THE
THE PULSE MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2022
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M E S S I A H B A L L- R U N N E R S MEET MESSIAH’S SPORTING
SAFE
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WHERE’S MY CAR?
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KEEPING MESSIAH
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UNSUNG HEROES
PROFESSIONALS
VOLUME 125 / EDITION 31 / NOVEMBER 2022
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CONTENTS
TABLE OF
26
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11 UNSUNG HEROES 14 WHERE’S MY CAR? 16 SAFETY 23 ARTIST SPOTLIGHT 24 MESSIAH BALL-RUNNERS
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26 THANKSGIVING SATIRE
AWARD WINNING STUDENT RUN MAGAZINE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
DESIGN MANAGER
ETHAN DYRLI
ISABELLA KERN
AUDIO&VISUAL MANAGER
DIRECTOR
HUNTER ROHRER
EMILIE RUSH
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JOSHUA MCCLEAF
WRITING SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR / PJ RIDDELL CULTURE & ARTS EDITOR / MACKENZIE CHRISTIE STUDENT LIFE EDITOR / KAYLEE GETZ
VISUAL ARTS DESIGN ASSISTANT / AMBER SWAISGOOD DESIGN ASSISTANT / KATE TRIMBLE
DIGITAL & RADIO AUDIO&VISUAL ASSISTANT / TYLER CARUSO RADIO MANAGER / MARIE MILLER MUSIC DIRECTOR / SABRINA STANDFORD
ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER / HANNAH KURUVILLA SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER / PAM REINOSO
STAFF
MESSIAH UNIVERSITY'S
THE PULSE
THE SWINGING BRIDGE
ETHAN DYRLI EDITOR - IN - CHIEF
Every small moment counts. When I’m not working on The Swinging Bridge, the best magazine this side of the breeches, I spend my time working as a camp counselor at Camp Orchard Hill in Dallas, Pennsylvania.
THE EDITOR
LETTER FROM
There’s a lot to love about being a camp counselor. I get to work all summer with some of my best friends, the camp is close to home for me, I get to work with awesome campers, all of that. That’s not to say there’s no struggle either. Being a camp counselor is interesting, because you spend half of your time thinking, “Wait, I get paid for this?” and the other half thinking, “Wait, how much am I getting paid for this?” It can be stressful, exhausting, even gross. Something that seems like a fun job when you start slowly turns into a monotonous task, returning to the same place everyday to be beaten down by the cruel six-year-olds surrounding you constantly. Recently, Camp Orchard Hill celebrated their 50th anniversary by inviting all of their former staff back for a get-together. While there, I sat in on a story-telling event, where alumni from different decades shared their experiences and how their life was shaped within the camp borders. What shocked me the most was the types of stories that people told. The stories that meant the most to people weren’t the big games, the large events, or the wild escapades at camp. Instead, they each shared small moments that stuck with them for years, oftentimes a kind word that a counselor spoke to them when they needed it the most. Thinking back on my experiences growing up in summer camp settings, the same is true of me. One of my most memorable interactions with my favorite counselor was when he called me cool for agreeing with him on which “Star Wars” movie was the best. It made my day to be seen by my role model. He probably doesn’t even remember that conversation. It reminded me of the importance of being conscious of our words and behavior in every interaction we have. When we get comfortable or even frustrated in our surroundings, we can forget how much of an impact we have on others. The people you see here at Messiah are likely people you interact with everyday on a regular basis for hours at a time. It’s easy to take them for granted. What’s even easier is to take lightly how your constant presence around them can shape them. Interactions you may think nothing can make or break the way the people around you perceive themself. Don’t take that lightly.
Intentionally,
FOR YOU
Sabrina’s Friendsgiving WRITTEN BY SABRINA STANDFORD DESIGNED BY ISABELLA KERN
There are some songs that just feel like autumn. I believe that artists like The Smiths, Her’s, and Greta Van Fleet created music to be played when the leaves are coming down. This playlist is made for your “friendsgiving” party, your walk to Boyer Hall in the brisk air, or whatever this fall brings you.
LISTEN
“Courthouse” Modern Nun “Happiness” The 1975 “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” The Smiths “Saigon” Luke Hemmings “Close to Me” The Cure “Sweet Talk” Saint Motel “Ignore Tenderness” Julia Jacklin “Morrison” Lauren Frihauf, Ben Suyat “What Once Was” Her’s “There She Goes” The La’s “Temptation” New Order “Life in a Northern Town” The Dream Academy HERE “Should’ve Been Me” Mitski “WHEN WE WERE KIDS” young friend “For Once In My Life” Stevie Wonder “The Adults Are Talking” The Strokes “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” Talking Heads “Lovers Rock” TV Girl “The Promise” When In Rome “Always There” Greta Van Fleet
THE SWINGING BRIDGE
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FOR YOU
R E E R A C
G N I N N A PL
WRITTEN BY ETHAN DYRLI DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD
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he Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) aims to provide career coaching and assistance for all Messiah students as they prepare for their future. As students get closer to professional lives beyond the campus walls, the steps they should be taking to best prepare themselves for careers look different. Ashley Jones, director of the Career and Professional Development Center, provides a plan for students based on their class and graduation date.
F i r s t Ye a r
According to Jones, if yo u’re a firstfirst step is year studen to get into t, the the CPDC of a career co fi ce and meet ach. This m with eeting will b sure that th e focused on e major you m ak ing are pursuing for you. is the best m ajor “Those kind of are the fo undational co you happy in nversations: your major are , is it a good fit not what ca for you, and n you do?” if Jones said.
Other steps
you should ta
• Understan d
r a e Y d n o Sec
NOVEMBER 2022
year studen
t incl
ude: ing how you can use your m aj or • Drafting a resume and cover letter • Set ett tiin ng g up a Linke dIn profile an d join Messi professiona ah's l network
nd volved a is getting in y b bs at th lu d c e re. in olved in be def the futu v in in ld u s t o e ip h g h s s u r n o a r y e e t y If in e . r e d vehicles oles an perienc Sophomo be great o gain ex dership r t a n le s a y c r a o y f w e up id. se th finding yourself Jones sa n, becau u can set etwork,” and a pla n d r e u o lv y o point, yo v d ting in expan hey help bout get hinking a nt, also t t e m t r p a lo t e S v “ skill de : r include sferable for tran cond yea e s r u o y your field during ssionals in prepare e o f t o r s p y a h s wit Other w culturals interview or cross mational s r o ip f h s in n g r te •Plannin to take in ns you want n e h w ganizatio g •Plannin udent or t s d n a lubs ies to join c portunit •Looking ership op d a le t a ahead •Looking ies portunit ervice op Finding s ••F work your net •Building
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ke as a first-
FOR YOU
Third + Fourth Year The third and fourth years should be focused on building off of the experience and the network you’ve already established. To keep track of everything, Jones recommends documenting everything you’ve been involved with. Whether it be class projects, research or class activities, everything should be documented. This will make tailoring your resume easier in the future. “For the resume, we always want to tailor it one page to the job you’re applying for, but I also say, it’s okay to have a document on your computer that is three or four pages long of all the things that you’ve done,” Jones said. Jones also recommends that students schedule a mock interview with the CPDC to practice their interview skills in a safe environment. “You want to practice in a safe space and you want to receive constructive feedback before going into your first interview, because you’re not going to get that from the hiring manager who’s actually interviewing you,” Jones said.
G ra d u a t i n g
E a r ly
For students whose college experience m portant to ay be shorte get involved ned by an ea ri gh t away. If you’ ent advice, rly graduati but emphas re graduati on, it’s imng early, Jone izes the impo s rt doesn’t offe an ce of starting “For those r differnow. that will be here for fo get acclimat ur or five years, ed to college you can take life and all th tional about the first ye at,” Jones sa being in here ar and just id. “If it is sh , get in here orter, just so we can he b e more intenlp you set yo If you’re look urself up w ing for help el l.” getting star ted, you ca or you can d n visit messi rop by the ah.edu/care CPDC office er from 10 a.m . to 4 p.m. “It’s good fo r us to see you in here, so if [studen drop in, if [s ts] can tudents] ca n schedule an appointment, that’s great,” Jone s said.
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FOR YOU
SMALL
BUSINESSES WRITTEN BY JOA BELZA DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE
C
ollege can be stressful. We all need a change in scenery every once in a while. For some that may mean going out and trying some new food. Others may prefer to go shopping for a day. Those with less time to spare may just be looking for a good cup of coffee and a place to study that isn’t Union. With so many options and so little time to explore, it can be hard to find good places to go. We’re here to help. So, whatever your needs, here are some local shops we recommend:
MIDTOWN SCHOLAR
BOOKSTORE-CAFE If you are looking for a cozy place to study or a good cup of coffee, the Midtown Scholar Bookstore is for you. This family owned business has three floors of new and used books to browse through, an art gallery and monthly events to attend. Located on the top floor is a sitting area, ideal for studying, and its hidden hallways are perfect to explore on study breaks. “It felt like walking through a maze,” frequent visitor Jules Collins said.
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To the right of the main entrance, you will find Midtown’s award-winning cafe serving a variety of teas, coffees, and pastries. This little gem located in Midtown Harrisburg is sure to warm your soul during the upcoming winter months.
FOR YOU
ELEMENTARY
COFFEE CO. Located in Broad Street Market, Elementary Coffee Co. is a lovely stop as you make your way through Harrisburg. Open Thursday through Saturday, its environmentally conscious coffee and wonderful service is sure to leave you with a smile on your face. Elementary also aims to go beyond just coffee, offering wholesale and equipment for people to brew their own coffee, whether it be a small at-home set up, or full espresso bars. When you stop by, make sure to check out the other shops in the market.
PHO AND TEA
BAMBOO This locally owned restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday. Irene Lee, who has been a consistent customer of this Carlisle Pike staple for the past four years, recommends the traditional shrimp and pork spring rolls, pho, vermicelli, and thai milk bubble tea. With pho and delicious bubble tea to fill you up, you will not leave Bamboo Pho and Tea unsatisfied.
TEN THOUSAND
VILLAGES Less than five minutes from campus is Ten Thousand Villages: an amazing shop for anyone looking to spruce up their dorm, apartment, or wardrobe. This little store sells anything from rugs and blankets, to art and stationary. All of its products are made by artisans in developing countries, and each purchase has a real world impact. Ten Thousand Villages aims to address economic injustice by creating long term opportunities for its suppliers to earn a sustainable income. Its fair trade mission also means that all its work is not only good for people, but for the environment. If you’re looking to do some good while looking good, consider checking out this little boutique on Gettysburg Pike.
AREPA HOUSE The Arepa House is the perfect place to get a little more flavor on your tongue. Located in Harrisburg’s Capitol District and open everyday, this traditional Venezuelan restaurant serves a variety of arepas, empanadas, desserts, and more. One of their fan favorites includes the Sifrina which is filled with chicken, cheese, mayo, and avocado. This quaint place has indoor and outdoor seating. Given the location, you can enjoy your arepas with a beautiful view of the historic city. And don’t forget to try the delicious churros on your way out! THE SWINGING BRIDGE
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FOR YOU
GYM FOR
BEGINNERS WRITTEN BY EMMA DINGUS DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD “Hey, you wanna come to the gym with me?” is a text message that is normally met with a quick response of, “Sorry, I have a lot of work to get done.” The gym can often be seen as a place made only for bodybuilders, yoga instructors, and spin enthusiasts. But don’t let yourself be fooled; they were all gym novices at one point too. Everyone has to start somewhere- some of us just start later than others. So, for those who want to start your fitness journey but aren’t comfortable in the gym, you’ve come to the right place. One reason people feel uncomfortable in the gym is because they feel like everyone is watching them. There are many ways to overcome this fear, one of them being exercise classes offered at the fitness center. Kate Krieger is a part of Messiah’s Wellness and Recreation Club and leads spin
classes on campus. She encourages those that are new to fitness to consider exercise classes, especially if they are worried about being watched by others.
In the beginning you might not know what types of exercise make your body feel it’s best. According to Krieger, beginners should experiment with different exercises.
“Group exercise is a great way to learn, and if you’re intimidated, I took a lot of group exercise classes and became more confident,” Krieger said. “You know nobody is really watching you, you’re not watching anybody so why would they be watching you?”
“It's not going to be perfect in the beginning,” Krieger said. “Experimenting with working out is very healthy. It's not necessarily healthy to workout the same thing everyday.”
Carly Beaver, a strength and fitness coach and an instructor at Power Train Gym reminds people to remember their “why factor” for working out. “The hardest part is getting yourself to the gym,” Beaver said. “On days that you know that it’s a motivation day, think of how your body can do it unlike the people that can’t.”
Something that is important to remember when you start working out is to not allow yourself to fall into the trap of comparison. Krieger believes that beginners should have the mindset of wanting to better yourself by working out. “Don’t let social media control what you do with your body,” Krieger said. “You’ll never achieve a goal that someone else has.” Now it’s time to get in the gym and get moving. Below is a basic workout split for beginners to follow, created by Carly Beaver.
WORKOUT ROUTINE (EACH EXERCISE 10 REPS, WITH 4-6 SETS PER EXERCISE)
PULL DAY: •DEADLIFTS •ROW •SINGLE ARM BACK ROWS •UPRIGHT DUMBBELL CURLS
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PUSH DAY: •BENCH PRESS OR DUMBBELL PRESS •DUMBBELL OVERHEAD TRICEPS EXTENSION
LEG DAY: •BACK AND FRONT SQUATS •ROMANIAN DEADLIFT (RDLS)
CARDIO DAY: (PICK ONE OR TWO DAYS A WEEK, DEPENDING ON YOUR FITNESS GOALS)
•SINGLE LEG BOX STEP UPS
•RUNNING
•DUMBBELL CHEST FLY
•BARBELL REVERSE LUNGES
•INCLINE WALKING
•DUMBBELL LATERAL RAISES
•HIP THRUSTS
•SPIN CLASS
•LEG DAYS ARE THE BEST DAY TO INCORPORATE A CORE WORKOUT!
•PILATES •HIIT CLASSES
TRENDING TOPICS
MESSIAH'S
UNSUNG HEROES
WRITTEN BY BRANDON KRUSE & ETHAN DYRLI DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD
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eeding Messiah’s student body is a tall order. Todd Christopher, Restaurant Operations Manager at Lottie Nelson Dining Hall, takes it in stride. Currently in his eighth year in his position at Messiah, Christopher oversees all aspects of making sure Lottie Nelson is up and running for its patrons.
If you asked a college-aged Todd Christopher what he was planning to do in the future, his answer might surprise you. In college, Christopher studied and received a degree in recording industry production and technology at Middle Tennessee State University. While he realized that he did not want to end up producing as a career, he still finds time to make music independently as a hobby. After he graduated, he started working in the hospitality industry as a hotel general manager. Later, he worked as the director of an upscale retirement community. When an opportunity to work at Messiah presented itself, Christopher jumped at the opportunity.
“I jumped at it because I’ve always heard that Messiah is a great place to work,” Christopher said. “The students are really excellent, so I went to working with people who were in their 90’s to people who were 19 and 20.”
“The main reason why I look forward to working every day at Messiah and at Lottie is because of the students, so I’m very involved with mentoring my student employees,” Christopher said.
Christopher’s job includes making sure food is ready in time for meals, scheduling full-time and part-time employees, and organizing student workers. He is also in charge of quality control, making sure that food is presentable and meets all of students’ dietary needs.
Hart notes the work environment that Christopher has created by becoming a mentor to herself and her coworkers.
Christopher handles all of his responsibilities with a dedicated work ethic that doesn’t go unnoticed by his staff. Attie Hart, a senior social work major, has been working at Lottie for two semesters. In that time, she has observed Christopher’s hard work first hand. “I’ll arrive, and everything will already be set up,” Hart said. “He’s very on top of things, and he helps us also develop our work ethics.” Running Lottie is much more than the work presented to Christopher. To him, it’s also an opportunity to mentor Lottie’s student workers.
“He is our boss, but he is also sort of a mentor to a lot of the students,” Hart said. “You can go to him with everything, and he’s very empathetic to everyone's situations.” Christopher will continue to work hard to serve the Messiah community. In the meantime, he’s thankful for the opportunity to interact with students. “It's been a really good opportunity for me to serve as a mentor and leader to my employees,” Christopher said. “I’ve really just enjoyed having the students keeping me young, because there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t learn something.” The next time you see Christopher or any of the dining hall staff, be sure to say thank you to some of Messiah’s unsung heroes.
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PHOTOS BY TYLER CARUSO
h c d t od
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TRENDING TOPICS
HOW MESSIAH INTEGRATES CHRISTIANITY AND CURRICULUM WRITTEN BY MACKENZIE CHRISTIE DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE
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essiah University is well-respected for its careful integration of the Christian faith into rigorous coursework. This should come as no surprise, as the mission of the university explicitly seeks that students are educated toward “maturity of intellect, character, and Christian faith.” Achieving that goal may not be as simple as it sounds. When handling issues of faith with such a broad body of students and staff, striking an appropriate balance between faith and education can be difficult. Kate Oswald-Wilkins, Assistant Dean of General Education and Common Learning, explained this dynamic from an administrative perspective. “What’s unique about the incorporation of faith here at Messiah is that it operates on a number of different levels,” Oswald-Wilkins said. “In some aspects it is very overt and shows up in a course objective…however, it also shows up in pedagogy, the way that faculty teach.” Oswald-Wilkins also made it clear that faith pedagogy is not taken lightly; it is a major component of faculty evaluations. “Faith integration shows up in the rubric for teaching effectiveness in the way that faculty are evaluated,” Oswald-Wilkins said. “We want faculty to be able to demonstrate that they've thought about their beliefs and can bring them into the classroom in relevant and appropriate ways.”
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“What that looks like for each faculty member can vary…they can experience and express their faith in a way that is their own while encouraging students to do that in the same way.”
TRENDING TOPICS The understanding that our community is made up of rich and diverse faith backgrounds is integral in navigating how faith should be integrated effectively. Professor Andrew Babyak, Chair of the Business Department, explained the ways that he tries to achieve this task. “Faith comes up very naturally within class periods,” Babyak said. “We definitely do not have a written rule that every assignment has to include faith, or that every course must have ‘X’ number of faith requirements.” “I want students to process the material in a way that is honest to them,” Babyak said. “You're never going to lose points for that, I just want you to wrestle with these ideas on a deep level.” Professor Kerry HaslerBrooks, Chair of the Language, Literature and Writing department, explains that there is a considerable difference between tackling issues of faith versus tackling issues through the lens of faith itself. “As a program, we have always been more interested in showing our students how to read or write with an apparatus of faith, even if it is not on subjects explicitly about faith,” Hasler-Brooks said. “The fundamental question for all of us is what does it mean to read or write as a Christian? The beauty of our department is that none of us are going to answer that question in exactly the same way.”
Brandon Kruse, a sophomore Broadcasting & Journalism Major, explains his contentment with Messiah’s educational approach. “I don’t feel that the faith integration is too heavy-handed…I think it’s good that it isn’t integrated to a point where it becomes annoying,” Kruse said. “Messiah does a good job of encouraging students to explore their faith on their own without feeling like you’re forced to believe what the Messiah wants you to believe.” Annika Stockbauer, a senior double major in Social Work and Dance, seconded the notion that Messiah strikes an appropriate balance between their approach to faith and effective teaching. “I’m pretty happy with it,” Stockbauer said. “I like how Messiah leaves a lot up to the student in terms of how deeply we want to integrate our own faith…I think it motivates some students to reach that deeper level.” Despite the positive reviews, there remain moments of tension and difficulty when including faith in educational practices. Sophomore Celeste Ruiz, a Criminal Justice major, explains that sometimes personal faith beliefs seem to obstruct objective teaching practices.
“My only negative experience has been in a genetics class when macroevolution was taken out of the curriculum, and our professor didn’t teach us about human evolution because of the creation story,” Ruiz said. “I felt that this took away from my learning, but at the same time I understand the professors' right not to teach it.” John Harms, Assistant Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences, spoke on the balance Messiah strikes between teaching evolution and creation. “Our department does not shy away from addressing issues of faith and evolution,” Harms said. “Most importantly, there are several other courses in our curriculum that are designed to intentionally address faith and evolutionary theory.” Hasler-Brooks reminds us that this process is never as easy as we hope it to be, but it is well worth it. “I will say this with full honesty, we do not always get it right,” Hasler-Brooks said. “Despite the imperfections, I am grateful to be at a place that is really trying to hold people together, knowing that there are differences within that community.”
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TRENDING TOPICS
s ’ e r
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WRITTEN BY KAYLEE GETZ DESIGNED BY ISABELLA KERN Messiah University administrators have made the decision to allow more students to park on campus than was previously permitted. Now, all student parking lots are currently full, and some upperclassmen have parking permits for the farthest parking lots from the central part of campus. Until this fall, first year students were only permitted to park on campus if they met certain criteria related to where they lived, if they worked, and if they had any medical reasons to need a car. Currently, all first year students who had requested to park on campus have received a parking permit. Typically, upperclassmen are given a lottery slot based on current credits. This year, first year students were also given a lottery slot based on when they paid their deposits. Although the first year lottery slots were after the upperclassmen slots, some upperclassmen missed their sign-up time, and first year students filled many of the parking lots before them. Those upperclassmen who forgot to register their car ahead of time were pushed to some of the farthest parking lots. Some were even moved around in temporary spots for a while.
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TRENDING TOPICS
Kathie Shafer, Messiah’s vice president for operations, explains why the criteria allowing first-year students to park on campus changed. “Admissions hears often from families that their son or daughter doesn’t meet the criteria for parking on campus but that they need a car,” Shafer said. “In the last couple years, as our enrollment has gone down at Messiah, we’ve had parking spaces available.”
“I biked from TR to Fry a couple times,” Gerard said. “I bike a lot, but it still felt pretty far.” Gerard does not eat on campus due to dietary restrictions, so he leaves campus to go grocery shopping regularly. Walking the whole way to TR lot and back on a regular basis was becoming too much, so he requested to have his parking spot switched. “I emailed P-Safety and told them I have food restrictions and can’t eat the food served at Messiah without deleterious consequences, and so I need to go shopping to sustain myself,” Gerard said.
Messiah administrators decided to open these extra parking spaces to first year students.
Gerard’s parking spot was then moved from TR lot to B lot in the pit where he is currently parked.
“Last fall, we spent a lot of time assessing our parking,” Shafer said. “We looked at how many upperclassmen brought cars historically and how that correlated to the available parking spaces. Then we estimated how many spaces we could make available to first year students.”
Jack Daudt, a senior studio arts major, was in a similar situation. He was originally given a parking permit for the Milo lot.
First year students were able to register their vehicles, and there were even a few students who showed up at the beginning of the semester with cars who didn’t register them ahead of time and still got a parking spot. Initially, some students were placed in temporary spots, but now everyone who has parking permits has them for an assigned lot.
“When my car was in the Milo lot I did not use it once,” Daudt said. “I had to share my brother’s car. However, this was a challenge because he used it frequently for clinicals.”
The new parking protocols are going to continue through the rest of this academic year and through at least the end of next year. Messiah administration will look at data at the end of next academic year to decide whether these new parking protocols will continue or not. “In our President’s Cabinet, we have made a commitment to do parking like we did this year for one more year,” Shafer said. “One year is not good data, so we want to do a second year. If our enrollment continues to grow, then we’ll have to revisit that.”
PHOTOS BY TYLER CARUSO
Daudt also had his parking permit switched a few weeks into the semester. Some students who registered to park on campus did not claim their parking permits, so they were given to other students. This is what happened to Daudt, who ended up getting to park in lot F which is much closer to the central part of campus.
At this point in the semester, parking spots are on a waiting list. At the end of this semester, some students will be graduating or transferring out, and some parking spots are expected to open up. Jonathan Gerard, a junior business administration major, was originally given a parking spot in the TR lot on the other side of the baseball field. THE SWINGING BRIDGE
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TRENDING TOPICS
KEEPING MESSIAH
SAFE
STUDENTS AND STAFF ON MESSIAH'S SAFETY WRITTEN BY PJ RIDDELL DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE
M
essiah’s Department of Safety is tasked with being prepared to prevent and respond to everything from violent acts towards campus to the occasional prank being taken too far. During August and September, 16 total incidents were registered on the daily crime log on campus. Ranging from a terroristic threat against campus to a frozen fruit breaking a window, neither incident is something the Department of Safety hasn’t prepared to handle. The steps the Department of Safety is taking to prevent and react to these incidents has an impact on how students feel on campus.
Senior Paul Callender’s apartment window was broken by two frozen oranges being thrown at the window in September. Callender believes there was no malicious intent, nor will it likely happen again, but it was still startling. “After the second [orange] was thrown I discovered a 12-inch hole was made in the first pane of my window,” Callender said. “I immediately stopped what I was doing and moved away from the window.” Despite initial concern, Callender’s confidence in safety at Messiah increased due to how safety crews responded. “I feel I can trust Safety to handle situations much more now that I’ve had a first-hand witness of how they work,” Callender said. “I was very impressed by their professionality.”
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Callender isn’t the only one in the student body whose confidence in safety is influenced by their responses. Students such as sophomore AJ Jerome cite Messiah’s handling of concerns to be a reason for her confidence. “I would say I do feel pretty safe on campus, just because even if something does happen, Messiah handles it pretty well,” Jerome said. The impact a confident response has on the feelings and safety of the student body isn’t lost on Messiah’s Director of Safety, Bryce Wickard. Wickard says that the Department of Safety has been working to be prepared to react to an act of violence, but also to prevent safety concerns in the first place.
PATROLLING HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. [...] I TAKE IT VERY PERSONALLY THAT OUR CAMPUS IS
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SAFE.
"
- BRYCE WICKARD, DIRECTOR OF SAFETY
TRENDING TOPICS One measure implemented to prepare to act effectively is the creation of a committee specifically focused on reacting to violent crimes. “We formed a new committee to make sure we’re prepared at the highest level should we have an act of violence on campus,” Wickard said. “We’re building a team that’s going to be multidisciplinary.” This team, Wickard says, is part of the Department of Safety’s effort to expand the University’s response to violent acts should the need ever arise. The department not only needs to be able to respond to violence in action, but they also need to respond to threats of violence just as swiftly. Their response was put into action when a threat was made against campus in August. Messiah and local Upper Allen Police Department increased their patrolling measures in the immediately following the threat. Wickard believes Messiah’s partnership with local authorities is crucial. “We have always had a good partnership with the police, but we've also enhanced that because we don't want anything to happen,” Wickard said.
Beyond reacting to concerns, safety takes many surveillance measures to look out for issues around campus. Safety has multiple hidden cameras across campus, and they’re actively in the process of adding new cameras to more strategic locations. Safety hopes that this, paired with patrolling, will prevent incidents before they happen. While keeping students safe is one thing, making sure students actually feel safe is another. Safety believes that speaking with students directly is the best way to know students’ concerns. “I don't like the idea of just speculating what students are thinking, I want to hear it directly from them,” Wickard said. Making sure that students feel safe, Wickard says, requires cooperation between students and safety. “People tend to talk. We're pretty well dependent on the good ethics of somebody that knows…if you see something, say something,” Wickard says. Junior Cole Hasenbalg sees how the student body contributes to feelings of safety on campus as well.
“I feel safe due to the quality of people here,” Hasenbalg said. “In addition, campus safety adds a level of physical protection…considering how easy to access Messiah is.” For some, however, campus doesn’t feel safe. While Safety offers the “Safe Ride” service for students who feel unsafe walking on campus alone, sophomore Narah Cohen believes there needs to be a relationship between officers and students for the service to be effective. “I feel like a lot of people don’t want to utilize that… because they don’t know the officers,” Cohen said. Wickard agrees that a relationship with the student body is essential, and is something that can be achieved through various means. “Patrolling has the potential for building relationships. We need to go to the student body and not expect them to come to us,” Wickard said. “I take it very personally that our campus is safe.”
PHOTO BY HUNTER ROHRER
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TRENDING TOPICS
WHAT IS THE COLLABORATORY
?
WRITTEN BY RILEY WILLIAMS DESIGNED BY KATE TRIMBLE
T
he Collaboratory is a program that includes over 20 different student-led engineering projects. These students work closely with an international non-profit to solve a problem faced by real people and tailor it to their community’s needs. These projects are an opportunity for students to be able to put what they have learned in the classroom to the test.
While the projects are used as a grade for an engineering class, the main goal of the Collaboratory is to give students experience in serving others with their vocation. These projects culminate in site trips, which give students the opportunity to travel internationally with their team to to help install and maintain the projects they have been developing.
Fundraising for site trips is done throughout the year once the trip has been approved. Although they don’t get an academic grade for these trips, the experiences that students get from site trips are unique from any other service trip offered at Messiah. Bryce Watkins, program manager of the Collaboratory, sees it as an opportunity for Messiah students to grow while also giving back to those who may not have been afforded the same opportunities as them. “Our engineers have this tremendous blessing to go through their education here, so we want to see them be able to give back,” Watkins said. “We also want them to learn and grow as engineers, but hopefully in such a way that they’re able to bless the world and their careers.”
PHOTOS BY HUNTER ROHRER
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TRENDING TOPICS One example of the projects students are working on is the Nepal Prone Trolley. This project pairs students with the International Nepal Fellowship, a medical facility that focuses primarily on patients that have sustained some form of spinal injury. The trolley itself is used to help patients with mobility while they are in recovery. For this project, patients would be instructed to lay face first on the trolley, and be able to operate the machine with their arms. The goal is for this project is to come up with a design that would allow these trolleys to be manufactured locally at Nepalian hospitals. Rachel Rashford, a senior mechanical engineering major, works with the modular mobility project. Her team partners with the Center of Hope in Burkina Faso to provide hand-powered and electric tricycles for those with limited mobility. Rashford sees the Collaboratory working not only through the projects, but also through the community developed among students. “Not only do we help people across the globe, but we strive to build a better community on campus through fellowship and discipleship,” Rashford said.
PHOTO CAPTION Pick an arrow to point in the direction of whichever photo you're captioning. Feel free to change the color of the arrow to match the spread - just make sure it's not too light.
One of the ways the Collaboratory aims to build fellowship amongst engineers is through the Collaboratory’s Discipleship Community, a chapel group for engineers. D.C.’s purpose is to give students an opportunity to socialize with one another and process things outside of the Collaboratory in a safe environment. While D.C. is geared towards members of the Collaboratory, but is also open to other students. For students who want to be involved but are not in the STEM field, there is also a marketing team associated with the Collaboratory. The marketing team’s main job is to run the social media page, as well as handle other forms of advertising that the Collaboratory teams may need.
Jeremy Freimark, director of the Collaboratory, sees the Collaboratory as an opportunity for students to challenge themselves. “The Collaboratory is an opportunity for others to really step outside of themselves,” Freimark said. For more information on the Collaboratory and their projects, students can visit their website or their Instagram @mu_collaboratory.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
MESSIAH'S
ATHLETIC
T R A I N E R S TH E
TEAM
BEHIND
T HE
T EA M
WRITTEN BY KAYLEE GETZ DESIGNED BY AMBER SWAISGOOD
M
essiah’s athletic trainers and sports medicine staff work with sports teams regularly and play very important roles in the health of student athletes. Although they’re not often seen unless there’s an injury on the field, they are vital in the success of the teams.
Athletic trainers deal with the health and safety of sports teams and other aspects of physical fitness at Messiah to ensure appropriate healthcare. They work with athletes in both training and recovery and treat injuries that occur during games. Nate Nester, Assistant Athletic Trainer, works in sports medicine and strength and conditioning. Like all of the athletic trainers, he works with all athletes, but is assigned to specific teams. In addition to training, Nester also coaches some of Messiah’s teams. “I work with all athletes but am specifically assigned to women’s soccer, men’s basketball and baseball,” Nester said. “I do strength training and conditioning programming for
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the majority of the athletics departments and am on the floor coaching baseball and men’s lacrosse in the fall. I will pick up two more teams in the spring.” Nester is proud of what he does and wants to use his role to help Messiah’s athletics reach its highest potential. “The NCAA requires strength and conditioning to have a reporting line into sports medicine,” Nester said. “My role was initially intended to help blend these two aspects, but I see it as an opportunity to truly help Messiah athletics reach a new level of success.” Messiah’s athletic training team works hard to develop what Nester believes is the best way for sports medicine to operate for his teams. He focuses on four areas of sports medicine in the training spectrum to help athletes reach their full potential. “My philosophy of sports medicine revolves around a performance model,” Nester said. “This in its simplest form is affecting the training spectrum from injury to rehab to training to performance.”
As Assistant Athletic Trainer, Nester loves the unique interactions and experiences with athletes that come with his job. “I get to interact with student athletes in a variety of settings,” Nester said. “Getting to see them sometimes at their worst, to the victories and trials in training, and ultimately performing and sharing their God-given talents with others in the field and in competition.” Megan Fowler, Director of Sports Medicine, also works with the athletic teams in a variety of ways. She oversees the health and safety of all intercollegiate athletics and NCAA sports at Messiah. “I’m more administrative than what my staff is,” Fowler said. “But on a regular basis we have time for treatments and rehab, practices, games at least once a week, and events and practices on Saturdays as well.” These positions are not only important for training, conditioning, and recovery, but also during games.
ARTS & ENTERTANMENT
“We’re the emergency response to injuries and illnesses during the games,” Fowler said. “There’s a lot that goes into the behind the scenes activity of athletics. I enjoy that teamwork of putting on athletics and my role and responsibility of immediate care of injuries on the field.” Like Nester, Fowler loves working with students and being a part of both their good and bad days. “Within healthcare, patients usually only see their provider when they’re sick or injured,” Fowler said. “I have the pleasure of getting to know them before any injury or illness occurs, usually, which helps to build rapport and trust, and we are the first person they see when an injury occurs.”
"
C O L L E G E
ATHLETICS IS A
LIFESTYLE
PHOTOS BY HUNTER ROHRER
-MEGAN FOWLER
“We get to guide and help an athlete return back to sport, or whatever their goals are, and walk alongside them each step of the way until they have reached their goals.” Athletic training and sports medicine is a lot of work and sacrifice. Those involved do it because they’ve developed that passion that both Nester and Fowler described. “We really do love our jobs here,” Fowler said. “It’s a lot of late nights and a lot of weekends. The schedule certainly isn’t great, but college athletics is a lifestyle, not just a job.”
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Artist Spotlight Hannah Ryan WRITTEN BY MACKENZIE CHRISTIE DESIGNED BY ISABELLA KERN If you ever need to find Hannah Ryan, look no further than the Frey art studios at 3 a.m., and you’ll likely catch a glimpse of her with a paintbrush, pencil, or sculpting clay in hand. Ryan is a Junior Studio Art major with a 2D concentration from Hagerstown, Maryland. She was homeschooled until high school, but when she began taking formal art classes in public school, she realized how much she loved the craft. “I remember getting compliments about my art from people in my homeschool co-op, but I didn’t think much of it,” Ryan said. “It wasn’t until I went to high school and took my first art class that I thought, ‘Oh, I’m actually good at this, and I enjoy it.’” In her sophomore year of high school, Ryan decided to transfer to an art high school called Barbara Ingram School of the Arts, which is where she graduated from. Since she’s continued her formal art studies at Messiah, some important aspects of her craft have evolved.
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“When I first started doing art in 8th grade, I would just find pictures I wanted to draw on Pinterest and basically just copy and paste the image, but since then the kind of art I like to do has grown a lot,” Ryan said. “I enjoy being given assignments and making them my own in some kind way.” Ryan expresses the ways in which her highschool art training differ from her college experience, and what that has meant for the development of her craft. “Even though I went to an art high school, I didn’t feel super prepared for college,” Ryan said. “It’s been such an amazing experience coming here and getting more critiques… the art program here has just been so amazing, and I’m doing so much more than I ever thought I would.” Of course, the life of an artist is never complete without the recurrences of artist’s block, combating perfectionism, and burnout. Ryan mentions that open-ended assignments can lead her towards ruts like these. “Artists block is definitely a thing,” Ryan said. “For me, it can happen when you’re
told ‘Okay, you can draw whatever you want,’ because it can feel difficult to have all of those options out there. I personally like lists, so I’m good at coming up with a game plan, which looks different for each project.” Not only does the open-endedness of assignments feel difficult for Ryan, but her self-proclaimed tendency to overreach can create obstacles of their own for her to overcome.
“...I fell in love with art…I had such amazing high school art teachers and I would love to be that inspiration...” -Hannah Ryan “I often times give myself a lot of work to do when it comes to coming up with new projects,” Ryan said. “Sometimes it’s hard to put perfectionism aside when you want every little detail to be perfect, but thinking about what’s the most important
ARTS & ENTERTANMENT aspect of your work can help you put aside getting caught up in the small details.” Her magic cure for these struggles? Simply put, make more art. “No matter what, I try to get into the studio as often as I can…it inspires me to be there, and even though it can be kind of torturous sometimes, making art does feel good.” Despite the many changes that her art has endured, the one constant factor in her artistic journey is her love of the creative process. “I personally just love creating things with my hands, and I think the artwork is such a fun way to express yourself; for any sort of assignment, you can really put your own personality and creativity into what you’re doing,” Ryan said. “I just love the process and it’s so rewarding afterward to have something you’ve created that you can admire.” Hannah plans on becoming a high school art teacher at some point in the future, likely pursuing a teaching certificate after graduating from Messiah. Her dream is to provide to others what art has provided for her. “I had such amazing high school art teachers and I would love to be that inspiration for other kids,” Ryan said. “I also had a lot of issues in high school that art helped me cope with, so I hope I can give that back to other people too someday.”
You can support Hannah and her artwork through her Instagram @hannahryanart
PHOTOS COURTESY OF HANNAH RYAN
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THE MESSIAH BALL-RUNNERS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Meet Messiah’s Sporting Professionals
WRITTEN BY PJ RIDDELL DESIGNED BY ISABELLA KERN
You may not know it, but there’s a team of athletes right here on Messiah’s campus with aspirations to go to the Olympics. They’re the Messiah ball-runners. Ball-runners for soccer and field hockey at any school have what seems to be a simple task: when the ball rolls out of bounds, place a new ball back in bounds, and retrieve the ball that rolled out. While other schools usually have just a group of student employees, the Messiah ball-runners have become a team, a prominent fixture of fall sports. For them, their job is more than just place-and-retrieve. According to junior ball-runner Trevor McGowan, their performance impacts the game in more ways than one might realize, “We can control the pace of the game,” McGowan said. “We’ve been told you can see the difference in the game tempo at away games versus home games at Messiah.” Senior Sam Blevins takes pride in the ball-runners’ ability to help with the highpaced nature of both field hockey and soccer.
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ARTS & ENTERTANMENT “I’d like to think that the place-and-pace mentality carries from the ball-runners to the team,” Blevins said. “We are trying to keep the pace of play up and not waste any time.” Messiah Field Hockey head coach Brooke Good has played a role in the development of the ball-runners at Messiah into a team of their own. “When I became the head coach in 2012, I took some ownership of recruiting and training the ball runners,” Good said. “We started out with 3-4 students…over the years, the ball-runner group has taken on a new life.” Giving the team new life are its current leaders, Asa Brunk, Hayden Benner, and Trevor McGowan. But before them, current senior Sam Blevins helped take them to a new level. Rico Plummer, Messiah’s Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance and Internal Operations, credits Blevins for training up the current team. “They were actually watching film on field hockey,” Plummer said. “I was like woah, this is awesome how [serious] they were taking it and how much they love doing a great job.” While Blevins confirms the film sessions, he’s quick to deflect the credit to those who came before him. “As [former members] Adam Black and Jordan Howard did for me, we had a
Coach Good urged the ball-runners to use social media as a platform for the time and effort the team puts into working hard and having fun. “I was aware of the Ursinus [College] ball-runners and their social media presence. I immediately reached out to our crew and encouraged them to increase their visibility,” Good said. “They are the best in the game, and I wanted them to get credit for their hard work and dedication.” For each game, they make it a point to prepare to work, but also to document it on Instagram. Sometimes the picture is just of themselves, other times with everyone from the players to the officials.
" Being a Messiah athlete means going to the highest standard for Him... " - Hayden Benner A key reason the current ball-runner leaders got started, and took it as seriously as they do, had little to do with competition initially. According to senior Asa Brunk, there were other incentives in spring of 2021.
meeting to discuss responsibilities as ball runners and the high standards we have,” Blevins said. “Now the next generation of ball runners have taken the field and social media platforms by storm.”
“We all ball-ran a spring game, and at that point Trevor [McGowan] was dating a field hockey player, soon after I was dating a field hockey player, and then the next year Hayden [Benner] was dating a field hockey player,” Brunk said
PHOTOS BY HUNTER ROHRER
Relationships aside, junior Hayden Benner says the ball-runners have more than just one priority, especially as members of the wrestling team as well. “Being a Messiah athlete means going to the highest standard for Him, and that includes doing other things like ball-running. We want to just do the best that we can to glorify Him,” Benner said. “We care about the field hockey team, they mean a lot to us - not just our girlfriends anymore, but the entire culture and team.” While they’re happy working Messiah field hockey and soccer, the ball-runners aren’t stopping at just Messiah sports. They’ve got their sights set on ball-running the NCAA Field Hockey National Championships. “We started talking about it when they made the NCAA tournament last year, when the NCAA officials were [here]. We were trying to put it in their ear that we want to do the national tournament,” Benner said. “We could do this at the next level.” But even the national stage isn’t enough for Brunk - he wants the Messiah ball-runners to go global. “I want a national tournament, but I also really want the 2028 Olympics,” Brunk said. “That’s the goal, 2028 Olympics here we come.”
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Sweet and Easy
Homemade Cranberry Sauce WRITTEN BY MACKENZIE CHRISTIE DESIGNED BY ISABELLLA KERN
Today, I’m going to be sharing with you all one of my holiday classics that is sure to be the hit of any party.
Without further adieu, below you’ll find our ancient family cranberry sauce recipe. Absolutely no substitutes are acceptable; Man mustn’t play God like that.
That is, if your parties usually consist of deafening conversations surrounding the socio-political state of the U.S. Ingredients: economy, how all of your older cousins are doing so much better than you • 1 cup sugar because they chose a more “practical” major in college, and the drama of which • 1 cup water distant relative had an affair this year. • 4 cups fresh cranberries Happy Thanksgiving everyone. • The zest of one orange, plucked This recipe dates all the way back to from its tree no more than about 40,000 years ago when the first 24 hours prior to use. Neanderthals roamed Eurasia making fires, riding large mammoths, and squashing berries between their toes for a light evening dessert. I’ll admit, I don’t really know what Neanderthals were up to at this point, but I do know that some 40,000 years later we happen to have cranberry sauce, and I don’t think that’s any coincidence. Taking after the Neanderthals as we always do, modern American society has maintained its overwhelming adoration for this mashed fruit concoction. Every year that cranberry sauce is set upon the table, terminally ill babies are instantly cured, the US withdraws from every oil war in the Middle East, fathers in their mid-forties display a sliver of empathy towards their children, Jesus resurrects again, and paternal uncles act in a way that is publicly appropriate; all feats of life presumed entirely impossible.
Recipe: 1. Bring the water and sugar to a simmer in a medium-sized pot. Lightly stir until sugar is dissolved. 2. Close your eyes and allow your hands to hover directly above the pot whilst saying the Hail Mary prayer three times in Latin, and once in the original Greek tongue. 3. Incorporate cranberries* *Note: if using fresh cranberries, do not wash before incorporating. The bugs are good. The bugs are good. 4. Stir until cranberries have stopped bursting. Let cool for 10 minutes. 5. Once cool, sprinkle fresh orange zest overtop the sauce and lightly mix. 6. Transfer sauce to the most expensive dining dish you own and hyper-fixate on how utterly demoralizing it would be if everyone at the Thanksgiving table watched you drop and shatter the bowl of cranberry sauce on the white rug which will most likely cost a fortune to get dry cleaned, and to make matters worse your older cousin didn’t drop the pan of monkey bread they brought and, so now the whole family is going to be praising him like they always do while you try to pick chunks of cranberry sauce out of your grandma’s carpet.
Pairs best with sweet potato casserole and buttered rolls. Enjoy!
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ARTS & ENTERTANMENT
The Perfect Turkey
WRITTEN BY ETHAN DYRLI DESIGNED BY EMMA TREGO AND ISABELLA KERN
Ah Thanksgiving, the most tranquil of holidays. A time to relax with family and friends over a feast. The centerpiece of that feast? The Thanksgiving turkey. Finding The Turkey To prime the perfect turkey, it all starts in the hunt. The best birds are the ones you hunt yourself. Grab a crossbow, you don’t want a metallic taste in your gobbler. Then, go find a place to begin your hunt. The woods outside your local school zone will do.
Prepare The Table •
Spices: to taste
•
Butter: for texture
•
Blades: knives are for amateurs
•
Frozen stuffing: defrost it to get normal stuffing
You have to get the turkey to trust you first. First, tell the turkey how special Make sure to start cooking as soon as you it is, and how you haven’t met another can, if you freeze the bird, you won’t be turkey like that turkey. able to taste the trust you spent all that time building up. Bring the turkey home to meet your parents, and text the turkey after they Cooking The Turkey leave that your Mom “thought you were amazing,” when she never said anything Step 1: You want coals, you want hot coals. like that. Tell that turkey empty words Ovens are trash, you want hot hot coals. about how happy you are and how you’re never like this. Take that turkey Step 2: Cover it. Cover the turkey in the to the same four spots you bring all of coals. your other turkeys, you pig. Step 3: Walk on the coals during the The turkey trusts you now, it sees a fu- pre-Thanksgiving coal walk (it’s tradition ture with you. You should feel sick, you in the midwest). scumbag. Well guess what? It’s time to put this turkey down. Step 4: Cook the turkey in the coals until it’s charred like Anakin Skywalker. If it Prepping the Turkey comes out looking like Prince Zuko, turn over to cook evenly. If it looks more like • Once you’ve turned your compan- Gustavo Fring, flip to the other side. ion into poultry, prep your kitchen. You’ll need: Step 5: Treat the turkey for burns, aloe and butter will do (The patient is failing, • The heart of a different turkey: better move quick). keep it passionate Step 6: When the burn treatment fails, re• A brick oven: just for looks move the burnt outer layer. You should be left with a charred, smoky inside. If the • A historical map of the New En- turkey is raw, repeat steps 2-5 until well gland colonies: for context cooked.
The Thanksgiving table is such a wonderful place. Where else can you ignore colonial crimes against humanity over a nice meal? Mh mh mh, yummy! What’s a good meal without a proper set up? I don’t know your house well enough to make any hard rules, but here are a few of my suggestions. •
Keep colonial imagery to a minimum. Remember, they’re not the good guys.
•
Turn the Macy’s day parade on in the background to give your strange second cousin something to do besides tell you about his podcast he’s “laying the groundwork for.”
•
Fall decorations are so last year - go for a beach vibe! Break out the tiki torches!
•
If you’re trying to go hardcore, throw random poltical merch around your house. Spice it up!
Have a blast this year! If you use these tips, you’ll have the perfect turkey, and a happy Thanksgiving.
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THE HEARTBEAT OF MESSIAH UNIVERSITY
