The Valley Vanguard Vol 54 No 8

Inside A2

Inside A3

Inside A6

News: Police briefs

A&E: Valley Nights hosts game night

Sports: Football defeats Wayne State

Monday, Oct. 25, 2021

Vol. 54 No. 8

thevalleyvanguard.com

Saginaw Valley State University’s student newspaper

(Top left) Junior Olivia Getzinger (left) and junior Nikki Devenney relax after helping organize Thankful Thursday. (Top right) Senior Sean Dougherty (left), fifth-year Tera Peters (middle), and fifth-year Hannah Lockwood (right) find beads for their bracelets. (Bottom left) Sophomore Raegan Forgie (left), sophomore Olivia Krejci (middle), and sophomore Alexis Ragnone (right) dress up in costumes. (Bottom right) Freshman Hailey Kross (left) and freshman Claire Betsch (right) create bracelets. Vanguard Photographer | Sarah Brege

Forever Red and Valley Nights team up for friendship Madeline Bruessow Vanguard A&E, Opinion Editor

O

n Thursday, Oct. 21, Forever Red hosted its Thankful Thursday event for the month of October.

The event took place in the TSAR. Thankful Thursday is hosted

by Forever Red all throughout the year. This month, Forever Red partnered with Valley Nights for the October Friendship Thankful

Thursday.

“Thankful Thursday is a yearround event in which each month we dedicate our time to being thankful for a specific topic,” Macy Docken, pre-nursing junior and vice president of Enhance for Forever Red said. “During that month, we (host) an event to help individuals on campus highlight what they are thankful for (while having) a good time.”

A variety of activities were pre-

sented at the October Thankful Thursday event for students to enjoy, including snacks, a photo booth, friendship bracelets, and the movie “Luca.”

“Preparing for this event, we had multiple meetings with Valley Nights, in which we discussed how to execute the event,” Docken said. “There was a lot of planning that went into this event as there are very many aspects that students could participate in,

such as the photo booth, making friendship bracelets, watching the movie, eating snacks, etc.”

With the monthly Thankful Thursdays, Forever Red hopes to encourage the SVSU community to slow down and take a moment to reflect on things they are thankful for.

“Thankful Thursdays (are) all about highlighting all the things in life to be thankful for,” Docken said. “Sometimes, as our life gets

very busy, we tend to not realize all the amazing things that we have. Therefore, this event aims to let the SVSU community appreciate the little things.”

The entire SVSU community is invited to participate in Thankful Thursdays.

“Anyone in the SVSU community was allowed to attend the event,” Docken said. “All (are) welcome as we are just trying to show what we are thankful for.”

Potential Cardinals flock campus Pastries and politics Sadie Shepherd Vanguard Reporter

On Saturday, Oct. 23, SVSU hosted its Fall Open House. The event was the first of its kind being held on campus since before the COVID pandemic.

Tours took place across campus, with guests exploring various housing options as well as academic and recreational buildings while getting to meet with faculty and staff.

Associate Director of Admissions Anderson Bearden said the event is imperative for incoming students to get a true feel for their potential alma mater.

“This is the one day of the year that students – especially students who are not fully decided on a major – can speak with faculties and see facilities for multiple different majors when they come for a tour,” Bearden said.

“If they come during the week, the faculty are in those labs teaching our current students and so … this is their chance to really explore all the majors as well as Student Life offices and everything from the Honors program to marching band and ev-

erything in between.”

Being the first open house held in two years came with its own challenges, as the need to spread out the event was necessary to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Bearden said this challenge paired with staffing issues, became difficult while trying to create the same experience for guests as in years’ past.

“When almost every office on campus is short staffed and everybody being stretched thin to then try and do that, it really requires … more effort to try to plan it so that it can go off in two different places and not have a diminished product for the guests that are coming,” Bearden said. “We want to make sure that they don’t notice any difference.

They walk in and they get everything they were looking for and they don’t realize that it used to be a little bit tighter, more compact and easier to get through.”

Finance sophomore Madelyn Rumsey is the tour coordinator for events like this as well as general tours throughout the week.

She reinforced the struggles that have come up for her and the

Send news tips and press releases to: Email: vanguard@svsu.edu Call: 989-964-4482

Shelby Mott Vanguard Editor-in-Chief

The SVSU College Democrats and College Republicans hosted “politics and pastries” Monday, Oct. 18.

Abigail Sefcik, political science sophomore and the president of the College Republicans, said that the purpose of this event was to give students a chance to express their views on a pre-selected topic, outside of the classroom.

“A lot of times, students are raised to believe that there is a stigma be-

hind being a member of one political party or another, but when the views of each political party are described, it gives students a chance to evaluate their beliefs and determine what best describes themselves, which was the purpose of the event,” Sefcik said. “We want to give students a chance to be involved civically, and at the end of the day, I believe the forum accomplished that goal.”

McClain Mercer, public administration junior and president of the

See POLITICS A2

Music ed senior Pierce Tyndall, gives info on the music program at the Fall Open House. Vanguard Photographer | Audrey Bergey

many student tour guides working the event.

“This year has been more difficult than years before, mainly COVID has always added extra steps you have to jump through,” she said.

“For our tour rooms, normally at an open house we can show rooms where people are living but right

See HOUSE A2

Advertising inquiries: Call: 989-9264-4482 Email: valleyvanguardadvertising@gmail.com

Junior McClain Mercer (left) and sophomore Abigail Sefcik (right) debate over the bill of rights. Vanguard Photo Editor | Brooke Elward

News.............A1-A2 A&E.....................A3

Opinion...............A4 Sports............A5-A6

News

Page A2 | Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 | thevalleyvanguard.com | The Valley Vanguard

OUTober continues with Pins and Pride event POLICE

Freshman Trista Counts, works on pins and keychains. Vanguard Photographer | Audrey Bergey

Alyssa McMillan

O

Vanguard News Editor

n Wednesday, Oct. 20, the Pride Center held Pins and Pride as part of their ongoing OUTober event.

OUTober is a month–long event created to celebrate those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ and are out. Pride Month, which is typically held in June, happens outside

of the school year. OUTober gives students a chance to celebrate on campus.

“OUTober was an idea that I came up with back in August to promote LGBTQ+ awareness and kindness on campus,” Abbey Sura, a master’s of social work grad student said. “We’re not in regular session during June when Pride Month usually happens. I wanted to put on OUTober to give students the opportunity to celebrate

Doctor who exposed Flint water crisis to come speak Shelby Mott Vanguard Editor-in-Chief

SVSU is set to host Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha for a lecture about the water crisis in Flint on Monday, Oct. 25.

“Hanna-Attisha’s public lecture will underscore the fact that this issue happened in Flint because it is one of our nation’s poorest cities and the catastrophic results highlight what happens when we do not have equality nor equity,” Heidi Lang the pre-health professions advisor said. “It is imperative that our students learn about what went wrong in Flint and best practices to ensure this does not happen again in any city.”

Lang said Hanna-Attisha is a pediatrician, scientist, public health advocate and author of the bestselling book, “What the Eyes Don’t See,” which chronicled the Flint Water Crisis.

“Hanna-Attisha is founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley’s Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative,” Lang said. “She has testified twice before the United States Congress, awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage by PEN America, and named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the world for her role in uncovering the Flint Water Crisis and leading recovery efforts.”

Lang said that Hanna-Attisha’s book is a firsthand look at the water crisis in Flint.

“In 2014, a change in the city’s water source resulted in astronomical amounts of lead settling into the drinking water, causing irrevers-

ible damage to Flint’s residents. Hanna-Attisha used science to prove Flint kids were exposed to lead and showed tremendous courage when she publicly shared her research and faced brutal backlash from our own state government, who challenged her assertions and her credibility,” Lang said. “Given her family background in activism, Hanna-Attisha persisted and led the charge to have the water source changed and has made it her mission to do all that she can to continue advocating for Flint’s youngest citizens, the children, through the Flint Child Health and Development fund.”

Lang said that Hanna-Attisha’s story is a lesson for everyone about the dangers of making costly decisions that impact future generations to come.

“Students, faculty, and staff will hear about the importance of bringing all voices to the table – the value of inclusion – when making life altering decisions as opposed to only looking at balancing budgets,” Lang said. “The argument in the media–and shared repeatedly in the book – is that this water issue would not have happened in affluent communities. It happened because it was in Flint, which is ranked among the nation’s top 5 poorest cities. For $80 to $100 per day, Flint’s residents could have been spared this mental and physical tragedy–richer communities would have found the resources to make sure it was done right.”

Lang said that this lecture was made possible through SVSU’s Early Assurance Program partnership with MSU’s College of Human Medicine and sponsored in part by an SVSU Foundation Resource Grant.

pride on campus.”

Sura organized and came up with the event. “‘Pins and Pride’ is part of the Pride Centers series of OUTober events to promote LGBTQ+ awareness,” Sura said. “We wanted to provide a fun opportunity for students to craft and get to know one another. [And] to have a relaxing night celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.”

A variety of options were provided to students to create the different pins and flags.

“We had seed bead pride flags as well as perler beads to make pride flag keychains,” Sura said. “We also had shirts for students to color.”

The different beads were set up at different tables around the rotunda.

Safety pins and beads were used to make the pins while perler beads were used to make the keychains.

Irons were provided in the back to fuse the perler beads together.

“Ask me about my pronoun” pins were also at each table, and students were encouraged to take one. Gift bags were handed out on the way out.

The Pride Center has one more event for OUTober planned.

“Our next, and last, event is Guess Who with FEMME,” she said. “That will be on Zoom next week on Thursday, Oct. 28.”

POLITICS, continued from A1 College Democrats, said that the topic they chose to discuss this month was gun control policies.

“We pick one topic and discuss in a casual setting,” Mercer said. “This keeps it from a debate and allows it to remain civil.”

Sefcik said the event was set up as a forum rather than as a debate.

“In this open forum, students are free to share their beliefs without the fear of judgment,” Sefcik said. “University is the place where we should all be able to come to conclusions about our beliefs, without condemnation.”

Sefcik said she hoped that people were able to realize the benefit of knowing what the other side thought about a specific topic, and that the event also taught her some things.

“This event showed me the differences of opinions among students,” Sefcik said. “In politics, it is easy to whitewash people into one group or another and not to recognize their differences within those party lines, but what the event did for me was establish those different points of belief from within party lines.

It’s also easy to think negatively about a group of people you don’t know, but when we have conversations in a polite and constructive way, that negativity has nowhere to hide.”

Mercer said this event helped him realize there are more students that enjoy talking about current events and are passionate about them across campus.

“I hope that our attendees and anyone that hears of it can see that people can get along regardless of their political party views and that we can have civil discussions about hot topics,” Mercer said.

Mercer said the two groups plan to host a “pastries and politics” event each month, discussing new topics.

Empty Chair Display raises suicide awareness Shelby Mott Vanguard Editor-in-Chief

Active Minds put on the Empty Chair Display on Oct. 20 in Curtiss where they also held a table sit to speak with those who came to see the display.

Anna Grattan, psychology senior, said the display is put on every year to raise suicide awareness.

“Twenty chairs were put on display, each representing 1,110 students on college campuses lost every year to suicide in the U.S. Each chair had a statistic, a warning sign, a way to help, a survivor story, or risk factors, all regarding suicide,” Grattan said. “Students were able to look at the display, take a free inspirational sticker, and fill out a message they would tell someone who is struggling on our whiteboard.”

Grattan said the display was important for Active Minds to put together because it’s an organization that advocates for mental health and reducing the stigma around it.

Grattan said putting the display together was a rewarding experience.

“Getting to tell survivor stories is impactful,” Grattan said. “Even if just one person was inspired by this display today,

Empty chairs used to raise awareness for suicide. Vanguard Photographer | Audrey Bergey

we did our job.”

Grattan said she hoped other people found the display to be beneficial.

“I hope that people understand that they are not alone,” Grattan said. “Whether you are a mental health advocate or someone who struggles with mental health, you are important and people care about you.

I hope that everyone who attended today knows this and feels reassured.”

Grattan said she also hoped the display inspired people to start conversations.

“I also hope that promoting suicide awareness will facilitate the conversation around mental health and create change, just as we do,” Grattan said.

BRIEFS Police briefs are written based on reports from University Police. They indicate preliminary descriptions of events and not necessarily actual incidents.

Suspicious Person On Oct. 14 at 6:14 p.m. officers were dispatched to investigate a “suspicious person” in D Lot. They responded to the call and contacted the “suspicious person.”

He was waiting to give someone a ride who was in class. Officers spoke with him and cleared the scene.

Marijuana On Oct. 14 at 11:01 p.m. officers noticed a vehicle in H Lot. The vehicle was occupied.. It was found that one of the occupants was in possession of marijuana and had a medical card for the possession of it. The occupants of the vehicle were told that marijuana was not allowed on campus and needed to remove it. This incident was turned over to Student Code of Conduct.

Intoxication On Oct. 16 at 3:00 p.m. officers contacted a 21-year-old male resident who was vomiting in a trash can in C Lot. The student had too much to drink at the football tailgate. He was checked

by Kochville Fire and Rescue who cleared him to go home.

Property damage On Oct. 16, officers were notified that several vehicles were parked on the grass, north of C Lot. The vehicles left large ruts in the grass causing damage. Several vehicles were identified. This incident remains open.

On Oct. 16 at 3:28 p.m. officers responded to a call from Living Center Southwest for a kitchen fire that had already been put out. Contact was made with the male resident who stated he was cooking when the pan caught on fire. He covered the pan with a lid and then took the lid off and the fire flared up. He put the fire out with a fire extinguisher. There was no damage to the apartment.

HOUSE, continued from A1 now because of COVID we have way (fewer) rooms than we normally do with the same amount of people who we expect to visit, about 600 people into six rooms while being COVID-friendly.”

Based on the number of guests RSVP’d and the anticipated 65% show rate, Bearden said this year’s event likely drew between 700 and 800 guests to campus.

Bearden said this is slightly lower than in the past, but not by much considering the circumstances.

“In years, past, we didn’t have any restrictions, we didn’t have any of the obstacles or hurdles, not only that but the students didn’t have any obstacles or hurdles and restrictions,” he said. “It is not infrequent at all for us to have guests sign up for tours and events to say, ‘Oh, nope, my whole class is in quarantine now and I won’t be able to attend.’”

Rumsey said the main goal in training the tour guides for the event, many of whom have not seen an open house for themselves before now, is to emphasize catering to individual families even at largescale events like this.

“All of our tours are for the most part individual families, unless something comes up or there is a rare circumstance,” she said. “We personalize all of our tours and (the tour guides) get to see how we personalize it for them.”

The next opportunity for guests to come take an in-depth look at campus will be at Cardinal College Day on Saturday, Nov. 20 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

The Valley Vanguard

News Editor Alyssa McMillan | E-mail anmcmill@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram @TheValleyVanguard 110A Curtiss Hall

thevalleyvanguard.com vanguard@svsu.edu

A&E

The Valley Vanguard | thevalleyvanguard.com | Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 | Page A3

University Art Gallery hosts exhibit by Mark Rumsey Connor Rousseau

T

Vanguard Reporter

he University Art Gallery is hosting Mark Rumsey’s exhibit, “Objects of Consumption.”

The exhibit consists of elements cast from packaging materials that came from objects of consumption.

Rumsey will be giving a public lecture about his exhibit 3 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28.

Fourteen pieces were on display in the exhibit made from foam, paint, flocking and composition gold leaf.

They were titled “Greener Grass,” “Aschenbecher 1970,” “Actuator,” “Spores,” “Regulators,” “iRock,” “Disguise,” “Console,” “Remnant,” “Hull,” “Distention,” “Absorbing Light,” “Basking” and “Container Wall”.

The largest item in the exhibit was the Container Wall, which is around the size of the side of a shipping container, measuring 8.5 feet by 20 feet.

Sara Clark is a studio art technician and gallery coordinator for the University Art Gallery who also serves as an art instructor.

She said the theme surrounding consumption stood out to her.

“For many reasons, I am acutely aware of the materiality of world,” Clark said.

“I am not a big consumer, but I also don’t throw anything away. I spend most of my time trying to figure out what to do with everything. I appreciate a well-designed, sturdy box, and my field requires me to have a lot of packing material at the ready, so Rumsey’s concept is interesting to me.”

Clark also said this exhibit is highly relevant in 2021 with the onslaught of the pandemic and the impact it had on our consumer habits.

“With COVID and all the online shopping

Object of Consumption: “Disguise,” 2021 (left) and Object of Consumption: “Console,” 2020 (right). Vanguard Photographer | Sarah Brege that took place, and the fact that now these containers are stuck out at sea, it is relevant to see the scale of waste and contemplate how it can be repurposed into beautiful tactile objects,” she said. ”Beyond that, art is uplifting, and the gallery space is beautiful, and you can hear your own thoughts as you meander through the sculptures.”

Rumsey, the artist behind the exhibit itself, said he did not have a favorite or leastfavorite piece on display.

“Each piece offered me unique challenges in production; some lent themselves to an end with ease, some caused me to struggle,”

he said. “Either way, each piece has given me some sense of satisfaction both in the making process and in its final result.

Rumsey said his inspiration for the exhibit stems from his experiences with the world around him.

“I had a job purchasing luxury products for wealthy clients,” he said. “When fragile items arrived, I would open and inspect them for any potential damage. I often found myself more interested in the packaging materials than the objects themselves. I started to collect the packaging materials and began exploring potential uses for them in

my studio.”

Rumsey said that art making is about creating experiences, and such experiences are part of what he wants visitors to take away with them.

“As an artist, I attempt to craft a framework for such experiences, which I present in the exhibition,” he said. “There are two very different experiences that are on display that are tied together by common content and mode of production. What can be taken away by a viewer is dependent on the viewer’s desire to engage with the objects and the proposed purpose of their existence.”

Student Life Center holds a night of open gaming Connor Rousseau Vanguard Reporter

The Student Life Center brought gamers together Thursday evening for a night of open gaming.

All students were welcome and could play on Xbox, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch consoles.

Virtual reality gaming was also an option for students.

The event also included a raffle for a gaming basket.

Gracie Lopez, a marketing junior, helped execute Thursday night’s event.

She is the digital gaming coordinator for Valley Nights.

“My role … is to make sure all the technology, volunteers, raffles and advertisements are set up,” she said. “I also lead all the volunteers to complete different roles like sanitizing, watching the equipment, and greeting everyone at the event.”

Lopez said she measured the success of the event based on how well the students connected with one another. She said networking and making new friends were

important aspects of these gaming nights.

“I really hope that people can make fun memories,” she said. “I strive to see students getting outside their comfort zone and meet in one place over some awesome video games.”

Lopez said she works with her friend Haley Carnaghi in Valley Nights to promote the gaming nights and that social media outreach is important as well.

She also said they communicate over the Valley Nights gaming discord server.

John Austin is a computer science freshman who attended the event and met new people. He said he heard about the event through the discord server for Valley Nights.

His favorite part of the event was gaming with other people who have a similar passion for the art of gaming.

The event also offered board games for those interested, proving that gaming is more than just video games.

“You have to look at where games started and appreciate the classics,” Austin said.

Gabrielle Reed, a creative writing freshman, attended the event. She said that she heard about the event through the

Audree Irish and Gabrielle Reed play Minecraft. Vanguard Photography Editor | Brooke Elward Valley Nights Instagram page.

“My favorite part of the event is playing

the PS4 with my roommate, Aubree Irish,” Reed said.

SVSU Rocks spreads kindness with rock painting event

Freshman Kari Brown, fifth-year Elle Rabior, and sophomore Myles Losey paint rocks to hide on campus. Vanguard Photographer | Audrey Bergey

Sadie Shepherd Vanguard Reporter

The SVSU RHA held an event encouraging students to express their creativity in a unique way.

The organization held an event called SVSU Rocks, where students painted rocks with various images and quotes. Then the rocks were hidden around campus to be found by

other students Health science senior Vivian Messerschmidt is the vice president of programming for RHA. She organized the event based on a group from her locality.

“The inspiration from this event came from [the group] 517 Rocks,” she said. “The area code from my hometown is 517, so they have a similar program to the one we are putting on.”

The 517 Rocks Facebook group has 9,400

members who paint, hide and find rocks around the area.

A similar local group called Saginaw Bay Rocks is also active on Facebook with 5,100 members.

Though a popular pastime now, painting rock for others to find was relatively unheard of until 2015. That year, Megan Murphy hid a painted rock at Cape Cod and her friend found it. This inspired her to keep painting

rocks and eventually led her to start The Kindness Rocks Project. The project’s website says its purpose is “to cultivate connections within communities and lift others up through simple acts of kindness.”

Messerschmidt hopes that SVSU Rocks will help to connect students and encourage exploration in a similar way.

“I hope that students will gain a better sense of community here on campus,” she said. “I think that it’s a great way to encourage students to get outside and explore campus.”

Nursing senior and RHA president Emily Sanders agreed.

“Rock Painting and hiding will help build a community at SVSU,” she said. “Students might see a cool rock and share it with their friends or classmates. They can also go out and search for rocks with their friends or paint some rocks to destress. Maybe seeing a painted rock will make them smile during a hard week.”

Sanders said she enjoyed hosting the event and seeing new faces participate.

“SVSU Rocks was a fun event to put on,” she said. “I love seeing people who haven’t been to our programs before because it shows that RHA is able to provide a fun experience to a variety of students at SVSU.” For the rest of the semester, Messerschmidt said RHA has several events planned to connect campus residents and commuters.

The Valley Vanguard

A&E Editor Madeline Bruessow | E-mail mpbruess@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram @TheValleyVanguard 110A Curtiss Hall

thevalleyvanguard.com vanguard@svsu.edu

Opinion

Page A4 | Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 | thevalleyvanguard.com | The Valley Vanguard

Should video games include Nazi imagery?

Yes, it makes games realistic No, it is offensive to survivors Connor Rousseau Reporter Elementary Education csrousse@svsu.edu

Our world continues to be molded by harsh handed political correctness.

While being politically correct makes sense in many situations and social interactions, there comes a point in which it goes too far, a point in which being politically correct becomes a weapon of woke-ism.

Historical video games are the latest victims of politically correct censorship.

World War II has always been a popular setting for first-person shooter games like “Wolfenstein,” “Call of Duty,” “Medal of Honor” and “Battlefield.”

It was the deadliest conflict in human history less than a century ago. The Holocaust slaughtered millions of Jews and other minorities at the hands of the Nazis.

The swastika is the symbol that united the Third Reich. One cannot see a swastika and not feel a sense of unease.

When it comes to “Call of Duty,” pressure has been mounting for developers to censor the symbol of the Third Reich in their video games. “Call of Duty World War II,” which was released in 2017, censored the red, white and black symbol in both multiplayer and zombie modes.

The campaign still featured the swastika in some ways, but Nazi uniforms and the Nazi eagle replaced the swastika with the euphemistic iron cross, breaking all sense of immersion throughout the single-player campaign.

In video games inspired by past events, historical honesty is paramount in promoting a precise perception of World War II. While immersion is less important in multiplayer and zombies modes, the campaign should always remain untouched by political correctness.

Firstly, political correctness did not exist in the 1940s.

Planting the iron cross on the armbands of SS soldiers and the helmets of the Wehrmacht is an insult to the history of World War II. It paints Nazis as social justice warriors who altered Hitler’s universal symbol of national socialism to cater to ensuring that their enemies weren’t offended.

Does this sound like a true Nazi to you?

Did Nazis work hard to be politically correct? Let’s not kid ourselves. The Nazis wore that swastika with pride, and when I am fighting Nazis in video games, I would like to know they’re true Nazis. I want to feel like I am toppling Hitler’s actual empire.

Secondly, video games showcase a great

deal of historical content, especially in the realm of World War II. If we misrepresent history by using the iron cross in lieu of the swastika, we are not respecting the fearful fact that Nazis rose to power and promulgated that symbol across virtually all of Europe. If we cannot represent history with accuracy, then we are disrespecting it by ignoring its reality.

Censorship in video games is nothing new, and while one may argue that video games don’t need to be realistic, that they’re just for fun, one fails to realize that video games should not dedicate themselves to the setting of World War II without pledging to represent and acknowledge the realities of the time.

Yes, the Nazi swastika is a symbol that represents hate and reminds every one of the Holocaust 80 years ago. Does that symbol offend me? Absolutely.

That flag waged war on my country. But should it be used to the fullest extent and accurately represented in video games?

Absolutely.

History does not care if it offended you.

History is history, and we can do nothing more than accept it, respect it, and learn from it. Slapping an iron cross on the Nazi flag only works to diminish the atrocities carried out by the Third Reich.

Video games like Call of Duty are also incredibly popular among children, and children, as we all know, are impressionable. Seeing World War II through a censored lens only results in a warped view of this period of time.

Video games that portray the world’s deadliest conflict must be as gritty, brutal and accurate as possible.

But these kids are too young to see the swastika waving in a video game? Too young to play a first-person shooter with dismemberment and gore? Then perhaps they should mature before picking up a controller and playing a game committed to portraying the Second World War. Mark Twain said: “Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it.”

History is not euphemistic. History is not PG. History is not woke. Video games are an art form that should accurately portray history if its developers commit to creating a game within a historical setting.

But still, video game developers are bowing down to the demands of those who want Nazis in a World War II game censored. The truth has never been more controversial.

Those who fight for Nazi censorship in video games are fighting for a false narrative and overt lies, an untrue and inaccurate representation of the conflict in Europe.

Those who want a woke World War II are fighting for what never was and never will be.

Alyssa McMillan News Editor Psychology anmcmill@svsu.edu

WW2 happened over 82 years ago and for most people is nothing more than something you learn about in history class.

Our generation has become desensitized to the horrors many faced during it.

Things like video games and movies tend to glamorize the war and sometimes even Nazis.

They connect the event to entertainment, especially video games.

Video games, like “Call of Duty,” allow players to hunt down Nazis and experience the war from the view of American soldiers.

But is this okay?

Approximately 73 million people died in WW2, many of whom lost their lives in concentration camps.

These camps were meant to kill and abuse people who Hitler and his army deemed lesser than.

The horrors the people saw in these camps are indescribable.

Not to mention the things that were happening outside of the camps.

Citizens lived in constant fear of something terrible happening to them.

They never knew what was going to happen to themselves or their families.

Families were hiding in attics to avoid getting caught just because of the religion they were or even just because of where they were born.

They watched friends and neighbors leave and never return.

The Nazi symbol, also known as a swastika, has so much hate behind it.

It represents all the terrible things that happened to people during the war.

There’s nothing good associated with the symbol and it could be traumatic for a lot of people.

The war ended only 76 years ago.

I think people tend to forget how recent that is in terms of historical events.

People who were children during the war could still be alive as well as the families of the survivors.

It’s not fair to them to take their trauma and turn it into a video game for others’ enjoyment.

This isn’t a game. This is people’s lives.

People died, and for many of them, the last thing they saw was that symbol.

It’s so disrespectful to them to be using that symbol so recklessly. The symbol belongs in history books and documentaries, and that’s it.

It’s our job to teach the younger generations that it’s something to be afraid of.

The symbol should horrify them. It should make them think of the people who were hurt by the war.

They should associate it with sadness, anger and pain.

It shouldn’t be associated with fun like playing a video game.

The mental well-being of others is way more important than you getting to feel like a hero for shooting a Nazi.

How do you think it feels as a survivor to see that symbol?

I can’t imagine it’s easy, even after all this time.

As of 2020, 300,000 veterans from the war were still alive. How do you think they feel seeing the symbol again?

They witnessed some of the most messed up things on the planet.

Many were physically ill because of what they saw, let alone the mental damage they left the war with.

Now they’re seeing that same symbol being used by younger generations as a joke almost; as entertainment.

Why does the symbol have to be used anyways?

There’s no reason it’s in there.

The game isn’t based off a story line that actually happened, so why do they feel the need to include it?

The game could have taken place at any time but they chose to profit off the pain and suffering of others.

Professional and editorial staff

Corrections and additions

Publishing

Advertising

About us

Shelby Mott: Editor-in-Chief Alyssa McMillan: News Editor Denver Milam: Sports Editor Madeline Bruessow: Opinion, A&E Editor Brooke Elward: Photography, Design Editor Nitish Nishtala: Business Manager

If you see an error, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting vanguard@svsu.edu.

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.

Advertisements do not necessarily represent the views of The Valley Vanguard.

Since 1967, The Valley Vanguard has provided coverage of campus and community happenings to students, faculty, staff and community residents. An online edition of the paper is available at thevalleyvanguard.com.

In addition to printing a correction in our print edition, the online version of the story will reflect the correction.

All advertising inquiries should be directed to valleyvanguardadvertising@gmail.com.

The Valley Vanguard

Opinion Editor: Madeline Bruessow | E-mail mpbruess@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram @TheValleyVanguard 110A Curtiss Hall

thevalleyvanguard.com vanguard@svsu.edu

Sports

The Valley Vanguard | thevalleyvanguard.com | Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 | Page A5

Defense carries Cardinals to 41-25 win Denver Milam

S

Vanguard Sports Editor

VSU’s football team faced off with Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) foe Wayne State for the second time this season.

In the first matchup between the two teams, Saginaw Valley was victorious, 41-21, in the non-conference battle on the road.

On Oct. 23, the Cardinals were able to repeat success against the Warriors with their second win against them this season.

Saginaw Valley got off to a slow start in the first quarter, falling behind 10-0 after a Warrior touchdown on the opening drive followed by a field goal on their second drive.

After SVSU punted on its first two drives, redshirt freshman quarterback Colby Newburg found senior wide receiver Chad Galliard for a 16-yard touchdown pass.

Saginaw Valley’s defense forced a punt by the Warriors, which led to a 34-yard field goal by junior kicker Connor Luksic.

Another defensive stop by the Cardinals gave them the ball at their 43-yard line.

Following an 11-play drive capped off by a touchdown run for redshirt freshman quarterback Mike O’Horo, SVSU was leading 17-10.

Sophomore Michael Woolridge intercepted a pass thrown by Wayne State and SVSU held the ball to finish out the half with the lead.

Saginaw Valley received the kickoff to start the second half with the ball.

An 8-yard rush by senior running back Tommy Scott extended the Cardinals lead to 24-10 early in the third quarter.

Four straight punts were ended by a turnover on downs by the Warriors, giving the Cardinals the ball early in the fourth quarter, leading by 14.

Following another turnover on downs by the Warriors, Saginaw Valley took over at midfield.

On the eighth play of the drive, redshirt freshman running back Tyler Amos scored on an 11-yard rush.

Junior defensive back Cameron Mitchell intercepted the first pass on the next drive

by Wayne State, starting the Cardinal drive at the 30-yard line.

Two incomplete passes and a 1-yard rush led to a 48-yard field goal attempt from Luksic, which extended SVSU’s lead to 34-10.

Wayne State scored a touchdown on its next drive and was successful on their two-point conversion to cut their deficit to 16 points.

O’Horo capped off the SVSU scoring with a 24-yard rush with 1:53 left in the

game, which stretched the Saginaw Valley lead to 41-18.

Wayne State scored with 54 seconds remaining but was unable to recover the onside kick.

SVSU took a knee twice to run out the clock and ice their 41-25 win over the Warriors.

Newburg led the Cardinals in pass yards with 123 and rush yards with 66.

Senior tight end Isaiah Johnson-Mack led the team with 92 receiving yards.

Woolridge was the Meijer player of the game after recording eight tackles with two sacks and an interception.

Following the win, the Cardinals record improved to 5-3 on the season with a 2-2 conference record.

SVSU currently sits in fourth place in the GLIAC standings behind Ferris State, Grand Valley and Michigan Tech.

Saginaw Valley will continue its season with a game against GLIAC opponent Davenport on the road on Oct. 30.

Head coach Ryan Brady is hopeful for the future with the development he sees in his players.

“This coaching staff is committed to the total development on the person over the player,” Brady said. “We operate under the Three Do’s. Do your best, do what is right, and do for others. We are teaching our young men how to win across the board.“

Freshman slot receiver Derek Bryant catches some air while receiving the ball.

Vanguard Photo Editor | Brooke Elward

Volleyball gets swept Swim splits day at Findlay Denver Milam Vanguard Sports Editor

After a week with five matchups, the Cardinals only scheduled one Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchup with Wayne State University.

In the first set of the match, Saginaw Valley had 14 kills and five errors, giving them a .205 attack percent in the set.

Wayne State had 18 kills, which helped them pull off a win in the first set.

After tying the set at 13 each, SVSU was unable to take advantage of its momentum and allowed a 7-point run by the Warriors.

Wayne State eventually won the set, 2520.

SVSU’s attack percentage dropped to .130 in the second set as it was only able to get 10 kills to go along with four errors.

Saginaw was able to force nine errors by the Warriors in the set, but also gave up 19 kills.

In the second set, the Cardinals were able to tie the set at 19 after falling behind early.

Wayne State was able to score six of the final seven points to defeat SVSU, 25-20, and take a 2-0 lead.

After falling behind 8-2 in the third set, the Cardinals used two 4-point runs to eventually tie the set at 22.

Three Wayne State kills finished off the set and gave the Warriors a 25-22 win and a 3-0 sweep of the Cardinals.

SVSU finished the final set with 12 kills and 10 errors for a .056 attack percentage.

Sophomore hitter Rylee Zimmer ended the match with nine kills to lead SVSU, followed by freshman outside hitter Madison Thompson, who ended with seven kills.

Senior outside hitter Maria Vukaj had 10 digs while freshman defensive specialist Kelsey Vittitow had seven and Peyton Gerstacker ended with six.

SVSU falls to 12-8 following the loss with a 4-5 record in conference play, which places them in third place in the GLIAC North division. They trail Michigan Tech and Wayne State.

Sophomore middle hitter Olivia Waszak is second in the GLIAC with 1.07 blocks per set.

Senior middle hitter Haley Clum is third in the GLIAC with 1.06 blocks per set and Zimmer is fifth with .94 blocks per set.

SVSU will play its next match at Lake Superior State on Oct. 29 followed by an Oct. 30 match with Northwood and a Halloween match with Parkside, for three GLIAC matches.

Saginaw Valley will have three games remaining before the start of the GLIAC playoffs on Nov. 17.

Sadie Shepherd Vanguard Reporter

After claiming victory over Alma and Kalamazoo at the first meet of the season, the SVSU men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams looked ahead to facing Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Allendale on Friday, Oct. 22.

SVSU was able to claim the first-place spot in five out of 27 events.

For the women, senior Libby Caird won the 1-meter dive with 255.82 points along with the 3-meter dive with a score of 276.82.

With these events, Caird qualified for the NCAA Division ll National Championships.

Also for the women, freshman Flora Mia Szklenar took the 200-yard butterfly event with a time of 2:11:87.

In the men’s events, freshman Matteo Capotosti won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:43:27.

Both teams fell to their opponents. GVSU won in the women’s division, 159-84, with the men being defeated by a score of 188-55.

The following day, the teams attended their first home meet of the season against Findlay.

Capotosti was once again able to claim victory for the men, this time in several events. He won the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:44.97 and the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 9:46.74.

In a close call, Capotosti’s second place

time of 4:11.37 in the 400-yard individual medley was just three seconds from beating the school record.

Junior Alejandro Robles Ruiz also came close to breaking another school record, coming just .7 seconds shy of the feat winning the 200-yard freestyle, with a time of 1:41:76.

Sophomore Adrien McGill took first in the men’s 1-meter and 3-meter diving events with 237.40 and 255.30 points, respectively.

Several members of the women’s team were also able to recreate their success from Friday.

Caird once again won in the women’s diving events taking the 1-meter event with 249.05 points and the 3-meter with 259.15 points.

Szklenar won at home in three separate events. She won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.97, the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:57.23 and the 400-yard individual medley event with a time of 4:47.33.

Also for the women, senior Emma Cornell took the 50-yard freestyle on Saturday with a time of 25.05 and senior Tonya Guryeva won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 53.80.

Ultimately, the SVSU men’s team was narrowly defeated by the Oilers, 120-117, while the women were able to solidify the win over Findlay, 128-113.

Next up, the Cardinals take on Northern Michigan University at home on Saturday Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.

Women’s soccer moves into third place Denver Milam Vanguard Sports Editor

Freshman defender Lea Grunnagel dribbles the ball. Vanguard Photo Editor | Brooke Elward

SVSU’s women’s soccer team had two strong showing in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchups during the week.

In the team’s first game of the week on Oct. 19, it was a makeup match from Oct. 8 against Northwood in Midland.

Freshman forward Reegan Kingpavong was able to assist a goal by senior forward Amy Babon in the 15th minute to get the Cardinals in front, 1-0.

Following a turnover in the 29th minute, junior midfielder Sara Samolinski scored her second goal of the season to extend the SVSU lead to two before the half.

Both goalies held their opponent scoreless in the second half, leading to a 2-0 win for the Cardinals.

Senior goalkeeper Olivia Argeros stopped all seven shots she faced in the game on her way to her sixth clean sheet of the season.

SVSU’s offense was able to take 13 shots during the game, led by freshman midfielder Stephanie Strong, who took five, and Babon, who took four.

During the teams’ second game of the week, they faced off with Davenport at home on Braddock field.

Strong scored a goal in the 28th minute after a pass from freshman defender Lea Grunnagel to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.

Grunnagel got her second assist in the

33rd minute after a goal by freshman defender Solana Kelly extended the SVSU lead to 2-0.

Argeros earned her second clean sheet of the week as she was able to stop all seven shots she faced from Davenport.

Strong led the way for SVSU with six shots during the game as the Cardinals were able to end with 16 shots over the course of the afternoon.

These two wins moved the Cardinals to an 8-2-2 record on the season with a 5-2-1 record on GLIAC play.

Saginaw Valley currently sits at third place in the GLIAC behind Grand Valley and Ferris State.

Strong has 10 goals this season, which places her in third in the GLIAC and 21 points is good enough for fourth.

Strong is curently the Cardinals leading scorer followed by Babon, who has scored five goals this season.

Argeros has given up the fifth-lowest number of goals and is in third for lowest average goals allowed per game while achieving seven clean sheets in nine appearances.

Saginaw Valley continued their season on Oct. 24 with a home match against Northwood, who they defeated earlier this season, and they will travel to Northern Michigan on Oct. 29.

Following this week, the Cardinals will have three games remaining before the GLIAC tournament, which begins on Nov. 9.

The Valley Vanguard

Sports Editor Denver Milam | E-mail dtmilam@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram @TheValleyVanguard 110A Curtiss Hall

thevalleyvanguard.com vanguard@svsu.edu

Sports

Page A6 | Monday, Oct. 25, 2021 | thevalleyvanguard.com | The Valley Vanguard

(Left) Freshman Aubree Sedore finishes in 66th place. (Right) Alexa Keiser (left) and Maddie Isola (right) finished in 12th and 13th place.Vanguard Photo Editor | Brooke Elward

SVSU has seven all-GLIAC runners Denver Milam

S

Vanguard Sports Editor

aginaw Valley State University hosted the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) cross country championship on Oct. 23.

On the men’s team, junior Carlee Stimpfel finished in third place with a time of 24:41.9 while keeping a pace of 4:58 during the 8k.

Sophomore Seth Schafer and freshman Nick Bozarth finished 24th and 25th, respectively.

Schafer ended with a time of 26:37.0 with a pace of 5:21 while Bozarth completed the

race with a time of 26:38.2 and the same pace as Schafer.

Thomas Hufton finished the race in 28th place with a 5:22 pace and an overall time of 26:45.4.

Freshman Carter Stoner was the final scoring runner for the Cardinals as he came in 38th, posting a time of 27:02.1 with a pace of 5:26 SVSU ended in fourth place as a team with 102 points at the meet.

Saginaw Valley finished behind Grand Valley which had 25 points, Michigan Tech which, had 76 points and Wayne State ,which had 82 points.

Stimpfel was named to the All-GLIAC

first team while Schafer achieved AllGLIAC second team honors.

For the women’s 6k, Saginaw Valley finished in second place as a team with 63 points behind Grand Valley which posted a perfect score of 15.

Junior Ariana Wegienka had the best finish for the Cardinals as she ran a time of 22:57.7 with a pace of 6:09 for a ninth, place finish.

Freshmen Alex Keiser and Maddie Isola finished with times of 23:05.5 and 23:06.9, respectively, earning them 12th and 13th place in the event.

Sophomore Lauren Buckners’ time of 23:18.3 gave her the 15th place finish in

the event as she paced a time of 6:15.

Rounding out the scoring for SVSU was freshman Jenna Picard who finished in 23rd place running a time of 23:41.5 while pacing 6:21.

Wegienka finished the season on the All-GLIAC first team while Keiser, Isola, Buckner and Picard all finished on the All-GLIAC second team.

For the remainder of the season, there is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II (DII) regional meet in Evansville, Illinois on Nov. 6.

Following the regional meet are the NCAA DII championships in Saint Leo, Florida on Nov. 20.

The Valley Vanguard

@TheValleyVanguard Sports Editor Denver Milam | E-mail dtmilam@svsu.edu | Office 989-964-4482 | Instagram 110A Curtiss Hall

thevalleyvanguard.com vanguard@svsu.edu