The Slate 4-9-19

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Pride Center lacks resources to positively serve students, B1

APB kicks off first ‘Ship Feud’ event, C1

‘Kinky Boots’ dances across Luhrs stage, D1

Softball takes four of six, E1

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@ShipUSlate

Tuesday April 9, 2019

TheSlate @ShipUSlate 61 years strong

Volume 62 No. 22

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Reporting truth. Serving our community.

Concerns raised over Pride Center Shannon Long News Editor The Shippensburg University Pride Center opened on Oct. 23 last fall, but many concerns have been raised about the current state of the center and its future, according to LGBTQ+ Concerns Committee Co-Chair Jayleen Galarza. The committee had always advocated for more inclusive services on campus, so it was a long journey to even get the Pride Center on campus in the first place. However, the recent battle has been staffing the center. It is important to have a safe space, but the space needs to be functional, Galarza said. After the hate crime committed against the S.A.F.E. office last semester, students were being directed to the Pride Center; however, the graduate assistant Dani Zinn only had so many hours that she was in the office. “We couldn’t even tell folks, ‘Go to the pride center, someone will be there at any time,’” Galarza said. Volunteers from the cam-

pus community sat in the Pride Center that week to assist students. After that, the LGBTQ+ Concerns Committee advocated for Zinn to have more hours, but she was still not a full-time staff member, Galarza said. This semester, the Pride Center was having a lot of problems with its budget and resources. The books in the center were predominately donated by the concerns committee, according to Galarza. “When you go into the Pride Center, it’s lacking. It still doesn’t have the resources you’d expect,” she said. The committee’s biggest goal this year was advocating for a director position. “We were assured a position part-time and there was a lot that happened with that that got basically pulled from us,” Galarza said. The director of the First Generation Student Engagement Office was also supposed to act as the director of the Pride Center, but those plans fell through. “One thing I’m really proud of with our committee

Shannon Long/The Slate

Multiple campus community members are concerned with the availability of resources for students at the Pride Center that opened last fall. The center is located on the second floor of the CUB in Room 231. is that we’re so passionate about these issues that we don’t let things go,” Galarza said. The committee had conversations with key administrators, including President Laurie Carter, who agreed

to move forward with a fulltime coordinator position. Galarza would love a director for the center, but she said a coordinator is a good start. The committee has also been pushing for an inclusive bathroom policy and a gen-

der-neutral housing policy. The administration has been open to hearing these policy suggestions. “I will admit that there was a lack of transparency that was happening — a lack of communication. That didn’t

feel good on our end because, to me, silence speaks volumes,” she said. “If you’re not inviting us to the table — inviting us to the conversation — how is this meaningful?” See “PRIDE,” A3

Dominick takes reins as new boro police chief Matthew Gregan Asst. Sports Editor

Meghan Schiereck/The Slate

Dr. Ashlie Crewe, a physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor therapy, discusses the importance of being informed in order to have successful sex.

Panelists aim to end stigma of discussing sex, sexual health Meghan Schiereck Multimedia Editor

Let’s talk about sex. A discussion about sex can be uncomfortable, confusing and even downright mortifying — but it does not have to be. The Women’s Center hosted a panel on women’s sexual health last Thursday in the Orndorff Theatre that aimed to make talking about sex and sexual health easier. The panel featured Jen-

INDEX

na Wise, an SU senior and editor-in-chief of The Slate; Dr. Ashlie Crewe, a physical therapist from Drayer Physical Therapy; Kathleen Rundquist, a sexual health expert from Etter Health Center; and Jayleen Galarza, a social work professor and human sexuality researcher. The panel emphasized that simply talking about sex, knowing what is normal and what is not normal, and awareness about sexual con-

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ditions can make a difference in how a sexual experience goes. Notably, while there are a range of experiences that are normal, sex should not be painful. “When it comes to successful sex, it’s all about being informed,” said Crewe, who specializes in pelvic floor therapy. “The more educated you are, the better off you’ll be. You have to understand your anatomy and sexuality.” See “PANEL,” A2

Weather Forecast

Meredith Dominick came out of retirement to become Shippensburg Borough’s new chief of police. Dominick beat out many other candidates for the position in Shippensburg due to her lengthy experience throughout her career in policing. She served the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) in many different roles for 28 years before retiring. She was a lieutenant who supervised many different units in the MCPD when she chose to retire. Her background includes serving as a former patrol officer, corporal of the Elder Abuse Unit, sergeant in the Collision Reconstruction Unit in the Traffic Division, certified instructor for the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission, deputy commander for Lieutenant Field Services and administrative lieutenant chief for the Investigative Services Bureau. Her experiences serving in many different roles for the MCPD played a big role in why she was hired by the Shippensburg Borough Council to be the new chief of police. After retiring from the MCPD, she worked as both an instructor and former coordinator of the Administration of Justice program at Hagerstown Community College.

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The next step in Dominick’s career was to become a chief of police, and when she was offered the opportunity to step into that position for the borough of Shippensburg, she could not say no. Dominick has a passion for law enforcement that brought her back to policing. After retiring for a brief time, she made the decision to come back into her real passion — law enforcement — to pursue the one thing that she did not accomplish yet in her long career. “I’ve been trying to be a [police] chief for a while. I think some of the things that scare people away is the fact that I’m a woman,” Dominick said. “I’m very fortunate that I feel Shippensburg wanted to take the risk with me. “Don’t look at my sex, look at my qualifications,” she said. “Look at the things that I have done in my career, I’ve done everything except narcotics.” Dominick stressed the importance of Shippensburg taking a chance on her. Not that long ago, women had a very small role in law enforcement. In the 1970s, women were considered the “kitty police” and dealt mostly with juveniles, Dominick said. She worked her way up the ranks throughout her career, something that was made especially hard due to her gender. Dominick hopes to keep Shippensburg a safe town while attempting to reduce the amount of crime that goes on.

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