9 December 2012
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http://www.issuu.com/holyfamilyuniversitytrilite
Vol. 59, Issue 2
The student voice of Holy Family University since 1954
Vintage is in at Holy Family
Challenge to the Top
Hurricane Sandy impacts many students
By Christina Mastroeni, Staff Writer
By Jazmine Babuch, Staff Writer
By Samantha Kiger, Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of University Archives This photo of St. Joe’s Hall is one of the many old photos stored in the archives.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Hurricane Sandy devastated the barrier islands and coastal areas of New Jersey as well as Lower Manhattan, NY.
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oly Family University’s library has some of the newest and oldest news on campus. Although this summer it was newly renovated, on the third floor there’s a room that holds not only the school’s but some of the founder’s history. Located on the third floor of the library, is a room referred to as the Archives. This is where historical pieces of information are kept. They date back to when Holy Family first opened. Valuable pieces include the history of Tri-Lite (Holy Family’s newspaper), scrapbooks with photos of past events on campus, Student Government minutes and much more. The Archives room has been in existence at Holy Family since the mid1970’s. Sister Brendan is the assistant archivist. Sister Brendan graduated from Drexel University with a master’s degree in library and information science. Her first master’s degree is in history which brought about her love for Archives. Sister mentioned, “We used to use them in my classes.”. Although Sister was modest when asked what her favorite type of archive was, she was eager to say that architectural drawings are her least favorite. “I get them like this.” She said, as she holds up a wrinkled crumpled up design of Stevenson Lane Residence. Sister also mentioned that another type of archives that is difficult is photos. “The photos we get sometimes are not in good condition. They are very large and many details must be documented. They are very labor intensive.” The extended room in the Archives is a climate control room to keep the temperature at a specific degree so that the archives can survive. Sister Brendan says one of her favorite aspects to her job is the correspondence part. “This is where the story telling comes into play, and I like story telling!” She said this part of the job is what makes have to do 10 different activities at once. “It’s like anything in life, you just have to be moderate about it.”
Photo by Jonathan Dick Fr. Macnew holds Mass for “buddies” on top of Bear Mountain.
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group of Holy Family University students, along with Father James MacNew and Timothy “Bear” O’Driscoll, gathered together in the Campus Center to say a prayer. The group was preparing for the third annual “Challenge to the Top” trip to Bear Mountain in New York. “What made this trip special in my eyes is seeing how much it grown in its third year,” said O’Driscoll. “Our first year, we had 23 people make this trip and this year we had 39 people attend.” The group arrived at Bear Mountain after a long bus ride. A group photo was taken in front of a clear, blue lake before the start of the hike and sealed envelopes were given to all of the challengers. With thoughts of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young
Italian mountain climber, in mind, the group began the ascent up the mountain. A flat roadway soon turned into steep steps that seem to stretch on for eternity. Some challengers took breaks during the climb, shouting, “Buddy!” in order to locate the rest of their team and guide them to the top. Once everyone had successfully made it to the top of the mountain, the envelopes were opened. Inside was a single strip of paper with a quote by Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati that read, “If you have God as the center of all your action, then you will reach the goal.” A mass led by Father James MacNew was followed by stories shared by the students.
Athletics Donates Books to Local Elementary School By Gregory Pellegrino, Director of Sports Information
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he Holy Family University athletics department donated and presented new children’s books to the Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School during an assembly Wednesday afternoon. The assembly marked the seventh annual ‘Build-A-Library’ community engagement event, which first began in 2006. Since then, the Holy Family athletics department along with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has donated over 9,600 new books to nine Philadelphia area schools. Holy Family student-athletes (Natasha Cooper, Ahmed Elgayar, Alexis Harris, Ian Hower, Travis Perinho, Delainey Price and Dominique
Thomas) and athletics staff delivered over 600 new books to the Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary School. The student-athletes also took the time to speak with the children about the importance of reading, making good choices and being respectful to one another. Director of Athletics, Sandra Michael, also made a deal with the school children for the class that reads the most books will be invited to Holy Family later in the spring. During the future visit, the school children will be able to read with the student-athletes and participate in athletic activities.
urricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the east coast of the United States, October 29, severely damaging coastal and low-lying areas of New York and New Jersey. Many residents were displaced as their homes suffered critical damages from the rain and high winds. In Jersey many of the shore points were under water as the bay met the ocean. Unfortunately, after the storm homeowners were unable to get to their homes because both of the states had closed off most roads due to poor conditions. In some cases, the roads didn’t exist anymore. Millions of people across the east cost were left without power, food or the existence of a home. A few days after the storm, the state of New Jersey allowed home and business owners back into the state to check on the conditions of their areas. A Philadelphia woman went to check on her home in Ocean City, area that was devastated by the hurricane. She was relieved to find only a little bit of debris in her driveway with no severe damages. “The bay areas were worse than near the ocean,” she said. “Luckily, our dunes held up.” Unfortunately, neighbors were not as lucky. She spoke of other homes on her street that were damaged by furniture from other neighbors yards that got thrown around in the high winds and excessive rains. “I just had hurricane windows put in a few months ago. Best investment I could have made,” she said. A student at Holy Family University lives near Ocean City in Upper Township. She went home for the weekend to spend time with her family and prepare for the storm as they expected the worst. Fortunately her and her family never lost power and were able to stay in their home without suffering and damages. Her and her family’s good fortune during the storm, according to her, was, “a blessing from God.”
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The Tri-Lite
A response to Harmony Action For your information: Below you will see two responses from University community members which address the central concerns raised in the article, “Dear Holy Family: Are you forgetting the motto?” Know that in the future no response will be given to persons who do not sign their names to questions and/or concerns in University publications. Note that the “international student” mentioned in the article is not a Holy Family student, rather, a guest of the CSFN congregation. Also know that no official student’s financial situation will be publically discussed. Thank you. Signed: Sister Francesca Onley, CSFN, PhD, President By Dr. Roger Gee, Professor of Education
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s the faculty member directing the English language program at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Xuan Loc, Vietnam, I would like to reply to Harmony Action’s letter in the October 2012 Tri-Lite. In the letter, Dear Holy Family: Are you forgetting the motto? it was stated that “Holy Family is sponsoring … seminarians in Vietnam.” The first point I would like to clarify is that Holy Family University is not “sponsoring” seminarians in Vietnam. No University money is used to support their English language program. All of the funding for that program has come from corporate and private group funding. The second point concerns the University’s responsibility to students. The teachers in the seminary program are current students in (or recent graduates of) Holy Family’s Master of Education in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Literacy program. They are paid to teach English online during the academic year and in a face-to-face summer program. To date, eight of the TESOL graduate students – who pay full tuition for their master’s program - have been supported through their work in the seminary program. In addition to being paid, they have benefited from the practical experiences they have had teaching English as a foreign language, the career for which they are being prepared for at Holy Family. The third point is in regard to a quality education for all students. Green (2005) has argued that “Today a high-quality education must prepare students to live and work in a world characterized by growing multiculturalism and diminishing borders” (p. III). Implicit in this statement is the assertion that an education without an international component is not a high-quality education. Having
Photo by Linda DiGennaro SAYS Breakfast with Santa
international students on Holy Family’s campus, having tuition-paying graduate students teach the seminarians online, and having students teach in Vietnam are part of preparing students with a global perspective. And a global perspective is one of the University’s outcomes for all students. Furthermore, the mission of Holy Family University recognizes human dignity and the oneness of the human family. In accordance with our mission, the University emphasizes the importance of internationalization, that is, preparing global citizens through the infusion of an international or intercultural dimension into the teaching, learning, research, and service functions of the University. The graduate students who teach in the Vietnam program contribute to internationalization by bringing their experiences into their graduate classes as they share with their classmates the challenges, successes, and rewards of their experiences with the seminarians. The final point I would like to make in response to Harmony Action’s letter is that I am not paid for my work with the seminary project. My work is part of my service to the university, to the graduate students in the TESOL program, and to the seminarians in Vietnam. The opportunity to serve is its own reward. To summarize, the Vietnamese seminarians are not sponsored by the University, the English language program for them has direct benefits for graduate students in the Master’s in TESOL and Literacy program, and international initiatives contribute to a global perspective for all students in support of the University’s mission. Reference Green, M. F. (2005). Internationalization in U.S. higher education: The student perspective. Washington, DC: American Council on Education.
By Christine O’Neil, Holy Family University
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s the secretary to the IAUP/UN (International Association of University Presidents/United Nations) Commission on Disarmament Education, Conflict Prevention and Peace, I would like to reply to Harmony Action’s letter in the October 2012 TriLite. In the article, “Dear Holy Family: Are you forgetting the motto?” it was stated “Holy Family is sponsoring children in Africa.” I would like to share that Holy Family University is not “sponsoring” the children in Africa. All funding for the project, “Bridging the Technology Gap: Bringing TeacherMates to Tanzania,” which commenced in February 2012, was applied for and was received from UNESCO (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and The International Foundation. With the money received from these two organizations we were able to provide educational assistance using small handheld computer devices to be shared among approximately 140 children in the equivalent of 9th grade at the Nangwanda Secondary School in Newala, Tanzania. The TeacherMates were created to increase basic educational access for children in extremely underserved communities, where there is little or no presence of formal schooling facilities or literate adults. This project’s aim was to empower the students to become active content generators, to learn how to generate material for their own use in their own language of Swahili and facilitate their English language learning. For many of these students and their instructors it was their first exposure to technology. All of the participants were very grateful for this
opportunity to enhance the learning experience in their classrooms. This program is another wonderful example of how Holy Family University lives its mission. Our core value of vision was carried out by offering of this type of technology to serve as a foundation to address the problems these young people are facing in developing Newala. By providing this type of educational aid, our hope is that this will enable these children to grow and prepare for a promising future not only for themselves, but also for their families. There was a follow-up visit in October 2012 by two of the original team members, one being, Dr. Paul Kim, Assistant Dean for IT and CTO, School of Education, Stanford University and Founder, Seeds of Empowerment. It was during this trip they were able to replicate the mobile learning project in the Newala Day Secondary School and also confirm the continuous use of technological resources in the Nangwanda Secondary School. Dr. Kim and his assistant were also able to identify another school in the same region with similar settings for future replication. The team hopes to raise more funds to expand the project in multiple schools in this region to be able to develop local expertise in educational technology and pedagogy. We anticipate being able to send a faculty member and a few Holy Family University students to the Mkombozi Montessori PrePrimary School in Mbagala ChamaziTanzania in 2013 to provide this same type of educational assistance to their 132 kindergarten and first grade students.
Library iPads a Huge Hit with Students, Faculty By Denise Avellino, Information Literacy
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n November first, word went out that students and faculty could come check out an iPad at the library—not just have a look, but take one home for up to two weeks. Since then, iPads have become one of the library’s highest-demand items, far surpassing even the popular laptops the library was lending until last year. The library received 30 iPads from IT as part of the university-wide iPad pilot program. Fifteen are reserved for individual student use, and 15 are set aside for faculty to use in their classes. The Learning Resource Center at the Newtown campus has 5 iPads for individual use only. So, what are students doing with borrowed iPads? Surveys iPad borrowers are asked to fill out reveal that students are using the iPads to access course textbooks, watch YouTube and NetFlix videos, play games, help with Spanish homework, listen to music, access email and Blackboard, and of course, connect via Skype, Facebook and Twitter. Lots of
students named the iPad’s camera as their favorite feature or their reason for borrowing it, and Instagram is by far the preferred app for sharing photos (students may install any app, but iPads are wiped clean upon return). Attention, Santa: Some students are so impressed that they have added iPads to their Christmas lists. “Opened my eyes to what an iPad does! Asking for one for Christmas now,” commented Rachel Johnson on her survey. Here’s hoping Santa gets the message, Rachel! The library has an entire page devoted to policies, instructions, apps and manuals for the iPads at holyfamily.libguides.com/ipads. IPads are checked out to students on a firstcome, first-served basis, and there is no waiting list, but students can check availability at http://goo.gl/b2y1D or by searching the library catalog with the word ipads. Faculty are asked to call the library at x3315 for availability or submit the online request form at holyfamily.libguides.com/ipads.
Just Kidding: I had a Procrastinator’s meeting today, but it got postponed.
December 2012
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FEATURES
The Philadelphia PowerPlay, a local wheelchair hockey team, allows disabled, wheelchair-bound individuals to enjoy the sport. Modifications are made to meet the needs of each player, but the competition is strong in the rink.
Where there’s wheels, there’s a way By Michael McDonnell, Staff Writer
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nspired by playing wheelchairadapted hockey as part of a physical therapy group at his school, muscular dystrophy patient, Pat Hilferty, united people of the disabled community and formed the Philadelphia Power Play. Wheelchair hockey uses four players and a goalie as compared to the usual five players and a goalie. “Many of our players can swing their hockey sticks, but for those that can’t, they attach the sticks to their chairs or keep them between their knees,” Hilferty explains. Some players use hockey sticks that are used for street hockey and a Wiffle ball is used instead of a hockey puck or ball. These adaptations make it possible for them to play efficiently. The games are just as tough and competitive as any traditional street or ice
hockey game. The team typically meets twice a month from September through June at Archbishop Prendergast High School in Drexel Hill or the Greater Norristown Police Athletic League Center. When they meet, the team members usually compete against each other. The team creates a whole new outlet for socialization that is very fulfilling for the players. “Many of our players have never participated in a sport before, so it gives them a chance to feel, ‘normal,’”
Photo by Eric Hartline Philadelphia Powerplay coach motivates players in the Powerhockey Cup.
Hilferty says. “Most disabled people, myself included, spend hours cheering on our siblings and friends when they are playing a particular sport. Thanks to [the] Philadelphia PowerPlay, their peers can finally return the support.” Wheelchair hockey offers a chance for players to gain confidence in their
Hilferty says, “Thanks to [the] Philadelphia PowerPlay, their [disabled individuals] peers can finally return the support.”
skills and successfully reach athletic goals previously thought impossible for them. The victory does not lie within the number of wins and losses, but within the acquisition of social acceptance and a sense of normalcy. Hilferty understands the benefits this sport provides and hopes to continue to maintain the team for future disabled individuals.
Pennhurst State School is a popular “haunted” attraction during the Halloween season, but does its entertainment value undermine its historical origins?
Pennhurst State School: Too playful in its attitude toward mental illness? By Hannah Sabo, Staff Writer
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hen our modern culture considers a psychiatric hospital, it typically conjures up images of a creepy abandoned building, in a decaying state that previously housed patients with serious mental disorders. More so, the images we think of usually fit more with the concept of a house of horrors rather than institutions used for the care and treatment of individuals with a legitimate illness. As a psychology major at Holy Family, I have been interested in why people view abandoned psychiatric hospitals this in this manner and what can be done to dispel the attitudes of fear towards them. For this reason, perhaps you can understand why I would be wary about visiting the haunted attraction that takes place every Halloween season at Pennhurst State School in Spring City, Pennsylvania. This long-standing institution established in 1908 was home for many of the state’s physically and intellectually
disabled children. Throughout its time of operation, the hospital endured many problems ranging from lack of funding to inadequate living conditions of the patients. The institution eventually closed in 1986. Many of the issues Pennhurst faced while in operation were highlighted in a documentary from 1968 entitled “Suffer The Little Children”. While I was initially opposed to visiting a haunted attraction that profited from the use of a place in which the previous residents had suffered from abuse, my curiosity compelled me to research further. The drive out to Spring City from Holy Family University, at the height of rush hour traffic, is approximately an hour of travel. Tourists are instructed to park in a large lot a mile away from the abandoned facility. From there, a school bus transports tourists to the asylum. Although the abandoned state school is meant to be an intimidating in-
Photo by Bridget Bowne In addition to the main asylum, Pennhurst is surrounded by old, abandoned buildings.
stitution of fear, I found it to be an example of a world lost long ago. As I walked towards the administration building, where the haunted asylum attraction takes place, I saw the remains of the children’s playground equipment. A recording of children’s laughter added to the eerie sight of the abandoned playground. A walkthrough museum placed in the beginning of the attraction illustrates the history of the institution. It was refreshing to see that, while the intention of the attraction is getting customers to pay for scares, efforts to preserve the memory of the institution are still in place. After the museum walkthrough, looms the “haunted asylum.” It seemed as though the horrific scenes created in this attraction were meant to play on the fear of psychiatric illness and the institutionalism that accompanies this. I witnessed scenes of “insane” doctors and nurses, “crazy”
patients and other horrific themes depicting a false perception of institutionalism in modern society. While the visuals were creative from an artistic perspective, I couldn’t help but consider the damage we could be creating by depicting poor mental health in this fashion. To see an actor impersonating a patient with a mental disorder as a frightening and dangerous individual has the potential to dehumanize people with psychiatric illnesses. Pennhurst State School is a creative, heavily-artistic haunted attraction. The drive is long and the lines of people waiting to enter the asylum are nearly equal in length. The museum portion was informative and added just enough reality to cope with the unrealistic horrors within the asylum. To learn more historical information about the history of Pennhurst, visit www.preservepennhurst.com.
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The Tri-Lite
FEATURES Mac lab is ‘green’ nightmare, students say By Porsha Haynes, Staff Writer
the Nursing Education Building having research resources, and Holy Family Hall having two other labs, students will take paper from one of the upstairs labs to go down to the Mac Lab and print. With all of these students in and out of the Mac Lab, what happens when people have assignments to print? While the Mac Lab is considered a public lab, Communications majors are limited Photo by Porsha Haynes to this room. Eleven of the 15 The Mac Lab in Holy Family Hall is a popular printing place for students of all majors.. Recently, trash, Communications courses in session this semester are held long print queues, and inconsiderate students are a problem. in the Mac Lab. One is held in the video room and the three n a society where every department remaining courses are spread across of every company prides itself on campus because they are cross-listed “going green,” Holy Family doesn’t with Accounting. seem too concerned if one was to look Five of the classes require the Adobe at the Mac Lab located on the first Creative Design Suite installed only floor of Holy Family Hall. Whether it on those computers and all 15 classes is the excitement of having Mac comrequire access printer. If the room is puters as opposed to PCs, or the style filled with students printing multiple of the room, this has become the locapages of PowerPoints, when are the tion for paper waste and congestion. students who need to work on their On any given day, the shipping and Desktop Publishing, Photojournalreceiving office is bombarded with ism, or Digital Photography assignstudents asking, “Can I have a pack of ments supposed to go in and edit paper?” Now if the world is supposed their work? to be going green in an attempt to save Senior Communications major, our environJohn Fischer ment, why is said, “This is it that the Mac a classroom. Lab is going We use the through mulpaper and tiple packs of printer for paper a day? class assignCommunication majors have discovments in all Communication classes ered the answer: it is the hundreds and so much gets wasted.” of pages worth of PowerPoints being Closing the door while class is printed in this room each day. in session does not stop students Students preparing for a class from tugging on the door. Multiple watched closely as five different complaints have been made to the students printed out the same Powvarious faculty, IT, and deans of the erPoint which consisted of 30 pages schools, but nothing has been done; each just as the 8:00 a.m. class was not even a bright sign to indicate that about to begin. Before the class was class is in session. over, the professor dealt with multiple Of course, one could simply print students interrupting the class, wanta sign using the Mac Lab printer to ing to use the computer lab, each one notify others that a class is in sesasking, “Is this a class?” sion, but class would be over before Aside from the Education and Techit printed. nology Center having multiple labs,
Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Gregory ’12 Assistant Editor Jenna Spadaccino ’13 Layout Editor Sara Szymendera ’13 Staff Writers Michael McDonnell ‘13, Christina Mastroeni ’13, Porsha Haynes ’13, Samantha Kiger ’14, Hannah Sabo ’14, Jazmine Babuch ’16 Contributors Denise Avellino, Bridget Bowne ’13, Jonathan Dick ’13, Linda DiGennaro, Dr. Roger Gee, Eric Hartline, Christine O’Neil, Erin O’Neil ’15, Gregory Pellegrino
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11 out of 15 Communications classes are held in the Mac Lab this semester.
Tri-Lite CONGRATULATES Editor-in-Chief JENNIFER GREGORY on her graduation from Holy Family! We wish Jen well in her future endeavors and express our gratitude for her devotion to Tri-Lite. Thanks, Jen!
Co-Faculty Advisors Denise Avellino Dr. Amanda McClain
YouTube is future of education By Erin O’Neil, CAE Tutor
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t began as an idea at a dinner party YouTube. Channels like Minutein 2005. Seven years later, YouTube physics, Veristasium, and CGP Grey has become one of the top three mostare only a few out of the hundreds visited websites in the world. We use of education channels on Youtube it to share videos, listen to music, and and they haven’t gone unrecmore recently, educate ourselves. ognized. YouTube EDU (www. Musician Hank Green and auyoutube.com/education) has comthor John Green are no strangers to piled every channel geared toward YouTube. The brothers began posting education. You’ll find everything videos on their channel Vlogbrothfrom the Green brothers’ channels ers in 2007 and have been vlogging to NASA and National Geographic. ever since. Through this channel, the In his Vlogbrothers video titled brothers found a way to connect to “Revolutionizing Education…With each other as well as people around Weirdos” Hank Green says, “There is the world eventually creating an entire nothing right community now that exwhich they YouTube EDU is a YouTube cites me more call “Nerdchannel dedicated to providing than revolufighteria.” Five years, subscribers with a steady supply tionizing how we teach and two successof educational videos. also what we ful albums, teach.” and two New UnfortuYork Times nately, your best-sellers professors aren’t going to be replaced later, Hank and John Green expanded by your favorite YouTubers in the their knowledge and interests through foreseeable future, but there is defimultiple projects using YouTube. Two nitely room for innovation within the of these channels, SciShow and Crash classroom. Videos such as these can Course for example, are geared toward enhance the material taught in class. educating the viewers in science and It could also be argued that, with our world history. media-fueled generation, using videos These channels gathered over for lectures might even increase stu600,000 subscribers since their dents’ ability and willingness to learn launches but aren’t the only sucnew things! cessful education channels on