The Slate 11-6-25

Own your media, B1

Carnival of Consent comes to SU, C1

‘Rocky Horror’s’ 50-year anniversary, D1

Women’s soccer wins on senior day, E1

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Volume 69 No. 9

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Thursday, November 6, 2025

International Education Week Meet the Feminists of Shippensburg

Courtesy of USAID U.S. Agency for International Development/ Wikimedia Commons

Jordan Neperud

Asst. Ship Life Editor

Inside the Harley Hall first-floor lounge, a group of students gathered to discuss the thing they are deeply passionate about — feminism.

The Feminists of Shippensburg is the newest club at Shippensburg University, having only received SGA approval on Oct. 6.

The club began when SU freshman Natalie Woleab felt that the university did not offer a space for students to discuss feminism and equality.

“At my old high school, we had a women and leadership club, and it was dedicated to creating a safe space for women, fighting for change

and equality, stuff like that,” Woleab said. “When I came to Shippensburg, there was nothing quite the same as that.”

This observation led Woleab to go through the process of creating a brand-new club. After a few weeks, the Feminists of Shippensburg was born.

The group focuses on creating a safe space for women while combating casual misogyny and rape culture.

“Whether you’re a trans woman or a cis woman, whoever you are, you’re welcome to come discuss what it’s like to be a woman and the hardships you go through,” Woleab said.

Their typical meetings vary from walking around campus to see if the

bathrooms are keeping their menstrual products stocked to discussing future events to discussing historical feminists.

While the club aims to be a safe space for women, it welcomes its male members with open arms.

“I joined because everyone important in my life is a woman,” club member Dylan Ross said.

Woleab has big plans for the club’s future. She wants to host fundraiser events to provide rape whistles to students, as well as being donating to women’s shelters.

She is working on collaborating with the SU chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) to have a double screening of “Barbie”

Courtesy of Addison Henz

Freshman Natalie Woleab founded Feminists of Shippensburg to create a safe space for women and to open up discussions on feminism and gender equality. and “Oppenheimer,” or “Barbenheimer.”

The Feminists of Shippensburg also plans on attending annual events, such as the Carnival of Consent, to promote their club. They

have already attended Love Your Body Day on Oct. 13.

The club has grown quickly, now with about 20 members. The club meets every Tuesday at 5 p.m.

For more information

about The Feminists of Shippensburg, check out its Instagram @ feministsofshippensburg or stop by at one of the weekly meetings.

Students find friendship across the Your World Today aisle at Political Speed Dating night Commentary: Putting Evan Dillow News Editor

For one hour on Wednesday, Oct. 29, Shippensburg University students found that their colleagues listen to the same music and stream the same shows as they do, regardless of who they supported for president in the 2024 election.

Political science Professor Alison Dagnes hosted her annual Political Speed Dating night at 5 p.m. in Stewart Hall. In attendance was a large gathering of students from various backgrounds who were eager to reach out across the political aisle.

Dagnes began by introducing students to the concept behind political speed dating. Over the years that she has held the event, her goal has been to get students out of their rooms and interacting with others

they would not otherwise communicate with.

Students were asked to take a seat on either side of a long row of tables depending on if they consider

that mattered most to them.

The goal for each round was for the two participants to find something they both have common ground on.

This could include anything

Evan Dillow / The Slate

Turnout was high for Political Speed Dating night as students enjoyed free discussion and food. themselves right-leaning or left-leaning. Whoever they sat across from was their partner for that round. Students introduced themselves and then politely discussed the political issues

ranging from what movies they like to watch to what they like to put on their morning toast.

When each five-minute round ended, students were encouraged to end on an

upbeat note, with Dagnes hoping that they would each make a new friend through Wednesday’s event.

Students then moved two seats to the right to meet someone new and start again.

Junior political science major Aidan Garcia was one of many attendees who learned something new about their fellow students across the aisle.

“We do have a lot of things in common. Some of the guys I was talking to, we share the same hobbies,” said Garcia.

“Outside of politics, there are a lot more similarities than I would have guessed.”

Many are concerned that American society will continue to grow more polarized, but Garcia believes that more young people will embrace honest discussions with the other side.

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

SU students hold study abroad panel George Hogan Staff Contributor

Six students hosted a panel for International Education Week to share information on the Study Abroad Program in the Orndorff Theater on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

The panelists described opportunities that their travel abroad experiences gave them, which included building upon languages, teaching in a different country, cultural knowledge and personal growth. The countless doors opened from their explorations were expressed, along with all panelists wishing to go back to the countries they visited again.

Marlon Aristy recently had his first visit back to the Dominican Republic in 13 years. He taught elementary school students during his stay.

Aristy said the chance to give back

was an incredibly valuable experience.

The interaction with the children was an eye-opening experience for him, and he saw the differences in the Dominican Republic and the U.S. education systems.

Being immersed in a language makes improvement quicker. Aristy told this to a friend visiting the U.S. on her own study abroad trip, and this advice gave her more confidence in speaking English.

“It’s scary but once you get to do it and you find those people that give you grace it’s fun,” Aristy said.

Henry Tushek studied in Taipei, Taiwan. He went to National Taiwan University and lived with a host family there. He encouraged others to have a host family if possible, as it is a wonderful option. He would spend weekends with his host brother, host sister and host mom, who worked

helping blind people go on hikes in the area.

Meeting people during these trips is a critical part of the journey aside from practicing the language and going to school. Both Liam Brenize and Cejay Cocco visited multiple countries, including Italy, Spain, Ireland and Iceland.

Brenize said it was a personal journey. The people he met were willing to help him and make him feel more comfortable. They were friendly, and it was nice to see the abundance of positivity they brought him.

Gabbie Bower said that after studying French for so long, it was fulfilling to be able to use the skills she learned to see how far she had come with the language.

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

pressure on yourself

Megan Sawka / The Slate

SU PRSSA executive board attends ICON meeting.

Megan Sawka Managing Editor

Last week, I attended the PRSSA ICON conference in Washington, D.C. I was excited for the conference, but also nervous.

I attended ICON last year in Anaheim and had a great time exploring a new city and meeting new people.

However, this year felt different.

I put pressure on myself to get serious about networking and to make meaningful connections with professionals in the industry. In many fields, the network you create matters, and that applies for public relations and marketing.

I enjoy networking and meeting new people, especially at conferences where everyone shares the same passion and excitement, but it can also be draining. Leading up to the conference, I was anxious about doing everything right — making the right impression, asking the right questions and hopefully finding a job after graduation.

When I arrived in D.C. and attended my first session, I finally took a deep breath. Why was I so nervous? Yes, making connections is important,

but so is enjoying the experience. I realized I had been putting too much pressure on myself to have everything figured out.

The truth is no one has a perfect plan. Growth happens naturally when you show up, learn and stay open to opportunities.

Throughout the week, I reminded myself to stay present and trust that things will fall into place.

Every conversation does not have to lead to a job offer, and every step does not have to be perfectly planned. Sometimes, the best connections happen when you are simply being yourself.

As I left the conference, I felt lighter. The pressure I had placed on myself turned into motivation, not fear. Life has a way of working itself out, especially when you approach it with confidence, gratitude and a positive mindset.

If you ever find yourself stressing about the future, take a step back and remember how far you have already come. You do not need to have all the answers today. Keep showing up, keep learning and trust that the right opportunities will find you when the time is right.

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Opinion

B1

The Slate Speaks: Own your music with CDs Everything is a subscription

Once upon a time, this editorial would be written on a version of Microsoft Word that you owned and laid out into column form for a newspaper in another program that functioned the same way. If only production, or anything else for that matter, was still so affordable.

A culprit of this issue is what is now known as “software-as-a-service” (SAAS), or what is more commonly known, and abhorred, as the subscription model. This has become such a financial suck that spawned an industry of services that help you keep track of your services — for a monthly fee, of course.

This subscription model is a perfect example of corporate greed that has disillusioned an entire generation with capitalist ideals and spawned a resurgence in socialist politics.

To understand why these views are changing, it is necessary to take stock of some of the ways we have shuttled into paying corporate alimony for everyday services, perks and pleasures.

The blunt fact is that there are fewer things you can simply buy and own for the rest of your life. Even the things you can buy have shorter lifespans to spur you to spend more on a new product, a practice known as planned obsolescence. Combine this with inflation — and the companies that are using it as an excuse to raise prices — and you are stuck paying more for a product you own less of and is likely scheduled to break sooner than the one it is replacing.

But SAAS has an additional side effect that some are starting to notice and be demoralized by — that younger generations own almost nothing compared to the millennials, Gen Xers and boomers of the

past.

DVDs used to be a collector’s item — same with VHS tapes before them. You could collect all of your favorite movies, TV shows and games in physical form. They were yours, lest some burglar purloined your collection.

Now, we pay hundreds of dollars a year for a sundry of streaming services to watch three shows without ads — if you go for the premium service — if you can even watch it all. Streaming platforms, whether for video games or shows and movies, are ripe for content removal. You like that show? It would be a shame if you live in the wrong country or the music rights become expired.

When people cheered the demise of cable in the halcyon era of the early-2000s, the battle cry was not “death to cable, long live something far worse than cable.” Yet, when companies discovered they were giving away too much value, they had to find a way to squeeze more out of the deal for their shareholders.

There is hope, though it is a candle’s worth of light in an abyss. Gen Z and their younger siblings in Gen Alpha are longing for ownership.

Recently, CDs and even cassette tapes have made a comeback — Taylor Swift released dozens of versions of the same album on both formats, the point-and-click camera and sans generative AI technology has made a comeback, and video games that are sold complete without mandatory downloadable content are praised by gamers.

One can hope that these changes in consumer sentiments and purchasing decisions will usher in a new era of doing business. More likely, though, the companies will find a way to monetize these old things.

The Shrinkflation of TV Matthew Scalia Opinion Editor

“Space, the final frontier.

These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.

It’s continuing mission: To explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no one has gone before.”

That is how “Star Trek: The Next Generation” started every episode. Running from 1987 to 1994, the show aired 178 episodes over seven seasons. What a time for television. But Trek was not unique. In fact, most television shows of the era produced large bodies of work that eclipse the highestrated shows we have today.

There was “Baywatch,” a show that started out as a serious look at duty, institutional trust and the weight of responsibility bared by lifeguards, until it turned into a campy mess.

There was “Dr. Quinn:

Medicine Woman,” a show that followed a female physician in the 1800s and looked at issues such as America’s treatment of Native Americans, as well as gender and racial issues of the time.

Now you get 10-episode seasons, if you are lucky.

Do not be greedy, because sometimes it is eight, and sometimes they are spaced 2-3 years apart. What happened?

Well, the culling of TV occurred in earnest in 2008.

That was when a strike instituted by the Writers Guild of America caused networks to look for ways to cut costs, since the writers wanted residuals from DVD sales and the streaming of the shows they worked on.

The impact was immediately noticed.

Juggernauts of the era, like ABC’s “Lost” and NBC’s “Heroes,” were cut in half.

The latter never recovered.

But the actors and networks

were happy. If you suddenly gained half of the time you spent working back to go work another job and make more money, you would likely be happy, too.

The actors also see it as a way to increase their fame.

Why stay tied to a show when you can crank out numerous projects while demand is up? Hollywood is happy to accommodate them. They already slap Zendaya on projects like she is a filter on an Instagram Reel.

That is much easier than finding new talent or scheduling around eightmonth long seasons.

If you do not feel cheated, you should. It is the TV version of shrinkflation — you paying more for less just like when you get a smaller container of ice cream that cost more than it did a couple of years ago.

And just like ice cream, the disease is the same. It is just another form of greed.

Matthew Scalia/ The Slate

A wall of CDs kept by Shippensburg University radio station WSYC 88.7 FM. Elmer Graye

Staff Contributor

In the digital age, we have access to almost any information at any time.

With streaming services like Spotify, Netflix, YouTube and even with social media like X and Instagram, why should we care about physical media?

Well, there are more reasons than just for hanging up vinyl records on your wall to look indie.

There are some disadvantages to physical media. It is cumbersome, it can be damaged and it is totally pretentious.

However, the advantages that come from listening to CDs, records and even reading books cannot be understated.

There is still a remnant of the past that we still hold onto in the modern age of streaming — the album.

Nowadays, many albums are just collections of songs put out by an artist. This is encouraged by streaming, because people throw songs into playlists and listen to different artists every time a song comes on. There is no emotional throughline in a shuffled playlist other than the general “vibe” of the music.

In CD or vinyl format, the artist compiles a set number of songs, in a set order. This allows so much more creative direction than a random assortment of similar-sounding songs.

The artist can curate the ephemeral “vibe” as they see fit, as opposed to a shuffling algorithm doing it for you.

Not only does the artist get more control over their art, but they also make more from it, too.

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Streaming services are notoriously tight-pursed when it comes to paying the artists that make their platforms run. Musicians on Spotify make less than pennies per stream, which is horrible for indie artists and beginner musicians.

“It is almost impossible for you to have permanent secured access to a band in the digital space. If songs were removed from the streaming service, you would have no way to listen.”

Elmer Graye Staff Contributor CDs are simple to selfproduce, and the money you pay for a CD will go directly from you to the artist with no middleman. Let’s compare a popular artist, we will say Hozier, with an underground indie artist. Hozier has about 40 million monthly listeners.

With Spotify’s pay-perstream amount being around $0.004, that would give him $160,000 every time all of them streamed one of his songs. Respectable amount of cash, right?

Now let’s see an artist like a local emo band, such as “Fragile Like Life After.”

They have 130 monthly listeners. That’s 50 cents.

Small bands need funds from CDs and physical media to survive, and it is a great way to not only enjoy music but support music as a whole at the same time.

I bet you are wondering, “I’m sure it’s great for the artist, but what do I get out

of it?”

Well, I am glad you asked, because there are many things that physical media can do.

First, it is an insurance that you can listen to them no matter what happens.

Some artists take their work off Spotify or release hidden songs only found on CDs. Or maybe you lost your phone and want to have a secure way to listen to your favorite artists.

It is almost impossible for you to have permanent, secured access to a band in the digital space. If songs were removed from streaming services, you would have no way to listen.

CDs give you a way to truly own music in a way that you cannot get digitally.

Diving deeper into the idea of truly “owning” your music is the ability to burn CDs. Although it is a bit of a lost art, burning CDs is popular in underground music scenes across the world.

Playlists are a rather vague personalization of music nowadays. As mentioned previously, their predominance in digital media makes them very foggy and vague as compared to physical mixtapes. With a mixtape, you, as the consumer, take part in some of that creative freedom that albums give the artists; however, you are remixing and creating an album yourself — one with an emotional throughline or a theme to follow.

Starting out in the world of physical media is a bit of a chore, but in the end, it is a rewarding endeavor that connects you to your music so much more than any online streaming service.

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Thursday, November 6, 2025

C1

The Carnival of Consent: a fun way to teach Sex Ed

A Grimm’s Night

Ship Life

Jordan Neperud

George Hogan & Jordan Neperud

Asst. Ship Life Editor

Shippensburg University’s Women and Gender Studies Program hosted the second annual Sex Ed Carnival of Consent on Thursday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. in the CUB Multipurpose Room.

The event featured classic carnival games with a twist, with the games being focused on educating attendees on healthy relationships, sex and consent. Different departments and organizations hosted the games. Winning the game would give the student a raffle ticket, which could be used for one of the many prizes.

The prizes included several different sex toys, along with items like lube and massage oils. There were also some high-end makeup products and small stuffed toys themed around the reproductive system and sexually transmitted diseases.

The raffle prizes were read throughout the night, with about 20 minutes between each interval.

The many tables also offered other kinds of prizes, which ranged from candy to SU merch. There was also a “freebies” table, which included everything from temporary tattoos to lube.

The vast majority of the prizes and free items were from The Lion’s Den, an adult store in Shippensburg.

The event aimed at educating attendees about sex and relationships in a fun and comfortable space.

“It’s difficult for people to be able to really talk about it, and that’s what I want is for people to talk openly so that they understand what they want and don’t want,” said Misty Knight, director of the women and gender studies program.

The Criminal Justice Department hosted two tables. One was a bean bag toss game that had students identify different behaviors as red, green or yellow flags. The students would throw a beanbag into

Staff Contributor & Asst. Ship Life Editor

Jenn Goldstein / The Slate

SU Students enjoy the many games offered by the Sex Ed Carnival of Consent. either a red, green or yellow hoop depending on which scenario they were given. The second table asked players questions about consent, and if answered correctly, the student would throw a pair of handcuffs in a basket to win a raffle ticket.

Jayleen Galarza, or Dr. Jay, as they are better known by, hosted “The Great Vibrator Race,” where students would receive a vibrator that they would push down a cardboard ramp. Whoever’s vibrator crossed the finish line first would win both a raffle ticket and vibrator, which would be in the original packaging.

The Speech and Communication Center hosted a game in which students were given a paper with different phrases on it, each being a different response to a partner asking for sex or a similar scenario.

The players would select which phrases were passive, passive aggressive, assertive, or aggressive.

The Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties kept it simple with a game of true or false.

Players were presented with a statement about consent or healthy relationships and would have to identify if the statement was true or false.

The Beta Beta Beta Biology Honor Society, or Tri-Beta, hosted a truth vs. myth game about STDs. Participants would choose a card that would have a statement about STDs on it, and they would decide if the statement was accurate or a myth.

The English Department

The Global Languages Department takes students all around the world with Immersion Afternoon Adam Sheaffer Staff Contributor

The Department of Global Languages and Cultures hosted an Immersion Afternoon last Thursday in the CUB Multipurpose Room A to give students the chance to experience cultures from around the world.

The event was put on by both faculty and students who had experience in the cultures they represented.

Thirteen stations were set up to represent countries from around the world, which included Spain, Brazil, Germany, Uruguay, Argentina and many others.

Each station had many students presenting different aspects of their culture. Some featured Hispanic culture such as Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, and dominoes while others featured European cultures through the countries’ history and heritage.

The afternoon also featured foods from their respective countries. Some of the dishes included beef

empanadas, cinnamon crisps and German chocolate cake.

Interim chair for the department Professor Blandine Mitaut explained the importance of the event.

“This is an opportunity for [students] to learn about different countries and different cultures, and we’re bringing the outside world to our campus community,” she said. “Through this event, it’s a way for students to get immersed in different cultures.”

The event was attended by over 100 students who immersed themselves in the variety of cultures.

Each display at the event was created by students of the Department of Global Languages and Cultures.

Some have studied abroad in the countries they represented, and all were knowledgeable and informed on their respective countries.

“We are bringing people together around a shared interest,” said Mitaut. “We believe it is important for students to be well informed global citizens.”

had the “Sexy Talk” game, where students would match quotes to a book. The quotes shared themes of love, sex or sensuality. Winning the game gave students both a raffle ticket and a free book.

The Career Center hosted a matching game. Students would match a job title with a job description, educational requirements and salary range. These jobs included various counseling roles, such as LGBTQ+ therapists.

The human anatomy and physiology course provided a game in which students would identify different parts of both the male and female reproductive systems.

The Computer Science Department held an online dating game. Players were given statements with varying levels of personal information, and they had to sort the statements into least to most identifiable.

The purpose of the game was to teach about online safety, especially in spaces like dating apps.

The Reflector provided participants with poems about sexuality in order to make black out poetry, which is a poem with words intentionally crossed out or otherwise covered to make an entirely new poem.

The Chemistry Club had a trivia game, in which attendees would answer questions related to the human body. The Sociology and Anthropology Club hosted a similar game.

The most physically demanding of the games was “The Great Sperm Race,” where two students would

answer trivia questions about sex while sitting on scooters.

Whichever student answered correctly would be allowed to move forward. Whoever got to the finish line first would win.

Some other games included “Breast-ketball,” where players would answer up to three questions about women’s health. The number of questions they answered correctly correlated with how many balls they received.

The students would then try to throw the balls into a bra.

Some of the most popular games were ring toss with dildos and the “Jizz Volcano,” which was a penis-shaped volcano that would explode with a baking soda, vinegar and glitter solution. Players would have to clean off cock rings, which were laid at the base of the volcano. The player who cleaned the most won the game.

Another popular game was one that featured a giant vagina made of felt. Students would try to hit the clitoris with a ball to win the game.

On top of all these games, there was the iconic “Guess how many penises are in the jar” game, where the winner would receive a jar of candy penises.

There were some free form activities, such as decorating pairs of underwear and making vaginas out of PlayDoh. The Carnival of Consent was a night full of thinlyveiled innuendos and genitalia. It brought students together in a space where they could embrace sexuality without shame.

A Grimm’s Night was anything but a grim occasion, with prizes and sweet treats filling the CUB Multipurpose Room on Halloween night.

During the walk-through of the event, a cotton candy machine was directly to the left when entering, earning attendees a raffle ticket and a sugary treat.

Following that was a chance to spin a wheel for a fidget toy along with a slime-making station.

Students had creative freedom and were able to bedazzle a handheld mirror, along with a glass shoe and sock puppet decoration. On the stage was a mystery box for students to reach into. A correct guess of what was inside would award more tickets.

The costume contest had an assortment of creative, skillfully crafted costumes. Six categories were awarded with golden skeleton trophies by a panel of judges after their deliberation.

These categories included both best overall costume and best costume, with the best costume category acting as second place.

The overall best costume was presented to Luqman Elramadi for his completely handmade Batman costume, with his gravely Batman voice to accompany it.

The best costume went to David Nichols. He created a Clash of Clans wizard costume with a fireball included by covering a balloon with thin red paper that gave the illusion of flames.

The most creative was received by Gabby Hall for her Harpy costume, which featured a detailed crafting of wings with hand-dyed feathers attached to a covered wooden wing frame.

The most original was awarded to Jara Erdossy as King Louis of France, showing a detailed, royal look.

The most funny went to Jacob Pittman’s Tray Parker outfit.

The most scary was received by Emily Cantrell’s “the better skeleton” costume as two skeletons battled for the spot.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and Halloween cookies were provided by dining services, centrally located in the room for people to enjoy at their leisure.

The night was equal parts spooky and fun.

George Hogan / The Slate

Gabby Hall, winner of the most creative costume award, shows off her Harpy costume.

The D.I.V.A.S. bring the halloween spirit to their Divaween party Gabby Lovett Staff Contributor

Shippensburg University D.I.V.A.S. organization hosted its Divaween event on Oct. 30 in Gilbert Hall.

The D.I.V.A.S. set up the room with multicolored lights and balloons in the classic purple, black and orange Halloween colors.

They played classic Halloween songs as well as more unique songs that they put together for the event. There were tables set up, including pumpkins for carving, painting and decorating.

Tables were set up with snacks like

chips, soda, cookies and many other sweet Halloween treats. Everyone was able to grab a plate and enjoy the food while starting to decorate their pumpkins.

The D.I.V.A.S. decided to go around and let everyone introduce themselves so that nobody felt out of place. This helped to break the ice between people who were new to the group and people who came for the event, making it easier for everybody to socialize and talk.

While decorating the pumpkins, the music played, and everyone got to work.

Attendees came dressed in costumes.

From cats to angels to pirates. Every-

body had their own creative look and came to celebrate.

At one point, everybody came together for a picture on the stage, showing their Halloween spirit.

Mikah Hudson, one of the co-chairs of D.I.V.A.S., said, “We wanted to have a chance to be together and bond, to celebrate Halloween and have the spirit people are looking for.”

The party was a spirit-filled event, and the D.I.V.A.S. made sure everyone was involved and had fun.

For more information about the D.I.V.A.S. and to see future events, check out their Instagram @ship_divas.

Madison Sharp / The Slate

The Divaween Party brings students and D.I.V.A.S together in a night full of Halloween fun and bonding.

Thursday, November 6, 2025

A&E

D1

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ returns to haunt SU in celebration of the musical’s 50th

Madison Sharp / The Slate

Transylvanian actors gather around Frank-N-Furter’s “throne” during “Sweet Transvestite.”

Evan Dillow News Editor

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1975 movie, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” returned to Shippensburg University’s Memorial Auditorium, with a three-night showing from Friday, Oct. 31, to Sunday, Nov. 2.

Like in previous years, this performance of Rocky Horror was directed and performed by students and was sponsored by the PAGE Center and the Trans Affinity group.

According to director Alyssa Sheriff, work on this year’s production began in October 2024. Sheriff and choreographer Ari Stevens have spent the past year putting together new ideas for the 2025 performance. Rehearsals started in the second week of September 2025.

Originally a 1973 stage performance in London, the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” gained its cult popularity following the release of the 1975 horrorcomedy musical of the same title.

As a cult classic work with themes relating to the expression of gender identity and sexual freedom, “Rocky Horror” has had an immense following within the LGBTQ+ community

over several decades. This legacy has continued at SU under the direction of Sheriff and Stevens. “‘Rocky Horror’ stage shows have been a long-standing tradition for the past 50 years that it has existed in the public sphere,” Sheriff said. “[It] was a catalyst for queer representation in media — allowing it to remain relevant and important today.”

In keeping touch with “Rocky Horror’s” LGBTQ+ popularity, she explained how all donations received are given to Trans Affinity, a group that provides gender-affirming items for transgender and genderqueer individuals.

Prior to the beginning of the performance, Sheriff and Stevens gave a brief warning on the more dated and complicated depictions in the play. The play features scenes where characters are coerced into sexual acts.

Additionally, they explained how the terminology used to describe the iconic “sweet transvestite from Transylvania,” Dr. Frank-N-Furter, has not aged well 50 years following the original. Terms like “transvestite” and “transsexual” are considered by many to be outdated, with the term “transgender” being more widely accepted.

According to Sheriff, in recognizing the harm that comes from nonconsensual acts and LGBTQ+ misrepresentation, signs were held during the touchier scenes that read “coercion is not consent” and featured a QR code that links to a video about the importance of consent.

Audience callouts are an important aspect of “Rocky Horror” showings.

Throughout the performance, audience members were encouraged to get involved by shouting lines from the movie’s many famous songs or by playfully making fun of the characters.

When the characters Janet Weiss and Brad Majors appeared on stage, they were often met with calls of “sl*t” and “*sshole,” respectively. Though confusing for a first-time viewer, it was recognized by the director and cast as an integral in-joke within the performance.

Self-expression and the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone have also always been a critical part of the musical. This year’s performance of Dr. Frank-N-Furter was played by Tommy Landis, who spoke on what he liked about the character and how he felt performing in the show.

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

Jayden Pohlman / The Slate

Bailey Riley playing Eddie during “Hot Patootie.”

Jayden Pohlman / The Slate

Maddie Thievon playing Columbia in “Time Warp.”

Henderson Gym gets haunted

Get Booked: ‘Carve the Mark’ Abbygale Hockenberry A&E Editor

I read this book for two reasons and two reasons only. A cute boy said it was his favorite book and Veronica Roth being the author of one of the greatest dystopian series of all time. It was also a bonus that I already had this book sitting on my bookshelf many years prior, just collecting dust.

“Carve the Mark” in short terms, blew my mind away. I had no idea that Roth could deliver two amazing series.

“Carve the Mark” takes place in a galaxy where everyone is supposed to develop a power that is influenced by the current — a force that flows through the universe.

The novel follows a dual perspective of Cyra Noavek and Akos Kereseth.

Cyra is the sister of a brutal man ruling the Shotet people. Her gift causes her to be in constant pain — making her a bitter person ± but it also allows her to transfer pain to others.

Akos and his brother, who are from Thuve, get kidnapped by the Shotet.

Akos’ ability allows him to disrupt the current, which basically prevents other people from using their abilities.

I absolutely fell in love with this concept because Akos is the only one who can relieve Cyra’s pain. He serves as a physical healer, but as their connection grows and they begin to have feelings for each other, he figuratively serves as an emotional healer.

One aspect of the book I really enjoyed was fate.

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

Madison Sharp / The Slate

Inside Henderson Gymnasium before the haunted house event began Sunday night from 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.

George Hogan Staff Contributor

Henderson Gymnasium was transformed into a haunted house for Shippensburg University students Sunday night.

The dark corridors led students through a zigzagging path of fright and scuttling sounds. A creature on four legs, stomped toward students at the first turn. From a veiled corner, a man with clown makeup and a shrieking voice sent attendees deeper into the haunt to meet the next being.

Design preparations

started the previous day, around 3 p.m., according to Residence Director Carolin Rusell Dezala. Volunteers from the Activities Programming Board (APB) assisted in the construction of the haunted house.

Dezela said that putting the decorations together was smooth sailing. The trickiest part was the high-rise balloons that were installed in Henderson’s central room.

The volunteers were able to bring their own costumes and accessories.

Event coordinators also provided masks and make-up. The individuals dressing up and

delivering the scares arrived early to apply their make-up, costumes and get ready.

After checking in and signing a waiver through a QR code at the check-in desk, students stepped into line and met the guide who would join them during the walk-through.

From the beginning to the end, no space was wasted.

At each turn, someone was waiting to hop out. The actors used a variety of voices to enhance the ambiance.

As students neared the end, turning the corner displaying a dead-end sign, a tall figure wearing a demonic

mask appears. With the exit door a few meters away, a last handful of monsters show up from the shadows to give a final jump scare before walking through the exit.

Gabby Hall said she was looking forward to seeing what the haunted house had in store. She found it to be entertaining with the good acting, yet she wished it were longer and provided more noticeable props, closer along the path.

Upon leaving, students were given a choice of different bags of candy sorted into varieties based on their preferred type of candy.

Thursday, November 6, 2025

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Sports

Women’s soccer honors seniors with home win Ben Hummel

Staff Contributor

Shippensburg University women’s soccer team hosted its final two home games of the season, losing to Lock Haven on Wednesday and beating East Stroudsburg on Saturday.

Shippensburg fell to Lock Haven, 2-0, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division matchup Wednesday night at David See Field.

Shippensburg had the advantage in corner kicks, 5-2, and outshot Lock Haven 6-5 in the second half but was unable to capitalize in the loss.

Lock Haven’s Olivia Hudson opened the scoring in the 16th minute off a low wellplaced shot. Julia Tavares and Sydney Linus were credited with assists.

Maci Shaffer added to the Bald Eagle’s lead with a long-distance strike that found the upper 90 in the 60th minute.

Lock Haven tallied 11 total shots with six shots on goal, while Shippensburg had eight total shots with only three shots on goal.

SU redshirt junior goalkeeper Kirstin Brown recorded four saves on the night.

On Saturday, Shippensburg beat East Stroudsburg 2-0 in PSAC Eastern Division action at David See Field on Senior Day. The Raiders’ victory was fueled by goals in each half from seniors Ryleigh Cook and Kaitlyn DiCandilo.

Cook scored the first goal via penalty kick in the 31st minute. The penalty resulted from a foul in the box on the ensuing corner kick, which allowed Cook to find the bottom right corner of the net.

Sydney Ott / The Slate

Claudia Hudson is hugged by soccer head coach Rob Fulton on senior day.

Volleyball up to 12-game winning streak after pair of sweeps Mason Flowers Sports Editor

Shippensburg’s volleyball team swept West Chester on Friday night before beating Millersville in straight sets on Saturday. They move to 18-6 on the season and 10-0 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) play.

The Raiders defeated the Golden Rams 3-0 on Friday, with set scores of 25-12, 2520 and 25-21. SU’s hitting percentage was 0.192, nearly double that of West Chester, and it racked up nine aces on the way to victory.

The Raiders dominated the first set, scoring 13 of the final 17 points to cruise to a 1-0 lead. They then jumped out to a 9-5 lead in Set 2, but West Chester scored eight straight points to lead by four. Shippensburg fought back, going from a 19-19 tie to a 25-20 set win.

SU head coach Leanne Piscotty praised the team’s resilience to come back from the 8-0 run.

“It is sometimes a game of errors … we are not going to

lose our minds about it. We just had to buckle down. I think the girls really believe in themselves and know they can come back like that,” Piscotty said.

The third set saw both teams go on small runs, with WCU taking a 15-13 lead after scoring five straight points.

Shippensburg once again came back to seal the win, where junior Kylie Snyder’s kills earned the final two points of the match.

Freshman Elise Bragg was the star for SU, leading the team with 11 kills and 13 digs, respectively.

“The inner fight in this team definitely comes out during crunch time, especially being at home with this energy,” said Bragg.

Junior Hailey Cappleman earned 10 kills and three aces with an impressive 0.471 hitting percentage.

Senior Kearstin Davis also had three aces to go along with 34 assists. Junior Shay Kolivoski and senior Berkley Simmons each had 12 digs.

Saturday’s game against Millersville saw SU once again win 3-0, posting set

scores of 25-17, 25-16 and 25-17. Shippensburg never trailed in the first set, earning the final five points, finishing on a Kolivoski ace.

The Raiders also led the entirety of the second set, highlighted by a 7-0 run midway through. Millersville did jump out to an early lead in Set 3, but Shippensburg responded quickly. It went from a 4-4 game to a 15-6 SU lead, coasting to a sweep.

Cappleman’s 11 kills led the Raider attack, followed closely by redshirt sophomore Gracen Nutt’s nine kills.

Kolivoski earned 20 digs in the match, continuing her great season. She is one of five PSAC players to average at least five digs per set.

Davis posted 37 assists with just one error.

Shippensburg has its final two home games of the regular season this weekend.

The Raiders will face Lock Haven Friday night at 6 p.m. at Heiges Field House.

Saturday’s contest against Bloomsburg will start at 2:30 p.m. The team will honor its four seniors before the game.

Courtesy of Jashton Best / SU Sports Info

Kylie Snyder goes for a spike against Millersville during Saturday’s action.

Sydney Ott / The Slate

Ryleigh Cook’s penalty kick gave Shippensburg the lead over ESU. She was one of six seniors honored on senior day.

DiCandilo scored her first goal of the 2025 season and third of her career in the eighth minute of the second half.

An ESU turnover in their own half started the attack for Shippensburg. The ball fell to Cook, who immediately laid the ball off to junior Ashley Hughes on the wing. Hughes played a low cross in front of the goal that was redirected by the left-sided midfielder into the top left corner.

Brown matched her season high with 10 saves and earned her third clean sheet of the season.

East Stroudsburg recorded more total shots (21), shots on goal (10) and corners (5) compared to Shippensburg (17, 6, 4 respectively) but came up empty handed.

The Raider’s record stands at 4-8-3 overall and 2-8-3 in conference play.

SU’s six seniors; Makayla Agosto, Cook, DiCandilo, Sammy Lerario, Claudia Hudson

and Maegan Quinn were recognized prior to the match as part of Senior Day Saturday.

Cook and DiCandilo described the feeling of their last home game as “bittersweet.”

“It’s an incredible feeling to get to do this with the rest of the seniors and I’m going to miss playing here,” Cook said.

“We thought this day would never come… and I’m so glad we got the win,” DiCandilo said.

Both seniors expressed their faith in the rest of the team and said they trust them to show up, work hard and bring the same energy and effort.

With a career filled with so many memories, Cook said she will always remember the day as a special feeling.

Shippensburg’s final game of the season will be held on Wednesday at Kutztown at 3 p.m. at Keystone Field.

Wrestling opens season strong at Tonee Ellis Memorial Invitational Savannah Silvestre Staff Contributor

Shippensburg wrestling traveled to Alvernia University last Saturday to start its 2025-2026 season at the Tonee Ellis Memorial Invitational. They placed fourth overall with 10 individual place-winners.

Graduate Nick Delp won the 165-pound bracket with five wins. Freshman Kyle Von Schmidt (133) and redshirt freshman Matt Jones (285) also recorded five wins on the day to each place fifth in their respective brackets.

Redshirt junior Mike Trainor secured four wins to place fifth at 149 pounds.

Sophomore Kaden Casey and senior Anthony Lavish placed fourth at 133 and 157, respectively.

Redshirt freshman Cole Coffin placed second at 141 pounds, while junior Diesel

Koser placed third at 197.

The last two place winners were sophomore Anthony DeAngelo (165) and senior Cole Lang (184), who both placed eighth.

Delp scored bonus points in four of his five wins.

He started the day with a technical fall against Alfred State’s Christian Warren and then a pin against Rowan’s Aiden Rhea. His quarterfinal and semifinal matches were major decisions. In the final, he posted a 9-3 decision over Delaware Valley’s Luke Moore.

Most winners earned bonus points in their matches as well.

Von Schmidt began his collegiate career with an impressive showing. He incurred bonus points in all five of his wins, including three falls.

Jones earned two falls, one major decision and two

decisions. Trainor earned bonus points in all four of his wins with four major decisions.

Casey went 3-2 in his Raider debut and earned one fall and two decisions.

Lavish had one fall and one decision. Coffin impressed with one fall and two tech falls, while Koser secured a variety with a fall, a tech fall and a decision.

DeAngelo secured bonus points with two pins and one major decision, while Lang earned one pin and one decision.

Overall, the placement winners helped propel the Raiders to fourth out of 16 teams. They had 157.5 points, trailing Alvernia, Gettysburg and Kutztown.

They improved from last year’s sixth-place finish.

Shippensburg’s next matches will be against Frostburg State and Fairmont State on Nov. 9.

Field hockey falls to No. 1 Kutztown Hannah Stoner Asst. Sports Editor

Shippensburg University field hockey traveled to Kutztown this past Saturday, where the Raiders lost their last regular-season game.

The Raiders finished their regular season with a 14-3 overall record, going 6-3 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC).

Saturday, the Golden Bears shut out the Raiders and won 2-0.

KU freshman Julia Traynor scored the first goal early in the first quarter, which remained the only point on the scoreboard until the final two minutes of the game.

In the last two minutes, KU sophomore Ellie Myers took advantage of the team’s final penalty corner with a lifted shot toward the goal. Her teammate, junior Jessica Traynor, redirected

the rebound off graduate goalkeeper Emma Albee’s pads to secure the victory.

Overall, the game resulted in minimal scoring opportunities, and although the Golden Bears came out on top, the Raiders produced more shots. SU had six shots, and three were on goal. KU had four shots with only two on goal.

Most of Shippensburg’s scoring opportunities came late in the game. Two of the Raiders’ shots were taken at the end of the third quarter, less than two minutes apart.

Sophomore Elaina Fragassi attempted first, but the shot went too high. Following that, sophomore Anne Gardner took a chance at goal and was stopped by the KU goalkeeper.

Gardner had two more chances to put SU on the board in the fourth quarter, but each shot was saved.

The team’s closest shot

came from junior Carme Caracotche Picone during a penalty corner in the last five minutes of the game, almost tying the score up. However, the shot went just wide enough past the right side of the cage for another miss.

KU’s victory marks the first time since 2007-08 that the Golden Bears have won back-to-back contests against Shippensburg.

Tuesday, the Raiders will host Bloomsburg in the PSAC quarterfinal round at 4 p.m. at Robb Sports Complex. SU is entering the tournament as the No. 3 seed.

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GALLERY

Thursday, November 6, 2025

Celebrating 50 Years of ‘Rocky’

Photos by Jayden Pohlman, Editor-in-Chief and Madison Sharp, Asst. Multimedia Editor