10.19.21

The Penn

THE STORY OF IUP GOLF’S SUCCESS GETS ANOTHER CHAPTER

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STUDENTS GATHER TO PROTEST ANTI-GAY RHETORIC

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NIUPEgraduate WS shares his story: News Editor: Benjamin Brumbaugh – msqy@iup.edu

Addiction, resilience, redemption

BEN BRUMBAUGH News Editor msqy@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Vincent Thompson’s (graduate student, mathematics) road to success was a long and troubled one.

Thompson, currently studying at Rice University, was a model student during his time at IUP and attained a master’s degree in applied mathematics as well as a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in physics.

Thompson grew up with his mother, stepdad, brother and sister. He primarily lived in Homer City, Pa., but he moved around the state a lot during his time in the foster care system and various group homes.

He credits his mother with being a positive role model in his life.

“I think my mom was probably my biggest role model as a kid because she ended up going back to school when I was in high school,” Thompson said. “It gave me a lot of things that I could learn and say ‘oh, if she can do it, I can do it.’”

Thompson began struggling with addiction around age 15.

“One time I drank way too much, and I ended up getting

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frostbite,” Thompson said. “I was in a burn unit for a while and whenever they sent me home, they sent me home with Percocet.”

Thompson enjoyed how the drug made him feel, and he had easy access to it. He started to take the drug more often.

His Percocet addiction was the primary reason that he spent time in group homes during this time in his life. This eventually led him to try heroin when he was 19 years old.

“All of my friends were getting hooked on [heroin],” Thompson said. “I was actually trying to help a friend not use it, and somehow she dragged me into getting some and we split it.

“There were no restrictions on me because I was now an adult and I now had complete freedom over my life, and I really used that in a bad way.”

Thompson said that addiction is fast acting and catches one off guard.

“It’s really crazy how fast acting it is,” Thompson said. “You don’t notice that you’re not making sense; that you’re not making rational choices.”

For the next few years, Thomp-

son’s life spiraled out of control as he waded deeper into addiction.

“It was a pretty disastrous breakdown in morals,” he said. “I think that heroin addiction really robs people of their morality, and what they do during that time is not a reflection of who they are or who they want to be.

“It ruined every relationship that I had at the time. Nobody trusted me and nobody wanted me around.”

At times, Thompson resorted to extreme measures to ensure that he could obtain more heroin.

“With the breakdown in morality comes the willingness to do things that you wouldn’t normally have done and that gets pushed to the limit,” Thompson said. “If you have an opportunity then you’ll take it because it’s really all about finding a way to get the drug and with that comes finding a way to get the money.

“I think addiction gets to a point where you know you want to stop all the time and you know that every day is just getting worse, and you’re just unable to make that change in yourself.”

Thompson said that heroin affects the way you think and feel in such a significant way that it

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makes quitting incredibly difficult.

“It affects the way that you think so strongly,” he added. “It gets to the point where you’re dope sick every day and you know that you hate this and you want to stop.”

Thompson went to rehab on several occasions to try and stop his drug use, but this proved to be unsuccessful for him. He was so far into his addiction that he was unable to see a way out of it.

Thompson’s life changed when he was arrested outside of a bar in Allentown, Pa. The legal proceedings ended with a sentence of two to five years in jail. After an altercation with his cellmate, Thompson was put into solitary confinement.

“I ended up being in solitary confinement for almost a year,” Thompson said.

His time in solitary confinement was the catalyst for him getting clean.

“I had to be totally alone with my thoughts and having to come to terms with all of the things that I had done,” Thompson said. “I really had to come to terms with who I want to be and who I’m actively being, and then to eliminate the things that I didn’t want and keep the things that I did.”

Despite its inherent downsides, Thompson said that solitary confinement was what he needed at the time.

“I don’t know if you can really confront those things if you’re not forced to do it alone,” he said.

“I’m not sure how it would have gone if I wasn’t forced to have done it alone.”

When he got out, Thompson continued his road to recovery. He had a lot of help from those close to him along the way.

“My mom welcomed me back with open arms,” he said.

Thompson expressed his desire to go to college with her, but his mom implored him to wait a while and make some money first.

Thompson mowed lawns and waited tables during this time.

Thompson also spent a lot of time with his son.

“I missed a lot of time with my son,” Thompson said. “It was really nice to have that relationship after all those years because I was there when he was a baby and then I quickly lost myself in addiction.”

Thompson said having to watch his son grow up from afar was incredibly difficult.

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IUP graduate shares his story: Addiction, resilience, redemption

Continued from Page 3 “One of the reasons why I wanted to go to college was to set an example for him,” he added.

Thompson also credits several friends that he spent a lot of time with that helped keep him out of trouble. He said that nearly every aspect of his life has improved since he got clean.

“So many things are better than addiction,” Thompson said.

Thompson was able to create new relationships and rebuild the ones that he already had.

His work ethic improved though he did not always enjoy the work that he was doing. This disdain for that type of work was a big motivator for Thompson to want

to go to college.

Shortly after he got out of prison, Thompson attended Westmoreland County Community College for a year and acquired some prerequisite credits. Eventually, Thompson chose to attend IUP, but it was not his first choice.

He applied to Penn State, the University of West Virginia, the University of Virginia and the University of Pittsburgh.

“I applied to a lot of different schools, and nobody else would have me, so I was kind of pushed into IUP because they have a reputation of having a high enrollment rate,” Thompson said. “IUP gave me a chance, and IUP has a record of doing that for people, giving them a chance and letting

(iup,edu) A short YouTube video about Thompson can be found on IUP’s channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tWJvNYDYsI.

them choose their destiny as opposed to choosing it for them.”

Thompson studied math and physics during his time at IUP. He had a previous interest and skill in math that only grew during his time in prison.

Thompson’s passion for mathematics is evident.

“There’s an inherent beauty in the proofs and in what you’re able to prove with math,” he said.

Thompson said he learned a lot about himself during his time at IUP. “I learned that I’m more capable than I thought,” Thompson said. “I learned that if you work hard people will notice.”

Thompson credits several IUP professors with helping him on his path to success.

“Dr. [Rick] Atkins, Dr. [Tim] Flowers and Dr. [Francisco] Alarcon were definitely huge supports,” Thompson said. “I enjoyed every class that I took with them, and they’re the ones who taught me all of my upper-level mathematics.

“I really couldn’t say enough good things about any of them.”

Thompson said the guidance and wisdom of Dr. Gregory Kenning (physics), Dr. Alfred Dahma (mathematics) and Dr. Mike Chrispell (mathematics) were all very beneficial to him during his early years at the university.

“I think professors at IUP are exactly the type of professors who should be at IUP,” Thompson said. “They always have time for students and they’re willing to set aside time of their own.”

Thompson completed his undergraduate degree, a bachelor’s degree in math with a minor in physics, in the fall of 2020. He also earned a master’s degree in applied mathematics in the spring of 2021. He maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout the duration of his time at the university.

Thompson was the secretary of the IUP mathematics club, the president of the IUP chapter of the Society of Physics Students and was the president of the IUP Physics Club.

Thompson was a National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate research fellow, a recipient of the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, an Undergraduate Student Oppor-

(flickr.com) Rice University is a private research university located in Houston. tunities in Academic Research (U-SOAR) summer fellow, a Scholarships-Creating Opportunities for Applying Mathematics (S-COAM) scholar, a Sigma Alpha Pi National Society of Leadership and Success inductee, and a Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society inductee.

Thompson was also awarded numerous scholarships by IUP. He completed research projects in both math and physics with Kenning and Alarcon, and his research was published on numerous occasions.

Thompson has spoken to kids at various group homes that he once stayed at.

“I think it’s important because those are people that I can identify with, and I think it’s important that when you have someone speak to those people, they’re not talking down to them,” Thompson said.

Thompson added that he can relate to them because he knows the situation that they are in because he was once in that situation himself.

“I want other people to get better and I don’t want people to think that they can’t do something,” Thompson said.

Thompson continued that he wants to show people that they can still succeed and redeem themselves no matter where they are currently and no matter what they have done.

“I feel like I have developed tools that are helpful to me,” he said, “and I feel like I can give

them to people who relate to my experience.”

After he earned his master’s degree from IUP, Thompson began a five-year doctoral program at Rice University in Texas.

So far, the workload has been very different than that of an undergraduate degree.

“It’s a different ballgame,” he said.

Thompson speaks highly of his experience with peers and professors at the university so far.

He chose to pursue his doctorate to attain his career goals.

“With a Ph. D in math, you can pursue research and ask new questions [about math],” Thompson said. “You’ll be able to help build a new generation of people doing the same thing.

“I want to teach at the graduate level.”

Thompson also expressed an interest in being able to learn with students and not just teach them new things. His passion for math has led him to a desire to teach, research and learn as much as he can about the topic.

He is slated to finish his doctorate in 2026.

Thompson’s story is one of struggle and redemption. It proves that no matter what one has been through, change is possible and the opportunity for great success and achievement is there.

Thompson said that he would like to thank his mom, his girlfriend, Maria, and his son for always supporting him.

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International Education Week at IUP Events promote cross-cultural awareness RACHEL KOVACH Staff Writer rsrbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP IUP is celebrating International Education Week starting yesterday and continuing until Friday.

On Monday, from noon until 1:15 p.m., the International Lunch and Cultural Fair was held in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room. There was food served and students were presented with some cultural information. Later that day, Danielle Harms, a diplomat in residence for New York Metro, hosted the Six O’Clock Series from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.

Today, the Study Away Fair will be held in the Leonard Hall lobby, starting at 11 a.m. and going until 1 p.m. At this event, faculty members who run the study abroad groups and students who have studied abroad will be there to offer information and

answer any questions guests may have.

On Wednesday, the Department of Foreign Languages Programs and Activities Fair will be held in Leonard Hall room B11 from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Faculty members will discuss which programs they teach and offer information on other language-related programs.

On Thursday, International Poetry Night will begin at 7 p.m. in front of IUP’s Performing Arts Center, the space between Fisher and Waller halls. Participants will read their poems, and as they are reading them the poem will be displayed in English and the original language it was written in.

On Friday, the U.S. Citizenship Naturalization Ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex Toretti Auditorium.

28 students from 21 different countries are the candidates for the Naturalization Ceremony.

More information about the events can be found here: https:// www.iup.edu/news-events/

news/2021/10/iup-office-international-education-to-host-international-education-week,-includes-naturalization-ceremony. html.

“I have my own very positive feelings about this great week – especially the Naturalization Ceremony – but I can’t take any credit for this outstanding programming.

I just do the press releases,” Michelle Fryling, IUP executive director of media relations, said.

Dr. Michele Petrucci, the associate vice president of the Office of International Education, strongly believes in the importance and meaning behind these events.

“The goal of International Education Week is to bring together a slate of events which highlight the international climate on campuses across the U.S. and to encourage

greater communication and relationships between international and American students,” Petrucci said.

“These opportunities help to create connections which can evolve into lifetime friendships with people from across the world. Being involved in international education and learning about different cultures and ideas helps you to better understand your life and role as an American.”

Though she believes every event has a great purpose, one of the upcoming events in particular stands out to her.

“Of course, I think all the events are beneficial, but the most emotionally moving event is the Naturalization Ceremony being held on Friday with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),” Petrucci said.

“Every time I attend a ceremony, I cry for joy and am proud to

be an American.

“From my perspective, I love the opportunity for IUP students, faculty and staff to experience different cultures, languages, thoughts and perspectives by engaging with international students and scholars from around the world in a variety of events - events which usually are on a more informal and person-to-person level such as sampling food, talking about fashion, sharing music, etc. IUP students who have studied abroad also enrich this week by sharing their experiences while studying and living overseas.”

Petrucci emphasized the importance of this week and these events.

“America is a land of immigrants and continues to be a diverse country,” Petrucci said.

“Our family may have come to America 20 or 100 or more years ago, but we all came here as immigrants, and celebrating the +60 nations represented at IUP through its students, faculty and staff is a testament to the strength and tolerance of America. The chance to experience so much diversity in our small university town is an unexpected bonus for many of us.”

(iup.edu) (nyit.edu) IUP enrolls students from more than 50 countries during any given academic year.

International Education Week is celebrated by universities around the United States.

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Black leaders ask for change CAIO GOMES Lead Culture Writer hysbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP My name is Caio and I am a political science major covering D.C. politics.

On Friday, the Congressional Black Associates and the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus (SBLSC) published a joint letter to the public asking Americans for their support in implementing changes in the congressional workplace.

Among the requests, there was one demanding a salary increase.

This surprised many because, as of 2021, most members of Congress are paid $174,000 per year according to current congressional rules.

However, the current congressional rules only apply to U.S.

representatives and U.S. senators, not their staffers. Meaning that members of Congress are free to choose how much they are willing to pay their staffers, which according to the letter, leads to an unbalanced system in which some staffers do not get paid a livable wage despite the high cost of living in Washington, D.C., and the burdens that come with being a congressional aide.

According to Legistorm, a congressional staffer can be paid as little as $29 thousand a year, translating to less than $15 an hour on a traditional five days a week, nine to five job.

“We think that this is an issue that the American people should know about,” Jazmine Bonner, SBLSC’s president, said. “At the end of the day, what happens in Congress affects you, directly or indirectly.”

Another key point of the letter was the demand for more diversity within the staff members.

Although Americans have shown

(https://www.sblsc1977.com/) According to https://www.sblsc1977.com/, “The Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus (SBLSC) is a professional and social network for Black legislative staff employed by the United States Senate.”

in the polls that a diverse congress is a priority for the majority of the public, this has minimally impacted diversity among staffers. This is because the public does not get a chance to vote or choose staffers; that decision is made mainly by the congressmember and their party.

Voters have put on an effort to diversify Congress. In this current Congress, the percentage of Black legislators is roughly the same percentage of Black Americans, but when it comes to staff chosen by legislators as opposed to the people, only two percent of chief of staffs are Black.

For minorities this means misrepresentation within the bare bones of Congress. While legislators get most of the credit, staffers do an important job doing research, connecting with constituents and even aiding in the bill-writing process.

In an interview with The New York Times, Chanda Jackson, a Black science teacher from South Carolina who got the chance to work in a fellowship in Congress to aid shaping a new education policy, said that in her office there were no permanent Black staffers.

“It was shocking to see so few individuals that look like me,” Jackson said. “In order for us to have legislation to represent everyone in the United States of America, we need to hear from diverse voices.”

This issue has only worsened in the most recent years. According to the Congressional Black Associates, the percentage of Black workers in Congress will keep diminishing as many of them are now leaving. Top reasons to leave are the low wage as well as the emotional burdens.

Last year, the Black and brown population were disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Black Americans saw a three-year decline in their average life expectancy, the highest drop since World War II. This is mostly due to the percentage of COVID-19 related

deaths for Black and brown people being significantly higher than the percentage of death among their white counterparts. This led to many Black staffers to resign, especially those who worked with “pandemic denying” members of Congress.

This year has not been kind to Black staffers either as they were disproportionally targeted in the Jan. 6 attack to the U.S. Capitol, leading many more to quit.

“I was learning and getting updates constantly that a lot of these Black staffers, they’re leaving, and they’re not necessarily being re-

placed by other Black staffers,” Herline Mathieu, president of the Congressional Black Associates, said. “With the fact that we’re already struggling with recruiting and keeping Black staffers, the fact that we’re experiencing this high turnover, it is a huge concern.”

As many congressional staffers live in Washington, D.C., they do not get a U.S. representative nor a senator to represent them in Congress. In their letter to Americans, they ask the public to contact their members of Congress in order to ask them to diversify their staffs and to pay livable wages.

(comtonational.org) The Congressional Black Caucus formed in 1980.

(legistorm.com) Jazmine Bonner is the president of the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus and is a special assistant to Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

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IUP Voting Bash

(Nick Schmidt/The Penn) The Get Out the Vote Bash was held on Thursday in front of Wallwork Hall. The event offered students an opportunity to learn about the upcoming election and update their voting information so that they are eligible to vote in November. The event offered free food, games, music and prizes.

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Opinion A critical look at NFL after Gruden scandal Jon Gruden resigned as the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday after a slew of emails sent by Gruden were released and found to have racist, misogynistic and homophobic language included in them.

He repeatedly utilized anti-gay slurs, sent pictures of cheerleaders to colleagues, and used a racial trope to describe several players and the president of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), DeMaurice Smith.

Gruden got what he deserved.

The emails showed a pattern of behavior that the National Football League (NFL) is claiming to try to rid itself of.

Gruden coached numerous minority players during his time with both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Raiders.

He also coached the only openly gay player in the NFL’s history, Carl Nassib, during his second tenure with the Raiders.

The fact that Gruden harbored these feelings towards players who had made him millions upon millions of dollars during his career is truly reprehensible.

Supporters of Gruden and Gruden himself may say that these are not an indication of his actual beliefs and feelings, but, nonetheless, he wrote these comments and needed to be held accountable.

As Gruden was ardently defended by some former players, this is indicative of a larger problem. Racist, homophobic and misogynistic behaviors may not manifest themselves in public but may instead manifest when one thinks their communications are private.

This is part of the reason that racism continues to be an issue for the NFL and the United States.

You can not always tell someone harbors these feelings based on what they say in a public space when they know others are listening.

While Gruden’s emails were shocking to some, others saw it as a product of a tainted culture within the NFL. After all, it is very hard to

Opinion

believe that Gruden is the only person involved with the NFL that harbors feelings like these.

Furthermore, the emails were discovered and released as part of an NFL investigation into the Washington Football Team (WFT) as the emails had been sent to former WFT executive, Bruce Allen.

According to https://www. msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/ washington-nfl-email-scandaleverything-we-know-so-farabout-investigation-that-ledto-jon-gruden-resignation/ ar-AAPzwUG?ocid=BingNewsSearch, “In July 2020, amid Washington Football Team’s announcement that it would drop its original nickname after 87 years, ‘The Washington Post’ published a bombshell report with 15 former female employees alleging sexual harassment by team staff over the course of 18 years.”

The NFL launched an investigation into these allegations, and in July it fined the WFT $10 million after its investigation revealed that the team had created an unprofessional work environment for women.

Despite the fact that the investigation has officially concluded, the Gruden email saga has reignited interest in it.

The investigation has been all but buried by the NFL. The league has repeatedly refused to release the detailed findings of the investigation and had the investigator present her findings verbally instead of in written word. This differs from other investigations in league history and is a strong indication that the NFL is trying to sweep these findings under the rug.

The NFL examined 650,000 emails sent to and from current and former WFT staff members.

Since Gruden’s emails were released, there has been a renewed effort to get the rest of the emails and the findings from the investigation released.

According to https://www.msn. com/en-us/sports/nfl/washington-nfl-email-scandal-everythingwe-know-so-far-about-investiga-

tion-that-ledto-jon-grudenresignation/ ar-AAPzwUG?ocid=BingNewsSearch, “This week, attorneys for 40 former Washington team employees called for the NFL to fully disclose the 650,000+ emails that were examined before this summer’s investigation ‘conclusion.’

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy has since said no further investigation details will be released for confidentiality reasons.”

“But now Bruce Allen, the former Washington president who corre(Facebook) sponded with Gruden, received Jon Gruden served as a head coach in the NFL for 15 seasons. Following the email sympathetic scandal, he was removed from the Buccaneers Ring of Honor. assurances rather that support minority groups and The unfortunate fact of the than ‘impartial’ the LGBTQ+ community; off the matter is that many people simply judgment from friend and NFL field, the league is often too eado not care about the issues general counsel Jeff Pash during ger to protect its own image. plaguing the NFL as long as they the investigation. Pash, a confiColin Kaepernick was essentialget to enjoy a good football dant of NFL commissioner Roger ly blacklisted for protesting police game.

Goodell, also joked with Allen brutality, and Greg Hardy, Joe Regardless, if the NFL is serious about Native Americans and the Mixon and Kareem Hunt have all about ridding itself of these league’s diversity efforts,” The played in the NFL after assaulting behaviors, it must release the New York Times reported. women. comprehensive findings of the It is clear that the NFL is trying Furthermore, even after using a WFT investigation. to distance itself from both Grudracial trope in an email, it looked The league must also commit en and the WFT investigation. like Gruden was going to remain to more severe consequences for In doing so, the league is those who engage in these repremaking things worse from a public as the coach of the Raiders. It was only after The New York Times hensible behaviors and use these relations perspective. Fans and released more insensitive and types of language. casual observers view the NFL’s If it does not, its efforts for diactions as deceptive and secretive derogatory emails that the Raiders and Gruden decided to part ways. versity and inclusion will continue as if hiding more from them.

The NFL appears to have an to be what it largely has always The NFL is hiding something: out of sight, out of mind policy been: smoke and mirrors. the undercurrent of racism, when it comes to instances of homophobia and misogyny that racism, misogyny and homophopermeates through cultures of the Brought to you By bia. This is, of course, unless the NFL and its teams.

The Penn Editorial Board media or the public prompts the While on the field, it promotes league to change course. diversity and inclusion initiatives

October 19, 2021

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Culture

Culture Editor: Lane Lannan – ffpcc@iup.edu Lead Culture Writer: Caio Gomes – hysbc@iup.edu

(STATIC/Twitter) Following the virtual nature of the 2020 Fall Fest, STATIC is looking forward to be able to host the even in-person and get to interact with the IUP community again. Any additional information about the Fall Fest or any other STATIC event can be found on their Instagram or Twitter page.

STATIC brings back Trivia Night, Fall Fest for IUP students STATIc CAIO GOMES Lead Culture Writer hysbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP My name is Caio and I won’t be static when it comes to covering STATIC’s many events.

As usual, IUP’s Student Activity Committee (STATIC) has been working hard to prepare fun and bond-making experiences for students on campus.

On Thursday, STATIC held a virtual trivia night through Zoom and Trivia Hub. The event started at 7 p.m., as

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most STATIC events do, and it lasted for slightly over an hour. The Trivia Night was divided into four categories: three of general trivia knowledge and one round of Halloween trivia as a way to celebrate the spooky season.

Each round, teams of up to four people were ranked from first to last with the first receiving the most points of the round and the last getting none. The points accumulated and, after the final round, the top three teams with the most points won prizes.

For the team with the most points, each member won a $50 gift card to spend on Amazon as a prize. For second place, each team member won a $25 gift card spend at the Student Co-Operative Association Store (Co-Op Store). Students in the

team that ranked in third place won a $10 gift card to spend at Sheetz.

“We picked prizes that we knew would be popular among the students,” Sydney Greitz (sophomore, psychology), STATIC’s general membership chair and one of the organizers of Trivia Night, said. “Gift cards are always good because who doesn’t like free money?”

The fun, however, is far from over. STATIC has been planning even more exciting events for the campus this semester. The next one will take place

October 19, 2021

this Thursday at 7 p.m. and it will be its traditional yearly Fall Fest.

Every fall, STATIC hosts an event named “Fall Fest” to get students excited about the upcoming season. As Fall Fest always happens in October, it is no surprise that among the activities there are many that are also Halloween related.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s Fall Fest was held virtually through Zoom.

This means that this year’s Fall Fest will be extra special because it will mark the first time since 2019 that students are able to celebrate the start of fall in person on campus. It will be the first time that both first-year students and sophomores can celebrate the

“real” Fall Fest experience.

Fall Fest will be held at the Hadley Union Building (HUB) Ohio room, so students will be protected from the cold outside. Among the activities planned for Fall Fest are cookie decoration tutorials, pumpkin carving, a pie-eating contest, games and prizes, bobbing for apples, and a lot more.

“We put a lot of effort in this year’s Fall Fest,” Kendall Gomez (political science/Spanish), STATIC’s entertainment chair and one of the main organizers of Fall Fest 2021, said. “We wanted to do some classics that we know people like to do, but we also wanted to be creative. I think it will be very fun.”

Students interested in attending this year’s Fall Fest do not need to do any registration prior to the event nor pay for anything; the event will be free, so if you are interested just show up.

Culture

Culture

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October 19, 2021

‘Zoey 201’ casting becomes available for IUP students EVA TILLICH Managing Editor jxsbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP CAIO GOMES Lead Culture Writer hysbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The Crimson Hoax is a weekly column detailing satirical stories from the IUP community.

After the skyrocketing success of the“iCarly” reboot, Nickelodeon has begun to prepare for its second “grown reboot,”and the show chosen was “Zoey 101.”

The reboot will be called “Zoey 201” and will be filmed at IUP. There will also be a new cast and a brand-new plotline for the show.

The show “Zoey 101” first premiered in January 2005 on Nickelodeon and starred Jamie Lynn Spears as Zoey Brooks.

The show followed high schooler Brooks as she started at the boarding school Pacific Coast Academy (PCA) in California. The show was later canceled in 2008 due to Spears’ pregnancy.

This time, the show will tell the story of Loey, Zoey and Chase’s daughter. It will focus on Loey’s college life at IUP similar to how Zoey 101 focused on Zoey’s high school life at PCA. There will be new drama, relationships and fun adventures.

Just like “iCarly” was “grown up” and adapted to better fit its young adult audience, it is very likely that Loey’s adventures will involve more mature topics than the original show. Unlike “Zoey 101,” that was aimed at children, “Zoey 201’s” target audience is current college students.

Besides filming at a real university, another way in which “Zoey 201” plans to connect with real-life college students instead of children is to cast age-appropriate actors. Hiring 30-year-old people to play college students,

and even high school students, is quite a common trend in Hollywood; however, that trend has proven to be popular only among “tweens” as young adults generally view casting old people as young in a negative light.

“I hate when I am watching a show and the actress playing a character that is supposed to be both ‘plain looking’ and my age looks like she just came out of a Victoria’s Secret commercial,” Amelia Pond (sophomore, criminology) said. “That is because most of the time the actress did come out of a commercial and, instead of being my age, she is a fully developed woman.

“It is very frustrating when TV says, ‘This is how you should look like,’ when in reality that is not how any 19-year-old girl looks like, that is how a 30-year-old woman looks like.”

To solve concerns similar to Pond’s, Nickelodeon has announced that part of the cast will come from IUP students. The studio believes that it will be less frustrating for students to watch a show if the show is interpreted by the students themselves.

If students are interested in auditioning for “Zoey 201,” please email jxsbc@iup.edu or hysbc@iup.edu for more information and the full “Zoey 201” casting list. Priority casting for the role of Loey as well as for the unnamed male lead role will be given to underclassmen due to plans for multiple seasons.

Upperclassmen are allowed to audition for the role, but are expected to stay within Indiana if they are selected.

Students are allowed to audition for as many roles as they would like.

Auditions are also open to professors that are interested in being cast for professor or parental roles.

Please send a headshot, brief description of yourself, and your year and major to the listed emails. On the email, please include whether you are interested in being considered for a lead role or whether you would like to

(eonline.com) Premiering in January 2005, Zoey 101 became one of the most popular Disney Channel shows. Despite its high popularity, the show was canceled in May 2008. have a supporting role or a role as an extra instead. Your major is not a determining factor in the casting process.

Nickelodeon plans on having some big names like Victoria Justice and Jerry Trainor play the roles of professors in the upcom-

ing series as well.

Filming will begin next fall so do not wait to audition and send in your information.

12

October 19, 2021

Culture

Students gather outside Leonard Hall to oppose anti-gay rhetoric

(Nick Schmidt/The Penn) On Monday, a unidentified man arrived in the Oak Grove outside of Stapleton Library holding a sign that said “Fear God.” The man was also promoting a homophobic agenda that many students opposed. Over the course of the day, more and more students gathered around the man, some of which opted to post pictures and videos on social media to spread the message about the growing protest. The group eventually moved to the outside of Leonard Hall (formerly the College of Humanities and Social Sciences). Campus police were present to make sure the protest went without issue. The man was heard saying that students passing by were “going to Hell.” Students added by chanting, “You’re not welcome,” at the man. Eventually the man left campus. The scene was a powerful testament to the student body that was present to show their support of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Culture

October 19, 2021

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13

14

October 19, 2021

Culture

(DC/Twitter) According to Rotten Tomatoes, the best performing DC films in the recent years have been “Wonder Woman” at 93 percent, 2021’s “The Suicide Squad” at 91 percent and “Shazam” at 90 percent. Despite its ability to produce good movies, DC has garnered a reputation for putting out mediocre movies like 2016’s “Suicide Squad” only gaining a 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes which is the lowest ranking that any DC Extended Universe film has had.

DC FanDome returns with ‘The Batman,’ other DC projects LANE LANNAN Culture Editor ffpcc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP In a constant attempt to surpass Marvel, DC returned this year with FanDome.

DC’s FanDome event, held on Saturday, is a way for the company to promote new movies and TV shows that are in development. The event has gained massive media attention which can especially be seen this year with the highly anticipated list of movies that are slated to come out.

“I was really excited when I saw the trailer for ‘The Batman,’” Thomas Valcukas (sophomore, biology) said. “It is so cool to see a more gritty and violent version of the character, especially after the hints of that characterization appearing in ‘Batman v.

Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and ‘Justice League.’”

Valcukas is referring to Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader who is an older and more aggressive Batman. In the upcoming film, Robert Pattinson,

from films like the Twilight series and “The Lighthouse,” is set to play the part of a younger Bruce Wayne that is unable to control his violence, leading to some scenes in the trailer that show the brutality of this new incarnation of Batman.

“The Batman” was not the only project that was teased at FanDome. There were updates and footage shown for movies like “The Flash” starring Ezra Miller and “Black Adam” starring Dwayne Johnson. In addition to those, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” were also revealed and given release dates for theaters.

“I don’t normally care much for DC movies to be honest,” Isaac Ryer (sophomore, nursing) said. “I think that they are normally pretty low in terms of being good, although I did enjoy the first ‘Shazam’ movie, so it is good to hear that there will be a sequel to it.”

Ryer brings up a point when it comes to the quality of most DC films. They tend to get rather low

ratings on websites like Rotten Tomatoes and lead to many different memes and jokes made at their expense. DC also has had trouble in the past with sequels as the sequel “Wonder Woman 84” did worse than the original movie, “Wonder Woman,” with a 58 percent on Rotten Tomatoes that is in stark opposition to the prior film’s 93 percent.

DC has also struggled with movie projects in general which can be seen with the media firestorm that erupted over the original cut of “Justice League” and the infamous “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” which saw Zach Snyder reshoot some scenes and extend the movie’s overall runtime by about two hours.

“With all the movies that are lined up, I really think that DC has a chance to have a pretty good year in terms of content,” Valcukas said. “They are not going to be able to surpass what Marvel seems to have in the pipeline, but I think that there is a lot of potential for DC to make up some lost ground.”

With the amount of movies and shows that DC has slated to come out over the next few years, fans can expect a potential resurgence of the DC characters which could be a force to be reckoned with in the future.

(The Batman/Twitter) Since the trailer’s showcase during FanDome, “The Batman” has amassed almost two million views on the IGN YouTube channel.

Culture

October 19, 2021

15

Students share thoughts about Minecraft Live 2021 LANE LANNAN Culture Editor ffpcc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP With a continuous update cycle, the best-selling video game of all time returns with another presentation.

Over the weekend, Mojang Studios held its annual “Minecraft Live” event to show off new game features, creatures and biomes that players can expect to see in the coming years.

To spearhead the presentation, there was a follow-up to the Caves and Cliffs update that rocked the “Minecraft” community at the 2020 event. The new announcement was dubbed the “Wild Update” and will feature a revitalization of the “Minecraft” overworld, adding new things for players to discover and interact with in the game’s extensive and endless overworld setting.

“When I saw that they added frogs, I thought it was pretty cool,” Joseph Semetkoskey (sophomore, accounting) said. “I don’t play the game at all, but it is always pretty cool to see real world animals join the landscape of the game.”

Frogs were not the only thing slated to arrive in the new update. Tadpoles, mangrove swamps, mud bricks and fireflies are all part of the Wild Update given a 2022 release date during the showcase.

In addition to the news about the Wild Update, there was more information given about parts of last year’s Caves and Cliffs update that were delayed. The Deep Dark, a new area of the game that will be very dangerous for players to enter, was given an updated release date of 2022, likely coinciding with the Wild Update.

“It is interesting to hear that ‘Minecraft’ has the ability to go in a scarier direction,” Matthew

Levenson (sophomore, accounting) said. “I mean, a lot of people think of it as a game for children to play but, based on the limited amount that I have seen for the new update, it looks like it could potentially be some pretty thrilling stuff.”

On top of the regular update announcements, there was one section of the event that every fan was eagerly awaiting: the Minecraft Live 2021 Mob Vote.

Mobs are any creature in the game that move around and can interact with the player, including animals like sheep and cows and monsters like zombies and the infamous creeper.

There were three mobs that were shown off to be part of the vote. The Glare, Allay and Copper Golem were the choices that each offered their own unique gameplay mechanics and designs that would be sure to alter the game in some way. As was expected, the vote flooded Twitter with many different content creators and fans of the game expressing their want for a certain mob to be added.

“The plus of this mob [Copper Golem] is the kinetic energy it would bring to builds. ‘Minecraft’ is still lacking in that regard,” GoodTimesWithScar, a “Minecraft” content creator, said via Twitter.

“It’s so hard to make a judgement call without playing with them, but Allay seems to have more unique applications in my eyes,” Mumbo Jumbo, another “Minecraft” content creator, said.

At the end of the day, the vote was held, resulting in the Allay being the winner with a close second and distant third for the Copper Golem and the Glare respectively.

Whether you are a fan of “Minecraft” or not, it is always good to see a game get continuous support from fans and developers as new updates and changes are made that alter the course of the game.

(minecraft.net) Since the game’s release in 2011, “Minecraft” has sold more than 200 million units, making it the best selling game of all time. The second and third placed games are “Grand Theft Auto V” and “Tetris,” according to https://www.statista.com/statistics/680124/minecraft-unit-sales-worldwide/#:~:text=Since%20its%20release%20in%202011,and%20Grand%20Theft%20Auto%20V.

Sports

Editor-in-Chief: Jeffery Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu

IUP golf’s story of success gets another chapter IUP golf wins PSAC title No. 31, freshman Isaiah Swan wins individual title MATT GLOVER Staff Writer htpz@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

The long-storied history of success for IUP golf continues. The IUP golf team brought home its third Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship in a row marking its 31st title.

Isaiah Swan (freshman, finance) became the 10th golfer to bring home the individual title since 2007 and 17th since 1993 as he finished the 54-hole tournament with an even par-213. He shot 71-69-73 on the par 71 East Course at the Hershey Country Club.

“We’ve had a lot of freshmen through the years and a lot of other players win the event,” head coach Dan Braun said. “IUP has historically had a lot of individual champions.”

Swan sat two strokes back going into the second round before taking the lead over Gannon’s Abe Holmes, who finished the tournament two-over 215 in second place.

“He had that 10–12-foot [putt] in 18 to seal the deal,” teammate Jack Buccigross (senior, marketing) said. “All the other guys and I were at the top of the hill watching, so that was a pretty cool moment seeing the putt drop.”

“Isaiah birdied the 17th hole and Abe Holmes bogeyed, so Isaiah had a two-shot lead then made a par on 18 to seal it,” Braun said.

“It was great.

“A couple players before that, I knew we were going to win and had it in the bag, but you never know until the last putt goes in the hole.”

Including Swan, three IUP golfers finished in the top eight.

Buccigross finished fourth shooting six-over 219, and 2019 PSAC title winner, who also won as a

16

freshman, Shaun Fedor (junior, marketing) tied for seventh shooting eight-over 221.

Nicholas Ward (senior, marketing) tied for 18th shooting 14-over 227, and Richie Kline (junior, finance and economics) tied for 31st shooting 19-over 232.

“We finally got the result we were looking for, got the team W, and Isaiah got the individual,” Buccigross said, “so I’d say it went as well as it could’ve gone.”

IUP finished the first day in third place scoring the most birdies of any team with Fedor and Ward each sinking four. The team also had a score of 4.73 on par-five holes, the best of any team in the championship.

“After the first day, we were behind,” Braun said.

“We shot 292, and UPJ (University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown) shot 284, so [we] were eight behind them and three behind Gannon after the first round.”

In the rainy second round, IUP finished in first ahead of Mercyhurst by 11 and Gannon by 14.

“My favorite part of the tournament was going out and shooting an even par 284 in the second round in some pretty bad weather,” Buccigross said. “It was like a monsoon out there.

“It was probably the most difficult conditions we could’ve played in, and everybody stepped up.”

Buccigross continued by saying he was proud of everybody on the team in their ability to hang on despite the difficult conditions of the weather.

IUP golf went into the third day with an 11-shot lead and won the tournament by six strokes which meant its fifth championship title in six years and 14th since 2000.

“We played very well on the back nine,” Braun said. “Gannon made up about 11 shots on the front nine, but we pulled away a little bit on the back.”

At one point, he said, the lead was down to one.

“The level of focus was higher than any other event we’ve played in this fall because we know it means more, and we wanted to keep the streak alive,” Buccigross said.

“This was our 31st championship for the golf team, and they were well aware of it,” Braun said. “All three scores were under 300, which is a good benchmark.”

With the fall season over, the team now has a period of relaxation and reflection before it attends the 2022 NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Region Championships. This will be its record-breaking 25th appearance.

“We’ve grown a lot,” Braun said.

“We were having trouble at events putting two rounds together. We’d play one good round and one very poor round. This tournament we put together three pretty good rounds.”

“We’ve all grown pretty tight as a group, and it makes playing well in tournaments a lot easier,” Buccigross said.

(IUP Athletics) The IUP men’s golf team, led by Coach Braun, has won three titles since he has taken over the team in 2019.

October 19, 2021

Sports

Sports

October 19, 2021

17

(IUP Athletics) The last time IUP beat Slippery Rock in 2017, the Hawks went on to compete in the National Division II semi-finals losing to West Florida.

Crimson Hawks get their long-awaited revenge on The Rock IUP football beats longtime PSAC rival No. 6 Slippery Rock 48-21 in Homecoming game BEN SPRIGGS Staff Writer dzbbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

How does the old homage go?

“Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

Well, this weekend that dish was served in the wind and rain in front of No. 6 Slippery Rock’s homecoming crowd.

It was a great weekend to be a Crimson Hawk.

On Saturday, the IUP football program achieved one of its biggest regular season victories in recent memory.

The Hawks, led by head coach Paul Tortorella, went on the road and knocked off the No. 6 ranked and formerly undefeated Slippery Rock University (SRU) football team.

Not many saw it coming except IUP who believed in its game plan from start to finish.

The crimson and gray pulled off the colossal upset in a foreign, hostile environment. The rain fell steadily into the second half.

There was much to celebrate back home in Indiana. The com-

munity and campus population did just that well into the night.

The win was IUP’s first against the rival since 2017.

SRU was defeated handily at home as it celebrated its homecoming by a score of 48-21.

Tortorella’s squad out executed the opposition in all three phases of the game throughout the afternoon.

On offense, the Hawks scored first and never looked back.

The offensive attack accumulated 438 total yards. They were able to get the running game going with 126 yards on the ground.

Quarterback Harry Woodbery (graduate student, business administration) completed 23 attempts for 312 yards and five touchdowns. “[Woodbery] played very well other than the one interception he threw,” Tortorella said.

Woodbery made an uncharacteristic and costly mistake early in the second quarter with the game still close.

SRU booted a beautiful punt that rolled down to the goal line and pinned IUP at its own one-yard line.

Shortly thereafter, Woodbery threw an interception that SRU immediately capitalized on and turned into seven points.

The IUP quarterback proceeded to bounce back and played well for the remainder of the game.

His pass catchers were on fire.

The Crimson Hawks’ wide receivers had their way with the SRU secondary, especially Irvin Charles (graduate student, unclassified).

The 6’4” 220-pound Penn State transfer was unstoppable in the red zone, hauling in three touchdowns.

SRU was unable to match up

against his size.

Duane Brown (redshirt junior, kinesiology) went for 136 yards and a touchdown.

IUP dominated the time of possession in the first half.

On the ground, the one-two punch attack of Justice Evans (senior, business management) and Malik Anderson (redshirt senior, school of continuing education) slowly chipped away at a Rock defense that never found its way back.

The running backs combined for 131 yards.

The story of the day came from an IUP defense that stood tall against a highly touted SRU offense that had previously tore defensive oppositions to shreds.

“I thought we played a great first half with our defensive front getting three sacks and good coverage by our secondary,” Tortorella said. “We also played very well on third down.”

Linebacker Connor Kelly (redshirt junior, marketing) led the team with 12 tackles.

SRU was held to just seven points in the first half.

There is always room to grow.

“I thought we got a little sloppy on penalties and some coverage breakdowns in the fourth quarter,” Tortorella said.

SRU quarterback Andrew Koester, shockingly, played terribly in a nightmare of a performance.

Having previously thrown for more than 1,800 yards this season, Koester laid an egg and did not even complete his first pass until the game was out of hand in the second half.

IUP has now spoiled three separate homecomings this year.

The road tour has been a success.

This victory now puts IUP football in a perfect position. It currently sits in first place of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West standings.

The Crimson Hawks control their own destiny in the pursuit of a conference championship.

Tortorella and his team will return home next weekend to play host to the California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U) in the annual Coal Bowl.

Cal U football is also undefeated.

Kickoff is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Miller Stadium.

18

October 19, 2021

Sports

Hawks looking to move on from two-game losing skid

By IUP Sports Information

The IUP field hockey team is coming off of two tough losses against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) opponents and is looking to learn and improve going forward.

The newly-ranked Crimson Hawks were coming off of two shutout victories last week to enter into the top four of the PSAC standings.

These victories were shortlived as the Hawks fell to Mansfield (MU) last Wednesday. The loss dropped the Hawks to 8-3 overall and 3-3 in the league. Mansfield improved to 7-6 and is also 3-3 in the PSAC. The Mounties dominated offensively, outshooting the Crimson

Hawks 17-5 on the night while earning 14 penalty corners to IUP's seven. It took Mansfield less than four minutes to get on the board in the first quarter, aided by back-toback corners in the first action of the game.

With that one-goal lead, Mansfield turned up the pressure in the second half, outshooting IUP 11-0 in the third quarter alone. The Mounties made it a 2-0 lead with a goal in the 42nd minute. Alex Easterling had both of MU's scores.

The field hockey team’s struggles continued Saturday afternoon as the Crimson Hawks lost to No. 5-ranked East Stroudsburg by a score of 5-0 at Whitenight Field.

The loss was the second of the week for the Hawks, who are now

8-4 overall and seventh in the PSAC standings with a 3-4 conference record. The Warriors won their fifth in a row and improved to 12-3 overall and 6-1 in the league, good for second place.

East Stroudsburg scored in each quarter and dominated offensively, outshooting IUP 19-to-4 on the afternoon. The Warriors were helped with a big edge in penalty corners, 12-to-3.

Blaise Cugini (junior, early childhood education), Claire Murphy (sophomore, math education) and Georgiana Chiavacci (graduate student, human resources/general management) were credited with IUP's shots. Goalie Amanda Zaner (junior, political science/international studies) had six saves.

The Hawks have a non-conference matchup at Frostburg State next Wednesday before getting back to conference play on the weekend. IUP will host No. 1 Shippensburg on Oct. 24, play at Mercyhurst on Oct. 27 and host Kutztown

(IUP Athletics) The Hawks are now 6-2 in road game matches.

Sports

October 19, 2021

19

Hawks on national stage IUP tennis competes in Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup MATT GLOVER Staff Writer htpz@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

(IUP Athletics) There were 283 student-athletes representing 103 different institutions participating in the ITA Cup.

The Crimson Hawks left IUP’s first appearance at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup in Georgia with multiple wins on the national stage.

“I think it went really well,” head coach Larry Peterson said. “I thought that we really belonged there with the level of competition.”

IUP had a slow start Thursday as both doubles pairings lost their first matches to higher seeds.

Atlantic Region champions Karolin Kirchtag (senior, sports administration) and Katy Graydon (sophomore, undecided) fell 6-3 and then 6-1 against the No. 2-seeded team from Nova Southeastern.

Kirchtag also fell in her singles match 6-1 and then 6-2 to the No. 4 seed from Indianapolis.

Natasha Munday (graduate student, sports management) and Joanna Stralka (junior, pre-medicine) fell 6-2 and then 6-2 against the No. 4-seeded team from Angelo State.

“We were at the national championships, so you can’t expect anyone there to not be a very strong player,” Peterson said. “It’s great competition whether you win or lose. We were incredibly happy to be there.”

On day two, IUP competed in the “West” draw where Kirchtag achieved IUP’s first singles win in an ITA Cup. She defeated Taylor Leslie of Dallas Baptist at 7-5 then 6-4 advancing to the semifinals.

“This whole semester has just been crazy,” Kirchtag said, “Everyone keeps telling me the statistics and what I achieved. I still don’t really realize it.”

Kirchtag and Graydon later lost 6-4 then 6-3 to Newberry. Munday and Stralka also lost 6-1 then 6-3 to Ferris State’s top team.

“Although we had some loss-

es,” Peterson said, “I think they all feel like, ‘I can’t wait to get them again next time.’

“They were positive and bounced back quite quickly from taking a loss here and there.”

On day three, the IUP doubles pairs competed in the “South” bracket where Munday and Stralka recorded the first Crimson Hawks doubles win at an ITA Cup. They defeated a pair from Augustana at 6-2 then 7-6 (three) to add to Kirchtag’s historical win Friday.

Kirchtag and Graydon fell to another pairing from Angelo State 3-6, 7-5 and then 10-3.

“The conditions were difficult because it was very windy,” Kirchtag said. “I was not able to adjust as well as my opponent in my singles match.”

She also concluded her singles run with a 6-4 then 6-0 loss to Ashley Penshorm of St. Mary’s.

“The weekend was decent,” Kirchtag said.

“We could have done better but just missed out on the opportunities we had in the sets. The opponents won most of the important points which then decided the matches.”

“It was great to get that experience for them and our program so that we start to feel more at home in that situation instead of this being something special for us,” Peterson said. “I’m very proud of all of them and think we handled it well.”

The Hawks came home earlier than they wanted to, but they got more out of the tournament than just competitive tennis.

“I think it is nice to meet other players from all over the country,” Kirchtag said. “I saw a girl from Austria that I know from back home and also other players that we met during nationals last year.”

“When you play a team or player that’s a little bit better than you are, it exposes your weaknesses,” Peterson said. “That tells you what you need to put in the game plan to get better.”

After a fall season full of championship wins, IUP tennis will be back in the spring for its dual-match season.

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October 19, 2021

Sports

Volleyball looking to learn from late-season losing slump JAY McGARY Staff Writer fwzt@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The Crimson Hawks women’s volleyball team heads into the final stretch of the 2021 athletic year looking to recover from a late-season slump.

IUP has lost its last three games and is on a nine-set loss streak; its last victorious set coming against California University of Pennsylvania (Cal U) on Oct. 9.

The most recent loss came at the hands of a Pitt-Johnstown team who now sits at 11-6 on the season. The game, played in Johnstown, resulted in IUP being handed its second sweep in a row.

IUP lost momentum after a close first set and gave up the next two with scores of 25-23, 25-19 and 2513 respectively.

The Crimson Hawks have been

having a hard time finding their footing since they began conference play at the midseason mark in September.

Perhaps the largest reason for this is the team’s inconsistent passing game which has led to less optimal scoring chances and increased pressure on the team’s outside hitters to produce more than they normally should.

Head coach Julie Torbett offered some insight on the continuously dwindling hitting percentage the team has been producing.

“The team has been struggling to score. I attribute some of it to passing, which puts a lot of pressure on the outside hitters,” Torbett said. “…[This] doesn’t allow us to get the ball inside to Caroline Walsh (junior, nutrition/dietetics) and Kylie Osborne (senior, natural science/pre-pharmacy) who are the most efficient hitters on the team.”

Efficient as they are, the players Torbett mentioned above are ranked seventh and 10th in the entire Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) for hitting percentage thus far in the season.

They are hitting .300 and .284 respectively.

The problems created by inaccurate passing also present themselves in the stats of outside hitter Nicole Peterson (junior, sports administration). Although it looks great on paper, her team-leading 224 kills are a result of the ball being forced in her direction; errant passes create non-optimal looks for the offense, and Peterson’s .184 hitting percentage reflects that.

Something the team has been doing better in recent weeks is playing defense, specifically in blocking. Though there are higher block totals on the season, such as the 14-block game against Ship-

pensburg earlier in the season, blocking is becoming more consistent which means the frontline is finding its defensive groove.

Of the last four games, the team has six blocks in three of them and four blocks in one. This consistency is dependent on an independent variable: the opponent.

“Blocking is dependent on the other team in regards to their offense and where they like to attack. I think the blockers have been reading the hitters better and lining up better at the net,” Torbett said.

As she has empathized all season, it seems that consistent execution will be the key to the rest of IUP’s season. The last nine games will be rematches against PSAC opponents and hold enormous weight in the context of a prospective postseason.

Those rematches, especially since the Hawks have dropped

games to most of these opponents already in this year, will certainly come with some attitude.

“Playing the conference again is an opportunity to play better the second time,” Torbett said. “We have not really shown what we are able to do in several of these matchups so I think we could be dangerous to the teams who have beat us previously. The chip on the shoulder mentality will be necessary if we want to salvage this season and claw out a few more wins.”

IUP starts the part of its schedule full of rematches against a Seton Hill team who the Hawks dropped the first meeting to on Sept. 24, losing a tight five-set match with scores of 25-22, 18-25, 16-25, 26-24 and finally dropping the shortened fifth set 15-8.

That reunion occurs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex.

(IUP Athletics) This will be the third time IUP and the Griffins have squared off this year, Seton Hill winning each previous meeting.