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The Slate 4-15-25

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Rebuilding or remaking cinema, B1

Greeks lip sync in Memorial, C1

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Volume 68 No. 10

Reporting truth. Serving our community.

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

SU Provost Darrell Newton resigns Connor Niszczak Editor-in-Chief

Shippensburg University Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Darrell Newton resigned from his position, effective April 8. An internal memo was sent by SU President Charles Patterson to faculty and staff at 1:54 p.m. on April 8 saying the following: “We are grateful for Dr. Newton’s leadership and passion, and we wish him the very best in future endeavors. Please join me in thanking Dr. Newton for his service and dedication to Shippensburg University. “To ensure we have Hanna Atkinson / The Slate continuity in leadership Darrell Newton, pictured here speaking at convocation in Aug. and the necessary mo2024, resigned on April 8 as provost effective immediately. mentum to carry us for-

ward, I have asked Dr. Nicole Hill to again serve as our Interim Provost. Recently appointed as Vice Provost in February, Dr. Hill will continue to provide executive leadership that enhances the many initiatives of Academic Affairs while significantly contributing to the long-term success and sustainability of Shippensburg University.” Hill previously served as Interim Provost from 2022 until 2024 after the retirement of Tom Ormond. Patterson announced Newton’s appointment as Provost on April 26, 2024, and he assumed the position on July 1 of that year. With Newton’s resignation, he will have served as SU’s Provost for just over

nine months. According to a 2018 report in HigherEdDive, the average term served by a Provost is about three years. On April 9, the day after Newton’s resignation, Patterson sent a campus-wide email announcing PASSHE’s next chancellor. However, his administration has no plans to send students a similar email with information about how they may be impacted by Newton’s departure. “No further correspondence is planned,” SU Director of Communications and Marketing Megan Silverstrim said. With Newton’s departure comes the need for a new search process to begin, the last of which took approximately two years. Silverstrim said

it is too early to know if the upcoming search will take as long. “A timeline will be established in the near future but has not yet been set,” Silverstrim said. Newton came to SU after serving for over 30 years in the field of higher education and holding roles such as associate dean and associate vice chancellor of academic affairs. In an interview with The Slate last August, Newton stressed the importance of academic administrators connecting with students and “walking the walk.” As of 4 p.m. on April 14, neither Newton nor the university have publicly commented on his resignation.

‘Keep it clean’ — Students and faculty team up to raise awareness Ian Thompson News Editor

Spring has sprung in Shippensburg, and rather than enjoy the flowers around campus, some students are kneeling next to storm

drains. You may have seen them on campus the last few weeks, sporting hi-vis vests and wielding angle grinders or caulk guns. If you take a closer look at the drains they were working

Ian Thompson / The Slate

Kylan Lamke and Whitney Hunter install a tile near McCune Hall on April 6.

on, you will see some colorful new additions. Volunteers have installed ceramic discs in a variety of colors stamped with one of eight designs and the tagline “Drains to Stream — Keep it Clean.” They are designed to raise awareness that stormwater, which is often contaminated with gasoline, antifreeze, lubricants and litter, drains directly into local waterways. The discs were designed and manufactured by SU ceramics professor Ben Culbertson and his wife Gail. As part of an initiative by the Middle Spring Watershed Association (MWSA), they are being installed on hundreds of storm drains across Shippensburg. According to Sean

Cornell, MWSA president and SU associate professor of earth science, the tile project has been in the works for more than a year. Students began mapping storm drains across town last spring using a custom tool. While Cornell and his students analyzed the data, the Culbertsons got to work pressing, glazing and firing the tiles. On April 6, Gail Culbertson braved the rain to install some of the final tiles on campus. She was joined by Kylan Lamke and Whitney Hunter, two students in Cornell’s Geology 101 course. “Thanks to these students, I’m getting done in no time,” Gail Culbertson said. This is not the first time Shippensburg’s storm drains have had this sort of tile

installed. A group of SU art department faculty and local high school students came together in 2009 to install square tiles featuring the association’s logo with a trout across town. In the years since installation, many of those original tiles have disappeared. Cracking, snowplows, and general wear-and-tear have chipped away at the tiles over time. While some of the square tiles are still visible around town, concerned citizens thought it was time to replicate the program. Thanks to a grant from the Cumberland County Conservation District, they have been able to renew the project. This is, however, the first time the tiles have been installed on campus, Cornell said. Several hundred

Ian Thompson / The Slate

Gail Culbertson worked with students to install 80+ storm drain tiles across campus. tiles will be installed by June 2025, and an information kiosk is planned to be built in the Middle Spring Greenway near the Jeffrey W. & Jo Anne R. Coy Public Library downtown. According to Cornell, the MWSA’s mission is twofold. First, they serve as advocates for the health and sustainability of the local waterways,

protecting the water and wildlife in and around the water. The second part of the mission is to provide people with a better understanding and connection to the watershed. Tiles are also available for sale, with proceeds going to the MWSA. More information can be found at https://facebook.com/ MiddleSpringWatershed.

SU Foundation lists G-1 lot for sale SGA approves operating Ian Thompson News Editor

Those who have been to Richard Avenue have likely seen the large parking lot and adjacent overgrown lot on North Queen Street. That property, which contains the G-1 general parking lot, has been listed for sale by its owner, the Shippensburg University Foundation. The 14.59-acre property, which is adjacent to the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, Richard Avenue and Wibs, has been listed for $2.3 million. Made up of two parcels, the property was once the site of Shippensburg Domestic Castings, previously known as Domestic Engine and Pump Co., which closed permanently in 2015. The parcel, which is now the G-1 lot, was purchased by the foundation several years ago at the request of

the university to address a shortage of student parking, according to foundation president Leslie Folmer Clinton. Folmer Clinton said the other property was later acquired to “make certain that any contamination from the prior owner’s use of the property was cleaned up and that its future use would align with the adjacent university and foundation properties.” The listing describes the property as a

“golden opportunity” for developers but notably says “ABSOLUTELY NO STUDENT HOUSING.” Folmer Clinton explained that this phrase was included because the foundation owns student housing, including Stone Ridge and College Park Commons, and the Shippensburg community “has an oversupply of student housing.” The G-1 lot is currently leased to Shippensburg University Student Services

Jayden Pohlman / The Slate

The G-1 parking lot has been listed for sale.

Inc. (SUSSI) for student parking. After construction, it was added to a preexisting lease for the L-2 storage lot. However, “while the L-2 lot is at capacity for student parking, the demand no longer exists for the G-1 lot,” Folmer Clinton said. Once the property is sold, SUSSI has expressed interest in continuing to lease the L-2 lot, according to Folmer Clinton. The current lease expires in Aug. 2025. “The property listing has no direct impact to the space that we currently utilize for L-2 parking access and ability for student parking,” SUSSI executive director Kimberly Rockwell said. Folmer Clinton and Rockwell both said in statements to The Slate that SUSSI, the foundation and the university are on the same page regarding this matter and maintain open lines of communication.

budget for 2025–2026 Ian Thompson News Editor

Editor’s Note: The author of this article serves as an at-large member on the Budget & Finance committee. The Shippensburg University Student Government Association (SGA) gave the final approval for the 2025-2026 operating budget at its April 3 meeting. The budget funds student groups, athletics and other areas of student life. After several months of deliberation by the Budget and Finance committee (B&F), the $3 million budget went before Shippensburg University President Charles Patterson. Following his approval, SGA vice president of finance Nathan Garber brought it back to SGA to be formally

adopted. The budget passed without opposition following brief discussion, concluding what SGA president Lillian Sellers described as an exceptionally smooth budget process. “I don’t think we’ve had such a smooth budget season in quite a while,” Sellers said. “So I just want to thank every member of the Budget and Finance committee. You’re doing great work.” Notably, most groups’ allocations remained stable or saw minor increases, bucking a trend of budget cuts that has lasted several years. “In general, most groups got the same, or a little more than what they got last year,” Garber said.

Read the full story at theslateonline.com.


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