Skip to main content

The Slate 4-1-25

Page 1

Debating mandatory courses, B1

Student groups battle at Mocktails, C1

Sesame Street comes to Luhrs, D1

SU wins 1 of 4 against Millersville, E1

@ShipUSlate Tuesday

Wednesday

54/34

57/49

The Slate @ShipUSlate

Please recycle

Volume 68 No. 9

Reporting truth. Serving our community.

Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Local Democrats rally against Trump Ian Thompson News Editor

Democrats from Franklin and Cumberland counties came out in downtown Shippensburg on March 22 to show their distaste for the Trump administration’s policies on a wide range of issues. Around 60 protestors demonstrated around the intersection of King Street and Earl Street, protesting issues like potential cuts to government services like Social Security, attempts to dismantle the Department of Education and other agencies and cutting support to Ukraine. Some drivers greeted protestors with approving honks and calls of support as they drove past. Others challenged the demonstrators by “rolling coal” and shouting expletives.

According to demonstrators, several pickup truck drivers were seen circling back to repeat such signs of disapproval. The protest was organized by the Franklin County Democratic Committee in collaboration with their counterpart in Cumberland County. According to Sheri Morgan, the state committeewoman for the Franklin County Democrats, the committee had hosted another protest in Orrstown the week before. Two protesters, Carol Hozman and Betty Schreiber, stood together on King Street. The pair had protested during the Vietnam era, according to Hozman. “We were all hippies. This ain’t my first time,” Schreiber said. Schreiber is a retired teacher and said that she was upset over the Trump

administration’s “tearing down” of education. As a special education teacher, she taught programs made possible only through federal grants. “It wouldn’t have been possible to have that kind of education that disabled students have,” Schreiber said. “I thought that’s what made us great. I thought we were a country that had humanity. Trump has no humanity,” said Schreiber. “He’s got us old ladies all fired up.” Hozman spoke to that point as well. “He’s threatening to take away our Social Security,” Hozman said. “We paid into that for a whole lot of years. It’s not entitlement, it was insurance for us.” Morgan said that the committee has plans to host similar “Save Our Squares” protests on Saturdays from

Elisa Reitman / The Slate

The Franklin County Democratic Committee organized a protest in downtown Shippensburg against President Donald Trump and his administration’s actions. 12-1 p.m. On March 29, it hosted a demonstration in Mercersburg, and two more are planned — in Chambersburg on April 5 and in Mont Alto on April 12. The protests, Morgan said, are in response to

constituents asking what they can do to push back against what they see as tyrannical Trump administration policies. “Don’t be fearful,” Morgan said. “Join us and organize, and we’ll take our country

back.” Harry Stutts was particularly troubled by the Trump administration’s attacks on veterans’ benefits and jobs. See “PROTEST,” A2

Poli. Science professors discuss A President’s-less hour deteriorating political situation Evan Dillow

Asst. News Editor

Ian Thompson News Editor

As political tensions continue to rise across the country in the wake of the Trump administration’s tumultuous shake-up of the federal bureaucracy, a panel of professors from Shippensburg University’s Political Science Department sought to provide a clarifying overview of the political landscape in 2025. The panel was made up of four professors who offered their perspective and expertise in various areas of political science. The evening was hosted and led by political science Chair Alison Dagnes, who was joined by her colleagues Lonce Bailey, Mark Sachleben and Steven Lichtman. Sachleben described three trends in international politics. The first of these was the ongoing transition from a manufacturing-based economy to an information-based one. Just as the transition from agriculture to manufacturing ushered in mas-

Ian Thompson / The Slate

Four professors from SU’s Political Science Department briefed students on the current state of politics in the U.S. sive social and political shifts, Sachleben argues, so too will this modern shift. In a similar vein, he spoke about how in history, the time following pandemics and disease outbreaks were often marked by large realignments of political power and economic upheaval. According to Sachleben, in just about every pandemic there is fear, governments failing to re-

act effectively, pushback against any reaction, misinformation and extreme political and economic upsets. “In the Black Plague, you had the first successful peasant revolution in 1381,” Sachleben said. During the AIDS epidemic in Africa, there was a spike in military violence and urban instability. See “POLITICAL,” A2

SGA’s spring 2025 President’s Hour was kicked off at 7 p.m. in the Orndorff Theater in the CUB on Monday, Mar. 24. In attendance was Director of Facilities Management Matthew Dominick, Vice President of Student Affairs Lorie Sheetz, Provost Darrell Newton, SUPD Chief Patrick Taylor and Shippensburg University Dining Services General Manager Will Anderson. SU President Patterson was not in attendance as he was recovering from minor surgery. Monday night’s session was moderated by SGA President-Elect Nathan Garber, who also passed along questions that were asked online. In previous years,

more than one President’s Hour session was held each semester. According to Lorie Sheetz, President Patterson and campus faculty are easier to reach out to and ask questions than in prior years, lessening the need for in-person Q&A sessions. During the hour-long meeting, topics discussed included construction on the Franklin Science Center, improvements coming to online courses and how current political issues regarding the Department of Education and how anti-DEI efforts will affect Shippensburg University. On the Franklin Science Center construction, Dominick stated that the project should wrap up in spring 2027. A follow up question was brought up by sophomore chemistry major Ryan Mills, who asked

why the Franklin project started as late as it did. Dominick responded, “There were some issues of awarding of bids to contractors that were not responsive. With the rebidding process it took time.” Junior Roderick Porter Jr. asked each of the panelists what upcoming projects they are excited about. Provost Newton discussed his plans to expand educational opportunities for nontraditional students, particularly in the online field. Newton went into detail on the advantages online courses provide for students who work or are involved with campus activities. “You self-govern. You self-pace yourselves,” Newton said. Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

Weaving things together: Shari Horner on her time at Shippensburg University Madi Shively

Staff Contributor

After completing 27 years at Shippensburg University, Shari Horner has a great deal to be proud of. Horner served for four years as the irector of the Women’s Studies Program, which became the Women’s and Gender Studies Program under her watch, and she was the chair of the English Department for nine years. She has received the Vagina Warrior award for her advocacy of the Vagina Monologues event, and is a two-time recipient of the Gero Award, honoring

those who have made a remarkable contribution to the status of women on Shippensburg University’s campus. As Horner reflected on her time at Shippensburg, she shared that much has changed since she first stepped foot on campus. “I finished my dissertation in 1993, and I got a job at a university in Nebraska, and my husband got a job at Shippensburg University. We moved across the country from each other and were apart for two years,” Horner said. “After two years, I decided to take a leave from that job and got an adjunct job at

Dickinson College. Then, I got a job at Penn State Mont Alto, and then the medievalist retired at Shippensburg, and I’ve been here ever since.” Horner shared that there was a profound difference in the campus culture when she first arrived at Shippensburg. “When I first arrived at Ship, our department had a lot more people in it. It was just busier,” Horner said. “We had a lot more money and brought in great speakers. It was a really vibrant place. Ship has had a lot of financial challenges over the years, and the pandemic hurt every university. It’s a lot

quieter, and we’re a lot more stretched.” The volume of students and faculty was not the only difference on campus at that time. “The other thing that was different in the English Department was that it was not a very friendly place in the past,” Horner said. “There were a lot of factions, a lot of infighting, and a lot of different camps with different opinions. It’s taken a long time for the English department to gain a sense of real trust and build collegiality with each other.”

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.

Madi Shively / The Slate

Shari Horner (left) with Misty L. Knight (right) after her presentation at the spring faculty colloquium.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
The Slate 4-1-25 by The Slate - Issuu