an opinion piece by Jacob Greene TRIO is a new Student Support Services that is federally funded. It is designed to help first-generation students, low-income students, and/or students with disabilities through college experience. Angie Hurtado and Keith Obilano are the two main people behind the operation here at Simpson. Obilano said via email, “The goal of the program is to minimize the challenges these students face in accomplishing their personal, academic and career goals. It also provides these students with tools, resources and experiences they may not have access to including Mentorship, Workshops, Cultural Events, Speaker Events, Financial Literacy and Academic Support.” My experience with TRIO was delightful. Hurtado and Obilano have helped with an array of things. When I did not know how to do certain things, I went to them for help. They have been gracious and patient with me, as I am fairly new to the college experience. Hurtado and Obilano really love what they do here, and you can see that. They genuinely care about their students and take time for them. Both enjoy their job very much. They love working with students and helping them through college. “I really enjoy working with students and helping them find the resources they need to be successful at Simpson and in life. It's a very rewarding job and I enjoy getting to know students and walking alongside them,” Hurtado explained in an email. Each day for TRIO is filled with, “.....meeting with students all day to help them register for courses, make sure they are on the right track with their courses and degree, find job opportunities, create a plan for a career,” according to Obilano. Whether you are a first-generation student, low-income student, or a student with a disability you qualify to be a part of TRIO. I highly encourage anyone who qualifies for the program to sign up. It is highly beneficial and a great tool to have at your disposal.

by: Javonntie Jackson Welcome back Red Hawks! After another covid year at Simpson, we are sure to shake things up with all the fresh faces this year. There are six residence halls on campus. With, 350-400 new students, most first-year students are normally housed in Thompson-Mangham Hall, an all-male dorm or Irwin-Shellrude Hall, an all-female dorm. Morgan-Sharpe Hall is available for upper-classmen female students, as well as Currie-Ediger Hall, which is a male upper-classmen dorm. Each residence hall has an incredibly unique style making Simpson’s dorms a great environment to live in. In Currie, each room has a closet to share and a bathroom to share with four people. Thompson has a four-person room uniquely set up to make living comfortable. According to second year volleyball player, Chase Blucher who was living in Thompson-Mangham last year and is now living in Currie-Edinger Hall said, “The dorms at Thomson are a lot more spacious and more places to put things rather than the ones in at Currie. Blucher continued and said that the dorms were more alive and fun last year than this year. Because of covid, people were forced to make connections within the dorms, now it seems like everyone is out doing their own thing. One of the aspects Blucher believes Residence Life could work on is bringing back co-ed dorms. Junior, Noah Bryerton, is a fresh face on campus. Even though it is his first year here, he is also the second-floor RA for Currie. Bryerton thinks Currie is the best residence hall to live in on campus. He said, “Currie is one of the cleanest dorms on campus, Morgan is a pretty fantastic dorm as well because the girls always have it smelling nice over there.” Each residence hall has its perks but living on campus is much more convenient than living off-campus and getting to live in the dorms is such a huge part of getting the whole entire “college experience.”

By: Daisy Brenegan Due to Covid hitting us hard last year, all mission trips were cancelled. “We did not have any mission trips last year. As the trips were cancelled last minute in 2020, we chose not to send any out this past summer, said missions coordinator, Sarah Mabee. Mabee continued, “Instead, we focused on on-campus and in-Redding initiatives to bring world missions to our campus.” Although this year it's a different story. Mission trips are back in action. They will take place in the spring/ summer of 2022. Below are all the mission trips offered. Each has a small description. For more information on the trips please reach out to Sarah Mabee by email: smabee@simpsonu.edu. 1. Spring break 2022 trip: Mexicali. Dates: March 12-19. Cost: approximately $700. Max number of participants: 15. Leaders: Dr. Tom and Mrs. Perry .Ministry: Urban outreach, community development, family and youth ministry, after school programs, English teaching, and cross-cultural immersion. 2. Summer 2022: Twin Cities.Dates: May 9-18. Cost: approximately $1190. Max number of participants: 15. Leader: Jessie Wolske. Ministry: Urban outreach, community development, family and youth ministry, after school programs, English teaching, and cross-cultural immersion.Ministry: Somali children outreach, community garden preparation, park outreach and events, connecting with Somali families, English classes, homework tutoring, basketball, and cultural food, experiences, and church services. 3. Summer 2022: Chicago. Dates: May 9-18. Cost: approximately $1190. Max number of participants: 15. Leaders: Shondra Dickson and Curley Wilson. Ministry: Urban outreach, community development, family and youth ministry, after school programs, English teaching, and cross-cultural immersion. 4. Summer 2022: El Salvador. Dates: May 9-18. Cost: approximately $1500. Max number of participants: 20. Leaders: Shane Geer. Ministry: Urban outreach, community development, family and youth ministry, after school programs, English teaching, and cross-cultural immersion.A valid passport and Covid vaccination is required for this trip. 5. Summer 2022: Croatia. Dates: June 10-20. Cost: approximately $2500. Max number of participants: 20. Leaders: Heather MuCulley. Ministry: You will have the opportunity to serve children and people in some of the poorest communities. There may be opportunities to do sports ministries and camps, serving in the food pantries, serving at an orphanage, hosting community carnivals, and other community outreach events. 6. Summer 2022: Alaska. Dates: Mid July or Early August. Cost: approximately $1200. Max number of participants: 20. Leader: Sarah Mabee.Ministry: Serving at South Tongass Alliance Church, serving at Ortan ranch Kids camp by helping to run activities, games, and be counselors for the kids. There may also be opportunities to travel to other islands to do construction and other ministry. “My hope is to go to Alaska and I'm most excited to see what work we can do with the people there. sharing the gospel to those who don’t know who Jesus is, is something that’s amazing and seeing life change with the power of god is what makes me love going on missions trips,” said junior Miranda Gutierrez. COVID protocols are still in effect for these mission trips. COVID also played a big part in planning the mission trips this year. “It has been more challenging to plan travel as COVID still restricts much international travel, weeding out countries that we would have traditionally sent teams to but were unable to due to COVID was challenging,” mentioned Mabee. You must fill out an application to go. All applications are due by November 5th. It is exciting to see some things go back to normal. The communities need help more than ever. Pray and ask God where he wants you to go. Fill out an application, and go serve the world.

an opinion piece by Ariana West 1. Niu Hawaiian BBQ If you’re like me, you love a good Hawaiian BBQ place. Niu’s delicious options include chicken, beef, seafood, and pork plates. They also have delicious sides such as steamed veggies and killer macaroni salad. I haven’t tried anything I didn’t love here! Not to mention you can even get a real coconut to drink! Check them out if you haven’t already. Here’s the link to their menu -----> Menu (niuhawaiianbbq.cc) 2. From the Hearth Kitchen and Pie Shop From the Hearth really has something for everyone. They have sandwiches, burgers, wraps, protein bowls, tacos and so much more. They are even open for breakfast! From the Hearth prides themselves on their fresh, quality ingredients and delicious homemade baked goods! My personal favorite lunch or dinner items are the California Chicken Sandwich or the Teriyaki Bowl! One thing I love about From the Hearth is almost everything is homemade! They also have multiple locations and even one super close to campus! Here is the link to their menu -----> From The Hearth: Menu - Sandwiches, Salads, Burgers & More (fromthehearthkp.com) 3. Chicken Shack Chicken Shack is a Redding staple and known for their delicious gourmet comfort food. They have delicious chicken and waffles, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and wings with many house made special sauces. Not to mention their delicious sides. My personal favorite is the Naked Chicken Sandwich with with their delicious crispy brussel sprouts! Come check them out I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Here is the link to their menu ----> Phone Menu (mychickenshack.com) 4. Deja Vu If you’re looking for a delicious brunch spot, you have to check out Déjà Vu! Whether you are looking for some yummy pancakes or a burger, Déjà vu has some great options. As a broke college student, I was surprised at how cheap this place was despite the huge portions and quality food. Not to mention, if you come here on your birthday, you get a free cinnamon roll bigger than your head. This family-owned restaurant has been a part of Redding since 1995 and was started by Red Bluff native Karline Niver. Here is the link to their menu -----> DejaVuMenu_Sept2021.pdf (secureservercdn.net) 5. Woody's Eatery and Brewery I discovered Woody’s when I was having a craving for tacos one Tuesday evening this summer, and let me tell you I was not disappointed. They only have their tacos available on Tuesday’s so don’t go on another day with a hankering for tacos. Besides their delicious tacos, Woody’s also has burgers, fish and chips, pasta, and other great sandwiches. The lively atmosphere and option for outdoor seating also adds a great dining experience. Here is the link to their menu ----> Woody's Brewing Company (woodysbrewing.com)

By: Eric Norris By the time people get to college, it is expected for them to have the ability to clean up after themselves. However, for male residents in Thompson and Currie this is not the case. Mom is no longer here to clean up after you. Thompson maintenance worker, Caleb Gonzalez, tried to reach out to 3rd floor room advisor, Dylan Cabral multiple times. After no response for weeks, Paul Davis made a complaint straight to Mark Endraske which Endraske responded saying it will be taken care of. The responsibility for the third floor to be cleaned fell on the shoulders of the Residence Advisor, Dylan Cabral, the same R.A. who let it get to that point. Thompson is not the only dorm experiencing an increase in trash build up. Currie, the upperclassmen dorm has had its fair share of trash. Third floor resident, Joe Bell said, “A disgusting stench lingers in the stairwell almost every day.” Currie residents in the past have been able to keep the trash in the communal garbage cans to a minimum but as of lately that has changed. In the second-floor communal kitchen there are two trash cans, and one large recycling can for plastics. Inside the recycling bin was a bag of fast food along with foam cups which do not belong in that particular bin. Thankfully, for the Currie dormitory, senior, Louis Down takes out the trash often. As for Thompson, Brian Jobson, the facilities coordinator commented about the state of Thompson, “The male students in Thompson often leave trash lying around and don't take responsibility for their own garbage. So far, we have added more trash cans to the area, so that there is room for all the trash. The best solution is for the male residents in Thompson to have pride of place and do their part to help keep their own living area clean. There is a possibility that residents in Thompson could be fined by Residence Life if things continue to be a problem.” The daily facilities worker, Gonzalez, spends 10 hours a week cleaning Thompson, fulfilling all of his duties. But, in no way is he responsible for personal trash. He said, “This issue could all be avoided if the guys weren’t so lazy about their own stuff.” Going forward, the garbage truck will still come every three days which will help the overflow of trash in dumpsters. The dormitories will still be responsible for making sure individual trash cans do not overflow. Notice how the female dorms don't have trash issues, maybe that can be replicated in male dorms soon.

By: Jacob Greene One jumped sandbar. One broken boat. Five fish. These events led to a Simpson Bass team tournament win. Coach Alex Theimann took eight members of the team to Arizona for the first collegiate tournament of the year. Captained by Nathan Phillips, the team arrived Sept. 22. The team had two days of pre-fishing in preparation for the derby on Saturday. Lake Havasu had a five fish bag limit. Each team kept only five of the fish they caught. At the end of the tournament, the bag with the best weight wins. There were eight teams at the Lake Havasu tournament, four were teams from Simpson. There are two people per boat, a boater and a non-boater. A boater is the designated driver, the non-boater does not drive the boat. Both teammates are allowed to fish in the tournament. Jayden Nezy said, “The pre-fishing bite, honestly, wasn’t that bad. We found a flippin’ bite, we found a frog bite.” During pre-fishing, it took three hours and a vast array of lures to catch a “keeper.” A “keeper” is any fish big enough to add a significant amount of weight to a team’s overall weight (the bag). “We knew it would be tough, the water was low, we were the fifth tournament there (that week),” said Quinn Hawkinson. They got the boat stuck twice during practice-because they did not have an SD card in the navigation system. The second day of pre-fishing was when the duo successfully jumped the sand bar and celebrated with high fives. Seconds after their jubilation they heard a scratch and a small grinding noise. Hawkinson pulled up his motor and realized he was missing his skeg (the part of the lower unit that turns the boat). His hydraulic steering was also going out. After testing out the steering they decided to go back after the bite deteriorated. Hawkinson later realized there was a giant hole in his lower unit that he had not seen. After turning the motor down to let the water out of it about a cup of oil spilled out, there was also a slow drip. That night Hawkinson debated on what to do. He had options including using someone else’s boat or taking a chance and using his own boat, if he topped it off full of oil beforehand. Thiemann helped Hawkinson fill up his lower unit to compensate for the slow leak. “I ran to Wal-Mart at nine-o’clock (pm) and I had Alex [Thiemann] fill the (lower) unit up with oil,” explained Hawkinson. Hawkinson said they topped it off in the morning because there was a slow leak. “Once your lower unit runs out of oil, it basically explodes,” he said. When tournament day came, they barely made it across the lake. Nezy said that they “Fished the same three-hundred yards,” he explained that their strategy and mindset was to just “Get to our spot, if we get to our spot…there’s a sliver of a chance that we even place.” Hawkinson agreed, “Our mindset was literally just ‘make it to the spot.’” “If we made it to the spot we were free,” emphasized Nezy. “I figured we could ten pounds out of that spot, twelve easy, but the bite changed,” said Hawkinson. They ended up scraping by with just barely ten pounds, but it was enough to win the tournament. They said they caught about ten to twelve keepers, but twenty fish in total. They did not realize they won until the person in front of them weighed in their bag. Nezy observed they were the only team to show up with a limit, so he thought they had a chance of winning. Meanwhile, Hawkinson did not realize they had won until he was told. He has never won a tournament with ten pounds before. Hawkinson was not too optimistic about winning however, "........especially because of all the sticks we have; Nathan, Austin, Ryan, Taj," he said, referring to the veteran anglers on the team. Hawkinson and Nezy were very glad to get the win of course, but they were happier that they didn't break down and that they were able to even get across the lake and back. Some things they learned that they are going to use in their next tournaments are Navionics (an app for navigation and graphing) and to take things a little bit slower. They both hope to do better in future tournaments. Hawkinson and Nezy would like to personally thank Simpson University, Simpson Bass fishing team, and Coach Theimann for the opportunity to fish at Lake Havasu for the first time. They also would like to thank all the sponsors, Lew’s, and Strike King for their support. Four SU veteran anglers returned from the Oct. 9-10 tournament at Lake Dardanelle (AR), with one SU team placing 101 out of over 200 other teams.

By: Javonntie Jackson There will be a lot of new faces on the basketball court this year. The SU Men’s basketball team brought in three Division 1 transfers and several major recruits, according to the SU athletics website One of the transfers is Javonntie Jackson from Long Beach State, 6-foot-7 wing scored 9 points against Kansas and started as a true freshman. Donaldson Fanord, who came from Mississippi Valley State, is the 6-9 forward who put up a double-double on his best game with 15 points and 12 rebounds shooting 83%. Anthony Rice, from Lenoir’Rhyne University, is a 5-11 senior guard who put up 16 points vs Southern Wesleyan. Akinola Branco is another big transfer. The 6-3 guard from Mt. San Antonio college averaged 8 points and 3 rebounds and started in 18 games. He says he hopes to be the top guard inn the Cal Pac Conference and help Simpson get to playoffs. Gary Mimms, the Western Oklahoma State College transfer, is a 6-7 wing who averaged 15 points in 27 games with 6 rebounds. Red Hawks Men’s basketball team are beginning their 2021-2022 season this Saturday against Sonoma State for homecoming, it’s a celebration for the university’s 100th birthday. Simpson has 7 seniors, 3 juniors, 2 sophomores and four freshmen on the varsity roster. Unfortunately, the JV roster is currently not available online. The JV squad are players who are redshirting, rehabbing and/or simply need extra minutes. The roster can change throughout the season creating depth for Simpon’s Men’s basketball squad. This will be a much-anticipated game. Simpson has a few outstanding athletes that have been hibernating in the gym and weight-room ready to roll out a feast of W’s. According to Anthony Rice, team leader, he is excited to play with the new talent this year. Rice said the team hasn’t had a group of guys with the size and depth like they have now. One of those highly anticipated transfers is, 6-10 forward, Noah Bigirumwami, an NCAA DI transfer from Chicago State University. Bigirumwami, 225 lbs., will be the biggest player on this year’s starting lineup. Rice anticipates Bigirumwami will spread the floor on fast breaks and will lock down the paint. Fanford as the oldest player on the team at 24 years old is expected to offer guidance and direction on and off the court, Coaches said. He is described to be someone who is always smiling and uplifting others. This is a great skill to have and share with such a talented group of guys. In practice he is noticed for his ability to guard the post and come off the pick and roll plays efficiently. According to assistant coach “Dub” XXXXXX, “I think we can all agree that returning players have a significant impact on teams as a whole, but something that sometimes gets overseen is the style of playing.” With all the transfers from all over the country, this year’s men’s team will be unlike any before. Around the world basketball is played at many different levels and perhaps some rules maybe be slightly different, but the concept of the game is identical regardless of what part of the world you reside. This year, about half of the team is from California which is actually very interesting because the way basketball is played in the west coast is different than the south and east coast. I believe that this is a positive regardless if players are from northern or southern California simply due to the style that is played in this side of the region. I would consider California’s style of playing to consists of being able to handle the ball well, run the floor on fast breaks and being able to shoot at a distance… this is sort of the culture that has evolved throughout the state overtime regardless if it’s at the high school or college level.

By: Eric Norris Mountains of trash piled up all over every dorm. The waste of every student has piled up in dorm trash cans around each building, making one of the dorms especially stinky. How the issue is being handled is questionable but the solution should be simple. Caleb Gonzalez, a full-time history student and part time facilities worker, is responsible for cleaning primarily the Thompson dorm. The Thompson dormitory is primarily a freshman dorm but has transfer students living there as well. The past couple weeks, Thompson has been more difficult to clean. According to Gonzalez, his boss, Brian Jobson, has asked him to stop cleaning the 3rd floor. Gonzalez commented saying, “Do not confuse my desire to clean up Thompson, to clean up after you. My job is to tidy up, not to clean up disgusting messes that students should know how to clean.” Brian Jobson has made the decision to remove all public trash cans on the third floor of Thompson because of food containers stacked too high against the wall. One would think that the trash can would be left alone because it was full, but instead residents placed spoiled milk, empty pizza boxes, and paper cups all around it. Of the 3 floors, the first-floor residents seem to care and offer to help workers by opening doors and cleaning up after themselves. As for the second and third floors, food is constantly being left all around the lobbies, furniture flipped or out of place, and the carpet being covered with crumbs. The increase in students has been a financial benefit for the school but, more people, means more disposable waste. Student Safety Officer, Victor Moore said, “I was called for a complaint in Thompson Sunday morning, where a couch was tipped over and furniture was moved around. It had that feeling that the dorm was abandoned.” To help meet the demand for more trash, the garbage truck has to come more often. The garbage truck used to come once a week to collect all waste but now it has to come every three days. Before it arrives in the morning, a worker gets on the forklift and moves the 2 full dumpsters from the resident parking lot to the cafeteria dumpster. If only residents can take all their trash to the dumpsters instead of leaving it in the lobbies, the dorms would smell better, and workers like Gonzalez would not have such a hard time doing their job.

By: Daisy Brenegan On August 11th , Simpson University announced via text that students had to change from using Google to Microsoft. The text also stated “You need to export any data from your Google account by the end of the day today to prevent data loss.” With many students still on summer vacations. Many were not paying attention to any of the texts, as well as emails they received from the school. Numerous students had never used Microsoft before or had not used it in years. This was an adjustment for them. There were many students who did not receive the announcement at all. These students who didn’t receive the text did not get the chance to save all their data. For others it was easy for them to switch over as well as save their data in time. Junior Dimitri Margelis said, “There’s not a huge difference between Google and Microsoft so for me it was an easy change and I didn’t need to save anything off of my google account.” Although, other students were not as fortunate. Senior Tommy Willis states, “I never got the text that we had switched over, I actually found out from someone that doesn’t even go to Simpson anymore and I ended up losing all files from google docs. That really sucked.” Junior Dante Ramos states, “I think since many students use free services like Google docs, having a Gmail school account makes more sense because it connects us with many more services. If anything it makes me question what incentives the administration had for changing it.” The way Simpson announced the transition from Google to Microsoft left many in the dark. Now with the semester at the halfway mark. Many students have adjusted. With Google being gone for good, Simpson students will have to learn their ways around Microsoft. If you are having issues with entering your Microsoft account contact IT at 530-226-4940. There are also videos on YouTube done by Microsoft to teach how to navigate Microsoft word and Outlook.

By: Raul Arent Our Recommendations Show: Squid Game South Korean drama in which contestants who are deeply in debt play children’s games in order to win a considerable amount of cash. Song: Angel by Loyle Carner & Tom Misch The perfect melody after a long day. Podcast : The Joe Rogan Experience One of the world’s most popular podcasts, comedian Joe Rogan hosts a wide array of guests to speak on current and past events. Chapel Currie Irwin Morgan Newspaper Owens Redding Simpson Thompson

By: Ariana West Source via: Simpson Bass Fishing team Instagram page. From coach to administrator, Alex Thiemann truly is the embodiment of the jack-of-all-trades. Thiemann, last year's Bass Fishing coach, graciously accepted another position this year and became the Associate Dean of Students at Simpson. Thiemann filled this new role under unfortunate circumstances, the passing of Louis Burkwhat. According to Thiemann, he has nearly a decade of being a professor/teacher, however this new administrative position is, “flexing new muscles he hasn’t used before,” as he put it, he is very excited and up for this new endeavor. Students around campus have noted that Thiemann has done quite a job so far as the Associate Dean of Students. In fact, Senior golfer, Eric Norris said, “Alex reached out to me about my accommodations this summer, before school even started and talked to me for about thirty minutes. It seemed like he truly cared.” Thiemann, who also teaches a history class, has a passion for helping students, which is what got him into education in the first place. As a matter of fact, Thiemann said via email that meeting with and engaging with students is actually his favorite part of the job. Being on campus full time has also allowed Alex to be more available for his team. Since he no longer has a full-time job off-campus, he can meet with team members more easily, support them more academically, and interact with their professors. “Alex is a great coach. He makes each individual on the team feel supported,” said Junior Bass Fisher, Taj White. This semester the Bass Fishing team has done a lot of travelling for their tournaments. Thiemann has thankfully been able to travel with his team whenever necessary because of the support of his fellow Simpson administrators. Most people would have trouble juggling two different positions, but Alex Thiemann seems to be adjusting to his added responsibilities quite well. Tune in next week for another issue of Staff Spotlight.

By: Joseph Bell Fans are back! For most athletes and fans, it’s been difficult having Simpson sports teams play behind closed doors during COVID. “Athletics brings a positive energy to the campus which translates directly to the players on the team,” assistant men's soccer coach, Gary Weaver said. Mohammad Salaymeh, a junior soccer player, agreed with his coach. Adding that he has missed the environment and crowd of the people around the field. It’s one of the biggest things that helps motivate him to play. The stress of having to worry about COVID has gone down for players as well. AIdyn Espino, a Sophomore on the soccer team, said having fans in person brings a more lively environment to the field or court. Espino added, with fans present, teams are motivated to play harder for those that come to support them. Coaches are also thrilled for athletics to be back and fully open again. According to assistant soccer coach Gary Weaver, “For me, with athletics going again, it brings a more positive vibe to the campus. Working in the athletic department it’s great to see student athletes in and out of coaches offices, weight room, and practice facilities Added men's head soccer coach Erly Corejo said, “it will impact the morale of our team being able to play games and enjoy the college experience. It’s a huge sacrifice of time and money to play, but it’s worth it if the experience is able to play while earning their degrees.” It may take time and effort, but for Corejo, it’s worth it. “The playing field, gym, etc., is a place where many of us feel the most self-confident and are comfortable socially,” Corejo said. Weaver agreed. “Athletics brings a positive energy to the campus which translates directly to the players on the team,” he said. “It also is a chance for teams to follow each other and brings a sense of pride in competing and wanting to do well.” Come cheer on YOUR teams.