2 20 68 https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/60e7cd75dee5cf6779bb40d572ac7502.pdf 985337c0b5926f9603564a03aeb6676c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document For students who may not have access to high-speed Internet or own a personal laptop, transitioning and adjusting to distance learning may have been troublesome. SRU administration, however, devised and enacted a solution to this problem: Connectivity. Connectivity, which was established by SRU President William Behre, provides laptops and other technology to students who don’t have access to them at home and assists students with Internet connection issues. Dr. John Ziegler, associate provost for Information and Administrative Technology Services (IATS), said Connectivity has helped a lot of students prepare for online classes. “Most laptops were loaned through Bailey Library, and most students picked up their laptops themselves to avoid any unnecessary hassle,” Ziegler said. “We’ve also suggested that students reach out to their Internet providers to get a hotspot, which Connectivity has reimbursed them for.” He added that turning a smartphone into a personal hotspot, if it has that capability, is an option for students as well. For example, if a student loses electricity at home or their Internet is down temporarily, enabling the hotspot capability on their phone is a practical backup plan. So far, according to Ziegler, Connectivity has loaned 24 laptops to students, who will be required to return them to the library. “Many students only have satellite communication at home or have no connectivity at all,” Ziegler said. “I’ve heard about students having to use or borrow Internet from their neighbors in order to do their schoolwork.” He added that, although IATS has been busy throughout the past two weeks, they haven’t been unusually busy. “We haven’t really received any complaints so far,” Ziegler said. “It’s kind of been business as usual. We’ve been pretty busy, but it hasn’t really been anything out of the ordinary. We’re still working hard to help our students.” For more information, contact connectivity@sru.edu or view the “Technology” section of the COVID-19 Student Resources page on SRU’s website. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Connectivity assists students with technology issues Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-07 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Allison Downs Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/da7757068c7ee6f0f47dd1e131c6a7f9.pdf 8007aa4c78c2358e225d4269ab888558 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Many concerns about the coronavirus remain at the forefront of most people’s minds, with more problems and worries arising as numbers continue to increase. Among these worries are concerns about the short-term and long-term effects that this pandemic may have on the economy. Sunita Mondal, an associate professor of economics, said the U.S. economy has come to an abrupt halt due to this coronavirus outbreak. “Due to the extent of the shutdown of businesses and the suddenness of the event, which has caught most households and firms completely off guard, this is having a devastating impact on the economy in the short-run,” Mondal said. Mondal said the most detrimental short-term effect is job losses. All non-essential businesses in the United States have been forced to shut down, causing the unemployment benefit claims to reach more than 6.6 million. “Although layoffs have been most pronounced in the retail, hospitality and tourism, restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruises and warehousing and manufacturing sectors, the impact of COVID-19 has been witnessed across almost every sector,” Mondal said. Because of the course of the virus being unknown, social distancing measures are needed, which stalls economic activity. As long as this continues, Americans will continue to see businesses suffer, and additional layoffs are likely to occur. Mondal said small and local businesses are particularly vulnerable during this time, as they tend to have low cash cushions. “Even short periods of economic shutdown tend to have huge negative impacts on small businesses, which will struggle to remain afloat,” Mondal said. Mondal predicts that if this period of economic inactivity continues over longer periods of time, even medium-sized businesses will find it hard to maintain their current employees, which will force businesses to carry out further layoffs. As a result of all of this, Mondal said economic growth will be substantially lower in the comings months. “The extent to which such negative effects would persist is harder to predict since the economic downturn is closely related to the course of the virus,” Mondal said. Mondal said that although financial crises have happened before, this economic situation is much different than the 2008 economic crisis. “The problems this time are not as deep-rooted in the financial system,” Mondal said. “However, the unpredictable nature of a threat to public health makes this situation far more volatile and unsettling, thus further aggravating the economic impact and making it nearly impossible to forecast the path of recovery.” Another short term effect of this is the labor shifts. While retail, restaurants and many more establishments have witnessed record layoffs, companies like Walmart, CVS, Amazon and other grocery stores have experienced surges in demand due to the pandemic. These companies are looking to hire in big numbers right now, but Mondal said this will in no way be able to offset the millions of job losses. She said many of these job shifts will be temporary. As for preventative measures, the U.S. government has put a stimulus package into effect. To prevent a prolonged recession, economists recommended providing Americans with a stimulus package to help families, workers and small businesses. But Mondal doesn’t think this will be as effective as they think. “The stimulus would only be fully effective if people were able to go to restaurants, bars, hair salons, shopping and attend concerts,” Mondal said. “In other words, [it would be effective if people] were able to spend the money to revive the economy.” This stimulus package is meant to help people deal with this negative phase. This includes things like expanding eligibility for unemployment insurance, giving checks to households so they are able to pay bills, delaying mortgage payments for loans backed by government-sponsored enterprises and many more measure such as these. “The Federal Reserve has utilized several emergency lending programs to try and maintain cash flow through the financial system in the economy,” Mondal said. “In an unprecedented manner, led by the economic-rescue legislation signed by the president, they will now have the ability to finance businesses, states and cities.” The Federal Reserve has also aggressively slashed interest rates in an effort to encourage borrowing and spending in the economy, according to Mondal. There is a provision in the third phase of the fiscal stimulus package, the Education Stabilization Fund. This would be about $14 billion that would be allotted to colleges and universities, part of which would be used as a direct emergency aid to students and part to be used by institutions in supplementing lost revenues, covering technology costs and more. “It is difficult to estimate the true impact of this on the institutions, since the details of clauses are hard to determine,” Mondal said. She said it is important to keep in mind that after the 2008 financial crisis, per-student state funding was lower than pre-recession levels. This means higher education, like many other sectors, will be negatively effected. “With the funding for public health services being a top priority for state budgets, this is likely going to effect funding for higher education,” Mondal said. Mondal said fiscal stimulus support is needed for higher education. “It is of utmost importance to maintain the current safety nets for financial aid students,” Mondal said. Mondal said even with all of these imperative measures to attempt to keep the economy afloat, the United States will ultimately fall to have the full extent of the impact, as the U.S. is unable to lift the lock down, which is exactly what is causing economic inactivity. She said the bottom line is that 6.6 million Americans filing for unemployment benefits, a 3000% increase compared to the pre-pandemic levels, is different from previous recessions. These layoffs, unlike in previous recessionary phases, are due to a sudden, sharp contract in economic activity. Along with all of these negative effects and worries comes the positive ones. Mondal suggests that there may be an increased appreciation for the simple things in life and things we formerly took for granted. “Even realizing how much we all enjoying going to work, above and beyond the paycheck associated with work, this realization could lead to improved productivity of workers, once normal operations are resumed,” Mondal said. Mondal said it all comes back to the same point: if the United States and its government can control the spread of the virus, economic rebound could be faster than after regular recession. “If the virus is contained relatively quickly, and fear and uncertainty subside, the economy will be able to rebound quicker,” Mondal said. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Understanding the economic impact of coronavirus Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-06 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nina Cipriani Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/1fa76de1c6262b1b69702e1ff4a9f90e.pdf 2a7ca2e86e4639de61a174680ae54802 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Nationally, the number of domestic violence calls are on a decline, even though the number of cases are on an incline, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarah Bowen, executive director of The Alpha Omega Center in Slippery Rock, says that as stress increases, violence also increases. This abuse can be between domestic partners or child abuse. “People are concerned about the economy, their jobs and putting food on the table, and those things can sometimes come out in very unhealthy and violent ways,” Bowen said. “I think the biggest thing to know is that if someone is in the house with a violent partner or if they are concerned about the situation becoming violent, there is help.” She said crisis shelters are still functioning and that there are mental health institutions and other institutions that can make people feel calmer and help them deal with the emotions they are feeling. One of those crisis shelters is Victim Outreach Intervention Center, better known as VOICe, in Butler County. “The work we do is absolutely essential to our community; therefore, all of our services remain open and fully operational,” said Maizee Zaccone, a VOICe outreach and volunteer advocate. “However, during this time we have had to make adjustments to ensure the safety and health of our staff and clients.” Zaccone said VOICe has adapted every service to an online or remote functionality. “Our shelter continues to operate, but with the current emphasis on social distancing and quarantining, our shelter residents have been relocated to individual hotel rooms and remote facilities,” Zaccone said. “All faculty are currently working remotely from home.” Bowen said The Alpha Omega Center is also taking those precautions. They are disinfecting as much as possible between clients and their parenting program has moved completely online. “Our moms and dads don’t have to come in,” Bowen said. “We didn’t want them to have to ride the bus or share rides.” Zaccone said there is no data to suggest that the numbers are increasing locally, specifically in Butler County. “While this may be true on a global scale, at this time, we do not have the data to suggest that it is a fact locally,” Zaccone said. “However, current abusive relationships are absolutely more at risk with vulnerability of quarantine orders, and we suggest anyone experiencing a crisis or anyone with questions to call our free, confidential, around-the-clock hotline.” The hotline is 1.800.400.8551, and Zaccone said calling is the first step they advise because it is the gateway to all other services that VOICe offers. “The hotline also allows the caller to talk through the situation with a trauma-informed staff member and help the caller determine what safety plan is best to implement for themselves,” Zaccone said. Bowen said that calling or texting 911 is also always an option. She said texting during an emergency can help if someone feels that people are listening to their conversations. “You can even call 911 from a phone that does not have a current plan,” Bowen said. “You can also message domestic violence or crisis shelters through Instagram, Facebook and sometimes even Snapchat so that the messages will disappear.” Zaccone said at the time she is unaware of any online services and that VOICe does not use email. “We do not provide services across email because of safety issues,” she said. “Emails can easily be found in someone’s system, even after hitting delete. Plus, many people have their email set across multiple devices.” Zaccone said they always refer people to their hotline to access services. She recommends those who are stuck in quarantine at home in an abusive situation, blocked from technology with no ability to leave, to put some measures in place for themselves. “We advise everyone, no matter what scenario they are in, to create a thorough safety plan that can be adapted for the situation,” Zaccone said. “For those quarantined at home, this can mean gathering up important documentation, money, clothing, and any vital resources so that if an opportunity to leave safely arises, they can do so.” She said that calling the hotline is still the safest option, and she only recommends the safely escaping plan to anyone that needs it or is blocked from all technology. Bowen said that another option if you feel in danger is to remove yourself from the situation and walk down the street. “Walk down the public street until you come to a police station or a nonprofit that is open and then walk inside and ask for help,” Bowen said. She also said stress is unavoidable and the stress everyone feels right now is extremely high. She encourages all parents to sign up for Alpha Omega Center’s Parenting Program to avoid losing their temper during this stressful time. “Even the best parent can lose their temper during this,” Bowen said. She also said if someone is in a relationship that is abusive, they must understand that it is okay to leave. “Just because it’s a crisis and because the other person is having a hard time does not mean you have to subject yourself to an unhealthy situation,” Bowen said. She said even though The Alpha Omega Center isn’t specifically designed to deal with these types of situations, they can make referrals and screen all clients for domestic violence. “We encourage our clients that if they need to leave and don’t have anywhere to go to give one of us a call, and we will help right away,” Bowen said. “We have even told clients that if we are opened and they feel unsafe they can come straight here and wait until we find the place they can go.” Bowen’s biggest advice for anyone, whether they are being abused or worried about becoming abusive, is to walk away until they calm down. She said that The Alpha Omega Center is here to help, and another local shelter is the Crisis Shelter of Lawrence County. VOICe is also local to Slippery Rock. “Men are not excluded in any way from any of our services, nor is anyone of any gender or identity,” Zaccone said. “If you are a survivor of a violent crime, that means you are eligible to pursue our services.” If you are currently in a domestic violence situation and need help, you can call the domestic violence hotline at 1.800.799.SAFE or call 911. VOICe is also available 24/7 at 1.800.400.8551, or go to womenshelters.org. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Crisis shelters offer services during COVID-19 pandemic Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Haley Potter Relation A related resource SRU Student Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-06 Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/426e749256604d64f39afc4b0f236762.pdf 039f3fbff9a0bbcba5c0072531fc656a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Student teachers have exceeded expectations amid sudden changes in the educational environment due to COVID-19, according to James Preston, assistant to the dean of the College of Education at SRU. Preston, who oversees the coordination of student teachers, said they all have worked with their teachers collaboratively to devise a plan for sudden changes occurring because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Jamie Coniglio, a secondary English education major, taught at Laurel High School in New Castle during her first eight-week student teaching placement. She’s currently student teaching at PA Cyber, her second placement of the semester, and she said the adjustment has been challenging. “It’s very different,” Coniglio said. “I’m not able to give them physical assignments, so all of their assignments are in digital documents. It’s also not face-to-face. They can see me, but I can’t see them, so it’s kind of like I’m talking to myself.” Fellow secondary English education major Jianna Palladini said she was supposed to teach in Spain, but her placement there was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. She added, however, that adjusting to her online student teaching placement hasn’t been as difficult as she expected. “We’re just kind of rolling with the punches,” Palladini said. “I’m still learning my student’s names, and I’m trying to figure out a way to give students what they need without being able to see them. And we know that everyone’s at-home situation is different.” Though their experiences adjusting to their new placements have been different, both Coniglio and Palladini were both uncertain when changes first took place. “It’s been pretty overwhelming,” Coniglio said. “A lot of us, if not all of us, were really concerned about graduating and earning our teaching certificates. Even Dr. Preston was uncertain at first.” According to Preston, though, student teacher evaluations won’t change very much. He said they will still be evaluated based on their planning and preparation, classroom management, instruction and professionalism. He added that, as always, they will be evaluated based on the Department of Education’s standards as well. “Eight weeks into their placements, most of them had already met the minimum standards,” Preston said. “We already knew they would pass and whether we could certify them.” Despite their initial concerns, Palladini and Coniglio have been reassured by the College of Education and university administration. “SRU has done so much to ease my mind,” Palladini said. “I’m really thankful for the university and everything they’re doing for students. They’ve done a lot to make this whole situation a bit more easy going for all of us.” Preston said although some teachers were very prepared and had readily developed systems in place, some are just starting to figure out how to handle the situation at hand. He said he feels that all teachers have an advantage with SRU’s student teachers who have exceeded expectations thus far. “I’ve heard about our student teachers offering to help their teachers, students and each other however they can,” Preston said. “They’re taking the opportunity to really step up.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Student teachers adjust to distance learning Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-05 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Allison Downs Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/6ee0f2843b9e4be4d8cbc53d2dcabd8c.pdf 2edbdadcbcd6743be390f7dd56d1bbf5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Student Success Coaches are still hosting meetings for students via Zoom, or the students’ preferred method of communication, during the time of online classes. Students that wish to have a meeting with their Success Coach can email their coach or visit the Student Success Coaches page of the Slippery Rock website to access a booking link. Students that do not have a Success Coach can reach out by emailing oie@sru.edu to connect with one. Emily McClaine, one of the Success Coaches, said that they want to help students succeed in the new environment while still providing the same services. To help students maneuver through the new environment of online learning, the Success Coaches created multiple PDF pages on their webpage as resources to help students; including an Online Learning Essentials worksheet. “The most difficult part of it from the students that I have talked to, is making sure about how they are going to make their new routine,” Julie Ferringer, a Success Coach said. Ferringer referred to the Online Learning Essentials worksheet, and said that there are three main tips that the Success Coaches find important; writing down class expectations, creating a study space and devoting consistent time for class. Earl Coburn, a Success Coach, said that it is important for students to maintain a routine, because that is what they are used to. “In addition to that, just doing the thing you normally do in the morning,” Coburn said. “If I’m getting ready for work, I’m still brushing my teeth, taking a shower and getting dressed. I’m not in my pajamas right now because it’s work time.” An app, a planner or a template are all ways the Success Coaches mentioned would help maintain a schedule. On top of keeping up with routine, Ferringer said that creating a good work space where the student can study and think, will help with the transition to online learning. On top of maintaining a schedule and finding a comfortable work space, McClaine encourages students to create a daily to-do list with class expectations, projects, papers, discussions and online tests. “Having that in a format where you can cross it off gives us a sense of accomplishment and helps us feel motivated because those small wins really helps us recognize the progress we are making and feel good about that progression,” McClaine said. If students are unsure how to apply the tips on the Online Learning Essentials worksheet, they can contact a Success Coach and book a session to help them apply the tip and navigate it. Along with the Student Success Coaches page on the Slippery Rock website, Coburn advises students to also look at the Covid19 page to see what the rest of the semester looks like for different offices at the university. “It’s a one stop shop about all the ways our university is moving forward, that way students know about it and they aren’t in the dark.” The Success Coaches are also adjusting to the online transition and miss various aspects of the university and campus community. McClaine said that she misses the energy that comes from the students and colleges. Similarly, Coburn misses the daily bustle of the Smith Student Center, or places such as Boozel and Weisenfluh. Farringer misses looking out her window and watching the students walk to class together, seeing them every day. “I really get excited now, when I do hear [the students] pick up the phone when I call them, or when I get to see a Zoom meeting, because hearing their voice or seeing their face, makes a huge impact,” Ferringer said. On top of reaching out to the Success Coaches, Ferringer also encourages students to reach out to their peers, even if it’s simply through a group chat. All three coaches want students to know that they are not alone, and encourage students to reach out and use the resources available. “There are a ton of caring professionals that know you, or maybe don’t know you, but we are here and we want to help you through this,” McClaine said. “We’ve got you. We’re here for you.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Student success in online classes Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the campus life section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-04 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hope Hoehler Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/2e7278698b3585224bfd1cdb964178e9.pdf dc2cb267d29d072303ed35c3c5cd3da6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Hello Team, We have cleared this first week of online classes. My week was very hectic. While learning numerous new software packages, prepping course materials, holding zoom classes, replying to lots of emails and such, I was working 10-14 hour days. On Friday, after my morning meeting, I went outside to walk the new puppy, go to the market to fetch curb-side delivery (my house full of scientists and public health professionals working hard to maintain physical distance) and cut firewood to get some cardio. Basically, I took Friday afternoon and evening as mental-physical-good-health rebound time. I hope you make time for such too. Now in my fourth decade of teaching college, I am being pressed into modalities I never wanted to engage in. I thrive on in-person instruction, in which I can readily add emphasis, inspire and spread awe, recruit new minds, plant clues, reward presence, watch eyes and enjoy smiles. I have never been a huge fan of computer slide shows. I do not like talking on the phone. So, this whole move to online has been very challenging, particularly because I had distanced myself from all of the tools that today are the obvious assets. There is talk of online instruction next fall. It would be easier the second time around, but I still would not choose it. If I could have concluded my career without teaching through computer modalities, I would have. If I have a choice in the future, I will forever avoid online teaching. I very much miss being with you, and all my students, in person. Such said, it is what it is. SRU has chosen to give students a choice in grade format. I strongly urge to assemble a passing performance. If I were you, my priority would be to pass every class and get closer to graduation. To get solid return on investment for the expense of every credit hour would be a priority. I know many of us are deeply disappointed that all kinds of cool things are not going to happen the way that we wanted them to go. I worked for two years to plan a conference in DC, which was to occur days after spring break, March 19-21. With an eight days notice, the event was cancelled. Hundreds of hours of work was vaporized. Anticipated profits became actual losses. I was also ready to teach a class in Utah in May. Holy smokes, that class was going to be awesome. I had an array of April field trips planned on and around campus. I was going to get to speak on campus for Earth Day 50. All are gone. I think every one of us feels such loss. The key, today, is to bolster your determination to complete your classes in the next five weeks. We need to get out of this crazy time with at least the minimum benefit that we can muster. Make the time. Get fresh air. Keep as much distance away from people as you can. Pass your classes. Embrace and respect science. Good luck! Wishing you all the best possible, Dr. B Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to the editor: A faculty member writes to students Description An account of the resource This letter was originally published in the opinion section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Dr. Patrick Burkhart was the writer of this letter and has been on the faculty at SRU for over 20 years. He is a geologist who loves landscapes, clean water, wildlife, healthy ecosystems, big adventure and happy students. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-03 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Patrick Burkhart Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Faculty SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/01a96c4b8e47778bd6a80c5fc59c072f.pdf af4a3bf74e32fb5242db87bcbb747f6b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document The Slippery Rock early childhood and elementary music programs introduced Make Music, virtual music classes on Facebook Live, as part of their Community Engagement Initiative. The Make Music series are part of the initiative, partnering with students from the Butler County Head Start Program and the Butler County Preschool. Ashley Bartley, a Head Start head teacher at Butler County Children Center, attended classes on Fridays with Cassandra Eisenreich, an assistant professor of music education and flute, and her students. Bartley said that her group of 20, ages three to five, were excited to go to campus every Friday. “They loved it, and I will say my teaching staff and myself love it too,” Bartley said. “It is a time that is filled with music, movement, learning, playing and much more.” Bartley said that Eisenreich emailed her to let her know that the online music classes could be a possibility. “I was so excited,” Bartley said. “I just know that my students really enjoy them and hopefully other children in our area can now enjoy them.” Barltey reminded children’s families to watch the Facebook Live stream and said that she knows that music sessions similar to those of Eisenreich’s students are important for all ages. The sessions run Monday through Friday, starting at 10 a.m., and can be found on the SRU Early Childhood and Elementary Music Facebook page.. Eisenreich said that she wanted to provide an opportunity for the weekly students, as well as others, to tune in. “Children enjoy interacting with their friends and having these opportunities to sing and play with others,” Eisenreich said. In the live sessions, the students ask questions to the children watching, incorporating the comments into the song or activity of the day. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are sing and play sessions, which include “hello” and “goodbye” songs with a main activity in between them. Each session follows a theme such as animals, colors or art. Tuesdays and Thursdays are meet the musician sessions, featuring one a student and an instrument they play. The student will play children’s songs and have the children watch, clap their hands to the beat or engage them otherwise. At the end of each live session, additional resources are provided in the comment section that relate to the session topic of the day. “We live in this world of music, we understand the importance of it,” Eisenreich said. “We have seen the power of music and how much joy it brings to children.” Eisenreich said that the students are stepping up at a difficult time, writing their own songs and learning new ones. The initiative began March 30th with Rebecca DeGraff, a senior music therapy major. Degraff prepared a song related to animals and the sounds they make for her session. Degraff said that Facebook Live is nice in the aspect of interacting with the kids. “One mom said after the session I did on Monday, that she had written in the name of her child, where they lived and how old she was, and I said ‘Oh hello so and so from this town’ and her mom said that her child’s eyes lit up to hear her name,” Degraff said. Degraff has gotten pictures from parents of kids crowded around the computer screen and singing. “I think it’s important for [the kids] to still be able to get this, in a little way,” Degraff said. “It’s providing some sort of structure when their days right now are probably unstructured.” Eisenreich said that the students are consistently providing opportunities to the community. Ashley Bodnar, a senior music education major and instructional strategies for students with disabilities minor, taught the live session on Tuesday. Bodnar said that the Make Music sessions are a good experience to have for teaching, because although the students have some familiarity with online teaching, the classes usually aren’t geared towards young children of preschool age. “I really love working with the younger kids and I’m happy we are still finding a way to still bring music to them,” Bodnar said. Other students agree with Bodnar, including Alaina Stroud, a senior music therapy and music education dual major. Stroud is student teaching and finishing her music therapy degree. Stroud taught the live session on Wednesday and said that it is cool to watch the comments on the video pop up, where she can read them at her own pace, as opposed to a classroom setting where students may talk all at once. “Music is an incredibly important part of a child’s development not only as a musician but as a human,” Stroud said. “We teach how to be a good person, to love music and love the world, and education goals are important for kids to have.” Stroud said that it’s exciting to see alumni participating and commenting on the videos and interacting with students. Andy Kolar, an alum with a bachelor’s degree in music, has his kids participate in the Make Music sessions, tuning in from Connecticut. Kolar said that he wanted his younger kids to have some sort of music class because his older kids now don’t have a music class like they would in preschool or kindergarten. “They lose their minds when their names are mentioned, so they love that,” Kolar said. “Again, it stimulates them like being called on in school, in a good way.” Kolar said that he wanted to keep music in his kid’s lives, but that it is also a great learning experience for Slippery Rock students. “They are experiencing this phenomenon just like every other music teacher having to now do things unconventionally online,” Kolar said. The Make Music sessions are scheduled for three full weeks, with a set schedule, but according to Bodnar, may continue till the end of the school year. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Community Engagement Initiative introduces Make Music Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the campus life section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-03 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hope Hoehler Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/86553ce0243a097b546db01478844d4b.pdf 23118a0eeebe421b82704e5527206801 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Save for the sound of sniffles, the stunned and somber locker room was still. A mere five contests into the 2020 campaign, Slippery Rock University women’s lacrosse head coach Kelsey Van Alstyne had just relayed the word to her team; the season was over, the rest of the schedule nixed. “Originally, I didn’t believe it,” junior defender Savannah Renner said. “It didn’t really feel real.” “Sometimes life is really unfair, and this is one of those instances,” said Van Alstyne. “And we wish you could change it.” The women entered the building sitting catty-corner to Bob DiSpirito Field that Friday morning expecting to play in their home stadium for the first time the next day. The team was 2-3, but it seemed as if this season would be different than the last, in which SRU stumbled to a 7-9 mark. “We came into the locker room that morning with the best of hopes that we would be able to continue the season or at least play the game [against Seton Hill] on Saturday,” said senior attacker and co-captain Sami Gentzler. A practice was planned from 10 a.m. to noon, Van Alstyne said, but shortly before, she had received an email from the league. The decision, Van Alstyne said, was sad, but understandable considering the circumstances. Half an hour before the team was supposed to be on the field, she sent a captain into the locker room. “I think we were all pretty hopeful; because of the PSAC, we kept playing while other conferences had already cancelled,” Van Alstyne said. “At first it was like, ‘alright, we’ll keep playing,’ and then all of a sudden it was like, ‘I hope we get a few more games in.’ And then we were all kind of waiting.” After being told the news, Van Alstyne said the team’s emotions weren’t hidden. Trying to process it, tears rolled down players’ cheeks. “It was heartbreaking to hear our coach come in and tell it to us,” said senior defender Olivia Beach, one of four players who preceded Van Alstyne at Slippery Rock. “Once we heard her voice shaking, we kind of knew.” “Everyone just instantly started crying,” senior midfielder ShyAnne Toomer said. “It’s just, you work so hard for so long for something and to have it [cut] so short, especially for the seniors, it was just very sad.” “We kind of all just stood there a couple minutes, just to take it in,” Haley Barrett, the team’s starting goaltender, said. In an effort to console the players, Van Alstyne offered two choices; go out to eat as a team or continue as planned with the slated practice. Almost without even talking, Gentzler said, the team agreed to gear up and go onto the field for old times’ sake. The players pulled on their pinnies and tried to stay in good spirits, but the practice was bittersweet. It didn’t have the same normal intensity. The speaker was lugged out to blast music as the players chose their drills. Some of the field players dressed in goalie equipment and stood in front of the net. “That was the last time myself and the other seniors would wear something that [connected] us to a sports team,” Renner said. “It made it feel more real, being there one last time on the field with all of our teammates. It was a good way to end whatever this whole thing was.” Such practices had been taken for granted just weeks before. Like any other person, there are days where even Van Alstyne admits she doesn’t want to run a practice or direct a lift. She recited the clichés: “Play like it’s your last game” and “Never take a single moment for granted,” both of which she associates with the constant possibility of injury. Toomer, a team voice, echoes this, saying, “we always complained because it’s hard to be a student athlete. You always complain about not wanting to go to practice or not wanting to wake up for a 6 a.m. [workout] or not wanting to travel six hours away for a game. But, I would definitely say to [enjoy] every moment and not take it for granted.” “You should always leave the field proud of how you played,” Renner said. “This season, this very short season, taught me to always, and this is going to sound really cheesy, literally give your 100% every time. Because you never know when it’s over.” “Make sure you’re putting your all into everything that you’re doing,” Gentzler advised. “Because you never know when it could be the last time you get to do it.” If none other, Van Alstyne sees at least one positive in the situation. “To have your whole season completely ripped away like that, I think it’s going to change a lot of athletes across the country’s perspectives,” Van Alstyne said. With the season cut short, Van Alstyne and assistant coach Sarah Lamphier have stressed the full focus on academics to their players. The two have split the team in half and check in with players twice a week through Zoom conversations. “Right now, our focus is, ‘Hey, we can’t play lacrosse, so let’s get the job done in the classroom,’” said Van Alstyne, who plans on sending workout packets to her players soon. “Going to online, we want to make sure everyone feels comfortable with what they need to do.” A part of the leadership that Van Alstyne has looked to as the standard of her program is moving on, turning the tassels on their caps and graduating from Slippery Rock University this spring. Each Beach, Gentzler, Toomer, and two-year captain Tori Penders were a part of the 2017 team that returned to the PSAC playoffs for the first time since the program was reinstated a decade earlier. Barrett and Renner are both graduating a year early. Across the board, Van Alstyne said the class brought a passion and dedication to the program, both athletically and academically. “It will be a huge void moving forward as we lose them,” Van Alstyne said. “They were all in.” “We just really embody what this program means,” Toomer said about her graduating class, adding that it demonstrated work in the weight room and the following of coaches’ guidelines. Stuck behind 2018 PSAC Player of the Year, Emily Bitka, for the entirety of her rookie year, Barrett started each of the past 21 games in goal for SRU. She compiled a 9-12 record and 180 saves, the fifth-most in school history. This year, she led the team with 21 ground balls. Until she looked at credits to register for this spring semester, Barrett hadn’t yet considered graduating early. After this spring, Barrett wants to go to grad school but isn’t sure where yet. “I don’t really think there’s a lot of words to describe that feeling,” Barrett said. “It was unreal getting it taken away from you. I was preparing for it to be the last time, then it was the last time too soon.” Beach battled through knee injuries to finally get on the field her senior season, playing in 22 games in a green and white jersey. She started all five matchups this season. Van Alstyne described her as a capable and speedy defender and “ground ball machine.” In the fall, Beach will attend James Madison University to earn a masters of science degree in sport and recreation leadership. “She really only got five games,” Van Alstyne said. “So you can look at that in one of two ways: ‘It’s really unfair’ or ‘I’m so grateful she got five games and got to play a ton and get that experience.’” For Beach, the glass is half-full. “Starting those five games of my [senior] year definitely made it all worth it,” she said. “Going through all the surgeries, tears, hard lifts, hard conditionings. It really shows how much a person has to work to get over injuries and make it from a walk-on to a starting player.” Gentzler, a threat whose small stature helped her around the net, graduates having saw the field in 44 games, starting 18. She found the back of the net 23 times and assisted on another 15 goals. She plans to move to St. Louis and find a job in the integrated marketing communications field. “I think [Gentzler] finally had that confidence to back up her skills this year,” Van Alstyne said. “And it was really cool to see her step up and lead our attack and try to call the plays and kind of be that upperclassmen we really needed on that end.” Penders, a midfielder, started each of Slippery Rock’s last 57 contests. She finishes her career with 47 goals and four assists. Also, she claimed the sixth-most draw controls in school history. She brought with her an unfailing work ethic, Van Alstyne said, shown in her stats on the draw and in ground balls. Penders will graduate with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and a minor in Graphic Design. “But the stats that wouldn’t show is, [Penders] was the first one down the field, defensively, every single time,” Van Alstyne said. “She would sprint off the field for a sub to the point where I thought she was going to collapse […] She always went to her absolute max effort. At practice, at lift, at everything.” Renner, the other junior to graduate early, was stuck into the starting lineup early to fill in for an upperclassmen with off-the-field problems. From then on, the spot was hers, starting in a total of 28 games. She picked up 37 ground balls and forced 26 turnovers. Van Alstyne pointed out that she attacked everything with optimism. Renner hopes to coach someday. “I swear to God, I could’ve handed her a tennis racket and she would’ve been like, ‘That’s fine,’” said Van Alstyne about Renner. With what Van Alstyne noted as an analytical nature, Toomer led the team in each points, goals, shots on goal and caused turnovers in both 2019 and 2020. She leaves Slippery Rock ranking ninth in program history in points and eighth in draw controls. Toomer played in 56 games with the Rock. She hopes to start grad school, particularly an accelerated nursing program, at the University of Pittsburgh next fall. “That kid was […] all over the field,” Van Alstyne said. “Defensively, she really liked to go to bait and go for those caused turnovers and those back checks. [She was] really strong on the draw [and] really strong offensively with both feeding and driving.” Barrett points something out that people sometimes forget that student-athletes have lives outside of sports. “It’s not just lacrosse that I lost out on,” Barrett said. “I lost out on my last year at school, my last year as a player, my last year going to classes and my last year with my friends that aren’t on the lacrosse team.” Each of the seniors feel fortunate to have been a part of a culture that Van Alstyne stresses as being so important, some of them having dealt with a less unified squad led by the previous head coach. Self-described as having been shy and quiet, Beach said, “it kind of just goes to show what Coach Van Alstyne can bring out in a person […] It means everything that I was able to contribute to something so positive and set the tone and standards for the coming years.” “I can’t wait to see where they go next year and the years following,” Gentzler added. “I’m excited to come back for alumni weekend already.” The disappointment that the team wasn’t allowed to finish what it started will, without a doubt, linger. “I think that’s what hurts the most, too, is how much time and effort everyone put in,” Van Alstyne said. “And to not be able to see what was really going to happen […] It just puts even more of a chip on our shoulder. We had a lot we wanted to prove, and that we were going to prove, this year. Now we’ve got to do it more so next year.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Despite promise, lacrosse team left to wonder “what if?” Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the sports section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-03 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Brendan Howe Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/a93f01c228fd36284b0a39ebec9dcdd6.pdf 1b4127d7c9f6871b6b58bc81964c9d0f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document SRU President William Behre announced during the University Program Board’s livestream Monday night that the tuition and financial aid proposal has been suspended. “We will not be asking the Board of Governors for the 3.5% increase as we originally planned,” Behre said. “We will have whatever change in tuition that the Board of Governors recommends. It will not be ideal for SRU financially. However, in the current uncertain economic environment, we believe that the 3.5% increase is not tenable at the moment.” The proposal entailed tuition pricing and financial aid plan. Behre said the proposal would raise the average bill of a resident by only 1.3% over three years. In addition to the tuition increase, he said SRU plans to invest more than $7.6 million in financial aid. The Council of Trustees voted to advance the proposal to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s Board of Governors in February. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tuition increase proposal suspended Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-31 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Allison Downs Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/4139e6ae7d358495cf1950d8e95ccd7e.pdf c8572b2773b628db1ab2bf91a6652c12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Summer classes will be delivered through distance learning, according to an email sent to SRU stakeholders by SRU President William Behre. Behre said Chancellor Dan Greenstein announced an extension of his temporary suspension of face-to-face classes. He said we must plan for our summer classes to be delivered via distance learning. “While I am not happy that we must go in this direction, I strongly support his decision,” Behre said. Behre also announced that internships will be put on hold until further notice. “While a majority of our summer session classes are already online,” Behre said, “Unfortunately, those that are in-person, clinical rotations, student teaching, internships, field experiences, and other types of inperson placements, will be put on hold if they cannot be converted into distance modalities.” Behre included a link in the email to provide further explanation of the decision. “While I understand this isn’t the reality that any of us asked for,” Behre said, “It is the one we have been dealt, and we will make the best of it. At the end of the day, at SRU, we lead, we succeed, and most importantly, we rock.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource BREAKING: SRU announces online summer classes Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-30 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Nina Cipriani Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/048b67ad957b99793203d1420c2f7ab9.pdf f69aa85a6cffd95db6a6b96bb0bb80b7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Much like everything in the country right now, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) announced on Friday, March 13 that all spring sports competitions would be cancelled for the remainder of the semester. This took a huge toll on the Slippery Rock University track and field team as they had 25 senior members. While most athletes were able to compete in some fashion during the indoor season, transitioning to outdoors allows for some new events, such as hammer throw, and adaptations to things like the increased distance on the track. A few seniors were able to discuss how losing their senior season felt and the moments leading up to that. Katie Proffit, a distance runner who was looking forward to getting outside and running in the 10,000 meter, notes how the season is something that is most likely no longer going to happen. “I wanted to, with the outdoor season, I was hoping to move on to 10,000 meters,” Proffit said. “I did that once last year and I was hoping to improve upon that this year.” Proffit knew COVID-19 was going to impact her outdoor season somehow, but she thought it might just be running without spectators. “It just became more official when we realized we weren’t going to get to go back to school,” Proffit said. Proffit will be returning to The Rock this fall as she’ll be joining the physical therapy program for graduate school, which could possibly allow her to run again for Slippery Rock. “Since they’re offering back eligibility for spring season and I’ll be here next year, I plan on trying to at least compete next year,” Proffit said. “I’ll make my best effort because if I’m getting eligibility back I might as well try.” Another senior, Abby Way, a hammer thrower, lost her chance as she waited and trained all year for it. “Hammer’s something I had such big hopes and dreams for,” Way said. “Every day for the past year it was eating clean and having a good diet and being active. Something just to better myself every single day in the event so I would be ready for my senior year.” Way added that it was awesome that the women’s team won the indoor PSAC Championship, but that nobody realized what was coming and that it was going to be their final time competing. Way also said she knew that after the university announced that classes would probably be online after March 30, that her outdoor season was going to be affected. “We all knew something was coming as soon as the university put up something saying that classes would be online,” Way said. “That enough is a big enough change [and if] you take a step back and no one is allowed on campus, then there is going to be something that is happening that is going to affect athletics.” Way is currently student teaching and said it’s difficult not knowing when she’ll be able to return to Slippery Rock as she lives six hours away. “I live six hours away from Slippery Rock so I have to focus and really plan,” Way said. “When do I come back? When can I come back? I think the hardest part is coming home for spring break and realizing we’re not going back.” Way isn’t letting COVID-19 get in the way of her training, in hope that in May she might get the chance to participate in some sort of exhibition or inner-squad meet. “We were kind of hoping once this is all over if there is the possibility to return to campus, kind of have an inner-squad meet for the track team,” Way said. “So I’m still doing all of those things [including lifting and training] and working towards the goals that I had to break the school record and become an all-American.” 400-meter hurdles runner Gunner Coleman sat out most of his indoor season as he had a partial hamstring tear. During the week of the indoor championships, he almost made the decision to run but wanted to save himself for outdoor. “I’m basically at Slippery Rock to run outdoor, so indoor is just a way to stay in shape,” Coleman said. Over spring break, Coleman was with his team preparing for their track meeting in Myrtle Beach. That’s when he learned of another school that had canceled their track season and he started to realize the same might happen to Slippery Rock. “That was when it first hit us,” Coleman said. “The NBA canceling and all that, we didn’t really pay too much attention to. When they [another school] told us they were cancelling, it kind of hit and we were like, ‘oh shoot, this is getting pretty serious.'” Next year, Coleman said he is going to attend graduate school and is hoping to get to run if that one year of eligibility is granted back. “I definitely think I will. As far as I’m concerned, doing the 400 hurdles outdoors, I’ve been training since August for it,” Coleman said. “I think if it presents itself I’ll probably definitely run, I don’t see why not.” Kacey Raible said she felt the women’s team was in a really good spot after winning the PSAC championship indoor as they were looking to transition to outdoor. “Being able to win that title kind of put us in a really good spot for going into outdoor,” Raible said. “We knew what we had and we tend to get better as the season moves outdoor.” Raible didn’t attend the team spring break trip to Myrtle Beach as she is student teaching. She started hearing rumors and thought maybe she’d lose a few races rather than the whole season. “I was with a lot of my teammates and I was like, ‘Wow, this is actually happening,'” Raible said. “I didn’t hit me at first until a few days after where I was like, my runs don’t matter anymore, my workouts almost don’t matter. I almost didn’t believe it at first kind of thing.” Raible said everything came at a weird time, as she was ending her first placement for her student teaching position on Friday, March 13 and transitioning to another school on Monday, March 16. “I was expecting on Monday to go into a new classroom with new students and I didn’t even get to do that, it’s now online,” Raible said. “I’m working with K-2 learning support so I’ve been trying to adjust with that and really testing my limits with technology.” Looking forward, Raible said she is still keeping in shape and hasn’t stopped running. “I plan in the future and would love, wherever I find a job, to be a coach in track and field or cross country,” Raible said. Raible said to close out that she has a year in cross country and if she’s given back her eligibility for outdoor track, she technically has a full year of competing left, however, she’s okay with letting it go and calling it a career, maybe. “So I don’t think just cause I already had my mindset on finding future employment and I was okay with being done with cross country,” Raible said. “I don’t believe so, not at the moment, but who knows, I might change my mind abruptly.” Kyle Edgar made a tough decision deciding to run in the PSAC championships while still recovering from a hamstring injury. Edgar was extremely thankful for that as it was his final race for The Rock. “I ran at PSACs but it was more of a just I want to finish the race just because I couldn’t not run my senior seasons,” Edgar said. “Looking back now, I’m even more thankful for it because it was my last race my senior season.” Edgar said that early in spring break he spoke with one of his coaches on his thoughts of what might happen to the season. “Our coach said, either that weekend down in South Carolina or the following weekend at West Virginia either one those might be our only shot to run,” Edgar said. “I think that was the first time it really sunk in and that our season might get cut short.” Edgar said he is attending graduate school at the University of North Carolina which is a high-level athletic school but would be interested in competing as the 400-hurdles is an oddball event. “I could potentially run there, I would love to,” Edgar said. “I enjoy running track. It’s not just something I do to pass the time, getting with everybody and doing the workouts are something I enjoy. I don’t know, but I love to.” Every track senior is going on to do something different in their lives and whether they return to Slippery Rock or another university to try and use that possible eligibility, they were apart of a team that had their season ended abruptly. The Rocket will be continuing to cover any updates on spring sports eligibility being returned to any athlete of the 2020 season. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Seniors’ track and field seasons come to abrupt end Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the sports section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-30 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Aaron Marrie Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/fe2161b53d9bd3277a97da51c1fe3d92.pdf 7584f374729f114a2942c72ebe827855 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document For the past three weeks, SRU students have begun to adjust to a new normal. For many, this means moving home and social distancing from college friends, especially within counties under a “stay at home” order. As SRU students resume classes online on Monday, here are some of the apps and programs students have been using while social distancing. 1. Zoom Some professors may host office hours over video conferencing software such as Zoom, and some on-campus organizations have used Zoom to host meetings remotely. However, Zoom holds a potential beyond these types of meetings. Zoom is the opportunity to safely socialize with your peers. Whether it’s a study session for an upcoming exam or a half hour conversation to catch up, Zoom is a software many students have been and will be using while social distancing. 2. Houseparty Houseparty is a free group video chatting platform. Once the chat begins, users can start games without having to leave the app. Houseparty was originally released in 2016 and is owned by Epic Games. 3. Netflix Party Unlike other programs mentioned, Netflix Party is a Google Chrome extension. Users can watch a movie or television show on Netflix with synchronized playback. In other words, everyone can watch a program at the same time. The extension also has a chat for users and options to select avatars for an adding viewing experience. To start Netflix Party, one user needs to open Netflix, activate the Netflix Party extension and then send the link to anyone who wants to join the party. 4. Game Pigeon For iOS users, bringing back the classic GamePigeon iMessage games is a great way to stay connected with friends in between study sessions. With 24 game options, iOS users can play any game of their choosing with another friend (or two for “Crazy 8,” which requires three plays). 5. Jackbox Games Jackbox Games is well known for its party game packs with different varieties of games for any audience. As long as there is one laptop or gaming system available to operate the game, all players are able to play along with a smart device or laptop. Jackbox Games has made one of its games, Drawful 2, free for a limited time. All of its other party packs and standalone games are discounted as of March 28. Depending on the technology you have at home, you can also stream Jackbox on Zoom, Google Hangouts or Discord. 6. The Sims 4 Originally released in North America in 2014, the classic life simulation game allows users to create a Sims character and control their life experiences. Although the game was released six years ago, this game made the list because of its affordable sale price. As of March 28, the standard edition of the game for PC only costs $4.99, a drop from its original $39.99 price. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Apps and programs SRU students are downloading while social distancing Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the campus life section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hannah Shumsky Relation A related resource SRU Student Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-29 Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/e787d5243be3d18c69d96acec055f322.pdf 403fa430670c3388f1c5aef4e8a0dd23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Three weeks ago, Joanne Leight expected to be back at her office in Morrow Field House, preparing for her classes in the physical and health education department to start again following spring break. But like many professors across campus, Leight has spent this past week assisting her colleagues in managing a task no department at SRU has never done before: moving all courses online in the middle of the semester. As chairperson, Leight joined Zoom calls with her fellow professors in the physical and health education department as they order webcams and microphones for online learning and decide how to modify their most hands-on courses, such as scuba diving, to a new modality. All while leading her own department, Leight offered her help as one of 25 mentors to assist the Center for Teaching and Learning as it helps train faculty members to teach online courses. “We’re trying to support my colleagues in the department as best as we can through emails, through Zoom calls, through resources that I’ve been sending to them, and just trying to find the best way to serve our students because they are and always will be our number one priority,” Leight said. Dr. Leight @Dr_Leight Another day, another online meeting. Super proud of my department. Blessed to be their chair. @slipperyrocku @SchoolWellEdu #PHE View image on Twitter 51 12:04 PM - Mar 18, 2020 Twitter Ads info and privacy See Dr. Leight's other Tweets Last week, faculty members across all academic departments have begun the process of converting courses online. This mass preparation began after SRU President William Behre announced March 16 that all face-to-face courses for the rest of the semester will be delivered via online instruction starting on March 30 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now, SRU faculty have one more week to prepare their courses for online delivery. Since the original announcement of SRU’s extended spring break, SRU’s Center for Teaching and Learning has compiled materials to assist faculty in converting their courses to an online format. Brian Danielson, the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, said professional development materials were already online prior to the coronavirus pandemic. “A lot of our instructional content and professional development content for faculty is already digital,” Danielson said. “What we were able to do is kind of pull together our entire catalog of instructional videos and online digital resources and kind of repackage them.” The center is also offering Educational Technology Workshops via Zoom, SRU’s virtual classroom and webinar software, for faculty to prepare for online instruction. The two different workshops will focus on Zoom (for synchronous learning) and online lesson creation (for asynchronous learning). The Center for Teaching and Learning also operates a page on SRU’s website concerning faculty professional development and is continuing to develop its resource tab on instructional continuity. According to the resource tab, the Center for Teaching and Learning recommends these basic steps for faculty members to convert their courses to online instruction: Develop a communication plan and inform students Organize instruction by weeks Develop weekly objectives Determine instructional materials needed for each week Upload instructional materials to D2L Determine assessment methods for each week Build assessments into D2L Danielson added that not all five weeks of instruction need to be prepared before classes resume on March 30. For students, D2L technical support will expand to 24 hours each day. Between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., calls will be answered by the Center for Teaching and Learning. After 4:30 p.m., calls will be answered by D2L technicians. On March 12, the Facebook page for SRU’s chapter of the Association of Pennsylvania State College & University Faculties (APSCUF) shared a call for faculty volunteers to assist with the Center for Teaching and Learning. As of Monday afternoon, 25 faculty members have offered to serve as faculty mentors. These mentors represent all four of SRU’s academic colleges as well as academic services. Jason Hilton, vice president of SRU’s APSCUF chapter, said that some faculty reached out to himself and Ben Shaevitz, SRU APSCUF president, to assist the Center for Teaching and Learning, prompting the union to post a call for volunteers on Facebook. “As we sort of randomly began to collect those things and forward them onto the Center for Teaching and Learning, it occurred to us that if we had a bigger push, we might get even more faculty to identify, but also that we wanted to provide the Center for Teaching and Learning with consistent information about the faculty,” Hilton said of SRU APSCUF’s decision to post the call for volunteers. These “resident experts,” according to Danielson, will assist other professors in D2L, Zoom, PowerPoint, MediaSpace and VoiceThread. The faculty mentors are able to support other faculty members with one-on-one support, a type of support the Center for Teaching and Learning may not be able to provide in its current upscaled form. “We’re not resources with the staff to provide one-on-one support for faculty, so if a faculty member’s never taught online before, they need to sit down with somebody one-on-one to receive some kind of training,” Danielson said. As a former faculty fellow in the Center for Teaching and Learning, Leight said she respects Danielson and his center for their work during the time of the coronavirus pandemic and wanted to help alleviate some of the pressure on them if she was able to do so. “It’s what we do at Slippery Rock,” Leight said. “We step up, we help each other out, and if I know enough to help someone else, I’d be doing a disservice to the university if I didn’t try to help out.” As of last Thursday, Leight said no faculty members outside of her department have reached out for support. For some courses offered at SRU, there are specific concerns about how the courses may shift online. Danielson said that instructional design professionals and faculty members are in “new territory” as they convert to online instruction during the coronavirus pandemic. “There are certainly some things that cannot go online, and so we are working with faculty to come up with ways to manage that,” Danielson said. “This is new territory for everybody, so even instructional design professionals like myself and our faculty are encountering situations that have just never been encountered before. It’s a collaboration that’s requiring quite a bit of creativity, but everyone has an open mind that I’ve worked with so far on trying to find creative ways to make that happen.” In Leight’s own department, students will not be able to receive certifications as part of certain courses, including lifeguarding and scuba diving, since they cannot demonstrate their knowledge of the skills without face-to-face instruction. In those classes, the professors will use videos and online resources to complete the rest of the course. The American Red Cross has given permission for professors to post its exam online for one attempt. “Students will be able to at least take the exam and pass the course, but they won’t get the certification because they don’t have the skills done,” Leight said. “That’s the drawback to this, but that’s nothing that we can control, but we will still give them the information the best that we can.” SRU APSCUF’s Hilton, who has published research about critical dialogue in online courses, commended them for their hard work and engagement while modifying their courses for online. “Never has a college just gone online in the middle of the semester,” Hilton said. “I’m so proud of our faculty because they have just taken after this. We’ve gotten very few instances of pushback, but we’ve gotten so many faculty who have so many ideas and are trying to make the online version of their courses as high quality and as effective as the in-person versions of their courses.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Center for Teaching and Learning, APSCUF members prepare for online instruction Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-24 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hannah Shumsky Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/bc26c857c6824b9e7666092292de5e41.pdf f9f2fc49aa73ec4ef99bdde10852093b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document In the past few weeks, the entire sports world has been turned upside down and nearly completely halted. From major sports like the NBA and NHL to high school sports, everything has been affected by COVID-19. Obviously, this doesn’t exclude Slippery Rock and the rest of the PSAC, which followed suit and decided to cancel all spring sports. Among those sports is softball, a team with only one senior: four-year starter Alexa Guglielmino. For Guglielmino, this isn’t the first life changing thing to happen to her in less than a year. In August of 2019, her father was diagnosed with brain cancer and has been battling since. Because of this, Guglielmino had the dilemma of whether or not to come back to school to play out her senior season. “When it did happen I wasn’t sure what to do, I didn’t know whether I should come back or whether I should proceed with staying at home, but my family wanted me to come back because they knew I had worked so hard for this moment,” Guglielmino said. “I just knew that with them behind me every step of the way, that it would make the decision to come back and pursue my senior year easy.” Guglielmino is originally from Connecticut, which is just a little over eight hours from Slippery Rock. But her decision to come to The Rock turned out to be a good one as she earned the right to start in as a freshman. Before entering her senior season, she had already started 118 games and appeared in 119. “[The coronavirus situation] was very shocking and kind of unbelievable to be honest, you never think anything like this is going to happen and I’m just still in shock right now as I try to figure out what the next steps are,” Guglielmino said. The news that the season was going to be cancelled came while the team was on their annual Spring Break trip to Florida where they play games to prepare for the season. “I wanted to make sure that [the team] was hearing things from me as quickly and as soon as possible, because news gets out fast and the hard thing was trying to stay ahead of it and make sure they were getting good information,” SRU softball coach Stacey Rice said. Getting the information to the team was a little easier, because they were all together and she said that when the Ivy League cancelled their spring sports, they felt that it was coming. “When it came down to the final four games and the last two days there, I said to them, ‘Alright, hey guys, let’s kind of treat these last two days like it’s our final games of the season,’” Rice said. “We always talk about how you never know when your last game is or your four years go by so fast and we always kind of say that and I don’t think everyone believes it, but this is one of those teachable moments where you can show them that life sometimes throws us curveballs but you can handle it with grace, respect and a proper attitude.” The positive attitude is something that Rice didn’t have to teach Guglielmino and something she loves about her. “When it comes to staying positive, that’s all you can do because it’s out of our control; I have a strong foundation with my family and we have a strong faith, and we know that in these situations that there’s always going to be a brighter outcome on the other side,” Guglielmino said. Currently, Guglielmino is looking at all sorts of options and she desires to come back for a fifth year and play out her senior season. “I have been looking into it, possibly doing a year of graduate school and then potentially becoming a graduate assistant depending on which department, whether it’s in my communication department, with my coach or with athletics in general,” Guglielmino said. “It’s a waiting game right now, because we’re still waiting for classes to start again, and I’m trying to process everything and make sure I’m taking one step at a time and focusing on my undergraduate degree because that’s what’s most important right now.” Throughout her career, Guglielmino has been a reliable player at the plate and in the field, as her freshman season was her worst season with a batting average of .216. Her sophomore and junior years, she took giant leaps, however, batting .319 and .241 respectively. With the season cut short this year, she was only able to bat 45 times and had ten hits and three walks. Although Guglielmino was the only senior heading into this season, she wanted to make sure no one on the team took that as it was all about her. “I wanted to make sure that the underclassmen knew they could look at me as an equal, and I think that’s the most important thing when you’re in that leadership role: you want to guide and help,” Guglielmino said. When sports were shut down around the country, late-night Sportscenter host Scott Van Pelt started a segment called “Senior Night” to honor the seniors in college and high school sports who had their seasons cancelled. He made the announcement on Twitter and had people tweet stories at him and among those stories were Alexa’s, which was tweeted by Rock Athletics. “It’s a dream come true to even be tweeted about, that was very surreal and I was very excited to see that when Jon Holtz told me that there was a little chatter about the tweet,” Guglielmino said. “And if this can get my dad’s story out there and show everyone that regardless of the situation and regardless of what you’re going through, you can handle it with grace.” On the first night of the segment, Alexa was included in the picture on the wall in the background of Van Pelt, and she hopes that her story does eventually get told on Sportscenter. “If it eventually gets on Sportscenter, that would be absolutely insane and I don’t think I’d know what to do. And hopefully, it does, because it would another way to inspire people that can get through things as well,” Guglielmino said. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Lone softball senior reflects on shortened season Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the sports section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-29 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tyler Howe Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/cbd031732d6118295529faba06cee475.pdf 923e0916768b92b051c4cd7a785c0672 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document The global spread of the coronavirus has changed more than daily routines and social interaction — the changes in our daily lives by COVID-19 are impacting the environment and climate change. Dr. Julie Snow, professor of geography, geology and the environment, said energy usage is the largest contributor to global climate change. The burning of fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, but travel has decreased dramatically since the spread of the coronavirus began. Because travel has been limited in the United States and internationally, carbon dioxide production has also decreased. “The coronavirus has slowed down the world economy because people are forced to remain at home; they’re not driving cars, they’re not traveling, businesses and schools are closed,” Snow said. “Our energy usage in all of those sectors has dropped.” She said the long-term impact of COVID-19 on global climate change depends on how countries decide to reinstate business. The short-term impact, however, is already very noticeable, according to Snow. “If we look at a more immediate impact, the reduction in air pollution in many of the world’s largest cities is dramatic,” Snow said. “This creates immediate relief for people who suffer from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Worldwide, 4.6 million people die from air pollution a year, so the relief from air pollution will impact many individuals.” According to NASA, nitrogen dioxide levels have dropped 30% since the outbreak of the coronavirus. The reduction in nitrogen dioxide pollution was first apparent near Wuhan, China, but eventually spread across the country. Europe has seen a similar drop in air pollution levels, according to the European Space Agency. “My hope is that we see this change and can adapt to living in a way that keeps this change in place in the future,” Snow said. Though the environment has been positively impacted short-term by the coronavirus, Snow said climate change may cause an increase in the spread of infectious diseases in the future. “We’ve seen an increase in the poleward movement of many tropical diseases,” she said. “That means diseases like Zika, Malaria and Dengue Fever are moving toward the United States from Central America as they follow the increases in temperatures.” Snow said she believes the biggest public health crisis facing the world today is climate change. She added that the world’s lack of preparedness regarding COVID-19 is concerning because the number of public health issues due to climate change is high and continues to increase yearly with rising temperatures. “If you begin to make a list of public health issues related to climate change — heat, disease, air pollution, water scarcity, food scarcity, extreme weather and mental health — you quickly realize that the list continues on and on,” she said. “We need to address the climate change public health crisis today.” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Climate change impacted by spread of COVID-19 Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-28 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Allison Downs Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/39e57bde2d8076ed91c1c238e7a297ff.pdf 68bc01d1d1c19e2c098fc3ae65b27bcc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document SRU students will receive a 50% refund for housing, meal plans and select fees as a result of the conversion to online classes for the rest of the semester, SRU President William Behre announced on March 20. Behre said that the rate of 50% was determined based on the number of days students will be unable to access the services funded by the fees. “In this case, as the original end date for spring break was to be March 15 and the original move-out date was to be May 8, that equates to an eight-week period, or half of the total 16-week semester,” Behre said in his statement on March 20. Residential students who are no longer living on campus will receive a 50% refund for housing and meal plans. Students who were approved to reside on campus will not receive refunds for housing or meal plans. The following rates will be refunded at the 50% rate for all students: Meal plans (if applicable) Parking (if applicable) Health services Student life enhancement fee Student activity fee Campus recreation fee STEM-H fee (if applicable if a student was enrolled in course that required this fee) Smith Student Center fee Since SRU will continue to provide educational services through distance education, tuition will not be refunded. According to Behre’s original announcement, the academic enhancement fee and technology fee will also not be refunded. An explanation of each fee can be found on the Fee Descriptions document. If a student added voluntary flex dollars to their account for on-campus dining services, they will be refunded the amount not spent in the spring 2020 semester. The refunds are expected to be posted to student accounts on or around the week of April 6. The refund will first apply to any remaining balances on a student’s account before the refund is sent via an electronic transfer to the student’s account or a refund check to the student’s permanent address. Behre added that the conversion to online classes doesn’t change a student’s classification for financial aid and/or reporting purposes. In response to SRU’s spring break extension and conversion to online instructing beginning March 30, SRU’s Office of Academic Records released a video to explain the prorated refunds of student fees. This video can be seen here. According to the video, the preferred method for sending refunds is via direct deposit. Students who are interested in enrolling in direct deposit are to complete the form on the student accounts page and email the completed form to student.accounts@sru.edu. “Direct deposit is the preferred method for sending you any refund,” according to the video. “It is safe and fast and preferred over the use of a paper check, especially with today’s current circumstances of limited banking access for consumers.” Each student’s individual bank will determine how quickly the direct deposit will process. The student activity fee is allocated to the Student Government Association (SGA) each year to support student organizations and the shuttle bus on campus and alleviate costs of athletic events, lectures, movies, entertainment and publications. Due to the 50% refund of the student activity fee to all students, SGA has decided not to entertain any new payment requests for the remainder of the year, according to SGA Vice President of Finance Kaitlyn Hazelett. “This means all organization budgets will not be available for spending during the rest of the semester, regardless of how much was remaining in them,” Hazelett said in in an email. The remaining balance will not carry over to the fall 2020 semester. Hazelett added that any expenses that were incurred prior to spring break will be accepted but need to be submitted as soon as possible. “Clubs should be aware that if they had any expenses incurred prior to spring break or any that are required to be paid before the end of the semester, to still submit those as they will be covered,” Hazelett said. Hazelett said that the following steps should be followed to submit any remaining payment requests: Go to www.sru.edu/core Go to the SGA portal Scroll to the bottom of the page and select “View All Documents” Go to the “Financial Documents” folder Download the payment request and complete by printing or completing the form online No checks can be picked up at The Suite until further notice. “All checks will be processed as soon as the Cooperative Activity Office staff has access to the office again, so please take this into consideration,” Hazelett said. Other schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education have announced similar refunds. East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Lock Haven, and Shippensburg Universities all announced 50% refunds for housing, meal plans and certain fees. California University will refund on-campus residential students 47% for housing and meal plans and all face-to-face students 40% of select fees. Bloomsburg, Cheyney, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana, Mansfield, Millersville and West Chester Universities have not posted refund information to their respective websites as of March 27. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Students to receive 50% refund for housing, meal plans and select fees Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-27 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hannah Shumsky Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/428b9a952f4737da2b40af5767cdc96e.pdf b0d832a21c890d9fde34528de902dab8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Small businesses in Slippery Rock, such as Simplified Meals by Ginger and nonprofits such as Our Angel’s Attic, are still active in helping the community. Simplified Meals by Ginger adjusted their hours of operation to 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. for take out, curbside pickup and expanded delivery, encouraging members of the community to call ahead. Ginger Jones, the owner and chef, said that all meals are $6.25 and include gluten free items. “It allows elderly to have home cooked meals at an affordable price that they are able to eat,” Jones said. Along with the elderly in the community, Jones said that there are college students who are still around, offering Simplified Meals by Ginger as a place for them to eat. Jones said that she reduced the staff to only family members at the moment, not sure what business would be like. “The best thing that I have seen with this community is how supportive they are of the businesses,” Jones said. “We feel like we have a good loyal following.” Jones said that extra precautions are being taken at the store because safety hits home for her. Jones has a son with two autoimmune diseases and said that although she may not be a high risk, bringing the disease home to him is a serious issue. “It may not effect you, but there are a lot of people that it can effect,” Jones said. However, Jones said that the community has come together and are respectful of others decisions to remain in-doors or keep their business open. For smaller businesses that could not stay open or are struggling at the time, Jones suggested ordering gift cards online or searching to see if the business has an online store to help support them. Simplified Meals by Ginger not only offers fresh pre-made meals, but also serves as a local drop-off space for the Feed My Sheep food pantry. Jones said that generosity towards the food pantry has been amazing. “The biggest thing is how good the community is, and how they have been in helping local businesses in a time of crisis when you have a good community like we do here,” Jones said. Similarly feeling the help from the Slippery Rock community is nonprofit Our Angel’s Attic. Patti Bicehouse opened the clothing boutique out of a passion for working in the field of vocational rehabilitation, and has always wanted to have her own business. Bicehouse said that the boutique is the “hub of the wheel” and takes donations anytime the store is open. Our Angel’s Attic is a self-sustainable non-profit, leaving nothing to waste. Although the boutique is currently not working with students and community members in person, they partner with eight different school districts and community programs to set up crews of individuals who have disabilities. These individuals come in with a mentor, usually a Slippery Rock student entering the field. “I work and my volunteers work with [the student and the mentor] to help them learn both soft and hard skill sets depending on their need,” Bicehouse said. Our Angel’s Attic also partners with the music therapy department on campus, where students, free of charge, will teach people to play an instrument. Alongside working with departments on campus, Our Angel’s Attic also plans to bring in a local artisan who owns their own business who will do craft and painting classes for anybody in the community. Bicehouse said that Our Angel’s Attic also partners with organizations outside of the community, such as Pitt and their literacy and drama department. Our Angel’s Attic hosts a book club, and after the book is finished, Prime Stage Theater puts the book into a play that brings literature to life, tapping into learning senses such as experience. “We are now becoming known,” Bicehouse said. “The community sees what we are doing.” However, Our Angel’s Attic is a nonprofit, and Bicehouse said that it was difficult to get everything opened. Bicehouse said that she struggles day by day with nonprofit financials without the ability to make a sale. “I have been reaching out by word of mouth,” Bicehouse said. “They know that we are struggling right now, they know a nonprofit is funded by however they can get the money.” Bicehouse said that she was overwhelmed at the response of the community. “It kind of got out that I may have to close, and people started a GoFundMe page for the store,” Bicehouse said. “A wonderful small entrepreneur female reached out to me and she is doing a 12-day fundraiser for us as well.” Bicehouse said that she called the store Our Angel’s Attic because she wanted the community to think that it was theirs and not just hers. “No matter what happens, someone has your back somewhere,” Bicehouse said. The community and the safe feeling of it is one thing that Bicehouse appreciates about Slippery Rock. “Everyone tells me when you walk in the store you get a feeling of joy,” Bicehouse said. “We have a bell at the door with a set of angel wings and when you leave, you get to ring that bell because you earned your wings by coming in and supporting.” Although nonprofits in the community may be struggling, Bicehouse said that she feels the community supporting her. “I cannot tell you how many times people have thanked us for opening the store,” Bicehouse said. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Small businesses and nonprofits help Slippery Rock community Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the campus life section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-27 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hope Hoehler Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/b3ef7b0139e33d9e26a3a107345b2c0f.pdf 07187b3fb91ef22157fe948a09872838 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Much like the empty Slippery Rock University campus, The Suite in the Smith Student Center has been closed until further notice, making it more difficult for student organizations to conduct business and function in general. With spring break being extended and a confusion around classes starting back up, student organizations have had to adjust to a virtually-based way of meeting and making decisions. Though less convenient than in person, organizations such as the University Program Board (UPB) have begun to work through Zoom and e-boards. “We’ve never really done virtual event planning,” said University Program Board (UPB) President Celine Halt. “Everything we do, whether it be the concert, a speaker, or a common hour event, they all take place on campus. So this is definitely the first time we’ve had to think outside the box as to how can we entertain our students while still doing those things, just from a different location.” Some organizations, such as the Student Government Association (SGA), are also somewhat uncertain on how to proceed with elections, which, Director of Student Engagement and Leadership Lauren Moran said are typically held toward the end of March or early April. “It can certainly impact from a campaigning standpoint or if people’s elections were during business meetings, what does that look like?” Moran said. That’s where an online elections feature comes in. Moran explained that organizations can enter their own portals within CORE, craft ballots, and post information about candidates and selection of staff online. They can then set permissions to allow members of the organization to vote or the entire student body. In the past, Moran said, this feature has been used mainly for Homecoming and university-wide voting in deciding things such as seats for SGA. “It’s a perfect time to take advantage of something like that feature on CORE, being so far apart from everyone,” Moran said. “But they can still hold their elections semi-normally through that process.” Moran and her office are currently in the process of drafting an email to show student organizations how they can internally conduct their elections. The office has been in steady contact with organizations. “We’ve sort of ramped up our communication with student organizations,” Moran said. “Typically, we do once-a-month emails or [for] the big things. But, since the university extended the spring break, we’ve sent out about four communications to student organization presidents, treasurers and advisors.” Such communications have relayed initial FAQs of event cancellations and planning procedures, support from the office with helpful links, and encouragement to organizations to continue functioning. SGA’s Katelynn Hazlett, Moran added, sent out an email to treasurers about the fall budgeting process, which has been slightly delayed. Moran also plans on sending an email regarding things that organizations can do in a virtual environment. Another feature she pointed out is the online event locations, where student organizations can place a link to Zoom or Google Hangouts in the event details. Her plan is to send a weekly update, just to regularly communicate with the organizations. The biggest obstacle, Moran said, is event cancellations. She added that April tends to be the busiest month for student organization events and that she is leading a committee of staff, with representatives from SGA and UPB, to figure out what student involvement will look like in the rest of the semester. “A lot of people are brainstorming, ‘How can we rethink events that we may have had planned?’” Moran said, later using Fraternity and Sorority Life’s idea of its Epic Bingo event possibly becoming virtual as an example. UPB, Halt said, has explored rescheduling events, or finding alternate locations or different ways in which to hold them. “We’re looking at, if we’re doing our speaker […], do they have dates available?” Halt said. “Do we have dates available? Some of the smaller ones where we’re working within ourselves, like those common hour events or travel trips, those are much easier to re-do.” The process of the Rising Star Awards, yearly honors for student organizations, will be continued and the nomination window has been extended until April 6. Student organization registration for the fall will be opened on April 15. Assuming they continue to work, stipend organizations will be paid. Members of these organizations will have to fill out a weekly report to be filled out with what work had been done that week and approved by their advisor. “Two weeks from now or three weeks from now, I think you’re going to see a very different ‘campus environment’ online, but you’ll see a lot more cool things coming out of student organizations,” Moran said. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Student organizations remain in function during absence on campus Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the campus life section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-27 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Brendan Howe Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/e9e196befa43090601bf84d92ea49101.png 03e7ccc3d5fe2f46f60de33e936a8878 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Slippery Rock Area Take-Out and Delivery Guide Description An account of the resource While Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has ordered non-essential businesses to close, restaurants are able to provide take-out, drive-thru or curbside orders. Here are the businesses closest to Slippery Rock you can support during the coronavirus pandemic. Originally published in the campus life section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-26 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hannah Slope Relation A related resource SRU Student Image SRU Student The Rocket https://slipperyrockcovid19.org/files/original/fde8cba90daa34b5cee7fd3c102ed447.pdf 13b5d3ecacaf5cc04e27288bb2d47fd6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Rocket Description An account of the resource Items from Slippery Rock University's official student newspaper, The Rocket. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document The Student Counseling Center and Student Support are still operating through COVID-19 in an online setting and over the phone. Any student needing support can still receive the care and support that they need in a non-face-to-face setting. Kenneth Messina, the director of the Student Counseling Center, said that as of Monday, phone services will be resumed for students who need counseling. “The best way to get set up for phone consultation with one of our counselors would be to email [scc@sru.edu] to schedule an appointment,” Messina said. He said that another thing he refers to a lot is the Psychology Today website, where students can find therapists in their local area while at home. There is a “Therapist Finder” tab on the website. “Students can sort through location, insurance, specialty area and other options to find someone who is online,” Messina said. Karla Fonner, the director of Student Support, said that the easiest way to seek student support during this time is through a care report. “Students can go to the university webpage and search for care report and fill out a care referral form that comes directly to us,” Fonner said. “Once we have that, we can go ahead and connect with them in whatever way that they are needing.” Fonner said that students can also email her directly, at karla.fonner@sru.edu. “I am checking my email while working from home, so if a student doesn’t feel like filling out the form, they can certainly just send me an email,” Fonner said. Once emails and care reports are received, student support will reach out to the student. Student Support has been utilizing Zoom, a video communications app, to have face-to-face meetings over the internet with students. “All of our meetings have been happening through Zoom, though, if a student can’t get to Zoom but have FaceTime, we can have FaceTime meetings,” Fonner said. “However we can connect with students, we are, we just aren’t doing any in person meetings.” Fonner said some students are experiencing additional anxiety during this time of uncertainty with the coronavirus, while other students are relieved because their stress comes from interpersonal interactions in the classroom. She said most of the students she is talking to right now are overly anxious about what is going to happen between online classes and financial concerns. Fonner said that other students are back in homes with families that they may not get along with. “Even if you have a really good relationship with your family, that transition back home after the first time away from college can be kind of bumpy,” she said. Fonner said that the students she typically works with are having difficulties adjusting to this change. “A change for uncertainty can be really hard for people,” Fonner said. Messina said that as of right now the counseling center is focusing on phone calls. “One concern we have is we would be meeting with a student on Zoom and then the app would crash because there would be so many people trying to use it,” Messina said. “We decided to go with phone calls to reduce the chance of any problems or for people who don’t have reliable internet connections.” Messina said that a secretary is monitoring emails daily and will connect students with one of the six counselors who are working from home. He also said that the Counseling Center is implementing some new ideas such as a YouTube Channel with common ways to deal with stress and mental health issues, a live counselor on Slack and a weekly newsletter. Students can also follow the counseling center on Twitter @srucounseling. David Wilmes, chief student affairs officer, has created two focus groups for student affairs. Both are in the beginning stages, according to Fonner, but one is specific to student involvement and engagement, and the other is specific to student support and outreach. Fonner said these focus groups may present some different opportunities for students to get educational programming online. The Rocket will stay updated with these plans over the next couple of weeks. Messina encourages students who may be feeling overly anxious, depressed or in need of services to reach out. Anyone who may be struggling can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 24/7 at 1-800-273-8255 or reach the Crisis Text Line 24/7 by texting “START” to 741-741. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Student Counseling Center, Student Support continue operations remotely Description An account of the resource This story was originally published in the news section of The Rocket's website, theonlinerocket.com. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-26 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Haley Potter Relation A related resource SRU Student Article SRU Student Story The Rocket