La Vie Collegienne Vol. 87 Issue 1

LA VIE COLLEGIENNE LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1924 VOLUME 87, NO. 1 | AUGUST 29, 2019

LVC welcomes class of 2023 President Thayne’s letter to students

Photo provided by: LVC Marketing & Communications ABOVE: President Lewis E. Thayne

Dear Students: A very warm welcome to the Class of 2023 and welcome back to all returning students. I look forward to hearing what you have been able to do over the summer. My hope is that you bring to campus what you have gained from many and varied experiences along with an eagerness to begin the fall semester.

You may have noticed that Lebanon Valley was ranked again by Zippia as the #1 College and University in Pennsylvania and fourth in the U.S. for getting a job. Our job place-

ment rate for the survey was 95.63% for students entering 10 years ago.

This national data reflects what LVC alumni, students and parents value deeply about the College: An LVC degree prepares them for their first jobs and for sustained career success through a “thorough and practical” education.

You will be part of history in the making this fall. Every 50 years, the pedestrian bridge connecting North and South campus must be replaced.

Construction on this project began during the summer and will continue into October. The new bridge will be wider, well-lit, more attractive and accessible. In short, we are replacing a very inadequate structure with a bridge that will connect our campus and to serve as a point of pride for all Dutchmen. I can assure you, I feel as you do and cannot wait for this project to be completed. My apologies to all for any inconvenience you may experience during construction.

Staff members and faculty worked through the summer to prepare for the opening of our 153rd Academic Year. Returning students especially will notice the renovations and improvements to classrooms and residence halls, equipment and tech-

Photo provided by: LVC Marketing & Communications ABOVE: Lebanon Valley College’s class of 2023 poses for its first group photo on the academic quad of campus. The class consists of 480 freshmen and 38 transfer students representing 15 states and seven countries.

nology upgrades and the addition of new faculty and staff. In addition, we have been in discussions with regional businesses and organizations to identify internship opportunities and revamp our Student Employment Services that will now be part of the support offered by the Breen Center for Graduate Success.

Let’s begin the year together with an affirmation. There are banners hanging on campus with our new brand campaign, “Further. More.”

In the coming year, I hope you will

act on your aspiration to achieve more than you ever thought possible. The faculty and staff of LVC will be there to support you in your journey.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF LA VIE

BLUE LIGHTS PAGE 2

WRITING CENTER PAGE 2

FOOTBALL PREVIEW PAGE 4

BRIDGE UPDATE PAGE 4

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La Vie Collegienne

Welcome from student affairs Greetings and welcome to the start of the 2019-20 academic year! As Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students, it is my hope that you will have an amazing college experience.

The areas within our division are here to support your success and provide a wide variety of engagement opportunities. Week of Welcome activities and the annual Activity Fair on September 4th will be great ways to get off to a great start and connect with peers!

As part of the student affairs team, we have several new faces who have joined the LVC community. These can be seen in the included graphic.

I want to remind everyone of some simple expectations that help to foster a strong, positive sense of community.

To start, how we deal with each other

is very important. If we start with an expectation of civility and respect, we will avoid most issues. How we talk to each other, how we disagree or debate or how we work through conflict will all come to a reasonable end if we incorporate these two simple values.

Another common issue on college campuses often involves alcohol. Our rule is simply applying the laws of PA. If you are under the age of 21, you may not possess or be under the influence of alcohol.

A challenge we are all going to have to work through during the early part of the term is the delayed completion of the new bridge. New parking rules are in place. Only commuting students are permitted to park behind Mund, Mary Green lot and Summit

Street during the week.

The Breen Center for Graduate Success has been extremely busy this summer. A variety of new features are available, including new programs, a planned scheduled fall speaker, new technologies to enhance your career planning/search and a new head shot study available for professional photography. Please stop by and check things out. We are especially proud to have again been rated #1 in graduate placement.

I hope you have an amazing year!

We are here to support and assist you in any way. Please feel free to access the many resources and opportunities available to all LVC students.

Greg Krikorian, Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students

Emergency phones on campus Brianna Metsger ’19 ASSISTANT EDITOR Lebanon Valley College is dedicated to the safety of students, faculty and staff; one way to communicate with public safety on campus is by using

the emergency blue lights on campus.

The blue lights work as a telephone for emergency situations. If a person pushes the red button at one of the 22 locations, the person will be connected to a campus public safety officer or dispatcher. The phones can be used

for assistance with security, medical emergencies, fire alerts and alerting security of suspicious activities.

“A campus public safety officer will be notified of one’s location and will respond to the location within 3-4 minutes,” Brent Oberholtzer, director of public safety, said.

If a student finds himself or herself in an emergency situation on campus, finding a blue light and pushing the red button can be a good first step to finding help.

Photo by: Huntre Keip LEFT: Emergency blue lights are placed around LVC’s campus for students’ safety.

Writing center information HUNTRE KEIP ’20 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LVC’s Center for Writing and Tutoring Resources is ready to help returning students and incoming freshmen.

The writing center, which is located in Lebegern Learning Commons in the basement of the Allan W. Mund College Center, will open the second week of classes.

Two writing tutors will be on duty each night.

“Students, especially freshmen,

should visit the writing center because it’s better to get help early in their writing careers to create a solid base of writing skills,” Megan Finlan, a junior writing tutor, said.

For freshmen, every FYE section will have its own writing mentor who is responsible to help students with writing assignments and upcoming due dates. Writing mentors will be available during drop-in hours depending on the time leading up to paper due dates.

“All students should think of writ-

ing as a process, as something you’re constantly working and reworking to make better,” Elizabeth Julian, Assistant Dean of Student Support and Retention, said. “No one writes a perfect draft on the first try. Even professors who have been published extensively go through an intense editing and revision process.”

The center’s hours are Monday through Thursday from 7-9 p.m. Two tutors will be on duty each night.

Walk-in hours are available, but appointments are strongly encouraged.

App for that Brianna Metsger ’19 ASSISTANT EDITOR A quick app download and LVC students are connected to a variety of campus information at one’s fingertips.

It’s called Reach Out, Editions. The free resource includes specifics about LVC’s Title IX program including who to reach out to with questions and concerns. In addition, there are links to campus medical care, important phone numbers and even C.R.E.W. information. It’s easy to add to any smartphone.

To download the app: Search Reach Out (editions) powered by Capptivation. Select USA colleges/universities, Select Lebanon Valley College.

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Helpful hints for incoming Dutchmen BRIANNA METSGER ’19 ASSISTANT EDITOR College is a place where students can explore and strengthen their skills and passions through academics, personal growth, social involvement, athletics and so much more.

The transition from high school to LVC is, without a doubt, an exciting experience. Here are some helpful hints for incoming Dutchmen in order to make the transition a little less overwhelming!

Utilize Redbook! Redbook is basically an online signup sheet for events at LVC. Some events include free or reduced-price trips to local or out-of-town hot spots, exciting volunteer opportunities and events across campus. Redbook can be found by visiting MyLVC. IT tips: to login to the WiFi on your smartphone, laptop, gaming device or practically anything that can reach the internet, open one’s network settings and connect to “LVC Wireless.”

This should prompt a browser to enter an LVC login information to access the WiFi. The steps are pretty straightforward on the website, but if electronics do not connect, try asking the experts at IT - (717) 867-6072.

Keep in touch with home, but don’t overdo it. Just remember that you have a whole new campus to explore and socialize at! It never hurts to make even more friends or feel at home in your dorm. However, don’t forget to send a text or call home!

Make friends with your RAs. Resident Assistants are trained to handle situations that may occur in residential spaces: roommate disagreements, homesickness and practically any concern a resident may have. RAs wants students to make the most out of a residential experience.

Get to know your professors. At LVC, the student-to-faculty ratio is about 10:1. This means classes will most likely be intimate and on the smaller side. Professors want to see students succeed; they can also help

with tutoring and counseling services!

Keep track of meal swipes and flex dollars. With a meal plan, you have at least 100 meal swipes per semester and $100 in flex dollars, excluding commuter plans. Flex dollars are money that is linked to your LVC ID that can be used specifically at LVC dining locations. A cool new feature was added this semester where offcampus flex dollars can be used at local businesses in Annville. Regardless of how one spends it, keep track of how many meal swipes and flex dollars you use; they usually deplete quickly.

Don’t stress about prints. Each student is limited to 1,500 prints per semester. Unless you print every single PowerPoint, this number is generous.

If you do manage to exceed the limit, you can purchase additional prints.

Get involved but know your limits.

LVC has so many clubs and organizations to choose from to get involved on campus. From student govern-

ment to Greek Life, athletics to the student newspaper(!), LVC has a lot to offer.

Start a routine. The transition from high school to college can be somewhat overwhelming. Starting a routine and sticking to it can help make things feel more organized and less chaotic. Practice time-management, use a planner, wake up every day at the same time or get to class a little ahead of schedule. Try not to skip class.

Park only where your tag allows, or you will be ticketed. LVC is divided into north and south campuses by railroad tracks. The north side accommodates parking for residential students while the south side houses the residential areas. Residential students must park on the north side of campus unless otherwise approved.

Violations of parking rules will result in parking fines starting at $30.

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Dutchmen kick off football season Spencer Paterick ’21 ASSISTANT EDITOR After a less than impressive 2018 season, the football team hopes to turn things around this season.

Despite multiple close games, LVC had trouble outlasting its opponents.

The Dutchmen lost the first eight games of the season but managed to shift the tide with a 55-7 blowout win against Alvernia University in the second to last game of the year. LVC ended the year in dramatic fashion on Senior

Day by beating Albright College in double overtime, while also securing the chance to march on Kreiderheim.

“I am really excited about this team,” Joe Buehler, head coach of the football team, said. “We had a great spring, and this group of young men is very team focused. We also have 40 high character freshmen joining us, which is awesome.”

This year, the team had 102 students report for preseason camp and training.

“Our only obstacle is the shortened

pre-season due to new practice limitations set by the NCAA but we will overcome this by making the most of every minute we have,” Buehler said.

Buehler is entering his fourth year as the head coach for the Dutchmen, and 16th season overall. His previous twelve years were spent as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Buehler has an overall record of 11-19.

“I am definitely looking forward to the season,” Justin Abdo, junior wide receiver, said. “I really think our guys

are bonding together and becoming one big family each and every day. I’m eager to see how well we play this year knowing that all of the teams will be a difficult task to overcome. We as a team are all for each other and want to see every part of our team achieve greatness leading us to overcome our difficulties.”

The Dutchmen will take on Franklin and Marshall in the season opener on Saturday, September 7, at 1 p.m. at Arnold Field in Annville.

Bridge construction continues BRIANNA METSGER ’19 ASSISTANT EDITOR The idea for a redesigned, ADA compliant pedestrian bridge at Lebanon Valley College has been in the making for several years, and necessary approvals were obtained in time to begin reconstruction this past May. However, due to unexpectedly extended timelines for approvals and coordination, the bridge will not be finished in time for the start of fall semester; instead, the project will be accessible mid-October and fully completed by early November.

The footbridge connects the north and south sides of campus and allows students, faculty, staff and community members to safely cross above the railroad tracks that separate sections of LVC. “Reconstruction of the pedestrian bridge is part of the Campus Master Plan: to better create a walking campus and connect the north and south sides,” Brent Oberholtzer, director of public safety, said. “Included in the plan was LVC’s desire to make the bridge more accessible and ADA compliant.”

During the winter of 2017-18, the bridge began deteriorating at an accelerated rate due to extreme cold and corrosive chemicals such as icepreventative salt. Sections of the concrete stairs began to break away from the structure, expediting the need for reconstruction.

“There were two main reasons for reconstructing the footbridge,” Michael Mumper, director of facilities management, said. “The original bridge only had steps as a means of access. Therefore, the accessibility to

Photos by: Brianna Metsger ABOVE: The bridge connecting the north and south sides of campus is currently under construction and is expected to be finished by October.

or from the north campus via that bridge was restricted to those who were able to walk the steps. Also, the existing bridge was beginning to deteriorate.”

Planning for the new footbridge started after LVC was awarded a grant for the project in December, 2016, from Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED) Multimodal Transportation Fund. LVC then received an additional grant from PennDOT and was able to finalize the designs.

Mumper had anticipated this project to be somewhat of a challenge.

Cooperation from numerous external organizations and the compressed construction timeline have made the project complicated.

“The bridge spans two very active Norfolk Southern rail lines,” Mumper said. “Norfolk Southern had very specific requirements in order to approve the design and to approve the construction plan. Additional groups involved include Met Ed, Annville

Township, Lebanon County, architect, engineers and compliance requirements from two different state agencies.”

Though there have been no unexpected setbacks in construction thus far, Mumper said the timelines for approvals and coordination of the project have taken longer than The College had originally expected, resulting in a delay of the project’s completion.

Parking at LVC will be affected by the new footbridge design. Approximately 25 parking spaces on the south side of campus were removed to accommodate the project. Only commuters, guests or visitors and approved residential students will be permitted to park along the tracks.

Residential students may no longer park on the south side of campus, except for approved times during the weekends.

Additionally, as construction continues, pedestrians are instructed to use the sidewalk of State Route 934 to cross the tracks. LVC students are ad-

vised to notify professors if additional travel time is needed to and from classes.

Pedestrians are not permitted to walk on or across the railroad tracks.

Pennsylvania law allows violators to be cited with trespassing and face up to 90 days in jail and/or receive up to a $300 fine. Norfolk Southern and Annville Police departments know of the construction and may add extra patrols to ensure the safety of all pedestrians.