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News Editor: Jake Slebodnick – J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu Lead News Writer: Anna Mechling – A.Mechling@iup.edu

(Rob Hinkal/The Penn) Spectators watched as the Spitz A3P projector helped teach about the connection between Leap Day and our solar system.

Leap to stardom: Weyandt Hall Planetarium hosts special presentation HALEY BROWN

Lead Culture Writer H.Brown@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

IUP’s Weyandt Hall Planetarium hosted one of its many free planetarium presentations shows Friday.

IUP’s geoscience department has a small planetarium that has a 30-foot diameter and boasts a 1966 Spitz A3P projector. This scientific tool is utilized by IUP professors in the geoscience department in order to expand on concepts that would otherwise be much more difficult to explain and to comprehend, using the projector as a helpful teaching method.

The projector is used to aid in the instruction of undergraduates and is used for concepts in courses such as astronomy, as well as for the learning expansion of students in classes for Earth and space science teaching majors.

The IUP planetarium caters to group visits by middle schools or high schools, scout groups and even adult groups. Dr. Ken Coles is the man in charge if you are looking to splurge on a planetarium adventure of your own, or you could pay a visit to the planetarium during one of the two scheduled shows placed in each semester.

All of the shows scheduled for the semester are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

News

(Rob Hinkal/The Penn) This was just one planetarium show scheduled for the remainder of the semester.

It is recommended if you are likely to bring a large group to contact Coles in order to let him know ahead of time. It is recommended that your group arrives early in order to arrange for seating. Doors open 15 minutes before the show is to begin, and seating is limited as well as first come, first served.

All of the planetarium shows begin at 7 p.m. and can range from a half an hour to an hour in length, and visitors are asked to refrain from opening the doors during the show as it will interrupt the light in the room, distract

viewers and hurt their eyes.

The planetarium resides in Weyandt Hall Room 134. Some of the shows that took place during the 2019–20 semesters included a show in October that highlighted information about the outer solar systems unexpectedly containing water.

In December, an astronomy short story student showcase took place, in which IUP undergraduates were able to present their own work with the planetarium tools.

The show that Coles presented Friday was about the science of

March 3, 2020

calendars and how the idea of a “leap year” came about. He began the show by slowly adapting the audience’s eyes to the dark and pointing out the compass directions while showing the winter night sky rotating above.

He explained some of the positions of constellations such as Orion, Taurus the Bull, Canis Major that contains the star Sirius (the dog star), which brought about the old expression “the dog days” from the time of Roman astronomers and Auriga the charioteer. Coles also pointed out individual stars and some of the

phenomena in the night sky that have been considered current events in the astronomy world.

After his quick exploration of the night winter sky, Coles launched into an eloquent explanation about why a leap day is necessary and explained several aspects of calendar years, months and even the daily solar cycle as well as why it all works the way it does. He went through different kinds of calendars that were attempted and yet failed.

He explained different aspects of certain calendar years like the Julian Day, multiyear cycles like the Mayan Cycle, Moon Cycle, Julian Calendar Day Cycle, and he spoke briefly about how each calendar system functioned and eventually led into why exactly the extra leap day occurs every four years and why it is so important in the struggle of keeping track of days, years and time in general.

His presentation of the information was interesting and kept audience members of all ages engaged.

The next presentation is on Wednesday, April 1, about how the incredible recent photos of the famous black hole were taken. It is explained how, despite the mechanisms of a black hole’s ability to absorb all visible light, it is possible to obtain amazing images of these ever-enthralling phenomena.

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Police Blotter ALCOHOL VIOLATIONS

• Jeremy Stout, 25, of Manor was charged with public drunkenness when borough police located him around 2:55 a.m. Feb. 29 in the 700 block of South Street highly intoxicated. Stout was transported to Indiana Regional Medical Center, according to Indiana Borough Police.

• Mackenzie Covey, 25, of Indiana was arrested for public drunkenness after police responded to a disturbance at 12:20 a.m. Feb. 29 in the 600 block of Philadelphia Street. Covey was discovered to be under the influence of alcohol to the point that he was a danger to himself or others, according to borough police.

• Alicia Manor, 23, of York was charged with DUI and two summary traffic violations after police investigated an accident in which Manor struck a parked vehicle. Manor was found to be intoxicated and was arrested, according to borough police.

ASSAULT/HARASSMENT

• Kelly Hobart, 40, of Blairsville was arrested for simple assault, harassment and possession of a controlled substance after borough police responded to a report of domestic violence taking place around 1:33 a.m. Feb. 29 in the 200 block of Elm Street.

Hobart had struck her significant other and was in possession of a controlled substance, according to borough police.

(The Penn Archives) The Co-Op Board of Directors applications are being accepted until Wednesday.

Student Co-Op calls those interested in being on Board of Directors EMILY LOOSE

Staff Writer E.D.Loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

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At IUP, students pay activity fees that help benefit different groups and fun ideas to make their time at the university more enjoyable.

But some maybe have their own ideas on how the money should be used. They now have the chance to get their voice heard.

Elections for the Co-Op Board of Directors are now in progress.

The board, which features both students and staff of IUP, is looking for undergraduates interested in having a say on how things run.

David Laughead is a student representative of the board. He said the Co-Op is an important part of the school for students to get involved with.

“You can be a voice for all students on campus when it comes to the student activity fee and how that money should be spent,” he said.

According to Laughead, the board keeps a lot of things in order.

“The Board of Directors set policies for the Student Co-Op and decides how to use the student activity fee effectively to serve our campus community.”

Activity fees can go towards Laughead said students who groups such as STATIC (Student want to participate should also Activity Committee) and Boost Alexpect to attend meetings once cohol Consciousness Concerning per month. The board meets in the Health of University Students the Knowlton Board Room in the (BACCHUS). They use these fees Hadley Union Building at 3:30 p.m. to bring in concerts, bingo and some Thursdays. other activities that help students The meetings not only discuss relax and have the chance to earn what to do with money, but they prizes. give students new qualities that To have a chance for elections, help them in the workplace. interested students are asked to “Students who serve on the petition and get 25 signatures to board should expect to get a back them up. The pebetter understanding tition can be download- “The Board of Directors of financing, managing ed from coop.iup.edu/ set policies for the and operating a student board-elections/. union building like the Student Co-op and Laughead said it is HUB,” Laughead said. decides how to use the not difficult to get sigPetitions are due student activity fee natures. When he was Wednesday before 4 petitioning, he was able effectively to serve our p.m. They are to be to get all 25 quickly. delivered to Zach Clark campus community.”

“I found it easy to in the business office at just ask students in my the HUB. They can be ~David Laughead, sent in either via email class to sign it for me.”

Student Representative As soon as students or in person. If sending turn in their petitions, their names them in electronically, students are are automatically added to the to scan the original petition. This ballot. can be done in the library.

The board has other requireVoting for the board takes place ments for students. To be a between March 9 and 18. It will be member, students must have a sent out to every student’s email, GPA of 2.0 or more, be available and results will be announced both semesters, pay their own about an hour after voting ends. student activity fee and be in good For more information, students standing at the school. can call 724-357-1393.

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Fellowship offers opportunity for college women, STEM majors RACHEL FOOR

Staff Writer R.G.Foor@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Applications are now being accepted for the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship until March 16.

According to its website, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation offers the teaching fellowship “to attract talented, committed individuals with backgrounds in the STEM fields—science, technology, engineering and mathematics— into teaching in high-need secondary schools in Pennsylvania.”

Named after Princeton University’s best-known leader and academic innovator, the organization was founded in 1945 to help ease concerns that returning World War II veterans would not return to school to obtain advanced degrees and become college teachers. With help from private donors, the fellowship program has since expanded nationwide, having selected and supported more than 15,000 scholars. Woodrow Wilson fellows have gone on to become “intellectual leaders not only within the academy, but also

(Facebook) The Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship consists of individuals with experience in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

in government, the corporate world, and the nonprofit sector,” according to the website.

The program also boasts 14 Nobel Laureates, 38 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellows and 20 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Female students in the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics could especially benefit from

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If you have any questions, please contact Jake Slebodnick J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu (News Editor) or the-penn@iup.edu.

this fellowship. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “worldwide, less than 30 percent of women at colleges and universities choose to study in one of the STEM fields.” However, of the more than 1,500 students studying a STEM field at IUP, more than half are women.

If accepted, the individual will gain admission to a science or mathematics master’s degree program at one of the fellow-

ship’s three partner universities in Pennsylvania: Duquesne University, University of Pennsylvania or West Chester University.

They will be committed to “ensuring the success of students in high-need secondary schools” by teaching “for at least three years in an urban or rural school district.”

The fellowship ensures that students will be ready for this commitment through “a rigorous, clinically-immersive curriculum.”

They also offer plenty of support by providing a financial stipend, opportunities for mentoring and access to a large network of other Woodrow Wilson fellows that are passionate about education in science and mathematics.

Applications for the fellowship must be submitted online before the deadline of March 16. To be eligible for the program, you need to be a college senior, graduate student or career changer who has majored in and/or has 30 or more

college-level credits in a STEM field; shown a commitment to the program and its goals; U.S. citizenship or permanent residency; attained, or will attain by spring 2020, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or its international equivalent; a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale. It is noted that applicants who show excellence in other ways will also be considered. According to the website, “all applications are considered in their entirety and selection is based on merit.”

Applicants will also need to provide supplemental items during the application process.

These items include a resume, two recommendation letters and copies of official transcripts from any undergraduate or graduate school attended.

For more information about the fellowship and how to apply, go to woodrow.org.

Over the subsequent decade and a half, the Foundation selected and supported more than 15,000 Woodrow Wilson Fellows.

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SAND sells smoothies for National Nutrition Month ANNA MECHLING Lead News Writer A.Mechling@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

On Monday, IUP’s Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics (SAND) kicked off National Nutrition Month with a smoothie sale.

SAND held the smoothie sale from noon to 3 p.m. in the lobby of the fitness center at the Hadley Union Building.

Smoothies were $2 per serving, and with the purchase of a $10 SAND tumbler, a free smoothie was given.

March is National Nutrition Month, and SAND promotes it by holding several events on campus.

The smoothie sale promotes nutrition on campus and makes the IUP community aware of National Nutrition Month.

The smoothie features flax seeds, coconut oil, bananas, spinach and soymilk. There are a lot of nutrients in the smoothie, which SAND calls its “green coconut banana smoothie.”

Flax seeds, along with the oth(Anna Mechling/The Penn) er ingredients in SAND’s green The Student Association of Nutrition and Dietetics held a smoothie/tumbler sale in recognition of National Nutritional Month on Wednesday. Smoothies were made of various ingredients, and the sale was led by co-chairs Kayle Kassa (sophomore, dietetics) and Saige Karastury (sophomore, dietetics). coconut banana smoothie, has a lot of health benefits. about the smoothies.”

Durbin (senior, dietetics) said. “I to the community and is from 3 – and money, email Saige Karastury Flax seeds contain Omega-3 SAND is a major- and mithink it’s awesome that we can do 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, in at kfgy@iup.edu. Chili contesfatty acids, which are a type of that for the community. the HUB’s Susquehanna Room. tants can submit their recipes healthy fat. They contain proteins nor-based organization for professional development in the “I am a dietetics major, and I “It is another National Nutriand money by March 13. that helps the body repair cells, nutrition and dietetics field. know that a lot of students don’t tion Month event where we raise The final event for National tissues and organs.

There are different committees eat too healthy on campus, so money,” Saige Karastury (sophoNutrition Month is a presentation A half ounce of flax seeds within SAND, including things this is a great way and a great more, dietetics) said. “This year,

by Pittsburgh-based dietitian contains 20–25 percent of the like working event to promote healthy eating we will be raising money for IUP’s and nutrition therapist Haley daily recwith Nation- on campus. I also like eating food pantry.

Goodrich. ommended al Nutrition healthy, myself.”

“It’s a great way to get inGoodrich will present a profiber. They Month SAND has many opportunities volved on campus and within the gram, “Developing a healthy contain anand events and events on and off campus. community.” relationship with food in a tioxidants toward that.

“Our department is really big SAND is looking for eager weight-obsessed world,” that is that help There are on lateral networking through chili-making teams to sign up. A free and open to the public at to stop cell also public SAND,” Alaina Backer (senior, team includes one to five people, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, damage. relations, dietetics) said. “I joined this and it’s $20 per team. in HSS Room 225.

In socials and department’s club because it’s Each chili recipe is challenged Goodrich is a certified eating previous communia great way to get to know our to feature at least two sources disorder registered dietitian who years, the ty-based peers and listen to guest speakof plant-based protein. For a $2 is passionate about helping peosmoothevents. ers. donation, IUP students and staff ple heal from disordered eating ie event SAND “There are also great outreach and the Indiana community can and cultivate a peaceful relationhas been tries to have opportunities to the community sample the dishes and vote for ship with food and their body. successa variety of of the campus that promote diftheir favorite.

She specializes in eating disful. SAND events and ferent healthy options. This event All proceeds from the crockpot order recovery, body image and brought projects is a great way to get SAND’s cookoff event will be donated weight-inclusive nutrition therapy ingredients (Anna Mechling/The Penn) they work name out into the IUP communithe IUP Food Pantry and Help and is a supervisor for other to make 50 ty, and we like to get our name Center, designed to address registered dietitians. She is the smoothies. Co-chairs Kayle Kassa and Saige Karastury helped during on to help the event. build career and what we stand for out there.” the issues of food insecurity on co-founder of INSPIRD to SEEK, “This and professional development SAND is having its fourth campus. an organization that mentors event is usually very popular skills. annual crockpot cookoff, and this For more information about nutrition entrepreneurs and pracand sells out,” Jenna Trybus “I love that we are promoting year, the theme is chili. being a part of the chili crockpot titioners who challenge the status (senior, dietetics) said. “We’ve healthy eating on campus,” Sarah The chili cookoff event is open cookoff, or to submit a recipe quo of the health industry. always had positive feedback

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Richard combines athletics, assault in powerful presentation RACHEL FOOR

Staff Writer R.G.Foor@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Award-winning sexual violence prevention and positive manhood activist Kyle Richard spoke about bystander intervention, leadership and healthy masculinity as part of his “We are the Change Here” presentation Thursday.

While at a party during the summer of 2017, Richard interrupted a sexual assault in progress by breaking down a door to a bathroom where a man was attempting to assault a woman.

Richard pursued the attacker, who pulled out a gun and shot him once in each leg.

For his actions, Richard was awarded a 2018 Biden Courage Award, 2018 Orange Bowl Courage Award and the 2019 Giant Steps Award.

At the time of the incident, Richard was a kinesiology major at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland. As a college athlete who had been playing football since high school, Richard’s football career was initially put into jeopardy by the shooting. However, by going to the gym and to the team’s athletic trainer, he was back on the field by the first week of September.

“I played half a game,” Richard said, “and I was like ‘no, I’m back. I’m playing at 80 percent, but I’m back.’

“I was playing for somebody.

I knew that everything that had happened was going to come back because they found the person that did it. So, I had a feeling I was going to have to go through a bunch of things that a college student shouldn’t have to go through. More trauma.”

Then Richard’s story began gaining traction in the media. He was invited to the Kristin’s Fund gala to receive the Next Generation Award. Kristin’s Fund is a charity, named for Kristin Palumbo Longo, who was murdered by her husband in 2009, that aims to end domestic violence through prevention, education and awareness campaigns. Despite the positivity and support he was receiving, Richard felt depressed and unfulfilled.

“Months and months later, I’m still wondering why I can’t figure myself out, why am I not happy, why am I not happy, I have everything, I’m alive, my friends are

(Rachel Foor/The Penn) Kyle Richard spoke to IUP students and staff Thursday. Along with Richard, Elise Glenn, IUP’s Title IX Coordinator, and Adrianna Branin, the 2019 Biden Courage Award recipient, spoke.

alive,” Richard said. “The situation is a year gone now. I should be good. I’ve heard so many stories from survivors; they’re the reason I keep grinding today.

“They’re the reason I keep speaking out today.”

Hearing these stories helped Richard realize why he wasn’t feeling better over time. He revealed that, as a child, another child took advantage of him. As the other child was older, Richard felt that he had power over him.

“These stories that I hear, I knew it in the back of my mind, but I didn’t want to say it out loud because I felt like I’d be less of a man if I shared,” Richard said.

He coped with the trauma by acting like it was a dream. He hid what happened and focused on sports. He decided that no one would ever find out what happened.

“I had a smile on my face 95 percent of the days,” Richard said. “But I was sad as hell on the inside.”

He bottled it up for years, until his cousin asked him to speak at

a child advocacy center on Long Island a couple months ago. The center dealt with child abuse, domestic violence and sexual violence. He talked to them about sexual violence prevention and what to do in certain situations.

Then he addressed the child advocates in the room. Richard told them how much he appreciated them because he really needed them when he was younger.

“They’re all ears,” Richard said. “I tell them what happened.

I start crying. After I was done crying, I looked up, and I was like, ‘that’s it?’ I’m still here. I got it out. Nobody in the world knew about that. Nobody in the world knew about my story.

“I’m here over 15 years later, saying it for the first time, saying it out loud for the first time.

That gave me so much power. I never would have learned that if it weren’t for the brave survivors that came out with their stories.”

Richard said he does not hold resentment toward the person that sexually assaulted him.

“It’s resentment for what

happened to me,” Richard said. “. . . I know he was an innocent kid that was just predatory. I don’t know what happened to him. How did he know what to do there? Why did he know what that was?”

Richard said that, as a man, he felt like he didn’t have a space to talk about it. He urged men to find that space, emphasizing that talking about trauma helps. He said that being a man is about “being vulnerable” and “expressing yourself.”

“Yeah, I survived it,” Richard said. “But that doesn’t mean that it’s gone. It’s still there. I still deal with the trauma.”

While he pursued the attacker at the party, he said there are other ways to prevent sexual violence. There is distraction, talking to the person, having hard conversations with your friends, not letting certain behaviors slide and being Green Dot trained.

“I wish I had this earlier on,” Richard said. “I wish I learned about mental health and sexual violence prevention earlier.”

Richard’s speech resonated with the students in attendance.

“I thought it was really impressive that he had the courage to come out and speak his mind about a topic that has affected him physically and mentally,” Ian Zimmerman (sophomore, communications media and marketing) said. “I think that it’s awesome that he came here. I think he’s a very impactful speaker, and I wish him the best with what he’s doing. I hope he finds a lot more success and has a lot more outreach.”

“I think it was inspiring,” Violet Hayes (sophomore, speech pathology) said, “in the sense of you want to make a difference, like you hear about the trainings, but it doesn’t necessarily click until you’ve heard a relevant story.”

Richard’s presentation was made possible through the It’s On Us initiative and was co-sponsored by the Haven Project, Green Dot and the Title IX office.

For more information about the Haven Project and Green Dot training, go to iup.edu/haven.

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(TNS) With news outlets constistently covering the wherabouts of the coronavirus, some speculate that the media is worse than the virus itself.

Should the COVID-19 virus or media coverage be feared?

(Connie Diven/The Penn) (From left to right) Elaina Somogyi, Ashley Miller, Bryce Carrick and Lauren Woodburn have different goals in college.

What career paths are students following in college?

CONNIE DIVEN Contributing Writer C.L.Diven@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Starting college is an exciting and scary time in a person’s life whether a person starts at the usual time, shortly after high school graduation or later in life, seeking a degree in a certain field of study will prepare students for their chosen career.

The effects of the career can mean relocating far from family, making a sustainable wage, loving what you do and having an impact on society. So how do some students decide on what field of study to enter, and is it a choice or a calling?

Most students attend career fairs in high school and in college and talk to family, friends or acquaintances who are already working in the field that they are considering. But for some, it is a calling or passion that leads them to college to prepare for a particular career.

Lauren Woodburn, (senior, nursing) has always been interested in the medical field and initially began her studies in pre-physical therapy but soon after realized it was not a good fit for her.

“I’ve always had a strong

interest in the body and illness, as well as a passion for helping people and being an empath,” Woodburn said. “I actually wanted to be a wildlife biologist and work for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, but I knew that path wasn’t as lucrative as nursing, so I follow that passion in other ways.”

Bryce Carrick, (junior, nursing) entered college with no other career in mind.

“My parents encouraged me to attend college, and I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field, I want to help people going through hard times,” Carrick said, “People try to dissuade me from being in nursing, but I am in too deep and enjoy it too much to consider leaving the nursing field.”

Elaina Somogyi, (junior, safety, health and environmental applied sciences) wanted to take a gap year to think about entering college until she could decide on a major.

Somogyi’s mother told her that it wasn’t a good idea to wait, so she started her first year as an undeclared major. During her first year, she began talking with family and friends in the safety profession.

“I chose the field because it is still growing, and there are great

career opportunities,” Somogyi said. “I have attended career fairs and talked with professionals in the field, and I know this is the right one for me.”

Ashley Miller, (senior, psychology) was encouraged by her parents to attend college. She entered college with the intent of majoring in accounting found it wasn’t a good fit for her, so she changed to health, undecided then nursing.

“I was still unsettled in my major, so I spoke with my great aunt about wanting to help others, and she inspired me to choose the psychology field, and since I have an interested in nutrition, I chose to minor in that as well,” said Miller.

If you are unsure where the path will lead, make it a point to visit Mary Rose Galiardi, a graduate assistant and career coach in the Career and Professional Development Center located at 201 Pratt Drive, Suite 302.

She is available Wednesday evenings until 7 p.m. She will give you the tools and resources to research the different directions that your field of study can take you. Don’t know how to write a resume or need help with one that you have written? Galiardi can help with that as well.

SOUMYA KARLAMANGLA COLLEEN SHALBY Los Angeles Times TNS The expanding number of coronavirus cases in California and Washington state spread through community contact have heightened concerns.

But experts warn the rising case counts in the U.S. do not necessarily reveal that the virus is spreading rapidly across the country. They also urged the public to stay calm and keep the virus in perspective.

"Stigma, to be honest, is more dangerous than the virus itself.

Fear and panic are dangerous," World Health Organization director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "It's fine to be concerned and worried, but let's calm down and do the right things."

So far, testing for the virus in the U.S. has been very low, said Harvard epidemiology professor Marc Lipsitch.

"Some of the numbers are changing because new things are happening, but a lot of the numbers are changing because we're discovering things that have already happened," Lipsitch said in a forum Monday hosted by Harvard's public health school.

"It's really important to distinguish 'Oh goodness there's a new cluster' from 'Oh goodness we just discovered that there's a cluster that's been there for some time.' " Global health officials said Monday there is still time to contain the coronavirus as the death toll in America rose to six.

"I think we have a common enemy," Tedros said. "We have to stand together in unison to

fight it, and these early signs are very encouraging."

WHO officials declined to declare COVID-19 a pandemic, saying 90 percent of the cases have been in China. Of the 3,000 deaths from the virus, 2,803 have been in China's Hubei province, where the outbreak began. "Our message to all countries is this is not a one-way street – we can push this back," Tedros said.

"Our actions now will determine the course of this outbreak." he added. "Containment is possible in all countries that are affected, and that should be No. 1."

In the United States, there have been approximately 80 cases of the virus.

In California, at least 40 cases have been reported. Twenty-four people who have caught the virus either were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship or in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak was first reported, and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined at California military bases.

An additional 16 cases have been discovered in returning travelers or, in at least five instances, people who contracted the virus in their community.

Of the 62 countries affected by COVID-19, 55 have fewer than 100 cases. Only four countries have more than 1,000 cases, Tedros said.

WHO officials said it is rare to see a respiratory pathogen like this virus that can spread widely in the community but can also be contained. The flu cannot be as easily contained, officials said.

"That offers us a glimmer, a chink of life that this virus can be suppressed and contained," Mike Ryan, who runs the agency's emergencies program, said in a briefing Monday.

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Major food, beverage companies facing fire from environmental groups JAMES RAINEY TNS Los Angeles Times Escalating a campaign to make corporations responsible for the waste they produce, an environmental group filed suit Wednesday against some of the world's biggest food, beverage and consumer goods companies in a California court, arguing they should be held responsible for plastic packaging that is fouling the state's oceans, rivers and streams.

The Earth Island Institute asked for unspecified damages and an order for Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestle USA, Procter & Gamble and six other companies to clean up plastic waste that the group says has created a global pollution crisis.

The suit, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court, is believed to be the first of its kind.

It follows a rising public outcry about plastics pollution – particularly in the world's oceans – and initiatives by state and federal lawmakers to force companies to take ownership of the material they use to package their products.

The California Legislature is reviewing measures that would impose so-called extended producer responsibility – requiring food and drink producers to devise plans to capture empty containers.

And Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., and Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Calif., this month introduced the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act. It would create a nationwide beverage container redemption program, ban some single-use plastic products and force the use of recycled material in the making of plastic bottles and containers.

"This is the first of what I believe will be a wave of lawsuits seeking to hold the plastics industry accountable for the unprecedented mess in our oceans," said Josh Floum, Earth Island Institute's board president. "These plastics peddlers knew that our nation's disposal and recycling capabilities would be overrun, and their products would end up polluting our waterways."

The environmental group filed

(TNS) Companies like Coca-Cola are under fire for their share in the growing pollution problem, and environmental groups aim to hold them responsible.

the suit around the close of business Wednesday. The Plastics Industry Association, a trade group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Floum, a corporate and antitrust attorney, said that the lawsuit might initially be greeted as "heretical" but that its logic will soon become evident.

"Like with Big Tobacco, we know Big Plastic is poisoning our environment," he said. "It's in the bodies of animals. It's in our own bodies. It's all over the ocean and it's clogging our rivers. And it's the plastics peddlers who are responsible for this mess."

Plastics makers previously have argued that the marketplace, not government regulators, should decide the worthiness of their products. The have said they are willing to explore plastics alternatives but also emphasize that improvements in recycling and waste management could solve the pollution crisis. Environmentalists reject that notion, saying that only about 10 percent of plastic containers are reprocessed into new products.

The new lawsuit could face a hurdle over whether a California court is the proper venue for the dispute. California law provides for "public nuisance" claims, but oil companies facing lawsuits over their contribution to climate change have argued, somewhat successfully, that claims involving national and international companies should be heard in federal court.

The litigation levies an array of allegations against the companies, including public nuisance,

breach of express warranty, defective product liability, negligence and failure to warn of the harms caused by single-use plastic packaging.

It suggests the list of defendants was drawn, at least in part, from an audit conducted last summer in 51 countries by one of Earth Island's partner organizations. The study found that among the top 10 creators of plastic pollution were Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Procter & Gamble, Mondelez International and Colgate-Palmolive. The suit names those companies, along with Nestle USA, Crystal Geyser Water, Clorox, Mars and Danone North America.

The lawsuit describes Nestle as the world's largest food and beverage company and Pepsi as the second largest. The action claims that the defendant companies collectively produce about 15 percent of all single-use plastic packaging.

Berkeley-based Earth Island Institute was founded by the late David Brower, the first executive director of the Sierra Club. The group helps incubate and fund other environmental organizations. In its lawsuit, it cites the widespread damage to the marine environment caused by an estimated 150 million metric tons of plastic.

The pollution stretches from near-shore locations such as Monterey Bay, which now has a greater concentration of pollution than the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, to the depths of the Mariana Trench, the Pacific Ocean canyon that includes the deepest point on Earth.

At the current pace, it is estimated that plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050.

The synthetic material has been blamed for killing sea mammals and seabirds and contaminating the world's freshwater supplies, to the point that it's estimated the average person ingests about 5 grams of plastic a week – roughly the equivalent of a credit card.

The environmental group charged that the companies have implied that recycling can solve the pollution problem, when they knew that recycling systems are inadequate to handle the deluge of plastic waste.

"The products that we are targeting in our lawsuit are contained in plastic packaging that we often use for just a few minutes," Earth Island general counsel Sumona Majumdar said in a statement. "And yet this packaging pollutes our bodies from one generation to the next,

(Facebook)

and our planet for centuries."

The environmental group said it was suing on its own behalf and to benefit several projects it sponsors: the Plastic Pollution Coalition, Break Free From Plastic United States, the International Marine Mammal Project, Shark Stewards and 1000 Fountains.

The lawsuit was filed by the firm of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, the same lawyers who in 2015 sued the federal government, accusing it of allowing climate change and thereby violating the life, liberty and property rights of young people.

A federal district judge was prepared to let the climate lawsuit by the group Our Children’s Trust go ahead. But in January a divided appellate court ruled that, while action was clearly needed, it was up to the political branches of the government, not the courts, to tackle global warming.

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Campus escapes 30-degree weather... for now

(Rob Hinkal/The Penn) After months of trudging through the snow, students broke out their shorts and hoodies to enjoy a rare sight on campus: the sun.

Woman finds alcohol brewing from bladder despite never drinking STACY BURLING TNS Philadelphia Inquierer The patient, a 61-year-old woman, insisted she had not been drinking, even though multiple tests found alcohol in her urine.

The stakes were high. She had come to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center seeking a liver transplant. Another hospital's transplant program had rejected her because of positive urine tests, and now UPMC's transplant team was also refusing to add her to their waiting list. Instead, they referred her for treatment for alcohol addiction.

Soon after that, in early 2019, Andrea DiMartini, a psychiatrist with the transplant center, came with one of her students to the office of Kenichi Tamama, a clinical pathologist and medical director of the UPMC Clinical Toxicology Laboratory. They said the woman denied drinking and did not seem impaired. Could he take another look at the lab results?

He says what he saw led him to identify a new medical condition that he and his team want to call "auto-brewery syndrome"

(TNS) Could DiMartini open her own brewery?

or "bladder fermentation syndrome." Essentially, the woman's body was making alcohol by itself. The findings, Tamama said, have implications for programs that test urine for alcohol, including addiction treatment and transplant programs.

A description of the case was published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Tamama noticed that the woman's blood tests were negative for alcohol. By itself, this was not proof she hadn't been

drinking. As the body metabolizes alcohol, it clears it from the blood faster than from urine.

Then he looked at the results of tests for two byproducts or metabolites of alcohol: ethyl glucoronide and ethyl sulfate.

If she had been drinking, they should have been in her urine.

They weren't. He also noticed that the patient had yeast in her urine. And she had uncontrolled diabetes, a sign that sugar levels in her urine would be high.

"I just tried to put these

pieces of the puzzle together," proof that yeast in the womhe said. an's urine was converting sugar Tamama had heard of rare to alcohol. He added that the cases of "gut fermentation "alcohol smell is intensified _ syndrome," in which alcohol was like wine." The researchers were produced in the gastrointestinal "stunned." tract. In those cases, patients The yeast was Candida glawere intoxicated, and their brata, which is commonly found blood had alcohol in it. There in people. It is closely related to also had been reports of doctors brewer's yeast, Saccharomyces who had fermented urine in a cerevisiae, the study said. lab. Tamama and his team won"The experience we describe dered if something similar could here of two liver transplant be happening in this patient's teams at different institutions bladder. How could they prove demonstrates how easy it is to it? overlook signals that urinary He wanted to make sure the auto-brewery syndrome may be patient was treated fairly. He present," the study said. The worried that she might have team called for standardized been "falsely guidelines for blamed as an alcohol abstialcohol abuser. If nence monitoring. that's the case, it Tamama said is extremely unfair he expects that for that patient." auto-brewery synThey got a fresh drome will be rare. urine sample from The case report the patient and ~Kenichi Tamama said the patient had it rushed on UPMC Clinical Toxicology Laboratoty was reconsidered ice to the lab. It for a transplant. arrived smelling of alcohol. Then "This is a game-changer for the Tamama let it sit in the lab for 24 patient," Tamama said. A UPMC hours at various temperatures. spokeswoman said she did not At 98.6 degrees, the alcohol have permission to discuss what level increased by a "massive" has happened to the patient 18 times, Tamama said. That was since then.

“This is a game-changer for patients.�

Opinion

Sanders, Rogan not too bad of people as you may think Let me first begin by stating that I have nothing but respect for each and every member of The Penn’s editorial staff. The ability to publish an editorial page in each of our issues shows just how greatly that we as a country still respect freedom of the press and journalism as a whole.

With that being said, in this era of “fake news,” disinformation and generally misleading stories, especially in the world of politics, I feel that it is important to respond to the editorial which we published in our last issue Feb. 28, as quite a few of the questions and topics which were raised in that story have been answered, and it is important that our readers understand the full story.

I also will start off by stating that I am also a supporter of the Bernie Sanders campaign, but beginning with the second paragraph is where my dissent will also begin.

The “horrific behavior” of the campaign’s supporters has been directly addressed by Sanders himself on multiple occasions.

The following statements are direct quotes from Sanders, made following criticisms of the Nevada Culinary Union after its decision to not endorse a candidate ahead of the Nevada caucuses Feb. 22.

“Harassment of all forms is unacceptable to me, and we urge supporters of all campaigns not to engage in bullying or ugly personal attacks.

“I will condemn absolutely anybody...that makes vicious personal attacks against people. What our people are involved in — we are a campaign which believes in compassion, which believes in justice.

So I don’t tolerate ugly attacks against anybody.”

I can’t think of a more clear way in which Sanders could have voiced his dissent toward any form of “horrific behavior” from supporters to personally attack others.

Ben Mora, a former Sanders campaign organizer, was found to have made a Twitter account in which he insulted other candidates as well as the LGBTQ+ community.

Following said uncovering of those tweets, the campaign fired him, as referenced in the previous editorial when Mora was referred to as

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(TNS) Bernie Sanders, although former campaign organizer Ben Mora was against LGBTQ+ indivduals, does not condon hate among members of the group.

“the now-jobless Ben Mora.” His actions deserved the consequence he received if not more, and this is the last time he should be tied to the Sanders campaign, as he quite literally no longer is.

The endorsement of Sanders by comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan also has drawn ire from many, primarily for a particular comment made on his show regarding transgender athletes competing in mixed martial arts events. Rogan is an expert in the sport of MMA, having worked alongside the UFC since 1997. This particular comment was the only one referenced in a CNN article describing the heat put on the Sanders campaign for sharing the Rogan endorsement video.

While his words are not elegant, to say the least, there are legitimate scientific and health-based problems with a transgender woman fighting in the women’s division.

Let’s start with the International Olympic Committee, which does allow transgender athletes to compete - but not until two years after their reassignment surgery.

Updated guidelines as of the 2016 Olympic Games are as follows:

“The new guidelines require only that trans woman athletes declare their gender and not change that assertion for four years, and demonstrate a testosterone level of less than 10 nanomoles/liter for at least one year prior to competition and throughout the period of eligibility.”

These restrictions come after MMA fighter Fallon Fox - the fighter Rogan was talking about, who underwent a male-to-female transition - broke an opposing fighter’s skull in a fight. Multiple prominent UFC athletes, including Ronda Rousey, who at that time was arguably one of the biggest female superstars in the MMA world, showed objection toward Fox fighting at that time.

Regardless of how you digest these opinions, looking out for the safety of the athlete is important.

Going back to Rogan, he has had plenty of issues with controversial and incorrect opinions on his podcast. He has also had some in his stand-up experience – though many were under the scope of comedy.

Rogan has openly said during stand-up specials that he does

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not believe in many of the things he says, but knows they will get a laugh from the audience. Some may disagree, as Vox so eloquently put it in a story entitled “Why Joe Rogan’s Support for Bernie Sanders is Valuable.”

His audience being exposed to Sanders’ platform – which I’ll get to in a moment – is extremely valuable because his audience is arguably more conservative or moderate than liberal and progressive, or, in short, as Vox said, “Democrats need the votes of lots of bigots” if they want to win the general election and defeat Donald Trump in November. Choosing to recognize the endorsement of someone with as large of an audience as Rogan is not excusing his controversial history, especially when the candidate in question has supported the rights of the LGBTQ+ community dating back to 1983 – 37 years doing so in the public eye.

The remainder of the editorial discussed how Elizabeth Warren’s agenda was better than Sanders’, which is not only easy to disagree with but is strange coming from the writing of a Sanders supporter. The

typical argument of “Warren has a plan for everything” isn’t a bad one, but there are two core problems with it: saying that Sanders does not have plans (or numbers, a.k.a “How do you pay for it?”) is incorrect, and Warren has gone back on those plans, much different than the consistency Sanders has had for years, if not decades.

The core issue of the primary, proven by exit polls in both Nevada and South Carolina, is Medicare for All, an issue which was not even on the radar of most Democrats until Sanders championed it in 2016. Sanders “wrote the damn bill” on Medicare for All, and has proven how to pay for it, while Warren publicly stated that Medicare for All was not going to work and favored the moderate Democrat solution to the Medicare issue instead - in November.

If Warren is going to change her mind on the most important topic, who’s to say she won’t about others, like her refusal to accept money from Super PACs which turned into her accepting the largest Super PAC money of the entire field, while still lying to her supporters’ faces saying she isn’t taking Super PAC money? Yeah, that happened last week.

To say that Sanders supporters don’t support Warren because they’re misogynistic is blasphemous. It’s been clear that Sanders was the better progressive candidate, and throughout the first four states to vote, that’s become obvious. Sanders’ numbers in those states, all in percentages: 26.1, 25.7, 46.8 and 19.9.

Warren’s? 18, 9.2, 9.7 and 7.1 – no delegates since Iowa.

He’s got 58 delegates; she’s got eight. The third-place candidate in delegates at the moment, Pete Buttigieg, dropped out Sunday.

How will anyone below him have a chance at the nomination? They don’t!

“Get it through your head that humans, by nature, are imperfect.”

If you’ll excuse me, I’ll watch the Super Tuesday results come in, and watch Sanders extend his lead.

Brought to you

By Elliot Hicks

Opinion

Culture

Culture Editor: Heather Bair – zzzx@iup.edu Lead Culture Writer: Haley Brown– ydmx@iup.edu

(Facebook) IUP Lively Arts performed Mozart’s famous opera, “Don Giovanni” the last weekend in February, which had a unique spin on a classic tale.

‘Don Giovanni’ breaks fourth wall, fuses cyborgs with Mozart classic HEATHER BAIR Culture Editor H.Bair@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

This article contains opinion.

The classic Mozart opera, “Don Giovanni,” broke the fourth wall during its performance from Thursday until the final performance Sunday.

Directed and produced by Dr. See-Yin (Oliver) Lo, the performance featured students from the theater and music departments.

Don Giovanni (Gino Parillo), an Italian, old-fashioned playboy, tries to woo the girls of the village.

He tries to win the heart of the wrong girl, whose father rushes to her defense. A fight ensues, and

Culture

Il Commendatore is killed in the process.

Donna Anna finds her father’s body with her fiance, Don Ottavio.

She vows vengence on the mysterious killer and enlists the help of Donna Elvira, one of Giovanni’s former lovers.

A wedding between two peasants, Masetto and Zerlina, is crashed by Don Giovanni and his servant, Leporello. The two invite them back to Don Giovanni’s house for dinner, where a scream from Zerlina brings everyone to her rescue.

Giovanni manages to escape while Leporello takes the blame.

Eventually, guilt gets the better of Giovanni in the form of Il Commendatore’s possessed statue who commands Giovanni to repent of

his ways before it is too late.

The production was in Waller Hall, mainstage. While certain actors performed on certain nights, Parillo portrayed Giovanni the whole weekend. Alexandra Dee conducted the orchestra.

Overall, the performance was well-done. The actors portrayed the characters well and the fusion of cyberpunk with Mozart’s classic opera was a fresh take.

Since the take on “Don Giovanni” was fused with cyberpunk, four screens displayed different ads for futuristic, technological businesses throughout the performance.

When Il Commendatore was killed, the screens displayed the “Miz & Mizzus Funeral Services,” and when Masetto and Zerlina were making up after an argument as

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an engaged couple, the screen displayed a new app for “futuristic lovers.”

Had microphones been added to the performance, the singers would have been easier to hear.

Without the use of microphones, the performers were difficult to understand with certain areas.

However, operas are normally performed without microphones.

“Don Giovanni” stayed true to the opera form with the option of foregoing microphones.

The set design, which featured futuristic binary codes, gears and even lighting, was a great addition to the performance. With two balconies helping separate the outside world from the inside, and a small stage on the actual stage to help separate the world of

Giovanni’s house from the outside, it was easy to imagine the scenery in which the actors were.

Leporello broke the fourth wall multiple times during the performance by addressing the audience solely. Notable was the first time, while he and Giovanni were discussing a secret and Giovanni kept asking if they were alone.

Leporello would continuously look toward the audience throughout the dialogue.

Another time was when the orchestra began playing a song and Leporello broke character, asking the audience, “Hey! We know this one, don’t we?”

All in all, the performance was an interesting take on Mozart’s personal opera while combining modern-day technology.

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Culture

(Facebook) “Judge Judy” first aired Sept. 16, 1996, on CBS and is still going strong, even with reruns.

Popular judge changes shows after 25 years on CBS JAKE SLEBODNICK

News Editor J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu @Jake_WIUP (Facebook) With nicer weather coming our way just in time for spring break, students spend their time working rather than relaxing.

Students spend spring break working instead of relaxing, taking time off ANNA MECHLING Lead News Writer A.Mechling@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Spring break is just around the corner, and many students are looking forward to the week off.

In many Hollywood movies, spring break is a time when college students go to beaches to party, relax and forget about school.

However, that’s not the case for many college students and isn’t realistic.

Some students do go on vacation or travel during spring break, but many students also use the week-long break as a time to catch up on schoolwork, make some money or spend time with family.

Spring break is long enough that many students go back home or stay in Indiana and make some extra cash.

Working during spring break is often a great way for students to relax and take their minds off school and schoolwork for a while.

“I’m just going to be working,” Amber Brady (junior, nursing) said. “I live in Punxsutawney; I’m a licensed practical nurse (LPN), and I work in Punxsutawney.

“I’ll be doing some schoolwork, but mostly I’ll be working as an LPN.”

Many students use spring break to study, work on assignments and get ahead of the curve for when they come back to school.

“I’m just going to be work here at Wolfendales bar,” Olivia Thelon (senior, pre-optometry) said. “And I’ll be doing whatever assignments are due for me during the break.

“I’ll definitely have a good amount of work to do over break.

A good portion will be reading but mostly studying for exams after break.”

Many education and teaching-related majors at IUP require students to fulfill some kind of work and pre-student teaching requirements during the break.

“I’m a math-ed major, so I’m going to be doing my pre-student teaching during spring break,” Jonathan Worthington (junior, secondary math education) said.

“I’ll be getting all of my hours done during spring break, since I need 35 hours for my pre-student teaching qualifications.

“For my pre-student teaching requirement, I will have to go out to high schools and observe what different schools, students and teachers are doing.”

A lot of IUP students have jobs on campus and will be working during spring break.

“I will be working one or two

days and then going back to my boyfriend’s house in eastern Pennsylvania,” Mikayla Dokos (sophomore, math education) said. “I work in Sutton Hall.”

Even though many students do go home for spring break at IUP, many buildings and services will still be open and operate.

“I live in Earnest, a small town about 10 minutes away from Indiana, so I’m probably going to mainly be working during spring break,” Tarrina Christy (freshman, speech pathology) said. “I work at the registrar’s office.

“I answer phone calls at the registrar’s office and help direct people with their questions.”

Some students even work multiple jobs to make the most of earning money for college.

“I work at Hardee’s, which is a fast food restaurant,” Elizabeth “EJ” Fabiszewski (sophomore, marketing) said. “And I also work at Rita’s Ice, which is custard.

“I work one in the mornings and one at night to keep myself busy and earn extra cash. This will be my fourth summer at Rita’s, and I’ve worked at Hardee’s for a year. Rita’s always reminds me of summer and how school stress is over and behind me, so going back over spring break will help me relax from this stressful semester.”

One of America’s favorite programs is coming to an end.

Judy Sheindlin, or Judge Judy, 77, announced on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” Monday that her show is ending after a prolific 25-year run following the next season.

“I’ve had a 25-year-long marriage with CBS,” she told the Hollywood Reporter, “which distributes it, and it’s been successful. Next year will be our 25th season, and CBS sort of felt, I think, they wanted to optimally utilize the repeats of my program.”

Judge Judy began circulating on television Sept. 16, 1996, and captured audiences’ attention following years of interesting small-case claims inside her courtroom and her wise cracks that she would utter at the losing side’s expense.

Dating back to 2015, when she signed a three-season extension, Sheindlin became the highest-paid television personality, earning $47 million per year.

The show is a three-time winner for the Daytime Emmy Awards category for Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Program in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

It was also nominated for 13 consecutive Daytime Emmy Awards, dating from 1998 – 2011, three Online Film & Television Association awards (1999, 2001, 2010) and also for the 2000 TV Guide Awards for Favorite Daytime Talk Show.

Sheindlin also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2019 Daytime Emmys.

In 2017, her show’s episode

(Facebook) Judy Sheindlin won the Hofstra University Presidential Medal in 2019, as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award.

library was sold to CBS, which led to multiple lawsuits over its sales and profit.

In the coming years, CBS will release new episodes, and once those run out, consistent reruns will fill the program’s time slot.

And while Sheindlin isn’t tired of performing her judicial duties, she will air a new program that will debut next year titled “Judy Justice.”

“If you’re not tired, you’re not supposed to stop,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “And I’m not tired.”

Even though details on her new show’s debut are limited, reporters speculate that it’s main focus is to bring her voice to a fresh audience on either a new channel or a streaming service.

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(Facebook) Among the nominees for Entertainer of the Year are Luke Bryan (left) and Carrie Underwood (right).

Nominations for Country Music Awards kick up dust for 55th time EMILY LOOSE

Staff Writer E.D.Loose@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Country music, love it or hate it, has been around for decades.

With so many musicians at the heart of it all, there has to be an annual celebration to commemorate their works.

The nominees for this year’s 55th annual Country Music Awards were announced Thursday. The awards show will air April 5 on CBS. Some artists are at the top of the board with five nominations, including singer Thomas Rhett, who is nominated for some high categories, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for “Center Point Road.”

The other acts that have been nominated for Entertainer of the Year are Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Luke Combs.

Though many familiar names continue to appear on the list, there are some added fresh faces to be addressed, as well.

One of the most surprising nominees this year may be controversial pop artist Justin Bieber.

(Facebook) Dan + Shay paired with Justin Bieber for their hit, “10,000 Hours,” which was nominated for four awards.

Bieber is nominated for four awards with duo Dan + Shay for their collaboration “10,000 Hours.”

Dan + Shay are also nominated for many awards including Duo of the Year.

Rap is also making its way over to the ACMs. Rapper Lil Nas X is nominated for Music Event of the Year along with Billy Ray Cyrus

for the smash hit song “Old Town Road.” Fans on Twitter have been calling this the top contender for the award.

This year’s host is singer Keith Urban, who has won 15 awards already and is nominated for Male Artist of the Year. He is called the “reigning” Entertainment of the Year winner by the ACM website.

Though there has been a lot of praise for the nominated artists, some fans and websites have shown surprise at acts who were not given even one mention as far as nominations.

One such performer is legend Tanya Tucker, who started her career in the 1970s as a teenager with her cover of the song

“Delta Dawn.”

As written by USA Today, Tucker is in the middle of making a comeback to the country charts. Last year, her newest album, “While I’m Livin’,” won a Grammy for Best Country Album. Not even being nominated was shocking for some fans.

“I really hate the idea that Tanya Tucker isn't in the running for an ACM award and Justin Bieber is. A beautiful song from country royalty or stunt casting for a pop-country crossover? Tucker deserves better,” @zombyboy tweeted.

Another snub for fans was Jason Aldean. Aldean was given the Artist of the Decade Award at last year’s ACMs, but received no nomination, even for his newly released album “9” or his song “We Back.”

Ryan Lynn (@Ryan_Lynn13) expressed disbelief in a tweet.

“No ACM nominations for @Jason_Aldean. This some type of joke?”

Despite not all fans being pleased with nominations, this year’s ACMs are predicted to go well. This will be Urban’s first time hosting the show.

The show will start at 8 p.m. and is being held in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

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Culture

(Facebook) “I Am Not Okay With This” stars “IT” actor Sophia Lillis (right) as the main superhero who learns how to navigate teen life while having superpowers.

Angsty, complicated teen superhero introduced in Netflix’s new show HALEY BROWN

Lead Culture Writer H.Brown@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

This article contains opinion.

The “I Am Not Okay With This” Season 1 on Netflix begins on a slow note and ends with the peak of the action…sort of.

It initially seems like this series starts off strong, and you expect the momentum of the plotlines to build, but the ending of Season 1 is more likely to leave the viewer frustrated and confused because of the unfulfilling and unnecessarily mysterious nature of the “action” thrown in at the last second of the last episode in the season.

The first season consists of only eight short episodes and revolves around the ever-more-complicated and angsty teenage life of Sydney Novak.

At first glance, Sydney, played

by “IT” star Sophia Lillis, is a normal teenage girl. She has past traumas that her family doesn’t talk about, an aversion to other human beings save her best friend/secret crush, Dina, and she doesn’t get along with her mother…ever.

She also has a fair amount of trouble with regulating her emotions – specifically, her boiling and randomly uncontrollable rage. Her powers first manifest as she sits at a diner table with her best friend’s new boyfriend, a crude jock named Brad (Richard Ellis).

Within the randomness that Season 1 seems to be, Sydney discovers that when she gets angry, she can telepathically control things, though control is not the optimal word in this situation. She seems to have access to her crazy powers, in fact, only when she totally loses control, and this, as can be expected, leads to plenty

of trouble for our characters.

The season seems too short for the plotline to be considered even remotely cohesive, consisting of eight episodes that, at maximum, reach only 30 minutes.

The setting stays relatively consistent throughout, only hopping between three main locations, namely the diner where Syd’s mother works, the high school and Syd’s house.

Another piece of the story that helps move the plot along is the fact that you don’t have to meet and memorize the names of 18 main characters. The list is short and sweet, and the storyline revolves around the three main characters of Sydney, Dina and Sydney’s newer close male stoner friend named Stan, who is played

by Wyatt Oleff, another star from the “IT” movies.

The show involves teenage rage, the struggles of puberty, sexual awakening and plenty

of sexual confusion, emotional confusion over traumatic events and familial stresses following the death of a parent figure.

The issues range from typical to difficult, and it is a high point that this the show may be able to reach a wider audience and be relatable to more types of people.

This show did use the almost-original addition that having superpowers didn’t suddenly make Sydney insanely cool. In fact, it made her life a lot more complicated and she constantly felt she was walking on eggshells to find some semblance of control over herself and therefore some control over her trigger-happy, anger-issue-fueled telekinesis.

She didn’t really use her powers for “good,” and she didn’t spill her secret to her entire school in some desperate attempt to win a popularity con-

test. This newfound rage-power is just another thing that seems to alienate Syd from the people around her and even from her own emotions and her multiple failed attempts to express them certainly aren’t helped by this.

All in all, this Netflix comedy was interesting, quirky and displayed some great examples of how hard normal teenage life can be, let alone when you suddenly find out you’re a very, very angry superhero.

The attempt at a cliff-hanger at the very end of the season was probably a mistake, as viewers can be easily frustrated and discouraged by completely unexplained and unjustifiable mystery. Instead of making the viewer feel eager for the next season, it leaves you feeling cutoff from the story and you may find yourself asking “…Is that it?

Or did I somehow miss the entire last episode?”

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March 3, 2020

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25

(Facebook) Gorillaz first got their start in 1998 as a fictional band, and their third album, “Plastic Beach” turned 10 years old on Tuesday.

Fictional group’s third album turns 10, still cult classic to this day MARTY WEAVER Copy Editor zglz@iup.edu @mrweavs This article contains opinion.

Gorillaz’s third studio album, “Plastic Beach,” turned 10 on Tuesday.

What makes this album special is not its diverse musical styles or its cohesion; rather, the subject matter makes “Plastic Beach” one of my favorite albums of all time, right up there with “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust” by David Bowie.

“Plastic Beach” is about plastics pollution, and it’s not subtle or kind about it.

A few months ago, I was chatting with my mom about this album. I said that creating an entire album about plastics contaminating the ocean was really unique, especially considering that it was released all the way back in 2010.

Then she said something that was super depressing.

“You know, my mother was vocally worried about plastics pollution all the way back in the ‘70s.”

That being said, I’m not here to depress y’all. I just want to geek out about one of my favorite works of art, so here are some very long descriptions of my favorite songs off “Plastic Beach.”

After a short instrumental intro,

we are thrown right into a chill, bass-heavy title track featuring the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and, if you can believe it, Snoop Dogg.

One of the first lines is “The revolution will be televised.” This is a direct reference to Gil Scott-Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” a bit of a spoken-word, highly political song. I listened to that a lot immediately following the 2016 election at the suggestion of my father – thanks, Dad. Snoop’s feature is gratuitous without being overbearing, and Gorillaz frontman (and technically only permanent member) Damon Albarn’s backing vocals through several voice filters make this title song a wonderful introduction to the album.

Next is one of my favorite songs of all time: “White Flag,” featuring Bashy, Kano and the National Orchestra for Arabic Music.

At the beginning, the orchestra plays a traditional-sounding Arabic piece that slowly goes from major to minor before Gorillaz’s more characteristic sound abruptly cuts the orchestra off. Bashy and Kano take it over from there, rapping about pollution.

My favorite line has to be “This ain’t Atlantis, are you sure/ I nearly suffocated when I touched the shore/ No rain, condoms it poured…” This is a pretty vivid depiction of all the plastics in the ocean and the problems it’s caus-

ing for the life beneath the waves.

Then, something amazing happens: The orchestra comes back with the heavy hip-hop beats. The two styles fit beautifully together, and for someone that truly loves all genres of music such as myself, it’s absolute heaven.

The next track, “Rhinestone Eyes,” is more traditional Gorillaz: Albarn’s melancholic voice waxing poetic and making use of extended metaphors on top of a funky beat. You know how most romantics will compare one’s eyes to diamonds? Albarn throws that right in the garbage and instead sings, “I’m a scary gargoyle on a tower/ That you made with plastic power/ Your rhinestone eyes are like factories far away.” You love to see it.

A few songs later, Gruff Rhys and De La Soul join Albarn for “Superfast Jellyfish.” The jaunty beat severely contrasts the rather dark subject matter of processed food’s impact on the environment and human beings. The song is best summed up by the chorus: “Super fast/ Super fast/ I come in last, but just in time for breakfast… / Aluminum I crush for fun/ Aluminum/ The sea is radioactive.”

A song from this album that many people are probably familiar with is “Empire Ants” featuring Little Dragon. The first half is just Albarn gently singing above a very chill, summery track. After Albarn finishes with “The falling alcohol

empire is here to hold you/ Rolling out and haunted ‘til it sleeps,” Little Dragon comes in with a much more active beat.

This song reminds me of driving through Appalachia with the windows down in mid-July, which is how I recommend listening to it.

“Some Kind of Nature,” featuring the late, great Lou Reed, is the song that introduced me to the album in the first place, so I guess Tumblr is good for one thing. Reed discusses a new kind of “nature” that is entirely synthetic while Albarn repeats his words on top of a wonderful bass line – as if you could expect anything else from the former frontman of The Velvet Underground.

Reed sings, “Well, me, I like plastics and digital foil/ Could wrap up the sound and protect the girls/ From the spiritual poison we expel at night,” which is a totally rad line, if you ask me. In the chorus, Albarn mentions that “All we are is dust,” seeming to reference Genesis 3:13 – “For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return” (New Living Translation).

“Melancholy Hill” is another more traditional-sounding Gorillaz track. Albarn’s dreamy vocals waft (is that an appropriate verb?) above layered synths to create a very chill 3:53. There aren’t nearly as many depressing political statements in this track, so its placement in the middle of the album is

great for keeping listeners motivated to continue listening.

And then to throw you right back into the thick of it, “Sweepstakes” featuring Mos Def and the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble follows two tracks later. According to Apple Music, it’s the song I listened to the most in 2019. Why? It slaps.

Hard.

If y’all will allow me to get a little nerdy, why I love this song so much is because it’s a pretty hardcore rap song that starts in 3/4 and the turns into 4/4 while repeating the previous lyrics. So, while the lyrics stay the same, the rhythm changes constantly.

The lyrics deal with the idea of “sweepstakes,” which are just cons to get y’all to buy more of a product than you would normally. It’s the same thing as the lottery – that is, it’s basically just gambling.

That’s both a terribly long and short intro to “Plastic Beach.” I’m not one for listening to depressing music just because it’s “deep” – I like music that makes me happy, sue me – so it’s really something for me to love an album that does deal with heavy topics. Even if you don’t like thinking about plastic outnumbering fish in the near future, I’d recommend giving this project a listen just for the musicality of it.

Besides, any album that successfully combines Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed and a symphonic orchestra is worth checking out.

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March 3, 2020

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‘The Invisible Man’ sneaks up in theaters, surprises fans of famous book HALEY BROWN

Lead Culture Writer H.Brown@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

This article contains opinion.

“The Invisible Man” is a masterful movie containing copious amounts of suspense, emotional/ mental manipulation and uniquely utilized sci-fi horror elements.

From the acting to the directing to the cinematography, this movie leaves nothing to be desired and offers the perfect amount of thrilling moments and horrifying realizations sprinkled throughout the viewing experience.

The film follows the frightening circumstances of Cecilia Cass, played by the incredible Elisabeth Moss, well known from Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” This movie is hands-down a fantastic choice for your next trip to the movie theatre.

The movie jumps right into the action of the story by opening on Cecilia’s desperate flee from her abusive husband, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a master manipulator and narcissist who treats

(Facebook) “The Invisible Man” hit theaters Sunday, bringing a new look to the classic H.G. Wells’ book.

Cecilia as his prisoner until she escapes his clutches.

This entire initial scene is so quiet and precarious that it makes the watcher feel the need to not breathe, up until the silence is finally, mercifully broken by a blaring car alarm, and Cecilia takes off into sprint, abandoning her attempts to be completely silent in her escape. The relief of the sudden broken silence overthrows the shock of the jump-scare element of the alarm and finally allows the watcher to let out the breath they had inexplicably been holding.

The interlocked scenes of suspense and relief are a necessary theme in every movie placed in the genre of “thriller,” though it seemed that this movie’s ebb and flow of the usually overdone suspense-relief dance was uninterrupted by nonessential jump scares, although the movie does contain a few sudden loud moments and startling images that are almost more relieving than frightening.

I have not seen many movies that involve invisible antagonists that don’t also blame a supernatu-

ral element or some kind of monster that you don’t see until the very end of the film. It is stereotypical for thriller movies to use longstretched silences broken rudely by blaring, violent violin strings being sawed by some unseen musician, which I am prone to detest, despite the very real psychology behind this instrumental assault.

That said, this film did not use horrific string plucking or sawing to get the viewer engaged and pull them along into the storyline.

The scenes where there was no obvious action occurring and

where nothing was visibly happening on-screen were honestly the most riveting.

I and many other viewers in the theater could be found leaning forward in our seats, straining to see if a curtain would twitch or if a footprint would subtly appear on the corner of a carpet or a bed or chair would sink under the weight of an unseen body. Anything out of place in an empty room made the viewer suck in a breath in curiosity of whether or not our invisible antagonist was in fact present at that time.

This movie is undoubtedly a treasure within the horror and thriller genres. I can’t think of even a single disappointing aspect to point out or complain about within this film.

There were no misplaced or unneeded details, every actor and actress was impeccable in their performance, the CGI elements used throughout the film seemed perfectly done and were not overused, and there were no glaringly unnecessary conversations or inorganic-feeling actions or choices made by any of the characters.

Nintendo, Pokemon fight back on ending leaks of ‘Pokemon’ game series DESMOND BROWN Staff Writer vjby@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

The gaming industry has been predicated on information to encourage people to get excited about their games.

However, developers have been the victims of leaks that spoil their plans for years. Now it appears that one of the biggest developers is fighting back.

For years, Nintendo and the Pokemon Company have been on the opposite end of leaks of the “Pokemon” game series. Entire roster lists, secrets and stories all have been leaked to various online message boards and websites.

More recently, these leaks are broadcasted on Twitter. With the latest release in the series, “Pokemon Sword” and “Pokemon Shield,” Nintendo has made it a point to seek out any and all leakers.

What happens to the leakers?

They are met with a hefty lawsuit Portuguese Nintendo news site FNintendo recently had its ties cut when a freelance reporter released photos from the unreleased games

(Facebook) Nintendo has been on the opposite end of gaming leaks until now, when information about its franchise, “Pokemon,” has been leaked over Twitter.

this past February. This cost the freelancer his job and FNintendo a critical partnership.

A release from FNintendo following the blacklisting reads, “We fully respect Nintendo’s decision to cancel the confidentiality agreement between our companies as a result of this breach of trust and accept that we will no longer receive products from Nintendo,

nor will we be invited to attend their events.”

Following this event, prolific Nintendo leakers Zippo and Sabi have denounced leaking information about “Pokemon” and Nintendo for the foreseeable future.

Sabi took to his Discord server to announce the news to his friends and fans, citing that in 2019, Nintendo lawyers had called him and

sent him a cease and desist letter.

One of the biggest Nintendo leakers, who went by RyanRocks, was caught by the FBI. He now must pay back $259,323 for the damage he has caused to the Nintendo and their associated companies.

The focus on Nintendo leaks stems from a prolonged release of information about their upcoming titles. For example, Nintendo had released a teaser for a new “Animal Crossing” game for the Nintendo Switch during 2018’s E3 Expo. No information about the game had been issued for over a year until a release date the following year. That information was leaked by Sabi weeks before 2019’s E3 Nintendo Direct.

Activision, owner of the best-selling “Call of Duty” series, has recently sent a subpoena to Reddit for information about the leaks of its upcoming battle royal mode for “Modern Warfare.” If the leaker is found, it is a guarantee that the publisher will be suing for damages, much like Nintendo.

Again, leaks are not uncommon in the gaming industry, but the increased security and repercussion

of leaking is very new.

In an interview by WIRED, an anonymous leaking community member said, “Nintendo has been increasingly aggressive when it comes to combating leaks.”

The leaker also stated that even early last year, the practice wasn’t nearly as dangerous.

Now, with “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” releasing later this month, the Japanese giant is baiting leakers to release any information about its new game.

Speculation about the reason for the increased monitoring of information draws from multiple sources. One reason is that Microsoft and Sony are both releasing new consoles during the holiday season this year. Another is because the Direct series is their primary form of communication to consumers of further information; any news leaks could devastate the impact of their presentation.

Regardless of the reason, Nintendo has made it loud and clear that they will find and stomp out any other leakers of their IPs or plans. The only question now is if the rest of the industry will follow suit.

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Years before she landed 'Bones,' actress almost landed on face audition NINA METZ TNS Chicago Times On the Netflix series "October Faction," which premiered last month and is based on the graphic novel of the same name, Tamara Taylor plays a monster hunter.

Though Deloris is an expert in the supernatural, strangely enough, the character has a lot in common with Camille Saroyan, the scientist Taylor previously played for 10 years on the forensic drama "Bones."

"Deloris is a monster hunter, but as unconventional as she is, I think she's a believer in the system – until she's not," Taylor said in a recent phone interview. "Being on Netflix, you've got a little more freedom in terms of the language and the joint smoking, but I think in terms of approach, Cam and Deloris are both technicians. I kind of see them approaching their work in a very similar way. Cam was very methodical, and I think Deloris has that too."

Taylor's trademark as these two characters is her poise. But when she auditions, sometimes her nerves get the best of her. When asked to share a worst moment in her career, she replied, "I didn't have to think too hard. This humiliating story stood out in neon. I kind of relish this one."

Here's an edited transcript of what she told me.

My worst moment ...

"I was maybe two or three years into living in Los Angeles, I'm going to say this was 1995. I was doing the acting thing, going on auditions. I had a couple roles under my belt, so I wasn't completely green, but I hadn't done a movie yet. And I got called in – I'm not remembering the specifics – but I think it was for a Morgan Freeman movie and I was being called in to play his daughter. I want to say it was for 'Kiss the Girls,' but I don't know. I think I blocked it out because this experience was so humiliating.

"Auditions kind of terrify me.

The waiting room experience is usually a pretty treacherous one for me. I contemplate running out and screaming. Just disappearing.

And this particular waiting room was extremely full. There were probably about 30 people, and we're all trying to stay in our own little bubbles of focus. And I'm just trying to pray the nerves away.

I'm like, 'Breathe. You can do this.'

And it was a good solid 45 minutes

(Facebook) Before Tamara Taylor became everyone’s favorite scientist in the popular TV show “Bones,” she thought she’d ruined her chances at Hollywood by falling at an audition.

of waiting. And as the minutes tick on, I'm getting more and more nervous.

"For some reason, I thought there were five people ahead of me, but the casting director comes out and says my name. And I was so shocked I kind of jumped up and my keys go flying one way and my sides – which are the loose pieces of paper that your scenes are on – go flying the other way. So now everyone is looking at me as I pick up my keys and pick up my sides.

"And I was wearing Chuck Taylors at the time and I guess they didn't like the rug very much, because I took a few steps, tripped and fell. And it was amazing because I didn't allow myself to just fall on the ground. For some reason, I was close enough to grab onto the casting director's lapels – I feel like she was wearing lapels but it might have been a T-shirt – and I grabbed hold of her and was just kind of staring up at her, holding on for dear life.

"After that, I sort of picked myself up, took a deep breath and thought: God, I really want to disappear now. The whole waiting

room was laughing, and then I went in and had to audition. And I stunk. There was no regaining composure. I was shaking like a leaf. I just said the words and then kind of shrugged like, That's all I have, and I left. Needless to say, I'm shocked I didn't get the role (laughs)."

What was the casting director's reaction when Taylor used her to break her fall?

"The amazing thing is, one would hope for a laugh _ and that's not what I got. She just kind of looked down at me and stood still until I pulled myself up (laughs) and dusted myself off. There was no, 'Are you OK?' Nothing. I don't think she was pleased, because I almost took her down with me.

"I drove home in my little Ford Falcon that had no windshield wipers and contemplated just packing it in and moving back to Toronto, because I clearly didn't have what it took. Maybe I should just rethink everything. Maybe archeology is something that I should investigate seriously, because the acting thing, I don't have the nerves for it.

"And then I called my mom crying and I said, 'OK mom, what's

going on? I can't handle the pressure out here.' And my mom kind of laughed and said, 'It'll be a great story one day, honey.' And I don't know how she did it, but she found a greeting card that I have to this day that has an illustration of a woman who is crumpled in a heap at the bottom of some stairs and the caption says, 'I've fallen and I can't get up.'

"So it was my mom's encouragement and my best friend (and 'A Different World' alum) Cree Summer, who just howled – she thought it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard – and her wise words were, 'This is not the end.

And it's not the worst story you'll tell. Just keep on trucking.'

"I never wore Chuck Taylors again to an audition. I had my next audition about a week later, so I had a couple of days to eat ice cream and cry a bit and then get over it. And I took very, very careful steps – I was probably walking like an exaggerated cartoon, because I was not going to trip ever again."

The problem with nerves ...

"I was auditioning for a Hank Azaria show and something similar happened again where

the nerves were starting to build in the waiting room. I love Hank Azaria. And he passed by when I was in the waiting room, and I realized, oh God, Hank Azaria's going to be in the room – I wasn't expecting this, I thought it was just going to be the casting director. So the palpations start, the flop sweat begins.

"I go in the room and I'm sweating so hard, it was like that scene in 'Broadcast News,' and I was shaking so hard that the sides I was holding were shaking. And Hank Azaria said, 'Honey, are you OK?' And I said, 'Yeah, yeah, I'm totally great!' And he said, 'Do you want to start over?' He was trying to give me a fair shot. And of course it got no better, the nerves only got worse. I was drenched in sweat, I was beat red and shaking like a leaf.

"So I had a few of those doozies."

The takeaway ...

"It feels like your life is over in the moment. Like, I don't have what it takes! But no matter how hard it gets – or how ridiculous it gets – just keep going. It's not that deep."

Sports

Sports Editor: Elliot Hicks – E.Hicks@iup.edu Lead Sports Writer: Jeff Hart – J.R.Hart2@iup.edu

(IUP Athletics) IUP women’s basketball seniors Lexi Griggs, Natalie Myers and Madison Kerr (left to right) were recognized Saturday night at the KCAC.

Griggs, Myers go out in fashion in Senior Night victory JEFF HART

Lead Sports Writer J.R.Hart2@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

That’s a wrap, folks.

The 2019-20 regular season has come to an end for the IUP Crimson Hawks basketball team. On Saturday, the Hawks played in their final game against PSAC opponent Pitt-Johnstown.

On the Hawks’ Senior Night, IUP had a dominant game where they took down the Mountain Cats 68– 48. Lexi Griggs (nursing) and Natalie Myers (education) were both honored before the game in their Senior Night ceremony, as was Madison Kerr (nursing), who has been unable to play for two years due to injury.

It was an emotional display for all the players, and this helped fuel the Crimson Hawks for victory. On

30

their night, Myers and Griggs put up 13 and 19 points, respectively.

The Hawks came out with a vengeance and had an early 20–10 lead in the first. UPJ responded and managed to hold back IUP in the second and third quarter. IUP was held to a mild 9–27 from the field and struggled with turnovers with eight in the second and third quarters alone.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Hawks were down by a fourpoint deficit, and things were beginning to look dire for the Hawks.

The Hawks came back with a vengeance and took the game from the Mountain Cats in the fourth.

IUP went on a 10-0 run to start the fourth and managed to play lock-down defense against UPJ to end the game. The Hawks outscored UPJ 22-6 in the last quarter of the game.

In addition to this victory being on Senior Night, the Hawks set a new regular season record with 26 wins this season which beat the previous 25 games the Hawks won two years ago.

This seemed like the perfect end to a historic season for a truly great basketball team. All around, it was a good night for this squad, and the players and coaches felt the same.

“I kept saying as the year was unfolding that this group continues to surprise us,” said head coach Tom McConnell after the game.

“But after coaching them for 28 games, I shouldn’t be surprised because what we didn’t know was how good they were going to be together, how much they were going to care for each other, how much every day they were going to come in with a focus, how competitive they were going to be against

March 3, 2020

each other and push each other and how good they were going to be at moving on to the next game and really just focusing on growing and getting better.”

After her 19-point performance in her last regular season game, Griggs was pleased with the team’s performance.

“It was a great Senior Night, honestly,” Griggs said. “I couldn’t ask for a better team to complete our regular season with and for them to be able to celebrate Nat, Madison and I is just amazing.”

Along with Myers and Griggs, Courtney Alexander (junior, nursing) stood out with a strong 18 point performance, where she shot 5-11 from 3-point range.

This game put the Hawks at 26-2 overall and 21-1 in the conference in the regular season. The Hawks will begin the PSAC playoffs on

Wednesday against the winner of the UPJ and California (Pa.) game from the first round.

This team has potential to go the distance this year and go further than last season when the Hawks lost in the national semifinals to Southwestern Oklahoma State.

If the Hawks want to go far this year, they need to keep up the same great work and mentality.

“Just keep growing, keep getting better, keep doing what they’re doing,” said McConnell regarding his squad. “We’re not gonna change anything. At this time of year, you are who you are. . . I want us to be thankful that we’re there.

I want us to enjoy the experience and continue to play loose, confident, tough, unselfish basketball.”

March is here, folks. Get ready to let the madness begin for all of college basketball.

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Men finish regular season unbeaten at KCAC with UPJ victory TYLER COMO

Staff Writer T.D.Como@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

The IUP Crimson Hawks finished their regular season in an impressive way.

Not only was it senior night at the Kovalchick Complex, but it also proved to be a memorable night for the entire team. This year’s men’s basketball team is the first team since the creation of the KCAC to not lose a single game at home all season, following a 93–82 victory against the University of Pittsburgh Johnstown Saturday.

It was a very exciting time for seniors Malik Miller and Chucky Humphries (both communications media), especially considering they played a 27-game season and managed to lose only two throughout.

Though that’s not to say UPJ didn’t put up a fight. Despite scoring more than the Hawks in the second half, Pitt-Johnstown failed to rally in the first on tallying for 30 points. Their best efforts couldn’t get them to beat IUP’s aggressive defense.

IUP’s biggest leading margin started at 14 by the end of the

(IUP Athletics) Seniors Malik Miller (left) and Chucky Humphries (right) pose with coach Joe Lombardi during pregame festivities on Senior Night.

first half and rose to as much as 21 points by the end of the game.

Both UPJ and IUP were under 40 percent when it came to their shooting on FGs and 3-point shots.

Armoni Foster (redshirt sophomore, criminal justice) once again

scored the most for the Crimson Hawks once again, scoring a grand total of 25 points. Following close behind him was Miller with 22 points.

Humpries rallied for a total of nine rebounds and eight points on

the night, including a dunk which greatly excited the crowd.

Were it not for players like Miller and Foster stepping up their game during the short absence of Humphries, they might not be as good positioned as they are for the play-

offs, earning the PSAC West’s No. 1 seed.

But with only two Hawks leaving the nest following this season, there is nothing short of depth currently for Lombardi’s lineup. Two freshmen made thier impact known and in big was for IUP. Both Foster and Ethan Porterfield (freshman, kinesiology) became stars of their own this season.

There’s no reason to think these two can’t be starting-five material for the next season among othertalent from the roster.

For now, IUP men and women’s basketball teams will begin their playoff run starting Wednesday at the KCAC. With the records and rankings IUP has been given, there’s no shortage of hope that comes with their skill and competitiveness to push them all the way, but they’ll have to take it one game at a time, just as everyone does in the postseason.

The Hawks will host a PSAC quarterfinal game Wednesday and will also hope to participate in the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament, where they are currently ranked No. 1, after the conference championships have completed.

Tennis sweeps pair of matches in Ohio

Carr, Jones claim titles at PSAC indoor championships

(IUP Athletics) IUP tennis defeated both Case Western Reserve and Oberlin during the weekend. Saturday’s 5–4 comeback victory against Case Western Reserve was highlighted by a three-set victory by Laura Dunarova (pictured, sophomore, accounting) at the No. 6 singles spot. On Sunday, the Hawks swept Oberlin 7–0.

(IUP Athletics) IUP track and field competed at the PSAC indoor championships this weekend in Edinboro. The men earned a fifthplace finish while the women ended the weekend in 12th place. Dre Carr (sophomore, exercise science) claimed the title in the 60-meter dash, while Christian Jones (pictured, senior, hospitality management) defended his title in the high jump.

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(Courtesy of IUP Hockey) The IUP club hockey team won the CMHA title for this season.

Hockey wins CMHA title, heads to Texas for national tourney JAKE TAYLOR

Staff Writer J.M.Taylor8@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

The men’s Division I ice hockey team completed a wild playoff run on top of the College Hockey Mid-American Division (CHMA) and were crowned the champions of the CMHA over the weekend.

Despite a disappointing end to their playoff season last year, the core of the team was determined to make it to Texas this time around.

“It was amazing coming in as a third seed and getting some revenge from the last year,” team

captain Gavin Cummings said.

Cummings is referring to their season-ending game in the 2019 playoffs. The Crimson Hawks were ranked first and lost in the first round to the eventual champions, Robert Morris University. However, IUP came into this postseason with a different mindset.

“We just took it one game at a time and really focused on playing a full 60-minute game whether we were up or down on the scoreboard,” Cummings said.

This was evident when Joey Ditullio netted the go-ahead tally against RMU in the semifinals this past weekend. Tyler Speis sealed

the deal with an empty-net goal, and the Hawks’ demons were condemned.

The moment the team, coaches and fans were waiting for all season came down between the nationally ranked Panthers of Pittsburgh and Indiana’s very own Crimson Hawks. Things were not looking too promising by the end of the first period with the Panthers up 1–0 and IUP registering only two shots.

Be that as it may, the team persevered like they did all season and went into the third period tied 1–1.

The CHMA Championship win-

ning goal came off the stick of the playoffs’ MVP, Brendan George, late in the third period.

“Especially over the three playoff games, our seniors were a big part of this year’s team and left a great mark in our program,” Cummings said.

The team’s eight seniors and graduate students have led the team throughout the season.

The Crimson Hawks will fly to Frisco, Texas, to compete for the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Men’s Division 1 National championship.

The team plans to prepare the next two weeks “practicing on

getting sharper and crisper to compete with high-level teams,” Cummings said.

“We are focused on taking nationals one game at a time and enjoying every moment as a family.”

The historic season these young men have achieved and are still working for all comes down to the 2020 ACHA National Championships played on March 19 through March 29 in Plano and McKinney, Texas.

Congratulations to the players, coaches and families of the 2019– 20 IUP men’s Division I ice hockey team, and good luck in Texas. Yee haw, and bring home a title.

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Softball starts season strong, currently on three-game win streak JAKE SLEBODNICK

News Editor J.C.Slebodnick@iup.edu @Jake_WIUP

The IUP softball team opened up its 2020 campaign with a fourgame series at Glenville State this weekend.

IUP faced West Chester and West Virginia State on Saturday, and Alderson Broaddus and Glenville State on Sunday.

In the first matchup, the Hawks found themselves trailing early in the game as they were faced with a six-run deficit in the first inning.

The Golden Rams’ Emily Maseth kicked off the scoring with a threerun home run, while Annamarie Hartman and Madison Melvin each walked a run in.

IUP managed to post two runs in the second after a Faith Jones (freshman, psychology) single drove in two.

West Chester remained consistent offensively as it put up six home runs during the remainder of the game which contributed to 11 runs during that time.

The Golden Rams walked away victorious in the game, winning 18–2.

The Crimson Hawks returned to the field later that afternoon to face the West Virginia State Yellow Jackets, where the result was the opposite of game one.

Kaitlyn Beers (junior, criminology), returning for her fourth season, was the impact performer on offense, as she hit back-to-back home runs in consecutive plate appearances.

“The two-homer game was nice and very rewarding,” Beers said, “but ultimately, when I step into the box, my goal is just to make something happen. I know that, with my teammates, it doesn’t matter who is in the lineup, and we are going to make big things happen.

Additionally, freshmen Margaret Russo (biology) and Haleigh Zimmerman (safety science) put up formidable hitting performances.

Russo went 2–3 in the game while Zimmerman batted .500.

For pitching, Jones recorded her first victory, as she went seven innings and struck out six Yellow Jackets.

“It felt great to be on the mound and to pitch against a competing college team,” Jones said. “We

(IUP Athletics) Renee Wall (junior, criminology) has three hits in nine at-bats this season.

have been pitching a lot to our own team at practice, so it was really nice to get to perform against another team.”

Jones also commented on the atmosphere of the clubhouse after battling back in game two.

“Our team talk following the games was very positive and had many laughs and cheers. Coming back with a 3–1 record is very exciting, and we are ready to get rolling in Florida.

After splitting games the first day, IUP returned to Glenville State on Sunday to build a winning record against Alderson Broaddus.

The Skirmish broke the scoring in the first inning after Payton Barr and Brianna Burger each drove in a run.

However, IUP answered back in the bottom half of the inning as Renee Wall (junior, criminology) homered and Jones doubled to center, bringing in the tying runs.

In the third, Rachel Rodriguez (junior, food and nutrition) brought in Zimmerman to put the Crimson Hawks ahead by one.

Forwarding to the sixth, the Skirmish’s Barr drove in the tying run on a 5–4 fielder’s choice, leaving

a stalemate headed into the final frame.

Zimmerman would walk it off with a solo home run to left field, giving IUP its second victory of the season.

“One word can’t describe how I was feeling after the walk-off,” Zimmerman said, “but if I had to pick one, it would be excited. Everybody worked hard all game, and to be able to come through for my team at the bottom of the seventh and get the win, it felt amazing.”

This set the tone for the final game, as IUP looked to start an early-season winning streak against Glenville State.

As if the game didn’t have enough excitement before it started, it only grew as the game was scoreless throughout the first five innings. That would be broken by a three-run home run by the Pioneer’s Karra Smith and a solo home run by Mackenzie Martinelli added insurance.

IUP showed resilience, however, as Wall would homer and Shayanne Kimmel (junior, education), who entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth, drove in another.

In the seventh, Zimmerman

would provide the offensive spark as she drove in two runs, tying the game.

Anna Ferrucci (freshman, criminology) would give IUP its second straight walk-off win following a double to center that drove in Rodriguez.

“With a roster that is more than half freshmen, we told them pretty early on that they had a special opportunity coming in as underclassman,” coach Shawna Bellaud said.

“They have fully embraced their roles and have taken this opportunity and run with it.

“Whether it was Jones or Renzi displaying this poise on the mound and being able to give us full seven-inning games, Haleigh Zimmerman and Anna Ferrucci coming through with two walk-off hits or Faith Jones, Margret Russo and Sara Russell who all had starts this past weekend, they are showing us poise beyond their years and providing a trust that you don’t stereotypically see to fruition until athletes have a few years of experience under their belt.”

Ashley Renzi (freshman, kinesiology) picked up the game one victory, while Jones won the second.

Beers and coach Shawna Bellaud commented on the team’s atmosphere following the weekend wins.

“We are a small, young team that has definitely had adversity hit us left and right,” Beers said. “It is hard to tell what this season will bring, but after this weekend we proved to ourselves that we have something to say and that we are ready. I expect it to be an exciting season with big things to happen.”

“The biggest factor in the turnaround games and winning out the rest of the way fully encompassed the resilience and positive attitudes this years’ squad exemplifies,” Bellaud said. “We have 15 competitors on this team that play for each other -– they have the grit and passion to bounce back from a loss which is how they were able to wrap up such a comeback weekend and head into Florida feeling confident and energetic.”

With a series win at Glenville State under their belt, the IUP Crimson Hawks return to the sandlot Friday in The Spring Games at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, Florida, to face four teams over the break.

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March 3, 2020

(IUP Athletics) Chloe Borland (sophomore, finance) has nine points this season.

Lacrosse drops first game of season in home opener BRAD O’HARA

Staff Writer B.L.Ohara@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

The IUP lacrosse team lost their first game in their 2020 campaign as they dropped their home opener to Millersville University 20–10.

Both the Crimson Hawks and the Marauders were coming into the game 1–0 to start the season.

Millersville kicked off the year with a 20–10 victory against Wilmington University. Millersville was ranked third in the East division of the PSAC coming into the year, and IUP was ranked third in the West.

The matchup was even between the two teams and was sure to be telling of where the teams will go this season.

However, IUP struggled out the gate. The Crimson Hawks gave up two quick goals in the first four minutes of the game. IUP then traded blows with the Marauders over the course of the next 10 minutes in their attempt to stay in the game. Chloe Borland (sophomore, finance), Leah Hunter (sophomore, speech pathology) and Kayte Zeiler (junior, exercise science) scored, bringing IUP’s deficit to one.

Millersville continued their pressure while IUP was not able to keep up. The Marauders outscored the Crimson Hawks 10–2 to close out the half. Three of Millersville’s 10 goals came unassisted from Grace Cobaugh. This put IUP down 14–5 going into halftime.

In a last-ditch effort to not let the game get out of reach, the Crimson

Hawks started the second half with a vengeance. IUP outscored Millersville 4–1 in the first 15 minutes of the second half. The scoring push came on the back of Jordan Kulp (freshman, nursing), who scored the final goal of the first half for IUP as well as two of the four in the run.

Even after the scoring push, IUP still found themselves down 15–9 with only 15 minutes left in the game. That is when Millersville sealed the win and took back all control of the game. The Marauders went on a five-goal scoring run that put the Crimson Hawks well out of reach. IUP scored one last goal in the remainder of the game, making the final score 20–10.

One of the largest issues for IUP was the variety of scoring threats for Millersville. Seven different players scored for the Marauders and three of them had four goals each. The offensive power overloaded the Crimson Hawk defense for much of the game.

However, this does not put IUP in a rough place but shows them areas for improvement as they shape together a very young team.

“There’s always room for improvement, but that is what we are doing every day we are out on the turf together, improving,” said IUP attacker, Victoria Kerkovich (junior, anthropology).

The Crimson Hawks, who started the season ranked at No. 25, are now out of action until spring break. This will give them plenty of time to make adjustments as they prepare for three games next week.

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(TNS) Jonathan Taylor may have worked his way to the top of the running back list after the NFL combine.

Editor’s takeaways from revamped 2020 NFL combine STEVEN LANGDON JR. Managing Editor S.Langdon@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

This article contains opinion.

Another NFL Combine has come and gone as the top prospects showed their talent.

Players go in with the mindset of helping their cause as the draft is more than a month away.

With that in mind, it is now prospect season. What were the biggest takeaways from the 2020 NFL Combine?

The combine schedule change This year, the NFL made a change to when the practices would take place. In previous rendition, the drills would start in the early afternoon at 1 p.m. and end around 5 to 6 p.m.

The days also changed this year.

Last year, the drills were Friday through Monday. This year, they went from Thursday through Sun-

day instead.

The change was welcomed with open arms as people on the East Coast could watch more of the combine live. It exclusively was on the NFL Network, which is not on all TV packages, but the change in times hopefully will stick around for years to come.

Jonathan Taylor separates from the pack Taylor, a junior, went into the combine as the No. 2 running back on some draft boards. After a historic career at Wisconsin, it is shocking most experts didn’t already have him as the top back.

He finished his career with 6,174 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns. Taylor was the first player to have more than 6,000 rushing yards in a three-year span. He is also sixth all-time in rushing yards in NCAA history. The record surely would have been his if he stayed the final year.

At the combine, he ran the fast-

est 40-yard dash for running backs.

There was no doubt that Taylor did better than Swift and beat him in every drill they did. I expect Taylor to start landing in the first round of many mock drafts after the weekend.

Isaiah Simmons is not human Simmons has to be from another world. They made him in a lab. I am convinced after Saturday.

Scouts already had him as a top five pick come April, but he put on a show. He ran the fastest 40-yard dash among linebackers and tied for the seventh best at the combine.

His 40 is better than arguably the two best running backs in the league in Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. Simmons was also top three in vertical jump and broad jump among his position.

He could go as high as No. 3 to the Lions and as low as No. 8 to the Cardinals, in my opinion. Either way, this man is going to cause

offensive linemen many sleepless nights at the next level.

The wide receiver class is stacked Some people going into the draft knew this would be a strong wideout class. The amount of talent is high in the first two days of the draft.

The combine showed the skills of some of the top players. Henry Ruggs III and CeeDee Lamb were two of the stars.

Ruggs showed his speed running the fastest 40-yard dash at the combine with a 4.27. Lamb showed his route running and catching abilities showing acrobatic skills.

My biggest disappointment was not seeing KJ Hamler practice. He has track speed and is the biggest burner in the draft. I would still like to see him put on a little more weight at 178 pounds.

Prospects not participating in drills The combine represents the

best of the best in one spot. This year the combine had some noticeable non-participants.

Some of the players include potentially the top two picks in Joe Borrow and Chase Young. This I have an issue with.

The combine has long been a showcase to distinguish players against each other. A way to determine who is the best at each position on the same field ahead of the draft.

I could understand players sitting out like Tua Tagovailoa. He had a legitimate reason for not participating in the on-field drills.

Borrow could have shown how much better he is compared to players such as Justin Herbert and Jordan Love. I currently do not have him as my No. 1 quarterback in the draft. It would have been nice to see if he could move up my list.

College pro days will help to evaluate the rest of the players.

The NFL Draft begins April 23 in Las Vegas.

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March 3, 2020

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39

Bowman wins in California

(TNS) The Thunder are dark-horse contenders in the Western Conference this year.

Thunder booming past expectations JEFF HART

Lead Sports Writer J.R.Hart2@iup.edu @ThePennIUP

Don’t look now, but the Oklahoma City Thunder are contenders in the Western Conference.

Many fans before the start of the NBA season would have been shocked to hear this statement.

Fans and NBA experts predicted that the Thunder were going to undergo a large rebuild this season.

This notion was largely due to OKC parting ways with superstars Paul George and Russell Westbrook after their first-round exit to the Portland Trailblazers last year in the first round of the playoffs.

From their blockbuster trades of Westbrook and George, the Thunder managed to acquire Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and a whopping six firstround picks.

Sam Presti, president of the Thunder, now looks like a genius after moving the all-world duo. The Thunder have exceeded all expectations this season and sit comfortably at No. 6 in the Western Conference with a record of 37–23.

NBA experts had predicted the

Thunder would finish with only 33 wins this season. Even Thunder head coach Billy Donovan had some question marks coming into the season.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming in,” he said. “I thought we could be a very, very good team.”

Clearly Donovan’s squad is playing like a very good team right now as the Thunder have had the second most wins in the NBA since Thanksgiving with 31.

OKC’s success begs the question “why have they been so good?”

Westbrook just got off averaging a triple double before he was traded, and George was an MVP candidate before his shoulder injury.

The Thunder won 49 games last year and have a chance to do better this season with 21 games left to go this year. Why have they done better?

Even though Westbrook and George were top-tier talents, the assets they gained in return seem to be paying dividends. Chris Paul has been able to mentor Gilgeous-Alexander, who has shown a freakish amount of potential throughout the season, averaging around 19 points per game.

Danilo Gallinari was a bubble all star with the Clippers last season and is doing more of the same with the Thunder. Chris Paul is back to good health after playing only 58 games with the Rockets last year and has already come back to allstar form this season.

The Thunder have improved even after losing a couple of superstar players. The team chemistry and unselfish level of play has caused the Thunder’s quick ascension in the West.

With their ridiculous number of first round picks from the Rockets, Clippers and themselves, the Thunder will be able to rebuild for quite a while.

Oklahoma City has been a super center for scouting talent, as they were able to draft future MVPs Kevin Durant, James Harden and Russel Westbrook.

What was supposed to be a lost season due to rebuilding has become a fight for supremacy in the NBA Western Conference. So, while the Thunder may not necessarily be consider a title contender, they will be able to draft young talent all while winning and “rebuilding” in style.

(TNS) Alex Bowman earned his second career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. Bowman, driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports, led 110 of the race’s 200 laps.

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Johnson working to rekindle memories of past NASCAR glories JAMES F. PELTZ Los Angeles Times TNS When NASCAR’s once-surging popularity began to fall off a decade ago, many fans believed they knew a key reason why: Jimmie Johnson.

Johnson and his No. 48 Chevrolet made winning look easy and routine, and the El Cajon native captured an astonishing five consecutive NASCAR Cup Series titles from 2006 through 2010. He later added two more in 2013 and 2016.

That wasn’t all. Johnson, publicly at least, was the antithesis of the stereotypical good ‘ol boy NASCAR stock-car driver. Win or lose, he was largely unemotional and polite, a clean-cut former off-road racer not given to headline-grabbing outbursts and, in the eyes of many, dominant and boring.

Now, all that largely has been forgotten because Johnson, 44, has announced that this is his final full season after a long drought of not winning. He’s received an outpouring of respect and well-wishes from throughout the sport, and he’s being feted at every track he visits on the 36-race Cup schedule.

The next stop is Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, site of the Auto Club 400 on Sunday and the speedway that Johnson not only calls his home track but where he’s enjoyed some of his greatest success.

Johnson holds the record for most Cup victories at Fontana with six, which included his first Cup win in 2002. His most recent win there came in 2016.

He’ll start strong again Sunday. Johnson on Saturday qualified to start second with a speed of 179.582 mph on the two-mile oval, just behind Clint Bowyer, who won the pole position with a lap of 179.614 mph.

The tributes to Johnson on Sunday will include having him lead the field during its pace laps and having his wife and two daughters wave the green flag to start the race.

Asked before the season what tracks he was most eager to revisit, Johnson said Auto Club Speedway.

“I’ve had a lot of race wins there and a lot of special moments,” he said.

There haven’t been many special

(TNS) Jimmie Johnson will retire from full-time racing at the end of 2020.

moments at any track for Johnson in the last three years. He’s gone 97 races without a victory; his last win came at Dover in June 2017.

His team, Hendrick Motorsports, hoped to spark an improvement by shifting Johnson’s longtime crew chief, Chad Knaus, to another of its drivers and tapping Cliff Daniels as Knaus’ replacement on the Johnson car.

They’re optimistic about this season. Although Johnson was collected in a crash at Daytona that left him with a 35th-place finish, he finished fifth last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I knew we were going to start the year strong,” Johnson said after the Vegas race. “It’s going to be a good year.”

Johnson tweeted his goals for this year on Feb. 7, saying they included “leaving it all on the track week in and week out” and making NASCAR’s playoffs so he at least has a shot at an unprecedented eighth championship. He shares the record of seven titles with Hall of Fame drivers Richard Petty and the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. “I’m going to try really hard to let in the 19 years that I’ve had and the memories that come with that, the relationships, the experienc-

es,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be tough for me. I’m highly competitive.”

Johnson has 83 career Cup victories, tying him with Cale Yarborough for sixth on the all-time list.

Even more notable is that Johnson kept winning despite ever-changing car designs and rules mandated by NASCAR during his 19-year Cup career, including the vastly different Car of Tomorrow that arrived in 2007.

“You never had to make an excuse for Jimmie Johnson,” his team owner Rick Hendrick told reporters last November when Johnson announced his final-season plans.

Johnson thrived because of “his attention to detail, his work ethic,” Hendrick said. “He’s like a computer in the car.”

At the end of 2015, the last year that NASCAR reported the drivers’ race winnings that are divided among their teams, Johnson’s career winnings had totaled $151 million. Forbes estimates that Johnson’s income alone last year from race winnings, salary and endorsements totaled $17.6 million.

While Johnson’s critics viewed his style as bland, Johnson’s fans view him as a classy role model and a driver who was prone to working

harder to overcome setbacks rather than complaining or blaming others.

Those fans include his teammate Chase Elliott, who proclaimed Johnson the best driver in NASCAR history.

“I don’t think it’s even close,” Elliott, son of Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott, told reporters last month. “I don’t think (Johnson’s) ever gotten the respect that he deserves over the course of his career.”

Kyle Busch, the brash two-time and defending Cup champion who started his career as a teammate of Johnson’s at Hendrick, said Johnson has “left a phenomenal footprint on this sport” and that he’s always respected Johnson’s style of racing.

“We’ve never laid a door or a fender or anything on one another,” Busch said. “We’ve always raced each other really, really clean (and) have had great respect for one another.”

Speaking to reporters Friday, Johnson alluded to the negative fan reaction when he was winning so often, and how it’s turned positive as he bids farewell.

“It’s interesting now later in my career, the connection I have with fans,” Johnson said. “That was

something I lacked in my earlier years and certainly when I was winning championships in a row.

“Everything I’ve done behind the wheel, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said. “There is more of a fan piece that I wish would have gone a little different during my peak years.”

Although it’s his last full season, Johnson said he’s not retiring from racing. He said he might enter the Daytona 500 again and that he’s open to racing in certain IndyCar Series events.

“This is not retirement from driving race cars,” he said in January.

“This is just slowing down from 38 weekends a year and you certainly know the stress, pressure and grind that it takes. I’m ready to have some time back on my side and just have a better balance in life.”

When Johnson announced his retirement, a reporter noted Johnson’s vanilla reputation and asked if Johnson’s “wild side” would be more evident to the public after this year.

“When my head is out of the racing space,” Johnson replied. “I’m not very smart. So, when I come to the track, I’ve got to try really hard.”

“That prevents me from being the [carefree] person you see.”

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