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NEWS

News Editor: Heather Bair – zzzx@iup.edu

(IUP/Facebook)

Zane Billy (left) is the first student from IUP to win the Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Internship.

IUP student first from university to win Canadian internship BENJAMIN BRUMBAUGH

Staff Writer msqy@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

IUP is a university of firsts for many students, including those winning prestigeous internships.

Zane Billy (junior, finance and management information systems) is the first IUP student to be selected for a Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink internship.

Billy is a member of the Cook Honors College and is the lead analyst for the financial services sector of IUP’s Student Managed Investment Portfolio (SMIP).

He is also the vice president of the American Philanthropic Organization chapter at IUP, a member of Special Olympics IUP and a member of the Kappa Delta Rho Fraternity.

“The Fulbright-Mitacs Globalink is intended for U.S. students interested in coming to Canada to undertake advanced research projects for 10 to 12 weeks (between May and August) in their area of interest,” according to www.fulbright.ca.

“Projects will be drawn from a broad cross-section of research

News

topics covering all academic disciplines and students will be placed with a university research project and undertake research projects under the supervision of a professor. Students will be given the opportunity to take part in professional training as well as extensive opportunity for cultural, social and recreational experiences.”

For Billy, this internship gives him opportunities to fulfill his dream.

“As someone who is interested in blockchain, decentralized apps and potential use cases but not majoring in engineering or computer science, this internship gives me the opportunity to learn in a controlled environment and give me an edge over other management information systems professionals,” Billy said.

“Aside from the initial competitive edge, being named a Mitacs Globalink fellow opens me up to graduate school opportunities in Canada and allows me to network with scholars from across the world in connection to both Fulbright programs and the Mitacs Globalink program.”

Billy looks forward to the work that will be happening with the

scholarship.

“I will be working closely with my host professor to conduct a literature review of both the mechanics of smart contracts and my host professor’s writing on multi-attribute reverse auctions.

Following that, we will review how to write smart contracts and prepare to migrate an existing reverse auction framework into a smart contract to deploy on a blockchain network.”

“My time in the honors college has given me the vigor to dive into new topics and create new perspectives in academic conversations, and my advisers have done well exposing the opportunities to do such on a larger scale – it was the natural next step to take my curiosity into a more formal setting,” Billy said.

Billy’s internship will be completed virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He worked with IUP’s National Achievement Scholarships Office during his application process for the internship.

“I think all academically strong students should at least consider applying for national achievement scholarships,” Dr. Christian Vacca-

April 7, 2021

ro (sociology), the director IUP’s Office of National Achievement Scholarships, said. “I am happy that students like Mr. Billy step forward to give it a try.

“Like most academically strong students, Mr. Billy was enthusiastic about his major, future career, research topic and was willing to put the time and effort into the application process,” he said.

Billy was encouraged to apply for this internship by some of his professors who have seen potential in him.

“It was Zane’s budding curiosity about new things, new ideas and new ways of learning,” Dr. Lynn Botelho (women and gender studies) said. “He is also able to dig deep when necessary, handle well-meant corrective criticism with style and keep his eye on the big picture.”

“Billy is an intellectually curious person with a deep interest in the application of information technology to finance,” Dr. Pankaj Chaudhary (information systems and decision sciences) said.

“His internship is in the area of block chain and smart contracts, which aligns with his interests and where he ultimately wants to

be professionally.”

He is dedicated, intelligent and respectful and completes all his work on time with high standards. It is the combination of his intellectual curiosity and his interest in application of cutting-edge technology to finance that made him a good candidate for this internship.”

Internships and opportunities like this can be very helpful to students as they move from student life into the professional world.

“What I tell students is that they are often ‘smarter’ than they think,” Botelho said. “I tell them to go for it, work hard and be willing to learn in the process.

“If they get a ‘no,’ that is still a good thing. They learn so much about themselves and their own abilities in applying for scholarships, grants and jobs.

“They usually end up ahead of where they started, even if they do get that ‘no,’ and they will never get that ‘yes’ unless they try.”

To learn more about these opportunities, visit tinyurl.com/4x9k79mm.

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April 7, 2021

News

Integrity, generosity, moral courage IUP training academy awarded with accreditation by commission HEATHER BAIR News Editor zzzx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP IUP’s criminal justice training center (CJTC) has been awarded an accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).

The award means that the IUP CJTC is the first and only Municipal Police Academy in Pennsylvania with this accreditation.

“This means an acknowledgement of the high level of professionalism for the CJTC faculty and staff,” Dennis Marsili, director, said.

Marsili has been with the program for nine years and has been director since 2016.

The accreditation is in the Public Safety Training Academy Accreditation Program.

CALEA was created in 1979 to serve as an authority through joint efforts of law enforcement’s major associations.

“It recognizes the CJTC commitment to quality training and a sincere respect for the responsiblity of our academy for providing the best possible police recruits to serve the residents of the Commonwealth.”

The accreditation did not come easy to the CJTC. “The accreditation was accomplished after a two-year process, which involved compliance with 159 CALEA standards, a web-based then a virtual site-based assessment to verify compliance with those standards,” Marsili said.

The accreditation results are announced at CALEA’s annual conference, which was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CJTC developed a standard operating procedure (SOP) for cadets, faculty and staff involving the COVID-19 pandemic.

They assigned a health officer, usually a police cadet with prior medical training, to conduct a health screening daily and reporting their findings to a faculty member on duty.

“The most challenging area of the training regarding COVID-19 mitigation procedures would be the tactical self-defense training,” Marsili said.

“Our cadets and instructors are required to wear a face covering,

Six IUP alumni win 2021 Young Achievement Award Courtesy of IUP Press Release Six graduates from IUP were honored with the 2021 Young Alumni Achievement Awards, which honors IUP graduates of less than 15 years who have achieved great things since graduating. college of fine arts

(Natalie Stanton/The Penn) The Criminal Justice Training Center trains cadets in ways that will help them excel in their careers long after they have graduated. rubber gloves or search gloves, leather gloves used for patting down suspects in the field, when performing hand-to-hand techniques.”

The CJTC has three academies, each located in IUP, California University of Pennsylvania and Robert Morris University. Combined among the universities, there are 44 cadets.

The academy is open to all majors. Graduates of our program can also work in several other areas of the criminal justice system, such as county and state probation and parole, private security, private investigator, correctional officer, county sheriff’s deputy and school security personnel.

The CJTC is devoted to a values-based training philosophy.

This is founded on three core values: integrity, generosity and

moral courage.

“We instill these values in our cadets through various methods,” Marsili said. “The cadets are encouraged to participate in community chartiable causes, e.g., Military Veterns Projects, Animal Protection Groups, Food Pantry Initiatives, etc.”

The cadets have also participated in training provided by the Holocause Remembrance Committee.

Beginning this year, the academy cadets have been actively involved in a research project investigating racial attitudes and police training.

The project requires the cadets to read Black detective novels, then provide responses on a survey questionnaire developed by the IUP English and sociology departments.

Since 1975, when the CJTC first opened at IUP, more than 5000 police officers have trained there.

James McNabb M’15 Owner/Artist of McNabb Studio Philadelphia

kopchick college of natural sciences and Mathematics

Ardian Soca Wibowo ‘05 Co-Founder Chief Scientific Officer Helix BioStructures, LLC Chicago, IL

college of health and human services

Tessa Minnick Mongold ‘10, M’12 Environmental, Health and Safety Manager Johnstown Bottling and Laurel Packaging Pepsi Company Johnstown

College of education and communications

Jessica Dirsmith M’06, D’13 Clinical Assistant Professor Department of Counseling Psychology & Special Education at Duquesne University Pittsburgh

Eberly College of Business and Information Technology Kelly (Welde) Henderson ‘12, M’13 Vice President Talent Program Manager PNC Financial Services Washington, D.C.

College of Humanities and Social Sciences Cameron Wilkins ‘06 President/Owner of The Wilkins Company Erie

April 7, 2021

News

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Weekly series hosts panel about establishing respect, being a leader GABRIELLA BYRNE Staff Writer bmwx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The Six O’Clock Series is presenting a panel on the importance of establishing leadership Monday.

Dr. Tammy Manko, director of the Career and Professional Development Center, will be discussing how being seen and respected as a leader in the workplace contributes toward professional and life success.

“Leadership presence is critical to professional and life success – no matter how you define success,” Manko said.

“We will discuss how to establish credibility, build and increase confidence, maintain composure, create connection with others and display charisma, all of which contribute to one’s leadership presence.”

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a lot of uncertainty and ambiguity, highlighting the need for an adaptable leader in order to deal with these situations swiftly and efficiently.

Manko has more than 20 years of higher education experience, owning and operating MeaningfulLife, a public speaking, training and development organization.

She has both a master’s degree in student affairs in higher education and a doctorate in educational leadership, with further expertise in body language and communication, professional development, career readiness, professional networking, leadership and various other areas.

An outline of five attributes of leadership presence by expert Carol Kinsey Goman, as well as real-world examples and statistics, will be shared during the meeting.

Goman is an international speaker that discusses strategies to implement immediately, helping universities, corporations and government agencies. To learn more about Goman’s background, visit carolkinseygoman.com.

This series’ focus will provide insight on the qualities that build an executive presence. While some may have a more natural-born

(Facebook) Dr. Tammy Manko (left) and Carol Kinsey Goman (right) will be at the panel being held by the Six O’Clock Series on Monday. leadership presence, everyone is encouraged to join this Six O’Clock Series.

“We all have the capacity to lead, and some are more natural leaders than others, but we can all learn skills and behaviors that will improve our ability to lead and help us to establish more leadership presence,” Manko said.

“As we stretch our executive presence, we will find that we are more effective in most areas of our life.”

Leaders are needed in every aspect of society, in any career, even in roles that are not necessarily considered leading roles in a work environment.

A worker’s attitude affects the environment’s mood and work ethic. Leaders are not only supervising roles, but leaders also guide and create a sense of purpose, building self-esteem and motivation in the working environment that will extend to all parts of life.

“This program will be worth attending for those that want to grow beyond their current professional and leadership skills levels,” Manko said.

“It will be time well spent as we explore how to overcome imposter syndrome and confidence blockers, improve our ability to connect with others, exercise charisma, and communicate most effectively to meet our professional goals and help our organizations be successful.”

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April 7, 2021

News

President visits IUP 31 years ago; views, beliefs change CAIO GOMES Staff Writer hysbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Long before becoming a president, 31 years ago, the then-senator Joe Biden visited IUP. As expected, many things changed during this period. IUP saw nine presidential changes within the university, and the U.S. saw six.

America witnessed remarkable yet tragic moments as the War on Terrorism began, the Internet and smartphones were introduced to society, and so many other changes impacted the average citizen. Naturally, those changes also led some politicians to shift their positions on certain issues – Biden included.

The most eye-catching of those changes has been his position on LGBTQIA rights. During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was an active advocate for LGBTQIA rights.

He constantly criticized former President Donald Trump for his anti-gay and anti-trans rhetoric.

Before that, in 2012, Biden spiraled down a controversy after he declared his support for gay marriage – an issue that the Obama presidential campaign avoided touching on.

“Look, I am the vice president of the United States of America,” Biden said in his 2012 interview with NBC. “The president sets the policy, [but] I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties.”

But that is not how the president has always felt toward gay marriage.

In 1996, six years after visiting IUP, Biden voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, a national law that, for nearly 20 years, denied same-sex couples the same rights as other couples.

This switch represents a change that happened in America itself.

In the ‘90s, there was plenty of misinformation and hatred amid the HIV/AIDS epidemic that started in the previous decade; many Americans wrongly blamed the LGBTQIA community for the epidemic.

(The Penn Archives/Facebook) Thirty-one years ago, then-senator Joe Biden visited IUP. Now, Biden is the 46th President of the United States.

According to a Pew Research article, acceptance of homosexuality by people in the U.S. rose from 44 percent in 1997 to 72 percent in 2019, a drastic change.

Perhaps this is why Biden’s change in viewpoint is not met with skepticism.

“Did Joe Biden evolve on the issue of marriage like most of the rest of the country? Yes,” Sarah McBride, the first transgender person to become a state senator and long-time friend of Beau Biden, said to the New York Times. “Frankly, we should want leaders with big minds and open hearts who are willing to evolve and, in the case of Joe Biden, bring the country along.”

LGBTQIA rights, however, is not the only issue Biden claimed to change in point of view.

More controversially, in September 2020, he said yet again that his vote in favor of declaring war on Iraq was a mistake. This time, his vote was not necessarily backed by public support.

Although the Sept. 11 attacks spiked a rise in public support for intervention in the Middle East, by 2004 (a mere year and a half after war was declared in 2002), around 67 percent of Americans believed that the U.S. went to war based on incorrect assumptions, according to a poll by the Washington Times.

Last year, Biden expressed regret for that vote, while explaining that he didn’t expect war and that he was told by the Bush administration

that the then-president wanted only to use military force to strengthen the U.S.’s position in the U.N. security council to get weapons inspectors back into Iraq and force Saddam Hussein to disarm.

This claim is supported by both Bush’s address to the nation, in which he claimed that the measure did not mean war was imminent, and Biden’s speech before voting.

“I believe passage of this, with strong support, is very likely to enhance the prospects that the secretary of state will get a strong resolution out of the (U.N.) Security Council,” Biden said before voting.

Nonetheless, his vote was still met with criticism during his presidential campaign, especially from Senator Bernie Sanders, who, even at the time, voted to oppose the measure.

More recently, Biden has expressed another possible change in views. For a long time, the president defended the filibuster rule, but last month, he told ABC that he supported changing the filibuster rules and bringing back the talking-filibuster, a measure that requires a senator to remain speaking on the Senate floor if he or she opposes a bill.

Currently, if a bill does not meet a 60-vote threshold, it can be blocked from passing by any senator, but they are not required to discuss or argue the case. They simply declare their opposition to the bill, leading it to “die” as it cannot be voted.

Upon taking a look in how both the U.S. and Biden changed in this relatively short period of 30 years, one can notice that the only thing

that is constant is change. Only time will tell what changes the next generation will bring to society and government.

Relocation of I-Card, Vending Services Office Courtesy of IUP Press Release An important office on IUP’s campus has changed locations.

The I-Card and Vending Services Office, originally located in the Hadley Union Building (HUB), has changed location.

The new location of the office is the lobby of Clark Hall, located at 1090 South Drive.

The move happened Monday.

This makes the office located within the campus’s academic core and is adjacent to high-traffic university facilities. These facilities include the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, IUP Libraries, University College, Crimson Cafe and Sprowls Hall.

This also helps the I-Card

Office be more jointly related to the other student services in Clark Hall, including student billing, financial aid, and registrar and scheduling.

Along with this move, the parking and transportation services will also be moving to Clark Hall in the near future.

This will cause the billing and financial support services to be all in one place, rather than scattered throughout campus.

Students with any questions or needing additional information can contact the office by email at icard-assistance@iup.edu or by calling (724) 357-1314, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

April 7, 2021

News

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Writer shares tips on registering for summer classes great idea to take courses over the summer,” Bridget Gardner (freshman, environmental engineering) said. “They’re usually asynchronous or online, which makes it really easy to get a course out of the way that you don’t want to spend a whole semester on. I’m taking an economics course over the summer so that I can focus on my major classes during the fall.”

MARIAH MAUSER Staff Writer lmvbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP Registration deadlines have just opened, and as such, many students are considering whether to register for summer classes or not.

Here are some tips to register for classes this summer.

Check how your summer class(es) will be administered With the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult for teachers and students alike to make adjustments. Check whether your class will be given in one of several formats.

On the university-wide schedule, which can be found on the IUP website, the classes will be most commonly marked as in-person or distance education.

In-person means that that class is required to be taken in-person on campus. Distance education can mean one of two things. Either

Registration information can be found on the MyIUP site. it will be offered completely online with scheduled classes, or it will be offered asynchronously. If it is not specified, check with your professors.

Ask your advisers which classes to take With many general education classes to take, it is a good idea to check with your adviser to see if there are any being offered during the summer to lighten the semester workload in the fall and spring.

It is also a sensible idea to

(IUP)

check with your adviser to see if there are any major specific classes to be taken.

“I would consider taking classes over the summer,” Gabe Sikora (freshman, music performance) said. “As a music major, I have 19 credits per semester as of right now, and with all that, it’s an incredible amount of work.

“It is very easy to feel overwhelmed, especially as someone who commutes and has a job. It would be easier just to stretch out the work instead of having to take it all at once.”

“I personally think it’s a really

Use Degree Works to see what classes work best for you Degree Works is a function within MyIUP which allows you to see which classes you have taken and which classes you still need to take to graduate on time. It can be found in the academic tab of MyIUP and under the “View Academic Record” section.

Contact the Offices of Financial Aid to see what scholarships, grants, etc. you can qualify for to help with costs.

Oftentimes, students will skip summer classes because of the added cost when there is a plethora of summer scholarships that

they can apply for.

Make sure you apply for the right summer session Unlike the winter semester, there are three different summer session with which you can take classes.

The early summer session starts May 10 and goes until May 28. The first summer session then starts June 1 until July 2. The second and final summer session goes from July 6 to August 6.

Do not let the titles of each session confuse you, and make sure you sign up for the session that is easiest for your schedule.

There are many benefits to taking a class this summer, so when looking at which classes to take in the fall semester, it might be a smart idea to take some during the summer semester instead.

“Because falling behind is every student’s nightmare, so taking a class or two over the summer helps you graduate on time,” Kaitlyn Morettini (sophomore, geology) said.

Opinion

HBO Max will slowly takeover as best streaming service Home Box Office (HBO) and its parent company WarnerMedia Studios is slowly taking over the streaming service game. Netflix now has a true competitor.

The streaming service launched May 27 and has since been growing at rates not foreseen by the company at the time.

With so many services out there, it is hard to think that something new would be able to take over.

Streaming services current landscape is overwhelming to say the least. It seems like every cable network has its own platform today.

New platforms such as Discovery Plus and Paramount Plus have busted on the scene within recent months. There will most likely be plenty more as the months and years go on.

The question now becomes, how does each platform market itself?

This is where HBO Max has separated itself from the competition. They have the ability to release the most current content.

In December, Warner Bros. announced that all new movies set to release during 2021 in theaters would also be on HBO Max. The deal sent shock waves through the movie landscape.

Disney Plus has a way to watch the new movies except there is an additional fee. There is zero additional charge to watch new releases on HBO Max. The movies released have been some of the most anticipated this year. There has been “The Little Things” staring Rami Malek, the critically acclaimed “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Tom and Jerry” and the recently released “Godzilla vs. King Kong.” The last one scored the biggest audience to date on the streaming service.

There is still more to come this year including: “Mortal Kombat,” “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy” and to close the year they have “The Matrix 4.”

Another difference is in the quality of the movies and shows released. HBO has always had a bigger budget to work with; just look at the quality of “Game of

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(HBO Max) HBO Max, which came out on May 27, is already competing with the likes of Netflix in the streaming service war.

Thrones.” The graphics and computer generated images (CGI) was top level.

It is proven that if there is a larger budget there is a better chance at success. Warner Bros. prides itself of the quality of the movies.

The quality of the fights in “Godzilla vs. King Kong” was incredible and led to the early success.

At times, it is easy to tell that some of the shows and movies do not have the same budget.

However, it is not to the extent of shows and movies on Netflix.

That leads to the next point which is the original content produced. This is where Netflix has been hit or miss in recent years.

A show that has been noticeable in the dip of quality has been “Big Mouth.”

There has not been a major dip in quality, but rather an issue with the direction of the show.

The first couple of season played off of the main characters going through puberty. In recent seasons, it has gone in a different direction in that past two seasons.

HBO Max has the luxury of having every show featured of its TV channels as well as original content produced.

So while they have shows like

“Game of Thrones” and “Euphoria,” they also have critically acclaimed “The Flight Attendant,”

April 7, 2021

and “Veneno.”

HBO Max is also the place if you are a Detective Comics

(DC) fan. Most of the live-action movies that have been made are on there including the majority of the animated movies and shows.

They just added the “Justice League: Snyder Cut” as well, which has had some critic success.

Finally is the price. The easiest thing is to compare it to Netflix, which is the most popular streaming platform. Currently, Netflix will set you back around $14 a month.

With everything brought up it, is easy to make the case to pay the extra dollar a month for HBO Max. It is worth even a trial with all the shows new movies produced.

There was not even enough time to get into the thousands of great movies like the “Lord of the Rings” and “Rocky” franchises.

HBO Max is almost guaranteed to soon be your go-to after the trial run.

Brought to you

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Opinion

Culture

Culture Editor: Eva Tillich – jxsbc@iup.edu Lead Culture Writer: Haley Brown – tbfx@iup.edu

Nailed It on the ‘Head’ Hippo Campus delivers energetic performance HALEY BROWN Lead Culture Writer tbfx@iup.edu @ThePennIUP On Thursday, the Student Activity Committee (STATIC) was proud to welcome Hippo Campus to the virtual stage for a live concert for IUP community members.

The Zoom waiting room opened at 7:45 p.m., and the concert began promptly at 8 p.m. with a short introduction from the STATIC team and a reading of a portion of the band’s biography. Then, the five band members were welcomed to the stage by STATIC team members and the IUP community and the concert was kicked off.

The band began the show with one of their most popular songs titled “Bambi.” Throughout the concert portion of the night, there was a huge screen behind

Culture

the stage, which scrolled various eye-catching visuals and effects to go with each of their songs. The lights on either side of the stage were programmed to react to the music as well. Even the stage had colorful moving projections strewn across it at certain points during the performance.

Throughout their performance, the band joked around with the virtual audience. The joking was mainly fueled by the playful and amusing comments from Zach Sutton.

Sutton, the band’s bassist and keyboard player, spouted various IUP facts throughout the night and the band laughed along to his hilarious random commentary.

Hippo Campus played some of their most popular songs, including “Way it Goes,” “Baseball,” “Honestly,” “Warm Glow” and “South” among many other songs.

Continued on Page 10

(Photos courtesy of STATIC) Hippo Campus, a five-member indie rock band based out of Minnesota, performed a live virtual concert that was free to the IUP community Thursday. Following the concert, band members fielded questions from IUP students during a Q&A session. The concert was sponsored by STATIC.

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Showstopper

Drag queen bingo headlines upcoming STATIC events STATIC HALEY BROWN tbfx@iup.edu

I am Haley and will be writing weekly about the upcoming events for STATIC. Stay tuned.

Another lineup of fun The Student Activity Committee (STATIC) events is coming IUP’s way, and the approaching week will consist of a Netflix & Chill Action Night, another Campus Scavenger Hunt and Drag Queen Bingo.

The first event of the week will be a Netflix & Chill Action Night event. The movie night will take place Friday and will be hosted

by STATIC via Google Chrome’s Teleparty extension. The event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., and no preregistration is required.

“The theme for this one is action,” Cassidy Krug, STATIC’s executive chair, said.

“We did sort of a mixture of more funny and more serious choices [for the movies]. The four movies that we have to choose from are “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl,” “Extraction” and “Point Blank.”

For every Netflix & Chill event this semester, IUP community members have the chance to help choose which movie will be screened from a list of four possible choices. The voting takes place on STATIC’s Instagram page through the polling feature on Instagram stories. One voter will also win a raffle prize of a $25 Netflix gift card.

The screening event will also include a trivia portion where two of the event’s best trivia buffs will take home a $25 Amazon gift card for their intellectual skills.

On Saturday, the third Campus Scavenger Hunt will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. STATIC will hide goodies all over the IUP campus and will be posting the clues that will lead to those goodies on their social media accounts. The STATIC social media accounts that will be used for

Culture

Hippo Campus delivers energetic performance Continued from Page 9 They saved one of their most popular songs, “Buttercup,” as their performance finale. They also played some of their lesser-known songs like “Vacation” from their 2017 album, “Landmark,” “Bang Bang,” which has not yet been released and “No Poms,” which was released in Demos II in 2019.

The band played about 15 of their songs during the concert portion of the event. After the show, the five members took a short break after their energetic and engaging performance. They settled themselves onto a row of stools positioned across the stage for the Q&A section of the event.

A few lucky audience members who submitted their questions for the band beforehand on STATIC’s social media were chosen to share their videos on Zoom and ask the band their questions themselves.

Most of the questions were answered by Nathan Stocker, the band’s lead guitarist and vocalist. A few of the questions were claimed by Whistler Allen, the

band’s drummer, and Jake Luppen, the lead singer. Sutton was less vocal, and the band’s trumpet player, DeCarlo Jackson, only made a few short contributions.

Some of the questions asked during the Q&A, which lasted about 10 minutes, included how the band came up with their name, what some of their earliest inspirations were, what their favorite song to play live was and how the formation of the band took place.

They shared how the band came together in 2013 after they all met at the Saint Paul Conservatory. They laughed about how their brand-new band started practicing in their dad’s basements. Nathan Stocker also explained how he came up with the band name Hippo Campus during his psychology class.

In medical terms, the hippocampus is a major component of the brain of humans and other vertebrates and plays a vital role in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory.

(Photo courtesy of STATIC) Alyssa Edwards, a drag performer of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” fame, will host Drag Queen Bingo on April 14. clues will be their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. “This one is not going to be as long as the last [Scavenger Hunt],” Krug said.

“There will be three separate hunts, one every hour, with the first beginning at 2 p.m., one at 3 p.m. and one at 4 p.m.”

Some of the prizes will include IUP gear, STATIC merchandise, Co-Op Store gift cards and even a grand prize that is left to be discovered by the campus scavenger hunt participants.

If you find a clue, be sure to take a selfie and send it to STATIC or tag STATIC in a post to let them know you found the prize.

On Wednesday, April 14, STATIC will host Drag Queen Bingo in collaboration with IUP’s Residence Hall Association (RHA).

The event will be hosted via Zoom and will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Zoom waiting room for this event will open at 6:45 p.m. Participants will have to preregister on the event page on STATIC’s website.

“The first 75 people to sign up for the event will receive a ‘drag bag,’ which will have some different makeup and fun drag stuff in it that you’ll get for free just for

signing up, and there’s more information about that on STATIC’s website,” Krug said.

The guest host of the bingo tournament will be Alyssa Edwards, who is an American drag performer, choreographer and who was a contestant on Season 5 and All-Stars 2 of the show “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”

“The three [bingo hosts] that we were considering were Shuga Cain, Monique Heart and Alyssa Edwards,” Krug said.

“We thought that Alyssa Edwards would be the biggest name and get the most people, so we went with her. She was also the most expensive, but we figured it was a good tradeoff.”

There will be about 90 minutes of bingo playtime, and the rounds are estimated to last around 20 minutes each, totaling four separate rounds of bingo.

The larger prizes for each round will be sponsored by different IUP organizations including BACCHUS and RHA. Some of the prizes will be a coffee package, which will include a coffee maker along with some other coffee-themed goodies, an Amazon Fire TV bundle and even a projector.

(Photos courtesy of STATIC) Hippo Campus performed for approximately an hour during Thursday’s live concert. Jake Luppen (top) is the band’s lead singer, and DeCarlo Jackson (bottom) was on the trumpet.

Culture

Call me No. 1

April 7, 2021

11

Lil Nas X back on top of charts despite controversy CAIO GOMES Staff Writer hysbc@iup.edu @ThePennIUP The entertainment media outlets have been quite shaken up by Lil Nas X’s newest release: “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)” and its music video.

The video, which follows a journey through the Garden of Eden down to the underworld where Lil Nas X sexually dances with the devil, has garnered criticism from more conservative media, especially conservative Christian media. Many claim it was a “disrespect” to both God and Christianity.

Actress and former Disney star China Anne McClain called Lil Nas X out on her TikTok, claiming that she knows God was good and that she believes the representation of God in his music video was harmful. Later she explained that, from her point of view, Christians who spread hatred are not acting upon Christianity, which is why she did not agree with the portrayal.

“Comments like the one on top of Lil Nas’ video, they often turn into back-and-forth conversations about religion, Christians against the gay community or Christians against everyone else,” McClain said. “It’s really not about Christianity or religion at all.”

On the other hand, the video has been well-received by many others, who believed his portrayal of homosexuality (especially how it is perceived by conservative Christians) was positive.

Adam Lambert, known for being a runner-up in the eighth season of American Idol, tweeted in favor of Lil Nas X, claiming that he’s excited by the way the music video is challenging and symbolic.

Lil Nas X himself spoke back against the criticism coming from the Christian community.

“Y’all love telling gay people we going to hell, then get mad when I decide to go,” he said on his TikTok. When it comes to reactions regarding the music video, IUP students feel just as divided as the nation. Some claim that the music video is uncomfortable, while others cherish it.

“I feel uncomfortable with the music video,” Thomas Valcukas (freshman, biology) said. “I don’t know exactly how to say it, but it just bothers me very much.”

“I think this music video is a cultural reset,” Kendall Gomez (freshman, international studies and Spanish) said. “I bet that if it was a straight white man, nobody would care. People have been saying ‘dancing with the devil’ for so long. I really don’t see an issue.”

The drama has risen upon Lil Nas X’s announcement of his “devil shoes:” a collection of Nike Air Max 97s that were modified by MSCHF (pronounced ”mischief”), an American art collective.

Although there were rumors that the shoe was made with human blood, the company has announced that the designers themselves donated their blood for the shoe.

This has not sat well with Nike.

On March 29, the company filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit Monday against MSCHF. The suit argues that many people said they believed Nike was involved with the shoes, even though the company released a statement during the weekend saying it had nothing to do with them. They also believe Nike must maintain control over its brand ”by setting the record straight” about what products bear its logo.

Even though Nike did not name Lil Nas X as a defendant in the lawsuit, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem criticized the rapper for the shoe designs. The governor claimed in a tweet that she believes we [Americans] are in the fight for the soul of the nation, and that we must fight hard against products like the Satan Shoes. Lil Nas X also responded to her.

“You’re a whole governor and you on here tweeting about some damn shoes,” he tweeted. “Do your job.”

The rapper has also clapped back at people who claimed he is twisted the mind of American children.

“I made the decision to create the music video,” Lil Nas X said in a tweet. “I am an adult. I am not gonna spend my entire career trying to cater to your children.

That is your job.”

(Twitter) Lil Nas X has been in the media for his new music video for “MONTERO (Call me by Your Name).”

12

April 7, 2021

Culture

IUP’s Favorite Bite reaches Final Four Favorite Bite Steven Langdon Jr. pbyw@iup.edu I am Steven and love to eat local food. Join me to determine the Best resturant in Indiana.

It is food mania as the winners of each part of the bracket is determined. Last week was the final time that the restaurants went against places like itself.

The winners of each matchup were determined by The Penn’s Instagram and Twitter followers. The results were collected from polls from Wednes-

day to Sunday.

We start with IUP’s Favorite Pizza competition. It featured Romeo’s Pizza against Bob’s Pizza.

Romeo’s took the crown, winning 62 to 38 percent. This marks the second time that it advanced to the Final Four.

It will look to go back to the final for a second consecutive appearance.

The second match-up was to determine IUP’s Favorite International Restaurant. Tres Amigos beat out UMI to advance winning 64.5 to 35.5 percent.

Tres Amigos will advance to the Final Four for a second time in a row. Last time they fell short to 9th street Deli 51 to 49 percent.

This upcoming match-up has never happened before. On one

side, there is a pizza place that has topped the bracket but has had tough competition throughout most of the rounds. The other side contains a location that has consistently collected an overwhelming number of votes.

On paper, it appears to be a tie.

There can only be one location standing after this week.

Next up is the bar bracket.

IUP’s Favorite Bar will stay right where it was when the competition was done in 2019. Brunzies moves onto the Final Four after winning 60.5 to 39.5 percent against H.B. Culpeppers.

Brunzies yet again finishes the week having a close match-up.

It has the best of both worlds having a great bar and food. In

2018, Subs N Suds made it to the Elite Eight. This year, it is combined with Brunzies since they both use the same kitchen.

They will go against the winner from the first edition in 2018, 9th Street Deli. It won this week’s match-up 73.7 to 26.3 percent against Bob’s Subs.

This was also the largest margin of victory with 9th Street Deli receiving 70 of the 95 total votes.

The matchup will also be the time they compete against each other. 9th Street Deli was like Tres Amigos in that it steamrolled the competition. There was very little doubt that it would not move to the Final Four.

With the Final Four set, it is now easy to look back on what has happened in three years.

There are many familiar faces with three of the four returning to the same place as last time.

The only newcomer is Brunzies. All four restaurants could realistically win the competition.

This is where it all counts now.

If you want to have a chance to decide the winners, make sure the follow us on Instagram @thepenniup and on Twitter @ ThePennIUP. The matchups will start Wednesday, and this week’s the polls will run for 48 hours instead of the usual 24 hours. Romeo’s against Tres Amigos will take place Wednesday into Friday, and Brunzies against 9th Street Deli will square off Friday into Sunday.

Make sure to read next week’s issue of The Penn where the championship competitors will be announced.

Culture

April 7, 2021

13

Sports On par for 30 PSAC titles Sports Editor: Jeff Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu

Lead Sportswriter: Austin Smith – A.S.Smith7@iup.edu

IUP golf looks to win back-to-back championships JEFFERY HART

Sports Editor J.R.Hart2@iup.edu @ThePennIUP You know how the old saying goes: “It’s not about how you start, but how you finish.”

That saying holds true for the IUP golf team. Despite some early season troubles, the Crimson Hawks are looking to move past that to compete for their 30th PSAC championship title in Hershey on Friday.

The IUP men's golf team was ranked third in the Atlantic Region rankings released March 30. In addition, six Crimson Hawks have top-25 individual rankings.

IUP has played in four tournaments this spring, all outside the region, including its fourth-place finish at The Trojan at Walnut Creek Country Club in Goldsboro, North Carolina, two weeks ago. The Hawks opened the season with a fifth-place finish at the Cherokee Valley Invitational in Tigerville, South Carolina, and tied for second at California University of Pennsylvania’s Crofton Invitational in Crofton, Maryland.

Things have been on the rise for the Hawks. On Tuesday, they travelled to the Penn Oaks Country club where they took second place out of twelve in the Dr. Edwin B. Cottrell Invitational.

The Hawks finished 11 strokes behind Shepard and had a couple golfers stand out. After a shaky first day where they finished in sixth, the Hawks stormed back to take second.

Jack Buccigross (junior, marketing) took third overall & Richie Klein (sophomore, finance) rounded out the top-10 in a three-way-tie for ninth place.

IUP had two more golfers finish

14

(IUP Athletics) IUP golf looks to go down in the history books and take their 30th PSAC championship. in the top-25 in Shaun Fedor (sophomore, marketing) and Jeremy Eckenrode (graduate student, business) taking 13 and 25 respectively.

Regardless of any early-season struggles, the Hawks remain positive about their chances in the

PSAC championships, especially following their bounce back performance on Tuesday.

“We haven’t played our best, but we are feeling hopeful as Hershey is a course, we are all familiar with,” Fedor said.

“We have shown improvement

April 7, 2021

in each of our tournaments,” Eckenrode said. “We would obviously like to have won the events we have played in, but we are trying to peak for PSAC and the tournaments beyond. It’s been a very jam-packed schedule this spring, so we have been trying to adjust

on the fly and try to get better at something each round we play.”

IUP will make the journey to Hershey on Friday, where they will compete with the best the PSAC has to offer.

The Hawks have had a lot of success in the championship round, winning three out of the last four championships.

Last year, IUP's top four scorers all finished in the top 10 individually, including Fedor, who earned medalist honors. Fedor finished in a three-way tie with a 10-over 223 before defeating West Chester's Chris Warner and Shepherd's Owen Elliott in a playoff. Fedor was IUP's 16th PSAC individual champion since 1993.

Senior Eckenrode finished two strokes back of the threeway tie at the top, shooting a 12-over 225 to finish fourth overall.

IUP is ready to make another deep run at the title yet again.

“Going to PSACs is special, and our goal going in each year is to win,” Eckenrode said. “We’ve been fortunate to have won the championship three of the last four years and are looking to do the same this year.”

If they want to be successful, this squad has to remain focused only on this event.

“We just need to play our games, and trust our process,” Fedor said. “We have the game to play great; we just need to believe it and commit ourselves.”

Only time will tell if the Hawks will be able to take their 30th championship title.

Regardless of the outcome, this squad has had to fight through a pandemic and compete despite unusual circumstances around sports as a whole. Hawk Nation, show your support.

Sports

April 7, 2021

Sports

15

IUP football starts spring training JEFFERY HART

tempers flare in second week

Sports Editor J.R.Hart2@iup.edu @ThePennIUP They are back, Hawk Nation: your IUP football team is back on the field and getting ready to compete for the 2021 fall season.

The IUP football program officially got back on the field March 19. Head coach Paul Tortorella and the Crimson Hawks have 15 practices scheduled during the months of March and April, which include an intrasquad scrimmage and the program's spring game.

All practices are from 3:45-6 p.m. and are subject to change. The spring game is currently scheduled for Wednesday, April 21 at George P. Miller Stadium.

Spectators have been able to watch practice and were asked to be socially distant from each other.

It seems the extra time off may have caused some friction in the first week of practice.

Tortorella was not pleased with the play of his squad, despite having the 2020 season canceled.

“You can make a lot of excuses,” Tortorella said in the March 29 issue of the Indiana Gazette. “I mean, you’ve got so many distractions, but you know, it’s time to forget about that and just do what you’re supposed to do.”

This reaction was even more surprising considering how well the team had performed in the first week of practice. In fact, going into last Monday’s practice, he was happy with how his team had performed. That happiness was not infinite.

“I was pleased with everything up until today, to be honest,” Tortorella said. “It’s like every football team right now in (NCAA) Division II, they’re all saying the same things: ‘We’ve got to learn how to play football again. We’ve got to be physically and mentally tough.

We’ve got to play with discipline.

We’ve got to be accountable.”

Wide receiver Duane Brown (redshirt junior, sports administration) looks to have another big season this fall.

IUP finished the 2019 season with a 10–2 overall record and posted the program's fourth NCAA Division II playoff appearance in the last five seasons. It was also the program's 13th 10-win season alltime, and the fourth since 2012.

Despite their impressive regular season accomplishments, this squad has not won a playoff game since the 2017–18 season. Perhaps this might be the reason behind Tortorella’s demeanor in practice.

Too many times the past few seasons, this squad has come up short in big games that they should have won. Tortorella obviously is set on winning, and wants to make sure that this squad feels the same way.

Despite uncertainty due to COVID-19, this squad will still have to go through Slippery Rock and California University of Pennsylvania next season if they want to have any chance at a national championship.

While it may only be spring practice, it looks like the Crimson

(IUP Athletics)

April 7, 2021

16

WEEK IN REVIEW

Dre Carr won the 100 meters and Nickeela Austin posted two second place finishes as IUP track & field competed in Slippery Rock’s Dave Labor Invitational Saturday.

(Matt Durisco)

IUP Track and Field stands out Dre Carr wins 100-meter dash

By The Penn Sports Staff LACROSSE: Following a 14-day layoff as a result of COVID-related postponements, the IUP women’s lacrosse team returned to action over the weekend.

Playing their first game since March 20, the Crimson Hawks beat nationally ranked Mercyhurst, 11-6, on Saturday at Miller Stadium. The high-scoring Lakers entered the game at No. 23 in the latest Division II rankings.

Despite their long layoff, the Crimson Hawks showed no signs of rust.

IUP jumped on the Lakers early, scoring two goals in the opening three minutes, and the Crimson Hawks never looked back, celebrating Senior Day in style.

Prior to the game, the program celebrated the careers and contributions of its four seniors: goalkeeper Lauren Piecknick, defenders Gianna Piocquidio and Shannon Reape, and midfielder Kayte Zeiler.

The team’s leading goal scorer this season, Zeiler scored twice in the first half. Freshman standout Chantal Jimenez also scored twice in the opening 30 minutes, helping IUP build a 6-2 halftime lead.

In the second half, junior Leah Hunter scored three goals on five shots to power the Crimson Hawks’ offense. IUP led by six goals on three different occasions in the second half – 8-2, 9-3 and 10-4 – before holding off a late Mercyhurst rally in the wire-to-wire victory.

Another freshman, Sarah Reustle, scored twice for her first career multi-goal game. Katie Hibinger and Rylee Wilson scored one goal

apiece for the Crimson Hawks, who have scored 11 or more goals in four consecutive games.

Piecknick, who on Tuesday was named the PSAC Western Division defensive athlete of the week, had 11 saves in goal. Sophomore Jordan Kulp dished out four assists on offense and had three ground balls on defense.

Mercyhurst (6-2, 4-2 PSAC West) committed 19 turnovers in the game, 12 of which came in the first half. IUP was the first team to hold the Lakers to fewer than 12 goals this season. Mercyhurst entered Saturday’s game averaging 16.0 goals per game.

IUP couldn’t keep its winning ways going. In another key PSAC West game Tuesday, the Crimson Hawks lost a heartbreaker at Slippery Rock, 11-10. The Rock scored the game-winning goal with 13 seconds remaining.

IUP fell behind 6-3 in the first half, only to storm back and take a 10-8 lead with 15:39 remaining in the game. But Slippery Rock scored the last three goals to upset the Hawks.

Zeiler scored four more goals Tuesday to raise her team-leading season total to 18 goals. Kulp added three goals, and Emily Elliott had two.

With Tuesday’s loss, IUP dropped into third place in the PSAC West Division. The Crimson Hawks are 3-3 overall and 3-2 in the division.

TRACK AND FIELD: Dre Carr won the men’s 100-meter dash, and Nickeela Austin posted a pair of second-place finishes on the women’s side to highlight IUP’s showing at the Dave Labor Invitational hosted by Slippery Rock on Saturday. No team

scores were kept.

Making his season debut, Carr posted a time of 10.81 seconds to win the 100. His time is the best in the PSAC so far this season. A junior, Carr competed for the first time since March 1, 2020, when he won the conference title in the 60-meter dash at the PSAC Indoor Championships.

He was scheduled to compete in the same event at the NCAA Division II Championships two weeks later, but the meet and the season were canceled in response to the COVID pandemic.

Meanwhile, Austin continued her successful start to the outdoor season with second-place finishes in both the long jump and triple jump.

She jumped 18 feet, 4 inches in the long jump, finishing behind only Slippery Rock’s Reagan Hess (19-6¼).

In the triple jump, she took second with a jump of 37-0. She also placed fifth in the 200 dash with a time of 27.36 seconds.

Austin won both jumping events in IUP’s first meet of the season a week earlier, Lock Haven’s Elliston Open on March 27.

A handful of other IUP athletes notched top-five finishes Saturday at Slippery Rock. Freshman hurdler Cassidy Kline accounted for two of them, taking second in the 400 hurdles (1:07.14) and fourth in the 100 hurdles (16.31).

Taylor Nissly was third in the 200 meters (26.77), Paige Wess took fourth in the 800 (2:24.87), and Rachel Horrell placed fourth in the triple jump (36-3¾).

On the men’s side, IUP placed two high jumpers in the top five. Trejon Turner tied for second (6-3) and

Sports Jayden Thomas tied for fourth (6-1).

For the first time since 2013, IUP will host the Ed Fry Invitational Sunday at Miller Stadium.

TENNIS: The IUP women’s tennis team extended its winning streak to five matches with a 3-0 week, including a thrilling victory Saturday at the Maple Street Courts.

Most recently, the Crimson Hawks beat Mercyhurst, 5-2, in a PSAC West match Tuesday. Details were unavailable at press time.

Unlike many of IUP’s matches – which often end in lopsided wins for the Crimson Hawks – Saturday’s non-conference tilt with West Virginia State came down to the final singles match of the day before IUP pulled out a 4-3 victory.

Laura Dunarova won a three-set thriller at the No. 5 singles spot to break a 3-3 tie and give IUP an important victory in a clash of Atlantic Region powers. Dunarova recovered after losing the second set to beat Maya Haidari, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.

This marked the third time in the past 12 matches dating to last season, that the deciding singles match came down to Dunarova’s court with the team score tied. She’s 3-0 in those instances.

Also winning singles matches for IUP on Saturday were Katy Graydon (6-3, 7-5) and Lydia Vlachou (6-2, 7-6).

IUP earned the all-important doubles point with a three-match sweep. Idoia Huerta and Vlachou started things off with a 6-1 win at the top spot. Karolin Kirchtag and Graydon won 6-2 at the No. 2 spot, and Dunarova and Abby Jones won 6-4 at No. 3.

On March 30, the Crimson Hawks cruised past Clarion, 6-1, in a PSAC West match.

IUP easily won the doubles point as Huerta and Vlachou won 6-0 at the top doubles spot, while Dunarova and Graydon won 6-1 at the No. 2 spot.

Four more easy victories followed in singles play for the Crimson Hawks, who lost just three total points in four matches. Huerta won 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 1 spot, and Graydon won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2. Meanwhile, Vlachou and Dunarova won by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores at No. 3 and 4, respectively.

IUP sits at 6-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play, which has the Crimson Hawks in first place in the PSAC West with just two division matches remaining in the regular season.

BASEBALL: Over the weekend, the Crimson Hawks were swept in a four-game set with California as their monthlong losing streak reached 15 games.

On Saturday, California beat error-prone IUP 11-1 and 10-4 in a doubleheader at Dougherty Field.

A day earlier, the Vulcans won by scores of 11-3 and 14-4 at Wild

Things Park in Washington, Pa. IUP dropped to 1-15 on the season, including 0-8 in the PSAC West.

To understand just how tough the sledding has been for the Crimson Hawks this season, consider that in the four weekend games against California they had as many errors (12) as runs scored.

In Saturday’s early game, California took a 10-0 lead in the third inning and never looked back.

Nick Hess was the bright spot in the 11-1 loss, going 2-for-3. Caden DeCroo drove in IUP’s lone run with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly.

In the second game Saturday, IUP was in striking range through four innings before California pulled away late. Colin Williams hit an RBI double and Ty Diehl had an RBI single in the fourth to cut IUP’s deficit to 4-2 with three innings to play. But California scored the next six runs to snuff out any hopes of an IUP comeback. Austin Vigliotti hit a two-run homer to round out the scoring for IUP. In the first game Friday, IUP fell behind 6-0 in the first inning. The Crimson Hawks rallied to make it 6-3 in the third before California scored the final five runs of the game. Chris Eisel hit a two-run home run for IUP, and Williams drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

IUP outhit the Vulcans, 8-6, in Friday’s opener, but the Crimson Hawks committed four errors on defense that led to five unearned runs for California.

In Friday’s nightcap, California had a seven-run fourth inning followed by a six-run fifth en route to a 14-0 lead. IUP scored four runs in the seventh inning to avoid the shutout. Markus Cestra hit a two-run single for the Crimson Hawks, and Harrison Pontoli and Ben Teplin had two hits apiece.

In Friday’s doubleheader, IUP pitchers gave up 14 walks, 18 hits and 25 runs. On Saturday, the Crimson Hawks allowed 10 walks, 19 hits and 21 runs.

FIELD HOCKEY: On March 29, IUP earned the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Academic Team Award for boasting the highest grade-point average in the nation.

The Crimson Hawks posted a team GPA of 3.87 during the Fall 2020 semester, which leads all Division II schools and is tied for the best GPA among all field hockey programs across all three of the NCAA divisions. IUP’s team GPA was tied with MIT and ahead of teams from other prestigious institutions such as Stanford (3.83) and Yale (3.81).

This is the first time IUP field hockey topped the list and the seventh straight year IUP earned the NFHCA’s Academic Team Award.