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Volume 66 No. 5
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
PA mid-term election proving to be pivotal national contest Seth Turner
Asst. News Editor
The Pennsylvania mid-term election is held every two years, on the second Tuesday in November. Residents will vote on senators, congressional representatives, governor and many more positions. However, two positions have been at the forefront of every voter’s mind. The first is the open Senate seat that will soon be occupied by either Democrat John Fetterman or Republican Mehmet Oz. The senator will have a vote on any bills, laws or legislation that come through Congress. Fetterman is perceived by many in Pennsylvania to be highly progressive. “When I’m in D.C., I’ll fight to make more stuff in America, cut taxes for working people, ban Congress from trading stocks, slash “out of pocket” health care costs and end immoral price gouging,” Fetterman’s website explains.
When it comes to Oz’s issues, his website states his goals are to make healthcare more affordable, fight for more school choices, tighten border security and make sure “people know the truth about COVID.” Currently, Fetterman is leading by 5% over Oz in the polls (52%: 47% via 270towin.com).
In the race for governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro currently leads Republican Doug Mastriano by 2 percent in the polls. The other highly anticipated race is for governor of Pennsylvania. The governor has the responsibility of implementing state laws and overseeing the operation of the state executive branch. The two main candidates from Pennsylvania are Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano. Shapiro claims to be pro-
choice and wants to push for clean energy solutions, criminal justice reform and more. Deeper information about his policy can be found at www.joshshapiro.org/policy. Mastriano, the current 33rd district state senator, is the Republican candidate for governor. He wants to sign the Heartbeat bill into law, outlawing abortions statewide. He also wants to crack down on crime, protect the Second Amendment and decrease institutional fraud. More information can be found at www.doug4gov.com/ theplan. Shapiro is currently ahead of Mastriano by 2% in the polls. (47%: 45% via 270towin.com) Oct. 24 is the last day to register to vote. Nov. 1, is the last day to request a mail-in ballot. Polls are open on Nov. 8 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Don’t know your polling place? Information can be found at www.vote.pa.gov under “Polling Place Information.”
Image courtesy of wikimedia commons
Democrat Josh Shapiro addresses a crowd during a campaign stop.
SU hosts Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology president Daniel Reiley Staff Contributor
Dr. Manuel Ruiz, Vice President of Inclusion and Belonging, hosted Pedro Rivera, president of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, to give a speech on the future of diversity on college campuses on Tuesday, September 20. Prior to joining the college, Rivera served as the Pennsylvania Secretary of State and served as chair of the board’s Council of Education. “Our demographics are shifting the environment,” Rivera said, referring to the rising diversity in higher education. “For the sake of our conversation today, for me, equity is providing the resources students need, regardless of their backgrounds, race, sexual orientation and socio-economics.” Rivera and Ruiz discussed better ways to help those in struggling economic situations. “We realize that there are over 1.1 million Pennsylvanians with no degree,” Rivera said. “Because of family conditions and family circumstances, we have to do a better job of reaching those in the age with new ways
of instruction.” “You look at the University of Phoenix and Southern New Hampshire University, the reason that they are succeeding seems [to be because] that they are embracing technology,” Ruiz said. “The reality is we’re going to have to embrace some form of technology to succeed and keep [Shippensburg] afloat.” A question then came to Rivera in regard to how higher education doesn’t have the value it once did, considering other factors such as some warehouse jobs paying up to $15-$20 an hour. “It’s a major dilemma. It’s actually the current environment that our students are getting into. So we have to change the narrative,” Rivera said. He also stated that it should be expected, stating that it benefits students and gives them more skills. “We need to embrace the fact that this generation is going to have 10 careers. I have students from year one, and they become skilled enough already in their second job.”
Cuba holds unusual vote on law allowing same-sex marriage Cristiana Mesquita Associated Press
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba held a rare referendum Sunday on an unusually contentious law — a government-backed “family law” code that would allow same-sex couples to marry and adopt, as well as outlining the rights of children and grandparents. Cuba holds parliamentary elections every two years, though no party other than the Communist is allowed, but seldom has it held referendums on specific laws. And seldom has an officially backed measure met as much open criticism as the family law of more than 400 articles, which has been questioned by many members of the island’s increasingly vocal evangelical community. The sweeping code also would allow surrogate pregnancies, broader rights for grandparents in regard to grandchildren, protection of the elderly and measures against
gender violence. President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who has promoted the law acknowledged resistance as he voted on Sunday. “Most of our people will vote in favor of the code, but it still has issues that our society as a whole does not understand,” he said. Sixty-four-year-old market vender Miguel Alberto Galindo said he had voted for the measure: “It’s time that homosexuals have the same rights as everyone else,” he said. But Alejandro Rodriguez, a 33-year-old hardware store worker, said he’d voted against the measure, saying, “Some things in the code are good but others are bad.” He said he did not agree with giving gay couples the same rights as “normal” families. The measure was approved by Cuba’s Parliament, the National Assembly, following a thousands of government-organized information sessions this year in neighborhoods across the country.
A major supporter of the measure is Mariela Castro, director of the National Center for Sex Education, a promoter of rights for samesex couples, daughter of former President Raul Castro and niece of his brother Fidel. But there’s a strong strain of social conservatism in Cuba, where evangelical churches have been growing. Several religious leaders have expressed concern or opposition to the law, worrying it could weaken nuclear families. While Cuba was officially — and often militantly — atheist for decades after the 1959 revolution led by Fidel Castro — Raul’s brother — it has become more tolerant of religions over the past quarter century. That has meant a greater opening not only the once-dominant Roman Catholic Church, but also to Afro-Cuban religions, protestants and Muslims. Some of those churches took advantage of the opening in 2018 and 2019 to campaign against another plebiscite which would have
rewritten the constitution in a way to allow gay marriage. The opposition was strong enough that the government at that time backed away.
Image courtesy of pexels.com
Cubans voted to legalize same-sex marriage in the island nations