IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES Interview with Two-Time National Iris N. Spencer Poetry Winner: Tesia Wieprecht Julien Padillo reports on WCU student Tesia Wieprecht’s
Volume 122, Issue 9
May 2, 2022
recent awards for poetry.
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WCU Overturns SGA’s Turning Point Decision By Emma Hogan Interim News Editor
Turning Point USA’s founder, Charlie Kirk. Photo credits: “Charlie Kirk” by Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons
Turning Point USA — a student-led organization — was shut down twice by West Chester University’s Student Government Association but their vote was ultimately overturned by the university and TPUSA is now an official club. Turning Point USA has a presence on over 3,000 campuses according to tpusa.com and its mission is to “identify, educate, train and organize students to promote the principles of freedom, free markets and limited government.” TPUSA is widely known for its “Professor Watchlist” that “exposes” Professors who they feel “discriminate against conservative students and advance
leftist propaganda in the classroom.” Well-known conservative activist Candance Owens is a popular public figure that supports the organization. Clubs and organizations at WCU are required to go through the office of Student Leadership and Involvement (SLI), meet with a Leadership Consultant, attend SGA’s Bylaw Review committee and finally present to the Senate for official recognition. Turning Point USA completed all of the above steps to become an organization at WCU, but SGA voted against them becoming an official organization on campus. Continued on page 2
An Interview With President Christopher Fiorentino (Spring 2022) By Evan Brooks Asst. Op-Ed Editor
The following is the final interview with President Fiorentino, for this academic year. It is also the last interview that I will personally have the pleasure of doing, and I would like to thank President Fiorentino and The Quad for the opportunity. Below is the start of our interview for this academic year. In the full interview (available on wcuquad.com), we touch on the pandemic, the SECC building, university student housing, the marketing of the university and the overall feelings of this semester.
Thank you again to President Fiorentino for answering all the questions put forth. Evan: How has the spring semester gone according to you? President Fiorentino: This semester has gone, I think, as well as we hoped. Obviously, as we approached this semester, between semesters, things started to ramp up a little bit and we had been hoping, as we were finishing up the fall semester, that we were going to be able to move ahead and eventually be continuing face to face. Continued on page 3
OP-ED A Journalist’s Journey Ali Kochik shares her experience as a journalist and her path as she approaches graduation.
Page 30 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Back and More Golden Than Ever: Concert on the Quad Returns After Three-Year Hiatus Julien Padillo talks about the big return of the Concert on the Quad happening this Thursday, May 5.
Page 32 SPORTS Fundraisers, Carpooling and Logo Restrictions: The Story of Club Sports at West Chester University Joe Gill takes us through the experiences of students who are part of sports clubs that do not receive athletic department funding.
Page 47
Christopher Fiorentino has been president of West Chester University since 2017. Photo credits: Miles Kennedy
On the go? Find more on WCUQuad.com
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News
May 2, 2022
NEWS quadnews@wcupa.edu
WCU Overturns SGA’s Turning Point Decision By Emma Hogan Interim News Editor
Continued from front page Multiple SGA members have stated that the decision to vote “no” for the organization is because of their problematic practices at other universities. Hearing about the debate that was occurring during SGA before the vote, multiple WCU students from other organizations came to argue for or against the approval of the club. Member of Students for Socialism, Nina Ihmels, argued against the approval of the organization that she describes as a “hate group,” stating that WCU does not deny anyone first amendment rights. Students have seen protestors on the Academic Quad and have received emails telling them to avoid said protestors and that WCU’s values do not align with those groups. She stated, “these students have started a hate group bearing West Chester’s name and they will receive funding from our tuition dollars.” After the vote against the organization, an emergency Zoom was held with SGA where they were asked to reconsider their vote, but SGA declined the option for a revote and stayed with their decision to not put SGA’s name in WCU’s chapter of TPUSA. Doctor Zebulun Davenport decided to overturn the vote, invalidating SGA’s decision and recognizing a chapter of TPUSA at WCU. When an organization on campus is recognized by SGA, they get access to SSI funding, a RamConnect page, room
reservation privileges and more. Because Turning Point met the criteria for an organization on campus — which includes being a unique organization with a clear and concise vision — WCU is legally obligated to accept the organization. SGA Secretary Jacqueline Griffith said that TPUSA has a reputation for suing schools that refuse to recognize them as an official organization. Since WCU is a public university, Turning Point could argue against suppression of free speech if they were to be denied the ability to organize. Griffith voted against the organization, stating that she thought their values went against SGA’s mission statement which includes promoting the welfare and growth of students. She stated “TPUSA has a history of putting out racist, homophobic, transphobic, anti-science and otherwise harmful content, which does not, in fact, promote the welfare and growth of all students here on campus.” Other SGA members, however, support the university’s decision to recognize TPUSA. One stated, “They [TPUSA] have a lot of opinions that no one agrees with except for very extreme individuals,” a member stated “They [SGA] are picking and choosing which voices need to be heard… While I may not agree with what they [TPUSA] have to say, they have the right to say it.” Griffith states that SGA plans to introduce a rubric to the Senate next year
“President Trump Delivers Remarks at TPUSA.” Photo credits: The White House.
“TPUSA has a history of putting out racist, homophobic, transphobic, anti-science and otherwise harmful content, which does not, in fact, promote the welfare and growth of all students here on campus.” which includes requirements and approval processes for an organization, so they are aware of what they’re voting on when approving a student organization. She states that while individual Senators can disagree with a club’s mission, SGA as a whole cannot, and this rubric will distance SGA’s support of a club’s mission and SGA’s financial support for all clubs. “I think this will help in future situations to really define the difference be-
tween organization recognition by SGA and support of an organization’s mission by SGA,” she states. If you are interested in getting involved with SGA next year, you can register for elections on RamConnect and follow SGA’s Instagram @wcu_sga to learn more. Emma Hogan is a second-year English major. EH954390@wcupa.edu
The Quad
News
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An Interview With President Christopher Fiorentino
By Evan Brooks Asst. Op-Ed Editor
Continued from front page Evan: Why did we begin the spring semester with two weeks online? Did it accomplish its intended goal? President Fiorentino: We made the decision to start remotely for two weeks and that was based on what we were hearing, that there was going to be a major spike in the omicron variant, after following what was happening in other places that seemed to be a little ahead of us in the cycle. There was a big spike and it lasted about two weeks, and then it dropped back down again. So, we thought ‘okay, it looks like we probably should hold off a couple of weeks, as we don’t want the whole population to get sick’ and so we started remotely. Of course, quite a few people were cynical about that and felt like we were going to turn around and just stay remote, but things responded really pretty much exactly the way we had been told to expect them to respond and so by Feb. 7 we were able to come back face to face and continue with requiring masks indoors. I would say, [that things did] go as intended, what we started to see at that point was that the number of cases continued to decline, and the situation continued to get better as hospitalizations dropped and moved in the right direction. Evan: What influenced the decision to remove the mask mandate around campus? Are there circumstances that will lead to the mandate being reinstated? President Fiorentino: What we had not anticipated was the new CDC guidance and a couple of things happened there, we got to a point where we realized that we had put some testing protocols in place that we probably didn’t need to continue. We weren’t really getting very much information, we really tried all along the way to make sure that we weren’t doing things just for the sake
of doing them, we wanted to do things that were keeping the community safe and were giving us good information upon which to make decisions. If we determined that something was really creating a lot of extra work for people, adding an extra expense, and it wasn’t beneficial to the community, we really had to question whether we should keep doing it or not. Of course that caused us to back away from the required testing that we had implemented initially and then shortly after that the CDC changed its guidance and recommended that we go mask optional. At that point [the CDC] downplayed the importance of the number of cases and moved the focus to the number of hospital beds occupied and those sorts of measures that were an indication of the health of the overall community, not just what’s happening on the campus. As people did more and more home testing, there was a real question about just how reliable the testing data were at that point because a lot of people who were testing at home weren’t reporting results. The CDC made their pronouncement on Friday, and we discussed it over the weekend and took a look at what the school district was doing here in West Chester and made our decision on Monday to go mask optional and, frankly, here we are, with a little less than two weeks left in the semester and things basically tracking the way we hoped — you never know when you’re making decisions under conditions of uncertainty. You never know for sure, but we were trying to rely on the best available information that we could get and what we have seen is that while the number of cases has started to tick back up a little bit in the area, and of course Philadelphia went back to masks and then quickly changed its mind and went back to mask optional and mask recommended. We have seen that Chester county has remained in the green in terms of
the risk level, and there has been a very low level of hospitalization and little or no [deaths] over the past several weeks. Looking back, we feel that we made the calls that may turn out to be successful. Again, we were not certain we were doing the right thing, we were doing it based on the best information that we had. But looking back, things did seem to work out in our favor. A lot of people decided not to wear masks when walking around the campus in the buildings and so forth, while some people chose to continue to mask and we urge people to be respectful of each other’s decisions. If somebody wants to wear a mask, let’s not bring politics into it. By and large I didn’t hear any particular issues about conflicts rising up because people were criticizing each other’s mask decision. So, by and large, we feel this has been a pretty successful semester, certainly being back on campus being able to engage the community. I know I had quite a few occasions where I had to wear a mask for a long period of time and it’s distracting, it’s uncomfortable and I certainly understand people who didn’t like them, but I think that the masks serve their purpose for us. At this point, as I said about a week and a half, from the end of the semester, we’re still watching and we’re not dropping our guard. We’re paying attention to the data and we’re reading what the experts are saying. We have to get through classes, we have to get through commencement. The commencements are scheduled to be inside and small and that’s where things stand, right now. We will continue to monitor the circumstances and if there’s some indication that perhaps we should rethink our decision we’re going to keep an eye and we’ll keep the community informed as to what we feel we need to do, but that’s where we are right now, and I can tell you that we have people paying attention every day to what’s happening.
We’re not going to be caught by surprise and given the stability of how things have been going for the past certainly month or six weeks, I remain optimistic that we’re going to be able to have a smooth finish to the semester, but I will relax when the final commencement is completed and then we’ll go from there. Now as far as next year, next semester, we are not at a point where we need to make a decision for next year. Certainly if things continue on the path that they’ve been on that would not give us any reason to think that we need to make a radical change going into next semester, but we’ve already seen a number of times the virus changing form and ramping back up. Last summer we thought we were out of the woods and then things got worse in the fall and so we’ll see how it goes but we’ll continue to watch and if we feel that we can bring the campus together and keep everybody safe and continue with optional masking and so forth, that’s certainly what we would hope to do. We will let the campus community know as time goes along and the circumstances that we see before us continue to be revealed. Full article available on wcuquad.com
Evan Brooks is a fourth-year Business Management major with minors in Economics and Civil & Professional Leadership. EB916132@wcupa.edu
Photo credits: Evan Brooks
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News
May 2, 2022
Mohammed El-Kurd Speaks at WCU By Henry Campbell Asst. A&E Editor
O
n Friday, well-known Palestinian writer and activist Mohammed El-Kurd spoke to an audience of a little more than 50 students and community members on WCU campus. El-Kurd, 23-years-old, is a controversial figure who has had his presence challenged on multiple college and university campuses across the country. Some see him as a crucial voice for the Palestinian population, while others consider his views and rhetoric anti-Semetic. In the recent past, his presence has caused controversy at both Georgetown University and American University, where El-Kurd’s presence was protested and petitioned. There were students present at the event on campus Friday in opposition to the talk, distributing flyers and speaking to attendees as they entered. These students believe that Kurd’s poetry and tweets have shown repeated and clear
Mohammed El-Kurd’s poetry collection titled “Rifqa.” Photo credits: mohammedelkurd.com
examples of anti-Semitisim, including blood libel. Supporters of El-Kurd cite his work with groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace as evidence of the contrary. Although he is surrounded by many different accusations and controversies, El-Kurd’s event on Friday was relatively calm, consisting of reading some original poetry, descriptions of his personal experiences, as well as a brief question-and-answer period. I had the chance to speak to Mohammed briefly, who said that he was grateful for the students attending and listening to his words, and for the faculty for the invitation to speak as well as their advocacy for his appearance. After the main event, El-Kurd took time to sign copies of his book of poetry, “Rifqa,” as well as to converse with students and staff. Despite controversies at other institutions, even the counter-protests at this event were relatively quiet and unobtrusive. El-Kurd also acknowledged that there had been controversy surrounding his visit, commenting on the design choices of flyers that had been distributed earlier, calling him an anti-Semite. Despite the numerous allegations, there weren’t any notable examples of these comments while E-Kurd spoke; instead, he detailed specific experiences and situations he faced in his childhood, like the dispossession and seizure of his family home by Israeli settlers. He mentioned that Palestinian building permits in Israel have “a rejection rate of 94%, and an even larger 99% in the West Bank.” Although the poetry written about these scenarios have created tension and drawn criticism before, ElKurd was more focused on explaining his thoughts behind the poems and giving the context that his quoted work often lacks. For example, he explained the details and legal trouble both his
Photo credts: Event Flyer
own family and their eight neighboring families were dealing with in keeping their homes when he wrote a specific poem before sharing it — giving a different meaning to his words than what can be taken away when they are read as a fragmented quote on a website. El-Kurd did mention his distaste for unnecessary glamorization of his own tragedy, saying, “I’m not one of those poets, I don’t trauma dump. You’re not my therapist.” His use of humorous tone was one of the few reminders of his age,
through laughter. While he is a writer by trade, he added, “I couldn’t read a poem to a checkpoint and watch it collapse.” He did also note some personal experiences in America that changed his worldview, describing his time in Atlanta and the suffering he saw in the forms of police brutality, homelessness and mass incarceration. As he listed the experiences he had in our country, he highlighted the realization he had: that suffering was not limited to regions with a history of conflict, but rather that it is
something that is quickly forgotten when he describes his own life.
everywhere, even in the U.S. and other nations typically associated with a high standard of living. Mohammed El-Kurd is currently the Palestine correspondent for The Nation magazine.
“I couldn’t read a poem to a checkpoint and watch it collapse.” El-Kurd made clear his belief in the power of humor over art, because of the ability to relate interpersonally
Henry Campbell is a third-year English major. HC933776@wcupa.edu
The Quad
News
WCU’s Dept. Of Theatre and Dance’s Spring Dance Concert By Hally Everett Interim Asst. News Editor
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News
May 2, 2022
This week at West Chester University MONDAY
May 2, 2022
THERAPY DOGS AT THE FHG LIBRARY Come see the dogos at the FHG Library. They will be located on the first floor outside of Starbucks. Held from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
TUESDAY
SPANISH CLUB MEETING
May 3, 2022
Interested in the language or variety of cultures? Join Spanish Club every Tuesday from 6-7 p.m. in Mitchell Hall room 107.
WEDNESDAY May 4, 2022
MUSIC THERAPY CLUB Join WCU’s Music Therapy Club for a general meeting. Held from 8-9 p.m.
THURSDAY
LAVENDER GRADUATION
May 5, 2022
Join the Center for Trans and Queer Advocacy in celebration of the Class of 2022 and its LGBTQIA+ Graduates. Held in Sykes Ballrooms from 3-5 p.m.
FRIDAY May 6, 2022
All photos taken from Ramconnect.com
SPEED BINGO Join Off Campus Commuter Services and Rams After Hours to wind down the semester with speed bingo. Held at 11 a.m. in Sykes Ballroom.
See more fun events this week on ramconnect.wcupa.edu!
The Quad
Features
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FEATURES quadfeatures@wcupa.edu
Local Eats Lens: Two Birds Cafe By Dylan Edelman Special to The Quad
W
elcome back to Local Eats Lens, a series here at the Quad focusing on the local restaurants in the West Chester Area. Under the microscope for our final edition: Two Birds Cafe. A mere two minutes from the borough, our tasters Seth, Keith, Kyle and Imade our way to a bustling piece of comfort, known as Two Birds Cafe. Even on this Wednesday morning, the rustic wooden interior echoed with the conversations of the people, as tables nearly three feet from each were filled. “Cozy, we use the word cozy a lot here.” Co-owner Jessie Minchak told me. “I really want it to be like that neighborhood-feel type of atmosphere.” Jessie and her husband, Justin, the two birds, opened their small breakfast and lunch place three years ago in 2019, and have since lived out their lifelong dream. “Food is not a new thing for us, this is what we love to do and this is our passion,” she said. “We were dreaming about this for at least a good 5 to 7 years.” That sort of energy can easily be seen in their food, not only in taste, but in appearance. Every dish we were lucky enough to enjoy absolutely popped with color. The first dish of our final edition was the California Benedict, a take on the classic eggs Benedict with avocado, roasted red peppers, and pickled red onions, and of course topped with house made hollandaise sauce. Described as one of the dishes people
and topped with powdered sugar. The French toast itself looked incredibly light and fluffy, with a perfect amount of browning on either side. “The cinnamon itself was really refreshing,” Seth told me. “it wasn’t overwhelming at all, they distributed it really well throughout the dish.”
Photo credits: Dylan Edelman
that people really love by Jessie, the California Benedict that I enjoyed certainly lived up to those expectations. The English muffin was crispy on the exterior but incredibly soft on the interior, making for a great sponge to soak up the hollandaise sauce and runny yolk of the perfectly poached egg. The avoca-
do was rich and the pickled onions were bright and added a surprising sweetness to the dish, coming together for something really quite delicious. Our second dish, had by taster Seth, was another staple at the breakfast table in many households, a classic French toast served with fresh fruit on the side
By all accounts, the French Toast was a great morning starter. The third and final dish was the Hens’ Egg Platter, featuring two scrambled eggs, country style potatoes, two sausage patties and rye toast, an incredibly simple yet classic combination for our taster Kyle. The eggs looked fluffy and the sausage looked incredibly well-seasoned. “My favorite addition was probably the country potatoes.” Kyle commented, “They were really tasty and I think they were very unique because of the added peppers and onions that they had.” Two Birds Cafe is an absolutely delicious slice of home cooking right in West Chester, with everything made in house, you can really taste the thought that goes into every dish that they serve. On top of the quaint comfortable atmosphere that they create, our experience here was nothing short of incredible. Dylan Edelman is a third-year Mathematics major with a minor in Journalism. DE936681@wcupa.edu
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Features
May 2, 2022
From Student to Teacher By Yasmin Schepis Special to The Quad
A
n additional group of students who had a large change of environment and experience during the COVID-19 pandemic was the Education majors here at West Chester. The upperclassmen, specifically, had to transition from in person learning, to online learning, all while trying to maneuver a way to eventually run their own classrooms. Student teaching for a semester is a requirement here at WCU, but students had to adjust in drastic ways. They went from learning everyday in a classroom setting, to adapting in an online setting and trying to discover their own strengths and weaknesses. The next question was, how do we get elementary students to adapt to this lifestyle too? Even now being back in person, it definitely took a toll on these kids who have been in school for only a few years and half of that being online. So how do college students help get their kids back and adapt to the classroom lifestyle to benefit their academic success the best they can? In this interview, I talked with fourth-year Early Education major, Caitlyn Little. Caitlyn is currently wrapping up her spring semester student teaching in a second grade classroom. We discuss what it was like transitioning between in person and online, how she felt it affected her teaching skills, and how she intends on making sure her second graders are as successful in the classroom as possible. As a student, what was transitioning from in-person to online learning like for you? Were you worried it would affect your career plan? Caitlyn: I was worried about not being able to apply the things I was learning as much because I couldn’t go into my field experiences due to COVID. I was learning all the ways to run a class-
room and how to teach these students, but I was never able to go into a classroom first-hand until the pandemic began winding down. I definitely was worried I would have to student teach online because none of us knew what this year was going to entail originally. I just knew the teaching style I wanted to use ahead of time based on the way I’ve made lesson plans throughout school.
ly and go into [the] field everyday like we should have been. I definitely think I was ready in terms of lessons and what I was walking into, but it definitely would have been different had I had that “running a classroom” experience. Have you noticed a difference in your second graders and how they behave in the classroom now after a year
Photo credits: “old-MIT-classroom_Ryan-Tyler-Smith.jpg” (CC BY 2.0) by inov8d.
How did online learning affect your teaching? Did you feel prepared for heading into the classroom as a teacher rather than a student? Caitlyn: I think everything I was learning online prepared me for student teaching but again I wish I could’ve had more field experience. We had the class and did what we normally would have, but we weren’t able to apply it physical-
of first grade learning at home? Caitlyn: Students these days are so far behind not only academically, but behaviorally and socially, because they were out of school for a year and a half, almost two years. My second graders were taken out of school half way through their kindergarten year. That’s the year they learn how to line up, raise their hand and interact with other
students. So because of that, they lack those skills now because they were out [for] all of first grade to even learn those things, so coming into second grade, it’s like teaching them all of those social skills they should have learned back in kindergarten. I have to reinforce these behaviors because they were at home, not being forced to learn these things, which is definitely a challenge at times but it’s just something both them and I have to adapt to. What has being in person done for you this semester as a teacher? Do you feel this outcome would have been the same had we not experienced the pandemic? Caitlyn: Honestly, when I think of my placement and everything, I think it would have been the same. But because of the pandemic I’m learning as COVID allowed us to. They can’t have desks next to each other, they can’t use their cubbies, we can’t do morning meetings on the carpet, etc. I’m definitely thankful I’m in a classroom because there were people who had to student-teach online and I can’t imagine that. It definitely changes my lesson plans though because we can’t do group activities because they still have to be distanced as best as we can. In the large perspective of things, I’m glad I’m not student-teaching online because it wouldn’t be the same. I think my teaching experience is the same had we not experienced the pandemic, but I definitely think the overall classroom setting is different because it’s not how I planned on my lesson plans, and the kids’ school day’s going. Yasmin Schepis is a fourth-year English major with minors in Journalism and Literature & Diverse Cultures. YA918326@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Features
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How We Got Drag: Pt. II By Griffin Deubler Special to The Quad
D
espite the abandonment of drag performers by the larger culture, the art form continued in the context of gay nightlife. Mob-owned bars continued to cater to gay patrons who would come to see the performers as well as enjoy the company of others in their community. It would not be until the rights revolution of the 1960’s, after the Stonewall Riots of 1969, that drag would have its next great moment. This would be when Flawless Sabrina, a Philidelphia-born drag queen prominent in the larger gay subculture, would embark on creating a pageant circuit for drag queens known as “Miss Gay America.” One of these pageants would attract the likes of Terry Southern and Andy Warhol and be the subject of the cult classic documentary, “The Queen.” These circuits and the documentary that came out of it exposed again the heterosexual Americans of the mid 20th century to drag culture, and in the process inspired something else. The pageant featured in “The Queen” featured a now-famous figure Crystal Labeija. After being snubbed at the pageant, Labeija spoke out against the racism and prejudice against Black and Latinx queens in these pageants and in the larger queer community, and sought to create a community that would not have to face the prejudices she endured. Balls that were primarily for Black and Latinx queens had existed before this, as the discrimination that LaBeija spoke about was prevalent in the drag circuits. Queens of color were expected to lighten their faces with makeup for competition and very rarely saw first place. It is from these experiences that Labeija, along with her friend Lottie, decided to create an event specifically for Queens of color, an event that would widely be considered the birth of modern ballroom culture. It is at this event
that Labeija created the first “house,” or a group of drag queens, trans people and other people occupying queer identities that operate as a family, supporting each other emotionally as well as competing in competitions together. This house, House of Labeija, would inspire the hundreds of houses that would follow, such as the House of Ninja, named after the “Godfather of vogue” Willi Ninja, and House of Xtravaganza, named after legendary drag performer Angie Xtravaganza. Ballroom culture expanded the world of drag culture beyond the white-dominated pageants of the 1960’s. Unlike the drag pageants hosted by Flawless Sabrina and others, which were almost completely comprised of cisgender gay men dressing in drag and recreating the acts of heterosexual pageants like Miss America, ballroom featured gay men out of drag alongside drag queens, as well as arguably most importantly, trans women who were finally given a space to come and perform and be celebrated. These balls also featured an array of categories, some lifted from pageants such as face and body (where drag performers would compete on an aesthetic level) but also dance categories, most prominently voguing, a style created in ballroom inspired by the poses of models in prominent fashion publications. The culture that sprang up around ballroom is responsible for much of the drag lingo we hear and use today, such as reading (the art of insulting someone in a smart of humorous way), shade (to make a passive aggressive remark at someone), clocking (to call someone out for a poor fashion choice) and realness (the ability of a drag performer to pass as a woman). As momentous as ballroom was for queer culture, specifically Black and Latinx queer culture, it stayed primarily underground — that is, until it was
boosted to prominence by being featured in Madonna’s single, “Vogue.” For the third and arguably most impactful time in American history, drag became a mainstream facet of pop culture. Following the commercial success of the song, there was renewed interest in queer subculture and drag as an artform. It inspired a slew of movies in the 1990’s such as “The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert” (1994), “The Birdcage” (1996) and “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” (1995). The problem with these movies was that they largely featured heterosexual men putting on a gay affect for a role. Madonna’s song served the same purpose, a heterosexual cisgender white woman making money off a community she was not a part of. The visibility gained from this media was absolutely a net benefit, but no queer people were making money off the success of drag in
“As momentous as ballroom was for queer culture, specifically Black and Latinx queer culture, it stayed primarily underground — that is, until it was boosted to prominence by being featured in Madonna’s single, ‘Vogue.’” the mainstream — that is, until RuPaul Charles. Other prominent drag queens had come before him, but never with the mainstream success of Charles. Upon releasing his debut album, “Supermodel of the World,” he enjoyed an unexpected popularity with the song “Supermodel (You Better Work).” It was heavily rotated on MTV, and earned him a modeling
contract with MAC Cosmetics and appearances on popular talk shows like “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Charles would then go on to invoke the work of Flawless Sabrina and Crystal Labeija, launching a national drag competition reality series in 2008, inviting drag queens from across the country to compete. The show started with a cult following, then expanded into the mainstream with over one million viewers watching the season 9 premiere. This show would combine elements of Flawless Sabrina’s pageants, featuring runways every episode where contestants are judged on presentation and execution of their attire, as well as invoking the work of Labeija and the larger ballroom culture. Every episode ended with a “Lip Sync for Your Life,” in which drag queens must both lip sync and dance in order to save themselves from elimination, often utilizing moves from ballroom such as the “Death Drop” (a move featured in voguing where one drops to the ground using only one leg and springs back up). As we tune in to the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” each week, it can be easy to tune out and enjoy the flashy costumes and witty sarcastic banter, leaving the troubles of society behind us as the words “Start your engines” welcome us into a dreamy liminal space where all that matters is realness, glamour and owning your shit. And indeed, that is the point. Drag has always been a respite for members of the queer community, both from the larger heteronormative society they struggle to fit into, and very often from the racist power structures that have infected the community itself. Griffin Deubler is a fourth-year English major with minors in Journalism and Philosophy. GD911623@wcupa.edu
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May 2, 2022
How We Got “Queer Eye” By Griffin Duebler Special to The Quad
I
n 2001, riding on the success of their acclaimed interview series “First Person,” and after recently landing a distribution deal with Bravo, Scout Production co-founders Michael Williams and
men, each advanced in their own field of aesthetics (grooming, design, cuisine, fashion and culture) aid in the transformation of a hopeless heterosexual towards a more cultured, sophisticated
David Collins were anxious to find their next great success. This idea would come to them by chance, after overhearing an exchange between a husband and wife. According to Williams, The wife was picking apart the outfit of her spouse, and asked why he couldn’t dress more like three sharply-dressed men on the street, to which he responded “They’re gay, they know how to dress.” After hearing this conversation about their wardrobe, the three men approached and gave the man pointers on how to dress better, and it was from this Williams and Collins had found their next project. “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” was born, a reality show in which five gay
lifestyle. The show was an instant success, becoming the highest rated show in Bravo’s entire history at that point. This paved way for the 2018 Netflix reboot, shortened simply to “Queer Eye,” in which a similar fairy godmother format is followed. The success of this show and its reboot owes itself to one of the oldest and most strongly held queer stereotypes, that gay men have an intrinsic connection to high culture and sophistication. This stereotype is so prevalent because the history that inspired it spans back centuries, and reveals a darker truth about the gay experience, visibility is dependent upon affluence. Many of the male historical figures we
Photo credits: “Individual in a Suit” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by flazingo_photos
“The success of this show and its reboot owes itself to one of the oldest and most strongly held queer stereotypes, that gay men have an intrinsic connection to high culture and sophistication.” know today to be gay, were involved in the realm of high art, either as artists or patrons. This is because to earn esteem as an artist, one often had to have the appreciation of noble patrons or large institutions who would commission you for a painting, rather than for the purpose of the artist’s expression. This is why so many medieval and Renaissance paintings portray biblical scenes or portraits of nobles (as is the case Continued on page 11
Photograph by “New York City, USA” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by pom’.
The Quad
with Leonardo Da Vinci’s most famous painting, “The Mona Lisa”). These artists were held in a protective class of sorts, as nobles relied on the dependable work of a few talented artists to display the bounty of their wealth through art. Often, these artists who would be deemed talented by nobles would also be used by religious institutions, who needed moving works of art to communicate biblical stories to a largely illiterate general population. There are many examples of
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embraced, popularized and elevated an artistic movement known as Rococo, a style that moved away from bold dramatics and toward soft colors, curvy lines, and playful scenes that served as the perfect backdrop for their hedonistic romps. The queer aspect of Versailles lies in the patrons of these arts, rather than the artists themselves. The
in France (so much so that the phrase “have you hear the rumors about Marie Antoinette” became coded language for lesbians to find each other). Versailles was an artistic and cultural powerhouse in 17th century Europe, defining the aesthetics of the rich for centuries to come. It is not the first or last intersection between art, affluence and
this throughout history, but perhaps the staunchest would be the life of Leonardo Da Vinci. At 24-years-old, Da Vinci was arrested on sodomy charges, imprisoned, and through pure luck, was able to have his name cleared as no witnesses had shown up to attest the crime. At this point, Da Vinci was a mere apprentice for Andrea del Verrocchio, with virtually no more protection than the average citizen. As he grew in success and status, so too did his protection from the anti-gay laws of his time. He was able to open a workshop in which he employed two of his lovers, openly glided down the streets of Florence in flamboyant pink robes and wavy long hair reaching to the mid of his back (a style of hair considered female at the time) and even left his property in his will to two of his lovers he worked alongside in life, the equivalent of heterosexual spousal inheritance. A similar story unfolds with Michelangelo, one of Da Vinci’s contemporaries and similarly a favorite of the nobles and the church, who wrote erotic poetry to the men of Italy he adored. If it seems as though these may be isolated incidents, flukes of acceptance in an otherwise uniformly discriminatory society, consider the events that took place at Versailles, history’s crown jewel of rich people unabashedly funneling their money into high cultural mediums to flaunt their wealth to the masses. The menu at Versailles not only spoke to its excess, but its luxuriousness, with chef’s often being educated to the highest levels of French cuisine. The wardrobe, architecture, paintings and statues at Versailles
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them suffer the brunt of anti-gay legislation. France had laws criminalizing homosexuality until 1791 following the French Revolution, and during the Renaissance, Italy had anti-gay laws so harsh so-called perpetrators could actually suffer mutilation as a punishment, yet the figures discussed above not only acted queerly without punishment, but completely openly. The phrase “history is written by the victors” rings true here, or at least history is written by the privileged. High culture represents queerness to us because high culture is linked to affluence, and those who will be remembered in history as queer are overwhelmingly the rich or protected
“My point is to say queer people are a community with a history lost to time, one that is so diverse and hidden.” by the rich. Painting the queer experience as a cultured, lavish existence means actively ignoring the millions of people who have lived throughout history who were not able to have their stories told either because they were forced to hide who they were, or worse, became a nameless face in a centuries long extermination of queerness through homophobic legislation.
Photograph by “Shoes by Bontoni” (CC BY 2.0) by Menswear Market
original builder, Louis XIII, built it as a simply hunting lodge, where he would retreat from the royal courts of France alongside his multiple male favourites, his son Philippe would regularly cross dress at the balls hosted there and openly consort with male partners, so much so that a wife of his brother Louis XIV complained about the “rampant homosexuality of the court.” The list goes on, with alleged gay orgies taking place in the gardens of the palace, rumors of Marie Antoinette’s bisexuality circulating
queerness, but it is perhaps the most epitomical. The takeaway of these examples is not that all artists during the Renaissance were gay (unfortunately alongside Michelangelo and Da Vinci the third Renaissance powerhouse Raphael appears to be unarguably straight), or that queerness is drawn towards sites of opulence and wealth. Rather, these examples speak to the fact that these are the spaces where queerness is allowed to thrive openly and unpunished, while the less economically privileged around
“Queer Eye” is a fun show, and I am not about to pin the erasure of centuries of economically disprivileged gay men on Jonathan Van Ness. My point in offering this genealogy is not to kill the joy of a fun show based on a frivolous stereotype. Instead, my point is to say queer people are a community with a history lost to time, one that is so diverse and hidden, that it can be easy to look towards the few gay figures who made it into the history books, call that gay history, and ignore the stories of the millions who suffered so the few could achieve. Griffin Deubler is a fourth-year English major with minors in Journalism and Philosophy. GD911623@wcupa.edu
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Features
May 2, 2022
Interview with Two-Time National Iris N. Spencer Poetry Winner: Tesia Wieprecht By Julien Padillo Editor-in-Chief
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he Iris N. Spencer Poetry Awards — a series of awards open to undergraduate poets enrolled in a U.S. college or university — are an achievement bestowed by the West Chester University (WCU) Poetry Center on an annual basis. For the 2022 awards, a collective number of 12 winners/honorable mentions were awarded and recognized. Of these 12 individuals, two winners come from West Chester University: Cassidy Graham, winner of the Villanelle category with her piece, “Villanelle of Addiction,” and Tesia Wieprecht, second place winner of the Iris N. Spencer Award and first place winner of Myong Cha Son Haiku Award, with her pieces “Ghazal for Your Fingers” and “A Very Serious Haiku,” respectively. The Iris N. Spencer Awards ceremony took place on April 6, 2022. The Spencer family, poet and judge of the 2022 Spencer Awards Annie Finch, the 2022 Spencer Awards winners from various universities, as well as the winners’ peers and loved ones were among those in attendance. Established in 2005, The Spencer Awards were created by Kean and Kyle Spencer in remembrance of their late mother, Iris Spencer, who at this year’s award ceremony was described to be an “ardent reader and community servant.” The Spencer Awards not only promote formal poetry within the poetry community, but work to support the up and coming generation of poets. Through these awards, the WCU Poetry Center can pursue its mission: to further encourage the craft and study of poetry, as well as expand the reach of the Center nationwide. Included under the Iris N. Spencer Awards umbrella are the following undergraduate awards: the Iris N. Spencer Undergraduate Award, the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award and the Rhina P.
Espaillat Award, as well as the recently added Villanelle Award and Sonnet Award. Following this year’s award ceremony, I got the pleasure to speak with twotime national Iris N. Spencer Poetry
“This is a big competition, and I was (and am) honored to have won even one award, but two? That about knocked me flat.” Awards winner, Tesia Wieprecht. As previously mentioned, Wieprecht is a recipient of both the Iris N. Spencer award and the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award. The former is titled “Ghazal For Your Fingers,” which Wieprecht describes as being about “a lover dying, and the speaker mourning that through their love language of touch, specifically their touching hands.” The latter is titled “A very serious haiku,” which Wieprecht thought to be a fitting namesake. She “wanted to make it clear the haiku was meant to be fun, capturing a moment of teenage rebellion.” In addition to her two awards, Wieprecht received an honorable mention for the Iris N. Spencer Award category with her piece “Cento for the songs that transcend reality.” Wieprecht, upon hearing the news of her wins, was filled with excitement. “I first found out I’d won [the Myong Cha Son Haiku Award] from my teacher, Nancy Pearson, who (she later told me) had insisted on being the first to congratulate me. In her email, she told me I’d won the award for my haiku, and I immediately thought, ‘Oh, wow, this is amazing!’ My next thought was, ‘Okay, but which one?’ I had submitted three haikus: two more serious, and this one. I’m glad I was home alone at the time, because when I saw it was this one, the
scream I let out was a little ungodly, and I just couldn’t stop laughing. From shock, mostly, but also because the poem is far from the traditional content of a haiku. Either way, I’m incredibly honored to receive the Myong Son Cha Haiku Award for this poem,” said Wieprecht. “[Upon finding out I won the Iris N. Spencer Award,] I was thrilled and excited! But also shocked because I found out my haiku won first, and then there was this other, new level of shock as I kept reading the email. This is a big competition, and I was (and am) honored to have won even one award, but two? That about knocked me flat.” When asked about the development of “A very serious haiku,” Wieprecht expressed that it was the result of a prompt provided in class by Professor Pearson — to create a haiku from the listed words. “The prompt I chose had the words ‘bare’ and ‘handlebars’ in it, and my mind immediately came up with the middle line of the haiku, which incidentally had precisely seven syllables already,” said Wieprecht. “And with such a clear image in my head, I was able to build the rest of the haiku around that.” Her favorite line from the piece is “Definitely the middle line, ‘bare ass on the handlebars.’ :).” In regards to her piece “Ghazal For Your Fingers,” Wieprecht admitted that she ran into some difficulties while writing. “I typically struggle with form… I think that repetition of ‘your hands’ made me think more deeply about this couple’s relationship, and helped me put different, more sensory details in than I maybe would have normally.” “Shallower breaths. What in death really leaves? / How much of me can you feel through your fingers?” are her favorite lines of the ghazal, due to playing with the different ways ‘ea’ can sound, as well as the action of asking difficult questions. She thinks about those lines
often,” said Wieprecht. She added, “The mourning speaker gets pretty philosophical there.” When asked about the subject of poetry and her favorite forms of writing,
“Shallower breaths. What in death really leaves? / How much of me can you feel through your fingers?” Wieprecht stated, “Poetry has its time and place in my life. It can be really cathartic, and something to come back to when prose writing feels too daunting — which is often. I mainly write prose in my free time, but that’s harder to manage while I’m in college, so poetry is more accessible for me most of the time. I do prefer prose when I’m not in school, though. I can be pretty verbose, and poetry is less forgiving of that.” Her inspiration to write is “everything, but most often the daydreams [she has] while [she’s] meant to be doing other things.” For aspiring poets and writers, Wieprecht has this to say: “I’ve said this to people in the past, and it continues to be my best bit of advice: have your computer read your poem/piece aloud to you. If a machine can make it sound natural, you’ve done a good job.” A thank you to Wieprecht for speaking with me, and congratulations to both Wieprecht and Graham on their poetry accomplishments. For more information regarding the Iris N. Spencer Awards, visit the West Chester University Poetry Center’s page on wcupa.edu. Julien Padillo is a fourth-year Media & Culture major with a minor in Digital Marketing. JP913571@wcupa.edu
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Features
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Quarter One Reports For Streaming Services Are In By Isaiah Ireland Staff Writer
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n today’s society, customers have a range of streaming services to watch new and old movies and shows in the comfort of their own homes. From the big guys like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and Disney+, to new ones like Discovery+ and Paramount Plus. Over the years Netflix has been looked at as the model streaming service as other Media companies looked to have their service. But, according to new reports, Netflix might have to get back to the drawing board. Variety’s Brian Steinberg reports “Netflix’s disclosure on Tuesday that it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter and expects to lose 2 million more in months to come, has set the industry on edge — not because Netflix is a barometer of entertainment-sector health, but because it is furthest along the path that rivals ranging from Apple to Warner Bros and Discovery are all
treading. In an era when more consumers want to watch their favorite programs at times of their choosing, every media conglomerate and new-tech Hollywood hopeful has reworked itself into an organization focused increasingly on streaming, rather than the linear TV that is still the core of the overall business….To be sure, Netflix’s subscriber shortfall comes during a unique period, one in which many U.S. companies are cutting ties with consumers in Russia and when pandemic patterns may have taken an outsize hold on how media companies operate. But there are other signs that when it comes to signing up for new streaming subscriptions, consumers have started to buffer.” With that news, CNN announced its extra content service will be shutting down in the coming weeks as well. Steinberg says the “company’s new cor-
porate parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, looks to focus more intently on a single streaming portal that combines Discovery+ and HBO Max. Warner Bros. Discovery has already cut the marketing budget for CNN+, one of these people said, though its shows remain in production. How much wider can people open their pocketbooks and wallets for streaming? Penetration of subscription video-on-demand services stood at 81.4% in the first quarter of 2022, according to Kantar, compared with 81.6% in the last quarter of 2021. Ad-supported streaming services continue to grow, according to the market-research firm, but that too is slowing. Penetration of ad-supported services stood at 25.3% in the first quarter, compared with 24.4% at the end of last year. Simply put, the nation’s leading streamers may have reached an intriguing new phase: matu-
rity. “We are seeing growth in new subscriptions at new services like Peacock and Paramount+ versus the more established services of Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Amazon,” says media analyst Michael Nathanson in a Wednesday-morning research note.” So it seems to be an “out with old in with the new” movement happening with the streaming services as new ones are introduced. This doesn’t necessarily mean the juggernauts are just gonna fade away with no resistance. All of them still have a wide audience and library to improve upon and appeal to a newer group of consumers. The landscape is changing though in the streaming game. Isaiah Ireland is a first-year Media & Culture major. II978280@wcupa.edu
Elon Musk Looks to Take Control of Twitter By Isaiah Ireland Staff Writer
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t’s no secret that Elon Musk is one of the most outspoken and active billionaires we have in the media. For the past couple of weeks, there have been rumblings that Musk might join the Twitter board in buying shares of the company. Shannon Bond of NPR reports “Musk, who recently became the social media company’s largest individual investor, told Twitter’s board last week he wanted to go on the entire company but didn’t say how he would pay for it. Now, in a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the billionaire Tesla CEO said he’s lined up $46.5 billion to fund his offer of $54.20 a share. Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and several other banks have promised to lend $25.5 billion, backed in part by some of Musk’s Tesla shares, according to the filing. Twitter released a statement on Thursday, April 21 saying the
board has received Musk’s proposal and “is committed to conducting a careful, comprehensive and deliberate review to determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interest of the company and all Twitter stockholders.” Twitter’s board already has thrown hurdles in Musk’s path. A day after he announced his offer, the board adopted a defensive measure known as a “poison pill” to fend off Musk and give directors more time to consider what to do.” Musk seemingly isn’t satisfied with just a slice of the pie; he wants the whole thing and has backers to reach his ultimate goal. He got what he asked for with news last week that Musk has now bought the platform for 44 billion. Musk took to Twitter to speak on the news “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the
digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated,” said Mr. Musk. “I also want to make Twitter better than ever by enhancing the product with new features, making the algorithms open source to increase trust, defeating the spambots, and authenticating all humans. Twitter has tremendous potential — I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it.” Most of the fear with the freedom of speech movement Musk wants to restore on Twitter is from political parties and politicians. Musk had this to say “For Twitter to deserve public trust, it must be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally.” Now a huge like this takes time to be fully set in stone, The New York Times reports “The deal is not set to close for another three to six
months, Twitter told its employees on Monday. According to Tuesday’s filing, Twitter would have to pay Mr. Musk in certain circumstances if the deal goes awry. That would include if the social media company signed a deal with another suitor whose offer is deemed superior. Mr. Musk, for his part, would have to pay if his financing for the deal falls apart.” Nobody knows Musk’s true plans for the platform besides opening up free speech and getting rid of spam bots. This news has a lot of people with a lot of different emotions but one thing is Musk plans to be a public eye power for years to come. Isaiah Ireland is a first-year Media & Culture major. II978280@wcupa.edu
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Features
Daedalus Launch Event By Olivia Schlinkman n Tuesday, April 26, in an intimate and cozy sector of the Phillips Building at West Chester University, the annually printed Daedalus Literary Magazine Launch Event occured, highlighting the creativity and courage of the many art forms submitted to the 2022 publication. Housing a whopping nearly 100 attendees, the event proved to be a supportive and emotional kickoff to the 2022 Daedalus Literary Magazine. The event opened with words by Vice President Echo Rogers, expressing immense gratitude towards the submitters and community as a whole. Without them, there would be no magazine at all. With submissions totalling roughly 80 poems, 70 short stories and 80 pieces of photography and artwork, the staff was beyond pleased to have such a large pool of artwork to choose from for the magazine. After the introduction, Faculty Advisor Kristine Ervin came to the podium where she commended the students, even those not accepted into this year’s magazine, for their courage in sharing their art — and therefore their emotions and experiences — with the community in such a profound way. “As writers, artists, photographers and poets it’s sometimes scary to put our work out there,” said Ervin. Before moving onto the main focus of the night, President Elayne Meggarrey took a moment to highlight the extensive amount of work contributed by the Daedalus’ officers. Rogers, Secretary Kristine Kearns, Treasurer Joseph Schiffer, PR Chair Avery Lynn and Design Manager Allison Weissman were acknowledged for the countless hours they volunteered to the club. Entrusted with many jobs that took up the officers’ time outside of club hours, the team had to deal with tasks of printing, designing the magazine’s style and layout, sending out emails to accepted
Squirrels Take WCU By Sarah Leinhauser
Copy Editor
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May 2, 2022
Special to The Quad
students, final checks and edits of the publication and even the catering of the launch event. However, with that hard work comes much joy in being a part of the publication. “I love being a part of Daedalus because we get to celebrate creative writing and art by showcasing it. Having that community is so needed at WCU because writers and artists need a place to be themselves, be lifted up and lift up each others’ work as well,” said Kearns. From there, the event moved onto students’ presentations of their work. Including a variety of poetry, prose, and paintings and drawings, each individual enthralled the audience with their evocative anecdotes for the following hour. Each presenter brought something different to the table, some with provoking, emotional deliveries, such as Paige Reali’s poem, “Spoil Me Pretty,” others with a more quiet and serene tone, like Brigit Kelly’s poems “A Contrast in Chairs” and “The Hardest Thing to Love is the Thing you Know Best,” who encouraged the audience to reada-long with her. While some spoke of heartwrenching depictions of trauma and pain, like Georgina Harvey’s artwork titled, “In my Time of Dying,” others delivered humorously entertaining pieces, such as Megan Streich’s prose, “Goodbye Letter From Camp.” As a conclusion to the event, awards were given to the top winners of the contest. In the Poetry section, poets Paige Reali, Noor Bukhari and Schyler Richards won; for the Prose section John Abernethy, Lydia Paulukonis and Megan Streich won; for the Artwork section Anna Augustyniak, Sarah Llenadom and Luxia Steinberg won; and lastly, for the Photography section, Emily Snyder, Lindsay Obosnenko, and Emma Craven won, all awarded first, second and third places respectively. As attendees left the Autograph Library, cupcakes from local bakery Dia
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icture this: it’s a beautiful spring day on campus. The sky is blue, the birds are chirping and you have a wonderful Einstein’s bagel in your hand. You go to sit down on a chair on the residential quad when, out of nowhere, a tiny furry creature springs out from the nearby trashcan — a wild campus squirrel! It approaches you quickly before turning and prancing away into the grass. Bewildered, you eat your bagel and wonder why the heck a squirrel just came at you like that. If that sounds like anything that has happened to you, you aren’t alone! West Chester University (WCU)’s campus squirrels are certainly delightfully chaotic little lads and lasses. When asked if they had had any odd squirrel interactions, WCU students had these responses: -“Once I was studying on the quad and a squirrel was straight-up gnawing on an Adirondack chair.” -“[A squirrel] was just chilling next to me eating a Cheeto.” -“My freshman year, I saw a squirrel jump out of a trash can with a full bagel in its mouth.” -“One time, one was on the bike rack outside of Allegheny. It let me pet it and I was the only one it let do that.” Many other responses were given, but the ones above really capture the essence of our campus squirrels. But, clearly, the squirrels of WCU are different than the ones that hang out in the forests or grasslands of Pennsylvania. But what exactly has made the squirrels the way that they are? Various surveys have suggested that such close contact to humans makes the squirrels more
comfortable approaching them. When you add in the fact that our campus is full of food sources and students willing to interact with them, it’s understandable that the little guys are a little kookier than average. This phenomenon is not exclusive to WCU, though — many college and university campuses have their own bunch of silly squirrels. One student who attends Loyola Marymount University in California responded to my poll saying, “There’s a really fat one that jumps up next to me and stares until I give him food.” Another student at Elizabethtown responded saying that a squirrel “screamed, literally yelled” at her because she got too close while it was eating. Sounds very familiar to our campus darlings! While it may be fun to toss the furry friends a treat every once in a while, it is advised to not get too friendly with them. Even though they may seem straight out of a cartoon, squirrels can still become very food aggressive, especially when in large groups competing for a single French fry. Also, they are still wild animals, and may carry diseases like ringworm, tularemia or ticks. Considering that they also frequently dive in and out of trash cans, they definitely have lots of germs on their hands. It’s probably best to watch them from a distance and enjoy their antics from there.
Doce among other food was offered to the public, as a means of giving one last hurrah to the inspiring work of the artists. “We write and we create art as a way to push back against the hurt of the
world, as a way to resist that which is difficult or traumatic as a way to offer beauty where we need it,” said Ervin on a concluding note.
Sarah Leinhauser is a second-year criminal justice major with a minor in Women’s & Gender Studies and Civic and Professional Leadership. Sl947401@wcupa.edu
Olivia Schlinkman is a first-year Psychology major. OS969352@wcupa.edu
The Quad
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An Alumni’s Experience By Yasmin Schepis Special to The Quad
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s we’ve all experienced our college careers with a global pandemic, there’s one specific class that I feel really missed out on closing their chapter’s properly. Of course, we all made the most of what we could with this unpredictable pandemic, but last year’s graduating class of Spring 2021 were definitely thrown for a whirlwind of uncertainty. In this feature, I interviewed West Chester University Alumni, Casey Benedict. Casey graduated in Spring of 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies. She experienced her final year here at West Chester University completely virtual and gives some insight on what she would share with current students getting to have that in-person experience she missed out on. How do you feel COVID-19 impacted your college career? Was it at all positive for you? How did the years prior compare to your senior year being completely virtual? Casey: It was definitely more negative for me. Education wise, I felt like I truly wasn’t learning anything. I was just going through the motions, not even getting out of bed to log onto Zoom, and caught myself constantly dozing off. Most of my quizzes/exams were open book/open notes for obvious reasons so most of the information I was being taught went in through one ear and right out of the other. Then, of course, there was the social aspect. I feel as though I was truly ripped off with a whole year and a half of my college career. The time that should have been spent making memories was spent either at home in Scranton, or in my bedroom at school. In general, compared to every other year, my grades didn’t really change. However, like I said, I don’t think I was really learning during COVID. My
Photo credits: “Laptop” (CC BY 2.0) by AUMOER
social life obviously changed, and that was hard to get used to. Being in a sorority, I was always out and about with different events and things to go to. I feel like with not having any of that, I almost didn’t have closure with my senior year. How did COVID-19 impact your graduation? Do you feel it was as significant as it could have been? Casey: I actually enjoyed how COVID affected graduation because we were still able to have a ceremony outside, but I believe it was cut down in size so there [weren’t] as many names to be read off. Which made it quick, easy, but still special! The lack of experiences at the end of my college career definitely did not take away from all my hard work and
accomplishments that were recognized at my commencement. Do you feel prepared for the real world post-graduation? Was that last year as effective as it could have been for you? Casey: I am definitely not ready for the real world. I was so accustomed to sitting home all day on Zoom that being expected to get out of the house and work a full-time job all of a sudden for the rest of my life was kind of like a shell shock. I also still don’t believe I had closure with my college experience so it’s hard to see all of my younger friends now enjoying it again, when I missed out the last year and a half. If there’s one thing you could tell a current student at WCU about your
time here during a global pandemic, what would it be? Casey: If I had to say anything I’d say, I know college can get stressful and old at times, but enjoy your time at West Chester while you still can. I unfortunately missed out on a year and a half of that experience, and you truly don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone! It truly is the best time of your life. Make the most of it as you can all while staying safe. Yasmin Schepis is a fourth-year English major with minors in Journalism and Literature & Diverse Cultures. YA918326@wcupa.edu
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Features
May 2, 2022
Flash Fiction • Poetry • Creative Writing
AS I LOOK BACK BY EVAN BROOKS Just now, I know what death feels like, as I stand over my own grave pondering how I ended up in such a place. I have always known how fragile life was, but when you are standing face to face with your own tombstone, you have to question your own understanding of true fragility. As I look back on my life, on the circumstances that led me to where I am today, I am faced with a question: Did I live the way that was necessary, or the way I wanted? Necessary living for me would have entailed keeping a good relationship with sleep — getting up on time after going to bed at a reasonable hour. Speaking of relationships, a necessary aspect of my life would have been reaching out more, experiencing and creating new friendships and maybe even finding and building a relationship where I could grow and mature with someone else. It is necessary, in my mind, to do what is not always easy, but needed for fulfillment and ease of mind. Ease of mind is something I do not possess, as I warm the air around his granite rock, inscribed with my name. No, I failed to do what was needed to live a full life, and instead lived the way I wanted: selfishly and filled with unproductivity. Normally, living on your own terms sounds like the dream, but living the way I wanted was a nightmare. My circadian rhythm beat erratically, not because I could not sleep, rather because I deemed it more important to scroll through social media. I lived a life of want, by comparing myself to everyone that was not me, and seeking enjoyment out of other people’s travels and posts. I was somehow, at the same time, so full of myself that I thought I never needed to study, or take notes, or put in the work. I believed I was somehow better than everyone else, even though I lived off their lives they posted about all the time. I compared myself to others, while thinking I was smarter than the world. Want and necessity are subjective, but objectively, as I case my faint transparent shadow over the dirt mount my coffin lies beneath, I can say some truths to life. Take control of your destiny, do not squander your invaluable time on things that do not positively impact the world around you in some way. Yes, it is important to ensure you have time where you can reward yourself, but overdoing it leads to no longer understanding how valuable those rewards are, or what they are even for. Lastly, love yourself for who you are, but remain grounded in the truth that you do not, nor will you ever, know everything, and that is fine. These truths I failed to live, and because of that, I lived a life I wanted rather than the one I needed. Necessity and want are up to the individual, but know once your clock has stopped ticking… once the last grain of sand has left the top of your hourglass, the only thing saving you from regret or a life not fulfilled, is the path you look back on from in front of your grave.
Evan Brooks is a fourth-year Business Management major with minors in Economics and Civil & Professional Leadership. EB916132@wcupa.edu
WRITE FOR THE OUTLET! The Quad’s home for creative writing. The Outlet accepts flash fiction, poetry and other creative works up to 500 words in length. Submissions can be sent to the Features Editor at quadfeatures@wcupa.edu.
The Quad
Op-Ed
OP-ED quadoped@wcupa.edu Dear West Chester,
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253 Sykes Student Union West Chester, Pennsylvania 19383 610.436.2375 • QUAD@WCUPA.EDU • WWW.WCUQUAD.COM
JULIEN PADILLO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | QUADEIC@WCUPA.EDU
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The campus is flourishing with color. Each and every tulip, each and every daffodil, has bloomed, their faces pointed
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towards the sanguine promise that is the grand breadth of the open sky. EDITORIAL BOARD
The cherry blossom trees across campus are winsome and abundant. Their flowers cover the normally-barren sidewalks with a carpet of petals (I like to think it is more love mes than love me nots). Arms of their branches open and inviting, they wave to each passerby: new faces and familiar ones alike.
MATTHEW SHIMKONIS | NEWS EDITOR LARA INGBER | FEATURES EDITOR KRISTINE KEARNS | OP-ED EDITOR EDWARD PARK | ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR JOE GILL | SPORTS EDITOR
Spring means new beginnings, doesn’t it? EMMA HOGAN | INTERIM NEWS EDITOR
Though the flowers will come and go as the seasons pass, the trees will continue to stand tall. They will watch and keep us company; ringing in year after year, the cornucopia of memories made on this campus will be remembered for ages to come.
HALLY EVERETT | INTERIM ASST. NEWS EDITOR EVAN BROOKS | ASST. OP-ED EDITOR HENRY CAMPBELL | ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR ERICK KLAMBARA | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
It has been an interesting year to say the least. Navigating the pandemic, the return of in-person learning, the numerous
TESIA WIEPRECHT | LEAD COPY EDITOR
bouts of hardship the past year has brought to us… When precedent times abandoned us, we turned the other cheek —
OLIVIA SCHLINKMAN | COPY EDITOR
and though it has been a difficult road, and far from a stroll upon a yellow sidewalk, we have come together and pulled through on the other side. (Insert obligatory “We’re All In This Together” High School Musical reference here.)
MONICA ZIEGLER | COPY EDITOR ALDEN HELLER | COPY EDITOR SAMANTHA STONE | FAST TRACK COPY EDITOR
CHERRY KIVUMBI | MULTIMEDIA EDITOR OLIVIA CARZO | PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
I am grateful for the people I have met during my time here, and for each individual I have been honored to have worked alongside. You have made a home in my heart, and I treasure the time we had together. To the existing Quad staff, to the new Quad staff… To the incoming freshman of West Chester University, to the
INEZ OLIVERAS | DESIGN EDITIOR ANTHONY ECKERT | ONLINE EDITIOR EVAN BROOKS | DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
DR. BENJAMIN KUEBRICH | FACULTY ADVISER
graduating class — best of luck, Rams. @TheQuadWCU
Let this era of time come to a close with a golden setting sun. Stay lovely and bright.
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Kindly,
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Page 18
Op-Ed
May 2, 2022
A Statement Against the War in Ukraine and NATO Expansion By Curry Malott, Tamara Anderson, John Elmore, Doug Morris, Chris Penny & Ben Brumley Special to The Quad
R
ussia’s military intervention or invasion of Ukraine took much of the world by surprise. In any war, the working class of the nations involved are the ones to bear the brunt of the hardship and suffering. The Department of Educational Foundations and Policy Studies
Decades in the Making The conflict in Ukraine has been decades in the making. The U.S. has a long history of promising not to threaten Russia’s national security by incorporating former socialist and even Soviet republics into NATO’s alliance. For ex-
backed by the U.S., publicly announced that it would pursue NATO membership. Since 2014, the United States has provided more than 90% of Ukraine’s foreign military aid, now totaling nearly $3 billion. NATO’s expansion and refusal to accept Ukraine’s neutrality created a
at WCU opposes this invasion. The Department of Educational Foundations and Policy Studies also condemn the U.S. government and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for their responsibility for creating the conditions that led to Russia invading Ukraine, knowing full well that innocent Ukrainians would die. NATO, it is important to note, was created by the Pentagon in 1949 as a military strategic alliance blocking together the world’s imperialist powers with the U.S. at the helm. The purpose of NATO was not to ensure collective security against the Soviet Union, as it claimed, since the Soviet Union, it was widely known, had no plans to invade Europe, but were seeking a peaceful economic relationship with the West.
ample, in 1990, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. Secretary of State, James Baker, promised Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not be expanded “one inch eastward.” However, by 1997 NATO issued membership invitations to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic. These first three of thirteen new countries that joined NATO since 1997 marks the beginning of the current crisis in Ukraine. In 2010, Victor Yanukovych was elected president of Ukraine. Yanukovych was determined to keep Ukraine neutral and therefore not join NATO. In 2014, after pro-Western protests in Kyiv, farright paramilitaries stormed the presidential palace causing Yanukovych to flee. The coup government in Kyiv,
volatile situation now boiling over. Even former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Jack Matlock, commented that, “Since Putin’s major demand is an assurance that NATO will take no further members, and specifically not Ukraine or Georgia, obviously there would have been no basis for the present crisis if there had been no expansion of the alliance following the end of the Cold War, or if the expansion had occurred in harmony with building a security structure in Europe that included Russia.” For the last three months, the Russian government called for negotiations regarding their security concerns. Putin announced that Russia would militarily intervene in Ukraine after the United States and NATO rejected their fundamental demands that Ukraine
Photo credits: Noah Eleazar via Unsplash
not be incorporated into NATO and that Ukraine, which shares a 1,200-mile border with Russia, not be used as a staging ground for advanced missiles that target Russia. The U.S. repeatedly ignored Russia’s requests, aware that Ukrainian lives were at great risk. No Escalations, Peace and Diplomacy Now In the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. must choose urgent diplomacy over military escalation, as the latter could constitute a death warrant for the species. We demand that the U.S. government immediately cease their provocative behavior designed to escalate the crisis and provide security guarantees that can be the foundation for the restoration of peace — the cornerstone of which must be a pledge to end NATO expansion. This is what can bring relief to the people of Ukraine. WCU Department of educational foundations and policy studies.
The Quad
Op-Ed
You Don’t Know Where You’ll Grow By Nick Marcil Staff Writer
A
s the semester comes to an end, many will be graduating and going onward in their lives. Whether to live in a big city or a small town or stay around the borough for now. Off to make music, make art, make change, make life, make the world a better place. Hopefully not going out there to just play the rat race. As for myself this is my sixth and final year at West Chester University, 2016–2020 as an undergrad and then 2020–2022 as a graduate student. I know I’ve become a changed person over the years. Like a seed planted in the ground when you burrow into college you don’t know the tree you’ll grow to be. The growth is due to the sun, the rain and the soil. I’ve felt that during my experience at West Chester University. But like the seed that was planted in the ground, I have grown. Growth due to people all around me. Growth due to experiences good and bad. And growth due to reflection, critique and action. I suggest you the reader take time to reflect on where you were and where you are now. As I’ve done so, I don’t just see the change or growth, but I feel it too. Just like the seed planted in the ground you will feel different. You don’t know how you’ll grow or how you’ll change, but it will happen. Truly my own changes have been where I see myself going in the world. Originally thinking of going into K–12 teaching, certainly things changed. As I got involved on campus in ways that really made me grow, I further sprouted through opportunities on campus. I didn’t want to see those leaves of opportunity fall off. So, after working a variety of on campus jobs I decided to jump away from K–12 into higher education. I decided to apply for the Higher Education Policy & Student Affairs Master’s program. The application I recall myself finalizing in the library wondering would this be where I’d really go and if this was what I
truly wanted to do. Only weeks later I recall having a phone call with the coordinator of the program the day the pandemic began. It was the day I heard from my student teaching cooperating teacher, that we would be closed for two weeks. The shock in my head was from something I wouldn’t have imagined. It was before then that I had the idea to go down this path of this Master’s during this global pandemic, a choice I don’t regret one bit. However, getting the time to truly reflect as student teaching was put on pause then online gave me the ability to see how I’d change. Now not only was there a change of me to decide to go into this Master’s and go into student affairs, but now over these two years in my graduate program I have changed. Gained experience in organizing, in activism, in fighting for a better world. That all has led me to go down a path of continued organizing, activism and fighting for a better world. I didn’t see myself here a year ago, nor before the pandemic, nor before entering West Chester University in fall of 2016 where I am today or where I’m likely to go and grow. Take time to count the leaves grown, branches fallen and holes made. As you continue to grow wherever you go and in whatever you do, just know and remember your roots. Remember West Chester University. Remember the times you had, friends you made, challenges you had, and take the time to reflect where you’ve been and where you are going. I don’t know exactly where I will go and how I’ll grow, but that is ok. The world is always changing and while we might change with it, we will also still have our roots, some of which have connections with West Chester University. Nick Marcil is a WCUPA graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Higher Education Policy & Student Affairs. NM871511@wcupa.edu
Photo credits: Adam Niescioruk via Unsplash
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Page 20
Op-Ed
May 2, 2022
Abortion: When Does Life Begin? By Victoria Foley Special to The Quad
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bortion. It is a hot-button issue on both sides of the political aisle with one side arguing for a fetus’s right to life and the other arguing for a woman’s right to choose. But what is abortion? According to Marriam-Webster, abortion is “the termination of a pregnancy… resulting in… the death of the embryo or fetus.” Despite the widely held debate on abortion, few seem to be able to give a definite, across-the-board answer on when life begins. So, when does human life start, scientifically speaking? Let’s start at the beginning. The sperm is injected and rendezvous with the egg in the female’s fallopian tubes. After the sperm and egg fuse together, a one-cell embryo, also known as the zygote, is created. In a self-preserving move, this zygote then prevents other sperm from latching onto the cell surface. By doing so, this zygote has started acting on its own to further its life. From zygote, the organism coordinates toward establishing complex tissues, organs and structures. This has graduated from a mere cell to an intricate organism. According to Merriam-Webster, an organism is “an individual constituted to carry on the activities of life by means of organs separate in function but mutually dependent: a living being.” In short, due to the zygote’s status as an organism, it has become a living thing. Now let’s turn to the experts: biologists. In a survey published in a peer-reviewed journal, Dr. Steven Andrew Jacobs queried 5,577 biologists from 1,058 academic institutions around the globe on when human life begins. Out of these biologists, 96% affirmed that fertilization of the egg (when it becomes a zygote) is when life begins. It is important to note here that 95% held a Ph.D., 89% identified as liberal, 85% as pro-choice, and 63% as non-religious. This isn’t the
census of predominantly religious or conservative biologists. This view that life begins when the sperm meets the egg is called “the fertilization view,” and it is supported by multiple peer-reviewed articles published in California Medicine, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Ob-
is when everything changes. Since the fetus has started acting on its own, it has become a separate living being reliant upon its mother to sustain life, but that doesn’t mean it’s invaluable. According to the Turnaway Study, 40% of female respondents said they sought an abortion due to financial rea-
Photo credits: Maria Oswalt via Unsplash
stetrics and Gynecology, Physiological Reviews, Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, and many more. As stated by Dr. Maureen Condic, “The conclusion that human life begins at sperm-egg fusion is uncontested, objective, based on the universally accepted scientific method of distinguishing different cell types from each other and on ample scientific evidence.” Since we have reasonably established that life begins at fertilization, why do women still choose abortion over their unborn child? Why is this seen as a “basic right” by so many? A common argument is that women have a right to what happens to their bodies. I would agree. If a woman wants to tie her tubes, I wouldn’t stop her. She is the only one affected by this decision therefore it is up to her. However, once you introduce a second party (in this case, a fetus), that
sons, 36% for timing, 31% for partner-related reasons, and 29% for the need to focus on other children. On top of this, 64% had multiple reasons. It seems as if some of these reasons are self-centered. It is understandable if you cannot financially support a child but having unprotected sexual intercourse comes with the accepted responsibility that one might become pregnant. If it is not convenient for the mother to birth her child, is it morally correct to rid herself of it? Every being has the right to life, and when that right is taken away that is called murder, and therefore, it’s not a moral good. That’s not to say that I don’t feel for the person who was raped, which is a tragic case and crime, or the teenager who had sexual intercourse irresponsibly, but one’s child should not feel the brunt of these cases and crimes. How would you have
felt had your mother chosen to abort you? What about the fetus’ body autonomy? Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule such as a fetus being stillborn or serious health risks for the mother and child during the pregnancy. As for the current legality of abortion, Roe v. Wade, which established a woman’s right to abort, has been questioned in Dobbs v. Jackson. In his Roe dissent, Justice Rehnquist argued that the majority had mangled the meaning of “privacy.” Not to mention, privacy is not mentioned once in the Constitution, but rather alluded to in the word “liberty” in the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause. As the Dobb’s petitioner points out, “liberty” doesn’t include the right to abortion, and instead, it is inherently tied to the fundamental rights of the United States’ history and tradition. Abortion is not among those deeply rooted U.S. traditions while pregnancy quite obviously is. In fact, the Founders viewed abortion as a crime against natural law, which is a body of unchanging moral codes that guides humanity. It bears mentioning that the Supreme Court isn’t some infallible entity incapable of making any mistake. In short, please consider adoption instead of abortion and be safe if you decide to have sexual intercourse. I wholeheartedly hope that one day society will look back at abortion as a thing of the outdated past. In 2019 alone, the CDC recorded a total of 629,898 abortions for that year. 92.7% of those fetuses were under the age of 13 weeks. When you consider that so many have been lost merely because they weren’t wanted, it is heartbreaking. Victoria Foley is a fourth-year Political Science major with a minor in Politics, Law, and Society. VF964426@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Op-Ed
Page 21
A Response to “When Does Life Begin” By Ali Kochik Managing Editor
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s stated in the original article, “When Does Life Begin,” by Victoria Foley, abortion access is somehow still a hot-button issue in politics. I say “somehow” because it is unceasingly amazing to me how anyone can find the issue to be a debatable subject. The aforementioned article which is benign responded to here details the reasons the writer feels that abortion access should be prohibited, citing various studies while simultaneously working hard to ignore the nuances and the humanity that goes into abortion access remaining a basic healthcare procedure. For starters, life simply does not begin at conception. Without any sort of medical intervention or technology, an embryo is not even viable outside of the womb until somewhere between 22 and 28 weeks of development. The majority of abortions are not taking place in the seventh month of a person’s pregnancy, meaning that most of the fetuses self-proclaimed “Right to Lifers” such as Dr. Steven Andrew Jacobs are concerned with, are nothing more than a clump of cells which could not sustain life without the aid of a host body. In posts from esteemed research universities such as Harvard Law, it is stated that, since a pregnant person is technically lending their body to a fetus in order for it to grow, the “abortion is murder” viewpoint it biologically wrong and not at all rooted in science or medical fact. Additionally, experts such as Sean Tipton, Chief Advocacy, Policy and Development Officer for the American Society for Reproductive Medicine have pointed out the ways in which the theory of life beginning at conception completely ignores all medical reality as many fertilized eggs don’t even become human beings. Just because an egg is fertilized does not mean a person is
pregnant, and in reality, plenty of fertilized eggs end up being released during a person’s menstrual cycle instead. Beyond just the factual inaccuracies of Foley’s article, I have an incredibly difficult time digesting the blatant lack of humanity and empathy that is expressed in her piece and by those who have similar stances on the topic. It truly baffles me how people like this so blatantly use pregnancy as a punishment. In the case of sexual assault, it really does not matter how much you “feel for” those survivors — what matters is how we choose to protect them. Furthermore, if anyone was to actually lend their time and efforts to working with survivors of sexual assault, I have a hard time believing you could look at those people and tell them they deserve the things that happened to them. But, since many people choose not to do this work, survivors become abstract concepts, and in the case of Foley, vehicles for carrying out physically and mentally painful products of their trauma. It’s inhumane on so many levels, it’s actually making this article difficult to write. Regardless of how a person became pregnant at all, it is a violent and diabolical way of thinking when people declare that a person is fully responsible for carrying, birthing and caring for a child they did not plan on having. Foley repeatedly references people who have sex “irresponsibly,” however, it is clear that this ignores the fact that people can do everything properly and safely in order to prevent pregnancy and still become pregnant. All of this is to say, it doesn’t matter in the slightest how one became pregnant, as pregnancy isn’t a punishment for simply existing and having human experiences. There is nothing beautiful or special about a person being forced into a physically
traumatizing state for nine months and then typically having to provide for this brand new human being once it is born. Foley then goes on to say that, “[...] 40% of female respondents said they sought an abortion due to financial reasons, 36% for timing, 31% for partner-related reasons, and 29% for the need to focus on other children. On top of this, 64% had multiple reasons. It seems as if some of these reasons are self-centered.” This paragraph is particularly challenging to read as, if people truly wanted abortion numbers to drop, they might actually focus on any one of these things in order to make the lives of the pregnant person more accommodating. If almost half of the subjects said they chose to have an abortion because of financial struggles, maybe we might…I don’t know… actually try to alleviate and ease the financial burdens that the average working person faces in order to take that factor out of the equation. The same goes for all of the other reasons listed. Which, I might add, are not self-centered, rather they are realistic assessments of life in the real world,
“...people who have had, want to have, or will have an abortion are incredibly strong individuals, regardless of what some may say.” something that people with privilege might not be able to fully grasp. With nothing more to really say after reading such a disappointing and uninformed article, people who have had,
Photo credits: Gayatri Malhotra via Unsplash
want to have, or will have an abortion are incredibly strong individuals, regardless of what some may say. Any reason for having an abortion is valid, as your body is your own — full stop. Nothing, not even a mass of cells that someone has deemed more important than the individual it is inhabiting, should have the power to restrict a person’s autonomy. Ali Kochik is a fourth-year English major with minors in Journalism and Women’s & Gender Studies. AK908461@wcupa.edu
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Op-Ed
May 2, 2022
The Land of the Dead: An AWP Reflection on Literary Ghosts By Devon West Special to The Quad
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n March 24–26, 2022, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) Conference came to Philadelphia. AWP is the yearly conference for all English-obsessed people: writers, teachers and students, editors and publishers of all things creative writing. I attended the conference as a West Chester University graduate student representative for the Creative Writing program. Upon checking the schedule for the weekend, I found myself drawn to one panel in particular: “The Literary Ghost Story: The Power of Haunted Fiction.” As someone who has grown up loving Halloween and all things that go bump in the night, I knew I had to base my schedule around attending this panel. The ghostly panel was hosted by Joy Baglio, and featured other writers Sequoia Nagamatsu, Amber Sparks and Yohanca Delgado. The four writers shared their experiences tackling themes of ghosts and hauntings — both literally and figuratively — in their works. Most people hear the word ghost and think of spirits and demons cloaked in a white or transparent sheet. However, ghosts can be defined in the dictionary as “the seat of life or intelligence,” or as simply as a “disembodied soul,” ideas which the panelists dove into. Ghosts can be living, or ghosts can be the shadowy beings as we know them. “I like ghosts as the facet of everyday,” Amber Sparks said. “It’s just another way of existing on the earth.” The idea that ghosts are all around us going about their daily mundane tasks gave me a sense of peacefulness when thinking about a subject typically so haunting. Ghosts, in this sense, could refer to the simple act of people going about their lives having nothing to do with death
Photo credits: Florian Lidin via Unsplash
or haunts at all. Sequoia Nagamatsu reflected on this theme as well: “We are all ghosts after two and a half years of Covid.” I hadn’t thought of the idea of any living being serving as a ghost, but when put into perspective of the pandemic, it was easy to see the “seat of life” definition come into play. Nagamatsu continued on a more haunting note, “Ghosts equal possibility spaces . . . children are able to be children and have space to do so — they didn’t have that [before death] and now they do.” With this thought, the afterlife became a new world to relive days and activities that the deceased never had a chance to complete; “The Land of the Dead,” as Nagamatsu put it. “The ghost world is a place individuals and readers can reflect on previous mistakes and previous losses and come to a catharsis.” After discussing what ghosts meant
to each writer, the panel switched focus to ghosts as themes and characters in fiction. “Ghosts allow us to look at something that is very much a concern of the physical world,” Delgado stated. By using ghosts as a theme in fiction, readers can connect issues in reality to hauntings around them; ghosts can be used as symbols and signifiers. Joy Baglio then brought up the question of “what is haunted versus what is haunting?” and answered that the whole idea is vague and nuanced. “What does the ghost want? What is the thing that’s being worked out? There’s a stubbornness involved in being a ghost . . . we could be ghosts in a lot of ways; in ways we refuse things,” Baglio continued. Ghosts can quite literally take on a faint shadowy form and give meaning to whatever is desired. In dealing with the subject of perma-
nence in fiction, Delgado offered, “the ghosts are asking us to revise or look again at something… they will come back for us if we don’t do it right the first time.” All of these ideas lead to the true question of what haunts us as readers. When we read a ghost story, we’re looking to be spooked. But when we read a story with a ghost in it, we begin to question ourselves and look deeper into our own subconsciousness. Among the attendants was Deedle Tomlinson, cofounder of New York Writers Workshop, who gave insight into his own background and what ghosts mean to him: “I’m from the Philippines, and over there it’s more like, who doesn’t believe in ghosts? The belief in the afterlife and otherworldly creatures is very strong in my culture.” He went on to discuss connections spirits may have with physical objects on the Earth, such as water. This is an idea that I’ve wondered about for years, as well; there must be something to tether the spirits to our world. As an avid reader of ghostly stories, I was thrilled when a list of suggested books was passed around. Titles included The Turn of the Screw (Henry James), Lincoln in the Bardo (George Saunders), Beloved (Toni Morrison), and Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte). I’ve read a few ghost stories myself and can attest that among my favorites are Ophie’s Ghosts (Justina Ireland) and How to Hang a Witch (Adriana Mather). The panel concluded with a writing prompt from Baglio: “Invent an object and give it a haunted identity.” I encourage anyone with a spooky passion for the unknown to give it a shot. Boo! Devon West is a WCUPA graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in English Studies (Creative Writing Track). DW857311@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Op-Ed
Page 23
The Pressure of Productivity
By Isaiah Ireland Staff Writer
I
t’s easy to lose track of responsibilities during times like this. A lot of us want to make an impact on this world, no matter how big or small. But sometimes that same goal leads us to feel pressure and not do anything to further ourselves. Having productivity every
time, just make sure you’re being productive in some type of capacity because you want to improve yourself. The New Yorkers Cal Newport wrote about this slow productivity mindset. “The central goal of Slow Productivity is to keep an individual worker’s volume at
ally increase.” Now fast productivity is looked at in high regard, but at what cost? Remind yourself to, look at the positives and negatives and what it’s doing to you. If it’s more positive than negative then by all means keep doing what you’re do-
perfect in all that you do.” She also adds “The pressure to be productive is often fear-based. This can be particularly true in times like the recent pandemic. Many of us worked longer, harder hours than we ever did before in the belief and hope that doing so would help us keep
day is a privilege when being in college. Things can distract or intimidate you every day and throw you off your course. Many students are In unique situations whether that’s being a parent, having a minor, taking summer or winter classes or being on academic probation, etc. So how do you stay productive without falling under the pressure of reaching your goal? Well, my fix is doing things in increments that fit you; slow down! The world moves too fast sometimes and you probably do too. It starts with your mindset, reminding yourself you have a whole life to live and accomplish plenty of things. What you’re not productive on now you can do another
a sustainable level. A natural fear is that by reducing the amount of work each employee tackles at any given time, it might reduce the total amount of work an organization is able to complete, making it less competitive. This fear is unfounded. As argued, when an individual’s work volume increases, so does the accompanying overhead and stress, reducing both the time remaining to actually execute the tasks and the quality of the results. If you instead enable the individual to work more sequentially, focussing on a small number of things at a time, waiting until she is done before bringing on new obligations, the rate at which she completes tasks might actu-
ing. The pressure of it is something a lot of people go through and I want you to know you’re not alone in that. Gabrielle Collard of The Coach Space had this to add to the topic. “..sometimes we give too much power to our need to achieve, defining our self-worth by our ability to succeed or fail. And if your self-esteem is completely predicated on “doing” and “achieving” you may find yourself slumping into self-loathing, shame, or anger every time you fail to work “productively.” Those who have the need to be super-productive are often also wrestling with the need to be “perfect.” But productivity is not about working yourself into the ground or being
our jobs, our businesses and our families afloat. And of course, while this may have given us solid comfort knowing that we could control some part of our lives, constant ‘doing’ can also be a way of avoiding reality. After all, if we’re too exhausted or unavailable to engage with the rest of life happening around us, we can avoid the truth of what’s around us too.” Now I can go on and on about this and will hopefully make a part two of this top next semester. But remember to be kind to yourself and live your life to the fullest, however that looks to you.
Photo credits: Ian Dooley via Unsplash
Isaiah Ireland is a first-year Media & Culture major. II978280@wcupa.edu
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May 2, 2022
The Quad
FAREWELL WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY
As we wrap up the Spring semester, senior members of The Quad share what they will miss most about working for the newspaper when they graduate.
JULIEN PADILLO Editor-in-Chief “The Quad is a paper, a newsroom, and most of all, a group of people that I cherish dearly. The memories I have made here, with these individuals who I admire and am honored to work alongside, are ones that have made a home in my heart.”
Photos By Dominique Vidal Special to The Quad
May 2, 2022
Page 25
The Quad
ALI KOCHIK Managing Editor “‘My time at the Quad has easily been one of the best parts of my entire time here at WCU. It’s been there for me since the start of my college career, and the memories I have made are some that I’ll carry with me forever.”
EVAN BROOKS Asst. Op-Ed Editor “I am grateful for all the opportunities the newspaper has granted me, all the patience the executive team has given me, and all the compassion and friendship the membership has parted to me. I will miss all of that and more, but I know that the lessons I have learned and the bonds I have formed will follow me well past graduation.”
Page 26
Op-Ed
May 2, 2022
Food Safety Concerns, Cash and Commuter Unfriendly Service: The Story of Campus Food By Joseph Gill Sports Editor
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t around noon on April 25, 2022, an order was made to the sandwich shack for an Italian sandwich and a caesar wrap. Over thirty minutes later, the “six minute wait” ended and the sandwich was given to student A who had placed the order. No wrap. Student A had a 1 o’clock class to attend and since that time was now ten minutes away, she left while student B waited for the other half of the order. After another ten minutes, the student decided to speak up and ask if the order had been properly received or maybe someone had taken it in error. When student B showed the receipt which had been stuck on the sandwich, the employee who made it, stated that the wrap had been included with the sandwich that student A took with her to class. Let me pause for a second, however. Student A has a condition called Celiac disease. To explain exactly what that is, the Celiac Foundation puts it as this: “When people with celiac disease eat gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley), their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine. These attacks lead to damage on the villi, small fingerlike projections that line the small intestine, that promote nutrient absorption. When the villi gets damaged, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body.” Simply put, the fact that the gluten-free bread sandwich might have been in the same package with the flour tortilla was a problem in and of itself. Thankfully, that was not the case. It wasn’t until student A texted student B, stating that the wrap was in fact not included with the sandwich, that student B ended up going to the Sandwich Shack and explained the situation in order to get the wrap. Finally, after an
hour, student A got the wrap. This is not supposed to be an article about a single complaint concerning a particularly slow day and miscommunication. The issue is that what happened in this anecdote is all too common and that there are other problems similar to those which reared their heads that day. As I mentioned, one of the students in that anecdote has a gluten autoimmune disorder in the form of celiac disease. Over the past few weeks, she had ordered a few burgers with gluten-free buns and, having no other bun to compare it with from Grille Works, she assumed the order was correct. However, last week, she got another burger whose bun was far different from the ones she had received previously. All this time, she had been receiving a gluten bun instead of the gluten-free bun. “I was angry and terrified,” student A said. “My first thought was I could sue them for this carelessness, but I don’t want to take those drastic measures, I just want to make sure no one else has to deal with it. Whether it’s having this disease, or just a food preference, you should be getting what you paid for.” Student A also had an experience where she paid extra for the Southwest burger which has avocado and pico de gallo on it, however, all she received was a patty, cheese and pickles. When she asked the employees if she had ordered in error, they simply stated, “well, we don’t have them, so obviously we can’t give you them, ” and swiftly turned around without a simple “sorry for the inconvenience.” I have worked in the customer service and food industry for long enough to know how to handle situations such as these. Where I work, it would be considered an offense worth a talking-to by one of my managers and it is something
I have become accustomed to avoiding by just having some understanding and putting myself in the customers’ shoes. Furthermore, in the same place that I work, there is always an emphasis placed on “food safety and awareness” to be sure that we are careful with limiting cross-contamination or mistakes that could place an allergenic food too close to one that is not. In other words, we would be very careful to not give someone a regular bun when they specifically order a gluten-free one. These standards are ingrained in workers through training methods both on computers and in person and they are renewed every year, regardless of how long one has worked the position. I do not know the training methods of Aramark, the company which runs most of the food distribution on campus, but I would strongly suggest they place an emphasis on limiting that carelessness. On another level of food on campus, I would like to touch on availability and ease of access for a cash-paying commuter like myself. Other than the food trucks, there is virtually no place to walk to on campus where I can get food and pay with my preferred method of payment: cash. There were many instances two years ago where I attempted to pay cash and ended up waiting at the counter for almost an hour as the rest of the line received their orders. I understand that there is difficulty running a cash register when there are only so many employees to go around in a certain restaurant but couldn’t there be a designated hiring event for a cashier to handle in-person payment? I am sure there are many like me who do not prefer to pay with their debit card or online who find it equally difficult to find a place to eat on campus. Being a commuter, I cannot easi-
ly leave to go to another restaurant in town for fear of losing my space (in addition to the gas costs and sheer inconvenience of finding a spot to park in town on short notice). Eating at Lawrence under a meal plan is also not economical for a commuter, (in addition to the health concerns there) as there would not be enough time on campus to get one’s money worth of meal swipes, whereas those living on campus have an excess of such swipes. When it comes down to it, commuters, cash payers and those with food safety concerns are left in a tough situation to find good food on campus. It seems that in a university which prides itself on inclusivity and diversity, there is much left to be desired. Joseph Gill is a third-year English major with a minor in Journalism. JG923276@wcupa.edu
Photo credits: Eiliv Sonas Aceron via Unsplash
The Quad
Op-Ed
Page 27
Student Debt is a Policy Failure, Not a Personal Failure By Nick Marcil Staff Writer
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was made aware of a response by Victoria Foley to my article around student debt which attempted to ‘set the record straight’ on why student debt shouldn’t be canceled, that it is the debtor’s fault, and must take personal responsibility. Remember; Biden owes us because he promised debt cancellation & free college to voters! Biden called for a minimum of 10K for every borrower, cancellation of all undergraduate debt from public higher education for those who make under $125K and free community college. He also owes “us” because public higher education should be a public good. Free college existed in California until then-Governor Reagan instituted tuition because he stated, “[we] shouldn’t subsidize intellectual curiosity.” Do we not want to educate people? Or is it because we don’t want to educate certain people? Unlike Reagan’s statement, we have public K-12 and public libraries which are free. Fun fact: the word public comes from the Latin publicus meaning “of the people” also “belonging to the people at large.” Why can’t we have a truly public higher education? We can; New Mexico’s governors recently made public higher education free in the state for all residents! As Victoria posits, “personal responsibility is being willing… [to] accept the importance of standards that society establishes for individual behavior and to make strenuous personal efforts to live by those standards.” Those who must take personal responsibility for debts aren’t the rich, as Victoria even notes that many get “free college education paid by their parents.” There is no standard across the board. The rich all the time get their debts forgiven, whether during the 2008 recession or pandemic PPP loans. The idea that student debtors are at
Photo credits: Green Chameleon via Unsplash
fault for not taking responsibility is victim blaming: she blames the debtor for debt. Was it the student’s fault they didn’t have the money to pay for an education? Debtors told you must live within your means. However, you shouldn’t be forced to live within your means when not provided a means to live. You can see this blaming in her closing, “debt is primarily the [individual’s fault] … you weren’t taught how to manage your finances, but you had the opportunity to research the repercussions[s]…”. Imagine telling someone who was not taught how to read that they should have taken the time to learn to read the sign saying do not enter. Now for my own story. Like Victoria, I didn’t receive help from my parents in paying for my college education. I had a multitude of jobs from mowing lawns, being a resident assistant (with “free” housing for 2 of my 4 years), having work study, etc. I received scholarships including the Board of Governors Scholarship which provided me full tuition for 3 of my 4 years and got financial assistance. Despite all this I graduated with around $16K in student debt and currently have about $17K while I am about to finish my graduate program. I wouldn’t call $17K in debt little to nothing. Victoria stated she worked hard and saved — many don’t have the privilege to save — but worked hard. Many work hard but end with debt. Despite myself doing what Victoria states, to take ‘personal responsibility,’ I’m graduating
with massive debt! However, I’m certainly aware many have higher burdens from even a public state-owned institution. The average debt of 2020 graduates of WCU was $37,100, as 75% of the 2020 graduating class left with student debt.This debt in part has to do with underfunding of public higher education continuing to burden students and their families. State general fund appropriation dollars across PASSHE adjusted for inflation over the past three decades decreased 58%. In 1991–92 they had around $755,560,000 in today’s dollars and in 2021–22 PASSHE received $477,470,000. Calculating funding per student, showed a 40.5% decrease in funding from that same time frame. Over time, costs have only increased. Across the state system, student’s tuition, fees and other costs account for close to 3/4 of the total PASSHE operating costs. Decades ago, the state picked up 2/3 of the cost when PASSHE was created in 1983. Also, student debt is racist, sexist and unjust. Victoria doesn’t even properly negate the ideas of debt being racist, sexist and unjust. She notes, “student debt is not unjust since… universities need their tuition… Students agreed… [when signing] loan agreements.” Or her not ‘believing’ student debt is racist or sexist. It is unjust for public state-owned higher education institutions to demand tuition dollars from poor, work-
ing class and middle-class students or any student. These public institutions “of the people” should be free. These universities don’t need tuition, they need funding! And these ‘loan agreements’ are unjust, only those without means are forced into to pursue a post-secondary education. Student Debt is sexist and racist whether by the almost 2/3 of held by women or the fact that on average Black students graduate with $7,400 more student debt than white students. There are certainly more facts and figures I can give, but I’d recommend you give “A Feminist Reading of Debt” by Lucí Cavallero and Verónica Gago a read. They note debt’s impacts on families and especially leads to burden women and LGBTQ+ folks. In our society those who get forced to do the vast majority of unwaged labor, care work, and other forms of work and labor are in those groups. This kind of work is extremely important in managing the debt crisis within families, households and communities. They further showcase the very relationship between debt and social reproduction. Regarding debt being racist, reading a Brookings Report from last year “Student Loans, The Racial Wealth Divide, and Why We Need Full Student Debt Cancellation,” will help showcase that. This report showcases the way this debt crisis further perpetuates the racial wealth gap. Limits of 1000 words can be constraining just like the Student Debt many now hold. Remember you are not a loan! And consider reminding Joe, 10K No Way! Cancel it all, with the flick of a pen. Nick Marcil is a WCUPA graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in Higher Education Policy & Student Affairs. NM871511@wcupa.edu
Page 28
Op-Ed
May 2, 2022
Jewish Experience on Campus & Response to El-Kurd By Rachael Weiser Special to The Quad
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ohammed El-Kurd has compared Israelites to the Nazis. These statements made by El-Kurd reflect me and the entire Jewish community because they dehumanize and belittle the six-million Jewish people who died in the Holocaust, the survivors of the Holocaust and the entire Jewish community who must now grapple and suffer from antisemitism. His statements made me feel that I must strip myself of my Jewish identity as people did during the Holocaust to protect themselves from being murdered, many never telling their family members they are actually Jewish. My throat and chest tightened, and tears filled my eyes, as I repeated to myself, “I am human, I am human, I am human…” but my voice became weaker as these statements as his statements pounded in my mind, with the painful knowledge that on Friday, April 29, 2022, he will be coming to speak to students in the English Department. Because therefore, my thoughts, voice, and feelings do not matter. The meeting had come to an end and the room where El-Kurd completed speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict became a room flowing with conversation. I am Jewish, and as a Jewish person, I believe that every person should be treated with respect, because just like you, I am human. However, the statements continuously spread by Mohammed El-Kurd dehumanizes me and every single Jewish person on this earth. They go against the school’s strict policy of keeping West Chester University of Pennsylvania a campus where all students are on a campus where “equity diversity and inclusiveness welcomes all.” Jewish children in Israel are unable to go to school, people daily flee to bomb shelters every day and are getting brutally murdered, but their stories and struggles are being diminished
Photo credits: Taylor Brandon via Unsplash
and erased because they are constantly being dehumanized by people like ElKurd. I understand that El-Kurd and his family are also experiencing atrocities and they have every right to stand up for their rights, but to dehumanize people who are clinging on for their lives is what is inspiring antisemitism to be on the rise. A family member of mine nearly died in an antisemitic incident, and yet, it is as if their near death ex-
religiously motivated hate crimes.” When I observed El-Kurd was available to be spoken to, I told him that I am Jewish and I showed him one of the many antisemitic statements he publicly made. He responded by saying, “I am not beholden to you.” Out of respect for him, I walked out of the room. I felt rejected, not by El-Kurd, but by the university for providing a man who passionately gives hate speeches and
Pennsylvania, how I feel does not matter because I am Jewish. This rhetoric or language used by El-Kurd is the same language used about Jewish people that ignited the sparks for the Holocaust to occur. I implore you to please respect Muslim people because as I have made clear in my article, we are all human, so we all need to respect each other. The purpose of my article was to articulate to the
perience is as important as a piece of garbage. Data on antisemitism written in an article in the Chronicle derived from FBI data makes clear just how bad antisemitism currently is in America, “According to the FBI, The Jewish community makes up less than two percent of the United States population, yet we are victims of nearly sixty percent of
makes antisemitic remarks about Jewish people a platform to foster and grow a following. I cannot fathom why any human being could provide a platform for a man who passionately spreads hate about human beings, who bleed the blood when they get cuts, could be donors of organs – in this moment, I realized, that to West Chester University of
school that it is imperative that they do not personally invite speakers on campus who dehumanize Jewish people, and any other community of people. Rachael Weiser is a first-year Special Education major with a minor in Autism Education. RW976457@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Op-Ed
Page 29
Coming Out to Placate Others By Emily Hart Special to The Quad
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oming out used to be a radical act of courage and self-liberation for LGBTQ+ people. Now, it is something others feel owed. This entitlement has become an intersectional issue, stemming past just heteronormative communities, and continuing to live in LBGTQ+ spaces. On social media platforms, such as Twitter or Tiktok, where social commentary runs rampant, those who subscribe to cancel culture have picked up the term “queerbaiting” and have yet to put it down. Queerbaiting can be best understood as a term used in media to describe queer-coded characters and narratives that are purposefully marketed to the LGBTQ+ community with no intention of canonically confirming their gender or sexuality. Representation in the media is great, so why is queerbaiting bad? In refusing to confirm or encourage these characters and aesthetics, creators are able to financially benefit from the queer community while invalidating it. Queerbaiting is an incredibly nuanced subject, however an important aspect to consider is its relevance to capitalism. Corporations and franchisees are able to monetize from these choices, therefore individuals themselves cannot queerbait. Referring to real humans, celebrities, and influencers as “queerbaiters” perpetuates the harmful expectation that we must dress or act in a way that “fits” our assumed gender or sexuality. Harry Styles, a celebrity notorious for his flamboyance, has been largely criticized for his refusal to label himself. The singer received negative feedback after appearing on the cover of Vogue Magazine wearing a blue dress, stating that he was queerbaiting, and abusing his cis-het privilege for social advancement. In 2022, how are we not past men
Photo credits: Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash
in dresses making national news? It is not advantageous to dress or act against societally-imposed gender roles. There is no problem with boys in dresses, and nobody owes anyone an explanation of their sexuality or identity. The singer recently opened up about his sexuality in a Better Homes & Gardens spread stating “I’ve been really open with it with my friends, but that’s my personal experience; it’s mine,” he said. “The whole point of where we should be heading, which is toward ac-
felt at peace regarding my gender and sexuality, I felt an immense pressure during high school to publicly come out, and still struggle with societal pressure to continually disclose this information. The reality is that it is never enough. Coming out is no longer for my freedom, or peace of mind. Asking to be accepted in my sexuality or gender inherently provides others power over who I am. I refuse to conform to conservative expectations because I simply do not owe anyone that. In stating that I am
cepting everybody and being more open, is that it doesn’t matter, and it’s about not having to label everything, not having to clarify what boxes you’re checking.” As humans, we are all able to live in ways that make us feel comfortable and authentic with no disclaimers or explanations needed. Although I have always
open, queer, bisexual or pansexual, I am only placating others and disrupting my boundaries. Coming out can fertilize breeding grounds for further invalidation or interrogating like “Well if you’re queer does that mean you like boys and girls like you’re bisexual, or are you like, gay?” Despite Harry Styles’ fame and popu-
larity, he is still expected to label himself. He cannot satisfy others with his statement that he shares that information with his trusted friends. They feel entitled to know whether or not he should be canceled for wearing makeup, or waving pride flags on stage. Gender and sexuality are personal matters that others are not inherently privy to. It is not allyship to force or pressure others to disclose their pronouns, sexuality, or identity under the guise of solidarity. In stating this, it is important to say that those who choose to come out are not making the wrong choice. Coming out is not a valueless thing, and in many instances allows for individuals to reclaim a part of themselves. There is immense power in knowing who you are and not caring. As a society, we have to provide the same respect to those who feel empowered to come out, and those who see no point. Pride looks different for everyone. For many, coming out is no longer a critical life choice or a means of self-discovery, it is continuing to conform to outdated societal expectations. The less pressure we put on current and future LGBTQ+ generations to come out, the less stigma and feelings of othering will surround individuals self expression. Those who feel empowered and motivated to come out should have the space to, but it should not be expected. I do not need to be boxed up or labeled for the sake of others’ comfort. I am simply who I am. In declining labels, my privacy remains my own personal sanctuary, not a closet I am expected to come out of. Emily Hart is a third-year Secondary English Literature Education major with a Youth Empowerment & Urban Studies minor. EH943163@wcupa.edu
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Op-Ed
May 2, 2022
A Journalist’s Journey By Ali Kochik Managing Editor
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hen I came to college, I really had no interest in pursuing anything within the realm of journalism. I’d already written for the school paper in high school, had a shaky experience, and really felt generally burned out and
using their writing as a means for progress, there is no better way to do that than with journalism. The knowledge I have gained and the people I have been honored to work with here have given me an invaluable experience and the un-
disinterested by the practice as a whole. Anyone who knows me, however, knows that I am nothing if not a walking contradiction and I will change my mind about 17 things all before eating breakfast in the morning, so really, it should have come as no surprise to anyone that I found myself at The Quad’s involvement fair booth on that hot day in August during the first semester of my freshman year, picking up a flier and secretly thinking about getting involved. I remember going back to my dorm room and hemming and hawing about whether or not this was something I actually wanted to commit myself to. Upon reaching out to the Opinion Editorial editor at the time, I realized it wasn’t something I necessarily *needed* to commit to, it was just something I could do whenever I felt like it. And so with that, I began writing my very first piece for The Quad, an Op-Ed which had to do with sexual violence on college campuses. But again, anyone who knows me knows that I can never do anything halfheartedly, and that I’m either in it 100% or not at all. This type of behavior led me to turning my first article into an ongoing column relating to women’s and gender issues at West Chester University. From there, I declared my minor in journalism, worked my way up from staff writer, to Op-Ed editor, and now finally Managing Editor in my senior year. I’ve written for every single edition of The Quad since that very first week of my first semester as a freshman, and as graduation looms a mere
derstanding that words are, in fact, one of the most powerful tools we are given when trying to change the world. I want to thank everyone who has worked at The Quad, Dr. Kuebrich, Dr. Rodriguez and all of the people at West Chester University who have helped me come to this place in my writing career and who have given me the space to practice and grow into such an incred-
Photo credits: The Climate Reality Project via Unsplash
three weeks away, I am finding myself reflecting on the practice I have come to know and love. While I cannot say for sure where the world of journalism is going, much less where I am going once I graduate in a matter of days, I can say for certain that my relationship to journalism has changed me in more profound ways than I could probably ever manage to get down on paper, and that there is a value to this work that deserves to be recognized. Journalism isn’t for the faint of heart. It is for those who care and worry and want to make the world a better place. It is for those who are willing to stand in the rain, in the cold, in the heat, gathering stories from different communities and working diligently to make sure power is mediated and voices are heard. I have had the utmost pleasure of meet-
ing and working with so many writers over the years who have embodied these values fully, and I have learned more than I ever thought possible — both from other writers and from the people I’ve been able to speak to and come to know through sharing their stories. A true journalist seeks to make the world a better place through their writing — their art. They become ingrained in the stories of their subjects and utilize the written word and the freedom of press to cultivate change, create awareness and challenge the status quo. Being a journalist is never, and will never necessarily be an easy thing to do. However, there are so many brave people willing to do it, and countless, equally brave people waiting to have their stories told by those who have taken on the power of the pen. To those who have always considered
“...my relationship to journalism has changed me in more profound ways than I could probably ever manage to get down on paper.” ible field. Four years of learning all about this has gone by in the blink of an eye, and somehow I am here, finishing this journey in the exact same way I started it: with an Op-Ed. Ali Kochik is a fourth-year English major with minors in Journalism and Women’s & Gender Studies. AK908461@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Op-Ed
Page 31
A Thank You & A Goodbye By Evan Brooks Asst. Op-Ed Editor
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he Quad Student Newspaper, has one of the most welcoming and dedicated communities at West Chester University (WCU). I can say with total assurance, that without the individuals that make up The Quad, I would not have written as much as I did. It is because of their hard work and dedication that I was inspired to keep writing. It was because of their compassion and friendship that I devoted so much of my time to the organization. Due to everything the organization and the people within it have given me, I write this article as a heartfelt thank you. Also, since this was my last semester, I write this as a goodbye, wishing all the best for the future of The Quad. During my time with The Quad, I have written articles during both the virtual academic year, and this in-person academic year. In both instances, I was greeted with kindness and treated with respect. I have enjoyed the privilege of writing for the features, op-ed and news sections. In writing for the features section, I maintained two columns, and had the honor of writing for four features section editors. I also maintained two columns for the op-ed section, where I had the honor of submitting articles to two op-ed section editors over the course of my time with the newspaper. For the news section, I wrote a handful of articles for three news section editors, which was also an honor. I say this, because in the short time I have been with the newspaper, I have been exposed to, and worked for and with, many outstanding student leaders. During my time, I was lucky enough to accomplish a great deal with the help of The Quad. I was able to hold four unique columns, facilitate the creation of the new business sub-section, distribute the newspaper weekly while re-
Photo credits: Evan Brooks
evaluating and expanding the locations reached, and I was able to contribute to The Quad with a great deal of articles. All of those accomplishments were made possible through the environment created and fostered by the organization’s capable leadership, and the enchanting individuals I have the pleasure to call my friends. I have witnessed the evolution, adaptation and advancement the organization has made over the past two years. The Quad has evolved into an ever-more involved and passionate group of students. The organization, like all of WCU, had witnessed an entire year of online education, and adapted to the means by which they both reported and disseminated important information. Lastly, The Quad has continued to grow, not just in membership, but in size and scope of what it encompasses and does, day in and day out.
The newspaper has expanded its reach across campus this year as well, now delivering to locations like the new SECC building, the FHG library and the Sturzebecker Health Science Center. In total, you can now find The Quad in over 30 locations across 26 buildings. The membership of the organization continues to strive for greatness and diversity within each issue printed and posted on The Quad’s website. It is because of the constant striving to do better, the community formed, and the level of diversity of thought presented, that I am proud to say I worked with The Quad. Over the course of this year in particular, the newspaper has had some diverse viewpoints published — viewpoints that not everyone may agree with. What makes the newspaper so great is that it has operated as a place for open discussion, and a way for all opinions to be shared equally. It has
become increasingly rare to find such a forum, of open thought and equality of voices presented. I am again, proud of The Quad for their dedication to ensuring all sides of a given argument are open for presentation, while keeping professionalism and fact-based discussion at the forefront. It is because of all that I have elaborated within this final article, that I am so pleased to say I have been a part of The Quad, and yet so saddened to leave. As my final — and 136th — article for The Quad, I thank everyone within the organization for their relentless professionalism and compassion. Evan Brooks is a fourth-year Business Management major with minors in Economics and Civic & Professional Leadership. EB916132@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Arts & Entertainment
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT quadentertainment@wcupa.edu
Back and More Golden Than Ever:
Concert on the Quad Returns After Three-Year Hiatus By Julien Padillo Editor-in-Chief
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fter a three-year hiatus, the wait is no more: on Thursday, May 5, from 4:30–6:30 p.m., West Chester University (WCU)’s Wells School of Music will be bringing the Concert on the Quad back to campus. Conducted by Music Director Joseph Caminiti, the event will feature the West Chester Symphony and other music ensembles, including the Latin Jazz Ensemble who will be warming up the quad with pre-concert entertainment. The Concert on the Quad last took place in 2019 and was put on hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With its grand return, this year will be the Concert on the Quad’s fourth annual performance on West Chester University’s academic quad behind Philips Memorial Building. “As musicians, we went through the crisis of COVID wondering what our future career opportunities might be. We still wonder about that,” said Caminiti, when asked about the Concert on the Quad’s return after a three-year absence. “We have no doubt, however, that the power of music to impact lives is great, and our live audiences have been joyful reminders of that.” The event is an open-air concert. Beyond the symphony of music in the air, the festivities include giveaways, raffles, free popcorn and WCU’s very own Rammy. Furthermore, because the music selections are dance-related, a dance area will be set up for those who wish to move and groove. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets and
chairs, and are welcome to bring snacks for a picnic-esque experience. Students, surrounding communities and the general public alike are invited to attend. “I started [the Concert on the Quad] back in 2016. We humans need to encounter music more serendipitously;
by our talented student musicians on what we hope will be a beautiful evening,” said Caminiti. “This concert is for people of all ages… children and beyond. What could be better than the merging of exhilarating live music, free popcorn, picnicking, raffles, communing and —
Photo credits: wcupa.edu
‘taking it to the streets’ affords that opportunity. Music is social by nature, so it’s fitting to avail it to the public as easily as possible,” said Caminiti. Additionally, the Concert on the Quad is considered to be a N.I.C.E. (Neurodiverse Inclusive Campus Event) concert. Accommodations include ASL interpretation, trained volunteers, a quiet area, squishy toys/stress balls and a therapy dog. “We are thrilled to once again present this festive event. The Concert on the Quad is a wonderful way to welcome Spring to our lovely campus, and to have fun and enjoy gorgeous music
drum roll — all for free! A pinnacle feature of this event is that it is a N.I.C.E. concert. This promises to be a beautifully memorable gathering!” Leading up to the event, each orchestra member received their part and practiced it on their own time, then later the orchestra would come together as a whole to rehearse. “Some of the process is like fitting puzzle pieces together,” described Caminiti. “We also spend a lot of time exploring, then evoking the unique personalities of each piece. Hours of individual and collective work go into this process. It’s well worth it!” Selections from the WCU Symphony
Orchestra Concert on the Quad’s programs includes Saint-Saens’ “Bacchanale,” Khachaturian’s “Masquerade Suite,” Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” and the world premiere of “Dance for Orchestra” by WCU Wells School of Music student, Andrew Lenko. When asked about his favorite selection being performed, Caminiti said that it is “[s]o hard to decide. I know this sounds evasive, but every piece is so well-written and has its own fascinating personality. It is a particular privilege to premier the Dance for Orchestra by student composer, Andy Lenko. I hope many can come and be a part of history in the making, since it will receive its first public performance on Thursday.” The Concert on the Quad will be taking place on the academic quad behind the Philips Memorial Building on Thursday, May 5, from 4:30–6:30 p.m. Admission is free. In the event of rain, the concert will shift to an indoor performance in the Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall in Philips Memorial Building. No food is permitted within the Concert Hall. For more information regarding the Concert on the Quad or other Wells School of Music events, refer to the events calendar provided by the Wells School of Music page on wcupa.edu. Julien Padillo is a fourth-year Media & Culture major. JP913571@wcupa.edu
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Arts & Entertainment
May 2, 2022
West Chester’s Rising Star: Noah Richardson By Molly McShane Special to The Quad
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oah Richardson is a rising artist from Philadelphia and alumni from West Chester University, class of 2021. He released his first single, “lowercase letters” in 2021 and has shown no signs of slowing down soon.
Molly: Tell me a little bit about how you got started in music? Noah: I really began with music [when] my mom forced me to do music when I was a kid. And I was like I want to do sports, like I played sports and all that stuff, and I know I didn’t want to do music originally. It was in like second grade I think I did it. But, when I did it, I realized I love performing and singing and like songs and just learning music in general.
Molly: Let’s talk “Painful,” your most recent single. It reminds me of Silk Sonic, Bruno Mars and Dominic Fike’s sound. Can you tell me a little bit more about that song and the songwriting process? Noah: Honestly, this was probably one of my favorites to write because I worked with two, probably three people including my producer, of the most gifted people that I ever worked with. [I also worked with] my friend Dylan Korman and my friend John Minehart. Dylan played guitar and John played bass. Basically, we were supposed to be practicing for shows and it never worked because everytime we would meet up we would write a song that we really liked within the first 20
minutes. We would start practicing something and then they would get into some sort of groove. So, in the terms of “Painful,” they just started playing this chord progression and it was just so infectious it became this groove. Then I just had this hook in my head. It was just like, “You gonna make this painful,” and I kept singing it over and over again. I remember in the middle of Dylan’s apartment, we were standing in his living room in a circle, in some weird kind of ritual sense, and we were dancing to this song, like really weird. But, it wasn’t even anything yet. We all just kind of looked at eachother like, “At the end of the day, this is really special, we feel something in this room right now. We need to record this.” So, we recorded it and the rest of the night we just kind of went through the song. I sang over top of it and wrote the lyrics, everything like that, and it all came out. It was beautiful.
Molly: So that all happened in one night? Noah: Yeah so, everything happened in one night. The demo of it happened in one night; the melody, everything was all there, the hook, the pre chorus was there. I just didn’t have all the words for the verses. So, the verses were kind of just like something I kind of learned from John Mayer actually. It was like an interview he had with Zane Lowe; I don’t know if you know who Zane Lowe is.
Molly: Oh I literally used that video in a presentation like two weeks ago.
Noah: Dude, yeah, that video is like gospel. Basically, I don’t know if you remember when he talks about as soon as you pick up the guitar, like just start mumbling whatever comes out of your mouth, if you don’t do that, you’re wasting your time. That has struck home with me with everything that I do. I just started, once I got onto the mic, I literally just started [singing] anything that was coming out, just started pouring out of me. Which is a good thing because you kind of just turn your brain off and just stream of consciousness. You know, everything that you want to talk about, which is cool.
Molly: I love that. How do you think your style or your sound has evolved from your first single till now? Noah: From “lowercase letters” till now. Which is funny, because writing that song, I don’t know if that was supposed to sound that way. It kind of morphed into that. Around the time that I first wrote that song, I really wanted to be an Americana artist. Like I really wanted to be like acoustic, like blues, like Jack Johnson, like that kind of stuff was really what I wanted to do and it’s completely different now. I really didn’t want to do anything with electronic instruments or super crazy production or anything. I wanted a Jason Mraz kind of sound. But, then I started getting into like Dominic Fike, Brockhampton, Clairo, all the kind of up-and-coming artists that a lot of people our age listen to. I really got into them and their production and their influences. Then I kind of was
like, “Dude, I like so much music, I can’t not pull from all these things.” So then, I started learning production myself, and I was like, “Ok cool.” That’s when I started making the sound I really wanted.
Molly: As a recent West Chester graduate, do you have any advice for anyone at West Chester or graduating soon? Noah: If you are on a path you don’t want to be on, it’s not too late to change your path. I was going to be a doctor; I was a pre-med student and I literally changed everything, did a complete 180 into being a songwriter starting really from the ground up, halfway through college. I’ve worked my ass off and everything. I’m grateful to have had the experience I have and meet the people that I have. But if you work really hard, and actually believe in it, and this stuffs not cliche, if you really work hard and feel like you can do it, you can literally do anything.
Noah is releasing a brand new single, “Baby Talk” May 6 and is currently gearing up for a much bigger announcement. For updates follow his Instagram @ noahriichardson and use the link pre-save “Baby Talk” on Spotify. Molly McShane is a fourth-year Media & Culture major with a minor in Journalism. MM940504@wcupa.edu
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Spotlight of the Week: Throwback “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’’ By Isaiah Ireland Special to The Quad
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he importance and impact of Lauryn Hill’s only solo album ‘’The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’’ are not to be diminished. Many rappers and singers, men and women alike look at that album as inspiration to pursue their careers and artistry from the likes of Nicki Minaj, Joe Budden, Jay Z and more. Today we’re gonna go through the album and see what made it such a classic in the hip-hop community and what made this album achieve five Grammy awards. The album starts with the intro where you hear the teacher taking attendance by calling out names, but towards the end of the interlude the only one that’s not there is Lauryn. This leads to ‘’Lost Ones,’’ Genius reports “This song is written to an ex, following a relationship break-up. It is Lauryn’s chance to release everything on her chest, after previously keeping a dignified silence. This song was aimed at Lauryn Hill’s former Fugees bandmate, Wyclef Jean.” The Fugees were a hip-hop group Lauryn was a part of alongside Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel. The song ends with the classroom coming back and the teacher asking them to spell out the word love. He asked them how many of them know songs and movies that are about love and if they can name them. Then ‘’Ex-Factor’’ begins with Lauryn singing about why a lover of hers makes it so hard to be with them and why are they so toxic when “It could all be so simple (Ba-ba-ba-baby, baby, baby) But you’d rather make it hard (Huh, uh).” We get a guitar solo as the song slowly fades off. ‘’To Zion featuring Carlos Santana’’ is a beautiful dedication to her son. It ends with the classroom coming back and the teacher asking how many of them have been in love. So he asked one of the boys in the room what’s his idea of love and said when you’re willing to do everything for a person and other
kids bud in on what their idea of love is. Hit single “Doo Woop (That Thing)” starts playing with that familiar piano solo. It’s a very groovy tune as Lauryn talks about telling men and women to be cautious of “that thing.” The classroom comes back with the teacher asking the kids if they are too young to be In love and the kids reject this idea. One of the girls explains It’s the difference between loving somebody and being in love with somebody. As another girl explains her idea of love and with that, the teacher says we can end the conversation. The talk breaks are one of my favorite parts of the album because of how real and raw they sound and it’s something as schoolers we can relate to. In the next song ‘’Superstar’’ Genius reports “Lauryn reflects on the reality of being a superstar, and how fame can erode artistic ambition if not handled well.” ‘’Final hours’’ is after that Genius reports this song “Lauryn takes the chance to talk about how superficial merits amount to nothing when God’s judgment is to come. She maintains that one has to invest on lasting things and principles in their life.” For me these two-song came and went, she was saying some real stuff in here but nothing that moves me particularly. ‘’When it Hurts So Bad’’ has Lauryn singing about why the love she has for this man isn’t reciprocated or appreciated and it hurts. This song has a classroom scene as well you should check out. ‘’I Used to Love Him featuring Mary J Blige’’ begins, in the song both discussed being in love but now realizing their situation was horrible and it wasn’t really love. “Forgive Them Father” and ‘’Every Ghetto, Every City’’ has Lauryn going over the places she grew up and what she did during her childhood that made her who she is now. The classroom comes back and a boy gives his idea of
Photo credits: “Lauryn Hill - Rock The Bells” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by TonyFelgueiras
love and says it’s just a feeling and you just hope they feel the same way as the song ends. “The song fluidly brings back the theme of love and how it can make everything else seem irrelevant.’’ ‘’Nothing Even Matters” featuring D’Angelo comes on and it’s a song I recognize from growing up listening to the radio and has a beautiful slow tone. ‘’Everything is Everything follows up next.’’ The song is pretty self-explanatory in the lyrics with Lauryn speaking on any type of struggle a person goes through, it happens for a reason and better times are coming.
I did do good in school — but it has a lot to do with finding out about your own aspirations and your own dreams, and not those dreams and those aspirations that some might have for you….I encourage you to be strong, to be independent, to be positive, and to know that you can choose your own destiny and your own path….” There are two other songs Tell Him and Can’t Take My Eyes Off of you. Both see Lauryn confessing a true love for a person and not wanting them to go anymore. Her lyricism and how she composed the album makes it feel whole and gives it the unique beauty it needs.
Genius reports on the last track of the album, this self-titled song ‘’Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” the final track of the original album. She explains the meaning behind the word “miseducation” The song is called, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” and it has a lot to do with how I figured out some things from my life. It doesn’t necessarily mean miseducation like I didn’t do well in school — as
“Tell Him” is a standout track for me. It’s a beautiful love song to a lover of hers wanting them to know that she needs them. This body of work reminded me of what real talent and artistry looked like back in the day. Isaiah Ireland is a first-year Media & Culture major. II978280@wcupa.edu
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Arts & Entertainment
May 2, 2022
Netflix is Considering Ads By Edward Park Arts & Entertainment Editor
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etflix could potentially get ads in late 2023 or 2024. In a quarterly earnings report Reed Hastings, the CEO of Netflix, discussed the potential of adding ads to the streaming service.
“Allowing consumers who like to have a lower price and are advertisingtolerant (to) get what they want makes a lot of sense.” Netflix, the platform lauded for its lack of advertisements, is now considering one of the biggest appeals of the platform. Additionally, other conveniences of the platform such as sharing accounts among other households have been discussed by Netflix. They are considering methods of removing the accessibility of the platform among multiple households. However, that, again, conflicts against what Netflix was lauded for. The convenience of the platform is slowly decreasing as time goes on. Despite the obvious disadvantage to the consumer Netflix is doing in this case, statistically, many seem to be comfortable with advertisements.
“43% of U.S. online adults who use a streaming service are concerned with how much they’re paying for all of the streaming services they subscribe to...44% of U.S. online adults who use a streaming service would rather their favorite streaming service have ads/ commercial breaks so they can pay less for it” says Mike Proulx of Forrester. However, the bigger question is: why?
Photo credits: “netflix” (CC BY 2.0) by stockcatalog
Why risk their near spotless record of good-faith, customer-centric reputation (Cuties and other similar controversies notwithstanding) for ads? The answer is simpler than many may think: They are simply not getting as many subscribers. A major culprit is password sharing. As mentioned before, there are many people who enjoy the services of Netflix without having to purchase it themselves by sharing the same account. Netflix is currently experimenting with different techniques to prevent this from continuing in countries such as Chile.
accounts if not set up properly which could add some pushback to the idea of cyber security as it would prevent them from protecting their IP address. Another thing that they could do is set a hard limit on the number of active users on an account. In short, make sure that only 1 or 2 people can use the account at once which would severely limit the number of people that would use the same account. This is far more likely to occur but would lead to issues such as a family that is split up and wants to watch a show together no longer can use convenient tools such as Teleparty.
easy it is to use and affordable it is to buy. Adding additional purchasing models under the guise of “Consumer Choice” is one of the oldest monetization tricks in the book. Rarely is it ever more convenient for the consumer to have multiple options when previously it was a simple single option such as the current model. While it’s more complicated for the average buyer, it makes the impetus to pirate far more pronounced. Netflix is still a massive platform despite its customer base dropping and the stock of Netflix similarly falling. We
Jumping into speculation for a moment, there are a couple of things that I personally feel they will try.
I understand all of that was speculation. A bigger issue, however, isn’t: Piracy. The easiest way to mitigate the potential of piracy is to make the product more convenient and more accessible than piracy would be. Netflix is a perfect example. While yes, piracy of course still occurred, Netflix thrived because one of the key facets of Netflix is how
shall await with anticipation how the launch of ads on the ad-free platform will be like.
On is IP address detection. In short, if two people are using the same account but on different IPs then the service can detect that and then cut one of them off. That would however prevent people who use VPNs from accessing their
Edward Park is a fourth-year Secondary Education (English) major. EP909756@wcupa.edu
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Most Anticipated Albums Over Break By Isaiah Ireland Staff Writer
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Photo credits: “Kendrick Lamar in 2012” by Jon Elbaz via Flickr CC-BY-2.0
s this is the last issue of the semester, a lot of albums that would’ve been reviewed for you guys won’t necessarily happen right now. (Hopefully next semester!) But that doesn’t stop the excitement of some very big names
Was,” a brisk, daydreamy ballad co-written with Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, the boyband icon-turned bona fide rock star laments one of life’s painful dichotomies: the temptation to look back while being forced to move on ahead.
releasing new projects. Kehlani, Miranda Lambert and Future all dropped albums last Friday “Blue Water Road,” “I NEVER LIKED YOU” and “Palomino,” so go check those out. Jack Harlow’s “Come Home The Kids Miss You” project drops May 6, and the rapper just earned his first number one solo billboard hit with “First Class,” which had one of the biggest streaming debuts this year. Along with R&B singer Ella Mai album “Heart On My Sleeve” drops May 6. Kendrick Lamar whose fans have been waiting on a new body of work for a couple years now announced the following through his website: “Los Angeles, C.A. (April 18, 2022) — The following statement was released today by oklama Through his company pgLang at 11:00 a.m. PT in Los Angeles. C.A.: Album: ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ release date: 5/13/2022 All factual information for this release will come directly from this source only.” This will be the last project on his current label, TDE, who has artists like Sza and 6lack on their roster who are rumored to be dropping new music soon too, but no official announcement as of now. Latino artist Becky G’s album “ESQUEMAS” drops May 13. Florence + The Machine’s album “Dance Fever” drops May 13 as well. Coachella Headliner, Harry Styles, is dropping his project “Harry’s House” on May 20. His single “As it Was” did well reaching number one on Billboard as well. Apple Music details the song as “The first taste of Harry Styles’ forthcoming third album ‘Harry’s House’ is finally here.” On “As It
Post Malone’s project “Twelve Carat Toothache’’ drops June 3. Carrie Underwood’s album “Denim and Rhinestones’” album drops June 10. Luke Combs’ album drops that month as well. “Truth Hurts” singer Lizzo announced that her album “Special” is coming July 15. In the bio for the album on Apple Music it states “Lizzo has been working on her new album ‘Special’ for three whole years,” and to use her words: “It’s about damn time I put it out!” It’s only fitting, then, that the lead single is titled “About Damn Time.” You can listen to it now in Spatial Audio. While you’re here, be sure to check out her exclusive audio message for fans in which the “Good as Hell” phenom opens up about why she took her time with this record, writing almost 170 songs before narrowing it down to the final bunch. “These are songs about love,” she says. “Whether it’s selflove, love for your family, love for your friends or love for a significant other, I really believe that love for oneself and for others is what this world needs to be a better place.” Pre-add the album, hear “About Damn Time,” and listen to her message in its entirety — only on Apple Music.” Of course there’s many more albums over our break span that’s dropping as well; these are just the notable/ anticipated names releasing over the next month. Enjoy these beautiful bodies of work these artists are going to put out cause I know I am. Isaiah Ireland is a first-year Media & Culture major. II978280@wcupa.edu
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Arts & Entertainment
Here’s How These Women are Making Strides to Redefine Their Role in the Media By Kaitlyn Chronowski Special to The Quad
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hen it comes to representation in the media, oftentimes women get overlooked as men hold a vast majority of positions of power in Hollywood, sports, tech, politics and many other industries. Luckily, there are many women today who are taking strides to change this and working to create a more inclusive environment for future generations. Greta Gerwig is a great example of a powerful woman who is shaking up the film industry. As of 2021, women only make up 4% of directors in Hollywood. Gerwig started her career in Hollywood, starring in films such as “Frances Ha” and “No Strings Attached.” In 2017, Gerwig took on the roles of writer and director for the critically acclaimed film “Lady Bird,” which went on to win a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and launched Gerwig’s career behind the scenes. Two years after the release of “Lady Bird,” Gerwig directed “Little Women,” which won a Critic’s Choice Award. More recently, it was announced that Gerwig would be writing and directing the new “Barbie” movie set to come out in July of 2023, starring Margot Robbie. Mattel has taken many steps to transform Barbie’s image from what once was a figure of perfection, to a relatable role-model that young girls can look up to. Lisa McNight, senior-vice president and global brand manager of Barbie at Mattel told Campaign Magazine in 2019, “Parents didn’t see a lot of substance behind the doll. We also had content out there that portrayed Barbie in a fun way but without a deeper meaning or message,” McKnight goes on to say, “Barbie was viewed as too perfect and unrelatable. We knew we needed to do more and the product was the single biggest
message we could send to show we were listening and ready to evolve and modernize.” The efforts made by Mattel empower young women by showing them that if Barbie can do it, they can too. Mattel has also challenged the traditional beauty standard Barbie has followed for decades by releasing dolls of all shapes and sizes, along with a variety of skin tones. Challenging beauty standards in a different way, supermodel Winnie Harlow helps redefine the modeling industry by embracing and celebrating her vitiligo, a skin condition causing irregular pigmentation across the body. In an interview with Ocean Drive magazine, Harlow states, “It’s amazing to be representative of inclusivity… Remembering looking out into the world and feeling like I was the only person with vitiligo, and now seeing so many different people being represented on different platforms... it is really beautiful to me. And being a part of that, at the forefront of it, is a big honor to me because there was no path to walk. I had to make a path for myself. And now that people are following suit and doing the same, it’s really beautiful to me.” Representation for women like Harlow ultimately helps to break the rigid, unattainable standards that women today are subjected to. Supporting the endeavors of female entrepreneurs,celebrities and other creatives are a small step in the right direction when it comes to gaining equality for all. Kaitlyn Chronowski is a fourth-year Media & Culture major. kc905079@wcupa.edu
Photo credits: Caleb Oquendo: via pexels
May 2, 2022
The Quad
Arts & Entertainment
Page 38
Crunch. Why? By Edward Park Arts & Entertainment Editor
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n game development, there are scant few words as universally reviled as ‘crunch.’ While there are some who view it as a necessary evil of the industry, there are others who view it how it is: workplace abuse.
Let’s be clear right now about one thing regarding crunch: no, crunch is far from necessary to make good games. I can’t believe that such a sizzling hot take had to be given out that killing yourself to make video games is not good for the industry, but I just need to spell that out here. Some amazing games have been made under no crunch whatsoever. “Hades,” a great game, was made by a studio that makes a point of not crunching its workforce to death. Telling their employees to take vacations or just making sure that the people they are hiring are not losing years of their life make entertainment.
However, to my disbelief and hopefully to yours, people disagree. Brendan McNamara, director behind the “L.A. Noire” franchise, has made numerous statements about crunch and how it is practically a mandatory part of the creation of video games. A little background regarding this man as well as how the game suffered under his leadership. After this game, Rockstar, the publisher of “L.A. Noire,” decided to no longer associate anything with the studio McNamara had made for the game. His
misdirection and abuse of his employees is almost legendary with one employee calling him,
“The angriest person he’s ever met” and stated plainly,
“It’s one thing for him to be angry behind closed doors, but it was incredibly common for him to scream at whoever was pissing him off in the middle of the office.” A man like that should never have employees under him. Ever. To verbally abuse people so openly is to be an absolute animal of a person. But why should I simply say that he’s a monster when he can basically confirm that for us? I won’t put everything down here, but here’s a taste of this madman’s take on crunch. Keep in mind, these are things he actually said in an interview with IGN:
“Am I passionate about making the game? Absolutely. Do you think that I’m going to voice my opinion? Absolutely. But I don’t think that’s verbal abuse.” “We all work the same hours. People don’t work any longer hours than I do. I don’t turn up at 9 a.m. and go home at 5 p.m., and go to the beach. I’m
here at the same hours as everybody else is. We’re making stuff that’s never been made before.” “If you wanted to do a nine-to-five job, you’d be in another business.” And here’s the crown jewel. In this part of the interview, the IGN reporter asked, “Looking back, what would you have done differently?” McNamara responded,
“I think we’d think twice about Sydney (to clarify, this is where his studio was located)... there’s not that much government assistance, compared to Canada or the U.S. The expectation is slightly weird here, that you can do this stuff without killing yourself; well, you can’t.” Crunch is not a byproduct of game development but a product of poor management. Oftentimes, crunch is used as a crutch as the deadline for the game inches ever closer, managers believe that they have no other choice but to push everyone to their limits. This miasma of misconstruing crunch as a mandatory part of game development is literally all over the industry and across the world. “Bioware” was infamous for framing crunch, an abuse and detrimental part of the gaming industry as “Bio-
ware Magic.” They viewed those final, stressful and painful months of development as the period of time where all of their games finally come together to be worth the suffering the crunch has caused. Anthem, the game whose production finally broke “Bioware’s” back, revealed how aimless and lost the project seemed until the final few months where they were, you know, developing the game with no interuptions. They believed that crunch would save their title and make it better. They thought that they were on the cusp of greatness. What they were actually on the cusp of was a cliff whose edge meant the end of “Bioware.” There is no better time than to talk about how crunch as many different projects now have experienced these very same problems all the way back to the beginning are starting to rear their ugly heads. Many games are getting delayed instead of killing their workforce and that is a great thing. Games should be given the proper amount of time and effort.
The way games are made needs to change or something else is going to force change upon it, and I think all publishers and developers should know exactly what they would prefer. Edward Park is a fourth-year Secondary Education (English) major. EP909756@wcupa.edu
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Arts & Entertainment
May 2, 2022
Critical Moves: Games with Long Tails By Edward Park Arts & Entertainment Editor
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here are many games out there that sell gangbusters. They come out of the developer room in a sea of gold and waves of silk and shine upon the shelves of any number of stores online or otherwise. And then the publishers expect nothing less than the best-selling game
My point is that there are a ton of games that have to sell immediately or they are considered failures despite the otherwise being true. A good example of this is the 3DS. I’ll say this right now, the 3DS was a blockbuster success. It sold millions of units and has EASI-
In short, a product, or in our case a game, with a long tail is one that has a steady amount of sales throughout a longer period of time rather than a burst of purchases over a week or so. For example, look at “No Man’s Sky.” No additional purchases, no monetization, one
the game had shipped. That shipped game however ended up not even having the lifespan of a carnival goldfish. It’s unfathomable how so many games companies don’t see the value of long tails. Initial sales are often a good indicator of a product’s success but an-
of all time within only weeks of its release. You see it everywhere from high and low and that pattern remains the same. Although, if they want to reach best-selling of all time they better get cracking because that is “Minecraft” at 238,000,000 copies.
LY surpassed the WiiU although that is hardly an achievement considering how Nintendo refers to the WiiU. The 3DS was initially a failure however and had a reduction in cost before profits were made on the product. What that is is something called a long tail.
price. However, financially the game has been doing incredibly well for itself despite having come out years ago still to this day gaining purchases and additional customers.
other is the retention of players to that game. “Splatoon” is practically every company’s and player’s dream. It had an incredibly long lifecycle with lots of new content and it shows in how many not only stuck to the game but with how many more would come. It’s a no brainer Thus, games with long tails should not be ignored and thought of as financial failures as they often are, but as games that have a long lifespan. This isn’t quite the same as a live service game although the two are often similar. Games with long tails don’t need to have additional content but often that does help facilitate a longer tail. It also helps with game development as well. Instead of making something completely new with new assets and additional man hours slaving away to make entertainment. All they have to do is add to the base that already exists and take their time.
This is in stark contrast to what other companies’ games have done. Anthem’s game, while selling immensely well at first, dropped off almost instantly the moment most played the game. While it is one of the highest selling “Bioware” games of all time it is also the game with the shortest lifespan with little hope of any sort of revival due to its low attachment rate. The game had an entire roadmap planned out for additional content that would soon come to the dying game but unfortunately for both “Bioware” and us the content never came.
The difference here is obvious. These two games had a similar goal: to sell a product and for it to sell well.
Photo credits: Evan-Amos via Wikimedia Commons
However, their different approaches had led to wildly different results. On one end, “No Man’s Sky,” despite its initial negative reaction, had come out on the other end as an indie darling winning multiple rewards for the team’s dedication to the fans as, to this day, the game is getting new content and entirely for free. On the other hand, “Bioware” had many plans for additional content and planned for it all to come out after
No need for the continuous crunch that often comes from ground-up game development. Instead, they can relax knowing that people are already enjoying their game and all they have to do is keep it up. Edward Park is a fourth-year Secondary Education (English) major. EP909756@wcupa.edu
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Arts & Entertainment
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Behind the Camera: “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once!” By Kelly Baker Special to The Quad
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icture this: a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner, a meek husband that is deadly with a fanny pack, strained family relationships, multiverse superpowers, a multi-dimensional god of nihilism, googly eyes and a truly everything bagel that is also an eldritch monster. After leaving the theater that Thursday afternoon, I couldn’t tell who was more ludacris: the characters and plot of this movie, or the Daniels themselves for directing it! The last time I had that same feeling was when I walked out of seeing “The Lighthouse” by director Robert Eggers, and I felt it again that Thursday, which I think is an accomplishment on the part of this film’s directors. “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once” is directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, (aka “The Daniels”) and stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong and Jamie Lee Curtis. The film follows Evelyn, a Chinese immigrant struggling with being audited by the IRS, her diminishing marriage to her husband, taking care of her elderly father and her tumultuous relationship with her daughter. After meeting with her auditor, Deirdre, Evelyne is suddenly pulled aside by her husband who claims to be from another timeline, asking for Evelyne’s help in defeating an insidious multiverse god, “Jobu Tobaki.” From there, Evelyne must tap into the abilities of her other selves and defeat the nihilistic Jobu Tabaki and save the multiverse! The idea of a multiverse being used in narrative storytelling has been gaining popularity in recent times such as with Marvel’s “What if,” series, so it feels like this movie couldn’t have come along at a better time as it not only capitalizes on the ideas of the “multiverse,” but also subverts them by being as unashamedly ridiculous as possible with those ideas.
That said, it maybe easy to think of the Daniels’ latest movie as another quirky comedy, but underneath the butt plugs and sausage fingers, the film is also a drama about the struggles that family’s face: troubled marriages, existential dread, generational differences and confronting one’s own prejudices. Despite
is a love letter to Hong Kong action cinema, with fast-paced, almost hyperactive cinematography: quick cuts, slow motion, different shutter speeds, smash cuts and clever use of CGI and green screen to emphasize the cerebral elements of this gonzo film. At the same time though, the cinematography isn’t
“Michelle Yeoh Opening Remarks” (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) by World Bank Photo Collection (EEAAO)
these switches in tones throughout the film’s runtime, it never detracts from the overall experience. The film does many things right, all at once (get it?). To start with, Michelle Yo’s character carries the struggles of immigrant life in America, and also grapples with mid-life crises and her past regrets. Ke Huy Quan, a former child star, absolutely comes into his own, defying the “funny kid” typecasting that has shadowed him, and acts as the heart of this film, while also flexing his martial arts moves alongside of Yo. Hsu does a remarkable job of epitomizing the angst of Millenials and the LGBTQ+ community, while Curtis shows an impressive amount of character depth for a grumpy, pen-pushing bureaucrat. In terms of the picture’s greatest strengths, this one is a toss-up between the cinematography and the writing. This film, as some critics of pointed out,
afraid to go from the frantic pace of a martial arts movie to a bit more slow and emotional pace with each sequence that explores the deep-seeded familial turmoil between Evelyn and the contentious relationship with her father, husband and daughter. The Daniels have a knack for camerawork and deserve all the credit that comes with this latest production. On the other hand, the writing for this movie is strong and smart and also unapologetically comical. When was the last time you saw two rocks talk about existentialism, or the use of an everything bagel to represent the soul-sucking nihilism of late-capitalist, modern life? The film makes good use of this sense of magical realism and absurdist comedy as a smokescreen for a deep exploration of the themes and ideas it brings up. The dysfunction faced by Evelyne and her family is something famil-
iar to everyone, especially to immigrant families, who’s generational differences often explode to the forefront of the story, forcing the characters to confront themselves at the same time. When not dealing with this, the film sharply criticizes the prejudiced bureaucracy faced by minorities at the hands of the establishment, while also showing those same bureaucrats are also people too with their own flaws and struggles. This brilliant use of comedy to tackle serious subject matters is the hallmark of the movie, elevating it to more than just a simple martial arts comedy. The Daniels had already proved themselves with Swiss Army Man that they had the potential for strong, creative filmmaking, and now with “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once,” they put away any doubts about their abilities as filmmakers. If you’re looking for a smart, funny movie that takes pop-culture phenomena like the multiverse, but does them in a creative way, then I think you’ll really enjoy this! Marvel, you’d better take notes from this movie! Kelly Baker is an alumnus of West Chester University of Pennsylvania.
Photo credits: Image of an “Everything Bagel” by Kelly Baker
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Arts & Entertainment
May 2, 2022
An Interview with Isabel Pless By Molly McShane Special to The Quad
I
sabel Pless is a singer-songwriter from Vermont. So far this year, Isabel has been verified on Instagram and released two singles. She will be graduating from Wellesley College in 2022.
Molly: Can you tell me about your most recent single, “Call My Own”?
my parents and not going to space. I was just thinking about being a young person who’s like waiting for all their life experiences to happen.
like Noah Kahan, Henry Jameson, Grace Potter, yeah.
Molly: How did you get started writing or performing music?
Molly: Have you been happy about getting back and playing in front of people or do you like the recording aspect of music more?
Isabel: I started when I was 10 and my school offered free guitar lessons, and I was really fierce about it, so I started learning guitar. Then, when I was 12 I started writing songs. I was a poet, I mean I still am, but I found that first [in] early middle school. Then, when I was 12, I put poetry and music together and started writing my own songs. They were always just for me; I sort of did little performances throughout high school, like open mics and stuff. But, it was always sort of a side hobby, a way for me to journal my feelings.
Isabel: I like both. I mean they’re very different. Performing live has been an adjustment. I love it but I’ve had to sort of learn backwards because I didn’t really start performing for people, so it’s a new aspect of music that I’m building in.
Molly: What are you working on next, or in the future?
Molly: You were recently verified on Instagram, congratulations, how do you think social media has impacted your songwriting or your career in general? Isabel: It has made all the difference. I never thought I could do this as a career until I just started posting videos on TikTok and that’s where I was able to garner an audience. It was an incredibly useful tool because I can post from anywhere. You know, I’m finishing my degree at college and last year I was posting from my bedroom in Vermont. So, TikTok has been very useful and a way to get in front of people who want to listen to my music and it’s a way to connect with your listeners, so it has really made all the difference.
very popular answer. She is why I started writing music and I still love her, obviously. Then I found Joni Mitchel in late high school, [I’m a] big Dolly Parton fan. I also listen to a lot of Vermont artists
Isabel: I have another single coming out in May and this year [I’m] just really focusing on trying to get a lot of music out because that’s one of my favorite parts about being a musician; releasing music. Also doing more live performances, I don’t have any to announce right now but, more of those this year also. Edward Park is a fourth-year Secondary Education (English)
Photo credits: Isabel Pless via Soundcloud
Isabel: I wrote that song in July of last year when all the billionaires were going to space, and I was thinking a lot about ownership and how much money it takes to go to space and how they could be spending that on other things. And about how I was stuck at home with
Molly: Who would you say is your biggest inspiration in music or your biggest influences? Isabel: I started songwriting because of Taylor Swift, which I feel like is a
major. EP909756@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Arts & Entertainment
Page 42
Quad Picks Your Picks Your weekly source of new music, movies, and media recommended by The Quad staff!
Your weekly source of new music, movies, and media recommended by readers like you!
THE JOE BUDDEN PODCAST “SHARKNADO 3: OH HELL NO!” BY ANTHONY C. FERRANTE “‘Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!’ is a 2015 science-fiction cinematic masterpiece. It’s so good because it’s so bad!” - Kristine Kearns, Op-Ed Editor
“The notorious Joe Budden has a history of having controversial takes. I’ve been listening to his podcast for about 3+ years now. His podcast as a whole gives me a lot of different perspectives on a range of topics, with his co-hosts Ice, Ish and Parks. If you could look past his history and toxic takes, sometimes it’s a really good podcast and recommended to you guys.” - Isaiah Ireland
FUGAZI “Fun facts: Fugazi turned down 10 million dollars from Atlantic Records. They regularly sold tickets for $5, even when they
“AS IT WAS” BY HARRY STYLES “‘As It Was’ by Harry Styles is a bright, upbeat song, fit for a summer of new beginnings.” - Kristine Kearns, Op-Ed Editor
had incredibly popular albums. They never sold merch. While shunning the typical business model, they kept themselves independent in music and content. Their work is deeply political and relevant two decades after their last studio album.” - Ben Kuebrich
“OUTLAST” “Although we’re still a long way out from Halloween, this week my pick
“WE ARE GOLDEN” BY MIKA “‘We Are Golden’ by MIKA is a song for the ages and never fails to get me
is definitely on the spooky side. If you’re looking for a horror experience like no other, few options deliver on their terrifying promises like ‘Outlast.’ A fast-paced, first-person horror game, ‘Outlast’ drops you in a haunted sanitarium, with monsters hiding around every corner waiting to scare you. The only help you’ll get is from your night vision
bopping along. A timeless delight,
camera, which has some unfortunately inefficient batteries. Turn
‘We Are Golden’ is the perfect song
the lights off, volume up — and try to get out before it’s too late!”
to blast at full volume, with the windows down and wind in your
- Henry Campbell
hair, as the sun lights up the horizon with the promise of what’s to come. - Julien Padillo, Editor-in-Chief
Do you have music, movie, video game, or other media recommendations? Submit them to quadentertainment@wcupa.edu for a chance to be featured!
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Arts & Entertainment
May 2, 2022
Billboard Charts Week of 5/1/2022
TYLER, THE CREATOR There is a new creator on top! Beating out Morgan Wallen’s long-standing album, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” Tyler, The Creator is now on top of both the album and artist lists!
“Tyler the Creator” (CC BY 2.0) by Po’Jay
TOP
10
SONGS
ALBUMS
ARTISTS
1. As It Was by Harry Styles
1. Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, The Creator
1. Tyler, The Creator
2. First Class by Jack Harlow
2. Dangerous: The Double Album by Morgan Wallen
2. Morgan Wallen
3. Heat Waves by Glass Animals
3. 7220 by Lil Durk
3. Doja Cat
4. Big Energy by Latto
4. Encanto Soundtrack
4. Harry Styles
5. Enemy by Imagine Dragons X JID
5. Sour by Olivia Rodrigo
5. Ed Sheeran
6. Stay by The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber
6. Certified Lover Boy by Drake
6. The Weeknd
7. Don’t Think Jesus by Morgan Wallen
7. Planet Her by Doja Cat
7. Jack Harlow
8. Woman by Doja Cat
8. The Highlights by The Weeknd
8. Luke Combs
9. Super Gremlin by Kodak Black
9. DS4EVER by Gunna
9. Olivia Rodrigo
10. Ghost bysdsdsdsdssds Justin
10. My Turn by Lil Baby
10. Lil Baby
Page 44
Sports
May 2, 2022
SPORTS quadsports@wcupa.edu
Women’s Lacrosse Winds Down Regular Season Play By Erick Klambara Asst. Sports Editor
W
est Chester University’s women’s lacrosse team completed regular season play last Wednesday night with a 22–8 victory against Kutztown. With the win, The Golden Rams improved their record to 14–1 (11–1 in the conference) with their only loss coming way back on March 22 at the hands of East Stroudsburg University. The team will now prepare for the PSAC Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Expectations were high heading into the season for the Golden Rams, as they were coming off a highly successful 2021 campaign in which they finished with a similar 13–1 record, and the team has not disappointed. West Chester outscored their opponents 263–117 this year, which is just a small indicator of how dominant they have been. They are scoring at a 53% rate compared to just 39% from their opponents. Additionally, they have done a great job of limiting turnovers on the offensive end. They have 269 turnovers on the season (17.9 per game), compared to 323 (21.5 per game) from their opponents. Hannah Stanislawczyk, a sophomore from Mohnton, Pennsylvania, led West Chester with 60 goals on the season. Stanislawczyk had a strong ending to the season, scoring 16 goals in the Rams final three games, including 7 in the season finale against Kutztown. She will look to continue to be a force on the
Hannah Stanislawczyk. Photo credits: Danny Aguilar via wcupagoldenrams.com
offensive end as West Chester advances to postseason action. Lindsay Monigle, a senior who was named to the PSAC All Conference First Team in 2021, led the team in assists (50) and overall points (80). Her best outing came on April 9 against Shippensburg when she had five goals and five assists in the Golden Rams 21–9 thrashing of the Raiders. This was a revenge game for West Chester, as they were able to avenge a disappointing 13–9 loss from earlier in the season. Monigle has done a phenomenal job of getting her team-
mates involved this season and is a major part of the team’s successful campaign. Heading into tournament play, West Chester currently holds the number one seat in the PSAC East by way of a tie with East Stroudsburg University (ESU) as they look to capture their fourth straight PSAC title. ESU has one more game left on their schedule but this has not taken place as of the time of this writing. Other teams that have clinched a berth in the PSAC Tournament include Millersville, Seton Hill,
Mercyhurst and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. “We came into the season as a young team, majority of us were underclassmen,” said Courtney Medwin, a sophomore from Coral Springs, Florida. “I think a lot of teams underestimated us because of that but over the course of the season we learned from our 4 seniors and performed as a unit. I believe our teamwork and leadership helped grow to be one of the strongest teams in the conference.” When asked about how the team feels heading into the postseason, Medwin said. “We are confident heading into the postseason! After our recent win against ESU we know we have what it takes to beat them. After we succeed in the PSAC tournament I believe we will ride that wave into nationals ready to dominate.” West Chester will begin their championship quest this Tuesday in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. For more information on the Golden Rams as they continue their successful campaign including game times, ticket sales, box scores and roster information, visit the West Chester Athletics website. Erick Klambara is a third-year Media & Culture major with a minor in Journalism. EK924666@wcupa.edu
The Quad
WCU Sports Highlights Photos by Olivia Carzo Photography Editor
Sports
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Sports
May 2, 2022
Behind the Scenes on Athletic Scholarships: A Process That Yields Results By Dylan Edelman Special to The Quad
T
he West Chester Golden Rams have enjoyed a lot of success in the past decade, having brought back five Division II National Championships in that time frame. With as much success as we’ve had, it could be easy to assume that our athletic department has all the resources in the world to bring in talented athletes across the country. While that may be the case at storied Division I universities like Penn State or Villanova, that is quite simply not the reality here in West Chester. In this article, I will go about describing the processes and limitations that our teams have when recruiting students so that we can greatly appreciate their ability to have maximized their resources and continue to compete at the highest level in Division II. When most people think about athletic scholarships, the term “full-ride” is thrown about constantly. While full tuition is certainly something that is often covered by household-name collegiate athletes, the idea of a full-ride scholarship hardly exists here at West Chester. “A lot of people, when they think about the NCAA, when they think about college sports, they think about those programs, and is it true, that Villanova’s men’s basketball probably has 13 players on their team getting full scholarship, all expenses paid, yes,” West Chester’s Athletic Director, Terry Beattie, said. “But here that’s not close to being the case.” In fact, the average scholarship amount given, among the 300 or so student athletes here at West Chester that are on athletic scholarships is about $3,000. Obviously, averages can get pretty skewed, and as I was told by Director Beattie, the number 3,000
probably represents a handful of students who might be getting upwards of $20,000 of athletic scholarships, versus the many, many students who may only be receiving $500. To put those numbers into perspective, the average tuition cost for an instate student here at West Chester is $23,207. This means that on average, our student-athletes that are on athletic scholarships are receiving about a 13% discount through those scholarships. This, obviously, is nowhere close to a full ride. “We don’t generally give full rides, but it’s not because we’re not allowed to, it’s because we don’t have the funding to do that,” Assistant Athletic Director Kelli Milliner stated. When referring to scholarship amounts, our athletic department prefers to talk about full scholarship equivalencies, meaning that one full scholarship equivalency is worth $23,207 (our average in-state cost). They do this in order to even the playing field when comparing numbers with other schools so that it’s easier to understand. To give an example, say another team in the PSAC offers an athlete that’s being recruited a $15,000 athletic scholarship, if West Chester offers a $7,000 scholarship to the same athlete, we would immediately think that they would choose the other school. But if that school’s average cost is $60,000, the tables are turned. Now West Chester is offering a 0.3 scholarship equivalence, versus the other school’s .25 scholarship equivalence. This terminology is important because it shows how coaches at West Chester are able to compete with private schools that may have more fund-
ing and resources, simply by communicating our scholarship offer in the context of our overall cost. The funding is the real key to the puzzle here because as a public institution, the hands of our athletic department could have been tied given the small amount of money that we are given from our university to use for athletic scholarships. “Think of it like there are many different buckets, so we don’t just have x amount of dollars and this is your athletic scholarship that you’re allowed to work with,” head baseball coach Mike LaRosa said. “So we get some funding from the university, we get some funding from endowed scholarships and we get funding from what we fundraise for.” So there are three primary sources of funding that contribute to the fundraising pool, some straight from the university, some from endowments which are donors and then what they make from fundraising efforts. The baseball team themselves are given about 1.7 scholarship equivalencies to distribute among the team, which is about $56,000 that’s split up among about half of the baseball team. “The way we’re funded,” LaRosa continued, “we have a $6,000 base budget from the university that’s given to us for athletic scholarship, we have about another $4,000 that’s endowed through endowed scholarships so that puts us at about 10 [thousand], so that leaves us about $46,000 that we fundraise for, so about 82% of our scholarship pool is actually fundraised by our program, by us coaches and support staff.” To me, this was a very impressive statistic, that not only has our baseball program been incredibly successful
in recent years, but they are primarily self-funded, at least in the scholarship department. This also isn’t something that’s unique to the baseball team, every program here at West Chester hosts fundraisers year-round in order to collect money for athletic scholarships, and that serves as their primary source of funding. The final piece that contributes to how scholarships are allocated here at West Chester, is simply the process by which players are given certain amounts. “There are a few things that go into it, so we recruit a player and based on their talent level, their academic profile, their character, work ethic… we determine what we believe their value to be,” LaRosa said. “And then there’s multiple factors that go into it, like are the being recruited by other schools, and what other scholarship offers do they have?” Overall, the coaches are responsible for balancing how much they offer players so that they’re able to fill a full roster and be successful. “I don’t get involved in who they’re offering that money to. They know their roster needs better than I do.” Athletic Director Beattie said. That type of trust between our athletic department and our coaches is what allows our athletics program to thrive with seemingly little resources, and will hopefully continue to bring championships back to West Chester. Dylan Edelman is a third-year Mathematics major with a minor in Journalism. DE936681@wcupa.edu
The Quad
Sports
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Fundraisers, Carpooling and Logo Restrictions: The Story of Club Sports at West Chester University By Joseph Gill Sports Editor
L
ast December, the West Chester University Men’s Rugby club defeated St. Joseph’s University en route to the national championship game in Houston, Texas. It was the greatest achievement in the program’s history. The team had earned the opportunity to represent West Chester University on a national stage; something that few teams are able to do. After a grueling season in which they battled every step of the way to become one of two national representatives for the rugby clubs in their conference, the rugby team faced one more obstacle on the road to a championship: West Chester University. “We put in a request to receive money from the school through a program that funds club sports,” Vice President of the club, Andrew Barber said. “It took them till after we got back for them to respond to us, and we were declined.” “Players were upset with the school because we were representing them on a national level and received nothing in return. We put together a gofundme and raised the money ourselves.” Fortunately, the team was able to raise the money and compete down in Houston, but one must ask why didn’t they get that money from the school? The Men’s Rugby Team is 1 of 25 registered sports clubs at West Chester University. Some of the other such clubs include: the men’s and women’s soccer teams, ultimate frisbee, wrestling and field hockey. These teams are funded through the same way as other student run organizations. “We get all of our funds through the Student Government Association (SGA),” Dylan Edelman, the Vice President of the Ultimate Frisbee club stated, “we go through a process of requesting funds based on a budget that we create for ourselves, and hoping that we get most of what we ask for.”
“I don’t think that the lack of funding really has impacted us,” he continued, “for ultimate, we typically only go to 6-7 tournaments a year and we book hotels for maybe 2 of them. That typically means that the 4-5 thousand that we’re allowed for the year gets used pretty easily, but we’re still able to act pretty
These are benefits likely taken for granted by teams which find themselves considered an athletic sport by the university. Not all of the clubs have the same benefits as each other, however. The soccer teams, for example, have a designated field whereas the rugby team may
West Chester University Rams Logo. Photo credits: wcupagoldenrams.com
“we were representing [the university] on a national level and received nothing in return.” freely with what we want to do.” Teams such as the rugby club have a need for that increased funding, however, when cases such as a national championship arise. Not only that, but Barber also told me that the team “doesn’t have a bus for most games so [they] must pay for gas and drive [them]selves. [They] have restricted access to fields for games and it can be tough finding a consistent practice location.”
have a different one from week to week. The ultimate frisbee team isn’t even allowed to use the university logo due to copyright issues! So why are these and the other 23 sport clubs not considered an athletic sport worth school funding? Well, I reached out to a source who works in connection to these clubs to attain those answers, but was unable to get a response before writing this article. One thing I did get was an attempt to answer the question by Edelman: “College Ultimate is run by a company called USA Ultimate, and they aren’t at all associated with the NCAA. I don’t even believe that some of the higher-level ultimate programs like Pitt and UNC are school sponsored, so I think the ceiling for an ultimate team like us would simply have to be a high func-
tioning club team.” As far as we know, there is no way to apply for a club to become a university-funded sport. Now, not all is bad with being a club or intramural. According to both Barber and Edelmen, the status actually offers a more freeing feeling. “I mean it’s definitely more of a relaxed team vibe,” Edelman told me, “because it’s just a club, we can’t really be strict about mandatory practices and stuff of that nature. I always just say that as a team we’ll take it as seriously as our guys allow us too. Typically that means that we have pretty competitive practices and regular attendance, with the intention of really competing at a high level, but in theory we could just as easily be a team that’s primarily there for the social benefits.” “Myself along with other teammates are ok with rugby being a club,” Barber stated. “While we do practice and lift on a regular basis, it makes the atmosphere more laid back and welcoming to new members. We get a lot of recruits through former sports players who want to get away from the rigorous scheduling and practices of sports teams.” It would seem as though the change of pace from ultra-competitive to each player playing at their own competitiveness is a benefit built into the nature of being a student-run club. This is truly the case of many clubs on campus and goes to show how fortunate we, as students are, to have these organizations to call a second home. These and all clubs are what students make them, and it is up to each of us to lead our “team” to the finish line. Joseph Gill is a third-year English major with a minor in Journalism. JG923276@wcupa.edu
UPCOMING SPORTS EVENTS TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022 Women’s Lacrosse PSAC Quarterfinals 4:00 PM. Location TBA. WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2022 Men’s Golf vs NCAA Regional Championship Victor, N.Y. THURSDAY, MAY 5, 2022 Men’s Golf NCAA Regional Championship Victor, N.Y. Baseball vs Shippensburg University 2:00 PM West Chester, PA FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2022 Women’s Lacrosse vs PSAC Semifinals. Time and location TBA. Men’s Golf vs NCAA Regional Championship Victor, N.Y. Baseball at Shippensburg University 12:00 PM Shippensburg, PA Baseball at Shippensburg University 2:30 PM Shippensburg, PA