INSIDE: NE W P UBLIC SA FET Y OFFICER HIRED. SEE A4.
FEBRUARY 1, 2018 | VOL. 95 NO. 10 | EST. 1924
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Nursing program ranked on top 50 list University receives $850,000 grant from local foundation already in practice. According to Dr. Lina Hixson, who became interim director of the RN-BSN program this spring and is currently an assistant professor of nursing, the age of the nurses’ ranges from students in their early 20s all the way up to their 50s and 60s. For Hixson, having a program that can provide nurses with new information to
By JOE SMELTZER
Editorial Assistant
Late last year, Waynesburg University’s Register Nurse to Bachelor School of Nursing program was rated as the 18th best in the country in a Top 50 lists published by RNtoBSNOnlineProgram.com. The RN-BSN program consists of nurses that are
take back to their careers is essential in them choosing Waynesburg’s RN-BSN program. “For them to go to a university that provides that [information] for them, that’s what they’re looking for,” Hixson said. “You can get a degree anywhere, but you want to be NURSING >> A3
The Tide has turned
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Senior Tristan Buxton throws a Tide Pod into a washing machine in the Willison community laundry room. Buxton said he washes clothes on campus one to two times a week to have clean clothes for class and wrestling practice.
Student Health comments on Tide Pod Challenge By MATTIE WINOWITCH Executive Editor
When it comes to challenges, teenagers have seemingly come up with everything. From competitively choking down a spoonful of cinnamon, to
speed-chugging a gallon of milk to see who vomits first, there could not possibly be anything worse… right? E nte r t h e Ti d e Po d Challenge. The challenge, which involves eating the small
colorful pouches of laundry detergent, originally started as a viral meme late last fall. But thanks to popularity on social media, the hype surrounding the challenge has blown up. TIDE PODS >> A3
By MATTIE WINOWITCH Executive Editor
Waynesburg University has received an $850,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. The grant will go toward a two-year support of the university’s community development efforts, such as service learning opportunities and the expansion of specific graduate programs. According to Stacey Brodak, vice president of Institutional Advancement, Waynesburg has had a longstanding relationship with the RKM Foundation, which is an organization built to uplift community-based projects in southwestern Pennsylvania. An application was submitted on behalf of the university to the RKM Foundation grant in 2017 after they recognized an opportunity to gain funding for the students and the community. “A strong relationship built upon credibility and trust is incredibly important for any funder and applicant,” Brodak said. “We had previously received funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and worked hard to establish that credibility with them in the past, so that moving forward, WU would be in good standing to be considered for additional funding.” According to a statement released on behalf of the university, Waynesburg students, faculty and staff contribute more than 50,000 volunteer hours of service to the local community each year. This provides an annual economic impact of approximately $1.2 million. Through
a strategic plan, the $850,000 grant received from RKM could potentially increase that impact. “This funding will result in projects within the university that will have a direct impact on the continued development of the local community,” said Waynesburg University President Douglas G. Lee in a press release. “Investments in the university’s service learning and graduate programs will enable us to achieve the positive, community-focused outcomes proposed in the grant.” On top of service learning and graduate programs, the grant will also go toward technology for online courses, as well as marketing to increase student enrollment. For Brodak, this is an opportunity for a wider stretch of outreach. “The funding is broad based, but helps us strengthen the university and continue to have an even stronger positive impact on our community, which allows us to focus on creating valuable experiences for our students,” Brodak said. Brodak said the university as a whole is thankful for the opportunity they have been given on behalf of the RKM Foundation. “This funding is instrumental to our mission and everyone should share in the immense pride of its award,” she said. “We are very grateful to the Richard King Mellon Foundation and look forward to implementing programs that benefit both our students and the community for years to come.”
Librarian's essay published in anthology By TIFFANY MORGAN Associate Editor
“Life” magazine published a six-part feature on the centennial of the American Civil War in 1961. During this time, Professor Rea Redd, director of the Eberly Library, was only eight years old at the time, and he was completely fascinated. “Not quite old enough to read it by myself, I asked my mother to read it to me aloud after the evening meal,” Redd said. “Some of the art work in the magazine now hangs on the wall of my office.” Once Redd graduated from high school, he and his brother made a trip
to Gettysburg. This led to multiple trips to see the historical site. “During 1993, I began re-enacting the American Civil War. I have returned to Gettysburg since then every November to commemorate the Gettysburg Address,” Redd said. “Add to that, I go to Gettysburg about 4 times a year now.” Redd began publishing in 2012. The book Redd published is entitled, “The G e tt y s bu rg C amp ai g n Study Guide Volume I.” Redd’s book includes 1,400 questions on troop movements and engagements on the Gettysburg Campaign and identifications of portraits of commanders, photographs of
battlefield monuments and locations on maps. The purpose of Redd’s two volumes is to help those who want to take the Gettysburg Battlefield Licensed Guide exam. “I was curious about what guides knew and also what I knew about the Battle of Gettysburg,” Redd said. “I took the test three times to test myself and scored 83 percent, 85 percent and 87 percent on the tests. Any score less than 92 percent failed the test.” In addition to Redd’s love for Gettysburg, he was also recognized and asked to write for a book on the American Civil War during the Fall of 2015. With Redd being an
alumnus of Waynesburg College from 1970 to 1974, he found Waynesburg again in August of 1997 to return and work as a librarian. “At Waynesburg as an undergraduate, I double majored in English and history,” Redd said. “During the decades between those two events I received a master’s degree in American history, taught every grade between kindergarten and twelfth, owned a retail chain of bookstores and earned a master’s degree in library science.” After Redd’s first M.A., he worked for three years at the Coalition for Christian Outreach and during the 1990’s,
Photo courtesy of Rea Redd
Redd's knowledge of Gettysburg and the Civil War has
REDD >> A3 led him to being published in an anthology.
STATE LEGISLATORS PREPARE FOR CHANGES
FLU OUTBREAK MAY GET WORSE
From a special election to the redrawing of congressional lines, Pennsylvania state legislators are preparing for major changes.
All states except one in the country have seen rapid growth in flu activity, leading many experts to believe the flu season may not have yet peaked. How should you prepare?
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INSIDE
SENIOR FORWARD MAKES HISTORY
MASTERS OF MICKEY MOUSE
After acquiring 971 career rebounds against Thiel last week, Addy Knetzer is now new leader in program history.
Students worked in teams of four as they tested their Disney trivia knowledge in a competition hosted by SAB.
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See D1
Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . A1–A4 Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B1, B4 Editorial/Op-ed . . . . . . . B2 News Digest . . . . . . . . . B3 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C1–C4 Arts & Life . . . . . . . . . . . D1–D2 Entertainment . . . . . . . D3–D4 Copyright © 2018 Waynesburg University 51 W. College St.Waynesburg, Pa. 15370
February 1, 2018
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PRSSA continues trend of success By PAUL ZALAKAR
For the Yellow Jacket
Waynesburg University’s Public Relations Student Society of America Chapter has found major success for two years in a row. During the two years the award has existed, Waynesburg has been the PRSSA Chapter of the Year. President of the chapter, Maura Fenske, also accepted the Bob O’Gara Student Scholar Award, making her the second Waynesburg University student to do so in the past four years. This is now becoming a precedent for a program that is still fairly new to campus. The Renaissance Awards ceremony was held in Pittsburgh Jan. 25, where the students were able to connect with professionals in the public relations field of work. “Eight out of ten PR speakers will say networking is the most important piece to getting a job,” said Faculty Advisor of PRSSA Richard Krause. “It’s not what you know, it’s to get people to know what you know.” According to Krause, Waynesburg students were the first to volunteer for these types of award ceremonies, setting a precedent for other schools to follow their lead. Even though it was a night meant for merriment, all of the students were busy at work. It’s from that kind of effort that allows students to be making a name for themselves, the school and the program. “It’s really establishing us in the Pittsburgh market,” said Krause. “And I think it’s established us nationally as one of the better Public Relations programs in the country.” A m ong Way n e s bu rg students receiving awards, there were also Waynesburg alumni who found similar
Senior public relations major wins Bob O'Gara student scholar award
think about the chapter’s future, even when she is no longer there. The path to becoming “ W h e n I ’m g o n e , the leader of the Waynes- h o p e f u l l y t h e y c a n burg University PRSSA t a ke t h e s e rol e s n ow Chapter is no easy feat. a n d r u n w it h t h e m ,” With the right credentials said Fenske. and experience, She hopes one can apply, t h e up c om i n g but then must be students will voted in. continue the Senior public success. Addirelations major tionally, she has Mau r a Fe ns ke another goal to has been the expand the proPresident of the gram with more Wa y n e s b u r g members. chapter for the Even though Fenske past two years. Fenske spends a She accepted the role lot of time working for the in May of 2016. It was her chapter and the school, she work driven attitude that is now finding time to hang allowed her to pave a path out with her friends more for her success often. “It was intimidating Time management is coming in knowing how crucial for managing both successful the chapter had school work and a personal been,” said Fenske. “I did life. not want to stall, I just “I just started figuring wanted to keep pushing out as a senior to make forward and more for- time for friends because ward.” that is important,” said Fenske describes herself Fenske. as a perfectionist. Fenske is going to conD ur ing her t ime at tinue in her career path school, she has learned and “hit the ground runto balance her priorities ning .” She is now on in order to drive for the the PRSA Board of Dichapter’s success. rectors for 2018, and is She has pushed herself “very excited to work on to be the very best and to that.” Fenske hopes to always learn from her fail- break into the industry ures. and find a job from all of Last year, Fenske was ap- her networking. plying for the Bob O’Gara “I would like to be a Student Scholar Award. Af- great alumnus and give ter finding out she did not back to the chapter,” said get the award, she strived Fenske. to be better for the next S h e p l a n s t o l e av e year. That passion led the h e r p r e s e n c e e v e n chapter president to win when she is not physithe Bob O’Gara Student c a l l y h e r e a n y m o r e . Scholar Award in 2018. For her, if at first you do not Maintaining the presi- succeed, you can guarantee dency allowed Fenske to she will the next time. By PAUL ZALAKAR
For the Yellow Jacket
Courtesy of Natalie Johnston
Waynesburg's PRSSA student chapter won the chapter of the year award for the second time in a row at the Renaissance Awards ceremony in Pittsburgh success. Jordan Mitrik graduated from Waynesburg in 2016 where he studied public relations and marketing. This year, he won the PRSSA Member of the Year Award and he was a part of the group that won Renaissance PR Team of the Year. Mitrik was the vice president of Waynesburg’s PRSSA Chapter when he won the Bob O’Gara Student Scholar Award in 2015. He now sits on the committee as the Renaissance Awards Chair. The program has proved its merit year after year, but it did not seem likely just a few years ago. When the chapter was established, the goal was to work at the local level. However, Chairman of the Department of Communication Richard Krause has realized the goal has far been succeeded. “We hoped to eventually tap into the regional level,
but now we have cultivated a pretty good relation at the national level,” said Krause. They received Star Chapter five years in a row, demonstrating not just the chapter’s recent success, but its consistency as well. The chapter has proved to still be very capable of winning even though a small school setting can have limitations. “Typical chapters will have fifty to one hundred members, and we have nineteen,” Fenske said. “It leaves other chapters asking us how do we do that.” Even though the chapter won an award, it came from the individual efforts
of everyone involved in the Waynesburg program. “The students get to practice what they learn in their PR classes and put that into some kind of context,” Krause said. “It’s all about professional development.” However, the Public Relations Chapter is not finished yet. Their biggest event, dubbed “PR week,” is set for the week of April 9th. This will be the 8th time the school celebrates public relations for a whole week. It caps off the end of a tale of success for the spring semester for Waynesburg University PRSSA Chapter.
Criminal Justice TPS regional program coming to Southpointe department adds career development By ANTONIO PELULLO Editorial Assistant
By LINDSEY STENGER For The Yellow Jacket
Criminal Justice is just one of the majors at Waynesburg University that is constantly setting itself above programs of rivaling schools. One of the programs newest accomplishments is the recently added Freshman Career Development Course. This course seeks to set up freshman for success not only in their collegiate years but also in the workplace. “The course is designed to set Waynesburg apart as well as encourage freshman to stay in the major,” said Depar tment Chairman Adam Jack. Jack also hopes that this course will set up the students for their sophomore year. “The sophomore year here is very heavy when it comes to hands on things,” said jack. “That is when they get heavy on the firearms and American policing.” This course was created to specifically lay the foundation of the tactics that will be taught more indepth during the upcoming years. “What we are finding is that, if we don’t lay the base for that as freshman more, we end up spending more time introducing the kids to things that they can get a hold of quickly.” By taking part in this class, it removes the need to use class time in the upcoming years to cover the basics. Career Development is a one credit course that is offered to second semester freshman. The class as of now is
a test run but Jack says that it has a potential to become a three credit course as well as a requirement for graduation. Because of the overwhelming amount of freshman in the criminal justice major the class will be split into two sections. One will be taught by Adam Jack while the other section will be taught by Professor Jim Tanda. The classes will switch half way through the semester. Jack’s section will focus on the basics of firearms, safety, and laser point systems. Professor Tanda will teach the basics of searching, handcuffing, and interrogation interviewing, as well as how to properly write a police report. An advantage to being a part of this class is the abundance of guest speakers that Jack has set up. The guest speakers will include alumni who are currently working in the field as well as seniors here who have interned at a variety of different places. Jack and Tanda hope that through the guest speakers the students will not only see what they have to look forward in this field but also begin networking. “I believe that this a class that every freshman should have to take or at least want to take,” said Sydney Howe, a freshman currently enrolled in the new career development class. Howe says that she is very excited to continue to get a sneak peek of what the rest of her college years are going to look like. Although it is early in the academic school year Howe believes that this course is destined for greatness.
227 years ago, the first amendment faced its first challenge in America’s young history. The Whiskey Rebellion, which took place in Washington County, was the first challenge on the constitution. Waynesburg’s Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region program will host an opportunity for teachers Saturday, Feb. 24, in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties. They will travel to the Waynesburg's Southpointe location and take part in inquiry learning. Defined by Sue Wise, associate director of the program, inquiry learning is when students go further than the classroom to learn about history. The event is being offered through a partnership with the Bradford House Historical Association, which is providing each participant with one copy of “The Bradford House”, a book about the landmark, in addition to awarding six Act 48 hours, attributing to the amount of hours educators need to keep their certificate status active. Clay Kilgore, executive director of Washington County Historical Society will also give insight on the Whiskey Rebellion. Wise has done events like this in the past and this time she had some inspiration from a middle school teacher. “Greg Giardina, who has a middle school social studies classroom, is particularly interested in the Whiskey Rebellion,” said Wise, “so he kind of started down this path of collecting primary sources around this topic, and I decided to create a full-blown classroom inquiry about this topic, so the idea is to investigate the first amendment.” In the area, the Bradford House hosts a Whisky Rebel-
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Waynesburg's Teaching with Primary Sources program will host an opportunity for teachers in Washington, Greene and Fayette counties. Sue Wise, associate director of the program, is pictured below at a previous conference. lion festival in the summer, and with such high interest in the Whisky Rebellion, it provides a chance for professional development with primary sources. “We as TPS, Teaching Primary Sources, pull resources from the Library of Congress, and support classroom teachers in doing investigations like this,” said Wise, “so we decided to make it into a professional development event. It'll be a one-day seminar.” Wise wants teachers to walk away able to go in depth on a topic that has close relation to the people in the area. “We would hope that they would take a part of this,” said Wise, “and do some in-depth investigation with their students and then report back to us about how that worked or how they had to adapt as materials for their individual classrooms.” The point of the event is to impart information to teachers, who, in turn, convey that information to their students to teach them that they can stand up to defend themselves no matter the size of the government, according to Wise.
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February 1, 2017
Alumnus reconnects with current students during service trip By COLIN MCLAUGHLIN Convergence Editor
Over winter break, eight students and two professors from Waynesburg University' went to Bonaire for a week to help at Trans World Radio. While on the trip, the group decided to have a “Waynesburg Wednesday” in which they all wore Waynesburg University shirts for a group picture. That day, during the group’s lunch break, they all went to buy souvenirs. That is when 41-yearold Fernando Nava saw part of the group from Waynesburg. The students and one chaperone didn’t know it at the time, but Nava actually went to Waynesburg College in 2001 for his MBA. “I was driving to pick up some cargo from our shipping agent and I saw the burnt orange shirt and they said Waynesburg on them and I couldn’t believe it,” said Nava. Nava grew up in a middle-class family in Venezuela where he attended a school that taught English and also had opportunities for scholarships and studying abroad. “They always had information for us about scholarships and colleges abroad,” said Nava. “So, they basically pointed at me one day and said that I had a possibility to go so I sent my letter and sent everything else that I could and I got in.” Nava had always dreamed about studying abroad, but he never knew thought it was ever going to become a reality for him. “To me, getting a scholarship abroad was a huge dream,” said Nava. “I remember visualizing myself in a college in the U.S. and the location I visualized
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
After running into students from Waynesburg University, with a majority of them being in the Department of Communication, Waynesburg alumnus Fernando Nava sat down for a quick video interview. before I even knew anything about Waynesburg was some sort of a grassy park and when I got to Waynesburg I went to the park and it was exactly like the place I visualized in my head.” Nava was the first ever Venezuelan to receive the R.J. and Rita Morris Scholarship which paid for him to be able to come to what was then Waynesburg College for a year. “To this day I still treasure the college,” said Nava. “I remember my dad when he graduated [and] got a scholarship to Ohio University and when it came to my brothers I was considered the academic one. When it came [time] for me to go to college I, at first, had no scholarship. So, my parents said they would pay, but I didn’t feel ok with that. So, when I received the scholarship I was happy about it because I could follow in my
father’s footsteps.” Nava left from Maracaibo, Venezuela, a city that, at the time, was approximately three million people with an average temperature of 95 degrees to arrive in Pennsylvania on Jan. 3, 2001 where it was small and cold. “I have traveled before, but in this case, it was different because when you go for a week in the summer, which I have done to New York and San Francisco, you go to big places in the big cities,” said Nava. “When I was in Waynesburg though it was small and it made it feel way more real to me. You could get used to the streets and see someone every day waving and I fell in love with the feeling of a small town.” For his MBA program Nava started studying political science and then switched over to business management. He says he has a pretty firm understanding of both majors. Nava said
that he always did well in school back in Venezuela, but the MBA program at Waynesburg was a whole new level of education for him. “When I got to Waynesburg I got involved in everything that I could,” said Nava “I was supposed to take 12 classes for the MBA, I took 13. In all of my MBA level classes I got straight A’s because, for me, it was such an honor to be there for me that I couldn’t see myself getting any kind of grade but the best.” Nava remembers that during his time at Waynesburg there was an earthquake in El Salvador. So, Nava decided to start up a food drive for the country. That eventually got him elected as President of the Foreign Students Organization. Another thing that Nava said he remembered during his time at Waynesburg College was September 11, 2001.
“I remember very distinctively waking up to 12 missed phone calls from back home and was wondering why they called me,” said Nava. “I turned on the TV and reality hit, I went to the plaza between all of the buildings and everyone was standing there, because that is what you do. You want to see other people. I will never forget this, a local girl came to me and said ‘How are you? Are you scared? Are you afraid?’ It was insane because I came from Venezuela we had tragedy’s like this every year with death tolls of basically amounting to five to seven 9/11’s every single year. So, for me I was not that scared, but the fact that someone that had the event happen in their homeland came to me a Foreigner and asked if I was ok it was a whole new dimension of humanity for me.” A couple of years after finishing his MBA at Waynesburg, Nava became
a college professor in Venezuela. Then around 2006 things started to change in the country for Nava. “In 2006 Hugo Chavez was on his second term and he started using certain words in his inaugural speech which told me where he was going,” said Nava. “There was no division of power, no accountability, it was ‘his way or the highway’ and since I studied political science for a bit I knew what was about to happen. I fell in love with Canada and was going to go there, but my sister lives here in Bonaire. She told me about a job opening as a translator.” Nava and his family have been living in Bonaire for six years now he and he loves knowing that his daughters will have a good life on the island. Nava has also made friends too on the island including a group of friends that he is currently making a board game with about Lion fish hunting on the island. Nava says that none of this would be possible for him and his family if it wasn’t for the Morris family giving him the opportunity to come to Waynesburg College to get his MBA in 2001. “I am immensely grateful to the Morris family and to Waynesburg,” said Nava. “A lot of people, when they go to a small place like Waynesburg, they feel like they are missing out on some stuff. To me though, you actually find out what really matters to you. You don’t need two million plus people around you to feel happy; you can have maybe 10 to 20 people around you and be happy. For such a small place, you get so much out of it. So, I guess it’s only small in size not in experience.”
Tide Pods: ‘Be smart and don't do [the challenge]’ Redd: Librarian plans to have more material published in 2018
Continued from A1
Today, the repercussions have been several flagged posts on YouTube, hospitalizations and advisories from Poison Control Centers across the U.S. Jen Shiring, nurse director of Student Health Services at Waynesburg University, first noticed the phenomenon of eating Tide Pods from children accidentally consuming the products due to their candy-like appearance. “I used to work at Children’s Hospital and there would be a lot of kids com-
ing in from eating things like bleach and different cleaners,” Shiring said. “But they were little kids and they didn’t know any better. Grown teenagers and adults should know better.” According to reporting done by the Washington Post, there have been at least 37 reported cases of teenagers eating the detergent pouches, with over half of them being intentional. To Shiring, this is a simple case of teenage acceptance. “For teenagers, there is a developmental time period where they want to be
socially accepted and cool, but sometimes that can turn into disaster,” Shiring said. “For the teenagers that do the Tide Pod Challenge, it could very well be that teenage age bracket where you think you’re invincible and nothing is going to happen to you, but people are going to the hospital and dying over it.” Both children and adults who have been exposed to the capsules have been hospitalized with vomiting, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness, and eight children under the age of five have died, according to the
Muse & Stone
is still Accepting Submissions
We are looking for submissions in the following categories: Fiction ~ Non Fiction ~ Poetry ~ Artwork Submissions are open to all students! There is a 3000 word limit for any written piece, and you may submit up to 5 entries per genre. In your submission please include: name, class level, email, phone number, and category. Spring Submission Deadline: Sunday, February 4th Send all submissions to: cro7984@student.waynesburg.edu
Washington Post. As for students at Waynesburg University, Shiring hopes that age and common sense allows them to know better. “Be smart and don’t do it,” Shiring said. “If you’re not using Tide Pods for your laundry, they’re too expensive, especially for college students.” If you or someone you know has eaten a Tide Pod, drink a glass of water or milk and call the national poison help hotline at 1-800-222-1222 or text POISON to 797979 to save the number in your phone.
Continued from A1
he found interest in writing a monthly column on education and the internet for Boardwatch Magazine. With Redd having work published, he aspires to have more material published this year, which is currently being read by editors at Savas Beatie Publishing. “I am looking forward to having it published during
2018,” Redd said. Redd is working on compiling information for another piece of work he plans to publish, entitled “Sharpshooters, Signals and Spies: A Tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield and Borough.” “Also, I wish to complete some fiction which is set in Pittsburgh during the 1840’s,” said Redd, “and some fiction set on the Gettysburg Battlefield during the present day.”
Nursing: Mosser's leadership paved way for high recognition
Continued from A1
able to come back as a student, as an adult learner, and take that information back to your employer, to improve patient care. Because health care is getting more and more challenging, not just financially, but with all the new information that comes out every day. So, this would tell me as an adult learner that [RNBSN] is a quality program, that I’m going to be able to make improvements in patient care.” For Hixson, the recognition that Waynesburg’s nursing program has received despite its low national profile is something for prospective students to consider when looking at the university. “I think because there are so many programs throughout the United States, accolades don’t come to every program that’s out there,” Hixson said. “So, that says a lot for a small Christian
university in Greene County, Pennsylvania, that some people have never heard of. For nurses that are looking, that says a mouthful, because you don’t get that publicity at small university’s… So, it really says a lot for a small university that spreads throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.” While Hixson is careful not to overstate the success, the fact that the RN-BSN program found itself on the same list with medical powers such as John’s Hopkins shows it is capable of offering. “That just tells me that in regards to quality of an education and affordability for the adult learner, that [the program] is appealing and that this is possibly one of the… I don’t want to say best programs because that’s sort of assuming too much,” Hixson said. “But it is certainly a program that will give you the quality education [needed] as a student to be a successful practicing nurse in today’s
health care system.” Amidst the national recognition, the department is experiencing changes, with Dr. Nancy Mosser retiring at the end of this year’s Fall semester after 15 years as department chair and 31 total with the university. Associate Professor of Nursing Kathy Stolfer is in the position on an interim basis after Mosser’s departure. For Hixson, continuing the groundwork that Mosser laid for the department will be key- and won’t be easy. “I think it’s maybe too early to say [where the department is headed,] but I do believe that Dr. Mosser laid a solid foundation,” Hixson said. “She was there long enough to build that foundation, and the faculty that she surrounded herself with are quality faculty. So, I think that they’ll build on what Dr. Mosser has already done to continue the success. That is always the challenge.”
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February 1, 2018
New public safety hire Steve Cooper has over 30 years in field By ANDREW HREHA
For the Yellow Jacket
At Waynesburg University, the Public Safety Department keeps the campus safe on a day to day basis. Many students know the names of the officers and converse with them regularly. However, what students may not realize is the many other responsibilities that public safety officers have in keeping the university running normally. James Tanda, director of security operations and emergency management knows there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes that students do not realize when it comes to the public safety department. “A lot of people think that public safety or security is all about physical security, which is a big part of it,” said Tanda, “Access, controls, lighting, locking, and things like this are an important part of any security program.
But there’s more to keeping a campus community safe and secure.” Tanda said that since a new public safety officer, Steve Cooper, was recently hired, now is a good time to recognize everyone in the department and all the things they do to keep the campus safe. “They are here for us 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, and as we bring on [Cooper] to the Public Safety office, it’s a good time to recognize the whole group.” Tanda said. Tanda believes Cooper will be a valuable asset to the public safety department on campus. “Ste ve C o op er was hired Jan. 22 and comes to Waynesburg as a veteran law enforcement officer with over 30 years of policing, security and law enforcement experience in Western Pennsylvania,” said Tanda. “As a former police chief, Steve Cooper is a tremendous addition to our public
Cooper safety department and will be a particularly valuable asset as he now joins us as an armed security officer. This will add an additional valuable security function and first response capabilities to our overall protection plan here on campus,” Tanda spoke to Cooper’s personable style and good interpersonal skills and how he will fit in with the other officers. “[Cooper] is a fantastic person and a great ambassador for security and law enforcement,” Tanda said. “He is kind of built the same way as many in law enforcement and our own security;
very personable but also professional and responsible. Even though he has all sorts of expertise when it comes to law enforcement, you'll find that Steve is personable, interactive, engaging, and caring, just like the other officers that are here in Public Safety." According to Tanda, officers are responsible for the security of campus buildings, as well as the safety of all students, faculty and staff. “What most students and many faculty and staff may not realize is that our public safety officers perform a lot of other duties and responsibilities behind the scenes,” Tanda said. “In addition to assisting with maintenance, facilities--even housekeeping if requested—they avail themselves to everyone on campus: from providing student escorts across campus to their housing late at night or after hours to assisting faculty with locked cars, parking requests, etc.”
Tanda said that security is also present at Waynesburg University sporting events and other special events and activities, but keeps a low profile. “They are not often overtly visible but they provide that extra layer of protection and security behind the scenes.” Tanda said. “They also respond to certain incidents on campus that allow them to interact with the local police department or other first responders. They are the first line of defense to determine whether the local police or the state police should be called. They also capture and record statistics on any crimes or similar incidents on campus. They also conduct training as required.” For Tanda, communication with students is among the most important factors for a public safety officer. “I believe that’s one of their most important attributes on campus. Their strength is their ability to relate to,
listen, and communicate with students, understand their problems, whether it’s a dorm or dining hall issue or sporting event, and be the eyes and ears of the university to local law enforcement. I have every reason to believe that Steve, with all of his experience, will be same way and integrate well into our campus community.” Tanda wants students and faculty alike to know that their safety and security continues to increase under the protection of Waynesburg’s Public Safety Department. “Nothing will significantly change from a day to day view of campus security but everyone should know that we are just a little more safe today than we were yesterday," said Tanda. "And with the changing times in our society and on college campuses everywhere we will continue to be safe, secure, and better prepared for any critical incident that may occur on our campus."
CJ major interning for Dept. of Public Safety WVU grad intern By ANDREW HREHA
For the Yellow Jacket
Sydney Flick is a senior criminal justice major at Waynesburg University. Flick, much like many of her classmates, goes to class, has an internship with an employer in her field and has a work study job. However, Flick’s work study program is unlike any other, as she works with the Department of Public Safety to gain experience in her field. Her role with the Public Safety Department as a part of a work study program is not new, the Department of Public Safety has been offering a student worker position for over 10 years. “Having somebody that is going to school, going to the classrooms, living in the dormitories, interacting with our students, benefits us as far as identification,” said Mike Humiston, director of the Department of Public Safety. Along with helping in identif ication, student workers complete a variety of other tasks such as dispatching, crowd control, manning the Public Safety office, writing reports and
Humiston
Tanda
various other jobs that helps them gain experience in their potential field. To be accepted in the position, one must be a criminal justice major, be in good academic standing with the university, go through the interviewing process and swear confidentiality regarding matters discussed in the public safety office. One student, who worked in the student worker role two years ago and now works in a Sheriff 's office in Maryland, was featured in an episode of “Live P.D.” “It was a big thing for our department and our university,” said Humiston. “Live P.D. is a fairly popular viewed television program and he was actually on there doing a failed sobriety test on a potentially drunk driver. Knowing that he’s doing as well as he’s doing in
law enforcement, I think we can honestly say we had something to do with him maturing and doing what he’s doing now.” Humiston believes Flick is a candidate to continue the tradition of success. “A large percentage of criminal justice people, before they even get out into the employment field as a law enforcement officer, a lot of those folks start in security” Humiston said. “So they’ll do some type of report writing, they’ll do some sort of investigative techniques, interview techniques, those types of things. She’s very helpful with that stuff and we are going to miss her after she graduates.” Humiston is not the only person on campus that commends Flick for her work and ambition. “[Flick] is at the top of her
class when it comes to academics and performance,” said James Tanda, director of Security Operations and Emergency Management and criminal justice instructor. Tanda has observed Flick’s work both inside and outside the classroom. In regards to her work as President of the Criminal Justice Club, Tanda stated that Flick, “fills that roll very well by demonstrating leadership to her peers.” Flick is also interning with the Pittsburgh office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), where Tand a h a d pre v i ou sly worked as a supervisor before coming to Waynesburg University in 2013. Flick has gained experience in her field from her work with the Department of Public Safety, noting her improvement with people skills while in the position. According to Flick, the struggles of being a student worker with the department of Public Safety are worth it’s challenges. “It’s definitely useful, it gives you an experience that you can put on your resume,” Flick said. “It’s definitely an experience that is worth it.”
Res Life starts process of RA applications By EDWARD BOICE
For the Yellow Jacket
While students are busy trying to adjust back into the grind of higher education, a few are setting time aside to work towards a go a l for next school year; becoming a Resident Assistant. Last week, Residence Life faculty hosted their annual application kickoff Tuesday, Jan. 23, to help those students attain their goals. At the application kickoff event, around 40 interested students were given a link to an application form. The form can be found in the residence life tab on MyConnect. It requires a cover letter, a resume and essay questions. New applicants will submit four essays, while returning applicants only have to submit two. Candidates must also submit a personal reference to back up their character. If everything looks good on paper, they will be interviewed by all Resident Directors of the same gender and possibly a Resident Assistant from the previous year. C h r i s Hard i e , a s s i s t a nt d e a n o f S t u d e nt S e r v i c e s , s ai d t h at a l l
these types of submissions give him and the staff the ability to see the character of a candidate in multiple ways. “We kind of look at the applications holistically,” said Hardie, “how well that application came in and what kind of potential that
group session and the private questions give the students the ability to figure out their personal needs as future RA’s. “The majority of the questions come in one-onone with me at the end,” said Hardie. “It gives them a chance to talk through
“While personal ability plays a fairly high role, we also evaluate things on how does this work as a team, how does this chemistry look because everybody needs to be on the same page.”
MATT PIOCH
Resident Director of Thayer Hall
person would have.” While paperwork overvie w is t he main purpose of the application event, an important objective was to answer the questions that students have about being a Resident Assistant. Hardie and the Resident Directors led a presentation about the position and what it entails. Faculty then turned the microphone over to students, answering any questions that the candidates had. After the session, multiple students who had more questions communicated with the faculty. Hard i e s ai d t h at t h e
their situation.” To ensure that students are being looked after by the right people, Waynesburg University has requirements for RA applicants. Stu d e nt s must have a GPA of over 2.5, be a fulltime student and have little to no disciplinary record. There is a rule that says students must have resided on campus at least one semester,but that rule has been relaxed over the past couple of years. Hardie explains that there are some upsides to having a Resident Assistant that is a commuter. “This current RD staff
feels that there is a skill set that a commuter can bring that a residence student can’t,” said Hardie. “So sometimes we think that is important too.” While the university has some set guidelines for RAs, most of the decision making comes from discernment of the residence life faculty. Looking for maturity, responsibility, problem solving skills and other human traits are never something that can be discerned by looking over applications, hence why personal references and interviews are essential to the application process. Another aspect is that the RA group is a team, working together to build the hall community and to keep the peace on their floors. Matt Pioch, resident director of Thayer Hall and director of housing, says that while someone might make a good RA, they might not work well with the rest of the staff. “While personal ability plays a fairly high role, we also evaluate things on how does this work as a team, how does this chemistry look,” said Pioch, “because everybody needs to be on the same page.” The RA staff list will be released the week of Feb. 19.
strives to bring new perspective By KADEN HURLEY
For the Yellow Jacket
It may be a normal semester for returning Waynesburg University faculty and students, but for WVU graduate intern Robert Hillard, this semester represents anything but familiarity. Hillard started his internship Monday, Jan. 15, the same day classes resumed for the spring semester and he will intern through this spring semester and 2018 fall semester. His internship is a requirement for the doctorate degree in sports and exercise psychology as well as a master’s degree for counseling he is working towards in the West Virginia University graduate program. Before attending West Virginia University, Hillard graduated from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, where he is originally from. Despite his distant location, Hillard found Waynesburg University primarily because his friend, Zenzi Huysman, completed her internship at Waynesburg as well and loved it. Additionally, Hillard finds himself drawn to smaller environments and areas with lots of connections, which helped him solidify the decision of coming to Waynesburg for the internship. For this specific position, Waynesburg University’s Counseling Center actively recruits interns with a specialization in sports psychology, so Hillard knew he would receive ample opportunity to exercise his learned skills. In fact, West Virginia University’s psychology graduate program has had someone consistently intern with Waynesburg’s Counseling Center for around 10 years. Despite being at Waynesburg for only a week, Hillard is already “very impressed with the university as a whole,” especially the high level of involvement among the students and the number of roles adopted by all those working in the
counseling center. After the internship, he has one more semester at WVU for his Ph.D. At this moment, Hillard has no concrete outline for life after school, but he knows he wants to find a home somewhere in the North-East section of the U.S. Director of the Counseling Center Jane Owen took part in selecting Hillard as the Counseling Center’s newest intern. She has expressed excitement at the prospect of the department’s new intern and the additional assistance now available for students. While Hillard interns at Waynesburg, he will offer the same style of personal counseling sessions offered by Waynesburg University’s full-time counselors as well as specialization in sports psychology mental skills work: confidence, motivation and performance. Hillard said that his goals revolve around three main things. “Helping people grow and discover themselves, discover how you can thrive and live your best life, and if by the end [of the internship] one person walks out of here and feels like they found themselves a little more, that can go a really long way,” said Hillard. “[Athletes] might really struggle to focus at practice or it’s getting late in the season and they’re bored or they notice they get the jitters before a game, that’s all stuff I’m trained to work in,” Hillard said. “You train physically to be the best you can be, and this side is you train mentally to make yourself better.” He said that sports psychology applies to more than typical sports such as baseball or soccer. In reality, his specialty revolves around visualization, goal setting and getting the most out of any sort of performance which aids musicians, dancers, actors or even student speakers. “That is what I’m here for and that is what I enjoy doing,” Hillard said of his role on campus.
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FEBRUARY 1, 2018 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
State prepares for special election and redrawing district lines By JOE SMELTZER
Editorial Assistant
After Tim Murphy stepped down from his post as the U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district – a position which he held for well over a decade – a special election is being held to figure out who will occupy the seat for the remainder of 2018. The special election, March 13, pits Republican Rick Saccone, a longtime state representative of Washington and Allegheny Counties and retired Air Force officer, against Democrat Conor Lamb, a Mt. Lebanon native who has served as a Marine Corps captain and U.S. Attorney. According to Tina Krieger, the Elections and Voter Registration officer for the election, no third-party candidates have entered their name in the race yet. Murphy, a Republican, stepped down this past October after holding his post
as State Representative since 2003 amid reports that he had encouraged his girlfriend to have an abortion, which would have contradicted his stance as a stronganti abortion lawmaker during his time in Congress. During Murphy’s resignation he stated
From a special election to the redrawing of congressional lines, Pennsylvania state legislators are preparing for major changes. that needing personal assistance was something of importance to him but did not wish to comment further. “After discussions with my family and staff, I have come to a decision that I will not seek re-election to Congress at the end
of my current term. In the coming weeks, I will take personal time to seek help as
CONGRESS >> B4
County adapts to mass flooding
"A R T F O R T H E R Y H T H M O F YO U R L I F E"
By LUKE GOODLING Sports Editor
Artbeat closed Effects of art gallery closing felt throughout business, art community By TEGHAN SIMONTON Managing Editor
It is late January, and snow is pounding the window panes of Waynesburg’s art gallery, Artbeat. The owners, Jim and Linda Winegar drove in all the way from West Greene, like they have most days in the past five years. But today is not like most days. Because Artbeat closed Jan. 13, more than two weeks ago. Today, the shop is cluttered with the gallery’s remains— the walls sport empty hooks and wires where framed work once hung. Handmade pottery is strewn about the counters, and stacks of documents are piled up on a desk in the back. “The things that I think I will miss are the community events and the things that we’ve done that are bringing people into the space,” said Jim Winegar. In addition to housing the gallery, which held the work of around 88 contributing local artists, Artbeat also hosted
various activities and events for the community, including book signings and readings, poetry readings, special galleries and other collaborations with neighboring businesses in Waynesburg. Over the years, they garnered loyal customers from all over the country—people would stop in on their way to somewhere, just for Artbeat’s unique array of small-town craftsmanship. “Everything in the gallery is handmade by an artist or a craftsperson, so all the pieces are pretty unique,” said Linda Winegar. “As far as that goes, it’s not like something you’re going to find in a chain store.” But in the end, there simply wasn’t enough foot traffic, said Jim Winegar—not enough people were actually coming into the shop. He attributes it to the small population, with an even smaller percentage of art patrons. The Winegars announced Artbeat’s closure just before the new year, and held a sale for the first two weeks of January for 25 percent off every-
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Artbeat, located on E. High Street for five years, closed Jan. 13 due to a lack of business. Now owners, Jim and Linda Winegar, are in the process of cleaning out the artwork – several pieces of which are their own.
thing in the store. Since then, the shop has remained open for artists to come reclaim their work that didn’t sell. One such artist was Leslie Fehling, from Prosperity, Pennsylvania. Fehling said she couldn’t have launched her career in watercolors without the support from the Winegars. “I was just starting to paint,” said Fehling. “And just how they encouraged me. They probably were instrumental to me going to a full-time art career.” When Fehling returned to the shop to pick up her remaining pieces, she was moved by the huge impact that the small business had created. “It was kind of sad, but what struck me—we were going over the inventory sheets, and out of the 900 items, I came home with maybe 60,” she said. “And to think that I had sold that much artwork through Artbeat, this little gallery in Waynesburg.” Artbeat had an important presence outside of the art community, too. The Winegars helped establish the Waynesburg Merchant’s Guild, for local businesses
to work together and draw in customers. Together, the group hosted events on High St. like the Cookie Caper and a chili cook-off, in addition to participating in the Holiday Open House each Christmas season. They have seen Waynesburg’s business economy shift a great deal in recent years. “There’s other businesses that have already gone,” said Linda Winegar. “And there are a number of businesses that we know are just hanging on,” Jim Winegar added. But the Winegars don’t regret their efforts to keep the shop going. They’re happy
they tried. Now, they’re viewing the closure as an opportunity to refocus. They’ll be setting up a display place in their own home studio and offering classes and workshops at that location. They look forward to travelling out west in the spring, to get more inspiration for their own art. And they still plan to support local artists through their connections and website. At this point, it’s bittersweet. “Creative people are the most tenacious people you’ll find,” said Jim Winegar, “And they will find a way to survive.”
Af te r a te mp e r atu re swing of nearly 50 degrees in just a few days, rain came, and eventually, flood waters in multiple counties across Southwestern Pennsylvania. Many residents across Washington and Greene counties started the day Jan. 12 with water in basements, while local and state roadcrews battled flooded roads. Frozen ground, according to Gregory Leathers, director of Greene County Emergency Management Agency, prevented rainfall from proper absorption. “Basically, what you have is frozen ground [in January],” Leathers said. “The rain can’t soak in anywhere [so it] goes straight to the low spot.” Leathers said it is generally discouraged to build structures in the areas susceptible to flood waters. “We encourage people not to put in any structures in the [low] areas,” Leathers said. “But we can’t control where there is a low spot unfortunately.” According to Leathers, during the day, two major highways, Route 21 and Route 18, exp erienced closures due to the water. Various other local roads were closed and re-opened throughout the day as well. Valerie Petersen, spokeswomen for Pennsylvania Department of Transportation District 12, said by 9:30 a.m., there were six state roads closed; but the unpredictability of flood waters made a total estimate of closures through the day difficult. “The thing with flooding is a road can be covered with water in an instant,” Petersen said. “It can increase dramatically in an instant and just as quickly Mother Nature can take it away. Sometimes there were flooded roads that were closed for many hours and then there were other times where roads were flooded and closed for just blocks of four to five minutes.” During times of significant flooding, Petersen said PennDOT will often close hazardous roads if local authorities have not done so already. “Debris can be put onto the road that needs to be FLOOD >> B4
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February 1, 2018
SPJ BEST ALL-AROUND N O N - DA I LY N E W S PA P E R WINNER: 2004 2016 FINALIST: 2003 2013 2014
Reading is something we all should do more MICHAEL CAPPELLI Columnist
STAFF: Executive Editor Managing Editor Sports Editor Associate Editors
Mattie Winowitch Teghan Simonton Luke Goodling Grace Hutchison Matthew Shinkle Mitch Kendra Samantha Chadwick Tiffany Morgan Rachel Mangan Photography Editor Michelle Keith News Convergence Editors Emmalea Beck Tyler Godwin Holly Hendershot Colin McLaughlin Graphic Designer Cheyenne Nester Staff Writer Drew Hreha Editorial Assistants Antonio Pelullo Joe Smeltzer Eddie Boice Michael Cappelli Kaden Hurley Copy Editor Tessa Masula Advertising Director Ben Norman
ADVISORS Richard Krause Jacob Mayer
Sarah Bell Kristine Schiffbauer
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.
EDITORIAL
It is interesting to me to see how technology has advanced since I have been alive. I think technology is convenient and it is necessary for communication in today’s society. I use my phone and laptop all the time, and I am always on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Netflix. These social media plat-
forms and entertainment sites grab all the attention of the people in this country. However, what I found surprising is that so many young Americans still read. According to a Pew Research Center survey, America’s young adults still like to read the news and even opted for the text version rather than watching or listening. Overall, more people in America prefer to watch the news, but the numbers vary drastically by age. For instance, people over the age of 50 prefer to watch
the news. That is understandable, but for those people under the age of 50 specifically ages 18-29 and 30-49 the numbers are very similar. The Pew Research Center said that about four in 10 people in those age ranges prefer to read their news rather than watch it. The reading that young adults do isn’t necessarily the traditional way, as they are reading digitally. Like I said, in today’s society, technology is very dominate, so I guess it would be too much of me to ask for them
to read the actual newspaper. However, that is just one form of reading. Another survey by the Pew Research Center shows that 65 percent of Americans read print books in 2016. Over the last couple of years there was a big shift in the realm of E-reading. Americans are shifting to multipurpose devices like smartphones and tablets rather than the E-readers like nooks and kindles. I find it interesting that READ >> B3
Sports are way more than just a game MATTHEW SHINKLE Columnist
The impact sports can have on an individual is truly life changing. Ask almost any professional athlete, and I guarantee the majority will agree that the fact that they get to play a sport for living while making millions of dollars in the process is a dream come true. It likely all started out for them as a way to have fun as a kid — to break free from the chains of forced learning in
school or simply as a way to step out of the house. Somewhere along the way, it became much more than that and has transcended for the individual, to become more than simply a game. It becomes a way of life. This is why some sports movies can reduce some men, although not all will admit it, to teary eyes. For example, “Field of Dreams,” gets me every time. I digress. The Philadelphia Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2005, and as a Philadelphia fan, I could not be more ecstatic. The team has
played fantastic as a unit, and continues to build, with what looks like an even brighter future on the horizon. The city has waited 52 years for a Super Bowl victory. The Eagles won three NFL championships before the famed Super Bowl existed, however, no one counts those anymore. The internet and mostly Twitter went wild with videos of the streets of Philadelphia after the Eagles won the NFC Championship game in a landslide victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Fans took to the streets to ride on top of cars, climb street signs and
In the background
one fan even drove a dune buggy up the same stairs that Sylvester Stallone ran up in the movie “Rocky”. I don’t condone violence or any harmful actions done to other people, but to watch a city revel the night after the game shows the impact sports can have. Forget the economic impact some experts always talk about, this is about enjoyment and celebration. As a Philadelphia fan in Pittsburgh, I’ve had it pretty rough. Aside from the fact that it feels like all four major teams in Philadelphia decided to go downhill as I departed PHILLY >> B3
Are we really focused on the right issue?
Last week, as it was announced that President Donald Trump was placing a 30 percent tariff on imported solar panel technology, it was clear what side many would be taking on the issue. Party lines were more than already drawn. Those who support President Trump agreed with the move, while those who have disagreed with him in the past largely opposed the move. It’s been stated by The White House that the move was enacted in order to protect domestic manufactures, a part of Trump’s ‘America First’ initiative, while those opposed took the view that he is trying to kill the renewable energy market. It does appear that the move will negatively impact the solar industry at first, as the nearly $30 billion market gets as much as 80 percent of its solar panels and similar products from other countries. As stated earlier, most would make it appear that there’s a line in the sand and you must pick one side or the other, but that is not true. There is no line, and there are no sides. There’s one side, American. That can sound incredibly over simplistic when evaluating the current political climate, however the ability to work together and compromise is needed now more than ever. The initial news out on the tariff stated that early predictions could cause solar panel installation companies to kill 23,000 jobs and increase prices. However, an important note of the same storyline is that Suniva and SolarWorld Americas, companies that requested an even higher tariff then President Trump signed off on, will greatly help the suffering businesses at home and add potentially 100,000 jobs in the near future. While the country and world discussed the economic impact of the tariffs, silence once again grew over the looming question of climate change. While President Trump has made clear his disbelief in the scientifically proven, planet-altering phenomenon, the planet still continues to suffer. Climate change continues to be just about the last topic to be talked about on news shows across the country for a myriad of reasons. One of the most shocking and understated reasons is due to the massive changes we would have to make to our everyday lives to halt the process of global warming as we understand it today as a globe. The city of Cape Town, Africa, which is home to half a million people, officially announced that it will run out of fresh water, causing yet another of many predictions about a post-apocalyptic world come true. The future may see even larger problems, such as mass migration, food shortages, rising water levels and much more unless climate change is addressed. As large companies and buisnesses continue to ignore the climate change problem, the power of the people becomes even more of a potential solution. Individual decisions to eat less red meat, use less fuel and avoid plastics, for example, help lessen the probem ever so slightly. More importantly, the culture of the entire world needs to change. Be the change you want to see the world, otherwise it may pay dearly. 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.
STARTING THE CONVERSATION
Coach Chris Hardie has learned a lot over the years The following is an interview with Chris Hardie, head coach of the men's and women's cross country teams, as part of the Starting the Conversation series. By MATTHEW SHINKLE Q: Is there any one thing that you get the most out of coaching, or that you enjoy the most? A: " What I find the most rewarding about being a coach, is the growth I get to see in others. "To watch an athlete progress, not only as an athlete, but as a human being is extremely gratifying." Q: You took over the cross country program nearly a decade ago now, what has the process been like to build the program up to what it is now? A: " Our coaching staff really learned a lot in the first couple of years as we faced many challenges and pitfalls. "We had to develop a recruiting strategy and implement it. We had to learn how to train
our athletes at a high level. We learned to set realistic goals and to motivate young men and women. "We took our lumps as we turned both programs into conference contenders. And through that hard work, our women found a way to break into the regional and national discussion. "Through that journey, we have some memories that will last a lifetime."
they leave the program. I think we have a tendency to do that as coaches. "What I have learned is that each team is unique, and you have to coach differently each year in order to play to the team’s strengths.
Q: I'm sure a difficult part of coaching is watching athletes graduate and leave the program each and every year, what is the process like of maybe not 'replacing' them necessarily, but moving on without them on the roster?
A: " I have been blessed to work with Laurel Rush and Michelle Cross for going on a decade now. Both have their own strengths as coaches that make them unique. "Rather than go over that long list of skills and gifts, I’ll make one broad statement about them: they excel at every facet of the coaching profession. Our student athletes are lucky to have
A: "Graduation is really tough, because you’ve built strong relationships with those studentathletes. "But I am also extremely proud that day, as the men and women in this program have accomplished great things by graduating. "One mistake I learned pretty early in the coaching process is not to replace athletes as
Q: Of course you are not the only coach for the team; how much of a help are the other coaches each and every day?
two hall of famer‘s at practice every day. "The third “coach” that has been with me every step of the way has been my amazing wife, Kelley. We have been “coaching” together for 17 years, and I am so lucky to have her by my side. Q: Of course you are not the only coach for the team; how much of a help are the other coaches each and every day? A: " As a program, we talk a lot about making the most of every day. So our short-term goals are to make the most of every workout, lift, meal, class and race. Success lies in putting a string of those days together. "The long-term goal for the women’s program will continue to be a team qualification for the NCAA championships."
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.
February 1, 2018
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Cheat Sheet: Experts predict worst flu season in years to continue Editor's Note: The following is a synoposis of a recent topic trending in world or national news. By MICHAEL CAPPELLI Editorial Assistant
This year’s unwavering flu season continues to stampede its way through most of the United States. Health officials are tracking additional deaths and have made sure to remind the public that there is still more of the flu season left. Flu activity continues to be common in all states, except for Hawaii, according to the weekly flu report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on the latest data, the flu season hasn’t even reached its highest point according to Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the CDC. “Hopefully we’re in the peak currently, since the data is a week behind, or that it peaks soon. Regardless, there is a lot of flu activity happening across the country and likely many more weeks to come,” said
Tribune News Service
Lisa Maciel, of Hayward, holds her daughter Elyse, 2, as Heal.com pediatrician John Liou examines her on Friday, Jan. 19 at Maciel's home in Hayward, California. Maciel hired Heal.com to find out if her daughter had a cold or the flu. Nordlund. Seven more children have been reported dead, which brings the pediatric death total to 37. From Oct. 1 to Jan. 20 there were 11,965 laboratory-confirmed flu-related hospitalizations. The number of infected people could be higher because not every-
one goes to the doctor for treatment. Over the past 15 flu seasons, the current season is the first in which nearly all states have reported widespread flu activity during the same week. According to Dr. Daniel Jernigan, director of the influenza division in the Na-
tional Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease at CDC there are two distinct characteristics of this flu season. “The first is that flu activity became widespread within almost all states and jurisdictions at the same time. The second notable characteristic is that flu ac-
tivity has now stayed at the same level at the national level for three weeks in a row with 49 states reporting widespread activity each week for three weeks,” said Jernigan. “We often see different parts of the country light up at different times, but for the past three weeks the entire country had been
experiencing lots of flu at the same time.” Multiple sources say that there are several more weeks to go but some states may have seen a peak in flu activity. Some West Coast states have even seen activity start to decline. The prevailing flu symptoms across the nation appear to be similar to the peak of flu season from 2014 to 2015 according to Dr. Pedro Piedra, professor of molecular virology and microbiology and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. “We tend to forget very rapidly the impact that influenza has on our communities, and we often times have flu seasons just as intense as this one, but we forget it,” said Piedra. Doctors still recommend that everyone still receive the flu vaccine because even if you get the flu, the vaccine could potentially help in terms of not having a serious case. It could also prevent hospitalization so the vaccine is still helpful in some ways. Another method of flu prevention is using the old-fashioned method of washing your hands.
In the News: Five headlines you need to know this week Editor's Note: The following is a synopsis of a recent topic trending in world or national news.
VP of comunicatins. “MLB heard from and had conversations with independent tribal nations, consulted them and took action. That should be celebrated.”
1) Trump wrongly says polar ice caps are “at a record level” In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, President Trump once again went against science on global warming and climate change, stating that ice in Antarctica has gone up. “The ice caps were going to melt, they were going to be gone by now, but now they’re setting records. They’re at a record level,” Trump told British television host Piers Morgan in an interview. During the interview, Trump appeared to lump global warming and climate change together as the same thing, according to reports. “I mean, look, it used to not be climate change. It used to be global warming. That wasn’t working too well because it was getting too cold all over the place,” said Trump. While connected, the two do indeed have different meanings. According to NASA, global warming refers to rising temperatures on the Earth’s surface due to the continued extreme use of fossil fuels, while climate change encompasses “a broad range of global phenomena created by burning fossil fuels.” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that 2017 was one of the warmest years for the planet on record, with more than half of the hottest years occurring in the past decade. Trump continues to be an outspoken critic of both global warming and climate change. However, a NASA report last year found ice on both poles had reached their lowest levels since data began being recorded in 1979. -The Hill Jan. 28
-CNN Jan. 29 4) Super Bowl taking steps to fight flu as fans flock to big game
Tribune News Service
Americans protest against U.S. President Donald Trump and his immigration policies in front of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, in Washington, D.C. 2) High School quarterback delays CFB dream for 2-Year mission Tanner McKee is a highly sought after 6’6,” 220-pound quarterback from Centennial High in Corona, California. He is constantly in touch with college coaches and recruiters and has recently spent a week in San Antonio for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He will meet with Stanford and Washington, and has already heard from Texas, Texas A&M and Alabama, among others. McKee remains uncommitted, due to the fact that the school that he signs with on national signing day will be without him for at least two years. The No. 3 pro-style quarterback in the country will be somewhere more important to him. McKee is a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As practicing Mormons, he doesn’t smoke, drink coffee or alcohol. Growing up, McKee has attended seminary four days a week in the morning before school and will soon leave for a two-year trip to a still unknown destination as a part of his commitment to his faith. During the time, McKee expects his body to not stay in
football shape. “To me, it’s about being dedicated to what you believe in,” McKee says. “Other people are going to think I’m nuts for going out for two years, but I feel like this will help me in the long run. You don’t have to just pick football or your faith. You can balance them and have both.” National signing day, which is on Feb. 7, is when McKee will make his college decision. -Bleacher Report Jan. 27 3) Cleveland Indians drop Chief Wahoo logo After years of backlash and speculation about if teams such as the Washington Redskins or Cleveland Indians would ever move away from what deem to be racially insensitive portrayal of Native Americans, the Indians have made the first move. Beginning in 2019 the team’s jersey will no longer feature the Native American caricature, Major League Baseball announced on Monday. While Cleveland had been shifting away from using the symbol for years, shown by adopting the ‘C’ in recent years, the Chief Wahoo symbol was still a symbol for
the ball club. “During our constructive conversations, Paul Dolan made clear that there are fans who have a longstanding attachment to the logo and its place in the history of the team," said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. "Nonetheless, the club ultimately agreed with my position that the logo is no longer appropriate for on-field use in Major League Baseball, and I appreciate Mr. Dolan’s acknowledgement that removing it from the on-field uniform by the start of the 2019 season is the right course.” According to a source familiar with the change, the decision to wait until 2019 is meant to give fans and the team time to transition. Gear with the Chief Wahoo logo will be unavailable for purchase online at the MLB’s store after 2019, however fans will still be able to buy gear with the logo at souvenir shops within the stadium. The decision was decided upon after speaking with tribal nations, and hearing their thoughts on how they were being represented. “These are harmful images and words. It’s not just offensive, there are actual psychological effects,” said Joel Barkin, the Oneida Nation's
Super Bowl event organizers are taking steps to minimize the potential of football fans getting the deadly dominant flu strain spreading this year. Those in Minneapolis, Minnesota, plan to disinfect the Super Bowl Experience exhibit at the Minneapolis Convention Center multiple times this week. Minnesota officials are predicting approximately one million people will attend Super Bowl-related events, with more than 100,000 fans coming from out of state. According to local news stations in the area, organizers are doing everything they can to minimize the risk of the flu, including wiping exhibits multiples times per day with sanitizing wipes and disinfecting virtual reality equipment between each use at the Super Bowl Experience booth. “They’ve been wiping everything down, sanitizing it before the kids use it,” said Dietline parent to one of many children that tested the VR equipment. “I think they’ve been doing a really good job at everything that we’ve seen.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that this flu season is predicted to pass the 20142015 flu season, when the CDC estimated that 34 million Americans got the flu. “We’ll expect something around those numbers,” Dr. Daniel B. Jernigan, director of the CDC’s influenza division, said during the teleconference. -Fox News Jan. 29
5) Summer drug bust in New Jersey could have saved millions of lives Two men haven been sentenced to prison after they were to possess nearly 100 pounds of fentanyl, a drug that has the power to kill the entire population of New Jersey and New York City in that quantity, according to officials. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid, estimated to be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine and 30 to 50 times more powerful than heroin. Just a dose of a quarter of a milligram can be lethal. The 45 kilos of fentanyl seized in June 2017 contained more than 18 million lethal doses. It was the largest seizure in the states history. “The 100 pounds of fentanyl trafficked into our state by these drug dealers could have generated enough lethal doses to kill the entire populations of New Jersey and New York City combined,” said New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal in a statement. “Because dealers use this super-potent opioid to boost heroin and create counterfeit oxy pills, drug users are left to play a deadly game of Russian roulette each time they give way to their addiction.” One man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of possession of heroin and fentanyl with intent to distribute, while the other arrested was sentenced to six years for similar charges. According to the recent data, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that approximately 40% of overdose deaths in 2016 were due to synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl. -CNN Jan. 29 Information curated by Matthew Shinkle Associate Editor
Read: Gathering news differs by age Philly: Hard argument as a Philly fan Continued from B2
very few Americans are “digital-only” when it comes to reading. It gives me hope that technology isn’t as dominate as I thought. The research I did for this piece really surprised me but in my day to day conversations with people it still troubles me with how many
people I find that say they don’t read. The benefits of reading in comparison to staring at a computer screen are unparalleled. Better writing skills, memory improvement, vocabulary expansion, improved focus and are all things that would greatly improve everyone’s life no matter your occupation. I also am not stupid enough to think that everyone, espe-
cially college students, have to time to finish a novel. I certainly have not had time to read a book in quite a while. Having said that, I try my best and read whatever I can when I have time. This may be news (in online and print form) or I will try and read a chapter or two of a book, but either read, the importance of reading remains a crucial part of society.
Continued from B2
for college three and a half years ago, the history of the sports cities always favors Pittsburgh fans. They have more of the most recent championships and more of them in total to go around. Talking hockey is impossible because “the Flyers are the worst,” and they haven’t won a title in four
decades, while the Penguins are back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Steelers have had two Super Bowl parades in a little more than a decade alone, on top of a solid history overall. As a passionate baseball fan, I have the 2008 World Series to cling to for the Phillies, but multiple years of losing records in Philadelphia have made those days feel farther away each and every day.
However, with one final victory of the season this coming Sunday, that could all change. As I assume most of the country is rooting for the Eagles to dethrone the evil empire in the New England Patriots, I hope to see the continued enjoyment of sports victories make its way to Philadelphia for the first time in 10 long, painful years.
Page B4
February 1, 2018
Energy Corp. of America receives fine Warm Nights Company violates DEP policy in Greene County provides shelter at county fairgrounds By JOE SMELTZER
Editorial Assistant
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed Tuesday, Jan. 16, that it had collected a large fine due to violations at well sites, a majority of which are located in Greene County. The Energy Corporation of America was fined $1.7 million for violations in Greene and Clearfield County. The violations included failure to properly contain fluids in on-site pits, unauthorized discharges of industrial waste into the groundwater, unauthorized disposal of residual waste, failure to restore the pits and well-sites, operating solid waste storage treatment and transfer facilities without permits. According to Lauren Fraley, community relations coordinator and spokesperson for the DEP, this matter had been investigated for quite some time. “Our investigation was a two-year investigation from the point where we uncov-
ered the incidents of leaking pits,” Fraley said. “These are all significant records that were requested and subpoenaed from the operator, as well as our compliance efforts.” The fine is classified as a consent order and agreement penalty that was a civil matter, not a criminal matter. According to Fraley, the effect that the violations had on both counties were not unalike. “All of these drill sites were unconventional drilling, as opposed to conventional gas drilling,” Fraley said. “What people know as fracking was taking place at all of these sites. The affect for both Greene and Clearfield County is similar.” While Fraley said that the counties were effected in the short-term, she does not expect there to be much of a long-term impact from the violations. “Overall, there’s obviously the spills at the site, which the operator is required to remediate,” Fraley said. “So there are the 17 well-sites
through both Greene and Clearfield county, and the company is required to restore those sites to state standards. So there are some interim affects that there were contaminations, but they ultimately will have to be restored. So the lasting impact should be minimal,
“All of these drill sites were unconventional gas drilling...What people know as fracking was taking place at all of these sites.”
LAUREN FRALEY
Spokesperson for the DEP
if any.” Although the DEP collected the civil penalty in November of 2017, it wasn’t notified that it had received payment until December 2017. Per the consent order of agreement between the DEP and the ECA, rather than wait to pay and risk a larger fine, the ECA elected
to pay its penalty in a timely manner. “If [the ECA] were to pay it in installments and stretch that payment over a longer period of time, the final penalty would have been much higher,” Fraley said. “They elected to pay it early and pay a [lower] amount.” Even though the fine could have been larger for the ECA, according to Fraley, $1.7 million is still a big penalty to drillers. “For a driller, that is a significant amount,” Fraley said. “It is on the larger side, we don’t really rank them in that manner, but it is a significant penalty.” Fraley said that both the DEP and ECA were present in working out the sum of the penalty. “When our compliance sees a problem on a site, we will issue violations, request additional information,” she said. “In this case, it was a subpoena for additional information, and then pursue enforcement actions as they are warranted and they were in this case. Both DEP and ECA were at the table to negotiate this settlement.”
Michael Cappelli, Yellow Jacket
SHEETZ CONSTRUCTION
After much anticipation, Sheetz has opened its new location for business, which includes outdoor seating. The company is now in the process of preparing new gas pumps.
By RACHEL MANGAN Associate Editor
Greene County Warm Nights is not quite what people believe it to be. The shelter is associated mostly with providing cover and heat for the homeless community, but it is not only the homeless community that benefits. According to Amy Switalski, the housing and family resources director at Greene County Human Services, Greene County Warms Nights are not meant to serve solely the homeless community. “They don’t have to be homeless; they could be without heat simply because the propane tank for their heater hasn’t showed up yet or they lost power for whatever reason,” said Switalski. “We’ll take in whoever needs to be protected from the bitter cold.” The warm shelter, located at the Greene County Fairgrounds, is the sole location. In past years, multiple sites housed the people in need of heat and shelter in two week rotations, but as the group expanded, the fairgrounds house became the only site for the shelter. The shelter opens each winter at the start of November and continues into the new year, until March 31. However, the shelter is not always open for use. Due to the shelter’s purpose to keep people warm who are without access to heat, it does not open unless the temperatures drop below 25 degrees. The shelter is limited in its resources, though, so people must sign up treserve their spots in the house. Everyone who volunteers to work the shelter has a day job or other daytime responsibilities. The shelter also requires that there be at least two volunteers those nights, depending on the number of residents registered to stay in the house. “People are required to have registered by 4 p.m.
through either the hotline or the 211 number,” said Switalski. “This is just so that we can know how many people we will be dealing with. That way, we can get an appropriate amount of resources and volunteers.” The shelter opens at 7 p.m. and houses those who registered until 7 a.m. “Greene County Human Services does take on the role that if there is someone that stays there, we will try to make sure that the person has somewhere to go the next day that’s warm enough during the day time,” said Switalski. “All while working with them on solving their situation, whether it be just a furnace waiting for fuel or a propane tank.” Because the shelter opens based on the temperature, the group relies on only one weather app and service, the ACU-weather app. Greene County Warm Nights has plans to expand, thanks to a “strong, supporting partnership” with the Salvation Army and local food pantries. “We want to make sure we can utilize the house as much as possible,” said Switalski. “We have enough donations of hats and gloves, along with nonperishable snacks and donations, we would like to go longer. It’s just finding volunteers that can be tricky. We’re even looking at getting the permission from the commissioners to still utilize the house maybe even during the summer as a cooling shelter if someone’s air conditioning to go out or someone not having access to cooling. We just want to use the house as much as possible and help as many people as possible.” Anyone in need of a warm shelter can call the SPHS crisis line 1-800-417-9460 or dial 211 to register to stay in the shelter. In the case of an emergency, where it is past the 4 p.m. registration cut off, someone without access to heat can call the borough police who can assist in finding a warm shelter.
Poor weather forces school Congress: Redrawing of district districts to adjust calendar lines won't affect special election By RACHEL MANGAN Associate Editor
There is a trademark list of indicators of bad weather in Pennsylvania, it includes dodging pot holes, snow covered back roads and temperature shifts from clear to terrible in five minutes time. For students in the Central Greene school district, this can pose significant complication to their education. From Novemb er to March, nature can be unpredictable, and local high schools keep a close eye on the weather in order to keep both the students and staff safe, especially when the roads in the area become icy and temperatures reach frigid lows. Matthew Blair, assistant superintendent in the Central Greene school district, assists in making the decision of whether or not a delay or cancelation will happen. According to Blair, the process is not as simple or straightforward as checking the weather, which is a common misconception among students and parents alike. “One thing people often misunderstand is they believe one person is solely in charge of making the decision,” said Blair, “But that’s just not the case. There’s a
lot more that goes into deciding what is safe and what is not.” Central Greene school district and the Waynesburg Central High School,
Multiple factors go into inclement weather arrangements for Central Greene School District. specifically, allows students to commute to school as opposed to taking the school bus every day. Because of this, the condition of the roads is a major concern for school and township officials. “Our district has both state-maintained roads and township-maintained roads that feature an array of terrain,” said Blair. “The district also stretches over five different townships. Some of the townships are better staffed than others. Where one road may be perfectly clear, another may have a short-staffed crew working twice as hard to make the roads safe.” Safety is the biggest concern for school officials when it comes to dealing with inclement weather. “When we know the area is going to be hit with bad weather, whether its freez-
ing temperatures or ice and snow that can compromise the safety of the road, we get the thoughts on ways it could be handled from a group of people,” said Blair. “We are in communication with all five superintendents in the county. We also listen to advice from our administration and transportation director along with officials in the townships.” According to Blair, there are two possibilities to consider when proposing inclement weather actions. The school district must first determine whether or not the temperature will increase to a safe level and if the roads will be able to be cleared in time. If so, then the result will likely be a delay. If not, then the case will likely lean more toward a cancelation. In both of those cases, students and parents will be able to get the news in five different ways., said Blair They will receive an automated phone call from the school. Students and parents can also sign up to receive text messages and emails in regards to cancellations and delays. The announcement will also be posted on the school’s website, and parents can also check local news stations KDKA, WTAE and WPXI.
Continued from B1
my family and I continue to work through our personal difficulties and seek healing. I ask that you respect our privacy during this time.” Saccone, 59, has the support of both President Donald Trump, who visited Pennsylvania Tuesday, Jan.18, and Vice President Mike Pence, who on that same day emailed an invitation to a “special event” in support of Saccone, slated to take place Friday, Feb. 2.
Lamb, 33, was chosen to represent the Democratic party in November after just two rounds of voting, grabbing 319 of the 545 total votes. The GOP picked Saccone, who currently serves the 39th district, about a week before. The 18th went in favor of Donald Trump in 2016 by nearly 20 points, though early polling suggests a close race. A recent development for the 18th district is the redrawing of state lines by the PA State Legislature. Al-
though Krieger says that the election to temporarily fill Murphy’s position shouldn’t be affected by this development, the May primary could be drastically changed. “[The redrawing of district lines] will not have an impact on the special election,” Krieger said. “It could have an impact on the primary if they change our lines. We could end up with whole different congressional districts. We used to be one district, and when they changed it, it went to two districts.”
Flood: High water in region not unexpected during winter months Continued from B1
cleared off [during a flood],” Petersen said. “Not all of the roadways that are blocked off are closed by PennDOT – for a lot of them, the fire department will jump in.” Given t he nature of flooding, Petersen said often, the only solution to a flooded road is to simply wait. “Flooding is one of the things that we can’t really do anything about,” Petersen said. “Now, if there is snow, we can get out there and push the snow off the
road… flooding is Mother Nature, basically; we block the road and wait.” By 6:30 a.m., Petersen said PennDOT began issuing news releases with updated road closure information. Throughout the day, Petersen said the news releases continued hourly and sometimes every half hour depending on the severity of the information. Both Petersen and Leathers said the best way to stay safe during flood warnings is to simply turn around where there is water over a
roadway. Additionally, Petersen said the 511pa.com is another helpful resource for individuals looking for updated road conditions across the state. While the water has subsided since Jan. 12, Petersen said it’s never unexpected when flood warnings are issued across Washington and Greene counties. “We live in southwestern Pennsylvania,” Petersen said. “We have more creeks and river areas than most people do, [flooding] is expected – it’s Mother Nature.”
SECTION C
FEBRUARY 1, 2018 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG | @YJ_SPORTS
1,482 POINTS - 971 REBOUNDS
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Knetzer makes history
Last year, Addy Knetzer reached 1,000 career points with Waynesburg University. Following her game against Thiel last week, Knetzer is now second in all-time scoring for the Yellow Jackets.
Senior forward holds program record in rebounds with 971 By COLIN MCLAUGHLIN AND LUKE GOODLING Staff Report
When Addy Knetzer picked up her 971st rebound as a Yellow Jacket she didn’t immediately know she made program history. “I actually didn’t know during the game at all, I was completely unaware of it,” said Knetzer. “I was actually mad in the game to be honest, I was just upset with myself because I thought that I wasn’t playing to my full potential.” At the conclusion of the game, she was told that she had set a new record in the history of Waynesburg University women’s basketball for career rebounds. As if that wasn’t enough, Knetzer also moved into second place for total points scored as a Yellow Jacket with 1,482. Unlike some athletes who find their niche early on in childhood, Knetzer didn’t even start playing basketball until the sixth grade. “I wanted to join a sport and my mom put me in basketball
just to keep me out of trouble and have something to do with all of my energy,” said Knetzer. Knetzer was a volleyball player during her freshman year of high school and after finding
“I did not think that I would be that good...I never thought about being the all-time leading rebounder and currently the second leading scorer.”
ADDY KNETZER
Senior forward
volleyball wasn’t a good fit for her, she decided to focus solely on basketball. “After freshman year of high school, I was a bench warmer and it was terrible. So, I decided to focus on basketball over volleyball and I decided that if I wanted to play basketball I wanted to be good at it,” Knetzer said. “So, every summer since, I’ve lifted and worked on my basketball skills.” The decision of colleges came down between rivals Waynesburg University and Washington & Jefferson, she ultimately picked Waynesburg and has been a starter all four years with
the basketball team. “I did not think that I would be that good,” said Knetzer. “When I started, I had one goal in mind and that was to get 1,000 points. I never thought about being the all-time leading rebounder and currently the second leading scorer. I didn’t get 1,000 points in high school, so I thought that I owed that to myself and I have always thought that I could do it.” Even though Knetzer has broken the school’s all-time rebounding record and now sits comfortably in second place on the all-time scoring list, she hopes that someone in the future can overtake her. “Records are meant to be broken so, at this point I am going to try and put my record as far out of reach as possible, but one day I hope somebody does break my record because it would be great for them,” said Knetzer. Knetzer also added that a lot of drive comes from her coaches and the desire to be the best she can under their power, whether it was in high school or college. “I love the game and I wanted to be really good at it,” said Knetzer. “I have just wanted to make my coaches proud of me.” For Jones, Knetzer gets the most out of her ability. “[Knetzer] is a special player,” said Jones. “She is a phenomenal athlete, she works really hard and [the record] is just a testament to her effort and her consistency over four years. She uses her God given athletic ability very well.”
Wrestling ends High water returns to Wiley Stadium regular season with home route of Thiel By LUKE GOODLING Sports Editor
By DYLAN CLELAND
For the Yellow Jacket
Last Friday, the Yellow Jacket wrestling team concluded its regular season home schedule with a Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) win against a familiar opponent in the Thiel Tomcats, 40-6. “It was one of our goals at the beginning of the year, we thought that with our team we had a pretty good dual meet team with our depth,” said head coach Ron Headlee. “We got a couple guys back in the line-up [from injury]. Overall, our guys stepped it up on senior night, all of our seniors had bonus point wins.” Senior night recognitions went to Tristan Buxton, Derek Hull, Landon Lohr and DJ Grindle as they took the mat for the final time in the regular season at the Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse.
In addition to the senior night celebrations, Headlee was presented a plaque in commemoration of his 100th dual meet victory at Waynesburg in which he captured earlier this season. “Ten years goes by pretty fast, you don’t realize how fast it goes. I have had some great wrestlers through those years,” said Headlee. “I thank them and my great coaching staff that have helped me through the time, I give them all the credit.” Buxton started the evening in the 125-pound class with an 11-2 decision over Cory Bable, giving the Jackets a 4-0 lead. “Bu x ton has b e e n a three-and-a-half/four-year starter,” said Headlee. “He came in and split time between weight classes before taking over the 125-pound class. He has missed very WRESTLING >> C2
More than a year ago, John F. Wiley Stadium sat under nearly eight feet of water due to local flooding. Jan. 12, the flood waters returned in what is turning into an annual problem for the Waynesburg University football field. With a mixture of forecasted rain and melting snow, Purman Run, a tributary that runs directly east of the football field, which is also shared by the two Yellow Jacket soccer teams and the women's lacrosse team, spilled over its banks and onto the field. The turf surface, which sits in a flood zone, was replaced last summer following the damage of the flood in December 2016. According to Terry Sattler, director of Facilities Planning and Management, the water only reached a couple inches deep over the field. “We did have a flooding situation where water from Purman Run did back up
and cover the entire field,” Sattler said. “It only got a couple inches deep on the field and once the water receded it drained away.” Last year, the flooding required the entire football field to be replaced because of the immense damage; however, Sattler said this time only marginal damage took place. “There was no physical damage to the field,” Sattler said. “We may have lost a bit of the rubber material that is an infield product of the new field, but moving forward [there] was no physical damage.” Moving forward, Sattler said the company, which originally installed the new field, will do a "sanitary clean" as well as a "regrooming" of the field to return it to a playable state as soon as weather permits. When the new field was installed over the summer, part of the project included enhanced drainage to the field. During installation, Sattler said they realized the center of the field was one of the weakest points.
Ashley Hall, Yellow Jacket
“As part of [a] testing process that we did last summer, we noticed that pretty much the drainage on the center of the field was slower than the rest of the field,” Sattler said. “We dug out several inches of the old gravel that was in there and replaced it with new gravel.” With reinforced drainage on the field, Sattler is pleased with how the field
handled the flooding from Purman Run and said everything worked the way "it was supposed to." With the football field in a flood zone, Sattler said it is uncertain if consistent flooding will continue. Given the uncontrollable environmental factors that lead to flooding, Sattler said the emphasis is on the facFLOOD >> C4
Benkowski out after consecutive one-win seasons for volleyball By LUKE GOODLING Sports Editor
Following a second consecutive one-win season as head coach of the Waynesburg University volleyball team, Stephanie Benkowski has resigned. Benkowski is now the third head coach to resign from Waynesburg University Athletics in the past year and declined to comment. After Benkowski left the position shortly into the new year, Larry Marshall, director of Athletics, said Waynesburg has already started the replacement
process with an emphasis found internally, but this of hiring externally. time Marshall said it most “We’re going to likely won’t be look for the best the case due, in candidate that we part, to the lack can find and try of options. When and get them in head coaches and hired as soon we re re pl a c e d as possible,” Marfor the football shall said. “This is and track & field a prime recruiting programs, assistime; I don’t want tant coaches with it to go like [the prolonged expeBenkowski football coaching rience at Waynessearch] where we didn’t hire burg were promoted. anybody from an outside While assistant coach search.” Sara Bruschi has prolonged In the last two coaching experience with Waynesreplacements for the uni- burg University volleyball, versity head coaches were Marshall said it is unlikely
she would pursue becoming the next head coach as she already has another fulltime job. After advertising the open coaching position, Marshall said he has already received over 10 applications for the position from across the country. “We got maybe 15 [applications],” Marshall said. “But what you end up with is some from California, some from Florida…I’d say right now there is three or four possibilities that we maybe might look at to see if they feel it merits the job.” During the process
of finding a new coach, Marshall said he wants to
“We're going to look for the best candidate that we can find and try and get them in and hired as soon as possible.”
LARRY MARSHALL
Athletic Director
include members of the volleyball team while also juggling the recruits for
next season. “We want to let the young ladies meet with the prospective candidates and see what their feelings are and so on,” Marshall said. “We don’t want to lose a recruiting class, we’ve already have had a few that have been on campus.” In addition to coaching volleyball, Benkowski was also the head coach for the women’s lacrosse team. While the volleyball coaching position is left vacant, Marshall said a possible replacement has already COACH >> C3
Page C2
February 1, 2018 COMMENTARY
Jackets in seven-game slide after Thiel defeat Injuries will not By MICHAEL CAPPELLI Editorial Assistant
The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team traveled to Thiel this past Saturday for a Presidents’ Athletic Conference showdown. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, they came out on the wrong end of the 73-68 final score. The Jackets (7-12, 3-9) started off hot and fell slightly behind before they scored 14 unanswered points to build a 10-point lead, 24-14. The team finished the half on a positive note, going into halftime with a 39-31 lead. Senior wing Jon Knab and sophomore guard Frank Bozicevic paced the Jacket offense with 12 points each. Another bright spot for the team was senior forward Marcus Wallace, who made his second straight start after missing the Jan. 20 game at Bethany. Wallace scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds. Head coach Mark Christ-
ner was pleased to see Wallace return to the lineup. “He allows us to play a little bit more traditionally, how we need to with some length in terms of keeping Knab in an off -guard spot,” said Christner. “I think he is a good player, he does some good things for us on the defensive end, he’s our leader in drawing charges and he is certainly capable offensively.” Looking on the more positive side, the Jackets bench contributed 30 points. The leading scorers off the bench included Bozicevic, with 12, and junior wing Nate Gearhart, who added nine points. “One of the things we wanted to do year-long is to be able to develop our bench, we have a lot of young guys who are coming off the bench,” said Christner. “I thought our bench gave us a good lift and I think that’s when we are trying to play our best with those
guys producing.” Coming out in the second half, the Tomcats went on a run of their own to bring the game within one point. A big reason for Thiel being able to comeback was that they had excellent freethrow shooting throughout the game, and also because of senior guard Tyreik Burton scoring 22 points. “[Burton] got to the line more than we probably would have liked,” Christner said. “They shot 42 percent [from the foul line], but we out rebounded them by 10 so, I think it really comes down to us making one more shot.”
While Thiel made 26-of-33 free throws, the Jackets made just 15 free throws on 23 attempts. “It’s one of those things, we believe in our guys, we work on it every day, so hopefully it is an area that as we move forward here in the next three weeks or so we can improve upon,” said Christner. “I thought we got there, I thought we were assertive, and I think getting there has been an issue for us over the course of the year.” While Waynesburg suffered a tough loss, Christner still believes in his team and thinks they are responding well to previous contests on the road. “The mentality of our group was good, certainly in a response to the three previous road games, we were a little hesitant, I thought we were much more assertive and gave ourselves a really good opportunity to win,” said Christner. The Jackets return to action on Wednesday past publication date before moving on to face Westminster on Saturday.
Wrestling: Evans concludes dual meets with sweep Continued from C1
few matches and has been a steady, nice starter for us.” Hull won by technical fall in the 165-pound class, giving the Yellow Jackets a 20-6 lead. Lohr also acquired a pin on the evening two matches later, extending the Thiel deficit to 26. “[Hull] has been consistent for us at the 157 and 165-pound weight class during all four years,” said Headlee. “[Lohr] has been in and out of the line-up for the last two years and [his] four years has been good.” The fourth senior, D.J. Grindle, was also recognized despite dealing with injuries throughout the season.
“Unfortunately for him, he got injured in his freshman year and then fought back to health,” said Headlee. “Then, he got injured again this year. He has had to battle a lot of injuries and we’ve felt really bad for him.” Injuries have been a common drawback of the Yellow Jackets season, however, two of the wrestlers who were injured earlier in the season returned to the lineup on Friday. Sophomores Ken Burrs and Dan Verhovsek returned to the mat after missing a couple of matches, picking up where they left off. Burrs won his 197-pound weight class match by technical fall, 21-5, and Baxter
picked up his pin in the 174-pound class. Verhovsek also picked up a 7-1 win in the 157-pound weight class. “Having [Dan] at 157, was good, he did a really nice job of getting back in the line-up, it made us a lot stronger,” said Headlee. “Caleb [Baxter] has had an awesome freshman year, he has stepped it up, and not only wins but a lot of times will get falls for us. Burrs is a lot of fun to watch on the mat, he has a lot of athleticism and really goes after guys.” Junior Jake Evans concluded the match with a 4-2 win and capped off a perfect sweep of PAC dual meets this season for the Jackets. Following the match, Yellow Jackets were 12-7
overall and 3-0 in the conference, heading into their last dual meet at West Liberty on Wednesday night. The Yellow Jackets will travel to the John Summa Invitational in Berea, Ohio on Saturday before returning home a week later to host the Presidents Athletic Conference Championships. “We might rest a few of our guys for that last invitational, just to make sure were all fresh for the PAC’s because that is the main thing we will be shooting for next,” said Headlee. “We’re going to be putting a lot of time and effort in preparing for the PAC’s, one of our goals is to defend our title there and so we are going to work hard at that.”
hold back wrestling from its sixth title TYLER GODWIN Columnist
With the recent slew of injuries on the Waynesburg wrestling team this season, people may begin to wonder if this will affect the team drastically down the road and potentially stop it from grabbing its second consecutive Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championship. Well, here’s the deal as things stand right now: It won’t make much of a difference the rest of this season. Why? This team has great depth at almost every weight class. The biggest example of this team’s depth is its win over the Presidents of Washington & Jefferson on Jan. 10. Going into the match, the team had just suffered mu lt iple injur ies t hat were either season ending or caused wrestlers to miss some time. Without a typical starter at more than half of the contested bouts, and losing six out of 10 matches, the team pulled out a walk-off 2422 win behind pins from junior 197-pounder Josh Sneeringer and senior Jake Evans at 285 pounds. Likewise, 12 different wrestlers on the team have reached double digits wins this season, with three of them having at least 20 wins in freshman Caleb Baxter (22), senior Tristan Buxton (30) and Evans (32). The second reason this team is still in good shape for the rest of the season is
that many of those injured wrestlers have already returned or will be back in time for the PAC Championships. Baxter missed the match against W&J, but otherwise has been healthy and dominant in his time on the mat in his first season as a Yellow Jacket. The freshman from Butler, Pennsylvania has 13 wins by pin this season and has won three PAC Rookie of the Week Awards at 174 pounds. Freshman Matt Lascola recently returned after missing time off the mat and scored wins against Thomas More and Thiel at 141 pounds. During the Thiel match, head coach Ron Headlee saw two starters in sophomore Dan Verhovsek (157 pounds), who has battled a shoulder injury for much of the campaign after posting 19 wins as a freshman, and sophomore Ken Burrs (197 pounds). The duo notched victories in their respective weight classes en route to one of Waynesburg’s most dominant wins of the year, 40-6. Despite losing, as Headlee described, the No. 1 and No. 2 184 pounders in freshman Mike Mahon, who is out for the year, and junior Mike Millero, who doesn’t have a timetable for returning yet, senior Landon Lohr should fill in admirably as the 184 pounder with 55 wins in his career at Waynesburg. Lohr typically wrestles between 165 and 174 pounds, but the circumstances call for him to bump up a weight class GODWIN >> C4
PRESIDENTS’ ATHLETIC CONFERENCE ROUNDUP Men’s Basketball STANDINGS Thomas More Saint Vincent Bethany Westminster Grove City Geneva Thiel Waynesburg W&J Chatham
Conf. 11-1 10-2 10-2 8-4 6-6 5-7 4-8 3-9 2-10 1 -11
Overall 15-4 13-6 10-9 14-5 13-6 9-10 6-11 7-12 3-16 4-15
Saturday’s Box Score
Thiel 73, Waynesburg 69 Thiel 31 42 73 Waynesburg 39 29 68
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Waynesburg Top Scorers 1. Jon Knab .........................................12 2.Frank Bozicevi..................................12 Grove City Top Scorers 1. James Wells.............................................14 2. Nate Peters ..............................................13 Bethany Top Scorers 1. Liam Davis ...............................................22 2. Calique Jones ..........................................16 Geneva Top Scorers 1. Ethan Moose ...........................................20 2.Dragan,Matt ............................................12 Thomas More Top Scorers 1. Damion King ...........................................18 2. Ryne Callahan .........................................12 Thiel Top Scorers 1. Tyreik Burton ...........................................22 2. Tyrese Robinson ......................................12 Chatham Top Scorers 1. Isaiah Brown ...........................................14 2. Alex Schoppen ........................................13 Westminster Top Scorers 1. Austin Armwood.....................................19 2. Cameron Kane-Johnson .........................14 Wash & Jeff Top Scorers 1. Mitch Dezort............................................8 2. Sean Stinelli ............................................6 Saint Vincent Top Scorers 1. Shemar Bennett......................................11 2. Coy Patterson Jr.......................................10
RECENT RESULTS
Saturday, January 27 Thomas More 75, Chatham71, W&J 53 Grove City 68, Westminster 69. Westminster 76
UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, January 31 Thiel @ Geneva - 7:30 p.m. Saint Vincent @ Waynesburg - 7:30p.m. Bethany @ Thomas More - 7:30.m. Wilmington @ Thomas More - 7 p.m. Westminster @ W&J-8 p.m. Grove City @ Chatham - 8 p.m.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
SWIMMING AND DIVING
WRESTLING
STANDINGS
MEN RECENT RESULTS
Waynesburg Thiel Thomas More W&J
Thomas More W&J Saint Vincent Grove City Waynesburg Bethany Westminster Geneva Chatham Thiel
Conf. 12-0 10-2 9-3 7-5 7-5 6-6 3-9 2-10 2-10
Overall 18-1 16-3 12-7 12-7 11-8 9-10 7-12 5-14 4-15
2-10
3-16
Saturday’s Box Score Waynesburg 79, Thiel 66 Waynesburg 28 18 20 18 84 Thiel 18 13 22 13 66
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS Waynesburg Top Scorers 1. Addy Knetzer...................................19 2. Erin Joyce ........................................17 Grove City Top Scorers 1. Kate Balcom ............................................22 2. Laura Buchanan ......................................13 Bethany Top Scorers 1. Makayla Reynolds...................................19 2. Kelsea Daugherty ..................................11 Geneva Top Scorer 1. Callie Ford................................................15 2 Jodie Carlson ............................................9 Thomas More Top Scorers 1. Abby Owings ..........................................27 2. Madison Temple......................................18 Thiel Top Scorers 1. Jess Vormelker.........................................25 2. Brijae Journee .........................................11 Chatham Top Scorers 1. Kati Sieg ..................................................12 2. Ashley McClain........................................11 Westminster Top Scorers 1. Kayla Bennett..........................................11 2. Paige Quinn.............................................6 Wash & Jeff Top Scorers 1. Danielle Parker ........................................21 2. Amirah Moore .........................................15 Saint Vincent Top Scorers 1. Maria Morgan .........................................17 2. Kayla Slovenec ........................................10
Saturday, December 9 Cabrini: 127 Bethany: 42
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD 3-0 1-1 1-1 0-3
12-7 7-3 8-5 6-8
MATCH RESULTS UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, February 3
Westminster @ St. Pete's Classic Relays 11am.
Waynesburg 40, Thiel 6 125 - Tristan Buxton (W) 11-2 Maj. Dec. Over Cory Bable 133 - Josh Kuslock (W) 17-0 (5:00) T.F. over Justin Walter 141 - Matt Lascola (W) 8, Vincent Mion 6
WOMEN RECENT RESULTS
149 - Jason Miller (T) Pin 3:34 R.J. Hall
Westminster: 112, Saint Vincent: 182; W&J: 95, Grove City: 150; Bethany: 18, Frostburg State: 99 Salem (W.Va.): 22, 65, Bethany: 33
165 - Derek Hull (W) 23-7 Tech. Fall (5:36) Cam Cianci
UPCOMING MEETS
184 - Landon Lohr (W) Pin 4:55 Caleb Garvey
Saturday, December 12
Friday, December 8
Grove City @ Westminster - 6 p.m Feb. 1. Bethany, Chatham, Grove City, W&J, @Chatham Invitational - 11am. Feb. 311 a.m.
PAC M. BASKETBALL LEADERS
157 - Dan Verhovsek (W) 7, Angelo Nunnari 1
174 - Caleb Baxter (W) Pin 2:37 John Sims
197 - Ken Burrs (W) 21-5 Tech. Fall (5:12) Landon Westover 285 - Jake Evans (W) 4, Gage Gladysz 2
Scoring: Jones, 357, BET; Kane-Johnson, 320, WES; Moose, 315 GEN
RECENT RESULTS
Rebounding: Scott, 155, WES; Beckman, 148, GRO; Moose, 148 GEN
Thomas More @ Pete Willson Invitational (Day 1) 12th team Thiel 6, Waynesburg 40
Assists: Bomar, 88, CHA; King, 84, TMC; Beckman, 78, GRO
WHATS ON THIS WEEK WCYJ-FM
Friday, January 26
Sunday, January 28 W&J 19, Wilkes 30, SUNY Oneonta 30, W&J 24, Keystone 12, W&J 43
UPCOMING GAMES Wednesday:
Saturday, February 3 Women’s Basketball
Waynesburg@West Liberty- 7p.m.
Studio: Nick Callas & Joe Smeltzer Radio: Dakota Keefer & Matt Mansfield TV: Rob McKinney & Donny Chedrick
Thiel @ Thomas More - 6pm.
Men’s Basketball Studio: Rob McKinney, Dylan Cleland & Michael Capelli Radio: Zack Schnegg & Adam Morgante TV: Greg Finley & Drew Brown WCYJ-FM, WCTV, WUSN
Saturday, January 27
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Waynesburg 84, Thiel 66
UPCOMING GAMES
Wednesday, January 31
Thiel @ Geneva - 5:30 p.m. Saint Vincent @ Waynesburg - 5:30 p.m. Bethany @ Thomas More - 5:30p.m. Westminster @W&J - 6 p.m. Grove City @ Chatham - 6 p.m.
Jake Evans, Wrestling
Addy Knetzer, Women's Basketball
SPIRE Institute Midwest Open 60 Meter: 1.Chelsea Hayward,a, 7.70, Roberts Wesl 200 Meter: 1. Chelsea Hayward, 24.25, Roberts Wesl 400 Meter: 1. Dandadeua Da Silva, 56.13 Toledo 800 Meter: 1.Summer Hill, 2:14.40, California; 2. Emily Nowak,2:14.43, McMaster 1 Mile Run: 1.Janelle Noe,4:42.80, Toledo 3,000 Meter: 1. Kelsi Nutter 9:44.03 Cle Elite De 5,000 Meter: 1. Sara Polatas 17:37.93, Unattached 60 Meter Hurdle: 1. Janelle Perry,8.54, UrsulineHigh Jump: 1. Melanie Winters, 1.73m, Unattached Pole Vault: 1. Maddie Gardener, 4.15m, West Virginia; Long Jump: Samantha Tollerud, 3.97m, Kent State Triple Jump: 1.Lilly Harnish 11.96m, Robert Morri Shot Put: 1. Estelle Katende, 14.05m, Robert Morri; Weight Throw: 1. Jaskiran Dhaliwall,18.87m, Buffalo
MEN
Baldwin Wallace-Dr. William Traschke Classic 55 Meter: 1. Jordan Leverette, 6.52,Baldwin Wallace 200 Meter: 1. Jordon Templeton-Harrisi, 23.04,W&J Alderson Broaddus; 5. Jordon Templeton-Harris, 23.30, Wash & Jeff 400 Meter: Baldwin Wallace 3:39.48 800 Meter: 1. P. Jordon Templeton-Harris, 52.91, Wash & Jeff 1 Mile Run: 1. Ben Heim 4:31.59, Wash & Jeff 5,000 Meter:1. Josh Hickmottr,15:50.11, Baldwin Wallace 60 Meter Hurdle: 1.Robby Becker, 8.62 , Baldwin Wallace High Jump: 1. Jordan Wallace 1.80m,Muskingum
FRIDAY:
Pole Vault: 1.Nick Fulton, 3.30m , Wash & Jeff
Saturday, December 9 Thomas More at North Central Invitational - 9 a.m.;The Apprentice School at Waynesburg - 11 a.m.; Baldwin Wallace at Waynesburg - 12:30 p.m.; Penn State Behrend at Waynesburg - 2 p.m.
Long Jump: .Nick Fulton, 3.30m , Wash & Jeff
PAC W. BASKETBALL LEADERS
Weight Throw: 1. Carson Kinney 16.26m, Baldwin Wallace
Scoring: Vormelker, 389, THI; Daugherty, 352,BET; Arkwright, 334, WJC
RECENT RESULTS
WOMEN
Triple Jump: 1. Trevor Meal , 11.63m , Wash & Jeff Shot Put: 1. Ryan Osborn8.09m, Wash & Jeff
Rebounding: Vormelker, 193, THI; Daugherty, 182,BET;Knetzer, 177, WAY Assists: Temple, 105, TMC; Starre, 100, WAY; Moore 65, WJC
Waynesburg - 1:30 p.m.
WPIAL HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ROUNDUP Carmichaels
Jefferson-Morgan
Mapletown
Waynesburg Central
West Greene
Boys Basketball 1/30: Loss @ California 57-33
Boys Basketball
Boys Basketball
1/30: Lost vs, Monesson 98-22
Boys Basketball 1/30: Lost in OT @ McGuffy 77-74
Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball 1/29: Won @ Bentworth 68-36
Girls Basketball
Girls Basketball
Girls Basketball
Girls Basketball
1/29: Won @ Avella 73-42
12/8 - Vs. TBA @ Sto-Rox/Northgate Tournament TBA
1/29: Won @ Hundred 63-22
1/29: Lost vs. Charleroi 68-26
1/30: Lost to Clairton 81-34.
1/29: Won @ Monessen 70-22
February 1, 2018
Page C3
Junior infielder had opportunity to take swings in MLB park During Power Showcase, Tyler Reis performed in front of scouts from different professional teams By JOE SMELTZER
Editorial Assistant
Tyler Reis isn’t like most Division III baseball players. While most athletes at his level don’t plan on continuing in their sport after graduation, the Waynesburg University second baseman has his sights set on playing professionally when his college days are behind him. To close out 2017, Reis received an invite to the 12th annual “Power Showcase,” which featured players in six age groups—12u, 13u, 14u, 15u, underclassmen, featured and college – showing their skills in front of Major League Baseball scouts in Miami, Florida. The showcase was held at Marlins Park, home of the Miami Marlins, from Dec. 27-31. Reis’ performance as a sophomore last season, in which he placed in the top ten of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in most offensive categories, earned him firstteam all-conference honors. Away from PAC competition, Reis frequently posts videos of himself doing more unsung activities, such as hitting in the batting cages or lifting weights, to his Instagram account. Because of this, Joe Guzman, a scout for the Showcase, got in touch with Reis and invited him to participate. Due to the size of the stage, Reis was initially uneasy. “I was extremely nervous,” Reis said. “I know with the type of players who typically come to these events, you have guys that are really young that are already well known, already talked about on SportsCenter, and then you have guys from different countries…there were a bunch of different people there. It was a really cool atmosphere,
but overall I was extremely nervous.” The schedule included players taking part in workouts together, competing in a homerun derby — where Reis hit five home runs — as well as playing in a 12-inning game under the lights of Marlins Park. When Reis arrived at Marlins Park, he wasn’t sure what he was going to experience. But once he got familiar with the features of a Major League stadium, he was awestruck. “My favorite part had to be the first day I got to the stadium,” Reis said. “I almost didn’t know what to expect. Walking through the stadium and going through the tunnel, going into the clubhouse, seeing the weight room, seeing the cage attached to the clubhouse, walking back to the tunnel into the dugout and taking the steps from the dugout to the field, everything just looked like—it was surreal. It was incredible seeing the statue in centerfield, everything just looked so big.” One of the players that Reis got to know during his time in Miami was 15-year-old Blaze Jordan, a high school freshman from Southhaven, Mississippi. Jordan’s ability is so promising that he has already committed to play baseball at Mississippi State University, one of the top programs in the country. Despite the age difference, Reis found himself learning about the game from Jordan. “It was kind of funny because I’m six years older than [Jordan], but I was asking him for advice,” Reis said. “He’s one of the guys who’s being talked about on ESPN and MLB Network, and he’s known pretty much all throughout the country. So it was really cool getting a chance to talk
Photo courtesy of Brian Domenico
During his time in Miami, Reis participated in a home run derby and hit five home runs at major league distance. to a bunch of different guys, especially people with that skillset and that exposure at such a young age.” Overall, Reis hopes that the experience will further enhance his chances of playing professional baseball. “I’m hoping that I performed well enough and opened some eyes,” Reis said. “That way my name gets spread around, and I’m hoping that I caught the attention of some scouts, that way they can tell the area scouts around here to take a look at me. I’m hoping that being in Miami was another form of exposure for myself and allowed me to get myself in front of more eyes, that way I could potentially get a chance to be seen and get picked up by a team.” Reis said that Guzman introduced him to a scout for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and also talked to a scout for the San Francisco Giants about Reis. Back at Waynesburg, the Yellow Jackets missed the PAC playoffs in
both of Reis’ first two seasons with the team. The experience at the showcase enhanced Reis’ confidence, and he hopes that self-esteem will make its way around the program. “[The showcase] was a very big confidence booster,” Reis said. “The skill level of some of [the players at the showcase] was ridiculous, and to know that I was invited to the same place they were and that I deserved to be there…I have a whole new level of confidence going into this season. I think coming here, bringing back that confidence, starting our practices and everything now, I think the confidence is starting to spread around and get contagious. So I think that our mindset is going to be different this year.” Overall, Reis believes that Power Showcase was a sign of things to come for his future career. “It was a preview of what life’s going to be like for me one day,” Reis said. “I enjoyed every minute of it.”
Photo courtesy of Tyler Reis
During his sophomore year, Reis hit 11 home runs for the Yellow Jackets, which was second in the PAC.
Wrestling persevering through injuries By TYLER GODWIN
Sports Convergence Editor
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Benkowski started as volleyball coach in 2009.
Coach: Two coaching positions open up after Benkowski's departure Continued from C1
been found for the lacrosse program through assistant coach Gennaro Bonaventura. “We got [Bonaventura] to help for the past couple of years [as an assistant coach] so now we’re hoping he’ll take on [head coaching], at least here in the spring,” Marshall said. “Then we’ll find out whether we need to open up and advertise to get a women lacrosse [coach].” Through the 13 years that
Benkowski coached volleyball for Waynesburg University, Marshall said she represented the university well. “[Benkowski] did a good job; her budget was perfect,” Marshall said. “A lot of her seniors were administrators for the [Presidents’ Athletic Conference] representing Waynesburg University.” Benkowski leaves the Waynesburg volleyball program with a 50-207 overall record and a 7-20 record with women’s lacrosse.
In sports, injuries are a part of every game as the actually play itself. Athletes get injured all the time in their respective sports, some injuries are minor and the athlete can get through them, but other times they are significant enough for them to miss games or matches for extended periods of time. For the Waynesburg University wrestling, the 2017-18 season has been riddled with injuries, minor and major, since the season started in November. Head coach Ron Headlee, who is also the head coach for both men’s and women’s tennis at Waynesburg, said that this campaign has been one of the most difficult in regards to injuries between the three sports he coaches. One of the most taxing days of the season for the Yellow Jackets was the Waynesburg Invitational on Jan. 6, which featured 16 teams and most wrestlers taking the mats for five matches during the afternoon. While the team placed third in the event, it came at the expense of some key starters going down with injury, including freshman 184 pounder Mike Mahon and
sophomore Zach Mackall at 157 pounds, who suffered season ending injuries. “I think it’s my worst year ever in all of my sporting events. Losing two guys in the same day for the year—I mean major injuries—fractured wrist and an elbow that needed surgery,” Headlee said. “That same day, [freshman 174 pounder] Caleb Baxter hurt his ribs, so that put him out for a week. Also, [junior 184 pounder] Mike Millero was injured in the tournament. You lose your number one and number two 184 pounders there.” At the beginning of the season, the Yellow Jackets also lost senior DJ Grindle, who was slated to start at either 141 pounds or 149 pounds, for the season. This is the second straight year that Grindle suffered a season-ending injury. Freshman Matt Lascola at 141 pounds, sophomore 157/165 pounder Dan Verhovsek, freshman Dillion Charlton at 174 pounds and sophomore 197 pounder Ken Burrs are among other regulars that have missed time because of injury or the flu, something that Headlee said impacted multiple wrestlers over the course of a few weeks this season as well. The plethora of injuries has affected the team not
only in matches, but in practices as well. “It’s hard like that because then your practices, [as a coach] you back down a little bit from your live stuff because you don’t have the depth,” said Headlee. “You’re afraid someone else is going to get injured in that, so you don’t want to go too extra hard in your practice sessions like that. It changes your coaching a little bit.” In terms of matches, following the Waynesburg Invitational was the first Presidents’ Athletic Conference match of the season against Washington & Jefferson. Even with multiple regular starters missing, the team gutted out a 24-22 decision thanks part to junior 197 pounder Josh Sneeringer stepping in for Burrs and pinning his opponent for six key points before Evans walked it off with a pin of his own. “That was a big win for us at W&J,” Headlee said. “Going into it, we needed a big win at 197, and to come through like [Sneeringer] did, that was great. He just stepped up.” The Yellow Jackets started to feel the pain from the numerous injuries after W&J at the Budd Whitehill National Duals, going just 1-4 over the weekend.
However, according to Headlee, the team has responded nicely since then by rattling off four straight wins, including two against PAC opponents, something he accredits to returning starters and wrestlers who were initially backups coming through in key situations. “For the backups, to give the recognition, they have stepped in [well]. If we didn’t have the depth that we did, we would have been forfeiting three or four matches…,” said Headlee. “We have a different lineup almost every time we go out. That’s why I prepare them each time— they could be the starter… Almost all of those guys have been in as a starter at some time. As we recruit, I think that’s one of our big selling points—‘hey, you’re going to get time here.’ Our backups right now are getting about 20 matches, and the starters are getting about 35.” With all the uncertainties of the injury bug this year, the consistency of senior 125 pounder Tristan Buxton and junior heavyweight Jake Evans has been vital to the team staying afloat in some of these recent matches, as both typically score bonus points in their respective bouts. Baxter, when healthy, INJURIES >> C4
Women's basketball outrebounds Thiel, ends three-game slide By COLIN MCLAUGHLIN Convergence Editor
In conference action, Waynesburg University’s women’s basketball team improved their winning streak to three with a final score of 84-66 over Thiel. In the game against Thiel on Saturday, Jan. 27, the Jackets also managed to out-rebound the Tomcats
47-26. Outside of the contents of the game, it was a historic game for individual players on both teams. For Thiel, junior guard Jess Vormelker scored her 1,000th career point. For Waynesburg, senior Addy Knetzer became the all-time leading rebounder in Waynesburg history and moved into second all-time in scoring for
the Yellow Jackets. Knetzer also led the team in scoring, with 19 points during the game. The Yellow Jackets shot 49 percent from the floor, and six players finished scoring in double-digits. Head coach Sam Jones said the team excelled in working together and in defensive efforts. “We did a really nice
job rebounding, we only allowed them to get three offensive rebounds and we did well shooting the ball too,” said Jones. “We shared the ball well, we had six kids in double figures. So, overall, I was very happy.” Sophomore guard Erin Joyce got her second start of the season and made the best of it, finishing with 17 points. Fifteen of her points
came from the five 3-point shots she scored. Jones said he was impressed by Joyce’s performance. “She did a nice job for us,” he said. “She played a lot of minutes and obviously she hit some shots and stuff like that, which gave us a nice boost of energy and opened up the rest of the floor with her shooting.” Two other key players
for the Yellow Jackets in the game were senior guard Rachel Eng and junior point guard Monica Starre. Eng finished the game with 14 points, six assists and eight rebounds, and Starre posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards, also adding seven assists. The Yellow Jackets are WBB >> C4
Page C4
February 1, 2018 BASKETBALL PREVIEWS
Men's basketball hoping to Jackets look to complete series stop the bleeding against SVC sweep against Westminster By MITCHELL KENDRA Associate Editor
The Waynesburg University men’s basketball team will have a chance at redemption. The Yellow Jackets, who were on a seven-game losing streak going into their game against Saint Vincent College last night, which finished past publication time, will have the opportunity to avenge their loss to Presidents’ Athletic Conference rival Westminster College earlier in the season. The Yellow Jackets, 7-12 and 3-9 in conference games, will host the Titans, 14-5 overall and 8-4 in conference games, Saturday at Rudy Marisa Fieldhouse. In the first meeting between the two teams Jan. 6, the Titans started with the hot hand, jumping to a 22-12 lead with 10:40 left in the half, but a run by Waynesburg put the Yellow Jackets ahead 40-30 at halftime. However, the Titans would use two 11-0 runs and momentum to finish ahead of the Yellow Jackets 91-73. Head coach Mark Christner said following the game against Saint Vincent, the Yellow Jackets will get into their normal rhythm of recovery and film in preparation for their Saturday game. Christner said Saint Vincent and Westminster are alike when it comes from the production of their offense. “They’re very similar to Saint Vincent as in they have solid and experienced post players,” Christner said. “We’ll have to guard them inside out because of their strong forces in the post.” The Titans post players, seniors Deontay Scott and Jarret Vrabel made their presence in the paint known on both ends of the court. Scott finished with a game and career-high 26 points and a team-high 11 rebounds and Vrabel recorded 11 points, four rebounds and one block. Junior Marco Delorenzo also added 23 points and eight rebounds of his own from his wing position. The Titans fin-
ished the game with 48 rebounds, compared to the Yellow Jackets’ 32. Christner said the team needs to match the Titans’ physicality both inside with Scott and Vrabel and on the perimeter with Delorenzo. “Both of their post guys (Scott and Vrabel) are guys who have been in the program for a while and been through the process and are now experiencing some success,” Christner said. “We need to keep them off the boards and keep their [offensive] touches difficult. We also have to be ready for their quick trigger from the outside.” While Christner said there are a couple things the team will do differently – mostly defensively in the post – but for the most part, the preparation will be the same as it was for the first game against the Titans. He said the tough part about defending the Titans’ offense is their ability to attack the hoop from all positions. “We’re going to come up with a good plan and try to execute that plan…when it all comes down to it, we want to do stuff better than the other guy,” Christner said on executing against opponents’ strategies. For the Yellow Jackets offensively, Christner said the team needs to find a consistency. He said there are several times throughout the season where players have not made shots Christner has seen them make many times in past games and in practices. The Yellow Jackets were close with the Titans in the turnover and steal categories – 17 turnovers to the Titans’ 18 and 8 steals to the Titans’ 10 – the difference in shooting percentage is what sticks out. The Titans finished with an overall shooting percentage of 51 percent, going 34-for-
67, while the Yellow Jackets finished with a shooting percentage of 39 percent, going 26-for-66. Christner said the team also needs to limit the turnovers offensively, which resulted in part of the large runs the Titans pulled off. “I think the important thing is to stay in the moment,” Christner said on playing through an opponent’s run. “We can’t get too high when playing well or too low when we are struggling.” Senior wing Jon Knab – who Christner said is now experiencing his “second wind” at this point in the season – had 22 points in the first meeting, which was followed by freshman guard Matt Popeck’s 15 points. Christner said while Knab is a key member of the team’s attack due to his ability to both score and rebound effectively, he said every member off the team is as important as the other. “We’ll need everybody – production from the bench and the five spot with Ben and Mike,” he said. “We need to trust each other and be confident.” While being consistent on offense is one of the team’s focus points, Christner said his players don’t need to do too much individually because if everyone executes their own role then the team will collectively find success. “Our guys have put the work in mentally and physically,” Christner said. “There is no burden on the thought of the past – we just want to play our best basketball.”
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
In the last game against Westminster Jan. 6, the Yellow Jackets beat the Titans 80-61 and pulled in 48 rebounds.
Entering the week, Jackets tied for fourth in PAC By ANTONIO PELULLO Editorial Assistant
The women’s basketball team will have a home game against Westminster College Saturday, Feb. 3.The Jackets are 11-8, and 7-5 inthe conference, which is tied for fifth in the PAC standings. The Titans come into the game 7-12, and 3-9 in the conference, good for seventh in the PAC. Despite the disparity in the standings between the two teams, head coach Sam Jones will not be taking this game lightly. “Westminster plays very hard, very well and they’re well coached. We came off a little slow against them the first time and I’d like to not have a slow start,” said Jones. “We will have to be ready and ready to pay attention to detail, then come out with some good energy and focus.” The last time these two teams played, the Yellow Jackets beat the hosting Titans, 80-61. Five Jackets were in double digits and received a solid shooting night by junior Anna Bartman, who went 6-of-9 shooting from three. Waynesburg ended a threegame losing streak against Thiel Jan. 27, and two of the
three games they lost were to teams they had beaten earlier in the year. Waynesburg has also been on the road for all but two out of the past 11 games, but Jones said he isn’t worried the travel has gotten to his team. When it comes to players to stop, Jones highlighted sophomore Emily Fromknecht, who is averaging 11.3 points per game 7.4 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. “Fromknecht, as a post player, is pretty good in the post so we got to make sure we don’t give her easy hoops,” said Jones. In the first matchup Fromknecht was in foul trouble all game and only played 22 minutes – her third lowest total minutes played on the season. Jones also pointed out two of the Titans' top shooters in sophomore Aliya Gage and senior Page Quinn. Gage is shooting 40 percent from three and Quinn, who is shooting 39.5 percent from three and averaging 4.2 threepointers per game. As Waynesburg continues
the season, Jones has hope that the team can correct mistakes on games lost while on the road. “Really just looking for us to have a consistent effort and focus on the details is important,” said Jones. "We’ve kind of lost a couple games the second time after we won the first time through and they’re both good teams, so it’s not like it’s this big thing. But we put ourselves behind the eight ball, we got to make sure we get every single one we can.” When Waynesburg tips off Saturday, it will have to play five more games in the PAC— two of which will be against teams ahead of them in the standings W&J and Thomas More. Both of these games are on the road and are played back-to-back.
WBB: PAC playoffs not a focus yet for Jackets Flood: Despite water over the field, major repairs are unnecessary “I hope that we are just
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currently in fifth in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference, but for Jones, there is still work to do. “We need more consistency game-to-game with our focus and attention to detail,” said Jones. “More so on the defensive end, more times we will forget little details that we work
on, which will cost us some hoops.” Jones said he isn’t focusing on the PAC playoffs just yet, instead he wants to emphasize consistency of play. “I hope that we are just playing at a high level with consistency of focus,” he said. “I am not too worried about placement right now. Obviously, I would like to be sitting different then we are now, and we will need
some help to get where we want to get, but I am re-
playing at a high level of consistency and focus."
SAM JONES
Head coach
ally just more concerned with how we are playing.
At some point, you have to beat everyone anyways in the playoffs. I want to be on a consistent level when we get to the playoffs.” Wa y n e s b u r g p l a y e d Wednesday past publication at home against Saint Vincent, who is currently in second in the PAC. Next, the Yellow Jackets will face Westminster Saturday, Feb. 3 with a tip off scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
Injuries: Jackets one match away from PACs Continued from C3
has also helped the overall team point total with many wins coming by bonus points as well. “One of the parents said to me the other day after the Thomas More match, ‘hey, it’s pretty nice looking up at the score and you’re not down by more than six and you have Jake [Evans] coming up, you have a pretty good feeling that he can pull it out for you,’” Headlee said. “That’s a big confidence builder for us. Baxter has been doing a good job getting those bonus points for us. He’s a pinner, and that helps us. That’s been a big thing, him being able to do that and Tristan usually getting a major.” Looking forward, Headlee thinks that the amount of mat time that wrestlers who typically haven’t been starters this season, such as Charlton, freshman RJ Hall, senior Landon Lohr, sophomore Adam Rigney and Sneeringer, will be vital
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tors that can be controlled, such as keeping stream beds clear. “We might go through multiple years of when we don’t have any flooding on the field and we might go through years where we have flooding more than once in the same year,” Sattler said. “It’s really dependent on a number of environmental things and
even what the impact of the stream beds are. We have worked with the borough to clean up Purman Run to make sure the flow…doesn’t [create] a flood issue.” With a cleaning process set to take place during clear weather, Sattler said there would be no other changes made to the football field and is confident it will be in playable condition in time for the start of spring sports.
Godwin: Depth will pull wrestling through injuries this season Continued from C2
Mitchell Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Senior Tristan Buxton, pictured above, was the PAC champion at 125 pounds in 2017 and will be one of the wrestlers resting leading into the PAC Championship. down the road. “I think it’s going to be competitive without our two starters in there. It’s definitely going to make it tougher on us,” said Headlee. “We talk about our backups, they can help us by knocking the other guys out. That’s why it’s important for our depth—
believing in each other and everyone we send out there. The time that they get is going to help them when it comes down to PAC time with just that experience that they’ve had in those dual meets.” The wrestling team has one more dual match before
the PAC Championships, which is held at the Rudy Marisa Field House Saturday, Feb. 10, against West Liberty Wednesday night, after the publication of this article. The team also will travel to Berea, Ohio, for the John Summa Invitational as a final tune-up.
when necessary. Sophomore Adam Rigney should also be available at 184 pounds and has also seen varsity time in his first two seasons. The final reason this team should be able to overcome this injury bug is that they’re just filled with talent. Buxton, Baxter and Evans are typically locks for bonus points when they hit the mat, so that gives the team potentially up to 18 points between those three, not to mention guys like freshman Josh Kuslock (133 pounds)
and senior Derek Hull (165 pounds), who have been steady all year with 19 and 16 wins, respectively. Burrs has scored bonus points in 12 of his 15 wins this season. Freshmen Dillion Charlton and RJ Hall and junior Josh Sneeringer have 11 wins each, each of whom weren’t starters at the beginning of the year. While the injuries might not be ideal, this team is getting healthy at the right time and should not be impacted too severely in regards to the upcoming PAC Championships from the injury bug that has plagued the team all season.
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FEBRUARY 1, 2018 | WAYNESBURG UNIVERSITY | THEYELLOWJACKET.ORG
f o s r e t s y a e M Mick se via u i r t Msotry Disney nt e d Stu
By ANTONIO PELULLO Editorial Assistant
Disney fans gathered in the Beehive Saturday, Jan. 28, and utilized mind games and trickery to win and claim the title of Disney film masters according to Heidi Dziak, sophomore accounting major. To help advance their goal of victory, during the rounds participants, organized in teams of four, called out for clarification on questions and attempted intimidation tactics by yelling out obvious wrong answers according to Dziak. The Disney questions focused on classic films from the studios, such as Mulan, Bambi and the more modern Frozen, and less of their newly obtained Star Wars franchise. For the most part, the early questions were no challenge according to Sarah Knisely, a
f re s h m an secondary education major. “I don't think they're too hard yet,” said Knisely during the competition. The freshman attendees lacked the potential advantage of the older competitors who may have been young enough to see some of their modern films in theatres. During the challenge, Marco Herrera a freshman athletic training major, remained confident. “So far I’ve known every answer,” said Herrera. “It's only round two and it's only going to get harder so we'll see how it goes.” The teams were enticed by the prizes, which included gift baskets. The competition consisted of three rounds composed of ten questions, and competitors’ phones were put away to ensure a fair game. Those in attendance were not all competing for the prizes and testing their Disney knowledge, some attendees were there supporting their friends on teams. “We are friends,” said Elinore Loch, a senior chemistry major, “they're playing so we came out to support them.” The event, which was organized by members of the Student Advisory Board, also featured snacks and refreshments for those competing and their friends.
“Our good friend here, Allie, loves Disney so we wanted to come out and play some trivia,” said Brooke Kusniar, a freshman nursing major. The Disney movie theme provided a nostalgic look into many childhood films, and allowed Herrera the opportunity to reminisce. “I watch a lot of Disney and I have a lot of friends that like Disney so I thought it be a good chance to win at something real,” said Herrera, “I watched all the movies, this is what I grew up with.” Connor Hoffman, a sophomore youth ministry major, was “very confident” asking for clarification on minute details of questions to get more insight on a topic. To Hoffman, “I love Disney and I know a lot of pop culture knowledge,” said Hoffman,” so I want it going to good use.”
Artist Austin Moody gives third WU performance Students to display talents in contest By KADEN HURLEY
For The Yellow Jacket
Temperatures dropped down below freezing last Wednesday evening, but that did not stop students from attending to the Coffeehouse for a warm beverage and live music from Austin Moody. Moody opened the evening with a self-introduction, telling his name and where he currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. For four years, Moody has been touring through a college circuit, and this is the third time he has performed at Waynesburg, more than any other college. Throughout the night, Moody stayed true to his country music roots by covering popular songs such as “Springsteen” by Eric Church and “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman. Moody’s original songs were mostly inspired by personal events. He shared personal stories prior to singing his songs, to give more background to the story behind the lyrics. His song “Throwback” described his unease in the music industry, as in feeling like he did not fit in with the music genre and almost that he is “too country for country.” Moody also attributed a song to his mother when, a few years ago, they were both reclining on the back porch and his mother said to him, “Sure can hear those frost bugs,” which eventually turned into another original song, “Gettin’ Over Starting Over.” Moody claims that Tom Petty is his “all-time favorite song writer” and guides the way Moody writes lyrics for his songs. Inste ad of b old and straight for ward lyrics, Moody tends to paint a picture that allows audience members to “create what you want to” from them. Moody did not start out this way, though. In fact,
By COLIN MCLAUGHLIN Convergence Editor
Tiffany Morgan, Yellow Jacket
Singer-songwriter Austin Moody performed covers as well as original songs during his third Waynesburg University show Wednesday, Jan. 24 during a coffeehouse. his musical career began with a desire to play the banjo. He “begged since six years old” until his parents gifted him a banjo. A few years later, Moody learned guitar and piano. As years passed, Moody performed with a few small bluegrass bands, but his future plans revolved around entering the Airforce. He even received a pilot’s license. Music was always a “what if ” in the back of Moody’s mind however, which drove him to change paths and follow music instead. “Music always picked
me more than I picked it,” Moody said. Just a few years ago, Moody felt called to go on hiatus to Mexico – no phone or other connection to the rest of the world – and came back with a different opinion on where his happiness was coming from. “I don’t wanna sound like the guy on the radio,” Mo o dy said, “I wanna sound like me.” This realization pushed Moody to make a major decision: walk away from a record he felt he had outgrown or stick with the music and a steady income.
“You had to make a choice. Was money more important or your soul more important? ” said Moody. “I chose my soul.” After walking away from the record, Moody felt his creativity opened up and he wrote more songs in the following five months than he did in those three years with the record. This exp er ience lef t Moody with many lessons learned. Jokingly, he advised aspiring musicians to learn bass, because bands could always use a good bass player.
“But seriously, start figuring out what you do. Don’t be afraid to hit a wrong note or make mistakes,” Moody said. To song writers, Moody said the best advice he learned “shut up.” Do not be the member who walks into the room and loudly gets all his ideas out on the table. Instead, be “sponge for information.” As for lyrics, “it’s all about heart.” At the end of the day, Moody urges people to “do what you wanna do. If you don’t, you’ll look back in 30 years and regret it.”
For the past 10 years Waynesburg University has been having students perform their unique talents in “WU’s Got Talent.” This year, auditions for the show are Feb. 1 from 4-6 p.m. and the show is Feb. 9 at 8 p.m., both events will take place in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center. “Students are able to sign up on myConnect and on the form, it just asks them what they are planning on doing [in the show] with a brief description of it as well,” said Graduate Assistant Erin Kern. “Then they will perform the skit in front of three or four individuals and then the judges will go from there to let them know if they made the show or not.” Judges for this year’s “WU’s Got Talent” have not been decided yet. This is Kern’s second year helping with “WU’s Got Talent,” but she remembers going to shows to watch whenever she was a student. “ There was a group of my friends who did a dance routine with white masks on,” said Kern. “It was kind of like a hip-hop dance. It is definitely my favorite memory because it was all choreographed.” Kern says she enjoys “WU’s Got Talent” more than “WU Idol” because there are different types of talents in the show. “WU Idol” is Waynesburg University’s singing competition that usually COMPETITION >> D2
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February 1, 2018
Vira Heinz scholarship recipient felt ‘called’ to her India trip By HOLLY HENDERSHOT Convergence Editor
Sophomore nursing major Rebekah Rhodes knew from the time she was 12 years old that she wanted to be a missionary. In high school, she recognized her love for the country of India, but only last year did she realize that she had the chance to go to India to serve and study abroad through the Vira I. Heinz Scholarship. The Vira I. Heinz Scholarship, according to the website, is a program that gives young women in college, who have never been outside of the country before, the opportunity to study abroad while serving in a community in the country of their choice. Rhodes said she is studying abroad through a program called USAC. She will go to Christ University in Bangalore, India, where she will stay in the female dorms and go to classes with other female students. “Whenever I heard about the scholarship last year, I just knew that this was from God and I knew that He put this in my life for a reason and I was like, ‘I’m going to go after it full force,’” Rhodes said. “[God] provided the whole way for me.” Rhodes remembers her world history class teacher asked students if there was one place in the world they could go, where it would be, and Rhodes chose India. “In high school, I really felt
Michelle Keith, Yellow Jacket
Rebekah Rhodes, a sophomore nursing major, applied for the scholarship because she felt that it was "from God" for her. She will be departing for her time abroad during the summer of 2018. called by the Lord to be in been to India, and the stories pected,” Rhodes said. “I’m re- going to be completely differIndia,” Rhodes said. “So, go- he told her of the people and ally excited to see the culture ent from what I’ve known.” ing to India is something I’ve culture there may have been and just a new way of life. I Despite how excited wanted to do for a long time.” part of the reason she chose feel like it’s going to be literally Rhodes is for this new adRhodes says that her fa- India. a ‘whole new world.’ I’m not venture, she is also anxious ther is a missionary who has “I’m expecting the unex- going to know anyone and it’s to leave the United States for
the first time in her life. Rhodes said she is most nervous for the flight and being in India alone. “I’ve never really flown before by myself. So, I’m really scared for all of that,” Rhodes said. “Once I’m over there, I might be scared to walk around by myself, and I might be scared of being in a new place […] I know God’s got me and I know I’m protected and it’ll be ok.” The Vira I. Heinz Scholarship is not just traveling abroad for a few months, but is a year-long program. Before going to the country of their choice, the Waynesburg University Vira I. Heinz scholars go on a retreat with other young women who received the scholarship from other schools. While in their chosen country, the scholars will serve in a category of service that they chose before the trip. After returning from abroad, the scholarship winners will write a report, go on another retreat and give a presentation about an issue they observed in the country they chose, relating it back to their own community. Rhodes chose Children, Family and Youth as her category of service, so she will be serving as a tutor for children as well as other service work in the community. Rhodes is also a Bonner Scholar, and she will also continue her service hours for that program while she is there.
Preparations for ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’ Competition: WU's
Got Talent to feature student performances
By EDWARD BOICE
For the Yellow Jacket
Last week, auditions were held for Waynesburg University’s spring musical, "The Drowsy Chaperone". With the cast list released Jan. 22 and the musical scheduled to open March 21, the cast and directors will have their hands full preparing for their theatric performance. First showing in 2005, "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a comedic musical that has been on Broadway and won five Tony Awards. The story is about an enthusiastic theatre fan who places the original cast recording of his favorite musical, the 1928 "The Drowsy Chaperone", on his record player. As soon as the needle hits the record, the musical comes alive in his living room and the theatre fan is able to interact with the musical itself. Edward L. Powers, professor of Theatre and director of "The Drowsy Chaperone", says that if anybody is looking to laugh their heart out, this is the show for them. “It is a pretty light-hearted show primarily meant to give us some laughs and a catchy toon or two,” said Powers. With the progression of the musical rehearsals, the development of the singing, dancing and acting all into one requires a lot of time. When deciding the cast, skills, experience and availability all have to be taken into account when sifting through
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Megan Cook, Yellow Jacket
Denise Branthoover, a senior nursing major, and Edward DiOrio, a freshman sports broadcasting major, read over lines from the scripts of the upcoming musical, "The Drowsy Chaperone." dozens of notes on potential candidates. There are certain aspects, however, that Powers said are considered above others in this process. “One major factor is the talent, when it comes to acting, when it comes to singing, when it comes to dancing,” said Powers. “And then I have to look at students’ schedules; if they can meet the majority of our rehearsals.” With little more than two months to master their roles, the actors will be pushed to memorize their lines and coordinate their dance steps. On a typical day, Powers will show his actors how he wants
a particular scene blocked a term to the positioning of actors throughout a scene. The actors then act out the scene, make note of mistakes, listen to corrections and repeat this process several times throughout the night. Senior computer science major Ronnie Loebker, performing the character of the theatre fanatic, says the amount of repetition he and his fellow actors do drives home the perfection they need to perform. “We rehearse so much that a lot of the time you will know most of your lines by rehearsing them because we have
done them so many times,” said Loebker. “Most of the time, everyone knows everyone’s lines because we have rehearsed them so much.” "The Drowsy Chaperone" will be performed in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center on March 21-24. If anybody would still like to be a part of the production spots are open for the chorus section of the musical. Powers is eager to welcome anyone who enjoys the theatre. “If there are any of our students that did not audition that would still like to be a part of our ensemble, talk to me” said Powers.
ON-CAMPUS CELEBRATION OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. To celebrate the memory of the late civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., Waynesburg University hosted a special chapel service dedicated to spreading his message Tuesday, Jan. 15. The featured speaker, Marilyn House West, a Waynesburg alumna, spoke of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dedication to achieving civil rights using peaceful protest.
takes place every fall semester. “I like the variety of WU’s Got Talent compared to WU Idol,” said Kern. “So, it’s more than just singing, I think that it is cool to bring in other things.” So far there have been f ive p eople w ho have signed up on myConnect to audition, but others have verbally told Kern that they will sign up soon. This year’s show will contain magic, comedy, singing, dancing and even baton twirling. “I liked watching Nic Burgess do his magic act last year and I hope to enjoy it again this year too,” said Kern. “I am looking forward to it because it is a type of act that we don’t get to usually see.” Students could get the opportunity to see sophomore children and youth ministry major Connor Hoffman perform in this year’s show. Hoffman did a comedy act last year in the show, which Hoffman said was the first time he ever did a comedy skit in a show before. The only other time he was in a talent show was in the fifth grade when he did a baritone solo of the song “Taking My Walrus for A Walk,” Hoffman said. “It is a whole new set
of jokes this year that I haven’t done yet. [The jokes are] mainly going to focus on my life in elementary school when I was younger,” said Hoffman. L a s t y e a r Ho f f m a n did WU’s got talent and he feels like most of the crowd enjoyed it which really encouraged him to come back this season. I think that [last year] went very well for me,” said Hoffman. “It was my first time doing comedy while standing up in front of people which was at first terrifying, but the reactions I got were confirming in a sense in the fact that people actually do find me funny.” Hoffman said that one of his jokes will be about an emotionally tragic event that happened to him in the third grade. “I am hoping for the audience to relate in a sense,” said Hof f man. “Some of the things that I will be joking about are so outlandish that many people probably have not done them, but in a sense, ever yone has that one thing when they were a kid that still haunts them to this day. So, it’s just that thought process of how weird it was as a kid since now we are all adults.” The winner of “WU’s Got Talent” will receive a prize of $100, runner up will get $50 and third place will be awarded $25.
Valentine’s Day Cards 2 Cards and Envelopes for $1 2nd Floor of Stover February 12-14 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Mitch Kendra, Yellow Jacket
Proceeds benefit
February 1, 2018
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WEEKLY CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1. Floors 11. Beliefs 15. Offer a libation (for) 16. Polar explorer’s concern 17. President leaving office, perhaps 18. Commercial name abbr. 19. Redden, say 20. William Tell Monument city 22. Venus is in it: Abbr. 23. “S” on an invita tion 24. Vehicle-sharing company 26. “Born on the Bay ou” band, briefly 27. __ bar 30. It’s tuned an octave higher than a cello 31. 1988 noir re make 32. Unconcealed en mity 34. Samoa or Cara mel deLite 36. Certain baron 37. King’s value, at times 38. Gather 39. Sch. period 40. Backwoods preposition 41. Combined 43. King or queen 44. Chinese military gp.
45. Grew 49. Pipe in a song 52. Pen name that sounds like a drink 54. Cry at the craps table 56. U.S. dept. with a bolt on its seal 57. Experience for Marty McFly 58. Classroom fix ture 59. Unable to con tinue
DOWN 1. Did 2. Pioneer in por table music
3. Arrogant manner, slangily 4. Top medalla 5. “You peeked!” 6. Totally 7. Heaven-__ 8. Helped make a bed 9. Mark’s replacement 10. Premium movie channel that dropped its “!” in 2005 11. “Portlandia” airer 12. Pot without speed 13. Serious transgres sion, in Catholicism 14. Split 21. Coppers 23. Burned with steam 25. Led
26. Sometime sub stitute for bread crumbs 27. Some sweaters 28. Get by 29. Venerated symbol 31. Martha Kent portrayer in recent Superman films 32. Barracks VIP 33. Betamax player 34. Barely caught
35. Mole-like mam mal 40. Hat for Indiana Jones 42. Decrees 43. 2017 Dolly por trayer on Broadway 46. “Finish the job!” 47. “Handsome, clever, and rich” Aus ten character
48. Food or water 49. Finally give 50. Tournament for mat 51. Likely to skid 53. Get to 55. Enhance, as a résumé
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ANOMALY CHARISMA DISHEVELED KITSCH MALAISE
BOONDOGGLE CLOYING ENNUI LURID MAUDLIN
STUDENT ART: Young artists in the region Artist: Elsa Tovar-Castaneda School: Suncrest Elementary Hometown: Morgantown, WV Grade: Fifth Age: 11
Finding passion at a young age Q: Favorite type of art? A: Realism
Q: Favorite artist? A: Johannes Vermeer
"I have been drawing since I was little. My dad's an artist. I would watch him, then I picked up the pencil..."
INTERESTED IN GETTING YOUR ARTWORK PUBLISHED? IF SO, CONTACT TIFFANY MORGAN AT MOR4950@STUDENT.WAYNESBURG.EDU.
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February 1, 2018
2018 Grammy Awards Recap Written and Designed by Cheyenne Nester
The 60th annual Grammy awards took place Sunday, Jan. 28 on CBS. The ceremony was held at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The last time the Grammys were held in New York was 2003 when the state was still struggling to attract tourists in light of the September 11 attacks. James Corden returned to host this year’s event. The show opened with a performance by Kendrick Lamar and Bono and the Edge of U2, with comedian Dave Chapelle appearing as the lone member of a Greek chorus. Lady Gaga then took the stage to perform two of her hits, “Joanne” and “Million Reasons.” Following Gaga’s performance, the first award of the night, Best Rap/Sung Performance, was presented to Kendrick Lamar for “LOYALTY.” Best Country Album went to Chris Stapleton’s “From A Room: Volume 1.” Following this win, country singers Eric Church, Maren Morris and the Osborne Brothers honored the victims of violence at music festivals. Morris began the tribute by listing the similarities between the Manchester bombing in May and the shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas in October. The names of victims were displayed on screen as a stripped version of “Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton was played. The night’s big winner was Bruno Mars, who took home the trophy in each of the six categories he was nominated in. Some of Mars’ winning categories included Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Kendrick Lamar had the second most wins, taking home five trophies. Alessia Cara walked away with Best New Artist, one of the night’s biggest awards.
Which stars took home a Grammy? Best Pop Solo Performance Ed Sheeran, “Shape of You”
Best Urban Contemporary Album The Weeknd, Starboy
Song of the Year
Best Rap Performance
Bruno Mars, “That’s What I Like”
Kendrick Lamar, “HUMBLE”
Best Rock Song
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Foo Fighters, “Run”
Little Big Town, “Better Man”
Best Traditional R&B Performance Childish Gambino, “Redbone”
Best Song Written for Visual Media Lin-Manuel Miranda, “How Far I’ll Go”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/arts/music/grammy-awards.html https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2018-grammy-awards-complete-winners-list#Pop