March/April 2018
what’s in THIS ISSUE
Volume 57 Issue 2
Housing Selection 101
Courtesy of Mady Johnston
Shannon Bell Contributing Editor
Spring Into Campus Events
From Veronica to Village 3, the Office of Residence Life wants students to have fair and equal housing.
It’s time for current Alvernia residents to select housing for the next academic year. Residence Life tries to make the selection process as easy as possible. To qualify for housing, residents must complete a few things before Monday, April 3, 2018. Residents must be registered for 12 or more credits for Fall of 2018. In addition, residents must confirm they have a housing deposit of $250 on record. This deposit can be a rollover from the previous year or a new deposit can be
Outstanding Senior Athletes Jillian Baker Contributing Writer
New Start for Softball
Is Tech Hurting Our Brains?
Student-athletes are more often solely recognized for their accomplishments on the field, on the court, or on the track, but we forget that they are students first. Student-athletes come to Alvernia to get an education alongside playing their sport. Here are biographies on some outstanding senior athletes: Tyra Roberts - Track & Field Roberts excels in her throwing events as well as in the classroom as a fifth year occupational therapy student. Roberts picked Alvernia because of the sense of community Alvernia offers to its students. “I am able to make new connections every day, and build relationships that I feel would last forever,” Roberts said, “The same applies to participating as a track athlete. My team members are more than just teammates, but they are family. We are constantly cheering each other on, and are there for each other more ways than one.” Earlier this semester, Roberts broke her own indoor record for the shot
Not only is Roberts involved on campus as an athlete, but she is also president of Resident Hall Association, a member of the Council of Presidents for RHA, and a member of National Residence Hall Honorary. Roberts said that her most significant academic accomplishment was making Dean’s List for the first time. “I did not realize that getting an A in a course wasn’t just about knowing information,” Roberts said, “But the effort and work I need to put in to understanding the Continued on page 3
Photo courtesy of Jordan Kissner
What A Grad Idea!
put with a throw of 13.06m. She also holds the record for outdoor shot put, with a throw of 13.7m. Last year Roberts qualified for the NCAA DIII track meet in Waverly, Iowa in her last meet of the season at the ECAC meet. “My most significant accomplishment was during my junior year when I was at the end of my season. I was at the ECAC meet and at that meet I qualified for the NCAA meet in Iowa. It was an experience like no other, and I am glad to say that I made it there,” Roberts said.
Senior Olivia Andfreski posing with her coaches and family during her senior recognition day.
sent to the Office of Student Accounts. Finally, residents must complete an online housing application on ERezLife. The current housing selection is done through a lottery system. On the last page of the housing application, ERezLife will give the resident a confirmation number. This number will then be saved into the system. On the deadline of completing the housing application, ERezLife will run a lottery, after which the resident will be given the time and date when they can select their housing. If there is a group of residents Continued on page 3
MargaritaVern Brings Seniors, Alums Together
Cheyenne Ettinger Contributing Writer With every success comes celebration. The time has come yet again to start sending our seniors into the real world of the work force. If you’re a senior, you’re probably feeling a mix of emotions. A lot of work has been put into getting to where you are now. But before leaving, Alvernia University would like to celebrate your accomplishments and future. MargaritaVern is an event held on campus for seniors aged 21 and older to come together with alumni and professors to enjoy a night of fun, food, and of course, drinks! The idea of MargaritaVern is to continue including alum after graduation, no matter how many years it’s been since they received their diploma, so they can continue to be a part of the University and to build a connection
Continued on page 5
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flynn files
March/April 2018
Managing Editor Mady Johnston Layout Cheyenne Ettinger Justin Herforth Mady Johnston Section Editors Shannon Bell Andrew Dotter Thomas Godin Justin Herforth Courtney High Kiersten Ingram Spencer Matthews Sam Mirarchi Kieth Noonan Yashira Onque Contributing Writers Jillian Baker Cheyenne Ettinger Ethan Francis Mikayla Pettis Anjelica Riccobono Faculty Advisor Dr. Ryan Lange
The Alvernian is the official student newspaper of Alvernia University. To contact newspaper staff, the office telephone number is 610-796-8358.
Articles submitted for consideration into The Alvernian should be written in some semblance of AP style. Letters to the editor, requests for advertisements, and general comments and questions may be submitted to ryan.lange@alvernia.edu. The editors reserve the right to edit submissions for clarity, accuracy, and length.
The views expressed in The Alvernian are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the student body, faculty, staff, administration, or sponsors.
A Letter to the Alvernia Community Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff, As we know, controversies about campus speakers and freedom of expression have intensified at colleges and universities throughout the country. The right of peaceful, civil protest is always to be respected, but there have been recurring examples of disruption, even violence, with individuals prevented from speaking or disinvited. Many, whether on the left or right politically, have questioned whether “free speech” and diverse perspectives are (or should be) genuinely welcomed on the nation’s campuses. These controversies, of course, have not occurred in a vacuum. Our nation has experienced an increase of open bigotry and intolerance, most disturbingly evident by increasingly visible “white supremacy” groups. Researchers have confirmed a notable rise in the incidents of anti-
Dr. Thomas Flynn, President of Alvernia University
academic community. For me, as your president, this involves describing some of what makes Alvernia for me a special place, with special people. So I share the following brief statement, grateful to the many of you who have influenced my perspective.
I invite your feedback, suggestions, and thoughts.
Peace and all Good, Tom Flynn
Alvernia University: Who We Are and What We Value
As a Catholic university, Alvernia values the education of the whole person and the development
of one’s character within the framework of gospel values and Catholic Social Thought;
As a Franciscan university, Alvernia celebrates the ideal of a caring, inclusive, interfaith
community built around “right relationships” in which we are “brother and sister” to all;
As a university founded by the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, Alvernia is committed to
“serving the underserved,” especially those in our surrounding communities;
As a university committed to the ideals of liberal arts education, Alvernia promotes dialogue
and diverse perspectives in an environment in which all individuals are respected and valued;
As a university with faculty, staff, and students devoted to our core values and the Franciscan
ideal of “knowledge joined with love,” Alvernia champions charity and civility in all that we do; And so as a “Distinctive Franciscan University in the Catholic and liberal arts traditions,”
Alvernia welcomes all who seek to promote the common good, to respect our differences, and yet celebrate what unites us as members of a democratic society and a global community. Tom Flynn President
Spring 2018 © 2018 The Alvernian
Semitism, and there have been disturbing verbal attacks made on groups of people, such as Mexicans and Muslims, based solely on their national, racial, or religious identities. Members of the Alvernia campus community--students, faculty, and staff--hold a range of strong political views, as do our trustees, alumni, and many supporters. All of us know and respect Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, Independents and moderates. But whatever these differences, we are united at Alvernia in emphatically rejecting hatred and intolerance of all kinds and any attempts to intimidate or silence those with whom we may disagree. In such times, it is surely important to name what we reject as unacceptable behavior. And it is equally essential that we identify the positive values we espouse--what unites and inspires us as an
Photo courtesy of Carey Manzolillo
t h e alver nian
Vol. 57 Issue 2
NOTE: the quoted phrases come either from the Alvernia Vision and Mission Statements or from documents of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters.
campus news March/April 2018
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who want to live together, the group will select their housing during the earliest time and date slot assigned to one of the residents in the group. Since there will be about ten residents assigned to each time slot, it will be helpful to know where you would like to live ahead of time and to have a few backup choices prepared as well so you will not miss out on your preferred choice. However, it is important to know that if you have a bad lottery number, you might not be able to live in the buildings associated with your class level. You might ask “Why?” For rising juniors and seniors, there are a total of 330 available beds in Assisi Hall, Siena Hall, Village 3, Zygmunta Hall, and Pacelli Hall, but there are currently 431 students on campus that are eligible for upper-class housing. So what happens if there are no more beds available in upper-class
housing? “When we don’t have enough room in the townhouses, Village 3, Zygmunta or Pacelli, then we look at our next building option; The goal of residence life, our philosophy, is to keep class levels together,” Shannon Merkey, Assistant Director of Housing Operations, said. “To residence life, it’s important, and I believe it’s important to keep you in a setting that is not basic, like Veronica or Clare Hall, but to give you something that has a kitchenette. That’s why students will go into Judge Hall, but again kept together,” On the other hand, there are a total of 292 beds for rising sophomores and only 258 sophomores that are eligible for housing. With those numbers one might believe they would get their preferred choice. However, “…considering that sophomores and juniors have spilled over into another
building, say Judge Hall, now they [sophomores] will be out of space and then they will be giving the next building option, Francis Hall,” Shannon Merkey said. Do you feel the housing application is unfair? Do you have an idea that might improve the process? If so, talk to Residence Life. “We are always open to suggestions if the students feel that the system or the process is unfair. We’re open and we have changed our process many times. We sit down all the time and try to change our practices. We look for the best practices, so we look at other schools, we go to conferences, we really try to do what is most fair for everyone, so we will always look to the students for part of it,” Merkey said. For more information, go to: www.alvernia.edu/ student-life/residence-life/ Housing%20Selection.html.
Courtesy of Shannon Bell
Housing Selection 101 (cont’d)
“The goal of residence life, our philosophy, is to keep class levels together,” Shannon Merkey said.
Outstanding Senior Athletes (cont’d)
Courtesy of Stockton Photo
was named to the MAC all conference 2nd team, accrediting her success to her teammates’ support.
Senior Tyra Roberts winding up for her release of the weight during an indoor meet. information and applying it to everyday life.” Roberts is expected to graduate in May with a Masters in Science in Occupational Therapy.
Maria Petrongolo Women’s Soccer Petrongolo has been accepted into the Doctoral of Physical Therapy program while competing as a captain for our women’s soccer team. Alvernia appealed to Petrongolo because she was able to play soccer while pursuing a degree in physical therapy, as well as the atmosphere around the
soccer field, which happens to be her favorite spot on campus. Although her soccer career is over, Petrongolo is excited to continue to cheer on her teammates while she’s still a student here working towards her degree. “Being accepted into the physical therapy program has been my biggest academic accomplishment. I am a senior graduate student, so it’s a lot of work but I know it will be worth it,” Petrongolo said. Outside of soccer and physical therapy, Petrongolo has also been in the
Student Athletic Advisory Committee, Ignite Leadership Program, and Residence Hall Association, as well as participating in community service opportunities when she can. She also has a work study job in the fitness center. “Playing soccer in college has made my years here so enjoyable,” Petrongolo said, “To this day, there is nothing quite like knowing it is game day, walking onto that field, and playing the game that I love with my teammates who always have my back.” During her senior campaign, Petrongolo
Olivia Andrefski Women’s Basketball Pursuing a career in education, Andrefski chose Alvernia so she could play basketball, get her teaching degree, and being the right distance from home - not too far but not too close. On campus, Andrefski is involved in the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and the Education Association. Andrefski’s athletic career has been a rollercoaster, having devastating knee injuries in a span of 3 years. After those injuries, Andrefski questioned whether she would be able to continue playing.
“With the help of my teammates, coaches, and most importantly, the trainers, I was able to come back and play,” Andrefski said. “I think playing a sport in college made me a better student, because there was no time to put things off. I had to get my stuff done right away and when your professors know you’re an athlete you want to show them that you not only take your sport seriously but also your studies,” Andrefski said. Some of Andrefski’s significant accomplishments during her career here at Alvernia include: being named All Tournament at the Emory & Henry tournament her first year, making Dean’s List during basketball season, and being able to graduate on time.
“Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.” - Bo Jackson
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Vol. 57 Issue 2
Spring Into Campus Events! April 21 between the Phillies and Pirates. The Phillies are ranked 13 in the league against the Pirates which are 14 currently, this should be one interesting game! On the following day,April 22, there is a free trip to Refreshing Mountain Zip Lines. Refreshing Mountain has one of the most exciting canopy zip line tours! They have 2 zip lines totaling over 500 feet long, 5 zip lines totaling over 1,400 feet long, and 7 zip lines totaling over 3,500 feet long. To sign up for these trips, visit Student Activities on the second floor of the Campus Commons next to the spiral staircase. There are also a variety of on-campus events hosted by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) that students may take advantage of during the week. On April 5 at 8 p.m. in the Wolves Den in the Student Center there will be a Coffeehouse Concert with Paul Pfau.
On April 13 comedian Arvin Mitchell will be in the Campus Commons Living Room at 8 p.m. Mitchell’s comedic topics focus on growth, building relationships, and social issues from a different perspective to show the raw side of himself with some humor involved. Back in the Wolves Den on Tax Day, April 15, at 5:30 p.m., compete for prizes at the Kahoot! Game Show. Kahoot! is a tool used to administer quizzes or discussions and even surveys. Multiple-choice questions are projected onto a screen and then the users use smart phones, computers or tablets to answer the questions. There are many more events planned throughout these last few months of the semester. To find out more information or to sign up for events, head over to student activities or you can follow Student Activities on Twitter @AlverniaSA!
These NACA delegates attend to discover talents that can potentially host events at Alvernia. The acts seen at NACA such as Chris DiStefano, from MTV’s GuyCode and Daniel Franzese from Mean Girls have generated great comedian events on campus with a lot of Alvernia students in attendance, and lots of laughs. Attending NACA allows students to be exposed firsthand to captivating events that are brought to Alvernia. CAB’s novelty events, singers at coffeehouses, magicians, and comedians, are all inspired by attending conferences such as NACA. Sarah Englert, the fifthyear Occupational Therapy major, and CAB President, has attended NACA, and other similar conferences. “Without NACA participants, we would not be able to have popular CAB events like the coffeehouses, comedians, and novelties,” Englert said. Attending NACA allows students to gain insight on planning of events such as, selecting someone who will be a good fit to perform at Alvernia, what would be a good novelty event to have on campus, and many
other thoughts that go into planning these events. “It is important to send students to NACA because they get to experience what goes into bringing performs, novelties, and fun events to campus,” Englert said. “As an organization, we need students who have that interest in meeting new people and finding these activities so that we can then provide fun and entertaining events for students on and off campus.” The students who attend NACA also gain new skills due to the workshops that are hosted at NACA. Workshops at this year’s NACA included marketing, increasing attendance at events, leadership, and other workshops to benefit those in attendance. “Students gain communication skills when they are meeting new people, and learn skills such as time management and multitasking,” Englert said. “At Alvernia as a whole, students get the opportunity to try something new not only by attending NACA, but by attending CAB events for the students. The importance of the events serves as a break for students from studying
and homework, and can help them relax and have some free time.” NACA showcases provided those in attendance with an array of acts ranging from mentalists to gold medalwinning jugglers, to ukulele player who beatboxes. The variety of talent displayed at NACA gives the viewers an appreciation for the arts. Nicholas Yando, Assistant Director of Student Activities and advisor of CAB, was in attendance at both NACA Mid
Atlantic Festival, and National conference. “When more students come to NACA, the better the input we receive. More students lead to more discussion about the acts, what can work and what may not work with Alvernia’s student population,” Yando said. Follow @alverniacab on social media to stay connected with all the events CAB has to offer.
Courtesy of Samuel Mirarchi
On April 7 is a free trip to Busy Bees! Busy Bees is a pottery and arts studio with different mediums that one can express themselves with. While in workshops, parties, or fund-raising events (and more) it is possible to paint to your own pottery or on canvas and wine glasses. At Busy Bees you are able to
create mosaics, fuse glass and much more! The next day on April 8 there is a trip to Hershey Park: Springtime in the Park. Get hype with thrills that might be mild or wild with over 50 rides! If rides are not your thing, you are also able to walk through ZooAmerica, an 11-acre walk-thru zoo. On April 14 there is a trip to Washington D.C. for the Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival has a variety of events! Look to the skies with the “Up in the Air” Kite Exhibition or wander around the Glorious Gardens in Fairfax County. During the day you can take to the river with various cruises, where you’re accompanied by tour guides that talk about the history and beauty of the Potomac River! There is also the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade as well as the Japanese Street Festival. Students can watch some Major League Baseball on
Spring holds a variety of events, from Weekend Trips to Spring Fling, designed to give students a dose of fun between studies.
Sam Mirarchi Contributing Editor Have nothing to do on the weekend or have a break during the week? Alvernia has you covered with different groups sponsoring all sorts of events that are free or a reduced cost to the AU community.
Anjelica Riccobono Contributing Writer As a member of the Campus Activities Board (CAB), you can attend the National Association of Campus Activities Convention (NACA). CAB sends members to NACA for no financial cost on the CAB members behalf. NACA is a conference designed for members of campus activity organizations to discover new talent, programs, and events to host on campus. Alvernia’s CAB features many events such as coffeehouses, comedians, and performers to entertain the student population at Alvernia University. Alvernia sends members of CAB to NACA to uncover diverse talents and decide who should be hired to perform at Alvernia for the upcoming semester’s events. Joshua Harmes, fifth-year Occupational Therapy major, attend the NACA Convention his first year. “NACA is cool because you get to experience all of the performers prior to selecting whom you think will be most popular to bring to Alvernia,” Harmes said.
Courtesy of Anjelica Riccobono
NACA: Discovering New Acts for Alvernia
NACA delegates at the NACA convention March 9-10 at Shippensburg University.
graduates March/April 2018
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with it. “We want to grow our alumni base,” Julianne Nolan, Director of Alumni and Parent Engagement, said. By bringing back alumni, they are reconnected to the memories and friends they made while attending the University. Alumni from all over come back for a night of fun. People have traveled from Arizona, Maryland, and Washington D.C. “Hopefully as the event grows, there will be more opportunities for people to plan to come back,” Nolan said. MargaritaVern offers a variety of entertainment, such as a live band performance or DJ, photo booths, delicious food, adult beverages, games and prizes. This year, the event will have a real photo booth for guests to enjoy. “We had a make shift photo booth last year that worked fine,” Nolan said.
This time the photos will automatically be printed to take home. What food will be served? Last year, food options included cheeseburger sliders, hoagies, macaroni and potato salads, cheese quesadillas, brownies, and churros, just to name a few. The menu this year is not set yet, but will probably have similar choices. Alcoholic beverage options, besides margaritas, include beer, such as Miller Lite, and wine. New games are in the works for this year. Ryan Shannon, a 2016 graduate, who now works at the alumni house, shared his favorite memory of the ball drop game, where balls would drop out of a piñata that looked like a Crusader helmet. If you got a ping pong ball, you got a prize associated with the number on the ball. “I got four ping pong balls,” Shannon said. There are a few ways for
students and alumni can keep updated on the event. Social media is a big way, through Facebook, Twitter (@Alvernia_Alumni), and Instagram (Vernalumni). Other than social media, invites to alumni and students will be sent in the mail, texting to a select group of people, and flyers in the senior residence halls. “We really want to see later years come back,” Shannon said. Nolan also mentioned that MargaritaVern is one of the few traditions that Alvernia has and would love to see it flourish, which it has since it first started. It was first held in a tent in the parking lot across from the PEC and is now held in the gym. “It’s for everybody,” Julianne said. “We want faculty to be there. We want staff to be there. It makes it a campus community.” There is still time to purchase your ticket. From now until May 1, tickets are
Yashira Onque Contributing Editor
masters because I felt that I could go further with a graduate degree,” Jami Gresh, Graduate Assistant for the Academic Success Center, said. “I feel that all my stars were aligned to pursue a graduate degree right away because of the information I received from my advisor about the GA’s and I had the right job at the right time where a position just happened to be opening up.” Once you have decided a
graduate degree is best for you, pursuing a graduate assistantship should be a priority. At Alvernia, the Academic Success Center and the Media Suite both offer graduate assistantships to students. The Media Suite is always on the lookout for a communication student to fill their Education Technology GA position! Currently, there are also Graduate Assistantship positions open for Educational Technology (open immediately) and Health Education (open Summer 2018). “Communication majors would make the ideal candidate for the Education Technology Graduate Assistantship in the Media Suite,” Lisa Meinhart, Education Technology Operations Coordinator, said. “Additionally, we would love to receive undergraduate Student Worker applications from Communication students as well.” For the graduate assistantship program, students receive a workload of 20 hours per week during which the student will receive hourly payment in addition to the tuition remission. Students are required
Courtesy of Ryan Shannon
MargaritaVern Brings Seniors, Alums Together (cont’d)
Friends pose for a fun photo during MargaritaVern.
$10 and will be $20 after. Only alumni are allowed to bring one guest. Seniors
are not permitted to bring anyone. For more information, contact Ryan Shannon at Ryan.Shannon@alvernia.edu.
Graduate Assistantships Are A Grad Idea!
Courtesy of Taylor Faust
While some students may want to continue their academic careers, paying for graduate school can be a struggle. Fortunately, for students pursuing graduate work at Alvernia, a graduate assistantship would offer any student the opportunity to have their tuition covered and receive a stipend for expenses as well! “I decided to pursue my
“I have met so many amazing folks so far that have impacted me in a way that I think, ‘yep, that’s what I want to do, that’s who I want to be like’…,” Jami Gresh, Graduate Assistant for the ASC, said.
to be full time during their graduate program to maintain an assistantship. For a master’s degree, the requirement is nine credits per semester, while for a Ph.D. assistantship, the requirement is 6 credits per semester. In order to remain in the program, the student must maintain a 3.0 GPA. The Graduate Assistantship can be a benefit for any graduate student as it will provide real-world experience. They will help in the areas of leadership and managerial skills that would in turn make for great resume builders! In addition, they will help you in the career path you choose as you get more familiar with the skills that you possess and the interests that you have! “Working as a GA in a center that promotes learning and academic success has impacted my decision to switch majors,” Gresh said. “I started as a leadership student and am now pursuing my Master of Education and secondary teaching certification,” Graduate Assistantships will help you get familiar with other technology, protocol, and top-notch business skills.
“The Media Suite offers video/audio production and editing services, training, equipment rental and print services,” Meinhart said. Alvernia offers graduate degrees in Nursing, Clinical Counseling and Business Administration, just to name a few. Talk to your professors, peers, and advisors to see what options are available for you, upon deciding whether applying for a graduate degree program is right for you! “You are also welcome to spend some time job shadowing to see if the Educational Technology Graduate Assistantship would be the right fit for you. It is important to point out that the Media Suite is not just for Communication students but for all majors,” Meinhart said. Any student who is thinking about the Educational Technology Graduate Assistant position is highly encouraged to contact Lisa Meinhart at Lisa. Meinhart@alvernia.edu and speak with the current GA’s regarding the role.
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sports
March/April 2018
Vol. 57 Issue 2
Keith Noonan Contributing Editor The Alvernia university baseball program has a history of winning under head coach Yogi Lutz. After a 30-15 year in 2017 but a loss in the conference tournament, many people are hoping for a conference win this year along with a College World Series trip to Appleton, Wisconsin. There are only four remaining seniors who were originally enrolled in Alvernia their first year. They are catcher Ethan Francis, right fielder Ben Dubas, pitcher Tim Carfrey, and pitcher and third baseman Dillion Dunne. “I really loved the winning culture here from day one,” Francis said. “Everyone is extremely competitive all the time, and that’s one of the reasons we have been so successful in the past.” “Everyone pushes themselves and others to get better, and it’s fun to be a part
of something like that.” Francis had many career highs last season. He played in 27 games, batted .328, had a home run, and drove in 11 runs on the year. Dunne raved about the team chemistry throughout his four years at Alvernia. “Honestly, I might not be at this school if it wasn’t for my teammates and this team, they are my brothers,” Dunne said. “I would never leave them behind.” Dunne had his best year at Alvernia in 2017. Dunne started in 35 games, batted .306, and collected 37 hits and drove in 18 runs while playing the bulk of his games at the hot corner. “We all came here to win, and we got a taste of that our freshman year,” Carfrey said. “Ever since then, I think we all wanted more, we’ve come up short these past few years, but we are excited for this year.” Carfrey was sidelined last year due to an elbow surgery
so he did not make any appearances in 2017. In 2016, Carfrey was as consistent as it gets on the mound. In 22.2 innings pitched, he went 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA and only gave up eight runs. Dubas has been a starter since his first year and has been a middle of the lineup bat since then. Last year, Dubas batted .331, with 48 hits, 8 home runs, 46 RBI’s. All four seniors have all been contributors since their first year to this team on and off the field. Now in a leadership role as seniors, they get to lead a very talented roster in 2018. Returning is reigning player of the year in the MAC conference, Nate Sides, who is looking to defend his title and his tremendous 2017 campaign. Sides batted .439 with 83 hits, 6 triples, a home run, and 39 RBI’s. Also returning is Matt Briner, who had a standout year batting .399 with 55 hits and 30 RBI’s. As far as the
years of experience under her belt as an assistant at Marietta College. She learned under their Head Coach, Jeanne Arbuckle who was a big influence on her. “Coach Arbuckle was a great influence on me as she helped prepare me for the role I have today,” Head Coach Jenn Castle said. “She and the other coaches on the staff showed me what it took to be successful
and that it is not always about what happens on the field. What happens off the field, especially academics is extremely important for these student-athletes. We want them to not only be successful on the field but in the classroom as well.” Along with a very talented roster, there is also a lot of upperclassmen leadership that has helped launch this team to new heights.
Courtesy of Jon King
Golden Wolves Baseball Has an Apple in Its Eye
Seniors Ben Dubas and Dillon Dunne look to make a big impact this season for the Golden Wolves.
pitching staff, look no further than John Catchmark. Coming off a fantastic year, Catchmark led the Golden Wolves with 71 innings pitched, a 2.82 ERA, and an impressive 8-2 record. The pressure is on the baseball team yet again under Coach Lutz. While they have fallen short in past years, this
team seems to have a run to the championship in them. We hope that it’s all the way to Appelton for their chance to bring a College World Series back to Reading. Keep up with the Golden Wolves Baseball on Twitter: @VernBaseball
Two upperclassmen that have stepped up have been seniors Bernadette Carey and McKenzie Miessau. Coach Castle refers to them as the “epitome of what it means to be a leader.” By letting senior leadership take control at times, the culture has now changed under Coach Castle. “Playing under Coach Castle has completely changed the culture of this team,” Bernadette Carey, senior, said. “We are learning to work together and play for each other in this new atmosphere. Coach Castle has been very supportive of us and continues to push us to make us successful.” The team had a 17-16 record last season, with very strong play at home, going 11-5 at Angelica Park. But the struggles occurred on the road and in the MAC. The Golden Wolves only went 5-11 in the conference, but they are determined to right the ship this season. “Conference play is the biggest area we need to grow in this season,” Castle said. “One of my main focuses so far is creating a strong unity between the players off the field as well as on the field. Strong relationships create
chemistry on the field, and it will limit mistakes and give us a great chance to win every time we step onto the field.” With an extremely impressive start to the season, including an 8-0 record during their annual Florida Spring games, the Golden Wolves are on the prowl to take control of the MAC. The team has high aspirations this season. They are loaded with talent, leadership and have a lot of confidence in themselves to make a championship run. The Golden Wolves are hungry to prove their doubters wrong. “I have high expectations for the rest of the season. I want to make MACs, and I want to help show people that we are not the second to last seed in the conference that we were given during preseason,” McKenzie Miessau, senior, said. “I honestly do not believe being the underdog is a bad thing. People are going to come onto our field and expect to play an average team, and we’re going to make sure they walk off of the field thinking otherwise.”
New Beginnings for Alvernia Softball Justin Herforth Contributing Editor
Courtesy of Bernadette Carey
It is a new day for Alvernia softball, and it is a bright one. Under new head coach Jenn Castle, the Golden Wolves are looking to do some damage in the MAC this season with a strong roster built for success. Jenn Castle is well prepared to take Alvernia to new heights as she has eight
Alvernia Softball team photo during their Florida road trip to open the season.
sports
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March/April 2018
Vol. 57 Issue 2
One Team, One School, One Mission The founders of Alvernia’s newest club, One Team, focus on Alvernia’s core value of collegiality. One Team’s goal is to break the divide among individual teams to hangout and communicate with one another as “one team.” “I’ve noticed that the sports teams at Alvernia tend to be very cliquey, not purposefully, but there definitely is separation,” Eddie DiPietro, one of the club founders, said. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) technically serves as a pan-athletic organization. SAAC requires roughly two representatives from each team and focuses on providing feedback into athletic and academic issues as well as promotes communication between athletes, faculty, students and administration. By contrast, One Team’s
mission will focus on relationship and character building between student athletes across campus rather than faculty and staff. Additionally, club will greatly emphasize collegiality. Collegiality is a Franciscan value that encourages people to exercise leadership, charity, and humility in their community. The talents of each member of that community are utilized to help make each other and the community better in every way possible. “One team plans on utilizing the value of collegiality to carry out Alvernia’s mission,” Melissa Stahl, another club founder, said. One Team earned approval on February 11. At present, the club and its initial members are working on constructing the media design aspect of One Team such as posters, in addition to its social media presence with creating a Twitter as well as Instagram.
The first official event of the club will be held April 4, although it is unknown yet what that event may be. One Team events will consist of dinners, socials, tailgates, service opportunities and fun activities where student athletes can get to know one another. “One Team promotes not following the crowd and just being yourself,” DiPietro said. Alvernia athletics gives you the opportunity to be part of a sports team, whether it be basketball, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, and others, but how often do you get to be a part of a single team that encompasses all sports on campus? One Team is that opportunity! For more information, keep a look out on announcements via email for club happenings or get in contact with Eddie DiPietro, Melissa Stahl, Annie Rose, or Max Horn (the founding members) and have them add you to the club’s Groupme.
LET’S GO WOLVES!
Courtesy of Jon King
Kiersten Ingram Contributing Editor
One Team’s Mission is to focus on collegiality.
Ethan Francis Contributing Writer Intramural sports can be an excellent way to get out on campus and meet new people, get some exercise, and take a break from the daily struggles of classes all while having a little lighthearted fun with your fellow Alvernians. Wiffle ball season on the other hand, is an exception to that rule. Wedged perfectly between the end of football season and the beginning of March Madness, the intramural wiffle ball season is where the true athletes on campus come to showcase their talents. Spectators can pack the PEC on weekday nights to watch the best of the best duke it out all season as teams grind it out in pursuit of a championship, and the honor of putting on those first-place t-shirts in front of tons of dedicated fans. The 2018 season kicked off February 12, and this season turned out to be a historic one. Comprised of nine teams, this season was a tight-knit battle with tons of flying plastic and even more drama. The Blue Wiffles, the oldest and most experienced team in
the league, are a familiar face for die-hard wiffle fans. The Wiffles are out on a mission to take home the world series after two disappointing second-place finishes the past two seasons. There were murmurs this past off-season amongst the critics that this team may be past their prime, but what this team lacks in youth they make up with in confidence. “My team is the best team out there, so I’m not worried,” Keith Noonan, workhorse pitcher and senior, said. All season their offense had been explosive, providing Noonan at least six runs in support each game which has been enough to propel the team into first place with an unbeaten record. Possibly looking for redemption after a late season finger injury hampered his performance in years past, or just still celebrating the Eagles championship, Pinto has no plans on stopping his momentum. Pinto thinks the biggest threat to the Blue Wiffles are themselves. “The only team that can beat us is ourselves,” he said. “We’re hitting dingers and blowing teams out of the water.” Claims like this obviously didn’t sit well with other
Courtesy of Vinny Pinto
Intramural Wiffleball, a Home Run League
Wiffleball Intramural Champions, The Blue Wiffles.
teams around the league, and one rumored contender was “Dirty Meek and the Boys.” A rag-tag team full of hockey players, Dirty Meek and the Boys decided to drop the mitts and step onto hardwood to try their hands at America’s backyard pastime. Captain Kevin Duggan describes the team as, “a bunch of washed up athletes looking to give it their all this season.” Over the course of the season, it was evident that
the only real weakness in this team’s game appeared to be actually showing up to the games. Some say missing the first two games of the season showed disrespect, but others believe it shows massive amounts of confidence. Either way, after this season it is evident that next Alvernia intramurals is going to have to implement a penalty box. With the season winding down and playoffs right around the corner, it is truly shaping up to be a
finish that will go down in Alvernia history. Get to the PEC early folks, because you are going to want to tell your grandchildren where you were when the 2018 intramural wiffle ball champion was crowned.
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literature
March/April 2018
Vol. 57 Issue 2
FRANCO LIBRARY Research Help
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Local Author Thinks “It’s Cool To Be Kind” Andrew Dotter Contributing Editor What does it mean to be kind to others? Kindness is essential to the story of Linnea McFadden’s selfpublished debut book, It’s Cool To Be Kind. Centered on a child named Beckett Barnes, the book follows his journey as he encounters a new kid in town named Porter who turns
everything upside down. As the story progresses, Beckett realizes Porter acts out because he was unhappy, an idea McFadden came up with after experiencing a similar situation with a child in her son’s class. Working with children is no new challenge for McFadden. With a Master’s degree in Social Work at the University of Georgia, she has worked at homeless shelters,
Linnea McFadden gives students high-fives at the end of her assembly at Cornwall Terrace Elementary School.
child abuse prevention programs, foster care and as a behavioral specialist with autistic children. In 2015 McFadden decided to write It’s Cool To Be Kind based on an experience her son went through. “My son told me for years about a boy who wasn’t nice to other students. I had the impression that he was a bully and a bad kid.” “When my son finally had a class with the boy and I met him, I realized it wasn’t that he was a bad kid, he just wasn’t happy,” McFadden said. Since the book was selfpublished, McFadden had to hire someone to design the exterior portion of the book and upload it to CreateSpace and Ingram Spark for publication. Another crucial part of the process involved the creation of the drawings spread throughout the book. “I wanted to have illustrations in the book because kids at this age prefer books with some pictures in them,” McFadden said. “The illustrations were completed by Ayanami Monreal in 2016. He did a fantastic job!”
The book’s name comes from the movement “It’s Cool To Be Kind” that Beckett begins at school. After her son’s experience with the unhappy child, McFadden began to research the topic further. “I started researching bullying and learned that kindness taught at a young age can decrease bullying. So I worked on how to weave that concept into the story and came up with the idea of the Cool to Be Kind Movement,” McFadden said. “I had the characters create their kindness club as a movement because they wanted to spread kindness across the world.” McFadden has begun spreading the movement by speaking at local elementary schools, where she encourages the child audience to be kind to one another. Although public speaking isn’t one of her favorite things to do, the reactions from the children she speaks to make it all worth it. “While speaking and I see the kids’ smiling faces, it just warms my heart. They are our future. If we teach our children to be kind they will grow up into kind adults. Our
world needs more kindness,” McFadden said. “I love spreading the message of the power of kindness and letting the children know that they have the power to make a difference in someone’s life - whether it is smiling at someone, inviting someone to sit with them at lunch or helping someone. And that their one kind act can grow and spread because kindness is contagious.” McFadden is focused on continuing to spread the message of kindness by getting the book into more schools. She also hopes to start Cool to Be Kind Movements all over the country. “I just want to do my part in making the world a better and kinder place. Imagine the change in our world if we all valued the importance of kindness as a measure of success,” McFadden said. It’s Cool To Be Kind is available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
opinion & comment 9 March/April 2018
Vol. 57 Issue 2
Mady Johnston Managing Editor It’s easy for students to feel overwhelmed, especially when mixing their studies with the pressure of today’s political climate. Unfortunately, this can result in apathy towards political issues events. Most students may not realize how important it is to turn that apathy into action. For a prime example, turn to the political hub of our nation: Washington D.C. What sets D.C. apart from most communities is its involvement in politics, not just from being the capital of the United States, but because of its role as a territory. Like Puerto Rico or Guam, the District of Columbia suffers from taxation without representation. As a result, many native “Washingtonians” are repeatedly suppressed by lawmakers in the Capitol. Rather than This has led to
grassroots movements to petition to seek statehood. D.C. has also become the prime location for major marches and protests, such as the Women’s March and the March For Our Lives on March 24. In November 2017, protestors from mainland USA and Puerto Rico organized on the National Mall for the Unity March for Puerto Rico. The Unity March came several weeks after Hurricane’s Irma and Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. It attracted local and national news outlets and was organized with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway musical, Hamilton. The march brought together native and ethnic Puerto Ricans, as well as allies, who were tired of the lack of action from the U.S. government on debt reform and relief aid to Puerto Rico. So, what does this have to do with political apathy? As
many people may know, 2018 is an election year. Come fall, the American people will have the chance to make their voices heard on the issues they care about, such as gun control or healthcare reform, by voting for their state Senator and Representative candidates who best represent their views and those of their districts. Now is the time for students to speak up on issues that matter to them. On March 24, survivors from the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fl. organized the March for Our Lives in D.C. to speak out against government inaction on gun reform. Contact your local congressman or senator to make your voice heard, and don’t forget to vote on Tuesday, November 6.
George Zimmerman, at the time of the shooting in February 2012, was a neighborhood watch captain for the gated community that he lived in Sanford, Florida. Trayvon Martin was in Sanford visiting his father. Trayvon’s father, Tracy Martin, lived separately from Trayvon and his mother Sybrina Fulton. While on patrol, Zimmerman encountered what he referred to as “a suspicious person.” He went through the proper procedure and called 911. The dispatcher told Zimmerman not to go near the person. He ignored this and approached Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman said that the two got into a physical struggle. During the struggle, Zimmerman said he shot Martin on the grounds of self-defense. Moments after being shot, Martin was dead, and Zimmerman became a murder suspect. Zimmerman was first indicted on charges of manslaughter. This charge was suggested by a member of the Sanford Police Department and was later escalated to second-degree murder by the Seminole County Circuit Court.
After the removal of two other judges, Seminole Circuit Court Judge Debra Nelson was assigned to the case. Nelson overruled motions brought about by Zimmerman’s defense team regarding Martin’s “familiarity with guns, his marijuana use, and fights he may have been in.” She ruled that these details could not be used in the case. This effectively removed the persona of “thug” that Martin may or may not have had from legal consideration. After deliberating, the jury found Zimmerman innocent of all charges. Zimmerman’s trial began a national debate on the extrajudicial killings of black men by police. Protests driven by anxieties about race relations in the United States started because of this. Black Lives Matter was founded by three women of color: Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi. Garza is an activist for LGBTQ African Americans, along with the concerns of the American worker. Cullors advocates for the dismantling of the US prison system to find a better form of rehabilitation, and also advocates for queer issues.
Courtesy of Mady Johnston
Turn Apathy into Action
Puerto Rico protestors marched from Capitol Hill to the Lincoln Memorial, protestors called for action, aid, and attention, shouting, “This is what democracy looks like!”
A Primer About “Black Lives Matter”
Spencer Matthews Contributing Editor Contrary to popular belief, Black Lives Matter (BLM) does not exist to create dissension among black people and police. The stated intention of BLM is to work for freedom and justice for all people, but the movement was spawned by those that feel they face injustices based on the color of their skin. Black Lives Matter’s stated goal is to serve as a vehicle for change in the pursuit of the equal treatment of people of all races rather than, as commonly claimed, serve as a wedge between African-Americans and law enforcement. How did Black Lives Matter come about? The event that catalyzed Black Lives Matter was the shooting of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.
Tometi serves as the Executive Director of BAJI (Black Alliance for Just Immigration), which aids black and immigrant families so that they can guarantee “racial, social, and economic justice.” She also educates communities on domestic violence prevention. Black Lives Matter arose in the aftermath of the Zimmerman trial in 2013. The goal of the movement was to generally improve the quality of life for black people across the country and worldwide. Specifically, it focused on the problems of extrajudicial killings of black men, and the racism present in the United States prison system. One Alvernia student tried to put extrajudicial killings into perspective. “Cops have encounters with people every single day, multiply that a couple of times, there’s a low number of examples of police brutality out of that,” Taurlen Richard said. “I don’t think it should happen, but the world’s not perfect,” Other students had similar thoughts. “Honestly no I don’t [think it BLM should exist],” Anna Faggins said. “It seems one sided and
aggressive. It does nothing for unity,” There were some students in favor of BLM. “I’m for it,” Ashley Vital said. “I don’t see that much in my city but it definitely happens and I’m more aware about it.” “I just feel like it’s a good movement but it’s not getting anywhere, which bugs me. A lot is happening but nothing is getting affected or changing. There are still innocent people, not even just black people, dying,” In movements and protests the power lies with the people. There have been many social justice movements before Black Lives Matter and there will be many more in the future. It is up to the people to determine whether grievances brought about by a racial group in this country are justified or not. If you have an opinion about Black Lives Matter, any opinion at all, make your voice heard. Start a dialogue. But one should also respect contrary views. For more information about BLM, visit blacklivesmatter.com.
10 March/April 2018
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Vol. 57 Issue 2
health March/April 2018
11 Vol. 57 Issue 2
Does Technology Hurt Our Reason? Is technology negatively impacting our ability to think? All of the technology we have these days seems to make us rely on our memory and reasoning less often. Some people worry particularly about our multipurpose smartphones. What’s the point of remembering anything when we just keep creating smarter phones? Is our spelling suffering because of autocorrect? What about remembering simple things like people’s phone numbers? We don’t remember numbers anymore because there’s no point. But what happens if there’s an emergency, our phone is out of the question, and we could really use someone’s number that only the phone has stored in its memory? We don’t even need to remember how to get from point A to point B because we can just ask our phones
or even our cars to navigate us from place to place. Then there’s the fact that we have driverless cars on the road these days, so we have created cars that literally do all the work in navigating us. Some people think that our ability to multitask has been improved with the advent of new technology. Younger people seem to be better at this multi-input world than older folks are. Do Alvernia community members think technology has a negative impact on our brains? “I would say yes, only because I did a paper on technology and mental health. It isolates us,” Beth Ann Heimbach, first year student, said. “I think it depends on the amount of the use,” Ginny Thress, senior graduate student, said. “Our phones give us a reason to not remember things like shopping lists.” “I don’t know if it has a
negative impact on our brains but I think it has a negative impact on our society,” Peter Rampson, Associate Professor of Graphic Arts, said. “I’m not sure if it’s negative because now that (cell phones) have freed up space in our minds, we could make use of that space for something else,” “I believe it’s having more of a negative effect on society; we’re becoming more recluse because of these technologies we are not opening up,” he said. “We believe we have relationships because of all our followers and Facebook friends, but these are not real true interactions. We’re losing touch with each other and losing touch with who we ourselves.” Dr. Erin Way, Associate Professor of Psychology, had a related view. “I think it definitely has an impact on our brains,” Dr. Way said. “There are some specific skills that
we’re losing, like having to remember phone numbers. Do you memorize the phone numbers of the five people you talk to the most? I bet you most people can’t remember all five.” “Technology is taking over semantic facts, like ‘gosh I don’t remember who the seventeenth president was, well I can look it up,’ that kind of information we tend not encode,” Way said. “People are probably less likely to commit things to memory because you know you can look it up. One
benefit is that we have all of this information at our fingertips. So in some ways it is a huge benefit for us. We can access information at any time we want, “Way said. “So yes, we can use less of our memory to retain information and more cognitive space to utilize it, but are we losing abilities? Yes we are definitely losing abilities.” For more information about the decline of human cognition, consult any Facebook post.
Courtesy of Courtney High
Courtney High Contributing Editor
Students today are very reliant on technology
Stay Sanitary this Semester
Courtesy of Mikayla Pettis
Alvernia nursing student Anjelica Riccobono said that the length of two verses of the “Happy Birthday” song is the proper amount of time to wash your hands thoroughly.
Mikayla Pettis Contributing Writer College campuses are known for community living, but these close quarters often lead to the spread of germs and illness. Is being sick just an excuse to skip class, or has illness taken over Alvernia
this semester? Every year students return for spring semester and illnesses runs rampant. Students are staying up late, living in proximity and sharing food. The college campus is the perfect place for sickness to flourish. The Center for Disease
Control is calling 2018 the worst year for the flu in America’s history. The flu is extraordinarily difficult to track because symptoms vary from person to person. For example, someone might have a fever and cough, and someone else might have nausea and the chills. All of those symptoms could potentially be from the flu. Sickness at college is also difficult for students who do not have time to lay in bed for days trying to feel better. Kristin Gaskins works as one of Alvernia’s full time registered nurse in the Health and Wellness Center. Gaskin explained that the Wellness Center is always busy around this time of the year. Although flu season has been bad nationwide this year, Nurse Gaskins said there have been only nine diagnosed cases of the flu on campus, but several were diagnosed off campus. Unlike the record number of cases of the flu across the country, Alvernia has had fewer cases than the previous year. In 2017, the Health and Wellness Center had 27 confirmed cases of the flu. “The flu season is not over,” Gaskins said. “We could still see more cases of the flu as
the semester continues.” Similarly, Alvernia student Julia Newton said, “The worst is yet to come,” when it comes to sickness on campus. Newton continued to explain that friends at nearby universities have had more cases of illness and Alvernia will eventually be hit more severely. Likewise, Alvernia first year student Brianna Nelson said, “I haven’t noticed a lot of people in my classes absent. But students might be coming to class sick because they feel like they can’t miss.” Nelson went on to say that students are probably spreading more illness by coming to class when they are sick. Some easy ways to stay healthy on campus are to wash your hands often and drink lots of water. It is also helpful to get a few hours of extra sleep to help keep the immune system healthy. Sharing food and drinks can also put you at risk for germs. Maintaining good health is vital for students to stay caught up on their work and keep their grades up. If you do find yourself sick, do not go to class. It is essential to rest and not spread germs to others.
“We (The Health and Wellness Center) encourage students that have the flu to leave campus to prevent the spread of the illness and get the rest they need to feel better,” Gaskins said. The Health and Wellness Center is opened Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is also available for appointments should a student feel ill on campus.
GET YOUR FLU SHOT!
12 March/April 2018
Vol. 57 Issue 2
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