LA VIE COLLEGIENNE LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1924 VOLUME 86, NO. 8 | MARCH 28, 2019
Politics department adds unique program to its curriculum Huntre Keip ’20 ASSISTANT EDITOR Lebanon Valley College’s politics department recently announced its latest dual program with the University of London. This partnership acknowledges LVC as the first accredited college in the United States where students may earn their undergraduate degree and a University of London Certificate in Higher Education in the Common Law in three years. The accelerated program will involve the same general education courses and major courses at LVC, but will replace some general electives with four additional modules with the material provided by the University of London. The four modules will revolve around legal systems and methods, public law, criminal law and contract law. Each module is worth nine credits. “We hope the new program will enable driven students, who
successfully complete the four modules, to graduate in three years,” Dr. Philip Benesch, associate professor of politics and director of pre-law and external scholarships and fellowships, said. “As many of the same common law principles apply in American and British legal systems, this University of London certificate program may well help students develop skills that will benefit them in law school.” Interested students will be able to take LAW 150, Introduction to Law course, in Fall 2019 which will examine different aspects of the legal system and offer insight into what the new program will involve. Then, students will begin the registration process that includes additional fees. The program will cost approximately $2,500, phased over the four modules but still creates tremendous savings by not having a fourth year of college. “Our goal is for students to save time and money without compromising
quality,” Benesch said. The program will consist of work both in and out of the classroom. There will be some preparatory coursework at LVC but much of the preparation will be in the hands of each student working independently with material sent by the University of London together with online resources provided by the University. Independent work is essential, especially over the summer months, to complete the program in three years. To earn the Certificate in the Common Law, students will need to complete and pass a University of London exam in each module. The process of creating the dual program was not a simple task. During the summer of 2018, Dr. Benesch wrote and edited the program proposal on behalf of LVC. Then, in October, several committees at the University of London vetted the proposal. The University’s Board
of Trustees approved the program in November, and LVC received the official confirmation letter at the beginning of this year. “Providing the politics and prelaw students with this experience shows how hard the faculty in the department work to provide their students with even more opportunities that few other schools can offer,” Tristian Ferguson, a junior politics major, said. The program will be available in the fall semester of 2019. For more information, contact Philip Benesch at benesch@lvc.edu.
Logo provided by: Politics department
Spring break trip serves up lifetime opportunities CASSANDRA BARRETT ’19 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Fifteen LVC students embarked on a service trip to the Dominican Republic over spring break, but they never could have imagined the lifechanging experience that awaited them more than 1,500 miles away. The jewel of the northwest, the rural fishing town of Monte Cristi, served as the students’ home for the week. These 15 LVC students represented different years, majors, Spanish language proficiency, backgrounds, hometowns and more,
but came together and served with the common goal of impacting the lives of children in the Dominican Republic. They stayed with Outreach360, an organization which provides educational opportunities to underserved children in Monte Cristi. Three other college groups also spent spring break serving with Outreach360 in the Dominican Republic, working side-by-side with LVC students. Each day the volunteers would teach English in the morning at public schools in Monte Cristi and in
the afternoons they would teach in an English learning center and Spanish literacy center, both developed by Outreach360. Madison Dietz, a junior physical therapy major, says that serving in the Dominican Republic has given her a new appreciation for her education. “Serving in the Dominican Republic gave me a fresh new look at how I live my life every day, especially as a college student,” Dietz said. “The joy that the children in the schools shared reminded me of what it means to take a step back and truly appreciate life and the education
that we are able to receive.” Sophomore global studies and politics double major Nicole Flohr was one of several students on the trip who spoke Spanish fluently and used that proficiency to teach at the Spanish literacy center. Flohr also recognized the value of education in her reflection of the trip. “Creating personal connections with students was really special,” Flohr said. “At the Spanish literacy center, there was one boy who was Service trip continued on Page 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF LA VIE
SKI TRIP PAGE 2
RELAY FOR LIFE PAGE 3
BASEBALL PAGE 4
LACROSSE PAGE 4
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March 28, 2019
NEWS
La Vie Collegienne
Freedom flags fly; celebration of unity Raeann Walquist ’20 STAFF WRITER Freedom Rings, LVC’s LGBTQ+ organization, sponsored a flag decorating station in the Allan W. Mund College Center for Unity Week on Tuesday, March 12. The club allowed students to create their own flags as a way to celebrate both the LGBTQ+ community and individuality on campus. “I wanted to show the diversity on campus with the various flags that people colored,” Heather Riutzel, a senior psychology and art and visual culture double major, said. “The table was a way to have people ask questions about certain LGBTQ+ identifying flags as well as create flags specific to them, whatever that might represent for that individual.”
Additionally, the event fostered important dialogue between students, allowing them to ask questions about LGBTQ+ rights and the importance of each individuals flag design. “The event was important to me because it’s a way to spread awareness,” Riutzel said. “During the event, people asked questions about what certain flags meant. It got conversations going between students.” Freedom Rings hopes to host more events focusing on individuality in the future as a part of its mission to foster equality and acceptance on Photo by: Raeann Walquist campus. ABOVE: Members of Freedom Rings man the freedom flag table in Mund College Center. “I have been a part of Freedom Rings since my freshman year,” Riuttact Riutzel, at hmr002@lvc.edu or the zel said. “The LGBTQ+ community is a community.” Freedom Rings meets Tuesday club’s vice president Patrick Bradigan huge part of my life so I want to get as involved as possible with the orga- nights at 9:45 p.m. in the Fellowship at pb009@lvc.edu for more informanizations around me to support the Lounge. Interested students can con- tion.
Mock interviews prepare students for post-graduate success Bri Metsger ’19 STAFF WRITER LVC’s Edward and Lynn Breen Center for Graduate Success hosted Mock Interview Mania for students interested in gaining interview skills on March 18-22. The annual program includes a practice interview with LVC alumni who have entered the professional world and hope to give advice to students as they plan their careers. “I was asked questions relating to my field of study that were similar
to questions I was asked in real interviews,” Eryn Somers, a senior early childhood and special education major, said. The interviews were scheduled in one-hour time slots throughout the week. About half of the one-hour time slot would be allotted for the mock interview, and the other half would consist of critiques on performance, resume advice and a Q&A for any questions each student had for the interviewer. “It was fantastic to gain experience,”
Kurt Harnish, junior English major, said. “I think the process of the mock interview will pay off when I have real interviews in the professional world.” Upperclassmen who participated in the process encourage underclassmen to get involved as soon as possible to give themselves early practice and preparation. “I think more practice with interviews as an underclassman would have helped me to be better prepared when being interviewed for jobs as a senior,” Somers said.
Those who have experienced the process encourage others to sign up for Mock Interview Mania in the future. “I recommend all students participate in this process whether they get nervous about interviews or not because it helps prepare you for real-world situations,” Harnish said. For more information about Mock Interview Mania, contact the Breen Center at breencenter@lvc.edu or 717867-6560.
Snow filled spring break Ryan Gilroy ’19 STAFF WRITER Many students spent spring break at home, while others traveled to various places around the country; members of the LVSki and Snowboard Club traveled to Vermont during spring break to hit the slopes. From March 3 to 7, the club traveled to Mount Snow in West Dover, Vermont to fulfill its goal as a club and enjoy time off from school. “The experience was amazing,” Coulson Lash, a sophomore physical therapy major, said. “The mountain was fantastic in every way. The views and snow conditions were unforgettable. It was 100 percent worth the drive, and money and I would recommend it to anyone.” The LVSki and Snowboard Club was formed during the 2017-18 school year by Lash and William Kubistal,
a sophomore and actuarial science major, who came together with their similarities and love for the slopes. “When the club started, I don’t think specifically going to Mount Snow was our goal but we definitely wanted to do a big trip like this at some point,” Kubistal said. “Thankfully Coulson did a great job organizing and finding an insanely good price for everyone.” The club began fundraising at the beginning of the semester to cover the various costs for the trip. Club members received most of their money from the Annville Grille, which gave the club 15 percent of all food orders during the afternoon of Feb. 17. After driving five and a half hours to the resort, the trip itself turned out to be one to remember. “For Kurt Harnish, it was his first time ever skiing,” Kubistal said. ”Over the three days, he improved a lot and even went on some blue squares
towards the end of the trip.” The club hopes to continue to grow in size. “When I came to LVC Live as an incoming student and then my first semester at the Activities Fair, I was shocked LVC did not have a ski club with all the great mountains nearby,”
Lash said. “So, I took it upon myself to create the club from scratch. In two years as a club, it has been nothing short of an overwhelming success.” Students interested in joining the club can contact Coulson Lash at cml010@lvc.edu.
March 28, 2019
NEWS
La Vie Collegienne
Service trip Continued from page 1 very diligent about his work. I loved seeing him work hard to understand the story and complete the activities. He lit up when he understood the material and answered questions correctly. It was so impactful to see the light of education and learning spark in the students.” Dietz did not have the same Spanish proficiency level of Flohr. She was able to speak some basic phrases but was unable to communicate fluently in the language. However, Dietz was not discouraged by this. Instead, she used it as an opportunity to communicate more deeply. “Even though there may be a communication barrier or any kind of barrier between people, the best and sometimes only way to communicate is through love,” Dietz said. “I found this to be extremely powerful as the people of Monte Cristi welcomed us with open arms and communicated this love to us.” The trip also provided the challenge of working with people of different backgrounds, skills and age, among others. Teaching and activity groups were chosen randomly, so volunteers were placed with others who may have attended one of the other three colleges represented, not just other LVC students. The experience also required that volunteers jump right into being a teacher in the public schools of the Dominican Republic,
something that was not too familiar nor comfortable for non-education major volunteers. Flohr says that she embraced this challenge, which allowed her to grow as an individual. “The trip was challenging, but so rewarding,” Flohr said. “It taught me how to work with others better, especially in a totally new environment. I left my comfort zone, experienced new things, and practiced flexibility. These experiences will stay with me.” Both domestic and international service opportunities are currently being planned for the 2019-2020 academic year, and students who served in the Dominican Republic would encourage anyone interested in serving to step out of their comfort zones and go serve. Dietz says that the experience has impacted her life more than she could have realized. “Even though we were teaching in the public schools, the children of Monte Cristi taught me more than I could have ever taught them,” Dietz said. The students are currently sifting through photos of the trip and remembering moments of the experience in preparation for the presentation they will share with campus. The date and location of this presentation is yet to be finalized.
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There’s no place like hope Shayla aponte ’19 STAFF WRITER Colleges Against Cancer hosted its annual Relay For Life at LVC, raising close to $20,000. Relay For Life was held at the Arnold Sports Center Friday, March 22, honoring those who are directly and indirectly affected by cancer. This year’s theme was Wizard of Oz: There’s no place like hope. With a night full of events and performances, students participated and served in various ways. Molly Hennessy, a senior neuroscience major and Relay For Life Chair, wanted to contribute not only because of her loss, but also to honor those who have survived. “My dad is a two-time cancer survivor and I lost both of my grandfathers to cancer,” Hennessy said. “It is a way for me to honor and remember those I have lost to cancer as well as honor my father and all the other survivors.” One event that allowed students to make an impact was the hair cutting ceremony. Students could donate eight or more inches to send to children with cancer.
“I decided to participate because my hair was so long already, and I knew that donating it could make someone very happy,” Brianna Metsger, a senior English and creative writing double major, said. “I knew it was the right thing to do to give my overabundance of hair to someone who does not have the same opportunity to let theirs grow so long.” Hennessy also donated ten inches of her hair to children with hair loss. Other events included minute to win it games, caregiver/survivor laps, lip sync battle and a luminaria ceremony. The Dance Team performed, as did Treble at The Valley. “Seeing the LVC community come together for a common cause was inspiring,” Ryan Gilroy, a senior digital communications major, said. “This was my fourth year attending and I never got tired of it.” This year’s top fundraising team was Alpha Sigma Tau, which raised $3,733. The event overall raised $18,830.96.
Annual ValleyFest celebration returns faith ishler ’20 STAFF WRITER The annual ValleyFest celebration at Lebanon Valley College will be on Friday, April 26, and Sunday, April 28. This annual celebration, which first started in 1971 as the Spring Arts Festival, brings together the LVC community and fills the campus with art and cultural exhibits. Games, inflatables, artisan food vendors, activities for children and groups from the community will all be a part of the celebration. ValleyFest will officially kick off with a concert on Friday, April 26, at 8 p.m. in the Heilman Center arena, located in the Edward H. Arnold Sports Center. The doors will open at 7 p.m. Tickets for the concert are free for LVC students with ID. Community members can purchase tickets at the door for $5 and children 12 and under will get in free. “This is an event that students and the community look forward to every year,” Erika Gregory, a senior exercise science major and President of ValleyFest, said. Sam Machin, the 2017 VALE Records artist of the year, opens at 8 p.m. and then immediately after, Foxglove,
the VALE artists of 2019, will perform. Go Go Gadget is this year’s main performing act and will take the stage at 9 p.m. The ValleyFest festival will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 28, and will be located on East Sheridan Ave, the LVC social quad and behind the Shroyer Health Center. Some of the food and craft vendors will include: Soul Burrito, Perk Up Truck, Smith Homestead, Uncle Paul’s Pretzels, Philly Hoagie Company, Shorty’s Funnel Cakes, Penny’s Ice Cream, Kona Ice, My Pops Place, Bricker’s French Fries, 717 Tacos, Mad Dash and Makin’ Whoopie Pies, Jody’s Jewelry, Moses Family Jerky, Lularoe, SeaGlass Jewelry, Fresh Prints Lancaster and Jayne’s Paintings. “We are excited to have The Hershey Vineyards and Brewery in attendance at this year’s ValleyFest serving beer and wine,” Lindsey Zulkosky, a junior physical therapy major, said. The Hershey Vineyards and Brewery will attend this year for the first time and will be on the Allan W. Mund College Center patio from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. They will serve beer and wine to students and visitors 21 and older. For more information follow @ LVCValleyFest on Twitter.
March 28, 2019
SPORTS
La Vie Collegienne
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Baseball shines in Florida spencer paterick ’21 STAFF WRITER LVC’s baseball team returned from its spring break trip with its best start to the season since 2011. The baseball team traveled to Fort Pierce, Florida, to take on other teams from the east coast. The Dutchmen played a total of nine games over the course of seven days. LVC returned home with an overall record of 7-2. LVC started the week-long trip off in a big way with a win over the Massachusetts Maritime Academy 15-0. However, this wasn’t the team’s biggest win of the week. In the third game of the trip against the Dominican University Stars, the Dutchmen offense showed what it’s are capable of, scoring a total of 23 runs before the game was called in the seventh inning. The defense also held up well in this game, largely due to stellar pitching from Jake Williams, a senior RHP and Joe DeGrazia, a freshman
RHP. Williams threw for a total of four innings, struck out six batters and recorded his first win of the season. DeGrazia also struck out six batters, threw for three innings and recorded the first save of his collegiate career. “Florida really proved to us that we can be competitive in every game we play,” Brendan Ward, a junior right-handed pitcher said. “Seeing everyone play down there, especially the younger guys, was really cool. I think that people should expect a lot from us this year as a team.” Ward pitched for a total of nine innings in two appearances in Florida, both of which he started and recorded a win. He currently has the second most strikeouts on the team with 11 and also holds the team low ERA of 0.00. Ward has only given up nine total hits and two runs. The most exciting game of the trip came also came against the Dominican University Stars. With two outs and the game tied at six
Lacrosse looking up Travis hall ’19 STAFF WRITER Both men’s and women’s lacrosse are gaining momentum after recent key victories. An inauspicious start to the season saw the men stumble to an 0-4 record, while the women sat at 14. It was considered a disappointing start to both campaigns, after preseason hype indicated the teams had potential to surprise people. However, the two squads appear to be on the verge of turning their seasons around. Since returning from spring break, the men have played a different brand of lacrosse. Victories against Marymount University, Bryn Athyn College and Immaculata University came as a result of solid defense leading to offense, as they won all three games by a combined score of 45-14. The biggest teambuilding win, though, came when the Dutchmen dealt rival King’s College a 12-8 loss. “Everyone on this team has to be prepared to play and step in with confidence,” Nick Mowry, senior defender, said. “In the last three games I have seen a huge improvement in that aspect.” In addition to improved team play, there is one player, in particular, leading the way. Senior goaltender Cam Epple was named Middle
Atlantic Conference Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Week two weeks in a row. As a result, the Dutchmen are 4-1 in their last five outings. “We definitely started off slower this season than we would have liked to,” Mowry said. “But we overcame [that] challenge by working on the little things in practice that [have] helped us win the close games that we have had.” Meanwhile, the women have seen better results of their own since a tough loss against ranked York College. Since that game, the Dutchmen are 2-1, with wins coming against Shenandoah University and King’s College. The latter proved to be a benchmark game, as LVC dispatched of the conference rival Lions by a wide 16-4 margin. “We are a young, talented team with a high ceiling that is starting to mesh at the right time going into conference [play],” Jen Eck, senior defender, said. “Our out of conference schedule included a lot of strong teams that challenged us and showed us what it’s going to take to be successful going down the road into postseason play.” The women beat Widener University Wednesday, March 27, 14-12. In addition, the men beat Alvernia 14-6 on Wednesday.
Photo by:Matt Blocksom ABOVE: Lebanon Valley College’s baseball team enjoying its trip to Florida.
in the bottom of the ninth, Mitch Rickabaugh, a junior catcher, hit a single that allowed Josh Herring, a junior center-fielder, to score the game winning run. “Florida gave us a lot to improve on,” Daymond Zweizig, a sophomore right-handed pitcher said. “We did some things right and did some things wrong. We just have to keep working hard and ride the wave.” In Florida, Zweizig pitched for just over three innings. He recorded six strikeouts and allowed just 7 hits and five runs.
Overall, the Dutchmen outscored their opponents 84-38, batted .341, recorded 18 different starters in nine games, struck out 99 batters and threw for a team ERA of 3.00. As of March 28, the Dutchmen are 9-8 overall, after losing Wednesday. The next time the team is in action at home, is on Friday, March 29, at 3:30 p.m. as the Dutchmen take on Messiah College.
Men’s golf outlook Jared Kramp ’19 STAFF WRITER The Lebanon Valley College men’s golf team is prepared to make this spring season the most successful in team history. The Dutchmen are coming off of a fall season that brought them five top-three team finishes, including a win at the Desales University Invitational. Additionally, David Herbst, a senior captain, and Thomas Moran, a junior, both won an event as individuals. This season will be slightly different than in previous years for LVC because the team has seven matches in the month of April. This has the potential to cause some scheduling conflicts for the team regarding classes, but the Dutchmen see it as more of a benefit. “We have a much later start to the season this year compared to previous seasons, and we believe that
it will be an advantage for our team,” Herbst said. “There is a chance that some guys will have to miss a match here or there, but the amount of extra practice that we’ve had prior to the season will pay dividends later on.” LVC is also looking to win a MAC title this spring, a feat the program has never done before. The Dutchmen have fallen just short of the title several times in recent years and expect that this season will finally be the one in which they win the conference. “Our expectations are very high for this spring,” Moran said. “We have too much talent on our team to settle for anything less than a MAC title this season.” The men’s golf team opens its season by hosting the LVC Dutchmen Spring Invitational at Lebanon Country Club on April 1. The golfers are scheduled to tee off at noon.