Wilson Magazine Spring 2017

Caring and Compassion How Wilson built a nursing program from the ground up

South African Odyssey | Family Law Intrigues Lisa Havilland ’04 Campus Leader Cody Dunlap ’18 | Student-Athlete Mentors | Critical Reseach volume 90 | SPRING 2017 | number 1

The Wilson College Authors Hall of Fame and Authors Wall Celebrate the inaugural inductees into the Authors Hall of Fame during Reunion 2017 President Emerita Gwendolyn Jensen Elisabeth “Nan” Hudnut Clarkson ’47

The Authors Hall of Fame celebrates members of the Wilson community who have made significant contributions to the literary tradition and culture of the College.

The Wilson Authors Wall highlights the literary achievements of Wilson College community members.

The College invites all Wilson authors—alumnae/i, current and former faculty, staff and administration— to forward a copy of their book(s) for inclusion in the Authors Wall in the John Stewart Memorial Library.

www.wilson.edu

Send your books to: Wilson College Office of Alumnae/i Relations Authors Wall 1015 Philadelphia Ave. Chambersburg, PA 17201

volume 90 | SPRING 2017 | number 1

FEATURES 12 Caring and Compassion

By Coleen Dee Berry From hands-on clinical classes for undergraduates to online courses for working nurses, Wilson’s thriving nursing program not only offers several pathways to a degree, but connects the science of nursing with the art of nursing.

26

20 Under African Skies South African flora and fauna inspire Wilson students during a JanuaryTerm study-abroad course focusing on conservation biology.

26 A Legal Advocate

By Coleen Dee Berry Research on an international family law case propels Lisa Havilland ’04 into a new legal career.

AROUND

THE GREEN

30 Man About Campus Cody Dunlap ’18 finds his role at Wilson.

32 Creative Research Student Research Day puts critical thinking on display at Wilson.

34 Peer to Peer Student-athlete mentors strive to make a difference on campus.

ALUMNAE/I 39 Alumnae Association President’s letter; AAWC slate and ballot for 2017; AAWC award winners; authors event; trips.

45 Class Notes 61 In Memoriam

DEPARTMENTS 12

02 Letter from the Editor 03 Wilson News Nursing program receives accreditation; Wilson adds new master’s degree; College announces commencement speaker; Learning Campus receives second VISTA grant; FCSS introduces new farmer; Stabler Foundation awards scholarship grant funding; Wilson mourns the passing of Sue Davison Cooley ’44; recent faculty publications.

20

07 Alumnae/i News Lenfest 20/20 challenge results; alumnae/i survey; representing Wilson during inaugurations; Florida visits; new online referral and office email address.

10 President’s Forum: Inclusion Leads to Understanding

By President Barbara K. Mistick 37 Viewpoint: The Significance of Jerusalem

By Ghada Tafesh ’16 38 Hidden History

By Amy Ensley Song Wars of bygone days sometimes got a bit bloodthirsty.

64 Last Word: View of Ayr

By Ben McAfee, adjunct art instructor

ON THE COVER Wilson nursing student Taylor Amsley ’18 at Chambersburg Hospital.

STAFF

WILSON MAGAZINE COMMITTEE Coleen Dee Berry, Managing Editor Mary F. Cramer ’91, Alumnae Association President Amy Ensley, Director of the Hankey Center Marybeth Famulare, Director of Alumnae/i Relations Lisbeth Sheppard Luka ’69, Alumnae Association Cathy Mentzer, Manager of Media Relations and College Editor Camilla B. Rawleigh, Vice President for Institutional Advancement Jeremy Shepherd, Assistant Athletics Director for Athletic Communications Brian Speer, Vice President for Marketing and Communications Kendra Tidd, Graphic Designer Courtney D. Wolfe ’12, Class Notes Coordinator Judy Kreutz Young ’63, Alumnae Association Wilson Magazine is published quarterly by the Office of Marketing and Communications and the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

Send address changes to: Wilson College Alumnae/i Relations, 1015 Philadelphia Ave., Chambersburg, Pa. 17201-1279, 717-262-2010 or mag@wilson.edu.

Opinions expressed are those of the contributors or the editor and do not represent the official positions of Wilson College or the Alumnae Association of Wilson College.

CONTACT US: Wilson Magazine mag@wilson.edu 717-262-2607 www.wilson.edu/magazine Alumnae Association aawc@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/aawc Office of Alumnae/i Relations ARoffice@wilson.edu 717-262-2010 www.wilson.edu/alumnae

— letter from the —

editor

PHOTO BY JAMES BUTTS

Brian Speer Executive Editor Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor Kendra Tidd Design Cathy Mentzer College Editor Courtney D. Wolfe ’12 Class Notes Coordinator Contributing Writers Coleen Dee Berry, Frances Caroscio, Amy Ensley, Ben McAfee, Cathy Mentzer, Ghada Tafesh ’16 Contributing Photographers James Butts, Terry Clark, C. Kurt Holter Matthew Lester, Jessica Meck ’15, Cathy Mentzer, Ryan Smith, Kendra Tidd, Travis Tosten Cover Photo by: Ryan Smith

Good news continues for Wilson in 2017. In February, the College’s emerging nursing program received its anticipated accreditation. In this issue, Wilson Magazine spotlights this ambitious program and the pathways it provides to a nursing degree for both traditional undergraduates and working nurses.

The nursing program has been accepting students for just three years and already has the second-largest enrollment at the College. Find out how the program involves undergraduate students in hands-on clinical experiences through collaboration with community partners, and how those already in the medical field are taking advantage of the College’s advanced online nursing courses.

As seen in the nursing story, Wilson students don’t just listen and take notes, they get out and do. This experiential learning process is also illustrated by the recent January-Term study-abroad trip to South Africa made by 11 Wilson students. Read about their remarkable journey to one of the world’s most unique environments and enjoy their photographs in Under African Skies.

The school year is fast approaching the end of the spring term, which means Student Research Day (April 28) is just around the corner. This annual event, now entering its eighth year, puts on display the critical-thinking skills that are essential for effective research. Critical Research offers a preview of some of the students’ presentations in store for April 28.

We note with sadness the passing of Sue Davison Cooley ’44, one of Wilson’s most faithful champions. More information can be found in the News section on page 5.

This issue also profiles Lisa Havilland ’04 and her journey to a new career as an international family lawyer, current campus leader Cody Dunlap ’18 and the student-athlete mentoring program led by the athletics department. In Alumnae/i News, you’ll find information on the recent Lenfest 20/20 challenge and the ballot for the slate of Alumnae Association of Wilson College board nominees can be found in the AAWC section.

Happy spring to all! Read on, and enjoy!

Coleen Dee Berry Managing Editor

You can read Wilson Magazine online at:

www.wilson.edu/wilsonmag Class notes are not published online for privacy reasons.

If you would like to receive a PDF of the class notes, please email Wilson Magazine at mag@wilson.edu.

WILSON NEWS WILSON NURSING

PROGRAM ACCREDITED W

PHOTO BY TERRY CLARK

ilson’s nursing program has been accredited by the National League for Nursing’s Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA), a mark of the program’s high caliber and adherence to nationally established standards for nursing education.

The initial six-year accreditation, granted in February, applies to all four of Wilson’s nursing pathways: the bachelor’s and master’s degree programs for existing registered nurses (RN-to-BSN and RN-to-MSN), the Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) and the Master of Science in nursing (MSN).

While Wilson’s nursing programs were approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing in 2015, the College pursued accreditation—which is voluntary—for two primary reasons: to ensure the quality and integrity of its programs and because of the advantages an accredited program provides to nursing graduates, according to Carolyn Hart, director of Wilson’s nursing program.

“It’s a student’s assurance that the program they’re in meets or exceeds industry standards. It says a lot about the program,” Hart said. “Then after graduation, if they want to go on to get a master’s degree or doctorate in nursing, they are required to

have a nursing degree from an accredited school. And, employers very often want to hire people who have graduated from an accredited school.”

Accreditation brings another set of benefits to the College itself. “CNEA accreditation really helps you focus on continually improving and continually making sure that what you’re offering

to students is current, addresses the needs of employers and makes sure that nurses are prepared to excel in the workplace,” Hart said.

“Our relationship with our students is very close-knit and very supportive. [CNEA was] very impressed with that.

They thought that we have something unique here.”

Carolyn Hart, director of nursing program The accreditation process was lengthy, with planning starting before Wilson launched its first nursing programs—the RN-toBSN and RN-to-MSN—in fall 2014, according to Hart. She said the application process began in October 2015 and a site visit— where a CNEA evaluation team comes to campus and evaluates the program—occurred in September 2016.

“Four nurses with doctorates in nursing and nearly 40 years of accrediting experience spent two and a half days with us looking at absolutely everything,” said Hart. Before leaving, the team debriefed Wilson’s nursing staff and shared their opinions, which Hart said were positive. “Our relationship with our students is very close-knit and very supportive. They were very impressed with that,” Hart said. “They thought that we have something unique here.”

A total of 126 students are enrolled in Wilson’s four nursing pathways, making nursing the second-largest program at Wilson in terms of enrollment, after the education majors. In addition to taking classes both in-person and online, pre-licensure students (those who are not yet RNs) benefit from hands-on opportunities with the college’s local clinical partners. The largest of those are Summit Health, Keystone Health and Menno Haven. (See more about Wilson’s nursing programs on page 12.)

— Cathy Mentzer

spring 2017 03

WILSON NEWS WORLDREADER LITERACY ADVOCATE TO SPEAK AT COMMENCEMENT Entrepreneur and education access advocate John David Risher will address the senior class at the 147th annual Wilson College commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 14. Risher, who is the son of Wilson alumna Sarah Walker Risher ’63, is the president and cofounder of Worldreader, a nonprofit organization that works to expand literacy in the developing world.

With headquarters in San Francisco and offices around the world, John David Risher Worldreader works to transform literacy, giving children in developing countries virtually unlimited access to digital books through Kindles and cell phones, even creating an app for cell phone use. “Worldreader is on a mission to create a world where everyone is a reader,” the organization states on its website, www.worldreader.org.

A voracious reader himself, Risher played pivotal roles at Microsoft and Amazon before cofounding Worldreader in 2010.

At Microsoft, he was general manager in charge of launching the company’s first database product, Microsoft Access. He left Microsoft in 1997 to join Amazon.com as its first vice president of product and store development. Under his leadership, Amazon’s revenue grew from $16 million to more than $4 billion. Risher later was a senior vice president, overseeing the marketing and general management of Amazon’s retail operations.

Risher graduated from Princeton University with a degree in comparative literature. After working for a time for a consulting firm and then bicycling across the country, he entered the MBA program at Harvard Business School, moving to Seattle after graduation and joining Microsoft.

Risher is a Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Social Entrepreneur, a Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow, and an invited member of the Clinton Global Initiative. He was named one of 12 Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2016. He speaks four languages and lives in San Francisco with wife Jennifer and two daughters. —CM

COLLEGE ADDS NEW MASTER’S DEGREE

IN SPECIAL EDUCATION This spring, the College launched a new master’s degree in special education designed for those who are already certified to teach in grades K-12. The Master of Special Education (M.S.E), which can be completed primarily online, was added as a result of strong local interest in a graduate program in the field, as well as the critical need for teachers with special education certification, as expressed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Wilson officials said.

Students enrolling in Wilson’s program can choose from three degree paths: a general M.S.E. without certification, an M.S.E. with Pre-K-8 special education certification and an M.S.E. with 7-12 special education certification, according to Wilson Master of Education Program Director Eric Michael.

“Wilson’s program is based on the premise that successful special education teachers need an in-depth knowledge of pedagogy, a mastery of current theory and an understanding of research-based practices and technology,” Michael said. “The main focus of our program is to hone teaching skills through research and classroom practices, thereby fostering teaching excellence and teacher leadership.”

04 wilson magazine

On completing the M.S.E., students will be qualified to teach special education in both public and private schools and will also be prepared to work in state, local and private organizations that provide behavioral health services to people with disabilities.

The M.S.E. program, approved by the Board of Trustees at its Feb. 18 meeting, consists of 10 courses and provides a great deal of flexibility in completing the degree. Students don’t have to adhere to a specific sequence of courses—they can jump in and out as their schedules permit. Courses are offered online, face to face and in hybrid formats. Additionally, if a local school district has a cohort of teachers interested in enrolling in the M.S.E. program, “we will bring an instructor to the individual district,” Michael said.

The M.S.E. is Wilson’s ninth graduate program. In addition to the Master of Education, the College has master’s programs in educational technology, nursing, management, fine arts, the humanities, accountancy and healthcare management. More information about the M.S.E. program can be found at www. wilson.edu/mse or by calling 717-262-3109 or 262-2045. —CM

LEARNING CAMPUS RECEIVES SECOND VISTA GRANT sound opportunity for children. The coordinator also acts as a liaison between the College and the LIU. Last year, Brie Burdge ’16 was named as the 2016-17 VISTA coordinator for the Learning Campus.

Under the current partnership, the LIU is responsible for working with the families of the children who come to campus and Wilson provides the tutoring program. The Wilson students who volunteer to tutor—many of whom are majoring in education—also benefit from the program through experiential learning Wilson Vice President for Student Development Mary Beth Williams oversees the tutoring program along with Lynn Newman, Wilson’s education division chair, and Eric Mandell, LIU student support specialist. —Coleen Dee Berry PHOTO BY TRAVIS TOSTEN

Wilson’s on-campus volunteer, migrant education tutoring program, Learning Campus, recently received approval from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the Pennsylvania Campus Compact (PACC) for a second AmeriCorps/VISTA grant. The grant funds a full-time coordinator for the program.

Done in partnership with Lincoln Intermediate Unit 12, Learning Campus has provided after-school tutoring for children of migrant farmworkers in the Chambersburg area for the past seven years. The program provides literacy and math enrichment services twice a week throughout the school year to children in kindergarten through fifth grade who are in the LIU’s Migrant Education Program.

The VISTA coordinator recruits, trains and manages tutors, with the goal of growing the program into a sustainable and academically

COLLEGE MOURNS LONGTIME SUPPORTER

SUE DAVISON COOLEY ’44

Sue Davison Cooley ’44, whose unflagging support for Wilson included several important gifts for the Reimagining the John Stewart Memorial Library project and for scholarships for the Single Parent Scholar Program, died Feb. 18, 2017, at the age of 93.

Cooley attended Wilson College for several years and then graduated from Swarthmore College with a degree in psychology. In an interview in 2015, Cooley said her experience at Wilson had a profound and lasting effect on her, and she was happy to give back to the institution that she held dear.

“I have so many fond memories of being at Wilson that it is very much a part of my life,” she said. “Students are given very special gifts when they are at Wilson. They get an outstanding experience.”

Cooley made three separate gifts totaling $3.6 million to the renovation of the library and the construction of the new Lenfest Learning Commons. The library’s Sue Davison Cooley Gallery, which showcases both visiting and local artists, was named in honor of Cooley’s transformational gifts.

In 2005, she donated $1 million to establish a scholarship for participants in the Single Parent Scholar Program in honor of old friends Sylvia Scalera Davison and Mary Meinecke Dee, both with Wilson’s Class of 1944. She had also been a faithful contributor to the College’s annual fund.

“Mrs. Cooley led a life of philanthropy and her spirit of giving touched many throughout her life,’’ said President Barbara K. Mi-

stick. “ Her generosity to her alma mater has been extraordinary, and we are all grateful to her for her significant contributions toward Wilson’s future.”

Born March 31, 1923, in Brazil, where her father worked for the YMCA, she was the daughter of Waldo and Marguerite Davison.

When she was six years old, her family moved back to the United States, settling in Swarthmore, Pa. She married Edward Cooley and they raised three children. The couple lived in Portland, Ore., and Maui. After her husband's death in 2000, Cooley moved to Bainbridge Island in Washington.

She began painting as a child, worked for a ceramist as a young woman and volunteered at the Ceramic Studio in Portland. She maintained an active interest in the arts throughout her life. She served on the board of the Portland Art Museum; established the Douglas F. Cooley Gallery at Reed College; helped fund the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network (BARN); and supported many artists in the northwest and Maui.

Cooley was involved in many philanthropic projects. She was a champion for Self Enhancement Inc., which supported and encouraged underprivileged children in Portland; and served on the board of the Boys and Girls Aid Society. She donated her former home in Portland to Lewis and Clark College, and established the Marguerite Foundation to provide affordable housing for teachers on Bainbridge Island. She was instrumental in constructing a much-needed football stadium for Lahainaluna High School on Maui. Her last project was the development and donation of Red Pine Park to the Bainbridge Island community. —CDB

spring 2017 05

WILSON NEWS FACULTY PUBLICATIONS Wilson faculty members recently published the following written works: • First Ladies and American Women: In Politics and at Home, by Wilson Associate Professor of Political Science Jill Abraham Hummer, was published in March by the University Press of Kansas. The historical nonfiction book reveals how each first lady, from Lou Henry Hoover to Michelle Obama, has reflected and responded to trends that marked and unified her era.

Hummer also explores how their background, personality, ambitions and relationship to the president shaped each first lady's response to women in society and to the politics of the time.

• “Catching the elusive herder: a second look at herding in heterogeneous samples,” by Assistant Professor of Mathematics Alexander Munson and Han Yan ’16 was published in the International Journal of Financial Markets and Derivatives, Vol. 5, Nos. 2/3/4, 2016. Herding is a mentality characterized by a lack of individual decision-making, causing people to think and act in the same way as the majority around them. In finance, investors herd when they follow a lead to buy or sell the same investments. The paper, which Munson and Yan worked on while she was a student at Wilson, offers a theoretical analysis of the underlying mathematical mechanism used to measure the individual and collective decisions of managers in trading equities.

• In February, Assistant Professor of Psychology JeanMarie Bianchi published two papers.

“Beyond risk and protective factors: An adaptation-based approach to resilience” was written with several colleagues and published in the bi-monthly journal, Perspectives on Psychological Science. This paper provides a major theoretical overview of the cognitive adaptations to stress research. Bianchi also coauthored “The K-SF-42: A New Short Form of the Arizona Life History Battery,” published in a journal called Evolutionary Psychology.

The psychometric paper proposes a new measurement instrument for assessing biological life-history strategy in human samples. The new instrument is based upon cross-cultural data from five different nations. —CDB

06 wilson magazine

COLLEGE RECEIVES $540,000

FOR STABLER SCHOLARSHIPS The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation has awarded the College a $540,000 grant to fund scholarships for Wilson students with financial need through the Stabler Scholarship Endowment. Since its inception in 2008, the endowment has provided $3.31 million in scholarships for 182 Wilson students. Students are selected for scholarships based on financial need, academic achievement and service to the community.

Approximately 71 Wilson students are being helped with Stabler scholarships in the 2016-17 academic year, according to Margaret Light, director of corporate and foundation relations.

"Gifts of endowed scholarship are vital in enabling talented students with financial need to complete their education," said Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick said. “We are thankful for the foundation’s generous and steadfast support.”

Since 1985, The Stabler Foundation has provided Wilson with nearly $4.33 million in funding for a number of programs, including the Stabler Scholarship Endowment; the Curran Scholars program, which promotes student volunteerism; and daycare support for students in Wilson’s Single Parent Scholar Program.

Located in Harrisburg, The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation was established in 1966 exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes. —CM

MEET FULTON FARM MANAGER

SEAN SCANLON

Wilson’s Fulton Farm welcomed a new farm manager, Sean Scanlon, in time for the upcoming growing season, according to Chris Mayer, director of the Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies.

As the grandson of a small-acreage farmer, Scanlon was familiar with the concept of sustainability from the time he could walk the land with his grandfather. The time he spent on his grandfather’s farm every summer while growing up profoundly affected his pursuit of both academic and agricultural endeavors.

Scanlon most recently studied at Pennsylvania State University, pursuing a master’s degree in agriculture and extension education. He is certified in Pennsylvania to teach agriculture and general science. He holds undergraduate degrees in animal science and agriculture economics from Virginia Tech, and has a Master of Business Administration from Radford University in Virginia.

Scanlon has spent the past 16 years farming, primarily in Pennsylvania. His farm experience ranges from raising cattle to rearing Holstein heifers and goat ranching. Scanlon, his wife and three children currently live on a farm in northern Fulton County, where they maintain a few horses, cattle for their own beef, and four dogs. —CDB

ALUMNAE/I NEWS LENFEST 20/20 CHALLENGE BOOSTS WILSON FUND

F

This was the third year in a row that Lenfest pledged a major ortified by a $500,000 pledge from Marguerite Brooks Lenfest contribution to aid the Wilson Fund. ’55, the Lenfest 20/20 Challenge conducted last fall raised $987,985 for the 2016-17 Wilson Fund. Additional contributions Twenty first-time donors participated in the 20/20 Challenge. made since the 20/20 Challenge ended in December have brought Another 521 donors were repeat contributors from the 2015-16 Wilthe Wilson Fund total to more than son Fund drive, and 123 of those $1 million, as of March 1. donors increased the amount of their gift since the previous drive.

A total of 650 donors participatA total of 17 organizations and 47 ed in the 20/20 Challenge, named friends of the College also contribin honor of Wilson’s incoming uted during the 2016-17 challenge.

Class of 2020. The drive brought in alumnae/i contributions from The unrestricted nature of every decade from the 1930s on, gifts to the Wilson Fund is vitally with the largest donations—totalimportant, according to Rawleigh. ing $168,157—coming from the “Unrestricted giving touches decade of the 1960s. every aspect of campus life,” she said, adding that the fund is used “We’re enormously grateful for everything from operations to Marguerite Lenfest ’55 for her and supplies to scholarships. continued generosity to Wilson College, and to all of the donors The Lenfest 20/20 Challenge who stepped up to the challenge has expired, but Wilson Fund and joined Marguerite in providCamilla B. Rawleigh, donations will continue to be ing critically important unrestrictaccepted through the end of the vice president for institutional advancement fiscal year, which ends on June 30. ed support for our students,” said Camilla B. Rawleigh,vice president for institutional advancement.

“We’re enormously grateful to Marguerite Lenfest ’55 for her continued generosity to Wilson College, and to all of the donors who stepped up to the challenge and joined Marguerite in providing critically important unrestricted support for our students.”

BIRTHDAY

CELEBRATION

Ellen Van Looy Reed ’53, center, celebrated her 85th birthday in February in Port St. Lucie, Fla., with some Wilson friends. Standing, from left, Camilla B. Rawleigh, vice president for institutional advancement; Brenda Gall ’61; Katherine Cannon Stalcup ’60 and Joann Fisher Schmidt ’60.

EMAIL ADDRESS CHANGE The general email address for the Office of Alumnae/i Relations has been changed to ARoffice@wilson.edu.

This reflects how the office is known and how the staff references the office. Any email sent to alumnae@wilson.edu will still be received, as the emails will remain connected. Please make sure our new address is accepted through your computer filter.

spring 2017 07

ALUMNAE/I NEWS

Sarasota Club Annual Luncheon—Feb. 4, 2017

Seated, from left: Joan Hoover Hellwege ’56, Patricia Roberts Cohen ’50 and Pat Vail ’63. Middle row, from left: Pamela Francis Kiehl ’66, Dorothea Holberton Brown ’62, Peggy Kauffman Hyde ’64, Julia Solleveld Osborne ’64, President Barbara K. Mistick, Damaris Swartz Weidner ’55 and Valerie Oakley ’64. Back row, from left: Jane Preston Rose ’64, Janet Vance Andrew ’61, Ann Vanderhoff Watral ’50 and Sarah Walker Risher ’63. Not pictured: Ann Marlow Lafabregue ’59.

REPRESENTING WILSON During fall 2016, five alumnae represented their alma mater and Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick at college or university presidential inaugural events across the area: Diane Huminik Parente ’68 attended the inauguration of Michael T. Victor, J.D., LL.D., as the 12th president of Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa., on Sept. 10, 2016.

Carol Schaaf Heppner ’64 attended the inauguration of Kenneth G. Gormley, J.D.,

08 wilson magazine

as the 13th president of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Sept. 22, 2016.

Mary Ann Jankauskas Stoppini ’70 attended the inauguration of Kevin Rea, M.A., as the 12th president of Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pa., on Sept.

30, 2016.

Jane Taylor Fox ’59 attended the inauguration of Christopher B. Howard, Ph.D., as the eighth president of Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pa., on Oct. 7, 2016.

Marian L. Stevenson ’74 attended the inauguration of Richard W. Thomas, M.D., D.D.S., as the sixth president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., on Dec. 9, 2016.

In addition, Wilson President Barbara K. Mistick attended the inauguration of Kathy Brittain Richardson, Ph.D., as the 15th and first female president of Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa., on Oct. 28, 2016.

Naples, Fla. Luncheon—Feb. 3, 2017 Hosted by John and Beverly Farber Wernette ’66 Seated, from left: Louise Buttrick Davies ’53 and Pat Vail ’63. Middle row, from left: Joyce Dorian Richter ’65, Kathleen Shannon ’71, Beverly Farber Wernette ’66, Robin Bernstein, President Barbara K. Mistick, Margaret Ward ’65, Christine Heroy Muddell ’63, Jeanne Dunning Tyrer ’50 and Evlyn Haardt Bickford ’66. Back row, from left: Diana Burger McClay ’57 and Judy Kreutz Young ’63.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

ADMISSIONS SEEKS

By now, you should have received the Wilson College Alumnae/i Survey, which was mailed out by the Office of Alumnae/i Relations and the Office of Career Development. The survey is also available online at www.wilson.edu/AlumSurvey.

STUDENT REFERRALS FROM ALUMNAE/I

The survey will serve two main goals: to obtain information about the Wilson experience so we can provide better support for current students regarding career choice and preparation, and to lay the groundwork for a potential network that will help connect alumnae/i with one another and with current students.

The admissions office welcomes referrals of current high school juniors or seniors from Wilson alumnae/i. A new admissions referrals button has been added to the main alumnae/i webpage at www.wilson.edu/alumn for your convenience. Click on the blue box marked Alumnae/i Admissions Referrals.

The survey also responds to the needs of prospective students’ families and growing regulatory demands for colleges to provide better information on student outcomes. Questions that ask about the quality of your Wilson experience will help us understand the performance of the institution over time and can be used to help inform how programs are structured in the future.

Thank you in advance for taking the time to complete and return the survey. If you have not received it, please contact alumnae/i relations at ARoffice@wilson.edu.

Do you have a student in mind? Just fill out the form, hit submit and admissions will make contact.

spring 2017 09

— president’s —

forum

INCLUSION LEADS TO UNDERSTANDING

By Barbara K. Mistick, president

W

hat is a liberal arts

bringing people of various backgrounds together is not the

education? In answering

goal—it’s their inclusion in the life of the College. By living and

this question, liberal arts colleges

learning together as a diverse community, we honor the core of

almost always talk about the

our mission, providing a truly broad experience that provides

traditional benefits first: a broad-

students with insight and perspectives that give greater depth

based education that provides

and meaning to their studies.

PHOTO BY RYAN SMITH

students with a grounding in the

There is a lot of debate in the country at this moment,

arts, humanities, physical and life

especially with regard to inclusion and diversity on campuses.

sciences, and social sciences—

Speakers are being shouted down and professors and students

regardless of major—that hones

are coming into conflict. Instead of discussion or debate, we see

important skills needed for success. But when we do this, we

increasing intolerance toward opposing views. Laws that hinder

leave out a major component of liberal arts learning—and that

gender equality are felt keenly on campuses and proposed travel

is a problem.

bans inhibit the access of some international students and

Exposure to a wide array of varying personal experiences and perspectives is one of the most important aspects of a well-rounded education, particularly a residential experience.

faculty members to American colleges, while making others feel unwelcome.

These all have a potentially profound effect on the liberal

Regardless of how many classes you may take in subjects across

arts experience. That is why it is important to be clear about the

the curriculum, if you sit in a room where everyone’s experience

values that guide Wilson College. The Honor Principle—which

is similar to your own, then learning is stifled. Diversity and

is signed by every student, faculty and staff member—asks each

inclusion are essential components of the liberal arts because

of us to: demonstrate personal integrity; demonstrate concern

they help provide understanding.

for others, their feelings and their needs; respect diversity in

Personal experiences have shaped each of our students

people, ideas and opinions; and respect the dignity of others. It

and faculty. How those experiences then broaden the scope

asks that we respect one another because of our difference, not

of learning in the classroom by informing wide-ranging

in spite of it.

discussions is critical. Difference takes many forms:

As Wilson grows in size, we will need to remain vigilant that

socioeconomic status, first-generation students, race, religion,

our practices continue to encourage inclusiveness, and that we

gender identity and internationalism, to name a few. But simply

find new ways to welcome diverse experiences to our campus.

10 wilson magazine

We remain committed to these ideals and to providing a

We recognize the rights of transgender students to live their

supportive, inclusive community to all of our students, faculty,

lives in accordance with the identity they have defined. We

staff and alumnae/i. We welcome people of different cultures,

support those with disabilities. We value differing political and social views.

By living and learning together as a diverse community, we honor the core of our mission, providing a truly broad experience that provides students with insight and perspectives that give greater depth and meaning to their studies.”

The Honor Principle at Wilson began more than 100 years ago and, like the traditional characteristics of liberal arts, came about at time when difference and inclusion was not valued in higher education or in the country. Thankfully, a lot has changed since then, and much has been gained.

So, when we ask the question, “What is a liberal arts education?,” perhaps we should take a cue from a Chinese proverb that states, “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” A liberal arts education is one that brings people from disparate backgrounds and diverse experiences together in a community to live and learn from one another. In doing so, we broaden the learning experience, help individuals understand new perspectives and prepare students for success in their personal and professional lives.

— President Barbara K. Mistick

countries and races. We respect varying views of faith and religious practice. We strive to provide access to those who may struggle financially. We fully support the LGBTQ community.

spring 2017 11

&

caring compassion Wilson’s nursing program thrives in first three years of operation

by Coleen Dee Berry | photos by Ryan Smith

T

he second-year nursing students gather around the “patient” in the Rosenkrans clinical lab and look expectantly at Julie Beck, assistant professor of nursing.

“The emergency room is sending us Michael, who was injured in a motorcycle accident,” Beck tells the students. “He’s 27, overweight and a smoker.

He has road rash on his legs, arms and back. He was not wearing a helmet. ER is too busy and can’t keep him, so he is now our patient. Proceed with your assessments.”

The 11 students split into two groups. Everyone has an assigned role: two bedside nurses, one nurse in charge of the lab reports, others ordering procedures and one student acting as the “voice” of the patient. Michael is a medical mannequin, capable of presenting all sorts of medical symptoms, but incapable of speech.

Each group ends up with a different diagnosis.

One group concentrates on symptoms that indicate possible chest trauma; the other focuses on the patient’s complaint of severe pain in his lower left leg that could signal a blood clot. Beck, who has been a nurse at Lancaster General Hospital for more than two decades, coaxes and prompts the students during each 15-minute exercise, even

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acting the role of an irritable on-call physician.

“Don’t be intimidated by the doctor,” Beck tells the students. “You’re the nurse. You’re there with the patient. You have to be the patient’s advocate.”

Beck praises her students at the end of the exercise, with a caveat—it was good work to diagnose that particular set of symptoms, but what about the others? She acknowledges that many of her students are already licensed practical nurses (LPNs) or nursing home aides. “You’re used to concentrating on one task at hand. As a bedside nurse, you have to be aware of all of the symptoms, all of the scenarios at once and constantly weigh all the options.”

The exercise is about more than recognizing symptoms and ordering the right lab tests, Beck said. “We’re trying to get them to think critically on their feet, and also to operate as a team,” she said. “You have to learn to collaborate with your team members.”

Kristy Brammer ’19, an LPN who acted the part of one of the bedside nurses in the exercise, listens intently as Beck critiques her group. “She’s a great teacher,” Brammer said of Beck. “She’s a bit intimidating and I think that’s what makes her so good.”

PHOTO BY TERRY CLARK

Clinical instructor Hannah Inkrote, left, and Assistant Professor of Nursing Jennifer Buffenbarger, center, with Chance Wheeler ’20 and Erica Henry ’19 during a class in the Rosenkrans clinical lab.

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he clinical skills nursing lab epitomizes the philosophy behind Wilson’s undergraduate nursing program, which seeks to provide students with hands-on clinical experiences, starting in their first semester. Wilson’s “direct admit” nursing program, which immerses first-year students immediately in nursing courses, is one of perhaps five schools in the country taking this approach, according to Carolyn Hart, Wilson’s director of nursing.

“Other schools typically have their students take a year of general studies, then apply to nursing. You’re in the nursing program at Wilson from day one,” Hart said. “Instead of condensing the nursing program into two and a half years of courses, we have four years to learn nursing content at Wilson.

That makes a huge difference in your confidence level and your competence level.”

The undergraduate Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is just one component of Wilson’s ambitious nursing program, which has been accepting students for the past three years. Wilson currently offers four pathways to a nursing degree (see information box, below).

In addition, the College is partnering with Widener University in Chester, Pa., to provide advanced entry into Widener’s online nurse practitioner program for Wilson’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) graduates. Unlike most nurse practitioner programs, the Wilson-Widener partnership allows working healthcare professionals to complete flexible, online courses and gain the hands-on clinical experience they need locally. Under the partnership, Wilson students who graduate with an MSN degree and have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average will be guaranteed admission to the 18-month Widener program.

After the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing approved Wilson’s nursing program in 2015, the College chose to pursue accreditation, which is voluntary. That accreditation approval

was received on Feb. 16 by the National League for Nursing’s Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA). The approval is “a student’s assurance that the program they’re in meets or exceeds industry standards,” Hart said. “After graduation, if they want to go on to get a master’s degree or doctorate in nursing, they are required to have a nursing degree from an accredited school. And employers very often want to hire people who have graduated from an accredited school. It says a lot about the program.”

Hart said designing a nursing program for the College that encompassed pathways from traditional undergraduate to master’s degree was a challenge she relished. “That’s the fun thing about Wilson,” she said. “We got to say, ‘What does an ideal nursing program look like?’ That’s what we tried to create. So it was just a wonderful opportunity to be able to start with a blank slate.”

WILSON COLLEGE PATHWAYS TO NURSING Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) This degree offers a four-year, on-campus program for students just starting their nursing education. Courses include lectures and hands-on experiences in clinical and community health settings. Nursing courses and clinical experiences begin during the first year.

Registered Nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN) This online completion program gives registered nurses who do not have a bachelor’s degree a fast track to obtaining that degree, and is designed to be finished in a little as 18 months.

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The curriculum contains both nursing studies courses and traditional liberal arts classes.

Registered Nurse-to-Master of Science in Nursing (RN-to-MSN) This online pathway offers a bridge program for nurses with a diploma or associate degree in nursing and at least three years of experience, who want to go on for their master’s degree.

Students complete three semesters (one year) of bridge courses designed to prepare them for success in a graduate program. After successful completion of the bridge courses, students are enrolled in the Wilson MSN program.

A total of 126 students are enrolled in Wilson’s four nursing pathways, with 58 students currently in the BSN program. Nationally, the average age of a nursing student is 28 years old, Hart noted. “We have just as many people who are working on getting their degree as their second or even third career, as we do students who are right out of high school. There’s an interesting mix in the undergraduate classroom—you can sit next to an 18-yearold and on other side of you, there’s someone in their 50s.”

Incorporating the Wilson experience into the curriculum also makes the College’s nursing program stand out, Hart said.

“What makes Wilson different is our true student focus. We know our students by name—we know what’s going on with them and we know how to help them. Our nursing faculty motto is ‘caring and compassion,’ because if students can’t learn that in school, where are they going to learn it?”

Students speak highly of those relationships with faculty. “What has impressed me the most about this program is the interaction and dedication we are receiving from the nursing faculty,” said Morgan Bechtold ’19, who is in the undergraduate nursing program. “Dr. Julie Beck is always available to work with us outside of class if we are struggling with a particular concept, and Dr. Hart has hired clinical instructors who are on the floor with us at the hospital. We are fortunate to have these wonderful nurses bring their real-life experiences to the classroom.”

Those relationships also translate to the online courses. “Almost all our students are also working, so we do our best to accommodate them for their work-life balance,” said Brenda Elliott, who oversees the master’s program. “I’ll get emails from those who are up at 2 a.m. who are working night shifts or up late studying, and I do my best to respond quickly.”

“The instructors at Wilson are great. They are available by phone and online to answer questions,” said Matthew Hopkins, an emergency room RN at Chambersburg Hospital who is pursuing his master’s degree in the nursing education track through the Registered Nurse-to-Master of Science in Nursing (RN-to-MSN) bridge program.

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his past December, several of the first nurses who signed up for the Registered Nurse-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN) program received their degrees—including Erica Pyne, a registered nurse for 15 years before she enrolled in the program.

At left, Kristy Brammer ’19 adjusts an IV for a patient at Chambersburg Hospital. Above, Wilson nursing students Heather Paxton �18, left, and Kayelynn Pittman �20 get instructions on how a dialysis machine works from Chambersburg Hospital R.N. Julie Ammerman.

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) This online program offers two tracks: nursing education and nursing leadership/management. The education track prepares students to work as clinical instructors and may also be used by students who intend to pursue a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree or a doctorate (Ph.D.). Students in the leadership/ management track, as indirect care providers, will be prepared to assume a management role or pursue a doctorate.

Nurse Practitioner Degree Under a partnership with Widener University, Wilson students who graduate with an MSN degree and have a minimum 3.0

Pyne has worked since 2003 for Summit Health in Chambersburg at the Himelfarb Surgery Center. Her Wilson BSN degree helped get her a promotion to clinical coordinator at the center. “I have the clinical skills so the courses I took were in research, ethics and

grade-point average are guaranteed admission to Widener’s 18-month, online nurse practitioner program.

Accreditation Approval Wilson’s nursing program is accredited by the National League for Nursing’s Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (CNEA), an indication of excellence and adherence to nationally established standards for nursing education. The accreditation applies to all four of Wilson’s nursing pathways and offers advantages to nursing graduates, who need a degree from an accredited school to pursue a master’s degree or doctorate in nursing.

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Wilson second-year nursing student Beverly Meyers �20 assists a patient during a 12-hour shift at Chambersburg Hospital.

theory,” she said. “The courses train you to think differently, to see the bigger picture, instead of just the patient or task at hand.

The program trains you for a leadership role.”

An email about Wilson’s RN-to-BSN program went out to Summit employees in 2014 and Pyne attended an open house on campus and spoke with Hart. “Carolyn sat down with me, worked out a schedule and assured me that I could do this,” she said. “I was working 45 to 50 hours a week with a family, and having the coursework and homework on top of that—it was about two to three hours every night—was hard.”

The flexibility in the program helped her cope. “I could take the courses on my schedule,” Pyne said. “Some people would think, ‘Oh, it’s just an online course,’ but it being online did not mean it was easy. You had to participate. You had to be prepared for each class.”

There’s a benefit in that many of the students in the master’s program work locally, according to Hopkins, who has been an ER nurse at Chambersburg Hospital for the past four years. “So in addition to the discussion board, we’ll see each other at work and talk about the courses and continue a lot of the discussions.”

Hopkins graduated from nursing school at Hagerstown Community College at 35. He had always been fascinated by the medical profession—“I’m the type of guy who watches the ‘True Stories of the ER’ programs on Discovery channel”—but worked for 10 years as a manager for AT&T Wireless until several of his friends who were nurses talked him into enrolling at Hagerstown.

Now he’s pursuing his master’s in nursing education at Wilson.

“I saw an email from Summit about the nursing program that was starting up at Wilson. I talked with Carolyn Hart and that convinced me to sign up for the program,” Hopkins said

“Instead of condensing the nursing program Flexibility is also the key to the online MSN program. It’s designed into two and a half to be as accessible to students who are working the night shift as it is years of courses, we for those working a day shift, said Elliott. The program has attracted have four years to learn many in the nursing and medical professions in the Chambersburg nursing content at area, such as Hugh Davis, chief executive officer of Menno Haven Retirement Communities in Cham- Wilson. That makes a bersburg, who is taking courses on huge difference in your the MSN leadership track.

Pursing his master’s degree at Wilconfidence level and son was “a great opportunity” that he said he could not ignore. “I had your competence level.”

So far he has been able to juggle his 12hour shifts at the ER with his coursework. “Online tends to scare off some people,” Hopkins said. “You have to be self-motivated and make sure that you are carving out enough time for the classes and the reading and the work.”

In addition to pursuing teaching in a clinical setting, Hopkins plans to take advantage of Wilson’s partnership with Widener to continue to study for a nurse practitioner degree. “Right now, that’s my ultimate goal,” he said.

I

n establishing Wilson’s nursing looked into other online courses, program, Hart reached out to —Carolyn Hart, several medical organizations in but never really took any. With Wilson’s online courses, it works director of nursing Chambersburg to partner in providing really well with also having to student education experiences: Summanage a very busy full-time job.” Hart had already established mit Health, which includes Chambersburg Hospital, Keystone a relationship with Menno Haven before Davis enrolled, and Health and Menno Haven. “talking with her convinced me I could undertake the courses At Menno Haven, undergraduate students shadow nurses and without running myself into the ground,” he said. help perform assessments on residents. “Dr. Hart has always Davis is impressed with the give and take between his fellow had a heart for seniors and gerontology, and she wants to make students in their online classroom discussions. “We are resure that her students have a senior experience during their quired to post our thoughts or opinions on a topic and then studies,” Davis said. “A lot of undergraduate nursing programs there will be a discussion,” Davis said. “We can have some concentrate on the hospital experience for their students. Hosrobust dialogues online with each other; there can be several pitals are more exciting, but with the aging of the population, differing opinions and views. There was a particularly lively one the real need will be with senior care.” about whether nurses should be required to get flu shots.”

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From left, Janelle Ford �20 takes vital signs of Pamellia Garnes Erickson ’36 at the Menno Haven retirement community; Ciera Rhodes �19 listens to Assistant Professor of Nursing Jennifer Buffenbarger during discussion session at Menno Haven.

Summit Health helps orient Wilson students to more acute care situations, Hart said. Classes have observed on medical surgery and critical care wards, as well as outpatient areas. “Summit has been very supportive of the nursing program at Wilson since its inception and we are happy to be a partner in bringing their students into an acute care setting,” said Sherri Stahl, senior vice president of hospital services and chief nursing officer at Chambersburg Hospital. “It's important to have the nursing program in the area so that it can bring more nurses into the acute care pipeline at this time of need. We're hoping to see these Wilson students added to the Chambersburg area when they graduate.”

Clinics at Keystone Health provide a broad range of experiences for Wilson students, fostering a better appreciation of the problems associated with obtaining healthcare, according to Hart.

“For too many years, programs just taught nurses to work in a hospital setting and community health was just one course,” she said. “At Wilson, we have embedded community nursing experiences into the entire program, so that students truly have a deeper appreciation of how community health care is becoming increasingly important.”

Keystone CEO and President Joanne Cochran lauded Wilson for advancing nursing in the community. “Community-academic partnerships are a means to bridge the gap of health disparities in underserved populations,” she said. “As nursing students are exposed to these populations, they are able to better understand the clinical importance of community health, which challenges nurses to be effective and efficient at providing high-quality, safe and financially sound patient care.”

Wilson’s community partners have helped in other ways.

Summit has donated many of the medical supplies used in the on-campus Rosenkrans clinical labs, including IV tubing, syringes and bandages. Wilson students spend between 80 to 120

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clinical hours in classes at Summit, Keystone and Menno Haven and the Rosenkrans clinical lab.

The Rosenkrans lab area was recently revamped and Hart is hoping to add several high-fidelity medical mannequins for the students to work with there. These high-tech mannequins can interact more with students and can speak, sweat, bleed and present a fever. “These labs let student nurses practice in a safe environment where they can make mistakes and no one gets hurt,” Hart said. “If they make a mistake, we talk about the experience. ‘What did I do right? What could have I done better? Why did this happen? What was the best way to handle the situation?’”

As the undergraduate students progress, other classes may include shadowing emergency room personnel and more hands-on work in other clinical sessions. Master’s program students are preparing for their final thesis or project, and those projects may be incorporated into Wilson’s annual Student Research Day. Hart is proud of the progress the program has made since its inception in 2014. She said the CNEA evaluation team expressed how impressed it was with the College’s student-faculty relationships, along with the meshing of nursing with liberal arts classes. “At Wilson, we have a very interdisciplinary approach to education, which many institutions strive for but don’t achieve,” Hart said. “They (the CNEA team) thought that we have something unique here.”

Hart is confident the nursing program at Wilson will only continue to grow. “Even though we are a small college and even though it is a brand-new program, it is a state-of-the-art program,” she said. “It was a perfect fit for Wilson. So many of the things Wilson stands for were perfect for nursing—the individualized education, the focus on liberal studies, the relationship between faculty and students. All those things make for a better nurse.” W

Partners in Nursing O n any given day, Wilson nursing students can find themselves off campus shadowing nurses during a 12-hour shift at Summit Health’s Chambersburg Hospital, assessing residents’ vital signs at the Menno Haven Retirement Communities or observing patients at Keystone Health’s public clinics.

These three Chambersburg area medical organizations are the Wilson nursing program’s largest active partners. “The goal of our undergraduate program is to give our students a handson clinical experience as early as possible, and we are so fortunate to have these partners to help us provide for those experiences,” said Carolyn Hart, Wilson director of nursing. “Our students are working hand in hand with staff nurses providing patient care, because human beings learn by doing.”

During one recent class at Menno Haven, first-year nursing students Bailey Keefer ’19 and Janelle Ford ’19 cheerily greeted Pamellia Garnes Erickson ’36.

The Menno Haven resident volunteered to let the students take her vital signs as part of their clinical course with Assistant Professor of Nursing Jennifer Buffenbarger. Erickson, who is 102, entertained

area Keystone Health clinics. “The community health component is stitched into all our nursing courses,” said Associate Professor of Nursing Julie Beck.

The partnership, according to Keystone CEO Joanne Cochran, “provides opportunities for students to experience the client care needs of the underinsured or uninsured in our community, and

At Chambersburg Hospital, second-year Wilson nursing students experience the rigors of a 12-hour nursing shift first-hand. They arrive at the hospital by 6:30 a.m. and are greeted by Hannah Inkrote, a Wilson clinical instructor, who hands out their assignments on the medical surgery unit. Those assignments Clincial instructor Hannah Inkrote consults with Jennifer Laman ’19 at Chambersburg Hospital. include taking patients’ vital signs, helping registered nurses give medication, the two students with recollections exposes students to the financial burchecking IVs and changing patients’ about her favorite professors at Wilson dens and challenges of today’s healthdressings. Students also receive instrucwhile they took her blood pressure and care environment in the United States.” tion on the workings of a dialysis machine, listened to her heart and lungs.

“I think Keystone helps our students so that they can assist patients coming For many of the students, this is their appreciate the economics of healthcare,” into the unit that day for treatment. first time performing assessments with Hart said. “By the time the students gradSherri Stahl, senior vice president real patients. “I am really impressed with uate, they have a deeper appreciation of hospital services and chief nursing our first-years,” Buffenbarger said. “They of what families and patients have to go officer at Chambersburg Hospital, said are jumping right in and picking up on through—how difficult it can be to obtain the current goal is to give the students everything so quickly that it just gives me healthcare and afford medications.” hands-on experience in the hospital’s goosebumps.”

The stated central purpose of Wilson’s medical surgery, birthing/obstetrics and At Menno Haven, students become nursing program is to increase the quality the acute care units. As the nursing profamiliar not only with chronic illness, but of healthcare by graduating nurses who gram evolves, students will have access also how that affects quality of life “so excel in meeting the needs of individuals to other hospital departments—including that they understand not just the science and the community in a rapidly changing the emergency room—and have longer of nursing, but also the art of nursing,” healthcare environment. interactions with patients.

Hart said. Menno Haven benefits from “Hospitals are moving more and “Wilson has developed a perfect way the classes “because the students promore patients to community care. Our of blending academic teaching with the vide our patients with more interaction, population is rapidly aging,” Hart said. acute care treatment experience for more young people to talk to and more “We need to have graduates who have their students so that they have not just people to share their stories with,” said experience in all these areas—community academic discussions, but real-life expeMenno Haven Director of Nursing Chriscare, assisted living, acute hospital care— riences,” Stahl said. “The College tries tine Coover. “They find the interaction and we’re lucky to have partners who to put them in the position of a bedside with the students stimulating.” can provide our students with those nurse and try to get them to think like a Other courses involve Wilson students learning environments.” bedside nurse.” visiting and interacting with patients at

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PHOTO BY JAMES ORR/JAMESORRPHOTO.COM

underafr Wilson’s first January-Term course in South Africa a “transformative” experience

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icanskies E

leven Wilson students experienced a remarkable journey of study and wonder, as their January Term in South Africa led them to encounters with elephants and giraffes, wildebeests and rhinos, along with a whole alphabet soup of fantastic birds and exotic plants.

The field study course focusing on conservation biology was Wilson’s first study-abroad program in South Africa.

Each day at their game preserve locations, students rose at dawn to identify birds, cataloged plant species in the afternoon and then conducted a traveling survey to log the number and location of large mammals in the evening.

On one evening survey in the Dinokeng game preserve north of Pretoria, two young bull elephants ambled out of the bush to cross the road in front of the students’ vehicles.

Kali Swartz ’19 captured one of them in a video she posted on Facebook. “I was so in awe of this animal. He was enormous and yet made almost no sound crossing the road,” she said. “I didn't realize it but their feet are unlike any other animals’ feet in that they are like gigantic pads. They are (like) cushions and don't make much sound.”

The South African experience was “truly transformative for all involved,” according to Chris Mayer ’07, director of the Fulton Center for Sustainability Studies, who led the class. The two-week program was organized by Operation Wallacea, a conservation research organization that sponsors teams of student volunteers who join expeditions to

We had been in South Africa for a few days and we had seen a lot of animals already, but none of the “Big Five” (rhino, elephants, Cape buffalo, leopard and lions) … This is what I was really looking forward to seeing. Then, I came across a rhino for my first time and the realization that I was in South Africa, living through a once-in-a-lifetime experience, set in … I really fell in love with the whole experience from this point forward.”

-Emily Coslett '19 22 wilson magazine

work on real-world research programs alongside academic researchers. Guides for Wilson’s study group were provided by WEI (Wildlife and Ecological Investments).

Students were divided into three different study groups: eco-tourism and hunting, managing eco-systems, and the pros and cons of fencing preserves.

The guides were quick to make the most of students’ interests. When they learned Karis Daniel ’18 and graduate student Jessica Meck ’15 were avid birders, they organized a friendly identification competition. “I won one week and Jess the other,” said Daniel. “I identified 121 different birds the week that I was the winner.”

While in South Africa, the students visited two distinct environmental regions. Their first week was spent in the Dinokeng game preserve, which is comprised of savannah and grasslands.

The second part of their course took them to the Gondwana preserve, located in the fynbos area in South Africa’s West Cape region. This area of mountains and shrub lands is more botanically diverse than the richest tropical rainforest in South America, including the Amazon. More than

“I was most impressed by the effort the people of South Africa put into conservation. They are very committed to preserving both the animal population and conserving the biomes. That type of commitment, you don’t seem to see elsewhere in the world.

-Karis Daniel '18

Clockwise from top right: a group of Burchell's zebras; an orange-breasted sunbird; Chris Mayer, center, catalogs plant life with Tracy Dile '18 and Emily Coslett '19; a view of the South African fynbos region; a mother giraffe with baby; a white rhino; Emily Coslett '19, Karis Daniel '18 and Tracy Dile '18 examine plant life. (Photos taken by Jessica Meck '15)

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As if our trip could've gotten any better, we stopped to see penguins and had a gorgeous, coastline scenic drive to the airport.

Although I learned a ton about the rich diversity South Africa has to offer, I learned more about myself.”

-Tracy Dile '18

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9,000 plant species are found in the region, which contains three percent of all the world's plants—on less than 0.05 percent of the earth's land surface. The fynbos area includes the picturesque Mossel Bay region on the Indian Ocean, where group members added African penguins to the list of wildlife they had encountered.

“I was unfamiliar with the diversity in the biomes that are present in South Africa,” said Meck, who is currently taking graduate courses at Antioch University New England.

“There are a total of nine, and the fynbos biome is unique to the southern portion of South Africa. It is found nowhere else in the world and I felt very privileged to not only learn about it, but actually conduct research and experience the biome firsthand.”

Daniel, who is a biology major, signed up for the South African course as a test of whether she was on the right career track. “I love doing fieldwork. This trip offered the perfect opportunity to do a lot of that, and I wanted to see if I would be able to do this the rest of my life.” The answer after completing the course: “Absolutely yes! I loved every minute of it.”

All the data collected by the students on their morning bird counts and vegetation and animal surveys will go to help research conducted by Operation Wallacea, Mayer said. “In other January-(Term) courses, we have created our own research projects that were self-contained,” she said. “This time the data will contribute to a bigger picture.”

The class will also put together a collective report that will be presented at Wilson’s annual Student Research Day in April.

Mayer said she hopes the takeaways from the course will include “the students seeing a world of possibilities for themselves and of course, I hope this will teach them a respect for the environment.

“A lot of times the world’s problems seem insurmountable,” she continued, “but through all the work they did on this trip, I hope that they learned that their actions do count and that they can contribute to the greater good of the world.” W

The January-Term group of Wilson students, with their WEI guides, at Mossel Bay on the South African coast.

The best memory that I have of our trip was when we had our second-to-last night in Gondwana before we left to go home. We went out onto the reserve and watched the sunset.

We sat around, talked, laughed and enjoyed each other's company so much while we watched the sun go down. It was truly beautiful.”

-Kali Swartz '19 spring 2017 25

A Legal Advocate

Lisa Havilland ’04 Found Her Calling in International Family Law

by Coleen Dee Berry | photos by C. Kurt Holter

D

uring the summer and fall of 2014, Lisa Havilland ’04 was helping her George Washington University Law School professor edit a family law textbook when she became captivated by a case of international child abduction by a parent. That case would become the focus of her essay, One Year Isn’t Enough, which won an American Bar Association (ABA) award last year and cemented Havilland’s desire to make international family law her career.

“One morning in November 2008, Diana Montoya Alvarez left her London home to take her three-year-old daughter to nursery school, and never returned,” Havilland’s essay begins. The essay details the frantic search by Manuel José Lozano for his

daughter and the court decision in the matter: Alvarez was allowed to keep custody of her daughter because she managed to keep the child hidden from her husband for more than a year. Under the rules of the International Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, judicial proceedings must begin within a year of the child’s abduction. If proceedings begin after the one-year mark, the court can find the child to be “well-settled” and grant custody to the abducting parent—which was the outcome in the Alvarez case.

“When I started delving deeper into the case—well, I got hooked,” Havilland said.

“My professor and I discussed this case back and forth for some time … I told her I thought

Lisa Havilland �04 at the entrance of the Frederick County (Md.) Circuit Court offices.

it was an unfair outcome and there was a loophole in the law. I thought because the abducting parent managed to circumvent the law and hide the child in another country for a year, they had an unfair advantage in retaining custody of the child.”

Her professor, Catherine Ross, encouraged her to write on the topic and submit her writing as an essay for the ABA’s 2016 Howard C. Schwab Memorial Essay Contest, which is designed to “create greater interest in the field of family law,” according to its website. Havilland’s essay took the top prize.

“Lisa was one of those special students who don’t come along often—always engaged, thoughtful and an active participant,” Ross said. “As we bounced ideas around (that summer) while Lisa was seeking a research topic, I advised her to go with her heart and choose a topic that moved her … Lisa found ‘her issue’—one that tapped her passion for justice and her conviction that she could use law to help the vulnerable.”

Havilland, who at that time was busy studying for the Maryland bar exam, was “shocked” to hear that she won. “It was such a wonderful surprise (that) it made studying for the bar a bit more bearable,” she said. The essay had actually begun as a 30-page research paper, known as a “note” in law school, to be submitted to the International Law Review for consideration to be published. Her work on the note earned Havilland an internship in 2015 at Miles & Stockbridge, a Washington, D.C., law firm specializing in international family law.

she is finished with her clerkship, she will return this coming fall to Miles & Stockbridge as a full-time attorney.

“Life can really be amazing sometimes, how things work out,” Havilland said.

“I will get to continue to work on Hague Convention cases. It’s what I’ve been dreaming about.”

H

avilland took a circuitous path to law school. One of the important factors she credits in getting her through law school at George Washington was her undergraduate experience at Wilson.

Horses, not law, drew her to enroll at Wilson. While in high school in Gaithersburg, Md., “I decided horses would be my career. I worked at the Potomac Horse Barn and there were two college students working there and both had gone to Wilson. I was really impressed with their knowledge of horses and their riding skills. They told me about Wilson—I had never heard of a college where you could bring your own horse!” Havilland said. “After hearing that that, Wilson was pretty much my only choice.”

Her experience at Wilson was transformative. “I found Wilson very, very empowering when I got there,” said Havilland, who went on to become a

I

When the International Law Review did not publish her note, Ross encouraged Havilland to recast the paper as an essay, “and I was able to add more information I had learned during my internship with Miles & Stockbridge in the essay,” she said.

Havilland passed the bar exam in December 2016 and is now clerking for Frederick County (Md.) Circuit Court Administrative Judge Julie S. Solt. When

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“I only took one class with (Associate Professor of French) Melanie Gregg, but she really changed my life,” Havilland said of the French literature course she took. “She demanded such excellence in writing. She was tough, fair and she gave you a chance to rewrite something over and over to make it right. I was grateful for that training in law school, since in so many of the later classes the grades are paper-based.”

Gregg said she remembers Havilland for her enthusiasm for learning and her avid involvement in the Wilson community.

“I remember how supportive she was of other students, both in the classroom and in student clubs,” she said. “In class discussions, she modeled open-mindedness, compassion and independence of thought, always eager to contribute and to hear her classmates’ different points of view.”

After Havilland graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in equestrian studies, she took a job with a veterinarian clinic in Culpepper Va., with the intention of eventually applying to vet school. But after three and a half years, her goal changed. “I found out my passion for horses did not have to be what I do for a living. I wanted horses to be my hobby and my way to relax, not my everything. Because I found when

f I had not gone to Wilson, I don't think I would have had the self-confidence to even apply to law school.”

resident adviser and senior class vice president. “I was encouraged to actively participate. Before that I was afraid to try new things, was afraid to be outspoken. I came from a big high school and I didn’t feel safe sharing ideas there. You would be made fun of if you said something in class that the other kids felt was stupid. But at Wilson no one was like that. Everyone respected each other, even though we were all very different.”

Wilson also honed her writing skills, which are crucial for law school success.

I spent all day taking care of everyone else’s horses, I’d come home and not feel like riding mine.”

She also had discovered a growing desire to work as an advocate. After she moved back to the Washington area, a friend invited her to apply for a job opening in the legal department of the Pacific Western Bank in Chevy Chase, Md. To her surprise, she was hired.

“I had no legal experience whatsoever and had no idea what I was doing, but

She graduated from George Washington with honors last May and began a yearlong clerkship in Frederick County Circuit Court. “My job is to assist my judge in any way she needs. This often means researching case law, writing drafts of orders and opinions, discussing cases and our thoughts on possible outcomes, reviewing files that come up for rulings and making suggestions or completing checklists to make sure everything is in order,” said Havilland, who also assists during jury and bench trials.

Once her clerkship is complete in August, she will dive back into international family law as a full-fledged attorney for Miles & Stockbridge. “A lot of the

College went co-ed and although I was not pleased with this decision, I was even more saddened by the alums that chose to turn their back on the College.

I decided that I would not do that, but would instead become more involved and make sure that the College continued to embrace the values, customs and traditions that made Wilson so special to me,” she said. “I have been very pleasantly surprised with the wonderful things that continue to take place on campus, and the commitment the College has to embracing its history and traditions.’

She has attended career days at the College and says she tries to mentor and encourage Wilson students who express

they took a chance on me,” Havilland said. “The attorneys I worked with ended up being wonderful mentors and they were the ones who encouraged me to apply for law school.”

But banking law was not her ambition.

“I wanted something where I could be an advocate for people who are going through the roughest time of their life.

So I went into law school with the focus on family law for that reason.”

She continued to work at the bank and go to George Washington University Law School at night. It took her four years to graduate—a year longer than the usual timetable for law school students. “It was really, really tough. Basically I took it a day at a time, because if I looked too far into the future, I would have had a nervous breakdown because it was just so much work.”

Her Wilson learning experience prepared her for the critical thinking demanded during her law classes, Havilland said. “At Wilson, you can’t really hide. You’re expected to speak up and show that you did the reading. And it’s the same at law school. The professors use the Socratic method of teaching.

They cold-call you and you’re expected to have finished your reading, thought everything out and come prepared to give intelligent answers. And for me, it wasn’t that all that daunting because Wilson was a lot like that.”

Above, Lisa Havilland �04 in her clerk's office in Frederick County Circuit Court; Havilland and Frederick County Administrative Judge Julie S. Solt discuss an upcoming case.

cases are on an emergency basis, after the office gets a call from a frantic parent.

I’ll be kept on my toes,” Havilland said.

“Working to bring a child back, helping a parent, that means so much to me.”

In 2015, Havilland became a member of the Alumnae Association of Wilson College Board of Directors. “I decided to do this because it was soon after the

the desire to go to law school. “I was never a leader before I went to Wilson,” Havilland said. “If I had not gone to Wilson, I don’t think I would have had the self-confidence to even apply to law school because I wouldn’t have believed that I had anything to give that was different. But because of Wilson, I know that I do.” W

spring 2017 29

MAN ABOUT

CAMPUS

WCGA president—Double Major—Batman socks Cody Dunlap ’18 finds his role at Wilson

By Cathy Mentzer

C

ody Dunlap ’18 had not heard of Wilson College until his parents met an admissions counselor at a high school college fair in 2013 and learned that the College was accepting male residential students. Later, after meeting one on one with the counselor, he and his parents made the one-hour drive from his home in Hanover, Pa., to Chambersburg and pulled up in front of Norland Hall.

“I got out of the car, shut the door and said, ‘This is where I’m going,’” Dunlap said.

He had previously visited at least three other colleges, but “nothing really spoke to me,” recalled Dunlap, who is double majoring in financial mathematics and history, and hopes to one day work in macro-economics for the Federal Reserve. “I wanted someplace where I would be able to be successful and wherever that was, I was willing to go.”

As a history enthusiast, Dunlap liked the historic nature of Wilson’s campus, but that’s not what—to use his word—“sold” him. “All through high school, my teachers used to rag on me about always asking a million and three questions,” he said. “I needed someplace small, where I would be able to develop as I needed to. Instead of say, a place like Penn State where you’re just student 376—here I’m Cody.”

He found the kind of one-on-one attention he was looking for in the Wilson faculty. “I love ‘em. I love all of ‘em,” Dunlap said, a grin spreading across his face. “I can walk into somebody’s office and have a halfhour-long conversation about nothing in particular. It can be about something going on or something about a particular class. It doesn’t matter.”

Since entering Wilson in fall 2014 with the first class of male students to live on campus, Dunlap has become not only a famil-

30 wilson magazine

iar face, but an integral part of the campus community. This year, he is serving as the first male president of the Wilson College Government Association (WCGA)—a position he volunteered to run for after no one else put their name forward for the spot. He was elected in spring 2016 after serving for one year as WCGA’s Constitution and Bylaws chair.

Dunlap’s good friend and his “Big,” Ghada Tafesh ’16—who served as WCGA president during his freshman year—urged him to get involved early on. “Becoming coed was a tough transition for a lot of people, and I wanted men on campus to feel represented, heard and involved in traditions, student organizations and campus life,” she said.

He took to the role of leader quickly, Tafesh said. “Cody has been doing a great job as a president,” she said. “It is very hard to get other students involved in the process, but I know for sure that he has been thinking of different ways to attract them and be a true representative on behalf of them.”

Being WCGA president has been a “great experience” that allows him to better understand the interaction between the College’s various departments, according to Dunlap.

“I love being able to work with different people in different situations and problem-solve,” he said.

Dunlap’s preferred style as leader of the student government is to work through proper channels to get things done. “I am kind of a stickler about the rules. They’re there for a reason,” he said. “You have to respect the system that is set up before you. You have to give it a chance to work.”

Dunlap considers WCGA’s biggest accomplishment under his leadership to be a change in the way apportionments are

made. “That was one of the first things I wanted to tackle,” he said. Now, all clubs go through the same application process and awards are made on a more equitable basis than they were before, according to Dunlap.

Outside of his role with WCGA, Dunlap has a less serious side, which he displays often.

“I’ll try anything once,” Dunlap said—and he means it. Freshman year, after losing a bet with a friend that he would do poorly on a statistics test (he did well), he had to wear a dress for a day. “I have the legs for it, I promise,” he laughed, adding that he didn’t mind losing the bet. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.”

A big fan of Batman and superheroes in general, he is known to frequently wear batadorned socks and ties. But Dunlap occasionally wears a suit and tie around campus if he feels the occasion warrants it—although he once made a classroom presentation in his pajamas after getting locked out of his dorm room. “It didn’t go horribly,” he said.

The 21-year-old’s sense of humor and friendly nature have won him friends among students, faculty and staff alike. “He is the kind of person that brightens your day with his cheerful and energetic personality,” said Tafesh. “There is not a day in which he is not enthusiastic to see you or lend an ear.”

Clearly, Dunlap’s initial instincts about Wilson being the right college for him turned out to be on target. “I think Wilson kind of attracts uniqueness,” he said. “As I put it today during lunch, everybody at Wilson kind of has their own quirk—good, bad, indifferent.

Everybody has that one little thing about them that is different. I just so happen to run around with capes on my socks and call myself Batman on a semi-regular basis.” W

PHOTO BY KENDRA TIDD

AROUND THE GREEN

Cody Dunlap ‘18 meets with Dean of Students Mary Beth Williams.

spring 2017 31

PHOTO BY KENDRA TIDD

AROUND THE GREEN

Top, Stephanie Marshall �17 gathers information for her Student Research Day presentation on victims of the Holocaust. Bottom right, the Sinti and Roma Holocaust Memorial in Berlin. Bottom left, in a photo taken by Marshall, stolpersteine or "stumbling stones" mark where Holocaust victims lived before they were deported by the Nazis. More than 27,000 of these markers are placed throughout Europe.

32 wilson magazine

CREATIVE

RESEARCH Student Research Day puts critical thinking on display at Wilson

By Coleen Dee Berry

W

ilson’s annual Student Research Day is dedicated to research in all forms and on all levels. This day-long event, held near the end of each spring semester since 2010, provides a unique opportunity for undergraduates—particularly seniors—to share their scholarly research or creative projects.

The day is organized as a professional conference that highlights the wide spectrum of research disciplines undertaken by students. This year, about 30 students will take part. “I think Student Research Day is one of the coolest things we do here at Wilson,” said Nicolaos Catsis, assistant professor of global studies. “A lot of people think research is kind of dry, but Student Research Day here disproves that. You see all the creative ways that research can be applied. It’s not just for science; you can see how much research is involved in the humanities and the fine arts presentations.”

This spring, Catsis’ global studies student, Stephanie Marshall ’17, will present her research on how Germany today remembers victims of the Holocaust.

Marshall, who is in the College’s Single Parent Scholar Program, spent last spring semester studying abroad in Berlin with her two children. A history major, she has a particular interest in the lives of women and children under the Nazi regime.

“While I was in Germany on study abroad, the Holocaust topic came up in one of my classes and we discussed the different steps the Germans have taken since World War II to remember and commemorate the Holocaust,” Marshall said. “The questions surrounding how they address what happened and how they will move forward as a country on this topic stayed with me.”

Her presentation will look at three different groups targeted by the Nazis—Jews, political dissenters and the Roma (an ethnic group of traditionally itinerant people once called gypsies)—and explore the different way these groups are viewed by Germans in the context of the Holocaust, and how their victimhood was established.

Catsis stressed that Marshall’s presentation is more than just recounting history.

“This presentation uses qualitative methodology and asks the student to compare and contrast the public memory of the different groups,” he said “It’s a different approach for Stephanie, who is very much a historian.

She’s getting a new skill set that she can add to her tool kit.”

Marshall said her research project will help her on her way to graduate school.

“I’m looking to go on for a master’s degree in public history, so having to quantify the different memories that this project examines plays directly into public history’s role of trying to establish a collective memory of an event.”

For many of the seniors participating, their presentation is the capstone to their studies at Wilson. “Student Research Day allows students to integrate their undergraduate coursework into a final research project that prepares them for graduate school or their intended career,” said Ed Wells, professor of environmental studies. Two students in his senior seminar, Ecological Perspectives in the Sciences and Humanities, will give presentations.

Erin Stephan ’18, an environmental studies major, will discuss oak wilt, an invasive fungus that attacks oak trees found in 21 states that is just starting to make inroads

in Pennsylvania. She used ecological modelling to create a risk map for the disease in the state. “I found that the best way to treat oak wilt is through early detection and prevention,” Stephan said. “To be able to do my own research on an up-and-coming issue is an exciting opportunity, and I hope my research will be a useful educational tool for future monitoring of oak wilt.”

Brant Swartz ’17, who intends to go into the field of environmental law, will explore home rule and local autonomy in Pennsylvania during his presentation. “This topic deals with a divisive legal issue, both within the state of Pennsylvania and around the country: ‘How much self-regulation and determination should municipalities have?’” he said. “I have been looking at this issue from both sides of the argument—those who support home rule and those who oppose it. This type of hands-on independent research and presentation is an excellent way to prepare for real-world tasks in the field.”

The research fostered by Student Research Day is essential to developing the critical-thinking skills graduates will need to meet the demands of today’s job market, according to Catsis. “Research is the toll on the highway to what critical thinking is really all about,” he said. “To be a critical thinker, you have to ask questions in a meaningful way and research helps you do that.”W

Student Research Day 2017 will be held on April 28. All events are open to the public. For more information, go to www.wilson.edu/student-research-day

spring 2017 33

PEER TO PEER

Student-Athlete Mentors Make a Difference on Campus

By Frances Caroscio

M

aking the transition from high school to college can present a challenge for many students. For student-athletes, along with coping with class work and campus life, there is the additional pressure of becoming a member of a competitive sports team.

Wilson’s Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM) program seeks to provide guidance for firstyear student-athletes to help them adjust to college. For the past year, SAM has served as a peer-to-peer resource to help promote student-athlete wellness and support a balanced lifestyle that encourages emotional well-being, personal growth and positive decision-making skills.

The program is “a way to help athletes coming into the school bridge the gap between high school and college,” according to athletic trainer Burke Kearney, SAM staff adviser. Kearney said the mentors are there to “provide support for their teammates in time of distress” and to direct them to the right resources, whether it involves learning how to study, where to go to get papers corrected or how to find the college nurse.

In January 2016, four Wilson student-athletes—Michael Martin ’19, Erin Stephan ’18, Sarah Six ’18 and Jessie Thrush ’17—attended the annual Apple Training Institute at the University of Virginia, which educates

to campus, “they were on fire for this SAM concept,” said Wilson Director of Counseling Cindy Shoemaker, who is in charge of training for the SAM program. Together, the four students and Shoemaker put an action plan in place and by spring 2016, the SAM program was underway.

According to Kearney, SAM is a program started by students for students. The four original student-athletes “really took the ball and ran with it,” he said. “Cindy Shoemaker and I were there as a guiding force for them.”

The NCAA has been pushing student-athlete mental health as an important factor in athletics and the SAM program is a good way to promote that initiative on the Wilson campus, Kearney said.

The first SAM training session was held in spring 2016. “We trained 10 student-athlete mentors, and those 10 students then reached out to new students coming in (to Wilson) in August,” Shoemaker said. By the end of the spring semester this year, the program will have 24 members who will have completed the training. Training topics include mental health, overall wellness and time management. Mentors are trained to address concerns privately with an individual through motivational interviewing and active listening, which helps them approach peers with an attitude of support and confidentiality.

[The SAM program] allows me to be a better captain and leader on my team because I know how to best approach my teammates who may be having issues.

— Kallie Butts ‘19, field hockey captain student-athletes about starting health and wellness programs on their campuses.

When the four student-athletes returned

34 wilson magazine

Mentors like Keion Adams ’19 can relate to the challenges of incoming student-athletes and act as a guide. As he reflected on his

own experience adjusting to college life, “Once sports actually start, (everything) just blows up,” Adams said. Being a student-athlete involves figuring out how to “balance athletics, social life, all that” and a big part of the mentors’ job is help first-year students and other teammates find out how to do the same, he said. “All my mentees are on the basketball team so I’m always just helping out if they need somewhere to go or somewhere to study,” said Adams. It’s a role he takes on naturally as the captain of the team.

Kallie Butts ’19, a captain of the field hockey team, said the SAM program “allows me to be a better captain and leader on my team because I know how to best approach my teammates who may be having issues. I can use the training skills I learned, such as motivational interviewing, to get the person to see … how to get to the core or cause of the issue.” Butts has built friendships through the program and likes the fact that SAM “provides me with the opportunity to share how I love Wilson with others.”

Under their assigned responsibilities with the SAM program, mentors are also advised to promote and encourage responsible social behaviors and choices among their teammates. This can include promoting responsible behaviors about alcohol and helping teammates understand NCAA rules concerning overnight recruits and social situations.

The program continues to grow, according to Shoemaker. The athletics department is discussing a required student-athlete orientation at the beginning of fall semester, where mentors would conduct a presentation. Ultimately, Shoemaker said, the SAM program will not only aid students who need mentoring, but it will also help build leadership skills for the participating mentors. W Frances Caroscio is the athletics communications intern at Wilson.

AROUND THE GREEN

From left, Kallie Butts ‘19 and fellow field hockey team co-captains Megan Sterling ‘17 and Lily Rembold‘17 huddle with Head Coach Shelly Novak‘92.

PHOENIX SPORTS WRAP Wilson athletics finished the winter season with both the men’s and women’s basketball teams setting new win records. The men’s volleyball team is midway through the season, while softball is just getting underway and men’s golf is on the horizon.

MEN’S BASKETBALL finished with the most overall wins

(seven) and the most North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) wins (six) in program history. Keion Adams ’19 was named to the NEAC All-Conference Second Team and became the first Phoenix men’s basketball player to earn all-conference accolades. After nearly averaging a double-double for the season, Adams led the Phoenix in both scoring (20.3 points per game) and rebounding (9.3 per game).

The WOMEN’S BASKETBALL team earned its most wins since joining the NEAC with five victories overall, including two in conference play. Jordyn Day ’19 led the team with 17.5

points per game and Lindsey Purvis ’19 averaged 13 points per game and 8 rebounds per game.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL this season defeated Bard College 3-0, for the team’s first win in program history. The team has since won four more games and is looking to make a push for post-season play. Nick Baxter ’20 currently leads the team with more than 200 kills.

The SOFTBALL team opened the 2017 season with a trip to North Carolina followed by a trip to Virginia, where the team notched its first wins of the season with a sweep of Southern Virginia University. Jenna Knable ’17 is off to a hot start, as she leads the team in batting average (.379), RBI (seven) and home runs (three) on the young season.

MEN’S GOLF opens the season on March 26 with a match at

Bryn Athyn College.

spring 2017 35

A SURE SIGN OF SPRING With the arrival of warmer weather, the outdoor class returns to campus. Assistant Professor of Exercise and Sport Science Tonia Hess-Kling (with help from a bony assistant) teaches a “Kinesiology and Applied Anatomy� class outside the Brooks Science Center.

Photo by Kendra Tidd

36 wilson magazine

—

viewpoint —

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JERUSALEM

By Ghada Tafesh ’16

B

arely a month after his inauguration, U.S. President Donald Trump voiced his support to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, hardly acknowledging the historical course of the already volatile region and the chaos the move could unleash.

In March, Vice President Mike Pence repeated that President Trump is giving “serious consideration” to the move, which is unsympathetic to Palestinian pleas and ignores opposition from the Arab League. This thoughtless decision would overturn 70 years of international consensus and recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In 1948, after a United Nations mandate partitioned Palestine, Israeli forces occupied Palestine and created the Israeli state, eventually claiming Jerusalem as their own capital—events that disturbed the cultural and political equilibrium that existed in Palestine and initiated a war that has proved the longest and one of the most destabilizing in modern human history.

Israeli leaders continue to urge other countries to recognize the Palestinian city as Israel’s capital. However, countries around the world, even those that are considered strong allies of Israel—including, until recently, the United States—reject Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem and refuse Israeli invitations to relocate their embassies from Tel Aviv.

Throughout his campaign for the White House, Trump made numerous, often contradictory promises concerning Israel and Palestine. While he initially pledged to keep a similar distance between Palestine and Israel, he later declared that the United States would no longer insist on the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a peace accord.

While Trump appears to back the Israeli right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was welcomed to the White House on Feb. 15, Trump has also cautioned the prime minister against building more Israeli settlements. But Trump’s ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has in the past supported Israeli settlements.

Since Trump’s inauguration, Israel has approved the construction of more than 6,000 homes for Israeli citizens in the occupied Palestinian territories. The rise of the right in Israel is helping Israeli colonists seize more Palestinian land and displace more Palestinians from their homes. Earlier this year, the Israeli parliament passed a law that will retroactively legalize 16 West

Bank outposts built by Israeli settlers on private Palestinian land, which was once deemed illegal under Israeli law. These aggressive and illegal actions continue to remove Palestinian families from their homes and demolish entire villages every day.

To Palestinians, Trump’s mixed messages and the biased U.S. administration views solidify Israel’s far-right vision for Palestinian land. U.S. military, economic and diplomatic support allow Israelis to continue to occupy Palestinian lands and uphold its apartheid regime. Every day under Israeli rule, another Palestinian child, man, woman or elder is arrested, killed, brutally attacked, blocked from going to work or school, humiliated, removed from his or her house, or exiled. The U.S. must start treating Palestinians as equal to Israelis and must begin to pressure Israel into respecting Palestinian rights. The reality is that the vast majority of Palestinians want the same things that most Americans want: to live with freedom and dignity; to be able to go to school or work without the fear of being hindered; and to be able to raise their children in a safe environment and give them an opportunity for a prosperous future.

As a Palestinian, being constantly misrepresented, stereotyped and unheard is beyond frustrating and emotionally draining. As a child, I watched the news about other Palestinian children in my city being left as orphans and homeless after their entire family was wiped out in another Israeli attack. The thought of losing my own family has never left me and I pray that we are always connected, whether it is in this world or not. When the children of a nation accept death as a daily reality, humanity has been lost.

While the mainstream media is already predicting “a fresh wave of Palestinian violence” should the embassy be relocated, I, as a Palestinian refugee who has endured the consequences of this illegal occupation daily, urge everyone to learn more. The significance of Jerusalem to Palestinian Muslims and Christians—and hundreds of millions of believers around the world— is easily dismissed. My plea is for people to look beyond their misconceptions and biased reporting, to see a world in which the Palestinian pursuit of freedom from humiliation and persecution by the ruthless policies of Israel is a righteous cause.

—Ghada Tafesh ’16 is currently a Wilson graduate student and a residence life graduate assistant.

spring 2017 37

— hidden —

history

SWEETLY SINGING SONGS OF BLOOD (AND POISON)

By Amy Ensley

A

t various times over the years, students at Wilson have printed collections of the songs sung at graduation, sporting events and Step-Sing. Publications have ranged from a beautiful little book of Wilson Lyrics, circa 1895, to tiny Evens and Odds booklets and a professionally printed College Songs compilation complete with campus photographs, circa 1925.

The College Songs book comes with a disclaimer in the preface, “Not all of these songs were approved by the college board of censors, but in order that the book might be complete we have included with the others, those not approved.

A number of the songs do not represent the best work that can be done by Wilson students, but they have gained merit by constant usage.”

The songs include odes to the beauty of the campus: The Conococheague comes dancing while she wears her silver crown, But when she comes to college she assumes her azure gown.

And oaths of loyalty: Wilson, thy daughters loyal, With earnest hearts and true Give to thee homage royal Honored each year anew And we will be faithful ever To the Silver and the Blue.

But in addition to the sweet songs about friendship and honor, there are these little gems of Odds and Evens rivalry that come as a

38 wilson magazine

surprise, causing us to ponder when we look at the old photographs of prim young women in their long skirts and Gibson girl hairdos: Blood on the campus, blood on the ground, There’s a great big puddle of blood all around Pity the Odds—bloody and dead Where a great big Even bashed in their heads!

And not to be outdone: The Odds are pirates, Captain Kidd’s own pirates; We leave a trail of blood where e’re we go; We take delight in picking a fight, We hit Evens on the head, Until they’re dead, clear dead.

As we are told our pep is being bold, We put poison in the Evens shredded wheat.

We are a chip off the Odds pine tree; We eat…grrr…Evens up.

Makes the Odds and Evens chants contained in today’s official College Blue Book pale by comparison!

For more information on any of Wilson’s traditions, please contact the C. Elizabeth Boyd ’33 Archives at hankeycenter@wilson.edu or 717-262-2049.

PHOTO BY TERRY CLARK

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Springtime is here!

Welcome to all the 2017 incoming members of the Alumnae Association of Wilson College. Graduation day is Sunday, May 14. Come to campus for Commencement and join the Blue and Silver Line of alumnae/i escorting in the graduating class.

Contact the alumnae/i relations office for details.

Then join us for Reunion Weekend, June 2-4. All are welcome.

The theme of our 2017 Reunion Weekend will be the same as last year, “Many Paths, One Spirit.” Congratulations to this year’s award recipients! Their names can be found on page 44 in this magazine edition.

Check out the brochure in the winter issue of the Wilson Magazine for the full schedule of activities for the entire weekend. The schedule can also be found online at www. wilson.edu/reunion17. Please read about the exciting alumnae/i college sessions that will be offered on Friday, June 2. Plan to come early and take in all campus has to offer. The Friday welcome picnic will be bigger and better than ever with a larger tent, D.J. and photo booth.

Our “Aunt Sarah” program remains popular. We currently have 115 active pairings and a total of 148 volunteers, as some of you give random gifts for special occasions. It is great to see so many alums from the past 10 years participating—and

55 percent of our volunteers are from the years 2000-2016.

Thank you for your continued connection and support of Wilson traditions.

AAWC student outreach this year has included hosting Food for Finals in December, establishing an internship gift and assisting students through the Silver Lining Fund. We are also continuing our collaboration with the career development office to connect alumnae/i and students for specific career networking. In addition, the association, alumnae/i relations office and the Hankey Center have joined forces to promote Wilson traditions and women-centeredness. We have an ongoing commitment to co-sponsor activities on campus to promote alumnae/i and student interaction.

Thank you to our alumnae/i volunteers who serve in various capacities for the activities of the association. So much is accomplished when we work together.

Mary F. Cramer ’91 President , Alumnae Association of Wilson College Marybeth Famulare Director of Alumnae/i Relations

spring 2017 39

AAWC trips for 2017 Do you have a travel question? Do you need travel advice?

The Alumnae Association of Wilson College (AAWC) has opened a virtual travel desk to assist you.

Contact AAWCTravelDesk@gmail.com and members of the Alumnae Tour and Travel Committee will respond to your inquiry.

Volunteers are seasoned travelers with an array of expertise.

If you’re still searching for a 2017 vacation, it’s not too late to book your trip! Choose from the following options, sponsored by AAWC’s Tour and Travel Committee: July 1-8 The Great Parks of California: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon

Experience storybook scenery and living history. Eight nights include national parks and San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Carmel and Monterey. Contact: ORBRIDGE, www.wilson.orbridge.com or 866-639-0079.

Sept. 27-Oct. 5 Alumnae/i Campus Abroad in Italy: Sorrento

Seven nights in first-class Hotel Plaza Sorrento. Tour five UNESCO World Heritage sites: the Amalfi Coast, Naples, Greek ruins in Paestum, Herculaneum and Pompeii (optional extra—hydrofoil tour to the Isle of Capri). Includes most meals, wine, tips and motor coach transportation. Contact: AHI Travel, www.wilson.ahitravel.com or 800-323-7373.

Oct. 14-22 Village Life in France: Languedoc, the REAL South of France

Seven nights in the 16th-century Chateau Des Ducs De Joyeuse at the foothills of the Pyrenees. Cruise the 17th-century Canal du Midi (a UNESCO World Heritage site); tour Rennes-le-Chateau; take a walking tour of Carcassonne; take a day excursion to the coastal town of Collioure (inspiration to Matisse and Picasso).

Contact: GOHAGAN, www.gohagantravel.com or 800-922-3088.

Remember: Whenever you travel with Go Next, AHI Travel or Orbridge, be sure to mention you are a Wilson graduate. Your mention will prompt the companies to make a donation to the AAWC. This offer includes any trip, regardless whether it is sponsored by Wilson.

For more information, visit: www.wilson.edu/alumnae-tours-and-travel

40 wilson magazine

AUTHORS TO SPEAK AT

REUNION WEEKEND

The following guest authors will speak during an Alumnae/i College Special Session at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, June 2, during Reunion Weekend: • Elisabeth “Nan” Hudnut Clarkson ’47 • Gladys Ophelia “Faye” Wilson ’77, Ph.D. • Michael G. Cornelius, Ph.D., Wilson professor of English • Wilson College President Emerita Gwendolyn Jensen • Wilson College President Barbara K. Mistick In addition, the College announced that Jensen and Clarkson have the honor of being the first two inductees to the Wilson College Authors Hall of Fame. The Authors Hall celebrates members of the Wilson community who have made contributions to the literary tradition and culture of the College.

FLAT PHOENIX SIGHTING Joan Hellwege ’56 with her Flat Phoenix at Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace and museum in Nevis, Virgin Islands.

Do you have a Flat Phoenix adventure you’d like to share?

Email your photo and caption for posting on the Wilson website to ARoffice@wilson.edu. Need a Flat Phoenix of your very own? Go to www.wilson.edu/flat-phoenix-photos to download one.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION BOARD NOMINEES Alumnae/i can vote by mail or online at www.wilson.edu/2017slate. Online voting will close on June 1, before Reunion Weekend. Members can vote in person during the annual Alumnae Association General Meeting, which will be held from 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 3, in Brooks Auditorium.

The AAWC nominating committee presented the following slate of officers and directors for terms running from 2017-20:

SECRETARY: Maxine Lesher Gindlesperger ’98 graduated from Wilson with a degree in liberal studies. Every well-oiled machine needs someone to keep watch over its inner complexities, and at eLynxx Solutions, that person is Gindlesperger. Since 1989, her roles and responsibilities have followed the growth of eLynxx Solutions, and today she is responsible for managing the financial, personnel, support and facilities operations that keep the company running on a daily basis. She has received the AAWC Distinguished ADP Alumna/us Award and has been active in the Aunt Sarah program and the College’s career development events. She has been a member of the AAWC board since 2014, serving on the finance and student connections committees. She has also served as chair of the Franklin County Homeless Shelter Coalition.

In her own words: “Wilson College is not only an integral part of the community in which I live, but equally important, it holds a well-earned international reputation for excellence among liberal arts colleges. As secretary of the AAWC, I will employ my extensive business and community experience to promote the College so that others may gain the same kind of positive influence that Wilson has had on my life.”

ALUMNAE TRUSTEE (to the College Board of Trustees): Judith Coen Grove ’74 graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and went on to work for more than two decades in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of the Budget, ultimately auditing invoices for the Departments of Public Welfare, Health and Aging. She currently works as a customer service associate in the pricing office at Wegmans. While a student at Wilson, she worked as an administrative assistant in the admissions office. She served on the AAWC board from 1987-89 and 2014-16, and was elected last year to a term running from 2016-19. She has served on the board’s nominating and heritage committees.

In her own words: “During my visits to campus since I’ve been on

the AAWC Board of Directors, I’ve been encouraged by the positive attitudes of students and staff. Even as programs have evolved to be more relevant to today’s students, the rich history and traditions of the College are still respected and upheld. Wilson is a vibrant and exciting institution and I look forward to supporting the vision and goals of the Board of Trustees in whatever way I can.”

BOARD DIRECTORS: Samantha Ainuddin ’94 graduated from Wilson with a degree in mass communications and has led a long and varied career in television news and sports that has taken her all over the country, working for ESPN, PBS, Turner Studios, Fox Sports and NBC. She has been a member of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, serving on various committees, including Emmy Awards judging. She is a breast cancer survivor who has been an active fundraiser for several organizations, including the Susan G. Komen Foundation in Philadelphia and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Boston. She has been a member of the AAWC board of directors since 2014, serving on the engagement and finance committees.

In her own words: “Alumnae were a constant presence on campus when I was a student in the ’90s. They were role models for many of us …The giants for me were Carolyn Trembley Shaffer ’50, Carol Tschop ’72 and the legendary Miss Boyd (Miss C. Elizabeth Boyd ’33). As editor of the Billboard, I was very taken with Wilson’s history and interviewed Miss Boyd on several occasions for the student paper. I can only hope I can bring a fraction of what they did to the alumnae association.”

Amanda Clever ’14 has worked as a licensed veterinary technician at the Shippensburg Animal Hospital in Shippensburg, Pa., since receiving her bachelor’s degree in veterinary medical technology from Wilson. While a student, she served as secretary and treasurer of the Wilson College Government Association (WCGA), and as treasurer for her class and president of Pre-Vet Club. She also was head tour guide for admissions. She is a

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ASSOCIATION NEWS

volunteer receptionist at the Pregnancy Resource Center and is active in the AAWC’s Aunt Sarah program.

engagement and recognition and stewardship committees. Her daughter, Katelin, is a member of the Class of 2017.

In her own words: “As a member of the alumnae board, I look forward to building connections and strengthening relationships among all Wilson members—from alumnae to students to professors/staff to trustees—to make us one unified spirit. I hope to bring more support from recent alumnae/i to use their specialized gifts in furthering the mission of the College and supporting the current students.”

In her own words: “I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a member of the alumnae board. I have had the pleasure of working with great alums who share my love of Wilson. We are ‘sisters’ who have the goal of helping alumni (past, present and future) be a part of the Wilson family. My hope for the upcoming term is to help others be more involved. I would like to have more alums visit during Fall Weekend and wish to work with my Wilson sisters on how to make that possible. I am always ready to support my sister board members in any activity or idea, and will continue to give my best to each.”

Alaina Hofer Irvin ’11 is a professional school counselor in the Prince George’s County public school system in Maryland. She graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, and then received her Master of Education degree from Shippensburg University. While at Wilson, she served as WCGA president and was president and vice president of her class. She also was a resident assistant for three years. She was a scholar-athlete who was captain of the Phoenix women’s basketball team and a member of soccer team, and currently volunteers as a track coach for the Prince George’s school system.

In her own words: “During my term of service, I wish to bridge and expand the relationships between the association, the board and Wilson students. We have a great start with the Aunt Sarah program and various events throughout the year, but I wish to increase face time and support for our students. We, the alumnae/i, are their biggest assets in terms of continuing commitment to the College, resources and support. We are a small institution, but we are MIGHTY and need to continue to share, support and give to each other.”

Susan Smith ’70 is an educational consultant who served as vice president for institutional advancement and vice president of academic affairs at Gloucester County College in New Jersey, as well as assistant superintendent and principal for several New Jersey public schools.

She is the author and editor of 21 publications, studies and other documents related to planning, curriculum, educational policy and technology. She has been a board member, officer and committee member/chair for 23 not-forprofit, community support and educational organizations such as Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts, chambers of commerce and workforce investment boards, from 1976 to present. She graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in English, received two master’s degrees from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in New Jersey and has a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. In her own words: “Wilson has been part of my life for many years.

I look forward to listening and learning about its current status and how I can help the College move forward.”

Susan Graham Mowen ’97 is certified to educate students in kindergarten through eighth grade, and to teach high school literature and special education students. She currently teaches English language arts to sixth-grade students in Clear Spring, Md. Before becoming an educator, Mowen was an on-air personality for local radio stations and a copywriter for TV-25, a local television station. She graduated from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and received a master’s in curriculum and technology from the University of Phoenix .She has been a member of the AAWC board since 2014, serving on the board’s

42 wilson magazine

Dorothy M. Van Brakle ’06 and ’09 is a graduate of the Adult Degree Program (ADP) at Wilson College. She received her associate degree in business management from Wilson in 2006 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in business and economics in 2009. After beginning her career with the federal government as a clerk, she retired in September 2016 after 35 years of service at Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, where she was the chief of the logistics division and supervised more than 100 employees. She served four years as an alum-

MAIL-IN BALLOT FORM nae trustee on the College’s Board of Trustees. She has also served on the AAWC board’s engagement and recognition and stewardship committees.

TEAR OFF AND MAIL TO:

In her own words: “The Wilson experience is such a personal one that it is different for every student, but especially so for ADP students, who don't really have much contact with the traditions of the school. I would like to see that change and hopefully find a way to include the ADP students in more of the activities and traditions of the school.

Now that I have retired, I hope to be able to devote more time to find a way for the AAWC to be engaged with the ADP students and ADP alumnae/i. I will be actively working over this next term on the board to find a solution to building a relationship to the College with this important cohort of students and alums.”

Alumnae Association of Wilson College

NOMINATING REPRESENTATIVE: Leslie H. Hanks ’70 is a retired elementary school teacher. She taught for 35 years in the Washington County public school system in Maryland as a classroom teacher, library media specialist, staff developer and intervention teacher. After graduating from Wilson with a bachelor’s degree in political science, she received a master’s degree in early childhood education from Shippensburg University. She has served on the nominating committee and student connections committee for the AAWC board for the past three years.

In her own words: “I appreciate the opportunity to represent others on the alumnae board. Serving on the board in the past has helped me to learn about the progress being made at Wilson and appreciate the College's current events.”

Wilson College 1015 Philadelphia Ave. Chambersburg, Pa. 17201-1279

NOMINEES FOR ELECTION TO THE ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION BOARD SLATE 2017-2020 SECRETARY Maxine Lesher Gindlesperger ’98 ALUMNAE TRUSTEE Judith C. Grove ’74 BOARD DIRECTORS Samantha Ainuddin ’94 Amanda Clever ’14 Alaina Hofer Irvin ’11 Susan Mowen ’97 Susan Smith ’70 Dorothy M. Van Brakle ’06 and ’09 NOMINATING REPRESENTATIVE Leslie H. Hanks ’70

D VOTE FOR D VOTE AGAINST

_______________________________ Name/Class Year __________________________________________Date Vote online at www.wilson.edu/2017slate before June 1.

spring 2017 43

ASSOCIATION NEWS REUNION RAFFLE TO

SUPPORT AAWC OPERATING FUND During Reunion Weekend 2017, the Alumnae Association of Wilson College will again sponsor a round-robin raffle to raise funds for the association’s operating budget.

Tickets can be purchased for $2 a ticket or seven for $10.

Drop your ticket into the jar for the item or items you are interested in and cross your fingers for luck. Prizes will be drawn the evening of Saturday, June 3. Take any winnings home with you.

The association is also currently accepting donations for the raffle. Donate a piece of Wilson memorabilia (in good condition), a merchant gift card, a themed basket or an item personally tied to your business, hobby or art.*

AAWC AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED The Alumnae Association of Wilson College Board of Directors has announced the 2017 AAWC award recipients, who will be honored at Reunion Weekend: • Distinguished Alumna Award—Barbara Rose Spitzer ’57 • Distinguished Adult Degree Program Alumna/us Award— Susan Shaffer ’10 • Outstanding Young Alumna Award— Delia Moraru Velculescu ’97 • Tift College Award—Lisa Malmquist Dyslin ’64 and Jane Everhart Murray ’67 • Faculty Award—Kathleen Murphy ’67 Please join us in honoring these recipients during the awards presentation on Saturday, June 3, during Reunion Weekend.

If you would like to nominate a classmate for a future award, please send an email to ARoffice@wilson.edu.

For more information on the raffle or how to donate, please contact aawc@wilson.edu

In addition, the AAWC board named two recipients of the Legacy Scholarship Award: Jennifer Laman ’18, daughter of Anita Laman ’12; and Kierstyn Winslet ’18, daughter of Dorothy Winslet-Lutes ’07.

*AAWC reserves the right to determine whether some donations are better suited for its garage sale.

The board also bestowed Honorary Alumna membership to Marybeth Famulare, director of alumnae/i relations.

Save the Date for Reunion Weekend 2017!

For classes ending in 2 and 7

REUNION 2017—JUNE 2-4 44 wilson magazine

— last —

word View in Ayr

By Ben McAfee

T

his painting was done as part of a series I was working on entitled Presence. My goal with the series was to try to make viewers feel their own presence in the landscape they are looking at—to feel like they are there in the moment.

The view in this painting is looking out over Ayr Township, in Fulton County. I was coming back last year from a trip to Pittsburgh, and I was driving on Route 30 over the Tuscarora Mountain. There’s that restaurant at the top of the mountain (the Mountain House Restaurant); it has a platform out back that hang gliders use. When I got up there, the sun was starting to set and I could see things were getting interesting. For a minute, I debated whether I should stop. But then I told myself I would regret it if I didn’t.

The colors were so striking and being up there, with the way the wind was blowing and the light was playing off the clouds, it was almost surreal. I tried to capture the way the clouds were staggered in the sky. I wanted to convey a sense of distance and perspective. I wanted the viewer to feel how small they were in this vast landscape.

And I am glad that I stopped. W

Ben McAfee is an adjunct art instructor who will teach drawing during the summer semester. His oilon-linen painting, View in Ayr, is currently on display at the annual Wilson College Staff and Faculty Art Exhibition in the Sue Davison Cooley Gallery in Lenfest Learning Commons.

The exhibition is a diverse show of traditional, as well as nontraditional work, including painting, drawing, photography, ceramics, quilting and sculpture. The show is presented by the College’s Division of Arts and Letters. The exhibit is free and open to the public and will continue through May 14, 2017.

64 wilson magazine

THE WILSON FUND

Difference Maker

“The deciding factor for attending Wilson was the financial aid that I received from the College. I would not have been able to stay if it were not for the generous donations of the Wilson Fund.”

Samantha Schlegel ’17 Dalmatia, Pa. Major: Communications

MAKE A DIFFERENCE MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY wilson.edu/makeagift

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In January, 11 Wilson students embarked on a remarkable journey to South Africa for a study-abroad course focusing on conservation biology. Read their story and see their photographs on page 20.