The Slate 12-5-23

Honors College denies Accessibility Board, B1

SUMB Preforms in Prague, C1

Chovanes student artist spotlight, D1

Men’s basketball starts 1-1 in PSAC play, E1

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Volume 67 No. 12

SGA swears in new VP of Finance Ian thompson

Asst. News Editor

Reporting truth. Serving our community.

Jantz cruises into new career as DCNR deputy secretary Allyson Ritchey

Multimedia Director

Photo courtesy of the Student Government Association Junior Katie Huston, SGA’s new Vice President of Finance.

Katie Huston was sworn in as the Student Government Association’s next Vice President of Finance at SGA’s Nov. 30 public meeting.

Huston is a junior English major with a mathematics minor who has served as The Slate’s business manager since May 2022.

The V.P. of Finance position has been vacant since April, when the 2023–2024 SGA term began. Despite being on the ballot four times between spring and fall 2023, no candidates were declared for the position. Huston was chosen by an ad-hoc committee formed to find someone to fill the role.

Huston has already begun leading Budget & Finance (B&F), which is responsible for crafting the SGA budget that distributes student activity fees to student groups, boards and other expenses. The 2024–2025 budget season is underway, and Huston and B&F will be working over the coming months to review budget proposals and find ways to balance the budget.

Two members from each student group are required to attend at least one Student Group Budget Training. The two remaining time slots are Dec. 5 at 3:30 p.m. in Orndorff Theater and Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. in CUB 103. Groups who wish to have an operating budget next semester will need to submit a physical budget request form, provided at the training,

by Jan. 29 at 4 p.m.

SGA also heard from Rangeline DeJesus, the current student trustee. DeJesus, who will be graduating in the spring, spoke about her experiences in the role and the process for appointing a new student trustee.

Applications will open in December and run until Jan. 31. Candidates will be interviewed by a committee, before three are suggested to and reviewed by the university president and chair of the Council of Trustees. Once they have decided on a candidate, that choice is sent to the PASSHE chancellor and Pennsylvania governor for approval.

V.P. of External Affairs Lillian Sellers gave a report from the university’s ADA/504 Compliance Committee. Sellers said that the meeting was useful for the university to hear student feedback, but had cemented her “disappointment in SU’s administration in its efforts toward accessibility here, which is little to none.”

President Harun Pacavar also confirmed Ari Stevens’ resignation as the senator for the College of Education and Human Services.

Senators Sharifi and Schannauer advertised the open recruitment for resident assistants. “Being an RA is a wonderful experience and I highly recommend it,” Schannauer said.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

A yellow bike sits outside Shearer Hall. Day by day, Claire Jantz commutes to Shippensburg University where she has worked in the Department of Geography and Earth Science since 2005. Her canary cruiser is how students and faculty alike know she is around campus.

However, after 19 years at SU, this bicycle may not be around as often as Jantz starts the next chapter of her life as the newest Deputy Secretary for Conservation and Technical Services at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

“It’s super hard to be leaving Shippensburg University, where for the past 18-plus years they’ve fostered my growth and allowed me to pursue all kinds of harebrained ideas, but I’m excited for the next chapter,” Jantz said.

When Jantz first stepped foot in Shippensburg, for her interview after finishing her dissertation at the University of Maryland, it was a foggy day. “We were walking by buildings, and I couldn’t even see them,” she said. She said she could not even see any of the landscape, because the fog was so heavy, which is funny for a geography person. However, by the end of the interview, she really wanted the job.

It was almost as if the job had been created for her. The university wanted someone who can do land use, someone who does geographic information systems, someone who teaches classes like urban geography and someone who could get engaged with Shippensburg’s Center for Land Use and Sustainability (CLUS). That someone was Jantz.

Coming from a background of large universities like the University of Tennessee where she completed her undergraduate degree and the University of Maryland where she completed her doctorate degree, Jantz was astonished by Shippensburg’s commitment to its students.

“I always felt like we were just kind of like slipping through the cracks, like, it’s hard to get to know a particular professor or feel like you’re part of a department because there’s just so much other stuff going on,” Jantz explained of her own education. “And here, it is really clear that the faculty are super committed to the students.”

SU’s Geography and Earth Science Department likes to foster a strong student culture through social activities and field trips with its students. This culture continues after graduation. Jantz has had students stay friends after

they leave Shippensburg and even get married.

When the announcement about her new career was released, Jantz received many emails from alumni working at DCNR congratulating her.

In her time at Shippensburg University, Jantz started out teaching World Geography but has moved into teaching Introduction to Environmental Sustainability, Land Use, Urban Geography and Biogeography. For graduate-level students, she teaches a class in land use science, which is what her background is in.

“We’re looking at regional scale issues and trying to understand the environmental, social, political, economic drivers of land use dynamics,” Jantz said. “So, if you’re looking at urbanization, like why are people building where they’re building? Why are the rates as fast or as slow as they are? Those kinds of questions.”

In 2015, Jantz became the director of the Center of Land Use and Sustainability at Shippensburg University, which has worked on different projects such as sustainability and economic impacts of trails, housing affordability and housing quality issues. In her time with the CLUS, she has gotten to collaborate more with agencies like DCNR. “I just got a much broader view of using the lens of sustainability to look at a lot of different issues and what we call applied science, which is kind of doing science to help decisionmakers make better decisions,” Jantz said.

For Jantz, her top accomplishment while at SU has been revitalizing the CLUS. The Center has really helped get university students out into the community and raise visibility for SU. Every single CLUS project has students working on it. Students get to apply the skill sets they learn in the classroom. CLUS Fellows have gone on to work with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the Franklin County Conservation District, for example.

“It’s been great to, you know, hear from our CLUS alumni, to know that their experience at the CLUS helped them get their first job out of college and has helped them to progress through their career. So that’s all super rewarding,” Jantz said. “I know the work that we do here at Shippensburg has an impact because I know we’re educating the next generation of students.”

As for the future of the Center, Russell Hedberg will be the new director. Hedberg is associate professor of geography at Shippensburg University. Jantz is confident that Hedberg and the CLUS will strive after she is gone.

“I can’t tell you exactly what it’s going to be

Photo courtesy of Claire Jantz

Professor Claire Jantz is planning to retire after 19 years of working at Shippensburg.

like, but I know it’s going to be really great,” Jantz said.

For individuals concerned about not being able to see the famed yellow bike around Shearer Hall, do not fear just yet. Jantz will be transitioning to DCNR after commencement later this month, but that does not mean she will leave Shippensburg University forever.

Jantz’s yellow bike may still be seen on campus on a regular basis as she still comes to Shearer Hall for lunch with acquaintances. Additionally, she will continue to help a graduate student with his thesis by staying on his committee until he graduates. She has also been approved by the department to be an adjunct professor.

“I hope that I get called if and when teaching opportunities come up because, I mean, I still live in Shippensburg, and I’m going to continue to live in Shippensburg, and I love to teach. And so, if that opportunity is there, I definitely want to come back and teach,” Jantz said.

This immense love for teaching is also why it is difficult for Jantz to leave Shippensburg University. “I love everybody that I work with, and I love all of our students, and I get a lot out of teaching still,” Jantz said.

The thought about working at DCNR had always been at the back of Jantz’s mind, especially with all the collaborations between DCNR and CLUS. For Jantz, DCNR has an important mission that also aligns with her own values.

She always imagined working for DCNR after she retired, like a second career.

See “JANTZ,” A2

Where The Wild Things Aren’t Jade Pennyman Staff Contributor

Shippensburg University’s Sociology and Anthropology Department hosted an information session on zoo sociology with University of Pennsylvania Sociology Professor David Grazian. The event was held from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Stewart Hall.

Grazian is a professor of sociology and communication and the faculty director of the urban studies program. Grazian primarily focuses on culture, mass media, arts, cities and urban sociology, but he has spent four years as a volunteer zookeeper and dedicated 600 hours of fieldwork researching on zoos and animal life in metropolitan areas.

Grazian discovered many attributes of the life of exotic animals placed in the captivity of zoos. He discovered that zoos share common similarities with his research on culture and learned that both are important where workers can perform expressive and utilitarian labor in order to make culture performances come to life.

Grazian said, “Zoos reflect how humans construct the natural world both literally and figuratively,” meaning when people visit zoo exhibits, it is staged to accurately represent the living conditions of the animals if they were still in the wild. Grazian became fascinated with new naturalism, which refers to zoo exhibits becoming more naturalistic. Zoos want their exhibits to represent nature.

Grazian discovered that some animals

benefited while others suffered creating a series of dilemmas. When creating a fantasy world at a zoo exhibit, cable wires are commonly used to keep the animals from escaping, but they can create more harm than good. Grazian said, “unfortunately, electric cables can shock animals, but often, they don’t work. Thick skinned animals can withstand high voltages, and some animals can short circuit the cables.”

Grazian shared with Shippensburg students about a case that happened at the Woodland Zoo in Seattle, Washington, where an orangutan learned to entertain himself by electrocuting himself with a windowpane that sent shocks through his body.

Grazian touched on environmental and behavioral enrichments, which are things given to the animals that stimulate natural behaviors. There are some exhibits that provide the animals with resources that are beneficial, while others do not. “There are jaguars that play with square blocks, balls, and kegs ... one doesn’t expect to see beer kegs in a naturalistic zoo exhibit,” Grazian said.

To deal with these dilemmas, nature makers rely on strategies that involve censoring nature, spatial controlling and simulations. These are productive ways to improve the lifestyle of the animals and to the people visiting exhibits.

“The takeaway is that zoos rely on nature makers to negotiate among competing cultural and organizational demands in order to bring the naturalistic zoo exhibit to life,” Grazian said.

At the end of the presentation, attendees asked Grazian questions to further their

Grace Harbour / The Slate

University of Pennsylvania sociology professor David Grazian speaks on zoo exhibit naturalism and enrichment of animals within zoo habitats.

understandings. One person asked, “Zoos have been pushed to think more about conservation, and they have displayed their positive ethological role more. Can you talk more about how it has changed over time?”

Grazian explained that zoos have realized that they are conservation centers and dedicate time to building space in zoos to promote and advertise their conservation efforts.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Opinion

B1

The Slate Speaks:

Do we belong here? The harm of performative activism A disabled student’s perspective

Adam Beam/The Slate

The Woods Honors College execuitve board voted against the formation of an accessibility committee. The committee was intended to provide assistance to disabled and non-able bodied students within the college.

Lillian Sellers

Guest Contributor

Nothing about us without us — perhaps if you have had an introductory dive into learning about disability justice, you have heard this phrase. This forgotten mantra is the bare minimum disabled people ask for when it comes to disability policies.

Unfortunately, on the Shippensburg University campus, this simple sentiment could not be more disregarded. Now, you may see SU advertising its “accessible” academic buildings and inclusive DEI programs and wondering what I could possibly mean? Perhaps you see me in my power wheelchair zooming through the CUB to my next meeting and assume SU must be an accessible and equitable place.

The sheer presence of disabled people does not mean we are here because our needs are being met.

However, so many of us, whether our disabilities can be seen or not, face an incredible amount of pushback from the very administration that is supposed to support us.

I had the opportunity to speak with SU President Charles Patterson earlier in the year. At the time, I did not want to bring up any specifics or be uncharitable to the administration. I decided to simply ask a basic question: what current efforts is Shippensburg University undergoing to work toward being more accessible? I was told outright — nothing.

The university’s only approach is to scramble to address issues as they arise. I found myself at an event later that week answering questions about accessibility resources and was asked the same question. What is our university doing? I found myself unfortunately echoing the words of the president as well as expressing

how sorry I was that this was the case. I felt like nothing more than a cog in the machine at that moment.

Ever since my first year at SU, all I wanted was to be included and accepted. I found myself completely shut out from the very beginning. SU does not offer accessible housing to accommodate those with mobility aids. It is more than apparent the very few accessible rooms are only there to check off boxes. I could not even turn my chair around in these rooms. My wheelchair could not fit in the bathroom, and there would be no way for me to use the shower.

I asked if it would be possible to look at a larger style of suite, but I was told none of them were ADA compliant. Additionally, if you live on the first floor of a building there is an additional heavy door to actually access the hallway, and as you may have guessed, there is no push button to open it. All around campus you’ll find odd roundabout accessible routes or unreliable elevators.

Multiple times, I have had to miss classes due to elevators breaking down. Luckily, my professors have been understanding and just as frustrated with the situation as I was.

I have spoken with many disabled students who have faced similar difficulties as well as different struggles I have been very taken aback by. One such case is a recent fight for accessibility in the Woods Honors College. There are many stipulations to be able to join and stay as a part of the honors program here at SU, with one of the requirements being community service. It has been brought to my knowledge that the majority of volunteering opportunities offered to students for these service hours involve physical labor. The hours and events are managed by the honors service committee. If alternate events are eligible to earn these hours the

committee has not made it clear.

A group of students who are all part of the Honors College came together to try to form an accessibility committee to not only advise the service committee on how to offer accessible opportunities but help the Honors College as a whole work to become a more accessible place.

Its main focus is on making spaces for honor students more accessible and addressing elitist and ableist attitudes within the program.

Recently, the Honors College executive leadership committee voted to deny the formation of an accessibility committee. Now I have been told multiple conflicting accounts of why this happened.

When reached out for comment, since the committee members voted in private, it was stated there was no unified reason for the denial.

Through my role in student government, I was able to sit in on the ADA/504 Committee meeting this quarter. Allow me to give you a peek behind the curtain. Immediately, I could tell the majority were there just as a formality. None of them had examined inaccessibilities around them nor had anything to report.

If I was not there to bring student concerns, the meeting would have been open and shut quite quickly.

I was near anger hearing housing and facilities had nothing to bring forward. This only cemented my disappointment in this institution.

I am writing this opinion piece as a disabled student, not as a student government leader, although I do have the privilege of sitting in on these meetings. My own personal feedback as well as the concerns of other students I bring up feel secondary to the administration’s bottom line.

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some capacity. Influencers and celebrities are sometimes forced to participate in it, too. Instead of finding accurate information, sources, fundraisers, etc., public figures release a short video or post a picture to avoid getting hate, which is pointless without follow up information. Simply, performative activism has gotten out of hand because people are becoming incapable of doing the right thing privately and care more about aesthetically supporting a cause. The dislike for performative activism comes more when it is a company or organization for profit than from a celebrity A lot of celebrities and influencers are guilty of being performative activists. This is mainly because they feel pressured by people to speak up so they just end up saying something just to say something, not because they actually mean it. It is so obvious to tell which celebrities/influencers actually care for the cause vs. ones that lazily repost something on their story. While many do not agree with this type of activism, those same people would feel like people push them to that point. Obviously if they cared enough about the cause, they would have said something on their own before their entire comment section got flooded with them to speak up. But I also cannot stand celebrities who are like “I don’t think what I say will make a difference” *cough* Selena Gomez like you seriously think your voice will not make a difference to the 400 million people who follow you? Ultimately we should stop focusing on celebrities and influencers, and just try our best to speak up ourselves.

See ‘DISABILITY’ B2

Where’s your voice?

•

As social movements truly began to take to the streets in the 2010s, it aligned almost perfectly with the social media boom. Suddenly, millions of people all over the world were able to post their support of any ideology or hot-button issue they wanted. Social media also made it easier for celebrities to communicate to their fan bases as well. However, as these two elements correspond, it gave rise to a new wave of performative activism.

Personally thinking back, the Black Lives Matter movement spiked in 2020. A lot of people posted on stories, but I do not know that those people fundraised for the efforts, educated people in their personal lives, voted in elections, etc. — really anything other than saying something quick online.

Performance activism always leads people to think of the 2020 protests when thousands of people posted black squares on their Instagram or Twitter feeds.

While it can raise awareness of causes it allows for people to “do something” without doing anything. Words only get so far unfortunately.

While it can help, influencers speaking on their opinions of causes can vary in the benefits.

On one hand, it is freedom of speech and if they cite good sources it is good info. However, their platforms can be so large that any misinformation they say can do a ton of harm towards movements, well intended or not Performative activism has become so normalized lately to a point where many do not feel a need to take real action anymore, because at least they are “spreading awareness” in

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Tuesday, December 5, 2023

B2

Red heart or red flag: Abuse romanticized in media Madi Shively Ship Life Editor

“That’s what we do! We fight!” he yells at her. He kicks over a table, swears at her and even threatens to hate her if she leaves. Afterward, as Ally walks to her car to escape the argument, Noah suddenly becomes soft and kind, begging her to stay, and when she resists, he becomes angry again and says he is not afraid to hurt her feelings before invalidating her decision yet again.

This may sound like a domestically abusive argument. This is actually a scene from one of the most popular romance films of all time, “The Notebook.”

Though this film is full of cursing, crying and even indirect threats of suicide, Nicholas Sparks’ “The Notebook” is lauded as the pinnacle of a true love story. While arguments, persistence, ultimatums and kissing in the rain may be fun to watch for the entertainment of a romance film, it may subconsciously enforce unhealthy and harmful expectations for a relationship.

One trope often portrayed in the media that is particularly bothersome is the “grumpy and sunshine” trope (e.g., Luke and Lorelai, Harry and Sally, etc.). In this, the icy, pessimistic character (often male) falls in love with the optimistic character with a sunny disposition (often female) and it is shown that the pessimist has a soft spot only for them while hating everyone else.

This also may fall under the “bad boy” trope, where a troubled man needs to be saved by the love of a good woman. Most often in these tropes, we witness the optimist spending time with people other than the pessimist. Once the pessimist discovers this, they act out and become possessive, encouraging the optimist to sever ties with others. While this can be a fun binge read in a romance novel, this behavior can result in signs of emotional abuse, such as isolation.

While some of us may dream of being told “no one else can have you,” three of the main warning signs that someone may be an abuser are if they exhibit behaviors such as extreme jealousy, possessiveness and unpredictability. Isolation is not always achieved through force; it may be asserted through more subtle forms of manipulation, such as pressure tactics or enforcing guilt onto the victim. By cutting off the victim’s other relationships, it can disaffiliate the victim from their community, making it easier for the abuser to influence their own beliefs upon the victim.

Non-consensual sex is also often romanticized in the media. The film adaptation of the novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” has grossed over $300 million worldwide since its release in 2015. While the film is praised as a steamy romance that demonstrates bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism (BDSM), there is an evident lack of mutual consent between protagonists Christian and Ana. Ana is clearly uncomfortable with Christian’s obsession with rough and harmful sex.

There is an evident power imbalance in this film: Christian is a billionaire CEO, whereas Ana is a young, sexually inexperienced college student. Christian stalks Ana at her job, chastises her clothing choices and eating habits, even pursuing her aggressively after she explicitly refuses to sign a dominant/submissive contract binding her to him. At one point in the film, Christian even breaks into Anastasia’s apartment after she calls off their relationship, seeking to “remind” her of what she’ll be missing.

The most harmful aspect of this film is that it blurs the lines between manipulative behavior and affection, negatively influencing millions to believe it is possible for love to manifest in emotional and physical abuse.

While some consider the film to be a spicy romance, “Fifty Shades of Grey” embraces emotionally manipulative and abusive behavior, portraying non-consensual sex as an erotic thrill in a culture where 43 percent of college

men admit to employing coercive behavior to have sex with an unwilling woman, according to CrisisConnectionInc. Films such as these can be acceptable to consume for the sake of entertainment, but this film is an instance in which life should not imitate art.

In these films, another message that is conveyed is that relationships filled with fighting and constant turmoil are what keep the relationship exciting and preserve the “spark.”

It’s easy to mistake the intense emotions that come with the highs and lows of an emotionally abusive relationship for love. Know this: it’s okay to not fight. Feeling safe and calm in a relationship does not equate to your partner growing bored of you. Let’s be clear: safety and boredom are not synonymous.

It concerns me when I see how audiences will often dismiss an abusive character portrayed in the media due to their looks. We’ve seen a recent resurgence of obsession over actor Jacob Elordi following his portrayal of Elvis Presley in A24’s “Priscilla,” despite the film attempting to reveal the emotionally volatile and abusive side of the king of rock and roll.

This does not only apply to fictional characters — in November, “comedian” Matt Rife made a joke about domestic violence in his recent Netflix special, “Natural Selection.” In the special, he joked about a female restaurant server with a black eye who took his order, when his friend suggested the restaurant should place the server in the kitchen so guests would not have to see her. Then, Rife suggested that “if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye.” It is sickening that a performer would consider domestic abuse and victim blaming to be cannon fodder for his next routine, but it is more devastating when we see how the career of Rife (and many other male comics) has been built off joking about misogyny, ableism and racism.

It is easier to decide the extent to which the media can influence us when we understand films and novels are pure fiction, but less so

when we turn to social media for life advice — especially when the algorithm is unaware of the exact situation. The side of TikTok and Instagram reels that solicits advice for longterm relationships or marriage advice (also known as #marriagetok) offers tips from couples on how to keep relationships thriving.

One potentially harmful message that is often perpetuated on this side of social media is that the key to a successful relationship is the “willingness to have hard conversations.”

While a relationship requires substantial communication to last, this advice may cause those in abusive relationships more harm than help.

By suggesting “tough conversations” are necessary, victims of abuse may be led to believe it is commonplace to endure hurtful and even frightening interactions for the sake of their relationship. This message may also enforce the idea that a victim is weak and unwilling to save their relationship if they cannot endure painful interactions. “Tough conversations” with your partner should not involve yelling, humiliation, violent behavior, ultimatums or fearing for your life.

In healthy relationships, difficult conversations are common to come across when an issue needs to be resolved, but a healthy conflict resolution never involves threatening, manipulation or belittlement. If you find yourself in a situation in which your partner disrespects, manipulates, isolates, or controls you, know that abuse is never your fault and help is always available.

To discuss signs of abuse with confidential resources on campus, contact the PAGE Center in CUB 232 (page@ship.edu) or the counseling center located in Naugle Hall (717-4771481).

If you or a student you know has been a victim of abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence or stalking, the University can help respond to your various needs as outlined in the Sexual Misconduct (Title IX) Policy.

Ridley Scott and bad history Ian Thompson Asst. News Editor

The year is 1815. Napoleon Bonaparte, returned from exile on the island of Elba, once again declares dominion over Europe. Four months later, blinded with overconfidence and faith in his own success, Napoleon was soundly defeated at Waterloo.

Ridley Scott, director of celebrated films such as “Alien,” “Gladiator,” “Hannibal,” and “The Martian,” seems similarly drunk on his own ego. His latest film, titled “Napoleon,” follows the conqueror from his rise through the ranks of the French revolutionary republic’s military to his eventual defeat and exile to the south Atlantic.

Unfortunately for those hoping to see a movie about one of the most influential historical figures of the 19th century, “Napoleon” fumbles at every possible opportunity. The acting, cinematography and score are all mediocre. But where the film suffers the most is its writing and history.

It will probably take a few months for someone to compile an exhaustive list of all the errors in this film. A few historians have made lists of the most egregious ones, but there are so many it would take longer than the movie’s runtime to effectively respond to its issues.

Ridley Scott’s response to historians’ critiques has been dismissive. After Dan Snow, a British historian, released a breakdown of historical inaccuracies in a trailer, Scott responded “Get a life.”

Throughout the film, historical events are twisted beyond recognition. One example can be found in Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt. It lasted more than a year but was given two short scenes. One of these shows his artillery firing upon the Great Pyramids of Giza, an event totally fabricated by the filmmakers.

Speaking with The Times, Scott said that the scene was “a fast way of saying he took Egypt.” That sums up the effort of ensuring historical accuracy for this film. While it portrays itself as a retelling of Napoleon’s story, its creators have little interest in what actually happened. If something looks cool, it does not matter whether or not it happened.

Films can engage in historical fiction. It is a well-trodden genre. The trouble comes when they do not distinguish themselves from history. “Inglourious Basterds” is an excellent example of a historical film that uses WWII to tell its own story. But no one comes out of Tarantino’s film thinking Adolf Hitler was killed in a movie theater by American commandos.

Unfortunately, “Napoleon” does not make that effort. Instead, it attempts to act like a serious retelling of history, while doing none of the legwork to be historically accurate.

Ridley Scott wanted to make a romantic comedy about the eccentric Napoleon and his wife Joséphine. Instead, he made a confused and poorly paced 158-minute disaster full of fiction disguised as a movie about history.

Worse still, he wasted an opportunity to tell a compelling story about one of the most famous historical figures. Like the man who he tried to depict in this film, Ridley Scott is too caught up in his past victories to realize he’s lost his touch.

Media censorship in the wake of war

Yusra Aden

Adam Beam/The Slate

Staff Contributor

A couple weeks ago, Elon Musk expressed that he would suspend accounts that use the phrase “from the river to the sea” on the platform X, most commonly known as Twitter. This is quite ironic considering that his aim with purchasing Twitter was supposedly to be a “platform for free speech around the globe” as he claimed in a TED interview.

“From the river to the sea” has been misconstrued as a chant for destruction and incitement for violence, but it is far from that. The river part of the phrase comes from the Jordan River and the sea refers to the Mediterranean Sea. Everything between the Jordan river and Mediterranean Sea includes Gaza, the West Bank and the rest of the ter-

ritory that is controlled by Israel. The chant follows with “Palestine will be free” which calls for the freedom of the Palestinians from Israeli occupation. It is no surprise that such a phrase was interpreted into alternative meaning.

It gives people the ability to justify their hate against Palestinians.

This is not the only censorship we have seen concerning the topic of Palestine. Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 234-188 to censure Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Talib due to her stance on the ongoing violence in the Gaza strip. For a country that preaches freedoms of all kinds, including freedom of speech, it is hypocritical to only censor certain speech while protecting others. Regardless of what she said, I do not think it is fair that she was censured for stating her beliefs.

Additionally, over the last couple of weeks we have seen individuals such as Melissa Berra who was set to be starred in the anticipated movie “Scream 7,” get dropped from the cast due to speaking up on the ongoing violence in Gaza. Berra said that Israel is “brutally killing innocent Palestinians, mothers and children, under the pretense of destroying Hamas.”

However, Noah Schanpp, a main character on the show “Stranger Things” posted a video waving stickers that read “Zionism is sexy” but faced no repercussion like Berra and got to keep his role in the show. It is appalling that chanting for people’s freedom is interpreted to violence but openly showing support for a group that occupy indigenous land is protected under freedom of speech and Schanpp’s rights to express his views.

While I am not insisting that free speech should have no limits and that you should get away with hate speech without consequences, I think it should apply fairly to everyone and one group should not be censored for practicing their rights while the other group gets unlimited support. As of now, it is apparent that free speech only applies if it goes with the media’s narrative.

Photo courtesy of flickr.com

Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” has faced criticism over its many historical inaccuracies. The film currently sits at a 59% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.6 on IMDB.

DISABILITY Continued from B1

I do not want to be considered a voice for the voiceless.

Many students stop choosing their voice long ago because they have grown tired. We are too exhausted to argue a perfect, logically impenetrable case for why we should receive a small amount of extra expended energy from our institution. One would think that a state university open to students of all walks of life would want the bare minimum of keeping students safe.

Did you know the current evacuation protocol for students with mobility issues is to shelter in place? If you cannot use the stairs for any reason, you are told to wait at the top of the stairwell, still and patient as alarms ring and panicked masses crowd down the stairs. Last year, I met with SU’s police chief at the time and was told that they could not get accessible evacuation equipment, like a sling or an evacuation chair that has tracks to slide down the stairs. I was told that it was too expensive and would be considered “medical equipment” so they could not legally use it. This is just simply not true. Even my small rural high school had evacuation equipment at stairwells, and teachers could use it to help students who needed it.

For all of these experiences of ableism, I find the throughline being ignorance. For someone to fix the issue they believe that

would imply the admission of guilt. Of course, they would feel guilty and fear the optics of ableism existing in the first place. Admitting that there is a problem and doing something to fix it will always be the most equitable option than sweeping it under the rug and hoping you can go a few more years with the status quo. I do want to mention, none of the issues are due to the fault of the Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR). This office is a wonderful resource with understanding and accepting staff. However, OAR only has so much power on campus.

I firmly believe that the student body will always have the power to make big changes on campus. You may not be able to advocate directly to administration, but maybe you run a small club that could work to be more accessible and accepting.

Perhaps you make art or have a class project that could be done on the topic of disability.

If our student body can make it known that disabled people belong here and are part of the community, that makes it more difficult for us to be silenced. We belong here. I want to thank the Slate for giving me the opportunity to write my honest thoughts and have an outlet to express them to the campus. Together we can do better, we will not be ignored.

Nothing about us without us.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

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Ship Life

SUMB performs in Prague Fashionably Slate: Madi Shively and Allyson Ritchey Ship Life Editor and Multimedia Director

The Shippensburg University Marching Band (SUMB) arrived in Prague on Monday, Nov. 20, to represent SU in the Prague Christmas parade.

In addition to an opportunity to perform abroad, the trip offered the chance for SUMB members to take in the rich history of Prague’s Jewish Quarter, sightseeing the most significant preserved buildings from the Jewish ghetto, which now form the largest complex of Jewish historical monuments in the whole of Europe.

SUMB members were able to travel central Europe at its greatest time of year as they had the opportunity to wander the Christmas Markets and experience the holiday traditions of people in the Czech Republic. Band members were grateful for the opportunity to travel abroad with their ensemble.

“Traveling back to Europe with the band was a breath of fresh air,” said Cyrus Simmons, second-year student and tenor saxophone in SUMB. “Every day was a new opportunity to have new

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate SUMB members Brady Canizzaro and Mattie Round smile in Prague.

experiences and make awesome memories with familiar faces in a foreign place. My favorite had to be the Music Museum some friends and I went to. They had a staircase that made piano noises when you walked on it.”

On Wednesday, Nov. 22, the SUMB

arrived at the Prague Christmas Parade in uniform and marched through the festive streets of Prague, performing in one of the most picturesque squares in the city center.

After the parade, the SUMB grabbed their passports and traveled to Dresden, Germany. Band members were able to experience Baroque buildings and museums featuring world-class art.

Band members then toured Pilsen and visited Pilsner Urquell Brewery before performing in the Pilsen Town Square.

On their last day, SUMB was able to visit the Prague Castle complex before returning to America.

“This trip has been over a year in the making and was even rescheduled due to Covid, so it was even more special and exciting for the participants,” SUMB President Aidan Piper said. “The SUMB strives to give members opportunities they would not experience in other places. For us to be able to go across the world and play and share music with strangers and have that connection with them, is something we will forever remember and be grateful for.”

Photo courtesy of Jason Mleczko

SUMB members perform in Wenceslas Square in Prague, Czech Republic.

Cats on Campus: The Tale of an ESA Megan Sawka

Asst. Ship Life Editor

A lot of students with mental and physical health issues benefit from having an emotinal support animal that lives with them. A lot of misconceptions exist about ESAs, however. Aren’t they just pets? How can they actually help students?

College can be a difficult adjustment for a lot of people my age. We are often living away from home for the first time, having to adjust to classes, clubs and

work. I know that I was incredibly overwhelmed when I first came to college.

Something that has become increasingly popular is having an emotional support animal on campus.

I have a few answers for these questions. One, ESAs are not “just” pets. To have an emotional support animal, students must talk to a licensed medical professional and see if they will issue the paperwork to have an ESA. For most people that simply want a pet on

campus, this would dissuade them.

Additionally, Shippensburg students must file the paperwork through the Office of Accessibility and Resources (OAR).

This process is sometimes lengthy, but simple overall, and guarantees the reasons behind a student’s desire for an emotional support animal.

A review from Miami University shows that pets can benefit the lives of their owners, both psychologically and physically. They can serve as an important source

of social support, which plays a critical role in stress, illness and mortality.

As someone who has lived with an ESA, I can attest to the benefits. After a long day of classes and work, I am often exhausted, but when I come back to my dorm, I know that there’s a cat waiting there for me.

As many college students experience mental health struggles, emotional support animals are a great way to provide support to students that may need it.

Megan Sawka / The Slate

Megan’s roommate’s ESA, her cat Silvia.

Slater of November: Mason Flowers

Elizabeth Peters Editor-in-chief

The Slater of November is Mason Flowers for his ability to quickly and consistently write articles for a variety of sections. Flowers is a sophomore finance major and joined The Slate at the beginning of his freshman year. Since joining, Flowers has written for most sections but began writing consistently for the sports section during baseball season in the spring, which led him to become an assistant sports editor.

“I just enjoy writing in my free time, and I feel like I contributing to something substantial,” Flowers said.

Over the past three months, and truly his entire time at The Slate, Flowers never fails to turn in articles as soon as he writes them. Flowers said he does not like to procrastinate, which is why

he writes his pieces as soon as the events are over.

“Got what I needed, got out, got it in,” Flowers laughed, joking about how quickly he writes his stories.

Flowers has always enjoyed watching sports, which started with his family.

“Any free time I have, there is always sports on,” Flowers said. His favorite sport to watch will “always be baseball,” Flowers said, and his favorite team is the Pittsburgh Pirates, despite living in a Philadelphia Phillies household.

On campus, Flowers said his favorite sport to cover is volleyball because of how back and forth the game is.

Flowers also enjoys playing disc golf on the recreation fields when the weather prevails and his course load lightens up.

While still thinking about his future, Flowers is considering entering the world of personal finance. Whatever he

does, “I am easily always going to watch sports,” Flowers said.

The Slate management staff would like to recognize Flowers for his quality work and efficiency with The Slate. As Slater of the Month, the entire staff congratulates her on her accomplishments and looks forward to his continued involvement.

Allyson Ritchey / The Slate The Slate’s Asst. Sports editor, Mason Flowers.

Will it function?

Reagan Gardenhour Staff Contributor

Here’s a point of view: Your alarm goes off. You walk to the closet after a long night of sleep, and you find a pair of jeans that you just bought and have been so excited to wear. You put together an outfit and you’re running late, so you grab your backpack and try to slide your phone into the back pocket of your jeans – until you realize there isn’t one, and your phone falls to the floor.

Clothing functionality has been an issue for hundreds of years. For example, in the 17th century, women’s clothing functionality was anything but convenient – bodices, pleated sleeves and crinolines created a world of disruption.

In older times, there was no chance of convenience based on knowledge of those designated items.

The 21st century has made fashion much more convenient with items such as sweatpants, sweatshirts and leggings, however there has been an overall decline in the functionality of those “simple” items.

On college campuses, the previously mentioned pieces – sweatpants, sweatshirts and leggings – are worn frequently due to ease and comfort.

Nevertheless, because they are comfortable and easy does not make them convenient.

On a recurring basis, sweatshirts oftentimes do not have pockets or hoods – which most people enjoy.

Crewnecks are extremely popular in 2023, but because of that, crewnecks should be evolving with the rest of fashion: internal built-in pockets with zippers. Lack of pockets is a huge issue.

Likewise, sweatshirts with hoods, or “hoodies,” have not evolved with fashion either. Hoodies should have a pocket on the front or the side with zippers. This is functional and allows for items to be easily located.

Similarly, sweatpants encompass the same form of issue. Sweatpants come in a variety of styles: flared, straight legged, cuffed and jogger. Flared sweatpants have become the most popular on campuses, but there are still a plentiful amount of other styles that are worn. All of the styles are composed of functionality problems – once again including pockets. Pockets should always have a zipper to ensure nothing falls out.

Pockets are made of thin material that can be easily ripped, which is another commonality in clothing.

Other disadvantages for functionality are waistbands and drawstrings; waistbands don’t fit or they stretch – lacking in elastane to keep them sturdy, and drawstrings don’t come on all pairs of sweatpants. Lots of people like their sweats to be breathable and loose, which leads to a looser

waist. Because drawstrings aren’t guaranteed on all pairs of sweatpants, it can become difficult for people to feel fully comfortable and confident in their clothing.

College students move around constantly. Moving around constantly leads to a larger issue of being seen by many people, which means that students want to feel confident in what they’re wearing.

Due to this, leggings are a very hot commodity.

Leggings are stretchy, breathable and flattering; however, there are functionality issues within the clothing. Back to the most important problem: there are no pockets! Some leggings, mostly athletic, offer pockets to those who wear them, so that people can carry their phones, keys, wallets and other items while they’re being active.

There is an issue at hand, and that is that they are extremely expensive.

Leggings also do not have a consistency in length, as they mostly lose their fit.

Lastly, leggings are made from different materials such as polyester, elastane and cotton; most of the time, they become loose, unflattering, and easily able to fall or “sag.” This is a functionality issue.

Back to the opening statement, jeans are popular in college for moments including speeches, meetings, business arrangements and confidence. Jeans are among the worst of functionality problems.

Jeans are denim, but all denim is made differently.

Jeans are unreliable in recent times because they are either too dense, stiff, loose, soft or incompatible.

Many people have relied on “fast fashion”, which are online shops who produce clothing for small amounts of money based on the inappropriate pay they offer their staff. Due to fast fashion, the clothing is not made out of dependable materials; this leads to short usage and unsatisfactory performance.

Jeans fit in different areas of the body. Different styles of jeans fit incorrectly depending on brand and style. There is a lack of understanding for size options, making it difficult to order online because the same size never fits the same. There are often holes in inconvenient areas like pockets that lead to items falling out. Also, there are often no pockets in some styles of jeans and they lose their shape because of wear-and-tear.

Lots of clothing pieces offer good features to people who purchase them, but they also offer tons of functionality issues. There are easy solutions; they must be publicly discussed for a change, but publicly discussing changes is a dysfunctionality within itself.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

A&E

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‘The Golden Bachelor’ ends in heartbreak Connor Niszczak Managing Editor

Rosalyn Truax / The Slate

Sophia Chovanes pictured with her drawings in the Kauffman Gallery.

Student Artist Spotlight: Sophia Chovanes

Rosalyn Truax Staff Contributor

Sophia Chovanes is a so-called “super” senior art education major at Shippensburg University.

She currently has work displayed in the Brindle and Kauffman galleries in the Huber Art Center on campus.

In the Brindle Gallery, a collection of pieces that Chovanes has worked on throughout her time at Shippensburg are on display. Chovanes explains that some of the pieces are from 2019, her first year at Shippensburg.

One graphite drawing portrays a scene from behind a windowsill.

Chovanes recalls the assignment’s prompt as, “how lockdown impacted you.” The drawing, to her, represents the view from her bedroom window as the pandemic shut down the world around her.

Another piece in the Brindle Gallery is a sculpture titled, “Mother.”

The sculpture, made with dolls and decorated with flowers, stands out among

the drawings and paintings.

Chovanes says she likes the idea of flowers and femininity being contrasted by a set of creepy dolls. The assignment’s prompt, she explained, was to turn a typical children’s toy into something very different.

The sculpture looks like it was inspired by the movie “Midsommar,” but Chovanes says she was not thinking about the movie when she created the piece.

The Kauffman Gallery showcases five pen-andink drawings by Chovanes that collectively tell a story of her childhood. Chovanes said she wanted the project to “look like memories.”

The drawings are titled, “2007,” “2009,” “2011,” “2013” and “2015.” Each drawing depicts a place that was important to Chovanes as she grew up.

Together, the pieces create an aura of “walking through someone’s childhood,” as Chovanes describes.

Telling a story through artwork is something Chovanes aspires to do. Chovanes says that illustrating children’s books aligns with her goals

and skillset. She thinks using art to communicate a story “is one of the coolest things you can do with it.”

The storytelling nature of artwork was introduced to Chovanes during weekly trips to the library with her mother as Chovanes grew up. Chovanes says she was always drawn to the pictures in graphic novels and how they told a story.

Chovanes also attributes her love of artwork to her father. She explained that he taught art classes for high school and community college students and worked as a police sketch artist. Her father also drew comic strips for newspapers.

“I’ve always had a very artistic influence from him,” Chovanes said.

After two more semesters of general education courses and student teaching, Chovanes will graduate next December with the goal of becoming an elementary art teacher.

You can view Chovanes’ work in the Brindle and Kauffman galleries until Dec. 13.

SPOILER ALERT: I give you permission to ignore this article if you have not watched the finale of “The Golden Bachelor.” But it aired five days ago; go watch!

Gerry Turner is good television. It is as simple as that. The man dubbed “The Golden Bachelor” has charmed 21 eligible women and millions of viewers, including me, over the past nine weeks.

On Thursday night, Gerry’s story came to a close, and I am struggling to accept the decision that he made. In a silly, goofy and slightly serious breakdown of the premiere episode published in “The Slate” on Oct. 3, I made the bold claim that “I can unequivocally declare that Faith and Gerry are going to walk off into the sunset.”

Boy, was I wrong. Faith made it to the top three women, but then Gerry sent her home. One of the most unique elements of this spinoff was the maturity of all the women and the desire they had to make genuine connections. Seeing Faith and Gerry interact with her family and each say “I love you” in front of them only to watch her heartbreak within the hour was devastating.

I have grown to love Gerry, but blatantly leading Faith on demonstrated that an older man can still have the emotional maturity and wishy-washy attitude of a teenage boy.

And then he did it again.

Gerry traveled to Costa Rica with his final two women, Leslie and Theresa, for a final chance to connect. They also entered the infamous Fantasy Suite, which is

thankfully not shown on camera.

We saw Gerry tell Leslie that he believed she was “the one,” only to destroy her when he changed his mind the next day and told her he was choosing Teresa.

Leslie broke down and delivered the most emotional line of the season: “No one chooses me.” She was in love with Gerry and his family and had even picked out a dress and written vows.

Their final date was “the happiest day of my life, except for the day I thought was coming,” Leslie said.

So who did Gerry end up picking?

Theresa.

To use some Gen Z slang on a boomer, Theresa gives me the “ick.” And by the reactions of the other contestants seated in the audience at the live finale, I am not alone. From the beginning of the season, Theresa seemed to be trying too hard and gave off bad vibes to the other women.

No one clocked her more than Kathy’s instantly iconic “Zip it!”

It just seemed so clear that Gerry made more genuine connections with both Leslie and Theresa, not to mention how similar they looked. They both came across as deeply invested in spending the remainder of their lives with Gerry. To me, Theresa came across as needy and a mean girl at multiple points throughout the season.

I’ll miss seeing Ellen and Kathy and the rest of the women on my TV every week, and I’ll have to watch Gerry and Theresa’s wedding on Jan. 4, but I won’t miss watching Gerry lead these women on.

It may be “The Golden Bachelor,” but he might as well have handed out a bronze medal.

Photo courtesy of Pexels

The Slate Wrapped Grace’s Weekly Record: ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess’ 2023 Playlist Happy Spotify Wrapped season! Here is a playlist of The Slate Staff’s Top 5 Songs of 2023.

Grace Harbour A&E Editor

*Disclaimer: This article contains explicit content* As 2023 comes to an end, it is time to reflect on the notable music that the year has brought us. This year has produced some of my favorite albums, one of them being Chappell Roan’s debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

Roan released her long-awaited debut album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” on Sept.

22. Born in Willard, Missouri, Roan wrote the record about moving from the Midwest to California and the self-discovery that happened as a result.

She released the album’s first single, “Pink Pony Club,” in 2020 — a song about a young girl’s dream of moving from Tennessee to West Hollywood to become a stripper, symbolizing Roan’s desire to embrace her queer identity. However, Atlantic Records dropped her shortly after its release. In late 2020, she started working with producer Dan Nigro (of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” and “Guts”) to create “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

Rolling Stone placed the album at No. 12 of its “The 100 Best Albums of 2023” list, describing it as a “wildly ribald, extremely hooky thrill ride through sexual and personal awakenings.”

Although the album was released in September, I had not listened to it fully until recently. However, it has quickly become one of my top records of 2023.

“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” is a girly, energetic journey that captures the feeling of finding yourself and embracing your identity in your 20s.

The album consists of several upbeat songs that will make anyone feel ready to party, like “Femininomenon,” “After Midnight,” “Naked in Manhattan” and “HOT TO GO!” In the campy “Red Wine Supernova,” Roan describes her feelings for another woman, “Baby, why don’t you come over?/Red wine supernova, falling into me.” In the bridge, she cleverly sings about toys, “I heard you like magic/I’ve got a wand and a rabbit.”

“Coffee,” “Casual,” “Picture You,” “Kaleidoscope” and “California” are the slower ballads of the album, in which Roan’s vocals shine. “Casual” is the standout of the five as she describes a situationship she thought was more than casual. She lists all the things that she thought meant she and her partner were serious, “Knee deep in the passenger seat and you’re eating me out/Is it casual now?/Two weeks and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach/Is it casual now?”

“This album is for the 10-year-old girl from the Midwest who never thought she could be herself,” Roan wrote in an Instagram caption on Sept. 22.

“The girl who felt shame from the day she turned 13 for having a deeper love for her girl best friend that was unlike anything she felt for boys. For the girl who was told to be proper and sweet and ladylike, but simply would never be.”

With a remarkable debut album, Roan is definitely a rising artist to look out for. She is currently finishing up her tour in Australia and Europe and this spring she will be touring the U.S. on her “The Midwest Princess” tour and opening for part of Rodrigo’s “Guts” U.S. tour.

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

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Photos courtesy of Flickr and Wikimedia Commons, edited by Grace Harbour / The Slate

From top left: SZA, boygenius, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift. From bottom left: Miley Cyrus, Lana Del Rey, Jon Batiste, Olivia Rodrigo and Victoria Monét.

2024 Grammy nominations and diversity in the music industry Reagan Gardenhour Staff Contributor

Music is an entity that we meet throughout our lives. We cannot physically touch or communicate with it, but it is the biggest phenomenon that touches our souls in unexplainable ways. We rely on music to get us through sad, happy, rough and exciting times.

The annual Grammys are an iconic ceremony that celebrates musical success and accomplishments. In the 2024 Grammys, there are many artists who have made a difference in music. Some of the most honorable categories are Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

In 2023, many artists created magic for our ears and gold for their discographies. Of the artists listed as nominees, these artists repetitively stuck out: Jon Batiste, Lana del Rey, boygenius, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Victoria Monét, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and SZA. Not only did the Grammys capture incredibly solid musical talent this year, but they also diversified the categories extremely. The Grammy nominees are composed of several women, people of color and members of the LGBT community. Thankfully, no talent will be getting cut short this year due to identity.

Album of the Year is composed of eight albums that were intricately worked on and deserve deep recognition. The artists who created these wonderful albums are Jon Batiste with “World Music Radio,” boygenius with “The Record,” Miley Cyrus with “Endless Summer Vacation,” Lana del Rey with “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard,” Janelle Monáe with “The Age of Pleasure,” Olivia Rodrigo with “GUTS,” Taylor Swift with “Midnights” and SZA with “SOS.” The artists continuously persisted in the making of these albums, which earned them the spot that they have in the category.

Many artists were applauded in their records that they created. The artists listed for this category were Jon Batiste with “Worship,” boygenius with “Not Strong Enough,” Miley Cyrus with “Flowers,” Billie Eilish with “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie,” Victoria Monét with “On My Mama,” Olivia Rodrigo with “Vampire,” Taylor Swift with “Anti-Hero” and SZA with “Kill Bill.”

These records were all vastly important and culture-altering in the year of 2023 — they opened up an entire world for musical wizardry. Not only does this category consist of a track from a box-office-breaking film, alternative genius, Hannah Montana’s muse, a “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” star, a record-breaking tour creator and incredible R&B artists, but it is filled with identities that consistently

topped the Billboard Top 100.

Similarly, Song of the Year gives major insight into the beauty of the music industry. The songs listed are “A&W” by Lana del Rey, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift, “Butterfly” by Jon Batiste, “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa, “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, “Kill Bill” by SZA, “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo and “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish. As obvious as can be, these artists left their audiences starstruck with the music that they produced this year.

Not only did music thrive within the last year, but artists finally got their deserving acknowledgment. For example, SZA was nominated for nine Grammys, Jon Batiste was nominated for six and Taylor Swift was nominated for seven. Within Record and Album of the Year, six of eight nominees are women.

History has already been made in the 2024 Grammys.

All of the categories that are praised throughout the Grammys are respectable. Every person or group that produces music is majorly talented, and every nomination is justifiable.

Music makes the world turn – it is the one thing that keeps the peace in times of struggle, while also aiding in preexisting happiness.

Music brings us together. Everybody has the opportunity to love and cherish music, which is what makes it so exemplary.

Not one soul is left behind. That leaves us with one thought — the power of music is undeniable.

Scott Pilgrim takes off in new anime

Megan Sawka

Asst. Ship Life Editor

Photo courtesy of Flickr

‘A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ is the movie adaptation of the prequel to ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy.

Review: ‘A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Abbygale Hockenberry Asst. A&E Editor

*Spoilers ahead* Katniss Everdeen was my idol when I was about 12 years old. It got to a weird point where I would wear my hair in a single braid off to the side just like she did. Thankfully I grew out of that phase, but the inner child in me came back when I saw “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”

I went into the movie without having read the book and not knowing much context to what it was about other than what the trailer provided, and knowing it was President Snow’s backstory. I had my speculations that the movie was going to be just another Hollywood money grab, considering the list of awful prequels that exist. I had very high expectations for this film too because we were getting the same director of the other movies. Why revive a franchise just to make the anticipated movie dull? Well, “A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” was anything but dull.

The film that released on Friday, Nov. 17, takes place during the 10th annual Hunger Games when Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) mentors Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). Snow is infatuated by her and tries everything in his power to not let her die in the games. He risks everything for her and gives her the advantage by cheating, which is discovered by Head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis). He is punished for his actions by being kicked out of the Academy and serves as a Peacekeeper, where Blyth then traumatizes the audience by shaving his luscious hair.

When Lucy gets chosen as a tribute for the hunger games, she does the icon-

ic bow that Katniss did in “The Hunger Games.” This bow was not just a bow; it is very symbolic. Katniss did the same bow as a tactful way to get under Snow’s skin through Lucy. Both Katniss and Lucy are much alike in so many ways in how they stay true to themselves despite the attempts in being manipulated by the Capitol.

Another similarity that I noticed was some of the tributes teamed up like Cato and the others did in the 2012 first installment. That part of the movie was my least favorite because it reminded me too much of the first film. I wanted to see the tributes do something that was more unique and not reused. Coral (Mackenzie Lansing), who was the enemy team “leader” even hunted down Lucy, antagonized her and begged for mercy before she died. This was almost exactly how Cato went out. Although, it was snakes Coral was trialed with in her final moments and not mutts.

I love watching a character on screen go from somebody you are rooting for and just adore to somebody you hate and wish dead. That is how it felt watching Snow’s character development. I have not seen a bone-chilling transition like this since Walter White in “Breaking Bad.” For the first half of the film, he is trying to not be like his father who created the games, but then the second half you see how he starts to lose it. I would start to lose it too if I had to shave my hair to become a peacekeeper. Joking aside, the alteration in appearance with his hair I feel serves as symbolization for when he starts to go evil. I think this was a minor but unique aspect to the movie.

As a peacekeeper, Snow gets sent to District 12 where he reunites with Lucy after she wins. Their romance continues

to blossom, and so do his true colors.

He gets his closest friend killed, Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andres Rivera), who was also a peacekeeper. He betrays Sejanus in telling Dr. Gaul through a jabber jay, his plans with the rebels. Sejanus is sentenced to hanging, along with a man who was framed for murdering the mayor’s daughter, whom Snow killed. All of that is the pivotal moment in his transition to a radical leader in his later years.

Carrying that guilt with him for the rest of his life changed him in the worst ways possible. The only other person left was Lucy.

Lucy begins to lose trust in Snow after he reveals he has killed three people. They run away together, and Lucy chooses to leave him. He goes looking for her and he gets bitten by a snake that she left for him. He shoots at her, but it is left unknown whether she died or survived him.

This moment was really captured through Olivia Rodrigo’s song featured on the soundtrack, “Can’t Catch Me Now.” Many fans wonder if Katniss is a descendent to Lucy, which the idea sounds interesting but it has not been confirmed.

This two hour and 38-minute movie was intriguing the entire time. Even though watching the prior films is not required before watching this film, it is highly recommended. It makes the entire watching experience more riveting.

I am doubtful there will be any other movies in the future. I would probably be scared if they did a sequel because it would be incredulously difficult to make a better film. As Coriolanus Snow said, “Snow lands on top.”

*This review contains spoilers for the new series “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.”* The series “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” was released on Netflix Nov. 17 and changed the classic story around, with Ramona Flowers and friends taking the lead.

“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is one of my favorite movies, so when I found out last year that the entire original cast was coming back to voice their old characters in a new “Scott Pilgrim” anime, I was ecstatic. I watched the whole series in about two days and absolutely fell in love.

In the original movie, Scott Pilgrim must fight Ramona Flowers’ seven evil exes in order to date her. He succeeds in doing so and ends up with Ramona.

“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” examines an alternate universe where Scott does not defeat the seven evil exes. In fact, he doesn’t defeat the first one — or so we think. Ramona discovers that Scott was not actually killed but instead kidnapped through a mysterious portal. She recruits her exes to help her figure out who is behind the kidnapping. The series shows us

a lot of Ramona, which is not something that is seen much in the original movie. Her character is fully fleshed — she is strong and cool but also cares about Scott and her friends.

One episode that stands out to me is Episode 3, “Ramona Rents a Video.” Each episode of the show generally focuses on one of the seven evil exes. Episode 3 features Roxie Richter, former college roommate to Ramona and her ex-girlfriend. The episode shows a different side of Roxie, who is usually presented as angry and violent. Ramona and Roxie get to talk about their past, their grievances with one another, and eventually make up after an awesome fight scene. It is a heartwarming episode and introduces us to an evil ex in more detail. Additionally, the queer representation of Roxie and Ramona is a great instance of normalized queer relationships in media, which are often portrayed poorly or not at all.

“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is less action and more drama, and I love it. If you are a fan of the comics or the original movie, I would highly recommend checking out the new series. And if you have never heard of “Scott Pilgrim,” still check it out.

Photo courtesy of DeviantArt

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

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Sports

Indoor track and field starts season strong at Bison Opener Mason Flowers Asst. Sports Editor

Shippensburg Uiversity’s indoor track-and-field team kicked off its season at the Bison Opener at Bucknell University, with the Raiders picking up eight event wins and nine members reaching NCAA provisional qualifying marks.

Freshman Lavar Jackson was the main star of the event for Shippensburg, setting a school record in the 200-meter dash at 21.57 seconds, beating the previous record by nearly

a quarter of a second in his collegiate debut. He also won the 60-meter dash earlier in the day, with a time that is now second in Shippensburg history, with both performances provisionally qualifying him for NCAA nationals.

Freshman Gian Greggo joined Jackson as an event winner in his collegiate debut, as his score of 56 feet, 9.5 inches in the indoor shot put not only gave him the win, but was good enough to provisionally qualify him for nationals. Greggo’s throw was the third best in SU

history and a very impressive mark in his first meet.

The Raiders swept the top two spots in the men’s heptathlon, with junior Mason Boyd placing top three in all seven events to win with 5,020 points.

Junior Robert Lissner placed a close second, winning the pole vault on his way to a score of 4,839 points. Both scores were good enough to provisionally qualify for nationals.

Shippensburg won three more events in men’s track, with freshman Jak Kearney winning the 400-meter dash

at 49.64 seconds in his first meet as a Raider. Kearney was also part of the men’s 4x4 relay team that took first place, as he, junior Travis Bigham, junior Travis Hrabosky II and senior Eric Kirk put up a time of 3:23.75, holding on to win by a tenth of a second.

Sophomore Chase Hensinger won the men’s 800-meter dash at a time of 1:57.44, good enough to qualify for the PSAC championships. Junior Mo Whittle placed second in the long jump, but his score of 23 feet 11 inches was enough

to provisionally qualify for nationals.

Senior Leah Graybill impressed on the women’s side, winning the 200-meter dash at 24.51 seconds, a time good enough to provisionally qualify for nationals. Her preliminary time of 7.62 seconds in the 60-meter dash also provisionally qualified her for that event as well.

The only other event winner on the women’s team was junior Sara McKean, who picked up a victory in long jump with a provisionally qualifying distance of 19 feet, 4.25 inches. Junior Sasha Lee

also provisionally qualified for nationals in two events, placing third in 60-meter hurdles with an 8.83-second time and placing second in triple jump with a distance of 39 feet, 1 inch. Both of Lee’s results placed fourth in Shippensburg history for their respective events.

The teams will be back in action next Saturday, traveling to Lehigh University for the Fast Times Invitational, with events starting at 10 a.m.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Miller / SU Sports

Lavar Jackson won the 60 and the 200 meters and broke the school record in the 200.

Gian Greggo threw 17.31 meters with the shot put, so he is in third place on SU’s alltime list for the event.

Mason Boyd completed the heptathlon with a score of 5,020 points, just 142 points off his school record.

Leah Graybill recorded provisional qualifying marks for NCAAs in the 60 and the 200.

Sasha Lee recorded NCAA provisional marks in the 60-meter hurdles and the triple jump.

Sara McKean jumped 5.90 meters in the long jump to record an NCAA provisional qualifying mark.

Men’s basketball starts 1-1 in PSAC Mason Flowers Asst. Sports Editor

Shippensburg University men’s basketball team split a pair of home games this past weekend, falling to Indiana (PA) 96-84 Friday evening before rebounding with a 71-64 victory against Seton Hill. The results moved the Raiders to 4-2 on the season, including 1-1 in PSAC play.

The Raiders’ redshirt freshman Markus Frank made history in Friday’s matchup, scoring a career-high 40 points on 14 of 21 shooting, plus making 10 of 15 free throws.

It was the first 40-point performance for a Shippensburg player since 1995, and the first in a non-overtime game since 1986.

IUP started the game strong, scoring the first 12 points to rush out to a convincing lead. Shippensburg made it a four-point deficit midway through the first half, but the Crimson Hawks responded to go up 11 at the half. The Raiders responded to again make it a four-point game early in the second half, but IUP responded once more, going up by as much as 17 en route to a 96-84 win.

Junior Michael Dunn joined Frank in

setting a new career-high in points, scoring 24 off the bench. He and Frank were essentially the only offense for the Raiders, as no other player on the team scored more than four points.

The Raiders picked up a hard-fought win on Saturday, coming back from an 11-point second half deficit to win 71-64. They shot 55% in the second half, capitalizing on many Seton Hill turnovers to pick up the victory.

Seton Hill knocked down two three-point shots in the final minute of the first half to enter the locker room ahead by nine. After the Griffins scored the first bucket of the second half, Shippensburg went on a 22-3 run, turning a 33-22 deficit into a 44-36 lead.

The Raiders led the rest of the game from that point.

Frank led the way once again for Shippensburg, posting a double-double with 27 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. Two other Raiders joined him in double-figures, with Dunn scoring 11 and graduate Andrew Recchia scoring 10.

The Raiders have one nonconference game on the schedule this week, a road matchup against Bowie State at 7 p.m, Wednesday night.

Jashton Best / The Slate

Markus Frank goes for a layup in the match against IUP.

Swim competes at Gettysburg Invitational Nicola Pugge Sports Editor

Shippensburg University’s swim teams competed at the Gettysburg Invitational hosted by Gettysburg College on Friday and Saturday. Freshman Jazz Barry impressed with several SU all-time Top 10 performances for the women’s team.

In the 50-yard freestyle on Friday night, Barry placed second with a time of 23.78 seconds. This time satisfies the NCAA “B” qualifying standard and moves her into a tied second place on SU´s all-time list for the event. It also ranks her third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) for the event at this point of the season.

Also on Friday, Barry was part of the 200-yard freestyle relay that placed fourth and the third-place 400-yard medley relay. On Saturday, Barry continued her impressive showing with a time of 58.73 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly, which ranks her tied-ninth in school history.

On Friday, freshman Michelle Kubiak placed sixth with a PSAC cut in the 200-yard IM, with senior Marissa Bittner finishing in seventh place, also with a PSAC qualifying time. Kubiak also finished as the runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle on Saturday.

Senior Alyssa Tomb earned PSAC cuts in the 500-yard freestyle, the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle across both days.

The women had in total 11 Top 8 performances on Saturday and 17 performances that fulfilled the PSAC qualifying standards.

The men’s team had a total of 16 PSAC qualifying performances over both days.

On Friday, both relays for the Raiders placed in the Top 5.

The 200-yard freestyle relay placed fourth and the 400-yard medley relay at the end of the Friday session placed third.

Freshman Mason Koeth placed third in the 50-yard freestyle with a on Friday, before finishing as runner-up in the 100-yard butterfly and finishing fifth in the 200-yard

backstroke on Saturday. All three performances satisfied the PSAC qualifying standards.

Senior Michael Salvatori finished sixth in the 500-yard freestyle, seventh in the 200-yard freestyle and placed second in the 200-yard butterfly.

Junior David Johnson placed seventh in the 200-yard individual medley with a new personal best on Friday. On Saturday, he claimed seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke and ninth in the 100-yard butterfly in the morning, before he placed eighth in the 100-yard freestyle. All four of his performances were PSAC qualifying times.

The men finished the weekend with a victory in the 400yard freestyle relay that was made up of Koeth, Johnson, freshman Connor Ludwig and junior Nathan VanNatter.

The Raiders will return to the pool after a winter break for their Senior Day on Jan. 12 in a dual meet against Edinboro at home.

SPORTS

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

E2

Women’s basketball drops first two conference games Mason Flowers Asst. Sports Editor

Shippensburg University’s women’s basketball team dropped a pair of home games this weekend, falling to Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) 65-50 on Friday before a 70-59 loss to Seton Hill University on Saturday. The results moved the Raiders’ record to 1-6 on the year, along with 0-2 in PSAC play.

Friday’s contest saw Shippensburg keep it close throughout the first half, but a disastrous third quarter was the main difference.

The teams combined for seven lead changes in the first quarter, with IUP making a three-pointer with five seconds left in the period to go up 18-17 after one. The Crimson Hawks controlled the second quarter, finishing on a 7-2 run to take a 36-29 lead at the half.

The Raiders’ second half got off to an abysmal start, as the team did not score a single point for the first 9:42 of the third

quarter. IUP went on a 16-0 run during this time as Shippensburg missed its first 15 field goals of the half. Shippensburg outscored IUP 19-12 in the fourth quarter, cutting the final deficit to 15 in a 65-50 loss.

Freshman Bella Chimienti led the Raiders in scoring for the contest, putting up 11 points on 5-14 shooting. The team shot 30% from the field for the game, including only 2-13 on three-pointers, well below their season average of 38.2%.

Speaking on the defeat, head coach Kristy Trn said, “We’re having a hard time finding a way to put the ball in the basket. I thought we had some pretty good opportunities at the rim and on some open shots and we just haven’t been able to knock them down yet this year.”

Saturday’s matchup saw Seton Hill get off to a hot start, making six threes in the first quarter as part of a 31-point period, the most Shippensburg has allowed in any quarter this season. The Raiders had a strong second quarter though, cutting the deficit to 40-36 before the Griffins hit a three in the final second to go up seven at the half.

Seton Hill used an 11-0 run to take a 14-point lead midway through the third quarter, but the Raiders fought back, making it 60-53 entering the fourth. Both offenses stalled out in the final period though, with Seton Hill holding Shippensburg to just six points in the quarter, winning 70-59.

Graduate student Treasure George put up a season-high 22 points to lead the team, along with grabbing eight rebounds.

Junior Taja Colbert and Chimienti both scored in double-figures as well, putting up 12 and 11 points each, respectively.

Speaking on what can be improved for the rest of the PSAC schedule, Trn said “We’re young and we’re trying to learn every time we’re out here. We’ve got to continue to come together defensively and not have as many breakdowns. We struggle on very short, easy putbacks, and those plays end up being the difference.”

Shippensburg women’s basketball has one game this week, a nonconference matchup at Chestnut Hill, which tips off at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.

SU Basketball Gallery

Jashton Best / The Slate

Freshman Bella Chimienti led SU with 11 points against IUP.

Jashton Best / The Slate

SU women’s team gathering during their game against IUP.

Jashton Best / The Slate

Redshirt freshman Markus Frank scored a historic 40 points, the first time an SU player scored 40 or more points since 1995.

Jashton Best / The Slate

The SU men’s basketball team cheering from the bench.

Jashton Best / The Slate

Senior Ty Holsopple pulling up for a 3-point shot.

F1

GALLERY

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Happy Holidays from The Slate

Photos courtesy of Adam Beam, Hayden Highlands, Jayden Pohlman, Allyson Ritchey and Ian Thompson