The Slate 11-15-22

Democrats clinch huge win in Pennsylvania, gaining Senate majority

ery day.”

Democrats were handed a massive victo ry in the battleground state of Pennsylvania as Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman found victory in their respective races for governor and senator in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Josh Shapiro was taking on Republican candidate Doug Mastriano, and the attorney general came out victorious with 56.3% of the votes, according to The Associated Press. For comparison, Mastriano only received a reported 41.9% of the votes. Mastriano and Shapiro were two polar opposite candidates, and this midterm election amplified those differences a thousand-fold.

Mastriano gained notoriety as a leading voice in claims of voter fraud following Pres ident Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 pres idential election. The ballot of this year’s midterms also held the future for a woman’s right and access to abortion. Shapiro has strongly stood in support of a woman’s right to choose.

Looking at a slightly closer race, Fetter man took on Dr. Mehmet Oz for an open seat in the Senate. Fetterman was the win ner by a much smaller margin of 51% to Oz’s 46.6%, according to The Associated Press. With the victory, Fetterman will succeed Re publican Sen. Pat Toomey, who announced his retirement in October of 2020.

In early polls conducted for the race, Fet terman led by a much wider margin. How ever, following a divisive performance by Fetterman during the televised debate in October, that margin narrowed significant ly. Fetterman is still recovering from his stroke in May, but as he told NBC News, “I don’t think it’s going to have an impact, I feel like I’m gonna get better and better ev

Pennsylvania is a massive victory for Democrats, similar to its surprise turn in the 2020 election, a turn that guaranteed a victory for President Biden. However, while Democrats had success in Pennsylvania, the midterm still brought some major upsets as Republicans are still projected to take the majority in the House.

Democrats took some crippling defeats like incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis having a blowout victory in Florida over Democrat Charlie Crist. DeSantis has been eyed as a possible presidential candidate in 2024, and this victory in the Sunshine State could be the jumping off point he needed.

Not too far from Florida, all eyes contin ue to stay on Georgia’s races as well. While Republican Brian Kemp had a 53.4% victory over Stacey Abram’s 45.9% for the governor ship, the Senate race is far more complicat ed. Democrat Raphael Warnock and Repub lican Herschel Walker are locked in a close battle, with the margin being so tight that a runoff election will be conducted on Dec. 6.

In Georgia, a candidate must receive 50% of the vote in order to be declared winner, and neither candidate has achieved that.

However, while House control is likely to fall into the hands of Republicans, Dem ocrats were dealt a strong hand when Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada won a close race and secured control of the Senate for the party. Masto defeated Republican candidate Adam Laxalt by a margin of .07% (48.8% to 48.1%). After the victory, Presi dent Biden told CNN, “I think it’s a reflec tion of the quality of our candidates.”

While there has been no major outcry from both parties regarding the closer rac es, no major lawsuits have been filed as of Monday, Nov. 14.

SGA members resign citing ‘hostile work envrionment’

Matthew Unger Asst. News Editor

Chase Slenker, vice pres ident of finance for the Stu dent Government Associa tion (SGA), announced his resignation from the posi tion during the Nov. 10 SGA public meeting, held in Orn dorff Theater.

Slenker’s resignation offi cially took effect on Nov. 11 at 4:30 p.m.

“This has been the hard est decision in my life to make and is not one I have taken lightly. It has taken me months to come to this conclusion,” Slenker wrote in his official resignation letter.

Slenker’s letter specifies the reason for his resigna tion.

“As for the reasoning of my departure, I wish to share that it is very similar to our previous two SUSSI [Shippensburg University

Student Services, Inc.] Ex ecutive Directors, other SGA Executive Leadership Com mittee members and other former SUSSI staff mem bers. I could do as most of them have done and said it was for ‘personal reasons’ with a shred of truth; how ever, this only perpetuates the longevity of existing problems. Shippensburg University has a culture problem and is visible in all areas of our campus. People are not treated with respect and professionalism. This has been the case for years and has grown and grown without check or recourse,” Slenker wrote.

“SUSSI has become more and more exposed to this over time and has driven our last two Executive Directors away and will continue to do so until there is a cultural shift. Our employees are not respected as part of the Uni versity community. Our pol icies are not followed or re

spected and, if followed, are done begrudgingly and with resistance. Our purpose and contributions to student life is not valued. Our financial situation is dismal, and our hands are tied on the reve nue side by the University. This has affected our em ployees and has affected me beyond belief,” Slenker wrote.

Slenker also wrote: “SGA has been the single largest learning experience in my life both in good and bad ways. Today I sadly share that I have hit my breaking point with all the politics and the hostile work envi ronment.”

Slenker’s resignation prompted three other SGA members of the Budget and Finance Committee — Mat thew Leonard, Khalilh Jack son and Concetta Fischetti — to announce their resig nations as well.

Allyson Ritchey/ The Slate

Chase Slenker, the former VP of finance, resigned last Thursday.

Adam Beam Asst. Opinion Editor

Adam Beam/ The Slate

John Fetterman and Josh Shapiro, Pa.’s new senator and governor.

Tuesday’s lunar eclipse was the last until 2025

Elmy Staff Contributor

Many across the globe were given a celestial treat during the early morning of Tuesday, Nov. 8. This is the last total lunar eclipse until 2025 and has been dubbed the “Beaver Blood Moon.” It be gan its penumbral phase around 3 a.m. It was visible across the entire country.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth, the moon and the sun are in ex act alignment with each other, with the moon being directly behind Earth. This cosmic event only happens once every two and a half years.

The partial eclipse began just past 4 a.m. During this phase of the eclipse, the moon would slowly enter Earth’s

shadow, gradually growing darker until totality — when the Moon is completely shadowed — begins.

Totality began at 5:15 a.m. At this time, the moon was a deep red color; however, this was not the only color seen. Others colors such as grey and copper were ob served during the full eclipse phase. Part of the moon was also much lighter than the rest.

The full eclipse lasted for over an hour until it finally ended near 7 a.m. When the final partial eclipse phase ended, it was not visible in Shippensburg anymore as it was below the horizon.

The next total lunar eclipse will occur on March 14, 2025.

Exciting News from the Financial Aid Office:

The new 2023-2024 FAFSA form is available!

It’s easy to complete a renewal FAFSA, it’s prefilled with certain information from the prior academic year.

Follow These Instructions to Renew Your FAFSA® Form

1. Log in with your FSA ID username and password at https://studentaid.gov/h/ apply-for-aid/fafsa. Learn what to do if you forgot your FSA ID username or pass word.

2. Select “Renew my FAFSA Form.”

3. Update any prefilled information that has changed and provide the requested financial information.

4. Sign and submit the FAFSA renewal.

All students should try to have the FAFSA completed and submitted prior to win ter break. One less thing to think about in the spring! And, as always, the earlier to you complete a FAFSA, the greater chance you have of receiving institutional fund ing. This is funding that can be easily depleted as it is awarded on a first come, first serve basis. If you would like assistance with completing your FAFSA, please contact our office to schedule an in-person or remote appointment.

Reminders: 2023-2024 FAFSA must be completed no later than May 1st for PA State Grant consideration; again, please try to get it completed before 12/31/2022. Please contact the Financial Aid office if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment – finaid@ship.edu or 717-477-1131.

Commentary: Flying Solo

Peters Managing Editor

I have been waiting to study abroad since I was in middle school, and next semester I am finally going. While my destination of choice has changed a lot in the past eight years, I have been saving my pennies and can finally say I will be leaving the United States for the first time. This coming February, I will be traveling to Asan, South Korea, as a part of the Soonchunhyang University exchange program.

This is going to be one of the most amazing ex periences of my life, and as much as I am excited, I am so scared. It might be hard for people who know me to hear this, but I really like being in control. Shocking, I know. This whole trip is something complete ly new, and no matter how much Duolingo and research I do, I know I will not be remotely pre pared.

That is not going to stop me, though, be cause I have never shied away from doing things solo with no preparation before. Perhaps it is my god complex that says I can do whatever I put my mind to, but I have done a lot of things by myself growing up.

I am an artsy person, and I love trying new mediums to create. In high school, that meant using acrylic paint, wa tercolors, pastels and pencils to make my work. I taught myself (using the powers of online tutorials and my mom’s 30-year-old fi brecrafts encyclopedia) how to crochet and knit patterns. In my sopho more year here at Ship pensburg, I took a class in ceramics with no prior lessons simply because I like squishy things. Now I have my own gallery showing in Huber with the pieces I have made.

Additionally, I go a lot of places myself. In high school, my friend group was not easy to plan outings with, so I would simply go regardless of who went with me. That meant I went ice skating, looked around art muse ums and ate at whatev er restaurants I wanted when I felt like it.

This ability to fly solo is why I went to Acadia

National Park in Maine this summer with the Partners in the Parks program. I basically camped with strangers for seven days just be cause I thought it would be fun — and it was. I made new friends from across the United States and got to unlock a new, outdoorsy version of myself.

All of this is to say that while I am scared of how underprepared I am to study abroad in a country with a language I have not learned, I am not afraid enough to stop myself. There is a lot of power in being able to do things inde pendently, and I know this chapter of my life is too valuable to chicken out.

It is OK to be nervous about going somewhere new alone, but that should never stop you from doing something you want to do. The whole purpose of college is to grow into an adult, and that will require some discomfort. Do not stop yourself from doing something just because your friends are not interested or some one says it is lame. If you want it, go chase it. You are the only person living your life, and you should be in charge of it.

CJ’s American Pub and Grill in Shippensburg set to close by end of year

Seth Turner Asst. News Editor

CJ’s American Pub and Grill is a restaurant in Shippensburg. They have been serving food and beverages for just over 10 years. Unfortunately, their time is coming to a close.

CJ’s is well loved within the commu nity. They advertise “Great food, drinks, and atmosphere.” According to many re

views online, the customers agree. They have a wide variety of options for entrees including appetizers, sandwiches, steak, seafood and full course dinners.

Tara Lay, a freshman at Shippensburg University, also works as a waitress at CJ’s.

“I’ve worked at Cj’s for almost two years. I love being a server at Cj’s, main ly because of the staff, we have become a family and it’s devastating knowing I

have to leave.” Lay said. The somber feel ings surrounding the shutdown are also affecting the customers.

“I’ve had multiple customer interac tions about us closing down, every time I’ve gone to work there has been at least one customer that asks why we are clos ing down. There was a customer who had tears in her eyes when I came back to their table because they are regulars and were very upset about us closing.”

CJ’s American Pub and Grill is a piece of Shippensburg’s history and communi ty. While it might be popular, it is hard to compete with rising prices.

“We were told that Cj’s is shutting down because of rising food prices.” Lay said. “My boss said that they can’t keep up with the economy. However, they are opening two new concepts in Gettys burg.”

CJ’s will be officially closed on Dec. 31.

Elizabeth

Lydia

Seth Turner/The Slate

A picture of CJ’s American Pub and Grill in Shippensburg.

2022 Midterm Elections: Defying the odds and hopes restored

Ian Thompson Staff Contributor

If you asked me two months ago for my predic tions for the 2022 midterms, I would have probably said that Democrats would pick up a seat or two in the Senate and lose the House.

If you asked me the same question the morning of Election Day, I would have a much more pessimistic view. The polls had narrowed, and the outlook seemed to look worse by the hour. In Penn sylvania, it looked like Dem ocrats would win the gover norship but lose the Senate race against Mehmet Oz. Na tionally, it seemed like both the House and Senate would turn red.

Yet as the results rolled in Tuesday night, I found my self becoming more hopeful as the night went on. The Governor race was a land slide for Attorney General Josh Shapiro, and the Senate race showed a widening lead for Fetterman over Oz.

This pattern of outperfor mance was echoed in other races across the nation. The

balance in the Senate rests on the results of three races — Arizona, Nevada, and Geor gia. As of writing, it looks like Arizona will go blue and Nevada red. If that’s how the dominos fall, it will be down to Georgia.

In what seems like a near perfect repeat of 2020, a runoff election in Georgia with Rev. Raphael Warnock as the Democratic candidate will decide which party controls the Senate.

For those who were hop ing for an end to campaign ads and texts asking for do nations after the election, relief will have to wait until December.

A Democratic majority in the House — which seemed impossible — also seems in creasingly feasible. While still unlikely, many compet itive seats are still up in the air.

There have been some ma jor upsets, like in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.

Lauren Boebert, a far-right Republican who FiveThir tyEight gave a 97/100 chance of winning, is straddling a razor-thin margin over her

Democratic opponent.

The reasons for the Dem ocrats’ better-than-expected performance aren’t yet nailed down, but it seems that youth turnout was a main driving force.

This was bolstered by pop ular policies like President Biden’s student debt forgive ness and promise of resched uling marijuana, as well as backlash against the conser vative Supreme Court’s deci sion to overturn Roe v. Wade in June.

The takeaway here is clear: progressive policy is pop ular. If Democrats want to keep their momentum and have any chance in 2024, they need to lean into their championing of these issues.

Student debt, reproductive rights, Medicare For All and raising the minimum wage are all tickets to electoral success.

These policies have over whelming support, and if Democrats want the youth turnout that helped stabilize them in 2022 to carry over to 2024, they need to make them a priority.

The Slate Speaks: Why can’t we be friends?

The interconnectedness of the internet has made mob mentality so much more powerful. It is easy to jump on the hate train when thou sands of other people you’ve never met are already doing it. We’re also living in one of the most polarizing times of recent decades, where peo ple draw definitive lines be tween those like them and those who have different ideas.

This is problematic be cause it ignores people’s hu manity. We’re living in scary times, and the pandemic brought out the worst in people. We are still trying to recover from that.

However, many have been fractured in ways that may not be easily fixed.

So many are quick to dis miss others and jump to the most extreme and violent re sponse, rather than having a conversation or letting water go under the bridge.

The use of modern tech nology has fabricated a culture of misfired hatred, composed of people jump ing to conclusions far too soon to protect themselves.

It is possible this came to be because we live in a world where we as a society have a collective need to protect ourselves because we have all experienced how easy it is to get hurt. We should not turn to hurting others just because we feel like it will spare our own hurt, because that not the reality. It will only spread the pain further.

The internet has also re ally brought out hatred, it is strongly felt that is due in part to anonymity. It’s easy to say something mean when nobody knows it is you.

Thinking back to an article written by Staff Contribu tor Aaron Milligan a couple weeks ago about generation al perceptions, it is because our generation has grown up with the internet. We have the extreme as a baseline. We have never known a time where our conversations were not this way.

From a political lens, the country has become increas ingly polarized in the last two decades. It’s reached a point of hyperpartisanship that degrades the fabric of our political system. Politics

is no longer boring conver sations about tax rates and foreign policy, it’s a battle of good versus evil, and both sides think they are the good guys.

The internet has made it possible for us to receive in formation faster than ever before, but because more and more is being thrown at us so rapidly, we feel it has become necessary to re spond even more rapidly.

The best way to describe the internet in the modern age is an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” The episode in question is “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street’’ and sees a small suburban cul-de-sac descend rapidly into chaos when they think there is a monster amongst them. While the episode was conceived during the era of The Red Scare, it can also clearly show the dangers of mob mentality.

If anger and fear are the driving forces behind any decision, and enough people begin to buy into said deci sion with hardly any proof, then it could very well lead to destruction.

In response to University 101: We’re adults, please treat us like it

Thompson Staff Contributor

There was an article titled “Dis crepancies in the University-101 curriculum” in last week’s edition of The Slate. While reading, I was dismayed by a series of quotes at tributed to Alex Karlheim, the di rector of Shippensburg’s First Year Experience.

The article contains multiple

quotes from Karlheim, but it ends with one I find particularly objec tionable. It draws a comparison between students’ frustrations and toddlers refusing to eat their vege tables.

As students, we are paying tuition for this required course and should expect a quality education out of it. For many, that does not seem to be happening. The article quotes sev eral students frustrated with the quality of UNIV 101, referencing

Where’s your voice?

• Shippensburg University students, staff, faculty, administrators and affiliated people are welcome to submit letters to the editor for publication.

Letters must be no more than 300 words and may not contain derogatory language or mes sages of hate or discrimination.

• The Slate may reject letters for any reason.

Letters become property of The Slate.

• Letters without a name and title (affiliation to SU) will not be accepted.

Letters should be sent to The Slate one week prior to the day of publication. Late letters may be accepted but published the next week.

Disclaimer

• The views and opinions expressed in this sec tion are those of the writer and not of The Slate or University.

The unsigned staff editorial, “The Slate Speaks,” represents the views and opinions of The Slate as an organization. Participating editors help shape the staff editorial.

real issues with how the course is often taught.

My own experience with UNIV 101 in Fall 2019 was filled with controversy. Our disinterested pro fessor spent days talking about the presence of black bears in York and once ranted about the ineffective ness of vaccines. He was eventual ly replaced as the instructor of the course, but it took until the last few weeks of the semester.

My experience might be a bit

more extreme than most, but I think the fact many students feel so dissatisfied with their experience with UNIV 101 speaks to an issue with the program. When these is sues are brought forward, students should be treated with the respect that we deserve as adults paying for an education, not compared to picky toddlers.

About The Slate The Slate is a weekly, independent, student-run newspaper printed by the Gettysburg Times. Its print edition is published on Tuesdays and its web site, theslateonline.com, is maintained 24/7.

Weekly editorial meetings are held Sundays in The Slate office. Students interested in The Slate may request to attend the meeting by contacting management prior to the meeting.

Staff positions are held on either a one semes ter or one academic-year term. There are no term limits. The Slate hires new members throughout the year based on its needs. The Slate does not dis

All content in the print version and on theslateonline.com is the property of The Slate, unless otherwise stated. No con tent written or visual may be used, copied, downloaded or published elsewhere with out the express written consent of Slate management. Content granted permission must in clude attribution to The Slate and the ap propriate staff member and creator of the work.

Photo courtesy of pexels.com

Adam Beam/The Slate

Attorney General Josh Shapiro wins govenors race over Doug Mastriano in his toric midterm elections. PA was just one of the battleground states for grabs.

Edits to The Slate’s November 8, 2022 edition: The article “Decision 2024: The candidates, politicans and names you need to know” was actually written by staff contributor Luke Rainey. We apologize for this mistake.

Ian

Photo courtesy of pexels.com

The Grammys and the lack of Black representation

Tyler Hill Staff Contributor

One of music’s biggest nights is slowly creeping up on us, with the 65th Annu al Grammy Awards taking place on Feb. 5, 2023.

It is the night that our fa vorite entertainers, produc ers, and songwriters win in categories to receive the highest award in music his tory.

The real thing we should be looking for is black rep resentation at awards like this. Black culture has been stolen from and mocked for decades, especially in the music industry. Looking back to 2018, Shawn Carter, also known as Jay-Z, was the most nominated artist of the night with eight nomina tions for his album 4:44.

However, winning zero of his nominations was a com

plete disgrace to this artist and his artistry. The fact the award show uses the term urban to denote black is also absolute blasphemy. Yes, there have been non-black artists that have had the same fate, but looking at his tory, Rhianna, Kanye West, Nas, Snoop Dogg and even Stevie Wonder are a few of many who overrun that list.

As for using the term ur ban in Best Urban Contem porary Album to make their “audience” feel more com fortable, it shows us there is no room for equality. In 2013, the category was in troduced to the world, but many of us were confused about what it exactly was. It is an intermediary between the pop and R&B categories. Though this may be a mi rage of harmlessness, it will always be inappropriate and unreasonable to use urban

as a safe conduit to describe ‘black’ things. Thoughts of ten come across one’s mind as to who is really in touch with reality. Who makes up these things and thinks they are acceptable?

Disappointing, but not surprising, it took ten years to recognize the category of Best Rap Performance in 1989, 30 years after the cer emony was launched and a decade after the genre first charted.

Views and ratings are among the most important things to the Grammys; they appear to nominate famous black artists with big awards such as Album Of The Year, Best Rap Album, and Record Of The Year.

However, many of them walk away with only one or two out of their many nom inations. In 2018 Kendrick Lamar received seven nomi

nations for his album DAMN and only won rap categories. They are giving off the im pression Black artists are only good for rap. Regurgi tating what happened to him in 2016 with 11 nominations and only winning rap cate gories.

Even the queen herself has been shut out by the award show. Beyoncé is undoubt edly a global superstar, but she has yet to win Al bum of the Year. It is quite mind-boggling that this is even a discussion.

Everyone remembers the iconic showdown at the 2016 Grammys with Beyon cé’s Lemonade and Adele’s 25 competing for the album of the year category. Adele won and cried, stating that she “couldn’t possibly accept this award” while glaring at Beyoncé. These are per fect examples of the award

show’s marketing strategy to get more viewers: make black artists eye candy, yet disrespect them every time.

With this information, is there a way we could fix this issue? Many black artists have boycotted the Gram mys, like Drake, The Week nd, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Teyana Taylor and so many more. They each have different traits but boycotted for one reason: black representation.

Some artists went as far as not performing when asked. Beyoncé was asked to per form at the 2021 Grammys but declined due to unspo ken reasons, but it could be the continuation of failure to recognize black artists.

More black artists, produc ers and entertainers should boycott the Grammys, but that would give them exactly what they want.

Though we may be shut out, it is our jobs to lead and set an example for many young black kings and queens. Continue to speak out and fight for some de cency to have respect in the performing arts.

Moreover, the Grammys have attempted to grow over the years with the repre sentation of the culture by playing R&B songs during commercial breaks, having people of color hosting and changing their board mem bers around. But, we will truly see what happens in the future. Feb. 5 seems far, but it is closer to a better day where Black people can fi nally have complete fairness at this historic award show.

Stop resurrecting the dead for your movies

sible to write around this tragic develop ment.

I recently checked out “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Even though the stu dio spent months and months reassuring us that Chadwick Boseman would not be brought back in CG form, I still went into the movies hesitant seeing how Hol lywood seemingly cannot get enough of this practice. Taking either a recently de ceased or long-since dead actor or actress and bringing them back to life through visual effects is, frankly, disgusting.

It is important to note there are two reasons why studios do this, and while one is slightly better than the other, they are both still despicable. The lesser of two evils is when an actor dies during the production of a film. The most notable example in recent years came with the death of Paul Walker, who died midway through the production of “Furious 7.”

Since Walker had shot a large portion of the movie already, it was virtually impos

To complete the film, they used a com bination of Walker’s brothers as standins or a CGI replacement. On the one hand, it’s clear that the cast of the “Fast and Furious” franchise were greatly hurt by Paul Walker’s passing and it is okay that they wanted to pay tribute to their friend. However, the post credit scene of the latest film teased the return of Walk er’s character, and rumor has it the stu dio is contemplating the continued use of a CG double.

The line between a tribute and cashing in is simply too vague and studios should really try to avoid it altogether. Anoth er prime example, but this time around the actor had been deceased well before the movie was ever conceived was that of Harold Ramis. The actor passed away in 2014 from complications of an auto immune inflammatory vasculitis. There was a tribute to him in 2016’s “Ghost busters,” but 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Af terlife” took it a step way too far. Not only

was the movie centered around his char acter Egon, but in the film’s climactic showdown a CG ghost of Harold Ramis appears to save the day.

It was disgusting, needless to say. I do not mean disgusting as in the effects are inherently bad, though they can be in cases such as “Rogue One”. It is clear a lot of time and effort goes into making these effects look as good as possible. However, it is weird that some poor VFX artist’s entire job is to make sure their CG puppet of a dead person looks as close to them as possible.

It is the same conundrum biopics also. Since these actors cannot give their con sent to use their likenesses, it is often in the hands of their estate, and I do not feel those decisions are always made with the best intentions. Think about performers like Fred Astaire or Bruce Lee. Do you re ally think these icons would be okay with their images being used to sell vacuums or Johnnie Walker Whiskey?

B. Lewis Asst. Opinion Editor

As a Political Science ma jor, I am no stranger to talking about politics, es pecially over the holidays. In fact, as college students, many of us return home and our family assumes that, re gardless of major, we are all studying to be scientists of politics, and take that as an open invitation to talk pol itics whether we want to or not. So, even if you aren’t a Political Science major, you most likely still have these discussions because you’re likely a young college student. All the older gen erations know that you are a part of the population of people who may or may not be voting (Public Service Announcement: I hope ev eryone voted this midterm election).

Either way, a conversation about politics is inevitable. With the holidays approach ing, falling after Election Day, I find myself mentally preparing for political bom

bardment from the people whom I only see around this time of year. I’m also men tally preparing myself for my conservative parents. Now, there is nothing wrong with being a conservative, and I know this because two of the people I love most in the world are conservative. But just because I love them does not mean I want to engage with them about politics.

I want to avoid conversa tions that turn into debates that turn into screaming matches. I just want to en joy the few days I have with them, the few days I have away from school and the few days I have to not think about being a college stu dent or to not think about anything at all. I just want to be around the people I love while stuffing my face with something that is not Chick-Fil-A. So now that we are approaching these pre carious times, I have created a list of ways to get through the holidays with your own conservative/ liberal/ ag nostic parents who wants to discuss politics with you.

For heaven’s sake: We’re just hard-working college students who are looking to catch a break.

Option One: Fake your own death. This may be ef fective for a very short time, but the holidays will come and go, and your pretended death will make everyone happier when they realize that you’re alive. At the same time, there may be some le gal consequences. Please do not use this option.

Option Two: If you come from a big family like me, you most likely have a cous in or two that you actually enjoy. Find them and attach yourselves at the hip. Now when your conspiracy theo rist uncle or your great aunt who is old as dust makes their way towards you, act like you are in the deepest of conversations with that favorite person. Maybe the intruder will go away. May be they will interrupt. But at least you’ll have a wingman. Try at your own risk.

Option Three: Remem ber that you love these peo ple. Before I see conserva

tives, I see my parents, the people who birthed me and without whom I would not exist. So, instead of getting worked up about politics and the crazy things family mem bers might believe, maybe just focus on the fact that you love them and that you got to spend another year with the people you love.

Disclaimer: This only applies to political affilia tions. It does not apply to racists or bigots or horrible people.

At the end of the day, we will always have politics to divide us and we will always have relatives who are kind of crazy. But if we play our cards right, we will also al ways have turkey and stuff ing and sweet potatoes, and that’s pretty great if you ask me.

Adam Beam Asst. Opinion Editor

Monika

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

The ghost of Egon Spengler in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”.

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures Paul Walker brought back through the aid of CGI for the final scene in “Furious 7”. The film was dedicated to the late actor.

Adam Beam/The Slate

Beyoncé Knowles is the most-nominated female artist in Grammy’s history with a total of 79 nominations as of this year. She has won five awards as a solo artist.

Photo courtesy of Joe Maiorana/AP Photos

Former President Donald Trump continues to tease supporters with possible return to the campaign trail in 2024 election.

Self-advocating is the best advocating: Nafisah Conix

Monika Lewis Asst. Opinion Editor

As a Black woman, the transition to a primarily white institution will never be easy, especially coming from places that do not lack diversity of people who look like you. Nafisah Conix is no stranger to this transition, and she has found a graceful way to stay true to who she is, advocate for herself and make her presence known here at Shippensburg University.

“I went to high school where education was not very highlighted which was very different here at Ship. But an upper bound program is what truly prepared me for my transition,” Conix said.

Conix is a senior social work major whose hometown is Philadelphia. (She is a Libra, born Oct. 10.) She was not always the approachable, charismatic person that she presents herself to be today. During her freshman year at SU, she did not consider herself outspoken, nor did she advocate for herself at all. But when she ran into racism — being called the N-word during Welcome Week — is when she found people and groups here that taught her how to become outspoken along with becoming her advocate.

“I was able to find guidance in a former RD Karla Moses,

who showed me how to advocate for myself respectfully and professionally,” Conix said.

This then set a path for an unstoppable young Black woman. Conix is involved in the Multicultural Student Affairs, Student Government Association, Student Ambassadors and the President of the National Council for Negro Women. She enjoys all the clubs and organizations she is in and takes pride in helping her peers navigate their college experiences.

“I am always trying my best to get insight into what my peers need to be successful. I also make myself very approachable to not just my peers but to staff as well, which is what sets me apart from other leaders. I always remember that I am a human before a leader,” Conix said.

Conix’s passion for social work sparked when she noticed the social worker who assisted her brother who has a disability. Between seeing that and having an undeniable sense of helping people, she knew that she wanted to harness her experience and personality to help others.

“Working with people always brings me joy. I am always going out of my way for people and will help others before I help myself,” Conix said.

Nafisah knows that she is in a fishbowl at Shippensburg, but that has not stopped her. She has come into her voice and has

SU Music Department hosts wind ensemble concert

The woodwind ensembles of the Shippensburg University music department held their fall semester concert in Old Main Chapel on Nov. 6. Three groups including the flute choir, clarinet ensemble and saxophone ensemble spent the semester coming together and practicing various pieces for this concert.

The flute choir performed first with three members and director Suzanne Thierry. The group, consisting of sophomores Michelle Partt and Annabelle Garman and senior Paige Shope, played four pieces ranging from rich Latin music, jazz and chamber music.

“It’s a great way to experience different styles of music,” Garman said.

The flute choir finished their performance with the exciting and stimulating “Tico-Tico no Fubá” by Zequinha De Abreu and arranged by Thomas Graf.

The clarinet ensemble then performed, led by director Tom Meyer and their four members: Katie Bridges, Ryann Libor, Kyla Sullivan and Luke Benner. Their performance consisted of five pieces. Notably “Simple Gifts” by Joseph Brackett and arranged by Lennie Niehaus.

Finally, the saxophone ensemble, also directed by Tom Meyer, performed five pieces including “Danny Boy” by Frederic Weatherly and arranged by Walter Todenhoft. With eleven members, this group consisted of Ethan Koppenhaver, Morgan Bennett, Alex Goodman, Kyle Krause, Ryann Libor, Katie Bridges, Patricia Gaydar, Josh Miller, Boen Burget, Nick Snively and Jarrett Watson.

“We work very hard for the music that we put on and are proud of what we can show at the end of each semester,” Woodwind ensemble president Kyla Sullivan said. “I look forward to when the group starts again in the spring so that we can put on more great music.”

These woodwind ensembles do not require audition and welcome everyone with any musical experience.

“The Ship Woodwind Ensembles offer a great opportunity

for students to improve playing skills through chamber music encompassing all styles of music. The students’ musical skills especially stood out on the Sunday concert, and the enjoyment and dedication to music making was most evident,” flute choir director Suzanne Thierry said. If interested in participating in the Spring, be sure to reach out to the Shippensburg University music department. Editor’s note: Paige Shope is a member of the flute choir.

not allowed any shortcomings to get in the way of the person she knows she is meant to be. Some advice she offers her peers is, “always be yourself and never be afraid to be different. Get involved and most importantly advocate for yourself. We are in a world where not everyone will like you but never be afraid of being who you are because of someone else’s opinion.”

When Conix graduates, she hopes to attend graduate school to get a masters in social work and work in an Upper bound program like the one that prepared her to take on Shippensburg. She also works within a community from high schoolers to young adults.

‘The Play That Goes Wrong’ does everything right

Asst. Opinion Editor

There is nothing funnier than a comedy of errors, and there are plenty of errors to be found in the recent production of “The Play That Goes Wrong.” Let it be known that when it comes to this show, I mean that in the best way possible.

Debuting on London’s West End in 2014 and opening on Broadway in 2017, the hilarious comedy by the Mischief Theatre Company has been a critical darling and has left audiences rolling in the aisles ever since. The story is of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society putting on their troubled production of “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” with sets falling apart and props being swapped. It is a miracle the characters within their play and the cast themselves make it out unscathed. Now it’s time for the Improv Club to take a bow and a couple hits while they are at it.

I was privileged to have gotten an early look at this fall’s production, and I am happy to report that I was delighted to have finally gotten a chance to check out this hilarious show live. What shines brightest in this production is the cast of students making up the Cornley Drama Society. The cast, consisting of Chase Robinson, Jacob Kornilow, Kara Barrett, Alder Wise, Seamus Landis, Alyssa Sheriff, Eleanor Meckley and Carson Rhodes is electric and plays their parts incredibly well. They’re also benefited by the strong direction of Emma Barrow and Theodore “Sammy” Hass.

“The Play That Goes Wrong” is filled with so many wonderful comedic moments, the standout being the scene involving Kara Barrett’s Perkins forgetting their lines, forcing the other characters to keep repeating themselves. There’s also some great physical comedy from Alyssa Sheriff and Jacob Kornilow, who take some of the harder looking hits during the show.

“The Play That Goes Wrong” is a strong first outing for the Improv Club, and I look forward to seeing what hilarious production will be coming our way in the near future.

Recipe of the Week: Chilly Day Chili

Grace Harbour Asst. A&E Editor

Ingredients:

● 1 tablespoon olive oil

● 1 medium yellow onion, diced

● 1 pound 90% lean ground beef

● 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

● 2 tablespoons ground cumin

● 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

● 2 tablespoons tomato paste

● 1 tablespoon garlic powder

● 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

● 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

● 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

● 1 1/2 cups beef broth

● 1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes

● 1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans

● 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over mediumhigh heat for two minutes. Add the onion and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for six to seven minutes until the beef is browned, stirring occasionally. Add chili powder, cumin, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne (if preferred) and mix until combined. Add the broth, diced tomatoes, kidney beans and tomato sauce. Blend everything well. Bring the liquid to a low boil, then reduce it to a simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally Remove the pot from the heat and let the chili rest for five to 10 minutes before serving. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, saltine crackers (or whatever you prefer) and enjoy!

Adam Beam

Ryan Cleary/SU Courtesy

Paige Shope Managing Editor

Andrew Miller/SU

‘Wakanda Forever’ is an emotional tribute to Chadwick Boseman

Adam Beam Asst. Opinion Editor

When we thought 2020 could not get any worse, August of that year brought us the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman at the age of 43 following a secret battle with colon cancer. With his passing he left behind a legacy of bringing iconic Black characters and historical figures like Thurgood Mar shall and Jackie Robinson to the big screen. Boseman’s most iconic role was as King T’Challa, aka the Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, now that they have lost their king, who will protect Wakanda now?

“Wakanda Forever” takes place one year after the death of King T’Challa, and the nation of Wakanda is still reeling from the loss. The rest of the world sees Wakanda as a threat due to their access to Vibranium, but it appears another civiliza tion has their own access to the substance. The civilization is one long hidden beneath the ocean and led by the winged be ing Namor (Tenoch Huerta). Now, the remaining leaders of Wakanda must work together with new allies to protect their homeland without the help of the Black Panther.

Right out of the gate, “Wakanda Forever” is certainly the most emotional MCU film, and that emotion elevates this film to another level. The cast is clearly taking their pain from losing a friend and putting all of it into their performances. Angela Bassett and Letitia Wright are magnificent and carry

this film on their backs. Letitia Wright in particular is given such an amazing arc to go through in this film, struggling with the loss of her brother and battling between the mystical and scientific ways of Wakanda.

Tenoch Huerta might be one of my favorite MCU villains after this movie. Namor is a fully fleshed out character, one with clear and understandable motivations. The world they introduce through Namor is also fascinating and visually stunning. The civilization is clearly inspired by the Aztecs; seeing that culture with a futuristic edge is fascinating, and I hope that it is explored further in future movies.

We are also introduced to new character Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) aka Ironheart. I was a tad worried that she was going to serve little purpose in the grand scheme of the story and just feel like a pointless addition to promote her own show. Thankfully, Thorne is really charming in the role and provides some nice comedic relief, as well as a more down to earth perspective once she enters Wakanda. The only char acter here I wish we got more of was Winston Duke as M’Ba ku, who is given a much smaller role than the previous film.

With that being said, this is an MCU movie after all so it is far from perfect, and being a part of the MCU might be its weakest aspect. It is very apparent where director, Ryan Coogler’s, vision ends and the studio mandated visions be gin, which is nothing new for the MCU. Still, when your mov ie clocks in at 2 hours and 42 minutes, it just feels like we

are taking random detours from our much better (and much shorter film). I also feel that the film’s action is pretty lacklus ter. Apart from the fun final act and the cool technology of the underwater civilization, the action sequences are not the most interesting nor are they shot particularly well.

However, it’s clear that “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is not focused on being an action spectacle or big MCU block buster — its goal is to pay tribute to a beloved actor. When the movie focuses on the characters interacting and giving them a quiet moment to deal with their emotions, it is really pow erful. Trying to be any old superhero movie is where the film starts to suffer. The good news is the good elements outweigh the bad, and “Wakanda Forever” comes out as an emotional rollercoaster that excels in the places where it counts.

“Fiddler” is a complicated tradition

Margaret Sobotta & Connor Niszczak A&E Editor & Asst. Copy Editor

“Fiddler on the Roof,” one of the most be loved Broadway musicals of all time, took to the stage of the Luhrs Performing Arts Center on Nov. 10. Fiddler first opened on Broadway in 1971 and won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

However, the show’s legacy is much more complicated through the lens of a 2022 au dience.

“Fiddler on the Roof” is the story of a Ukra nian village and how one particular family is living in its current political climate.

One of “Fiddler’s” biggest struggles is that it lays out its cards right away. “Tradition,” “Matchmaker” and “If I Were a Rich Man” are the show’s first three numbers. For some in the audience who know nothing else of the show, the show gives everything they came for in the first 20 minutes.

“Fiddler” lacks a classic 11th-hour number and Act Two drags on, despite being just shy of an hour. I found myself leaning forward in the final few scenes wondering, “Is it over now?” The somber nature of the show bars it from having any sort of happy ending, but it feels like the last scenes trail off into nowhere.

At first, the story seems outdated — are we really sitting here watching a 40-something father decide who his daughters can and can not marry? But as the show goes on, it be comes upsettingly timely. Women being told what they can do with their bodies is far more relatable than it should be for a musical that first opened on Broadway in pre-Roe 1964. In post-Roe 2022, Tevye’s daughters are the millions of American women now under the control of restrictive abortion laws.

As the cast noted in brief remarks after the performance, it is impossible to perform “Fiddler” without also thinking of the ongo ing crisis in Ukraine. The musical takes place in the fictional Russian village of Antevka, not far from the Ukrainian border. Just like mil lions of Ukrainians over the past year, Tevye and his family are eventually forced to leave their home.

In reality, the format of “Fiddler” is far more outdated than the plot. When planning a national tour, a show’s creative team should strongly consider if their show has appeal to an audience beyond just the Broadway com munity. An average audience is not going to stay engaged for a decades-old, hours-long show. Act One alone was nearly an hour and 45 minutes. “Fiddler” would benefit from a

21st-century rewrite to cut out unnecessary dialogue or entire scenes.

At just about three hours, “Fiddler” is sim ply too long. It takes a spectacular musical to keep audiences captivated for three hours, and the show falls short.

Despite the complicated material, this pro duction’s performances were incredible. This specific cast, however, did have several stand out performances.

Jonathan Hashmonay, who played Tevye, was a great casting choice. He was born to play that role. The sign of a great Tevye rests almost entirely on the five minutes of “If I Were a Rich Man,” and Hashmonay deliv

ered.

Tevye’s oldest daughter Tzeitel, played by Randa Meirhenry, and the tailor Motel, played by Daniel Kushner, showed the ro mantic connection that Tevye and wife Golde lacked.

Overall, “Fiddler on the Roof” is an ac quired taste to theater lovers and non-theater lovers alike. The songs are done well but could be reformatted to ensure that the audience is captivated throughout the entire show.

The Luhrs Performing Arts Center will host another Broadway tour, “Anastasia,” on Feb. 8, 2023.

‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ is over the top in the best way

Mason Flowers Staff Contributor

Weird Al Yankovic has always been known for his one-of-a-kind personality and is the subject of the new parody biop ic “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.” The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al, and al though the film presents itself as the “unex aggerated true story” of his life, it ends up being anything but.

Weird Al is portrayed as essentially a god throughout most of the film. He has a trou blesome childhood, but once he channels his skills on the accordion, everyone loves him. No matter whom he plays in front of or what he is singing, the people love him. The running joke may get a bit tiresome for certain viewers, but it is presented in many ways that kept me laughing throughout.

The absurdity of this film is likely the biggest draw for most people. Weird Al was never the biggest name in music, but if there was a hit song everyone knew back in the day, Weird Al’s version may have been discussed soon after. In the film’s universe though, Weird Al’s version is front and cen

ter. He is seen as a national hero with songs reaching No.1, albums going quintuple plat inum, dating Madonna and much more. Weird Al is not the only person or ele ment in the film that is exaggerated. Early on we meet his mentor and eventual man ager, Dr. Demento, played by Rainn Wilson. He comes off as a character out of a fairy tale, and after hiring Al, takes him to a party with his other clients. These are all absurd characters, some fake, and some real, like Pee Wee Herman. Madonna, played by Evan Rachel Wood, is different as well, sticking with Al mostly because she just wants him to parody one of her songs.

Yankovic himself had a large part in the making of the film and is credited as a pro ducer and writer on the project. His music features prevalently in the movie too, with hits such as “My Bologna,” “I Love Rocky Road” and “Amish Paradise” all making ap pearances. The constant twists and turns of the plot and the sheer absurdity of the film kept me entertained throughout, and overall, it’s worthy of an 8/10. The film is currently available to watch for free on The Roku Channel.

Image courtesy of Culturamas.com Photo of Chadwick Boseman who portrayed the Black Panther.

Katie Huston

Spoiler Alert: This story contains spoilers for “American Horror Story: NYC” and de scriptions of sex and violence.

Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” (AHS) is arguably his most successful tele vision show. AHS has been nominated for hundreds of awards over 11 years and has de veloped a different theme for each season as recurring actors take on different roles each season.

I have watched “American Horror Story” religiously since season 5, “AHS: Hotel,” and yet, it has started to feel like a chore to watch every Wednesday night. The show’s plotlines have significantly downgraded over the years. Simply put, they are boring.

On the night the first two episodes of “AHS: NYC” were released, I was excited. Though very quickly I wished I was doing anything other than watching the show. So far, the sea son has followed the stories of several white gay men living in New York City in the ’80s as serial killers specifically targeting gay men are killing them off one by one.

In the first few episodes, we are very slowly

introduced to each character as they complain about their lives even before the murders tru ly begin. The two most central characters are Patrick Read and Gino Barelli, who are in a relationship and fight very often throughout the show.

Patrick (Russell Tovey) is by far one of the most frustrating characters I’ve seen on AHS. He is a gay detective who recently separated from his wife, one of the very few women in the show. He is a very shady character and is even shown in one episode accidentally kill ing a young man during BDSM malpractice while on drugs.

Gino (Joe Mantello) is a reporter for The Downtown Native who writes about the rise in hate crimes against gay men. He is targeted by one of the serial killers, the Mai Tai Killer, for several episodes before Patrick kills the serial killer.

The other murderer in the show is Big Daddy, an extremely buff, leather-clad man who seems to be targeting people with an un known disease. Although it is hard to tell as he was shown killing Patrick’s ex-wife, who as far as the audience knows did not have the disease. The show has not yet shown exactly who this man is or who he is working with.

“AHS: NYC” only features a handful of women; Dr. Hannah Wells, played by Billie Lourd; Barbara Read, played by Leslie Gross man; Kathy Pizazz, played by Patti LuPone and three activist lesbians — Fran, KK and Lita — played by Sandra Bernhard, Clara Mc Gregor and Quei Tann respectively. Overall, they get very little combined screen time and have yet to pass the Bechdel test.

Nothing can save this season from its bor ing plot that is going nowhere and the harm ful stereotypes that the season is portraying about the LGBTQ community.

I am honestly disappointed in this season because it had a lot of potential to be interest ing. Serial killers and the queer community of NYC could do so much. Instead, I sit through 50 minutes of white gay men complaining and fighting with each other for only a few minutes of the action that “American Horror Story” usually delivers.

Additionally, the idea of a murderer hunt ing the main cast has been done before in most seasons, and this time there is no punch to it — just hate crimes. This season is just an old cop show that they decided to add some LGBTQ characters to. Perhaps Ryan Murphy is trying to make up for never adding many

queer male characters to any of his shows (and when he does, they are often killed off very quickly).

Aside from the overused plot, Murphy has made a detrimental mistake this season by portraying the LGBTQ community as unhap py, hypersexual and aggressive individuals.

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

“The Watcher,” a Netflix original television show released on Oct. 13, has taken the internet by storm because of its mys terious, based-on-a-true-story and frustrating plot line. The story starts out with a family looking into a beautiful home in the suburbs of New Jersey. The price of the house is steep, but husband and father Dean Brannock, played by Bobby Canna vale, did everything in his power to purchase the house. Six weeks go by and they are happier than ever in their new home, until they get a suspicious letter in the mail from someone named The Watcher.

In this letter, they inform the Brannocks that they are watching them, and to enjoy the house they bought from greed. These letters continue as the Brannock family do ev erything they can to find out who the letters are coming from.

Shows like these are hard; they need to keep the audience in terested just enough to keep them watching (no pun intend ed). Unfortunately, while the short clips they show on Netflix when you’re hovering over the title image reeled myself and many others in, the show fell short for me. The only reason why I continued watching was because it was based on a true story.

On the bright side, the actors and actresses fit their parts well. Their family was believable, with the exception of the son Carter Brannock, played by Luke David Blumm, since he wasn’t a big part of the story. Either way, they acted seamless ly together and moved well throughout the scenes.

The suspense was always high, no matter what was going on in the scene. The neighbors were the main reason for this, since their behavior was creepy and territorial of their homes and neighborhood. The music and score were also well done and kept the tension high.

Unfortunately, my enjoyment of the show does not stretch much farther than that. I enjoyed the concept of the show far more than the execution.

First of all, the acting was all over the place. Some scenes were believable while others made me think I was watching their audition videos rather than the finished scene. One actor that bothered me the most was the daughter, Ellie Brannock, played by Isabel Gravitt. She was a very important character to the story, especially when getting to know who her parents were, yet the acting seemed fake when it came down to the most important scenes. In one scene, she made a video claim ing untrue events and things about her family, which resulted in fighting between her parents and herself. This is where it seemed like the directors wanted to add more “drama” to the show, yet these dramatic outbursts were unnecessary and the reactions that followed were even more so.

Medium Sudoku

‘The Nutcracker’ brings Christmas magic to Luhrs

Beam Asst. Opinion Editor

I may not be someone who likes to cele brate the Christmas festivities this early in November, but I could not resist the oppor tunity to see “The Nutcracker” performed live on the stage of Luhrs Performing Arts Center (LPAC) by The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine. After all, it is a yearly tradition at LPAC for a reason.

It is a classic tale — a young girl on the night of Christmas Eve is gifted a nutcrack er, and soon said toy soldier becomes a handsome prince. The two travel to a mag ical world of sugar plum fairies and mice soldiers all set to the legendary score by Py otr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is a time-honored story perfect for the whole family.

However, I will be the first to admit that I have never seen a live stage production of “The Nutcracker’’ before this perfor mance. Thankfully, the State Ballet Theatre

of Ukraine put on a truly magical perfor mance. The cast from its youngest to its oldest members are magnificent, and the choreography by Andrey Litvinov is noth ing short of awe-inspiring.

It was a performance that truly made me appreciate the art form of ballet and the in sane amount of skill and physical training it must take to pull off some of the stunts and moves these performers were demon strating. The sets, though simplistic, were delightfully creative and utilized the Luhrs stage perfectly, and every ounce of this show oozes with that warm Christmas spir it.

It should also be appreciated that this touring group was even able to give us this performance given the turmoil in their na tive country. So, we not only gave them a standing ovation for their performance that night, but also stood with them for facing these hard times and continuing to do what they love through all of it.

Easy Sudoku Hard Sudoku

Adam

Adam Beam/ The Slate

Football ends season with overtime win

Isaiah Snead Sports Editor

Shippensburg University’s football team threw a wrench in Gannon University’s post season plans with a 35-28 upset win over the Pennsyl vania State Athletic Confer ence (PSAC) West Golden Knights in overtime.

Gannon entered the con test sitting at the top of the PSAC West standings and ranked No. 7 in the Super Region One rankings. Ship pensburg entered the game knowing it had no playoff fu ture, but it played as if they did.

On the opening posses sion, freshman quarterback Evan Falco engineered an 11-play 87-yard drive capped off by a 15-yard touchdown reception by sophomore Ian Sheehan.

The Gannon offense would respond early in the second quarter as Golden Knights quarterback Kory Curtis threw the first of his four touchdowns on the day.

On the next Gannon pos session, sophomore line backer Matt Feeney picked off Curtis and set the SU offense up in great position. However, the Raiders could not capitalize as their 37yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.

The Golden Knights would then march down the field and score a touchdown with 50 seconds remaining in the first half to take a 14-7 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff sophomore Redd Douglas returned the ball 55 yards to set the Raiders up in plus territory. Falco took advan tage of the opportunity with a 43-yard bomb to Douglas to even the score at 14 with just one second remaining in the half.

Gannon came out of the half aggressively by going for it on fourth down at midfield, but the Shippensburg de fense was up to the task and got the turnover on downs.

Senior running back Kha lid Dorsey thanked the SU defense for the field position by scoring his sixth touch down of the season from six yards out. His score put the Raiders up 21-14.

That lead did not last long however, as Curtis would tie the game for Gannon with a 73-yard rocket to receiver Jonathan Bowden.

Early in the fourth, SU took advantage of another Golden Knight miscue, as a fumbled punt recovered by the Raiders turned into a 1-yard touchdown run by Dorsey.

Leading 28-21 late in the fourth, Shippensburg’s de

fense attempted to close the door on the Knights, but Cur tis delivered a clutch pass to the endzone for a score on 3rd and 15 for the tie.

Both teams would get an other possession in regula tion but neither would score, sending the game into over time.

The Raiders began the ex tra period with the ball, and senior running back Bill Wil liams immediately put them up seven thanks to a 22-yard touchdown run.

SU’s defense finally got its long-awaited stop on the en suing possession, completing the upset.

Falco ended the game 1632 with a career-high 221 yards and two touchdowns. He went toe-to-toe with Cur tis who finished with 387 yards and four touchdowns.

Douglas caught seven passes for 109 yards and a score and Dorsey rushed for 54 yards and two scores.

Feeney led the defense with six tackles, an intercep tion and a fumble recovery. Sophomore linebacker Javon M. Cruz had a team-high 10 tackles.

The Raiders finish the sea son 5-6 (3-4 PSAC East) and will miss the playoffs, this is just their second season fin ishing under .500 since 2010.

Field hockey shuts out Mercyhurst; earns No. 2 seed in PSAC playoffs

from Cantabene, her fourth goal of the season.

Shippensburg University’s field hockey team concluded its regular season on Satur day with a 5-0 shutout win over Mercyhurst University.

SU flat out dominated the game, all five of the Raider goals came from different players and they held a 23-0 shots on goal advantage.

Freshman Plinke Hillen opened the scoring in the first period with a reverse hit into the right corner. The goal was the first of Hillen’s career. Fellow freshman Lilly Cantabene followed her up less than a minute later with a goal into the left corner of the net.

Sophomore Chloe Pretty man then made it 3-0 as she scored off a deflected shot

Fellow sophomore Tess Jedeloo got a goal next as she intercepted a Mercyhurst defender and scored into an empty cage.

Sophomore Jocelyn Bran co capped the scoring off with a rocket into the net off a penalty corner insert from senior Maura Mears.

Sophomores Lindsay Tripodo and Emma Albee shared the shutout, while MU goalkeeper Kayla De sormeau made 18 saves.

The Raiders will travel to Kutztown on Friday for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) semi finals matchup, with the winner facing the winner of Bloomsburg vs. Millersville for the PSAC Championship.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Miller/SU Sports Info.

Shippensburg University’s football team got an upset victory over No. 7-ranked Gannon University in its final game of the 2022 season, finishing 5-6 overall.

Running back Bill Williams had the game-winning touchdown run in overtime.

Isaiah Snead

Sports Editor

Photo courtesy of Treasure George/SU Sports Info.

Freshman Plinke Hillen scored her first career goal in the Raider’s win over Mercyhurst on Saturday.

Women’s basketball opens season 2-0

Editor

Shippensburg University’s women’s bas ketball team opened its season on Friday night with a 65-42 win over visiting Fayette ville State in the Conference Challenge at Heiges Field House.

Senior Ariel Jones scored a game-high 21 points in her return to action after injury, in cluding 14 points in the first half.

The Raiders used a 14-0 run early in the first quarter to jump out to an early lead and their defense keyed them throughout the first half. FSU only scored 11 points in the first half.

The Broncos did put up a fight in the third frame, outscoring Shippensburg 20-16, in cluding 11 points off turnovers.

The Raiders tightened their offense up in the final quarter however and were able to pull out the 23-point win.

In addition to her 21 points, Jones finished with seven rebounds, a block, two steals and an assist. Sophomore Abbie Miller was a menace on the defensive end, drawing five offensive fouls on charges.

On Saturday, the Raiders returned to the

court and got a hard-fought victory over a tough Bowie State University team.

This was a slug it out game for two teams who had just played 24 hours prior, Bowie State finished with 33 fouls and 23 turnovers and Shippensburg finished with 19 fouls and 15 turnovers.

The game was tied at 44-44 with under two minutes remaining in the game before junior Treasure George nailed a clutch three-pointer to give the Raiders the lead and ultimately the win.

It was a balanced effort that led to the win for SU as three players scored in double fig ures, and all but two players scored at least one point.

Jones led with 12 points, eight rebounds and three steals while George and senior Lau ren Pettis each tallied 11 points. Pettis also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds.

The Raiders were able to win despite abys mal shooting numbers — shooting seven percent from three, 52 percent from the freethrow line and just 26 percent overall.

Shippensburg will return to the floor on Wednesday when it travels to take on Jeffer son University at 6 p.m.

Volleyball loses to East Stroudsburg in PSAC quarterfinals

Staff Contributor

The Shippensburg Univer sity volleyball team fell in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quar terfinals to strong-serving East Stroudsburg Universi ty in Heiges Field House on Wednesday.

The Raiders were bested by ESU for most of the game and only had a couple runs to rally back.

The first set started with strong serves from ESU that Shippensburg struggled with for the whole game. The Warriors took an 8-2 lead. The Raiders rallied from 19-9 to make it 19-14, but were not able to start another run, so the Warriors took the set by 25-18.

In the second set, the Raiders took a 2-0 lead, but shortly after an 18-2 run by ESU thanks to their strong serves made it 22-8. SU did not give up and fought for a 9-1 run to make the set clos

er, but then lost the second set 17-25 to the Warriors.

The Raiders had a strong start into the third set and led 5-0 early. After a tie at 7-7, ESU took the lead 8-7 and then extended their lead to 14-10. SU fought back and was only behind by 2. At 1819, Shippensburg was close to tying the set, but instead ESU had a 4-1 run to earn match points. The Raiders defended one match point, but finally lost the set 20-25.

In the game, Shippens burg had 27 attack errors and struggled with their pass ing game. East Stroudsburg served nine aces and their serves were often the cause for the Raiders’ struggles.

Senior Rachel Verhoef, who played her last collegiate game, totaled six kills and four blocks. Sophomore Kat Negron was the team-leader in kills with seven and had 13 digs. Senior Oyinda Agbale, also playing her last game, added five kills and six block assists, and freshman Kears

tin Davis led the team in as sists with 20 and equaled Ne gron’s team high of 13 digs.

Shippensburg finished its season with an 18-12 overall, and a 10-4 PSAC East record. The Raiders earned the No.2 seed in the East Division and had their first appearance in the playoffs since 2019.

On Thursday, three play ers of the team received 2022 All-PSAC Team honors. The middle blockers Verhoef and Agbale were both named to the All-PSAC First Team, and setter Davis was named to the All-PSAC Second Team. With that, SU extended its streak to have at least two players being named to the All-PSAC Teams to 19 con secutive seasons.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Miller/SU Sports Info.

Shippensburg University’s women’s basketball team started its season 2-0 at the school’s annual Conference Challenge held in Heiges Field House.

Isaiah Snead Sports

SU sophomore Taja Colbert led the team in assists in both games this weekend.

Nicola Puggé

Photo courtesy of Brenna White/SU Sports Info.

Senior Rachel Verhoef totaled six kills and four blocks in her last college game.

The ‘Nutcracker’ at Luhrs

Photos by Adam Beam