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By Franchesca Carrera The Simpson University Spring 2020 Graduation is a little under two months away and new details about the ceremony are emerging. At the fireside chat on Monday, February 10th, President Norm Hall announced where the ceremony will be held. In the past, the commencement was located on the cross-field. The last two years, the location was up in the air, until weather played a major role in the decision to hold it in the Grant Center, said Hall. For the third year in a row, the spring graduation ceremony will be held in the gym. At the fireside chat, Dr. Hall mentioned the struggles that come with having the ceremony outside. He said since the weather could turn bad within days of the ceremony, both the outside and inside venues need to be set up. The decision to keep graduation in the Grant Center comes mostly from money, explained Hall. In order to prepare both the gym and the field, it costs $8,000, whereas it costs significantly less to forego the outdoor setup altogether. Despite the finances, not everyone is happy with the decision. “I think having graduation outside makes it a lot more sentimental. Especially around the cross since we’re a Christian school,” said Shay’Lee Dayman. “Being outside will also create better photos with natural lighting, photos don’t always come out very well with the lighting in the gym.” Besides the lighting in the gym not being appealing, the space also isn’t big enough. According to a plaque posted on the outside of the Grant Center, the maximum capacity for floor seating is 1543. This results in graduates only getting a certain number of tickets, as stated in a recent email from the university. For graduating seniors with large families, such as Alex Cooper, this is not ideal. “If graduation is inside I will be crammed and feel claustrophobic and it won’t be enjoyable because there are people who have supported me throughout my journey who won’t be in the stands cheering me on sharing what will probably be the best day of my life because I would have accomplished something that no one in my family has done,” explained Cooper. Dr. Hall has made it clear that he feels it is more beneficial to have graduation indoors and despite the pushback from students, that is where it will remain.

By Daisy Brenegan While Campus Safety’s job is to keep everyone on campus safe 24-hours a day, from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m, Campus Safety does not have anyone patrolling. Due to an officer quitting, campus safety does not currently have anyone to work that time slot. Paul Davis head of Campus Safety, stated, “We should have that position filled within a week. You can still call campus safety 24 hours a day. But there is currently no one patrolling campus from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.” With having no security during the early morning, it is important everyone is extra careful and alert. In other news, on January 31st around midnight, there was an incident on Shasta View Drive. Mark Endraske sent out a mass email to everyone the next day to inform students of what had happened. “Around midnight, someone inside a vehicle traveling on Shasta View randomly discharged a weapon multiple times, causing damage to some vehicles on South Shasta View before leaving the area. “ said Endraske. Endraske continued to state, “No vehicles on campus were damaged, and there are no reports of injuries.” Campus Safety and Redding police responded immediately. Redding police recommended the campus not be locked down, as the vehicle was not on campus and had left the area. Campus Safety alerts students and employees through our mass notification system if there is immediate danger and will provide instruction. With dangerous incidents like this happening closer and closer to our campus, it is that much more important for everyone to be careful, especially since no one is patrolling campus during the early morning hours, as previously stated.

By Ariana West Student Activities sent out an email that stated: HELLO RED HAWKS!!!! The Spirit Club and the Baseball team will be hosting a Tailgate Party out at Tiger Field on February 29th from 10am to 2pm. Each student will receive a ticket for one FREE meal (hotdog, chips, drink and a sweet treat) in their mailbox the beginning of next week. We will also have Cornhole, Facepaint and the Mascot with us! Make sure to save the date for Saturday, February 29th!! Tiger Field 1000 W Cypress Ave Redding, CA 96001 Look forward to seeing you all out there! Spirit Club Team

By Bryce De Camargo These seniors were asked there three questions: What are your plans after you graduate? What’s something you are going to miss about Simpson? Not miss? What was your favorite class? Blake Trent 1. After I graduate I want to play basketball overseas and then start my MBA. 2. I’m going to miss the teachers, my coaches and just the atmosphere of being at a school with such caring people. 3. My favorite class was New Testament with Dr. Painter. Paul Bigelow 1. After I graduate, I plan on going back to Simpson to get my California teaching credential. I would like to teach high school history and coach baseball. In the future, I’m also considering working for my masters degree in history to teach or coach at the collegiate level. 2. I’m going to miss my history professors and fellow classmates. I will also miss playing competitive baseball and listening to chapel worship music.I’m not going to miss night classes or 8am classes. 3. My two favorite classes at Simpson are the History of Modern Europe and Hermeneutics. Omar Leal 1. After I graduate, I want to become a police officer and sell solar panels. 2. I am going to miss playing soccer with all my friends, especially the old Lucas. 3. My favorite class was criminology with Dr. McCabe because the class consisted of mainly field trips. Ali Harvey 1. After graduation I plan on working for a year in the Social Work field, I want to work with children in needy families. After that year I would like to go back to school to get my masters degree in either Social Work or Marriage and Family Psych. 2. I am definitely going to miss my softball family at Simpson as well as the Soccer team who allowed me to join their family my sophomore year. Aside from athletics the community of Simpson university was also something I really enjoyed.I won't miss the late night studying and stressing the day before tests. My favorite class had to have been either Social Work with Professor Berger, or Psychopathology with Professor Newton.

By Ariana West Not only was the show full of laughs, it also had a lot of deep, faith-driven messages. Dr. Norm Hall described Michael Jr. as, “Someone who has integrated his faith into his life and he’s using that to motivate change. And it was an easy decision to bring him to Simpson.” Combining comedy with faith can be a key way to reach people, as laughter can allow people to open up more. Not only would Jr, make the audience laugh like crazy, he would take advantage of this and share a spiritual message with them. Michael Jr. was also very personable and even interacted with the audience. He would pick a random person and ask them questions about their life, and then would somehow come up with a joke on the spot based on what the person would say. I personally have never seen a comedian interact with an audience as much as Jr. did. I think it made people feel more connected to him, and feel like a part of the show. Michael Jr. has made appearances on The Late Show, The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel, Oprah, CNN, and ComedyTV. He has performed at some pretty prestigious comedy clubs as well including; The Laugh Factory, The Improv, and the Comedy Store. Not to mention he regularly entertains at colleges such as; Notre Dame, Harvard, Liberty University, and the University of Alabama. He also performs at various churches across the nation according to a press release from Simpson News. After asking Michael Jr. why he chose to come to our small school, he explained to me that he felt it was where God wanted him to come and he felt this was a good spot to visit. He also said he really enjoyed his experience here at Simpson. Michael Jr. has been a clean comic his whole career meaning he does not curse when he performs and tries to keep his shows appropriate for all ages. He said he tries to use comedy as a way to help people and as a vehicle to lead people to Christ. Instead of just trying to get laughs from people he wants to help others find their purpose. Jr. has been a Christian for close to twenty years and hopes he made an impact during his performance here at Simpson.

by Franchesca Carrera On February 10th, President Norm Hall held a fireside chat in the Morgan Lobby. During the hour and a half discussion, one topic that came up was student-athlete stoles. As of right now, according to Hall, stoles for the graduating Simpson athletes will not be provided by the school. Dr. Hall gave his reasoning for not providing the stoles, saying graduation in the past has primarily been a celebration of academics, not athletics. Dr. Timothy Orr, who was also at the chat, countered Hall. Orr said other schools provide stoles for student-athletes who meet a certain GPA, allowing them to show off the hard work that goes into representing the school in both academics and athletics. Currently, there is one team on campus that will be wearing stoles which is women’s basketball, as stated by fourth-year team member Lexi Thompson, at the fireside chat. According to Thompson, her team will be sporting the stoles on graduation day because Head Coach Derrick Pringle Jr. purchased them with his own money as a surprise for the girls. While the seven seniors on the women’s basketball team are thankful for the gesture from their coach, they don’t feel like it should have been their coach’s responsibility. According to Thompson, she said that she feels the school should support the athletes and provide the stoles. Meanwhile, other teams will still be going without the special ribbon around their neck. Softball’s Mia Olvera, who spent three years as a Red Hawk, is disappointed she won’t be able to represent her hard work both in the classroom and on the field. “All student-athletes should be given a special stole because we’ve worked twice as hard as just an average college student,” said Olvera. “We had the same amount of responsibilities in the classroom as well as having to work hard for our sport in order to be successful.” Olvera is frustrated that the school doesn’t want to provide these stoles, since the athletes only want to represent the school in the best way they can, she said. “I would hope they would think it was fit to thank us for all of our hard work academically and physically,” stated Olvera. At the end of the student-athlete stole conversation, Hall stated he doesn’t have a strong opinion either way. He said at this point it is something the athletes need to discuss with their coaches and take it up with Athletic Director Tom Galbraith.

by Daisy Brenegan The Wellness Center has undergone several changes this past year, including the nurse and counseling services. In previous years, several emails would go out to the students promoting hours and events held by the Wellness Center. The emails were also used to inform the student body that there are resources for them. This year, however, it has only been promoted once in an email sent out by Mark Endraske on February 10th. According to Endraske, Simpson University no longer has a counselor on campus throughout the day. She can only be seen by appointment, there are no walk-ins available. Information is posted on the door of the Wellness Center to contact someone urgently but it’s not posted around the school. At the fireside chat held on the 10th, Endraske stated students are able to have three counseling sessions for free and any followup session costs 65 dollars. According to several returning students who attended the chat, last year they received one free session then had to pay ten dollars for every following session. Although the budget has significantly gone down, Student Development has been trying to make small improvements, said Endraske. Recently, Simpson adopted a new app called HealthiestYou. The app allows you to contact a doctor 24-7, talk to a therapist, and find cheap medicine. Nurse Teri, who has dealt with students having problems with the app said, “It’s an informational app not really an app that can help you much. It’s good for those that don’t have health insurance but still you can’t do anything the doctor told you to do. Like if they told you to go to urgent care but the student has no insurance, they cannot get anything done.” She also said, “Parents need to be aware before they send their kids to school that their insurance does not work in this area. All you have to do is call and have it changed over to this area and the problem is solved.” Nurse Teri is often there by herself. Many students say she is a life savior and helps in any way she can. “I love nurse Teri! Last spring she basically saved me, I had a terrible ear infection and she gave me medicine that fixed it in 2 days,” explained Sophomore Eric Norris. “Having a counselor and nurse are both important because not all students have insurance to see outside resources.” Junior Christian Alvis said, “The nurse is very important. There are a lot of students who cannot drive to the hospital or might not have medical insurance. So having the school nurse is definitely important for students and having a school counselor. College is stressful and students have mental breakdowns all the time. We need people to talk to.” Nurse Teri’s hours are Monday-Thursday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. She also mentioned she is eager to help and get to know the students. To have your opinion heard, fill out the Wellness Center Survey sent to your Simpson email.

by Ariana West In the last issue, there was an article titled, “The Outsider of Simpson Athletics.” The goal of this article was to raise awareness for our baseball team not to anger or call anyone out. The article went into detail about the baseball team and how they do not have the on-campus facilities that they desperately need. After talking to the coach and some players, the article described their progress with attaining these facilities such as a “game ready” field, batting cages, fencing, lights, etc. So far this year, the team has been fundraising and doing their own field maintenance as coaches and players stated in the last article. According to left fielder Aaron Torres, “We as The Simpson Baseball team dug the holes for our fence posts.” Another player, senior pitcher Andrew Cisneros explained that, “We honestly have not noticed any more attention after the article was written. Since we are in season now, we are trying not to get distracted by things going on off the field and focus on playing well and trying to win.” At the fireside chat on Monday, February 10th, President Norm Hall informed students attending that his first goal is to finish the baseball field. Hall stated that, “I talked to a guy that said he could make a sizable donation next year to help finish the field. He told me that he couldn’t do it this year, but next year could give $160,000.” Then Hall clarified that this can only happen if the gentleman sticks to his word. As of right now, the team will continue to have their home games at Tiger Field for the remainder of this season.

by Bryce De Camargo On January 26, 2020, shocking news broke across the world. Kobe Bryant, GiGi Bryant and 5 others died in a helicopter crash. Kobe was an idol to many people. He was known by almost everyone and was an inspiration and role model to many. Even people who don’t watch basketball most likely knew the name Kobe Bryant. He impacted our country in a major way. His daughter Gigi also had a huge love for the game of basketball just like her father. The two were able to bond over this shared passion during their lives. According to an article from ABC news, Kobe had three other daughters besides Gigi Bryant and he told stories of people telling him how it was a shame that he didn’t have any sons to carry on his legacy in the NBA. While Kobe could have pointed out the stupidity of that supposition, Gigi didn’t need anyone speaking for her. “I got this,” the 13-year-old would say. And that looked certain to be true. While Kobe wasn’t racking up 50 points per game, he was coaching his daughter Gigi in basketball. The two had an inseperable bond which made this tragedy that much more devastating. Kobe was inspiring to many on and off the court, and his death impacted many people. Kobe coined the nickname the “Black Mamba” because of the snake’s ability to strike with 99 percent accuracy. Here at Simpson, many students were impacted by Kobe’s death as well. Junior wrestler Adrian Maruffo said, “I was in shock when I found out he died. I did not believe it at all and I still don’t to this day. He was one of my biggest idols and still will forever be one of my idols.” Junior Juice Gaines stated, “He was a great player and he made me want to be better as a competitor and a person.” Freshmen basketball player, Dimitri Margelis explained, “I was so shocked when I found out about Kobe’s death, I had just woken up and it was the first thing that popped on my phone. I was completely devastated and sad.” Many were inspired not only by his long list of accomplishments and impressive NBA career, but also his untouchable work ethic. We must pray for all the families that have lost loved ones in this tragic accident. We must never forget Kobe, Gigi, John, Keri, Alyssa, Sarah, Payton, Christina, and Ara.

by Daisy Brenegan These seniors were asked three questions: What is your favorite food at the cafe? What are your plans after you graduate? Who is your favorite professor at Simpson ? Katie Hollingsworth 1. “My favorite food at The Caf is the French Fries. I steal my boyfriend’s French fries from his to box all the time.” 2. “My plans after I graduate are, I’m starting law school in the fall! I’m currently deciding between the University of Alabama and Seattle University.” 3. “My favorite professor has to be a three way tie: Dr. Costillo, Dr. Bailey, and Dr. Slane. They have all been incredibly formative in my personal life and in what I decided to pursue for my career! I wouldn’t be the same person and have the same passions I do now without them. They wrote references for my law school applications too!” Connor Rowe 1. “My favorite food at The Caf is the burgers. They always taste fire.” 2. “My plans after I graduate is to make money and get my masters.” 3. “My favorite professor is John Ayabe. He has challenged me the most to grow in my work and helped grow my passion for history.” Charisma Anderson 1. “My favorite food at The Caf would be the tomato soup and grilled cheese!” 2. “My plans after graduation are to move to SoCal, and experiment with what I want to do because I have a couple options.” 3. “My favorite professor is Molly Rupert!”

by Paulina Diaz As Simpson University keeps rising, so does the number of international students. For a couple of years now, the school has been taking on the mission to bring more diversity to campus. Students from all around the world have become a part of the Simpson community, giving it the fresh start everyone was hoping for. This year, Simpson University has the most international students it has ever had. But every accomplishment comes with its own challenges. As a lot of people might agree, college is a demanding experience. This is no different for international students, who struggle with their classes as second-language speakers.  “The hardest thing for me about taking classes that are not in my first language was that I have to participate in class, it is really hard for me, I normally get nervous while I’m talking because I don’t want to make a mistake,” said Carolina Oropeza, a freshman student from Mexico. Some students worry that they might not be getting enough help from their professors. Since the school is new to students who are second-language speakers, professors have had to make some adjustments to help them engage better. Professor Mirek Woznica explained that he lets international students in his Oral Communication class express themselves in their first language. “I do allow them to show me their skills by speaking their own language [if they choose to] which some of them did and it was beautiful to see them on their natural way of speaking, but then they have to obviously say a speech in English,” Woznica said. Another big concern among international students is the constant struggle to get around the city. Ariana Castañeda, a sophomore student from Tenerife, explained that the hardest thing for her is not having her own car. “I think the most complicated thing for me is having to constantly ask people for rides. Sometimes I feel like people get annoyed,” Castañeda said. Some of Simpson’s staff members have made it their personal goal to help international students feel at home. They are providing resources for students like rides for grocery shopping, social gatherings, and other activities. Ruben Basurto, Financial Aid Specialist and member of Student Financial Services is part of a team that is trying to make sure international students feel more comfortable. “I am creating a group in which international students can rely on to take care of needs such as shopping while providing emotional support… We understand that being far away from home is a tough process, the more emotional support they have, the easier it is for them to adapt in this new culture,” Basurto said. According to Oropeza, some international students rely heavily on their fellow American peers for help. American students try to give international students as much support as they can. Both students and professors agree that they love having so many international students on campus. “I love it, I absolutely love it especially in the writing or communication department because they communicate differently… it is more diverse,” Woznica said. Despite the struggles and challenges, students, staff and professors have taken matters into their own hands to improve the Simpson community for international students.

by Franchesca Carrera Get ready to laugh, Simpson U. On February 20th at 7:30 p.m., the Grant Center will host Michael Jr. in his “Off The Cuff” Comedy Tour. Jr. has appeared on several talk shows, including The Tonight Show, The Late Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Oprah, BET's ComicView, CNN and ComedyTV. He has also performed on the stages of some of the most prestigious comedy clubs in the US, such as The Improv, The Laugh Factory and the Comedy Store. Not only does his list of performance spots include TV and comedy clubs, it also includes some of the most well-known colleges in the world, regularly performing at Notre Dame, Harvard and the University of Alabama. Tickets can be purchased online at https://store.michaeljr.com/collections/tickets/products/michael-jr-live-redding-ca-michael-jr-off-the-cuff-comedy-tour-feb-20 for $20-$85 or in the Student Development Office for $10.