As the 2022-23 academic year came to a close, so did one club’s journey on campus. After 98 years, Student Senate did not hold elections for the next academic year. Instead, a new structure of student government held elections: Student Assembly.
At the end of spring 2022 semester, a few weeks after a heated Student Senate meeting, a small group of students proposed a new structure of student government called Student Assembly.
“There was a general sense among students, specifically of color, that they weren’t being well represented by Senate,” third-year economics and political science major Gabriel Karl said. Karl held the position of elections chair in Student Senate at the time of the new structure change proposal. The student body voted for a transition committee to be formed to create a formal constitution for Student Assembly.
The committee worked on creating the constitution for roughly a year, getting feedback from Student Senate and other areas of campus. Eventually another vote went out to the student body on whether to keep the current structure that was Student Senate or transition into Student Assembly. The transition to Student Assembly was solidified.
Major structural changes included shrinking membership from 60 members to 44, replacing class senates with class clubs and switching meetings from weekly to twice a month. So during its first year, what has Student Assembly accomplished?
“Less than I was hoping,” Karl said.
For one Student Assembly member, who remained anonymous due to fear of backlash, a lack of meetings is a primary cause for this failure.
“I would rather have a check-in or touch-up even if the meeting only lasts 15 minutes,” they said.
When the Assembly did meet, Karl said it primarily focused on the constitution.
“It's been disheartening that the entirety of our time has been taken up with discussing the constitution,” Karl said. “The intended goal of restructuring was supposed to be pushing everything that happened in the body towards an advocacy lens, and that hasn’t really happened because we’ve been way too caught up in messing with the constitution.”
There were some major changes to the constitution this year, including a rules package introduced by Karl. It was an idea that Student Assembly was working on since the transition committee.
“I felt it didn’t necessarily deserve a place in the hard to change, concrete constitution,” Karl said.
During the same meeting as Karl’s proposal, third-year mathematics education major Griffin MaClaren introduced the role of parliamentarian. The parliamentarian works to ensure that meetings run in accordance with the constitution. Conflicting wording in MaClaren and Karl’s proposals drew a need for debate to allow for both the role of parliamentarian and the rules package to coexist, which was eventually accomplished.
Another major constitutional change seen during the first year was the removal of the Institutional Traditions Committee. The committee works to advocate, plan and execute campus traditions including Homecoming and Tree Lighting. The committee is now housed under the Student Life division and is open for all students to run for positions, regardless if they are in Student Assembly.
Moving forward, not only does Student Assembly want to work to fill vacant seats they currently have, but work to be a voice for students. Student Assembly’s mission is clearly stated in their constitution: “Develop student leaders, empower our student body to utilize resources equitably, support diversity and inclusion initiatives, engage in civic opportunities and foster growth in the well-being of all students.”
While its first year may have fallen short, Student Assembly members remind themselves why they joined student government.
“I joined to support those who are afraid to speak in that room, because I’m not afraid to speak in that room,” the anonymous Student Assembly member said. “I’m not afraid if people don’t agree with my views because I’m not there to make friends with everyone in that room, I’m there to make change.”
Student Assembly meetings are open to the entire campus community and are held at 3:45 p.m. the first and third Thursday of each month in Hoover 212.

While most Etown students attend the college for four years, this four legged friend just passed the 10 year mark. And he goes by just one name: Truman. .

During the summer of 2014, Director of Student Media Andy Williams and his wife, took in an eight week old multi-generational labradoodle, with the intent of raising him to be a service dog, as they had done with their previous six dogs.

As a part of his training process, it was important to have Truman socialize with different groups and so Williams would bring him along to campus.

“It allowed him to be around different sights, sounds and smells, and not be afraid of them,” Williams said.

But what Williams and his wife discovered in the training process for Truman to become a service dog, was that because of his breed, he had a high prey drive which caused him to react to quick motions such as kids or squirrels.

In good conscience this was something Williams and his wife couldn't say that Truman may never react to again, and so they made the decision to shift from training him to be a service dog to a therapy dog.

“Because of all of his service dog training the therapy dog program was a piece of cake for him,” Williams said. “There’s a lot of basic obedience stuff that your dog has to go through to become a therapy dog, and he was overtrained for it.”

After roughly a year and a half of training Truamn became certified. And during this training process the campus community began to recognize him, but not by his official name.

“That's the person with the dog,” Williams said.

For the first several years Truman came to campus this is how he was known, until the school bookstore posted a photo of Truman to their instagram page.

“When my daughter was going to school here she had bought a knit hat, and she put it on Truman and we took a picture of that,” Williams said. “We sent it to the bookstore manager because we thought it was kind of funny and they put it on their socials and it did really well.”

This success led Truman to become a frequent model for the school stores newest merch items, and led him to create his own Instagram page in 2017, @trumanthetherapydooddle.

Truman also became the face of many new school store items including a calendar, t-shirts, stickers, and plushies made to look like him.

He went from being known as, that's the person with the dog, to Truman.

Now, even after 10 years Truman still makes his way to campus, at least once a week, and to find him just look for Williams, and Truman is just a few steps behind because whatever Wiliams does Truman tags along.

A typical day for Truman starts by making his rounds around the Steinman Center, and then squeezing in some more Z’s in Williams office, as he works.

With Williams role on campus he is often in and out of classrooms and the Student Media Center, creating a special bond for Communication students to Truman.

“Truman is our own personal communications dog,” senior Digital Media Production major, Jessica Piergallini said. “Getting to see him so often is a perk of the program.”

But Truman is sure to make rounds on campus for all students to get some pets in, so at noon he and Williams make their way over to the Blue Bean to do just that.

“I love giving him pup-cups and seeing his smiling face around campus,” junior Julia Yudichak said. “Whenever I am having a stressful day or just need a little pick-me-up Truman is always there to cheer me up.”

In addition to weekday visits, Truman also has been attending admissions weekend events since he was a pup. For prospective students, who may have a dog or pet at home, seeing that the campus has its own therapy dog can help in providing a sense of comfort, that Etown can be their home away from home.

And that comfort goes beyond just students past and present, but to their families.

“He sat at commencement with a family whose dad has terrible PTSD and didn’t think he could watch his daughter graduate and because Truman sat with him the whole time and he was able to pet Truman the whole time, he watched his daughter graduate,” Williams said.

Beyond the campus, Truman is a part of the Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Service (K-Pets), whose mission is to “promote well-being by sharing the power of human/animal interaction’. This program allows organizations to request for K-Pets to come to them, and provide their pet therapy services.

“It amazes me that sometimes it's just 10 seconds and you see the difference it makes for somebody,” Williams said. “It catches me because I’m with him all the time but to see what it he does for other people''

With Truman passing this new milestone the question that stands is: will he ever earn his degree?

Hundreds of trick or treaters filled the streets of downtown Elizabethtown last Wednesday. LIV_Etown hosted its third annual Trunk or Treat Candy Crawl event.
When the event started three years ago, it was a small group of local organizations who decorated the trunks of their cars to give out candy and treats to community members. But since then, the event has grown each year, as attendance also grows.
New this year, all attendees who came in a costume were eligible to enter into win a pumpkin pail full of gift cards. One pumpkin pail for those 17 and under, and another for those 18 and over. This was just another way for attendees to get a piece of downtown, as the gift cards were all from local businesses.
One of these business being The Spot, Hometown Deli, which is a relatively new face to downtown Etown, opening in the spring earlier this year. This was the businesses first year participating in the Trunk or Treat Candy Crawl.
“Its great to see the whole community together like this,” said General Manager Ed Cunningham. “The mission of The Spot is to be connected to and involved in the community.”
The Spot also participates in each 2nd Friday event.
But with such a large event, involving a number of organizations, who helps to get everything organized? The event is sponsored through the event group LIV_Etown, which stands for local, interactive, vitality in Etown. This group works to put on community based events including Merry Grinchmas E-town, Oktoberfest Pirates Plunder, and downtown 2nd Friday events.
Clint and Tony Gibble not only own the Tatted Toy Guys Emporium but are the organizers of LIV_E-town. The two have always had a love for growing community connections and thus work to host events like the Trunk or Treat Candy Crawl.
“It came about as a desire by the LIV_E-town team to provide a fun interactive experience,” said Gibble. “ [It provides] an alternative to the standard Trick-or-Treat, while serving as a give back to the community for their loving support of our Downtown area.”
This year in addition to handing out treats the two hosted a clown house walkthrough which allowed attendees to walk through a maze-like tunnel with jumpscare surprises along the way.
Plans have already begun to make next years Trunk or Treat Candy Crawl even bigger. Gibble explained they hope to expand their clown house walkthrough, in addition to getting even more businesses involved.
To stay up to date with all of LIV_E-town’s events you can find them on Facebook at LIV_E-town.