The Stylus- Volume 127, Issue 5

s u l y t S e h T

Volume 127

ISSUE

2021-22

#5

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A student publication of Park University since 1895

FB: ParkUniversityStylus stylus@park.edu April 29, 2022

Smeed offically installed as 18th president of Park University

PHOTOS COURTESY/Dan Videtich On April 22, Shane Smeed was inaugurated as the 18th president of Park University in Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel. He was named interim president in November 2020 but started at Park in 2015 as vice president and chief operating officer.

Left: Vince Clark, chair of Park University’s Board of Trustees, places the presidential medallion on Smeed.

Above: Smeed delivers his remarks during the inauguration ceremony.

Students face setbacks from success advising Skyler Jensen Editor-in-Chief There’s frustration bubbling up around academic advising at Park University and everyone involved has a grievance.

Students say they aren’t receiving good advice from success coaches, and feel like they aren’t being heard when they bring

up those issues. Administrators say these student issues are individual anecdotes caused by unique situations and not widespread. They recommend students better inform themselves about their academic programs and speak up when something goes wrong.

What’s clear is that there is a disconnect when it comes to success advising.

Park University offers a success coach to every student. Coaches can help students get enrolled in classes, understand the resources Park offers to students and, in general, navigate their degree plan.

In theory, this seems like a helpful resource, but students say it’s not as useful as they would like.

See Student success on page 4

In This Issue: Entertainment......2 Opinion..................3 Campus Life......4-5 Sports.................6-7 Features................8

ENTERTAINMENT

Page 2 April 29, 2022

Paramore’s “Riot!” album is an early 2000s rock staple Bryce Butler Reporter Paramore’s second studio album, “Riot!” creates a lot of early 21st century nostalgia. Released in June 2007, “Riot!” helped propel the alternative rock band’s brand as a solidified group in the genre.

My very first interaction with this album came through the video game Guitar Hero World Tour, which featured the song “Misery Business,” the album’s leading single. The game showed Hayley Williams, Paramore lead singer, as the character singing on stage.

It was a song I enjoyed playing, but at the time I had no idea who Paramore was, nor did I realize the popularity of the song. I didn’t listen to many genres of

music, so the video game was one of my first exposures to the rock genre.

I finally listened to Paramore’s full discography in April 2020. I was impressed with all of their music, however, “Riot!” quickly became my favorite album, and the leading singles on the album are now some of my favorite rock songs of all time.

More specifically, “Hallelujah” remains my favorite song on the album to date. Although it’s not Paramore’s most popular song, I feel that it best showcases Williams’ vocal ability.

The song touches on the up-anddown feelings associated with time.

For example, Williams sings in the first verse, “If only time flew like a dove,” but later on in the song she sings, “We’ve got

nothing but time on our hands.”

This sends the message that time varies, something to which we can all relate.

There are points where we find ourselves eagerly waiting for something. At other times, we feel satisfied and as if time is seemingly on our side. Overall, the song reminds me that we’re never truly in control of how much time we have.

I think this album has just the right amount of emotion to be relatable, while also staying on the pop side of the rock spectrum. Williams, in my opinion, is one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time.

If you’re looking to dip your toe into the rock genre, but don’t want anything hardcore, I would highly suggest starting with Paramore. Their music is available on all streaming platforms.

PHOTO COURTESY/Fueled by Ramen

From left to right: Taylor York, Hayley Williams and Zac Farro are the members of the band Paramore.

What men could learn from Shaquille O’Neal Bryce Butler Reporter Shaquille O’Neal gave listeners insight into his past on his most recent media appearance.

As a guest on “The Pivot Podcast,” the four-time NBA champion shared his regrets both on and off the court. The podcast is hosted by former NFL players Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark and features guests who are connected to professional athletics.

I listened to the entire podcast from start to finish and was intrigued by what

O’Neal had to say. Narrowing things down, here are a few of my takeaways from the episode.

First, O’Neal’s approach to parenting largely mirrors his childhood experience and traditional, paternal roles.

On the podcast, O’Neal praised the role that his stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison, played in his basketball success.

Harrison was an Army drill sergeant and instilled a lot of discipline into O’Neal.

In turn, I gained much respect for O’Neal for the way that he raises his own children. He is the product of a strong parental support system, which allowed

PHOTO COURTESY/YouTube The Pivot Podcast YouTube channel background, featuring its three hosts.

him to become that himself.

The traditional role of the father to protect and provide is what O’Neal carries with himself to this day. I agree with him completely that this responsibility should be a lifelong commitment.

“His only mission was to teach me to be a leader, not a follower,” O’Neal said.

It is clear to me that his stepfather helped him become one of the most dominant NBA players of all time.

Second, O’Neal was surprisingly honest about the end of his marriage.

O’Neal insinuated that he had committed infidelity during his marriage to Shaunie O’Neal. As a result, he solely blamed himself for their 2011 divorce.

It surprised me to hear him being so open about the situation. He has never publicly talked about his marital shortcomings, which I thought was a brave thing to do.

O’Neal said he learned the consequences of those actions. In an instant, a slip-up cost him the close proximity he had with his family.

“I was lost. Seventy-six thousand square-foot house by yourself,” O’Neal

said. This really put into perspective that material things cannot replace family.

The Pivot Podcast is available for listening on all podcast streaming services.

You can also view the episode on YouTube by searching The Pivot Podcast .

Staff List Editor-in-chief Skyler Jensen

Editors

Nathan Dunn Yi Li Mariana Figueroa

Reporters

Bryce Butler Jaylynn Tucker Victoria Olaleye

Adviser

Kristin Shaw

OPINION

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Faculty spark valuable conversation with table talk Skyler Jensen Editor-in-chief With so many controversial topics in the world today, I think it’s important that people from different backgrounds share their knowledge and perspectives to improve everyone’s understanding of the topics.

This seems to be a part of the allure of table talks. Joshua Mugg, PhD., program coordinator of interdisciplinary studies at Park University, seemed to want to host this event to showcase how different disciplines can have different, yet similar, ideas on the same topic.

The topic for this discussion was Generationalism: Fact or Myth. It was held April 14 at noon in Norrington Learning Lab. Almost everyone has heard the terms Gen Z, Boomers, Millennial, etc., but it’s

hard to understand what they really mean and how they apply to different facets of life.

Mugg was the discussion moderator.

He invited faculty from different departments to speak on the topic. The faculty who spoke in the table talk were Chelsea Platt, PhD., assistant professor of sociology, Adrian James, PhD., associate professor of management, and Samantha Quinn, PhD., assistant professor of communication.

The discussion started with each faculty member explaining what generationalism was and how it applied to their area of study. Platt seemed to argue that the stereotypes of the different generations could be based on many other factors in their lives, but that the events that occur in a society leave imprints on a generation. Quinn said it’s important for people

to be able to communicate between generations in both their personal and professional lives and that learning to do so can have many benefits. James said that there are some benefits in knowing stereotypes, but we should never put people in a box based on those stereotypes.

Then the discussion became more balanced. The students and guests attending the talk were able to ask questions, voice their opinions and respond to the speakers’ opinions. Many different aspects of the topic were discussed including workplace attire and communication styles.

Overall, the students and the speakers agreed that everyone has more to their personality, communication style and work style, than just their generation. It’s also important to ask and learn someone’s preferences and personality instead of assuming who they are based on their age.

Personally, I really enjoyed this conversation. I think this table talk was a great idea. It was nice to see Park students engage with professors and gain a better understanding of a tough concept.

It was interesting to hear about this topic from other perspectives. I have my own opinions based on my background, experience and area of study. However, there were others present who had different perspectives, so it was interesting to hear from them.

I also liked the fact that students were able to ask questions and hear from experts in the various fields and from other students. It felt like an intriguing conversation, not a lecture or like someone was talking down to the students.

I hope that more of these table talks are held, so that students and faculty can discuss other topics in a similar way.

Current and former Stylus staff recognized at Missouri College Media Awards Kristin Shaw Adviser The Missouri College Media Association held its annual conference and awards ceremony on April 9 in St. Joseph, Missouri. The Stylus was recognized with 19 individual awards and two publication awards.

Overall, The Stylus took first place in sweepstakes for Division 3 and second place for best overall newspaper in the division. Other schools included in Division 3 are: Avila University, Culver-Stockton College, Drury University, Evangel University, Missouri Valley College and William Jewell College.

Alumna Shelby Adkins took first place for her column on 2021’s virtual graduation ceremony. Multimedia journalism and public relations major Nathan Dunn took first place for a sports story about Park alumni coaching the women’s Olympic soccer team. Multimedia journalism and public relations major Yi Li won first

place for her review of Kenny Broberg’s piano concert. Li also took first place in news photography.

Victoria Olaleye, Natalya Nalivaiko, Dayana Jules and MacKenzie Coder, all multimedia journalism and public relations majors, received first place awards on collaborative projects.

These accomplishments are especially notable given the challenges the staff has faced during the pandemic.

College media – whether in newspapers, video broadcasts, on the radio or other – plays an important role in the university ecosystem. Sometimes that looks like publicizing campus events.

Other times it’s about establishing a historical record of the school. Occasionally it’s about amplifying student voices to administrators in a way that isn’t possible behind closed doors. In The Atlantic, writer Adam Willis went so far as to say, “The erosion of the student press threatens the integrity of the university in America, and the quality of its future.”

PHOTO COURTESY/Yi LI The Stylus staff pose with their awards at the MCMA conference.

So take this as a call to join us or to support student journalism at Park University. While this semester is winding down, any student can be a reporter, a photographer, a videographer, an editor or a designer. Send an email to Stylus@

park.edu for more information.

If you don’t want to join, pick up the paper and read it. Visit StylusOnline.org.

Send in your opinions. Be a part of The Stylus’ award-winning team or support its efforts.

CAMPUS LIFE Student success Continued from page 1 Tieisha Bradley, senior biology major, has experienced several issues. She said her student success coach put her on a path for a bachelor of arts degree, which is a very different path than a bachelor of science degree, which is what she wanted to pursue. Biology offers both degree programs.

Bradley added that she tried to have conversations with success coaches about the situation, but it felt like she wasn’t listening or checking the degree plan.

“I had been taking classes for almost a year and a half that I didn’t need,” Bradley said. “I ended up paying more thousands of dollars out of packet than (I actually) needed.”

Katherine Renner is the director of student success, but she is currently out on maternity leave. Her supervisor is Andrew Davis, associate vice president of enrollment management. He addressed student concerns with success advising in Renner’s absence.

Davis said, “I think when there’s a mistake, that it can be interpreted lots of different ways.”

Alysa Mendez, junior biology major, said she understands that the success coaches work with a lot of students, but she feels like they should be more helpful when scheduling students for class,

especially when it comes to understanding class rotations for various majors. She said, “Sometimes there’s classes that we need to take, that are requirements, and they’re only offered like, every fall or every two years.”

She feels like she should have been put in some of these classes before her success coach put her in other classes because of how infrequently they are offered.

Davis said, “Each student’s experience being different would highlight to me that sometimes there’s a desire and a want, that might not be possible, and so if a student is getting information that they don’t like, that can be a cause for dissatisfaction.”

He added that there are a lot of variables at hand. These include students feeling like they are put in the wrong class, but it’s actually the right one because of the sequencing needed. The timing of enrollment may be off or a class may be canceled. He said many different factors could occur and it will be a unique experience for each student.

Hannah Pappert, a senior double majoring in English and communication studies, said, “I’ve had some good experiences with success coaches, and I’ve had some pretty poor ones.”

She said that the hardest part has been making sure she takes her classes at the right time in the rotation.

“Sometimes they’ll (student success coaches) recommend something (a class) that if you don’t go back and check and make sure it fits in your graduation

Page 4 April 29, 2022

schedule, you could be taking a class that either you don’t need or that will throw you completely off (schedule) graduation wise,” Pappert said.

However, she also said that her success coach always put her at ease because she would fix her schedule right away when Pappert noticed errors.

These errors have occurred very frequently for Pappert.

“Almost every single semester I have had to call student success and/or email a specific success coach and get a problem fixed,” she said.

Because of how often issues have occurred, Pappert said it has crossed her mind that these mistakes could be done on purpose.

“Sometimes I do wonder if, like, Park doesn’t educate their students on how to use these resources and how to know what classes are required because they want to extend students past the four-year mark,” she said.

However, Davis said that this is not the goal of anyone at Park.

“We don’t want students to take longer than they want, and we don’t want students to be delayed in their path towards success,” he added.

Pappert has some ideas of how Park could better educate their students on the resources available to them. She said she had professors who made her do a four-year degree plan in her freshman year, and that has helped her many times.

She thinks all students should have this

opportunity in their LE100 classes. In addition, she thinks all students should be better educated on what the student success department does, how to read their degree audit and the rotation that their majors are on. These ideas could be taught in LE100 courses or covered during Get on Board Day. Pappert also thinks that if courses are on a difficult rotation, then that should be shown on the website where students can look up classes. She thinks it would make students’ lives easier if they knew while picking their classes that a course is offered on a certain rotation and won’t be offered again for several semesters.

These ideas may help Park students in the future, but issues could still occur. Davis says that if a student has issues, they should turn to their student success coach first, as he believes one of the coaches will almost always be able to solve the issue.

However, “if remediation isn’t satisfactory, there’s always other avenues,” he said.

For a next step, Davis recommends that students talk to their faculty advisor, if one is assigned. After that, if a student still has a grievance or wants to report a wrongdoing, then he says they can talk to Amanda Bryant in the Student Advocate office. If students still do not feel helped, he said that they can go to Jayme Uden, Park’s dean of students, or Dr. Michelle Myers, Ed.D, Park’s provost.

“If there’s truly a mistake and wrongdoing, we need to correct that,” said Davis. “We want students to make us better.”

Nursing Health Fair

PHOTO/Skyler Jensen

The nursing department at Park University held a community health fair on April 21 in Park Avenue. At this event, nursing students had displays about various health topics. Jennine Wilson, assistant chair of nursing, helped plan the event. She said,“I think this event is very important for students because it allows them to kind of showcase what they are learning in their nursing program.” There were also booths for vendors outside of the program to help educate the Park community on how to stay healthy. These partners included Pirate Pantry, Pirate Fitness, Park University Counseling Center, Parkville Nutrition and Platte County Community Center. Wilson said this event will be held again next spring.

CAMPUS LIFE

Page 5 April 29, 2022

New kiosks improve printing experience for students The new equipment was installed in late March to replace poorly-performing units Skyler Jensen Editor-in-Chief Amanda Bryant, director of student support, helped advise the group that led the charge to upgrade the printing system from Ink to Wepa. The group was comprised of students on the Technology Exploration Committee who are members of PSGA and staff from the IT department.

Bryant said that so far, the group has seen many improvements including fewer issues with possible customer service problems, fewer jams in the printers and a better connection with Google Drive.

Wepa also makes it easier to see if any systems need maintenance, and the kiosks seem to be functioning better.

“So ultimately, it’s just the product itself is better, or the program that they use is better,” Bryant said.

Chelsie Shepherd, junior communication studies major, is glad that the kiosks were upgraded.

“I definitely think new printers were needed,” she said. “I usually had a lot of problems printing with the old one to the point where my assignments would be late because I could not get them printed.”

Shepherd also agreed that the new kiosks print much better. She thinks that her prints look very nice when they come out and that it’s an easier system to use once she understood how to use it.

Students can print off the kiosks in three ways, according to Bryant. First, they can log onto the kiosk and choose their document from Google Drive. Second, students can download the Wepa Print App on their computer, add what they want to print to their queue on the app, then log onto a kiosk to release their prints. Lastly, students have a touchless

option. They can download the Wepa app on their phone, add what they want to print to their queue on the app and then scan their phone at a kiosk to release their prints.

Emma Meyer, junior geography major, likes the touchless option on these kiosks.

“I do think it’s easier to print with because you just have to hold your phone up to it,” Meyer said.

However, Meyer is not completely happy with the change.

“I’m upset because I had over $40 to print and now it’s gone. I feel like I don’t know where my technology fee is going to,” she said.

Bryant said that Ink, the old system, “was set up to give students $20 every semester, and it seems like maybe it was rolling over when it wasn’t supposed to.”

This is why students had more than $20 in their funds. Now, Bryant said, “We just

wanted to see how it worked if we went back to the original plan of $20 per semester.”

Bryant added that as of now, no funds will rollover.

“We are kind of in a test trial. Since we started halfway through this semester, we’re going to see how students are utilizing it, see if they’re going through all their funds,” she said. “If students are using them (their funds) more because they (the printers) are more efficient and work better, we will definitely talk about increasing those funds.”

These new printers can be found in all the locations where old printers were before: the residence halls, Academic Plaza, Millsap Foyer, Norrington Center in McAfee Memorial Library and Copley-Thaw Hall. One new printing location was added in the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center.

Honors Convocation Ceremony recognizes achievements

Rebekah Rothacher

Bayan Salam

Sophie Roper

PHOTOS COURTESY/Park Communications

Park University students were recognized on April 20 for their scholarship, leadership and engagement during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Senior business administration major Sophie Roper and senior criminal justice major Bayan Salam took home the most prestigious award of the night — the Outstanding Parkite Award.”This award is given to students that demonstrate exceptional character, conduct, scholarship and student participation. Senior chemistry major Rebekah Rothacher was awarded the Carolyn Hinde Zarkaryan Memorial Award, along with Manoj Khatiwada, senior business administration major (not pictured).

SPORTS

Page 6 April 29, 2022

Beach volleyball falls at nationals Mariana Figueroa Editor The 2021-22 season was successful for Park University volleyball across the board with nationals’ appearances by the women’s team, men’s team and now the women’s beach volleyball team.

Park was one of only six teams to punch a ticket to Panama City Beach for the three-day NAIA Beach Volleyball National Tournament. The Pirates were seeded No. 6 in the national ranking and were placed in Pool B along with Westcliff University (Calif.) and Ottawa University (Ariz.).

Five Park pairs flew to Florida. On the first day of competition, April 21, the Pirates were defeated 5-0 by top-seeded Westcliff.

The sun shined in Florida and along the path of the Pirates in the second day of the tournament. Three of Park’s five pairs won against Arizona rival Ottawa. The

successful pairs were Giovanna Bello/Debora Bernardi, Laura Danezzi/Mafalda Bras and Maria Ramos/Melissa Knaut.

Park ended second in its pool. On Friday morning, Park faced Webber International University (Fla.) and lost, 4-1. The only winning pair was Carla Pons Sales/ Patricia Carrio Ubeda.

The only thing left to do for the Pirates at this point was enjoying the warm weather at the beach while watching Corban University (Ore.) take home the championship after battling against Vanguard University (Calif.).

“I enjoyed so much to be with my teammates by the beach playing the sport we love,” freshman Mafalda Bras said. “We gave our best in every game. They were hard games to win and play so whenever me and Laura won a second game, the feeling I experience was nothing I have ever felt.”

The team ended the season 12-7, the first winning record in their three-year history.

PHOTO COURTESY/Michael Booini Freshman Laura Danezzi dives for a ball.

Opinion: Cafeteria fare poses challenges for athletes Mariana Figueroa Editor One of the most crucial parts of athletic training is proper nutrition. Athletes are recommended to eat properly and have balanced diets by nutritionists and coaches. This includes eating the correct number of calories, eating the right sorts of nutrients and not overeating or under-eating. However, having a properly balanced diet is more difficult to achieve when depending on a dining hall cuisine.

Park University students have a lot to say about the service that Fresh Ideas offers. Fresh Ideas is a company that provides food services for a lot of schools and universities around the country with a mostly satisfactory ranking. Although, at Park University that ranking is not too satisfactory for student athletes.

“As a student athlete on a meal plan, I can state that maintaining a balanced, nutritious diet is really challenging,” said junior soccer player Diego Granados. “As an athlete I take my nutrition seriously, and going to the cafeteria after practice is always a gamble.

I am never sure if I'm going to appreciate the meals or be disappointed by the available options. They offer mostly unhealthy options of carbs and proteins that

do not offer a good nutritional value to our diet.”

Even there are satisfactory options once in a while, the dining hall doesn’t have enough alternatives to accommodate the diet that student athletes demand.

There’s a lack of sources of good protein, too many fried carbohydrates and poor variety. This becomes an issue for the student athletes’ performance. Short and long-term consequences of not consuming the correct nutrients after training include: weariness during practices, inadequate muscle repair and much more.

It's especially crucial to eat enough of the correct kinds of foods before matches so athletes have the energy to compete successfully.

“If someone eats in the cafeteria for two days they would feel that the variety and taste of the food is good and enjoyable,” said sophomore soccer player Elias Eichhorn. “There are healthy options sometimes, like the salad bar. However, it is always the same – the same ingredients to build your salad, the same chicken, the same flavor of the beans. After a semester of eating in the cafeteria, everything tastes similar.”

If meals have a similar flavor to the food you've recently eaten, they may be less enjoyable, and after a whole semester of eating every day in the cafeteria, student athletes do not enjoy the food as much. When

eating becomes less enjoyable it can affect nutrition.

If finding a healthy variety of foods is an issue for omnivore student athletes, it's an even bigger issue for vegetarian student athletes.

“Beans, pico de gallo, rice and lettuce. This is how my meals look throughout the semester,” said junior soccer player Felicitas Muller. “The lack of variety in the vegetarian section sometimes leads to unhealthy choices in my meal, like pizza and fries, because the healthier options are not enough to fill me up after a practice.”

On average, schools serve at least one meat-free choice at each meal, whether it's a salad or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. However, this is not nutritious enough to keep up with the type of diet that athletes need to follow.

Student athletes expend more calories than the typical student during practice and tournaments, hence they require more energy in the form of calories consumed. The kind of calories ingested, on the other hand, is critical and can have a favorable or negative impact on performance. Students are spending thousands of dollars for a meal plan that does not complement the diet they should have as athletes if there aren't enough balanced, nutritious alternatives.

SPORTS

Page 7 April 29, 2022

Men’s volleyball swept in semifinals for second straight year Mariana Figueroa Editor After a long, complicated season, the Pirates men’s volleyball team finally made it to the NAIA national championship tournament in Des Moines, Iowa.

After the loss at William Penn University on March 30, Park University coach Mike Talamantes was not sure if the team would advance to the NAIA national championship tournament. He found out four days later, on April 4, that the Pirates made it.

Park was seeded No. 7 in the final national ranking announced before the tournament. They played in pool B with No. 2 Ottawa University (Ariz.) and No. 10 Saint Xavier University (Ill.).

On April 13, the Pirates played their first game of the tournament against the Saint Xavier Cougars. Joao Friedrich, sophomore outside hitter, led the team with 12 kills against the Cougars. The Pirates took a win in three sets with scores of 25-18, 25-23 and 28-26 over Saint Xavier.

On April 14, Park won their second game of the tournament against the No. 2 nationally ranked Ottawa. In the first

PHOTO COURTESY/Park Athletics After losing to Grand View University 3-0 at the semifinal stage in 2021, Park men’s volleyball lost 3-0 to Benedictine University at Mesa at the semifinal stage in 2022. set, the Pirates got ahead early and never lost the lead, ending it 25-17. In set two,

the Spirit went on a 7-1 run to help them win 25-21. Both teams fought for the win

in set three, leading to eight lead changes, but Park pulled ahead and won 25-22.

In set four, the Pirates gained an early lead, but Ottawa went on a 7-1 run to take a four-point advantage. Park narrowed the difference to two points, but the Spirit won 25-23 to force a set five.

Ottawa had an early lead in the final set, but after a 10-10 tie, the Pirates used a 5-2 scoring surge to win the set 15-12 and win the game.

Friedrich once again led the team and broke records with a total of 30 kills in only one match. This performance set a new career-high and a tournament record. Friedrich was among the Honorable Mention All-Americans for the tournament.

Unfortunately, this was the last win in Iowa for the Pirates. The team went on to lose to Benedictine University (Ariz.) in three straight sets, with scores of 25-18, 32-30 and 25-23. Leonardo Leao, freshman libero, tried to keep Park alive by leading the team with 10 digs.

After Park lost in the semifinals, Grand View University regained the NAIA championship title for the third consecutive time.

The Pirates finished the season with a 22-7 record.

Softball losing streak hits 13 after home finale Nathan Dunn Editor The Park University softball team’s offensive struggles continued as the Pirates were swept by the Baker University Wildcats in the last home game of the season on April 23.

In game one, the Pirates were shutout for a second straight game with a 2-0 loss.

Baker’s starting pitcher, Skylar Gorrell, tossed a one-hitter complete-game shutout. She struck out seven of 23 batters while giving up no walks in seven innings.

The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth. Baker broke the deadlock when they strung together three consecutive hits to knock in two runs. Both of those earned runs were charged to Park senior pitcher Adrianna Solary. While Solary took the loss, she was otherwise brilliant for Park as she went the complete game with seven strikeouts while giving up six hits and a walk.

In game two, the Pirates suffered a 9-2 loss plagued by defensive errors. Park took the lead in the bottom of the first as their patience at the plate paid off when senior third baseman Hannah Pappert

drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs.

After Baker tied it 1-1 in the top of the third, Park responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning. Senior Lexie Duncan hit an RBI double with no outs to put the Pirates back in front 2-1 as freshman Dani-Quinn Klein crossed the plate.

A solid start from Park’s pitcher Dakota Rau quickly went south, and she was relieved by Duncan in the top of the fifth.

The Pirates gave up five runs, with three errors, as the Wildcats pulled ahead 6-2.

After a quick sixth inning, Baker’s bats came back to life when Alexis Lowrance

hit a lead off home run in the top of the seventh. That was followed by two more runs as the Wildcats completed the twogame sweep of the Pirates with a total of 12 hits in game two.

Park ended game two with four errors and seven left on base.

The team dropped to 16-26 overall and 10-22 in conference.

Now on a 13-game losing streak, Park is on the road for the remaining six games of the season. The next pair of games will be on Friday, April 29, when the team visits Evangel University.

SPORTS

Page 8 April 29, 2022

Unexpected family found on esports team Victoria Olaleye Reporter Coming from Kenya, where videogaming is seen as a waste of time, Yvette Karanja, a junior majoring in computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity, was surprised when her dad endorsed her plans to join the esports team at Park University.

Karanja has been in the United States since December 2019 and first enrolled at Park in the spring 2020 semester. She decided to come to the United States to further her education and stay with her dad, who had been in the U.S. for years.

Karanja said she has always been interested in technology and that led her to studying computer science.

“From watching so much crime shows, that made me want to go into cybersecurity too,” Karanja said.

While Karanja has been playing video games since she was younger, she was surprised to learn about the esports team. A friend asked her to join the team after playing a game together. Then, she had her second introduction to the team when she was in a class with many of the team members, and the teacher had pointed out their gaming chairs.

Although Karanja was encouraged by friends to join the team, she had to tell her dad. She mentioned it to him jokingly and was surprised by his endorsement.

In spring 2021, Karanja joined the esports team with her dad’s support to network, meet people and make friends.

“And then everyday he tells me ‘See you now talk to people because you joined the team,’” Karanja recounted.

Her passion also contributed to the decision.

“I feel like I’m myself when I’m playing games, and that’s how I am able to talk to many people because I don’t talk to people as much but in game I get to talk to so many other people even other people from around the world because

PHOTO COURTESY/Park Athletics Junior computer science major Yvette Karanja has been a member of the esports team since 2020. She’s originally from Nairobi, Kenya.

I know people from Canada, Mexico, from playing games with them online,” she said.

To support her decision, her dad bought her a gaming PC to start practicing.

“I was like, this guy is serious; he is actually serious,” Karanja said.

Her dad also gave her a space in the home to practice her gaming and would not disturb her whenever she was practicing.

Joining the esports team has improved Karanja’s social life. The esports team is a closely knit group of people. Karanja mentioned the impact with the former esports coach, Ashley Jones.

“Coach Jones is like a big sister to me to be honest. I still talk to her,” she said.

She said the coach would check in on team members and help them de-stress.

This is also something the new coach does, like taking walks with members of the team whenever they are stressed.

The team also utilizes study hours and keep themselves in check. There is a compulsory time to study and even if they are not in the same space, they can always tell when someone is not honoring that time through the Discord server.

I remember the first day I went to the cafeteria. I froze, at the door, with them and I was like I’m not going in here , it’s too crowded, but now we go for cafe to eat.

Yvette Karanja Junior computer science major

They also go to lunch together.

Karanja used to be anxious going to the cafeteria because of the crowd of people there.

The team also celebrates birthdays together, and all of this helps them stay connected.

When Karanja told her family back in Kenya that she was on the team, they were surprised because they interpreted that as she was going to school to play video games. They also thought she was learning to make the games since she’s a computer science major.

“I’m not interested in making games,” Karanja said. “They thought that I just went to esports because I’m a computer science student, and I want to make games.”

She had to explain to them that she’s getting a scholarship for playing esports. Now she has the family support and, “most of them actually follow my Twitch,” she said.

A notable achievement for Karanja is being the captain of the team.

“It helped me learn more about leadership,” Karanja said.

As a captain, Karanja ensures the team is in good spirits because there is a lot of stress associated with gaming.

Karanja admits that video games are addictive, and she could stay on it all day but creating a balance is very important.

She got a planner from her coach to plan her schedule.

Esports is also growing in Kenya as a result of the popularity of Kenyans and Africans joining the program. Karanja is currently connecting with someone from Kenya who is passionate about growing esports in Kenya. Karanja is also a part of an esports game in Nigeria as there is rising awareness about esports there, too.

“If you really want to join the esports team, join because you will grow a lot,” Karanja said. “I have met so many friends that I don’t think I’ll ever meet if I did not join this program.”