Thursday, 27,2009 2009 Thursday,August Feb. 19,
YOU SPEAK, WE LISTEN
Radnor, Pa.
INSIDE
jlw729@cabrini.edu
SEE Features, page 8
Fallen Icons The summer of 2009 marked the deaths of many idols in pop culture.
SEE A&E, page 10
Party Now, Pay Later A student’s story of a first college experience.
SEE Perspectives, page 6
Iron Pigs Students take on internships with Cabrini’s IronPigs partnership.
SEE Sports, page 15
Vol VolL,LI,Issue Issue171
College adjusts to smaller freshmen class jen wozniak
Freshman begin a new chapter in thier lives on their first day at Cabrini.
Pacemaker Winner
www.theloquitur.com
managing editor
Freshmen Move In
CABRINI COLLEGE
370 students officially embarked on their Cabrini College career and became freshmen this week, 20 students more than the expected number yet more than 100 students less than recent Cabrini freshman classes. “Although the class of 2013 will not be as large as some of the other classes Cabrini has experienced in recent history, it exceeds the budgeted number of 350 students,” Doug Swartz, vice president of enrollment management, said. When planning for the upcoming school year, the budget was built around 350 students “because the applicant pool was smaller and because of transitions in admissions,” Swartz said. “We wanted a realistic budget.” Cabrini College may have received fewer applicants because of the rough economy. “One of the biggest reasons [for the small class size] is the state of the economy right now. Dr. Jefferey Gingerich, interim dean for academic affairs, said “Families are not able to afford private schools as much as in the past, so it makes sense to see a smaller class size.” Besides receiving fewer applicants, Cabrini was also tougher in their decision of who to accept. A large part of this was trying to find students who are the best fit for Cabrini. Cabrini hopes to have students who are better prepared for Cabrini and know what to expect. Sparked by the desire to help improve Cabrini’s retention rate, or the number of students who transfer, Cabrini is implementing
various ways to help students stay involved and enjoy their college experience once at the school. “The key for Cabrini is retention,” Swartz said. “We want to try and get a student who is a better fit for Cabrini and have more activities that help them stay involved on an ongoing basis. Recruiting to a good fit is the first piece of that and then working in a pro-active way to make sure students are involved academically and socially first semester is really important.” Gingerich said that Cabrini is looking at a number of strategies to help the retention rate, one of which is increasing the number of Living and Learning Communities. In the LLCs, students will live together in the residence halls, take courses together and have a budget for more activities, including off-campus activities and weekend trips. Altogether Cabrini will have six LLCs this year, a few more than last year. “These [LLCs] were a success last year and we found that students were more likely to stay,” Gingerich said. A smaller class size can present new opportunities for students, including smaller classes, more individualized attention from professors and less crowding in the dormitories. “Students will be more likely to have fulltime professors rather than adjuncts, so that is an advantage to students as well,” Gingerich said. George Stroud, dean of students, said that rooms in Woodcrest residence hall were de-tripled and the majority of rooms in
AMANDA CARSON/ NEWS EDITOR
Although the incoming class of 2013 was smaller than other previous years, it did not stop students from getting to know one another.
Enrollment At Cabrini College Class Size Per Year
526
529
513 370
2006
2007
FRESHMEN, page 3
2008
2009
AMANDA CARSON/ NEWS EDITOR
Grads struggle in unstable job market arielle friscia a&e editor
af728@cabrini.edu
Just this past May, Cabrini College graduated approximately 1,000 students with bachelors and masters degrees, its largest graduating class ever. The class of 2009 was finally sent out into the real world, taking everything that they have learned here at Cabrini to their future job that they might have. In the middle of the 20082009 academic year, the class of 2009 saw with jobs dwindling away when the economy and the job market turned for the worse. In June 2009, the unemployment rate rose to 9.6 percent, being the
PETER YARNALL
highest it has been in 26 years ago. Some graduates were lucky enough to find good jobs in their field while others, took jobs that don’t require a college degree or continued their part-time work. Matthew Connelly, liberal arts major, wants to find a career in customer service in hotels. Connelly heard back from the 10 to 15 jobs he has applied to online
in the Philadelphia area, but none of those employers offered him a career or even an interview. “There are so many people desperate for a job so no one is leaving their jobs because they know how hard it is to get a new job,” Connelly said. Connelly, who currently works at a coffee shop, seems to be happy, but hopes
to find his dream job soon. There are also many alumni who had been sending job applications out for months before graduating, hoping to find their job that they have been longing for. Nicole Hearn, a biological
GRADUATES, page 3