February 2019 Roar

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Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

News

Students question safety Students say security bars not enough; training and open dialogue needed JESSE JAMERY Staff Writer

jjj192@psu.edu

After last winter’s murder-suicide on campus, concerns about safety have increased around campus. Yet, some vocal students say there is more Penn State Beaver can do to keep students safe.

Junior Ashley Taylor said she has not seen any specific changes being made to improve campus safety. “I didn’t see any change. I didn’t see anything being informed.”

Taylor was a witness to the murder-suicide.

“I was in the parking lot as the shooting happened. I heard the gun shots,” said Taylor. Witnessing the shooting has turned campus security into Taylor’s main priority.

“Our campus preaches volunteering and helping others, but they don’t help us,” said junior Hunter Spisak. He wonders if the campus has done enough to protect students.

“Conducting student training would be a good start. It would give students an idea of how to respond in case of an emergency,” Spisak said.

He suggested this training take place during actual class times, with each professor being required to schedule one day of class in their syllabus specifically dedicated to active-shooter training activities.

During the fall 2018 semester, there were two active attacker resistance training exercises for students, said Director of Student Affairs Chris Rizzo. One was campus-wide, and one was held in Harmony Hall.

Rizzo said he does not know the exact numbers, but believes there were five students that attended the training in Harmony Hall and no students who attended the campuswide training session.

Spisak and Taylor, along with finance and business director Adam Rathbun, all agree that more students need to show up to trainings and information sessions regarding

The Roar/Sophia Kramer

University Police Officer Chris Veze demonstrates how to properly set up the new security bars in the General Classroom Building by lining up the bar with the blue tape marks on the door frame.

campus safety to take control of their own destiny in case of an emergency.

Another thing Taylor and Spisak agree on is that open conversation regarding campus safety is necessary.

Taylor and Spisak said they want a face-to-face dialogue with administration, specifically Chancellor Jenifer Cushman, to discuss safety on campus, funding for safety updates and what has been done to upgrade campus safety in the past year.

Cushman said she is supportive of the sit-down. “I believe in open dialogue and welcome student input.”

Despite all of the concerns, Spisak said he does recognize that there is a direct tradeoff between safety upgrades and convenience, something Rathbun echoed.

“We can’t turn campus into a prison,” said Rathbun. “We cannot redesign the entire campus to fortify it.” But, Rathbun said, all renova-

tion projects are created and executed with safety measures in mind.

One recent upgrade to campus safety is a ballistic film that was installed on the inside of the windows in the physics lab on the bottom floor of the Michael Baker Building. This film stops bullets from coming in but not going out.

Rathbun said he is waiting to ensure the film sticks to the window.

If that happens the rest of the inside windows in the MBB will probably get the same film installed, he said.

Only the inside of the windows will get the film because installing the film on the outside of windows would be too expensive and is unfeasible with the current budget on campus, Rathbun said.

Funding issues, like the lack of funds to install ballistic film on both sides of windows, are a big source of uncertainty for Taylor and Spisak.

“We need reasoning why safety is not in the budget or things are being prioritized over it. We know bills need paid, but open communication would be nice,” Spisak said.

But Rathbun said the issue of funding is more complex than that.

Penn State Beaver has a budget of $12 million, and 85 percent of that goes to fixed costs like salaries and utilities. That leaves very little funding for special projects, Rathbun said.

Although getting funds from University Park can happen, it isn’t easy, he said. “Getting funding from University Park is like a chess match.”

The amount of funding Beaver gets from University Park is directly influenced by the number of students enrolled. Because enrollment has declined in recent years, funding has gone down and money has been tougher to find, Rathbun said.

Installing the ballistic film is not

the only work the MBB needs to have done, Rathbun said.

One additional concern is that the doors of the MBB classrooms cannot lock from the inside and can only be locked with a key that only staff and faculty have access to, Rathbun said.

Rathbun said he is looking into having doors that lock from the inside without a key, and whether the entire door will need replaced or just the locking mechanism inside the door. There is no timetable or budget for this project.

After the shooting last winter, an inspection of campus was done

by Rathbun and other administrators to determine what exactly could make the campus safer. The inspection uncovered that 115A and 115B in the General Classroom Building and 121 in the Laboratory Classroom Building do not lock from the inside.

In response, security bars have been installed as a substitute lock in case of an emergency, Rathbun said.

Penn State Beaver Police Sergeant Marque Wiese said students are encouraged to pick up the bars and try putting them into place.

The security bars are a quick, simple and cost-effective solution, Rathbun said. The security bars are safer than a locked door, he added.

Rathbun also said that there was training offered for faculty and staff on how to use the bars, especially for faculty who teach in those specific classrooms, but not all faculty and staff showed up.

Both Rathbun and Wiese said safety and security training will continue to be offered to students and faculty. Wiese would also like to try “walk-in” training sessions for classes that are already in the classroom.

The one thing both students and faculty members agreed on was the idea of “see something, say something.” They all said that Penn State Beaver is a tight-knit community where if strange behavior is happening, it will be noticed.

February 2019

News

Penn State Beaver Roar

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Glass may be cut from campus recycling Community waste hauling companies may no longer be able to recycle glass TONY GOOD Staff Writer

apg5113@psu.edu

Penn State Beaver is unsure whether or not it will continue to recycle glass.

Since the start of the new year, the decision of whether or not recycling glass is economically feasible is evidently being considered by multiple waste hauling services.

Many communities in the Pittsburgh area that have contracts with local waste hauling companies like Waste Management will no longer be able to recycle their glass; they must instead throw it in the trash.

Beaver County is expected to follow suit, with glass no longer showing up on the county website as an available material to recycle.

When that happens, Penn State Beaver will likely be forced to follow suit and throw glass in the trash instead of the recycling bin.

According to Adam Rathbun,

The Roar/Tony Good

Student worker Hunter Spisak empties a recycling bin into a dumpster.

director of Finance and Business, Penn State Beaver uses Republic Services for waste management.

“Penn State’s policy is to recycle what we can,” said Rathbun. “[Republic Services] has not

informed us that glass is not recyclable.” The Republic Services website states that glass recycling availability varies by location.

While the Brodhead Bistro separates and recycles its glass, students are only able to recycle cans, plastic bottles and paper.

The Bistro does sell various drinks in glass bottles, however.

“If they chose not to do the glass, I wasn’t made aware,” said Mark Beatty, Physical Plant supervisor.

Meetings with Republic Services were postponed due to the weather cancellations in late January.

When it comes to recycling glass, there are a couple of factors that determine the manner in which it is disposed of or renewed. Glass comes in three common colors: clear, amber and emerald.

According to Waste Management’s website, clear glass is the most common color and accounts for 61 percent of glass containers produced

in this country. Amber glass represents 31 percent and emerald glass comes in last with about 7 percent.

Glass is one of the heaviest materials that is recycled, leading to increased transportation costs.

Contamination of glass is also an issue in the recycling process. Different colors of glass must be kept separate to avoid mixing colors when making new products from recycled glass. This means that if glass has been broken into small shards, it can no longer be used to make new bottles because the color cannot be determined.

“If Penn State Beaver stopped recycling glass, I believe that it would be unethical for the Bistro to sell glass drink containers to students knowing full well that they have no environmentally-conscious way to dispose of the waste material,” said senior Elizabeth Stack. “This would directly counter Penn State’s commitment to sustainability.”

Government shutdown did not affect campus

MATTHEW PALAHUNIK Senoir Staff Writer

mgp5156@psu.edu

Freshman Michelle Cisco started off the spring semester worried.

The Harmony Hall resident from Churchville, Md., just north of Baltimore, belongs to a single parent household whose income comes from the federal government.

The 35-day federal government shutdown – the longest on record lasting from Dec. 22 to Jan. 25 – was the source of her worries.

Cisco’s mother is a retired federal agent and gets a check at the beginning of every month. Cisco said she was worried about the shutdown when it first happened.

Cisco was one of many students concerned about the shutdown.

President Donald Trump demanded

that Congress provide $5.7 billion to fund construction of a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Democrats, who now control the U.S. House of Representatives, refused.

With no federal workers receiving paychecks, many like Cisco were worried how they would pay their bills.

“It was awkward when the shutdown first happened,” said Cisco.

Cisco said she called her mom concerned if she was going to get paid and could pay tuition bills that were due in the beginning of the semester.

Cisco said her mom wasn’t sure what the fallout of the shutdown would be. “Luckily my mom had enough money at the time.”

Cisco said that even though she was not severely impacted by the shutdown, she did have friends back

home in Maryland who were. “They were struggling and living week by week.”

Junior Kris Caulder thought the shutdown was a bit “ridiculous” since it is over the border wall. Caulder is from South Carolina and said his home area tends to be heavily republican, though he considers himself liberal. “[The] government shutdown is not the best way to have that debate (over the border wall).” He described the shutdown as throwing a fit, like that of a small child, but it was President Trump’s way to get his agenda across.

Caulder said that both Republicans and Democrats were at fault because neither wanted to debate the topic of the wall.

“They weren’t discussing policy,

but rather having a performance on both sides,” Caulder said, adding that the shutdown “was a ploy to put pressure on the other party.”

The fear of the shutdown apparently had a larger bark than its bite.

Financial Aid Coordinator Gail Gray said that the shutdown was not as bad as people think.

“The biggest issue students faced on this campus was students who were under verification for student aid,” said Gray. Some students experienced a delay in obtaining tax transcripts from the IRS to complete their verification, she said. Gray said that Penn State Beaver lost no students because of the shutdown.

Gray said that she had a few concerned veterans stop in her office during the shutdown.

“I reassured them that things

are being delayed but are going through,” Gray said.

The U.S. Department of Education did not handle the shutdown the best way they could, said Gray.

“Penn State went to them and said, ‘can we start accepting tax returns instead of the tax transcripts [in order to finish verification],’” said Gray. It took the Department of Education nearly three weeks to answer.

Director of Student Affairs Chris Rizzo said that when it came to Penn State Beaver, “no students were affected here.”

Rizzo said that Damon Simms, Penn State’s vice president of student affairs, sent out a mass email to students across the university informing students of support services they could turn to.

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Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

News

Enrollment continues to drop DIMITRIOS KOUVARAS Staff Writer

dpk5374@psu.edu

Penn State Beaver has seen a drop of about 85 students not returning this spring from the fall semester.

This drop actually follows a typical pattern of declining students from fall to spring semester, but the pattern has now led to the lowest enrollment in recent years.

Penn State Beaver now has only 537 students enrolled this spring.

According to Penn State’s website, there were 726 students enrolled at Penn State Beaver in the fall of 2016.

In fall 2017, that number dropped to 655 students, and then dropped to 622 students last fall.

Director of Enrollment Daniel Pinchot said the campus typically loses 80 to 85 students between fall and spring, some who graduate or change to another Penn State campus and others who just stop attending Penn State for various reasons.

But with the declining fall enrollments over the past few years, it’s put the campus as its lowest point of enrollment that Pinchot can remember over this nearly 20 years as the campus’ enrollment manager.

Campus budgets are determined by the number of students that are enrolled and Pinchot said he believes that any decline in enrollment is a bad thing.

“If we have fewer students, then

Penn State Beaver enrollment, 2016 to present 800 700 600

726 642

655 571

500

622 537

400 300 200 100 0

FA16

SP17

FA17

SP18

FA18

SP19

Source: Penn State University

Penn State Beaver enrollment numbers have dropped over the past four years.

we have less budgetary allotment. We don’t have as much money to spend on our students, faculty and campus,” Pinchot said. “While we started the academic year down from previous years, we aren’t actually a whole lot different from other Penn State campuses out there.”

Commonwealth campuses like Penn State New Kensington, Altoona, Greater Allegheny and others are also looking at similar declines in enrollment. Pinchot said there are multiple reasons for the declines, including location, demographics and cost.

“You can see the trend across the board. Everyone is down. A part of that has to do with the demographics of Pennsylvania. The bulk of our students come to us from within the state and, quite frankly, at each campus, the majority of the enrollment comes from our service area. When demographics are down in Pennsylvania, then enrollment is also likely to be down,” says Pinchot.

With the declining trend in student enrollment, Penn State Beaver has implemented recruitment strategies to obtain more students.

“We’ve actually mitigated some

of our losses in Pennsylvania students by aggressively recruiting outof-state. We’ve been able to do that with the cooperation of our athletic program because they want to recruit more student athletes,” Pinchot said. “The plan worked. Last fall, the number of student athletes was big and had we not had those successes, then our fall enrollment would have been much lower.”

Pinchot and Rachel Zughaib, campus registrar, both said they believe that finances, among other things, could also be a big reason for the drop, although they don’t believe that there will be a drop in tuition any time soon.

“I think that Penn State has definitely become more sensitive of students who are struggling to pay these bills. Some evidence of that is Penn State’s tuition freeze. Over the past four years, Penn State has frozen tuition and that was a big move,” Zughaib said.

“It’s been a few years since campuses like Penn State Beaver have seen a tuition increase,” Zughaib added. “I feel that’s just Penn State trying to stay competitive and to help students with some of the costs of college.”

While there are ways that Penn State is trying to retain students, Zughaib is concerned with the lack of communication from students.

“When it comes to student feed-

back, we don’t get very much of it and it’s kind [of] scary. We try to reach out to students and let them know when registration is open and let them know that we could help them if they are having financial challenges,” Zughaib said. “I think that all of our units are communicating that. I wish more students would speak up and come to us so we can help them.”

Riley Thomas, a freshman, has rarely had any problems with getting help on campus or had many problems with the campus in general.

“I feel that Penn State Beaver’s tuition is better than other places, but it’s still high. When I needed help, I’ve always had good experiences with aid, but academic counseling is hard to get into sometimes,” Thomas said. “Besides that, I just think that the campus is smaller than I’d like.”

Despite the dip in enrollment, Pinchot and Zughaib said that Penn State is always looking to increase the number of students attending the campuses.

“Penn State has also implemented different scholarship initiatives so that there can be scholarships that come from University Park and from the other campuses,” Zughaib said.

“Our enrollment committees are always looking at different ways to keep students.”

Police find marijuana and paraphernalia in Harmony Hall After a nearly semester-long lull, students in Harmony Hall are once again getting busted by University Police for marijuana.

During finals week on Dec. 13, University Police found students with marijuana in a car in parking lot A in front of Harmony Hall.

Police charged sophomore Nathan M. Fencer of Jamaica, N.Y., with possession of a small amount of marijuana.

On Jan. 16, an employee reported

an odor of marijuana in Harmony Hall.

A police officer investigated and seized marijuana and drug paraphernalia and charged two students.

Police charged junior Gabrielle E. Fiffick of Johnstown with possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police also charged junior Alexander S. D’Itri of Midland, a commuter, with possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Both Fiffick and D’Itri are mem-

bers of The Roar staff.

A student told police on Feb. 10 that there was an odor of marijuana in Harmony Hall. Police investigated and seized drug paraphernalia.

Charges have not yet been filed from this incident.

STUDENTS CHARGED WITH FRAUD

A student reported Nov. 26 that a credit card had been used without authorization. After investigating,

police charged freshmen Leslie Perez of Miami, Fla., and Sarah Harris of Brook Park, Ohio, with access device fraud and conspiracy.

REPORTS OF DATE VIOLENCE AND STALKING

University Police are investigating two unrelated reports of violence and stalking.

On Jan. 28 police received a thirdparty report that there was a disturbance in Harmony Hall that possibly

involves dating violence.

Police also received a third-party report on Feb. 2 of a possible stalking on the campus.

Police provided no additional details.

SWASTIKA IN GCB

An employee reported on Feb. 12 that there was a written swastika on a chalkboard in the General Classroom Building.

Police are investigating.

February 2019

News

Penn State Beaver Roar

5

Beaver County gets failing grade for smog ALEXEY STERN

Senior Staff Writer ams8317@psu.edu

The year was 1948; manufacturing industries were thriving in western Pennsylvania.

Zinc smelters, sulfuric acid plants and steel mills polluted the air with endless streams of smoke, enveloping the region in a thick blanket of smog.

Then, disaster struck in Donora; a small town only 60 miles away from Beaver County. The town had such high levels of smog pollution that 6,000 residents fell ill, resulting in 20 deaths.

The tragic story reached a national audience and people across the country demanded change, resulting in the eventual creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Clean Air Act. Fast-forward 70 years. Although it has been a long journey, the region has made a lot of progress towards making the environment cleaner and healthier for its residents.

However, according to a recent report published by the Heinz Endowments Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the country, the Pittsburgh region still has some of the worst pollutant levels in the entire country.

The report ranks the southwestern region of Pennsylvania, which is made up of 12 counties, as the tenth worst in the country for fine-particle pollution.

The State of the Air Report published by the American Lung Association, a health organization dedicated to improving lung health through education and research, gave Beaver County an F grade for ozone pollution.

It is important to stress, however, that Beaver County’s overall air quality received a passing grade this year, meaning that the air is clean enough to be breathable.

However, ozone pollution or smog pollution poses serious health risks such as respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular disease for the citizens of Beaver County.

The mixed findings of the report has further incited the ongoing

Photo taken from American Lung Association

The American Lung Association says Beaver County air quality fails when it comes to ozone, even though it gives it a passing grade for particle pollution.

debate over what to do about the environmental situation in Beaver County, and more specifically, the campus.

Lisa Barreiro, an adjunct instructor in biology and an environmental scientist, claims that the implications of the report are more serious than it appears at first glance, as these pollutants threaten to damage the health of Penn State Beaver students.

“Since students are more likely to be active and outside than older people, they are the ones breathing in more of these pollutants,” Barreiro said. “It makes them more susceptible to respiratory illnesses such as asthma, shortness of breath and the inflammation of the lungs.”

With the EPA receiving cutbacks and petrochemical companies like Shell expanding in the region, Barreiro said she believes the situation will only get worse.

“With the government undermining the EPA’s authority in an attempt to bring coal back, we will start seeing more deaths and illnesses like we did before the Clean Air

Act,” Barreiro said.

Although people are ready to blame companies like Shell for the high levels of smog pollution in the county, there are other factors that need to be considered.

Barreiro said that the geography of the region plays an important role in this situation because it creates an event called temperature inversion.

“Inversion happens in places with hills and valleys and Beaver is nothing but valleys and people living in those valleys,” Barreiro said. “An inversion basically involves the hot air not being able to rise. The hot air then traps all of the cold air and smog pollution, keeping it on the ground level. That’s what makes Beaver so susceptible to it.”

Angela Fishman, an associate teaching professor in mathematics, points out another factor that contributes to Beaver County’s smog problem: pollution coming over from other places.

“It isn’t as simple as saying that all the pollutants we have in Beaver County are made in Beaver County,”

Fishman said. “We are getting pollution that’s being blown over here from Ohio, Mexico and even China.

This is not only a national issue but a global one.”

Fishman finds herself on the other side of the debate, believing that people are exaggerating the findings of the report.

“These reports were based on the health of Beaver County’s residents and you have to remember that we have a generally older population,” Fishman said. “So when we are talking about asthma and health issues, we have to remember that most of these people were around 50 years ago when the pollution levels were really bad.”

Fishman argues that opening of Shell is not necessarily going to make the pollution levels in Beaver County much worse.

“I’m not saying we don’t have to worry about the air quality now that Shell is coming into the area, but I do believe they will be heavily regulated and closely watched,” Fishman said.

Although 23-year-old senior Jesse Martin is concerned by the report, he finds himself seeing both sides of the argument when it comes to companies like Shell expanding in the region.

“It feels like a Catch-22 situation because companies like Shell are creating jobs and putting money into the local economy,” Jesse Martin said. “But I go to the gym and try to take care of myself so it makes me wonder how damaging these pollutants really are to my health.”

Kylee Arms, a 21-year-old junior, is worried about the implications of the report and said she believes we should do something about it.

“The report makes me worry about my health in the long run. I have no idea what I’m breathing in and what effects it will have on me in the future,” Arms said. “I think we need to make more students aware about the findings in this report, because our health should be more important than any amount of money.”

Although Barreiro is wary of companies like Shell, she understands that there is not a clear-cut answer.

“You don’t want to hamstring the industries moving into the county because people need these jobs to support their families and you can’t fault them for that.” Barreiro said.

Fishman said that the situation is more complicated than most people think.

“It really comes down to people’s priorities. What do they want? Do they want more jobs and economic development or better air quality,” Fishman said. “So, it’s a give and take. Nothing in the environmental field is black and white.”

Other students such as 20-year-old junior Hunter Spisak are less conflicted on the matter, finding himself outraged by the report and demanding that action be taken.

“Students should definitely be concerned and do something about it. We are a part of a University that has resources,” Spisak said. “We should be proactive by using those resources to help our community in any way we can.”

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Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

News

Rep. Lamb talks to civic engagement students SAVANA C. GRIGGS Senior Staff Writer

scg5198@psu.edu

Freshman Cassidy Cumming said she was thrilled when she heard that she was going to meet with U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in her Civic and Community Engagement class Feb. 19.

Cumming, an administration of justice major, was one of about 10 students in Instructor Jodi Gill’s class who not only got to hear Lamb speak, but also ask him questions of their own.

Lamb visited Penn State Beaver to learn more about his constituents and to be introduced to the campus.

In addition to meeting with students, Lamb also spent time with Chancellor Jenifer Cushman and other administrators and toured campus briefly with Lion Ambassador Nick Pelino, a senior.

Lamb told the students he wanted to talk less about politics and policies and more about the lessons he has learned along the way while being a congressman.

Lamb first introduced himself to the students as a Pennsylvania resident and former captain of the U.S. Marine Corp.

Lamb said that having the ability to serve in congress have been an incredible honor, and he wants to use that position to hear people’s concerns about where Pennsylvania

The Roar/Gabby Fiffick

Rep. Conor Lamb speaks to students in the Civic and Community Engagement class on Feb. 19.

is headed.

Being a representative in congress can be difficult, Lamb said, given that America was not designed to be a country that makes changes to policy on a whim.

Lamb said his inspiration to enter the political arena came from his grandfather, Thomas F. Lamb, a former politi-

cian, state senator and the Democratic Majority Leader in the Pennsylvania State Senate.

After watching his grandfather practice politics, Lamb said, he understood that the term “politician” should not be a dirty word.

Lamb also said that he was inspired to run for office because he has seen the House of Representa-

tives and the Senate perform poorly in his lifetime.

Cumming asked a lot of questions during Lamb’s visit. “I believe that he can gain valuable information from young minds from the students,” said Cumming.

Cumming also said she believes that local politicians should visit Penn State Beaver more often.

“If he gets ideas from young minds and vice versa, then we can come up with some great ideas for our communities,” said Cumming. “It’s very important to be driven to be successful, and I believe being able to say that I’ve talked to a government representative will give us that empowerment we need to give us ideas that we haven’t thought about.”

When Cumming came out of her visit with Lamb she said that she felt more educated and more well-rounded. “I feel like I have more ideas towards our government. We should have more opportunities to reach out to our local representatives,” said Cumming.

“It definitely made me feel more important to be able to talk to someone, and I felt heard.”

Pelino gave Lamb a condensed tour of campus, taking him from the Ross Administration Building through the Student Union and Brodhead Bistro, ending in the Michael Baker Building.

Pelino said that he was looking forward to meeting Lamb.

“He really exceeded all my expectations, and he was a really great guy,” said Pelino.

“It was great to have him come out and send his message,” said Pelino. “Having any local representative visit campus is a good idea because it gets students more involved with politics.”

February 2019

News

Penn State Beaver Roar

Beaver hires new director of campus relations ROBERT MUSGRAVE Staff Writer

rum875@ psu.edu

Penn State Beaver has recently added a new full-time staff member.

Kristen Doerschner, director of campus relations, began work in January. She previously worked as a reporter and editor at the Beaver County Times for 13 years.

“I felt that PSU would be a better place to work as it has a more structured schedule,” she said.

At Penn State Beaver, Doerschner does a lot of things.

“I wear a lot of hats in my role,” Doerschner said. “One of my main roles is to write the story of our campus, students and staff.

“I write for the website, both news and feature stories,” she said. “For example, I wrote about Spirt Weekend and Hailey Burbage winning the

The Roar/Robert Musgrave

Kristen Doerschner, director of campus relations, laughs with the Nittany Lion at Athletics Spirit Weekend on Feb. 9.

THON Showcase. I also do a lot of social media posting.”

One of the key things she writes is news releases to the local media

about events on campus that have an interest to the community and students.

She also works with other depart-

ments and approves materials, such as flyers and brochures, to ensure that they are up to Penn State branding standards.

She also creates videos to promote the campus.

Doerschner lives in Monaca and enjoys the convenience of a short drive to work along with an easier work-life balance.

Doerschner is a graduate of John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, and majored in communication.

Doerschner says that working at her Penn State office is a lot more calm and quiet compared to the newsroom at the Times.

“I like the quiet office area I work in compared to a busy, open newsroom,” said Doerschner.

Doerschner said she enjoys working with the rest of her new col-

7

leagues at Penn State Beaver.

“I love all the staff and they give me a lot of support for whatever I need.”

One such colleague is Cathy Benscoter, marketing and web specialist. The two worked together at the Beaver County Times before they reunited at Penn State Beaver.

Benscoter said Doerschner is a great colleague. She’s easy to work with as is making good connections with students already, Benscoter said.

Justin Vorbach, associate director of Enrollment, led the search committee that hired Doerschner. Vorbach says that Doerschner stood out among the candidates.

“Her skills in (public relations), marketing and social media were very outstanding and made her the best choice to fill this position,” said Vorbach.

8

Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

Viewpoints

MANAGING EDITOR Savana Griggs

scg5198@psu.edu

PHOTO EDITOR Karl Truskowski kzt5265@psu.edu

BUSINESS MANAGER Nick Pelino

nap5311@psu.edu

COPY DESK Alex D’Itri

avd5623@psu.edu

Marlena Engen

mqe5192@psu.edu

Gabby Fiffick

gef5101@psu.edu

Tony Good

apg5113@psu.edu

Shelton Hilliard szh151@psu.edu

Jesse Jamery jjj192@psu.edu

Dimitrios Kouvaras dpk5374@psu.edu

Sophia Kramer srk5268@psu.edu

Ryan Lockhart

Safety questions need answers Students, administration must team up to address campus security concerns As the campus wounds heal from last year’s murder-suicide, a question still seems to linger in the air: are students truly safe on campus?

The answer depends on who you ask.

Some students say that the campus has not done enough. But to be fair, the campus has made some progress.

Penn State Beaver has implemented safety measures such as training sessions, installing security bars and even installing ballistic film on select windows.

For those efforts, the campus should be applauded.

On the other hand, it’s still not enough.

Perhaps the real issue, though, is

what needs to be done.

Some students say they don’t feel safe. The administration says that it needs to balance safety expenditures with the fixed costs of running the campus. Both groups have the best interests of the campus at heart, but neither seems to be talking to the other.

Clearly, the administration needs to communicate better with students about what it has done and what is planned. It might help if they ask students for their ideas or at least their concerns.

But students have a responsibility to come to the table, too. When safety programs have been held over the past few months, few if any students bothered to attend.

It’s OK to complain, but it’s not OK for students to be complacent.

The campus can’t continue to go on pretending that all is well. Time can help heal all wounds, but communication is essential if we ever want to solve the real issues.

The tragic loss we have endured has forever changed the campus community. It’s left a mark that can never be removed or forgotten.

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn and grow from the tragedy.

Students and administrators need to sit at the same table, communicate with each other and work together as a team to make the campus as safe as it can be.

rnl5086@psu.edu

Robert Musgrave rum875@psu.edu

Matthew Palahunik mgp5156@psu.edu

Alexey Stern

ams8317@psu.edu

Matylda Zamudio mmz5236@psu.edu

ADVISERS Cathy Benscoter cub15@psu.edu

Daniel Pinchot djp114@psu.edu

Kudos to THON committee Student group finally tops annual fundraising goal Beaver finally did it!

Students working on the THON fundraising committee finally met their goal of raising $10,000 a year.

In fact, they surpassed their goal by nearly $1,000.

It’s been years since Beaver’s THON group even came close to raising so much money, and the many chairs and members

of the team have earned a well-deserved pat on the back.

It was also exciting to witness the return of official campus dancers. Junior Marissa Bufalini and sophomore Hailey Burbage did a great job representing the campus – especially with Burbage’s win and subsequent $2,500 prize in the THON Showcase.

For a campus as small as Beaver, these accomplishments say a lot about the committee’s determination and resolve.

Moreover, they didn’t do all this for the glory, but “for the kids.”

You’ve set the bar high for the future, and we can’t wait to see how successful Beaver’s THON group will be next year.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor are encouraged and can be emailed to: scg5198@ psu.edu. Please include your full name, address, email address and cell phone number.

ADS FOR CLUBS Free advertising space is offered to any university-recognized organization or club to promote upcoming events. The space is limited to one eighthpage ad per club per edition. To reserve space, email The Roar business manager at: nap5311@ psu.edu

The content and opinions of this publication reside solely with the authors and not with the Pennsylvania State University or the Penn State Beaver Student Activity Fee Committee.

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Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

Features

Beaver THON raises more MARLENA L. ENGEN Staff Writer

mqe5192@psu.edu

Penn State Beaver students raised more than $11,000 for this year’s THON, surpassing their $10,000 goal, only days before THON started. This contributed to the total $10.6 million raised for THON 2019.

When THON officially started Feb. 15, the Beaver’s dancers, junior Marissa Bufalini and sophomore Hailey Burbage, were on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center, and the campus’ moralers who came to support Beaver’s dancers were in the stands cheering them on.

Not only was Burbage a dancer and one of the chairs of Beaver’s THON, she also won first place in the THON Showcase and got to dance solo on the stage for all to see at 1 p.m. Feb. 16, nearly halfway through the 46-hour marathon.

The stadium went quiet as the lights went low and she took the stage.

With every jump and spin, she stole the hearts of anyone watching.

Her performance was full screen on the jumbotron so no detail could have been missed. Once finished, the crowd roared with pride and excitement for her performance.

Burbage is the first Commonwealth Campus student to win this competition. Her win garnered $2,500 that went into Beaver’s THON fundraising.

Bufalini, Beaver’s second dancer, is the primary chair for Beaver’s THON. Entering the Bryce Jorden Center, in the stands surrounding the floor were fraternities, sororities, commonwealth campuses, families and other organizations that all came for the same reason: “For the Kids.”

“For the Kids,” or FTK, is THON’s motto and was something that was said and displayed everywhere to remind the dancers and everyone who attended what THON

The Roar/Nick Pelino

Penn State Beaver students hold letters that spell out “Beaver” in the stands of the Bryce Jordan Center during THON. Pictured, from left, are Cindy Chen, Ashley Taylor, Sara Ruiz, Marlena Engen, Kylee Arms, Hunter Spisak, Brenna Cepull, Maddy Shoaf and Guilherme Reis.

was for and why they were there.

Everywhere you turned, the air was full of powerful energy. Everyone wore different colors with smiles on their faces and holding signs supporting their dancers on the floor.

Nick Pelino, a senior, was one of the moralers who attended. “It was so cool to see all that positive energy that was in that room.”

Junior Ashley Taylor, another of Beaver’s THON chairs, also attended to support Beaver’s dancers. “It was really powerful just to see how people were here for this one cause.”

On the floor, it was a whole other world compared to being in the stands. The dancers stretched to keep themselves feeling good in the 46 hours of standing.

There were games and crafts to do, and in the back there were snacks and drinks for the dancers.

The dancers had an opportunity to get their hair cut and donate it while

they were on the floor.

A THON patrol officer walked around the floor reminding the dancers to keep up their energy, eat and drink water so they stay healthy on the floor.

Parents and family members were also able to send their dancers packages during THON. Both Bufalini and Burbage received packages from the Beaver Alumni Society and Burbage also received a package from her family.

Every hour was a new theme to keep the dancers occupied, as well as a line dance that they played to give them a fun way to stretch. By the end of the marathon, everyone was able to do the dance perfectly.

“It is more than you see from the stands,” said junior Hunter Spisak.

“There are little kids running around with squirt guns, games and crafts.”

Those kids who were running around were Four Diamonds chil-

dren who are either being treated for cancer or whose treatment has ended.

The money raised at THON goes to the Four Diamonds, a nonprofit organization that supports the families and children diagnosed with pediatric cancer. They assist the children and their families at Penn State’s Hershey Medical Center children’s hospital through superior care, comprehensive support and innovative research.

The children who attend THON remind the dancers who they are fighting for and serve as motivation to keep going. The children’s smiles brighten up the room as they play games and dance with the dancers.

There were also musical performances often throughout the weekend, such as Mason Ramsey and Andy Grammer. Grammer spoke about his mother, who died of cancer, and how proud he was to be performing there.

In the final hours of THON, thousands of people crowded into the BJC while several families told their stories as Four Diamonds families. One family told the story of how their son beat his cancer and now goes to Penn State University Park.

THON also showed videos of Four Diamonds children who have beaten cancer, children who didn’t make it.

Kylee Arms, another of Beaver’s THON chairs, said the stories brought tears to her eyes. “They are all so hopeful even though they have been through terrible situations, so it nice to get a better feeling why we are there,” As the clock ticked down to the 4 p.m. finale Feb. 17, Beaver’s dancers celebrated that they had officially stood for 46 hours straight. No matter the pain, no matter the exhaustion, Bufalini and Burbage powered through.

February 2019

Features

Penn State Beaver Roar

11

than $11,000 ‘for the kids’

The Roar/Marlena Engen

Far left: Hailey Burbage makes THON diamond symbol at the conclusion of her dance during the showcase performance Feb. 16.

Top: Hailey Burbage, left, and Marissa Bufalini dance in a line with other Penn State students.

Bottom: From left, Marissa Bufalini, Nick Pelino and Hailey Burbage pose together while dancing during THON weekend.

Photo by Marissa Bufalini

Photo by Diana Weidner

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Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

Features

Beaver’s high tunnel keeps greens growing during winter MOLLY VERONE

Senior Staff Writer mev5149@psu.edu

The unpredictable weather and temperatures during the winter months do not stop the greens from growing in Penn State Beaver’s high tunnel.

Students cannot miss the enormous 96-foot-long high tunnel located in the grassy area behind Harmony Hall.

Because of the frigid temperatures and snowy weather, the high tunnel is currently only growing different types of lettuce, herbs and cilantro.

In the winter months, the inside of the high tunnel does not look like your typical flourishing, colorful greenhouse because the plants are covered by big sheets for protection against the cold temperature.

Fortunately, the high tunnel is a little warmer than it is outside, said

The Roar/Ryan Lockhart

Tarps are pulled back in the high tunnel to reveal the greens growing underneath.

junior Marissa Bufalini, a student farm worker. She said that the high tunnel is usually around 20 degrees warmer than it is outside which helps

the plants grow.

The high tunnel is overseen by Associate Teaching Professor of Mathematics Angela Fishman and

five student farm workers and a few volunteers.

Fishman said that her passion for gardening began during her childhood on her family’s farm because of their large garden there. Through the campus’ gardening projects, she said she is excited to help others find their passion for gardening too.

Lettuce is the right plant to grow during the winter months because it is accepting to cold temperatures, said senior Carley Schroeder, another student farm worker.

“The lettuce is doing great despite the cold,” Schroeder said.

Even though, the lettuce has been growing all winter, it was actually planted in the fall because of the warmer temperatures. Schroeder said that if the lettuce is cut right then it will continue to grow until spring.

The plants have not been watered since the fall, said Fishman. She said

that in the fall they were watered with drip hoses and that there is enough water in the soil to maintain the moisture.

Schroeder said that planting the lettuce was very time consuming and tedious but worth it. She said that while planting, it she made great connections with her fellow garden workers.

“Planting around eight rows of lettuce 90-feet long really gave me time to talk to the other garden workers and bond with them,” Schroeder said.

Bufalini helps with gardening at the high tunnel, but she said the campus garden located behind the Laboratory Classroom Building is her “baby.”

In the future, the farm workers would like to start selling their produce in the Brodhead Bistro and to the public, Bufalini said.

February 2019

Features

Penn State Beaver Roar

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Beaver takes on fresh classes NATE SHARIF Staff Writer

nas5857@psu.edu

Instead of sitting at a cold desk listening to an hour-long lecture while hustling to take notes, students like freshman Kyara Parrish get to experience an innovative spin on how students are taught art.

Parrish is engaged with activities and thoughtful discussion.

This semester Penn State Beaver is offering students a fresh batch of classes, including Humanities, Introduction to International Art, Social Media and Women’s Studies. “(It’s) something new, something fresh,” said Parrish, who is enrolled in Introduction to International Art. Laurie Barnes, an adjunct lecturer in Arts, teaches the new international art course.

Barnes, who is also the assistant curator at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, said she enjoys teaching students the value and history of art.

In Barnes’ class, students have engaging conversations on how art makes them feel and are given projects to express their own creations in painting, drawing and through personal journal logging.

“I want students to realize that art is for them,” Barnes said with a smile.

The energy that emits from Barnes to her students as she teaches is nothing short of contagious.

As a student you cannot help but be drawn in as she includes them in active discussions, creating an educational atmosphere of fun and enjoyment.

Barnes ensures this by consistently asking questions and pushing active social interaction.

“Art is and should be fun… and a lecture is not the best way to learn,” said Barnes.

Students like Barnes’ fresh approach.

“The freedom to be creative makes this class more interesting and fun,” said sophomore Robert Shoop.

Taking a renewed approach to how these innovative classes are

Adjunct lecturer Laurie Barnes discusses a project with sophomore Robert Shoop in the new Introduction to International Art class.

taught has become a new trend in 2019.

Students are no longer limited to the proverbial text-book. Having an open social discussion has become the new standard.

Students are voicing enthusiasm over the recent additions and their instructors.

Emily Halling, a junior enrolled in Women’s Studies said, “We have a passionate professor that brings in new topics with a fresh approach.”

Lecturer Kristen Oberg, who teaches Women’s Studies 106 this semester, said, “I’m hoping to create something that hasn’t been done before.”

Oberg wants to open the eyes of both male and female students who take her class, giving them a renewed outlook on feminism. “I want students to look beyond the title of male or female,” Oberg said.

Like Barnes, the energy that Oberg

brings to her class is clearly evident.

Rather than speak with a stern tone, Oberg speaks encouraging words that help motivate her students, “If I’m not excited, they (the students) will not be excited.”

A few students who are enrolled in both international art and women’s studies have said they like the new approach, making learning much more enjoyable.

“This fresh method of teaching makes me more invested in the classroom,” said Halling.

Oberg’s approach includes incorporating superheros into the course content.

Junior Ashley Taylor approves.

“The incorporation of superheros in modern media gives a new perspective at learning about women’s studies.”

Kristen Olson, associate professor of English, has taught humanities many times in the past. This semes-

ter, she has blended humanities with the quest.

This discussion-based class takes a broad look at the study of culture and history while encouraging students to have an open perspective on both film and literature.

“I want students to break down preconceived observations by sitting in a circle, face-to-face,” said Olson.

“I want the students to be comfortable with talking.”

“I want (students) to discover the joy of reading and contemplating something but also thinking about what they read and being self-reflective,” Olson added.

This informal method of teaching through discussion-based topics has reached into the Communication department with April Johnston in the new Social Media Strategies class.

“Having an informal setup makes the class more engaging,” said Johnston.

The Roar/Nathan Sharif

Social Media Strategies gives students an advanced look at marketing and creating their own brand using social media, allowing them to be more opinionated and creative.

Senior Alexey Stern, a senior staff writer for The Roar, said, “We explore in-depth topics including crisis management, making content that is shareable and successful like that of social media posts.”

“Students don’t take well to lectures anymore,” said Johnston. “They want to be active participants.”

Johnston includes real-world examples by having professionals with hands-on experience as guest speakers.

“I feel that this class gives me an edge over the competition in the field of social media,” said Stern, “especially with social media becoming an increasingly important medium in the world.”

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Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

Features

The Pittsburgh wing spot

Local restaurant gains popularity with a menu of more than 100 flavors KEON BUTLER Staff Writer

ktb5239@psu.edu

On the recommendation of one of his teammates, freshman basketball player Mike Haroun, from Anaheim, Calif., recently ordered wings from a new shop in Monaca, Big Shot Bob’s House of Wings.

Haroun called in the order in advance late in the evening after practice, then drove with a friend to downtown Monaca to pick them up.

Big Shot Bob’s is located in a former pizza shop, and it looks like it.

It’s not an eat-in establishment, but does offer delivery in addition to take out. And the decor is more typical of a Pizza Joe’s than a wing shop.

The store, part of a chain of restaurants across the Pittsburgh region, is designed with many signs and bright neon lights.

The Roar/ Keon Butler

Big Shot Bob’s offers more than 100 different wing flavors, many named in honor of Pittsburgh places and sports legends.

When one visits, the irresistible smell of deep fried chicken wings in more than 100 flavors penetrates your nose as you walk through the door.

Haroun said Big Shot Bob’s is a reliable food option with nice employees that care about their customers. On his visit he was welcomed to taste several flavors, but

recommends getting the honey BBQ wings with a side of fries.

If you’re looking for a dinein experience, the Big Shot Bob’s House of Wings located in Hopewell Township offers the option to sit in to eat or delivery.

The unique restaurant is based out of Pennsylvania and was named after NBA star Robert Horry who won seven championship rings.

The first restaurant opened in Avalon in 2007, and now the chain has 18 restaurants across the tri-state region, with three more slated to open this year.

In addition to its exhaustive menu of wet and dry flavors, Big Shot Bob’s is also known for serving some of the largest chicken wings.

With so many flavors to choose from, Monaca Manager Deanna Baron recommends the “Three Riv-

ers” featuring honey mustard, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing as her personal favorite. The “Talk of Beaver Falls” featuring a hot and tangy flavor is one of the top sellers, she said.

Being a Pittsburgh-based chain, many of the wing flavors are named after local towns and sports heroes.

Big Shot Bob’s offers more than just wings, though, with burgers, sandwiches and even salads on the menu.

Baron insisted that the “Big Aristotle,” a cheeseburger made with two grilled cheese sandwiches instead of the bun, and the “Rodeo” western cheeseburger with bacon, mushrooms, onion rings and BBQ sauce are both great choices.

Taylor Myers, a senior from San Antonio, also recommends Big Shot Bob’s. She said it’s a great late night option for food for college students.

Apps help students find discounts, save money SOPHIA KRAMER Staff Writer

srk5268@psu.edu

Searching around for lower prices can be inconvenient and time consuming for busy students, but apps, discount sites and web browser extensions can help student dollars go farther.

Among the many helpful discount tools are web browser extensions, such as Honey and Ebates, which automatically detect better deals or offer cash back on certain sites.

The user, the business offering the discount and the online service all benefit when using such extensions, explained Karen Barr, assistant teaching professor of business.

“They’re getting exposure and helping draw customers to businesses,” Barr said.

“It’s almost like a symbiotic rela-

tionship between businesses and Ebates,” Barr added.

“They’re helping each other to make money.”

“People who use Ebates will change their shopping patterns so they can maximize their check,” Barr added.

Apps are another easy moneysaving tool. Groupon is a go-to for freshman Maria Slater.

“It helps me get online coupons for purchases and for various stores,” Slater said.

Senior Sam Sharpless uses a similar app, RetailMeNot, to find discount codes for his soccer equipment and clothes.

For sneaker lovers, the apps StockX and GOAT were praised.

“Using GOAT helps me reach more potential buyers for my shoes,” sophomore Chris Jones said.

Junior Elon Lindsay recommended StockX. “I find legit shoes for sale or trade on her,” Lindsay said.

Another app called UniDays offers discounts exclusively to college students.

Sophomore Zelma Daye uses UniDays. “It’s nice for finding good deals when I’m travelling around different Penn State campuses,” said Daye.

There are several businesses near campus such as Target, Walmart, Panera, McDonald’s and Starbucks, which have apps that can be used to save money and earn rewards.

Even without an app, students can save money. Showing a student ID at several restaurants near campus can conveniently earn students a discount without any use of technology.

“They want to establish a brand

image and it shows their concern about the community,” said Professor of Business Talha Harcar. “This is called social-societal marketing.”

Harcar suggested students sign up for loyalty programs and use social media to learn about discounts and online coupons.

Saving money can be an easy, fun experience, and small savings add up, but Barr cautioned that students shouldn’t spend beyond their means simply to secure a discount. ”Living within your means is the No. 1 most important thing,” Barr advised.

“In general, you can still have an enjoyable life while cutting corners along the way,” Barr added.

“Instead of eating out all the time, you could make a sandwich, or instead of buying a coffee, make your own,” she said.

The Roar/ Sophia Kramer

These free apps can help you save money on your next purchase.

February 2019

Features

Penn State Beaver Roar

15

Top left: Alec Keriotis and Anthony Santilo paint bird houses at the Sisters of Saint Joseph Beautification Project.

Top right: Coltin Kunz volunteers at the Sisters of Saint Joseph with Director of Student Affairs Christopher Rizzo as a part of its Beautification Project.

Students take a ‘day on’ Penn State Beaver student’s took to locations such as the Sisters of Saint Joseph and the Franklin Center of Beaver County for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Most college students long for any day off that they can get, however, more than 25 students participated in a “day on” to honor the life and

legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Projects included activities such as the Sisters of Saint Joseph Beautification project.

The beautification project included students building bird houses as well as other construction projects to help the area.

Students also took part in volun-

teering for the Franklin Center of Beaver County. While there, students organized and worked in the food pantry.

At the Franklin Center of Beaver County students also baked cookies for local nursing homes.

A day off turned into a day on for the students of Penn State Beaver.

Middle right: Maddy Shaof and Brenna Cepull sort the community food pantry at the Franklin Center of Beaver County.

Bottom right: Jonah Sally, Shane Cepull and Maddy Shaof bake cookies for local nursing homes at the Franklin Center of Beaver County.

February 2019

Sports

Penn State Beaver Roar

Hall of Honor inducts alumni

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Penn State Beaver inducted five new members into its Hall of Honor at a ceremony Feb. 9.

Hall of Honor inductees must be former athletes, coaches or administrators who earned a letter in a varsity sport, achieved a superior accomplishment in a sport or made a significant contribution to the Beaver athletics program.

The class includes: Beaver County native Ed DeChellis was a basketball player at Penn State Beaver for two seasons in 197779. After graduating from Penn State in 1982, DeChellis began his storied coaching career where he’s been the head coach at East Tennessee State for seven years, Penn State University for eight years and has been the head coach at the U.S. Naval Academy since 2011.

He’s led his teams to conference championships, NCAA tournaments, won the NIT in 2009 and has been named coach of the year multiple times in the Southern Conference and the Big Ten. He currently has over 350 career wins.

DeChellis

Freyermuth

Korey Freyermuth was a standout softball pitcher and third-baseman who attended Penn State Beaver from 2009 to 2013.

Freyermuth boasts a career ERA of 2.58 with 453 strikeouts and 55 wins, which are current Penn State Beaver records. She was just as dominant on the offensive side of the ball batting over .400 in her senior season with 24 career homeruns, another Penn State Beaver record.

Freyermuth led her team to backto-back PSUAC championships in 2012 and 2013. She earned three USCAA All-American awards, three PSUAC All-Conference Awards, two Pitcher of the Year awards and was named USCAA Player of the Week four times and PSUAC Player of the Week and/or PSUAC Pitcher of the

Fetchin

Amalia

Week nine times.

Zach “Fetch” Fetchin attended Penn State Beaver from 2006 to 2010 where he was a 2,000-point scorer on the basketball team.

In 2009 and 2010, Fetchin helped lead his team to the PSUAC Championship as well as leading the USCAA in scoring in the 2008-09 season. He earned three USCAA All-American awards, two PSUAC Player-of-the-Year awards and five PSUAC Player-of-the-Week accolades. Bob Amalia attended Penn State Beaver for two years where he was a two-year starter and letterman on the basketball team. He led in assists both years and was First-Team All-Skyline Conference during the 1975-1976 season. He set a school record for 15 assists in a game.

Bob Amalia started coaching the Blackhawk American Legion baseball team in 1988.

Since then they have won 515 Bires of 665 games.

The Blackhawk High School baseball teams which he has coached from 1999 to the present have amassed a record of 166 wins and 77 losses.

His Blackhawk high school team won the WPIAL championship in 2004, the first in school history, and was PIAA western and WPIAL finalists three times each.

Amalia led his 2003 American Legion team to a State Championship and he has guided his legion teams to the state finals twice. Amalia’s teams have garnered numerous regional and county championships and his teams have participated in the National Legion Tournament four times.

Amalia was inducted into the American Legion Hall of Fame in 2001.

17

Mike Bires enrolled as a freshman at Penn State Beaver in 1972 where he took his first journalism class and played on the college’s baseball team.

An IUP graduate in English, he began his journalism career with the Beaver County Times in 1977 and has continued to serve as a sports reporter for The Times for more than four decades.

Bires has covered WPIAL and PIAA championship events, basketball games in the Big East and NCAA tournaments, PGA and LPGA tour events including three U.S. Open championships, championship boxing fights and seven Super Bowls.

Since 1999, he’s been The Times primary reporter covering the Pittsburgh Steelers.

His work has been recognized nationally by the Associated Press Sports Editors and regionally with awards from the Keystone Press and Golden Quill.

Bires is a 2013 inductee into the Beaver County Hall of Fame in 2016.

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Penn State Beaver Roar February 2019

Sports

Men’s basketball falls to Mont Alto LIBBY THOMAS Staff Writer

axt408@psu.edu

The Penn State Beaver men’s basketball team lost to Penn State Mont Alto 69-52 on the road Feb. 19 in the quarterfinal of the Penn State University Athletic Conference.

The loss brings Beaver’s season to an end with an overall 16-10 record, 12-7 in the conference.

The team finished fourth in the PSUAC-West standings.

Mont Alto jumped ahead early with a 9-0 run and maintained the lead throughout, despite some strong attempts by Beaver.

Junior John Foster topped the scoring with 19 points and nine rebounds. Freshman Sonny Martinez scored 10 points.

Beaver turned a losing program with a 9-16 record last year into a winning season. “The team is excited for the opportunity to go to playoffs considering that they have been working extremely hard since Octo-

The Roar/ Matlyda Zamudio

Keon Butler, center, cuts through Penn State York’s defense Feb. 16.

ber,” Coach Brian Bibey said before the game.

The team came together strong this year and built a new type of chemistry that is playing a huge factor in this year’s success, players said.

“It was different at first because

nobody knew each other, but now it’s normal because we know each other so well,” sophomore Andrew Brady said.

Bibey agreed with the players that the chemistry is beneficial for the team. “Every team is different and

has different qualities. We just have to take it one game at a time.”

Bibey said the chemistry on the team has evolved this year and believes that is why they’ve had such a successful season.

In December, Beaver had more wins than losses, and from January to February continued the season with nine wins and five losses.

Beaver headed into February with two losses against Fayette Feb. 4 and Greater Allegheny Feb. 6. The team quickly picked up the tempo by going on a four-game winning streak with an 82-65 win Feb. 8 against Hazleton, a 71-53 win Feb. 9 against Schuylkill, a 71-64 win Feb. 13 over DuBois, and a 90-56 win Feb. 14 over New Kensington.

DuBois was not an easy win. “It was close because they came out ready and we didn’t,” said Brady.

Beaver secured a significant win against New Kensington with Foster leading with 29 points, followed by Brady with 24.

Beaver lost its final regular-season matchup Feb. 16 to York 73-54.

Brady earned a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while sophomore Keon Butler earned 13 points and rebounds.

York pushed a 12-point lead in the second half, and Beaver failed to score at critical opportunities.

“I’m heated about losing,” Foster said. “If some calls wouldn’t have gone their way, it would have been a totally different ball game.”

Foster admitted getting into foul trouble early in the game and took responsibility for the loss.

Foster said Beaver’s challenge in the season was proving people wrong. Beaver has a reputation of having a losing season, he said, and it was important to change that.

Butler said the team’s mindset in the playoffs was full of positivity. He believes in Bibey’s understanding of the game and says the strategies he uses will bring them success moving forward.

Hockey team returns to the rink, loses first game NICK CAIN Staff Writer

ndc5152@psu.edu

After not playing a game since the middle of November due to multiple game cancellations, the Penn State Beaver Fightin’ Beav’s are back.

They lost to the Community College of Allegheny County South Feb. 13 4-3 in a shootout.

The Fightin’ Beav’s came off strong for this matchup, scoring two goals early in the first period.

CCAC South was quick to answer with two goals, turning the match into an even playing field.

The Fightin’ Beav’s took the lead with just seconds left in the second period. CCAC South did not take this lightly and scored within three minutes into the third, tying the game once again.

During this period, both teams played a strong defense taking the

The Roar/ Nicholas Cain

Captain Brendan Rossi moves the puck down the ice Feb. 13 against Community College of Allegheny County South.

game into overtime.

Neither of the two teams scored in overtime, turning the game into

a shootout. While freshman goalie Gage Lechance was making great saves throughout, CCAC South

scored first, leaving Beaver with a 4-5 record on the season.

Ironically, Beaver had beaten CCAC South 7-3 in late October.

Sophomore defenseman Jackson Glenn said despite the loss, he was pleased with Wednesday night’s performance.

“It was a tough game. CCAC South is always a tricky team to play.

It’s always hard when a game gets brought into overtime, and you end up losing.”

Glenn said the extended time off had nothing to do with the team’s performance.

“Hockey is an easy sport to get back into, even if you don’t play it in a while. Throughout the time off, I still worked out, keeping myself in shape, preparing for this match.”

Assistant Coach and senoir Dominic Rossi disagreed.“I believe the time off broke the team up in a sense

for this game,” Rossi said. “It didn’t seem as if the Beav’s were actually playing as a team. I saw a lot of solo effort out there.”

With the rain and snow throughout the months of January and February, the Robert Morris Island Sports Complex was forced to cancel multiple scheduled games for the Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Roller Hockey League.

The complex did work on resolving the issue, fixing the schedule to make up all the lost games due to the weather conditions.

The Fightin’ Beav’s have five games left in the remainder of the season. They will have to faceoff with CCAC South one more time in March.

The rest of the matchups will be between Clarion and Duquesne, two teams that had given Beaver trouble early in the season.

February 2019

Sports

Penn State Beaver Roar

19

Lady Lions move on to semifinals MATYLDA ZAMUDIO Staff Writer

mmz5236@psu.edu

The Penn State Beaver women’s basketball team advanced to the semifinals after taking down Penn State DuBois 88-60 Feb. 19 in the first round of the Penn State University Athletic Conference playoffs.

The Lady Lions got off on the right foot early, with the defense forcing six turnovers to help Beaver forge an 11-2 run in the first five minutes of the game.

With the clock running out in the first quarter, sophomore Diamond Thomas drove right to the basket for a last-second layup to put Beaver ahead by 14 points. In the second, DuBois had trouble rebounding the ball and getting stops, which prompted the Lady Lions to pull ahead by 24-points to wrap the first half 51-27.

In the final half of the game, Beaver continued to dominate both ends of the floor and built its largest lead of 37 points at the 6:02 in the third off another Thomas layup. While the ladies of DuBois outscored Beaver in the fourth, the early deficit was too much for DuBois to recover from, and Beaver earned a spot in the PSUAC semifinals.

Beaver’s record in now 21-4 overall and 13-2 in the conference.

The Lady Lions made their presence known early in the season after they won six of their first seven games, including a notable 90-68 victory against United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I team Saint Mary-of-theWoods College on Nov. 10.

Coach Sean Strickland said the win showed how much progress the team has made since last season.

“I thought when we beat a USCAA Division I team, that showed that we’ve come a long way since last year,” he said.

By the latter half of the season, the Lady Lions’ perfect 7-0 conference record placed them on top of the PSUAC-Western standings. On Jan. 25 they met their toughest challenge yet when they faced the No. 1 team

The Roar/Matylda Zamudio

Above: Freshman Emily Keener (No. 40) and Sophomore Diamond Thomas (No. 4) collide into a DuBois play while trying to recieve the ball. Below: Emily Keener shoots the ball into the basket while avoiding DuBois player.

in the PSUAC-East, rival Penn State Lehigh Valley, which had defeated Beaver in the PSUAC Final Four match last year.

The score remained tight for the first half, with Beaver behind by 5 points at halftime. At 8:58, Beaver was on the brink of a comeback after Thomas sunk a 3-point jumper on an assist by freshman Jimya Chambers, making it a one-score game. However, at 5:42, Lehigh Valley made a 7-0 run and pulled away with a

13-point lead.

With only 34 seconds to go in the game, a foul by Lehigh Valley sent Thomas to the free-throw line, where she hit both of her shots and brought Beaver’s deficit down to only 9 points. But Beaver didn’t have enough time to get over the hump and lost, 70-60.

Thomas said the team didn’t play strong enough early in the game.

“Their team is like us. They go up and down the court and they’re just as fast as us, so that was really like a hit to us because there are not many teams that keep up with us runningwise and physical-wise.”

Chambers said since the game was so close, she’s confident that if Beaver faces Lehigh Valley again, the outcome will be different.

“We only lost to them by 10, but we got close. We were down by like 2 (points) at one point, I think in the third quarter, and it just slipped away,” she said. “I think next time it will be better.”

But the Lady Lions bounced back with a 65-59 win in their following road match against two-time defend-

ing PSUAC champs Penn State Brandywine on Jan. 26.

Fresh off the loss to Lehigh Valley, Thomas said that it was a mustwin for Beaver to keep its No. 1 spot in its division, and the team didn’t give up and pulled through despite trailing at the end of the first three quarters.

“Nobody put their heads down that game because that’s a big problem having freshmen. They make a mistake and just want to put their heads down and kind of give up,” Thomas said.

“But in that game, we just kept playing no matter what. When we made a mistake, it was like, ‘oh, well,’ and we just went to the next play,” she added.

Strickland said the Brandywine victory was an important game that showed Beaver can compete with the top teams in the conference.

“You know to beat Brandywine, the two-time defending champs, it showed our team that we’re good enough, we’re tough enough, to compete with the best teams in our league,” Strickland said.

“Brandywine was definitely one of the top games we played,” Thomas said.

Although the winter break and three rescheduled conference games hindered the team from being at peak shape for the last stretch of the season, the Lady Lions won their final five conference matches against Penn State Hazleton, Schuylkill, DuBois, New Kensington and York by at least a 23-point margin.

Strickland said that in order to get to the championship, the team needs to make it a full-court game.

“Our defense and the pressure we put on other teams is our strength right now. We create a lot of offense from our defense,” Strickland said.

“However, in the playoffs, you also need to be able to execute offensively in half-court situations.”

“For us to win a championship, we will need to be the best we’ve been all year with our offensive efficiency during the playoffs,” he added.

Strickland said that securing home-court during the playoffs gives Beaver an added level of comfort and a much better chance of making a championship appearance.

“We have won our last 15 home games against conference teams,” he said. “It’s definitely a place we feel comfortable playing at, and we really appreciate the crowd support at home.”

With a dominant finish to the regular season, Thomas said there is a very high possibility that Beaver will face Lehigh Valley in the PSUAC Championship, which would mean the world to her.

“The only time we’re going to see them is if we make it to the championship. So, us playing them in the championship because we lost to them, that redemption would just mean so much more (to me),” Thomas said.

“I’m definitely excited for it.”

The Lady Lions will face Penn State Brandywine at home in the PSUAC semifinal game Feb. 22. A win will lead the team to the championship matchup Feb. 24 in the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park.

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