Kamala Harris is the right choice
Vice President Kamala Harris giving remarks at a campaign event in Pittsburgh on Sept. 25. Harris highlighted her economic vision for the country, focused on helping the middle class and building an “opportunity economy” for all Americans during her campaign events.
Editor’s Note:
As college students and members of Generation Z, many members of The Slate staff will be voting for president of the United States for the first time on Nov. 5. As student journalists, we value, respect and engage in the political process, and we understand the role that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania plays in national politics. We know what is at stake in this state and across the country during this election.
Every four years, America becomes saturated with political messaging and partisan bickering. This year is no different.
For many people, this onslaught of information is overwhelming and discourages them from engaging in a conversation that seemingly becomes more offensive with each passing day.
In this election, voters are presented with two choices:
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. In the opinion of The Slate Editorial Board, Harris is the correct choice.
In the name of journalistic
integrity, The Slate has repeatedly contacted both campaigns over the last few months with hopes of giving both coverage in our paper.
We have been denied media access nearly 10 times by the Trump campaign, while Harris’ team has been accomodating. We have traveled to Lancaster, York, Wilkes-Barre and Carlisle and felt firsthand the so-called “joyful warrior” energy that has revitalized Democratic voters.
Much of that energy comes from middle class voters, who are the backbone of the American economy. Harris’ campaign has focused on her promises to build up the middle class and create an
That is why The Slate Editorial Board has made the decision to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for president in 2024.
The Slate has not endorsed a presidential candidate in every election, but this
“opportunity economy” that gives everyone a path toward success.
Harris’ plan includes several policies that would support the working people of this country. That includes tax cuts to working families and families with newborn children.
Her plan would provide $25,000 to support first-time homebuyers and help build more housing to address the current housing crisis.
Policies directed at lowering the cost of healthcare, education and energy are all a part of her economic vision, which is aimed squarely at bolstering the middle class.
Trump, on the other hand,
is not the first time our organization has taken this step. This election is not one that anyone should sit out, and we are blessed with a platform and opportunity to have a voice. As journalists, we also have a duty to speak out when we see things going wrong. This decision was made after several discussions and votes among editorial staff. The decision was not unanimous, and an opposing viewpoint can be found in the Opinion section on B1.
plans to establish blanket tariffs on imports, a policy that would increase costs for a typical family upward of $2,600 a year.
Trump has previously promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a decision which would remove protections for those with preexisting conditions like asthma.
On top of policy differences, millions of Americans will cast their vote for Harris because of the clear and present danger that Trump presents to American democracy and institutions.
The Slate does not have the budget to afford the number of pages it would take to fully detail each
This endorsement does not represent the view of every individual member of The Slate staff, but rather the majority opinion of the Editorial Board. The Slate does not represent the official opinions or political stances of Shippensburg University.
and every way that Donald Trump has proven himself to be a serious threat to our rule of law.
He has vowed to be a dictator on day one.
He has called for “one rough hour” of policing.
He said his political rivals are “the enemy from within” and are more dangerous than Russia.
He said CBS should lose its license for conducting an interview of Kamala Harris he did not like and that Fox News should stop featuring anti-Trump guests.
He has called for the “termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
Annie Linker and Tymere Harris named 2024 SU Homecoming
Connor Niszczak Editor-in-Chief
Despite the darkness of another Shippensburg football loss, the light shone on junior Annie Linker and senior Tymere Harris, who were crowned SU’s 2024 Homecoming Royalty at Seth Grove Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Linker and Harris earned their crowns by being the most successful in four areas of the homecoming campaign — social media engagement by their sponsoring organization, votes from the student body, answers in a personal interview and money raised for a local charitable organization.
The candidates raised more than $6,000 for Hound Packs, an organization that fights food insecurity in the Shippensburg School District and community.
Harris is a senior mechanical engineering major who is heavily involved in various pockets of campus life.
He is a member of the Kappa Omega chapter of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, the Public Relations director for SU’s African American Student Organization and a member of the Activities Programming Board, among other titles. Harris was sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, which he called his “home away from home” in an Instagram
post promoting his campaign. Linker is a senior sociology major with minors in psychology and international development. She is involved with the Admissions and Orientation programs at SU and was sponsored by Student Ambassadors.
“In high school I ran [Homecoming] and I had to crown the winner, so I could not run. I was like, ‘Let’s try it now and see what happens,’” Linker said. “I am very happy.”
Harris and Linker will continue to be valuable members of the SU community in their time on campus and will return to Seth Grove Stadium next fall to crown SU’s 2025 Homecoming royalty.
Since Trump came down an escalator nearly a decade ago, voters have been perpetually gaslit by his supporters and right-wing media. They have said his actions are no more than “mean tweets” and “locker room talk,” or that he simply does not mean what he is saying, even when confronted with his direct quotes.
Trump gaslights the public himself. He continues to refute the results of the 2020 election, while he sows doubt to the integrity of the 2024 election.
His pick for vice president admitted they are willing to make things up.
Courtesy of Flickr
Jayden Pohlman / The Slate Linker and Harris were crowned by 2023 Royalty Morgan Brumbaugh (far left) and Allyson Ritchey (far right).
The Slate Editorial Board
From “ENDORSEMENT,” A1
Trump has previously said that Jan. 6, 2021, was a “day of love” and that “I never said lock her up,” in reference to his 2016 attacks on Hillary Clinton. Those are just examples from this year.
Time and time again, Trump has shown himself to be a pathological liar. During his presidency, Trump lied over 30,000 times, according to the Washington Post. His running mate complained during a debate over moderators calling out blatant lies.
It is time for the era of Trump to end. The
Republican Party can and should return to normalcy, but it must have the courage to accept that there is life beyond Donald Trump. They should unite with Kamala Harris and agree that it is, as she says, “time to turn the page.”
A vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is a vote for an administration that will welcome Republican voices and represent all Americans, as an administration should. Trump, meanwhile, has threatened to weaponize the military against those who do not support him.
A vote for Harris/Walz is a vote for an administration
that will allow for criticisms to be heard and addressed and for you to continue to have a voice in the political process.
Trump constantly proves that he is in this race for himself, and in a second administration without concerns about winning reelection, he will put his interests over those of his constituents more than ever.
When you find yourself in the ballot box, know what side of history you want to be on.
There is only one serious ticket in this race, and that is Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
SGA Corner: Get ready for President’s Hour
We here at the Student Government Association hope everyone had a wonderful Homecoming weekend. It was amazing to see the campus banding together once again to welcome back our alumni and celebrate with Shippensburg pride.
This week we are excited to be hosting President’s Hour, an opportunity for students to come ask questions, speak about concerns, and give ideas for campus betterment. It will be held on Thursday,
Oct. 24, at 4 p.m. in CUB 119. We will be joined by President Patterson and a panel of administrators ready to answer your questions. Provost Darrell Newton, Dean of Students Lorie Sheetz, Chief of University Police Patrick Taylor and more will be in attendance. We really hope you all will take the opportunity to join us at President’s Hour.
Our SGA committees are hard at work and always actively meeting; however, they are still very open to having new members join.
Our committees are a great opportunity to be involved directly in the work we do at SGA without the fulltime commitment of being a senator.
Committees also provide a space to build your skills in teamwork and learning about organizational structures. Our committees
include Budget and Finance, Campus Safety and Facilities, Diversity and Inclusion, Elections and Student Groups.
We are also still on the lookout for a chair to lead the Food Service and Sustainability Committee. This committee works with dining services to represent and plan for what the student body wants from their dining experience.
If you are interested in chairing this committee or joining and others please reach out to our Vice President of Internal Affairs, Katie Huston, at sgavpinternal@ship.edu.
You can attend our next SGA public meeting on Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. in CUB 119. We appreciate everyone for staying updated on campus happenings and involvement with your student government.
Your World Today
Commentary: Losing your spark
Connor Niszczak Editor-in-Chief
To many people across our campus, I am not looked at as just Connor.
Some may view me through the lens of this very publication and make assumptions about me based on stories I have written.
Many students see me as their Orientation Leader from the three years I have worked with that program, and I cannot tell you how many times I have been told, “You gave me my tour!” But the identity I have held most fondly over the last few years is that of RA Connor. I was blessed to spend two transformative years working with first-year students in Seavers Hall, and I even gushed about my first group of students at the end of our year together in May 2023. They gave me life. There were so many days when I was exhausted and overwhelmed, but the sounds of social hour happening right outside my door made all my problems temporarily disappear. We were a support network for each other, and so many of us are thriving and still connected two years later. The relationships that environment allowed me to create — Jack, Caitlyn, Jayden, Luke, Annie,
Braden, Ella and so many more — are among some of the most valuable to me during my first three years at SU.
I went above and beyond for them, and I prided myself on the passion I put into my work.
That passion is gone. I came into this semester knowing things were going to be different. Housing had made significant changes, and first-year students were now on the west side of campus in McCune and Kieffer. As a third-year RA, I was confident that my preferences would be heavily considered when making building placements. I have worked three years in summer orientation and two years in our summer bridge program, so I have a lot of experience supporting firstyear students. I wanted to be in firstyear building Kieffer or McCune, but I ended up with my fourth choice of Lackhove. Lackhove, to put it gently, does not have a great reputation. It is the largest suite-style hall and is infamous for fire alarms. I knew it would be different, and it has been. For one, we are no longer allowed to put students’ names on their door decorations. Housing cited security concerns as the impetus for this change, but a seemingly simplistic change has turned communities into hallways. Doors used to be a window into the lives of those who lived behind them. Now, they are just doors. My RA experience this year has been different from the second it started.
Abortion, cost of living and gun control – takeaways from PA-10 and US Senate debates
Evan Dillow Asst. News Editor
Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District candidates faced off in a debate held on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. in Harrisburg. The debate was moderated by ABC27 news anchor Dennis Owens.
Owens outlined the debate rules prior to starting the 60-minute debate. Both candidates were given 60 seconds to answer each question. If either candidate mentioned the other in a significant way, their opponent was given a 30-second follow-up.
Representing the Republican party is sixterm incumbent Congressman Scott Perry. His Democratic opponent is Janelle Stelson, a former ABC27 News and WGAL anchor.
The two candidates faced off on issues that Pennsylvanians face both in the 10th District and across the state. The issues addressed included cost of living, border security, abortion access and public benefits like Medicare and Social Security.
Pennsylvania’s economy was the first topic of Tuesday night’s debate. According to Owens, the economy is the top issue for Pennsylvania voters, especially the rising cost of living and energy prices.
One of the discussed methods toward providing more energy for Pennsylvania involved the reopening of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Dauphin County. Both candidates also discussed Microsoft’s purchase of the plant’s energy output.
“Our country, our economy runs on energy,” Congressman Perry said while addressing Microsoft’s required $1.6 billion federal loan to purchase the power station.
“I’m glad that Three Mile Island will be reopening, but I don’t think Microsoft needs money from the federal government.”
Much like in the rest of the country, reproductive rights is one of the most discussed subjects in Pennsylvania’s political races. Moderator Owens asked both Stelson
and Perry if access to abortion should be left to state decisions.
For Democratic candidate Janelle Stelson, she said, “I think you codify Roe. It’s one of the first things I’d like to do, and then I think government should get out of the abortion business.”
Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District is not the only seat up for election this year. Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican Senate nominee Dave McCormick faced-off in their second debate on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at the WPVI-TV studio in Philadelphia.
The Senate debate was 60 minutes and followed the same rules as the Congressional District debate. Casey and McCormick debated on several critical issues, including the economy and inflation, abortion, the Jan. 6 attack and gun control.
According to moderator Sharrie Williams, a Muhlenberg survey found that 59% of Pennsylvania voters agree that there should be more restrictions on gun access. Williams first asked McCormick if he agreed with PA voters that restrictions are needed to curb gun violence.
“We need to have appropriate risk protections where people with mental health do not have access to guns,” nominee McCormick responded. “I am in favor of the policy President Trump put in place of eliminating bump stocks.”
Williams then asked Casey on his pivot toward favoring gun restrictions and what he has done to further change on this issue.
“I am supportive and voted for the bipartisan gun legislation, which has brought down gun deaths,” Casey said. “My opponent won’t support it because the gun lobby won’t let him, and he doesn’t have the political courage to stand up to the gun lobby to support those commonsense measures.”
As voting is already underway across the country, Election Day on Nov. 5 draws closer. The outcomes of both Pennsylvania debates will be felt as the United States moves toward a new presidential administration.
I am used to meeting my residents on move-in day; this year, I was working Fall Welcome Week, and my floor of almost entirely sophomores gradually returned to campus over a few days.
Fewer than a dozen attended my floor meeting. Only a third are in my floor’s GroupMe chat. Our report-writing system still does not show students’ ID photos — despite being more than halfway through the semester — and it is exponentially harder to match names with faces and room numbers. I do not know who is who and who lives where.
I am someone who struggles to thrive unless I can feed off the energy I get, and I am getting nothing. Now, I have decided that I have nothing left to give. After this semester, I will no longer be an RA.
It is incredibly painful for me to step away from something that has brought me so much joy over the last few years. But I know this is the decision I need to make in this moment. I know deep down that I do not want to step away from this position, but I can no longer complete the job I was hired to do. I respect the housing department enough to not overstay my welcome when I am no longer invested. I am eternally grateful for the relationships I have built through this position, and I wish every student the best on-campus housing experience possible.
Because every student deserves an RA who wants to be there. I no longer do.
Election Update: Two weeks to go until Nov. 5
Ian Thompson News Editor
With just two weeks until Election Day on Nov. 5, candidates are making their final appeals to voters in seven key battleground states.
Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada are all polling within the margin of error.
Vice President Kamala Harris spent time in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin on Monday, trying to shore up support in what is known as “the blue wall.”
Former President Donald Trump spent Monday surveying damage from Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina, before campaign events in Greenville and Concord.
A Washington Post-Schar School poll also asked voters
who they trusted more on the issues — Trump beat out Harris on the economy and immigration, while Harris led on climate change, crime and abortion.
Abortion remains one of the most important issues in this election, with 10 states having ballot measures to protect or restrict access to abortions.
Trump and Harris are not alone in hitting the campaign trail. Their surrogates have been busy advocating from them across the country.
President Joe Biden and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are expected to travel to New Hampshire to promote the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to lower perscription drug prices.
Tesla and SpaceX billionare Elon Musk has been making campaign appearances in support of
Trump, who he endorsed on July 13 following the assassination attempt on the former president. In a move that election law experts have warned is potentially illegal, Musk announced on Oct. 19 that he would randomly give away $1 million each day until election day to registered voters in swing states who signed a petition.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, made appearances Monday on ABC’s “The View” and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, spent Sunday in the Green Bay, Wisconsin, area. Both campaigns have dialed back impromptu stops to local businesses as heightened security concerns and Secret Service staffing issues, according to NBC.
Lillian Sellers SGA President
Courtesy of Matt Rourke / AP Photos
Pennsylvania Senate candidates Bob Casey and Dave McCormick shake hands before their Oct. 15 debate at the WPVI-TV studio in Philadelphia.
Opinion
Against The Slate’s Endorsement Decision
The Slate Editorial Board
Aminority of The Slate’s editorial board expresses its disagreement against the majority’s decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States and Gov. Tim Walz (D–Minn.) for Vice President of the United States.
The decision to endorse was a rarity. The Slate has not endorsed a candiate in over a decade. In 2020, the editorial staff remained neutral by endorsing “Vote your conscience.” They lamented that roughly 40% of the population does not vote and encouraged readers to register.
This endorsement is a controversial and significant decision. The opposition believes that the majority shares this sentiment because they did not endorse without considering negative feedback.
Negative feedback, however, is where our argument begins. Negative feedback is an innate component of journalism. As student journalists, we have been criticized for reporting stories that challenge campus groups, administrators,
staff, students and stakeholders. Criticism was rampant last year after we reported controversial stories. One may recall seeing “Defund The Slate” on YikYak, a petty slogan coined after some were dismayed that we would report such controversies. It is human nature to become defensive when one’s reputation is challenged. It is also a dense assertion to argue that any news outlet must stay quiet about a newsworthy event to retain popularity.
It is a journalist’s duty report to on positive and negative events without fear or favor.
After all, The Slate is not a public relations arm for any campus entity or person. Likewise, it is also not a public relations arm for political candidates. The Slate is composed of student journalists, whose job it is to tell the story. Journalists are not the story; they are the voice. As a news organization, readers expect an objective source to report on events. Objective reporting ensures trust; an endorsement weakens trust.
We anticipate the counterargument that opinion sections are germane to newspapers. We agree with this
position but only after emphasizing a crucial difference: Opinion articles are associated with the writer’s name.
A byline first shows the writer’s name, then the position. The endorsement omits the names but retains the title. The majority, therefore, are not attributing themselves to the article, but rather their titles.
Endorsing a candidate places journalists inside the story. The audience will not be receptive to the arguments made by the majority. The story is instead about the decision that our organization has made because that is the most newsworthy
The Slate Speaks: Does Homecoming still matter?
Some students are not fans of adhering to traditions just for the sake of it. In fact, the editor of this paper took time to write about it in a “Your World Today” column last year. But homecoming can act as a weather vane for how interested students are in campus events, and currently, the excitement is missing. Why is that?
One potential reason: This year, as a result of ongoing budget struggles, the budget for Homecoming events dropped 30% from $20,000 to $14,000 — despite those in charge of Homecoming only submitting request for an $11,000 budget. In previous years,
homecoming fell immediately after fall break and lasted from Wednesday to Sunday. This year, Wednesday events were no more. Additionally, this was the first year without a unique theme for Homecoming like 2022’s “Viva Las Ship” or 2023’s “Ship Through the Decades.” According to SU Director of Communications Megan Silverstrim, the university has been “considering moving to a Ship theme for several years.” Some students think that cutting back on a theme is a result of budget constraints since decorations in the Ceddia Union Building can be reused yearly, but
Where’s Your Voice?
• Shippensburg University students, staff, faculty, administrators and affiliated people are welcome to submit letters to the editor for publication.
• Letters must be no more than 500 words and may not contain derogatory language or messages of hate or discrimination.
• The Slate may reject letters for any reason.
• Letters become property of The Slate.
• Letters without a name and title (affiliation to SU) will not be accepted. Letters should be sent to The Slate one week prior to the day of publication. Late letters may be accepted but published the next week.
Disclaimer
• The views and opinions expressed in this section are those of the writer and not of The Slate or University.
• The unsigned staff editorial, “The Slate Speaks,” represents the views and opinions of The Slate as an organization. Participating editors help shape the staff editorial.
Silverstrim said budgets were not a “driving force behind the decision” to implement a Ship theme.
One glaring sign that many students do not care about homecoming is that there was a lack of applicants for homecoming royalty, a tradition open to all juniors and seniors at SU.
This year, only 10 people applied, which sparked changes to the royalty campaigning and selection process. At this rate, it is questionable if homecoming royalty will even exist in a few years. God save the autumnal representative, we suppose.
But maybe that is the point. The royalty aspect may very well be seen
component.
Media bias must also be considered. Endorsing a political candidate and championing the decision is the greatest way for a news organization to announce their biases.
Consider this in a time when media trust is at record lows, and organizations like CBS and ABC are receiving a public drubbing on social and traditional media for clear omissions to their reporting in favor of Harris.
Biased reporting is an unfortunate reality to the human experience, not a celebratory cause.
In opinion articles, bias is acceptable because it is
under the writer’s name.
The natural takeaway when one sees the endorsement is not that a writer is biased, but rather the newspaper is biased.
This creates distrust between our organization and our readers, whether warranted or unwarranted. Per a Gallup poll, only 32% of Americans have a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in the media, tying the lowest in the poll’s 52year history. At a recordbreaking 39%, more Americans have no trust at all in the media.
Our argument has not yet, nor will it, express political opinions to support or oppose either candidate. This is our effort to ensure that our readers are awarded a perspective that limits bias as much as possible. We hope that increasing media trust is a mutual goal between us and the majority, but we fail to see how a political endorsement affirms this ideal.
We also question the intent of the decision to endorse on Oct. 22. Pennsylvania’s deadline for registering to vote is Oct. 21. This endorsement cannot increase voter registration. With only two weeks preceding Election Day on Nov. 5, the opposition believes
that most readers will have already decided their preferred candidates. An endorsement is meant to encourage readers to vote for the endorsed candidates. The timing represents a lukewarm effort to satisfy this goal. It implies that the endorsement accomplishes little beyond using a title to substantiate personal preferences.
Our opposition is not done with ease. We are arguing against our fellow student journalists and leaders of this organization. We have also built friendships with them. With humility, we hope the majority does not consider our opposition as an affront against those friendships.
But if we dared to refrain from expressing our dissent, we would have violated our interest in protecting The Slate’s reputation and jeopardized its reputation. We write to protect our understanding of journalistic ideals, which we believe our campus community, our stakeholders and our country expect. For these reasons, the minority of The Slate’s editorial board reiterates its dissent against this endorsement.
as an anachronism. The week’s schedule could just as easily be filled by spirit week in place of homecoming, without the uncontested electoral process. It is not as though there is a dance, such as those in high school, that honor our elected monarchy.
There will still be the issue of student buy-in, but there is no reason most of the scheduled events cannot be slotted into a different concept. This may help, as the only
way homecoming has a connection to you is if you or your family are SU alumni. The effort put into the student-facing aspect of the ceremony has steadily decreased along with students’ involvement. It is not that students are completely disinterested.
APB’s Casino Night and Campus Life’s homecoming Bingo were packed — another reminder that students will show up, but only if they care.
The same can be said for student organizations. Only 45 clubs registered to take place in the Homecoming Parade, which is fewer than half of those on campus. None of this is to be too hard on leadership. Universities across the board are struggling with getting students to buy in and feel a more complex sense of connection to their institution, and Ship is no exception.
Sophia Bartash
Matthew Scalia / The Slate
A display inside the Ceddia Union Building for Homecoming 2024.
Matthew Scalia / The Slate
A photo of The Slate’s office “Defund The Slate” messages appeared on the social media platform YikYak in February 2024.
Harris, Her Platfrom and Its Problems
Matthew Scalia Asst. Opinion Editor
Despite growing up in a middle-class family, Kamala Harris seems to be losing a coalition of voters that would identify as such.
That is what is on display in a recent round of polls from both the New York Times/Siena College and NBC News. The latter shows that Harris and Donald Trump are locked in a dead heat at 48% in a national poll of registered voters.
To make matters more unpredictable, the NBC poll found that 10% of voters may change their mind by Election Day. The divisions between these voters are vast but there are warning signs the Harris campaign should heed.
One of them is a problem that has plagued Harris since she first set her sights on the Oval Office. That problem is voters’ sentiment toward her. The NBC poll found that voters have a 43% positive view of the vice president and a 49% negative view. These results are virtually flipped from just one month ago.
And even though Joe Biden is no longer on the ballot, NBC found that voters do not have a favorable view of Biden’s policies in comparison to Trump’s. According to the poll, 25% of respondents said Biden’s policies helped them, while 45% said they hurt. This is in comparison to 44% who said Trump’s policies benefitted them and the 31% who said they hurt.
While the gender of respondents shows men heavily favoring Trump (+16) and women choosing Harris (+14), Harris is losing the Black and
Hispanic voters that have long formed the backbone of Democratic coalition.
The New York Times/Siena poll shows that Harris leads Trump 56% to 37% among Hispanic voters and 78% to 15% among Black voters. This may seem like a commanding lead, but it’s worth noting that Biden got 89% and 92% of those voters respectively.
So, why is Harris losing these voters? One reason may be her lack of substance. The hard work of a political campaign normally sets in after the initial luster, or “honeymoon phase” that occurs after the candidate’s entry wears off. That is the time to buck up, address the people and explain what your vision for the country is.
Enter Harris, who has decided to do none of that. Instead of spending her limited weeks on the campaign trail trying to tell voters what she would do differently than Biden, she has continued the same vacuous platitudes she has been using since she entered race.
Even in friendly environments, this emptiness
has been a cause for concern, as was shown when Harris told the hosts of “The View” earlier this month that she couldn’t think of anything specific she would do differently than Biden.
This is the main question voters have for Harris. Yet, here we are, two weeks before Election Day, and other than a few giveaways, no one has any idea what the Democratic candidate for president wants to do if she were chosen to run the country.
This is a problem Democrats should have been able to predict before they tossed Biden overboard and jettisoned her to the top of the ticket. After all, her lack of substance resulted in her dropping out of the 2020 primary race early due to her consistently polling less than 1%.
Despite the declining support, Harris decided to take a chance by going on Fox News to be interviewed by Bret Baier. Kudos to her for going, but if you thought that the awkward answers she gave in response to softball questions by allied interviewers were going to be
improved upon before this exercise, you were mistaken.
The Baier interview, in contrast, opened with a high heater when he asked the vice president about illegal immigration. It is consistently ranked as one of the leading concerns of voters, and one in which Donald Trump has an advantage.
“The point is that we have a broken immigration system that needs to be repaired,” Harris said in response to the question of how many illegal immigrants may have entered the country in the past three and a half years.
What broke it? Harris cannot hazard a guess. The best spin she could muster was to blame Republicans for not passing the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021. The problem is that bill did little to nothing to stem border crossings and instead focused on providing amnesty to immigrants already living the in the United States and did not propose any additional border agents.
To add a fact-check to this answer, the bill in question was introduced while Democrats
had control of both the House and Senate. It never made it through a committee vote. Unfortunately for Harris, she is left with few good options. She cannot blame the policies of the administration she is currently a part of, and she cannot say what she would change because there is no change to bring. Harris wants to continue the environmental agenda of the Biden administration by squeezing automakers to take losses on electric vehicles that are not selling, as she advocated for all the way back when she was senator in California and has cost her support among workers in Michigan. She has offered no view on the economy other than tax cuts, and she offers nothing on the conflict in the Middle East other than to say “don’t.”
* * *
Republicans have a problem with one man dominating their platform — Trump. For Democrats, it is the opposite. Harris and Biden both are both representatives of their party’s internal machinations and are not perceived as agenda setters. The problem is the Black, male and Hispanic voters the left needs to win elections are peeling off from them. This is not to mention blue-collar union voters
If it were any other candidate than Trump running against this platform, it would be a blowout at this point. Instead, both parties have decided to stick with their usual playbook: demagoguery and party puppet, respectively.
The race will be a coin flip decided by whoever can elicit enough excitement to get voters out to the polls. We are in for a nailbiter.
From Frankenstein to ‘Campystein’
Sophia Bartash Staff Contributer
It is that time of year when days are getting shorter, fallen leaves crunch under our feet, and people’s hearts turn to figures of primordial terror. That’s right, it is Spooky Season. There is no other time of year when it is socially acceptable to have a knife wielding, blood-splattered mannequin of Michael Myers right in front of your house (At least, not if the HOA has something to say about it).
For over a century, Halloween in America has built up a catalog of characters and symbols to embody its spirit. We have the classic icons, jack-o’lanterns and black cats, which were often featured on the earliest printed Halloween cards. Then we have supernatural figures that originate from incalculably old myths and legends, such as ghosts, werewolves and vampires. And who could forget skeletons, which have represented death for centuries and across many cultures? Indeed, Halloween is a celebration of all that taps into our oldest and most primitive fears and taboos: death, dangerous animals, witchcraft and the spirit world. Our ancestors would have lost sleep at the thought of being terrorized by phantoms, witches and blood-sucking monsters. The Salem Witch Trials happened in our own country, after all. However, we use this spooky imagery playfully, with the understanding that it is all in good fun.
And yet within the list of canon creatures lies some particularly modern additions. To me, one stands out as having a very specific and relatively modern origin: Frankenstein’s monster, colloquially known as just Frankenstein.
Other Halloween characters, such as wolfmen and vampires, have been described since medieval times and emerged from stories circulated orally among communities. Frankenstein, on the other hand, was conceived of by one specific person only about 200 years ago. At the age of 18, during a rainy summer in Lake Geneva, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin accepted a challenge to write the most frightening story possible. She was an unwed teen mother, having escaped from England to the European Mainland with her lover, Percy Bysshe Shelly, just two years prior. She was, however, remarkably wellread and educated, being the progeny of anarchist thinker William Godwin and early feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. Though her mother died shortly after her birth, Godwin exposed his daughter to the most advanced scientific thought and radical philosophy of their time. She was alive at a particular cultural moment, when experiments in electrocuting dead bodies made the resurrection of the dead seem like the next big scientific breakthrough.
Mary Shelly’s first child died only two weeks after
birth, so the thought of reigniting the spark of life in the dead had steeped in her consciousness before writing the book.
Shelly only saw one adaptation of her novel, the 1823 play “Frankenstein: or the Demon of Switzerland.”
The version of Frankenstein’s monster that is well-known today was first popularized by Universal’s 1931 adaptation of the story. It is this popular conception of the creature that I like to call Campystein, due to it being popularized by campy, old horror movies.
The original novel does not state anything about the monster having a flat head or bolts in his neck. These were one of the many liberties taken by the studio in retelling the story. It was one of many famous monster films produced by Universal Pictures from the 1920s through the ’50s, whose catalog includes an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” earlier that same year. Like many a film adaptation to follow, the Universal Studios version of Frankenstein contains quite little of the original source material.
So many iconic moments and motifs we associate with the Frankenstein story, such as the hunchback assistant, the electrocution and the exclamation of “It’s alive!” by Dr. Frankenstein are not found in Shelly’s novel. In fact, Victor Frankenstein created his monster as an undergrad, never even receiving a doctorate in the original story.
In Shelly’s novel, Victor Frankenstein describes his creature as having watery eyes, sickly yellow skin and black lips. Victor explains that he intended for his creation to be handsome, with ideal proportions and attractive features. It just so happened that the creature he made from pieces of corpses, ended up looking like a corpse (gasp!).
The novel also depicts the creature as being highly intelligent and
articulate, having read classic books such as “Paradise Lost” and reflecting on his own existence based on them.
The creature also laments his never-ending agony of loneliness, as anyone who encounters him is too terrified to befriend him. This concept of Frankenstein’s creation being a tormented philosopher is not seen in the most popular adaptations of the story. Instead, he is shown to be a lumbering oaf whose
most profound sentence is “fire bad.”
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In Search of the Perfect Moment?
Yusra Aden Staff Contributer
Remember the sticker collection you had when you were a child and waited for the perfect opportunity to use? Did you ever get to use it? What about the candle that was gifted to you by a friend that you hesitate to light, in fear of wasting it on a random day? Did you ever get to light it? What about the shirt that you bought and stored in your closet waiting for the perfect day to put it on? Did you ever get to wear it?
The perfect moment does not exist, and you are wasting your life waiting for it.
We constantly find ourselves wondering about the future, thinking about the things that we hope to do someday if we had more money, or if we had more friends, but why wait for that moment when it’s not guaranteed? Tomorrow is not promised, so the best time to
do something that you’ll enjoy is today. Our brains are programmed to think of the future and anticipate our plans. While that is important in order for us to better achieve our goals, how much are we enjoying the journey that we’re on to get to those goals?
We fail to realize that the perfectly good moments that we seek to make memories and enjoy life in are fleeting between our fingers as we overlook them, assuming that other more special moments are yet to come.
Based on my own experiences, I used to feel like I could not fully embrace and appreciate the fall season due to its association with school and academic stress. I often told myself that once I graduate, I will enjoy it more.
I soon realized that while I may no longer be occupied by the stress of school in the future, I will be occupied with different types of stress that
come with life. So, I might as well appreciate it now amid the chaos of school because someday I will not be a college student with my only concern being school.
If you hesitate to start a project today in fear of failure hence you wait to start it in the future. A few years from now when that perfect moment never came, will you regret starting today despite the outcome or regret not starting at all and never knowing your fullest potential. The next time you find yourself thinking about pursuing your dream sometime in the future, think of how much progress you’d make by then if you had just started today.
As the saying goes, yesterday was history, tomorrow is mystery and today is a gift; that is why it’s called present. So, use that sticker, light that candle and wear that shirt because the only right time is right now.
Courtesy of Gage Skidmore, Flickr
Vice President Kamala Harris speaking at an event in 2019 when she was a U.S. senator.
Homecoming 2024: MSA and BSU host Step Show
Contributor
Memorial Auditorium
burst to life Saturday night as Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) and the Black Student Union (BSU) held the annual Step Show during homecoming weekend.
To kick off the show, host Matt the Comedian ran a roll call. From freshmen to alumni, everyone made their presence loud and clear. A roll call for several fraternities and sororities was also made, with each making their presence known through different chants.
Despite the late start to the show, students and alumni enjoyed high energy performances by Elite Modeling Troupe and several up-and-coming artists such as Oh That’s Mizz and Sturdy Youngin. Students were also given free shirts after MSA Director Diane Jefferson, MSA Associate Director Kapri L. Brown and Homecoming Royalty
Tymere Harris spoke to the crowd.
Throughout the night, several fraternities performed various dances and stepping that was unique to each fraternity. These fraternities included Phi Beta Sigma, Sigma Gamma Rho, Alpha Phi Alpha and Omega Psi Phi.
Stepping is a traditional rhythmic and synchronized dance dating back to the early 20th century, originating in African American fraternities and sororities. These dances often involve a combination of foot stomping, clapping, chanting and different hand gestures.
Each performance received immense positive feedback from the audience, filling the auditorium with applause and cheers.
At the end of the event, the crowd was invited to the front of the stage for the last performance by the show’s headliner, Mizz. Students danced and sang along as Mizz performed, ending the night on a high note.
SU kicks off Homecoming Weekend with Casino Night
Libby Cogan Staff Contributor
Homecoming Casino Night took place on Oct. 19 in the Ceddia Union Building and featured a variety of casino-themed games, including slot machines, blackjack and more.
Upon entering the event, an array of decorations was displayed, including a casino-themed backdrop for photos with decorative blowup dice, playing cards and other elements. Professional dealers were hired for the games, each station stacked with enthusiasm
and competition as students eagerly approached.
There were seven tables in total — three for blackjack, two for poker, one for roulette and one for craps. The blackjack tables were especially popular, as students competed to get their cards as close to 21 without going over. At the poker tables, participants sat in groups, trying to build the best hand to outplay others by testing their bluffing and strategy. The roulette table had a spinning wheel with a ball that determined whether players won or lost based on their bets. At the craps
table, students took turns rolling dice while others bet on the outcome. Each game had specific rules, which the dealers explained to ensure participants understood how to play. The slot machines were a hit, with a line forming behind each machine as players strategically watched.
When entering the event, two yellow tickets were handed to each student and were to be used to play the games, as well as to be traded for raffle tickets that could be entered to win prizes at the end of the night. The dealers remained professional and
managed their tables by explaining how each game worked and how to play to win, making the games run smoothly with participant understanding.
There were many prizes up for grabs that were displayed in the front of the event with ticket-collecting containers in front of each. The prizes consisted of a pair of AirPod Max headphones, a Roku TV, an Xbox series S, an Amazon gift card and a $50 Longhorn Steakhouse gift card.
The atmosphere of the event was full of anticipation as students gathered to watch their peers as they waited for
their own turns on the tables.
Many students mingled by helping each other out in understanding how to play the games, tactically conversing before stepping up to the plate themselves. The spirit of homecoming flourished throughout the event as the weekend of festivities was just kicking off.
The casino-like setting was just for fun as all of the games were intended for entertainment while remaining appropriate and emphasizing a responsible approach. With no real money being used for
betting, the event was lighthearted and gave a taste of the casino ambiance in a less serious tone.
With students of many groups and backgrounds attending the event, the true spirit of homecoming was encompassed through community togetherness. The thrill of friendly competition helped to celebrate the start of Shippensburg University’s 2024 Homecoming, showcasing how many students, alumni and community members can gather to unify and celebrate.
Lydia Elmy Staff
Jayden Pohlman / The Slate
A variety of fraternities performed at Memorial on Saturday night.
Jayden Pohlman / The Slate Elite Modeling Troupe walked at the Step Show.
Libby Cogan / The Slate
SU first-year students Maddie Thievon and Elizabeth Lonkart try out the slot machines at the 2024 Homecoming Casino Night in the CUB.
Libby Cogan / The Slate
Students had the opportunity to play a variety of games at the event, like blackjack, poker, roulette and craps.
Libby Cogan / The Slate Dealers
Libby Cogan / The Slate
Shippensburg University celebrates body positivity with ‘Love Your Body’ event
Jordan Neperud Staff Contributor
“Love Your Body” brought together several student resources and organizations together in one room at Shippensburg University to celebrate body positivity on Oct. 16.
The event began when psychology professor Toru Sato guided the room with a mindfulness body scan, creating a tranquil atmosphere. Once he was finished, students were free to explore the many tables and activities available.
According to Kurt Dunkel, coordinator of Connection Alcohol and Other Drugs Services Program (Connection AOD), the purpose of the event was to give students “a greater understanding of some of the more semi-conscience ways we view bodies.”
Dunkle said, “The way we pass certain judgments about what is good, what is healthy, what is attractive, what is right. A greater understanding of the negative messaging that
people can internalize in our society, based on school, family, community, popular culture, social media. We ingest, no pun intended, a lot of negative messaging about bodies that we don’t consciously think about.”
Various campus organizations and departments were present. The Women’s and Gender Studies Department had candy and paper cutouts for people to write what is unique about their bodies.
The Trans Affinity group asked attendees what makes them feel gender joy. The Counseling Center handed out affirmation cards with candy attached, along with pamphlets promoting its services.
Shippensburg’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) handed out stickers, bookmarks and information about their mission to end the stigma against mental health. Ship Votes offered students various information about how to register to vote, the voting process and where to vote. The Domestic Violence Services
of Cumberland and Perry Counties (DVSCP) handed out stickers, magnets and informational pamphlets. The Frederick Douglas Institute had several tables promoting their mission to challenge members to analyze various social, political and environmental issues.
Carlisle’s YMCA promoted several of YWCA services, such as its pad pantry, youth and adult programs and crisis hotlines. The Connection AOD program gave out temporary tattoos to students. The PAGE Center offered students free condoms and stickers displaying various pride flags.
One popular table had magazines and printed out pictures for students to make vision boards. One Ship student said making the collages was their favorite part of the night.
The Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) held a survey asking students to give their opinion on the types of chairs used in classrooms. All three of
the chairs most commonly found in a classroom were present and students were encouraged to sit in them to give more accurate feedback.
Alex Coombs from the OAR explained in a speech that an audit was being done on the seating options and explained how many do not fit accessibility needs.
Shippensburg student Amaya then performed a dance to “Glory” by Common and John Legend. Colby Houser held a light workout session that was optional for attendees. It focused on making the body feel good rather than weight loss. The event concluded with a clip from “The Ozempic Obsession” by Jia Tolentino and Trevor Noah.
Director Miller Hoffman said, “I’m hoping folks will find opportunities to feel more comfortable and more present in our bodies. We’re told so often that our bodies are not beautiful. I think the more we’re able to feel confident and comfortable and beautiful, it just makes life a lot better.”
Easy College Recipe: Sweet Potato Hash Egg Muffins
PAGE Center talks safe sex
Natalie Nichols Staff Contributor
The Shippensburg University Pride and Gender Equality (PAGE) Center held its Safe Sex Gab and Raffle on Oct. 9.
Miller Hoffman, director of the PAGE Center, expressed delight at the attendance of the event.
“We anticipated somewhere between five and 125 people,” Miller said while moving the event from its original location to a larger room. “Because when we hold safe sex talks, we get five, and when we hold sex toy raffles, we get 125.” The total headcount was 71
students.
Student presenters
Cynthia Dodd and Karmen Alicea oversaw a slide presentation for the event, providing information on anatomy, contraception and common sexual dynamics.
Continuous and enthusiastic consent remains one of the prime topics of the hour in safe sex discussions on campus. Presenters emphasized and educated on the importance of unimpaired and enthusiastic agreement to all actions, regardless of the length of relationship between two parties.
Information about various contraceptive methods was also a focus of
the presentation, ranging from the easily accessible internal/external condom to the less common and less effective birth control via breastfeeding. The PAGE center also offers various materials to promote safer sex on campus, and staff are able to direct students in need to resources that may not be stored in the center. The open discussion and Q&A with the audience proved to be a massive success, with students becoming bolder as the evening went on. Information ranged from broader questions of anatomy to more niche and nuanced discussions of identity.
Courtesy of Miller Hoffman
A variety of campus offices and organizations were at the event, including the Office of Accessibility and Resources.
Courtesy of Miller Hoffman
Students were able to learn more about self-care, body image and identity.
Courtesy of Miller Hoffman Students could even get temporary tattoos at the “Love Your Body” event.
Courtesy of Miller Hoffman Shippensburg’s National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) handed out various goods to students.
Courtesy of Miller Hoffman “Love Your Body Day” was a celebration of all types of bodies and identities.
Photo courtesy of Pexels.com
Megan Sawka Ship Life Editor
Neil Berg plays rock and roll hits at Luhrs
Has it been a long time since you rock and rolled?
Not if you attended “Neil Berg’s 50 years of Rock & Roll” at Luhrs, it has not.
Berg and his band of Broadway singers and rock musicians came to Shippensburg University to put on their rendition of classic rock songs Friday before they return to touring in November with a show in Sarasota, Florida.
Berg opens his show with songs from the 1950s playing hits such as Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B Goode” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.”
It is in the introduction to these songs that the audience first realizes that this is not a mere rock concert. Berg uses his time on stage to take the audience on a trip through the ages that is equal parts documentary and history lesson.
One way he does this is by giving the audience a look at the cultural history behind the music. For example, when introducing the Elvis Presley era of the ’50s, he tells the audience about how Presley used to go into the “juke joints” where R&B, also known as “race music,” was performed at the time. He went to learn the moves and styles of the performers.
One performer that Berg said influenced Presley was known as Big Mama Thornton, and what better way to show this to audience than by demonstrating it.
“So, we thought we’d fuse them together to show you how Big Mama Thornton, R&B and race music went directly to the king of rock and roll, Sir Elvis Presley,” Berg said before he and his band burst into a rendition of Presley’s “Hound Dog.” It was sung as duet with one vocalist doing his best performance of the king and the other doing Thornton.
After a tribute to Buddy
Holly, Berg went on to talk about the artist’s death in a plane crash and how it dealt a major blow to a rapidly weakening rock scene.
“The ‘Big Bopper’ crashed into an Iowa cornfield,” Berg begins. “They would call it the day the music died, and it would be the last time. Around the same time, Chuck Berry was arrested.”
“And does anybody remember one of my heroes of early rock and roll? He played the piano amazing. Does anybody remember the great chariot, Jerry Lee Lewis?,” Berg asked to set the audience up for some history.
“Yeah, well, he was out marrying his 13-year-old cousin.”
Berg’s point is clear — rock and roll was hurting.
The audience and the genre come back to life when the musical trip through time hits the 1960s. Berg and company play the music of the Fab Four, The Beatles, with the song “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”
The show reaches a cli-
max, however, when it travels to 1969, the summer of love. Berg sets the stage for the music of Woodstock and performers belted powerful versions of hits such as Janice Joplin’s “Piece of my Heart.”
For the 1970s, Berg takes us through the changing sounds of decades. The band plays Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick” and takes through the Rolling Stones and Marvin Gaye.
Berg wraps up the decade and the show by telling the audience that rock music was once again on the downslope. The end of the ’70s ushered in the beginning of disco, but that did not mean rock was dead.
Berg would play Neil Young’s “Hey Hey, My My,” which features the line, “rock and roll will never die.”
The show ended with an encore of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” The show at Luhrs was only Part 1 of the series. Berg says he hopes to come back for Part 2.
Charli XCX takes ‘Brat’ to an entirely new level
Mara Eberle Asst. Ship Life Editor
Hello “Brat-umn,” goodbye “BRAT” summer.
Charli XCX released “Brat and it’s completely different but still brat” on Oct. 11. The project is a remix album containing 16 refurbished tracks inspired by her sixth album, “BRAT.”
Five tracks on the album were previously released as singles, which left fans in anticipation for months after the original album’s release. The standout single from the album is undoubtedly “Girl, so confusing” featuring Lorde. Not only was this track extremely successful in streams, but it also allowed Charli XCX and Lorde to iron out their real-life differences and, as the lyrics state, “work it out on the remix.”
During the lead-up to the album’s release, there were concerns that it was a money grab or a way to cling to “BRAT summer.”
“Brat and it’s completely different but still brat” feels reminiscent of Charli’s albums “how i’m feeling now” and “Pop 2.” Both albums are perfect balances of vulnerable lyrics set over experimental instrumentals. A track from the remix album that showcases this is “Everything is romantic remix” featuring Caroline Polachek, where Charli confides in her friend and asks, “Everything’s still romantic, right?” This track honors the original by simply highlighting the unexpected beauty in every aspect of life.
A personal favorite off of this album is “I think about it all the time” featuring Bon Iver. As a Bon Iver fan, the reveal that he was featured on “I think about it all the time” felt odd because the song is about the worry that the time to have children is running out. However, this ended up being the most hard-hitting song on the track list. Charli is somehow more vulnerable here than in the original, and Bon Iver’s point of view accompanied by his vocals is extremely impactful.
“Spring breakers” is a fan favorite of Charli’s, so fans took notice to its lack of a remix on the initial album drop. Thankfully, the long-awaited Kesha remix was swiftly released two days later. The intriguing part of “Spring breakers” is the incorporation of Charli’s songs “Boom Clap” and “Vroom Vroom” within the lyrics.
Charli soothed these worries by releasing multiple remixes that sounded completely different from the originals. A remix that showcases this is “Sympathy is a knife” featuring Ariana Grande. As soon as the album’s featured artists were announced, Ariana Grande’s track quickly became the most highly anticipated track. Fans began trying to predict what Grande’s feature would sound like, but they would soon be proven wrong. This remix disregarded the original lyrics and instrumentals but stayed true to the song’s meaning, which is the comparison and mistreatment of female artists.
Former One Direction member, Liam Payne, dies at 31
have said they are “completely devastated” by
ists as a producer after the band split in 2015. He also continued releasing music as a solo artist. His biggest hit was “Strip That Down,” which features Quavo. Payne
with
and
to make a
his first solo album in 2019 called “LP1.” Following his death, his bandmates released a joint statement as well as individual statements paying respect to Payne on Instagram. Simon Cowell, X Factor judge who originally put the band together, also shared a heartfelt message on Instagram. Fans started to gather outside the hotel where
There is a line in “Spaces” by One Direction that goes, “Leaving us speechless and I don’t know why / Who’s gonna be the first to say goodbye?”
Matthew Scalia
Opinion Editor
Matthew Scalia / The Slate
Neil Berg sings popular rock and roll hits from several decades that the crowd could all sing along to.
Former One Direction band member Liam Payne died on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 31 years old. Payne fell from a thirdfloor balcony at a hotel in Argentina. The sudden news of his tragic death has shocked the internet and fans. According to ABC News, a hotel manager reportedly called the police stating that Payne was in a state of aggression and may be under the influence of drugs and/ or alcohol. He fell from the balcony shortly after emergency personnel arrived at the hotel. Payne spent years in One Direction with his bandmates
Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and they released five albums. They were one of the best-selling boy bands of the 21st century thus far. One Direction was almost every teenage girl’s favorite band
Payne died
memorial site
pictures of him, candles
flowers. His father, Geoff Payne, joined fans and read a tribute.
Abbygale Hockenberry
A&E Editor
Courtesy of GoodFon and Flickr Liam Payne was a bandmember of the hit boy band, One Direction. His bandmates
his death.
Field hockey defeats defending national champion Kutztown,
sweeps week
Shippensburg University’s
No. 1 nationally ranked field hockey team moved to 13-0 on the season this past week, earning a thrilling comeback 3-2 win over No. 2 defending national champion Kutztown at home on Tuesday before taking down Slippery Rock 3-0 on Saturday.
SU got off to a fast start against the Golden Bears.
The Raiders took a 1-0 lead over Kutztown just 56 seconds into the match when senior Alexa Michielsen scored her sixth goal of the season with an assist from junior Agus Garibaldi.
The teams then settled into a rhythm defensively for most of the first half until Kutztown earned a penalty corner with six seconds remaining in the second quarter. They were able to convert, making it 1-1 at halftime. They scored again off
a penalty corner late in the third quarter to make it 2-1 entering the fourth.
The Raiders persevered from there. Junior Ashley Button scored her second goal of the season with 9:56 remaining to even the score, with Garibaldi earning the assist.
Speaking postgame on the goal, Button said, “It was just a mindset going in, going back to our gameplan as a team playing together.”
The match remained tied entering the final stretch when junior Savannah Silvestre earned Shippensburg’s lone penalty corner of the game.
Garibaldi was able to convert on the ensuing possession, earning the go-ahead goal via an assist from Button with just 39 seconds remaining to put the Raiders ahead 3-2, which would be the final score.
Speaking on the fourth quarter, head coach Tara
Zollinger said, “It was really about trying to maintain possession on the front one third. We still only had very limited opportunities in their attack circle, but we capitalized on those opportunities.” It was an even-matched contest throughout, with each team only earning four
shots on goal. It was also quite physical. Six penalties were handed out, four on SU. Zollinger also commented on the team effort Tuesday, saying, “You can always tell there’s a pretty strong chemistry when you can come back from a 2-1 game against a rival … that just came from
believing in each other, committing to the gameplan and working cohesively on the field.”
Saturday’s match saw SU muscle its way to a 3-0 road win over Slippery Rock. The scoring began in the second quarter when sophomore McKenna Boyle scored her
seventh goal of the season off an assist from sophomore Carme Caracotche Picone, with the score remaining 1-0 at halftime.
Shippensburg added a pair of goals in the fourth quarter, beginning with Garibaldi contributing once again with her 14th of the season. Freshman Anne Gardner rounded out the day’s goals with her sixth to make it 3-0 SU.
The Raiders held Slippery Rock to just one shot on goal for the match, outshooting them 16-2 overall. They also earned 10 penalty corners without allowing one.
Shippensburg field hockey has a pair of home conference games this week, beginning with a matchup against East Stroudsburg on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Raiders will then celebrate Senior Day on Saturday when they take on IUP at 1 p.m. Both matchups are at Robb Sports Complex.
Josiah Leonard shows you can do it all
Shippensburg University’s volleyball team picked up three road wins this week against Jefferson, Bloomsburg and Lock Haven.
SU’s overall record moves to 11-9 and their conference record moves to 6-1.
The Raiders first game this week was against the Jefferson Rams. They lost set one 25-23 but rallied to take sets two, three and four. Final scores were 25-14, 25-12 and 25-14.
The team finished the match with a new season-high 15 service aces. They outperformed the Rams in blocking at 5-2.
Offensively, senior Maddie Clabaugh had a season-high 14 kills, and she hit .500 from the floor with no attack errors on 28 swings.
Junior Berkley Simmons led the defense with 15 digs and a service ace.
Moving to the weekend, SU swept the Bloomsburg Huskies Friday night 3-0.
The first set of the night was a close battle between the two squads, but the Raiders came out victorious after a kill from sophomore Natalya Montague and two Bloomsburg errors.
SU found great momen-
tum in the next two sets to put the Huskies away, 25-13 and then 25-20. Montague led the offense with nine kills, hitting .389 from the floor. Junior Isabelle Bombas also contributed with seven kills on zero errors and hitting .500 from the floor.
Sophomore libero Shay Kolivoski set a career-high service aces collecting seven on the night. She also led the defense with 15 digs. The Raiders faced Lock Haven Saturday evening to round out their week of competition. They pulled away a four-set victory after losing the third set to the Bald Eagles by two.
Senior Emily Gardner recorded her 13th double-double of the season, with 15 kills and 11 digs. She also hit .310 from the floor and committed only two attack errors on 42 swings.
Junior Kearstin Davis handed out 29 assists and tacked on two kills, two aces and six digs.
SU’s defense was led by junior Erica Lampus, who recorded a season-high 20 digs.
The Raiders next matchup will be on Tuesday against Frostburg State at Heiges Field House. The match will begin at 7 p.m.
As a student, one already has a busy schedule. A student-athlete has an even busier schedule with practices and competitions. Students who are members of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program have a similarly busy schedule.
However, combining both programs, athletics and ROTC, makes for the busiest schedule of them all and is a thing that not many students attempt. At Shippensburg University, of about 70 members of the ROTC program, only four students are a part of the Army ROTC program and an NCAA-sponsored sport, in addition to two students on the rugby team.
Josiah Leonard, the starting running back on the Shippensburg University football team, is one of the few and shows how to combine being a student-athlete and a member of the ROTC program at SU.
The 20-year-old Bensalem native has been playing football since he was 8 years old.
During high school, Leonard also competed in track and field. Through that, he attended a camp at the Naval Academy after his freshman year of high school. That experience got him interested in the military and led to him signing up for his high school’s ROTC program for his sophomore year.
“I got to spend a week or two of the summer at the Naval Academy,” Leonard said. “It showed me the military life, which I thought was really cool. It made me join ROTC the next year of school.”
The fact that Shippensburg University not only had a football team but also
the Army ROTC program to offer was a big factor in his decision to attend SU, Leonard said.
Being a part of both programs keeps the 20-year-old busy.
He only has one class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and then practice in the afternoon on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, on Tuesdays and Thursdays Leonard has morning meetings for football at 7 a.m., three classes throughout the morning until noon, lift at noon and practice in the afternoon.
On Thursdays, he also has an ROTC lab in the afternoon, so he attends football practice after his lab gets done around 4 p.m. on these days.
Both the ROTC department and the football coaches work with Leonard as much as they can to optimize his schedule. One example is the ROTC program not requiring him to attend the morning physical training sessions, since he is conditioning for football.
“He balances it very well, and it comes back to communication,” said Master Sgt. Cardray Moulden, Leonard´s instructor for Military Science 3 (MS3), the junior class. “He communicates what is going on and what he needs. He is a very trustworthy person, so if he says something to me, I take him for his word, and at no point in time has he ever misled me.”
According to Moulden, he will adjust for Leonard or excuse him, but only if Leonard brings it up to him, which rarely ever happens because Leonard is managing his tasks well.
The offensive coordinator for Shippensburg´s football team, KiJuan Ware said, “He has worked [his schedule] out where he can balance it both and has very minimal conflicts.”
For the future, Leonard hopes to commission into the Army as a medical service officer. The exercise science major wants to use his degree after he graduates and potentially become a physical therapist in the Army.
Leonard said he chose to be a part of both programs to prove people wrong and set himself apart.
“Everybody told me in high school ‘You cannot do all that; it is too much,” the 20-year-old said. “I carried that over to college. There is not many of us that do ROTC and another sport, so I feel like I set myself apart from everybody else.”
Proving people wrong is Leonard’s agenda. He said, “If anybody tells you, you cannot do something, just prove them wrong and do it.”
Volleyball shines on the road
Photo courtesy of SU Sports Info
Agus Garibaldi (middle) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal over reigning national champion Kutztown in the last minute of the contest on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of SU Sports Info
Ashley Button plays the ball against Kutztown. She scored and assisted a goal.
Nicola Puggé Sports Editor
Savannah Silvestre Staff Contributor
Mason Flowers Asst. Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of SU Sports Info Josiah Leonard, Raiders football running back.
Scenes from Homecoming
Photos Courtesy of Quehannna Coble and Jayden Pohlman
Happy Homecoming
Photos Courtesy of Quehanna Coble, Jayden Pohlman and Carly Rakes