York College Magazine 2020 Volume 2

COLLEGE MAGAZINE 202 0 VOL. 2

THE EDUCATED VOTER

A CONVERSATION

Junior Luke Turner slides in safe at home in the Spartans’ March 8 doubleheader sweep of Elmira. Unfortunately for the Spartans, that would be the only two home games of the year at Jaquet Field as COVID-19 wiped out their intercollegiate season on March 13. The Spartans were primed for a big spring as the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams got off to great starts.The women’s lacrosse team finished the season ranked eighth in the country while the men concluded the campaign ranked ninth in the country. Forty-five senior student-athletes had their careers cut short by the pandemic.

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Photo by David Sinclair

10 Engaging York

COMMUNITY 4 Around Campus

Impact York

5 Meet Alison Kennicutt

Abby Wurzbach ’23 and fellow Impact York students made a series of videos used to further engage the community.

9 Overheard 12 Spartan Sports

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PURSUITS 14 Research

Diet Quality and Academic Success

15 Hands-On

Senior Nursing major Kylee Wickline’s research project focuses on a topic she is passionate about. < PAGE 14

FEATURES 16 Course Correction

Course Correction

22 In Focus: YCP Is Your Rock

The transition to remote learning in the Spring Semester upended the learning environment, altered the content of classes, and showed student and faculty ingenuity.

24 The Educated Voter

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CONNECTIONS 28 Alumni News

Adrienne Corrales ’05

29 Alumni Spotlight

A lawyer at the Department of Defense’s Office of Appeals, Corrales handles “red flags” that come up in the security clearance process.

33 Virtually Yours

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Cover illustration by Irene Rinaldi

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VIE W FRO M M Y WIN DOW

YORK COLLEGE

President Pamela Gunter-Smith, PhD

FO RU M

Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs Laura Niesen de Abruña, PhD

My fall column normally focuses on the College’s plans and priorities for the coming year: new initiatives, new programs, new buildings, or services. However, given the unprecedented times in which we now find ourselves, my thoughts turn to preparing our graduates for a “new normal.” I for one could not have predicted the concurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Both will mark the year 2020 as a defining point of a generation.

Issues underlying the Black Lives Matter movement are not new. Recent protests and demonstrations speak to the injustices recognized by the Black community and increasingly understood by people of all races. However, not since 1968, another tumultuous time in our nation’s history, have the inequalities and pain of racism been so vividly exposed. No, violence and the destruction of property cannot be justified or condoned. However, it is hard to turn a blind eye to injustices resulting from systemic racism in our country.

York College is not immune to racism. In the past several months, I have had conversations with our students of color and others regarding the climate on our campus. York College can do better and I am committed to fostering a serious dialogue about racism on our campus. As they say, talk is cheap, but I am working with students and colleagues to develop an actionable agenda to promote change.

We are also committed to change in our York community. The College’s Center for Community Engagement (CCE) in downtown York expands the dialogue surrounding social issues faced by our community. For example, the CCE’s Glatfelter Institute for Public Policy recently hosted a webinar with the York City Police Commissioner to discuss public policy decisions’ impact on the current state of policing. The CCE is also engaged in the effort to garner support for local minority-owned businesses by York’s large employers. This is

Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Mary Dolheimer Vice President, Enrollment Management Daniel Green, DMA Vice President, Campus Operations Kenneth Martin, PhD Vice President, Student Affairs Joseph Merkle, MA Vice President, Business Affairs and CFO C. Matt Smith, CPA Dean, Center for Community Engagement Dominic DelliCarpini, PhD Head of School, York Country Day School Christine Heine, EdD YORK COLLEGE MAGAZINE

Director of Editorial Services Gail R. Huganir Director of Creative Services Lance A. Snyder ’05 Graphic Designer Ryan Kidd ’13 Design Consultant Skelton Sprouls Photographer Mike Adams Writer Colleen A. Karl

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

of the classroom that helps them develop empathy for the plight of others.

Send address label along with new address to: Division of College Advancement York College of Pennsylvania York, PA 17403-3651 717-815-1410 or email yorkmag@ycp.edu

Finally, a key element of a York College education must be the ability to think surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The three Rs of education should be more than “reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic.” It needs to include seeking and finding truth—research and reflection—before reacting. Our students must incorporate verifiable facts and scientific data into their decision-making. And in doing so, understand that the consequences of their actions affect us all.

York College has been educating students since 1787, evolving to meet the challenges of a changing world. This is an important time in our history and we will continue to do just that.

Pamela Gunter-Smith, PhD President, York College of Pennsylvania

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WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Peter Levy, PhD Professor of History and author of The Great Uprising

Erec Smith, PhD Associate Professor of Rhetoric and Composition

Amie R. Scheidegger, PhD Associate Professor, Chair, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice

As a historian who has written extensively on the urban uprisings of the 1960s, the question “where do we go from here?” seems remarkably eerie, because it was the exact question that Martin Luther King pondered in one of his last writings. King rooted the uprisings of the 1960s in America’s history of exploiting African-Americans and treating them like “things.” Put somewhat differently, from the earliest days of our history, when merchants traded Africans like mules, to the knee of Officer Chauvin pressed against George Floyd’s neck, too often whites have failed to treat Blacks as humans. The solution, King asserted, was that America “must be born again.” Unfortunately, this response rings as true today as when King uttered it 50+ years ago.

In the wake of several fatal and apparently race-based incidents of police brutality, an understandable and necessary surge of protests have circled the globe.

Sometimes, one must shout the truth for it to be heard, and regarding the history of race in the western world, this is one of those times. However, we must not shout so loudly that attempts for dialogue are not heard. Those shouts can and sometimes should continue within those debates, but the ultimate goal is a generative and concrete strategy for actual progress among racial lines.

The mere performance of anger may be cathartic, but if we do not channel that anger into societal energy to collaborate, strategize, and implement change, our sound and fury will have signified nothing.

Injustice within the criminal justice system is by no means a new problem.

Law enforcement, court, and correctional systems must work cooperatively to achieve justice. If the system begins with bias at the level of law enforcement, we can never achieve justice. To put it simply, the wheels of justice cannot turn when the tires are already flat. It is logical to begin criminal justice reform by focusing on law enforcement as an institution while also addressing the criminal behaviors of individual officers and holding them accountable. I believe many people are confused by the idea of “defunding the police,” a movement which I fully support.

If we think of the police as “public safety,” rather than “law enforcement,” the focus shifts from fighting crime to helping people. In order to help people, properly trained officers and social services must be available. Therefore, funds earmarked for weapons and tactical gear are far better spent on training and services.

Senior Administrative Assistant Colleen M. Adamy

just one of the educational platforms the College provides for students outside

critically. Nothing speaks more to this than the information and disinformation

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Vice President, Development Troy Miller

York College Magazine is published three times a year (May, August, December) by the Division of College Advancement, York College of Pennsylvania, York, PA 17403-3651. Periodicals postage paid at York, PA, and additional mailing offices. Permit No. 174. © 2020 York College of Pennsylvania. Printed in U.S.A. We welcome your news and comments at yorkmag@ycp.edu. York College of Pennsylvania does not discriminate because of race, color, religious creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, sex, or age in employment or in recruitment and acceptance of students.

“Sometimes, one must shout the truth for it to be heard.”

— EREC SMITH, PhD

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COMMUNITY

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VIRTUAL COMMENCEMENT There was no spring concert, no final night out on the town, and no group pictures with friends in matching caps and gowns. But there are a lifetime of memories that York College graduates are taking with them.

Sarah Galantini has been making a list of her “lasts.” The last time she went out with her friends was St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The last time she saw her roommates was as they packed up, thinking they’d be off campus for two weeks and back again to finish their final year at York College. “I think a lot of us graduating in 2020 are just looking for closure,” she says. Even though her final year of college didn’t end the way she expected, the 2020 York College Class President found her own ways to celebrate commencement.

Saturday, May 16, was supposed to be the day when Galantini and the rest of her graduating class would mark the end of their undergraduate experience. But the COVID-19 outbreak changed that. Instead, she wore her cap and gown in her parents’ Allentown, Pennsylvania home. She sipped champagne and enjoyed brunch. And as the Nursing major mentally prepared for her future work fighting a virus that altered her plans, she wished her classmates farewell in a virtual commencement

M EE T A L ISO N K EN NICU T T, P h D

York College President Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith and York College Class President Sarah Galantini congratulated the Class of 2020 for their hard work.

speech that aired Sunday, May 31.

Pivoting to a virtual commencement was a priority for York College to offer graduating seniors the moment they deserved for their hard work. “It was important that we give students the opportunity to celebrate with their

families now, rather than wait until some future date,” says York College President Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith.

“We also wanted to allow students to—in some memorable way—bring closure to their time at York College.”

The virtual commencement included remarks from Galantini, Dr. GunterSmith, and Board of Trustees Chair

Jeff Hines. Student photos were shared as names were read and displayed on the screen. A stream of submitted comments from family and friends offered the Class of 2020 congratulations and well wishes.

Several York College students submitted videos sharing memories of their time on campus. Kyle Abrahims, a Mechanical Engineering major, was glad he had the chance to help start the NASA Student Launch Club and compete against other schools in Alabama, as well as serve as a manager on the men’s basketball team. Beyond those experiences, he learned the value of connections at York College. “Always be your best self, be your kindest self, and be true to who you are,” he says.

Jessica De La Cruz, a Psychology major, will miss the orientation staff she got to know over the past three years, many of whom she considers to be family. “Although my time here has ended as an undergraduate and YCP has been my home away from home the past four years, I know that I will forever be a Spartan for life,” she declares.

While the COVID-19 pandemic changed graduation plans for York College students, it is not the final memory they have to carry with them. “The pandemic is not your entire story,” Dr. G-S told students.

“Yes, it is an important piece of the journey, but it is only one chapter.”

Assistant Professor, Civil Engineering

PRINTING PPE Evan Lehr ’20 left the York College campus for his home in Montgomery County like many other students did after COVID-19 forced classes to move online. The Mechanical Engineering major spent his days logging into Zoom and completing class projects at home. But when Lehr heard area hospitals were desperate for supplies, he thought he could use his expertise in a more impactful way.

A woman in his neighborhood is a nurse for Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, and Lehr heard they needed face shields. “I had the 3D printer and the supplies,” he says. “All I had to do was find a design online, and I got to work.” In a single day, he could print about a dozen face shields.

AMBER WIESBERG ’19: APPELL FELLOWSHIP EXHIBITION

THROUGH OUR LENS: I CAN’T BREATHE BY WASHINGTON WINNONA IMAGES

SELAH AND THE SPADES, FILM

September 4– October 17, 2020

September 4– October 17, 2020

3rd Floor, Marketview Arts

1st Floor, Marketview Arts

Virtual Q&A via Zoom with Director Tayarisha Poe

This exhibit attests to the continued artistic growth of Appell Fellow Amber Wiesberg ’19.

Washington Winnona Images seeks to follow in the legacy and vision for a safer and better world that Winnona F. Smith strove to achieve.

YO R K C O L L E G E O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A

What area of civil engineering are you passionate about and how do you incorporate this into your classes with students?

I specialize in the environmental engineering component of civil engineering, which is aimed at protecting human and environmental health. In my sophomore-level course, we explore a few different areas of environmental engineering. We look at pollutants and how their chemical properties will impact where they are found in the environment and students are given an introduction to wastewater and drinking water treatment processes, air pollution, and solid waste management.

As a woman in a male-dominated field, how do you advocate for more women to enter the engineering field and how have women historically stood out or made a difference in the field?

Throughout my career, as a student and as a professional, I have been lucky to have some wonderful female mentors, peers, and colleagues—their passion is contagious and their support is unwavering. Having those kinds of relationships throughout your career as an engineer is essential, especially as a woman. I aim to provide that same encouragement to my students, and to have them continue to pay it forward. I am an active member in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and a volunteer advisor for Alpha Omega Epsilon, an international sorority aimed at supporting women in engineering and technical sciences.

YCP has a newly recognized Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) club, founded by Dr. Inci Ruzybayev, that creates a safe space for our students to share their experiences.

September 24, 2020, 7:00 p.m.

Anyone interested in participating in the virtual Q&A can stream or rent the movie online beforehand.

Call 717-815-1354 for information.

With the current global pandemic, how have you redesigned your curriculum to continue classes remotely?

The shift to remote learning was definitely sudden and required a significant amount of flexibility as we

“I have been lucky to have some wonderful female mentors, peers, and colleagues—their passion is contagious and their support is unwavering.”

— ALISON KENNICUTT, PhD

all made the necessary adjustments.

It was most important to me that my students did not feel like they were missing out on learning opportunities.

After a few weeks of trying different lesson styles, gathering some input from students along the way, we settled into a routine that was able to provide a sense of “normal” for the students who wanted to try and capture the in-person classroom vibe, but still allowed for asynchronous learning for those that needed/preferred it. We made it work for us, and I think “we” is really an important part of that statement—the students really stepped up and met me in the middle to help make our remote classes as successful as possible. — C.K.

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He also heard that St. Luke’s Hospital Warren Campus needed disposable stethoscope parts, and he figured out how to make those, too.

During the Spring Semester, Lehr made about 500 face shields and several dozen stethoscope parts. When the local hospitals had enough, his friend started sending the personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies to other hospitals that needed them.

“I knew that if I was sick in the hospital bed, I would want to know the people taking care of me had everything they needed to do their job,” Lehr says.

During the Spring Semester, Lehr made about 500 face shields and several dozen stethoscope parts.

E V EN TS

“It was important to me to help out.”

Creating the PPE ended up being a way for him to get back to the hands-on work he likes so much. And he found some great support from faculty who heard about what he was doing.

Drew Wilkerson, Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering program, says Lehr is “a go-to guy” for 3D printing parts. He even worked with Lehr to allow him to use his time making the PPE to earn class credits. “I, for one, am very proud of Evan,” Wilkerson says. “He typifies what many of our students do in service to the community.”

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STAYING ENGAGED WITH STUDENTS

It took a lot of savvy staff and forward thinking, but when Sara Goodwin, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, looks back on the Spring Semester, she’s proud of what everyone accomplished. “The Spartan community is so important at York College,” Goodwin says. “When COVID-19 meant we weren’t going to be together in person, we knew we had to find ways to be together digitally.”

Once students went home and started classes online, many thought it would be a quick two-week adjustment and everyone would be together on campus again. But rather than wait and see, Goodwin and her team got to work.

First, those still on campus went around and collected video clips of faculty saying, “We’ll get through this” and other heartwarming messages. Those were shared on social media and used to connect with students from home.

Her team gathered photos around campus and used them for Instagram scavenger hunts. They also collected footage of Screamer, the York College mascot, and found that his quirky personality made for a fun “takeover” on

ALIEN, FILM

NO VISIBLE BRUISES

October 29, 2020, 7:00 p.m.

November 10, 2020, 7:00 p.m.

Virtual Q&A with Professor Jeffrey Podoshen

Lecture by Rachel Louise Snyder

Anyone interested in participating in the virtual Q&A can stream or rent the movie online beforehand. Call 717-815-1354 for information.

Join the award-winning author in an online talk about domestic violence.

For more information, contact 717-815-1354.

YO R K C O L L E G E O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A

the College’s Instagram account. What really got Goodwin’s wheels turning was how to take the once weekly oncampus activities and use them in a digital format to get students tuning in.

Each week, Goodwin and her staff sent out an email with a calendar of events that students could check out. These included a YCP Chopped event, where students were given three ingredients and had a week to make a dish and share it on their own feeds. Bingo, which was so popular it usually filled the dining hall on campus, was one of the first things to take a virtual turn. After finding a free online program and planning how to launch it, Goodwin was excited to see about 50 to 60 students logged in for one of the bingo events, which was hosted by the College’s own Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith and her husband, JL.

“It was really fascinating to see how we could serve not just our students, but their families and our faculty.” — SARA GOODWIN Students also were able to tune in to special events, like eSports programs featuring Smash Brothers and Minecraft tournaments. A hypnotist that the College has hosted in the past also took part in a virtual event where students not only found entertainment, but some tips for stress management, Goodwin says. “Our biggest goal was to let students know we hadn’t forgotten about them.”

VIRTUAL MUSIC INDUSTRY PANEL DISCUSSION

November 12, 2020, 7:30 p.m.

Author Dayna Steele discusses interviewing rock stars such as Mick Jagger, Bono, and KISS. For additional information, visit www.ycp.edu/music or call 717-815-1354.

EDUCATION BUILT FOR IMPACT CONNECT YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS WITH REAL-WORLD OPPORTUNITIES. ADVANCE YOUR CAREER WITH A YORK COLLEGE OF PENNSYLVANIA GRADUATE DEGREE. Discover our full graduate program portfolio: ycp.edu/graduate

” I’m able to use knowledge from my MBA to actually start working where I am now.

I can see things now that I didn’t understand before.”

Layton Daniels, MBA candidate Pharmacist, York, PA

A RO U N D CA M P US

Even though the events were geared toward York College students, Goodwin says, she found entire families tuned in for trivia, siblings participated in YCP Chopped, and even faculty joined for bingo. “It was really fascinating to see how we could serve not just our students, but their families and our faculty,” Goodwin says. “It made what we offer even more important.”

Cody Seachrist, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, also found ways to take intramural and club sports to the Internet. His team used social media to keep spirits high, mostly by posting a daily motivational item, such as Monday Meditation, Tuesday Student Takeover, and Thursday Throwbacks with videos from intramural games.

While the social media posts grew engagement, they also helped Seachrist launch a “minutes challenge,” where people were encouraged to log their active minutes each week and compete to see who could rack up the most.

Seachrist says 119 people registered for the challenge and 100 people actively participated each week. “Being apart for so long was certainly not part of the plan for the semester,” he says. “But, we learned how to stay connected. We found ways to still be engaged.” .

DEDICATED TO SUSTAINABILITY

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It was the dire warnings coming out of the United Nations Climate Change Summit two years ago that opened senior Ashley Ardinger’s eyes to how serious the problem was. “You can’t

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FACULTY SHOWCASE: ALICIA KOSCAK (FLUTE) & FRIENDS

November 13, 2020, 7:30 p.m.

Koscak is joined by Ken Osowski (piano), Yoshi Horiguchi (bass), and Jeff Stabley (drums).

For additional information, visit www.ycp.edu/music or call 717-815-1354.

YO R K C O L L E G E O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A

Ashley Ardinger ’20 stands in front of the jellyfish sculpture outside Wolf Hall.

“A huge problem is that people don’t know how to properly recycle or where they can recycle.”

— ASHLEY ARDINGER ’20

unsee what we’re doing to the world,” she says. And because she can’t unsee it, she’s doing something about it.

Ardinger founded Spartans for Sustainability when she was a sophomore. The club is dedicated to bringing environmental change to the school and to raise student awareness.

Last year, to raise awareness they worked with a sculpture class and created a jellyfish out of trash collected on campus. They’ve also worked with the school’s dining service to bring composting to campus and requested more water bottle

refilling stations to reduce the use of plastic bottles.

The club holds campus cleanup days, partners with other clubs on projects, and creates informational campaigns. “A huge problem is that people don’t know how to properly recycle or where they can recycle,” Ardinger says.

It’s not every college sophomore that has the gusto to think she can have an impact on a huge issue like climate change.

And it’s not every college that would empower a sophomore to make changes not just among its students, but within the institution itself.

“The type of atmosphere we have here at York College has contributed greatly to me being able to empower others,” she says. “If I were at another campus, I don’t think I could do this.”

Now that she has graduated, Ardinger hopes the club will continue making improvements to the school. She’d like to put her degree in Integrated Marketing Communications to use at a nonprofit and maybe one day start her own environmentally focused nonprofit.

The experience of starting a new club and making a difference in her community has bolstered her confidence to keep fighting climate change. “The impact, I feel, has left me very excited for the future,” she says.

“Since I know what I can do now and with the help of others, I know that I can accomplish something big.”

THE POST, FILM

November 19, 2020, 7:00 p.m.

Virtual Q&A with Professors Jason Kirsch and Jeffrey Schiffman Anyone interested in participating in the virtual Q&A can stream or rent the movie online beforehand. Call 717-815-1354 for information.

OV ERH E A RD

“How important is this moment in American history?

NASCAR banned the Confederate flag, and Mississippi is taking steps to remove the Confederate emblem from its state flag! This is not the time to slow this unprecedented momentum because we are sick and tired. It’s not the time to be sick and tired, period. Take whatever metaphorical DayQuil you need and take advantage of this unparalleled moment in time.”

Erec Smith, Associate Professor of Rhetoric, York College, in his article, “Why I Still Talk to White People About Racism,” Opinion, www.newsweek.com, July 8, 2020.

“More than ever, now is not the time to throw skepticism and critical thinking to the wind. We must be evervigilant, checking all the facts before we believe what we read online. While an obvious statement, make sure you get your information only from trusted sources like the CDC, your local public health authorities, state government and other authoritative sources.”

James Norrie, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, York College, and author of Cybercon: Big Tech and Bigger Lies, in his article, “Here’s how to survive—and thrive—in our #WFH World, Opinion, Pennsylvania Capital-Star, May 4, 2020.

“A general unwillingness of the nation to commit itself to undoing a legacy of discrimination in the education, employment and the justice system ensured that systemic racism persisted. In many ways, the issues on the streets today are the same issues that existed in the ’60s and went unresolved.”

Peter Levy, Professor of History, York College, and author of The Great Uprising: Race Riots in Urban America During the 1960s, who was quoted in “ ’You have to keep at it’: What Black Lives Matter demonstrators can learn from civil rights protests of the past,” by Marco della Cava, USA TODAY, June 5, 2020.

“My hope is that we can pivot from the question of revving up the economy to a question of ethics in our health care system…How can we provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to those who need it?

How can we ensure that there are resources for the very sickest among us? How can we make sure that the least advantaged in our society are not those taking the greatest risks? And perhaps most importantly, what can we do so that we come out of this health crisis with a medical system that is better than the one we had going into the pandemic?”

Rory Kraft, Professor of Philosophy, York College, in his article, “York College students confront the bioethical issues of the coronavirus pandemic,” York Daily Record/Sunday News, May 4, 2020.

“Why is limiting our debt important? Roughly a third of our debt is owned by foreign countries. More to the point, over $1 trillion in U.S. treasuries is owned by China…Let us hope that our elected officials can rise to finally see the elephant in the room and become the adults in that room with the prescience to take note to finally do something about this or risk the United States becoming a waning power akin to the Roman Empire. The U.S. debt is a pressing national security concern; we must confront it head-on.”

John Weaver, Associate Professor of Intelligence Analysis, York College, in his article, “The Elephant in the Room: Our national debt amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Opinion, Pennsylvania Capital-Star, May 24, 2020.

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IMPACT YORK TAKES THE VIRTUAL ROUTE TO ENGAGE COMMUNITY DURING COVID-19 Abby Wurzbach ’23 remembers first stepping into the Championship Community Center in Salem Square and being in awe of what opportunities were offered to city students. As a Graham Scholar, she knew she would be drawn back to this place when she went from attending York Catholic High School to becoming a full-time Secondary Education Mathematics major at York College.

The community center, tucked away in the small neighborhood about five minutes from the College campus, features a gym, arcade games, tutors, and community members who are excited to invest in the lives of area students. “I was so passionate about children, youth, and education that it was great to find people here who felt the same way,” she says.

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Abby Wurzbach ’23 feeding cattle on her family’s farm, Brogue, Pennsylvania.

Upon acceptance to York College, Wurzbach learned she would soon have an opportunity to leave her own mark on the Championship Community Center. As a member of Impact York, one of several student volunteer programs under the Changemakers umbrella at the College, she met several other students during orientation who also wanted to make a big impact in the York community.

The team of Impact York students, required to volunteer 20 hours a year and plan a community project, pitched the idea of an open house to the directors at Championship Community Center, and they were met with a resounding “yes.” The big event, scheduled for April 24, was canceled when it became obvious the coronavirus outbreak would change plans for the rest of the academic year.

“It was pretty disappointing to learn we wouldn’t be able to complete that goal by the Spring Semester,” Wurzbach says. While the students decided to postpone the event Cody Miller, Director of Service Initiatives

at the College’s Center for Community Engagement, says he was excited about the initiative students took to not miss an opportunity to think outside the box.

“A lot of our Changemaker groups were volunteering on-site with smaller nonprofits who had to close their doors or transition to a skeleton crew,” Miller says. “Each group of students really had to get creative in how they could still make valuable contributions.” For one group, who started working with Re-Source York, their broad on-site work morphed into contributing in a virtual way by doing website and social media work. Wurzbach’s group decided they would make a series of videos that would be posted to their Impact York Facebook page and then used to further engage the community.

In just three days, the Facebook page reported about 4,000 organic impressions from the students sharing a video tour of Wurzbach’s family farm in Brogue, Pennsylvania. Students also planned to launch instructional videos on how to draw or do simple engineering/tinkering projects, as well as livestream story times for young students who are home from school.

“I know for me, it was initially really upsetting that we had this event planned and couldn’t see it through,” Wurzbach says. “Things change and stuff comes up, and I think our team knew we still had to do something to help the kids in this community and help Championship. And I know coming back in the fall that we’ll be able to pick things up where we left them and still see a positive impact.”

As Miller continues to guide York College Changemakers in adapting their plans, he’s excited to see how this experience has pushed many students to find ways to transition and be innovative. From pivoting in these projects to adjusting classes and schedules, he’s seen students become more adaptable and problem-solve in new ways. “I was deeply impressed with the creativity and teamwork that students have shown through this,” he says. “This experience has built a skill set of collaboration and leadership.”

Jessica Brubaker, one of the founders of Keystone Kidspace, shows Jess Fiero ’22 inside the old York Armory.

Another group of volunteers under Changemakers, Spartan Service Alliance, made similar changes to how they worked with Keystone Kidspace after the initial COVID-19 closures. Jessica Fiero ’22 found that pivoting pushed her to sharpen her leadership skills. Her group worked on developing programs for the space and came up with various ideas for social media videos that could be used to both market Keystone Kidspace and engage future visitors.

Even though initial plans for marketing Keystone Kidspace changed this year, Changemaker volunteers have the opportunity to continue working with the center for the

“This is a place that’s going to do so much good in York. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?”

— COLIN MCCLENACHAN ’23

CHANGEMAKERS AND KEYSTONE KIDSPACE Keystone Kidspace, which will soon find its home in an old armory along North George Street in York City, will be a hub for York’s youngest minds to dive into creativity and play. The plan for Keystone Kidspace was supported

by Louis Appell, the philanthropist who uplifted the idea of Keystone Kidspace’s founders, Jessica Brubaker and Jennifer Tansey, to create a space that welcomed children and families to downtown York.

Graphic Design major Colin McClenachan ’23 is a member of York College’s Impact York group under its Changemakers volunteer program, and was one of several students who partnered with Keystone Kidspace in the fall of 2019. When he learned of Mr. Appell’s love for York—and support of several endeavors that made the community better—he wanted to contribute to the Keystone

Kidspace in his own way. “This is a place that’s going to do so much good in York,” McClenachan says. “Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?”

The Impact York group looked for ideas on how Keystone Kidspace could get the word out about the upcoming space. They researched public events where a table could be set up and volunteers could share the opportunities that would be offered in the space. The COVID-19 outbreak canceled many of those events.

“Jessica [Brubaker] was really great with adapting and bringing the volunteer teams along for the ride when all of us needed to transition for remote work,” says Cody Miller, Director of Service Initiatives at the Center for Community Engagement. “We were excited for the opportunities our students had to work with Keystone Kidspace, and we wanted these volunteers to learn how to adjust their plans when outside forces change things.”

remainder of their college experience or until Keystone Kidspace may no longer need their assistance. Fiero and McClenachan hope they can implement some of their ideas later in the year.

“By the time we can meet again, I think we’ll have an even better understanding of how to reach people and tell them about Keystone Kidspace,” Fiero says. “And even though plans changed, I’ve gained so much by being part of Spartan Service Alliance. I hope other students look for ways to make an impact in York.”

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SPA RTA N SP O RTS

SPA RTA N SH O RTS

“The professional opportunities I got along with my lacrosse experience is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.”

— REGAN COOK ’20

OUTSTANDING WOMEN’S LACROSSE PLAYER When Regan Cook ’20 arrived on the York College campus in the fall of 2016, she had an idea of what to expect. She watched her older brother Ryan play for the Spartan men’s lacrosse team from 2015-2018. What she didn’t know was how impactful her time at York would be.

From her experience with the Spartan women’s lacrosse team to her wide-ranging real-world experience as a Sport Management major, Cook couldn’t have asked for more.

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“My experience as a Spartan studentathlete was everything I expected and more,” says Cook. “The professional opportunities I got along with my lacrosse experience is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.”

Cook capped a sensational career this spring with a shortened senior year.

However, losing games to COVID-19 didn’t put a damper on what was one of the best careers in the 15-year history of the Spartan women’s lacrosse program.

Cook was spectacular for the Green and White over the course of her time at York College. However, her greatness wasn’t limited to just the lacrosse field. Cook became the 13th CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree this June. She graduated in May with a 3.97 GPA in Sport Management while she also minored in Public Relations. She was an eight-time member of the YCP Dean’s List while she also graduated with summa cum laude accolades.

On the field, Cook was a two-time AllAmerican and a three-time All-Capital Athletic Conference selection and was destined to be a four-time All-CAC pick had her senior season not been cut short.

She was off to a fantastic start to her senior year as she notched 24 points on 20 goals and four assists in just five games for the Spartans. Cook was 5-for-7 in free position shots in addition to 10 ground balls, a draw control and four caused turnovers. In her best game of the year, she had nine points on seven goals and two assists in the 13-7 road win at #21 Denison.

“Obviously it was tough to have our season cut short,” said Cook.

“However, I was blessed to have so many good times with my teammates.

They are truly my best friends and they made my experience great.”

Cook will head to Temple University in the fall to begin an internship in the Athletic Communications Office under the guidance of legendary Larry Dougherty. ► YCPSPARTANS.COM

The Spartans officially began membership in the Middle Atlantic Conferences on July 1.

They joined Alvernia, Albright, Eastern, Hood, Lebanon Valley, Messiah, Stevenson, and Widener in the MAC Commonwealth.

COVID-19 ended the spring season on March 13 and on July 24, it also laid claim to the 2020 fall campaign. The York College administration in conjunction with the Middle Atlantic Conference made the difficult decision to suspend all intercollegiate athletic competitions through the Fall Semester. Decisions on when the Spartans will be able to return to competition will be determined during the fall semester.

The Athletic Communications Office has put together a video series called “Behind the Shield” where we talk to various administrators, coaches, studentathletes, and key supporters of the Spartan Athletic Department.

The series is available on the Spartan athletic website and the athletics YouTube channel.

SPARTAN ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT SELECTS AWARD WINNERS In a year that was cut short by COVID-19, the Spartan Athletic Department announced their 20192020 year-end award winners.

Seniors Jared Wagner, Meghan Fox, and Justin Kilpatrick took home the major awards. Wagner earned the Daniel Klinedinst Award as the outstanding senior male athlete. Fox was named the Georgia Heathcote Stallman Award as the outstanding senior female athlete. Kilpatrick was selected as the Jack Jaquet Fighting Heart Award.

Academically, the men’s tennis and women’s volleyball squads earned the William DeMeester Academic Team awards signifying the top academic teams in the department. Seniors Sam Wiedorfer (men’s track & field) and Hayley McCormick (women’s lacrosse) earned the individual DeMeester Awards. Both Wiedorfer and McCormick finished their York College academic careers with 4.0 GPAs.

SPARTAN ATHLETICS ACHIEVE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE The Spartan Athletic Department had another outstanding year academically.

The overall athletic department GPA was a sterling 3.47 for the 482 student-athlete department. The Spartan student-athletes earned a 3.39 department GPA in the fall and it soared to a 3.56 GPA during the chaotic Spring Semester. York had 44 student-athletes with an academic year GPA of 4.0 while 55.1% of student athletes had a GPA of 3.5 or above and 85.2% of all Spartans had a yearly GPA above a 3.0. All 21 varsity programs (the indoor and outdoor track & field team count as one squad on each side) finished with a GPA of 3.13 or better.

Left: Senior Meghan Fox Below: Senior Hayley McCormick

SPARTANS END CAC RUN ON A HIGH NOTE The York College Spartan Athletic Department made the most of their final year in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) as the league announced their All-Academic team accolades in mid-June. The Spartans placed a staggering 74.8% of their 449 student-athletes in CAC-sponsored sports on the All-Academic squad. The 336 student-athletes who earned the honor were an impressive 73 more than second-place Christopher Newport.

Student-athletes in one or more CAC championship sports that attain a 3.20 GPA for the academic year earn a spot on the All-Academic team.

The Spartans’ dominance in the classroom has become the norm as York has recorded the highest percentage of student-athletes for the fifth straight year. The 74.8% is 7.3% better than last year’s total. The 336 studentathletes honored is a jump of 58 for the Spartans as they increased their total number of student-athletes honored in each of the last four years. York has led the CAC in total number of studentathlete honorees 11 times in the last 14 years. They have also led the CAC in total percentage of student-athletes for the last five consecutive years.

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PURSUITS

DIET QUALITY AND ACADEMIC SUCCESS Senior Nursing major Kylee Wickline’s undergraduate research project focuses on diet quality and academic success, a topic she is passionate about (she also researched the effects of food on mental health in another class). She says, “I feel this research is important because the psychological aspects of food and diet are not well researched and there should be a bigger spotlight on that.” In this way, she believes we can take a bigger picture and more multidimensional approach to doing better in school.

In her “Diet Quality and Academic Success” project Wickline looked at York College students’ diets and academic progress to see if there is any correlation between the two. “I looked at students’ intake of fruits, vegetables, fish, other meats, alcohol, fast food, and supplements and compared it to their GPA, number of times on the Dean’s list, credit hours that semester, and hours spent studying. No results were statistically significant, but with alcohol having the closest impact on GPA, I had limitations in amount and demographics of participants and there were extraneous variables that could have changed the outcome of the data,” she says.

What did she learn? A big challenge of this research, she explains, was reaching a representative sample of the York College population. She didn’t have the tools to reach as many people as she would have liked to make the sample reflect the diversity of the school. For Wickline, a highlight of the research was just being able to embark on a topic that is not well understood or researched for the college population.

“I learned from this work that there are very few studies that look at the college student population and the 14

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impact diet could have on their academic success. More research would have to be conducted on a larger scale.” The results of this study indicate that diet quality, “good” or “bad,” does not impact a college student’s GPA. Based on the literature review findings, diet quality is more likely to impact children’s or adolescents’ academic success than college students’ diet quality impacts their academic success.

Wickline won’t be able to continue this research because she doesn’t have the resources to expand on what she has found so far, but she firmly believes this is a field that deserves more attention.

“It would be wonderful if someone were to take inspiration from my work and research and conduct studies to find more information on the topic.”

Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Michael Mudrick, PhD, was Wickline’s research faculty mentor. She says he helped her develop her research question, as well as played a major role in leading her to the correct analytical tools so that her data could be analyzed correctly and easily interpreted.

Mudrick says of her work: “Kylee’s project exceeded expectations in every area and demonstrated outstanding ability to conduct research. First, the study idea filled a necessary gap in the field. Then, she obtained a strong sample to answer her research question and was able to articulate her findings in a way that was quite educational for the audience. Kylee showed that she is an exceptional researcher, which is certainly of benefit in her field, and I have no doubt that she will continue to excel in her future endeavors.” — G.H.

SURVIVING GUN VIOLENCE Gabrielle Ingoglia ’20 chose the topic of “Trauma Informed Response to Gun Violence” as a research project because of its importance in today’s society.

She had worked in other classes on sexual assault and domestic violence projects and wanted to learn about a new issue and how to educate and help others. She felt research on trauma

This project “brings about awareness of gun violence and how a trauma informed response can make a difference in the lives of survivors.”

— GABRIELLE INGOGLIA ’20

informed response to gun violence is important because of the popular gun debate. “I think gun violence goes far beyond what people know and realize, it strikes fear in people and communities where gun violence is present. My project sheds light on the trauma that survivors and their communities face and how gun violence impacts our nation as a whole.”

The project was for Ingoglia’s Trauma Informed Care (TIC) class and looks at what gun violence is, its prevalence and impact, survivors, and trauma informed care. TIC is an approach that looks at the prevalence of traumatic experiences and the effects that it has on the people involved. Professionals who use this

approach are there to help the survivor build resiliency, avoid re-traumatization, and to support them. A trauma informed response to gun violence is vital to the survivors and the trauma informed responses help the survivors and the communities affected to heal. Ingoglia says this project “brings about awareness of gun violence and how a trauma informed response can make a difference in the lives of survivors.” She designed the project as a website on purpose. “We had a choice of a paper or a website, and I thought that my research would do more good as a website because people can click through and learn about it in any order they want.”

She has learned a great deal from her work. “Taking this class has opened my eyes to the importance of a TIC approach. This project allowed me to research gun violence and TIC at a deeper

H A N DS- O N

level. I would definitely love to continue this research in the future. Ultimately, I would like to work in community education, hopefully working to educate people on this topic.

It was not an easy task to begin. “One of the challenges during my research was honestly just knowing where to begin. What do you type into your Google search bar? I had to go about finding credible resources and sources that looked at TIC and gun violence.”

Once she was able to narrow her search and pick through sources, a plethora of information came her way. Some of the highlights of her research were finding powerful quotes from survivors and professionals that really look at the depth of this issue. “One quote that really resonated with me was about how many shootings the U.S. really faces, according to Eugenio Weigend, Associate Director for gun violence prevention at the Center for American Progress, ‘more than 342,439 people were shot to death in the United States from 2008 through 2017, meaning that a person is killed with a gun in this country every 15 minutes.’ ” Amanda Rich, PhD, was faculty mentor for Ingoglia’s project. “Professor Rich was an amazing mentor. She played a huge role as my mentor in the project.

During her class, she introduced the project in the beginning of the semester.

After introducing it, she had us choose a topic by a certain time, that way we all had ample time to complete the project.

Obviously COVID-19 changed the course of things for everyone, but Dr. Rich still put her all into helping her students even when we were at home. Dr. Rich was (and continues to be) encouraging, caring, and a great mentor.”

Ingoglia will graduate in December 2020 with a major in Human Services and minors in Spanish and Psychology, and plans to go to grad school for social work or strategic communication. “I would really like to work in community education or advocacy,” she says, “I am thankful to YCP for the best four years of my life and especially to Dr. Rich for being such a great mentor. I would not have figured out what I wanted to do in the future if it was not for YCP. — G.H.

Lowell Briggs, MS Instructor of Communication “What you are learning in my classes will enable you to get a paycheck.

Feel good about your career. Advance that career. Become someone that your community needs. Someone who will serve and who will benefit from that service personally and professionally,” says Lowell Briggs.

“One of the key things about the classroom that, to me, is very important, is the real-world application of theory to practice,” stresses Briggs. Like many of the College’s faculty, he is still actively working in the field and brings that experience back to the classroom.

To Briggs, education is all about hands-on practice. He designs his curriculum in a way that enables students to not only learn, but also actively participate in real-world projects in the community. Such projects include work with the York County Industrial Development Authority and York County Economic

Alliance for the Yorktowne Hotel where students create video vignettes to promote the various opportunities the hotel will create for downtown York, as well as Cornerstone Youth Homes to raise awareness of homeless children in grades K-2 in York.

“Students have examples of their critical skill development, so they could show at the end of every single semester in their major, a progressive development of knowledge, skill, and ability,” shares Briggs.

Through these courses, many of Briggs’ students have been inspired to pursue specific areas such as crisis communications as a career.

One student who went on to a very successful career told Briggs, “The light bulb has gone on and I know that this is what I want. This is the type of work that I want to do.” — C.K.

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In the face of an unexpected public health crisis, faculty and students adapted with grace, style, and impact.

COURSE CORRECTION

BY ANDREW MYERS

YCP PIVOTS & INNOVATES York College is no stranger to the pandemic, having endured a mid-semester campus closure and a sudden transition to remote learning. That transition upended the learning environment and altered the content of classes as it produced examples of York faculty and students digging deep and finding ways to not merely adjust to difficult circumstances, but to triumph over adversity in inspiring ways. Here are a few of their stories.

I L L U S T R AT I O N S : M A R T I N L E O N B A R R E T O

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CO U RSE CO RRECTIO N

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COMMUNITY COMMITMENT

he Department of Education has been partnering with the York Area Down Syndrome Association (YADSA) for six years. For the last two years, Molly Milam, PhD, Assistant Professor of Education, has partnered with YADSA to host two on-campus events per semester with support services for parents of children with Down syndrome and crafts, story time, and dancing for kids.

Through those face-to-face events, Milam’s students learn about issues affecting the Down syndrome community.

Forced to cancel the second event of the Spring Semester, Milam pivoted online where she recreated the parent support group environment via Zoom. She also started an online app, Padlet, for discussions where her students can submit questions anonymously. Milam then shares them with parents. Milam’s soon-to-be teachers then reviewed and reflected upon parent responses.

“It was my most successfully adjusted assignment during the transition to online instruction,” Milam says.

She has since learned that her slate of fall events has been canceled as well, but she’s confident she can close the gap online.

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S

Professor David Singleton helped his students make the transition from in-person lab work to online.

MODERN MICROBIOLOGY

“If a student shares a digital image, I can literally draw with a pen tool on my tablet and have it show up digitally.”

— RY FRYAR, MFA

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ART RISES ABOVE OVID-19 has left no aspect of the York experience unchanged. Art professor Ry Fryar, MFA, had to rework his figure drawing class, which involves frequent one-onone interaction between him and his students as they discuss the nuances of intent and approach that are the lessons of any art class.

“Normally, it’s a typical figure drawing class, everyone working from a live model, and me helping students to draw it right. It’s a very, very hands-on process, really difficult to teach in a remote way,” Fryar says.

The move online was new to Fryar, but aided by software that helps him offer visual ideas and the familiar Zoom video conferencing app, he managed the transition as well as can be expected. The software allows him to observe the student as they draw and for the student to share control with the instructor who offers suggestions in real-time.

“If a student shares a digital image, I can literally draw with a pen tool on my tablet and have it show up digitally,” Fryar says.

With the technical challenges resolved, Fryar began to work COVID-19 into his lessons, each of which begin with a written prompt ranging from the straightforward (“draw your despair at this turn of events”) to the whimsical (“draw the four horsemen of the apocalypse and include a pudding cup”). Fryar has been impressed by the students’ response and has assembled the best of the best in a 40-page graphic journal called Apocrypha Zine (“ZYn” as it is pronounced).

“We call it ‘Apocrypha’ plural, as in multiple apocalypses,” Fryar says, emphasizing the personal toll the disease has had on each student. “They have been really passionate about it.”

ome teachers faced the challenge of duplicating the first-person work that usually transpires in lab in an online environment. David Singleton, PhD, is Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences.

His courses are hands-on. His students learn by getting in the lab and doing the work themselves.

Singleton realized that replicating certain experiences in an online setting was not going to be possible, but in other ways the transition online actually made it easier to reinforce lessons from his lab.

His students are often Nursing students. Where once he taught classic microbiology—staining slides and observation under a microscope—he’s seen his course transition over the years to a more analytical approach.

“Only a small fraction of my students needs to learn how to stain slides,” Singleton says. “Instead, they need the interpretive and communication skills necessary to understand a disease and to effectively communicate precautions and therapies to patients.”

One exercise that Singleton does in the lab involves background research, which the students do in their lab pods on laptop computers. In the online environment, Singleton asks the students to visit the CDC website and choose a transmissible disease among the many catalogued there. The students learned to analyze a disease’s key characteristics—how common it is, how contagious it is, how it is spread, and what treatments work best.

“COVID-19 gave us this great, real-world opportunity to learn how epidemiologists track, analyze, and interpret diseases,” Singleton says. “We were able to move that portion of the class online pretty seamlessly.”

“COVID-19 gave us this great, real-world opportunity to learn how epidemiologists track, analyze, and interpret diseases.”

— DAVID SINGLETON, PhD

Opposite: Artwork by student Jeannine Dabb for graphic journal, Apocrypha Zine, a project in Ry Fryar’s class.

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NEW TERRITORY FOR TELE-HEALTH elli Masters, DNP, who teaches nursing, found herself having to completely rethink her course midsemester. She was teaching future nurses, criminal justice professionals, and victim advocates how to care for victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault or human trafficking, skills which usually happen in a person-toperson environment. Developing that keen eye requires these professionals to spot physical injuries and pick up on subtle non-verbal cues from the patients, who are often afraid to speak of their abuse.

In the pre-pandemic world, these skills were ingrained through role-playing simulations in which the students examine trained actors in makeup, known as “standardized patients.”

“We were told, ‘No more live stuff. You have to go online,’ ” recalls Masters, who remembers thinking: “How are we going to do this by computer?”

In a pinch, Masters adapted her course to a telehealth environment in which the students interviewed the specialized patients via Zoom. It was not ideal, but Masters, her students, and, especially she says, the actors, transitioned beyond her expectations. “I had to sneak in and watch,” Masters says. “The standardized patients were great. They were so real.”

Things went so well, in fact, that Masters is considering working tele-health simulations into future classes when things return to the new normal.

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ASYNCHRONOUS EDUCATION ike Mudrick, PhD, teaches in the Sport Management program, whose students are generally familiar with online courses. In the Sport Management program, students in their final semester complete an off-campus internship, supplemented by an online course involving ethics and current issues in the sport industry. However, Mudrick was teaching sophomores and juniors in the spring for two communication-based classes in the program. When the shutdown started, Mudrick solicited students’ input on how they would like the class structured, either in formal, regular online classes with set times where all students would be required to attend, known as a “synchronous classroom.”

Or, as less formal, video lessons prepared by Mudrick that the students could watch at their convenience and demonstrate proficiency through online quizzes, known as an “asynchronous classroom.” The students voted for the asynchronous route.

“There were some hiccups in the early stages, but once we got rolling, it worked really well,” Mudrick says.

“There’s this huge disconnect between science and communication. Nurses can bridge that gap. Often, they are the primary conduit between the scientific community and the patients.”

— SUSAN SCHRACK WOOD

“There were some hiccups in the early stages, but once we got rolling, it worked really well.”

— MIKE MUDRICK, PhD

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A PERIOD OF ADJUSTMENT

djunct Professor Susan Schrack Wood divides her time between a job with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and as a teacher of scientific writing at York College. When the campus closure was first announced, she moved her science communication class online.

Wood says that COVID-19 forced her to leapfrog her Plan B entirely, which anticipated a short shutdown, and jump right to her long-term Plan C. She structured her online class as a series of individual mini-projects that students would complete on their own time, from home, supplemented by office hours like Zoom meetings where the students could run their ideas and findings by Wood.

Not only did Wood pivot quickly to the online environment, but she also began to weave real-world, pandemic-inspired scenarios into her course content. One assignment involved the students placing themselves at the center of a contact tracing exercise in which they had to recall every person they had been in contact with within the previous days to learn firsthand the value— and the challenges—of such efforts during a pandemic.

Wood teaches mostly Nursing students. She says it is a critical skill for them to communicate complex medical and public health information to patients. “There’s this huge disconnect between science and communication.

Nurses can bridge that gap. Often, they are the primary conduit between the scientific community and the patients,” Wood says.

Faculty and students had to act quickly to ensure they continued to teach and learn under rapidly changing and stressful circumstances. In some cases, they were well positioned to transition from face-to-face to virtual learning, while others faced more of a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic not only affected the YCP educational experience, it sometimes became part of the coursework. As the College community looks forward to returning to campus, lessons learned by faculty and students will not be lost as they do their best to prepare for the new normal.

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IN FO CUS

YCP IS YOUR ROCK The aerial view of the Rock—looking like a jewel—serves as a reminder of what waits for us when we finally return to campus. It stands solid as if to say “YCP remains your rock, no matter who you are or what happens in the world.

A beacon of hope in turbulent times.”

As we send this issue to the printer, many questions about the “new normal” and returning to campus remain. If you would like to learn the latest information, please visit the College’s webpage, Return to Campus, at www.ycp.edu/return.

Like so many others around the world, the Spartan community is being tested. Some are on the front line as healthcare providers, others are trying to take care of their families, do their jobs, and advocate against violence, racism, and inequality. Some are just trying to make ends meet.

No one wants to remain in lockdown forever; whether physically or spiritually.

The Rock waits for us to return.

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COVER STORY

Three students speak out about the upcoming Presidential election with Nicolas Anspach, Professor of Political Science:

Nicolas Anspach, PhD Professor of Political Science

Cherish Christopher ’21 Middle Level Education-Social Studies, from York, PA

Jenna Torres ’24 Medical Laboratory Science, from Reading, PA

A historic Presidential election will be held in November 2020, just a few months away. To increase turnout, York College is participating in two different, yet aligned, voter engagement initiatives: The PA ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge and the NASPA Voter Friendly Campus Program. Many questions surround this election, including whether eligible college students will vote and make a difference.

To answer some of these questions, Nicolas Anspach, PhD, Professor of Political Science, asked several students to weigh in on why they feel it is important to vote.

Here is their conversation:

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Is this your first time voting in a Presidential election? What would you say this election is about?

Cherish: No, this isn’t my first-time voting, I voted in the last election as well. I think the meaning of this election rests deeply on your societal lens. I’m a person of color who grew up in a low-income family and in a low-income neighborhood. My family, to this day, still resides in the same neighborhood. For me, this election is about making sure that the person in office does “Society has a funny something for people who way of making it so look like me and have that change is very experienced what I have. hard to achieve.”

I think that sentiment is — CHERISH CHRISTOPHER ’21 shared across the board.

Jenna: Yes, it is my first time voting in a Presidential election, but I did vote in the midterm and primaries.

I would say this election is more about which president will make the country better in the social aspect. With all of the Black Lives Matter protests, it is a change the citizens clearly need to see happen.

Zachary: This is my first time voting in a Presidential election and what an election it will be. It seems to me that this election for some is about doing whatever it takes to remove Donald Trump from office. Meanwhile, some would like to keep Trump in office due to the performance of the economy before COVID-19. This is only merely scratching the surface as the complexities of a Presidential election are enough to write a textbook about. One thing that I can say for sure is that this election will almost certainly lead to even more social tension in an era in which polarization has already reached severe levels.

Zachary Claghorn ’22 Political Science, from York, PA

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Dr. Anspach:

Opposite: Quote by GlobalMindED, Illustrated by Irene Rinaldi

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T H E ED U CAT ED VOT ER

Dr. Anspach:

Historically, young people have a reputation for not voting. Why do you think that is? Is that changing with your generation?

Cherish: I think this is a tricky question to answer, I think to generalize young people kind of eliminates the different groups within that category. It also eliminates so many different factors that could be at play when it comes to not voting. Person A, who is white, and came from a white upper middle-class suburb is going to have a completely different reason for not voting than person B who is Black and grew up in a predominantly Black, low-income neighborhood. Person A may not be voting because he doesn’t feel like he has to, for him decisions made in politics have no effect on him. Meanwhile, “It’s my hope that person B may not be voting through conversations because he’s heard all these like this that things can change more politicians say they’re going rapidly, but it all starts to help people who look with education.” like him, and none of that — CHERISH CHRISTOPHER ’21 help has come. So, for me, grouping those two together is a little unfair. I think in order to ask “why?” we have to acknowledge that these kinds of groups exist, and then we have to take each piece and dissect it. Person A probably just needs to be educated, and he needs to understand that choosing not to vote and choosing not to be involved in politics is a statement in itself. Person B probably just needs to see more people who genuinely want to help people who look like him run for these positions of power.

Outside of that though, voter suppression and intimidation are a very real thing for this generation as well. There also just isn’t a lot of unbiased education about voting and how it works that is accessible for many demographics. I do think this is changing with my generation, but I also think society has a funny way of making it so that change is very hard to achieve. It’s my hope that through conversations like this that things can change more rapidly, but it all starts with education.

Jenna:

Zachary:

I feel, in the past, young people didn’t get politically involved or feel like it’s their place to vote. They felt it’s for parents and older people to deal with politics.

It is 100% changing with our generation. We believe that the issues going on today are our issues. We “We believe that the believe that voting can issues going on today are our issues.” make a change especially because four million — JENNA TORRES ’24 people are going to turn 18 before the Presidential election and help make a difference. Now it is easier to register to vote and I think many young people are taking advantage of it and making sure their peers do as well.

I do not think that I have all the information needed to decide on who to vote for at this time. This is because Joe Biden’s platform is unclear to me. Now with that said, I have not gone out of my way to go to his website and look into the specific policies that he is proposing. However, just from watching the news on a somewhat regular basis and watching a couple of videos online I have gathered enough information to be sure of the types of policies Trump would continue to support and implement if reelected, but I am not sure what Biden is really pushing for. It does not seem to me that he is running on any ideas or stances other than “Vote for me so we can beat Trump!” I plan on looking more deeply into Biden’s agenda as the election gets closer and after doing that I will feel comfortable about making an educated decision.

Zachary: I think part of the explanation for why young people do not vote as much as other groups lies in the fact that, on average, younger people are less educated and engaged than older people. This is important because an indicator of an individual’s likelihood to vote is the strength of their political opinions and their overall political engagement.

I am not saying that there are not young people who are engaged in political matters, however, on average, there are less when compared to older people. This is something that I do not see changing now or anytime soon.

Dr. Anspach:

Do you feel like you have enough information in order to know who to vote for?

Yes, and no. I think this time around I have a decent amount of information, but that’s because I did the work to find it. When I’m looking for people to vote for, I want to see their political journey, I want to see what they’ve done in their careers that appeal to someone with my different identities. I want to know that if they say they want to help Black people, their political journey reflects that. It’s very hard to get that kind of transparency, especially in an accessible fashion.

“Yes, but I feel there could always be more information on the issues rather than the candidates’ personal lives.

YO R K C O L L E G E O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A

What are the most important issues to you, personally?

Cherish: Well anything to do with basic human rights. I’m Black, so Black issues are important to me, but so are queer and trans rights, immigrant rights, indigenous rights, the list goes on. Education is also really important to me as well, especially as a future educator. Mass incarceration and anything to do with the systemic oppression in the prison system. Defunding the police and redistributing that money to places like mental health professionals, the education system, better training for police officers so incidents like George Floyd’s, and the many others, don’t happen. As I said before, the list goes on.

Cherish:

Jenna:

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Dr. Anspach:

“It is important to me that people have equal opportunities to be successful and experience social mobility while also being rewarded for hard work and overall competence.”

Jenna: Personally, climate change, human rights, and gun control.

Zachary:

My primary political concerns center — ZACHARY CLAGHORN ’22 around supporting policies that facilitate a fair merit-based society. It is important to me that people have equal opportunities to be successful and experience social mobility while also being rewarded for hard work and overall competence.

In the 2016 Presidential contest, fewer than half of eligible 18- to 29-year-olds voted, the lowest turnout of any age group.

The College wants to increase students’ awareness of the importance of voting and see this number climb in 2020.

The 2020 Presidential election is shaping up to be one of the most important in recent history and the College is encouraging students to educate themselves on why voting matters and make sure their voices are heard.

IN CRE ASIN G VOT ER AWA REN ESS Participation in voter engagement is another way for our campus community to encourage the civic engagement that is a hallmark of a healthy and interconnected community.

As part of their general education credits, all incoming students must complete a citizenship course. Some political science courses delve into civic learning and democratic engagement, including the courses cocreated by the CCE’s Glatfelter Public Policy Institute.

According to Phillips Thomas Hornbuckle, JD, Director of the Office of Intercultural Student Life and Global Programming and R. Caleb Doyle ’20, primary authors of the YCP Action and Strategic Plan: Voter Engagement, “York College demonstrates its commitment to improving civic learning and democratic engagement in our mission and vision, through community-focused initiatives under the Center for Community Engagement (CCE) and programs like the Developing Leadership Seminar have made civic engagement a pillar of its program.”

The College’s work to build upon our commitment and increase student voting awareness will be overseen by a committee that is composed of students, faculty, and administrators, who will apply guidance from experts and representatives for both NASPA’s Voter Friendly Campus Initiative and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

In addition to learning about the issues, students will need information such as the following: • How to complete voter registration forms • How to find your polling place • How to apply for an absentee ballot • How to participate in community town halls For answers to these and other questions about voting, including COVID-19 changes, the YCP Action and Strategic Plan: Voter Engagement suggests two nonpartisan resources: • Vote.org •W eCanVote.us

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CONNECTIONS CONNECTIONS A LU M NI N E WS

A LU M NI SP OT L IGH T

Phoebe Schmehl ’17 shown working at one of WellSpan York Hospital’s outdoor tents.

Andrea Corrales ’05

SHARE YOUR UPDATE AND SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE

Lawyer, Department of Defense Office of Appeals

Throughout the year, York College graduates share milestones and successes from around the world.

From wedding, engagement, and birth announcements to job promotions, creative projects, travel, and fun, Class Notes show what’s happening in the professional and personal lives of alumni.

Class notes are published three times per year in an electronic format. Submissions are subject to edits and space restrictions. To view Class Notes or to submit your news, please visit www.ycp.edu/alumni. Any questions? Email alumni@ycp.edu.

WORKING IN ER Phoebe Schmehl ’17 accepted her current job in the ER at WellSpan York Hospital upon graduation. “I knew the ER was the place for me,” she says. “It’s fastpaced, and I can work with patients who have ailments ranging from a sprained ankle to pregnancy to geriatric needs.”

When COVID-19 hit southcentral Pennsylvania, Schmehl was put to the task of helping York Hospital’s response. The hospital was one of the first facilities to open outdoor screening tents. She helped develop the workflow that nurses and other medical providers would follow when treating potential COVID-19 patients who came to the hospital.

The outdoor tents allowed WellSpan to avoid cross-contamination while screening patients. Schmehl’s workflow procedures included following CDC guidelines for creating cold, warm, and hot zones.

While the ER can be a stressful place to work, the addition of COVID-19 has made stress especially high. When she goes into work, Schmehl doesn’t know if she’ll be working in the screening tent or on the regular ER floor. No matter where she’s working, extra precautions have to be taken because

“There are a lot of people cheering us on, and that gets me through it. I can’t fully express what that means to me.”

— PHOEBE SCHMEHL ’17

of the possibility that anyone could have the coronavirus, she says.

The hospital has provided a scrub swap program, where care teams can change in and out of scrubs provided by the hospital that are professionally laundered, decreasing the risk of the illness following them home. Schmehl has found solace in sharing her experience with her boyfriend, also a medic in York, but she misses her family in Allentown. “I used to visit at least once a month, but I haven’t seen them for some time now,” she says. “I don’t want to risk exposing them to anything I might be in contact with at work.”

Support from the York County community and her teammates at York Hospital have helped Schmehl get through the stressful, long days. “There are a lot of people cheering us on, and that gets me through it,” she says. “I can’t fully express what that means to me.”

ON SET WITH NETFLIX Tyler Josbeno ’18 remembers running across a busy Brooklyn street with a surge of adrenaline. A walkie-talkie in hand, he was working as a production assistant on the set of She’s Gotta Have It, a Netflix series created by 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, Spike Lee’s production company.

From that job, he went on to work a few commercials for Budweiser, spent a couple of days on set for NBC’s Manifest, and eventually landed on the set of HBO’s Bad Education. The work was busy, and he loved it.

As a Mass Communication major with a range of video projects and a Fox 43 internship on his résumé, Josbeno graduated ready to pursue his future.

The New Jersey native started looking for ways to make connections and get his foot in the door. That’s when his dad helped get his résumé in front of the right person, landing him the job on the set of season two of She’s Gotta Have It. Continued on page 30

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Andrea Corrales ’05, Political Science, has a passion for litigation. In her present job as a lawyer at the Department of Defense (DOD)’s Office of Appeals, she handles the “red flags” that often come up in the process of department employees and contractors obtaining a security clearance.

The work starts when investigations are complete. “We come in at the end of the road,” Corrales says. “When somebody has a couple red flags—Russian parents or they’re in over their head in debt— that means they could be vulnerable to disclosing classified information.”

Corrales handles the government side of hearings where applicants “show us why they think they should still have a clearance right, and access to classified information, regardless of those red flags that we’ve seen.”

Though she has gravitated to a career in arguing cases, Corrales says there is no disputing about the positive effects that her experience at York College had on her career trajectory.

Even the year spent living without air conditioning in Country Club Manor.

“I have nothing but amazingly fond memories of York,” she says. “It was definitely like a very high point in my life—from beginning to end.”

Academics played a strong role, especially honors classes—such as a semester-long examination of science and religion—that challenged Corrales to redefine her thinking: “I had never thought they could work together, and exist on the same plane.” Her time in York’s Student Senate taught her the value of collaboration and negotiation, as well as disputation.

York College challenged Corrales to the very end. Just before graduation, she turned in a senior project paper that received pushback from Associate Professor of History Kay McAdams.

“She wrote me a tough, pretty scathing email,” recalls Corrales, “saying, ‘I expect more from you.’ No one had honestly ever said that to me.”

Photo by Howard Korn Photography

Corrales “put in a solid week of making it a professional product.” When McAdams accepted it, she told Corrales that “this is what you should always be producing wherever you are in life, no matter what your situation. Even if you’re a week out from graduating.” I thanked her for that.

Corrales earned her law degree at Penn State University and has gained positions with increasing degrees of responsibility in the federal government.

Yet she has kept a new generation of York students in mind as she has done so. Her service on York’s Board of Alumni Directors—as well as hosting events such as SpartaNation 2020 Site Visit at the Pentagon—led to her being named as a Spartan of the Year in 2020-2021.

“It’s important for students to see where their education can take them. That they see you can accomplish anything you want if you work hard and you make a good reputation for yourself.”

— Richard Byrne YO R K C O L L E G E M A G A Z I N E • 2 0 2 0 V O L . 2

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Erin Shipley Shaffer, President of The Shipley Family Foundation, is shown with her two children.

Continued from page 28

“I knew I’d been given a great opportunity,” Josbeno says. “I made it my mission to do the best job I could.” That attitude, he says, helped him continue to get jobs on other sets. It’s what helped him land a long-term job as an office associate with 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, where he works now. Most recently, he worked as a technical assistant on Spike Lee’s latest film, Da 5 Bloods.

“When I look back at my time at York College, I’m incredibly grateful that I took the leap to change my path,” Josbeno says. “I know it was through the support of my family and the faculty around me that I took that chance. It was the best thing I could have done.”

ON THE FRONT LINES IN NYC

to answer the demand of new patients.

She offered to go back to her previous floor knowing they needed the help.

“I’ve seen a lot of different emergency scenarios in the past 10 years,” Schicchi says. “I can deal with stressful situations, but in a time like this, you really rely on the support of your team.

Being an efficient unit and banding together is one of the positive things I’ve seen come out of this experience.

Many of our patients are coming in without family members, and they rely on the nursing staff to bring them back to health or help comfort them.”

Schicchi might be working with up to 15 patients on her own, without the assistance of CNAs or patient care techs, on one of the three to four 12-hour shifts she works a week. Sometimes those extend three or four hours depending on the needs of the unit, she says.

“We will rise. We will heal.

We will overcome.”

— KATIE (MURPHY) SCHICCHI ’09

“You prepare to be adaptive and adjust to changes in the medical field,” Katie (Murphy) Schicchi ’09 says. “But even with that, I don’t know if you’re ever quite ready for a pandemic.”

For the bulk of her career at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, Schicchi worked in adult oncology and medical surgical nursing.

A year ago, she moved to the operating room. When the outbreak of COVID-19 first began, elective surgery cases were canceled, and nurses were reassigned

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Through it all, her family has been incredibly supportive. While she can’t see her family right now, she regularly checks in with FaceTime or Zoom. And her husband, who refused to be quarantined from his wife, is there to help her in the few hours she is home each day.

Schicchi is reminded of the foundation York College provided her to work in this field. “The faculty there prepared me to go into the workforce and be an active member of the team. I feel I’m prepared to handle the situation the best I could. It was a challenging education, but I reaped the benefits of that in the workforce.”

Schicchi draws on the strength of the mantra that’s been used by many at her hospital, and she thinks that can apply to anyone waiting to see the world emerge from the coronavirus: “We will rise. We will heal. We will overcome.”

SHIPLEY FAMILY FOUNDATION PLEDGE

The Shipley Family Foundation has pledged $250,000 in unrestricted support for York College that includes a 5-year sponsorship of the York Community Art Scholar Exhibition Program (YCASE).

“As a family, we have been supporting York College for decades,” said Erin Shipley Shaffer, President of the Foundation. “Family members have taught at and attended York Country Day School and York College. We want to continue being involved in the growth and success of the College.”

YCASE celebrates the art produced by area secondary school students and provides promising young artists from York-area schools with the opportunities for advanced education, a collegial space for honing artistic skills, and the chance to work with local leaders to advance the cultural offerings of York. Sponsorship of YCASE, especially the Art Walk, provides the Shipley Family Foundation the opportunity to be recognized widely, not only as a supporter of York College, but of the arts in the York community, according to Shaffer.

YCASE begins with the Art Walk, a series of exhibitions in downtown York featuring work from local high schools. Participating high schools exhibit their student artists’ work

at art galleries and shops in the downtown York arts districts. Students who participate in the programs are eligible for cash awards, gift certificates to downtown York arts venues, and one $20,000 DelliCarpini Community Art Scholarship to study an art-related field at York College.

“The YCASE program is beneficial for those choosing a path in art because it allows the participant to study and follow their passion with no extra strings attached,” said DelliCarpini Scholarship recipient Ellen Korver, a sophomore Graphic Design major from York. “Along with this artistic support, from day one you’re able to use your abilities and major to connect with other YCP programs and scholarships, and most importantly, the local community.

For me, this was done by having classes alongside the Graham and Eisenhart Scholars. I loved the immediate connection with Marketview Arts, and being able to see the College and community working together to bring people downtown through artwork.”

“The YCASE program is beneficial for those choosing a path in art because it allows the participant to study and follow their passion with no extra strings attached.”

— ELLEN KORVER ’23

“We want to support the hardworking students,” Shaffer said. “Many grads stay in the community, and that is a benefit to the talent pool.”

She added, “We’re living in unprecedented times, and the programs at the College are educating the next generation of our community in York.

This generation will be responsible for coming up with innovative solutions to the challenges that we will face. We want to support education as education ultimately supports the community as a whole.”

PATRICIA MOORE WORCESTER SCHOLARSHIP Suzanne Boltersdorf ’06 is a respiratory therapist at WellSpan. As such, she and her healthcare colleagues are on the front line of taking care of patients stricken with COVID-19.

“When I am working with a few of those particular patients, they are scared and nervous,” she said. “Spending a little extra time talking to them can go a long way. We may look a little scary with our helmets, face masks, and full gowns covering our entire body. Giving them time for conversation can go a long way. These people are trusting us with their lives; they deserve more than just a person peeking through a glass door.

“I was educated and trained well for this moment. I feel I am as prepared as I can be and enjoy working with my coworkers through this. Part of being a respiratory therapist is being ready for the unexpected and suddenly critically ill patient.”

Some of those who studied respiratory therapy at York College did so with financial assistance from generous donors like Patricia Moore Worcester.

Patricia (Pats, as she was called by family) Moore Worcester came to York when her father’s job in the defense industry brought him here.

She attended York High School and graduated in 1955. “My sister excelled in the sciences—unusual for a ‘girl’ at the time,” said her brother Robert Moore, Col. USAF-R. Afterward, she attended the University of Denver and earned a degree in Biology. She later earned a degree in Medical Technology from Lancaster General Hospital and worked there.

Worcester took a teaching position in 1961 at York Junior College (YJC),

which had relocated from downtown York to the site of the York Outdoor Country Club. “I do remember that there were two buildings there initially—the old wooden country building for administration and the newly built teaching facility. I also remember her lab and teaching area, and that she thoroughly enjoyed the students, the faculty and teaching there,” Moore said.

Worcester taught at YJC from 1961 to 1967, and at York College from 1968 to 1973. She earned her master’s degree in 1972 in Chicago, where she met and married Brian Worcester. She was also a registered clinical pathologist and had a license in clinical medical technology. She gave up her teaching career and settled into life in Chicago, according to Moore.

“Pats kept in contact with faculty members at YC and also through our mother, who in her 60s and 70s took courses at the school,” he said. “York College was a fun and nice facility that played an important part in the Moore lives, even though none of us ever went there for formal schooling.”

“Patricia had many fond memories and stories of her 10 years teaching at York College,” said her husband, Brian. “As you can imagine, the College was pretty small at the time, so the staff and students tended to be well acquainted during those years.”

The Patricia Moore Worcester Scholarship Endowment Fund was established by Patricia Worcester in May 2007 with a generous gift of several thousand dollars.

Recipients are full-time students enrolled in the Biology program, with preference given to students pursuing a degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology or Respiratory Care.

“I am glad Pats’ name and her contributions can live on at York College and through future scientists helped by her scholarship,” said Brian Worcester.

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A LU M NI N E WS

TRIBUTE TO BOB KINSLEY Robert “Bob” Kinsley passed away on June 10, 2020. A friend and champion for York College and its students, Bob was a trustee emeritus, past Chair of the Board of Trustees, and father of current trustee, Jon Kinsley.

Bob began his illustrious career working as a backhoe operator for a small building contractor after graduating from William Penn High School in 1958. The next summer, armed with knowledge on how to form a corporation provided by his York Junior College professor, he left that company and started a lawn grading business of his own.

Bob founded Kinsley Construction in 1963, and continued working full-time until his death. The present day-to-day activities are managed by his five sons, who grew up in the business. Kinsley Construction now consists of six divisions focusing on specific areas of the industry while primarily serving Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region.

Bob’s engagement in civic affairs and charitable activities was extensive and meaningful. He worked tirelessly to create a dignified and technologically sophisticated visitors center in

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VIRT UA L LY YO U RS

Bob and Anne Kinsley with Computer Engineering student Felix Diaz ‘19 (left) and Dr. Wayne Blanding (right) during a 2017 visit to The Kinsley School of Engineering, Sciences and Technology.

“Bob was an incredible person who served as an example for us all. His values were clearly demonstrated by his actions—family, integrity, community.”

very involved with the program, providing financial support in 2008 for the renovation of the former York Narrow Fabrics manufacturing facility into The Kinsley Engineering Center.

“Bob was an incredible person who served as an example for us all,” said York College President Dr. Pamela Gunter-Smith. “His values were clearly demonstrated by his actions—family, integrity, community. Importantly, Bob believed in providing opportunities for young people to succeed in life. He was instrumental in the founding of York College’s highly successful engineering program. His legacy transcends the buildings and York College’s School of Engineering, Sciences and Technology, which bear the Kinsley name. It lies in the countless young people whose careers he launched.

“Bob Kinsley was a champion for York College and, more importantly, for the students we serve. For this, we are forever grateful.”

— YORK COLLEGE PRESIDENT, DR. PAMELA GUNTER-SMITH

Gettysburg, as a tribute to the soldiers who fought there. The Gettysburg Foundation constructed and operates the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitors Center.

Bob also ably served his alma mater, as a trustee from 1986 to 2007, and as Board Chair, from 2007 to 2011.

He received an honorary degree from York College on May 14, 2011.

Bob and wife, Anne, made a transformative gift in 2017 to name The Kinsley School of Engineering, Sciences and Technology. His relationship with York’s engineering program dates back to its conception in 1993. He served on the search committee that hired the first Director of Engineering and remained

Keep in Touch.

Q: What breaks when you say it?

A: Silence!

We’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch soon! Visit ycp.edu/alumni, email alumni@ycp.edu or call 717-815-6642.

Life as we knew it has certainly taken us down a path where our everyday “normal” activities sure don’t seem normal. The “new normal,” as we hear so often today on the news, has become a separation from others by social distancing, face masks, and sanitizer while some businesses are going fully online to stay “open.”

With all of the COVID-19 unknowns, no one can be sure just what is in store for the future. And, when schools were forced to shut down and York College had to close the campus to ensure the safety of students and employees, classes went online and employees headed home to work remotely. That’s also true for our Office of Alumni Relations, though they wasted no time pivoting to online connections.

“As we adjust to a new normal and practice social distancing, feeling connected to one another is more difficult, yet more important than ever. Know that your Spartan family is never far away.

That’s why we are working diligently to provide even more virtual engagement opportunities. Whether you are looking for a way to connect with students or are seeking professional development opportunities, there is something for everyone,” said Kristin Schab ’04, former Director, Office of Alumni Relations.

Through the use of Zoom, social media sources, blogs, podcasts, and MailChimp, Alumni Relations has successfully found a way to stay connected virtually while complying with the state’s mandate to social distance. Programs and activities such as contests with sharing photos of workspaces, pet photo contests, coloring pages of the mascot Screamer, sharing memories of campus in posts on social media, and providing opportunities for learning new things and professional development through webinars have all been a big part of engagement this spring.

Such programs as the Coffee and Conversation and For the Curious Mind Webinars have been a huge hit among alumni and students with over 150 participants. The programs feature learning and skill-building opportunities to help them add to their professional development. With so many “ifs” and uncertainty around employment,

“The response to our new virtual engagement initiatives has been overwhelmingly positive, both in sheer number of alumni participating and through anecdotal feedback.”

— BRIGETTE ALLEN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, ALUMNI RELATIONS

Spartans need resources available to them through the College now more than ever. Which is exactly why Alumni Relations has stepped up their game to promote the various benefits.

“The response to our new virtual engagement initiatives has been overwhelmingly positive, both in sheer number of alumni participating and through anecdotal feedback,” says Brigette Allen, Assistant Director, Alumni Relations. “Especially through the program Coffee and Conversation— the most personal touch point we’ve had during this time—because of the specific focus related to certain areas of study and the ability to connect with fellow YCP alumni, students, and faculty within their chosen career field.” — C.K.

Alumni, staff, and faculty gather together for a Zoom Coffee and Conversation meeting.

HELPFUL LINKS Alumni Career Resources ycp.edu/alumni/career Alumni Book Club ycp.edu/alumni/bookclub For the Curious Mind Webinars ycp.edu/alumni/webinars Coffee and Conversation ycp.edu/alumni/coffee Spartan Social Ambassadors ycp.socialtoaster.com To view all virtual engagement opportunities, visit: Get Involved www.ycp.edu/alumni/get-involved

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SAVE THE DATE

CAMPAIGN PUBLIC LAUNCH OCTOBER 1, 2020 York College of Pennsylvania will launch the first comprehensive campaign in our 232-year history.

Join us for this virtual event and see how, with your help, York College will EVOLVE.

NEW SEMESTER. NEW NORMAL. NEW OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT OUR SPARTANS! Details for this virtual event will be delivered via email, so please update your email by contacting Kristen Gurreri, Senior Director of York College Fund & Alumni Relations, at kgurreri@ ycp.edu or (717) 815-3273.