it’s there.”

Irene Wolf, associate teaching professor of philosophy, says making Narcan available is the right thing to do. “Reasonably, people should be given a chance.”

Wolf said it’s not unreasonable to ask the person who needed it to pay a percent of their treatment fees. “Maybe if they had to pay something, they would take getting sober more seriously,” she said. ”We’re all on the right path, sometimes we take a little longer.”

If you’re concerned that someone has overdosed, look for signs that may include unresponsiveness, light or restricted breathing, irregular heartbeat or if they are passed out.

Call university police and 911.

Don’t be afraid to make the call or try to save a life because you will be protected by the Good Samaritan law.

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Penn State Beaver Roar

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November 2018

Students pitch change at the Lion’s Den KATIE WORK Staff Writer

kmw6010@psu.edu

Don’t complain.

Pitch the change.

And that is exactly what the students of Penn State Beaver did at the Lion’s Den competition on Nov. 9.

For the third year in a row, students were invited to improve the campus life and learning experience at Penn State Beaver.

“Students get to show their voices in front of decision makers,” says Ashu Kumar, Lion’s Den coordinator and instructor in information sciences and technology. “Otherwise, their voices may get lost.”

Ten student groups presented their ideas to a panel of judges that included Chancellor Jenifer Cushman and other faculty and staff members.

Kumar says that this has been a greater turnout than the past two years of the competition.

“Students are beginning to realize that they can make a change,” he

The Roar/Emily Dietrich

From left, Director of Student Affairs Chris Rizzo, Director of Academic Affairs Carey McDougall and Chancellor Jenifer Cushman judge the student presentations at the Lion’s Den competition Nov. 9.

says.

With an influx of great ideas this year, it was difficult for the judges to pick just one idea to implement.

Several ideas were decided to be worthy of implementation while sev-

eral others were noted to be looked further into before approving or denying.

Top ideas that are planned to be implemented include a new project room in which student groups

Out-of-order gym equipment now repaired for about $800 JESSE MARTIN Staff Writer

jrm930@psu.edu

The treadmills in the gymnasium on campus haven’t been working properly causing student workouts to be interrupted or time-consuming, until now.

Assistant Athletic Director BJ Bertges said at the beginning of the semester the campus spent hundreds of dollars on fixing the treadmills.

After that, students like juniors Jake Ratkovich and Nick Loniero still experienced issues with the treadmills.

Once Bertges was was asked by The Roar about the equipment not

working, she said she talked to the service contactor and he came in the following week to make all repairs with a cost of about $800.

Ratkovich says the treadmills hadn’t been working properly for the majority of the semester. He called it annoying and a hindrance that the gym is free for students to use but some of the equipment doesn’t work.

Loniero said that some days they work and some days they don’t. The power never works on the machines and they have a “contact maintenance” symbol on the screens.

Assistant Basketball Coach/Trainer Nate Johnson says that the equipment not functioning properly is

more of a hassle than anything else.

Johnson said he hasn’t been in the gym when there isn’t an available working treadmill, but said, “I’ve been running on the treadmill and it’ll just cut out.” He says he’ll just move over to another treadmill.

Johnson said it can be frustrating for people, especially newcomers, and if it’s crowded and the treadmills aren’t working, you’ll probably have to run on the court if that’s available.

Bertges said there is a plan to get new equipment by phasing equipment in and out. Bertges said strudents need to let people who work in the gym know if there’s a problem with the equipment.

to work together, making campus umbrellas available at the entrances of all buildings and installing shades on the windows in the Brodhead Bistro.

Other ideas that are being

POLICE BEAT FLYERS BURNED IN DORM

University Police charged freshman Ralph DeLaurentis of Lawrenceville, N.J., with vandalism, arson-reckless burning and criminal mischief. Police received a call Nov. 5 from a campus employee that two flyers had been burned in Harmony Hall.

researched further include a campus feedback app that would allow students to constantly give input for improvement on campus life and a security access card that can be accessed from the cell phones of students.

Freshmen Sam Slavinisky, Dan Falk, and Chris Carson proposed the idea to establish an app for campus feedback.

“There was no toilet paper or paper towels in the men’s room for weeks,” said Slavinisky. “We thought an app would make it easier for the campus to respond to even the simplest problems on campus such as no toilet paper.”

Senior Cody Campbell said this year’s competition had a lot of great ideas.

“Honestly, I would love to see any of these ideas be established,” he said. “(Many are) simple ideas that you wouldn’t think would be that big of an issue. It just goes to show that nobody knows the campus better than the students.”

Write for the Roar and earn college credit

VANDALISM IN GCB

On Nov. 8, an employee reported that a bean bag chair had been vandalized in the General Classroom Building.

UNDERAGED DRINKING

University Police charged junior Angellina Esposito of Pittsburgh with underage possession after police were called Oct. 24 about a student possessing alcohol.

Add the 1 credit Comm 001, Sect. 21, to your Spring 2019 schedule.

November 2018

News

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Why do rare plants grow in our backyard?

Sarah Nilson recieves grant to research the nearly extinct Wild Bleeding Heart MARLENA ENGEN Staff Writer

mqe5192@psu.edu

Sarah Nilson, assistant biology professor, received a $15,000 grant from Duquesne Light to research the Wild Bleeding Heart, a plant that is near extinction.

It has been growing in Beaver County in large patches. The only other known areas where it grows is in the mountains of Bedford County and in West Virginia, between the rocks on the sides of mountains.

Duquesne Light is asking questions about why it is growing in Beaver County.

Nilson is looking into if there is a correlation in the zinc concentrations in the ground and the Bleeding Heart growing out of its natural habitat.

Bleeding Heart has also been found in eastern Pennsylvania in a brownfield site that was once contaminated but the federal government took over and cleaned up. This specific site in Palmerton has concentrations of zinc in the ground.

In Beaver County, Zinc Corporation of America was located where the new Shell ethane cracker plant is being built.

The experiments that are being

The Roar/Marlena Engen

Junior biology major Emily Orlowski tends to 48 Wild Bleeding Hearts in the greenhouse on campus.

conducted by Nilson and Emily Orlowski, a junior biology major, are looking at how the zinc reacts with the growth of plants and if it is the reason the plants are growing there to begin with.

Orlowski has been working closely

with Nilson with her research on the Wild Bleeding Heart as part of an honors option for her Plant Physiology class.

Right now, Orlowski has 48 Dicentra pots in the greenhouse that they dug up at some of the sites and

are treating them with different concentrations of zinc.

“I actually added the zinc just last week, so now I am monitoring them,” Orlowski said, “I am taking pictures each week which I will use in a final poster for the project.”

One of the ways Orlowski can see the difference is weighing them individually before planting them in the pots and then re-weighing them about four months later to analyze their progress.

Orlowski has learned that doing experiments takes time and work to set up and perform.

Orlowski is excited to see what the research says and plans to work with Nilson next semester in continuing the research.

The greenhouse in the biology lab is also getting a $90,000 renovation to help with future research for students and faculty.

Adam Rathbun, director of finance and business, says it will be getting new structural support, environmental control equipment such as swamp coolers and heating units, a new ridge vent drive system and new glass panes.

“The greenhouse in an unstable environment for the biology department’s needs,” Rathbun said.

“When complete, it will allow the department to conduct classroom experiments and grown plants year round,” said Rathbun.

Once started, Rathbun estimates it will take 45 to 60 days to complete the work.

Academic holds stop students from scheduling for spring ALEXIS DIPONIO Staff Writer

and5522@psu.edu

Freshman Tyera Yates has experienced holds on her account without knowing how to get rid of them.

“It just kind of feels like everything is being rushed and I’m not even completely sure what forms I need to turn in,” said Yates.

Yates has been in and out of the financial aid office since the beginning of the year receiving instructions on how to get rid of her holds.

Many students experience holds with confusion as to how to get rid of them.

A hold on your account may prevent you from registering for future classes, graduating and receiving your transcripts. Most holds are automatically placed but require some specific action on the part of students to remove them.

Conduct and academic holds, however, may be manually placed on your account.

Campus officials say all holds

should be seen as urgent and need to be taken care of as soon as possible.

The most common hold this year is the Bursar account delinquent, meaning you owe money.

It may be that a student simply needs to pay the bill, but often a delinquent hold stems from a problem a student is having with financial aid.

“Students need to act,” says Rachel Zughaib, Penn State Beaver registrar.

“Go to the financial aid office if you are confused, someone will help you

through it.”

The financial aid office wants students to take action regarding their holds, said Student Aid Coordinator Gail Gray, so they will not run into problems in the future.

“Something needs to be produced,” says Gray. “Click on the alerts and make sure to get any paperwork necessary to eliminate the hold.”

Zughaib also noticed that many students ignore their holds, leading to problems later on.

Other common holds this year include immunizations and financial responsibility agreement. Some holds may be dismissed by simply checking off that certain things are done.

Holds are automatically placed on student’s accounts when they are missing paperwork necessary amount other reasons. In the future, health insurance will be required of all students. This will be a new hold on your account. Students without health insurance will be charged an additional $2,600 a year.

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Penn State Beaver Roar

Viewpoints

MANAGING EDITOR Savana Griggs

scg5198@psu.edu

PHOTO EDITOR Karl Truskowski kzt5265@psu.edu

BUSINESS MANAGER Nick Pelino

nap5311@psu.edu

COPY DESK Jordan Davis jed53@psu.edu

Alex D’Itri

avd5623@psu.edu

Gabby Fiffick

gef5101@psu.edu

Tiarra Gordon

tag5361@psu.edu

Shelton Hilliard szh151@psu.edu

Brittany Jackson brj5080@psu.edu

Alexey Stern

ams8317@psu.edu

Molly Verone

mev5149@psu.edu

Matylda Zamudio mmz5236@psu.edu

ADVISERS Cathy Benscoter cub15@psu.edu

Daniel Pinchot djp114@psu.edu

November 2018

Enough is enough

Mass shootings in Pittsburgh and California continue the trend of hate and division in the United States On Oct. 27, national and worldwide media knocked on our back door after 11 people were shot and killed and seven others wounded in a brutal hate crime while attending Shabbat morning services at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

Then, just a week-and-a-half later on Nov. 7, a gunman walked into the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, Calif., a country music hangout hosting college night, and killed 12 people, most of whom were college students. According to CNN, this latest massing shooting was the 307th in the U.S. this year.

Enough is enough.

There are no words to describe what has happened in this country regarding mass shootings. The body count is insurmountable.

The fact that society has become numb or nonchalant about looking at another mass shooting on the news is both unimaginable and unsurprising.

It’s ironic because there has been nothing but arguments, debates and nasty Facebook posts over politics and gun control. People on both the left and right are fighting to prove that their position on mental health, gun control, armed security in houses of worship and even arming America’s teachers is correct.

There is no right answer that’s going to prevent the next mass shooting or the one after that.

Enough is enough.

America has entered the point of no return, and at this point absolutely no one is safe from a mass shooting. No one. Not even you.

Mass shootings don’t discriminate.

It doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish or Christian or Muslim. It doesn’t matter if you’re gay, straight or transgendered. It doesn’t matter if you’re a man, woman or child, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, college student or senior citizen. People of all walks of life are being massacred.

Six years ago, 7-year-olds were murdered in their own classroom, but that still hasn’t stopped anything or sparked change.

Enough is enough.

It’s time for all Americans to come together, to work together and to compromise to find a way to address this national problem.

Our political leaders need to quit the fighting, backstabbing and name calling and sit down at the table together to solve this.

But it’s not just Washington, D.C., Harrisburg or even our own town halls that have this responsibility. The residents of our communities, the people who live on our streets, our co-workers, our family members, our friends – we all need to quit fighting and come together for the common good.

And we all need to say, “Enough is enough.”

For all we know, the next mass shooting could be aimed at us.

Recruiting more student-athletes pays dividends on the field, court Recruiting works.

Just ask the players from the women’s volleyball team and the men’s soccer team. Both found themselves fighting for a coveted win in the Penn State University Athletic Conference championships recently.

While neither brought home the W, both teams can be proud of just how far they got.

Even the women’s soccer team, which didn’t win a single game last fall, made it all the way to the playoffs, losing in the first round.

It’s an accomplishment to have a

single Beaver team make it to a championship, but to have all three fall sports compete in the post-season is truly remarkable.

Why have Beaver’s teams enjoyed such a sudden explosion of victories?

Because athletic recruiting has exploded at Beaver this year.

Over the past few years, the campus has recruited 40 to 50 new studentathletes.

This year, the campus recruited a whopping 75 new freshmen athletes – the largest cohort of student athletes to ever attend Penn State Beaver.

With the sudden influx of athletes comes fresh blood and new talent.

They bring tons of potential.

These teams aren’t even fully realized yet.

So many of the new players are still building chemistry with their teams.

Imagine the success that can come along in only a few short years from now.

The campus expects only great things to come from our athletic department, and there’s no doubt it can deliver.

Just keep recruiting new players.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor are encouraged and can be emailed to: scg5198@ psu.edu. Please include your full name, address, email address and cell phone number.

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The content and opinions of this publication reside solely with the authors and not with the Pennsylvania State University or the Penn State Beaver Student Activity Fee Committee.

November 2018

Features

Penn State Beaver Roar

9

Professor stars in children’s bat book JORDAN DAVIS

Senior Staff Writer

jed53@psu.edu

Two fifth graders from Baden Academy charter school, Kaitlyn Desrochers and Kennedi Emery, partnered last spring with Cassandra Miller-Butterworth, associate professor of biology, to write an informational children’s book about the dying bat population.

The book, called “Bats in Danger,” was written to bring awareness of the impact the decreasing bat population could bring to the ecosystem.

Though this is a children’s book, it has a ton of facts about bats so that readers can learn more about these special creatures.

For example, bats eat their body weight in insects every night which has a huge effect on our economy by saving U.S. farmers $23 billion a year on pesticides.

Bats are also responsible for more than 90 percent of the regeneration of rainforests while helping to pollinate crops and distribute seeds.

The book stars a little brown bat named Brownie who wakes up to discover most of the 10,000 friends she has been hibernating with are dead or missing. Out of 10,000 bat friends, only 100 remained.

The death of the bats in the book was caused by a fungus called whitenose syndrome.

While the bats in the book may be characters in a work of fiction, the disease that killed them is very real and is decimating the bat population in western Pennsylvania and across North America.

White-nose syndrome is something that Miller-Butterworth has researched extensively, and she’s lent her expertise to the young authors who created the bat book.

The book goes into detail about how the fungus works and spreads. It thrives in low temperatures and can be found in caves.

The fungus grows on the bats’ skin and damages their wings, while also having them to wake from hibernation more often which can lead them

Penn State Beaver/Cathy Benscoter

Kennedi Emery, left, and Kaitlyn Desrochers practice the technique Associate Professor of Biology Cassandra Miller-Butterworth taught them for preparing bat DNA.

to starve to death.

Miller-Butterworth was more than just a consultant to the authors for information about bats. In fact, she became a character in the book: Dr. B. Brownie, Kennedi and Kaitlyn, characters named after the authors, search to find Dr. B. in her lab where they ask questions about the little brown bat in western Pennsylvania.

Miller-Butterworth, a conservation geneticist, is one of Pennsylvania’s leading bat experts.

She uses DNA as a tool to answer questions about how different wildlife move around the landscape and how different populations are related to each other.

Miller- Butterworth uses her research to track the disease by testing to see how different populations

of little brown bats in Pennsylvanian are related to each other, then eventually expanding to North America.

In the book, Dr. B and the girls get to work in her lab testing DNA to track how bats are interacting and migrating across the country.

Their work will hopefully help scientists understand how the white-nose syndrome is spreading.

“The book is about educating people. Bats aren’t scary or going to harm you,” says MillerButterworth. “They are more afraid of you then you are of them.”

The book also mentions how Dr. B has worked with students to build bat houses on the Penn State Bea-

ver campus. These bat boxes provide a safe place for bats to hibernate during the winter.

Head Librarian Amy Deuink applauded the young authors’ use of a children’s book to educate people. “A children’s book seems like a fun way to learn about the issues happening with the bats.”

Deuink said students will be able to check out the book, “Bats in Danger,” in the campus library.

It’s also available for purchase online from Barnes and Noble for $14. Proceeds go to Bat Conservation International.

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Features

November 2018

New releases excite gamers DIMITRIOS KOUVARAS Staff Writer

dpk5374@psu.edu

The gaming lineup for this fall includes many huge releases, including the new “Spider-Man,” “Call of Duty: Black Ops 4,” “Fallout 76” and “Red Dead Redemption 2.”

“Red Dead Redemption 2,” released Oct. 26, is the latest openworld title from developer Rockstar Games. Rockstar’s last title was “Grand Theft Auto V,” the highest grossing piece of entertainment in history, according to entertainment analysis firm Cowen.

According to IGN video game and entertainment media website, “Red Dead Redemption 2” had the largest opening weekend for any entertainment product in history, selling $725 million in copies over just three days.

Max Mueller, a freshman, said that not only is he an avid gamer, but is also very excited to play “Red Dead Redemption 2.”

“Rockstar’s games are so unique in comparison to most other games,” Mueller said. “‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘Red Dead Redemption’ are semi-realistic to real life. ‘Grand Theft Auto 5’ is a crime game set in modern-day California. ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ is based on spaghetti western movies that you’ve probably seen,” Mueller added.

“People know just how good these games are,” Mueller said.

While “Red Dead Redemption 2” is definitely a game to look out for, it was not the only big title being released this fall. Other developers are bringing new features to their games to compete with the behemoth.

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 4,” from Treyarch, was the newest “Call of Duty” title released Oct. 12.

According to the official site, while the game doesn’t feature a story mode. The game leans heavily on game modes that the developers believe will make fans of the series happy, including a new battle royale game mode called “Blackout.”

Eric Halicek, a senior, says that

The Roar/Dimitrios Kouvaras

Above, Anthony Santilo, left, and Ben Foringer get their minds off midterms by facing off in Super Smash Bros. in the Game Room on the lower level of the Student Union Building. Below, Anthony Dambach, left, Foringer and Santilo play online games on their laptops.

not only has he purchased the new “Call of Duty” title, but he enjoys gaming as a stress reliever.

“I’m having a lot of fun with the new ‘Black Ops’,” said Halicek.

“I feel that more competitive games are geared towards people that have the drive to win, but at the same time, if you’re someone who has anger issues or social problems, then I wouldn’t recommend them.”

“Assassin’s Creed Odyssey,” a title from Ubisoft, is adding many new role-playing aspects to the newest installment to their series.

According to its developers, this is an open-world game set in Ancient Greece and is the biggest “Assassins Creed” to date, released Oct. 5.

“Spider-Man” is a title from Insomniac Games and Marvel

released Sept. 7. According to its official site, the game features iconic characters from Peter Parker/SpiderMan’s life.

“Fallout 76,” the newest game released Nov. 14 from Bethesda Game Studios, is the latest addition to the “Fallout” series that, for the first time, features online multiplayer.

According to the game’s developers, all of the fans that have wished to explore a post-apocalyptic world with their friends will soon get their wish in “Fallout 76.”

Kevin Bennett, assistant teaching professor of psychology, said playing video games like these can actually promote positive skill development.

“I think there’s pretty good news out there with gaming. As evidence has suggested over the past decade, it seems that people that engage in gaming, especially those that involve a multi-person game, are encouraged to develop certain social traits such as cooperation, teamwork, and communication,” said Bennett.

“You learn not only about success and the enjoyment of success, but also how to deal with failure. You’re learning some really important things that all feed into the development of identity and your own personality, and that’s a good thing.”

It’s no surprise that gaming has become a phenomenon among newer generations.

Bennett, while not a gamer, says he is very interested in virtual reality and realizes its potential for the future of gaming by being far more immersive and responsive.

“I used to play video games back in college, but now I’m more interested in augmented reality,” said Bennett.

“There’s a concept in psychology called ‘flow experience,’ which basically means that you’re ‘in the groove,’ you’re in that zone where you are so committed to something that you tune everything else out. It’s generally a good state to be in, even runners talk about it as a ‘runner’s high.’ It’s a middle ground between boredom and anxiety and I feel that a lot of gamers get into that zone.”

November 2018

Features

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11

Students collect record 7,902 cans for Humane Society

“

As teams started getting cans and reporting tentative numbers, it became competitive.”

SAVANA GRIGGS Senior Staff Writer

scg5198@psu.edu

For the second year in a row, Lecturer in Business Neil Fogarty assigned the students in his Contemporary Skills for Business Professionals class the challenge of collecting cans of pet food for the Beaver County Humane Society.

The class exceeded its goal by collecting more than twice the number of cans than the previous year’s class.

The class collected a whopping 7,902 cans of pet food, compared to 3,551 last year.

The students had two weeks to collect as many cans as they could.

The class of 38 students were divided up into seven teams.

Fogarty said that the goal for the class was the same as last year, and that the class was extremely motivated from the start.

“Both years they had the same

Neil Fogarty

Lecturer in Business

Submitted photo

Lucas Mansell and Kurt Reinstadtler deliver donated pet food to the Humane Society of Beaver County.

goal: to collect as many cans as they could. They collected so many because they became exceptionally motivated to help the needy dogs

and cats,” said Fogarty.

Fogarty also noted that the competition between the team helped motivate the students.

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“As teams started getting cans and reporting tentative numbers, it became competitive,” said Fogarty.

According to a post on the Beaver

County Humane Society’s Facebook page, the society’s staff is very appreciative of the efforts that were made

by Fogarty and his students.

“You have filled our hearts and our animals’ bellies with love that will last a long, long time,” the Facebook post says.

Mike Romigh, sponsorship, events and social media manager of the Beaver County Humane Society, said that it was a tremendous effort on the part of the students.

Words alone don’t do justice to the nearly 8,000 cans of food that were donated, he said.

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November 2018

November 2018

Penn State Beaver Roar

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Top: Nicholas Pelino and Taylor Myers enjoy tea time at The Blue Box Cafe in Tiffany & Co. Left: Vanessa Jackson (left) and Brittany Garza pose for a photo at the top of the Empire State Building.

Ashley Taylor finds a colorfully painted wall while walking the streets in New York City.

Beaver takes Manhattan About 40 Penn State Beaver students embarked on a trip to New York City Nov. 10 to enjoy the sites that the city has to offer. With no set itinerary, students were able to create their own adventure. Some chose to see the tourist sights such as Times Square and the Empire State Building. Others went off of the beaten path, deciding to take the trek to attempt to nagivate to New York subway system. Trying to see the city through the eyes of a local, some students went to places such as Chelsea Market, the Lower East Side, Little Italy and Chinatown.

Left: Gabby Fiffick and Savana Griggs take a selfie in the center of Times Square. Top: Marissa Bufalini stands under a sign that welcomes her to Little Italy. Bottom: Nicholas Pelino, Marissa Bufalini, Hailey Burbage and Taylor Myers pose in front of the beautiful artwork that covers the buildings in Little Italy

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November 2018

Which donuts make you go nuts?

ALEX D’ITRI

Senior Staff Writer avd5623@psu.edu

The locally owned donut shops of Beaver County are beloved by the area’s residents.

Oram’s, DeAngelis and Mac’s donut shops have been around for decades and built a dedicated following with their loyal customer bases.

All these are well known for being traditional and high-quality donut establishments.

Oram’s is located in downtown Beaver Falls, tucked away among larger buildings like a small cubbyhole in the wall.

Co-owners Dave Bicksler and Brian Booth are proud to continue the tradition of selling donuts at the store which has stood since 1938.

Despite a somewhat unremarkable exterior, the inside of the store is a wonderland of large bakery goods.

There is not much room for customers to stand and order, but that’s not a problem. As friendly as the staff is, Oram’s is a place to get your donuts and get out.

Oram’s is best known throughout the county for their delicious and humongous cinnamon rolls. They are sweet, savory, quite possibly the biggest pastry you may have encountered.

“Their cinnamon rolls are the best donuts I have ever had,” said junior Ashley Taylor.

She was first introduced to them a close friend, who upon hearing that she had not tried them before, drove her to the donut shop the same day.

Another fan favorite for Oram’s customers is their creamed filled donuts. These pastries are almost more cream than dough and are sweet enough to make you want to schedule a dentist appointment.

A bit closer to Penn State Beaver’s campus is DeAngelis Donut’s across the bridge in Rochester.

DeAngelis is well known for its classic store design complete with large rotating donut sign in front of the store itself.

Its owner, Richard DeAngelis, says that it is the maple glaze that sets

The Roar/Alex D’Itri

DeAngelis apart from other donut chains. The glaze adds a sweet crispness to every bite.

Its best seller is the traditional glazed donut, but as the holidays approach, DeAngelis does see a dra-

Top, Oram’s famous cinnamon rolls are award winning. Bottom right, Donuts at Mac’s are classic and simple with chocolate-covered icing waiting. Bottom left, Counters line the inside of DeAngelis Donut Shop where a customer waits for his order.

matic spike in sales of pumpkin-flavored pastries.

“I think of it as a great place to go on my way to campus,” said senior Peri Coleman.

Coleman said that she has many found memories of sharing DeAngelis Donuts with friends on campus, especially when it’s someone’s first time having them.

The interior of DeAngelis sports a long bar running the length of the store with a few large square tables attached to it.

At the front of the store, you can find a large display case featuring all of the various pastries for sale.

At these tables you can often find groups of friends in the midst of jovial conversation over their donuts and coffee.

Those on the go may appreciate the drive-thru that DeAngelis also offers.

For a simple, good donut and quality cup of coffee, Mac’s Donuts Shop in Aliquippa is the place to be. The shop is known for offering a wide array of simple-yet-delicious donuts. Nothing about Mac’s is too flashy or trendy. The store itself is low profile with a warm and cozy feel.

The quality goes beyond the store as Mac’s delivers donuts by the dozen every day to places all over the county. Many churches and other nonprofits in the area get to enjoy these savory treats every week.

“Mac’s Donuts Shop is the kind of place that you don’t mind waking up early to go get,” said junior Marissa Bufalini.

Wile the store is open into the afternoon, she says there is something special about being there early in the morning when the donuts are at their freshest.

Mac’s is as much a part of the community as the streets themselves in Aliquippa.

The owner, Twila McKittrick, recalled a time when she called the police, concerned that she had not seen one of her daily regular customers in over a week. She was happy to find out he was healthy, just busy.

November 2018

Features

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15

Now showing: Sequels, prequels and reboots NATHAN SHARIF Staff Writer

nas5857@psu.edu

Over the past year, the entertainment medium has given no shortage of new television shows or movies in theaters, including a resurgence in nostalgia with remakes or continuations of older, previously produced shows and films.

2018 has brought a revival of television shows such as “The Conner’s” (formerly Roseann), “Will & Grace” and “Murphy Brown”, along with remakes like “Magnum P.I.” and “Gilmore Girls.” Hollywood, meanwhile, has returned to familiar stories in “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Halloween” and “Christopher Robin.”

All of which thus far has been largely successful on television and at the box office.

Yet, not all of the students and staff at Penn State Beaver are convinced that this for the best. “It’s the older generation wanting the newer generation to feel what they felt when they were new,” said junior Vincenzo Lewis Croce. “The problem is, they have to do so much to top the original.”

Croce is not alone. “The content won’t be any better in a (new) film but the production quality would be,” said Sherrika Mitchell, residence life and activities coordinator. “The original is timeless, the best quality.”

Junior Hunter Spisak, a business student, says Hollywood goes where the money is. “The entertainment industry wants to make more money off of the original story concept. Because people love the original story, the studios continue to produce the same product.”

Assistant Teaching Professor of Business Karen Barr agreed, saying the entertainment industry is banking on making a good profit on nostalgia.

“Films like ‘Indiana Jones,’ ‘Spiderman’ and ‘007,’ the market is already there, so the risk of not making a profit is much less.”

So many of today’s films and shows appear to be either sequels, prequels or reboots. The most recent in a massively successful series known

The Roar/Disney and Universal Pictures

Top, Winnie the Pooh characters sun bathe in the ending credits of Disney’s Christopher Robin. Left, an arm grabs Jamie Lee Curtis in a horror scene from the 2018 Halloween remake by Universal Pictures. Above, Mary Poppins characters jump off the rooftop in the new Mary Poppins Returns.

as “Star Wars” is “The Last Jedi.”

“The newest episode made me not want to watch anymore,” Santil said. “They are only doing it for the money.”

Santil said his favorite “Winnie the Pooh” character is Tigger, and he is not looking forward to the “Christopher Robin” movie for the same reason.

Professor of Communications John Chapin, whose favorite Pooh character is Eeyore, says classic stories like “Winnie the Pooh” are always

popular. “Relevancy is still high.

‘Winnie the Pooh’ has been a large part of my life. My wife still has her first Pooh book.”

The significance of certain stories like “Winnie the Pooh” and “Mary Poppins” for some people is still as strong as the day it was released, Chapin said However, the originals, according to some students and staff, are the overall best.

“The new ‘Spiderman’ will not live up to the original because it is a clas-

sic,” said junior Kylee Arms.

This perspective of not needing to reboot and remake is one of consistency.

“Not everyone needs a back story in a film,” says Croce. “It’s OK if minor characters do not have their own spin off. They are or can just be evil. Why do we need a backstory.”

Assistant Teaching Professor of Psychology Kevin Bennett explained the dangers of resurrecting the past.

“By bringing back older shows and films, not everything is accurate-

ly portrayed. It tends to be more romanticized than what originally was or happened.”

Although emotions and hopes have been running high that these films and shows will live up to the desired expectations, there is clearly room for doubt and disbelief.

“Remakes or reboots are either too soon or not necessary,” says Chapin. “Most are abominations. Even ‘The Grinch’ will not be any better.

Sequels are nothing new. Most are shot-by-shot remakes.”

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November 2018

Disney, Pirates, Eat’n Park, Make-A-Wish Student does four interships in four years KEITH PAINTER Staff Writer

kfp5088@psu.edu

Many students find themselves struggling to complete one internship.

Could you imagine completing four?

That’s exactly what senior Taylor Myers has done.

Immediately following her freshman year, Myers interned at the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Pittsburgh working in donor relations.

The following year she took part in the Disney College Program where she lived and worked in Florida, all while taking classes online through Penn State World Campus. Myers was working nearly 50-60 hours a week while interning at Disney.

Myers joined the event operations team for the Pittsburgh Pirates her junior year where she worked every home game at PNC Park.

Even with having three internships already under her belt, it wasn’t until this past summer where she found out what her passion was.

“All of my internships have shaped me in different ways,” Myers said.

“My first internship was the typical intern work: writing thank you letters to donors, stuffing envelopes and

The Roar/Shelton Hillard

Senior business management-marketing major Taylor Myers shows off the Pittsburgh Pirates souvenirs she received during her intership with the Pirates

sending mail. But having an internship under my belt by my freshman year opened the door up for many more opportunities including the Disney College Program, which I believe is my golden ticket into the professional world.”

While undergoing her fourth internship with Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Myers determined that she would like to pursue a career in the field of special events. Event plan-

ning is nothing new to Myers as she is very involved on campus.

According to Brenda Schultz, personal and career counselor, “Networking is everything when searching for an internship or career.”

“Many internships are never even posted,” Schultz added.

When beginning a search for an internship, Schultz suggested students use a “targeted search,” focusing on internships in their field of

interest, rather than internships in general.

Myers agreed that students must take a targeted approach in their search for an internship, as the internship search process can be very rigorous.

“My biggest advice when applying for internships is to not get discouraged,” Myers said. “I spent hours searching and applying for dozens of internships knowing I won’t hear

back from most of them but it only takes one to give you the chance to prove yourself.”

According to Assistant Teaching Professor of Business Dan Smith, the instructor of the Preparation for Career Management course, “Having four internships shows that the student is a hard worker who values the importance of valuable experience during her college years.”

Schultz said that internships offer students great experience in the workforce.

“Internships allow students to increase their network, test their field of interest and obtain skills and knowledge first-hand,” said Schultz.

Schultz said she is one of many resources on campus students can utilize in their search for an internship. She suggested students ask other faculty and staff, as well.

Schultz said that each has his or her own network of resources that can be very valuable.

In addition to asking faculty and staff, students have access to various other resources such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Penn State’s own Nittany Lion Careers website.

Myers said she is looking forward to graduation in May as she begins preparing for the next chapter in her life. She plans to move to San Antonio to join her family and seek a job in special events or community relations. Her ideal company would be Spurs Sports & Entertainment working her way up the corporate ladder, she said.

November 2018

Features

Penn State Beaver Roar

17

New Penn State inter-domain Part-time faculty courses join multiple disciplines share full-time

knowledge

DIMITRIOS KOUVARAS Staff Writer

dpk5374@psu.edu

Penn State has introduced new inter-domain courses in the 2018 fall semester as a part of the new General Education program changes.

Inter-domain classes cover multiple areas of study, or domains, in order for students to broaden their skills and knowledge, according to Penn State’s General Education website. Students must complete six inter-domain credits as part of the new general education requirements.

Gretchen Samchuck, advising program coordinator, recommends that all students should meet with their advisors.

“Meeting with your adviser is one of the most important things a student should do to meet all of their requirements,” Samchuck said.

“Using LionPATH, there are ways to see where you are in meeting your gen ed requirements, but not all students know how to accurately get that information out of LionPATH. Every student should refer to their degree audit.”

Kristen Olson, an associate professor of English, said that she is very excited to be developing and teaching some of the new courses.

“Inter-domain courses emphasize disciplinary crossover by integrating two gen ed areas, and calling direct attention to that crossover,” she said.

“Being exposed to other disciplines, that come at knowledge from different directions, reminds us that there are different ways of approaching a problem,” Olson added. “I always like to think of it as ‘crosstraining for the mind.’ This tweaking of gen ed extends that idea, in that you can blend methodologies in a single course.”

Next semester, Olson will be teaching HUM 200: The Quest. The new course will blend both the arts and humanities.

“We will read novels, plays and

MOLLY VERONE Staff Writer

mev5149@psu.edu

The Roar/ Dimitrios Kouvaras

Lecturer in Religious Studies Kim Moulos teaches her students in the inter-domain course titled “Living in a Diverse World.”

poems as well as watch films that use the formula of the quest as their main story arc. The inter-domain element offers a broad range of stories on which to draw, and brings in media beyond the printed text,” stated Olson.

Kim Moulos, an adjunct instructor, teaches some of these courses.

Moulos’ course, “Living in a Diverse World,” uses literature, film and texts to encourage students to explore how social differences shape society and everyday interactions.

The class blends aspects of both humanities and social sciences.

Moulos said that the content “provides a more disciplined methodology” and that the blend of domains expands the questions in ways that provoke a more constructive dialogue within the course.

“There’s a creativity and freedom to really explore subject matter in a way that’s more disciplined with social sciences. The humanities aspect allows us to have conversations about subject matter where our emotional response is relevant,” says Moulos.

Bumjin Kim, a freshman, said that he’s really enjoying the openness that Moulos’ course provides. “This class is about society and everyone has different thoughts and opinions. Every class has different answers to a question and that makes the class flexible,” says Kim. Samchuck says that inter-domain courses enhance student learning.

“I think it’s pretty interesting because not only are students able to understand how subjects relate, but faculty are also going to be more collaborative,” says Samchuck.

Tucked away in the lower level of the General Classroom Building at 8 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays is an environmental science class taught by adjunct instructor Lisa Barreiro.

Despite the early morning hours and the groggy looks on the 19 students’ faces, Barreiro approaches the class with energy and excitement, pacing around the front of the chalk board in room 010.

Barreiro teaches the topic of environmental science with passion and is eager to help her students learn something new every class.

Ironically, she’s only recently gotten into the area of environmental science, after working in the telecommunications business and design field.

Barreiro has created a classroom environment where students aren’t afraid to ask questions. Some questions even Barreiro admits she doesn’t know the answer to.

Junior Jenika Seawright said that Barreiro knows much about a lot of different topics.

“When she doesn’t know the answer, she Googles it right there in class. Most professors would tell their students to look it up after class, but not Barreiro,” Seawright said.

Barreiro is just one of the many part-time faculty members who teach each semester at Penn State Beaver.

Roughly half of the faculty are part-timers lending their expertise and time to students.

Michelle Kurtyka, assistant to the director of academic affairs, is in charge of the part-time facul-

ty. She said that part-time faculty bring real-world experiences to the classroom because most of them are working in the field at the same time.

Barreiro said she enjoys working in higher education and would like to become full-time one day because she feels like her focus is split between her different jobs.

Like Barreiro’s passion for science, adjunct instructor Jodi Gill has the same passion for government.

In Gill’s civic and community engagement class, she said that it is her goal to get her students more involved in the community.

Some of the class assignments include attending both a Student Government Association meeting and a county government meeting, and to do a five-hour service project.

Students leave the class ready to serve the community and know how to become a more active citizen, she said.

Gill said she has always loved working in higher education. When she was in college she was a resident assistant and she has worked at Kent State and Duquesne universities.

Gill also teaches at the Community College of Allegheny County police academy and is an immigration lawyer.

Freshman Taylor Smith said she enjoys Gill’s class. “I like it because it is not just boring lectures,” Smith said.

In Gill’s class, students are constantly discussing current events happening locally and globally, analyzing videos of President Donald Trump and other politicians and exploring websites, she said.

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Penn State Beaver Roar

November 2018

Need a job?

Beaver Valley LaunchBox is hiring student workers who are interested in working in one or more of the following areas this spring. ●● Social media, news and public relations. ●● Design and development of promotional materials. ●● Web design and development. ●● Digital media production.

We will work with the selected candidates to accommodate class schedules and internship or project needs.

To apply, send your resume to Ashu Kumar at axk60@psu.edu.

November 2018

Sports

Penn State Beaver Roar

19

Volleyball falls short of championship SHELTON HILLIARD Staff Writer

szh151@psu.edu

The Penn State Beaver women’s volleyball team was defeated Oct. 30

by Penn State Fayette in the Penn State Athletic Conference championship.

Playing in legendary Rec Hall at the University Park campus, the team ended an impressive run losing in the fifth set 14-16 in devastating fashion.

Beaver lost the first two set 25-17 and 25-21, but fought back to take the third and fourth sets 25-16 and 25-15.

Beaver fought hard in the fifth set, tying the game 14-14. But Fayette blocked a hit by senior Brooke Tomasko to take the lead and then scored the winning point with a kill, allowing Fayette to claim it’s 11th championship in 21 years.

The Roar/Matylda Zamudio

Senior Brooke Tomasko spikes the ball against New Kensington.

Beaver ended the season with a 17-12 overall record and 5-5 in the conference.

Despite losing the championship, the women had somewhat of a Cin-

derella season. 11 of the 15 players on the roster came in this year as freshmen, many of whom played big roles for the team.

Two key freshmen were Emily

Keener and Stephanie Stadjuhar.

Keener walked onto the volleyball team after committing to Beaver to play basketball. Playing the role of the setter this year, Keener was a big part of the women’s success. Stadjuhar led in kills with 19 in the championship, finishing the year with 211 kills.

“The beginning of the season was a lot of jelling together, a lot of team chemistry, timing sets for the hitters and getting used to passes coming in,” said Keener, who was walking on to play in arguably the most important role on the team.

Although freshmen might have been one of the biggest challenges this year, Keener said it will pay dividends in the future. “It’s one of the biggest strengths in years to come.”

Losing Tomasko, the only senior on the team, will be a big loss. She led the women in kills this year with

an astonishing 266.

As one of the four returning players from last year’s team, junior Alexis Albrecht said she was “happy but frustrated, but mainly happy” with how the season ended.

Albrecht, who plays another key role in the libero position, is already looking ahead. “The championship will be ours next year,” she said.

Albrecht led the women in digs with an impressive 324.

The team should be a dominant force in years to come, especially after the recruiting that Coach BJ Bertges did this year.

“A big part of my recruiting was recruiting for chemistry, not talent,” said Bertges. “From move-in day to the championship was 78 days. These girls went from perfect strangers to a championship team.”

Bertges said knowing she needed to recruit a big class was exciting.

Fightin’ Beavs warm up after cold season start JESSE JAMERY Staff Writer

jjj192@psu.edu

After an 0-4 start to the season, the Penn State Beaver Fightin’ Beavs inline hockey team is back on track with a three-game winning streak.

On Nov. 7, the Fightin’ Beavs beat Clarion University 9-5.

The outburst in scoring was a team effort with four goals from sophomore Jake Konecsi, two from senior captain Brendan Rossi, two more from sophomore Andrew Begley and one from freshman Bailey Foy. A week earlier, on Halloween night, the inline hockey team handily defeated Community College of Allegheny County South 7-3.

“The win over CCAC South is the best we have played,” said Coach Matt Welch. “Playing as a team and ‘pulling the rope in the same diretion’ is what leads to most wins.”

Rossi agreed. “We win as a team and we lose as a team.”

The teamwork mentality was on

full display during the CCAC South win. Keeping the puck in their offensive zone for minutes at a time, the Fightin’ Beavs were dominant in their second victory of the season.

Sophomore Landon Hanna led the way with a hat trick.

On Oct. 25, the Fightin’ Beavs got their first win over Slippery Rock University 7-5. This win ignited the spark that has led to the three-game winning streak.

Two of the first four losses came at the hands of Duquesne University (tier 2). The other two were to Clarion and CCAC South, both of which the team avenged with wins.

Both Rossi and Hanna said the losses were all winnable games. “We should be 7-0 right now. We were right there every game,” Rossi said.

“Every game we lost has been close. We have been missing guys,” Hanna said. “When we have all of our guys, I’d say we’re definitely the second-best team, if not the best team.”

The Roar/Jesse Jamery

Sophomore Jakob Konecsi slices through the defense to get a shot on goal against CCAC South.

Despite the losses, the team has kept a great vibe.

“It’s fun being with the guys,” says Hanna. “We’re all close friends.

We know how to have fun with each

other. But, we also know when to take things seriously.”

The good chemistry is helping to contribute to high expectations for the rest of the season.

“This is the most skilled team I think we have had,” Welch said.

“They don’t just go through the motions. They go out and show they all want to be there.”

20

Penn State Beaver Roar

Sports

November 2018

Men’s soccer loses in championship Beaver’s 8-game winning streak comes to an end by rival Brandywine MATYLDA ZAMUDIO Staff Writer

mmz5236@psu.edu

The Penn State Beaver men’s soccer team’s hot season finally fizzled out after falling to Penn State Brandywine in the Penn State University Athletic Conference championship on Oct. 31.

This was the team’s first appearance in the championship since winning the title in 2015. Beaver finished with an 11-5 overall record and 8-1 in the conference.

Beaver locked down the second seed in the PSUAC conference, gaining home field advantage against No. 3 seed Penn State New Kensington in the semi-final round of the playoffs on Oct. 27.

The game remained close for the first 11 minutes, with Beaver taking a 3-goal lead 10minutes in and New Kensington answering with a goal less than a minute later. In the remaining minutes of the first period, Beaver earned 4 unanswered goals, and coach Jim Van Kirk said he felt better about Beaver’s chances to win the game with a 6-goal lead at halftime. “(Freshman) Williams (Cruz) put the fourth goal in and then we scored three other goals right before halftime. I felt more comfortable at halftime being up seven to one,” he said. Despite an early goal by New Kensington in the second half, the opponents were unable to shut down Beaver’s offense, which went on to score two goals, winning the game 9-3 and securing a spot in the championship game at University Park.

Without any upsets in the semifinals, the Beaver men had to face off against the only conference team to beat them in the regular season, Penn State Brandywine.

“I expected Brandywine to be there. I didn’t expect them to get upset. I think they’re definitely the strongest team we played all season,” Van Kirk said.

The Roar/Matylda Zambudio

Shelton Hilliard, No. 12, carries the ball up the field looking to make a pass against New Kensington Oct. 27.

At the beginning of the game, Beaver controlled possession for the first 20 minutes. Then Van Kirk switched freshmen Darrion Gilmore and Danylo Yakymov from defense to offense, where they both aided in scoring Beaver’s first goal.

“Eventually, coach thought that it was right to push us up on offense, so we could help on attacking at that point. Not long afterward, that’s when I passed it in to Shelton Hillard, and it flicked off him and Dany kicked it in,” said Gilmore.

But after grabbing a 1-0 lead, Brandywine put pressure on Beaver’s defense and scored two goals in the next 16 minutes, taking a 2-1 lead at halftime. The game went scoreless for the first 12 minutes of the second period, with the teams evenly matched. Brandywine continued to outmaneuver the defense and scored another four goals to end the game.

“I believed we were still in the game, but towards the second half that’s when things I think started to go downhill,” Gilmore said.

Senior Samuel Sharpless said, “I think we played a good 60 minutes against them, but we had some mistakes during the rest of the game that hurt.”

The close score made it anybody’s game, but by not altering Beaver’s game plan heading into the second period led to the team’s downfall.

“We went up 1 to 0 on Brandywine, then we lost the lead but still were in the game at halftime. After halftime, I felt we didn’t make the necessary adjustments,” Van Kirk

said. “We lost to a better team.”

Beaver lost the game 6-1.

While Beaver didn’t bring home the title, seven players received PSUAC All-Conference Honors for their performances during the 2018 season.

Making the 1st team was freshman RJ Long for being a core part of Beaver’s defense. Yakymov led the PSUAC in scoring and assists with 20 goals and 10 assists. Yakymov was also named Newcomer of the Year and Player of the Year.

Seniors Cory Mueller and Hilliard and freshmen Cruz and Amsa Sanneh each landed a spot on the 2nd team.

For his display of good sportsmanship during team athletic events, sophomore Ashish Subba earned the John Fritz Sportsmanship award.

Despite the outcome of their final match, Gilmore and Sharpless are happy they had the chance to compete in the championship.

“Overall, it was a great experience being able to play at Main Campus, walking around and getting to go on the football field and the soccer field.

We expect to be there next year,” Gilmore said.

“I’m proud of this team for coming together and making it as far as we did with so many new faces,” Sharpless added. “At the end of the day we wanted the championship and it hurts not holding the trophy, but I’m proud of the team for making it to that final step.”

“The journey there shouldn’t be undercut by the last result,” he added.

During this off-season, Van Kirk plans to build on to the team’s strong foundation.

“We will go into our off-season working on filling voids for the players we will be losing. We will add depth and continue to work during our off-season towards another successful season in 2019,” Van Kirk said.

November 2018

Sports

Penn State Beaver Roar

21

From winless to winning

Women’s soccer gets redemption with 7-6 season, sees post-season play MATYLDA ZAMUDIO Staff Writer

mmz5236@psu.edu

After going winless last season, the Penn State Beaver women’s soccer team earned a spot in the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs, finishing third in the conference.

But Beaver’s comeback season was cut short after losing in the first round to Penn State Hazleton on Oct. 27. The Lady Lions finished with a 7-6 overall record and 4-2 in the conference.

The Lady Lions had a slow start in the first half of the season, but winning five of the last seven games – including a three-game winning streak in the final three games – propelled Beaver to the post-season.

Freshman Marissa King was excited to be a part of Beaver’s playoff return in her first season. “I was just incredibly proud of our team for making it this far considering what I heard about last year’s season.”

The team didn’t win a single game in the 2017 season.

Coach Chet Gapczynski said hard work, coming together as a team and everyone understanding their roles were a big part of this year’s success.

“They had a good work ethic going into the playoffs,” he said.

“You have to have talent, and we do have that. But more importantly in soccer, it’s really a chemistry game. I think we were able to crack that shell in the initial part (of the season).”

King said she felt confident about Beaver’s chances in the playoffs since capturing its first win against Villa Maria College, which led to a dominant latter half of the regular season.

“At the beginning of the season, we were playing super hard teams like La Roche and Point Park, and it just wasn’t looking like a good season. But once we won our first game against Villa Maria, we knew we could do something with the talent we had,” King said.

The Roar/Matylda Zambudio

Bukuru Edisa, No. 10, battles for the ball against a Hazelton player Oct. 27. Beaver lost 5-0, ending its season.

As the third seed in the conference, Beaver faced Hazleton on the road in the PSUAC semi-finals.

The conference rivals met earlier in the season, where Beaver struggled offensively for most of the game, losing 5-0.

Senior Brittany Zahn said she was excited for Beaver to redeem themselves in a Hazleton rematch.

“When we played Hazelton the first time, it wasn’t our best performance. I felt like they were going to be surprised by the talent we have,” Zahn said.

On Oct. 27, Beaver traveled to Hazelton for the first-round playoff game, but allowing two unanswered

goals by Hazleton caused the Lady Lions to unravel.

“The first 25 minutes of the game were pretty evenly matched. They were definitely thrown back by the different style of play that we showed this time,” Zahn said. “But then they got two pretty cheap goals and we started to break down.”

Gapczynski said Hazleton shouldn’t have scored the first two goals on the Lady Lions, which took them emotionally out of the game.

The Lions created a few scoring opportunities but failed to land on the board. Hazleton then scored another two goals to put Beaver in a 4-point deficit at halftime.

King said they had opportunities to come back, but Hazleton caught them on breakaways.

“We should have at least gotten one goal, but things happen and they had a good keeper,” she added.

The Lady Lions tried to keep their heads in the game, but the heavy rain and strong wind gusts dampened their chances of a comeback in the second half.

“We never completely gave up, but we kept getting beat by things like ‘through balls.’ It also didn’t help that it was freezing cold and raining the whole time,” Zahn said.

“That was the first time we had to play in that kind of weather and we

weren’t prepared for that.”

Gapczynski said the weather made it difficult to control the ball.

“It’s a shame they had to play in those conditions because I think it really took away from the game. You would literally play the ball forward and if it was in the air, it stopped,” Gapczynski said. “The balls were running past them and stopping behind them because the wind was so strong.”

Hazleton scored the fifth goal at the 55-minute mark and dominated Beaver for the remaining minutes of the second period.

Beaver’s effort to return to the postseason didn’t go without notice, as four players earned PSUAC AllConference Honors for their performances during the 2018 season.

On offense, freshman Abbie Miller, who led the team in scoring with 17 points, followed by senior Bukuru Edisa, who finished second in scoring with 13 points, both landed on the PSUAC All-Conference first team as well as King for being a play-maker and a core part of Beaver’s defense.

Zahn also received the John Fritz Sportsmanship award for displaying good sportsmanship in athletic events throughout the season.

With a talented, young roster hungry to sharpen its skills in the off-season and plans to add a more pieces to Beaver’s arsenal next season, Gapczynski said he thinks there will be another playoff run on the horizon.

“If there’s something I always said, it’s climbing a ladder. We want to climb one rung at a time and if we’re not improving every time we get on the field, we’ll never reach the playoffs part of the season,” Gapczynski said. “I felt the girls were fantastic at climbing that ladder and getting better overall.”

He added, “I’m looking forward to the recruiting class, and if I can add six or seven (players) to the group, we will be that much better.”

22

Penn State Beaver Roar

Sports

November 2018

Five players join Lady Lions basketball

Fast play and building chemistry is the key to success, coach says

KARL TRUSKOWSKI Senior Staff Writer

kzt5265@psu.edu

A fast philosophy and a strong roster will be what leads Penn State Beaver’s women’s basketball team to success this season.

Coach Sean Strickland said he is very excited to get this season started.

“We have people that we can bring into any game that’ll wear down our opponents,” Strickland said.

The philosophy is to play fast. The team’s roster of 12 will wear out any team in the conference, he said.

Beaver has added five new freshmen to the team. Four were recruited and one was a walk-on.

Strickland said that they have adapted to the foundation that the team has made for itself.

Another factor that Strickland said will lead his team to success is chemistry.

Sophomore Julia Sabbio said the energy she and her teammates had for each other is what kept them going last year. This year, it’s even better.

“The chemistry we have on this team is something I’ve never seen before,” Sabbio said.

Sabbio said each teammate cares for each other as if they are family.

The incoming freshmen immediately joined their family environment, which helped them adapt to the team’s style of play.

Strickland teaches his team that if they want to be a championship team, then they must practice like a championship team.

Practices take place on Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and are predicated on high-intensity offense.

“We’re constantly pushing ourselves to do every drill to our best ability,” Sabbio said.

Beaver doesn’t have any captains named. Strickland said every player is a leader and that it’s a bigger deal for

The Roar/Tiarra Gordon

Senior Ally Rudolph (No. 3) makes a lay-up against CCBC Nov. 10, as Brittany Jackson (No. 1) and Julia Sabbio (No. 13) are ready to catch the rebound.

“

We have people that we can bring into any game that’ll wear down our opponents.”

him to worry about labeling people than it is for players to worry about being named. They just want to play.

While there are no specific captains named, Strickland said a couple people have stepped up into a leadership role: sophomore Diamond Thomas and junior Cheyenne Lopez.

Thomas pays close attention to detail and strives to get every play right, Strickland said.

Lopez continues to improve on the court and excels in selling the Beaver campus at all times, he added.

Sabbio said she wants to help lead

Sean Strickland

Women’s basketball coach

her team to achieve that ultimate goal of being a championship team.

Her primary role on the team is often looked at as a top shooter but she also said she can be a play maker.

Her personal goal is to contribute as much as she can to her team.

Strickland said he won national championships at the two previous colleges at which he’s coached, and he wants to bring one to Beaver.

“That’d be cool to say I won a championship at all three schools I’ve coached at,” Strickland said.

Ultimately, Strickland wants to

“

The chemistry we have on this team is something I’ve never seen before.”

add to Beaver’s legacy as a championship team.

He also prides himself in keeping the team’s grades high.

Beyond championships, there is something else the team wants to be known as: the best team academically on campus.

The Lady Lions won their first two non-conference games Nov. 10 at Community College of Beaver County (84-30) and Nov. 12 at home against Westminster College (52-47).

Beaver starts Penn State University

Julia Sabbio

Sophomore guard

Athletic Conference play Nov. 27 at Penn State DuBois, followed by two away games Nov. 30 at Penn State Scranton and Dec. 1 at Penn State Mont Alto.

Beaver’s first home conference matchup is Jan. 7 against Penn State Greater Allegheny.

After a road trip Jan. 12 to Penn State Fayette, the team hosts three home conference matchups Jan. 18 against Penn State Hazelton, Jan. 19 against Penn State Schuylkill and Jan. 23 against Penn State Mont Alto.

November 2018

Sports

Penn State Beaver Roar

23

18 freshmen join men’s team Basketball adds Junior Varsity program because of record number of recruits KARL TRUSKOWSKI Senior Staff Writer

kzt5265@psu.edu

Penn State Beaver’s men’s basketball team may be coming off a losing season, but the team is not going to let that define it.

“When one journey comes to an end, you look onto the next one,” Coach Brian Bibey said.

Beaver’s team looks much different this season. Only three students have returned from last year and 18 new students have joined the team.

The influx of freshmen recruits have added much depth to the roster.

Because of the large number of new basketball players, Beaver implemented a developmental program to give all players a chance to get on the court. An additional schedule against other developmental teams was set up for the players who are not getting as much playing time.

“It gives us an opportunity to let all of our guys get some minutes and provide additional benefits on the court,” Assistant Coach Nate Johnson said.

Some may think having a bench of mainly new people would require adjustments to a team’s methods.

Not Bibey. Beaver’s system of play stays the same no matter what, he said.

Whether the team is winning or losing, the system stays the same and the new set of players have taken well to that system, Bibey added.

One thing Bibey said he is working on with the young team is team execution. Executing team concepts are going to help the team to win games.

Before execution can work into game plans, the team needs to be able to build chemistry and have a clear mindset, he added.

Luckily, Bibey has three returning players who have stepped up into leadership roles that help the new team conform together.

Sophomore Andrew Brady and juniors Kevin Louis-Charles and John Foster have all been named

Freshman Cezar Upshaw shoots two baskets at the free throw line against Grove City College in a Junior Varsity game Nov. 8.

“

What gets done in the gym, practice and in the classroom will bring us a championship.”

Brian Bibey

Men’s basketball coach

captains because of their work ethic and ability to lead by example. These three players represent the team’s core values on and off the court.

Brady, a forward, says it feels great to be put into that position. He puts in the extra work in the gym, on the court and off the court to set an example for the younger guys.

With the help of his captains, Bibey said that he doesn’t think the team chemistry could be any better. Everyone has a positive mindset, which shows in practice.

As the new season approaches, the focus has been on the team’s defensive play. Bibey’s goal is to be a great defensive team.

He said that will give them a chance to win more games and put them ahead in the standings.

“If you walked into a practice for only 15 minutes, you’d walk out knowing we have an emphasis on man-to-man defense,” Bibey said.

Johnson works hard to keep the team’s attitude positive. He said he

asks his players to show up and give 100 percent.

He said having a hard-working attitude every game and practice is an opportunity to get better and not a chore.

Bibey gives tremendous credit to Johnson for being a positive influence on the players.

“He doesn’t get enough credit for what he does for the student body,” Bibey said.

Brady said he wants to be a good team player and work harder every single game.

Johnson, meanwhile, said he wants each player to do well academically. All players need to keep up the

The Roar/Brittany Jackson

grades and work hard in the classroom.

“It’s less about our long-term goals, it’s more about what we can do today,” Bibey said.

“What gets done in the gym, practice and in the classroom will bring us a championship,” Bibey said.

Beaver kicks off its Penn State University Athletic Conference play on the road Nov. 27 at Penn State DuBois, followed by two more away games Nov. 30 at Penn State Scranton and Dec. 1 at Penn State WilkesBarre.

The first home conference matchup with Dec. 5 against PSUAC newcomer Penn State Shenango.

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