I N S I D E COMMISSIONERS RECEIVE GRANT FOR BROADBAND STUDY S E E B 1
NOVEMBER 7, 2019 • VOL. 97 NO. 05 • EST. 1924
THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG The Yellow Jacket is now digital! Be sure to check out articles on our website and follow our Twitter account for the latest campus news. @WUYellowJacket
theyellowjacket.org
@WUYELLOWJACKET
OP-ED
REGION
SPORTS
Students battle food insecurity on college campuses across the country.
Use of Narcan by police helps save lives in emergency drug overdose situations.
SEE A2
SEE B1
Women's cross country team captured fourth consecutive Presidents' Athletic Conference title. SEE B3
Campus conserves 329,000 gallons of water in three-month span with new faucets, showerheads and green handles Graphic by Edward Boice, The Yellow Jacket
our water fixtures t h at fo rce s a larger change, like avoiding the con-
REBEKAH VAUGHAN For The Yellow Jacket
Waynesburg University recently undertook a project to cut down on water and sewage waste across campus. Two different grants were awarded to the university to assist in these efforts, including the PepsiCo grant, awarded in March. The school received $8,109 to reduce water use and sewage through the purchasing of new water aerators, toilet handles and showerheads. Universities could submit applications to win up to $10,000, and Waynesburg University was one of 14 schools throughout the United States to receive more than $8,000. “This project started when I was reading two separate articles. One was about leverage points and the other was about water conservation,” said Ryan Smith, assistant director of student activities. “Simply, a leverage point is making a small change, such as implementing green handles, aerators, and showerheads in
sumption of water, in the sys-
tem behavior.” The articles Smith read discussed the Energy Policy Act of 1992 that aims to reduce water consumption. Before this policy was put into place, toilets were flushing between three to five gallons of water per flush. After the policy, the new regulation was 1.6 gallons per f lush. Any toilets that were in-
stalled before 1992 were not required to be updated.
PepsiCo grant leads to leaps in conservation
“A ft e r realizing w e have not made those
changes on campus, I decided to
start applying for grants to make these changes a reality,” Smith said. After receiving the grant, Waynesburg installed green handles on toilets, aerators in faucets and eco-efficient showerheads in all of the residence halls. It started off with a trial run in Burns Residence Hall. By installing energy-efficient toilet handles with the money from a previous grant, the residence hall showed a reduction in water use by approximately 82,000 gallons, all in a time span of 30 days. The funding is awarded for projects aimed at making environmental, economic and social sustainability impacts on campus, according to the PepsiCO Recycling website. Winning proposals will explain how the Pepsi Zero Impact Fund would help each school reach its sustainability goals
Effectiveness.” “From the months of July, August and September, we’ve avoided the use of 329,000 gallons of water and sewage in the residence halls that were updated,” said Smith, “I’m conservatively projecting that we will save 1 million gallons of water per semester.” New faucets and showerheads won’t solve all of the problems, though. Students need to get involved as well. “Students are using millions of gallons of water per residence hall,” Smith said, “We will not be able to reduce our water consumption by 50%. To make that goal a reality, students will need to be more conscious of their water usage. For example: Students can turn off the tap when brushing their teeth or shaving. Students can reduce the duration of their showers. Lastly, if someone
WU staff prepare for Day of Giving EMMA HERRLE
Social Media Manager
Waynesburg University calls upon alumni, friends, families and community partners to show their support in the annual Day of Giving, Thursday, Nov. 14. There will be a 24-hour period open this day for pledges of ten dollars or more made to a department or campus program of the donor’s choice. The Day of Giving is an annual fundraiser event organized by the Institutional Advancement staff. “Making this event happen is a great team effort,” said Donna Nypaver, director of Donor Relations and Annual Giving. The goal for Day of Giving 2019 is to receive more than “From the months of July, 1,500 individual donations. August and September, we’ve Last year’s goal of 1,200 donations was exceeded. The uniavoided the use of 329,000 versity drew in a grand total gallons of water ... I’m conserof 1,610 donations, raising over vatively projecting that we will $214,000 for the university. “We have been blessed save 1 million gallons of water with wonderful support from per semester.” the entire Waynesburg community,” Nypaver said. “I think RYAN SMITH Assistant Director, Student Activities that is a testament of how much Waynesburg means to so many people.” Each year, the Day of Givand will be judged based on sees a leaking faucet, shower ing also draws some friendly the following criteria: envi- or pipe, please take action competition between the unironmental impact, social im- and help us save water by versity’s departments. pact, desirability, feasibility, submitting a maintenance longevity, ingenuity and cost report.” GIVING >> A4
Public safety staff Fall play, ‘Farce of Nature,’ in progress enforces policies for safe university LACHLAN LOUDON Web Editor
RONALD WHITE
For The Yellow Jacket
Public safety has no easy task when it comes to keeping the student population safe and within policy guidelines at Waynesburg University. While daily life seems to pass by without interruption, public safety continues to enforce the code of conduct each student agreed to upon entering the institution. Although Waynesburg University does not have some of the same safety issues other campuses do, it still has incidents common on most campuses. “We have more alcohol related incidents than any other crime on campus,” Public Safety Director Mike Humiston said. “With Waynesburg University's policy of an alcohol-free campus it is still a big problem for students to follow.” Humiston said that even though students over 21 can consume alcohol off campus, they should still be cautious. “If you are a danger to yourself or others, that is a problem,” Humiston said. “Returning to campus intoxicated could lead to consequences from the school or
[local police department].” Another issue around campus, Humiston said, is possession of marijuana. Marijuana is currently an illegal drug in the state of Pennsylvania, and Humiston hopes it will stay that way. “[The amount of] alcohol incidents are slowly being caught up to by [incidents involving] the possession of marijuana,” Humiston said. With statewide talk of legalizing marijuana, students in the state of Pennsylvania may assume it would be OK to use, Humiston said, and it’s not. If marijuana would be legalized in the state of Pennsylvania, it will still be against Waynesburg’s policy to possess of marijuana on school grounds. “There's no drugs and there's no alcohol allowed on campus.” Humiston said. “Regardless of state law, University policy will not be changed.” On many college campuses, one of the biggest crimes public safety offices face is theft, however, Humiston said Waynesburg doesn’t deal with as much theft as other schools. SAFE >> A4
The fall play and comedy, “Farce of Nature,” is now showing in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m., with its final showing on Saturday. Eddie Powers, professor of theatre and director of the show, said the show has been in the works since late August. After many weeks of work, they became ready for an audience. “After a while, a show starts to level off as far as measurable advancements,” Powers said. “The show needs an audience.” The production is meant to make people laugh, and part of putting this kind of show on the stage requires the audience’s participation. “It’s just going to be fun, fun, fun,” Powers said. “Theatre is for everybody, a good story is a good story … and we’ve got a fun and a good story to tell.” This show offers a type of comedy called “farce” and consists of many plot complications, physical humor and stereotypes, all aimed at making the audience chuckle. The show is only 90 minutes long with two acts and is described by Powers as a “laugh fest.” “Theater can only survive if it is seen by an audience,” Powers said. “There is a
Lachlan Loudon, The Yellow Jacket
The fall play and comedy, "Farce of Nature," will be performed on stage tonight through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Goodwin Performing Arts Center. circle that is created in theater: the actor gives to the audience, and the audience gives to the actor, and that’s when you have theater.” This upcoming show has two seniors in its cast. Senior journalism major Holly Hendershot, playing Wanelle Wilburn, and senior children and youth ministry major Connor Hoffman, playing Sonny Barbosa, are both in their last fall pro-
duction at Waynesburg. “Telling stories on stage has always been a passion of mine,” Hendershot said. “Theater is an activity that I enjoy immensely, and having been involved in every major production at Waynesburg University since the start of my college career, I couldn’t imagine the past few years without it.” Hoffman has only been involved in theater sparse-
ly, with his participation as stage manager in the 2016 fall play, “Fools,” and the 2019 spring musical, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” He also acted in Tre Thomas’ student-produced oneact play, “On this Hill,” last spring. “Farce of Nature” is both Hoffman’s first and last fall play as an actor. “ It ’s c l i c h e , b u t t h e PLAY >> A4
PAGE A2
NOVEMBER 7, 2019 S PJ B E S T A L L - A R O U N D N O N - D A I LY N E W S P A P E R
WINNER: 2004 2016 FINALIST: 2003 2013 2014
OPINION
Redefining standards of objectivity HOLLY HENDERSHOT Columnist
STAFF EXECUTIVE EDITOR DIGITAL NEWS DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR REGION EDITOR SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS WEB EDITOR OP-ED EDITOR WEB EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
HOLLY HENDERSHOT ANDREW HREHA GRACE HUTCHISON EDWARD BOICE DYLAN CLELAND JOE SMELTZER RACHEL PELLEGRINO LACHLAN LOUDON ELAINA SPAHMER EMMA HERRLE ANGELICA GOOD SIERRA MEDINA
TECHNICAL/FACULTY ADVISORS: RICHARD KRAUSE SARAH BELL KRISTINE SCHIFFBAUER
EDITORIAL
Hunger strikes hard College students battle food insecurity For the most part, the college experience is positive. Children spend 18 years dreaming of the day they get their high school diplomas, and then after graduation, basking, reflecting and anticipating for two months until the day they kiss their parents goodbye – in some cases until Thanksgiving - and go off to start their four-year odyssey. At college, they find out what life is like away from home, and for many, this independence is a beautiful thing and allows them to find themselves. Although college life has plenty of positives, it's an experience that requires sacrifice. One of the greatest sacrifices college students have to make is departing from home cooked meals. For some students, relying on cafeteria food to keep their bodies going is merely a nuisance. For others, it’s something more than that. The New York Times published an article tackling the topic of food insecurity. Food insecurity applies to students whose access to food is uncertain. An excerpt from the Times piece gives us an idea of how large of an issue food insecurity is at American colleges and universities. “A survey released this week by Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community and Justice indicated that 45% of student respondents from over 100 institutions said they had been food insecure in the past 30 days. In New York, the nonprofit found that among City University of New York (CUNY) students, 48% had been food insecure in the past 30 days.” College students often make light of their eating situation. The words “Ramen Noodles” are as closely associated with college life as the “final exam.” Some students are unbothered by jokes about their microwave feasts or their school’s dining hall to break the ice in an awkward situation or just to have something to talk about with friends. For others, such as Kassandra Montes, who went to Lahmen College, it’s something more serious than that. The article told Montes’ story. “Living in a Harlem homeless shelter as she attends classes, Ms. Montes also works two part-time jobs and budgets only $15 per week for food. She uses the campus food pantry to get most of her groceries and usually skips breakfast to make sure that her 4-year-old son is eating regularly.” All college students are stuck in the middle when it comes to food. Either we eat at school cafeterias, where the food is often not what we want, or we go out to eat and spend money that we do not have a lot of. It's a hard spot to be in, and for some, it has a greater impact than for others. Although we make light of these issues, we must do so while keeping in mind that food insecurity is very serious and must be solved. Of all the issues relating to colleges and universities that are thought to be the most prevalent, it seems that food insecurity is low on the list. That has to change.
TO THE READER In order to provide better coverage in a more timely fashion, The Yellow Jacket focusses on an onlinefirst format. Online coverage for campus, region, Op/Ed and sports can be found on our website, theyellowjacket.org. Due to this change, the print publication has been condensed to eight full-color pages and will be printed on an bi-weekly basis.
ABOUT OP/EDS
Editorials in the left-hand column represent the views of the Yellow Jacket. Letters from readers, columns, cartoons and other elements on the editorial page do not necessarily reflect the position of this newspaper and university.
NEWSPAPER POLICY
The Yellow Jacket is the student-operated newspaper of Waynesburg University funded by student fees and advertisements and is intended for the entire college community. The Yellow Jacket is produced by the student staff on a weekly basis during the academic year. The office of the Yellow Jacket is located in room 400 of Buhl Hall. It is the right of the Yellow Jacket to print all material deemed newsworthy and gathered in a fair and unconditional manner. No advance copies of stories will be shown, and reporters' notes are considered confidential. No "off the record" information will be accepted.
ADVERTISING POLICY
Anyone wishing to advertise in the Yellow Jacket should email the advertising director at jacketads@waynesburg. edu. Ads must be submitted by the Monday before publication date and not conflict with the university mission. Copyright © 2018 Waynesburg University 51 W. College St.Waynesburg, Pa. 15370
Most people who keep track of current news understand that articles are never truly objective by the contemporary understanding of the word. Keeping the content of an article factual and without opinion is only a small aspect of this understanding of objectivity. Even if a story doesn’t have the writer’s opinion represented in it, the topic and the angle or perspective the reporter decides to write the article from is a choice that must always be made by someone. Because of this fact, many communicators will argue that objective reporting does not exist at all. Perhaps not as most people would define the concept, but I would argue that the definition of “objective” within the context of news and journalism must be seen in a different light than the common understanding of the term. I know this sounds like
a contradiction: “Doesn’t the term of objectivity itself become non-objective if it can change depending on context?” Well, yes, and no. The term itself does not change, just the subject judged by it. Although choosing the perspective or angle of a topic to write from is an important step in writing an article, it should not be the focus of judgment or the deciding factor for whether an article is objective or not. A common misconception I’ve often encountered is the belief that a story angle is the take or the “side” the reporter writes an article from. The true definition, however, is defined by Tony Rogers, former deputy national editor for the New York Daily News, as “the point or theme of a news or feature story.” One of the most important purposes for choosing an angle is to focus on aspects of a bigger picture. For example, a writer reporting on a grant received by a high school may choose to focus on the amount of money the grant is, if that is
a surprising factor, or what the grant money will help achieve, or even feature an individual who will benefit from the grant in a unique or heartwarming way. Choosing a specific angle could very well put into light some aspects of the news and not others, but is a necessary step. Because it cannot be avoided, including this step in the scrutiny of an article will almost always result in a conclusion of bias or onesided reporting, leaving the question of news objectivity pointless. Rather, judgment on objectivity should focus on how a writer presents the ideas, information and events disseminated in an article, regardless of the story angle chosen. Opinion should only be presented when relevant to the story and attributed to sources used for the article – never, of course, by the reporter of the news article. To go even further, I believe for a reporter’s work to truly be considered “objective” by a journalistic perspective, the reporter must make every effort to represent all sides of the
argument in an equal light, using sources from each of those sides to do so. As a journalist, I can attest this can be especially difficult to achieve. Even well-seasoned professionals are caught using sentences, especially in the leads of articles, that sound too one-sided to stand without source attributions and be considered common knowledge rather than bias. Unfortunately, this is seen far too often in journalistic news. One good way to check that articles are objective is to ask whether each article gives all the information necessary for a reader to see the entire picture and all sides of the story and decide for themselves what they believe, especially if the article is political or controversial in nature. If the objectivity of news articles is judged in this new light, perhaps the common, now distorted, definition of “fake news” will be rectified, and more journalists will focus on keeping their reporting objective by not only ethical standards but realistic ones.
Christians should welcome Kanye EDWARD BOICE Columnist
If God cannot save Kanye’s soul, then He can’t save anybody. For those who aren’t up to speed with Ye, Kanye West released his ninth studio album, “JESUS IS KING” two weeks ago. Talking about God and faith isn’t something new for Kanye. No one has taken his claims seriously though because of his vulgar music content, performing at the porn awards, marrying Kim Kardashian and other unrighteous actions. Then Kanye started his Sunday Services last year. He said he had been radically transformed and wanted to start a church. When he announced his gospel album “JESUS IS KING,” it became for some, the moment Kanye let Jesus into his heart.
Well, it is hard to disprove he hasn’t been radically changed by listening to this album. Wi t h o u t go i n g i nt o depth about the album and comparing it with theology, Kanye sounds like a newly-born Christian and is explicitly Christian in “JESUS IS KING.” According to Hip Hop By The Numbers, the album is the most religious HipHop album to ever hit the top of the Billboard Charts; 94.6% of his lyrics are religious. The closest no. 1 Hip-Hop album even remotely close to that is Christian Hip-Hop artist Lecrae, with 74.3% with his album “Anomaly.” Gospel legend Fred Hammond even features on a track. So, Kanye has stepped up and generally silenced doubters about his faith. Now, Christians have to decide what to do with all of this. To me, Kanye is a modern-day prodigal son. Here is a man that has
mentioned God and Jesus during his entire career (remember “Jesus Walks” anyone?). He’s participated heavily in the sinful side of the entertainment industry and has now turned back to Jesus. Relating this to another parable, are we going to ignore him like the Pharisee and Levite because we feel Kanye is too dirty to deal with or accept him into our folds? Here is another thought for those who think Kanye cannot be saved because he has committed himself to so much sin in the past. Yeah, he is still married to Kim Kardashian and swears at times. He has some growing and learning to do. However, doesn’t God say we all have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)? All humans need a savior because we are equally flawed. Even if they haven’t committed sins nearly as “bad,” all Christians were at the
same place Kanye was at before they were saved. Only Jesus redeems us and makes us new, something Kanye has accepted. I think Romans 15:1-13 sums up that Christians should accept everyone who claims and shows they are a believer, just how Paul implored the Jews to accept the Christian gentiles. Kanye isn’t any less than any other Christian. Look to the parable of the laborers and the vineyard in Matthew 20:16. Even if Kanye relapses into sin or all this was an elaborate scheme, Jesus’ name is still being broadcasted everywhere. He is at the top of the charts, on huge screens in New York City and has non-believers vibing to His name. Either way, this is a winwin situation for God and Christians. I don’t believe Kanye is faking. So, let’s pray he keeps spreading Jesus’ name and growing in faith.
NEWS
In the news: Three notable headlines EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a synopsis of a recent topic trending in world or national news. GRACE HUTCHISON Managing Editor
1. House Democrats meet to discuss impeachment process President Trump impeachment inquiries continue as democrats on the house judiciary committee recently met to discuss the next steps of the impeachment probe. The inquiry was sparked by Trump’s conversation with Ukraine where he attempted to coerce the country to look into Joe Biden, a Democratic candidate in the upcoming 2020 presidential election. Amongst the chaos of the impeachment probe, Trump maintains his innocence. 2. Wildfires continue to ravage California More than 26 million Americans are under never-before-issued extreme red flag warnings as multiple wildfires ravage California. Weather experts are concerned that predicted hurricane-strength winds will contribute to the rapid spread of the fires through-
Tribune News Service
Pittsburgh residents remember the Tree of Life victims one year after the fatal shooting through memorials, prayers and calls for change. out California and into Arizona; resulting in the urgent extreme red flag warning. Mass mandatory evacuations are being conducted throughout the state as millions of people live within the potential path of the fire. 3. Pittsburgh commemorates the one year anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting The city of Pittsburgh remembered the victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting on the first anniversary of the massacre
that claimed the lives of 11 people on Oct. 28, when an anti-semitic shooter opened fire during service. Pittsburgh solemnly commemorated the shooting through memorials, prayers
and calls for change Monday. People of all religious affiliations gathered within Pittsburgh to commemorate the lives lost through community service projects hosted throughout the city.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor are encouraged as a method to bring issues of concern into the public eye. Letters should be typed, limited to 300 words, signed and include a phone number for confirmation. Letters may be submitted to 400 Buhl Hall, sent to the Yellow Jacket via campus mail or via email to jacket@waynesburg.edu. Letters may also be sent to Yellow Jacket, 400 Buhl Hall, Waynesburg University, 51 W. College St., Waynesburg, Pa. 15370. All letters must be received by 5 p.m. the Monday of any publication week.
NOVEMBER 7, 2019
PAGE A3
Waynesburg students grow in faith on spiritual retreat OHSEUNG CHOI
For the Yellow Jacket
Waynesburg University students went to the sixth Kairos retreat from Oct. 25-27 at Cornerstone Retreat Center. The Kairos retreat is a weekend long faith-based event that is completely student-led. “It is an opportunity for students to be away from campus and be able to focus on their faith and relationship with their friends, family, and God,” Kairos retreat advisor, Adrienne Tharp said. “The Kairos is great for God’s time.” Being open and honest were a few of the key components discussed at the Kairos retreat. Students are giving God room to work, not letting their worries get in the way of His work. Senior biochemistry major, Harrison Scott, who was the rector for
the Kairos retreat spoke about what he learned over the weekend-long event.“God goes before me. He is fighting for my heart and he loves me,” Scott said. “There are times that I was in a dark place whether it was with one of the activities that uprooted some feelings I had or a talk I gave. The Lord provided someone to pray for me at the right time and he’s continued to do that throughout this whole week.” The Kairos retreat has the retreatants as well as small group leaders in attendance. Waynesburg University junior Emily Moyershas attended the Kairos retreat twice. She shared the differences in attending the retreat as a regular retreatant last year to being a leader for it this fall. “First year, I was a retreatant, so I got to experience everything and all
Courtesy of Emily Moyers
Waynesburg students traveled to Cornerstone Retreat Center to participate in Waynesburg's sixth annual student-led spiritual retreat, Kairos. brand new,” Moyers said. “This year, I knew what to expect and what’s happening. It took away some of the uncertainty. Being a leader, I was more into the role of guiding every-
one else growing rather than allowing myself to be there and grow.” The Kairos retreat has become a part of the faith community at Waynesburg University for six
years. Tharp spoke about the type of impact the Kairos retreat will have on students at Waynesburg. “I think it’s very individual,” Tharp said. “Each
student comes away with the very different experiences. We tell students they are only going to get what they put into the retreat. There is a lot of time for prayer, worship, and small groups. I think that impact is very different for each student, but they are going to take away whatever they put into the retreat.” A d d i t i o n a l l y, T h a r p spoke about the importance of the Kairos retreat to students and possibly to faculty and staff members. “I think it is a great opportunity for students to be met where they are within their faith,” Tharp said. “It doesn’t matter if you are new or experienced. For faculty and staff, I think it is a neat thing to see students excited to grow in that area. Working on our faith helps us become better people, too.”
Education majors teach local kids Summer program looks to acclimate incoming students JOE SMELTZER Sports Web Editor
This past Thursday, 20 members of Kappa Delta Pi practiced their teaching skills by working with kindergarten and firstgrade students at Waynesburg Central Elementary School. The Waynesburg University students taught first and second-grade students at the school. The theme for the morning, which lasted from 8:30 a.m. to around 10:30 a.m., centered around fall. With Halloween in the air, Waynesburg students taug ht kids lessons in math, science and reading, with the themes surrounding aspects of fall, such as pumpkins and leaves. T h e s t u d e nt s s p e nt roughly 20 minutes with each group of kids, with the seniors assisting the sophomores and juniors. Deanna Mack, chairperson for the education department and assistant professor of education, was pleased with how the morning turned out. “They did a fantastic job,” Mack said. “The teachers were very excited to have something positive in their classrooms, and they were excited for their students to have something that
Courtesy of Deanna Mack
Students from Kappa Delta Pi, the education honor society, taught kids at Waynesburg Central Elementary School this past week. was very fall-themed. It came at a time of the year where things were busy and hectic with Halloween and report cards and everything. So, it was nice for the kids to have something that was so educational.” The event took place on the official Halloween holiday, so all week the elementary school was busy with Halloween festivities. For the sophomore class, this event was particularly convenient, Mack said, because their field placement is scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Thurs-
day mornings. Although the underclassmen have experience in teaching, Mack said it was helpful for the more polished seniors to help them along. “They learned to use their teacher’s voice,” she said. “They learned to be f lexible; they learned to be professional and collaborate, work as a team. There's a lot actually that went into that.” For Kappa Delta Phi in general, students need to have a 3.5 GPA. Eleven new members were recently in-
ducted into the organization. The day wasn't just a benefit to aspiring teachers, however. Mack felt the young kids got a lot out of it as well. “It was something that allowed them to get up and move every 20 minutes, and it was something different than being with their teacher,” Mack said. Although Mack was in attendance, she said her role was hands-off, as she spent most of the day documenting the event with photographs, so long as the kindergarten and first graders were allowed to have their pictures taken. “My job was sort of like [the] photographer lady,” Mack said. “So, I showed up and I walked in front of the classrooms and teachers.” Of the 20 Waynesburg students working, six were seniors. One such senior, Hannah Seambower, felt the experience expanded her horizons in the teaching world. “[It was] def initely a good experience,” she said. “The more schools and grade levels you can see, the better. I think that it really helps you open up to what else is out there and what other kinds of schools have to offer.”
Support animal assists new student MADISON STRUNK For the Yellow Jacket
College campuses have witnessed an increase in service dogs and emotional support animals within the past few years, including Waynesburg University. This year, the university welcomed its second emotional support dog. “Her name is Axle,” said Kaitlyn Riggle, a freshman veterinary major. “She is a chocolate lab mix.” While there remains the misconception that some students would fake a reason to bring their pet onto campus, those who have approved animals need their animals in order to succeed. “I have separation anxiety,” Riggle said. “It started when my family was going through a lot. My stepmother said,‘Hey! They’re giving out free puppies, do you want one?’ and I said yes, and she’s been with me ever since.” To have an emotional support animal approved and brought onto campus, there are multiple steps. The animal must
first be certified and then a student can fill out the campus paperwork. Students also have to meet with a therapist before they can bring the animal onto campus. If the therapist doesn’t think the pet is necessary, they will notify the school and the forms will be denied. Studies have shown that an animal can alleviate stress in college students. This is one of the reasons that having Axle helps Riggle accomplish her schoolwork. “If I didn’t have her, I would be stressed out a lot more,” said Riggle. “She is the one thing that I am attached to. So, without her being here I would stress out over the fact that she is not here. With schoolwork and everything, if I am stressing out, I go and play with her for a little bit and then I go back to it. Or if I am really stressed out, she knows it and will come over to calm me down.” Axle even brings some joy to the people that live in the same hall as Riggle. “If they’re having a really bad day and they see
SILAS MAYS
For the Yellow Jacket
Getting acclimated to the college lifestyle is a huge struggle that freshmen tend to face. Leaving your home life behind and starting something new is not always the easiest thing; especially when having to develop all new relationships. Waynesburg University’s Seeds for Success Program allows students to become acquainted with each other, while being eased into the college lifestyle. The Seeds for Success Program has a specific objective in mind and is primarily for the incoming freshmen to have some understanding of what is going on when they get to campus. Career Development Specialist and Study Abroad Coordinator, Sarah Bell, had an overview of what the event’s purpose is. “Seeds for Success is essentially step one of the freshmen orientation process,” said Bell. “The event is offered three separate days over the summer and is only on that day, it does not stretch over multiple days.” The day is spent better informing students by showing a presentation, having them meet faculty members and letting them take part in our informational fair that occurs during lunch. The fair consists of various tables that offer different types of information that students will benefit from in their freshman year. For example, there is a billing table, a financial aid office table,
an information technology table and many others that will help ease freshmen into their first year. The event is also targeted towards the parents of the students. In the past years, the students have had the information thrown at them; however, the parents have missed some important aspects of their child’s college experience. This day can help parents obtain information useful to fully comprehend their child’s freshman year; it allows them to have a better understanding of some financial aspects, as well as, academic areas. Freshmen have seemed to respond rather well to the program. As stated earlier, it is always challenging to move to a totally new environment; however, this program manages to take some stress away according to freshman psychology major, Maggie Stains. “The Seeds for Success Program helped as much as it could. You don’t really know until you get here but it helped me understand what this specific university is all about; which was crucial to my preparation for coming to Waynesburg,” said Stains. Knowing how overwhelming the first year of college can be, it is always beneficial to have some sort of understanding before diving right in. The Seeds for Success Program offers that preparation to any incoming students to help send them on their way.
Internship Presentations Journalism Majors: Courtesy of Kaitlyn Riggle
Freshman veternary major Kaitlyn Riggle brought her service dog, Axle, with her to campus, to help her cope with the stress of college. her they’re like ‘Oh my gosh, can I please pet her, I needed this today!’” Riggle said. Waynesburg aims to prevent students from having an allergic reaction to animals by not allowing emotional support animals into certain areas of campus, and also through animal-friendly washing machines. “If I have to do laundry here, I’m glad that they
have the animal friendly laundry machines in case people are allergic to them,” Riggle said. “I would feel bad if someone had an allergic reaction because I washed my clothes in the washer.” Axle doesn’t get to go to class with Riggle, but she can be seen playing in the parks. Since this is playtime, this is the best time to stop and pet Axle.
Tiffany Morgan Holly Hendershot Edward Boice Tuesday, Nov. 12 Noon McCance Auditorium
PAGE A4
NOVEMBER 7, 2019
Senior art major displays creative pieces in solo art show SIERRA MEDINA Editorial Assistant
Senior art and marketing major Allyson Barker showed her solo exhibition Oct. 28, which will be available for viewing until Nov. 22 in the art gallery located in the Fine Arts Center. Chairperson for the Fine Arts Department Andrew Heisey has worked closely with Barker and said he is excited about her growth as a student. “This year I have been impressed with her leadership skills, as she continues to work with the Art Club and is stirring up student discussions about art and its benefits to our student culture,” Heisey said. Barker was drawn to Waynesburg University’s art department because of the care the professors provide their students. Barker said Heisey has been an advisor, mentor and friend to her during her time here. “It’s clear they want us to be the best we can be. No matter what an idea is, Heisey does his best to make sure we have the materials and tools to see an idea through,” Barker said. “Heisey has made a positive impact in my life as a student, as an artist and in my faith. Heisey does a great job working with, and getting to know each of the art majors and works with them and their interests so that each of us can reach our full potential.” To prepare for a senior art show, students build their portfolio over their four years at Waynesburg and include many of those pieces; however, Barker included many new pieces in
Safe Continued from A1 “We have had this before, but [we keep the theft rate low] with the help of our close circuit television systems and the help of the student body,” Humiston said. Another violation public safety takes very seriously is bullying and harassment. Humiston said Waynesburg University has zero tolerance for it. “That’s a no-fly zone for
her show as well. “Most art majors will make a new piece or two during the semester before their art exhibits are scheduled to start, but she has made many never-before-seen drawings just for this display,” Heisey said. Barker said developing her technical skills has been her main focus in previous years, and she has seen definite growth in her work. Although she has gained confidence as an artist in these areas, that is not the main focus of her gallery. “Most of the work in my show was made in the last year and even then, mostly in the last few months,” Barker said. “My work is very people-centric right now. I have been working on a lot of portraits of my friends, so there are several familiar faces in the show,” Barker said. Barker believes mainstream media promotes a narrow definition of beauty and is attempting to combat that mindset with her work. “I've been honing in on the idea of beauty and trying to push back against the traditional ideas of what defines beauty. The media has a very narrow view of what qualifies someone as beautiful. I disagree with this,” Barker said. “I think that imperfections make humanity beautiful, and I want to show that in my art now and moving forward.” While Barker has had her art in shows before, having a gallery solely hers creates more vulnerability. “Artists, including myself, put little pieces of ourselves into our art. Having a show like this is baring part of our soul to the world to judge,” Barker said.
us,” Humiston said. The university does not welcome that kind of behavior, and it is not tolerated. The campus is not void of the problem, but when it arises, great measures are taken to ensure victims are protected and violators are dealt with immediately, Humiston said Sexual harassment is not something you will hear about often at Waynesburg. This is not solely due to the absence of incidents, but also in part to the privacy policy and the role public safety plays. These incidents are handled by Title IX officers
Holly Hendershot, The Yellow Jacket
Art and marketing major Allyson Barker's art pieces will be displayed in the art gallary in the Fine Arts Center through Nov. 22.
Heisey is looking forward to Barker’s potential after graduation. “I never know where students will go after they leave WU, but I have no doubt that Ally will find the perfect situation, where she can work in the art field, either supporting the sale of her own artwork or working with another artist or art community to enrich our world,” he said. Heisiey coined the term “Artrepreneurial” business mindset to describe Barker’s personal skill set. “She has always been a very driven student with a
who are trained in this field. The university does have a nine-person panel made up of staff and administrators to deal with any sexual crime. Along with local authorities, the panel works diligently to protect students and keep the integrity and privacy of victims confidential. Waynesburg University does not operate without its share of crime, but relying on the slogan ‘See something, hear something, say something,’ the public safety department keeps students in a safe environment to learn and grow.
Play Continued from A1 friendships I made are really tight,” Hoffman said. “When you’re with each other three hours a night for two-and-a-half months, you get close with people.” Being a former stage manager, Hoffman believes that he has learned how to help make a show run, whilst not being a main actor, and has developed a lot of his skills backstage, watching and tweaking the actors’ performances. The greatest growth from the actors has been recognized by Powers through the off-stage banter. Relationships build through their time spent in the GPAC, and by the end of rehearsals, the group grew closer and closer. Rehearsal notes were filled with laughter, “chatting away” as if they had “known each other for years,” Powers said. As the fall play is nearing its final showing, Powers has already been putting thought into the upcoming spring musical for 2020. “We put a lot of thought into the musical,” Powers said. “[But] we have not selected a title [yet].” Powers has been meeting with the music faculty, including band instructor Dr. Ronda DePriest and vocal
Lachlan Loudon, The Yellow Jacket
James Gallucci and Connor Hoffman acting as their characters in the fall play, "Farce of Nature." instructor and professor Melanie Catana, to look at possible shows. There are a lot of variables that still need to be taken into consideration, Powers said, but he hopes to announce the title of the spring musical sometime this month before students leave for Thanksgiving break. “We may pick a show that not many people know, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad show,” Powers said. “There are thousands and thousands of musicals out
there and some wonderful shows that we have never even heard of.” “Farce of Nature” is a prime example of one of those “less-popular” shows. When the title for the show was officially announced early this fall, most students on campus were generally unfamiliar with it. “As far as our knowledge of plays, they’re even more limited than our knowledge of musicals,” Powers said, “and ‘Farce of Nature’ is hysterical.”
goal in mind to excel in her artwork and has the mind for business needed in artists working today,” Heisey said. While Barker herself is still figuring out exactly what her future looks like, she is look-
Giving Continued from A1 “Our hope is to create a fun environment throughout the campus and add more excitement to this day,” said Nypaver. “The challenge allows all departments and programs to be rewarded with additional funds for their program.” Departments are given a goal of receiving at least 50 donations, but many strive to exceed this in hopes of placing within the top three departments for highest number of donors. Last year, the soccer program was the overall champion. Other top-ranking departments in years past include the Department of Communication, the Criminal Justice Department, the Fine Arts Department and the Biblical Ministry Studies Department.
ing forward to the possibilities. “My dual degree with marketing gives me a good amount of options. I'm looking for a job in the food industry with my market-
ing degree to pay the bills,” Barker said. Barker’s Senior Art Show is free and open through Nov. 22. To see more of her artwork, follow her professional Instagram, @artistallybarker.
“It’s fun to build up energy and see if we can overcome the communication department, fend off fine arts, criminal justice, football and all of these great programs,” said Josh Sumpter, professor of biblical ministry studies, who plays a significant role in the department’s motivation for Day of Giving. The funds raised directly benefit the students, enhancing their educational opportunities in and out of the classroom. Sumpter said donations to the Biblical Ministry Studies Department have been used to purchase books and study material for students, take educational trips each year, host monthly dinners for students in the department and fund students for opportunities such as the Jubilee Conference held annually in Pittsburgh. “Our goal in raising money is always about the students,” Sumpter said. “It gives us an opportunity for a time
to grow together. That really wasn’t possible before, without the help of something like the Day of Giving.” Nypaver said departments are also encouraged to notify and update donors as to where their donations are going. “Many donors like to know that their gift will impact students,” Nypaver said. “We have encouraged all departments and programs to share how each gift will be used and how it will benefit Waynesburg students.” Day of Giving has certainly rallied students, alumni and the community in a collective effort to give back to the university. “Donations of any amount make a big difference in the lives of Waynesburg University students,” said Nypaver. “Its an above and beyond fund,” Sumpter said. “I would encourage donors to give back, because it provides learning opportunities and enhances experiences.”
region SECTION B
NOVEMBER 7, 2019 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
Waynesburg police carry Narcan to save more lives RACHEL PELLEGRINO Op/ed Editor
“When I get there, they’re down … they’re laying on the floor basically dead … their breathing is very sporadic, it’s not a breath that you would be able to maintain life with … [and] they’re usually a shade of grey,” said Waynesburg's Chief of Police Tom Ankrom, describing one of the several times he has come in contact with an opioid overdose in Greene County. From January to August 2019, Greene County experienced 10 opioid overdoses, the usual culprit being heroine, Ankrom said. “Heroine slows everything down. It stops your heart, stops your breathing.” These symptoms require both CPR and the use of a defibrillator to steady the patient’s
breathing and bring life back into them. The majority of the time however, the police arrive sooner to the scene than the EMS. So, the patient has to wait. During this waiting period, anything could happen. To give these patients a fighting chance, Chief County Detective David Lloyd said the Waynesburg Borough Police Department has started to carry Narcan, a Naloxone brand medicine that helps reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. “When you give the Narcan, they actually fully come to,” Ankrom said. “I’ve went from seeing people down on the floor, where you thought they were dead, to walking them out of the building after giving them Narcan.” This solution is not permaPOLICE >> B2
Edward Boice, The Yellow Jacket
The Waynesburg Police Department started to carry the Naxalone brand Narcan this year. The drug is a temporaray solution to prevent opioid overdosers from dying.
Commissioners Mission House attends to homeless recieve grant for broadband study COMMUNTIY SPOTLIGHT
SIERRA MEDINA Editorial Assistant
The Victorian home located outside of campus behind Dominos was purchased in 2016 by Janice Gottschalk, creator and owner of Mission House. After renovations, the house now accepts guests who are homeless or in transition from one living situation to another. Gottschalk before purchasing Mission House coordinated Erin’s Inside/ Out Cafe, a local cafe that provides meals to the community, when she noticed the state of those in attendance. “My initial reason for doing this was because, when I was the coordinator of Erin's Inside/Out Cafe at the First United Methodist Church, I encountered three or four homeless people of various ages and situations,” Gottschalk said. “One lady I actually took into my house and my daughters reminded me later that that wasn’t a very safe thing to do.”
HOLLY HENDERSHOT Executive Editor
Edward Boice, The Yellow Jacket
Janice Gottschalk has run Mission House since 2016. She is planning on retiring from the mission in 2020. Gottschalk’s home, after her children moved away and her husband passed in 2015, had some extra room. “I thought I would help her find a place to live and that for the meantime she could live in one of my spare bedrooms,” Gottschalk said. “She did find a place and so I thought,
well I can’t do that again.” That’s when her vision for Mission House materialized. To get it up and running took ample time and effort, she said. Renovations were not complete until 2018. “I’ve replaced the roof and the windows, I ’ve done repairs inside and
improved the apartment over the garage. It’s been a very busy four years for me,” she said. “A lot of the financial managing has been coming out of my pocket.” The Green County Memorial Hospital Foundation HOUSE>> B2
Book shows haunted side of county RACHEL PELLIGRINO Op/ed Editor
Greene County, founded back in 1796, is well-known for its bridges and coal and mining industries. They have become a part of the land’s history. There is one other important aspect that def i n e s G re e n e C o u nt y, however. One that is left out of historical textbooks and residents do not speak often of. Greene County, recently named “The Most Haunted County in America” by authors Kevin Paul and Rosemary Ellen Guiley, holds a history of paranormal and supernatural activity. Paul, who is a descendant of the original European settlers of this valley grew up about a mile from the Greene County Histor-
ical Society Museum. “Starting at five years old, I would see things that weren’t necessarily human … I see a lot of shadows and shapes and things that really defy explanation.” Throughout his years growing up in Greene County, Paul has wi tnessed many supernatural and paranormal instances that he cannot explain. These experiences led him to contact Rosemary Ellen Guiley, a writer and expert in paranormal activity, and later co-write the book "Haunted Hills and Hollows: What Lurks in Greene County, Pennsylvania" with Guiley. “[I was] asked by an acquaintance to take a look at a property in Wayne Township … [they were] experiencing some unusual events and asked
me to come out because he knew I had an interest in it,” Paul said. “I heard Rosemary one night on 'Coast to Coast AM with George Noory '… I sort of on a whim sent her an email [about this paranormal activity in Greene County] thinking I would never hear a reply from her.” Little did Paul know that Guiley and he would become close friends and work together for, “about seven to ten years,” until her passing in July 2019. Paul said the idea of the book they co-authored, "Haunted Hills and Hollows: What Lurks in Greene County, Pennsylvania," can be attributed to Guiley. Paul said they were eating at Bob Evans in Waynesburg and Guiley brought up the idea.
“She said ‘you know, you know all these stories, you should write a book,’” Paul said. Guily, having a background in journalism and paranormal activity, assisted Paul with making this vision come alive. After extensive research, along with writing and editing, the book was published in 2018. It talks about the history of Greene County and goes into detail about 17 different accounts of paranormal/supernatural activity in Greene County. These accounts did not happen “out of the blue.” Paul explained that all of these events were linked to something that happened in the past. “Think of it in terms BOOK >> B2
T h e G ree n e C o u nt y Board of Commissioners was recently awarded $50,000 by the Appalachian Regional Commission for a study that will determine needs regarding broadband connection in the county, a top-ranked issue in the area. The comprehensive plan for Greene County was updated in 2018, identifying current needs in the community which would need to be addressed. According to the plan, the biggest issue identified
Zimmerman said. “We are hopeful, but this thing has been ongoing for years, and it’s not an easy fix.” Zimmerman said the main reason for the difficulty in resolving the issue is the lack of funds to implement a solution. Usually when there is money, he explained, it will likely go toward issues in larger cities and communities. “If you keep pursuing it and look at different options … sooner or later, it’s going to happen,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of experts come in and talk to us about their ideas, and what
“If you keep pursuing it and look at different options ... sooner or later, it’s going to happen.” BLAIR ZIMMERMAN
chair of the Greene County commisioners
was the lack of sufficient broadband access across the county. The study, titled the Rural Broadband Coverage and Feasibility Study, “will identify county-wide gaps in broadband access and will determine the best technology to fill these gaps (such as fiber, white space, cable, and DSL),” according to a press release issued by Gov. Wolf. “[It] will review the county’s broadband assets, conduct a field survey of existing broadband access, determine customer demand, identify the best technology options for service gaps and develop an implementation matrix.” Although the study may provide new information, Blair Zimmerman, chair of the Greene County Board of Commissioners, said the commissioners and Pennsylvania State Representative Pam Snyder have been working on getting an improved broadband connection for years. “I’ve had calls with people all over this country,”
they think would work, and we have included the university in that.” Zimmerman said expanding broadband access in the community is their priority, as the lack of it in areas slows the growth of the industry in the county and presents issues in education. “Our children go to school and they have internet. They can do their homework; they stay on top of stuff. When they go home, they lose out and that’s not a good thing. Our kids are at a disadvantage for not having that,” Zimmerman said. Although they do not have the grant yet, Zimmerman said the money should be available soon, and they are eager to push the project in the right direction. “One of the most-asked questions is, ‘Why can’t we get broadband,’ so that’s our priority … If you want the county to grow and you want to bring industry in, you better have it.”
NOVEMBER 7, 2019
PAGE B2
Pottery and eatery serving a cafe niche in Waynesburg SIERRA MEDINA Editorial Assistant
A new addition to Waynesburg, Kiln to Table, is providing an outlet for friends, family and students to eat, relax and enjoy a good cup of coffee, said employee Liz Carpenter. “It’s all about bringing the university, community and people together with food and coffee. People around here need a place to go to eat and drink a good cup of coffee,” Carpenter said. As Waynesburg natives, Carpenter is a longtime friend of the owner of Kiln to Table, Jennifer Adamson. The two met when Carpenter was attending middle school, and Adamson was running her first cafe 18 years ago. They reconnected at California University of Pennsylvania when Carpenter was pursuing her undergraduate degree in ceramics and Adamson worked in the art department. “Liz has been with me for pretty much the whole time. She would come almost every day after school to my old coffee shop,” Adamson said. “When we met at California University of Pennsylvania is when we really developed a relationship.” What is now the Kiln to Table cafe used to be the site of Adamson’s pottery studio utilized to craft her products for her whole-
sale business, Pennsylvania Mug Company. “Two years earlier the building behind us opened up and it’s larger but it also needed a lot of renovations. So we stayed up in this front building until that was done and then we moved the studio to the back building,” Adamson said. Carpenter said the cafe came into its own over the years as a result of their holiday openings. “So over the last couple of years we’d open up for a holiday event and she sold her mugs and people went crazy for them and then we would sell coffee bags and it just started forming,” Carpenter said. “We both thought, we need to do something.” The pressing need in the Waynesburg area for an establishment like this, one that serves homemade meals with fresh ingredients, was apparent to Carpenter. “The whole cafe idea just organically formed,” she said. “There’s not a lot of places to eat in Waynesburg, and there’s not a lot of places for college students to go. If you don’t want Mexican, Chinese or fast food, where do you eat?”. The restaurant boasts vegan and vegetarian options inspired by friends and family who have chosen to go that route, said Adamson. About 50 percent of their
food is locally sourced, while all is fresh and prepared daily, with all their meat roasted in-house. “We knew we wanted to stick with fresh ingredients made from scratch, the less processed the better,” said Carpenter. Their goal is to stay fresh and to cater to college students and residents while staying affordable. “I think we have an option for anyone,” said Adamson. “Our least expensive sandwich is $5.50 and I hope that that would be comparable to McDonald’s, so we’re competitive and I don’t think we’re overpriced for the market.” The cafe is situated in a quiet part of town, with a beautiful view of the mountainside. It also has its own parking lot right across from the main building. It’s location really resonates with Carpenter. “I grew up on the south side of Waynesburg on West Greene Street. So, to see this part of town start to flourish means everything to me,” Carpenter said. “When we hear the train go by it just reminds me of my childhood, and it means everything to me.” Side by side, these two friends are blessed to work together and for the community. “I could have not run into a better situation for myself,” Carpenter said. “I love ceramics, I love coffee and I love Jennifer. I mean she’s like my life mentor, I
Online absentee Police voting alternative to mailing ballots Continued from B1
RACHEL PELLEGRINO Op/ed Editor
The municipal election that took place Tuesday, Nov. 5, served as the first election Pennsylvania voters could apply for an absentee ballot online. Other states have utilized this online platform since 2012, but this is the first time it has been available to Pennsylvania voters. The online absentee ballot application went live Sept. 16, which was the first day to apply. Numerous Greene County residents utilized the online application for this past Tuesday's election. “We’ve received 126 online applications,” Greene County Elections Director Tina Kiger said. Rachel Gillispie, Greene County Elections administrative assistant, is in charge of processing and mailing the ballots. Since the application went live, she has noticed more voters using the online application than the written. “It’s more convenient for those who cannot get out and it’s more convenient for our office that we get it immediately,” Kiger said. Aside from conveniency, the online application is also more, “user friendly.” “It’s super nice because they can’t miss any fields when they’re filling out an application,” Gillispie said. “A lot of times with the paper application, they forget to put in fields of information. So, I would have to mail their application back out to them.” The online application a l s o c u t s d ow n t u r n a ro u n d t i m e . W h e n a resident mails their application, it takes a week for them to receive their ballot. With the online application however, Gillispie explained she is able to mail their ballot to them the same day their application is submitted.
“The time frame with the way the mail goes, it makes it easier if they do it online to get everything out and back in time,” Kiger said. “The application is updated every 15 minutes, so the administrative assistant, [Gillispie], gets them every 15 minutes, so she can get them out immediately instead of waiting for the mail.” Aside from making the application accessi ble online, the absentee application process has not changed. Voters were previously required to fill out a written absentee ballot application and either handdeliver it or mail it to their county election office. Now, registered voters are able to fill out and submit their absentee ballot application online. From there, it will be d i rect ly s e nt t o t h e i r county’s election office, and they will receive their absentee ballot in the mail. Registered voters can apply for an absentee ballot if they are unable to make it to the polls the day of the election. Health issues, vacations, jobs and college students are the four main reasons people use absentee ballots, Kiger said. As of now, absentee ballots are not as popular as going to the polls to vote, Kiger said. With the new online absentee application and other reforms though, this might change. As of Thursday, Oct. 31, Pennsylvania voters can cast a ballot by mail without providing a reason for why they need an absentee ballot. This was just one of the many, “voter-friendly” reforms as a result of Gov. Tom Wolf’s Act 77 of 2019. “I honestly think more people will try to get more absentee ballots, because they’re too busy to vote,” Gillispie said, “[but] I’m hoping that people still go to the polls and vote, because it’s very important.”
nent because the Narcan can only help for so long. “It basically overtakes the opioid; [however], you still have to get them to the hospital because the Narcan will wear off,” Ankrom said. “But it gets us the time we need to get to the hospital and make sure they’re squared away.” Narcan gives them a fighting chance, said Lloyd. It also keeps the police officers safe as well, however. “Another big reason for us to carry it is because of-
House Continued from B1 has been providing money for house’s utilities, which is a great relief, said Gottschalk. Mission House offers business rooms downstairs for meetings at no charge, as long as participants are meeting for the betterment of the town, county or state. There are three rooms upstairs and another large room filled with beds and cots for sleeping. The first occupants of the home were a group of 22 children from Africa in the Amani Children’s Choir. “They came to the U.S. to raise funds for their schools, and they were associated with one of our church members,” she said. “They were my first guests,
Book Continued from B1 of emotional trauma. So, murder, suicide, heartbreak, tragic illness, combat. There’s a school of thought which I’m pretty much in agreement with … ‘what happens to the people, happens to the land’ and vice versa.” Paul said, using the Greene County Historical Museum as an example to explain this concept, “it started out as
Sierra Medina, The Yellow Jacket
Previously the Pennsylvania Mug Company, Kiln to Table is owned by Waynesburg-born Jennifer Adamson. look up to her in every way and I’m super proud of her. She’s an amazing woman.” Kiln to Table is located on 352 S. Richhill St. and is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Adamson and Carpenter said they are happy to provide this cafe combined with a pottery shop to the community and are overjoyed by the responses pouring in. “It’s been very, very busy from when we open the doors until we close at night. The dining room
has always been full, it feels wonderful and it’s very exciting,” Adamson said. “It is a little nerve-racking when you open a business, to
make sure you’re well received in the community, people would come in and they would almost be cheering.”
ficers are exposed to these chemicals as well. So, I want to make sure that officers have it for not only the person having the issue but if we’re contaminated. So, if officers get sick, we have the ability to administer it to each other,” Ankrom said. Ankrom explained some officers are already carrying the drug, but he is waiting to get everyone certified within the next four months. “The training in the past has been offered in our yearly updates … the problem is that here we have officers that have started police work after that, so we have to get them [trained],” Ankrom said. “Once I get everybody
squared away, everybody will have it.” The training consists of an online course that all administors of Narcan must take before being able to carry and administer the drug. Lloyd said it is a very simple training, because it’s a very simple medicine. “It walks you through how to use the product, and when you get there, how to recognize if it’s an opioid type of overdose and how to administer the product that you’re given,” Ankrom said. There are two types of Narcan: intranasal and auto-injector. The police department will be certified to carry the intranasal ver-
sion, which is administered through the nasal cavity. “It’s super small; it’s light; it’s not intrusive,” Lloyd said. It’s also a relatively safe drug. “From the training I’ve had, if we show up and we suspect that it’s heroine, we’ve been told that by giving them the Narcan, even if we’re wrong in our diagnosis, there’s not going to be lasting effects,” Ankrom said. There are some products that Narcan does not work against. It is better to have it than nothing though, included Ankrom. “It’s invaluable. If you can save a life, why not carry it,” Lloyd said.
and I worried that the old creaky stairs wouldn’t hold up, but they did.” Soon after, she began obtaining references from caseworkers and from Greene County Human Services to fill Mission House. It didn’t go exactly as planned, however. “I used them as a screening entity thinking that I would only get people that were simply homeless, but as time went along I found out I was getting drug-users, which wasn’t part of my mission,” she said. As fear developed that the home could be jeopardized, Gottschalk formed a solution. “I was taking people within a couple of hours of hearing that they were homeless and in need,” she said. “By the end of 2018, I said, this has to change, what if they try to light something up and they
burn the house down?” Gottschalk and the board of directors implemented an application process that could be used for a background check, as well as a mandatory drug test. Another aspect of Gottschalk’s role was helping the unemployed get to job interviews and help them place applications to the Housing Authority. “ I t r i ed t o b e t h e i r cheerleader for whatever they were missing in their lives,” she said. Mission House has also been instrumental in hosting Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit organization that goes to third world countries and works with local artisans to boost their economy and the Kairos ministry from Pittsburgh that does prison ministry work in Greene County. Gottschalk has helped
over 100 homeless people in the last three years that Mission House has been operating, but she knows she can’t do it forever. “I’m 71, and my joints are giving me problems. I ’ve had both hips replaced and just got my left hip replaced a second time so stairs are an issue, and there’s a lot of stairs,” Gottschalk said. Gottschalk and the board of directors will make the final call this month on the future of the ministry. Once the current guests move out however, she plans on selling the home sometime in 2020. “I’m ready to wind down. I would love for somebody else to take over the ministry and move it to a new location,” she said. “I’m sending out the word that I’m winding down. It’s been worthwhile. It’s been a teaching experience.”
a Rinehart homestead, it became the county poor farm. Then there was some mistreatments of the inmates and so on. The emotional energ y that was released as part of the lives of the people here was imprinted on the building.” Paul used the museum as an example because as Paul stated “it is quite haunted,” which made it the perfect location for an event explaining why Greene County is “The Most Haunted County in America.”
The event was hosted Thursday, Oct. 31, at 6:30 p.m. in the barn on the museum grounds. Paul presented an in-depth lecture on why Greene County is “The Most Haunted County in America.” There was also a book signing, a question and answer session, a tribute to Guiley and a sneak peak at the sequel. The event was $10 for admission, which helped benefit the 2nd Annual Southwestern Pennsylvania Haunted Conference on May 16, 2020.
Paul said the event went very well. There were 23 people in attendance w i t h o u t co u nt i n g t h e seven staff members who helped run the event. “All in all, it went quite well,” Paul said. His next book will be published this upcoming year and will include more accounts of hauntings in Greene County. “I’ve got some new haunting material,” Paul said, “and I’m going to try to go into a little further explanation as to why the county is haunted.”
sports PAGE B3
NOVEMBER 7, 2019 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
CROSS COUNTRY FOUR-PEAT COMPLETE!
Photo Courtesy of Patty Kaczynski Scott
Women’s cross country edge Geneva, Grove City for fourth consecutive championship JOE SMELTZER Sports Web Editor
If any team was going to stop Waynesburg University from winning a fourth straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference women’s cross country championship, Geneva would have been a good bet. The Golden Torneados were picked to finish third in the preseason poll behind the Yellow Jackets and Grove City. During the season, Geneva competed closely with Waynesburg at both the Westminster Invitational and OberlinRegional Rumble. The teams from Greene and Beaver Counties took the top two spots at Saturday’s championships. Waynesburg didn’t get swept up in a tornado, however, and the Yellow Jackets, turned a three-peat into a four-peat, with beautiful Lake Brittain in the background at Westminster. Waynesburg edged Ge-
neva by four points, accumulating 36 to Geneva’s 40. "We were trying to keep score throughout,” coach Chris Hardie, who won PAC Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row, said, “and realized that we were losing about halfway through the race by a point or two.” The Jackets pulled away, and one woman stole the show. Sophomore Aubrey Wingeart has led Waynesburg at every meet, and Saturday, she picked up her second individual win of the season, beating Geneva’s Ellie McGillivray by 14 seconds. For Hardie, Wingeart is cut from the same cloth as past standouts such as Julie Gerber, the Latimer twins [Katie and Emily] and Angie Marchetti. “We've had some girls at that level in this program, and I think she's in that same trajectory as Julie or Emily or Katie and Angie, he said. “So we're real excited
about the next two weeks and even three weeks for nationals if we can get her ready enough.” Wingeart, like many of the Jackets, were uptight before the championship. "I was very nervous coming into this race,” she said. “A lot of my teammates were very nervous. It was a very tight race." Wingeart was at the head of the table for the top seven runners that made first team All-PAC. Next in line was junior Nicole Shelton, who finished in sixth. Shelton said that her finish was somewhat surprising given how she started the race. “I was probably somewhere in the 20s,” Shelton said. “Everyone went out so fast, so it was kind of surprising." For Hardie, despi te Waynesburg’s success in big time situations, anxiety still played a factor at the beginning of the race. "I think in a race like this you always worry about
your emotions and your nerves,” he said. “So we wanted them to settle in the first two, two and 1/2 miles, and just worry about how they felt in their pace, and not worry about what the other team was doing. So they did that, and then they made a move after that.” Junior Becca Volz and freshman Madelyn Verhoff earned second team allconference honors. Volz finished in ninth with a time of 23:57.23, while Verhoff took 13th at 23:42.18. This is the third championship team Volz has been a part of. Now an upperclassman, Volz sees herself as more of a leader, which makes the triumph sweeter. "I feel that I'm more of a role model for everyone to go after... So that is honestly an honor to be someone they look up to,” Volz said. “Especially being able to have won three championships and be a part of each team that won.” This is Shelton’s second
championship, as she spent her freshman year at Division II Shippensburg. For Shelton, this year’s win felt similar to 2018, a tight three-point win over Grove City. “It was the same idea of [coming down] to every single runner, and everybody had to run a good race in order for this to be possible,” she said. “So [we had] the same nerves, and then the same happy feeling when we ended up winning it.” Sophomore Monica Kolencik and junior Gianna Pug liano rounded out the top seven. Kolencik [24:49.44] took 15th, and Pugliano [24:51.11] finished in 17th. Senior Kathryn Thompson didn’t crack the top seven, placing in 36th. But Thompson was unique in that she is one of five seniors to be there for each of Waynesburg’s four championship wins. Thompson has been taking classes at Coastal Carolina through
the Marine Biology program. She could still run for Waynesburg, and this was the second time Thompson competed with her teammates, and also the last. “This was almost like a bonus year,” she said. “Just being able to be here and spend time with everyone and getting to run with them again has been really good for me. I've enjoyed it." Like Wayesburg, the Golden Tornadoes have many top runners, including McGillivray, coming back. Looking ahead, to win a fifth straight championship, Waynesburg will likely have to fend off Geneva once again. “They put together a really strong group on the ladies side, and almost beat us today,” Hardie said. “Maybe if we ran it again, they probably would. So I think they’re really good, and they’re progressing. They have everybody coming back next year, so we have to work hard in the offseason to get ready.”
Men finish third at PAC Championships Q&A: Announcer Steve Mears living childhood dream COLIN MCLAUGHLIN For The Yellow Jacket
In the Presidents’ Athletic Conference preseason poll, the Waynesburg University men’s cross-country team was projected to finish fifth overall. However, the Jackets goal was to finish in the top three at Saturday’s PAC Championships, and despite some frustration along the way, Waynesburg accomplished that goal. “I think they ran really well,” coach Chris Hardie said. “We had a couple of spots that we probably could have made a better move so that we could have placed in second, but whenever I looked at the team score I realized that Washington & Jefferson really ran well.” The top three teams in order were St. Vincent, with 25 points, Washington & Jefferson with 46 and then Waynesburg with 70. For Waynesburg, junior Jordan Payne was first to cross the finish line placing eighth overall. He finished with a time of 27:33.44. Despite a top 10 finish, Payne saw his performance as lukewarm.
RACHEL MANGAN For the Yellow Jacket
Photo Courtesy of Patty Kaczynski Scott
Juniors Nate Jecelin (left) and Jordan Payne (right) have consistently finished in the Jacket's top seven throughout the 2019 season. “It was ok,” Payne said. “It was as muddy as can be out there compared to whenever we ran here at the beginning of the season,” Payne said. “I thought I did ok, I should have beat the one Grove City kid to make top seven, then team wise we could have done better.” Despite Payne’s slight frustration, Hardie was pleased with how the junior ran. “Jordan continues to progress each and every
week and year,” Hardie said. “This is the time of year he really picks it up. He is a gamer for us and we always expect him to do really well in big races and he did that again today.” The conditions were muddy according to Payne, Hardie, and freshman Jac Cokley. Within the first mile of the race Cokley said he slipped and tweaked his knee. He however continued to run with the sore knee. “I didn’t know it at the
time, but he twisted his knee,” Hardie said. “So, he definitely worked hard to fight through that. He showed some grit today and that is all we can ask for.” Cokley finished in 11th place overall with a time of 27:57.92. “He will probably come back strong for regionals and climb up the chain as we progress in the weeks here,” Hardie said. PACS >> B4
A ten-year-old Steve Mears is listening to Mike Lange broadcast a Penguin game. Mario Lemieux is on the ice. Mears has big dreams of being just like Lange. Now, he works with him on a nightly basis after he stepped into the shoes of Paul Stiegerwald. Question: Did you ever think you would make it this far, calling play-by-play for the Penguins? Answer: “Really the dream was to be in the NHL in any capacity and especially, the dream was to be the play-byplay guy for any NHL team… I was pretty confident and I knew I would do whatever it took. I wasn’t going to let anything get in my way. I was willing to move anywhere [and] work for peanuts.” Q: What is it like to do play-by-play at the NHL level? A: “It’s the ultimate reality TV show. You don’t know what we’re going to see on
any given night.” Q: Do you pre-plan calls for milestone games or do you let it happen in the moment? A: “It varies. You never want to be scripted. Nobody wants to hear you reading from a cue card… You don’t know how these things are going to play out too. Something [New York Mets playby-play announcer] Howie Rose taught me… [was] it’s okay to have a plan or an idea in your head, not word for word, just a plan and see where it goes.” Q: Who was your biggest inspiration? A: “No question, it was Mike Lange. It was the perfect confluence of events when I was 10, 11 years old… I was looking for heroes and Mike Lange brought those games to life. He was the soundtrack every single night.” Q: Does the travel schedule ever wear on you? A: “No, I love it! I don’t MEARS >> B4
PAGE B4
NOVEMBER 7, 2019
Jacket hoops go to work under Fusina Jacket women start season with youth, optimism ED DIORIO
For the Yellow Jacket
2,469 miles is what it took for the Waynesburg men’s basketball program to find it’s newest head coach. Tim Fusina takes the reigns for the 2019-20 season, and hopes to lead the Jackets to their first winning record since 2014. Returning home from Thousand Oaks, California, Fusina was the head man at California Lutheran University for two seasons before coming back to where his coaching career began. “It was the perfect opportunity to come home,” Fusina said. “I’m from Charleroi. Waynesburg seemed like a better fit than what I thought it was going to be. I decided the best thing for my career was to come back home and lead a program closer to where I’m from.” Fusina brings in a less traditional offensive outlook. For the other side of the floor, he can’t stress the importance of defense enough. “Our style of basketball is defensive oriented,” Fusina said. “Offensively, we’re trying to screen and change the ball side to side with the pass and get great shots. However, if we don’t defend at a high level this just isn’t going to work. Defense leads to offense.” Fusina will have four starters from a year ago coming
Photo Courtesy of Ashley Hall
Junior Matt Popeck will be one of four returning starters for the Jacket basketball team from a year ago. back, led by junior guard Matt Popeck. After finishing the 2018-19 campaign with one of the top ten scoring averages in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, Popeck enters his junior season just 266 points shy of the 1,000 point plateau. However, the Washington native has one thing in mind, and it isn’t the milestone. “This year, we want more results,” Popeck said. “My main focus is winning games, so I don’t think about [a thousand points] at all. We’re trying to do things better
together and go a step up from last year.” Popeck likes Fusina thus far, and as a result, the 5-foot-10 guard expects big things from a team returning most of its talent. “We’re all trying to be open minded with a new head coach,” Popeck said. “We know how good we can be. If we all come together and everyone plays their role, look out for us.” Brennen Smith was injured for the entirety of the 2017-18 season, but last year, Smith returned in a big way. The
incoming senior averaged 14.7 points per game, which ranked 10th among all scorers in the PAC. Although Smith bounced back strong in 2018, he looks to be even better in his final season. “I trained a lot this offseason with former Waynesburg player Jared Gamble,” Smith said. “He’s really been helping me with my ball-handling and other guard skills. Coach is kind of moving me to the three position this year, so I have to look to make plays for not only myself but my teammates from that spot.” Fusina has his goals for the Jackets on the court, and there are also goals for Fusina’s players, his staff, and himself off the hardwood. “I plan on being as involved as I can on campus,” Fusina said. “These are great kids that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with. We want our team to be recognized on campus, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure that happens.” Fusina went on to break down the different strengths of Waynesburg’s PAC opponents and the challenges the Jackets will face in the upcoming season. With those in mind, Fusina knows that his group is ready. “I expect us to compete every night.” Fusina said. “I think we can win here at a high level because these guys know what it takes to win a basketball game.”
Wrestling grapples with life after Evans ANTONIO PELULLO For the Yellow Jacket
Last year the Presidents’ Athletic Conference wrestling championship came down to the last match of the season. Then Waynesburg senior, Jake Evans, was in need of a win for his fourth straight PAC title. Evans won, and secured the championship for Waynesburg. This year, the Yellow Jackets won’t have the luxury of having one of the greatest D-III wrestlers of all time on their side. But for head coach Ron Headlee, this is not a rebuilding year as he thinks what his team lacks is weakness. “I think we have a good solid guy in almost every weight class,” Headlee said. “We don’t have a real weakness and once we get our line up together.” Not only does the team have to replace one of the school’s greatest wrestlers in history but they may be doing it with a freshman. Heavyweight freshman Rocky McGeary will be competing with four other wrestlers for that number one spot, but Headlee sees the early potential for the West Allegheny product. “[McGeary] works hard
Mears Continued from B3 have kids, so that might be something in the future that might be more challenging… I think it would be a different answer if I had children, but I do love the travel.” Q: Do you have any weird pregame routines or superstitions like many players do? A: “I had heard that Bob Costas had carried a Mickey Mantle baseball card with him at all times and I thought that was so cool. I thought, well, I want to be like Bob Costas so I’m going to have a Mario Lemieux hockey card in my notebook. I think I’ve kept that card in my notebook for every game I’ve ever done. I don’t know if it’s my good luck charm, but it always goes back to
[and] is real athletic,” Headlee said. “I think we can still surprise people [in the heavyweight division] there still.” The Jackets will most likely be looking out for returning wrestlers to fill the large shoes left by Evans, but the depth of the team may be its biggest strength. Junior Josh Kuslock [133] weight class, senior Matt Lascola [141], senior Zach Mackall [165], and junior Dillion Charlton [174] will all be crucial for Waynesburg’s opportunity to repeat as PAC Champions, according to Headlee. “We have a lot of guys who were in the lineup before … I think we can compete with a lot of teams,” Headlee said. Althoug h early season projections don’t favor Waynesburg, as rival Washington & and Jefferson has four wrestlers ranked among the best in D-III, while Waynesburg only has one. The Jackets will have one of the best wrestlers in the PAC returning in junior Caleb Baxter [174] weight class. As a freshman, Baxter was 27-11 and PAC runner up at the 174 weight class, but wrestled just once last year.
Bob Costas and his Mickey Mantle card. So, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me.” Q: Do you get recognized often? A: “That doesn’t happen too often. There is the occasional time in a restaurant where someone will recognize my voice. The main thing is with doing play-byplay, your voice is going to be more recognizable than your face.” Q: What is your biggest fear as a broadcaster? A: “I’m not bad with heights. I’m not bad with flying… You don’t want to have something be misconstrued. I think in today’s society, with the callout culture, people are so keen to pounce on either broadcasters or celebrities. If you’re doing a lot of speaking, you’d hate for something to be misconstrued.”
Photo Courtesy of Ashley Hall
Senior Matt Lascola enters 2019 after going 19-16 overall with two pins last season at the 141-pound weight class. “Always after coming off an injury you start him out a little slower and make sure he’s feeling good,” Headlee said. “I think he looks stronger bigger coming off the ACL surgery and doing well there.” Headlee also mentioned that there is an opportunity for Waynesburg Central talent and freshman Coby Morris [157] weight class to start the 2019 season. “I think he’s going to slide in there I really like the way he’s been working in the room,” Headlee said. Last year for the Jack-
ets, the freshmen class went a collective 28-86. The only freshman wrestler with a record above .500 was Dylan Winters at 9-7. Waynesburg will start the year officially at the Washington & Jefferson Invitational, and it’ll be the Jackets first opportunity to see how the team will fair against their I-79 rivals. Headlee is not worried about how the match up may play out as the season goes on. “Our guys work hard,” Headlee said. “We can match up with them, I just never count our guys out.”
ADAM MORGANTE For the Yellow Jacket
The Waynesburg University women’s basketball team comes into this season in a similar situation it was a year ago. Going into the 2018 season, the Yellow Jackets had just 10 players on the roster. At the start of this season, they will once again have just 10 players on the roster. During a season where the Jackets exhibited a lot of youth on the court, they finished 8-18 overall and 6-10 in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. Then the Jackets fell to Westminster in the first round of the conference tournament by eight points. Head coach Sam Jones thinks that applying what his team learns in practice more during games will lead to a more successful campaign. “We just have to focus on being a little more consistent,” Jones said. “We have to focus on taking what we learn in practice and applying it to game day a little bit better. This year we have a lot of young kids again and a lot of turnover, but I do think the lessons of last year will be able to help us.” Junior guard Andrea Orlosky averaged 17.3 points per game last year which was third in the PAC. Despite individual success, Orlosky feels that, collectively, the Jackets could have been better last season. “The mentality and the way that we played last year wasn’t up to our standard that I know we could have played,” Orlosky said. “This year I think we’re really focused on being mentally tough and physically strong. I think it's going to be [important] getting the freshmen into the new roles that they’re going to be playing, and they need to know that they have a really big role on the team.” This year, the Lady Jackets will have just one senior, Erin Joyce. As a result they’ll have a lot of youth in the five new members on the team, which includes freshman Lacey Russell, Anika Dansby, Leighton Croft, Zoie Smith as well as transfer Allie Delany. “We will have to have them make an impact on this team right away,” Jones said. “I’ve been very pleased with all four of our freshmen. They are doing a nice job and up to speed and certainly we will lean on them and they’ll have to figure out the college game pretty quickly.” During the offseason,
Jones added two assistant coaches to his staff. The first one is graduate assistant Jess Vormelker, who played at Thiel and was the second leading scorer in the PAC last season. The other new assistant is Matt Pioch who is also the director of housing at Waynesburg University. Jones likes the impact that Pioch and Vormelker are making on the team. “Coach Pioch works with [post players] ,” Jones said. “He’s done a really nice job. Our posts have improved. Brooke [Fuller] has made major steps. Due in part to coach Pioch [and] due in part to a lot of really hard work by her, so the combination has been good.” Despite being listed as a guard, Orlosky spends time down low as well, and is grateful for Pioch joining the staff. “He’s doing a really good job of teaching us new moves, and helping us down in the post,” Orlosky said. “He’s a really good person to have on our team because he’s super motivating and is always putting everyone in a good mood.” Jones said Vormelker is teaching the Lady Jackets about being mentally tough. “Coach Vormelker is working with our wings and guards and is doing a really good job there,” Jones said. “She’s doing a great job of just trying to help them understand the mentality of what a great player is because that’s what she was.” Jones feels the Jackets can build upon last season. “In conference I would certainly like to f inish higher than we did last year, and win a playoff game or two,” Jones said. “We always play hard but [we need to] play with a hard-mental focus and attention to detail.” Orlosky wants to exceed last season, both statistically and as a leader. “I just want to do better than last year,” Orlosky said. “I want to be better on the court but also off the court as a leader.” Orlosky has some specific goals for herself this season. “Rebounding is probably one of my biggest goals that I always want to do because I think rebounding is just super important,” Orlosky said. “If I score, I score. I just want to make sure that the team will be able to work together.” Waynesburg will open its season Friday Nov. 8 at home against Penn State Behrend. Its f irst PAC game is Wednesday Dec. 4 at Grove City.
PACs Continued from B3 Cokley thinks that the team could have performed bet ter overall even though they finished in third place. Despite the muddy conditions, he believes that it had to do with a lack of confidence. “We need to come in more confident,” Cokley said. “We still have to be willing to put it all out and be willing to play overall and no matter what the conditions or what [projections] are it’s not set in stone until the race is over.” Cokley also gave credit to both St. Vincent and W& J for running good races. “St.Vincent [runners]
Photo Courtesy of Patty Kaczynski Scott
Freshman Jac Cokley finished second for the Jackets and 11th overall for the men's cross country event at the PAC Championships with a time of 27:55.92. went one through four they really came out to race today and W&J did the same thing,” Cokley said. “So, I think with that we came out and did the best
we could compared to how they were doing.” The team now has two weeks to prepare for Regionals in Lehigh, Pennsylvania.
“For regionals Lehigh has a really nice course it’s really fun to run [there],” Payne said. “I think it will be a good end to the season.”