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A&E: Theatre premiers ‘The Effects of Gamma Rays On...’
Review: ‘Disenchanted’ is a worthwhile sequel
Photo story: Men’s and women’s basketball
Monday, Nov. 21, 2022
Vol. 55 No. 12
Saginaw Valley State University’s student newspaper
thevalleyvanguard.com
Girl Scouts from several different local troops gathered at SVSU on Nov. 12 to learn about the science of automotive engineering firsthand. Courtesy Photo | Mackenzie Johnson
SVSU STEM Center hosts Girl Scouts badge fest Fara Bommarito Vanguard Reporter
O
n Nov. 12, Saginaw Valley State University hosted the Girl Scouts to partake in an Automotive Engineering badge fest. SVSU’s Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM) Center hosted the Scouts in an effort to “[prepare] students for the STEM workforce,” Adrianne Cole, the director of STEM at SVSU, said. Cole helped create this program to encourage school aged children to learn about STEM and pursue possible career opportunities in the field. The Scouts ranged from kindergarten through fifth grade and included members from the Daisy, Brownie, and Junior Scout Troops. During the event, Scouts had the opportunity to move through stations to design and sketch their own vehicles, explore simple machines, build, and test their own prototype vehicles, manufacture their own set of vehicles
and learn about the history of automotive engineering. These stations helped facilitate what the Scouts needed to learn and understand in order to earn three different badges. Faculty and students from SVSU facilitated the stations. Rajani Muraleedharan, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Peg Jones, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, were joined by Chief Science Officers from high schools in the surrounding area. This event was made possible through a partnership with SVSU, Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan, the Great Lakes Bay Manufacturing Association and Nexteer Automotive. Hemlock Semiconductor and the American Foundry Society also helped sponser the event. “Programs like the Girl Scout Automotive Engineering Design Badge Fest help introduce students to STEM at an early age,” Cole said. “They can see themselves as future engineers through their interactions with amazing SVSU faculty, students, and STEM professionals.”
Girl Scouts test out the prototype vehicles they built during the event. Courtesy Photo | Mackenzie Johnson
Career Services holds Dine & Connect event Danielle Carlisi Vanguard Reporter
Career Services hosted a Dine & Connect on Nov. 16. Associate Director of Career Services LaToya Peoples spoke about the event: “The event went very well,” she said. “Employers and YPN shared both etiquette and networking tips that students are able to use in the future.” From 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Curtiss Hall Banquet rooms, students had the opportunity to eat a three-course meal for free while networking and learning dining etiquette. To attend the event, professional attire was required. “[Students] were able to learn about new job opportunities,
develop new relationships and build their network,” Peoples said. Students in attendance connected with the Saginaw Young Professional Network (YPN) and SVSU employer partners. They even had the chance to arrive early at 4 p.m. to get a free professional headshot. To continue networking, Career Services has three upcoming job fairs. The Fall Education Fair for education majors takes place on Dec. 2 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Manufacturing and Information Technology Fair takes place on Jan. 17 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. The industry-wide Spring Employment Fair takes place on Feb. 3 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. To register, visit Handshake. “Events put on by Career Ser-
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vices help students prepare for their future,” Peoples said. “We share valuable resources and tips that can be used every step of the way to help each student reach their goal and land that dream job.” Assistant Director of Career Services Lizzi Hubble-Radosa spoke about the importance of Career Services events: “One of the big things [about Career Service events] is really building that network. Even if students aren’t looking for a job at that time, being able to have that network under their belt is really beneficial when they do get to that stage,” she said. “Most of our events, our job fairs or any of the smaller events that we host normally have the same recruiters every single time.
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They will start to recognize the student’s face, they’ll remember their name, they’ll remember their resume, so that way when they are ready to graduate, they might even have an in already at a company they’ve been looking at.” To stay up to date, check Handshake for more opportunities. Also, Career Services posts on Instagram @svsucareers and Facebook when events approach. “It’s never too early to get involved with Career Services and attend events,” Peoples said. “In fact, the sooner students begin to explore and clarify their career options, the better they can begin to develop an action plan and we are here every step of the way.” A&E......................A2 Opinion..............A3 Sports.................A4
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SVSU theatre premiers show about toxic family units
Actors put on the play “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” this past weekend. Vanguard Photographer | Anna Alexander
Trinity Sullivan
S
A&E Editor
aginaw Valley State University’s theater department debuted their production of Paul Zindle’s “The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” this past week. The play opened on its Nov 16. performance and ran through the evening of Nov 20. with a total of five performances in the Malcolm Field Theater Hall. The show centers around a dysfunctional family, made of Beatrice (played by Alexis Schultz), a domineering mother and her two daughters, Matilda (Paige Tuckerman) and Ruth (Zoe Gilbert) and their interactions in their home. The plot is driven by Matilda’s involvement in her school’s science fair, in which she is displaying the different growth habits of flower seeds which have been exposed to radioactive materials. Peggy Mead-Finizio, the director of the production and professor of
theater at SVSU, wrote about her connection to the story in the playbill. “The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds is a play I have wanted to work on since I was in 8th grade,” she wrote “When reading the script as an 8th grader, I was excited because I was a similar age to Tillie and could see myself in her insecurities and her drive to persevere.” She mentioned how lasting the effects the play had on her have been. And how this production aimed to recreate that feeling in the audience. “Through the years, I have revisited the script and imagined what might have happened to Tillie after the events in the play,” Mead-Finizio said. “Our version of the play places her in 9th grade and I hope younger audience members can relate to the story of our protagonist. I still relate to her in some ways. Maybe you will too. ” Daija Thornton, a sophomore pre-health student, played Janice, Matilda’s main rival in the science fair whose project involved preserving a
cat’s skeleton. Thornton reflected on her experience with the play “This is my first show so one of the challenges I had to get over was being awkward when I was connecting with my character and saying her lines,” she said. “I don’t really “connect” with the play per se since my character doesn’t interact with the rest of the world the play is set on, but I have connected with Janice in trying to put reason behind why she did what she did for her science project.” Thornton also shared a bit about how she hoped her performance would impact the audience, as well as her highlights from the production. “I hope they find Janice funny and that the way I portray her is entertaining to watch,” Thornton said. “(Overall) I think the turnout has been pretty good, especially with how the weather has been. My favorite part of Gamma Rays is Salvador, the rabbit and seeing him eat his treats.” Lila Duvendack, a freshman
theater and psychology major played Nannie, an elderly boarder who lives with Matilda’s family. Duvendackalso shared some of her favorite parts of the production. “My favorite part of this production is working with such amazing cast and crew members- especially Salvador our rabbit.” She said “I connect a lot with the message (of the play). Finding those moments of optimism and hope is something I’ve found crucial in my life when things felt harder and it’s lovely to see” Duvendack continued, describing some of the hardship she faced in her role as well. “My personal challenges mostly followed being able to properly show the age of Nanny.” Duvendack said “We initially had plans to use prosthetics, but I learned late in the process I have negative reactions to (them), and we had little time to shift to makeup instead. This was also my first time playing a character of such an age so being able to properly embody the physicality was also a learning curve”
Marshall Fredricks Museum hosts “Black Elk” author Alyssa McMillan Editor-in-Chief
On Nov. 17, SVSU and the Marshall M Fredericks Museum hosted Father Michael Steltenkamp. He is known for writing books on Black Elk. Those books include: “Black Elk: Holy Man of the Oglala” and “Nicholas Black Elk: Medicine Man, Missionary, Mystic.” Steltenkamp earned his PhD at Michigan State University before
going on to become a Professor of Anthropology and Religious Studies at Wheeling Jesuit University. Most of his books center around Black Elk, who was a “medicine man” of the Oglala Lakota people. He was a young man in 1876 and witnessed first-hand the Battle of Little Bighorn. He toured with the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show before returning to Pine Ridge Reservation. He is best known for the interviews he did with poet John Neihardt. In
A sculpture of Black Elk sits outside the Marshall Fredricks Museum Courtesy Photo
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these interviews, he talked about his religious views, visions, and his life experiences. SVSU features a statue on campus of Black Elk which was created by Marshall Fredericks. The event, which was organized by SVSU student Lindsey Somero and overseen by Associate Professor of History Jules Gehrke, gave students the opportunity to talk to Steltenkamp and ask questions Curator of Education Andrea Ondish thinks this was a great opportunity for students. “Programs like this give students, like Lindsey, the chance to coordinate events, learn about how history, politics, art and other curricula all connect and to create powerful statements and conversations,” she said. “They also learn how to emotionally and intelligently discuss issues presented in the exhibitions from different points of views. Art is more than just aesthetics.” The museum also has an exhibit right now focusing on native art and the impact of nuclear testing on their environment. The exhibit is called “Exposure: Native Art and Political Ecology” and will be at the museum until Dec. 10. Ondish said the museum will offer more programs like this in the future. “The Museum will offer more programs like this one for all students, faculty, staff and the public to learn from and share,” she said. “You can keep informed of them by viewing our calendar of events on our website.”
Father Michael Steltenkamp, Author of Black Elk books. Courtesy Photo
Books written by Father Michael Steltenkamp. Courtesy Photo
Current exhibits and public events can be found on the museum website: marshallfredericks.org
A&E Editor Trinity Sullivan E-mail tdsulliv@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram @TheValleyVanguard
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Opinion
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Review: ‘Disenchanted’ is a worthwhile sequel Alyssa McMillan Editor-in-Chief
anmcmill@svsu.edu
D
isney was a big part of my life growing up, as I assume it was for most people. For most little girls, princess movies are everything- everyone has a different favorite princess movie, for most it’s Beauty and the Beast or Snow White. Mine was always a little bit different. My favorite princess movie growing up was Enchanted. A quick overview: the movie follows a princess named Giselle in a fairytale land. The evil queen pushes her down a well and she leaves her prince and fairytale land for a much scarier place: New York City. Now, it is a Disney movie, so everything turns out okay in the end. She meets her real soulmate, saves
the day, lives happily ever after. So, imagine my surprise when they announced it wasn’t happily ever after after all. Disney’s Disenchanted came out on Nov. 18 and it was everything they promised it would be. The original movie gave this one a lot to live up to. It was a fairytale that mixed cartoon and reality. It had singing, dancing, and a very skeptical Patrick Dempsey. All of these things made the original perfect. Disenchanted started off on a strong foot by making sure to bring back the original cast. Patrick Dempsey was back as Robert, Amy Adams as Giselle, Idina Menzel as Nancy, and James Marsden as Edward. Morgan even made a return in this film, although she was played by someone new. They also included singing, which was a vital part of the first movie and is for this one as well.
This movie, without giving spoilers, follow Giselle as she struggles with her version of happily ever after. New York is much different than her home, and happily ever after doesn’t necessarily exist in the real world. You might get the happy ending, but then you have to keep working to make it last . Giselle goes looking for something a little bit closer to what she had at home and ends up putting this world, and her old world, in grave danger. The plot of the movie was enough to keep viewers on the edge of their seats, from the very beginning there were riveting problems for the characters to face. If you’re a fan of the original, it’s nail biting because everything in that movie is at risk of falling apart. Morgan is grown up and wants to figure things out on her own. Robert is busy with work and commuting back into the city after their move.
The start just feels like the magic of the first movie is gone and its only real life now. However, as the movie goes on, the magic comes back, the singing, the dancing, and most importantly, the true love. I think there’s something beautiful in these movies as they romanticize real life. They show that you don’t have to be a princess to get your happily ever after. Maybe the right person isn’t a prince named Edward, but a lawyer named Robert. These movies show that magic exists everywhere and even if your life isn’t how you expected it to turn out, that doesn’t mean that it’s wrong. Overall, this movie is a much watch for anyone who was a fan of the original. It’s also a much watch for those who haven’t seen Enchanted, which is a crime, so you should watch that one right away too.
Disney’s ‘queerbaiting’ isn’t as bad as it seems Danielle Carlisi Reporter
dmcarlis@svsu.edu
Disney has a brutal history of queerbaiting, but it’s not as bad as everyone says it is. Disney is one of the most influential businesses in the world between its movies, theme parks, streaming service and more. As of 2020, its net worth is $140 billion, according to Slide Business. With this much power, it’s no wonder people demand representation. Its high pedestal makes it ideal for making big strides towards equality, but Disney continuously chooses profit instead. In order to balance profit and representation, Disney gained a reputation for queerbaiting
constantly. For those unfamiliar, queerbaiting is the marketing of apparent queer characters for marketing while keeping their sexuality ambiguous to avoid scrutiny. For example, Disney attracted media attention when they promised to include a lesbian kiss in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but then placed the kiss in the background between two minor side characters. Another example would be the 2022 movie Lightyear, where they guaranteed a scene where two women kiss, but it was a small peck between, again, two minor characters. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also falls into this category. Despite the uproar for years over this issue, Disney continues to do this over and over, but there is a reason. Disney is a business with a goal to make as much money as possible. They are adding as
much representation of the LGBT community as they feel possible without losing money, and that’s not necessarily as bad as people say it is. With the inclusion of LGBT moments sprinkled throughout different Disney movies, they are unintentionally normalizing love between same-sex couples. Because the spotlight isn’t on these couples, they’re portrayed more normally and naturally than if they had a big show made over them, just like any other couple. Even though it feels like Disney is catering to homophobic moviegoers by not putting these moments in the spotlight, they are still exposing them to queer media which is a step in the right direction. There is also a tendency of fans to throw around the term ’queerbaiting’ lightly. The term has been used to describe real people like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and many more, but it is
impossible for real people to market their sexuality. Real people do not owe the public a coming out statement. To demand one is grossly entitled and hurtful. Also, Disney might not explicitly state a character ’s sexuality, but they are adding explicitly queer moments to their movies which is, by definition, not queerbaiting. Criticism towards Disney is totally valid for many reasons, but Disney is , in a way, making big strides towards representation, and eventually main characters will be out and proud. It’s ok to demand more. Without the push for representation, Disney wouldn’t even have come this far. It’s important to remember, though, that their main goal is, and will always be, making more money. They dont care about representation unless we push them to.
How to go thrifting without angering employees Trinity Sullivan A&E Editor
tdsulliv@svsu.edu
I worked at a thrift store over the past summer, and while it was a super fun job, it made me realize something. I’ve been thrift shopping wrong, and just about everyone else has been too. While certain things may not seem like a big deal to those shopping, they can make employees lives really tedious, especially when it seems like everyone is doing them. Some days it seemed like everyone thought that rules didn’t exist just because it was a second-hand store, and my co-workers and I could hardly get anything done on account of it. Thats why I’m asking you to take a few small steps to change your thrifting habits to help out your thrift store employees. Number one- Please make sure clothing stays on its hanger. It was astounding the amount of times we would see someone look at a shirt and either leave it half off the hanger, let it fall to the floor, or toss it over top of the rack (the mens pants are especially bad for that). Accidents happen, and everyone is bound to not notice something
sometimes, and thats okay, but please make sure you’re being vigilant and keeping clothing off the floor. The employees aren’t your maids, we shouldn’t have to follow you around cleaning up after you, and items on the floor like that could lead to somebody getting really hurt. If you wouldn’t do it at home, or in Kohl’s, don’t do it at a thrift store. Number two- Please don’t leave unwanted clothing in the middle of a random rack. Theres usually a go-back-rack at the ends of the aisles or outside the dressing rooms for unwanted clothes, and if thats even too much of an issue, we would appreciate you leaving it on the end caps of the aisles or handing it to us instead. The aisles are sorted to make it easier for customers to find things, some stores sort by size, others by item type, color, and even by solids and prints. When the aisles are kept in order, they tend to stay in order, but the more unwanted clothing people do leave, the more unwanted clothing people will leave. It helps us to keep the store clean for you when you put things back correctly, and it also allows us to spend more time getting new donations out when we don’t have to spend an hour picking womens pants out of the children’s shirts.
At the thrift store chain I worked at, you had to log how many racks of donations you put away, and they wanted you to complete about one large rack every 20 minutes. These racks were packed full, really full, and they took a while to be put away, but you could be penalized for not being ‘up to speed’. When you leave the aisles in a mess, not only are you making it harder for everyone to find what they need, but you could be getting the employees in trouble because they needed to take the time to clean up after you. Number three- let us put away our racks. We would have to stop and wait so often because people would go through the rack we were putting up. It was super common to grab a handful of clothing to put away, and have four people all start thumbing through the rack you need to get to while you back was turned. It’s totally okay to look at something on the racks that we’re putting away, but please be purposeful about it. If you see something you want to look at, go ahead and look at it, but please don’t go through the entire rack if you don’t need to, we are timed, after all. Number four- please clean up after yourself in the dressing room. The amount of times we’ve walked into a pile of inside out, hanger-less
pants in the dressing room is honestly kind of sad. There are go-back-racks right outside, please take the time to hang up your clothing on them instead of leaving it on the floor. Number five- please take your hangers with you. It may seem strange to be asked that if we’re just going to take them from you at checkout, but it helps a lot to keep the aisles clear if you take the hanger with you. It lessens clutter on the clothing racks and lets us put up more clothing for you to look through. Its also easier for you, you’re already grabbing the item, so just skip the step of putting the hanger back in the aisle. Number six- please don’t ride the bikes. Please don’t make me ask you to stop running, riding things, or doing anything else that you probably shouldn’t do in a store. It’s a huge safety risk and it sets a bad example for kids in the store who we will have to also remind not to ride the bikes. At the end of the day, please just keep in mind the effect that your actions have on everyone else around you. Little things like double checking if a shirt is hanging correctly are easy not to think about, but they make a big difference to people down the line.
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The Valley Vanguard is published by the students of Saginaw Valley State University weekly in the fall and winter semesters, with one issue published in the summer. Our office is located in Curtiss 110a on the campus of SVSU, at 7400 Bay Road, University Center, MI, 48710.
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Opinion Editor: Trinity Sullivan | E-mail tdsullivs@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram @TheValleyVanguard
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Sports
Photo story: Women’s basketball wins against ODU
Victoria Stafford looks around with the ball in her hands for a teammate to pass it to. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
Kaitlyn Zarycki runs with the ball and her opponent down the court. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
Lauren Sollom holds her hands out trying to block her opponent. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
Lydia Meredith holds the ball in the corner of the court and looks for an opening to pass it. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
Photo story: Men’s basketball wins both games this week
Jiovanni Miles tosses the ball to his teammates. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
The Cardinals try to block the opponent from jumping and shooting the ball. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
Alijah Harrison dribbles the ball down the court. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
Ethan Hill outstretches his arms to block the opponent from passing the ball to his teammate. Valley Vanguard Photographer | Capri Kloha
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@TheValleyVanguard Sports Editor Cameron Brown | E-mail cbrown14@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram
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