By Ariana West Living in the dorms on campus, not only here at Simpson, but for all colleges, is a fun and exciting part of the college experience that gives students a sense of community. This year because of the nationwide pandemic known as COVID-19, the on campus living experience is very different compared to past years. Creating that strong community feel, while also keeping students safe has been a challenging balance, said Brian Howell of Residence Life. According to a tweet by CNN, Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the majority of schools in California would not open for in-person learning this fall. Fortunately, Simpson was located in a county not on the state watch list which is why we were able to return to campus. Of course this year is very different from last year in many ways. Private and public schools in 33 of California’s 58 counties -representing more than 80 percent of the state’s population - will be required to close, according to a CNN tweet. Luckily Shasta County had a low enough number of COVID cases that allowed Simpson University to fully reopen. According to the local paper, The Record Searchlight, in an article published on Sept. 28, the number of COVID cases has stayed under 1,000 since the pandemic started in March. Howell said that there is a COVID Committee which made plans for us to return to campus safely. These plans include social distancing, wearing masks, limited visitation hours, and staying quarantined if COVID symptoms are experienced. These safety guidelines are a part of High Safety Protocol(HSP). Under the guidance of the COVID committee, HSP should be lifted and visitation hours may be modified soon. However, this is up to the committee not Residence Life Howell said. According to Dean of Students Mark Endraske, “If the case count at Simpson stays low, and the county stays off the California monitoring list, then we should have more flexibility with the county and our guidelines. If students and staff/faculty are able to follow the COVID guidelines, then we should have more flexibility as well.” Staff urges students to continue wearing their masks to uphold the safety guidelines so that some of these restrictions will be loosened. Residence Life is striving to put on events and other activities that will be simultaneously fun and safe while still giving students a sense of community. Recently, Residence Life put on a block party with a dance afterward in the gym. Howell stressed the importance of students continuing to follow safety guidelines during these events. This includes keeping their facemasks up so that we can continue to have fun events such as the block party. Many students have concerns about whether or not we will be allowed to go home for Thanksgiving break this year. While many schools like Shasta College are going online for the Spring semester, Simpson has announced that they will be continuing in-person classes for the Spring semester. Although, this could change depending on COVID case numbers here on campus and in Shasta County. However, students will be asked to stay on campus for Thanksgiving break or not return until after Christmas break, according to an email from Head of Residence Life, Julie Engelsman. “We are making plans for continued testing and how to keep our community safe as we consider travel around Thanksgiving. Those plans will be finalized very soon as we work with our COVID consultants and public health to determine the best way forward,” Endraske said. Simpson does not want students to travel outside of Shasta county and to keep off-campus travel as minimal as possible. Endraske also stated, “The plan with COVID is to keep a careful and cautious approach with congregate housing. That is a high priority for the county and for the Simpson community.” There have been five total cases here on campus as of Oct. 4, which have all been handled by the COVID response team according to President Norman Hall. Stay safe, wear face masks, and continue to social distance so that we do not end up having to move to online learning only. Keep up the great work Simpson. Go Red Hawks!

By Ariana West While most universities in California and nationwide are doing all online classes or some hybrid classes, Simpson University was given the go ahead by the Governor to open for in-person classes according to Simpson University President Norman Hall. As one of the few colleges in the entire state of California to reopen for in-person classes, Simpson University had to come out with a detailed COVID plan in order to do so. According to the Simpson University Reopening Plan, “Norman Hall appointed a COVID-19 taskforce composed of administrators, faculty, staff, and a retired physician/board member to work toward a full, safe reopening and return to on-campus instruction in fall 2020.”This included getting COVID tested before arrival, a second test once students arrived, wearing masks in classes, sitting six feet apart in classes, having limited visitation in the residence halls, and having food to-go at the cafeteria. In an interview with Hall, reopening for this semester also included reading and researching extensively, upgrading internet servers and university infrastructure in order to have the best “high-flex” learning as possible, and spending between 250,000 and 300,000 on new computers for staff and students. Hall emphasized that this reopening also included lots of prayer and increasing communication with students. There were also lots of meetings and discussions with NAIA on whether or not collegiate sports would continue this school year. Hall said that everything is still not finalized and figuring out if games will be held in Spring is still something to be figured out. WIth high schools being given the go-ahead to reopen by Governor Gavin Newsom, Simpson was not given the go-ahead to reopen until or nine weeks after, having an extensive and detailed reopening plan was extremely important said Hall. Many professors have given students the option to participate in classes over Zoom or in person. There have also been changes to how Simpson holds chapel services each Wednesday and Friday. This includes giving students the ability to join chapel through Zoom and be a part of small in-person groups. While Shasta County has stayed off the state’s coronavirus watchlist, Shasta Health and Human Services Agency spokesperson Kerri Schuette, said in an Action News Now article that, “This is no longer up to public health to be able to control these things. “This is up to our community to do their part, to take ownership of our numbers and transmission.” Schuette stressed that in order to stay off the watch list people must wear their face coverings, continue to social distance, and limit everyday activities. As many of you know Shasta County is one of 46 other counties in the state to reopen into phase two, according to ABC News. According to an August article by KRCR, “…….businesses in Shasta and Trinity County will be able to have restaurants with indoor dining, movie theaters, bowling alleys, places of worship, museums, indoor playgrounds, and other facilities reopen.” Staying off the Governors watchlist is important not only for the county, but also for Simpson, so that we get to stay on campus for Spring semester and businesses do not have to close again. If you’re feeling sick, please stay home and do not go near others.

By: Ariana West Photo Credit: Netflix This is not how any of us thought we would be spending the end of our school year. I’m sure many of you are in the same boat as me, when not doing homework, there is nothing to do while quarantined. I have made this list of Netflix recommendations for everyone in case you’re like me and feel like you’ve seen everything there is to watch. Trust me, you haven’t. Hopefully, you can find something on this list to help escape the boredom. These are in no particular order, but I believe they’re all must-sees. Happy quarantining everyone. Stay safe and stay well. Netflix / Movies 21 (2008) PG-13 | 2 hr 3 min | Crime, Drama, History "21" is the fact-based story about six MIT students who were trained to become experts in card counting and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings. The Tourist (2010) PG-13 | 1 hr 43 min | Crime, Mystery This movie revolves around Frank, an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Inception (2010) PG-13 | 2 hr 28 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller A thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O. Coffee & Kareem (2020) TV-MA | 1 hr 28 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy Twelve-year-old Kareem Manning hires a criminal to scare his mom's new boyfriend - police officer James Coffee - but it backfires, forcing Coffee and Kareem to team up in order to save themselves from Detroit's most ruthless drug kingpin. 6 Underground (2019) R | 2 hr 8 min | Action, Comedy, Thriller Meet a new kind of action hero. Six untraceable agents, totally off the grid. They've buried their pasts so they can change the future. Netflix / Shows All American (2019) TV-14 | 2 Seasons | Social Issues, TV Drama When a star high school football player from South Central is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High School, two separate worlds collide. Outlander (2017) TV-MA | 3 Seasons | Romantic Fantasy | TV Drama This epic tale adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s popular series of fantasy-romance novels focuses on the drama of two time-crossed lovers. Love Is Blind (2020) TV-MA | 1 Season | Romance Reality TV, Competition Reality TV A social experiment where single men and women look for love and get engaged, all before meeting in person. Atypical (2019) TV-14 | 3 Seasons | TV Comedy, TV Drama When a teen on the autism spectrum decides to get a girlfriend, his bid for more independence puts his whole family on a path of self discovery. Tiger King (2020) TV-MA | 1 Season | True Crime Documentary As Joe dives into politics, he deals with turmoil and tragedy in his personal life. Meanwhile, the dynamics at the park change with new owners.

By: Franchesca Carrera Photo Credit: Google In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, there is still good news popping up all over the world. John Krasinski, known for his role as Jim Halpert in The Office, has started a YouTube channel dedicated to spreading the good. On March 29, 2020, Krasinski posted his first video to the channel. Done in a broadcast news format, Krasinski’s show, titled ‘Some Good News,’ is meant to share the good things standing out among the virus. In his introduction, Krasinski stated, “For years now I’ve been wondering why is there not a news show dedicated entirely to good news?” In an effort to fulfill his own request, Krasinski reached out to his followers on Twitter asking them to send in stories that made them feel good. “After reading those replies and the incredibly heartwarming stories that came with them, I thought alright, enough is enough world. Why not us? Why not now,” said Krasinski. And if you’re a fan of The Office, you might even see a familiar face on the show. You can watch ‘Some Good News’ here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOe_y6KKvS3PdIfb9q9pGug

By: Ariana West Photo Credit: Simpson Red Hawks Twitter Many of our athletic teams on campus were not able to finish out their seasons due to the current pandemic, COVID-19. While this has been devastating for many, it’s especially disappointing for senior athletes who could not finish out their last seasons. Dan Tating, the head baseball coach, stated in an article for the Red Hawks website, "I really feel for our 12 seniors. They've been working for the last couple years to show that we could build a winning program here at Simpson, and it's devastating to not be able to showcase their hard work. We've been playing the best baseball I've seen here." Since the season was cut short, one question athletes have is if they are going to get their year of eligibility back. According to Athletic Director, Tom Galbraith, “We are working with the NAIA to come up with a final plan for eligibility and how that will play out in future seasons.” Many of our teams were well on their way to great success. This included baseball ending with a 6-2 record in conference play, and achieved a school record of an eight-game win streak. Men’s and women’s wrestling had individual champions in regional tournaments, including a Cascade Conference Champion for the first time in Simpson History. Men’s basketball qualified for the conference tournament for the third straight season. Track and field posted an individual title in their only track meet of the shortened season. Men’s volleyball earned a first-team all Cal Pac selection despite being in an extremely tough conference. Women’s golf had back-to-back second-place finishes before their spring season was cut short. Women’s softball was well on its way to establishing itself as an NAIA power of the West Coast before their season ended abruptly, which included a win against the No.1 team in the country and defending national champions, Southern Oregon University. Men’s and Women’s swimming had an impressive inaugural season with seven national qualifiers in just 19 events, plus a two-time All-American, Galbraith said. Junior swimmer Tom Higdon also explained that the swim team had multiple individual victories over NCAA DII and DIII swimmers. Higdon said, “We were able to place top 16th in the nation for all our relays and I was able to place second and fifth in the nation for the 100 and 200 breast.” Higdon had been training for the 2020 Olympics, and while he has still been training and doing everything he can to stay in shape while out of the pool, he stated that the Olympic trials and the Games themselves have been pushed back a year. His focus right now is leading his team to their second winning season and making sure they are as fast as they can be for their next national meet.

Dear Simpson University, I have been counting down the days until graduation since April 25, 2019--one year out. But as quickly as it was approaching, it got ripped away just as fast. Being a senior is a weird, bittersweet thing. I knew the day was coming that I would have to say goodbye to Simpson and I was ready for it. I was ready for that day in late April when we’d all part, dressed in our caps and gowns. And while I’ve been more than excited to leave this campus, it was not supposed to end this way. At this point, I can’t even put into words how I’m feeling. It all still feels like it isn’t real. I think most of us are in the same boat. To my fellow seniors, I’m sorry. This is not how we should be saying goodbye. We should not have been forced to make snap decisions that day after chapel, many moving out without any real plan. We had a whole month left. We had another month to drive our professors crazy. We had one more month to make memories we’d never forget. I remember looking around the gym after the announcement and seeing people feeling the same as me--heartbroken. Many of us cried. We shared hugs and tearful goodbyes. This has been an odd semester. A different way to end our college careers, to say the least. No one saw this coming. At the beginning of March, we were getting excited for the end of the year. Now I think we would all just like one more day with each other on campus. If I could give any advice to the freshmen, sophomores and juniors I would say this: Don’t take your time in college for granted. Be excited for graduation, but enjoy every day leading up to it. As it turns out, you never know when you’re going to walk on campus for the last time. The administration and faculty tried their hardest to come up with a plan for us seniors--something to make up for our loss of a spring celebration. The solution was having graduation at a later date, December 19. A whole eight months away. While I think we can all agree we are grateful to them for trying, it just won’t be the same. Several students have gone and won’t be able to come back. We also didn’t get our “lasts” the way we should have gotten them. Last day on campus, last day in class, last day eating in the caf, last practice, etc. These “lasts” are supposed to lead up to the grand finale--graduation day. That December grad just won’t be the same. On a more personal note, I want to thank the people who have come to be a big part of my life because of this school, and who had my back during my two years at SU. This past year, in particular, has been tough. Several things happened that I wasn’t sure I would bounce back from. I felt broken and lost. But my people held me together. These people have provided the hugs and coffee, sat with me as I cried, made me laugh and changed my life. They have become family. My crazy, wonderful, dysfunctional family. Anja Enstrom, Alli Ramelli, Ariana West, Jacelyn Wedman, Ethan Wulfestieg, Esther Gnanadoss, Shay’Lee Dayman, Connor Sutton, Brendan Moskal, Dan Berger and Molly Rupert--I would not have survived without you all. Thank you for being my support system. The love I have for you guys is endless. I will never be able to express how much you all mean to me and how blessed I feel that I was given the chance to have you in my life. I'll miss you more than you know. And of course, to my supporters outside of school, Kirsten Straccamoro, Wreth Simon and my family, I love you guys and thank you as well, from the bottom of my heart. I don’t agree with quite a few things Simpson does, and most of you know, I have not been quiet about it. Despite my frustrations with the school, I am beyond thankful for the people I’ve met and the memories I’ve made. Simpson was not my first choice. In fact, it was never on my radar. I thought I was going to attend Texas Christian University. I wouldn’t trade my decision for the world. I would give anything to argue with Esther and Brendan in the athletic office, work with my crew at the gameday table, spend a late night with Ariana and Alli in The Slate office, play Murder In The Dark with Ethan and Jacelyn in the library, spend a Tuesday morning laughing away in PR and sit in the comm office, drinking far too much coffee, with Professor Rupert, just one more time. To the student body, thank you for allowing me the chance to be your editor for the past semester. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. Thank you for reading the articles we’ve published and for supporting us as your campus newspaper. From the 2020 senior class to Simpson U as a whole, we thank you. Thank you for bringing us together. Thank you for allowing us to make lifelong friends. Thank you for teaching us, not just in the classroom, but outside of it as well. Thank you for building us into the young adults who are about to graduate so soon. Saying goodbye is never easy. But it sure is harder like this. Goodbye Simpson University, and thank you. All my love, Franchesca Carrera, Editor-In-Chief Photo and Video Credit: Franchesca Carrera

By Franchesca Carrera For the last few months, the world has been watching the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, closely. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the novel (new) virus was first detected in China and on January 30. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.” Symptoms for the virus include coughing, fever and shortness of breath, according to the CDC website. As the virus has spread and made its way into the United States, the Simpson administration has begun taking precautions in an attempt to keep the SU community safe. Mark Endraske, Dean of Students, has sent four emails so far with updates regarding the virus. The email sent out the evening of Monday the 9th, was from both Endraske and Dr. Hall. It stated as of now there are no confirmed cases of the Coronavirus on campus. The email also included ways to help keep the risk low, such as washing your hands regularly, as well as mentioned for those concerned to continually check the CDC website for updates. With the first case of COVID-19 being confirmed in Shasta County by The Shasta County Health and Human Services Agency and reported by KRCR News Channel 7 on March 8, anxieties are rising. Students want answers on the crisis and how Simpson is preparing in the case that the Coronavirus is found on campus. ASBSU Vice President, Jacelyn Wedman, is among those concerned. She sent out a mass email to the student body the morning of the 9th to, as she stated, exercise the student’s right to know. “Simpson has a plan regarding online classes, meals for residents, and other provisions. Dale Simmons, SU provost, has been made aware that students need more information, and the student body should expect another, more detailed update later today. The facilities crew has amped up their disinfecting process, and has been deep-cleaning the campus regularly,” Wedman explained in the email. Wedman believes that students hearing from a peer is more personal than receiving emails only from administration, which is why she found it important to send her email. “The student body of Simpson has a general distrust of administration, going years back. As the link between the administration and student population, it is ASBSU’s duty to bridge that gap of distrust,” said Wedman. “If people see an email from a fellow student, they are more likely to read it, because it is their peer who they see every day, instead of an administrator who isn’t living in their building or attending their classes.” Wedman also added, “I’m not saying administrators shouldn’t be trusted. I am saying that students want to hear from other students.” An added problem to this virus is the need to work around it when scheduling events. At the beginning of February, Dr. Hall held a fireside chat in which he mentioned wanting to bring Ipads onto campus to potentially replace textbooks. In order to ensure this was the right decision, Hall said he wanted to have a demo team come out and test them. The demo was supposed to take place this week, said Hall, however, due to the Coronavirus, that is being postponed. “The Apple team visit is delayed because they are reducing travel related to the virus,” said Hall in an email. For now, Endraske, Hall and Wedman all have explained they have the health of the student’s in mind and are working to keep everyone as informed as possible. For more information on the plans Simpson has, check your email regularly, or reach out to an administrator.

By Franchesca Carrera and Ariana West We asked these seniors the following two questions. 1. What is the biggest lesson you learned from your time at Simpson? 2. What are your plans after graduation? Lily James 1. “The biggest lesson I’ve learned from being at Simpson is probably to have a better mentality or mindset preparing me for the future or in sports.” 2. “I’m planning on getting my masters in orthotic and prosthetics then work in the military.” Blanca Casamort 1. “The importance of surrounding yourself with friends that will help you get through anything and that makes being far from home easier.” 2. “I want to do a master’s degree in International Relations after graduation.” Andrew Cisneros 1. “The biggest lesson I learned from my time at Simpson is how to be more accepting of different cultures and upbringings and finding common ground.” 2. “My plans after graduation are to accept an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator job for our baseball program at Simpson. I eventually want to own my own business.” Joshua Ladner 1. “The biggest lesson I learned from being at Simpson is probably that coming out of my shell reveals amazing people and experiences.” 2. “I’m going to stay in Redding and find a job somewhere.”

By Daisy Brenegan On February 22, three members of the Simpson Men’s wrestling team qualified for NAIA Nationals -- Bryce De Camargo, Armand Molina and Jake Gonsalves. According to Simpson Athletics News, Armand Molina won Simpson's first-ever Cascade Conference title on Saturday, capturing the 141-pound championship with a 3-1 victory and earning a berth into the NAIA National Championships. “It felt great to be the first ever. It was such a great honor to win it especially since it’s my last year competing for the school. I was happy that the coaches finally had a first champion since they’ve been working so hard to have a champion at the tournament,” said Molina. Bryce De Camargo also made a run at the championship match at 184 pounds before running into defending national champion, Menlo's Anthony Orozco, losing 7-4. His second place finish also earned a trip to the NAIA National Championships. Jake Gonsalves fell in the semifinals at 197, but worked his way back to a fourth place finish and an entry into the national championships. Besides three wrestlers earning the chance to compete in nationals, two of Simpson’s wrestlers also received awards. Chris Lacayo was awarded character of the year and Silas Lagroue was awarded academic all American. Chris Lacayo stated, “I am so grateful to receive this award and I am grateful I get to be part of such an awesome team and represent my school.” Overall Simpson took 8th in regionals. For more details on this tournament go to simpsonredhawks.com.

By Ariana West For Simpson and many other Christian universities alike, earning spiritual life or chapel credit is something pretty normal. Here at Simpson, traditional undergrad students are required to receive seventeen spiritual life credits, eleven for nursing students, and seven for fourth semester nursing students. While the normal chapel time is still 10:20 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, some students are missing how things were last year when there were more opportunities to earn spiritual life credit outside of chapel itself. Sophomore Kennedy Wulfestieg stated that, “There were more options last year and last semester. This semester is lacking.” Last year with Campus Pastor Bill Griffin, he held many more events to give students the opportunity to earn chapel credits if they could not attend all of the chapels. Glancing at emails from last year, there are several throughout the year from Griffin regarding extra opportunities for students to earn spiritual life credit. Events such as surveys, movie nights, and others were held quite often last year. According to sophomore Alexandra Samson, there were more Bible studies last year, or at least they were advertised more so students knew about them. Also, Unite was held every night in the prayer chapel as a way to get spiritual life credit. Samson also mentioned that last year there was a bowling night put on by Residence Life that was super fun. She continued by saying that more events like this would draw in more students. Samson and Wulfestieg both agreed that they would like to see more activities outside of regular chapel in the upcoming school year. For some students, juggling classes, athletics, homework, and after school jobs can make it extremely difficult to attend all the required chapels. If more events were offered at different times, students could not only get a different experience, but have an easier time fulfilling their spiritual life credit requirement.

By Ariana West The Simpson University men’s Bass Fishing Team might be in their first inaugural season, but they sure aren’t competing like amateurs. Not only on their home turf Lake Shasta, but also across the country, the team has already earned an impressive record. With their first place victory at the Wild West Bass Trail College Series on Lake Shasta, the duo of Chase Sherman and Nathan Phillips earned first place amongst 14 teams on January 26th. Some of their other competitors included some division one schools such as Chico and Oregon State according to an article by Simpson U News. Their successes and funding from sponsors allowed the team to travel all the way to Florida to compete in the national competition at the end of February.according to Freshman Taj White. In a press release by Simpson U News, they also stated that, The Simpson University Bass Fishing Team attended the Bass Pro Shops School of the Year Tournament earning the position as the top team in California and 98th among 315 in the nation. The team impressively beat out many larger schools such as; Chico State, UC Merced, CSU East Bay, Cal Poly, Sonoma State, Sac State, CSU Long Beach, Humboldt State, and USC. Team member Ryan Beaty explained that, “It’s really fun being able to compete against other schools and how we compare to them.” The team has another tournament at Lake Havasu in Arizona on March 14 so be sure to stay tuned for updates on how they end up doing. With being a brand new team on campus, Beaty stated that he hopes next year more people will be on the team and that they compete in as many tournaments as they can. If interested in joining the team, they meet in OC 204 at 4 p.m. every Thursday.

By Daisy Brenegan Starting on May 8, students might not be able to buy books and other essentials because the Simpson Bookstore will be closing down. Manager of the bookstore, Rachel Glasgow stated, “All the information I can give at this time is that we will be closing May 8 and everything with Simpson on it will be sold at a discounted price at some point.” Glasgow also explained that, “ The school wants to use this area to create a student union. Our company wanted to keep the bookstore on campus but located somewhere else. But the school chose to move forward with a different company.” According to Glasgow, there is no news on who this new company is and how textbooks will be purchased at this time. Junior, Tommy Willis said, “I am sad the bookstore is closing because every university and college has one, how can we not have one? I really hope this new company has no issues because the bookstore was really accessible. Adrian Maruffo said, “ I love the campus bookstore but I am curious and excited to see what this new company is like and how we are going to get textbooks.” More information should be released before the end of the school year. The bookstore staff is doing their best to tell everyone that they are closing. Spread the word to your friends.