Storm Signals Volume 1 Issue 2

The Storm Signals UNIVERSITY OF RIO GRANDE / RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

RIO GRANDE, OH

Fall Fest Written by Serenity Kirts

This year the University of Rio Grande hosted their very first Fall Fest.

While the event did get rained out on the original date, the day it was rescheduled for was perfect. From 11am-2pm everyone was welcome to take part in the event, it provided a long needed sense of normalcy during the pandemic. From carnival games to roasting marshmallows over a fire, there was something for everybody to participate in for free. Popular events that students enjoyed were axe throwing and yard games, as well as the dunk tank for a chance to dunk Campus Police officers and President Smith into the water. Members from the Raised Around Rio Farmer’s Market set up their stands of goodies and crafts for people to browse and purchase from. There were also opportunities for getting creative with painting or carving jack-o-lanterns. Near the Bell Tower was a raffle box set up for those who won a carnival game to place their ticket they were given into for a chance to win some Rio Swag.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19, 2020

VOL 1, ISSUE 2

Storm Signals • Page 2

Commuters Corner: Food Recommendations Written by Ashley Morris

While studying at the University of Rio Grande, you will probably find yourself wanting to go on an adventure or two with friends. If you are in the mood for food, I have some suggestions for you.

In Gallipolis and over the bridge in Point Pleasant, WV you can find several fastfood restaurants like McDonalds, Wendy’s, Burger King, etc. However, there is so much more. There is a tasty Mexican restaurant called El Toril, Chinese food at China One

Buffet, Indian food at Five Rivers Cuisine, Italian food at Tuscany, and Japanese food at Fuji. There are also many other restaurants around including the new Japanese Hibachi restaurant called Ichiban, Gino’s Pizza, and Rio Bravo 2 all in Point Pleasant, WV. If you’re in the mood for a delicious milkshake and yummy food locally established in Gallipolis, Shake Shoppe and McClure’s are good options. Also locally owned and established in Gallipolis is Poppy’s, a coffee shop on Court St. Another eatery is Tudor’s

Biscuit World that serves breakfast & lunch located beside the Walmart parking lot.

for the first time this past week and now I think it is one of my new favorites.

Besides the restaurants mentioned above, there are several well-known pizza places.

One of my favorites in Gallia County is Labrobi’s Pizza. There also is another pizza place in Gallipolis that serves more than just pizza, and was originally established in Rio Grande called Zack and Scotty’s. Over the bridge in Point Pleasant there is a pizza place called Village Pizza Inn that I just had

As you can tell, there are many places you can go to find a good meal around Rio. I have many places I still have yet to try but, that means many more trips and memories I can make with my friends while doing so.

It is my recommendation that you try these places at least once during your time at Rio so you can find the foods YOU really like!

Hide & Stormbox

The Storm Signals

Written by Brianna Eberle

The marketing team’s weekly StormBox contest has continued since the last paper was written. The 3rd week’s StormBox was successfully found by Bayleigh Bradley in Florence Evans hall. The 4th week’s box was hidden inside the on-campus Twinkleberries by Megan Knope. Tune in to the weekly broadcast in the Cafeteria for the next clue!

A production of Redstorm Media / Marketing Interns

STAFF

Spirit Week 2020 November 16th – November 21st

Reminder of the Upcoming Spirit Week Events!

Thursday November 19th we will conclude Spirit Week with Black & White day and a Make Your Own Mask event from 10 am – 1 pm in Grande Central.

Friday November 20th and Saturday November 21st the Bevo Classic tournament will take place as well as the 2020 Rio Royalty Homecoming King and Queen and the Bevo Francis Character Award will be announced.

Serenity Kirts, Managing Editor Mason Dishong Brianna Eberle Holden Fritz Alyssa Lingenfelter Layton Mitchell Jayce Phillips Parker Ruff Ashton Snider Darcy Williams

Advisor

Renée DeLawder, Director of Marketing For more information, questions, or to submit an article email: redstormmedia@rio.edu

Ben Forche-Dean of Student Success

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Written by Serenity Kirts

On Friday, I emailed the new Dean of Student Success, Ben Forche, asking him to type out his answers to five of my interview questions for this paper.

He replied saying he would like to do the interview in person, mentioning he is trying to get to know the students on campus, so I sat down with him for a brief interview.

When I asked for some general background information about himself that he was willing to share with students he talked about being from Toldeo, Ohio and growing up in a working class family. As a first generation college student, Forche went to Bowling Green for his Undergraduate degree and then to the University of South Carolina for Master’s. He expressed his interest in photography and talked about how he used to participate in cross country and track, and he now participates in marathons. My next question was “Why Rio?” wondering what led him to our school.

Forche explained that he was not really searching/ seeking out a job but when he found Rio he decided to come here for two reasons. One being that he knew and could tell where Rio wanted to go with the future of the school, that being wanting students to have the best college experience possible and understanding that it is going to look different for everyone. The second reason being that he wants to provide students with a connection to the school that draws them back to reach out even after they graduate due to a positive relationship with faculty, including himself. Forche then told me

about how a former student had just reached out to him that day to talk about how they are currently doing in life, which is the type of connection he strives for with students.

“I want to make the Rio experience better for everyone any way I can and help set you up for life-long success.”

different events is where you are likely to see Dean Forche. He loves getting to meet people who study at Rio and said, “I care immensely about my students, they are my favorite part of my job”. When talking about changes he would like to see on campus he said that the best changes are ones that benefit students. Dean Forche doesn’t want students to feel like a number so anything to keep our school going in that direction is a positive. He also mentioned he wants to offer up more services for student help. “I want to make the Rio experience better for everyone any way I can and help set you up for life-long success. You all are why I came here,” says Forche.

Although Forche is new to campus and the area, I asked him if he had a certain place on campus he liked to be in yet and he said “student turf”. He talked about how he likes to talk to students where they are most comfortable on campus and where they like to be, rather than being in an office.

So greeting students around campus and at

Overall I had a great experience meeting with the new Dean and I am so glad he asked to meet instead of just replying with some plain answers. Dean Forche would like to thank everyone who has been so welcoming and shared their stories and experiences with him already. He mentioned he would love to hear more from others who he has not met yet. Don’t hesitate to reach out to him through email or phone at (419) 304-9498 | bforche@rio.edu anytime!

My Military Best Friend Written by Darcy Williams

I distinctly remember my heart sinking when I found out my favorite person in the whole world was going to enlist in the army reserves. She broke the news to me during a practice fire drill and told me to keep it a secret. Being the best friend I am, I kept it a secret and avoided talking about it to eliminate any unnecessary sadness we both felt toward the situation.

Years past and graduation got closer and my best friend still did not tell anyone but me. I was starting to doubt if she even was going to follow through with her sudden interest in the military. It was ironic because my best friend absolutely loved staying at home and being around her family. She was amazing at keeping herself entertained and the word “bored” wasn’t even in her vocabulary.

Deep down I knew military was a perfect

fit for her considering she was constantly reading about adventures and was the most determined person I knew. She could do anything, and everyone knew it, even her family.

Senior year was when the news got around and people kept congratulating her. We both were the type of people that overwork ourselves and don’t like to feel vulnerable. We were each other’s human diaries and told each other everything.

We even got the honor of receiving the superlative of “Best Buddies” for our senior class. It was certainly one of our proudest moments together. During her going away party was when reality hit me. I had to face the fact that I would be entering college by myself and taking classes to become a teacher while she would be training to become a

soldier. We had different visions for our lives and accepted that but that didn’t stop us from supporting each other 100 percent. I am happy to announce now that she is only a few weeks away from coming home and we still share the same unbreakable bond as before. She is doing well and fulfilling her duty of protecting our country and I couldn’t be prouder. This experience has led me to strengthen my gratitude toward current and former members of the military and open my eyes to a whole new perspective.

Writing has helped me cope tremendously. My best friend got me a journal to write to her daily. It was a way for me to feel close to her even though we were obviously miles apart. My heart goes out to everyone that is going through similar situations with their loved ones. It

is not easy during these times, but it is the men and women of the armed forces that sacrifice their lives for our country that needs to be appreciated. They have given up holidays, graduations and other big moments to be a part of a community bigger than themselves. They hold high respect in the world and no amount of effort could repay them for what they have done. It is our responsibility to make Veterans day a major holiday to honor the brave men and women in uniform defending our freedoms that we sometimes take for granted. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Veterans day!

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Cross Country

SPORTS

Written by Darcy Willams

The University of Rio Grande posted a 12th place finish in the women’s division of the River States Conference Cross Country Championship on November 7th.

Athletes from the school’s golf, basketball, track, softball, and soccer programs stepped in to help fill the team considering the only regular girl member of the season was not able to participate. The girls did an outstanding job, and all finished well considering they did not have much prior training to the race. Junior Hunter Rockhold (Clinton, OH), a golfer, was Rio’s top finish in the 97-runner field by running a 5k at a time of 26:22 for 70th place. Sophomore Cecilia Murphy (Fayetteville, OH), who is a part of Rio’s varsity basketball program was 75th with a time of 26:48 and senior Taylor Tackett (Hillsboro, OH)- a member of the track team was 81st with a time of 27:29.

Others representing the Redstorm included junior McKenzie Cremeens (Ironton OH), a softball player who placed 91st with a

URG posted a 5th place finish for the men’s division race while junior Cody Booth posted a runner-up finish and earned the opportunity to race for a national championship in the men’s division of the River States Conference Cross Country Championship. Booth (New Philadelphia, OH) completed the 8k course in a time of 27:03 - 40 seconds behind West Virginia Tech’s Michael Ecker-Randolph and 21 seconds ahead of Drake Dickerson from Ohio Christian University. Booth’s finish, as the first of six runners who weren’t members

Wrestling

Esports: League of Legends

The first year wrestling program, led by head coach Jason Schweer and assistant coach Josh Chiles, will take to the mat three times this semester for a total of five duals. There will be no home events for the team this year. The team will travel to the University of the Cumberlands for a dual on November 20th. On November 30th they will be headed to Thomas Moore College to wrestle against Thomas Moore and Lindsey Wilson University. To wrap up the semester, the team will travel to Midway to wrestle Midway University and Lourdes University on December 5th.

The University of Rio Grande League of Legends team took on Hood on Thursday November 5th. Hood jumped into the match, a best of three, with a record of 1-6 looking to grab another win that would give them a spot in the playoffs, while Rio Grande was 0-6 this season hoping to pick up their first win for the URG eSports program.

Written by Layton Mitchell

time of 30:41; freshman Madison Lewis (Carrollton OH), a softball player who was 94th with a time of 35:45; senior Raffaella Gioffre (Huron OH, golfer/cheerleader who took 95th place in 35:45; Junior Kathleen Root (Old Fort, OH), a member of the track team who placed 96th in a time of 38:48 and junior golfer Madison Duskey (Beverly, OH), who was 97th with a time of 38:49. of the two qualifying teams, punched his ticket to the NAIA National Championship, which has been rescheduled for April 9 in Grand Rapids, Iowa. Sophomore Austin Setty (Fairfield, OH) had an excellent finish as well placing 12th with a time of 28:36. Also representing the RedStorm in the 86-runner field was sophomore Keelan Kilgour (Jackson, OH), who finished 30th in a time of 30:04; senior Dean Freitag (Magnolia, OH), who took 36th place after crossing the line in 30:45; freshman Lucas Chess (Urbana, OH), who was 40th in a time

of 31:04; senior Keshawn Jones (Mansfield, OH), who was 53rd with a finish of 32:19; freshman Kyle Lightner (Peebles, OH), who placed 55th in a time of 32:35; freshman Antoine Sullivan (Shaker Heights, OH), who finished 58th with a time of 32:56; and senior Ethan Greenawalt (Orlando, FL), who placed 66th with a time of 33:55.

Booth also earned RSC Newcomer of the Year honors and Freitag represented Rio Grande on the conference’s Champions of Character Team.

Written by Alyssa Lingenfelter

The game ended 2 to 1 in favor of Rio giving the Redstorm their first win this year.

Rio was able to take the first map, lost the second to Hood, but secured the win on the

last map. “The match was a bit of a nail biter” says Coach Ray Rediger, “and even with a significant rank disadvantage we played better.” Derek (PhobosMarcius) held his own as a bronze going up against a gold. Danny (xxDannyBoy58xx) was the most evenly matched against an iron though he is unranked. Brendan (asapbp) carried game one going 13-1-8 and Eric pulled ahead in game three with 16 kills and 6 assists. Brendon had great energy that kept the team going and he really showed up for this game. Eric is the in game lead for the

league team and gave awesome callouts.

Coach Rediger says, “the team showed how well they listened at practice with this game.” Rio has never won before so they played cautiously to get a good lead. Some played their main champions but others were banned so they had to play champions they weren’t comfortable with, but they came out on top. This win denied Hood a playoff spot and will hopefully be the start of many more dubs for URG. Continued to page 5

SPORTS

Basketball

Storm Signals • Page 5

Legends Continued

Written by Brianna Eberle

Men

If you did not get to watch Rio’s first win you can find the League of Legends Week 8 stream at twitch.tv/necc_esports Interview with Eric (JediKing2000) Q: How did you/the team feel leading up to the match?

A: We felt confident. We’ve been getting better all year and knew it was winnable from the start. We needed to shut down their Jungler to take lanes. Derek really stepped up in the first and third games to contribute to our win.

Sophomore Miki Tadic

Q: What led to Hood taking the second map?

On November 14th, the Redstorm men’s basketball team got back into action.

A: I would say mostly our draft. Danny and I stayed but our jungle and bot changed.

We could have had better picks that game..

We also didn’t have much mid priority the second match. My opponent got his bot lane ahead helping them overtake.

Miroslav “Miki” Tadic started the game off with a game-high 33 points in his debut for the RedStorm, fueling an 87-78 triumph over Goshen College in the finale of the Domino’s Classic at the Newt Oliver Arena.

Rio Grande evened its record at 1-1, with Arrowood earning the first victory of his collegiate coaching career.

Tadic, a sophomore from Hilversum, The Netherlands, finished 11-of-16 from the floor overall while connecting on 6 of 10 three-point attempts in just over 32 minutes of playing time. He scored 18 of his points in the opening half as Rio Grande built an 8-point lead before eventually settling on a 46-43 halftime advantage.

Rio responded with an 11-1 run - including seven points by Tadic - to open a 10-point advantage just 3 minutes later.

The RedStorm nailed down the win by scoring 9 of the game’s final 11 points.

Junior Kam Harris (Amelia, VA) netted four of his career-high 16 points during the run.

In addition to the offensive performances by Tadic and Harris, Rio Grande also got a solid all-around performance from sophomore Shiloah Blevins (South Webster, OH) who had a career-high 20 points and 6 assists to go along with 8 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 3 steals. The blocked shots and steals totals tied single-game career-high marks for Blevins.

Q: How was everyone feeling after the second match?

Sophomore Hailey Jordan

Freshman Andrew Shull (Milton, WV) added 15 points and senior Bryanth Farr (Beloit, WI) pulled down a game-high 9 rebounds for the RedStorm, who shot 55.4% from the floor (31-for-56) while out rebounding their guests, 32-23.

Women

deficit to 11 points early in the 3rd quarter but got no closer the rest of the game.

Shawnee State survived a season-high 22 turnovers and a 9-for-21 performance at the free throw line by shooting 48% from the floor overall (36-for-75) and out rebounding the RedStorm, 48-43.

The University of Rio Grande’s women’s Sophomore Hailey Jordan (Columbus, basketball team got back into action on OH) was the RedStorm’s only doubleNovember 12th after not playing for 16 days. digit scorer, finishing with 16 points - 14 of which came in the second half. 12 of her 14 The Redstorm trailed 29-23, after a second-half points came in the 3rd quarter. conventional three-point play by junior Avery Harper (Seaman, OH) with 4:26 Fellow sophomore Lexi Woods (Waverly, remaining in the first half, but the Shawnee OH) pulled down 8 rebounds for Rio, while State Bears responded with a 13-3 run over senior Chyna Chambers (Columbus, OH) the next 2-1/2 minutes to take control of the had a career-high 10 assists to go along with a pair of steals. scoreboard.

Rio Grande, which eventually trailed by 13 points at the intermission, twice shaved the

Rio Grande slipped to 0-2 with the loss.

A: We were still confident but not overconfident, “we were chillin.” We just knew we had to win the last map. I played a more mobile champion to keep up with my opponent.

Q: What did you focus on to win?

A: We played it safe, not too aggressive or passive but a good mix of both. We anticipated mid laner and jungler to shut them down.

Q: How did everyone feel after the game?

A: Everyone was excited and hyped up after.

This was our first program win. We know we still need to keep working hard, but this win really helped boost our confidence after losing every game before this.

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COVID-19: Effects on Thanksgiving Written by Jayce Phillips

Are you ready for the Thanksgiving turkey and all of the sides that goes with it?

With the COVID-19 pandemic the 2020 Thanksgiving holiday will much different.

The Centers for Disease Control have released their holiday guidelines. Consider very small gatherings for the Thanksgiving meal. More specially, gatherings should be limited to household family members. It is very important to consider the age and health of other family members attending the gatherings. If you happen to attend a gathering that is outside your household, make sure to monitor your health and limit exposure to others. To the host, it is important to make sure the area of gathering is thoroughly cleaned. Also, if the weather is nice, it might be in the best interest to

host the gathering outdoors. Importantly, make sure attendees keep six feet apart at all times. Have someone serve the food and have everyone wash their hands before consumption. It is important to have a fun but safe holiday.

From a personal experience of working in a grocery store, stores are struggling to keep items on the shelves during the holiday season and in a time of a pandemic. From cleaning supplies to canned goods, the popular items are very scarce to find these days. Many stores are having to adjust their hours for a thorough cleaning and expand their online ordering to limit the number of indoor shoppers. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html

Written by Serenity Kirts

day, masks are used, sanitizing is done often, and their benches are spaced out.

With all these precautions, coach said that “being a student athlete is tougher than it’s ever been” but they are continuing to push through. COVID-19 has also changed how Bevo Francis week is going to look. There will be limited fans, socially distanced student activities, and only one game per night.

Interview with Coach Arrowood

During an interview with Coach Arrowood (Varsity Men’s Basketball) I got some insight with how his first semester coaching here is going. Arrowood graduated from Hannon High School and went on to get his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Education here at the University of Rio Grande.

He played basketball here, tarting out on the JV team and then worked his way up.

Arrowood has been active on Rio’s campus for many years by doing summer camps here, and before coaching here he coached at several other colleges. He talks about how the season so far has been challenging and rewarding in several ways.

One big challenge is obviously COVID-19 but the Coach mentioned the ways in which the team has adapted.

They come to events dressed in their attire beforehand because they cannot use the locker rooms, each player I screened every

With there being 11 new guys on the team, their strengths were identified as being a young team that has the passion and fire to win with their brightest days ahead by Coach Arrowood. They recently had their best practice of the year, showing him that the newbies with the returning members are going in the right direction, Coach just wants them to get where they need to be a little bit quicker. “Getting to know the guys has been great and rewarding” says Arrowood. Best of luck to the players, and be sure to check out the events of Bevo Week.

Record of Time Written by Serenity Kirts

This week a guest artist will be making an appearance to campus on November 17th.

His name is Gerry Enrico and he is a professional drawing artist currently living and working locally in the Ohio River Valley. Gerry will be conducting a drawing workshop open to students, staff, and faculty in the Art Annex of Tuesday from 10am-12pm. There will also be a reception for his works in the Greer Museum from 5-7pm that evening. Please plan on attending, there will be snacks, drinks, and desserts served.

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2020 HOMECOMING COURT

Baleigh Bradley (Alpha Mu Beta/Volleyball) Austin Kendall (Baseball)

Serenity (Rena) Kirts (Bowling) Isaiah Pickell (Bowling)

VOTE HERE BY 5PM TODAY!: rioedu.wufoo.com/forms/mlviwy31vlxqdj

Storm Signals • Page 8

Icebreaker of the Week Written by Layton Mitchell

How many clones would it take of you to defeat a fully grown silverback gorilla?

- Submitted by Isaiah Pickell I am sure at one point in all of our lives, this very question has crossed our minds. To answer, I will first give a general population answer and then the answer of me personally against the silverback. I would say the average person would need a solid seven clones of themselves to defeat this enemy, with four just being sacrifices because they will not make it out alive, word to Dobby the Elf. While the gorilla is focused on four of the clones, this creates ample timing for the other three clones to attack while you sit in the background giving instructions and enjoying your life. Plus, if all else fails, you have time to run away if in fact the seven clones were not enough!

For me personally, I happen to think one clone would suffice, I mean, who else would be able to record me taking on a gorilla?

I have, in fact, battled two gorillas in my day’s on this planet and am undefeated.

However there is no video proof, hence why the clone is necessary! And you may be thinking to yourself, there’s no way one man could beat a silverback on their own. Sure, the gorilla may be bigger, stronger, and faster, but I have better hair which instills the confidence I need to go out there. I will absorb all the gorilla’s body and head shots because pain is just a mindset, and then will proceed to hit the gorilla with approximately three left uppercuts, one right hook, and then a clothesline more lethal than JBL in his prime WWE career. I will then have to climb the nearest tree and pay respect to Eddie Guerrero with my frog splash rendering the gorilla bruised, battered, and broken. I shall let it live this time though, and walk away with my video proof and continue to show it’s all about that heart and mind-over-matter!

Upcoming Events Nov. 19th Black & White Day DIY Masks 10am Maskarade Brawl Nov. 23rd $3 Movie Night Nov. 24th Last Day to Drop/Withdraw Nov. 25th Thanksgiving Break Nov. 30th $3 Movie Night

Also, if you have any questions you want to see answered, or various scenarios you may want to see played out, send an email to s300782245@students.rio.edu with your name and question to possibly be featured in the next newspaper!

New Active Member of Zeta Theta Chi

Mercedes Sosa, Abby Webb, Caylynn Perkins, Amara Thomas

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