STORIES

The University of St. Francis’ (USF) Esports team has been an ever growing part of the university. The esports team started three years ago with only 12 students. It has since grown over the years to now 36 students. This year the Esports team has eight total teams playing across five different games. These games include “Fortnite”, “Super Smash Bros”, “Marvel Rivals” and “Rocket League”. “We also support other games in the lab. In the past I have had teams in ‘Valorant’, ‘Ov

Arguably one of the most memorable parts of Thanksgiving Day for the last 99 years has been the amazing balloons that parade through the streets of New York City during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This parade started in 1924, but the iconic giant balloons were not introduced until three years later in 1927. The original balloon, Felix the Cat, was added in order to create a more whimsical aspect to the event.  This year, people can either watch along the two and a hal

If you walk past the University of St. Francis’ (USF) radio station, WCSF, you will most likely find Program Director Victoria Adams hard at work in the production studio. The station is not just a workspace for Adams, it is her life. “I kind of live here. There is always something that I can think of doing (at the station),” Adams said. However, the road to this position has been nothing short of a wild ride. When the previous program director of WCSF decided to transfer fro

The USF women’s volleyball team has been making noise in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). The team has not finished as a top four team since 2016, the year of their last conference title. This year however, coach Cara Currier has flipped the script, leading the team to the most conference wins since that first place finish.  One thing that coach Currier mentioned about the team’s success this year has been their improved level of chemistry.  “I do think

As many students have become aware that The University of St. Francis (USF) has made a series of budget cuts including faculty positions as well as undergraduate programs and departments. While this process has been deemed an academic reorganization, according to the Saints United section on the University’s website, it raises serious questions as to how this process will affect students and their career choices, current and future. During the Student Government Association (

Halloween has ended and the seasons are starting to change once again. Along with the change in season is a change in playlists. It’s time for some Christmas music to hit your playlists. Some people think it's too early for Christmas music since it is right after Halloween, but I disagree.  Thanksgiving is a holiday without music. The music that fits perfect for around this time of year is Christmas music. It fits perfectly while the weather gets colder and kids eagerly await

It is no secret that there is currently a lot of negativity going around the University of St. Francis (USF) campus. The Student Government Association clubs’ budgets have been cut by 25%. Staff are being terminated without notice to students. Certain programs are at risk of being shut down, and USF is in millions of dollars of debt.  Despite this, students are still able to find positivity within all the negativity; something that keeps them at USF during hard times like the

On Oct. 22, the Student Government Association (SGA) held a meeting that discussed the university’s financial status. In the meeting, it was confirmed that due to a decline in enrollment, an increase in operationals costs, budget overestimation and misclassification of grant funding revenue, the University of St. Francis (USF) is in a $6 million deficit. To account for this deficit, President Hendrickson's recovery strategy is an academic reorganization. An announcement was r

During the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Oct. 22, students became aware of the university’s six million dollar deficit. During a time full of confusion and a fair amount of misinformation being circulated, it is vital for students, faculty and staff alike to ask questions and be as involved as they can. In doing so, we can maintain the thin thread of communication, which will help everyone best understand our university’s circumstances.  The University of St

The University of St. Francis’ (USF) dance team, led by coach Ally Whittenhall, is getting ready for another fun and competitive season full of competition and pride. They are just starting their offseason, but they have been busy meeting over summer for practices and have been performing at school events like the football and basketball games. The two team captains, Stefanie Schellhorn and Aleksandria Potoczny, talked about how the team is this year and what they aim to acco

As the holiday season approaches there are many things I look forward to. Including, seeing my  friends who are home from school, giving gifts to the people I love, seeing those side character family members that only appear on the holidays, but most importantly I look forward to all of the delicious food we have restricted to our “Holiday Menu”.  Except for the true enemy on that list, green bean casserole.  I will argue that green bean casserole is the absolute worst dish s

Halloween is one of the best holidays for many reasons, one of them being the music that represents the joy this day brings. You might think that people have the same love for every other holiday, which is almost the case. As soon as Halloween ends, there is one holiday that people start to get ready for: Christmas.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas but the immediate attention it gets after Halloween causes people to shift their focus away from a holiday in between Hallow

There are many changes that have been announced at the University of St. Francis (USF) over the past weeks. Some may know that many staff and faculty members have been terminated, or that the school is around $6 million in debt after it was previously reported that there was only a deficit of $1 million.  One change that has not been widely publicized throughout campus has been the budget cuts that have been made to student clubs. At the Student Government Association (SGA) m

After one of their most successful seasons in program history, the University of St. Francis (USF) women’s basketball team looks to continue its dominance on the court. Last season, the team shocked the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) by finishing third in the regular season and   reaching the conference championship game. This all culminated in reaching the NAIA national tournament with an at-large bid, where they won a game against Rocky Mountain College. 

When people think of fashion, they often think of places like New York, Shanghai, Milan, Berlin, and Tokyo, some of the world's fashion capitals, but have we ever looked right in our own backyard? Outside of the fields of corn that extend as far as the horizon, the Midwest is graced with four distinctive seasons. While our summers are scorching and our winters are blistering, in the fall we transform into a gorgeous city of gold. Once that first leaf falls, our style has no l

The University of St. Francis (USF) Sustainability Committee is geared up for a momentous month. Considering that October is Campus Sustainability Month, the Co-Chair of the Sustainability Committee, Ashley Swanson, is amidst one of the busiest months of the year. “I usually go heavier on events in October and April… so, those are like my two busy times of the year,” Swanson explained.  Swanson devised multiple events for the month of October including a Beehive Glow-Up as we

The University of St. Francis (USF) has been a recognized Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) since 2023. Along with this, they have also received grant money for being an HSI. However, that has changed as the Department of Education is discontinuing the university’s Title V grant. This decision leaves a big question, what the university is going to do with the loss of the grant funding? I ask this question as the university has staff positions, student worker jobs and some re

KayJ Hood is a junior Studio Art major who is making an impact with her efforts to change and update SGA legislation and policies. In the last few months, Hood has taken the initiative to write legislation intended to positively impact students as well as clubs and organizations involved in the Student Government Association (SGA). Hood spearheaded three major initiatives to ensure legislation properly reflects the needs of the student body. Starting as a class senator, Hood

The Encounter Podcast brings you the Halloween themed October podcast. Featuring guests: Tykara Harrison and Laurelei Thormeyer on USF Women's Basketball, President Dr. Ryan Hendrickson on HSI Grant Funding, the Encounter staff on Top Halloween Movies and Kat Norton on Spooky USF Stories. Directed and Produced by Podcasting Executive Brant Singler.

Dr. Ryan Hendrickson, chosen as the tenth president of the University of St. Francis (USF) on Feb. 18, was officially inaugurated into...