Penmen Press - Volume XXV Issue 7

Writing SNHU’s Story

VOLUME XXV

ISSUE 7

FEBRUARY 20, 2019

PENMENPRESS.COM

How Housing Selection will Change for Fall of 2019

Derek Smith Staff Writer

With the start of a new year comes the start of a new housing selection process. Starting spring semester of 2019 SNHU will begin a new housing selection process that is intended to be fairer for all students on campus.

One of the biggest changes being made to the housing selection process is the removal of GPA from your calculated score for when you get to choose where you want to live on campus.

Matt Petersons, the associate director for housing operations on campus, says that they decided to get rid of GPA is because of members of “Project Atlas,” who are students whose academic records are credit-based rather than GPA and

credit-based.

Another reason that they wanted to change this process is that in the case of some student’s GPA doesn’t reflect the amount of effort a student has put into there classes and with students who are taking different classes and are in different majors, it isn’t as fair.

How the housing selection will work for this semester is rather than having a student be given a score based on their GPA and amount of credits, there will be clusters.

These clusters will be divided based on the number of credits someone has and there will be four total clusters. An example of this would work is a student who has 90 credits will be put in a cluster with kids who around 90 credits and a random number between 1000-1999 will be assigned to that student

and based on the number you get a time and date will be assigned to you.

Another big change that is being made rather than have specific days for different styles of housing like apartments or suites students can choose to live anywhere on campus that’s available.

Also a big change is that a group of students

who would want to live together, for example, a group of four students who may want to live in an apartment can’t get into an apartment because it isn’t available then the person with the highest number out of the four will be able to keep their group together and be able to choose where the group may want to live or what the living

fears and enter her own design into the contest.

Highlighting her interest in the contest since first coming to SNHU, Sheehan said, “I have been watching the contest for the four years…I wanted to enter but I thought…back when I was a Freshman that I was just starting out and I don’t have the skills for this.”

The contest is focused on designing a fan banner to highlight the partner-

ship between SNHU and the Celtics team. When asked about her design inspiration Sheehan said, “my idea was to make symbols that…represent the values of SNHU and the Celtics and put them together to represent the partnership between them.”

Tracy Dow, the Head of the Graphic Design Program, emailed Sheehan along with the other three finalists on February 5 to

tell them the great news.

That following Friday they presented their design to a panel at the Celtics headquarters.

Sheehan felt fortunate to have her best friend, Rachel Stone, as a finalist for this contest with her.

Sheehan said, “the night before [presenting their designs], we were both talking about how nervous we were.”

Sheehan was filled with anticipation as she waited for the judges to decide the winner of the contest. She said how they entered the holding room where she and the rest of the finalists were waiting and told them their final decision, crowning Sheehan as the winner.

“Even though I was super scared to present, I think that was the best

Monadnock, one of SNHU’s many residence halls, is one option for student living in fall 2019. (image credit: Lavallee Brensinger Architects) situation would be like the group can break off into two available doubles or four available singles.

Another new change with group housing is a group of four people can choose to live in a suite if it is available and the other two spaces will get filled in later on.

Peterson thoughts on this new housing selection

process are that it is “clearer and a lot fairer for a lot of students.” Petersons also think that this new system is going to be more efficient, clear, and fair. One of Petersons biggest concerns about this new process is making sure that everyone is able to understand how the new process will work and to make sure no one is confused about it when it comes time for housing selection.

If anyone has any questions about the new housing process, then they can come to the Green Center room 103 where there will be info sessions held about the new housing selection process, follow SNHU Resident Life on social media, talk to someone from the resident life office, talk to your RA or RD or if you have any questions for Matt Petersons email him at m.petersons@snhu.edu.

Nothing But Net for Winner of the 2019 Fan Banner Contest Maddie Covino Community Relations Manager

Four years of anticipation leading up to a triumphant victory. Emma Sheehan (’19), a Graphic Design Major, has watched the SNHU Night Fan Banner Design Contest with the Celtics from afar. This was until taking GRA-420 Advanced Digital Design where she finally decided to face her

The winning banner design. (image credit: Emma Sheehan)

The SNHU Night Design Contest finalists (Left to right: Megan Boland, Edmund Yi, Rachel Stone, Emma Sheehan). (image credit: Tracy Dow) part of it all,” Sheehan said when asked what her favorite part of the process was. She then went on to say, “it’s a good experience to get because that’s what you are going to have to do in the real world.”

When asked how she felt about winning the

contest she said, “to me, it’s just really crazy.” She added, “it’s been something that I’ve wanted for four years so to finally get it, it meant a lot to me.”

Make sure to attend “SNHU Night” on March 18 and hold up a fan banner in support of Sheehan’s design!

the penmen press

letter to the editor tHE PENMEN PRESS STAFF 2018-2019

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you really had to be there

CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF

Nick Klotz nicholas.klotz@snhu.edu CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF Nikki Fain nikki.fain@snhu.edu BUSINESS MANAGER Sultan Akhter sultan.akhter@snhu.edu COMMUNITY RELATIONS MANAGER Maddie Covino madison.covino@snhu.edu MARKETING MANAGER

Samantha Aguilar-Hernandez samantha.aguilarhernandez@snhu.edu ONLINE MANAGER NOW HIRING: email penmenpress@snhu.edu SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER NOW HIRING: email penmenpress@snhu.edu LEAD COPY EDITOR Catherine LaChance catherine.lachance@snhu.edu NEWS EDITOR Rosa Valente rosa.valente@snhu.edu LIFESTYLE EDITOR Nicholas VonSchantz-Ricci nicholas.ricci1@snhu.edu ARTS & ENERTAINMENT/OPINION Spencer Fennell EDITOR spencer.fennell@snhu.edu SPORTS EDITOR NOW HIRING: email penmenpress@snhu.edu LAYOUT EDITOR Emma Sheehan emma.sheehan@snhu.edu LEAD VIDEOGRAPHER Jaime Mailloux jaime.mailloux@snhu.edu PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR NOW HIRING: email penmenpress@snhu.edu FACULTY ADVISOR Jon Boroshok j.boroshok@snhu.edu

The Southern New Hampshire University Penmen Press is a news publication produced by Southern New Hampshire University students and funded largely by the Student Government Association of the University. It is our responsibility to inform the SNHU community about events on and around campus. The Penmen Press will print any material found to be factual and in good taste by the editorial staff of the paper. The views published do not necessarily reflect the views of Southern New Hampshire University. The Penmen Press is published biweekly during the academic year and is printed by the Concord Monitor. To contact the newspaper, please email us at penmenpress@snhu.edu.

“A college class should be like a good concert.” (image credits: Unsplash/Glassdoor) Jon Boroshok teach from the mosh that’s about 12% of your Communications pit – it’s about what’s job not done. That is Professor happening in today’s excessive. No employer competitive business allows that – you’d be Josh LaCroix raises environment. fired even in a great some interesting points My job is helping economy. Would you in his attendance col- my audience/customers buy great seats and then umn in the February 6 – that’s you – develop stay home? How much edition of The Penmen the skills and work do you pay per class Press. I’d like to offer a ethic demanded by session? Don’t throw different perspective. employers. money away.

A college class Requiring attenAs with a job, you should be like a good dance and class partici- are part of a team, and concert. Feel the en- pation is treating you as are expected to pull ergy of the crowd? It’s an adult, and holds you your weight to help not something you can responsible for con- make the class lively truly experience on a tributing like one. Sing and interesting. Unless friend’s Snapchat or a along! Ask and answer you appear to produce YouTube video. You questions – show you’re more in value than have to be there for the prepared by getting you cost the company full experience. involved. (salary, benefits, team Students often say You can’t blow off a moral, etc.), why would that professors treat day of work and get the your employer keep you them like children by notes from a colleague. on the payroll? requiring attendance That’s like paying for By the way, don’t and/or class participa- an overpriced concert fear speaking up or tion. “This isn’t high t-shirt without seeing making mistakes in school” is the stan- the show. Get to work class. It is the instrucdard argument. You’re on time and make a tor’s responsibility to right, you’re not kids proactive, value-added make sure that the anymore, but here’s contribution. If you’re opinions expressed, the reality: demanding going to miss work (or and questions asked, participation and atten- class), tell the boss be- are always treated with dance is actually treat- fore, not the after you respect, particularing you like a member failed to show up. ly when it challenges of the concert audience On most jobs you’ll conventional thinking – or the work force. accrue 10-15 vacation/ or the instructor’s own In my classes, partic- personal days per year, beliefs. ipation is worth 15% of but many companies Make your mistakes your course grade. The won’t let you take one here in an educational policy is based on 20 during your first three environment, so you years of business, PR/ to six months. Here at won’t make them in marketing communica- SNHU, each class meet- the unforgiving busitions, and journalism ing makes up about 4% ness world. Participate. experience, and many of our meetings for the Be there. As The Who Bruce Springsteen con- semester. Miss three sang, join together with certs. Professors should sessions of a class and the band.

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news

Gaming Club Climbing the Ranks

Gaming Club members gather at their meeting. (image credit: Gaming Club) Maddie Covino their members and mak- side would have no one to Community Relations ing sure everyone’s voice is talk to so they would just Manager heard. be looking at a screen and To make the Gaming a wall,” said Cass.

With increased mem- Club feel more inclusive Now, however, there is ber retention and a vic- compared to previous a better sense of inclusivity tory in winning Club of years, Cass said he re- where there are more tathe Month for January designed the layout of bles set up on either side of by the Office of Student their meeting space in the room so more people Involvement, Gaming the Corcoran Conference can interact.

Club has drastically im- Room in the Student Walko said, “on avproved throughout the Center to make it a more erage we get about 20 to 2018-2019 school year. inviting space.

30 people in and out” of President Nick Walko “Before we had two their regular meetings. (’19) and Vice President big tables in the middle He went on to say that Noah Cass (’19) claim they and then a bunch of tables their member retention have made great strides on the outside… people has drastically improved towards making a more would crowd the middle throughout the last few inclusive environment for and the people on the out- years and he is glad to see

familiar faces.

Gaming Club normally follows a bi-weekly event calendar, but due to popular demand, they are looking to host weekly events.

“We have tried to introduce a lot more events this year… that increases the number of people [who] come and see us,” said Cass.

Last year, the Gaming Club E-Board sent out an engagement survey to learn what their club members wanted and what types of events they wanted to see for the future. Many of the members stated in the survey that they wanted to see more tournaments for games such as League of Legends (LoL). Therefore, Gaming Club will host a LoL tournament in the coming weeks.

Gaming Club often co-sponsors events with other clubs and organizations. Recently, they did a co-sponsorship with the organization “Fluid”

where they played games from the LGBTQ+ community. One of the more popular games they played was “Celeste,” which is a computer-based game.

“We never say no when it comes to an opportunity to co-sponsor with anyone,” said Walko.

In lieu of Valentine’s Day, Gaming Club hosted a “Couples Night” where people played pair based games such as “Overcooked” and “Taboo.” In order to continue their goal of inclusivity, they opened the event to everyone and encouraged them to bring a friend so that singles could celebrate the holiday as well.

Walko also stated advancements that are being made to the Gaming Club’s social media. In fact, most of there current pages were created within the last year. Not only did he believe this would help people find the club easier, but to allow them to tag other organizations

on campus when they are co-sponsoring events.

Walko hopes to partner with COSI to share the club’s social media and Discord information with the SNHU online population. He said he wants to “bridge the two [populations] together, so that way online students can play with on-campus students.”

Cass added, “Gaming – anyone can do it no matter how old you are, what sex, what race; anyone can!”

Cass talked more about what they have been posting on their social media. He said they have been posting articles that can benefit their members in regards to gaming. One article Cass spoke about focused on how gaming can help kids at a young age develop certain skills, which was found by their Events Coordinator, Taylor DeForrest.

Be sure to follow Gaming Club on social media at @SNHUGaming on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Twitch.

Student Government Welcomes Executive Officer Evaul

Daniel Hopler Staff Writer

Southern New Hampshire University's Student Government Association (SGA) held their regular bi-weekly meeting in the Penmen Room Tuesday, February 5. The highlight of this meeting was the election of Ryan Evaul ('19) as Executive Officer (EO).

“I really love SGA, it’s been my passion for four years. I love this organization and I am be honored to be executive officer,” said Evaul during said meeting.

The newly appointed official immediately began promoting new Penmen Pride events, discussing potential prizes for attending

events (such as reserved parking spaces) and expressed a need to decide on prizes before the start of a semester so they can be publicly known.

Executive Officer Evaul also showed interest in the Responsible Penmen Policy which was presented to SGA by the Executive Director of Community Standards and Student Support Jay Tifone. The Responsible Penmen Policy allows the university to waive a conduct charge when a student or student organization reports an alcohol or drug-related emergency. In short, the policy allows students to get help for a friend, or themselves, without fearing getting themselves or their friends on

probation or suspended.

“The idea is to encourage students to get help for their friends who are in danger due to alcohol or drug use,” said Tifone. He stressed the policy is designed to promote proactivity in seeking medical assistance for a drug or alcohol-related emergency. The Responsible Penmen Policy does not apply to students who are experiencing an emergency and are found by university employees.

SNHU’s Student Handbook will be updated to include the Responsible Penmen Policy and all students will receive an email including the policy in the coming weeks.

SGA also discussed their goals for the spring during the meeting February 5. These goals focused around the changes to SGA itself, including changes to SGA’s internal structure, process for student concerns, revision of financial policies and changes to Penmen Pride.

SGA also debated making changes to their office space to make it more welcoming to the public and a better environment for critical thinking.

Additional topics discussed included enforcing co-sponsorships agreements and promoting student voting for the executive officer position, as the position has become more prevalent.

Ryan Evaul will be stepping up as SGA’s new Executive Officer. (image credit: SGA) Co-sponsorships were approved by SGA for community events.

The funding of $500 was approved for a Business Speaker Event on Thursday, February 21. The 2019 Women’s

March Saturday, January 19 and the Slam Poetry event on Tuesday, February 19 were reviewed. Two volunteers were also approved for the Out of Darkness walk Sunday, April 28.

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news

snhu collaborates with one love foundation

Alexa Gustavsen Staff Writer

If students are unsure if they or someone they know is in a healthy relationship, the One Love Foundation can help.

The One Love Foundation teaches people, mainly college students, the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships and educates them on how to cope with unhealthy ones.

One Love was created in 2010 after University of Virginia student Yeardley Love was beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend. Her family created One Love to honor her memory and create awareness for domestic violence.

The foundation has created different escalation workshops for college campus’ to hold open discussions about relationships between college students on campus.

Southern New Hampshire University’s (SNHU) Women’s Center Director Brooke

Gilmore is bringing these workshops to SNHU’s campus. As of now, each workshop is held solely based off of request. Earlier this semester, Gilmore held the first workshop for Resident Assistants (RA) on campus.

“I was able to do a version of the workshop for our RA training this January, and we have a couple more coming up.

One is for the Signature Leader program and one is for PALS,” said Gilmore.

The workshops include a 30 to 45 minute video on a given topic followed by an open and honest Q & A discussion. The workshop for RA’s was received with positive feedback from both male and female students. Other students who may want to join a workshop, but is not associated with one of the organizations, can make a request on their own.

“If a student, group or department, or just a group of students, wants to participate, they can

A group of students bear their One Love t-shirts. (image credit: One Love Foundation) just reach out and let us know,” Gilmore said.

The One Love Foundation is meant to provide students with a safe opportunity to discuss difficult and often triggering subjects.

Having the tools to un-

derstand healthy and unhealthy relationships is important, and many students are unaware of the resources available to them. One Love will provide students with adequate resources to relieve stress and anx-

iety associated with relationships.

“I think there should always be more awareness, and I think we definitely live in a time where people have greater access to other people more than ever

before with texting and social media and just being in constant contact, but sometimes that’s not always healthy,” says Gilmore.

To find out more information go to www. joinonelove.org.

The Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes SNHU’s most remarkable professors. (image credit: CRJA-IBI Group) Austin Bonnell dedication and impact prestigious awards givStaff Writer on student success. en to faculty or staff Therefore, the uni- members.

Southern New versity is offering its Every year, The Hampshire University students the chance to Excellence in Teaching believes it is important recognize its faculty Award is awarded to to recognize its staff with The Excellence of faculty or staff members and faculty members Teaching Award. This who have proven themfor their hard work, award is one of the most selves as an impactful

addition of the SNHU community by engaging students and committing to their personal and academic success.

Nominees were selected by students through a Qualtrics survey.

Students were asked to give their name, major and the name of the faculty member they want to nominate. The single question survey allows students to express how their nominated professor has made an impact on their learning.

Once all nominations are received, they will be reviewed by a committee of faculty members. The committee is comprised

of the Assistant Vice President of Academic Operations, Jane Yerrington; the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, Steve Johnson; the Dean of the School of Business, Bill Lightfoot; the Dean of the School of Education, Audrey Green Rogers; the Vice President of Student Affairs, Heather Lorenz; two members of the center for teaching and learning and three or four students from the Student Government Association.

The committee will accept as many nominations as students wish to submit and

look for one full-time faculty member and one adjunct instructor.

After they’ve chosen the nominees, the committee will notify the faculty members and have them submit a portfolio.

Each winner will receive an award of $1,500 and an engraved plaque at the University Campus Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony happening in May. Nominations were finalized on February 15.

Any questions about the ceremony and nominations can be directed to Jane Yerrington at j.yerrington@snhu.edu.

Nominate a professor for the excellence in teaching award

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LifeStyle

Guest Column: The Significance of Climate Change

Environmental Club Contributing Writer

“How could global warming be real if the weather has been so blah blah blah?”

This is a question many environmental scientists are asked on a regular basis. Indeed, global warming is related to climate change, but climate change is much more than that.

To explain, it is important to make the distinction between weather and climate.

Weather refers to the short-term, dayto-day environment, while climate is the seasonal weather patterns observed over a long period of time.

Weather changes daily, but climate has historically been considered

Nicholas VonSchantz-Ricci Lifestyle Editor Very few beverages are more widely consumed and appreciated than coffee. The seemingly mystical properties of this popular beverage are what give many people the energy and motivation they need to embrace the day, yet few are aware of the intricacies or the origins of their favorite pick-me-up.

At A&E Coffee and Tea in downtown Manchester, NH, quality and sustainability are of the utmost importance in the production of responsibly sourced, high-quality coffee.

Prior to establishing A&E, owner Emeran Langmaid was part of the textile manufacturing industry. This career path involved several trips to South America and Africa. While there,

stable and expected.

Climate change refers to the instability in the atmosphere caused by anthropogenic, or human-caused, carbon emissions.

But hasn’t the climate always changed?

The simple answer is yes. Over our planet’s 4.5 billion years of existence, the climate has morphed and fluctuated in more ways than most can fathom. However, for nearly all our planet’s existence, humans have not been around.

Modern humans as we know it evolved 200,000 years ago in Eastern Africa.

Interestingly, humans developed agricultural skills only about 12,000 years ago. Fast forward to around 200 years ago, and humans had

begun using fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, to heat their homes, power transportation and innovate technologically.

These advances have allowed humans to flourish and reproduce globally on unprecedented levels. A direct consequence of this population boom is that more people have used, and are still using, the rapidly-depleting supply of fossil fuels.

As previously mentioned, the earth’s atmosphere has changed in the past. Nonetheless, the change observed today is human-caused, which never occurred until recently. As a result, this phenomenon is accelerating. This makes the future unstable, and it is challenging for scientists to accurately

predict when the damage humans have caused will be irreversible.

Additionally, it is important to mention that climate change is already impacting nations and people around the world. It’s happening now, not in the distant future. Climate change has already taken the lives of thousands of people. Some prominent examples of the effects of climate change include Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the deadly wildfires that ravaged California last fall, the recent polar vortex and the global decline of coral reefs.

Climate change also has serious implications for our nation’s safety and security. For example, in Virginia, Norfolk Naval Station floods on a reg-

ular basis and is expected to flood hundreds of times annually due to rising sea levels. This is just one instance of how climate change can impede military readiness and effectiveness.

Although humans have been on Earth for a cosmic blip in time, we have caused irreparable

she was made aware of the impact that coffee had on small communities in these areas.

This realization inspired Langmaid to give back to these coffee-growing communities.

After spending a couple years roasting beans in her basement with her husband, Adam (A&E stands for Adam and Emeran), she opened a café in New Boston before settling in Amherst.

The Amherst location is home to the company’s roastery, a packaging facility and a café. Here, samples of a variety of different coffees are “sample roasted” to identify flavor characteristics within each bean.

“We taste the coffees and decide which ones we want to buy. The coffee comes in, and then we will identify where we want the roast profile to

be. After tasting it, we’ll be like, ‘this coffee has come fruitiness that we want to develop more’ or ‘it has a chocolaty tone, so maybe we’ll go darker,’ depending on what sort of flavors the bean contains,” said Madeline Jones, Café Manager of A&E Café. “There are a lot of different natural flavor compounds that are contained in the bean.”

Coffee beans are roasted to enhance their natural flavors. The three main roast levels offered at A&E are medium (the lightest), full-city and French (the darkest). French roast coffee is roasted for the longest amount of time, resulting in a product that is dark and boldly flavored, whereas a lighter roast has a fruiter flavor and lighter body.

The most popular beans include the “Brazil,” a French roast,

and “Ethiopian,” a medium roast.

“Ethiopian Coffee is world-renowned for how fruity and delicious it is. Coffee has been grown on the Ethiopian peninsula for thousands of years, so I think they really have it down to a science, and it’s also a climate that the tree is pretty well suited to. It produces a lot of fruity flavors because it is grown at a high elevation,” said Jones.

The folks at A&E work closely with their producers, forming

strong relationships on an international level.

The coffee offered at A&E is certified organic, fair-trade certified and shade grown, which is a growing process that protects the crop and prevents erosion.

The second half of A&E is tea. The café offers numerous varieties of black, green, white and herbal teas. In the winter, the shop offers an herbal tea known as “Golden Milk,” a soothing combination of milk, turmeric and a variety of other spices.

damage. Despite this, there is still time to save our planet before more people suffer. Climate change is very real, so do something about it.

If you’re interested to learn more about what you can do on-campus, join the Environmental Club on Thursdays at 5 P.M. biweekly.

(image credit: Pixabay)

Coffee, Tea and Community at A and E

(image credit: Nicholas VonSchantz-Ricci)

“It’s based off a traditional Indian or Southeast Asian recipe which is usually served at breakfast or drank throughout the day…our staff loves it, our customers love it, we can hardly keep it in stock.”

There is also a focused selection of breakfast and lunch offering such as breakfast sandwiches made with freerange eggs, locally-made pastries and homemade granola.

The cozy, creatively-decorated space emits a modern, eclectic vibe that makes dining in difficult to resist.

Coffee can be considered a universal language, as it is enjoyed on a global level. At A&E, coffee is a carefully curated art form. One trip is guaranteed to lead to a greater appreciation for this potent potable.

To find out more, visit aeroastery.com.

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Lifestyle

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Apply for SNHU Named and Endowed Scholarships

Amy Sumsion Staff Writer

It’s no secret that attending college is a costly endeavor. In addition to tuition, there is room and board, meal plans and course materials that students must purchase throughout their college journey.

Tuition, in particular, takes a major toll on students and their families. The most common way to pay for college tuition is through the use of federal or private loans.

Although, scholarships and grants are available at no cost.

Students can receive scholarships or grants through the state where

Taylor DeForrest Staff Writer During the winter months, the howling winds and the dry cold can make your skin feel tight, dry and itchy. The outermost layer of skin, the stratum corneum, is composed of dead skin cells that are cemented together to form a protective covering over the living skin cells below, according to lydiasarfati.

they permanently reside in or attend school.

Scholarships and grants are also available through federal financial aid award packages, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), college/ universities or private sources. Private sources might include, but are not limited to, military, individual donors, communities, non-profit organizations, ethnic/ historical organizations and businesses.

Undergraduate students received 52% of higher education funding from grants from 2012 to 2013, according to College Board, a non-profit organization that assists more than

seven million students prepare for a successful transition into college.

More than $122.7 billion were awarded to students through scholarships and grants.

Two thirds of college graduates have received and utilized scholarships and grants. This indicates that around 1.2 million out of 1.8 million college students each year are receiving financial aid they will never have to repay.

On average, one full-time undergraduate student enrolled in a private, non-profit college or university receives $15,680 each year, according to College Board. This amount continues to

climb each year.

Scholarships and grants, however, will not be awarded to students unless they take the time to apply and utilize the free resources that are provided to them.

At SNHU specifically, there are Named and Endowed Scholarships that are available to students each year.

There are a large array of scholarships from various backgrounds, majors and academic class.

Students typically will need to write an essay describing why they are qualified for the scholarship and why the donor should gift them the scholarship.

(image credit: eosc.edu) This year, the deadTo apply, learn more line to apply is Friday, and view scholarship March 15, 2019. When eligibility, view: https:// decisions are finalized, my.snhu.edu/Offices/ students will hear back S F S / F i n a n c i a l A i d / in May if they have been Scholarships/endowed/ awarded a scholarship.

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com. When the water content in the stratum corneum evaporates due to dry weather or sunburn, the top layer shrinks and gives the skin a crackly appearance. During the winter months, this is especially true. Here are five golden rules for skincare.

Drink Water: This always gets an eye-roll and while it may seem obvious, we tend not to reach for a cool

glass of water but rather a hot cup of cocoa in February. During the winter, we don’t really feel the need to drink water because of how cold it is, and many of us aren’t nearly as active. However, eight glasses of water are still needed each day. Not only is it good for your skin, but for your overall health as well.

Avoid Products with Harmful Ingredients: When purchasing

products, avoid products containing alcohol, parabens, perfumes and mineral oil (they aren’t the kind the minerals you want). Use products with hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycolipids and peptides. Aloe Vera and rose water are the common go-to ingredients, and they are also cost-effective. They will hydrate and help moisturize your skin as well as clear acne, restore your skin’s PH and, most importantly, increase the production of collagen, which increases the skin’s elasticity and improves dry skin.

Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate: Exfoliating is a crucial part of any routine.

However, it’s particularly important during the winter months. When you exfoliate, you are getting rid of the dead skin cells that are still on the surface of your skin.

When the dead skin cells build up, they cause dull and dry skin.

This is something you should do every two to three days with a gentle exfoliant. You never want to scrub your skin with a washcloth, a sponge or any sort of rough surface as this will strip natural oils and cause even more skin damage. While it will look great for a day or two, it’s not solving the problems.

The best type of exfoliator isn’t harsh against your skin but has ingredients that dissolve the dead skin cells and open your pores for the next steps in the process. If you can find a gentle exfoliator that can be used daily, the results will be even better. Try not to use any micro beaded scrubs as these are very bad for the environment and harsh on your skin Moisturize: Moisturizer is liquid gold during the winter months. Moisturizer is best used after washing your face to lock in moisture. It acts as a barrier for your skin. Try to

The Five Golden Rules Of Winter Skincare

(image credit: 123RF)

find a moisturizer with ingredients that contain non-stripping ingredients (#2). If you normally have oily skin, use a gel-based moisturizer. If you have dry skin, use crème-based moisturizers Use Sunscreen: Sunscreen is important year-round and used to protect your skin from harsh UV rays. Believe it or not, the sun is still out during the winter months.

While heat is obvious, UV rays are silent and deadly in large amounts. You should always be wearing some form of sunscreen if you’re going to be outside for a few hours. Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and the best type of prevention is sunscreen.

Just remember, these same rules should be applied to any product you used on the body. While it may seem like an expensive habit to have, you should treat your skin like you would treat any other organ. After all, skin is the body’s largest organ.

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lifestyle

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Former UNH Student Conquers Death and Embraces SNHU

sity to finish her degree in Psychology.

Tassinari said she had many positive experiences while at UNH before she got sick. However, she has adapted adequately to SNHU.

“i don’t feel like a number – i feel like a member of the snhu community whose safety and well-being matters.”

Sydney Tassinari transported to hospital after mold exposure at UNH. (image credit: Sydney Tassinari) Rosa Valente News Editor It is often said that everybody has their own story. We pass by people every day who have countless experiences that contribute to the person they are today. Sydney Tassinari (’21) is no different.

Tassinari’s story begins when she attended the University of New Hampshire (UNH) in fall 2017 for her freshman year of college. She immediately fell into a group of friends, enjoyed classes, and loved her roommate. “[UNH] made me feel like home, and I just felt like I belonged there,” said Tassinari.

Her first semester was exciting. It was filled with friends, parties and adventures. She was enjoying every moment of her freshman year, and was living life to the fullest.

However, her second semester took a sour turn.

Tassinari was diagnosed with mononucleosis, or mono, in March 2018. While mono is a common disease many young adults acquire, her bout took a turn for the worse.

The illness accelerated to the point where she was no longer able to get out of bed on her own. With the help of her roommate, Tassinari contacted her parents who immediately took her out of school at the end of spring semester, just as she was finishing her freshman year.

When her parents saw her, they felt immediate concern for their daughter.

Her face was discolored, or “glowing orange,” as Tassinari described it. She was weak, exhausted and experienced pain throughout her entire body.

Her parents rushed her to Huggins Hospital in Wolfsboro, New Hampshire, but because of her unstable condition there, she was transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital where she stayed in the Intensive Unit (IU) for seven days. The discoveries they found there would change Tassinari’s life.

Portsmouth doctors discovered Tassinari developed sepsis, a condition in which the body responds to a severe infection that causes injury to organ tissue. The sepsis was a result of severe pneumonia in

her left lung that had been left untreated. A fungal infection was also beginning to grow in her right lung.

These diseases left doctors pondering over whether there was another factor playing into Tassinari’s diminishing health, or if it was simply a result of mono.

Tassinari’s parents decided to inquire with UNH and requested them to make a wellness check in her dorm room. This led to the answers that Tassinari and her parents were looking for.

“We found out that there was loaded amounts of mold found in my window that i slept a foot away from” “We found out… that there was loaded amounts of mold found in my window that I slept a foot away from,” said Tassinari. “I went to an allergist a week after I got

out of the hospital and found that after being tested for around twenty to forty different mold types, the only three that I am allergic to are the ones found loaded in my dorm room.”

Doctors told her that if the infection had another four to five days to accelerate, her organs would have shut down and she would have died.

Penicillium was one of the molds found in Tassinari’s dorm room.

It is known for causing pneumonia and may be a cause for the fungal infection that almost ended Tassinari’s life. However, it has not been confirmed that Penicillium is the sole cause. Tassinari’s allergist explained that the allergies she developed from the molds will never go away.

“I was really confused and out of it at the hospital. I don’t think I really understood what was going on or how sick I had actually become,” said Tassinari. “I remember just going through every situation in my head about how this could have been avoided and why it was happening to me and

not my roommate or other people in my building.”

Once the mold was discovered in her dorm room, university officials deemed the room uninhabitable and her roommate was forced to evacuate the room.

Despite all this, Tassinari tried to remain positive. She and her parents decided to take legal action against UNH for their negligence, and the process is ongoing. A court hearing is expected to take place over the summer.

“Mold is a silent and deadly killer, and if I had waited one week longer, I wouldn’t be here to tell you that,” said Tassinari.

“I feel strongly that UNH be held somewhat accountable for allowing their students to live in hazardous conditions that leave them with health problems.”

The legal action prevented Tassinari from returning to UNH, but she still wanted to continue her education. She remembered that she toured SNHU in her senior year of high school, and she thought SNHU would be an ideal univer-

“I don’t feel like a number [at SNHU]. I feel like a member of the SNHU community whose safety and well-being matters.”

She already has an established friend group and feels comfortable and happy at her new university.

While Tassinari has almost fully recovered, this experience has left her with untreatable conditions that ultimately could have been avoided, such as mold allergies, liver scarring, a greater risk of getting sick and the unending question, “Why?” However, Tassinari stated that this experience has taught her irreplaceable lessons that she will likely carry for the rest of her life.

“I have a new outlook…and I view my health as the utmost importance,” said Tassinari.

“I know what it’s like to not be able to stand on my own and walk to the bathroom without passing out, and I never want to be there again. If I have one message I got out of my experience…it’s that mold is a scary thing that should not be ignored… and ask for help when you need it.”

the penmen press

Robbie McCluskey Staff Writer Every year, students are subjected to the greatest stressor of the modern college era. Outside of finals, tuition costs, financial aid, grade point averages, procrastination, lack of sleep, impending debt, the fear of catastrophic failure after graduating and worst of all, sleeping in too late on a Saturday and realizing that the omelette line is no longer open, there is the impending dread of figuring out the next year’s living situation.

People put a lot of effort towards ensuring that their roommates are carefully selected. Every residence hall has its own personality and influence, even before being occupied. In many cases, students won’t know if they’ve made the right choice or not until the time to change is long

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opinion

Know Your Community: Monadnock

gone. For this reason, I’m looking deeper into the residence halls of SNHU to get a feel for the personality, impact and experience of each one.

I’ve decided to begin by looking at Monadnock for my first post. Monadnock is the new, shiny building that so boldly went with an architect’s suggestion of combining horizontally striped stone with vertically striped metal.

Monadnock is an impressive, appealing building that beautifully ties together many different building materials inside and out, but while its looks are worth praising, the building itself falls short of greatness in several areas.

It is a lot like a beautiful person that everyone talks about and wants to meet, but ultimately has little more to offer than good looks and the ability to have fun on the

weekend. It’s a fair place to live, but its desirability is certainly boosted by its age and lack of weathering from unpredictable college shenanigans. The weathering could soon be seen, however, because Monadnock is a highly energetic hub of socialization and letting loose.

With the west side apartments being torn down and the townhouses in the shadows of construction, Southern New Hampshire University has been at a point where there is a shortage of places for parties and spontaneous social gatherings.

With slightly more spacious living areas than other residence halls, as well as no shortage of options, Monadnock has, in a way, stepped in to fill the void.

The weekend scene there is arguably one of the most notable ways that it has impacted campus life. Regardless, the

shoes of past halls have yet to be adequately filled.

Residents of Monadnock know that it’s the kind of place where you will see the logic behind some things, and then be left scratching your head at others.

The apartments and everything in them is easy to clean, storage space is plentiful, the bathrooms are intelligently laid out and the main areas are spaced out enough for flexible living arrangements. Best of all, you get a couch that fits a real human being so if a friend needs to crash, or you say the wrong thing to your partner and get kicked out of their bed, a decent night’s sleep awaits you on your three-cushion living room sofa.

On the other hand, you have very little control over your living space.

Students finding themselves in Monadnock in the early fall semester

will quickly discover what going to school in the south would have been like because the lack of air conditioning makes the experience quite uncomfortable. This holds especially true for the upper levels due to an absence of insulation separating each floor, thus allowing heat to rise freely. Oddly enough though, this caused everyone to leave their apartment doors open and unintentionally encouraged early semester socialization, which was nice.

Those that survive the heat will eventually be rewarded with the cold of a New Hampshire winter. When you’ve finally cooled off enough, don’t expect the cold to go away any time soon. It’s here to stay like an annoying pair of in-laws. Much like the air conditioning, there is no way to control heat. Fear not however, for SNHU thought of

that and installed stoves that can be turned on full blast by a gust of wind so you can easily heat your apartment.

I’m serious. The stoves in Monadnock are the easiest things to accidentally turn on. They alone make the place seem like a bigger fire hazard than Greeley Hall was and I watched that place go up in flames. Additional unusual quirks and features of Monadnock could make one wonder if they were trying to hastily correct a number of oversights right before finishing.

Whether or not you choose to recognize the good or bad, Monadnock plays a crucial role in sustaining an on campus social scene at a time when SNHU is continuously evolving. It has clear flaws, but these are the kinds of things that will eventually lead future students to say, “It has character.”

the penmen press

opinion

page 9

on-campus student claims “SNHU is a Fake Friend”

Brennan Wright Guest Writer SNHU cares, but only when it gets called.

It was move in day. I was one of the first residents to move into the brand-new Kingston Hall. I was excited to start college and my quest to a highly transferrable Bachelor’s Degree. Not to mention, I was super excited to move into Kingston Hall.

I was anticipating to move into a modern, state-of-the-art air-conditioned room, but what I walked into, however, was a sauna.

At first, I thought that the high temperature must have been a system default, so I lowered the manual temperature and continued

Kingston Hall is SNHU’s newest dorm and has faced some challenges. (image credit: Madyson Alexander) with my day. When I a claim stating my com- my room never would laundry. In fact, I was returned a few hours puter was the cause of have been fixed. In expecting it. However, later, the temperature the temperature dispar- order to see progress, I didn’t expect the launremained stagnate at its ity. That was probably I needed to publicly dry machines to be unscorching temperature one of the most unedu- shame SNHU. usable when the system it started at.

This, however, was implemented. So, I cated things that I ever My room remained heard. wasn’t the first I had to did the same thing I did uncomfortably hot for It got to the point publicly shame SNHU to resolve my heating weeks to come. Even where I was flat out dis- to get something fixed. problem: took to social when the outside tem- appointed with SNHU’s Many students media to express my perature dropped into lack of action on my probably remember disappointment of the the 40s and 50s, my request. This week, I the glorious period at university. Within two room temperature re- took to social media the beginning of the hours, the laundry sysmained in the upper to call SNHU out. I year when laundry in tem was fixed.

70s and low 80s. This is posted publicly on my Kingston Hall was free.

For students like when I realized some- Instagram, Twitter and This only lasted for myself who are living thing was wrong.

Facebook accounts a short time, though. on campus, SNHU At this point, I expressing my disap- We knew that the only is like our landlord. reached out to my RA pointment with the uni- reason why laundry When you buy or rent who opened a ticket for versity for improperly in Kingston was free an apartment, the landmy room. However, not handling my situation. was because the sys- lord is responsible for a single person came Within an hour, I got tem that handled the the maintenance. So, by my room or reach a response on almost payment processing if your AC goes out or out to me in any way every social media ac- from our Penmen Cash your laundry machine regarding the heating count from SNHU and accounts was not fully is broken, the landlord problem. This process facilities was at my door implemented. is responsible for fixing repeated several times. the next day. If it hadn’t I have no problem it, or calling someone I only got one visit, and been for social media, with implementing a else to fix it. that one visit resulted in the heating problem in payment system for Furthermore, it is

expected I should only need to ask once to get problems like these fixed. I shouldn’t have to ask three times: once should suffice. Once SNHU facilities gets paged, it’s their responsibly to fix it as soon as possible.

I am a tenant at SNHU and I expect SNHU as my landlord to take action when I reach out about a problem. It is unacceptable for a landlord to ignore a tenant’s repair request. SNHU only takes responsibility when it is called out publicly on social media.

The behavior exhibited by SNHU with resolving student’s issues has been completely unacceptable, and it’s about time for these practices to change.

the penmen press

page 10

arts & entertainment Developing Daniel in “Life is Strange 2: Episode 2”

Spencer Fennell A&E/Opinion Editor

After about four months of waiting, episode two of Life is Strange 2 has finally been released. I had been waiting patiently as I instantly wanted to continue the story after the hectic and wholesome first episode that hooked me. This new episode takes the pace down a little bit, and it allows for the player to spend some more time with the two brothers. It also allows us to listen to the brothers’ problems.

This episode is much more laid back and slower than the first, which isn’t particularly a bad

Demitri Cameron Staff Writer Kingdom Hearts is a franchise of Disney and Square Enix properties.

Starring Sora, the main protagonist of the series, players travel alongside Donald and Goofy across various Disney and Pixar worlds such as Hercules, Toy Story, Tangled, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean, Monsters Inc., Big Hero 6 and a couple of original worlds from the series.

The very first Kingdom Hearts title released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2, taking the world by surprise. Following its

thing. This episode titled “rules” revolves all around Daniel’s newly found powers, and, as the title suggests, the different rules Sean is placing to keep the two brothers safe. The game allows for the player to decide how Daniel develops, like usual with these choice based narratives.

It allows multiple times to allow for the player to either enforce concealing Daniel’s powers, or allowing him to use them freely. Some of these decisions were truly difficult, with some being seemingly more drastic.

I was always careful with decisions too as all choices you make influ-

(image credit: Dontnod Entertainment) ence what Daniel thinks telling him not to stop is right and wrong. or allowing him to conFor example, a small tinue. I overall allowed thing the game does is him to, because the allow for you to either two brothers had been allow Daniel to contin- through so much and I ue swearing or to teach felt that Daniel would him not to. I took this possibly feel as though seemingly small deci- he was being babied if sion to heart though, Sean had kept insisting and thought of possible he stopped. This resulted repercussions for either in less trust between the

brothers. These decisions really resonate with me, and really feel as though they make a difference.

Although the episode was much slower, there was still plenty of times my heart sank and I got the so-called ‘feels.’

I didn’t expect most of the things to occur, and some things I personally felt like happened because of a choice I made previously. The game does a great job at making you think through your choices and makes you feel horrible about any poor decisions you make. This slower pace is also important because I feel that a lot of important decisions were made

during this episode, and it was mainly used to construct Daniel’s character more. The episode was mostly used to set stones in place and allow for some twists and turns later in the game.

Overall, this episode may seem a little underwhelming on the surface, but it was most certainly important and gathered plenty of information on how the player wants Daniel to act. I’m sure that all of these decisions will return to either aid the player in the upcoming episodes, or to bite them in the back and I am excited to see where these two brothers end up next.

stay up-to-date. The subsequent trailers for Kingdom Hearts 3 before release made it clear that fans would need to be caught up to understand what was happening, and not everyone is lucky enough to know a person like myself who’s maintained that level of dedication over the last 13 years who would explain the complex plot to them, let alone in a way that is easy to understand.

For newcomers, I apologize on behalf of Disney and Square Enix. No, seriously.

A lot of the story will be confusing, and although there is a small recap for each major portion of the previous games in the Memory Archive, it does not explain enough.

Either purchasing the Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD ReMix and Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (yes these are really the titles for these games) for PS4 and playing through them all to get (close to) the full experience or watching a play-through or cut scene collection of every game

system feels refreshing, yet familiar. Prior titles had Reaction Commands, and Command Styles to spice up gameplay, so it was only natural that they found a nice cross between the two with Situation Commands, which naturally change depending on the situation and circumstances. Maybe your keyblade will become a hammer? Maybe you, Woody and Buzz Lightyear will ride a rocket into enemies?

Maybe you’ll team up with Donald and drop meteors on your foes? Who knows?

Kingdom Hearts 3 for die-hard fans like myself may have been a bit underwhelming at points, especially when we talk about difficulty, but it’s also clear that they didn’t want to alienate more people from the franchise by making it too hard.

Honestly, the game has always been about accessibility (I mean, you spam one button to do most attacks. How complex can they get without disrupting the experience?) and this game is no exception.

It’s still easy to pick up, and

it definitely feels different than almost all prior titles.

The worlds are visually gorgeous, most notably the worlds of Toy Story, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Big Hero 6 come to mind. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between the movies and the game. The level of detail is impressive. There are quite a few minigames that do that to break the monotony of the usual hack-n-slash adventure. Unfortunately, not many that are fun.

So, was it worth the wait?

Yes. Whether you are new to the series, or a long time fan, you’ll have an enjoyable experience. The game is visually pleasing, it’s easy to get into the combat system and there’s something for old and new fans alike.

That said, it still does leave you wanting more.

Whether that’s good or bad is up for debate. Ideally, they will add downloadable content soon that will add a challenge for fans like myself. If not, at least we got a pretty nice conclusion to this saga.

“Kingdom Hearts 3” Was Worth the Wait

success, Kingdom Hearts 2 was released in 2005.

Multiple spin-off titles were released on different consoles and handhelds, including cell phones over the years, adding to the (frankly convoluted) plot and lore of Kingdom Hearts. Hardcore fans like myself went and played all of these titles out of dedication and genuine interest in the story. However, a lot of casual fans were alienated. Fans either assumed that each spin-off game didn’t matter to the original plot laid out by the first two titles, or they couldn’t be bothered or afford to buy new consoles just to

(image credit: Square Enix)

on YouTube will be the only effective way of being caught up for Kingdom Hearts 3.

For long-time fans, the story wraps up many loose ends and lingering questions that the series has accumulated with time.

Naturally, there are still a few unanswered questions and quite a few new ones, but it is so worth the wait regardless.

The number of worlds available in Kingdom Hearts 3 appears relatively small, especially compared to older titles. However, you’re spending a bare minimum of two hours in each of these worlds.

On one hand, it makes up for the small selection, but on the flip side, there are times where it also makes the game drag. I felt it the most during the Monsters Inc. world, but experiences may vary.

Despite that, the game is a solid and enjoyable experience. In my 50+ hours of play, I haven’t come across a single bug or glitch, something that seems to be less common nowadays. The combat

the penmen press

sports

page 11

Women’s Basketball Hosts 14th Annual Pink Day

Catherine LaChance Lead Copy Editor Tim Charvat Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team held its 14th annual Pink Day celebration Saturday, February 9, at the Stan Spirou Fieldhouse to honor those affected by breast cancer.

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) students, faculty, alumni and the Manchester community came together in unison to support family and friends who have been affected by this disease.

The event featured food, crafts and raffles, and, of course, a highly anticipated NE10 women’s basketball matchup against Stonehill.

Pink Day started as a small occasion when it incepted 14 years ago, but has grown into

one of SNHU’s most advertised events. Pink day increases in size annually, and campus organizations from the Wellness Center to Res Life to the Career Development Center offer support to ensure it is a success.

“It’s just amazing how many people want to help make this a great event,” said Head Women’s Basketball Coach Karen Pinkos.

“And, for me, it’s about the power in the way people come together for the cause; it’s pretty emotional. But I think the power of bringing everyone together as a strong community is really inspirational for me.”

Women’s basketball players Kylie Lorenzen and Gyanna Russell have been personally affected by breast cancer. Lorenzen’s aunt is a three-time breast cancer survivor, while

Kylie Lorenzen looks past a defender to a teammate. (image credit: Eli Hark)

A view of the Stan Spirou Fieldhouse before the game. (image credit: Eli Hark) Russell’s mother is batMany of the pro- up against Stonehill. 2016. tling with her bout of ceeds earned from The Penmen proved In spite of the emothe disease. Their expe- this event were given victorious in the game, tion and pressure to riences are what makes to Catholic Medical posting a tight 67-62 win this highly-contestPink Day so important Center’s Breast Cancer win over the Skyhawks. ed game, it was never Center, among other The Penmen have about winning or loosto them. now won the last four ing; it was about the “I think everyone organizations.

The headline event Pink Day games since message the Penmen has someone in their family or their friend of Pink Day was wom- their first win against were delivering. group who has been af- en’s basketball’s match- Stonehill in December fected by this disease,” said Lorenzen. “So it’s super important to raise money and awareness.”

“Having my mom have breast cancer, it definitely hits home to me,” added Russell. “[Pink Day] is an event everyone loves to be a part of and, it’s just a great event.”

Local organizations “We’re not fighting showed their support by for ourselves but for a tabling booths outside bigger cause.” Lorenzen the gym. These organisaid. “That takes the zations included local pressure off of just sports teams, the New getting the win. We Hampshire Fisher Cats are giving our all, leavand the Manchester ing everything on the Monarchs, and various court, and fighting our nonprofits. Many orgabest, just like everyone nizations informed the else.” hundreds of attendees After the game, the about their business women held a postand why they support game celebration with this cause. The SNHU friends, family and field hockey team even alumni. The event had a booth selling Pink wrapped up with the Day t-shirts, as well as a men’s team defeating Karlee Ziliak looks to shoot the ball. table for face painting.

Stonehill 72-40. (image credit: Eli Hark)

“We’re not fighting for ourselves, but for a bigger cause.”

the penmen press

Madyson Alexander Staff Writer

sports

track and field sprints into spring season

The Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) women’s track and field team has only been in existence for four years. However, with a diverse roster and competitive skill, the Penmen are sprinting into what could be its best season.

At its starting mark in 2015, track and field was only offered at the club level, but was offered as an outdoor program in 2016. Finally, in 2017, track and field saw the start of its indoor and outdoor teams. In February of last year, SNHU opened its doors to a brand new state-ofthe-art track and field facility located at Penmen Stadium.

However, with every new program comes new challenges, and for the women’s track and field team, it was getting on the map. Attracting the attention of recruits was a tough business.

“Nobody in the New

Lin Mo Staff Writer

page 12

England area knew that we had a track program,” Butler said. “So, we weren’t under anyone’s radar.”

Although, the program has taken off the past couple years. The freshman recruitment status grew from only five or six freshmen to 14 who joined the team this season.

SNHU’s women’s

track and field team is fitting in well amongst the rest of the NE10 Conference. The NE10 predicted SNHU to finish in last place in 2016, which was its first competitive outdoor season, and again in 2017. Yet, it prevailed both years, finishing at ninth place in 2016 and seventh place in 2017.

“We have exceed-

ed initial expectations.

We’ve continually gotten better each and every year,” said Butler.

In addition to these feats, the women’s track and field team fostered an all-American athlete along with several conference champions at the outdoor level. This year, the team has potential for more individual champions as well. This

includes Ashley Elder, who is ranked 10th in the nation and will be competing in nationals with an opportunity to become an all-American athlete.

Going forward, Butler hopes to continue the improvement shown in the last few years and growth of the program.

“We need to have confidence to go forward

and build that culture of aiming toward being a championship team. We have our eyes set at the top.”

While the 2018-2019 indoor season is approaching the finish line, the team is still going at full speed. Looking to break into the top half of the conference, the team is staying focused, continuing training and improving with each meet.

As outdoor season approaches, Butler aspires to bring the team down to Florida for a few meets in the warm weather over spring break. In addition, the team will have three home meets beginning in April, including the Penmen Relay which will house 500 to 600 athletes.

The team will also be hosting the outdoor NE10 Conference Track and Field Championships on May 3 and 4 at Penmen Stadium. Be sure to come out and support!

protecting teammates so his champion is always tank characters.

Mike Cao, a previous and current diamond-two player with seven-years experience, is in charge of mid-lane.

His job is to maintain team formation. His main champion is usually a mage character.

One of the advantages of mage character is its DPS (damage per second) is relatively higher than characters of other classes so it is able to crush opponent formation in the early game.

John Stillman, an ex-diamond-four player with ten-years experience, supports, and Connor Lefevra,

ex-master and a current diamond-one player with ten-years league experience, is a carry of the team. They usually act together at the botlane. Lefevra focuses on eliminating opponents and Stillman focuses on recovering Lefevra’s skill and life point.

Xincheng Dong, an ex-platinum-four and current diamond-four player, is in charge of jungling. As a jungler, he needs to collect resources such as gold for the team so the entire team can be powered up by using it. Then the team would have more advantage than the opponent.

His job is to eliminate the creatures in the jun-

gle. Besides that, he is not easy to be noticed in the entire game since the jungle area is usually invisible and where is the space he is responsible for. Therefore, his other job is to sneak attack opponent. Dan Viens, an ex-platinum-five and current gold-one player with six-years experience, is the alternate member. He is able to play any role just in case any main member cannot participate in a game.

However, the team’s strategy is that he would be the jungler if they decided to play slow-pace bot-lane and Dong for a more fast pace strategy.

The SNHU League team won its first game

in the ninth season on February 1st. The next game will be on either this Friday (Feb.15) or Sunday (Feb.17).

According to the game record of the pre-season, the team kept winning until they lost advantage at the round of top 32 in the East coast.

Akhter said the biggest challenge of the team was communication, mentality and especially individual ability. He supplemented the reason why they lost at the top 32 round was that the entire opposing team was challenging.

The difference in skill level between the teams was evident. On the other hand, Akhter men-

tioned SNHU had played together for a year so they had the good chemistry as an advantage this season.

“This advantage could also be the disadvantage,” said Akhter.

Akhter knows his teammates including himself may not be willing to tell what the mistakes the other teammates made since that would potentially hurt them.

Akhter still believed the team could surpass the game record of the pre-season. His trust had the evidence to support a positive argument on the team’s improvement on communication, mentality and individual ability as a team.

Women’s Track and Field prepares for the spring 2019 season. (image credit: SNHU Penmen)

introducing snhu’s league of legends team

League of Legends is always the focus in esports. This game has existed for nine years, and in 2018, SNHU officially incorporated a collegiate esports team. League of Legends, however, was considered the most.

Typically, there are five roles in League of Legends: the top-lane, mid-lane, support, carry and jungler. Sultan Akhter, the captain of the team and ex-platinum-four and a current gold-three player with four-year league experience, is in charge of top lane. His duty is to focus damage on himself for