LA VIE COLLEGIENNE LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1924 VOLUME 86, NO. 7 | FEBRUARY 26, 2019
Welcoming a new face on campus Shayla Aponte ’19 STAFF WRITER
Photo provided by: Tevis Bryant
Lebanon Valley College student engagement suite added a new face to the team, and he is ready to get involved. Tevis Bryant, director of intercultural affairs and inclusive programming, is also an adjunct professor for first-year experience courses. Originally from South Jersey, Bryant felt like LVC would be a new experience.
Students to serve over spring break CASSANDRA BARRETT ’19 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lebanon Valley College aims to prepare its students for a lifetime of service to others, and more than 15 students are readying to put this preparation into action in the Dominican Republic. As part of a spring break service trip, a group of students will travel to the rural fishing community of Monte Cristi to serve a local school and teach English with Outreach360, an international service trip organization that focuses on safe, affordable and high-impact experiences in Latin America. Initially when Jennifer Liedtka, coordinator of service and volunteerism, developed this service opportunity, she intended to take a group of ten students over winter break. However, when more than 30 students applied for the opportunity, Liedtka knew that she needed to find a way to allow as many students as possible to partake
in this tremendous experience in the Dominican Republic. Liedtka created two separate opportunities for nearly 30 students; half of the students served in Monte Cristi over winter break and the other half are preparing to journey to the same region. While in the Dominican Republic, students will take part in a servicelearning experience with a focus on supporting life-changing educational opportunities for underserved children in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, the students will have the chance to experience cultural learning opportunities and excursions. The group leaves on Saturday, March 2, and will return on Saturday, March 9. Students can follow the experiences of the service trip on the Lebanon Valley College Community Service Facebook page.
“During my interview, I felt truly at home and comfortable,” Bryant said. “I felt that my skills would be appreciated and used, and essentially, that is all anyone could ask to have at work.” Bryant has experience with Greek life, student engagement and career advising. These various types of roles allow him to connect with students on a genuine level. Based on his previous experience, he would like to get involved and make student
engagement more inclusive. “I really want to establish some new programming that becomes annual,” Bryant said. “I want to work with the Greek organizations and hopefully, expand the community size and bring in some of the culturally focused organizations.” Bryant’s office is located in the office of student engagement in the Allan W. Mund College Center. His door is open.
Former Congressman speaks at LVC deepest gratitude to Dent for his CASSANDRA BARRETT ’19 service to the Commonwealth and EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lebanon Valley College welcomed also to Lebanon Valley College. “Charlie Dent stands as a model former Congressman Charles Dent to of ethical decision making, civility, campus Monday, Feb. 18, and awarded hard work, critical thought, global him with The College’s prestigious awareness, collaboration and justice,” Founders Medal. The honor was bestowed upon Thayne said. Dent spent the afternoon speaking Dent prior to his President’s Day talk to two classes. Only six other in the atrium of the Vernon and Doris recipients have received the Founders Bishop Library about how Congress Medal. can regulate presidential powers. Dent spoke about current political issues involving congressional and presidential powers that have been the focus of political conversation and media attention. The talk concluded with a question and answer session in which several LVC students had the opportunity to ask Dent about the current political climate. President Lewis E. Thayne expressed The College’s Photo provided by: LVC Marketing and Communications
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF LA VIE
WINNERS ANNOUNCED PAGE 2
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE PAGE 3
INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT PAGE 4
LACROSSE OUTLOOK PAGE 4
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February 26, 2019
NEWS
La Vie Collegienne
Uniting the campus with art Brianna Metsger ’19 COPY EDITOR The Black Student Union, Hispanic Alliance, Asian Culture Club and the Global Education Club worked together to create the Unity Mural displayed in the basement of Mund College Center. The mural was revealed to the LVC community on Monday, Jan. 21, as part of LVC’s MLK Week of Service. Select members of the organizations worked with the art department to complete this project. The mural represents love, unity and diversity at LVC and
has been in the making for several months. “The mural’s purpose is to represent and encourage diversity and unity here on LVC’s campus,” Khalil Brim, sophomore English and creative writing double major and President of the BSU, said. “This is why we have all of the colors from the countries blending into one another. We also translate the word ‘love’ in many different languages to celebrate our unique differences.” Originally Brim’s idea, he feels tremendously rewarded to see it become a reality. Not only does he believe in
Clark Associates scholarship winners Shayla Aponte ’19 STAFF WRITER For the second year in a row, Clark Associates presented two $5,000 scholarships and a paid internship to LVC students. Clark Associates is a collective of dynamic companies leading the food service industry in equipment, supplies and services. Clark has hired more than 13 LVC alumni, just in 2018, for various roles within the company. Last year was the first year they partnered with LVC to give out two scholarships plus a paid internship. This year’s recipients were announced Thursday, Feb. 21, during a luncheon at The College. One of the recipients was Gabrielle Cressman, a junior economics major and business administrations minor. “When they said my name, I was very shocked and I had to hold back tears,” Cressman said. “After the shock wore off, I felt very grateful for this generous scholarship.” The other winner was Nicole Flohr, a sophomore global studies and politics
Photo by: LVC Dance Team ABOVE: Olivia Ward and Dr. Kimberlee Josephson celebrate the winning of the third annual Dancing with the LVC Stars event held on Friday, Feb. 22.
double major. There was a total of 26 applicants; the applicants were from various majors including education, sociology, business administration and digital communications. Of the six finalists interviewed, the committee picked two to win the scholarship. Sarah Bartz, associate director of career development, was thrilled students took the opportunity to apply to for this scholarship. “Clark has been a long-standing partner of LVC for many years, and we feel very fortunate they have decided to continue with this scholarship opportunity for our students for a second year,” Bartz said. Bartz also hopes to see this collaboration and scholarship continues. “Clark Associates is a wonderful employer and we hope to help more students from a broad range of majors at LVC learn about internships and jobs within the company.” For those opportunities, visit the Breen Center for Graduate Success.
the purpose of the mural, but he also believes it will have a lasting impact on current and prospective students at LVC. “Hopefully when other clubs or students see the mural, they begin to think of ways they can make a difference here on campus,” Brim said. “The permanent mural will also reveal to prospective students that the clubs here are united and can create a work of heart.” Jennifer Phung, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major and President of the ACC, believes the mural to be a catalyst for current and
future students to feel included and able to express their voices on campus. “To me, personally, it represents a tangible progression towards the idea of inclusive excellence,” Phung said. “I hope that it helps students, staff and faculty of all backgrounds, especially the marginalized ones, feel better represented on campus and that they belong.” The Unity Mural can be found in the basement of Mund between the Lebegern Learning Commons and the Commuter Center.
Fighting to end cancer Ryan Gilroy ’19 STAFF WRITER Relay For Life has made its mark across the U.S. and LVC will continue the event in March. Relay has existed for more than 30 years in 27 countries around the world. The event will return to LVC again this year, and is themed “There’s no place like HOPE.” The purpose of the event is to raise funds to improve the survival rate, decrease occurrence and improve the quality of life for cancer patients and the families who look after them. “LVC has hosted Relay since 2002, so this will be the 17th year,” Molly Hennessy, senior and chair of Relay, said. “This event entails a survivor walk, which is then followed by the caregivers joining the survivors.” Teams come together and set up for the day to raise money by collecting donations for food, games and other activities. The money collected will go to the overall total of the team and that money goes to Relay. “Throughout the event, there are different activities, such as minuteto-win-it, musical chairs, a scavenger hunt, open court for basketball, TKE jail that you can pay to get friends ‘lockedup’ and the money is donated to the Relay goal,” Hennessy said. “Also, for the main entertainment, the band Nearly York will be performing. There will be chances for prizes throughout the night as well.” Over the years, Relay has raised hundreds of thousands of
dollars from participants and donors leading up to the event. “For me, Relay has made me more grateful than I already am that my dad is a two-time cancer survivor,” Hennessy said. “Also, it has given me the chance to honor the loved ones that I have lost to cancer.” Relay For Life will take place on Friday, March 22, starting at 3 p.m. in the Arnold Sports Center. Students
can
also
purchase
luminarias to commemorate a loved one,
someone
currently
battling
cancer or anyone who has overcome cancer. This can also include animals. Students
can
purchase
these
luminarias starting at $10. This can be done online or in person at the event. Registration for the event itself is $15 per person. For more information on Relay For Life, students can visit the LVC Colleges Against Cancer Facebook page.
February 26, 2019
NEWS
La Vie Collegienne
Today’s leaders identify their voices RAEANN WALQUIST ’20 STAFF WRITER The Center for Student Engagement hosted a leadership conference entitled “Speak: Identifying your Voice in Leadership” for aspiring leaders on campus Sunday, Feb. 17. Renata Williams, assistant dean for engagement and inclusion and director of intercultural affairs and inclusive programming, said the purpose for the event was to help all students find their voices and become better leaders. “There are a host of folks that are here to share some information with you, share knowledge with you and really help you identify difference spaces of leadership and where you fit in those spaces,” Williams said. The conference consisted of educational sessions led by leaders like Williams and LVC’s Caitlin Lenker, acting director of residential life; Rev. Dan Lebo, chaplain and coordinator of spirtual life; and Jennifer Liedtka, coordinator of service and volunteerism.
Each session was designed to help students refine their skills as leaders in their day-to-day lives as well as their social and academic activities. “Because I am the President of the Black Student Union and LVC’s book club known as the ‘Lit’erary Page Turners, I attended the Leadership Conference in order to gain some skills in being a better leader,” Khalil Brim, a sophomore English and creative writing double major, said. “In addition to this, I encouraged the officers of these two clubs to attend as well so that we all could improve our leadership skills.” Williams thanked students for their commitment to leadership and
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Ishler in Ireland Huntre Keip ’20 ASSISTANT EDITOR A junior English major danced her way to the international spotlight. Faith Ishler competed in the AllIreland Irish Dance Championship which was held in Killarney, Ireland, from Feb. 17 – Feb. 23. Ishler finished 28th in the 21-23 age group. This was Ishler’s second time competing in the All-Ireland Championships, but it was her third trip to Ireland to compete in the competition or the World Championships. Ishler competed in three different rounds: hard shoe, soft shoe and a recalled set dance “I love being in Ireland to compete in a major competition,” Ishler said. “I love competing, especially when it
involves traveling the world.” In Ishler’s age group, there were close to a hundred competitors with more than a thousand people in attendance. “It’s a lot of pressure, but worth it,” Ishler said. “I didn’t finish as high as I had hoped, but I know what I need to work on for next time.” Ishler trained three to four days a week for two hours each at her studio with her dance instructors. Then, on her days off, she would train at the Arnold Sports Center for close to two hours. Ishler will compete again in July at the North American Irish Dance Championships in Vancouver.
for taking time to engage with their peers. Students interested in student engagement or leadership events may look on Redbook for more opportunities.
Photo by: Cassandra Barrett Above: Bob and Nancy Stull were presented with the 2019 Hot Dog Frank Athletic Service Award on Saturday, Feb. 9, during halftime of the men’s basketball game.
February 26, 2019
SPORTS
La Vie Collegienne
Lax season begins; men and women hopeful
Jared Kramp ’19 STAFF WRITER Both the women’s and men’s lacrosse teams have a lot of motivation leading into the 2019 season. On the women’s side, LVC finished last season with an overall record of 13-5 and went 7-1 in conference play. The team’s impressive regular season record was enough to qualify them for the MAC Commonwealth playoff tournament. The Dutchmen made it to the championship game before ultimately losing to Messiah College by a score of 11-6. The women’s lacrosse team came close to a conference title last year and they are prepared to win it all this year. “We have a lot of talent this year
Photo provided by: LVC women’s lacrosse team ABOVE: The women’s lacrosse team huddled up before its game against Frostburg.
and are really excited to start getting into the season after winning our preseason scrimmage against Frostburg,” Alexa Bash, a senior midfielder, said. “Since making it to the conference
Swimming competes at MACs Spencer Paterick ’21 STAFF WRITER Members from the men’s and women’s swim teams participated in the Mid-Atlantic Conference championship at the Graham Aquatic Center in York from Feb. 14-17. There was a total of 36 events over three days; LVC was represented by 11 members from the women’s swim
LVC’s top swimmers competed in the MAC championships from Feb. 1417. Members from the men’s and women’s swim teams participated in the Mid-Atlantic Conference championship at the Graham Aquatic Center in York. There was a total of 36 events over three days; LVC was represented by 11 members of the women’s swim team and six members of the men’s team.
team and six members from the men’s team. In the first race, Kaitlyn Welch, Kaylee Kleffel, Erika Schell and Courtney Betsock swam in the 200-yard medley relay and finished with a time of 1:59.24. On the men’s side of the event, Charlie Besjak, Jordon Heavel, Derek Sauder and Kyle Kingsbury finished with a time of 1:55.72.
Photo by: LVC Athletic Communications ABOVE: Courtney Betsock competing in the MAC Championships
championship last year, our goal this year is to win the conference and beat Messiah.” Men’s lacrosse finished the 2018 season with an overall record of 9-8
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while going 4-4 in conference games. The men were able to qualify for the MAC Commonwealth play-in game against Lycoming College. LVC lost a heartbreaker in triple overtime, 6-5. The men’s lacrosse team has high hopes of improving upon their successes from 2018. “We have a lot of returning talent this year and our expectations are set high for this season,” Nate Owsinski, a senior defenseman said. “There are some new rules that we’ll have to get used to, but with Cam Epple locking down the goal we plan to continue our tradition of strong defense.” The men and women host their first home games on Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 4 p.m. and Sunday, March 3, at 1 p.m. respectively.