11.12.21

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VOL. 114 NO. 23

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IUP PREPARES FOR FINAL EXAMS

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N E W S IUP celebrates Veterans Day News Editor: Benjamin Brumbaugh – msqy@iup.edu

Sacrifice, bravery remembered at Folger Hall JULIA ROBINS Staff Writer spxbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP On Wednesday, the Veterans Day Celebration was held in Folger Student Center. “[Veterans Day] is our chance for all of us to pay our utmost respect to all of you who have served,” IUP President Michael Driscoll said, “all who have come before you, who have taken up arms in defense of this great nation and its ideals.

“I have to say that taking one day a year is not enough.”

The event started with four students from the IUP Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Color Guard presenting the colors.

Cadets Justin Mascilli (freshman, political science), Olivia Frierson (sophomore, exercise science), Elizabeth Caldwell (freshman, foreign languages) and Nina Ledbetter (senior, criminology) performed.

“I was asked by the director, Corey Shay (Military and Veterans Resource Center), to have a Color Guard to present the colors, and I was super excited that they allowed us to do this because we are really trying to build our relationship with the veterans on campus and the ROTC cadets here,” Ledbetter said.

She will be commissioned in May 2022 and will find out what branch she goes into in December. Ledbetter’s hope is to make this country better by going into active duty in the branch of military intelligence.

“At first, [joining the military] was just a steppingstone for a career in the FBI or the CIA eventually, and then it became more about patriotism and the love I have for this country,” Ledbetter said. “I was born in Russia and

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adopted here when I was two. support them as they come here In June, IUP was named one of and that we also allow all of us to the top-16 schools for veterans Having the freedoms that I have benefit from their experiences as in the Mid-Atlantic region by the here that I wouldn’t have if I was part of our community,” Driscoll Military Times. still over there, I want to serve said.

District Attorney Robert F. the country that has given me so One veteran is Stewart SampManzi, Jr., was present and spoke much in return.” son, who initially graduated of the Western Pennsylvania “I'm here to honor the veterIUP in 1984 and then became a Veteran’s Relief Fund. On Sunday ans who have gone before us,” Marine stationed in Japan. He morning, the 10th annual VeterFrierson said. remained on active duty until an’s Marathon was held in Indiana Both of Frierson’s parents were April 1998. county. The marathon has raised in the military as well as her hus“One of the reasons that I more than $250,000 dollars that band, whom she married in June. goes directly to serve veterans in “A great disservice was done to moved to Indiana was to be near a good university campus like this western Pennsylvania. the Vietnam veterans and those with good cultural and outreach “We have veterans who are in who served in that war,” Shay programs for veterans,” Sampson need of fuel for their house, grosaid. “Just like the Afghanistan said. ceries, medical bills, tires on their War, the veterans who fought in He is currently auditing history cars, whatever it may be, and we that war were treated not with and foreign language classes at IUP are able to take the money that parades, not with flags flying and that are open to retirees. we raise and give it directly to cheers, but with hostility and Michelle Fryling, IUP’s executive those veterans in our community,” hatred in many places. director of Media Relations, said Manzi said.

“Here at IUP, we welcomed that 920 veterans and/or military-afHe is also involved with the those Vietnam veterans unlike filiated students, which is 9.14 Veterans Treatment Court foundother places.” percent of the student body, are ed by Judge Michael T. Clark The Indiana County Veterans currently studying at IUP, and since in 2019. It is a special court for Providers Group is unique to this 2014 this enrollment has increased veterans who have unique needs area, and Shay was recently reby nearly 70 percent. and are mentored to help them cruited by the state to set up syswith getting tems in other back into areas like the the commucommunity nity, mental of support health issues, established financial isin and sues, or drug around IUP and alcohol as most other problems. attempts “We canhave not not say thank been able to you enough get off the to our veterground yet. ans,” Manzi “[Veterans] said. “We come to us, simply can’t. not 18 years What we can old, but do is show coming to us with our with differwork that we ent experiappreciate ences with what you did, challenges, (Julia Robins/The Penn) what you do and it's our and what you job to make From left, Justin Mascilli, Olivia Frierson, Elizabeth Caldwell and Nina sure that we Ledbetter presented the colors at the Veterans Day event at Folger Hall. continue to

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do for our country.”

The Veterans Crisis Hotline is the number for the National Suicide Helpline, (800) 273-8255, and upon pressing one, they are transferred to a line specifically for veterans.

Before July 2022, nationwide the number will be designated as 988.

Suicide Prevention Coordinator Kate Gavin for the Altoona, Pa., branch of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was present at the ceremony and wanted to emphasize that the line is not just for when someone is in crisis.

“It is not just for when veterans are at the end of their rope,” Gavin said. “They don’t have to be in a crisis to utilize that line, but they can utilize it just if they are having overwhelming stress or any kind of stress, or if they have concerns that they feel need immediate attention or taken care of.”

Gavin’s team at the VA can follow up and do a suicide prevention consult and provide ongoing assistance afterwards.

Other presentations included the Veterans Outdoors, Vets Place of Dubious and the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania.

“It’s an important part of our culture,” Driscoll said. “It's an important part of what we do here at IUP. We ask all of our students to be good citizens to help one another, to support each other's success, and that core belief is reflected very strongly in our support for military and military-related students.”

The Military and Veterans Resource Center works to support military-affiliated students and veterans in navigating their academic and personal lives. Its new office is located in Suites on Maple East in room G62.

More information about military and veterans resources at IUP can be found at https://www.iup.edu/ veteransaffairs/.

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Preparing for winter graduation Graduation Fair provides one-stop shop for students DANTE ZOTTOLI Staff Writer jkqy@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

(iup.edu) Winter commencement for graduate and undergraduate students will take place on December 11 at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic complex.

Nearing the end of every spring and fall semester at IUP, the university’s Office of the Registrar hosts a Graduation Fair for soonto-be IUP graduates.

This year’s fair was held on Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Ohio Room of the Hadley Union Building (HUB).

Those graduating in December can expect to find all of their graduation needs from the myriad of booths located there, but first, before they can enter, they must swipe their I-Cards in with the management technician of the Registrar’s Office, Samantha Bozzer.

“We are here today at the Graduation Fair sponsoring the event, and we are checking in the graduates, undergrads and the graduate students to make sure that their records are accurate, so that we have everything updated for their diploma mailings and also to offer a celebration for students to celebrate this exciting time,” Bozzer said.

So, if you want to make sure that your graduation diploma is addressed to the correct mailing location, feel free to stop by to see Bozzer at the HUB. After signing in and walking into the Ohio Room, IUP’s mascot, Norm, will be sure to greet you with a high five and photo opportunity. There are many booths dedicated to preparing you for graduation day, such as the IUP Co-op booths selling class rings and diploma frames.

There are also several booths at the event that are meant to prepare you for what comes next after graduation. The Career and

Professional Development Center booth helps soon-to-be graduates find jobs and careers within their fields of study.

For those who would like to remain active in the IUP community after graduation, make sure to check out the alumni booth.

Even still, for those who do not want their IUP education to stop at undergraduate, there is IUP Graduate Admissions booth, manned by the director of Graduate Admissions, Amber Dworek.

“We are here, today, to help to promote one of our over sixty graduate programs here at IUP,” Dworek said. “So, for students who are graduating and looking to continue [with] their education, whether it’s master’s, doctoral or certificate programs, we’re just here to talk to students about that: financial opportunities and organizations they can be a part of as graduate students and things like that.”

All are welcomed to attend the Graduation Fair, no matter their year of study. The next Graduation Fair will be held during the spring semester in the lead up to spring graduations.

As a reminder, the winter commencement for undergraduate and graduate students graduating this fall 2021 semester will be on Dec. 11 at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC). Graduates will receive master’s and doctoral degrees starting at 9:30 a.m.

The undergraduate ceremony is set to begin at 1 p.m. The ceremony will also be available to watch remotely via a live video webcast through IUP’s YouTube channel.

More information about commencement for graduating students and families can be found by visiting https://www.iup.edu/ commencement/ or visiting the Registrar’s Office on campus.

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IUP prepares for final exams Student success specialists offer tips, tricks

nize your list on what you think will be the hardest to study for.”

The list can be simple or complex depending on an individual’s needs.

“The more you plan out, the On Tuesday, IUP held a workbetter off you’ll be,” Risinger said. shop on what to do before and Another during finals thing suggestweek. ed was starting The event to plan for was hosted by finals during Jeremy RisingThanksgiving er and Allison break. ThanksBaker, student giving break is success spefrom Nov. 20 to cialists at IUP. Nov. 29.

One thing “No one suggested wants to do was creating this, but if you a list of the can, you have final exams two weeks of and projects time that you that need to can prep for,” be completed.

Risinger said.

This list can (The Penn Archives) The more keep one orgaIUP Student Support Specialtime to prepare nized on what for finals, the takes priority to ist Allison Baker (above). better. get done first.

The next piece of advice given “If you don’t know where your exams are, you can find it on the was to plan out where studying IUP website,” Baker said. “Orgawill take place.

“Making sure you know where you are studying matters a lot when it comes to how well you study,” Baker said.

The specialists warned of checking to see if the plan made for a student is realistic.

“Make sure that your study plan is made for you,” Risinger said. “If you cannot do it, don’t.”

While preparing for finals week, it is important that you get enough sleep which can be a tough task for college students.

“Making sure you get eight to 10 hours before your final is crucial,” Baker said.

Procrastination is detrimental for finals week.

“You may want to, but don’t,” Risinger said. “It's not worth it.”

Another tip provided was to (uatshadygrove.org) find a use in notecards. If students Reading study material more than once can greatly benefit stuneed notecards, they can find the dents during their final exams. materials at the Co-op Store. you can look at your notecards “If you are sitting there for “Notecards allow you to write quickly. hours, at least make sure you are the lesson plan in your own Studying with friends and readcomfortable.” words,” Baker said, “which allows ing the material more than once Make sure you know where you to learn better. will help students further retain your final is taking place because “Find out what works for you the information they must know. some locations might change. with notecards.”

“Being in a space where you You can find these locations If you are waiting for class, are expecton the IUP ed to get website or work done is by speaking important,” with your Risinger said. professors.

“No one “Self-care wants to read is important, more than especialonce, but, ly during trust me, finals week,” you’ll regret Risinger said. it if you get a If you have bad grade,” a habit or Baker said. activity that Studying you like to on computdo, you can ers might try to budget not be the that into best idea as your plan to trying to limit give yourdistractions is self a break. important to (The Penn Archives) Burnout is a focus. significant isIUP Student Support Specialist “You have a sue that needs Jeremy Risinger (above). better chance to be avoided to get distracted especially if you if at all possible. have dual monitors,” Baker said.

“Also, if you have to, do not (fnu.edu) “Anything you can do to be prohesitate to reach out to profesactive beforehand will make finals sors or anyone else for help,” Eating a good breakfast and getting plenty of sleep is an essential part of having a successful final week easier for you.

Risinger said. exam experience for students.

TANNER SCHELL Staff Writer dsqcc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

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(reviewpro.com) Having a good online reputation is essential to being marketable to potential employers, many of whom will view your online footprint during the hiring process.

Online safety, social media tips KAYLEE KASSA Staff Writer bvmy@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

IUP professors Dr. Melissa Calderon (professional studies in education) and Dr. Crystal Machado (professional studies in education) shared their complementary research, initiating a panel discussion of online safety and social media tips on Wednesday.

Held online via Zoom, the event included input from IUP’s Libraries, Career and Professional Development Center (CPDC) and the Haven Project.

Dr. Theresa McDevitt, IUP professor and Outreach librarian, began the presentation by citing that 80 percent of recruiters and hiring managers use social media to look at potential candidates for hire.

As a transition into the research presentation, McDevitt said that it is important for students to have a professional online presence.

Calderon focused her research on how high school teachers use technology in education and how they prepare their students to use it.

In her qualitative study of 24 tech-savvy high school teachers

from around the United States, Calderon specifically looked into how they encourage digital creation, practices they implement in terms of privacy and content promotion, their technology standards, and how they facilitate students’ online achievements.

As children are being exposed to technology and the social media that comes with it, it is important for them to know how to properly utilize it. Calderon said that students should be educated on digital citizenship in order to have a safe, social and savvy online presence. She believes that it is the responsibility of high school teachers to express concern for and help to develop the online presence of their students.

However, Calderon was disappointed with what the results of her study mean.

Where technology was being used, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and student-created websites, Calderon noticed that they were for content purposes only. On Twitter and Facebook specifically, she had hoped to find the work of students to be public and promoted so as to showcase student achievements.

She noted that only two teachers that she interviewed encouraged

students to utilize the social media platform LinkedIn. “This was disappointing to me,” Calderon said. “I didn’t find what I wanted, but that means that we can just keep moving forward.”

Calderon said that more research would be needed to further the knowledge of what teachers are doing for students.

Calderon had hoped that teachers would be facilitating the development of strong online platforms for students. She mentioned that she specifically looked at teachers from “privileged” schools and self-professed, tech-savvy teachers.

The similar, disappointing results beg the question: If the very best are not doing everything they can, what are the teachers in the less privileged areas doing?

“Everyone is afraid [to use social media]. Teachers are afraid to use social media,” Machado said.

After years of being told to be careful on social media and to refrain from posting anything if one wished to secure a job, especially as an educator, it is difficult to warm up to the idea of having an online presence, even a positive one.

Machado’s research focused on the competence of students when it comes to using technology. She discovered that their perceptions of

what they think they know does not match their reality.

“They thought that they were doing a lot, but, in reality, there was so much more that they needed to do,” Machado said.

In her study of her 100-level class, she found that most students thought they were innovative with technology but were not doing the things deemed “innovative.”

For example, they only cited using Google docs or applications that come pre-downloaded on their computers.

To get her students more involved online, Machado incorporated projects using program and websites like Flipgrid, VoiceThread, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram into her class.

“I did quite a bit of handholding, but by the end of this class, all of my students had a presence online,” Machado said.

Machado was drawn to this area of research because “the internet has so much to offer” and, at younger and younger ages, children are gaining access to it.

She has designed multiple studies over the last 15 years that relate to web-based technology and social media.

Inspired by her students and fellow professor Calderon, Mach-

ado hopes that her studies inspire others “to experiment with newer technologies in different ways.”

Following the research presentations, a panel presented the steps that IUP is taking to help develop and protect students’ online presence.

McDevitt discussed how the IUP Libraries work to protect privacy of students and how to determine if a source is safe and credible to use.

Ann Sesti, the director of Student Wellness and Engagement, talked about partying and social media, stressing to be careful of what students post on their social media pages.

Jennifer McCroskey, the Haven Project Sexual Violence Prevention Educator, spoke on the dangers and signs of stalking and cyberstalking.

Bill Zimmerman, IUP’s assistant director for Employer Engagement, warned about common job scams, such as pyramid schemes, modeling and talent agencies, medical billing, issuing checks, and check processing from home.

The research presentations and panel discussion were meant to help students learn how to take advantage of social media safely and effectively. When used correctly, it can open up a world of possibilities.

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Opinion 'Stop the concert. People are dying.'

Nine dead after preventable Astroworld tragedy

*This article contains sensitive subject matter about death.

Imagine going to a concert to have a good time only to never return home.

That statement was the unfortunate reality for eight concert goers at Travis Scott’s Astroworld Music Festival.

Now, another person has passed away, being declared “brain dead,” in the hospital after sustaining serious injuries.

To get one thing straight off the bat, Travis Scott and the event organizers should have stopped the show. There is no beating around the bush. There is no reason the show should have gone on, especially with the amount of people there.

The festival itself was rife with unpreparedness from the start.

There are several videos circling that show people breaking down security checkpoints to get into the concert without tickets. Because of this, there were significantly more people at the venue than could be supported.

With more people there, the situation already was more dangerous than it should have been.

In addition to that, as the concert began, people started to push towards the stage to be closer, resulting in people squeezing closer together and the beginnings of crowd crush.

Now, to be clear, the events that ended up happening are not solely the fault of the people that arrived illegitimately. Blaming the crowd is a dangerous thing to do as it could cause many people to ignore the ones that are responsible.

The ones responsible for the tragedy that unfolded are Travis Scott and the organizers of the festival.

To start with the event organizers, there was a lack of preparedness amongst the medical personnel that were at the event.

One story, posted on social

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media from a person in attendance who happened to be an ICU nurse, described the medical personnel there not only as being unprepared, but unexperienced.

The post describes them not knowing how to check for a pulse and giving CPR to people that still had a pulse. Given that they were expected to be there for any medical emergencies, it begs the question of what the organizers were thinking having that staff present.

There were also cases of event staff not taking notice or not caring altogether over pleas for help. In one of the most popular videos to be shared from the night, two people are seen climbing onto a camera platform to try to get help. The video shows the cameraman not asking them for clarification or trying to see what they are talking about; he simply tells them to get off of the platform.

It is that attitude that resulted in the deaths that were seen.

There is no excuse for that kind of mindset. If you are filming an event from a vantage point where the crowd is visible, it would not be hard to look into the crowd and see the chaos.

While the cameraman was able to see the crowd, there was someone else who had one of the best views of the entire crowd: Travis Scott himself.

Being onstage, as well as on elevated platforms at points during the show, Scott was able to see the full audience during the duration of the concert. With that knowledge, there is seemingly no reason why Scott did not stop the show while there was clearly an emergency situation.

At one point, a medical vehicle was trying to get through the crowd to reach people in need.

Videos taken during the night show Scott acknowledging the vehicle but never once telling the crowd to move out of the way.

Another video, used by Scott’s supporters to defend him, showed Scott noticing someone had passed out and asking people to clear a path, only to start immediately performing again.

Due to this, medical personnel were not able to reach the person in need.

To continue in the trend of videos, the most chilling of the night showed a body being crowd surfed to a barrier to be handed off to security. While this was happening, videos show Scott in direct eyesight of this happening and not stopping the show at all.

It indicates a complete disregard for the safety of fans as well as any integrity as an artist.

Scott should have stopped the show as soon as there was any claim of danger. The event became a mass casualty situation which did not stop Scott from performing for almost 40 minutes. Given that people were passing out and being suffocated, seconds can be the difference between life and death.

There should have been some communication with the people on the ground to the stage to alert Scott that there was an issue, and Scott should have seen that there was some issue as well as hearing people screaming for him to stop the show, which comes across very clear in a lot of videos from the concert.

While Scott has his defenders saying that there was no way for him to know, or that there was no way he could have stopped the crowd on his own, that is completely ridiculous. In the days after the tragedy, videos began popping up all over the internet showing various acts stopping shows to handle an issue. Whether it was Dave Grohl stopping a Foo Fighters show to stop a violent person or Kurt Cobain kicking someone out for sexually assaulting a female fan at a Nirvana show, there was one in

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(ABC13-Steve Campion/Facebook) A devastating update: Bharti Shahani, a senior at Texas A&M, passed away in a hospital after being injured at Astroworld. particular that resonated directly with the events at Astroworld.

“When someone falls, what do you do?” Chester Bennington of Limp Bizkit said to a crowd with the crowd responding, “Pick them up.” The chant was started after Bennington and fellow band member Mike Shinoda noticed that a fan had collapsed and stopped the show mid-song to make sure the fan was safe.

It is that level of responsibility that Scott should have had.

When you are performing at a show, there is an expectation that the crowd will get rowdy, especially when, in Scott’s case, he takes extra effort to make them extremely energetic.

With lawsuits starting to come out, the future seems uncertain for Scott. With many calling for criminal charges and other claiming the artist is innocent, the case will likely fall to the courts to decide the outcome for Scott.

Condolences to the families of the people that were lost at the festival. This was a tragedy that could have been so easily prevented. Just remember that this kind of incident is the exception to concerts, not the rule.

Brought to you By The Penn Editorial Board

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Culture

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

(iup.edu) After seeing a trend of enrollment dropping over the past couple years, IUP has been trying to start initiatives to get enrollment up like focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields with the new addition of Kopchick Hall.

IUP hosts second open house event of semester LANE LANNAN Culture Editor ffpcc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

For this upcoming the weekend, there is an event coming to campus.

IUP is hosting an open house this Saturday for people that are interested in attending the university. The event will be showcasing all that IUP has to

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offer from academic requirements to different career opportunities that students can have on campus.

While this is not the first open house IUP has held this year, with a previous one being held back in October, there is still a lot of information for people that may have missed the October deadline or are only just becoming interested in IUP. “Stuff like this is really import-

ant for IUP to do,” Matthew Levenson (sophomore, accounting) said. “I mean, it is no secret that enrollment isn’t the best, so any attempt IUP can make to bring in new students is generally a good call.”

Levenson went on to say that, in general, an open house is a great way to draw in new students. In his mind, it offers a way for people interested to get a decent amount of information in

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a relatively short time span while also giving them the chance to tour campus and experience the student life that IUP has.

In addition to tours of campus, the open house will also allow a look into the various residence halls on campus.

“I think the living situation is something that is important for a lot of people,” Isaac Ryer (sophomore, nursing) said. “I mean, people want to know what their room is going to look like seeing

as they are going to be living there for a year.”

In addition to many wanting to know what their room will be like, there are also the ways that the different groups on campus are presented. For example, the Cook Honors College (CHC) freshmen will be living on the third floor of Wallwork Hall next year; information that is very important to anyone who is newly entering the CHC. Continued on Page 11

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IUP hosts second open house Continued from Page 10 As would be expected, the tours are being managed by the IUP Crimson Guides. Seeing as they are students that come from all areas of the campus, there is a lot of expertise and knowledge that they have as well as unique perspectives that only students would understand. More information about the Crimson Guides can be found at https://www.iup. edu/admissions/undergraduate/ visit/meet-the-crimson-guides/ index.html, or by following them on Instagram, @IUPCrimsonGuides.

With everything going on at the open house, there will be a lot of information for people that are interested as well as the possibility of new students starting to come to IUP. The open house website, https://www.iup.edu/admissions/ undergraduate/visit/open-house/ index.html?fbclid=IwAR0ZgNGNwoTpDbjossxRtAlGwP_x_ DvKchNn5XXGUMvrEWwKrYrbLYKpM9U, also reminds those attending the events to dress warm and bring comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking that will be taking place over the duration of the day.

With that said, hopefully the open house will be successful in bringing new students to IUP. As seniors graduate, there needs to be more people to help breathe new life into the student culture on campus; something that can be accomplished by new perspectives and students being introduced.

(The Penn Archives) IUP has over 120 undergraduate programs available for new students to take to pursue their majors.

Mysterous scavenger hunt appears at IUP 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.

This story is fictional.

One thousand dollars, one campus and one lucky student.

That is right; there is an envelope hidden somewhere on IUP’s campus containing a total of $1,000.

A piece of paper with details about the scavenger hunt was found in the Hadley Union Building (HUB) parking lot. There were also clues about the location where this envelope could be found.

It is unclear who is running the scavenger hunt or if it is real, but with that much money on the line it would be unwise to not at all consider looking for the prize.

Some students are speculating that the Student Activity Com-mittee (STATIC) is behind the game because it has done scav-enger hunts with prizes in the past. Other students think that this is just another hoax by The Penn and do not entirely trust it. Some think that this could be a part of a reality television game show.

Students are, for the most part, very excited about the scavenger hunt. Many say that the $1,000 prize would be life changing.

Some students plan on using the money for school necessities, such as tuition and housing. Others plan to spend it on life necessities. That is the case of Amelia Pond (sophomore, criminology).

Pond said she would like to spend the money on security to “keep [her] ex-boyfriend away.”

There are even some students who would like to simply spend the money on personal matters as opposed to necessities or

(Student CO-OP/Twitter) The scavenger hunt details were discovered in the parking lot of the HUB. Since its discovery, there have been debates amongst students over the validity of the hunt. school-related products.

“With that much money I could get my ex-girlfriend back,” Matt Smith (junior, Earth and space education) said. “The moment she finds out I am rich she will come back to me.”

There are also some students who do not believe the actual prize would be $1,000.

Students from the Division of the Underrepresented Money Makers of Indiana, Erie and Seton Hill (D.U.M.M.I.E.S.) believe that, considering taxes and fees, the prize might be worthless.

“I mean, if you think about

it, after the federal and state taxes, you might have nothing left,” Mary Texana (senior, music education), student president of D.U.M.M.I.E.S, said. “Then there might be fees from IUP because colleges like to add fees, and on top of all that we might even get charged a fee just to be allowed to compete, like an entrance fee and such.”

According to the instructions given by the secret sponsor, the prize will be untaxed and there will be no fee to participate.

Whoever finds the money gets to keep it. Additionally, it is infer-

able that no charges will come from IUP because the scavenger hunt is not officially sponsored by the university; however, the administration has not released any information on the matter as of today.

The Penn will post the clues that were found in the first note.

As for the next set of clues, it is unclear where they will come from. Maybe there will be another dropped note, or maybe there will be social media posts. Stay tuned for further updates regarding the scavenger hunt.

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November 12, 2021

Culture

Haven Project hosts video on domestic violence PATRICK HOUGH Staff Writer mqycc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The Haven Project, in association with the Theta Phi Alpha sorority, held a short movie presentation in the Hadley Union Building (HUB) Susquehanna Room to promote its partnership with the One Love Foundation.

For those who might not know the One Love Foundation, it is a non-profit organization based in Bronxville, N.Y. It focuses on ending violence and abuse in romantic relationships and seeks to help develop healthier romantic relationships.

The video that was shown during the presentation was called, “Behind the Post,” a video with the goal of showing the role that media can play in a relationship through portraying a seemingly happy relationship online that turns out to be ugly in real life.

The couple was viewed through the lenses of their social media presence and text messages.

Their relationship seemed to be totally normal, but then it started to reveal their real-life relationship that was fraught with jealousy, impatience, possessiveness, and emotional and psychological abuse. The point of the video is to indicate that

(joinonelove.org) The short video describes the issues that are present with domestic violence. The film also features a corresponding guide that adds a conversation to start over the issues present. there are times when something more is going on behind the post

on social media or on other platforms that people tend to use The presenters also discussed the 10 signs of an unhealthy relationship. These signs can negatively impact a person on a day-to-day basis and severely hinder their daily activities. In extreme cases, these signs can lead to violence.

Some of the signs listed included intensity where a person can have extreme, over-the-top feelings; an example could be always wanting to see or talk to their partner. Another sign listed was isolation, one of the subtler signs. A person who is isolated by their partner is kept away from their friends and family so they can only communicate with that partner, and they try to make their partner totally dependent on them in life.

There is also one of the more common signs known as guilting or better known as gaslighting.

This is when a partner makes the other one feel responsible for their unacceptable behavior and tries to pass the blame on them for the issue. It can escalate into threats of hurting themselves or pressuring their partner into doing something sexual.

“I want to educate students about the dynamics of a healthy and an unhealthy relationship,” Jennifer McCroskey, the organizer of the presentation, said.

The IUP Haven Project works to aid those who are suffering in violent relationships and offers support to those who need it. It has links to campus police and provides information on subjects such as relationship violence, stalking, sexual assault, sexual violence and other forms of abuse.

The project can be contacted at (724) 357-3947, and the email is haven-project@iup.edu.

Culture

November 12, 2021

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STATIC hosts ‘Masterpieces & Mocktails’ 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.

The Student Activity Committee (STATIC) continues to deliver fun activities to keep IUP students entertained during the semester.

This Thursday, STATIC made a splash on campus and held its “Masterpiece & Mocktails” event.

The event was held through Zoom in an effort to include students who are spending the semester at home or who are quarantining because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many students have appreciated the effort

by STATIC to host both virtual and in-person events during the semester as it gives them more flexibility.

“I am taking this semester in person, but I had to quarantine in mid-September,” Brandon Kimmel (sophomore, English) said. “So, while I like that STATIC is offering in-person events because I really missed those, I also really like that some events are virtual.

“This way I know that if I have to quarantine or if an emergency happens and I have to go back home this semester I won’t be abandoned by STATIC. It is nice to know you won’t be bored.”

As an event held on Zoom, students who participated in the “Masterpiece & Mocktails” event had to register earlier at STATIC’s website and pick up their package at any time between Monday and Thursday at STATIC’s table in the Hadley Union Building (HUB) next to the food court.

Packages came with a canvas, paint and brush tools. Many students reacted positively that STATIC provided the materials for the event as painting supplies can be quite expensive. Many students were worried that they would have to pay for the event and were relieved to find out that

(STATIC/Twitter) STATIC opted to host the paint night virtually, allowing for more flexibility for students that have to quarantine or that are electing to stay home. the event was completely free for IUP students.

“I like to paint as a hobby so I know that supplies can be really expensive to buy,” Madison Reddick (sophomore, music/ biology) said. “When I first heard that STATIC was doing a painting event, I thought they were going to charge students at least $5 to make up for the material, but it was free.”

Reddick added that she felt it

was “quite considerate” of STATIC to host an event focused on the arts because it can be a form to destress students considering that many exams are coming up soon due to the end of the semester approaching.

It is true that the arts play an important, sometimes underestimated role in a person’s day-today life. Many realized such a thing during the harshest part of the COVID-19 pandemic, includ-

ing artists themselves.

Last year, the Artist’s Hand, a local coffee shop located on Philadelphia Street where artistic paintings are usually displayed and sold, had an exhibition focused solely on how the pandemic affected people’s views of the arts.

Many students who attended claim they left the event impressed with how the paintings were able to represent how

they felt.

“I went to the exhibition because I needed to do a fine arts assignment for my honors class, but I left with much more than that,” Hannah Roth (sophomore, anthropology) said. “I was completely wonderstruck at how impactful the event was.”

Overall, students were happy with the opportunity to engage in the arts in a fun manner. It seems that, once again, STATIC got the job right.

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November 12, 2021

Culture

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ releases new clip, ignites excitement for fans LANE LANNAN Culture Editor ffpcc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP New footage has finally been released for the next Disney+ hit.

On Thursday, a new trailer was released for the upcoming “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” a new series set to release in 2022.

The series, which features Ewan McGregor making his return to the character of Obi-Wan Kenobi, is set in the time following “Star Wars Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith,” which has become one of the most popular movies in the entire Star Wars franchise.

“I think that time is a really interesting one to explore,” Sam Shellenberger (sophomore, music education) said. “I mean, it is the point where one of the best characters (Obi-Wan Kenobi) is looking over probably one of the most well-known film heroes, that being Luke Skywalker.”

The series was thrown into confusion over the course of 2021 as there were no updates about the production, leading many fans to worry over whether it was going to still happen.

After going from rumors to confirmed, there were fears that it would be canceled, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic hit and slowed the production of most film and tv projects.

Despite the fears, the new clip has brought back hope for the project. The clip, which showed the director of the project Deborah Chow and McGregor, discuss some interesting aspects of the larger story, namely in the new universe that the series will exist in.

“This is quite a dark time that we are coming into,” Chow said.

In addition to McGregor making his return, Hayden Christensen is slated to return as Darth Vader, a role that he started having access to during the final moments of “Revenge of the Sith.” Concept art shown in the clip reveals a moment where

(Screen Rant/Twitter) The series was rumored to be in existence in 2019, with nothing being confirmed or denyed until 2020, when Ewan McGregor confirmed that the show was in production and was set to release on Disney+.

Obi-Wan and Vader are having a fight, which has a lot of fans talking.

“That concept art was some of the coolest in the video,” Thomas Valcukas (sophomore, biology) said. “I mean, Kenobi wins in episode three (Revenge of the Sith)

and Vader wins in episode four (A New Hope), so it will be really interesting to see what the battle is like with an younger Kenobi taking on Vader.”

While the Star Wars franchise was thrown into disarray after the sequel trilogy was largely panned by fans and the Disney+ series “The

Mandalorian” was loved, there is hope that the new Kenobi series will restore the balance that the franchise as a whole has been missing.

“At the end of the day, ‘Star Wars’ is a really great franchise,” Shellenberger said. “I mean, sure, the sequels were not the best, but they were still part of the universe. I know I am really interested to see what the new series can bring to the table.”

Shellenberger went on to say that he is also interested in

how the series will potentially expand the universe. With the story seemingly more focused on Kenobi and his journey to oppose the empire and protect Luke Skywalker, there are potentially some very interesting avenues that can be taken to elaborate on the Star Wars universe as a whole.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is set to start streaming on Disney+ at some point in 2022 with more information for the show likely dropping in the coming months.

Culture

November 12, 2021

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A picturesque campus Photos capture beauty of IUP amongst fall season (IUP/Twitter) With the fall season starting to become more and more apparent at IUP, it has begun to mark the shift to the holiday season. The official Thanksgiving Break for IUP students begins on the 22nd of November. After the break, students will be preparing for finals as a close to the semester is on the horizon. So, good luck to students, and be sure to study and work hard as the semester closes in the coming months.

Sports

Editor-in-Chief: Jeffery Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu Lead Sports Writer: Matt Glover – htpz@iup.edu

(IUP Athletics) The Hawks lead the all-time series with West Chester 14-7.

Crimson Hawks ready to close season strong BEN SPRIGGS Staff Writer dzbbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

“I think we are as talented as any team in the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference); if not for a couple plays, we very easily could be in the championship game,” head coach Paul Tortorella said.

IUP football's 2021 season has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride from thrashing a top-ranked Slippery Rock team midseason to eventually sliding out of the playoffs picture entirely.

Adversity has challenged the team in many forms at almost every stop of the way.

Just last week, IUP football was dealt another blow when the Hawks lost two defensive starters.

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One starter suffered a career-threatening injury in practice, and another starter was dismissed from the team.

Led by Tortorella, the Crimson Hawks have fought back and will continue to do so entering their final game of the season.

Many defensive freshmen were forced into action last week against Seton Hill due to said circumstances and played well.

If leaned upon once again this weekend, things will not be as easy as IUP squares up against a traditional quality opponent with a much more potent offense.

The Crimson Hawks will take the long bus ride across the state to take on a 6-4 Golden Rams team that has competed with some of the best in the conference all season long.

“West Chester University has a big play offense that can score

from anywhere on the field,” Tortorella said.

West Chester lost to eastern powers Kutztown and Shepherd, both by less than a touchdown.

Kutztown will play for the conference championship this weekend.

The Golden Rams have found their success primarily though offense and by winning in shootouts.

Averaging 32 points a game, quarterback Shane Dooley leads the way with 1,417 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.

Dooley displays a bad habit of turning the ball over, having thrown eight interceptions this season.

IUP’s defensive unit should look

November 12, 2021

to capitalize.

The Hawks will also need to find answers for a near thousand-yard rusher in Ja' Den McKenzie and two talented outside receivers, Rasheem James and Seth Degree.

On defense, West Chester is vulnerable.

The team has surrendered 34 points or more in three of its four losses.

Foundationally, the Golden Rams’ defense relies heavily on middle linebackers Jackson Taylor and Cole Zapf.

The duo has produced over 100 tackles and 10 sacks in 2021.

Cornerbacks Jordan Burney and Obi Anyatonwu are consistent players on the outside and have registered 50 tackles.

The defensive unit wraps up

and tackles well as a whole.

IUP’s electric offensive combination of quarterback Harry Woodbery (senior, business administration) and receiver Irvin Charles (senior, unclassified) will have something to say about that this weekend as the duo plays their final game in crimson and grey. “[Practice has] been good; just players trying to finish the season strong,” Tortorella said.

The Crimson Hawks lead the series’ history between the two teams, having beaten them 12 out of 15 times.

IUP’s 2017 NCAA playoffs run was the last meeting between the two programs.

Indiana defeated the Golden Rams twice that season, including once in the playoffs.

Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. in West Chester, Pa.

Sports

Sports

November 12, 2021

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Hawks set to play in IRMC / Hilton Garden Inn Classic MATT GLOVER

Lead Sports Writer htpz@iup.edu @ThePennIUP After the tough preseason loss against the Fighting Illini, the IUP men’s basketball team will open its season this weekend by hosting a mini tournament.

“We’re feeling very confident,” guard Armoni Foster (redshirt junior, criminal justice) said. “We’re just excited to get on the court and haven’t been out there for a long time.”

The first match on Friday at 5:15 p.m. will be Pitt-Johnstown vs.

Concord, and then IUP will take on West Virginia Wesleyan at 7:30 p.m.

“We got some people that haven’t even played a game in the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC),” Foster said, “so it’s an exciting experience for them. It’s exciting for everyone to get out there.”

On Saturday, Pitt-Johnstown and West Virginia Wesleyan will have the first match at 5:15 p.m. before IUP takes on Concord at 7:30 p.m.

IUP has had no problem putting away these teams in the past. The Hawks are 16-1 against Pitt-Johnstown and 2-0 against Concord.

West Virginia Wesleyan has a chance to cause some trouble, though, as IUP is 3-2 against its team.

However, in IUP’s 2019-2020 championship season, it won by its largest margin ever at 75-52. There are still familiar faces on this team that West Virginia Wesleyan will remember.

While IUP is not on the court, the players will be watching the other teams play to see what they can do. “[I am] looking for the plays they run,” Foster said, “what type of shots they like, the way they play their defense, and stuff like that help us prepare for them like when we watch their film and give ourselves the best chance that we can to win.”

IUP is already in good shape as it is the only one out of the four schools that had a preseason exhibition on the schedule. That game helped the team to find its flaws and improve its game before it counted.

“We feel like we didn’t play our best at Illinois, but we did also play well,” Foster said. “We’ve been running a lot. Many of us got

tired in that game. That’s common for us. It was our first game back.

“We’ve been trying to get our conditioning up and focus on plays while tightening up everything.”

Aside from conditioning, the team is working on sharpening a skill that will stop many teams in their tracks: defense.

“This year, we’re trying to play faster and focus on defense mostly,” Foster said. “We want to be a defense-first team.”

The team spent much of its practice time this week tightening up the little details like boxing out, getting on the floor and playing hard, talking, and staying connected out there, he said.

IUP was predicted to win the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division for the sixth straight year and ranked 18th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Preseason Poll.

Foster is confident they have the team to live up to those expectations.

“We lost a lot [after 2019-2020] like Chucky (Humphries) and Malik (Miller) with the way they played on defense and the way they played hard,” Foster said, “but I think we picked up a lot of good pieces and people that can do the same things they did if not better, so we can be as good or better. I feel so good about this team.”

(IUP Athletics) The last time IUP played West Virginia Wesleyan the Hawks took a commanding 75-52 victory.

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By IUP Sports Information:

November 12, 2021

Sports

(Braden Murray/The Penn)

On Tuesday, three players tallied double-figure kills in one of the best offensive performances of the year as the IUP women’s volleyball team swept visiting Pitt-Johnstown in straight sets at the Kovalchick Complex Friday night. The win was the fifth in the last six matches for the Crimson Hawks as they stay hot down the final stretch of the regular season. They improved to 17-14 overall and 7-8 in the PSAC West with one match left on the schedule. IUP handed Pitt-Johnstown its sixth straight loss as the Mountain Cats fell to 12-12 and 5-10. Nicole Peterson (junior, sports administration), Caroline Walsh (junior, nutrition and diatetics) and Stefania Anagnostou (sophomore, biology) led IUP’s offensive effort with 10 kills apiece. The three helped the Hawks hit .330 for the match, its best performance since Oct. 8 with Peterson hitting a season-high .562 on 16 attacks. As a team, IUP had just eight attack errors over the three sets, second fewest of the season. Leah Henderson (junior, sports administration) averaged 12.6 assists per set over the course of the match with 38 total. IUP dominated early with wins of 25-13 and 25-16 in the first two sets. The Mountain Cats put up a fight in the deciding set, grabbing several leads including at 23-21 before IUP reeled off four straight points to capture the victory. The Hawks limited Pitt-Johnstown to a .168 hitting percentage on the night, with Bailey Flowerdew (sophomore, psychology) and Anagnostou each posting 11 digs. Walsh and Brooke Little (junior, sports administration) each had two total blocks.

Sports

November 12, 2021

19

Women’s basketball is ready to take flight this season Crimson Hawks set to take on Virginia State Saturday in season-opener MATT GLOVER

Lead Sports Writer htpz@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

(IUP Athletics) The Hawks are looking to come out strong after 28-3 finish to the 2019 season.

Coming off two preseason exhibitions against Division I opponents, the IUP women’s basketball team will open its season Saturday at home against Virginia State.

“We’re incredibly excited,” guard Courtney Alexander (redshirt senior, nursing) said.

“Coming off of the two exhibition games we played, we’re really excited about what we learned from those games.”

“We had a lot of learning experiences from our two exhibition games and got to discover a lot about ourselves as a team and individuals,” guard Gina Adams (sophomore, marketing) said.

The team previously played away at Villanova and at Dayton.

It lost the first one 44-93 and the second 46-83.

This will be the first time IUP and Virginia State have faced each other in women’s basketball.

The two teams do face similar opponents throughout the season, though, such as Seton Hill and Shepherd. IUP is 10-1 against Seton Hill while Virginia State is currently 1-2 against Seton Hill. Regarding Shepherd, both teams are 3-1.

“We’re definitely feeling more confident going into this upcoming game,” Adams said.

“We’re going into this next game with a knowledge of what we need to do as a team, and what we’ve been doing during practice, to improve upon the exhibition games.”

So far, the two redshirt seniors have been the ones to step up the most. Guard Justina Mascaro (redshirt senior, finance and economics) led the team in the

Villanova exhibition with 14 points, six rebounds and five field goals made.

In the Dayton exhibition, Alexander led with 17 points, six field goals and five three-pointers.

Mascaro also had five rebounds and four assists in this game.

This week, the team has been busy studying how Virginia State plays and experimenting with new ways to counter this opponent.

“We were focusing on what Virginia State is going to do against us,” Alexander said, “so we might be expecting a 2-3 zone from them and especially ball pressure.

“We’ve been working on how we’re going to handle the pressure and making sure we’re not letting them speed us up and take us out of our sets.”

The team is also trying out a new offense that will emphasize reading the defense in a five-out set.

Coach Tom McConnell is letting the players take charge and use their basketball IQ to determine the best way to take it to the hoop, he said.

The slower, more fluid play style will help them study how the defense is playing them while finding better ways to counter it.

“We’ve been working on a new defense that’s better for us as a team as a whole and individual players,” Adams said.

“We just have to play our game,” Alexander said. “It doesn’t matter who the opponent is; just doing exactly what we’ve learned and practiced all along.”

“As a team, we just want to grow together and find what fits us the best so we have the best chemistry on the court,” Adams said.

The game will begin at 2 p.m. after another tournament matchup between Seton Hill University and Livingstone College at the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex (KCAC).

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November 12, 2021

Sports

(MLB Network Radio) Back in August, Kline appeared on Sirius XM radio and talked about his career and his involvement with the Crimson Hawks.

Major leaguer looking to make major impact on IUP baseball BEN SPRIGGS Staff Writer dzbbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Spring is just around the corner and with that comes baseball season.

Excitement and anticipation continue to build around the upcoming 2022 IUP baseball season.

In a four-month nightmare which was the 2021 season, the team won just two games and finished 2-35 overall, so one may certainly ask what could possibly justify the cause of excitement.

The Crimson Hawks are under different leadership this year, and their new manager brings some serious accolades and experience to the table.

Back in June, IUP’s Department of Athletics and Director Todd Garzarelli pulled off a block buster of a hire when they acquired Steve Kline’s services.

"I want to thank IUP and its

athletic director, Todd Garzarelli, for affording me this opportunity to become the baseball program's next head coach," Kline said. "This is a dream come true for me to return home to Pennsylvania and coach the sport that I love.”

Kline may be new to IUP, but he is by no means new to the sport of baseball.

His professional experience spans over 25 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) and will serve as an invaluable asset to both the program and its student athletes.

The fact that he found his way to this neck of the woods should serve as no surprise.

Things all started for Kline right here in Pennsylvania; Sunbury, to be specific.

Following a successful high school career, he attended West Virginia University (WVU) to pitch for

the Mountaineers.

In 1993, Kline was then drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the eighth round of the MLB draft.

His career took off from there.

Kline would go on to play 11 seasons in the majors for five different professional teams.

He was a part of the 2004 St. Louis Cardinals World Series run as a starting pitcher.

In 2008, his playing days came to an end when he retired with 766 game appearances which is tied for 11th all-time among professional league left-handed pitchers.

That was not the end of his involvement in baseball but, instead, just the beginning.

Kline then proceeded to coach 11 years for the San Francisco Giants where he helped develop some of the MLB’s most prominent stars like Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey

and Kyle Crick to name a few.

The new Crimson Hawks baseball manager holds three World Series championship rings as a coach for the Giants.

That is in fact IUP’s new baseball coach. Talk about an impressive resume.

The program is in good hands and the future looks bright.

“As a university, IUP supports and prepares its student-athletes for a successful future and, as the coach of the baseball program, I will be encouraging in their academic and athletic ambitions and want to give them a memorable IUP experience,” Kline said.

IUP baseball will look to begin a new era this February as they continue to train and prepare through the next two months.

Kline has been hitting the recruiting trail hard and received two new commitments just this week.

The team will begin the season by traveling to Pembroke, Nc., for a spring training series.

Then return to Pennsylvania for

a Pennsylvania Sports Athletic Conference (PSAC) heavy schedule where the Crimson Hawks will look to change their reputation in the conference.

IUP’s roster is in transition but still includes veteran players along with young talent.

Perhaps the biggest loss will be losing slugger and center fielder Chris Eisel to graduation.

Eisel finished fourth all time in IUP history with 22 career home runs.

In a positive aspect, the Crimson Hawks return several talented pitchers who Kline will look to continue to develop.

Building a program up is a process and takes time, but fans should be ecstatic about the direction of the program.

"Steve's baseball acumen, development of players and community approach is second to none. With Steve at the helm, we are expecting big things from our baseball program for a long time,” Garzarelli said.

Spring is almost here.