March/April 2016
Volume 55 Issue 2
Neags Award $2.25 Million Nursing Scholarships
what’s in THIS ISSUE
By Brian O’Shaughnessy Editor
A Photo courtesy of Carey Manzolillo
Discussion in “Black Lives Matter”
Carole (left) and Ray Neag (right) establish the Neag Nursing Scholarship program at Alvernia.
Away From Home
Yet Tennis Teams Trouble By Torn Turf, Tedium
New Names and Faces, Same Team
More Than the “Flynn Files” By Matthew Baer Contributing Writer Many students recall someone talking to them at Convocation, but often do not stop to think about who exactly was the man on stage. Who is Dr. Thomas F. Flynn other than the President of Alvernia University? Dr. Flynn might seem scary to some people. He is in a substantial position that gives him great responsibilities. His aura of responsibility can cause students to become nervous to meet him. Yet, once a student gets to know him, Dr. Flynn’s warm and personable nature shines through. Dr. Flynn began his college career as a literature and history major. He planned to teach and write once he graduated from Boston College, and he did at Millikin University and Mount Saint Mary’s University. As a faculty leader, Dr. Flynn was given opportunities to look into becoming a President of a university. He loved teaching, but he was encouraged by mentors that were colleagues, administra-
tors, and prominent leaders to look into a presidential position. In fact, Dr. Flynn will still teach sometimes. Last semester, he team-taught a course with Professors Caroline Fitzpatrick and Donna Yarri. Dr. Flynn was a President at one other university before Alvernia. He served as the President of Millikin University in Illinois, and was also a dean at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Maryland. In fact, he had never heard of Alvernia before arriving here, but when he had his prelimi-
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Interns in the Arena
nary interview with Alvernia, he knew that he wanted to stay. “I had the advantage of knowing that if I were offered the job I would take it in a heartbeat,” Dr. Flynn said, remembering his interviews with Alvernia. Dr. Flynn still remembers his student interview from 11 years ago. “The student leaders who interviewed me were the single most impressive student group of interviewers that I had met in my various Presidential interviews,” Dr.
Continued on page 5
Photo courtesy of Matthew Baer
‘Finding Home’
One of Alvernia’s biggest programs has now received the largest donation the University has ever received. Carole and Ray Neag have funded a new nursing scholarship program at Alvernia with a $2.25 million gift. Carole and Ray Neag are among Alvernia’s most generous benefactors, with a long history of financial support of the university. Carole is a former emergency and maternity nurse who also worked to implement injury-prevention stan-
dards. She previously served as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. Ray is the retired cofounder, vice chairman and director of Arrow International, now Teleflex Medical, an innovator in the use of catheterization for diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases. Carole and Ray share a strong interest in nursing, and expressed interest in investing in the next generation of nurses to help them obtain outstanding training from a values-based university like Alvernia. The Neags have a legacy of
Dr. Thomas F. Flynn in his office in Francis Hall.
By Genesis Ciriaco Editor The Santander Arena puts students in a position where they can grow and learn beyond textbooks. Three Alvernia students have found the arena to be a place where they are challenged to resolve real-world problems, gain skills, and build connections. Alysse Caparoni, a senior communications major, is doing her spring internship in the marketing department. “One of my friends interned there, I went to their website and applied online,” Caparoni said. Santander Arena’s website give students the option to apply for an internship under their employment page. The students are required to fill out basic contact information and submit a resume online. Only two weeks after applying, Caparoni received a phone call to set up an interview. After waiting anxiously for less than two months, Caparoni discovered she landed the internship. “Being that they’re the only big concert venue, the arena
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THE ALVERNIAN STAFF Managing Editor/ Layout Amber Nikolaus Section Editors La’Key Brathwaite Genesis Ciriaco Kaneeayl Davis Monica Echeverri Kyle Grim Keith Noonan Brian O’Shaughnessy Macy Storm Contributing Writers Matthew Baer Jillian Baker Christopher Casciotti Antonio Gaetani Carmen Gonzalez Mirco Giangiulio Lauren Knecht Justin Herforth Mady Johnston Kayla Provost Theodore Rogers Justin Strohm Faculty Advisor Dr. Ryan Lange
The Alvernian is the official student newspaper of Alvernia University. To contact newspaper staff, the office telephone number is 610-796-8358.
Articles submitted for consideration into The Alvernian should be written in some semblance of AP style. Letters to the editor, requests for advertisements, and general comments and questions may be submitted to ryan.lange@alvernia.edu. The editors reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, accuracy, and length.
The views expressed in The Alvernian are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the student body, faculty, staff, administration, or sponsors.
© 2016 The Alvernian
Vol. 55 Issue 2
O’Shaughnessy Files: March 2016 Attending Alvernia University has been one of the greatest decisions of my life. I have been sitting in a chair as a college student for less than four years and have had the thoughts, fears and concerns about finding a job in a competitive job market. One of the main things I’ve learned throughout my time at Alvernia is that it’s a job to find a job. I think it’s fair to say that the only reason we choose to go to college and pay over $40,000 in tuition is to receive a job in a certain field and be successful at it. Unfortunately, attending college and going to classes isn’t enough to stand out in this job market. The good thing about going to a school like Alvernia is that they give you the chances to get ahead in your field by offering real world experience and opportunities to be student leaders in whatever field you go into. As a communication major at Alvernia, I have worked with several agencies such as BCTV, Berks-Mont Newspapers and Berks County Living Magazine to gain real hands on learning. I have completed two internships throughout my time at Alvernia, one last summer with uSTADIUM sports and currently one with the Reading Royals hockey team. One of the most important skills I’ve learned is that in order to succeed in whatever fields you go into, you need people skills. In my opinion, people skills, passion, and preparedness are the biggest
things you’ll need to learn to help you succeed. These skills are not hard to learn. You can control the preparedness. You can prepare for interviews, jobs, assignments, and whatever field you choose to go into to. Business, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Criminal Justice, and Communication are some of the biggest programs on our campus and whatever career you choose, make sure it’s something you care about. You’re going to spend so much time doing it that it’s going to become a part of you, so why not love what you do? Your sense of passion will strongly stand out when you go to job and internship interviews. Whether it is blogging, volunteering, or serving in student organizations, it shows that you’re willing to go that extra step to gain experience in your field because you love doing it. Some of your friends and classmates are going to go on and do great things in life. If you’re the type of person who goes above and beyond to help others, that speaks more volume than you can even imagine. It’s not just helping the important people like student leaders and professors, but ALL people. I’ve been with the Alvernian since the Spring of 2014 and I’ve worked with many people. I’m currently serving as our Student Government Association (SGA) representative and assist our managing editor, Amber Nikolaus, with the layout process.
Brian O’Shaughnessy, senior communications major and President of the Alvernian.
I also work with our faculty advisor, Dr. Ryan Lange, on other things such as budgets and keeping us in compliance with SGA policies. Even though I work with these two closely, I try to treat our whole newspaper staff with the same respect and kindness I give them. The students I work with may not all care about our paper as deeply as I do, but I work hard for them to put them in the best position to succeed. As I get ready to leave
Alvernia, these skills are the most important things I’ve learned throughout my college experience. I stress these three skills to everyone as something to learn and practice on a daily basis. I promise you, it will take you to whatever your ultimate goal is in your career and in life.
“That diploma you hold in your hands today is really just your learner’s permit for the rest of the drive through life. Remember, you don’t have to be smarter than the next person. All you have to do is be willing to work harder than the next person.” -Jimmy Iovine
March/April 2016
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$2.25 million Nursing Scholarships (Continued from pg. 1) in the value of an Alvernia education,” Thomas Minick, Associate Vice President of Advancement, said. “Truly they understand and support our determination as a distinctive Franciscan university to develop ethic leaders with moral courage and graduates that leave our campus prepared to do well and do good.” The Neag Nursing Scholarship Program will provide multiple scholarships each
Students, faculty and staff packed the Bonaventure Room to hear about the Neag Scholarships.
A Discussion in “Black Lives Matter” By Kaneeayl Davis Editor The Alvernia University Philosophy Club held a forum discussing “Black Lives Matter and Social Justice” on February 26 featuring William Paris and Edward O’ Byrn. Both Paris and O’ Byrn are from the Philosophy Department at Penn State University. Black Lives Matter is a phrase meant to focus on the harsh realities black people face in our capitalistic society. It is also used to raise awareness of what the black community has been going through for years and offers solutions that need to be put in place in order to fix the problem. When discussing Black Lives Matter, Paris suggests that we should not mistake the two in the phrase “we the people.” “We must retain what is radical to Black Lives Matter to being attentive to the ways our beliefs may cover over the different ways that violence is experienced because of one’s particular identity,” Paris said. Dr. Janae Sholtz gives a similar position on the matter. “We the People, ironically has never included all the people.
Thus, his point about antidemocratic advocacy is about ceasing to let the phrase “we the people” exist uncritically,” Dr. Sholtz said. For black lives to matter and not only mean black men or black women, Paris believes that we must risk the foundations of our capitalistic democracy that may seem to be an anti-democratic act and think of a place where all black lives truly matter. O’ Byrn discusses his position on the movement Black Lives Matter as well. He said that this movement is not meant to make other races feel a form of discrimination for sympathizing with black struggles. Instead, Black Lives Matter is meant to raise awareness of how black people are being treated in our society. O’Bryn continued by addressing Black Lives Matter from an educational and cultural perspective. He considers that minority history should be taught more in institutions so minorities can fully connect their history with world history, which will then help them truly understand what it is to be an American. Dr. Sholtz agrees with O’Bryn, and said having a
diverse curriculum in schools is crucial. “Exposure to histories and experiences other than your own widens one’s perspective and helps produce compassion and awareness of how insulated we sometimes are from the suffering and real barriers that others face,” Dr. Sholtz said. O’Byrn points out that in public schools blacks are not being told their entire history. He claims that public schools don’t teach blacks that they were the main ones who built most of this country. Lastly, blacks are not told that after the civil rights movement got established, political disenfranchisement came in and ripped all of the black people out of office. Dr. Victoria Williams gave her input on the reasons why minority history isn’t being taught by taking the policy approach. “What is taught in schools is determine by local officials and state officials, and there deciding to only put in curriculums based off their majority traditional white history,” Dr. Williams said. Faculty member Wanda Copeland and Theodore Rogers, member of the Philosophy Club both felt the event
year to students enrolling in Alvernia’s popular nursing degree program. As part of the Neag Nursing Scholarship program, a four-year, full-tuition scholarship will be awarded each year to the top Reading Collegiate Scholar who is interested in entering Alvernia’s nursing program. Launched in 2013, Alvernia’s Reading Collegiate Scholars Program (RCSP) is geared to prepare larger numbers of high school students from Reading to attend and succeed at the college of their choice. The Neag gift establishes the first endowed RCSP scholarships and is the first aligned with a specific discipline. As time goes on, Thomas Minnick hopes the University will continue to receive more generous donations like this one. “The university continues to work with alumni and friends of the institution
to align a potential donors philanthropic interests with our mission. When these two areas align, the potential for large gifts are possible,” Minnick said. “The Institutional Advancement office, working very closely with President Flynn, continues to focus our fundraising efforts on student scholarships, such as the Reading Collegiate Scholars Program, and other priorities such as faculty excellence and mission initiatives.” For more information about giving to Alvernia, please visit www.alvernia. edu/alumni/support/alvernia-fund-new.html.
was enjoyable. Rogers thought the talk on education opened his eyes up more. “This event made me realize how important our culture should be taught on every educational level,” Rogers said. Copeland believed that engaging in to discussions like “Black Lives Matter,” opens diplomatic dialogue. “The ideology of Black Lives Matter is bringing the attention to black injustices that have historically plagued our society due to Black Voices being oppressed and not heard,” Copeland said.
“It’s asking that we, as a society, stop discrediting black experiences as if they have no value nor meaning.” O’ Byrn and Paris both feel that blacks are not taught about the black American experiences; instead they are taught the white American experiences. To fix this problem, they suggest that we listen more to minority communities and allow them to express their differences in society.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Janae Sholtz
nia’s Student Center and established a scholarship for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a Franciscan education at Alvernia. Importantly, they helped establish the Neag Nursing Faculty Development Fund, which has made a significant impact on enhancing the nursing curriculum, teaching pedagogies, evaluation methods and faculty scholarship. “This extraordinary gift from the Neag’s demonstrates their continued confidence
Photo courtesy of Carey Manzolillo
generously supporting Alvernia. In 2011, the Neag Professorships were established to recognize new or emerging faculty scholars who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship and distinction in teaching. The endowed professorships are part of a comprehensive effort to expand support for the faculty’s teaching excellence as well as scholarly and creative achievement. Previously, the Neags supported creation of Alver-
Edward O’ Byrn and William Paris speaking at the “Black Lives Matter” event.
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March/April 2016
Vol. 55 Issue 2
Alvernia Needs “Concussion Discussion” By Monica Echeverri Editor
on end. The next two years were consumed by painful car rides to see a variety of doctors who tried various forms of therapy to alleviate the devastating effects caused by the traumatic brain injury. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a concussion occurs when the head experiences a “bump, blow, or jolt…that disrupts the normal function of the brain.” Dr. Radosh struggled to regain normalcy in her life. One way she tried to take her life back was to do research on other concussion cases. Her research was fruitful in finding answers to what exactly happened to her, but
knowing did not help with the symptoms. She still experienced varying degrees of vertigo, relentless headaches, and extreme sensitivity to both noise and light. While the pain took its toll, nothing hurt Dr. Radosh more than having her life put on hold. “The most difficult part of having the concussion was not being able to live my life,” Dr. Radosh said. “Not being able to be a wife, a mother, or a professor was what hurt most.” Dr. Radosh’s experience made her want to prevent other people from suffering in silence. Surviving a concussion imposes a particular
books, but some healthcare science students said they spent anywhere from $700 to $1200 on textbooks. If you do the math, students in 1977 would be spending around $115, or about $1,200 today. Amanda Turner is a third year occupational therapy major. This school year, she has bought 14 textbooks between her OT and psychology courses. In the process, she has spent close to $1,000. While other students may feel like learning from the textbooks could be the most effective, Turner does not. “I honestly haven’t used any of my books,” Turner said. “I learn best from the power point slides and from listening to my professors, so the use of textbooks are not necessary.” “All of my peers felt the same way; that the textbooks were a waste of time and money. We learn better without them,” Turner said. By contrast, Hibbert has bought 11 textbooks this year, but thinks they are useful references. “During the time that I take that class I don’t need it,” he said. “But as the semesters go on you can use that book as a reference.” Hibbert believes he has
gotten good use out of the books. “Yes, the teacher grabs from the books in certain classes,” Hibbert said. Some students were upset about having to spend hundreds of dollars on textbooks, but some see the texts as their best chance to succeed. “The books are money well spent because they were key to passing the class, which obviously benefits my education,” Hibbert said.
While there are ways to avoid these high prices, it gets difficult when the publishers are releasing new editions each year and teachers expect students to have the updated edition. No matter what, the prices of textbooks are on the rise, and it is important that students spend their money wisely. Students can rent textbooks from our bookstore to save some money, but that is
Photo courtesy of Monica Echeverri
And just like that, time stopped and darkness stood over. Two years have passed since Dr. Jodi Radosh had experienced what at first seemed like a bump on a head. What began as a simple accident from lack of attention grew into its own selfsustaining nightmare. Dr. Radosh was in the middle of running errands one hot July afternoon. Time seemed to have gotten the better of her when she rushed to clean her refrigerator and quickly raised her head, forgetting she was still under the roof of the refrigerator. The pain that followed left her seeing stars, but she brushed it off as a slight bruise and continued her day. Not even 24 hours later, Dr. Radosh began experiencing incredible migraines that left her bedridden for months
loneliness because of the need for a quieter environment. Now that her symptoms have retreated, Dr. Radosh plans to start a support group for not only concussions, but those suffering from any type of traumatic brain injuries here on campus in April 2016 called “Concussion Discussion.” “I wanted to create an open and safe environment for students, faculty, and staff alike. It is a group in which I want people to get involved and progress,” Dr. Radosh said. Concussions happen more often than many students may realize. Alvernia alone has seen 117 students seek help for concussion-related issues in fall 2015. Jaliza Herrera, a junior communications major, suffered from a concussion recently and said that the experience changed her completely. “I was in complete misery.
Dr. Jodi Radosh teaching her Healthcare Communications class.
I had to stay in the dark and could not go outside. I couldn’t use my phone or watch television or even go to class or work,” Herrera said. The road to recovery after sustaining a concussion is a long and winding one, but Dr. Radosh is determined to help not only herself, but other concussion victims return to their normal lives. Though little may be known now about the effects and the improvement following a traumatic brain injury, Dr. Radosh believes modern medicine will soon have answers. She has come forward to provide support for sufferers of brain injuries and hopes to keep spreading the knowledge she attained. The Concussion Discussion group is set to launch in early April. The group will host a screening of the movie ‘Concussion’, starring Will Smith, on April 26 from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
only for a semester. There is an option of buying eBooks online as well. In most cases, these books can be both bought or rented at a discounted rate. In some cases, books can be found online for free in PDF files but these cases are rare.
By Kyle Grim Editor Students in the health care science fields feel a larger hole in their pockets than most when book-buying time comes around. People in majors like nursing or occupational therapy buy or rent 12-14 books each school year compared to three or four for humanities majors. The price of health care text books can run up to anywhere from $150 to $210 each, compared with $50 to $75 for humanities books. “My textbooks are real expensive and can really make a dent in our wallets,” Will Hibbert, a junior nursing major, said. The business of college textbooks is booming right now with the amount of college students increasing each year. Yet, textbook prices are rising faster than the national inflation rate. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the prices of textbooks since 1977 have increased an outstanding 1,041%, well exceeding the overall 308% inflation rate. According to the National Association of College Stores, the average student spends an average of $655 on text-
Photo courtesy of Kyle Grim
Healthcare Books Are Not Healthy for Our Pockets
Junior nursing student Will Hibbert with his stack of nursing books.
March/April 2016
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More Than the “Flynn Files” (Continued from pg. 1) Flynn said. There are even a couple of students from that group that he has stayed in touch with since then. During his college days, Dr. Flynn was involved in student government, where he served as a senator and a president. Also, he was a social activist. He was involved in many anti-war demonstrations during the Vietnam War. He was not engaged in any violent protests, and was disgusted by the aggression conveyed by protestors toward returning veterans. “I was greatly influenced by some of the impressive Jesuit priests who counselled peaceful protest rather than violence,” Dr. Flynn said. Additionally, Dr. Flynn was a very serious runner. The craze back in his day was road racing, and Dr. Flynn loved to do it. The average race was 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Dr. Flynn is an avid follower of sports. His favorite
professional team is the Boston Red Sox, but he mostly enjoys collegiate sports. He enjoys rooting for Boston College, Michigan and Xavier, but naturally his favorite college teams are any of the Alvernia Crusaders. In his free time, Dr. Flynn loves to spend time with his family and closest friends. “The three things we do together is listen to music, watch sports, and read novels,” Dr. Flynn said. Dr. Flynn’s favorite type of music is rock and roll. He enjoys listening to Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan, and BoDeans. Taking a vacation is another one of the most favorite things Dr. Flynn likes to do with his family. Ireland is one of his families’ favorite places to go. They have been there several times. They enjoy staying on the west coast by the water. While there, they enjoy the
culture and traditional music. “We also enjoy remembering that ‘Guinness is good for you,’” Dr. Flynn said as he was reminiscing about the Irish beer. Of course, Dr. Flynn is all about service. He loves the fact that this university is so involved with its community. “Service is in the DNA of this place,” Dr. Flynn said. Growing up in the Catholic Church, Dr. Flynn was inspired by the teachings to help others, and he is inspired by Alvernia’s Franciscan mission to help others. When he was President of Millikin University, he went on a service trip to the Dominican Republic and is looking forward to doing another trip there in the future, but this time with Alvernia. Additionally, there is talk about starting a service program in Brazil, in which he plans to visit and provide service for. Dr. Flynn has done a
number of service work with the Days of Service. His favorite is the Freshman Orientation Day of Service. “There is such a magical spirit around that one,” Dr. Flynn said in regards to the Freshman Orientation Day of Service. He loves to see the first year students already making an impact in Alvernia’s community. All around, Dr. Flynn is more than a President of Alvernia. The campus community finds him relatable and personable. He wanted to close with some words of wisdom for college students. “I think the most important thing as you grow up is to try to marry together what you love, what you are good at, and what you think is important and try to pull those three things together,” he said. “For college students, what I would say is recognize the fact that you will make several lifelong friends at Alvernia, and that that will
make all the difference,”
receives plenty of applicants,” she said. “I was nervous before the process. After I got accepted, I had to sign up for an Orientation day.” During the orientation, the students received a grand tour of the arena. All of the students had to hand in their availability and sign up for events to work. Not all events are held in the big arena. Some may be hosted at the Santander Performing Arts Center where smaller theatre productions or comedians perform. The employees look through students’ resumes and place them in different departments, depending on their skills and past experience. Caparoni was assigned to work under Tammy Bate-
man, the Group Sales and Marketing Manager. Bateman is responsible for attracting new clients and ensuring existing clients are satisfied. She also seeks payment sales for a large number of people coming in as groups. Caparoni is responsible for importing data into the arena’s system and sending out useful surveys. She goes beyond the office work too, going as far as Allentown to distribute flyers on upcoming events. Advertising helps the company gain new clients. During the events, Caparoni greets guests, helps them find their seats and answers any questions that they may have. “I enjoy the job very much, I love how hands-on everything is. It is cool to
meet some of the performers and just be around people. I am learning a lot on how to handle situations,” Caparoni said. Kyle Clark, senior, also interns at the arena. Clark works directly under the Director of Marketing and Booking, Joe Giordano. Last semester, Clark was doing this internship for college credit and fell in love with it. He decided to intern here again to gain more experience and skills, but only part-time. “I have more responsibility this semester than I did last. I am given more independent work” Clark said. His position required a marketing background. He currently creates marketing plans for upcoming events, does research and works
with contracts. He has gained teamwork and publicizing skills. Teamwork is important when working in the “realworld.” Marketing and advertising careers will always require individuals to work with one another. Through working at the arena, students are getting a sneak peek of the future. “The most challenging thing is balancing hours between this internship, school work and playing tennis. But the fact that I am able to learn so much makes it all worth it,” Clark said. Senior communications major Brian O’Shaughnessy interns at the arena, but under the Reading Royals, which is an ECHL minor hockey league affiliated with the Philadelphia Flyers. The team was founded back in 2001 and have been playing their home games at the Santander Arena ever since, formerly known as the Sovereign Center. O’Shaughnessy started his internship in the beginning of the team’s season in October. “I spoke to the recruiters that came to campus the month before the season started,” O’Shaughnessy said. “They brought me in for an interview and decided to
bring me in. I love sports so it all worked out perfectly,” His duties include maintaining the Royals social media platforms during games by providing live game updates, taking photos and maintaining post game graphics by the use of Adobe Photoshop. “One of the biggest challenges I faced was trying to market our social media in a way that would allow our fans to respond,” he said. “Reading isn’t a big hockey town, so our social media platforms aren’t as popular, but we are constantly trying to find new ways to market the team.” “I am surrounded by great people at all times that help one another reach the ultimate goal of making Reading Royals one of the top fan bases in ECHL,” O’Shaughnessy said. For how to apply or more information, visit http:// www.santander-arena.com/.
To Learn,
To Love,
To Serve
Photo courtesy of Brian O’Shaughnessy
Interns in the Arena (Continued from pg. 1)
A look at the ice in the Santander Arena before a Reading Royals Hockey Game.
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March/April 2016
Vol. 55 Issue 2
A.S.A.P.P. Encourages Students to “Take Back the Night“ Alvernia Sexual Assault Prevention Peers (A.S.A.P.P.) will be hosting Take Back the Night on April 21 as part of Sexual Violence Awareness Month. The event is meant to open up discussion of sexual assault and rape, as well as debunk myths and stigmas surrounding sexual violence. Alyssa Garcia, sophomore Occupational Therapy major, is President of A.S.A.P.P. Garcia said that Take Back the Night is a night of personal healing for victims of sexual violence and assault. “We will, hopefully, be hearing from a survivor [of sexual violence] and hearing their story,” Garcia said. “Then, we open up the floor to anyone who has been, or knows a victim of sexual violence, so that they can tell their stories in an open environment and feel safe about it.”
Take Back the Night is also meant to inspire students to fight against sexual violence, a message heavily promoted by A.S.A.P.P. “[Sexual violence] is a problem in our community and our campus,” Garcia said. “It is very important to educate people that this is our problem, this is our campus and we need to take it back as ours.” A.S.A.P.P. believes Take Back the Night is a critical part of raising awareness of sexual violence on Alvernia’s campus. A.S.A.P.P. wants to encourage students to be proactive in making a creating a safe, comfortable environment on campus, since sexual violence is an issue on many college campuses and communities. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted during their college years. Take Back the Night is A.S.A.P.P.’s biggest event
during the Spring semester. It is part of a series of programs and activities to promote awareness and prevention of sexual and domestic violence during Sexual Violence Awareness Month in April. A.S.A.P.P. will also spend two weeks of the month promoting sexual violence awareness and prevention, as well as the importance of bystander intervention. Other A.S.A.P.P events throughout the month include Plod the Quad, The Clothes-
Hunger Games, and Pixar movies. Over the years, fans have created theories regarding certain elements of these beloved books and movies. The audience was thoroughly engaged and ready to share their opinions on these popular fan theories. The second roundtable included Alvernia students Jamie Cappiello, senior, Shannon Homa, junior, Marisa Lombardo, junior, and Macy Storm, junior. This roundtable honed in the idea of literary representations of espionage and whether or not they have merit in modern day society. The roundtable members engaged the audience by using these books to connect with modern day issues such as racial inequality, gender inequality, and the most recent governmental inva-
sion of privacy into Apple cell phones. Many of the roundtable participants were attending the conference for the first time. For all, the conference was a satisfying experience. “When we presented, it was nice to present the research we had worked on for a long time,” Marisa Lombardo said. The students had been doing research for months in order to prepare for the conference. All of that research was put to work in an hour and fifteen-minute roundtable discussion. Aside from their own roundtables, numerous members of other Sigma Tau Delta participated in roundtables and presented their creative works. For first time participant, Shannon Homa, this was her favorite part of the conven-
line Project, and A Walk for No More, in which A.S.A.P.P. will team up with Berks Women in Crisis (BWIC) at First Energy Stadium to promote awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault. A.S.A.P.P. is also hoping to work with other school organizations, like Theatre Club, to promote bystander intervention in high-risk situations. A.S.A.P.P.’s goals of awareness and prevention of sexual violence are why events like Take Back the Night are so
important for students and the community to participate in. According to Garcia, it is ultimately up to students to create a safe environment at Alvernia and the surrounding community Take Back the Night will be held in the Campus Commons Living Room at 7 p.m. on Thursday April 21. For more information, contact Alyssa Garcia (alyssa.garcia@ alvernia.edu) or Kiara Gregoris (Kiara.gregoris@alvernia. edu).
Photo courtesy of A.S.A.P.P.
By Mady Johnston Contributing Writer
A.S.A.P.P. during Take Back the Night in April, 2015.
‘Finding Home’ Away from Home with Sigma Tau Delta By Macy Storm Editor
Photo courtesy of Megan McCue
Students from Alvernia flew to Minneapolis, Minnesota to participate in the annual Sigma Tau Delta Conference. The conference took place from March 2 through March 5. This year’s theme for the conference was “Finding Home.” Schools from all over the country were in attendance to present their roundtables. Alvernia’s Sigma Tau Chapter prepared two roundtables to present at the conference. The first roundtable included Alvernia students Colton McLaughlin, junior, and Scott Dressler, senior, as well as Alvernia alumni Jessica Heller and Megan McCue. This roundtable focused on fan theories about Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The
(Left to right) Macy Storm, Marisa Lombardo, Shannon Homa and Jamie Cappiello take a photo while waiting to enter the Red and Black Gala Dinner.
tion. “I enjoyed the roundtables and readings because it was really cool to hear how creative the other schools were,” Homa said. “The love for literature and creativity spreads across the country.” The entire conference wasn’t all work, however. The conference was jam packed with many events, including workshops, Open Mic Night, Bad Poetry Night, and the Dry T-Shirt Contest. “I got to read a collective poem and people booed me,” McLaughlin said, when speaking about the Bad Poetry Contest. In the Bad Poetry Contest, everyone boos when they like a poem. It is one of the traditions of the Sigma Tau Delta Conference that has continued over the years. The conference also included two keynote speakers, Charles Baxter and Kao Kalia Yang, who gave riveting speeches about their novels. For Jamie Cappiello, the speakers were what interested her the most. “I really enjoyed getting knowledge bestowed upon me from the speakers,” Cappiello said. The last night of the con-
ference was closed by the annual Red and Black Gala Dinner. Awards were handed out for the best essays, stories, and poems. Participants were thanked for their hard work and dedication. Then the conference was closed and everyone headed home. Even as one conference comes to a close, the next one is always opening on the horizon. Next year’s conference will be in Louisville, Kentucky from March 29 through April 1. The theme will be “Recreation.” Many of the first time participants hope that new people will join them for next year’s conference. “It’s a really cool experience even if you’re not an English major,” Lombardo said. Cappiello, as a two-time convention goer and senior, wants future Alvernia Sigma Tau Delta members and convention goers to know that having “honor society” in the title shouldn’t deter anyone away. “Don’t be intimidated by all the intelligent people around you,” Cappiello said. “You may not feel like it, but you’re just as intelligent as them.”
March/April 2016
club news
7 Vol. 55 Issue 2
Critical Thinking with Philosophy Club By Theodore Rogers Contributing Writer
The club brings speakers to campus to speak about a variety of global topics that are prevalent in today’s society. The Philosophy Club also hosts opportunities for students to explore the nearby community and to participate in off campus events. This includes Reading Symphony, Philadelphia Museum of Art, theater productions, and conferences at other universities that focus on topics such as women studies, social sciences, racism, and nationalism. Dr. Janae Sholtz, an Associate Professor of Philosophy, is
the facilitator of projects and ideas for the club. Dr. Sholtz encourages students from any major to consider taking part in the club. “Students should get involved with the club because it is exciting to find a group of students who are urgently involved in discussing issues that matter to them and developing their social and intellectual awareness,” Dr. Sholtz said. “Philosophy Club is an opportunity to take a leadership role in conceiving and planning events. The students share their diverse perspectives and experiences,
MacAleese. The three will create the final layout and design for the book’s release in the spring. After the final collection is sent to be published, there is a two week wait period before the book is physically distributed. Dr. Thomas Bierowski, Associate Professor of English, is the faculty advisor for The Zephyrus. He oversees Zephyrus as a moderator, but leaves much of the magazine’s composition to the students. “[Zephyrus] is an opportunity for students to participate instead of just spectating all the time,” Dr. Bierowski said. Dr. Bierowski said that student participation is always relatively low, which has surprised him as a member of a school that is constantly overflowing with all kinds of artistic talent. While there are a multitude of opportunities for students to display their passions, the most lacking component has always been in a hesitancy to do so. The importance of art and creative expression lies in a willingness to share one’ s viewpoint on seemingly commonplace surroundings
to others through a different set of lenses. This allows consumers and creators of the arts alike to feel a part of something more than just their own experiences and mindsets. In the simplest terms, art makes people feel alive. So why should students care? When presented with this question, Dr. Bierowski
quoted author and poet Walt Whitman: “I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric ‘ yawp’ over the roofs of the world.” Zephyrus allows students to do just this, he said. “Zephyrus is your opportunity to make your ‘yawp,’ to say what you feel and to be recognized for it; To be published.” Bierowski holds the belief
Photo courtesy of Theodore Rogers
The Philosophy Club is an organization where students get together each week to talk about topics that occur globally. Students in the club discuss topics such as racism, sexuality, religion, and stereotypes. A member of the club brings a news article or idea to the meeting each week that they find interesting. The members of the group will then discuss the topic or news article in a roundtable fashion. The organization is a wellrounded and open-minded group that discusses a variety of global issues. Each semester the club organizes different fund raisers and events. The funds generated from these sales help the club buy t-shirts, attend conferences, and buy any supplies needed for events, such as a pretzel or candy sale.
bringing theory and practice together.” The Philosophy Club president is Amanda Milsoit, a junior nursing major. Milsoit said that the club needs more attention. Milsoit feels the club is deserving of attention because of the club’s impact on students. Milsoit reiterated Dr. Sholtz’s statement of welcome. “Any student is welcomed to join whether you are black, white, or purple,” she said. “This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get involved.” Edwin Olivo, a junior nursing major, is the current vice president of the club. His goals for the club are to educate the members by informing them of situations that are taking place in the world. “We talk about everything,” Olivo said. “We want to hear all the student’s theories and ideas on campus.” Sharing ideas is important to Dr. Sholtz as well, par-
Philosophy Club T-shirts ( The Philosophy Club theme quote on the back of the shirt means that we cannot have light without darkness because they balance each other out.)
By Lauren Knecht Contributing Writer Many students may not be aware that Alvernia produces a literary magazine once an academic year called “The Zephyrus.” The Zephyrus publishes poetry, short story writing, artwork, and photography. The Zephyrus fits into the overall flow of artistic expression at Alvernia. Artists display their art in the Miller Gallery throughout the year, and Open Mic Nights in the Student Center provide opportunities for young musicians, poets, and writers alike to share their work. The Zephyrus picks a different theme each year as the basis for work to be completed, submitted, and included in the magazine. This time around, Zephyrus found its inspiration in “Metamorphosis,” which involves any original piece of art or writing that pertains to change and transformation. Students submit their work to the magazine, with the student-run editorial staff making all decisions about what work is included. This year, these editors include Jamie Cappiello, Ashley Beyer and Jocelyn
Photo courtesy of Lauren Knecht
Unleash Your Yawp with Zephyrus
Betsy Bonn captures “Decaying Rebellion” for the 2014 edition of Zephyrus.
ticularly in helping students understand their power as citizens and thinkers. “Students will gain a sense of the importance of their voices and ideas and a sense of the impact that their ideas and commitments can make within the larger community,” she said. “Students will gain a sense of community with others who are interested in expressing their ideas, challenging viewpoints and assumptions, and exploring the deeper meanings of our social practices and experiences. Students will gain a sense of how ideas can be empowering.” The Philosophy Club meets every Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the Shander Room. Contact President Amanda Milsoit at Amanda.Milsoit@alvernia. edu for any information about the club or upcoming events.
that the literary magazine is one of the best opportunities to be recognized not for academics or scholarly achievements, but for a unique world view and creative expression. He has loved seeing what has been on the minds of the students, as well as emerging generations of young people, in reaction to various topics and focuses. In particular, he looks forwards to photography and artwork displayed in Zephyrus, as he teaches courses targeted mainly towards writing and literature. Dr. Bierowski and the editorial team of Zephyrus urge anyone interested in having their work published in the literary magazine to contribute through electronic submission to zephyrus@ alvernia.edu starting from the fall until spring. Jamie Cappiello, student editor, summed up the appeal of Zephyrus. “People just seem to want to closet their inner weirdness. [Zephyrus] is that chance to say, ‘Look. I’m creative, weird, and strange, now appreciate it.’ And we do!”
8
tennis spotlight
March/April 2016
Vol. 55 Issue 2
Men’s Tennis Hopes for Another Playoff Spot In late February, the Alvernia men’s tennis team returned to practice in preparation for another possible run at the playoffs this spring. Late last season, the Crusaders made a push to grab the fourth seed in the men’s Commonwealth playoffs, but were eliminated in the first round by the top seed Messiah 5-0. This year, Messiah remains on top, receiving four out of eight first place votes. Adding to the challenge of the upcoming season is a new opponent, the Arcadia Knights. The Knights have made the move to the Commonwealth Conference after previously playing in the Freedom Conference. They are tied for third alongside Lebanon Valley, and also received two first place votes. Meanwhile, the Crusaders have fallen to sixth place
in the MAC Commonwealth preseason poll. “Despite being low in the rankings, I believe that our guys have a chance to surprise many teams. We have been practicing hard and are looking forward to the challenge,” Ben Daubenspeck said. Daubenspeck is a newly hired assistant coach for the men’s tennis team and also graduated from Alvernia last year. He played on the men’s tennis team, helping the Crusaders during the late-season push to the playoffs. Today, Daubenspeck has set his racket aside to join former player and current assistant coach, Dan Minnich. Minnich holds the record for most singles and doubles wins at Alvernia, and has over 100 wins, another Alvernia record. The majority of the men’s tennis team is comprised of upperclassmen who are hoping to give Alvernia its first Commonwealth title in
team history before graduation. One of those upperclassmen is a former Division 1 transfer, Luke Hangen. Hangen has recently moved to Reading with his father from Santa Clarita, California. The reason for the move is due to a job that Hangen’s father received at Reading Hospital where they currently both work at. Hangen is an experienced player and is hoping that he can make an instant impact on the team and help his fellow new teammates reach the playoffs. Hangen competed in many tournaments in California. He was placed in the second highest league, 4.5/5, where Minnich was placed. “I’m looking forward to getting the season underway and to see what we can do as a team,” Hangen said. “If everyone keeps up the level of play I believe that we definitely have a shot to go deep into the playoffs.” The Crusaders have three
to the low number of courts. This results in matches taking longer. “We are not able to put all of our starting six players on the court at the same time which prolongs our matches,” Cassandra Noray, sophomore, said. In addition to the problems during regular home matches, dual matches with the men’s
team also have issues. During dual matches, one team has to use the Governor Mifflin high school facility. They do this because it would take too long if they all competed at Angelica Park. “It is kind of ridiculous that a high school has two times a number of courts than our university,” Noray said. Despite their challenges,
home matches remaining one of which is against cross town rival, Albright College, on Tuesday, April 12. The other two home matches are Wednesday, April 20 against Stevenson University and Saturday, April 30 against Lebanon Valley
College. Two of the Crusaders last three matches of the regular season will be played at home as they will attempt to make another push into the Commonwealth playoffs.
Photo courtesy of Antonio Gaetani
By Antonio Gaetani Contributing Writer
Senior, Kyle Clark re-grips his racket before practice.
Yet Tennis Teams Troubled by Torn Turf, Tedium Imagine a close tennis match being decided by the ball bouncing on a crack in the court and taking an unexpected angle. The cracks in the Crusader court have concerned players now for many seasons. Cracks appear in the court during the winter months. While facilities works to mend the cracks, they reappear in the following winter. Players have said that resurfacing the courts would help fix this problem. Resurfacing should happen every four years, but it has not happened in many years. “Everything about the courts are just in pretty bad shape,” Xena Sperazza, junior, said. “It is annoying having to drive to practice every day when others can just walk to their courts for practice.” “We pay all of this money for the facilities, so we should be able to have courts on campus and more than four courts for both teams that are kept in good condition at all times.” All four Crusader tennis courts are located in Angelica Park. Fewer matches are able to be played concurrently due
the women’s tennis team captured the MAC title last May with a 5-1 win over Lebanon Valley College. This was the first time the women’s tennis team won the conference title. Yet, despite a successful team, some players felt their MAC title was not celebrated at the same caliber as men’s basketball or baseball.
“I don’t think that the sports department acknowledges us as competitors at Alvernia,” Sperazza said. “The students at Alvernia do not think tennis is a real sport quite honestly, which is disappointing.”
“Just play. Have fun. Enjoy the game.” -Michael Photo courtesy of Jon King
By Jillian Baker Contributing Writer
The 2014-2015 women’s tennis team posing with their plaque and banner after winning the MAC title last spring.
Jordan
lacrosse spotlight March/April 2016
9 Vol. 55 Issue 2
New Names and Faces, Same Team
Freshman, Jarret Abernathy starts out the season strong as the team’s leading scorer.
creating a new spark for the team,” Sheaffer said. This makes older and younger guys work harder. They want the wins and they are working hard to try and find ways to beat upcoming teams they have not beaten before. Sheaffer described that the team has some hard schools to beat when it comes to the MAC conference. His hopes for the future are wins and making a push for the conference playoffs. He believes it will take time and effort to
do so. Junior captain Matt Saxon is grateful for his team and they continue to learn together as the season starts to progress. This team has many new additions that are helping to build the team into a stronger one. “This year I feel that there is a lot of change within the team. Fundamentally, we are a lot better and everything is going by so quick. The freshmen are quick learners and have been a huge aspect of changing the shape of this
The team will have to win against those eight teams to make it to the post-season. Stover, Sutton & McCarthy said they are really looking forward to the games with Arcadia, Misericordia, and rival Albright. Judging by how the season is panned out, the Crusaders will have some obstacles to overcome, but they are looking like a big contender to make it to the post-season. This season’s first year players have high potential and bring new skills to the team. These rising players include Alyson Keene, Leah Benedetti, Bridget Reynolds, Rachel Judge, Taylor Dorrin, and Samantha Rothman. This season the Crusaders have three goaltenders, which has not happened since 2011. Senior, Colleen Reilly will see the most time between the pipes this season, but Coach McCloskey guarantees the other two goalies will still see some action. These backups are the team’s future moving forward after Reilly graduates in May. “It is always great having freshmen join us,” McCloskey said. “They are enthusiastic and very competitive. They bring new skills to the team
and will all see much playing time.” The Crusaders lost many of their key players to graduation in 2015. “One of the challenges and joys of coaching is figuring out the balance of positions when a new year begins and seniors from last spring are no longer with the team,” McCloskey said. “During practice we do drills that are focused on certain positions on the field. During that time, we figure out who will play where based on the skill set our players have.” There is no doubt that the six new players to the team will fill in the roles they need to help out their team. They bring their own skills to help their bring home the win. This season marks the final season for seniors Sutton and Reilly. Sutton is one of team’s best players and a significant student leader on and off the field. “Julie is a true leader and works as hard as anyone on and off the field to prepare the team for a successful year,” McCloskey said. “Reilly is bringing her experience of being the starting goalie for the past two
Women’s Lacrosse Swings High By Justin Strohm Contributing Writer Before the arrival of spring, the women’s lacrosse team was working hard to prepare for their season. The team intends to head back to the post-season after a near-miss in 2015. The ladies ended last season with a 7-8 record, but seek to exceed expectations in 2016. The team discovered that their main drawback was an inability to beat beatable teams. Midfielders Bailey Stover, junior, and Julie Sutton, senior, along with junior attacker Abby McCarthy, agreed that this season they can get those much needed wins. If the team can beat those teams this season, it will be a huge confidence boost down the stretch and possibly a momentum they can carry into post season. The team will have fifteen games on slate for 2016 season. Six of the games will be at home. Eight of their opponents will be in the Commonwealth, which includes schools such as Stevenson, Lebanon Valley, Albright, and Messiah, amongst others.
program.” “We also have a lot of great upper classmen who have been a part of this program from the start and believe in what we are doing for the programs future, which is great because we are a young team, still, but this year we have also become a tight family,” Saxon said. Jordan Ludwig, sophomore, said, “I think that our team has a ton of potential and that we are a whole different team from last year.” The new first year starters for the team, Kyle Augustine and Jarret Abernathy, had some things to say about their team, and hopes for their future as lacrosse players at Alvernia. When asked his ambitions for the team, Augustine said, “I had a mindset I wanted to build a team.” “Auggie” has big hopes for the lacrosse team in the future. He believes they have more wins ahead of them this season.
“We did a lot of things right. We need to bounce back and get some wins,” Augustine said. After their first game on February 20, Jarret Abernathy, coming in for offense, will likely bring an upside for the Crusader’s in the area of scoring. He wishes for more respect for the program. Abernathy feels it would be nice to get more funding to build the program up as a whole. “The team is nowhere near where we’re going to be at the end of the year,” Abernathy said. When the players were asked how they felt about their fellow teammates they all agreed that their team is like a brotherhood and it is like playing with family when they are out there on the field.
seasons and working hard in the net.” Sutton hopes to have her best season yet. “I want to just leave it all out there, and score when possible or set up a lot of goals,” Sutton said, Sutton’s teammate, Bailey Stover, is another significant contributor to the team. Stover is entering her third season and is known on the field for her excellent feedback, especially during practice. A fast, athletic player, Stover is known for providing good set-up work during games. “I have to step up as more of a leader since Alexandria Leddy (2015 graduate) is gone and has graduated,” Stover said. One more player to keep an eye out for is Abby McCarthy, who is also entering her third
season with the team. Last season, McCarthy scored twenty-nine goals. That number is expected to increase this season and lead McCarthy to entering the 100 goal club with Sutton. McCarthy feels her second season showed growth from her first year. “Last season was better than freshman year,” she said. “Definitely improved when playing with other good players.” Coach McCloskey is excited for the season and thinks her team will be back in playoffs. She says if the team can stay healthy, keep up the intensity and work ethic, she sees the team winning. With her two assistants, Tracy McElroy and Tracey Sterling, helping out, McCloskey feels the team has great chemistry and the want to win mentality. Photo courtesy of Justin Strohm
The Crusader men’s lacrosse team enters the 2016 season as a young team hungry for victory. After a few disappointing seasons, Coach Ryan Sheaffer has hopes for a new beginning. “This roster is filled with a lot of new guys driven and motivated to play,” Sheaffer said. Sheaffer explained that everyone on this team knew they would have to work hard to get playing time, and that is exactly what every player is doing. David Dominik, senior, said, “having a younger team brings challenges, because many of the players were brought up playing the sport by many different coaches.” “When all of these players come together there needs to be a chemistry that gets built up, and this takes a lot of time and effort from everyone.” “The younger guys are
‘
Photo courtesy of Jon King
By Amber Nikolaus Managing Editor
Midfielders, Bailey Stover & Julie Sutton hard at practice on turf field.
sports
10 March/April 2016
Vol. 55 Issue 2
The Crusader Sports Network is a student-run work study that webcasts most sports events at Alvernia University. It allows students with a passion for sports broadcasting to gain experience on and off the air performing numerous tasks. The tasks include playby-play broadcaster, color commentator, producer, cameraman, sideline reporter, highlight producer and statistician. The Crusader Sports Network was started by Jon King, the Sports Information Director at Alvernia, in 2007. It started out only as a temporary service. The main purpose was to webcast an Alvernia Women’s Basketball playoff game vs. Immaculata University that year. The CSN has progressed a great deal since then. They have added new and improved graphics and score-
boards during broadcasts. They have also added a new dimension by having a sideline reporter to get an in-depth analysis of what is discussed by Alvernia teams during timeouts and what their strategies and adjustments are going forward. The student director of the CSN is Alvernia senior Ryan Shannon, who has had a huge influence on the development of the program, even coming up with the name, the Crusader Sports Network. He will be passing on his role on to sophomore Brad Vangeli next semester after he graduates. Vangeli is a prime example of how the Crusader Sports Network can help aspiring broadcasters gain experience in the field of broadcasting and work to improve their craft in each webcast. “I have grown so much. I used to talk really fast and I was tough to understand at times, so I have learned to slow down a lot,” Vangeli said.
What is “The Plex”? By Mirco Giangiulio Contributing Writer If you are not a studentathlete, you probably have not heard the rumors going around campus about the Athletics Department attempting to have a new field house built within the coming years. Alvernia Athletic Director Bill Stiles says that “the Plex” is a priority for the University. According to Stiles, the new facility will most likely be built on the University’s East Campus, which already houses the baseball and softball fields and tennis courts. “The Plex” will have four multipurpose courts, as well as academic classrooms for healthcare science programs along with physical therapy. The new courts could be used by tennis, basketball and volleyball programs. The only athletic competition that will take place in The Plex is Indoor Track & Field. “The Plex” will also allow for multiple activities at the same time by using a series of curtains that will be able to divide all of the courts individually. Intramurals will also play a vital role in the programming of The Plex.
“The need for indoor recreation, which is really addressed by the field house or the health recreation wellness complex that we’re talking about, is really kind of catching up,” Stiles said. “The Plex” will provide Alvernia with indoor recreation for the campus as a whole. “In my area, we’ve really addressed the outdoor recreation needs. What we haven’t addressed yet is the indoor recreation and that’s not just for athletics, that’s for students, members of the faculty staff that want to come down and shoot a basketball,” Stiles said. Stiles hopes the new field house will also address the scheduling problems that having many teams using the same space can cause. “We have one gym,” Stiles said. “Our gym is being used so much, particularly in January, February, and March where we have 7 teams trying to practice in there, let alone intramurals.” Stiles hopes that “The Plex” will give visiting students and parents a “Wow” factor, potentially bringing growth to the student body. “Will it allow for potential
(Left to right) Corey Allegrucci, Ryan Shannon, Brad Vangeli and Justin Herforth broadcasting a men ’s lacrosse game on February 20 vs. Centenary College.
“I remember needing to have a lot of notes written down to do a pregame show, but now, I can talk without notes for 3-4 minutes maybe even 5 or longer if we would have to.” Gaining experience is what the Crusader Sports Network provides. Anyone looking for a future career in broadcasting would benefit a great deal from this program. “There is no substitute for experience,” Jon King said. “If you have a passion for broadcasting, then go out and do it. Everyone has to start
somewhere in the industry. I like to use the quote; everyone starts out by washing the dishes. You work your way up the ladder.” The Crusader Sports Network is always reaching out to recruit incoming students to the program. Student Director, Ryan Shannon, was in a marketing video discussing what the webcasts are and how it’s a great experience. Shannon elaborated by saying CSN is practically like having an internship on campus, so it’s great on your résumé.
They created a Twitter page to help promote the webcasts to help bring in a new audience, @Vern_CSN. Jon King is looking to recruit any way that he possibly can. He wants students to join that have a true passion for sports broadcasting and are willing to put in the extra work, even when they are not getting paid. “If you go out and recruit kids with a passion for your program and are willing to put the extra work in, then you have the chance to have a great program,” King said.
growth? Sure,” Stiles said. “But it’s also a need now to address the growth we’ve had in the last 10 years.”
Mainly, Stiles and the Athletic department are more concerned with this field house being provided to the
students already attending Alvernia when it will be built.
Photo courtesy of Derek and Edson, LLC
By Justin Herforth Contributing Writer
Photo courtesy of Woosoon Kim
The Student Impact of the Crusader Sports Network
A visual prototype of how “The Plex” will look on the University’s East Campus.
March/April 2016
campus news
11 Vol. 55 Issue 2
Commute to Lunch with Commuter Lunches Alvernia offers commuters a free lunch once a month for an hour and a half in the Student Center. A lot goes into planning the Commuter Lunch, but the university feels reaching out to commuters justifies the time and effort. Many commuter students are working part-time or full-time jobs, taking care of their families and have other obligations outside of college. This makes it very difficult for them to attend lengthy events throughout the day. “I wake up and attend my first two classes then I go home get something to eat during my short break,” Lizmary Mejia, junior, said. Nonetheless, on their few moments of free time on campus, many of these students are looking for opportunities to socialize outside of the classroom. These lunches provides commuters oppor-
tunities to find other students like them. The commuter lunches were started to bring commuter students together and give them an opportunity to connect with each other, and learn about different offices and organizations on campus. “I have enjoyed every single commuter lunch I have been able to attend. The people who host them are very generous given the reason that it gives me the opportunity to save money, and they are usually held during my breaks. It works perfect for me” Micaela Heckman, senior, said. The problem is that a lot of our commuter students are not aware that the university serves free food just for them. Pamely Dejesus, first year student, said, “I had no idea lunches are held for commuter students and I would be delighted to attend future ones.” Assistant Director of Student Activities, Joseph Beny-
ish said, “I recognize not a lot of students check their emails regularly so we are always looking for new innovative ways for students to know about stuff that’s happening on campus; it’s just a matter of figuring out what that is, and I don’t know if there is a right answer for that.” Something very interesting to know about these commuter lunches is that the food is always different and it is a good way to experience foods from different places and even different local restaurants around the Reading area. “Lunches are not themed, but we also try to have a wide variety of different types of foods and restaurants through out the semester so it is not like we’re going to do pizza six times.” “There’s been a lot of different types of foods, because we know that everyone does not want to eat the same things every time,” Beniysh said.
fresh, we never use frozen vegetables,” Ippolito said. “We bring the vegetables in daily, so they are always guaranteed fresh. We steam them daily, and we have made to order steam, so the vegetables keep their nutrients, and taste better.” Besides vegetables, the dining hall also has a salad bar, with fresh options to keep you healthy. Alvernia’s dining hall can always be made to order. “We always have vegetarian options, all you need to do is request. If we are serving
chicken parmesan for dinner, and you are a vegetarian, let us know. We will absolutely substitute for tofu,” Ippolito said. Dr. Thomas Franek, an associate professor here at Alvernia, in the athletic training department says that college students typically find themselves stressed out and on the go. Meal planning is often neglected or tends to be irregular at best, taking the back seat to the everyday demands of academic and social schedules. “Our nutritional purposes
The lunches are funded by the office of Student Activities, but different offices across the university are asked if they have an interest in hosting a commuter lunch. One of the things that the office of student activities will be doing this semester for our commuters is hosting informational meetings for people who might be interested in joining a commuter club. “We have been working on a constitution and eventually
hopefully getting it passed though student government association to have a commuter club,” Beniysh said. “That way, they can find ways to better advocate for students who are commuters, and we can develop some programing for them and better our recourses information so that we can get to commuters the most effective way possible.”
Commuter students Lizmary Mejia (left) and Yanelis Herrera (right) helping themselves to the great food hosted by The Franco Library on March 14, 2016.
Healthy Eating While in College For the first time in your life, you are on your own and making your own decisions. That means making choices about what you should and should not eat. You are going to be surrounded by salty snacks and sweets, and controlling what you consume without a kitchen at your convenience can be challenging. Being in college can be exactly where you start establishing your good eating habits. The dining hall is where students spend a lot of time. There are many options presented for you. The dining hall serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a wide variety of foods to choose from. Having this benefit allows students to make their own decisions on what they think is best for their body. Tony Ippolito, the Food Service Director here at Alvernia’s dining hall makes sure that there are healthy options for students to choose from. There is a balanced of 365 stations in the dining hall that serve healthy foods. “All of the vegetables we serve here at Alvernia are
should be more purposeful,” Dr. Franek said. “Planning is the key.” “Stock your dorm or apartment with healthy snacks to take on the go, focus on high protein, whole grain snacks that store well.” Dr. Franek recommends purchasing a few good quality food storage containers, and a small insulated pack for transportation. “If you do not have time to eat at the café, consider bringing healthy snack options with you to class or events.”
Photo courtesy of Tony Ippolito, Food Service Director
By Kayla Provost Contributing Writer
The Show Cookery, located in the middle of the café, provides made-on-the-spot meals for students to enjoy.
Some healthy snack options recommended by Dr. Franek include: hard boiled eggs, yogurt, string cheese, mixed nuts or seeds, cottage cheese, whole grain crackers, hummus, fresh fruits or vegetables, vegetable juice, granola and/or cereal bars, and trail mix. These are all options that can easily be taken on the go, as well for a quick and healthy snack to keep you feeling good and energized throughout the day.
“There is no sincerer love than the love of food.” -George Bernard Shaw
Photo courtesy of Carmen Gonzalez
By Carmen Gonzalez Contributing Writer
12
service
March/April 2016
Vol. 55 Issue 2
Friday, Friday, Gotta Clean Up on Friday On Friday, February 26, Alvernia students went down to Angelica Park and were tasked with cleaning up the Environmental Exploration Center. A small group of students were told to wipe down and clean the tables, chairs, and floors. Senior healthcare science major Harlee Eherts was one of the students in this group. “I think the Exploration Center is very helpful for kids to use, and they are able to learn about the environment.” Eherts said. The goal of this service is so it can be used for the kids to interact with the environment in a safe, clean center. The Berks County Environmental Center is used to teach students about the environment and how to keep it safe. It allows the teachers to take their students down to the park, have
some fun, and learn about nature. The center is used to implement sustainable environmental programs for children and adults in the Berks community. The center also helps children in Reading learn about the environment. ”Alvernia University’s Franciscan Friday student volunteers assisted in cleaning the Nature Place to prepare the environmental center for spring programming and Earth Day,” Judith Bohler said. Alvernia’s future involvement in the Environmental Exploration Center will be an extension of a successful Angelica Park partnership with the City of Reading that has been in place for a number of years. The center is run as a team effort between Alvernia, the city of Reading and the Berks County Conservancy. However, the center can also be used by other schools in the area. Science classes or some of the education majors could
access the center to teach their lessons. Alvernia uses the center to run programs for the local schools. One of their biggest events is the Eco Fun Day. Eco Fun Day is in April, for which Alvernia science faculty, students, and the Holleran Center for Community Engagement invited 400 sixth-grade students from the Reading School District to the park. “They are planning to extend Eco Fun Day and have more students participate in it.” Alex Roche said. Eco Fun Day is a big event for local children, but the center needs many people to volunteer to help out. For more information, contact the Holleran Center for Community Engagement.
Photo courtesy of Judith Bohler
By Christopher Casciotti Contributing Writer
Seniors Chris Casciotti and Harlee Eherts cleaning the cabinets at the Environmental Center.
By La’Key Brathwaite Editor
Photo courtesy of Holleran Center
With the weather finally breaking and snow no longer in the forecast, it’s time to enjoy the great outdoors with some community service. Community service is a significant part of Alvernia’s Franciscan heritage. If you have not yet taken part in a community service event, Earth Day is always a great way to give back to the community. Jay Worrall, Director of the Holleran Center, had some thoughts on this upcoming Earth Day. “This year we expect between 250 and 300 Alver-
nia students, alumni, faculty and staff to work together with the Berks County Parks Department to improve the Gring’s Mill recreational area,” Worrall said. Worrall also described the work that the Earth Day participants will be doing. “We will be installing riparian buffers along the Tulpehocken Creek, removing invasive species, removing improvements overgrowth from the foundation of historic Lock Tender’s House, and making improvements to the area,” Worrall said. In the past Earth Day has provided a very positive impact on students and provided fun to giving back to
(Left to right) David McDowell, Brandon Harry, and Cody Moyer hanging out during last year’s Earth Day.
Photo courtesy of Holleran Center
Earth Day Preview 2016
A group photo of last year’s Earth Day participants.
the community. “The Berks County Parks Department has been one of our best partners over the years, providing positive and impactful service experience at Angora Fruit Farm, Antietam Lake Park, Stonecliffe Park, the Heritage Area, Sheeler House and Gring’s Mill,” Worrall said. Many students find community service personally enriching and spiritually fulfilling. “I am glad that I took part in Earth Day last year and I am looking to do it again
this year. I thought it was fun chopping down trees helping to clear the fields for the community,” Charles Cooper, senior, said. “I am excited for my first Earth Day here Alvernia, I heard nothing but good things about the experiences that my teammates had while giving service,” Reid Hoff, first year student, said. For more information about the Earth Day of Service, contact the Holleran Center for Community Engagement.
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