The Waltonian

The Fine Arts Department at Eastern has an array of degrees focusing on dance, music and theatre. Each year they have a multitude of concerts and performances that students are encouraged to be a part of, even if it is not their major. It is a great way to get involved on campus and build your community.

The dance department has the Eastern Dance Ministry, Precious Movements and a competitive dance team you can audition for. Jahzara Jenkins of the dance team says “It doesn’t matter where you start or your dance experience, the dance department at Eastern University is such a supportive, uplifting, and influential family, you are guaranteed to grow, learn, and feel nurtured.” They put an emphasis on integrating faith into their performances and show the audience their reason for dancing.

The music department has an array of ensembles, some instrumental like Jazz Band, Marching Band and Percussion Ensemble, and some vocal like Turning Point and Gospel Choir. They have concerts throughout the year and sometimes pop up for special events. Joe Walsh, a music education major, says “being involved in the arts is so important because it nurtures the whole person–the mind, body and spirit.” These clubs are a great way to get involved with not only music, but also the sporting events on campus.

The theatre department has two plays/musicals each year as well as some smaller shows usually directed or written by Eastern students. Amari Dickerson, a theatre major says “you should join the theatre department because we are growing not just as a department, but are becoming more familiar and involved with the community and other departments.” Even if you are not into acting, they can always use help with stage crew. Theatre is a great department to learn a multitude of different skills from designing the aesthetic of a show, to building it and even directing.

If you are interested in any of these departments, I encourage you to keep an eye out for emails and flyers advertising auditions. You can also always contact the department faculty for more information.

When thinking of Eastern sports, students usually look at how many championships a team has won. But sometimes, the little moments are so much cooler than the results of the season. Here are ten of some of the best sports moments in Eastern’s history.

Baseball’s Sean Cottrell’s clutch hit for Eastern win over Hood. It was the bottom of the ninth and Eastern was down 12-5. Miraculously they got the score up to 12-11 and it was Sean Cottrell’s turn to bat. Sitting at 2-2 count with runners on second and third and two outs, he dropped a beauty to left field, allowing both runners to score for the win. This was their first conference win of the 2022 season.

Women’s volleyball’s incredible points to end the game. In 2019 Eastern battled DeSales until the fourth set of the match. Every score Eastern got, DeSales matched learning to a 26-26 tie. Caroline Shelby got a strong kill making it 27-26 and the combined effort of Ally Montour and Lindsey Heisey ended the match with an incredible stuff block.

Women’s soccer passes for the win. In 2010 in the 94th minute against Misericordia, the score was still tied 1-1. Centerback Kara Lofton was able to clear a shot to midfielder Kelsey Doutrich. Doutrich headed the ball to a sprinting Spoelstra. Spoelstra found some space and blasted the ball into the lower left corner of the goal. This was her first college goal and secured the first win of the conference that season.

Men’s lacrosse’s second goal in the season opener. Back in 2013, the Eagles were tied 1-1. Shawn Farmer created a loose ball with a body check to a McDanial player. Brendon Stauber was there to pick off the ball and sling it towards Chris Farrar. Farrar passed it to Zac Ivy. Ivy fake pumped the goalie then passed it to Grant Ferguson who shot it on the far side of the crease.

Men’s soccer double overtime game-winner. It was the 103rd minute against Wilkes in 2019. The head coach moved the center back Jake Sankey to the center midfield spot. Nik Kokolios found an opening and glided it over to Derek Buhrman near the penalty spot. Burhman quickly controlled it and then sent it over to Sankey. Sankey drove it into the goal, beautifully avoiding the goalie. It ended up being the team’s fourth win that season.

Women’s basketball’s buzzer-beater. In the game against Penn St. Brandywine in 2024, the Eagles played a tough match. With 0.8 seconds left on the clock, the game was tied 64-64. The Eagles had an inbound and Stephanie White threw it to Jeriyah Johnson. Johnson had no other option but to turn around and shoot. She sent the shot up outside the three-point line as she fell to the ground, the ball got nothing but net and the crowd erupted.

Women’s lacrosse’s impressive shot to advance to NCAA. It was 2007, and the lacrosse team was on their way to getting their second PAC title. With less than two minutes left in the game against Cabrini, the teams were tied 10-10. Cabrini had possession when Katie Choquette and Erin Fries double-teamed to cause a turnover. Choquette passed the ball over defenders to get to Kate Hoy, who dodged two defenders and fired a side-arm shot as she collided with the goalie. The goal was secure and the defense held off Cabrini for the conference title.

Field hockey’s clutch goal to win 20th straight. In a 2010 NCAA Tournament game against Stevens, Kim Cambell fired a shot that ricocheted off the goalie. Yvonne Herbster recovered the ball and quickly passed the rebound to her left. Jess Jaindl quickly stepped up to the ball and brought her stick back, sending it flying into the goal. This game-winner put the Eagles in the NCAA Elite eight.

Women’s softball incredible MAC Championship plays. The MVP of this game was the pitcher Danika Barthol, who pitched a no-hitter, the sixth since 2008. But this would not have been possible without Ainsley O’Donnell. She sprinted towards the left foul pole with her hands outstretched for a phenomenal catch to secure the first out of the seventh inning.

Men’s basketball’s Shaquan Turk with a fastbreak dunk. This dunk was so good that it caught national attention. ESPN even featured it on their sports network. The team was up 83-70 against Manhattanville in 2015. Turk took the ball from the right side, drove the paint and put his opponent on a poster by slam dunking over his head. He then turned around while hanging on the hoop and glanced down at the opponent.

The movie It Ends With Us has been making headlines for months since its release back in August. In September, I wrote an article summarizing the drama at the time, but there have been a lot of developments. The movie It Ends With Us was originally making headlines for its two co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni having completely different approaches to the tough subject of domestic abuse. Many fans saw the film as a chance to see their story of domestic violence on the big screen. Lively was being ridiculed for using the sensitive topic of the movie to promote her brands. To add fuel to the fire, old interviews of Lively being rude to a journalist were being released. She was dragged into a very unpleasant spotlight as people found her attitude insufferable. Baldoni was receiving high praise during this time as he was taking the subject line of the movie seriously. He used his platform as a way to bring awareness to domestic violence and the audience loved how sensitive he was.

Now, the table has turned. On December 20, Lively filed a complaint to California’s Civil Rights Department against Baldoni. The Guardian writes that Lively claims Baldoni had “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior.” This “disturbing behavior” included commenting on women’s bodies during the filming and discussing personal sexual experiences with Lively. She claims that he walked into her trailer uninvited and even came in while she was breastfeeding. Although not an official lawsuit yet, this complaint has had repercussions for Baldoni. He was dropped by his talent agency, had an award for empowering women stripped away from him, and had an ex-agent sue him for defamation.

Anna Kaplan from Today wrote that on December 31, Lively officially filed a lawsuit against Baldoni for “retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment concerns.” She alleged that Baldoni hired a PR firm to create a smear campaign against her for the accusations. She claims that after she made the official complaint, the attacks against her only escalated. According to the Guardian, one of the communications experts at Wayfarer, Baldoni’s company, texted Lively that “We can bury anyone.” Lively felt threatened by this message and used it as evidence in her suit.

Baldoni immediately refuted the claims. On December, 31, he too filed a lawsuit. He sued the New York Times for reporting on Lively’s complaint and painting him as the villain. He claimed that they worked with Lively to try to destroy his reputation. He said that the article “pre-determined the outcome of their story” (The Guardian). The New York Times responded that they followed the logical conclusion that the facts were leading to. They claimed they reviewed thousands of pages to make a story that was “meticulously and responsibly reported,” (Today). Baldoni feels that if the NYT truly looked over the files they would understand that Lively forced them to participate in a smear campaign.

On January 16, Baldoni filed another defamation lawsuit, but this time it was against Lively directly. His main points are that Lively hijacked the movie making process and stole the movie premiere. He claims that she refused to promote the movie unless she could do her own edits and tried to take creative control over her character. He feels that Lively used her star power to get her way throughout filming. Baldoni is also suing her for his speculation that Lively worked with the New York Times to write the article. Wayfarer says that Lively gave doctored and edited information to the media in an attempt to put Baldoni in a worse situation.

On January 21, Baldoni’s legal team published a ten minute behind-the-scenes video trying to prove that Lively’s claims are false. The video is three different takes of a scene where Lively and Baldoni are dancing in a bar. Lively’s legal team says that this entire scene was improvised by Baldoni and Lively gave no consent to the kissing and touching. They claim that by Baldoni publishing this to the media instead of the court he was trying to sway the public opinion. The opinions over this video are split. I watched it and did not see the points where Lively was noticeably uncomfortable, but I encourage you to go out and decide for yourself.

As of right now there have been no developments in either legal battle. There is a lot of hesitancy to support Baldoni as many women have fallen victim to the same tactic that he could be attempting. This discredits women by simply dismissing all of their claims. If people dismiss Lively before the case is concluded, it will make it that much harder for victims to be heard. On the other hand, Lively is not producing much evidence to support her claims. Baldoni, is willing to have all of his texts submitted to the court and provide video evidence. Ultimately, we do not have any conclusive evidence for either side. It is just a waiting game to see what else is going to unfold.

Living in Wayne gives Eastern students the opportunity to go out and explore new places. Wayne itself has a lot to offer, but we are also close to Philadelphia. Philly offers many activities and places to visit–like concert venues. Because it is in the tri-state area, it is a popular stop for many artists because they can draw in many people from multiple states. Some of the most well known are The Franklin Music Center, The Mann Center for Performing Arts, and the Wells Fargo Center.

Those venues are great for supporting the big name artists, but what about the lesser known ones? That is why it is so important to venture out and visit the smaller venues. They not only help the artist get their name out there, but they also can be a lot less expensive than the larger halls.

Very close to home, there is a restaurant and bar called 118 North, located at 118 North Wayne Avenue in Wayne, PA. It hosts weekly–sometimes ticketed–concerts. The events are often 21+, but sometimes there is no age restriction. The artists here are not mainstream, but are very local. 118 North can be a great place to go with your friends and grab some food. It is only a 5 minute drive or a 20 minute walk from campus. Some artists they will be featuring soon are Lovenotes on December 7 and Maybe Definitely on December 8.

If you are looking to go beyond Wayne and find some other venues and clubs, there are many spread throughout Philly. They often feature artists you know, but aren’t popular enough for the big venues. They are all easily accessed by public transportation, so you don’t have to worry about driving or parking in the city.

Ardmore Music Hall is a small theater that seats around 500 people. They host underground artists, and it’s a nice place to go to enjoy live music without a long drive. It is a 20 minute drive from Eastern. You can also take the PAO 9560 from St. Davids station which will lead you directly to Ardmore Amtrak station, leaving you only a 2 minute walk from the venue. This venue has a 21+ age requirement. They will be featuring artists like Willie Watson on December 8 and Big Something on December 13.

Underground Arts is located on Callowhill St. in Philadelphia. This is a small club that holds about 650 people. It has a large variety of shows and events such as La Lom on December 8 and a Taylor Swift celebration party on December 13. It is about a 35 minute drive from Eastern, but if you don’t want to fight for city parking, you can take the PAO 5734 from the St. David’s station to Jefferson station and make the short walk to the venue.

Union Transfer is another small concert venue in Center City, Philadelphia. It can accommodate up to 1200 people and offers a plenitude of artists. They will host They Might Be Giants on December 6 and Crane Wives on May 9. It is about a 43 minute drive. You could also take the PAO 5734 from the St. David’s station, get off at Jefferson station, then walk to the 11th Street & Market Line, then get off at 11th Street & Spring Garden Street.

The Fillmore Philadelphia is a club in Fishtown, PA. It can hold up to 3000 people and is basically a huge dance floor. They will be hosting Aurora on December 9 and Finneas on February 19th. To get here you can drive for about 45 minutes or take the PAO 5336 from St. David’s Station, get off at Jefferson Station, walk to 11th street station then get off at Girard St. Station.

The Foundry is a smaller section of the Fillmore in Philadelphia. They host lesser known artists like Capella Grey, who’s performing on December 9 or Trevor Jackson who will be on stage January 21. You can get to this venue the same way as the regular Fillmore.

Lastly, there is The Met in Philadelphia. Although it is more well known, it is a smaller venue, only seating 3800 guests. To get here you can drive for about 35 minutes or take the PAO 9546 from St. Davids Station to Jefferson Station, walk to the 8th Street Station and get on the BSL towards Olney Transportation Center and get off at Girard. From there you will have to walk about 4 minutes. The Met is the only venue I can give personal experience on as I used to do security for their shows. It is a nice venue and I would highly recommend visiting. Even if you get the cheapest seats, you are never too far away from the artist. The one thing I will ask is that you always check the website to stay up to date with the bag policies and age restrictions.

Music is a great way to connect with each other. These venues give smaller artists a chance to share their music with the world. Further, it gives us the opportunity to listen to our favorite smaller artists, discover new artists, or just enjoy live music at affordable prices. If you are able, I highly recommend giving these places a try.

Zoom! “On your left!” Whizz! “Watch out!” Are suddenly being heard all over Eastern giving students the signal to dive out of the way. Electric scooters have made an appearance as students buzz to and from class. Many are beginning to question why they are popping up everywhere.

Some are attributing it to the increased laziness of students. Others believe they are using it as a way to look cooler. “I realized that I could cut about four minutes from some walks,”…“added to that we had construction all around, making all our regular walks almost 2 times longer,” scooter user Indy Nelson, said. He explains that he cares about his academics and a scooter allows him to get to class on time.

The construction on campus has been causing major foot traffic delays which is another reason why many students are turning to scooters. At the beginning of the semester, instead of the usual path from Gough to McInnis that involved walking past the softball field, students had to walk all the way past Doane to get to McInnis.

This detour may not sound like a big problem, but when put into practice, it actually caused many issues. This included students needing to leave earlier to get to class or professors needing to take a prolonged route to get from some classrooms in McInnis to those in Gough. This was also an inconvenience for sports teams who now had to be dropped off all the way at Doane when there was a game.

To help aid this detour, Eastern built a temporary path next to the baseball field. Students are grateful for the path that has been placed there but wish it could have been built wider. This new path is skinnier than a sidewalk and forces students to rub elbows with those coming in the opposite direction.

One other big problem construction is causing is the problem of parking. Since the project on Fowler Hall is so large, the campus was forced to close off access to about 50 parking spots. When parking was already limited, losing these spots caused a much larger problem. This was very prevalent the first few weeks of school as even teachers and commuters found it hard to find a parking spot since residents ‘illegally’ took up those spaces.

Even after these temporary projects are finished, there are still many accessibility problems on campus that will remain unresolved. With the steep hills and winding paths, it can be hard to get around in general, but especially for those who are disabled.

For those with a short-term disability (like a broken leg), it is not too much of a hindrance to call public safety to bring you to your classes. They will even go as far as driving you to the front door of the building. For those with a chronic disability, having to call upon someone else to bring them to class for their entire four years at Eastern is a big hassle.

The detour that many students from Gough had to take earlier in this year, is the usual route for students who are unable to go up or down stairs. The five stairs that many of us may not even think about by the river are a huge deal for those with physical disabilities. When speaking with Lori Dziedziak, Director of the Office of Disability and Access, she explains that the biggest issue with accessibility on campus is the Dining Commons. Disabled students must travel all the way around the building, (up the hill next to Andrew’s Hall) to go into the back entrance of the DC.

Even with back routes like these, there are still places on campus that are inaccessible to this population. For example, the third floor of Walton is only accessible by stairs. This means that if one of these students needs to go to the offices up there, like the Cushing Center for Counseling and Psychological Services, they have to find a way to meet with them outside of their office.

Eastern is aware of these problems and is trying to make on-campus resources more accessible. This is one of the reasons why they moved the Academic Resource Center from the third floor of Walton to the third floor of Warner Library. “Eastern’s administration wants to make changes,” Dziedziak, said. The problem is that the administration needs funds and resources to be able to enact these transformations.

Dziedziak believes that students on campus have the power to be heard and create change. Often though, students do not know how to ask for the help they need. Dziedziak wants students to know that they can come to her with questions or concerns regarding any accessibility problems they have. She is located in Warner Library 226 (just before the stairs) and is an advocate for student voices. She also encourages students to speak out to their class representatives as they can also help improve facilities on campus.

Overall, there needs to be more publicity surrounding the issue of accessibility on campus. Your voice matters and you can choose to speak out and be heard. Sure, the construction is a nuisance, but some students are never able to have an easy route to class. The administration wants to change but it needs your help to tell them how.

On September 15th, the 76th annual Emmys was broadcasted on ABC. It’s the night to see who is who on television. The hosts this year were the father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy. The night began early with the iconic red carpet. The (arguably) most stunning outfits came from the cast of the 16th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. They were all dressed to the nines, the most memorable being Nymphia Wind who was dressed as an elegant banana.

The show’s first award went to Ebon Moss-Bachrach for his supporting actor role in the comedy series “The Bear.” This was the first of many awards for the show, as it ended up winning a total of 11 Emmys. This breaks the previous record of ten for the most Emmys won by a comedy series in a single year (which they held). The big winner tonight was “Shōgun” which won 18 awards and had a total of 25 nominations. This many awards break the all-time record for Emmys won for a single season of television. Although “Shōgun” was just released this year, it has received rave reviews from thousands of people. The most important award they won was Outstanding Drama Series, which is a huge win for such a new show.

Two honorable mentions are “Hacks” and “Baby Reindeer.” “Hacks” won outstanding comedy series. This was a slight shock to the audience as many were expecting “The Bear” to take this award. Although “Hacks” is a comedy, it does a great job of highlighting serious topics like how people must change over time and how society affects that change. The limited series “Baby Reindeer” won four out of the six possible categories for limited or anthology series. It is a show that explores a bartender (Richard Gadd) who is being stalked by a woman (Jessica Gunning). It highlights the male experience which is often discounted in situations like this. Gadd did a great job of showing that men can be victims too and that no one should be scared to come forward if they ever feel violated.

Moving on from the facts, let’s discuss how award shows like the Emmys are losing popularity. The Emmys this year had 6.87 million viewers. This is a 50% increase from last year which only had 4.3 million, but a large decrease from the 2010s when they were getting 11 million viewers. This was a little unexpected as most award shows are rapidly declining in the amount of viewers they obtain. The increase in viewership may be attributed to the fact that many people watched TV series during the pandemic and are slowly starting to care more about shows over movies or live theater. In the grand scheme of things though, many people are starting to not care who wins best actor/actress. What really matters today is how much buzz the show is generating on social media. People would rather find out what shows to watch on TikTok than some super selective committee, like the Emmys. The group that decides who wins an Emmy is called the Television Academy. It is a group of 22,000 members, which may sound like a lot of people but in reality, very few people qualify. You have to be involved in television for at least four years, have been nominated for an Emmy and have been involved in a major work in the last four years. This leads to the selection committee consisting of a very small community.

This community is comprised of people who have worked together. Although the selection is supposed to be unbiased, they are human and it is difficult to avoid voting for a friend or coworker. This explains why it is so common for the same shows to reign supreme over the Emmys. It can be frustrating because this bias limits what people can see in the media. The smaller shows never get a chance to be heard since they do not have the connections that the mainstream shows have. That is why awards shows are dwindling in popularity. People do not value the opinions of these “prestigious” committees anymore. The winners are often predictable, many joking with the phrase “that’s an oscar worthy performance.” Eliminating the surprise takes the fun out of watching the award show.

This formula for shows leads to carbon copies of hit shows being released instead of originality. They know that if they can win an award like an Emmy, then their show will get more recognition. With recognition comes money, so why stray from what has worked in the past? Fans feel duped when their favorite shows are glossed over for a show that has won five other awards that same night. Some shows that never won an Emmy, but fans feel should have, were “New Girl,” “Parks and Recreation,” and “Empire.” They were great shows that had large fan bases but it was not enough to get them into the winning Emmy category. Some shows that have unjustly won an Emmy are “High School Musical” and “Avonlea.” For one, “High School Musical” is a movie, not a TV show, and barely anyone has heard of “Avonlea.” At least for me, the credibility of this award show dwindled when I saw those two names on the list. The decisions the Television Academy makes are questionable at best. An Emmy is a great award to win but it should not be the only thing influencing what you watch. There are plenty of great shows out there that the Emmys gloss over, so I challenge you to find the niche shows that are even better.

America, the land of the free and the brave, the place where everyone has their own opinions and beliefs… or so they think. If you dig deep, there are many things in our society that most people believe, but might not be the norm anywhere else in the world. These can be topics as simple as chewing with your mouth closed or complex ideas like money and success. Some of these misconceptions can be harmful to who we are as people, yet we still follow them blindly. I have taken it upon myself to dive into three of these common misconceptions.

Your position in life is due to your hard work.

“Pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is a common term thrown around when someone is down on their luck. It means that you should be able to get up even though it is challenging. The problem lies in the quote itself, as pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is impossible. You simply cannot lift your entire body off the ground by pulling on your shoes, no matter how hard you try. This misconception leads people to feel that anything they do in life is purely due to their efforts. They believe that they need to try harder and think that is the only solution.

Many of you reading this right now may agree with that notion. Saying yes, people just need to work harder. You believe that if you aren’t where you want to be in life it is because you don’t want it enough. That is not true though. There are many circumstances where the place you are now is not due to your actions but because of the life you had. For example, a really rich kid who becomes the next successful CEO may be in that position because of the dynasty their parents passed on. Looking at the flip side, a student who is working their tail off at Mcdonald’s, providing for their siblings is also there because of the dynasty their parents built for them. Neither of them worked for their circumstances, yet there they are. Sometimes your position cannot be helped. That is why we have to be mindful of not always blaming the person for the predicament they are in.

Money means success and happiness.

Money, money, money. That is the thing that drives Americans, who can never have enough. They think that busting their butt to buy the latest Gucci bag will make them appear rich. Luckily for them, this trick works because people associate money with success. When you buy expensive things, the usual assumption is that you are rich. When people see that you have money they assume you are successful and therefore happy. There are many things wrong with this line of thinking. The first is just because you buy nice things does not mean you are wealthy. There are many times people will waste an entire paycheck on an outfit just to appear put together. The second problem is that even though you have money, it does not mean you are happy. You could be a rich lawyer, working 100+ hours a week, never sleeping or seeing your family. Yes, you have money, but you are not happy. Just appearing rich does not make your life fruitful.

When thinking of the future in America, people fantasize about the day that they can finally retire and relax. They dream of a time when money is no longer a problem because they believe that is what will make them happy. By the time these folks get old, they look back at their life and feel that they wasted it. They warn the youth to do what they want when they are young, and not to worry about money. Yet we never learn from them. Maybe it has to do with the industry America was built on that utilizes the poor and overworked to keep the rich where they are. If we continue to instill this idea in society, then it will never change and the majority of people will continue working until they drop.

To look younger is to look more desirable.

The multi-billion dollar industry known as cosmetics is growing day by day. People will spend hundreds trying to find the next item that keeps them young. America has made aging such a horrendous process to go through. The elderly care offered is expensive and mediocre at best. People will do whatever they have to to avoid the fate of being sent to those places. They feel if they can look younger, the reality of their age will not catch up with them.

There is also the aspect of being attractive to others. Many people (women especially) will get surgeries or the next fad pill to try and stay slim and wrinkle-free. Cosmetic companies know this and will prey on the insecurities of these people. They will continue to exploit them by coming up with new things that are wrong with the natural body as a way to make a buck. It is a horrible cycle that leads to depression and self-hate. We as a society feed into the problem, rarely questioning it, but the reality is that looking younger does not make someone more attractive to everyone.

At the end of the day, as much as we want it to not be true, we do have a lot of commonalities with each other. Taking a look at these misconceptions can help change them for the better. These false beliefs keep us in a state of dejection thinking that we are not doing enough to be the best that we can be. In reality, you determine what makes you happy. As long as you are enjoying life, not stressing or sad, you are successful. Your life does not have to fit the box that other people put you in. Reject these misconceptions and build a better life for yourself.

The age-old question of whether or not physical education (PE) should be a school requirement has yet to have a definitive answer. When forming an answer, most associate PE with high school, but some colleges and universities have similar requirements. In 2023, Oregon State University found that 32% of colleges required some type of PE course to graduate, a 7% drop from 2010. These courses usually consisted of yoga or a lifestyle class where you can learn to operate in a gym. The idea of PE in college is slowly dying and I believe it needs to have a resurrection.

The most common defense for this argument is the increasing rates of obesity and poor physical health in America. Although it is a factor to consider, I do not think it should be the only reason. The main demographic this change would affect is young adults who are trying to make sense of their lives. Most have come directly from high school and see college as a freeing experience. This is the first time they are out in the world by themselves, meaning they lack the skills to be a healthy adult. A PE class can give students essential skills for the real world.

Having classes that teach first-years how to manage college and continue to remain active can help students carry these methods further into adulthood. Some students are too afraid to ever set foot in the gym. Using this class to introduce it to them in a monitored environment could give them the push they need to begin their journey. Other students could use the class as a way to implement healthy ways to deal with stress. For many, working out is a form of therapy that can alleviate problems that come with school.

I remember that when I was in high school, I used my PE period as a mental break from my other classes. Having a mandatory time where I had no other responsibility but to be active gave me a much-needed break. If this was made a requirement, students like me would be able to spend a couple of hours completely stress-free. It would not have any homework and would simply be a time where they can be physically active. These classes do not have to fit a set structure but can be about meditation incorporated with yoga or how to operate at the campus gym.

People fight this idea saying there is no time in people’s schedules for classes like these. Yes, there are some special circumstances here like the nursing program, which is highly regulated, but even then, there are classes that have many different options available to fulfill the requirements. For instance, yoga is offered as an arts and literature credit. Currently, this class is completely filled. Many students choose it as an easy class and as a time to relax. Physical activity itself helps people to have more mental clarity, allowing students to focus more in class. There is a desire for classes such as these and putting them as a requirement in place of something else allows students to focus on themselves.

This requirement has a lot of room for growth as students have different needs and wants when it comes to staying active. It does not have to fit the cookie-cutter high school experience where students learn a variety of sports they have no interest in playing or even watching. Like I mentioned, yoga is a great way to implement a mental health component along with physical activity. There are also dance classes or even stage combat. These are hobbies students could pick up outside of class and stick with throughout their lifetime. There is also an option of a lifestyle fitness class that can combine real world fitness scenarios and nutrition tips. The main goal of implementing a PE class is just to get the students moving. High school PE does not give students enough skills or motivation to keep up with exercise. In the same Oregon State University study, it was found that people who had PE requirements in college tended to be healthier longer.

Physical education in college is important for students so they can take these skills with them later in life. The goal is to form habits that will remain constant. PE also allows students to have a stress-free class amidst their busy schedules. There is already an interest in PE classes, all that is left is changing around some of the requirements and class availability. The benefits of working out go hand in hand with schooling. Having less stress and more mental clarity equals better grades. PE is not some childish class that needs to be eliminated as soon as higher education starts. Physical education needs to make a resurgence on college campuses.

Colleen Hoover has written many books that have taken the world by storm such as Hopeless and Maybe Someday. Her most popular book, It Ends with Us, is about a woman named Lily who makes a name for herself by creating her own flower shop. She falls for a neurosurgeon, Ryle, who, at first glance, seems perfect in every way. As the story unfolds, readers begin to see that Lily is in a domestic violence situation with Ryle. The story was meant to be a beacon of hope for women in similar situations, but the audience feels the movie is lacking.

The movie adaptation of this book, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, was released on Aug. 9. The initial blowback for the movie began with the trailers and promotions. Many people believed that the movie was romanticizing the idea of domestic violence. The trailers do not make it well known that domestic violence is a main topic in the film. In one promotional video Lively encourages people to “grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it.” Many fans have felt outraged by this as they feel the topic of this movie should not be presented like it will be a fun time with your friends. People are also upset that she is using this movie to promote her own brands: Blake Brown, Betty Booze, and Betty Buzz. The audience believes she is ignoring the heavy topic of the movie and only trying to drum up business. Fans want her to tell female viewers that this movie can be a beacon of hope for them.

On the flip side, many fans are praising her co-star Baldoni for his message of encouragement in which he says “everybody has the ability to end a cycle [of abuse] that they didn’t ask for.” These two differing responses by the actors have led to speculations of drama between the co-stars. It began at the movie’s premiere where it appeared that Baldoni was not pictured with his costars. According to Variety, fans discovered that Baldoni does not follow any of his costars on Instagram. Along with the fact that he did not introduce the film alongside Lively and Hoover, people believe that there is some bad blood. Baldoni’s company Wayfarer Studios has the rights to both It Ends with Us and its sequel It Starts with Us. Fans speculate this may have caused some arguments between Baldoni and Hoover about what parts of the movie were kept in the final cut. Ultimately, fans are siding with Baldoni not only because he is taking the topic of the movie seriously, but also because more information about how Blake Lively acts is surfacing.

With all the publicity surrounding the movie drama, old interviews with Lively began to surface. In 2016, Lively and a previous co-star, Parker Posey, had an interview with Norwegian reporter Kjersti Flaa. During the interview, Flaa asks Lively and Posey about the clothes in the film. Lively quickly shuts her down asking “I wonder if they would ask the men about the clothes?” Soon Posey and Lively began to talk to each other rather than to the interviewer, acting as if she was not there. Flaa only ended up asking three questions during the interview and felt devastated afterward. With this surfacing, people were outraged and felt that Lively was presenting mean girl behavior. People sympathized with Flaa and used this interview to show why Lively is a rude person. This gave the audience all the ammunition they needed to fully support Baldoni with whatever was going on behind the scenes.

The response to this movie is a warning to other production companies of the power of the media. Although the publicity surrounding the movie was not good, it was still publicity. At the end of the day, this drama helped the movie make 242 million dollars at the box office. This situation got people talking, which is one of the best things that can happen for a new movie.