October/November 2019
THIS ISSUE
Homecoming Weekend
Professor Profiles
AU: Got Service? Will DeMarco Contributing Writer Alvernia University’s Digital Photography class is serving the community over the course of the fall semester by partnering with United Way. The students will visit at least three local United Way programs and photograph community service in action. The photos are uploaded to Instagram and are also made available to United Way to use on their social media platforms in order to support, promote, and encourage service in the community. Jessica Umbenhauer of the Holleran Center said that the Holleran Center started working closely with the United Way’s Ready.Set.READ! Program in 2013. She said
that the program is held all over Berks County with the goal of helping students read at grade level before they reach the third grade. Fifteen Alvernia students tutor children at Tyson-Schoener and Millmont Elementary Schools in the Reading School District once per week during the academic year. Alvernia’s digital photography students will take photographs at Literary Council, an adult literacy and English as a second language education program, Olivet Boys & Girls Club, an after school youth development program, and New Journey Community Outreach, the largest soup kitchen in Reading. They will also be going to Emerging Leaders United, a group that focuses
on volunteerism, Easter Seals Eastern Pennsylvania, offering therapy programs for special needs children, Opportunity House, an early childhood education center,
and Ready.Set.READ!, where tutors work with elementary school students to improve their reading skills. United Way of Berks County is partnered with
several other organizations in the area, including the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania, the Hawk Mountain Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Berks County Intermediate Unit Child Care, and the Salvation Army. United Way’s work is positioned around the gathering and allocation of funds to support an important network of
health and human services while also confronting key issues in the community. Per their mission statement, United Way of Berks County improves lives by inspiring collaboration, volunteerism and financial support to build a stronger community. Digital Photography students visited a United Way program recently to photograph the children at the Oakbrook Olivet Boys
and Girls Club. The students found it to be an entertaining and interesting experience. The kids were enjoying themselves and some even came up and asked directly if they could have their picture taken. The students and program participants were engaged in many different activities. Some played games in the computer lab, some played sports in the gym, some colored pictures and
traded cards, and others practiced playing on the bongo drums. If not for an afterschool program like this, most of these kids would be going home to an empty house. Community service is a cornerstone of the Alvernia community. Following in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi, Alvernia’s core values include service, humility, peacemaking, contemplation, and collegiality. Students are required to participate in at least 40 hours of community service over the course of their education. Heidi Reuter teaches digital photography at Alvernia. Reuter said this is the fourth year the photography students had partnered with United Way. “Service learning is at the heart of Alvernia’s core values,” Reuter said. “Students get an opportunity to interact with people in the community and build on their communication skills while volunteering their time to help others,” Community service helps them to build connections with their community and. Seeing the way that people benefit from student community service is one of the most rewarding experiences a student can have at Alvernia.
A volunteer plays a fun game of basketball with a child at Oakbrook Olivet Boys and Girls Club.
Photo Courtesy of Will DeMarco
Fall Has Arrived!
Coffee Talk
Children at the Boys and Girls Club have a great time getting in touch with their musical side.
Photo Courtesy of Will DeMarco
what’s in
Volume 58 Issue 5
2
RUTH ROLL
October/November 2019
Vol. 58 Issue 5
t h e alver nian
Managing Editor Sidney Goodman Layout Sidney Goodman Section Editors Ivan Fegely Jared Montalto Dion Thorpe Contributing Writers Will DeMarco Luca Grammatica Ariel Johnson Raven Metas Mackenzie Coombs 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.
© 2019 The Alvernian
Have you ever questioned yourself about your approach to your career aspirations? Do you ask if you have done enough to put yourself in a position for success? Providing experiences for our students that add value to their educational journey at Alvernia University is an obligation that we hold close. As we develop our future strategic plan, we will focus on what separates Alvernia from other colleges and universities, otherwise known as the Alvernia Advantage. The expansion of our Executive in Residence program, from a businessspecific format to one that includes Criminal Justice, Communications, Humanities, and Education departments, is one such example. The intent behind the enhanced arrangement is to afford students and staff in multiple majors the opportunity to engage with top-flight practitioners. Professionals such as Brittany Sweeney, who works for our local PBS affiliate in Allentown; John Adams, who is the current District Attorney for Berks County; Dr. Steve Gerhard, who is entering his fifth year serving the Governor Mifflin School District community as their Superintendent of Schools; Kenda Creasy Dean, a professor of practical Theology, Youth Ministry, and Social Innovation at Princeton Theological Seminary; and Tracey Davidson, an 11-time Emmy award-winning journalist and current anchor for Channel 10 morning news.
In addition to this programming, we feature lectures on topics of interest. On Monday, October 28, we held an evening lecture focused on the importance of resiliency. Recognized experts and authors in this area from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. B Janet Hibbs, and Dr. Anthony Ralston spent time speaking on this issue as it relates to late high school and traditional college-aged students. On Wednesday, November 20, David Brooks, author of The Road to Character, will visit our campus. Brooks challenges himself and others to rebalance ourselves from “resume virtues” to “eulogy virtues.” The Hesburgh lecture will take place on April 30 with this year’s lecturer, Notre Dame Associate Professor, Dr. J. Matthew Ashley. This lecture examines Pope Francis’ pontificate by looking at how his experience as a Jesuit and as Archbishop in Argentina has shaped his vision of the Church as a principal sign and instrument of God’s mercy in the world, especially “on the margins.” The Holleran Center, as a student hub for the University, is involved in comprehensive programming that provides opportunities for experiential learning. Delivery of service is a hallmark for Alvernia University. The belief in “doing well through doing good” is found in many of our activities and programming. Just this past year, our students completed over
Thomas R. (Rudy) Ruth, Ed.D., Executive Director of the Holleran Center for Community and Global Engagement
30,000 service hours in a wide array of activities. Our Office of Career Development collaborates with faculty throughout the University to support experiences related to student aspiration and degree completion. Recent data records almost 700 students completing internships, clinical assignments, and fieldwork with over 140 organizations. In addition to local internships, the Holleran Center assists faculty and
staff in the development of targeted global engagement through our travel abroad programming. Also, our Office of Mission and Ministry develops alternative breaks providing students the opportunity to experience different cultures in a way that impacts their career possibilities. In the coming months, we will hear more about what makes Alvernia unique: The Alvernia Advantage.
MISSION MOMENT “May God’s grace give you the necessary humility. Try not to think—much less, speak—of their sins. One’s own are a much more profitable theme! And if on consideration, one can find no faults on one’s own side, then cry for mercy: for this must be a most dangerous delusion.” — C.S. Lewis, Collected Letters, Volume 3
ON CAMPUS
October/November 2019
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Alvernia’s Winning Homecoming Weekend Homecoming is a funfilled weekend at Alvernia University for students, family, faculty, and alumni to enjoy. This weekend is one to look forward to for the Alvernia community. Alumni also came back to enjoy the event along with students, families, and friends. It was a weekend packed with exciting sporting events for many of Alvernia’s athletic teams, including historic wins for the Golden Wolves. On Friday night, Alvernia’s men’s soccer team took on Stevenson in their second conference game of the year. Alvernia came out with the win with a goal by Junior captain, Ryan Kuster assisted by Matt Lee with 12 minutes left in the game. Alvernia’s defense was able to hold the Mustangs at bay, granting the Wolves a 1-0 win. Coming out of this weekend the soccer team’s first year starting
goalie, Ben Solsky, won defensive player of the week. “It was a big win for us.” Kuster said. “We did not have the strongest start to the year, and this win gave us our confidence back. We hope to use these last two games as momentum to finish strong in the conference.” Starting off the series of games Saturday were many tailgates and even food trucks at Alvernia University. Tailgates were held in designated parking lots to prepare for the games. The parking lots were filled with families of students and alumni with outside games, food, and music. The Golden Wolves men’s football team made history Saturday afternoon with their first conference win against Lycoming College. The victory was an absolute thriller, with a final score of 29-24. The intense play kept fans on their feet the entire game. First year Darius Sample was the game’s hero,
bringing in the game-winning touchdown. The wins did not stop there for the Golden Wolves. Later that day, the field hockey team played crosstown rivalry Albright in a thrilling double-overtime 1-0 win over the Lions. Junior Madison Potthoff’s stroke in double OT ended the game. Unfortunately, Women’s soccer came up short Saturday in their conference game against Stevenson, ending the day with a 3-0 loss. The Women’s Lacrosse team wrapped up their fall ball season Sunday morning at Albright. They played two games against Jefferson University and Wilkes. The first game was a tough loss for the team, but the Golden Wolves took the 14-11 win against Wilkes who they will see in their upcoming spring season. Alvernia’s men’s ice hockey team played at body zone Sunday evening to wrap up
the sporting events for the Golden Wolves. The team lost a tough home opener to Saint Jose University 9-5, but they are still keeping their heads up for a good season. “I think as we continue to make history at Alvernia that we need to strongly
consider giving our Golden Wolf mascot a suitable name,” Dr. Ryan Lange, associate professor of communication, said. “Someone ought to start a campaign to get our good boy a name.”
Alvernia football celebrates making history with first-ever conference win over Lycoming college
Photo Courtesy of @vernathletics
Christinamarie Stefanoni Contributing Writer
Spook-tacular Traditions on Campus The chilling truth is Halloween is one of the most widely celebrated holidays around. Between trick-ortreating, carving Jack-o lanterns, and dressing up as our favorite spooky movie characters, everyone has
different favorite traditions. In addition, each country has its own way of celebrating this wild time of the year, with some traditions never existing anywhere but there. For example, Día De Los Muertos, or the Day of The Dead, is celebrated in Mexico. While the holdiay is not exactly the same as
Halloween, it is a celebration where people offer gifts to the spirits of their dead family members. This celebration is often colorful and accompanied by parades all over. Similar to Mexico, Japan celebrates its Kawasaki Halloween Parade. This very parade draws thousands of
As the fall season closes in, pumpkins are gathered for the upcoming holiday
Photo Courtesy of Ariel Johnson
Ariel Johnson Contributing Writer
visitors along as its residence in to watch and enjoy. Over in Romania, they celebrate the Day of Dracula to throw tribute to the belief of vampires that were thought to be hiding next to roads in dark alleys. Halloween traditions vary even in the United States, depending on where you go, so you can be sure that every campus has its traditions. All just as different and interesting as the ones you can find around the globe. Alvernia, for example, takes their time to welcome kids to their school for a safe night of candy grabbing. Kids dressed up traditionally in costumes ranging from walking skeletons to princesses stalk about the campus. This overall is one of the sweetest traditions a college campus can have, and many clubs and students on campus are eager to get involved. “Trick or treat night is my favorite because all of the hallways are decorated, and all of the residents get together to bring out Alvernia’s best. Even the commuters can participate by working on the Trunker Tree,” Marissa Bennici, Alvernia senior, said. Bennici has seen
Halloween on campus many times. With each campus differing greatly and having their own fun traditions, everyone celebrates differently but with enthusiasm for the coming of autumn. Happy Halloween!
What are your favorite fall activities? Write for the Alvernian and let us know!
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LIFESTYLE
October/November 2019
Vol. 58 Issue 5
Raven Metas Contributing Writer Autumn is finally upon us. The leaves are changing colors and starting to fall to the ground. The temperature finally starts to drop down from the hot summer days, giving us the perfect weather for all of the fall festivals that start to run. Daylight Savings Time makes sure that our days get shorter and the nights get longer all too soon. With the shorter days comes hoodie weather. The shorts and dresses can be put away from the time being and out come the comfy, warm, fall clothes. Giavana Hartzell looks forward to making herself comfortable in her room. “Fall is the best time of year,” she said. “The temperature drops, and I can just sit wrapped up in my blankets.” Jessica Barnes, a friend from home, said, “Fall is the best time of the year. I get to pull out my Uggs and bundle
in my fluffy sweaters.” It becomes the time of pumpkin spice this or pumpkin spice that, everything and anything starts to involve pumpkin. Hartzell, a sophomore Accounting/Marketing major, is also a fan of the most popular fall flavor. “My favorite drink during this time of year was anything involving pumpkin spice.” Fall also means Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are all right around the corner. There is so much to do around town, like apple picking, pumpkin patches, hayrides, and just being able to wrap yourself up in a cozy sweater or blanket. Barnes said, “I enjoy being able to do fun things with my family, like going on hayrides and picking pumpkins to carve.” Hayrides can be scary or just simple ride to take you to pick apples, and of course, pumpkin carving is an essential part of any fall experience.
But while Halloween is at the end of the month, all of October is spooky season. Trick or treating, Halloween costumes, and haunted decorations are what made it “spooky.” People keep Halloween decorations up all October, not just on Halloween. Children run around dressed as monsters and other fun things all for the love of getting so much candy. Tricks are played to scare all and cause a frightful scream. Even though it is spooky, people still love the thrill of getting scared and scaring others. Fall brings out the colder weather, darker nights, changing of the leaves, and of course, spooky season. It’s the perfect time to curl up with a warm blanket and hot cocoa to watch a scary movie with friends. “My favorite scary movie is The Big Short,” Dr. Ryan Lange, associate professor of communication, said.
Staring off into fall leaves in Central Park, NYC. Do you ever get the feeling that you’re being watched?
Photo Courtesy of Giavana Hartzell
Fall Is Here!
Things To Do Around Reading I was completely lost coming into my first year at Alvernia University. Reading is an area that not too many people are familiar with, and if you don’t explore, it can
seem boring. College isn’t like high school where you automatically know what’s going on at a certain place at a specific time. You have to look around to find out what exactly is going on. Keep reading for even more startling insights into local
Canoe away from Alvernia on the weekends to get ready for global warming making Berks into “Waterworld.”
Photo Courtesy of Jen Rinehart
Dion Thorpe Contributing Writer
activities. Around campus we have many organizations that organize events for students to participate in intended to help everyone have a great time. One organization that does such is the Campus Activities Board (CAB). CAB’s goal is to develop activities for the student body and provide quality entertainment that is free for all students. A few activities that the CAB has planned are free movie trips, live music, Glow Bowling, rock climbing and even a trip to an escape room. Any student can take part in CAB and help to develop ideas that will lead to activities for the student body to take part in. Student Activities has a Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. The handle for each social media site is Alvernia SA, and students can use these various websites to learn about activities that are going around on campus. Recent student activities included trips to baseball games, pottery painting, Maroon & Gold night, video game tournaments, and even a trip to New York City. It’s easy to sign up for all of these activities, but some do have a
student limit. Sign up early so you can guarantee yourself a spot! Reading is a beautiful city once you get to know it, and it doesn’t take long to learn some of the best spots in town. There won’t be an activity planned by the school every single day, so you have to go out and do things on your own. At Alvernia, you have some students that live on college and some students that are commuters. Commuters know the area very well, or at least you would hope so. I have a lot of friends that are commuters and they like to take me around the area and introduce me to new things. This will come in handy on the weekends when there is no school and many people go home. I live about an hour and a half away, so I spend my weekends here and I usually find something to do by communicating with my friends who are from the area. People go hiking, play sports at BodyZone or one of the parks nearby, and sometime kayak or canoe down the Schuylkill River if the weather is nice enough. Alvernia University has a lot to offer and one thing
that many people like is the sports. For students it is free to go to a sporting event that is on campus. Whenever you have an opportunity to go to a sporting event, I suggest that you take it because they’re always fun and enjoyable, especially if you go with friends. Even if you don’t want to do anything around Reading, there are places nearby that can catch your eye, like the King of Prussia mall, that are only about an hour away. If you look hard enough, you will find that there are plenty of things to keep you entertained during the semester.
Check out this QR code and see all the fun events that Student Activities has planned on PAX!
LIFESTYLE
October/November 2019
5 Vol. 58 Issue 5
Photo Courtesy of Sidney Goodman
Everyone knows that college students can’t live without their caffeine. Luckily, there are plenty of places near campus to get that coffee fix that is so needed during exams or just to get through every day. Benchwarmers is a café on Penn Avenue that has made a name for itself because of its good, cheap coffee and gigantic donuts that are a meal unto themselves. Right now, they have a seasonal pumpkin donut that can easily be shared with friends or eaten by yourself if you’re feeling brave. The coffee at Benchwarmers is definitely on the stronger side. The cappuccino will put hair on your chest for sure, and the cold brew is very good and doesn’t have that odd coffee ground taste that some other places have. You can also add any flavored syrup to it for
fifty cents extra. If you’re not a fan of strong coffee, they leave room for cream if you ask for it and you can put in as many sugar packets as you’d like. Just up the street from Benchwarmers is another café called Flourish. It is located on the corner of Penn Avenue and 6th Avenue and shares the building space with a realtor’s office. The staff is super friendly and willing to accommodate any extra add-ins to your drinks and, if you like your coffee on the sweet side, they will leave room for cream. Their coffee is not as strong as Benchwarmers, so you might be able to get away with just creamer or a flavored syrup instead of going all out. In addition to the essential coffee drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos, Flourish also has a fairly extensive menu. They offer lunch and breakfast options, and you get a lot of food for a great price. They put an
Wild Sage’s fall-themed decorations make it the perfect place to enjoy a vanilla cold brew.
from Twin Valley is stopping on the way to the beach and the employees decorated our cups.” Hill named the nitro iced toddy as her favorite drink, and it seems to be the most popular choice. Junior Mikayla Pettis also loves the iced toddy, but she puts a spin on it by adding
chocolate syrup instead of the original caramel, while Biology major Julia Newton adds hazelnut to the drink. Wild Sage is a lesser known eatery, but their coffee is just as good. Located on Washington Street in Reading, the cute shabbysheik vibe of the cafe blends well with their food and
interesting spin on avocado toast by loading up two pieces of bread not only with tomato and avocado, but also with onion and jalapeño. The meal is originally $4.99, but for just a dollar extra, you can also add two eggs. The food is very good and the price is easy on your wallet. Twin Valley Coffee is another local favorite. Located in a little gazebo near Twin Valley High School, this quaint coffee shop is famous for its iced toddy. It’s about twenty minutes from campus, but the toddy is absolutely worth the drive. People come from as far away as Philadelphia for it, and the tiny parking lot is always packed full of eager customers. The staff is also very friendly and more than willing to make changes to their drinks so that you can enjoy every sip. For Alvernia students, Twin Valley is very popular. Nursing major Sydney Hill said, “My favorite memory drink. They have many different menu options, such as an avocado grain bowl, a pesto mozzarella wrap, and a summer peach salad. and their drink menu contains all of the coffee staples, like lattes, cappuccinos, and cold brew coffee. Their cold brew is not strong compared to Benchwarmers and, if you want to add a flavored syrup, it is sweet enough to drink without cream. They also serve home-brewed kombucha, which comes in a different flavor every day. Wild Sage also offers a 10% off discount if you have a student ID card with you. Of course, there are also drive-thru alternatives to the classic sit-down coffee shop. Dunkin’ Donuts is less than two minutes away from campus and is definitely a college favorite. Their donuts are cheap and their drink sizes are good for the price. They are especially popular because of their afternoon deals, which are easy on the bank account. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Dunkin’ will have a certain type of drink on special for only $2. Currently it’s any medium latte, cappuccino, or americano. They also have pumpkin coffee and muffins for the fall season. If you’re feeling fancy and are willing to spend some
This sign at Benchwarmers says it all...
extra money, then Starbucks is the place for you. They are known for their extravagant creations and are always coming up with new drinks to catch the eye of their customers. For fall, they have a pumpkin spice frappuccino and a pumpkin cream cold brew. While not as cheap as Dunkin’, Starbucks does have stronger coffee and they have a lot more variety when it comes to their menu. They also have pastries and
various other foods to enjoy, such as egg bites, scones, and cake pops. Starbucks is farther away from campus, but the drive is well worth it. Since it is such an essential part of college life, knowing where the best coffee hotspots are is always helpful. There are many other ones besides the places mentioned in this article, especially on Penn Avenue.
Photo Courtesy of Sidney Goodman
Sidney Goodman Managing Editor
Photo Courtesy of Sidney Goodman
Coffee Convo: The Best Baristas In Town
The French Sage Butter Bowl at Wild Sage is just one of many fun food options that you can get.
6 October/November 2019
PROFILES
Vol. 58 Issue 5
Alvernia’s Art Department: Bruce Becker Mackenzie Coombs Contributing Writer
arts. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of drawing anything I could get my hands on. I was drawing all the time and loved the visual arts. It wasn’t easy. I was the only child of nine brothers and sister that had
the interest. So, my parents did quite understand it. Then, my high school had NO art program. So, I had to start one. Then it was off to study at the collegiate level. From there, I had my first one-man show at 21 and never looked
back.” Becker didn’t have the same opportunities that we have at Alvernia with all of its art classes, but he was willing to step up and create one himself because he was passionate about what he
wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to give others the opportunities that he didn’t have. There’s nothing better than giving back to the world. As a teacher, Mr. Becker is willing to go the extra mile if a student is in desperate need of help. Becker is very patient and helpful when it comes to helping us students learn how to do the proper techniques of oil painting. Most of the
students are taking the class because it seemed like a good opportunity to try something out of our comfort zone. Trying new things is the entire point of college, and to step into someone else’s passion is a nice change. But there are students who are trying to make a name for themselves in the Art field. “I speak to many different groups. Often the age group of college students. I tell them to be true to their passions,
even though that passion may change,” Becker said. “And just as importantly I tell them if they do choose the arts as a career be certain to study marketing and business. Because if you graduate as a Fine Art Major, it’s very unlikely that you will find employment ads for “artists.” You will need to do your own promotions and perhaps even start your own business,” Overall, one must take a
leap of faith when it comes to supporting your own dreams. Don’t be afraid to fail, mess up, or find your passion. The sky is the limit. Be true to who you are as a person, and someday, it’s possible for those goals to become a reality. After talking to Mr. Becker, talking to one of his painting students was the next step. Sitting down with Nicholas Anderson—a sophomore Sports Management major— he had nothing but positive things to say about Mr. Becker’s class, Painting 1. “Considering I had absolutely no artistic ability prior to taking this class, the sky was the limit,” Anderson said. “I’ve developed in making colors and mixing paint, blending and even drawing. It’s kind of a good rounded class that will help you grow in all areas of art.” Even though Anderson isn’t an art major, he finds himself enjoying the class more than he initially thought he would. He described the class itself as “laidback” and “stress free”. Becker doesn’t want his students to stress in this class, but to have a good time and enjoy making art. Overall, if any student at Alvernia is looking for an elective to take or want to follow their passions of Art,
taking an art class with Mr. Becker is one of best options. He’s an extraordinary artist, a great teacher, and is more than helpful when it comes to helping up-and-coming artists. If you are interested in learning more about art, register for Painting I with Mr. Becker this spring and see what you can create!
Photo Courtesy of Mackenzie Coombs
Bruce Becker (right) working with a student on her artwork.
Some artwork done in Mr. Becker’s class by student Mackenzie Coombs.
Want to learn more about your professors? Read the Alvernian and stay informed!
Photo Courtesy of Theo Anderson
Mr. Bruce Becker is a painter and teacher at Alvernia University who teaches a wide array of different art courses. But what leads someone to want to teach art to others? Mr. Becker is a well-known Contemporary American Artist. His work has been requested and represented all around the world. He oftengives speeches about his work and his passion. But though he is talented at many different art forms, he sticks with his true passion, oil painting. His oil paintings have a combination of abstraction and representationalism. By investing his time with learning the different techniques of painting, he found his niche; oil painting. “After drawing all the time, I knew I wanted to take it a step further. I tried all the different two-dimensional
mediums: watercolor, acrylics, screen printing, etching...you name it, all of ‘em,” Becker said. “In my late teens and in my college years, I found oil painting to be the one that drew me to it the most. For me, it captures the richest colors and values (lights and darks).” With the perception of imagery—by using bright colors and evoking emotion— he captures reality and makes it into a beautiful piece of artwork. The perception of imagery is how one interprets it; it’s seeing an object not only for what it is, but for the beauty and physical representation of something that is real in our reality. Using colors to portray emotion is one of the things learned in an art class. Teaching art isn’t easy, but it’s possible for even novices to learn. But of all things, why did he chose art education? “I have always known I wanted to be involved in the
October/November 2019
SPORTS
Trusting “The Process” With 4.2 seconds remaining on the clock, the Philadelphia 76ers were tied with the Toronto Raptors 90-90 in game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. Raptors Center Marc Gasol was inbounding the ball just past midcourt in an attempt to get one more shot off before a potential overtime to seal this nerve wracking affair. Even though
there are four players on the court that Gasol could pass to, there was one man that the entire basketball world knew was getting the ball; Kawhi Leonard. Fortunately for the Raptors, Gasol was able to find Leonard. Once the ball touched Kawhi’s hands, the clock began to drip. Though four seconds seems like a very short amount of time, it is more than enough to create a scoring chance.
Leonard immediately started dribbling to the right side of the court as fast as he could with Sixers Guard Ben Simmons running alongside him. With Sixers Center Joel Embiid almost waiting for Leonard on the right side of the court, it seems as though Philadelphia knew what was coming. However, even one of the league’s top Centers was not enough to stop Leonard from getting a shot up. As the clock hit double
Kawhi Leonard shot over Sixers Center Joel Embiid, ending the 76ers’ playoff hopes.
Photo Courtesy of Markus Spiske
Luca Grammatica Contributing Writer
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zeroes while the ball was in the air, this was the Raptors last hope. The ball bounced up and down on the rim a total of four times before falling into the basket. Just like that, the Philadelphia 76ers were knocked out of the 2019 NBA playoffs. Many Sixers players were visibly emotional after the game as everything they worked towards the entire year had come crashing down from one shot. At the Philadelphia postgame press conference, an unidentified reporter asked Joel Embiid what was going through his mind after that last shot; “Game 7, Last shot.” Embiid said, “...I feel like we had a chance. It sucks. I don’t know what else to say. It just sucks.” However, with the end of every season comes the start of a new one and the 76ers are easily a favorite to win the Eastern Conference and get a chance to play in the NBA
finals. Over the summer, Philadelphia had to deal with some pretty tough losses. For example, Guard J.J Redick who averaged 18.1 points per game over 76 games agreed to a two year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. Guard Jimmy Butler, who is known to be one of the most complete players in the league, was involved in a signand-trade which sent him to the Miami Heat. With key players moving out of Philadelphia came a wave of new assets to the team. Philadelphia was able to acquire Heat Guard Josh Richardson through the Jimmy Butler deal, as well as sign former Boston Celtics Center Al Horford to a four year deal. With a now wide opened Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers are seeking to be the eventual champions of the Eastern Conference and potentially the champions of the NBA.
traded away Chris Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook. This teams up James Harden and Westbrook again, who have hopes of contending in the West. All four teams just mentioned have a chance to contend this year in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics acquired All-Star Point Guard, Kemba Walker, from the Charlotte Hornets and traded away ‘Scary’ Terry Rozier. As mentioned previously, the Brooklyn Nets acquired 3 All-Stars in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Jordan. There was also another
blockbuster trade when the Miami Heat traded away Josh Richardson to get All-NBA Guard/Forward Jimmy Butler from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Sixers also acquired Al Horford in free agency, who will hopefully make them contenders in the East. Eastern Conference is fully up for grabs this season. This 2019-20 NBA season is shaping out to be one of the best in recent years. All the recent free agency action makes things heat up in the Association. Who will be hosting the 2019-20 Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in June 2020?
Jared Montalto Contributing Editor The start of another season of NBA basketball is upon us. The season officially begins on October 22. The young, much anticipated New Orleans Pelicans will face off against the reigning NBA champions, Toronto Raptors. The big headliner game of the opening night will be the best of Los Angeles when the Lakers play the Clippers. After the Raptors shocked the world and beat the back-to-back champions Golden State Warriors in the 2018-19 NBA Finals, the whole NBA had a memorable off-season. The Raptors beat the Warriors 4-2 in the best-of-7 series. Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson both missed time in the Finals, which caused Kahwi Leonard, Small Forward of the Raptors, to take over and lead the Raptors to their first championship in the franchise’s history. This led to one of the most chaotic off-seasons in recent memory. Superstar players were traded, signed to different teams, formed super-teams, and some even retired. Two future Hall-of-Famers retired after the 2018-19
season, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. Wade, who spent most of his 16-year career with the Miami Heat, was a 3-time NBA champion and will be remembered as one the best Shooting Guards to ever play, behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Dirk Nowitzki spent his entire 20-year career with the Dallas Mavericks. He always stayed loyal to the team that drafted him and won a championship with them in 2011. Both players will be missed in this league that they made such a huge impact in. Free agency had many superstars land in new homes this summer. Some of the most notable have been Kevin Durant teaming up with Kyrie Irving and Deandre Jordan in Brooklyn to play for the young Nets team. Kevin Durant is coming off an Achilles tear that will make him miss the whole upcoming season. The Nets are looking forward to having him back in the 2020-21 season, but even without him, the Nets are contenders in the Eastern Conference. Another big team-up is in Los Angeles with Kahwi Leonard and Paul George. Both players are coming off of MVP-like seasons
and make an already good Clippers team even better. The team the Clippers share the Staples Center with, the Lakers, also got better with the acquisition of Anthony Davis from the Pelicans. The Lakers had to give up a lot of their young core to get Davis which included the agreement to trade Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and multiple picks to the Pelicans. The Pelicans also ended up getting the first pick in the 2019 draft and selected Zion Williamson, the most anticipated prospect to come into the league since LeBron James. The Houston Rockets have also
Basketball is a sport played professionally, though not always competently, in America.
Photo Courtesy of Justiniano Adriano
NBA Free Agency Frenzy
8 October/November 2019
THE PLEX
Vol. 58 Issue 5
Ivan Fegely Contributing Editor
The PLEX brings opportunities to Alvernia that past students and faculty have never had. Education gets top-notch technology, sports programs get a topnotch facility, and students get extra, (but not top-notch) parking. The classrooms provide students with next level science labs that older classrooms were not able to provide and more areas for professors to inhabit. The sports teams that use the facility do not endure the harsh conditions of rain or snow during an outside practice. Many sports benefit from having an indoor training space, but track and field especially benefits. Indoor track and field meets become possible for Alvernia to host and generate revenue. The first collegiate indoor meet is December 7 starting at 9 a.m. at the indoor track.
Meets at Alvernia generate popularity for the school, but more helpfully, generate revenue for the university. Not only do these meets become available to other universities, but high school track and field teams could be brought into the facility and the meet can be ran for virtually nothing with athletes helping the event officials. Practices for the track and field team range from the end of October all the way until the end of the spring semester. The team endures harsh weather during early morning practices and sometimes doesn’t even have the space to practice with other sports using the gym as well. The PLEX adds an entirely different level to the practice schedule considering a practice will never be missed due to harsh weather. The practices outdoor were sometimes in the 30-degree mark and many athletes found this impossible to get a
good workout in. The indoor track surface is some of the best you can get in Division 3 and gives a solid advantage to the athletes practicing on that surface. The name of the track surface is Mondotrack. Mondotrack is a trademarked synthetic track surface used for track and field athletics. Mondotrack is developed by Mondo, a world leader in track and field surfacing. Research was done to achieve the best possible surface for track events that will enhance performance and decrease the chance of injury. The PLEX also brings in an incentive for athletes across the board to come to Alvernia. If a track and field athletes come for an overnight and sees the indoor facility that Alvernia has to offer, it could influence their decision and make them pick Alvernia over the other universities that they are pursuing. Tyler Barret, a senior cross country, track and field athlete, and school
Photo Courtesy of @alverniatfxc
Life of a Track Athlete in The PLEX
The newly completed track in the PLEX record holder has nothing field in this area due to the but excitement for the new addition of a facility like this indoor facility. “4 years in our back yard. ago, they announced the “We’ll be able to host project during my freshman meets for high schools and orientation and immediately I colleges which there are very was excited for it. Now, seeing few indoor facilities in our it finished, being able to use it area. I think it is going to is even better.” grow the sport of indoor track Barret talked about the and field a lot in our area.” rise in popularity of track and