La Vie December 2020 edition

LA VIE COLLEGIENNE LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE’S STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1924 VOLUME 88, NO. 3 | NOVEMBER 30, 2020

New major and minor created ALY RICHARDS ’22 STAFF WRITER LVC recently added a new major and minor, known as Social Justice and Civic Engagement, to its list of studies students can choose from.

Dr. Catherine Romagnolo, professor of English and director of the Social Justice and Civic Engagement Program, explains the mission of the program.

“The Social Justice and Civic En-

gagement Program will help students cultivate the knowledge, experience and skills to identify and address the cultural, ideological, systematic and structural causes of inequity and suffering in a globalized world,” Romagnolo said.

According to Romagnolo, the coursework for both the major and the minor allows for flexibility, and students can easily add it as a second major or a minor. Dr. Jeff Robbins, professor of religion, explains that

the major is an important addition, especially for LVC students.

“It is our view that this new program is integral to the mission and strategic plan of the college in that one cannot truly be ‘world ready’ without being prepared for meaningful civic engagement,” Robbins said.

The coursework for the major involves five core courses and 18 additional credits for electives that range across a variety of disciplines, such as art, history and more. Several new

courses were created specifically for the program, such as service, activism and social change and community, justice and sustainability.

In addition to these courses, students may complete an internship to fulfill their core requirements. The coursework for the minor includes three core courses and nine credits in electives.

For more information, contact Dr. Romagnolo at romagnol@lvc.edu.

Esports continues to crush competition KAYLEIGH JOHNSON ’22 LAYOUT EDITOR

LVC’s esports team is cleaning up

in matches and shows no sign of slowing down.

The team is fairly new, having only been launched in spring 2018. It is LVC’s first fully co-ed team. Varsity athletes compete in Call of Duty (fall 2019), Counter Strike, Fighting Games, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Overwatch, Paladins (fall 2019), Rocket League and Smite.

The team’s overall record is 52-27.

They have competed and won against larger universities such as Yale, Northeastern and Penn State.

Cade Kassay, a junior digital communications major and member of the Overwatch and Hearthstone teams, explains how little LVC is able

Photo provided by: Lebanon Valley College ABOVE: Esports team member Elijah Jones.

to cinch victories over much larger, more well-established schools.

“I think the area that we really excel in is teamwork,” Kassay said. “Our team communicates with each other extremely well and we all know each other’s playing styles and use that to our advantage.”

The esports team has also helped to put LVC on the map. LVC is a member of the NCAA Division III, competing in the MAC Commonwealth. Playing against well-known schools gener-

ates more interest and respect for LVC. “It makes me happy that a small school like LVC can be represented and play against bigger names,” Jacob Triano, a junior digital communications major, captain of Overwatch and member of Valorant teams, said.

The Overwatch team’s recent victory over Albright College secured a day off for students. In past years, if the LVC football team won its rival game against Albright, students would

march to the president’s house and demand the Wednesday of Thanksgiving break off. This year, with football not being played as normal, President James MacLaren declared the Overwatch victory would suffice and canceled classes on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

Esports is a great opportunity for students who are passionate about video games.

“I love being able to play my favorite games on a team and in a competitive environment,” Nikolai Neufeld-Kreider, a senior digital communications major and member of the Overwatch, Counterstrike, Valorant and Hearthstone teams, said.

“It’s been a great experience and I’ve made some really good friends.”

LVC’s esports season is over for the fall semester, but the team will return in full force next spring.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF LA VIE

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON PAGE 2

ADMISSION GUYS PODCAST PAGE 3

VALE CONFERENCE PAGE 3

LVC ALUMNA REFLECTS PAGE 4

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November 30, 2020

NEWS

La Vie Collegienne

Student teaching during COVID-19 JENSEN BURNHEIMER ’21 STAFF WRITER While wearing masks and social distancing are beginning to feel normal to most, teachers are still struggling to find new strategies best for student learning during this pandemic.

Many LVC students are participating in their fall semester student teaching. Student teaching is a requirement of all education majors for graduation. Autumn Leese, a senior dual early childhood and special education major, is completing her student teaching requirement in a first grade classroom.

“As a student teacher you follow the PA standards and curriculum of

your elementary grade level, including assessments,” Leese said. “You are observed by an LVC education advisor to see how you present and teach lessons and adapt to the classroom environment.”

Student teachers report to the host teacher they were assigned to in the spring semester. This means that student teachers are involved in all aspects of the career, including planning, faculty meetings, teaching, remediation and much more. This year, however, student teaching looks a bit different.

“Students need to be six feet apart from peers and teachers and face masks or shields are required,” Leese

said. “Student manipulatives are not available to students, which are huge tools in learning. Morning meetings cannot be a gathering together in front of the room. Kids also stay in their classrooms for lunch while remaining six feet of distance and are not allowed to play on any of the playground equipment.”

While the responsibilities of a teacher can often be overlooked, the number of responsibilities has spiked since the pandemic. This includes newly added technologies for hybrid learning.

“With teaching such a young age of learners, technology is not easy to them nor us as teachers,” she said.

“We are learning as they are learning.

There are many obstacles to overcome such as Wi-Fi, if an iPad needs charged, broken or simply the program is not working.”

While student teaching may be different this year, it is always great to look at the bright side.

“There are more one-on-one opportunities for teachers to assess students and focus on their needs than focusing on the whole-group instruction in a larger class size,” Leese said.

While everyone is struggling to make life as normal as possible during the pandemic, it is important to appreciate those in professions that are largely affected by COVID-19.

University of London program available GABBIE WITTER ’20 STAFF WRITER LVC is opening registration to students interested in studying with the University of London law program.

The program was designed with the intention that it would primarily serve those who would want to go on for a law degree, but it has value to other students too.

“One of the things that we face at LVC, I think, is we’re not that well known outside of the region,” Dr. Philip Benesch, chair of social sciences, associate professor political science and director of pre-law and external scholarships and fellowships, said. “So to have an internationally known university as well,

Photo by: Gabrielle Witter ABOVE: Tower Bridge in London.

students get a certificate in addition to their degree at LVC so it’s a way of enhancing the experience, enabling students to perhaps go on to graduate school in an area entirely unrelated to law.”

These modules are equivalent to those taken by first-year law students in the UK. With successful completion of the four modules, students will be able to transfer a total of 24 credits back to LVC, accelerating completion

of their undergraduates degree at a fraction of the cost.

“This is as close as we can get to a law school experience at the undergraduate level,” Benesch said.

Through this new, accelerated program, successful students may earn a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree from LVC and a University of London Certificate of Higher Education in the Common Law. “The first group that came in in 2019 took their first exams in the summer of 2020,” Benesch said. “We had a 100 percent pass rate.”

If students are interested in learning more about this program and how to register, contact Benesch at benesch@lvc.edu with any questions.

Spring business internships during COVID-19 DYLAN BAXTER ’21 STAFF WRITER

I have come in contact with have nobody in the office to make my internship worthwhile.”

As the fall semester winds down, But waiting until the summer is students majoring in business search not ideal for graduating seniors.

“This spring internship is essenfor their spring internships.

Many students, however, are having tial to me,” Gavlick said. “This gives a hard time finding companies offer- me an excellent opportunity to get ing internships because of COVID-19. real-world working experience in the Lindsay Gavlick, a senior business things I’ve studied and worked hard major, has been having difficulty se- for these past four years.” curing her internship for the spring. In place of internships, stu “Many companies aren’t offer- dents can take courses to fulfill their ing their internships until summer additional credit requirements. In2021,” Gavlick said. “They are doing ternships vary on how many credthis because many of the companies its can be offered by the number of

hours a student puts in outside of the classroom.

“I wouldn’t want to do classes that aren’t involved in my major,” Gavlick said. “I took all the FYE and connective courses, and other than those classes, I would like to stick to my curriculum classes. I don’t think art classes and music classes would be very beneficial to me in my career. I am just hoping that there will be an opening at some company that will allow me to intern there and learn the business ropes.”

There is still time to secure an internship for the spring. Because in-

ternship opportunities vary throughout the year, students are not required to register for an internship until the end of the official Drop/Add period for the spring 2021 term, which is Monday, Feb. 1, 2021.

The Breen Center for Graduate Success is a great resource to help with securing spring internships. Career opportunities are also available via Handshake. Sign in with your LVC login to peruse jobs and opportunities.

November 30, 2020

NEWS

La Vie Collegienne

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“The Admission Guys” podcast BAILEY THUMM ’22 STAFF WRITER LVC Admissions now has a podcast to help prospective students and parents navigate the college search process.

EJ Smith, associate director of admission and recruitment, and Cole Godfrey, assistant director of admission, created the podcast called The Admission Guys. The first episode aired on Sept. 14. The podcast has a five-star rating.

It was a collaborative idea that they have been thinking about doing for quite some time.

“This just seemed like the right time to help students with the disruption in their education due to the virus,” Smith said.

Godfrey then discussed what topics listeners can expect to hear in the new podcast.

“Scholarships, the SAT, college athletics, financial aid, career preparation and development, parent engagement, how to pick the right school, picking the right major, how

Photo provided by: Megan Finlan ABOVE: EJ Smith and Cole Godfrey record an episode for The Admission Guys podcast.

to nail the in-person college interview and many more for the future,” Godfrey said.

“Cole keeps things light and is easy to work with. It also gives us the opportunity to help students and families that we probably couldn’t reach otherwise,” Smith said when asked about his favorite part of recording the podcast.

Both agree the information is helpful to prospective students and parents.

“We make the college admissions

process easy to understand and less stressful through our approach to educate and entertain,” Godfrey said.

“It is fun and informational and our hope is that we are assisting students to navigate the road to their futures,” Smith said.

A new episode airs every first and third Thursday of the month. The average podcast is about 20 minutes long. The podcast can be streamed on Apple, Spotify, anchor, Google Podcasts, Breaker and Pocket Casts.

LVC Ghost Tour moves its chilling tales online BAILEY THUMM ’22 STAFF WRITER With pandemic precautions in effect on campus, LVC’s annual Ghost Tour was moved online.

The Ghost Tour, hosted by Dr. Kevin Pry, professor of English and “Ghost Master General,” typically takes at-

tendees around campus and details the many ghost stories and spooky legends that have been told on campus for decades. However, due to the usual large crowds for the event and the pandemic, the alumni office opted to host it online.

Select stories were told by Pry on location and filmed with visual effects

and music added for emphasis. Many of the stories are the most popular ones with students and alumni, such as the Mary Green ghost.

“We had a fun time doing it, but it’s a sketch of the live tour so that when we are able to go back to a live tour, there will still be lots for someone who’s seen the video to experience

VALE changes the date of its 2020 conference EMILY BAINBRIDGE ’21 STAFF WRITER Earlier in the semester, VALE announced that it would be having its 2020 conference on Saturday, Nov. 21.

However, Jeffery Snyder, chair of the music department and director of music business concentration, and his students who are helping to plan the event have made the decision of pushing the conference back until Saturday, Dec. 5.

“The unique situation to learn from

this year, is the decision of how to respond if an event isn’t 100% ready, which is the case with the conference,” Snyder said. “Do you continue as planned knowing that there are areas that are not yet ready, do you cancel, or do you present a more finished product with schedule changes and readjusted marketing, which creates a new set of problems. The students decided on the latter.”

Brandon Vance, president of the VALE conference, said it was a tough decision.

“We have put in a lot of hard work as a class,” Vance said. “We wanted to make sure this was the best conference it could possibly be. The decision to move the conference back was a class discussion and there was support for moving it back. We believe this extra time will allow us to put on a conference that all will be able to remember and have a positive influence on us all.”

Despite the date change, the conference will still take place online via Webex.

and enjoy firsthand,” Pry said. “For me, the lack of the crowd reaction and responses—a hallmark of the live tour—was difficult, although one fun aspect was the fact that passing students stopped, at a safe social distance, to eavesdrop on the filming.”

The online Ghost Tour is available on LVC’s YouTube channel.

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November 30, 2020

NEWS

La Vie Collegienne

Teaching music ensembles during a pandemic ALY RICHARDS, ‘22 STAFF WRITER Many music ensembles, such as jazz band and orchestra, were held over the course of the fall semester despite the abnormal circumstances.

Dr. Jeffrey Lovell, one of the two instructors for the Valley Jazz Orchestra, explains the fundamentals of the ensemble he instructs and what the goal is in leading these ensembles.

“It was really about helping students to understand the vocabulary of jazz and how to speak jazz and how to sound homogenous as a group,” Lovell said.

While these fundamentals are still present, Lovell explains how many

other aspects of the ensemble have changed. Students must wear masks when they are not playing their instruments, and students must be at least six feet apart during rehearsal.

The distance between students presents a new challenge for the students that Lovell believes could be beneficial to them.

“It forces them to have to listen more carefully because they are not sitting next to the other section member, which isn’t a bad thing,” he said.

Dr. Johannes Dietrich, the director for the LVC orchestra, echoes some of these statements. He also expresses how the new circumstances have uniquely affected the orchestra.

“Last March, we were gearing up for

our tour to Europe, and none of that happened,” Dietrich said. “This fall, for a number of reasons, the orchestra is on the smaller side.”

Dietrich says that the thought of whether students would be able to participate in ensembles this semester crossed his mind.

“Over the summer I was not sure,” he said. “But we did a lot of work as a department, and as a college. I think we did a lot of work to make things happen.”

Dietrich emphasizes that through it all, making music as a group again has been a positive experience.

“With the group that we have and the music that we are playing, they are doing some really nice playing,” Diet-

rich said. “I think when we look back at this semester, and it’s profoundly odd and it’s not anything remotely like what we would like to be doing.

But the members of the orchestra have really risen to the occasion and have done some really nice stuff.”

Regardless of the changes, both instructors echo that they and their students are still enjoying the ensembles.

The purpose of all ensembles, making music with others, is still a key part of the ensemble experience.

Students of all majors are invited to participate in any the ensembles on campus; for more information on how to sign up, students should search for the ensemble in the course catalog on AccessLVC.

LVC alumna reflects on past year LIAM SCHMIDT, ‘22 STAFF WRITER Despite the tumultuous events of the past year, recent graduates of LVC have been successful in obtaining employment and postgraduate positions.

One such alumna is Claire Fitzgibbons, English ’19, who is currently pursuing a career in law. As of now, she has been accepted into programs at Georgetown and Cornell, although she is still awaiting decisions from other top universities.

For Fitzgibbons, the application process began in March, studying 30 hours a week for the Law School Admission Test. This time paid off, though, as she scored above the 99th percentile and now works as a tutor for other students who are seeking to do well on the exam.

She continues to credit LVC as playing a large role in her success in these endeavors.

“LVC prepared me for law school by making me a much better writer and critical thinker,” she said. “The professors in the English department helped me improve at crafting arguments and being able to support them, which is a big part of what you’re asked to do in law school.”

Upon committing to a program, Fitzgibbons is looking forward to ex-

ploring different areas of law that she might end up practicing.

“I’ve always felt most interested in corporate and international law, so it’ll be fun to see what field I end up pursuing,” she said.

Although she tries not to dwell too much on the future, Fitzgibbons has considered her plans after graduation, as well.

Photo provided by: Claire Fitzgibbons

“I would love to work for the United Nations or do big law for a few years before going to work in-house for a large company,” she said. “Someday, I would love to open my own firm, but that will have to wait until I pay all of my student loans back.”

As both her parents are lawyers, Fitzgibbons has been considering a career in law for quite some time, and wherever she ends up practicing, she hopes to leave a positive impact.

“For me, becoming a lawyer is a chance to affect change wherever I am,” she said. “Lawyers can influence policies and attack injustices in the world, so I feel that it’s a career that can be extremely rewarding.”

Any current students or other alumni interested in discussing their career plans are always welcome to contact the Breen Center. The staff hosts virtual drop-in sessions every weekday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Theater company adjusts to remote end of semester OLIVIA HAUG, ‘21 STAFF WRITER With the semester now fully remote, Wig and Buckle has had to make some adjustments.

Being fully remote hasn’t stopped them. It recently held auditions for two winter skits that they will conduct over Zoom. These skits will be directed

by David Deitz. They are “Barely Sur-

viving the Gig Economy” and “When Harry Met Ethyl - A Love Story (Sorta),” both written by Mike Kosarowich.

With the questions about next semester, Wig and Buckle has been thinking about what will come.

“If it is safe when we are back on campus, I hope to hold (socially distanced) in-person meetings,” Rachel Warthen, senior biology major and Wig and Buckle’s president, said. “At

the current time, we are unsure if we would be able to perform in-person even if we are on campus.”

That doesn’t mean it won’t hold any shows. Warthen said Wig and Buckle would continue its Zoom shows if unable to perform in-person.

Wig and Buckle has also been assisting a script writing class from the English Department with table reads.

“So if any other departments would

like our help with something they are more than free to reach out to us with what they’d like us to do,” Warthen said.

Interested students can contact Warthen at rew004@lvc.edu or Dr. Kevin Pry at pry@lvc.edu. Wig and Buckle meets at 4 p.m. on Fridays.