StrEAT style meets food flair Food, Pg. 12-13
THE HAWK April 16, 2014
Saint Joseph’s University | Volume XCII | Est. 1929 | www.hawkhillnews.com
The trickle up effect
Housing problems occur because of a larger incoming freshman class ERIN RAFTERY ’15 News Editor
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ith a larger freshman class entering Saint Joseph’s University in 2014, current students’ on-campus housing selections and options are being affected. As of April 14, 70 students are on the room change waitlist for on-campus housing next year; 67 of those are sophomores, two rising juniors, and one rising senior. According to Krista Jaworski, ’17, students started lining up at around 7 a.m. on April 7 to sign up for the waitlist for all rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors living on campus next year who wish to receive a room change. Jaworski was one of them; she and her three roommates were unable to find a quad during housing selection. During Jaworski’s selection time, the only building available was Moore Hall, with two triples and one double. Jaworski selected a double with one roommate. However, all of her roommates have put their names on the waitlist to receive placement elsewhere, preferably a quad in Pennbrook or Ashwood. “Basically, we just want to get out of Moore,” said Jaworski. “It’s not fair to not have a kitchen and have to have a meal plan.” Kelly Bersett, associate director of residence life, explained why housing options are limited toward the end of housing selection.
Continued IHS, pg. 3
Continued IPC, pg. 3
Interdisciplinary Health Services
Broad program requirements benefit some, dissatisfy others The Interdisciplinary Health Services (IHS) program at Saint Joseph’s University is noted and advertised for its flexibility and broad course of study, but this feature of the major may in fact hinder students looking to go into certain health care disciplines that require very precise curricula. The program boasts a “comprehensive foundation in basic sciences, public health, social sciences, and liberal arts.” And as a part of their program curriculum, students take courses in a range of fields including chemistry, biology, psychology, economics, and sociology. The unique program was created to enable students to use a broad range of skills in their future studies or professions.
tional therapy, students who are already enrolled in the St. Joe’s IHS program who decide that they wish to enter into these fields must make a decision—they can either continue their undergraduate education at the university, or transfer and pursue their studies elsewhere. Those who decide to stay at St. Joe’s must complete additional schooling or certifications following the completion of their initial undergraduate education. Alyssa Pernice was one of the students who decided to transfer. In the fall of 2012, Pernice entered St. Joe’s as an IHS major – she was told that what she wanted to study fell into that area. However, the inability to major in what she specifically wanted to study—nutrition sciences—and repeated difficulty with registration led to Pernice leaving St. Joe’s to find
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KATRYNA PERERA ’16 Assistant News Editor
an alternative program after the first semester of her sophomore year. “[The IHS major] was just so broad that with me graduating with a degree in IHS, I would have to go to graduate school to be a registered dietitian nutritionist,” said Pernice. “I found out there were options [elsewhere] where I could graduate with my undergraduate degree and get a job as a dietician, and just go to graduate school to further my studies—not be stuck after graduation having to go directly to graduate school to be what I wanted to be.” Pernice also cited class selection and registration issues as factors in her decision to leave the university. After three semesters at St. Joe’s, she had only taken one IHS class before she left.
Continued HOUSING, pg. 3
“What we’re trying to do is give people a really broad understanding about health and society,” said Ilene Warner-Maron, Ph.D., current director of IHS and assistant professor of health education and anesthesiology. “I think that that is what makes a really good practitioner and provider.” According to Sara Kuykendall, associate professor and past director of IHS, approximately 75 percent of IHS students end up continuing their studies at clinical or graduate school. Others go directly into the workforce, assuming positions in fields including patient care advocacy, nonprofit management, health education, health administration, and clinical research. Since St. Joe’s does not offer majors in nutrition, speech language pathology, nursing, physical therapy, or occupa-
Concerns expressed over effectiveness of IPC
ecently, numerous faculty members resigned from the university’s Institutional Planning Committee (IPC). According to the faculty handbook, the IPC “is charged with advising the university president and cabinet on the five year goals and short range objectives establishing priorities concerning resource allocation and the procedure for evaluation of program effectiveness at the university.” The IPC meets once a month and is primarily composed of faculty members as well as two student leaders, usually from University Student Senate, and various administrators. It is one of the three committees, along with the BAC (Budgetary Advisory Committee) and ABFC (Advisory Board on Faculty Compensation) that are a part of the larger shared governance system at the university. During the monthly meetings of the IPC, presentations are given regarding different topics and issues across campus, and then members of the IPC provide feedback. Recent topics that were presented to the IPC were the new mission statement and the decision to increase enrollment for the fall. “We don’t vote on anything,” said student body president, Nicholas Paolizzi, ’15. “It’s more like when we hear presentations from these different areas on what they’re doing or what their plans are, we give them feedback right away. It fosters a discussion.” “You’re supposed to help with the planning of the institution, which means the strategic long range plan, going out three to five years,” said Claire Simmers, Ph.D., professor of management and a faculty member who recently resigned from her membership on the IPC. “How will the university provide and thrive coming into the future?…You would take a very external, encompassing look at it in terms of demographics and economics and politics and technology… and then you look internally at what are the strengths and the weaknesses, so that then you could put forward goals and objectives,” Simmers continued. However, Simmers went on to explain that in recent months, the IPC has not been fully performing its defined functions; it has been more focused on presentations when the decision has already been made, which is part of the reason for her resignation.
Photo by Shannon Adams, ’16, photo editor
CAT COYLE ’16 Managing Editor
Members resign from lead university planning committee