April/May 2017
Volume 56 Issue 3
what’s in
Success at Sigma Tau Delta Convention
THIS ISSUE
Photo courtesy of Kristen Sipling
By Kristen Sipling Contributing Writer
Behind the Scenes!
Alvernia’s Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta after the Awards Gala (top L-R: Kristen Sipling, Colton McLaughlin, Blaise Kabbeko, ReJeana Goldsborough, Tori Neal, Caroline Fitzpatrick, Megan McCue. Front L-R: Daniel Grigore, Jess Heller, Rebecca Dunst, Macy Storm, Shannon Homa, Beth Demeo and Cynthia Dalton.
Alvernia’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta traveled to Louisville, Kentucky from March 29 through April 2 for this year’s Sigma Tau Delta International Convention. The theme for conference this year was Recreation, which can be pronounced [ree-cree-ation] or [rec-ree-ation]. It was up to the student’s interpretation of the word to come up with a topic to present to an audience. The topic could be about anything as long as it tied back into the overall theme.
“Hidden Figure” Documentary Inspires Alvernia Students
Let’s Talk About Food!
A New Journey
By Rebecca Dunst Contributing Writer This semester, students ReJeana Goldsborough and Sarah Verneret, along with Alvernia faculty member Jodi Radosh and Toni Eckert from LeadershipBerks, were invited to Virginia to shoot a documentary for Berks Women2Women and the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce about Katherine Johnson, one of the three women who inspired the movie Hidden Figures. “It was a really great experience,” Goldsborouh said. “I was one of the last people to find out about it I think. [Dr. Jodi Radosh] asked me to come to her office and she told me about the opportunity and said, ‘I know you’re busy but would you be interested?’ So then two weeks later we were in a van headed to Virginia. [It] all happened really fast for me that I feel like I didn’t even process how cool it was until I was literally there.” Unfortunately, “We found out last minute that we weren’t going to be able to sit down and interview with Katherine because she was not feeling well. So instead we interviewed her daughter [Joylette Goble.]” Johnson’s
great niece, Robin Allen, was also present. Goldsborough oversaw the camerawork, while the questions were asked by a panel of women from both Alvernia and Berks Women2Women, an international women’s leadership program. “Sarah, Toni, and Jodi, and Karen from Women2Women did such a great job at interviewing. They made the interview personal and it ended up just being a conversation really, and because of that we got such a great amount of content from Joylette regarding her mom, her own career,
Photo courtesy of ReJeana Goldsborough
Alvernia Goes to Broadway
what the success of the film and her mother’s work has meant to the family.” Despite not being able to interview her, they were able to meet and converse with Johnson afterward. “After [meeting Katherine], that was really the point that I realized how cool this was - when I entered her apartment and saw pictures of her and Obama on the wall and all her achievements; getting to be in her presence was really amazing.” Hidden Figures was released on December 25,
Sigma Tau Delta is an International Honor Society that was established in 1924. They do community service projects that foster literacy and other parts of English such as literature, language and writing related material. Currently, there are 890 or more active chapters all over the United States, in Canada, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Currently, Alvernia’s Dr. Caroline Fitzpatrick is the president of Sigma Tau Delta and Beth Demeo is a past president of the organization. Dr. Fitzpatrick oversees the 900 chapters of Sigma
Continued on page 3
Alvernia Looking to Make Changes in 2017 By Nick Youngkin Contributing Writer
Alvernia University has big plans for 2017. Earlier in 2016, the school announced two big announcements; the building of the “Plex” and the start of a football team. While these two announcements were very exciting, the school Continued on page 5 seems to have more plans for this summer. One interesting change that was recently revealed was that the University will be getting a new mascot. The Crusader has been the mascot for Alvernia sports teams since the 1970s. The Crusader logo was given a new look in the last couple years as the mascot “Ziggy” was created to give the school a clean and colorful looking symbol. In recent years, some people have seen the “Crusader” as an inappropriate representation for Alvernia because of the school’s Franciscan core
L-R: Robin Allen, Joylette Goble, Sarah Verneret, and Toni Eckert
Continued on page 3
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flynn files
April/May 2017
t h e alver n ian Managing Editor Mady Johnston Layout Mady Johnston Andrew Dotter Paige Burkett Section Editors Paige Burkett Katerina Lawlor Nick Sokolovich Contributing Writers Andrew Dotter Rebecca Dunst Kristen Sipling Nick Youngkin 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.
© 2015 The Alvernian
Vol. 56 Issue 3
Flynn Files May 2017 A major snowstorm may have welcomed students back from Spring Break, and the temperature has been fluctuating wildly. But by the time this column appears, spring will be here! Honors Convocation featured students profiled here and many others as well as offering the opportunity to honor some special faculty. And so the litany of yearend events is underway: Spring Fling, SGA Awards and Inductions, Senior SendOff, Senior Athlete Dinner, Senior Leaders Dinner, to name but a few, and then Baccalaureate Mass and, finally, Commencement. After 12 years at Alvernia, I now join other longtime faculty and staff who watch as students whom we have come to care about deeply walk across the stage as graduates. Roommates and best friends head home to Joisey (North, South, or Central!) or elsewhere; others sink down roots locally, fortunate to have landed good jobs that have come from internships or field placements or through referrals by faculty. Amidst the whirl of these weeks, students hopefully bump into (or seek out) teachers, coaches or other staff who took a special interest in them. From MargaritaVern to Graduation day, celebration is THE dominant emotion. Our seniors become our newest proud alumni. Confident, too, that they are well prepared “To Do Well and To Do Good.” Here are profiles of just a few of these special seniors. They are scholars, leaders, difference-makers, one and all, who have excelled and made an impact in multiple ways. Tyler Arnold and Erica Dunkelberger, both soccer players, have earned the Alvernia Scholar Athlete Awards. Tyler and Erica have both served the university as admissions tour guides, and Tyler has also been an RA. He is an Athletic Training major, and Erica is an Occupational Therapy major with a minor in Psychology. MacKenzie Bartlett, a leader in Holleran Center activities and a former winner of the Fromm Interfaith Award, is one of four graduates of the IGNITE
Leadership Program and a loyal tour guide for Admissions. A theology major and honors program graduate, she received the Peace and Justice Award and will pursue graduate studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. Jenna Harper, an OT dual degree graduate, has been a four-year lacrosse player, a two-time student government officer, and both a tour guide and ambassador. She also completed the IGNITE program and has been everpresent with her camera for the sports information team. Marisa Lombardo, a marketing major and honors program graduate, has been a student government officer, a women’s golf team member, a Neighborhood Snow Patrol leader, and an indefatigable member of the sports information team. Here’s a shout-out to the two other Honors Program graduates — ReJeana Goldsborough (winner of a national fiction award) and 2016 Senior Scholar Jerri von den Bosch (a leader of the emerging AU chapter of the National Association of University Women) — and the two other graduates of IGNITE — Nick Jaisingh (a veteran RA), and Autumn Raine-Martinez (Dance Club member and former winner of Alvernia’s Got Talent!). Servant-leaders abound at Alvernia. Eleven have completed over 300 hours of service. Emilia Miller, a nurse, won the Holleran Center Outstanding Service Award, with over 1,100 hours of service as an Alvernian! Amanda Milsoit, Alexa Vath, and Emily Reed earned the Community Engagement Award, each completing more than 500 hours. Emily, a social work major and student campus minister, was recognized last year with both Alvernia’s Fromm Interfaith Award and the nationally selective Newman Civic Fellow Award. She also served as President of Alpha Phi Omega and was a prominent leader for the Alternative Break program as well as for the South Reading Youth Initiative. She is the first student to graduate with a minor in community engagement.
Mackenzie Bartlett, Katie Jo Galezniak, Nick Jaisingh, Jamie Morris, Alexis Travers, Katelyn Weeber and Alexandra Woodard will earn the Graduation Award for Excellence in Service with over 300 hours each. Many serve in multiple roles! Three groups of students exemplify service leadership on the campus: Resident Assistants, Tour Guides and Ambassadors. The following RAs are graduating, with several also members of the National Residence Hall Honorary (Noted with *): Ashley Monzo*, Jeremiah Clinchoc, Tyler Arnold, Hannah Slawecki, Nick Jaisingh*, Shelby Hontz*, Zach Seaman, Matthew Amatruda*, Julianne Kuzma, Kyle Farell, and Nina Arant*. And here’s a shout out to the whole wonderful gang of Tour Guides and Student Ambassadors! TOUR GUIDES: Tyler Arnold, Mackenzie Bartlett, Veronica Cepparulo, Brittany Crowley, Erica Dunkelberger, Katie Jo Galezniak, Elizabeth Gonyea, Victoria Gowland, Jennifer Hall, Jenna Harper, Kaitlin Higgins, Julianne Kuzma, Ashley Monzo, Rachel Moran, Emily Reed, Tyra Roberts, Angela Scandone, Kailyn Sooy, Claire Sutliff, Taylor Thomas, Sara Truncali, Ofelia Villasenor, Annie Walker, Chelsea Wehrman. And AMBASSADORS: Lauren Bull, Abigail Cannon, Brittany Crowley, Elizabeth Gonyea, Madison Kleintop, Meredith McCarthy, Angela Scandone, Carolyn Stabile, Ann Walker, and OT graduates, Sebastian Collazo, Jenna Harper, and Katelyn Pfeiffer. Chiara Marone and Ofelia Villasenor were recognized with the Alvernia University Choral Award. Chiara has been president of the Theater Club (and a memorable actress), a participant on our dance team, and a perennial (and successful) contestant in the Alvernia Got Talent! Contest. She won second place in the 2017 Berks County competition. Ofelia, an accounting major, and Caroline McCormick, a biology major and
campus ministry music minister, have been popular choices to sing the National Anthem and Alma Mater. Caroline was co-winner of the Sr. Alodia Award (along with Katelyn Weeber) and along with Emily Reed, Alexis Travis, and Erica Luna had the privilege of being selected as Assisi Pilgrims. As always, several student-athletes have won recognition for academic as well as athletic achievements. In addition to some mentioned above, Jeremiah Clinchoc, an OT major, was the one Alvernian to be named a 2017 MAC Senior Scholar, as a star in the heptathlon. Margaret Wentzel, the new career points and assists leader in field hockey, has been a two-time MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year, twotime Academic All-MAC, and three time All-American. Marquis Marshall, a d3hoops.com Preseason All-American was MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year and an all-region first team selection for NABC, ECAC, and d3hoops.com. More undergraduate students than can be recognized here received awards at the annual Honors Convocation. Aijah Hickey (a double major in psychology and criminal justice) was named the new Senior Scholar. Two graduates from our Philadelphia Center received top recognition. Eric Grant, a Philadelphia police officer, received both the CJ academic excellence award and the Colonel Geiger Veteran Award with a 4.0 GPA. Ryan Paskel received the Outstanding Social Work Academic Award. And several graduate business students with singular contributions to campus life will be awarded a second Alvernia degree: Nina Arant, Peter Keefe, Amber Nikolaus, and Shaun Rostek. When we honor some of the best among us, we honor the best in each and every one of us. So here’s to the Alvernia Class of 2017. Congratulations. We Are Proud of You. See you on stage! Peace and All Good, President Flynn
campus news
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April/May 2017
Vol. 56 Issue 3
Success at Sigma Tau Delta Convention (pg. 1 cont’d) The first group of students included ReJeana Goldsborough, Colton McLaughlin, Cynthia Dalton and Blaise Kabbeko. Their roundtable was titled “Horror: A Legacy on Page and Screen.” They discussed the physical and psychological reasons why people might be drawn to watch a horror movie, and then moved on to discussing specific horror films and their
Photo courtesy of Kristen Sipling
Tau Delta, the 110 chapters of Sigma Kappa Delta and the 1000 chapters of the High Schools’ English honor society. “In my position it’s helpful to have cosponsors and have to think about all the chapters because there are close to 900 of them. It’s my job to make sure all the chapters have the same opportunities,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said.
The Sigma Tau Delta Convention booklet included information regarding panels, speakers, times and locations for all of the events.
original works in literature. The students focused on Stephen King’s novel The Shining, Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The group created an interactive session with the audience by asking lots of questions to the audience excitedly responded. The audience also posed questions to Alvernia’s students after all of their information was presented. The second group of students included Macy Storm, Kristen Sipling, Rebecca Dunst and Shannon Homa. Their roundtable was titled “Conspiracy, Fantasy or Reality: An Altered History.” They discussed conspiracy theories relating to religion, literature, fake news and historical events. This panel drew an enthusiastic crowd and created a lot of discussion after the presenters posed the facts about their conspiracy theories. Some convention attendees said that this was their favorite roundtable of
the weekend. ReJeana Goldsborough was part of a presentation on Original Fiction. Her writing was titled “Montgomery Men.” Colton McLaughlin presented his collection of poems called “Youth Meme” in a separate panel presentation that was part of a group titled “Coming of Age Poetry.” Both Alvernia students did well. Outside of presenting, the students attended other roundtable discussions, special presenters’ presentations and career workshops. Rebecca Dunst, an Alvernia student presenting at conference, attended and enjoyed a panel on feminism and memory. “I didn’t originally go to this panel for what the description described, but it was so well versed in her craft and well written that it was fantastic to listen to,” Dunst said. Other featured speakers for convention included Marlon James, Ann Vandermeer, Jeff Vandermeer and Megan Mayhew Berg-
All of these changes in 2017 are expected to have a positive impact on Alvernia University. The new mascot will give the school a new look that will obey the school’s religious values. The upgrades to the weight rooms and athletic facilities will be a good selling point to getting prospective student athletes to want to come to school here.
Overall, the Vern has a lot of good changes in store over the next year to become the best small college it can be.
man. “Almost all the speakers we have are award winning speakers,” Dr. Fitzpatrick said. The convention wrapped up on Saturday April 1 with the Red and Black Convention Awards Gala. At the Gala, awards were given out to the participants who presented their works at the conference. ReJeana Goldsborough placed first in the category of Original Fiction for her writing “Montgomery Men.” “I feel really surprised and honored that a group of academic scholars thought my work was deserving of first place, but I also feel humbled and validated because of it,” ReJeana Goldsborough said. Congratulations on your accomplishment ReJeana! Sigma Tau Delta’s International Convention’s theme for next year is “Seeking Freedom” and will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2018. We look forward to seeing what Alvernia students come up with for next year!
values. The school recently decided to look into changing the mascot to a more fitting symbol to adhere to the school’s values. There is a committee that is in charge of the mascot selection process, and people are encouraged to voice their opinions on what they think the mascot should be. Alvernia plans to reveal the new mascot in June of this year. Implementing the new mascot means work for many people. While the school’s colors should stay the same, anything with Ziggy or the “Crusaders” on it will need to be altered. School apparel will need to change, as well as anything that has Ziggy on it. For example, the basketball court has a huge “Crusader” logo at mid-court, so this is expected to be changed when the new mascot is revealed. This will mean a court painting project to fit the basketball court with the new logo of the school. One project that just was finished on campus was the renovation of the Campus Commons fitness center. Maintenance workers worked on the upstairs portion of the weight room to add new, topnotch equipment. The cardio machines were replaced with new ones to allow students
to get in a good conditioning workout on new equipment. The project was originally set for summer, but was moved up due to some troubles with some of the cardio machines. “This project was originally scheduled for this summer, but we are aware that a number of machines have been unreliable and, in some cases, not functional, so we have decided to move the project up,” Bill Stiles said. Advantage Fitness provided the new equipment and completed the installation in a timely manner. The project only took about 2 days and Alvernia students were even given a free pass to Retro Fitness if they wished to use cardio equipment during the installation. Alvernia University also plans on doing a project for athletic facilities this summer. The plan is to replace with weight room in the downstairs of the PEC, and add new locker rooms. The facilities upgrades will be a daunting project, but the finished item will be a new, clean look for our sports teams to work out and house their equipment in. The school plans to begin this project in the summer so the facilities are ready to be used at the beginning of the Fall semester.
Photo courtesy of Derck & Edson Associates
Alvernia Looking to Make Changes in 2017 (pg. 1 cont’d)
Plans for the “Plex”, Alvernia’s new complex that was just announced this year.
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events
April/May 2017
Vol. 56 Issue 3
Short Video Competition: A Behind the Scenes Look
Sara Truncali and Tania Hollos at the Step and Repeat display Everyone has come together group composed several short and met deadlines which has promo videos advertising the made my job easier.” event. Having eight different The Submissions Comcommittees made it easier to mittee filtered through the get work done and ensured entries to ensure the video that everyone was included. both fits the qualifications of Each group had a spokesperthe Competition and is approson who was responsible for priate for the showing. The giving the class updates about final group, the Red Carpet their committee’s progress Committee, is responsible for and current tasks. All the making sure the Premiere groups worked hand in hand night is as magical as a night and helped one another com- at the Oscar’s. “Each group plete tasks if necessary. has great potential and it’s The Prizes Committee amazing to see how they all was responsible for reachexpand off one another’s ing out to community partideas and motivate each other. ners to secure prizes for the Everyone did their part and winners while the Judges/ came together to make this Sponsors group worked on event a success,” Frech said. finding members of the local businesses to act as judges or sponsor the event. The Media Outreach Committee was in charge of sending out various event information such as press releases to publication platforms around Reading and the Social Media group handled the Competition’s Twitter (@AUshortvid) and continually posted event updates as well as live tweeting the ceremony. The Graphic Design Committee advertised for the event by creating the various posters and banners that are all over campus while the Video
Photo courtesy of Jodi Radosh
list.” Congratulations to all the winners of this inagural ceremony! Before the event could begin, a lot of hard work had to go into developing it first. The work was handled by Dr. Jodi Radosh and her Service Learning Event Planning Class, with assistance from David Myers and Tania Hollos from the O’Pake Institute for Ethics, Leadership and Public Service. All semester long the class was completing multiple tasks to ensure the event would be as successful as possible. The work began on day one when the class was first introduced to the idea. Once the idea of creating a Short Video Competition was explained, the Event Planning class of 34 was divided into eight subcommittees, with each managing a different part of the event planning process. Along with the eight committees, two students, Liz Gonyea and Jessica Frech, acted as overseers of the class. “I was very flattered when Dr. Radosh assigned me the position of managing the class,” Gonyea said. “I have had a hand in almost every aspect of planning this event from recruiting local high school students to submit their videos to getting t-shirts for prizes to even editing content for public outreach. My classmates’ support has been crucial to this process.
Photo courtesy of Andrew Dotter
The Short Video Competition’s Red Carpet Premiere took place on April 21, and the event was a huge success! Dr. Jodi Radosh, Associate Professor of English and Communication, and her Event Planning class had dedicating the entire semester to creating this inaugural event and the hard work paid off. The night had finally arrived and all the excited submitters and their families starting pouring in at 6:30 for check in. Once they were checked in, the entrants were directed towards the Step and Repeat display, where they could grab some food, candy and refreshments, and partake in a mini photoshoot on the Red Carpet with videorelated props. Dr. Radosh delivered her opening remarks before the ceremony began. The judges for the event were Santo Marabella from Reading FilmFest, Karin Mallett from WFMZ-TV 69 News, Heather Adams from BCTV, Mr. Alvernia 2016 Kyle Farrell , Zach DeWever from WFMZ-TV 69 News and Polly Mathys, Assistant Professor of Computer and Information Studies. The MC for the event was Ashlynn Danner. “I had a great time being the MC for the evening and
The prizes display I’m looking forward to doing it again next year,” Danner said. “There is so much talent in the county and I’m glad I got to present the videos that that the students and residents of the county worked so hard on.” The nine categories were separated by high school and college and the special award, “Why Reading is a Great Place to Live, Work and Play” was open to all Berks County residents. All the awards were presented at the end of the ceremony after the judges spoke about the videos. The winners for the high school categories were: Jared Gehman, “Peer Meditation”Best PSA; Cory Dreibelbis, “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony”Best Music Video; Shreya Agrawal, “The Red Queen”Best Book Trailer; Nathan Bonslaver, “RR Games Home and Business Recreation”Best Commercial; Andy Smith, “Northwood Falls”Best Narrative. The winners for the college categories were: Rebecca Noel, “Felicity”- Best PSA; ReJeana Goldsborough, “Fight The Night”- Best Music Video; ReJeana Goldsborough, “Jerk Away”- Best Commercial; John Manidis, “Sibling Day”- Best Narrative. The winner of the special category, “Why Reading is a Great Place to Live, Work and Play” was David Walker for “Michael Miller, Art Evange-
Photo courtesy of Andrew Dotter
Photo courtesy of Andrew Dotter
By Andrew Dotter Contributing Writer
Ashlynn Danner and ReJeana Goldsborough inside the Bernardine Lecture Hall pre-ceremony
The photoshoot backdrop
experiences April/May 2017
5 Vol. 56 Issue 3
“Hidden Figure” Documentary Inspires Alvernia Students
2016 and debuted at $223.5 million in the box office. It was originally based on a book with the same name
by Margot Lee Shetterly. The movie is, “…the incredible untold story of Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson),
By Nick Sokolovich Contributing Editor
10,000 times. The show lasted for nearly three hours putting on a grand performance. Even though Phantom has been running on Broadway through four different decades, the theatre was packed with people. The cast included Paul A. Schaefer as the Phantom, who was working as an understudy. This was his first performance on Broadway, but he played like a veteran. The Marksman was played by Scott Mikita, Christine was played by Ali Ewoldt, and former Phantom ballet dancer, Deanna Doyle returned. High points of the musi-
mission Freedom 7, America’s first human spaceflight… In 1962, as NASA prepared for the orbital mission of John Glenn, Katherine Johnson was called upon by Glenn who asked engineers to ‘get the girl’ to run the same numbers through the same equations that had been programmed into the computer, but by hand, on her desktop mechanical calculating machine. ‘If she says they’re good,’ Katherine Johnson remembers the astronaut saying, ‘then I’m ready to go.’” She now is 98 years old and has three children. In 2015, President Obama awarded
her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her achievements. According to Goldsborough, “She still is so bright and alert at 98, and one thing I’ll remember for the rest of my life is that her daughter, Joylette, whom we interviewed, told Katherine that I was graduating and going to [Boston University] in the fall for graduate school and Katherine just looked at me and smiled and her eyes got wide and she said, ‘Good job, keep learning’ and then winked. It was such a special, incredible, validating moment that I’ll hold with me forever.”
Photo courtesy of ReJeana Goldsborough
Photo courtesy of nasa.gov
Katherine Johnson
Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.” Johnson was born on August 26, 1918 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. She obtained her B.S. in Mathematics and French from West Virginia State College in 1937 and hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (which later became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA) in June of 1953 and did not retire from NASA until 1986. According to her page on NASA’s website, “By thirteen, she attended high school. She, along with two male students, was hand-picked to integrate a West Virginia graduate school in 1939. She did trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard’s May 1961
Left to Right: Robin Allen, Joylette, Sarah Verneret, Toni Eckert, Karen Marsdale, Jodi Radosh
Photo courtesy of Maddie Liotta
On Saturday, March 25, students at Alvernia University took a trip to New York City to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. They took a bus together to Manhattan and had near front row seats. Taking the trip to Broadway was a requirement for some students’ Broadway Musicals class. These trips to New York City happen annually, and anyone can come as long as they have bought a ticket. The Phantom of the Opera has been on Broadway since 1988 and had been the first musical to be staged over
Photo courtesy of Nick Sokolovich
Alvernia Goes to Broadway
The Phantom unmasked worried about Christine
L-R: Emily Spedding, Elise Spedding, Justin Strohm, Nick Sokolovich at Time Square
cal included the scene where the Phantom was unmasked, the duet of the Phantom and Christine performing the musical’s title theme, “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Love Never Dies”. This song in particular was emotional and had great impact on the crowd. The orchestra was marvelous, playing from beneath the stage and were so flawless it sounded like a recording. The haunting organ drones sent chills down everyone’s back. All the actors had various costumes, and the scenes remained interesting throughout the show. The pyrotechnics and effects were a huge focal
point. One scene, a flare went off leaving the audience seeing stars. And the chandelier rising to the top of the theatre was a spectacle to be seen. At the end of the musical, the performers came back on stage to thank everyone for coming out and were auctioning off material used in the performance to help people in need. Alvernia student, Emily Spedding has been to shows like this previously and was taken away by The Phantom of the Opera. “It was really great to see the new Phantom do such an amazing show his first time,” Spedding said.
After everyone left the theatre, the students had a few hours to themselves to experience the big apple. The bus arrived back at Alvernia University at 11 p.m. concluding the fourteen hour trip. Seeing Phantom of the Opera was a great opportunity for the students to bond over a piece of artistic greatness. The arts are fading out of the education system in this day and age, and anything done to help promote it helps. For more information on Broadway trips like this, or about the Broadway Musicals class, contact Dr. Jennifer Michalik at Jennifer. michalik@alvernia.edu.
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students
April/May 2017
Vol. 56 Issue 3
Let’s Talk About Food: Healthy Habits on a Student Schedule By Paige Burkett Contributing Editor
Photo courtesy of Paige Burkett
Unlimited pizza, pasta, soda, ice cream, cookies, brownies… do I have your attention yet? I am sure you have noticed that these are all foods that are available in the cafeteria every day, and these are the staple foods that will be available on most college
campuses across the country. Not only are foods like these constantly at our fingertips, but as college students, we also don’t have anyone telling us what we can and cannot eat anymore. When you pair this freedom with managing the social and academic lives of a college student, it can be a serious struggle to maintain a healthy
Students have the ability to design their own meals in the cafeteria, providing the opportunity to make healthy desicions.
eating routine. “I try to maintain healthy habits, but it is not always easy because it can be hard to find healthy foods to try as well as find time to go to the gym on a consistent basis,” Max Horn, a freshman, said. Unhealthy eating habits can negatively affect almost every aspect of your life. When your body is not receiving the proper nutrients it needs, it can result in lack of focus, loss of energy, and even a decline in mental health. Exercising healthy habits has less to do with how much or how often you eat and more to do with what you eat. Your health will still continue to decline if you skip meals because your body will still not be getting the nutrients it needs. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but also the most commonly skipped meal. Skipping breakfast is associated with reduced problem solving ability, lower energy levels and
decreased motivation. Eating breakfast also helps to kickstart your metabolism for the day, and can help you manage your hunger and food intake for the rest of the day. “I try to always be aware of what I am eating and I make sure to eat three meals a day, with maybe a couple snacks in between because not skipping a meal is important to me,” Sam Homan, a junior, said. In addition to not skipping meals, here are some tips for eating healthy to keep in mind every day. First, eat small and frequent meals and keep a regular eating schedule, which can keep you from getting too hungry and overeating. It can also help to plan ahead, so if you know you may be missing a meal, pack a healthy snack to avoid between-meal cravings. When preparing your meals, or getting them at the cafeteria, aim for variety. Every meal, you should aim to eat a “rainbow,” meaning your plate should be
colorful with fresh vegetables and fruits in addition to delicious but nutritionally empty carbs. Most importantly, do not give up everything you enjoy. Sure, you can indulge on occasion, just remember: everything in moderation. “When I am maintaining a healthy diet, I feel more awake in class… when I have a healthy meal in the morning, I notice that I am able to concentrate and focus better throughout the day,” Michaela O’Hern, a junior, said. So grab a friend and make a pact to try out some of these healthy eating practices! You may be surprised by the impact a healthy diet can have on your overall college experience.
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graduates April/May 2017
7 Vol. 56 Issue 3
By Katerina Lawlor Contributing Editor To every ending, there is a new beginning, a beginning to start a new journey within life by experiencing new opportunities and learning from old mistakes. It is an opportunity to grow as an individual and leave your mark on the world. Many students of Alvernia will be graduating this upcoming May. They will need to make decisions on where they go and whether or not they choose to further their education. Ofelia Villasenor is a senior majoring in accounting. Villasenor learned many great things from Alvernia in which she chooses to expand upon through her next stage in life. “Alvernia definitely shaped me to be a better, overall wellrounded person,” she said. “I learned to be more selfless. Alvernia had us take courses outside of our major to make us think and to have us put ourselves in other’s shoes. In
other words, we took classes in other majors who made us see the world from their point of view, and get a taste of what they’re pursuing as a career,” Villasenor said. Ofelia appreciates the different people that were present throughout her Alvernian experience. “I have taken Alvernia’s core values as my own. I have learned and lived collegiality. I used to always opt to do things independently, but now I realize the people around me were put here with a purpose. Alvernia has also humbled me but it has also pushed me to do things I never thought possible. I’ve definitely grown as a person thanks to Alvernia,” she said. In the future Ofelia plans to pursue a career at a consulting firm. “After I graduate, I plan to pursue my master’s in business administration. Alvernia offers an accelerated 5 year MBA which I have applied and been accepted to. In May 2018 I plan to gradu-
ate with my masters, take the CPA, and hopefully have a fulltime job at a consulting firm,” she said. Jamere Wilcox is also excited to take his next journey through life. Wilcox is a determined senior who thrives on building a successful lifestyle when he graduates. “Plant the seed to the lifestyle you want and it will grow,” he said. Jamere is currently planting his seed at GNC a nutrition store that holds, supplements, health food, protein bars and more. “I’m currently working at GNC. Every week we are ranked on our performance. I improve every week! I went from being ranked 56th to 6th in the district.” “My plan after college is to create a lifestyle where I can live comfortably and provide for others in need. My career goal is to work in the marketing and advertising field. I feel like I can truly thrive in that
Photo courtesy of Katerina Lawlor
Embarking on a New Journey
Villasenor joyfully gives a speech for Accepted Students Day direction. I would also like to I learned that the glass is pursue my career in sales. I never half empty, it’s always have an outgoing personality half full. You hold the keys and I like talking, so I know I to your success. Anything is can definitely be great in that possible if you focus on it,” line of work.” Wilcox said. “Alvernia helped me grow as a person by helping me to live outside my comfort zone.
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