MeetPatKehrberger’69,Manhattan’sFirstFemaleStudent

Maizy Swift and Jilleen Barrett

Asst. Production Editor & Senior Writer

In 1965, Pat Ruback Kehrberger ’69 became the first woman to attend Manhattan College. After expressing interest in engineering, her high school principal convinced a brother at the college that Kerhberger should be able to attend MC..

“On the spot, he said, ‘Well, it is a men’s school, and it’s been that way for 100 years plus, but it’s probably time that we let women in,’,” Kehrberger told The Quadrangle.

Kehrberger had been the valedictorian of her high school, where she discovered her love for math and science. She was awarded with a scholarship that would cover her college tuition, but only if she attended school in New York.

She was accepted into both Cornell University and the Catholic University of America, which is located in Washington, D.C. She almost gave up her scholarship to prioritize going to the latter, because she had always wanted to go to Catholic school.

When Kehrberger found out that it was possible for her to attend MC, she knew it was the right opportunity for her. She was in a unique situation, taking liberal arts classes at the College of Mount Saint Vincent — which was an all-female school at the time and had a dormitory for her to live in — but attending classes for civil engineering at MC. When she graduated in 1969, she was awarded a Manhattan College diploma.

So, for four years, Kehrberger took the bus from the North Riverdale based campus down to Broadway & 242nd St. On her first day of classes, she described walking to the main entrance to campus and finding out that Leo Hall was all the way down on south campus.

Kehrberger was not unaware that there were few women working in the engineering field at the time. Family members and the parents of some of her friends back home commented on her career aspirations.

“I heard things like engineering is not for women, engineering is too tough, it’s a man’s field,” Kehrberger said. “It’s a waste of a degree for a woman, because you’re just going to get married, you’ll never use it.”

She also noted that during that time, women were still gaining access to college in the first place.

“There was a time where the women’s movement was just starting to gain momentum and there were people fighting to get into schools and protesting and saying, treat us fairly, let us in,” she said.

Despite this, MC was a safe place for her. She said the men in her class were shocked to see a woman walk into the building on the first day of classes, but that once they knew she was one of them, they got along just fine.

“They just accepted it and welcomed me,” Pat stated, “There was no pushback that I saw, it could have been nasty if they had chosen so, but they were just great.”

Kerhberger was involved in several clubs at MC. She was a tutor, a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers student chapter and a part of the Outing Club, which involved going on rock climbing and skiing trips. She was also able to be part of the glee club at Mount Saint Vincent.

MC has more than just one woman in engineering in 2023, but there is still work being done on campus to make them feel included and accepted like Kehrberger was several decades ago.

Sabrina Scalzo, a senior

Brooke DellaRocco Staff Writer

This hole-in-the-wall café stands a few blocks away from the campus of Manhattan College with inviting staff and a menu consisting of completely housemade and self-grown ingredients. Not only does Moss Cafe prioritize their menu, the local spot also strives to give back to its community.

Moss Cafe holds monthly fundraisers to support local organizations and promote sustainability in the community.

Recently, the restaurant has partnered with the Outer Seed Shadow (OSS) Project in hopes of raising awareness for climate change and encouraging sustainable practices. All month, Moss Café will be taking donations in which 100% of the proceeds go to the OSS Project.

The OSS Project is an initiative organized by Juanli Carrión and Jacki Fischer, in order to empower and transform communities by constructing and creating gardens. Fischer originally came up with the idea back in 2016, partnering who is currently majoring in mechanical engineering, explained how she feels accepted as a woman in the field.

“For our department in general, we have a mechanical engineering women’s society […] we get to meet once a month and we just hang out as girls,” Scalzo said. “Moments like those definitely make me feel like you know, like, I have someone to connect to even just within the other girls, my department but also with our faculty members.”

Sarah Carr, a junior also pursuing mechanical engineering, described her experience at the college thus far.

“When [I was] going into college and I told people I was interested in engineering, I would always get the response, ‘Oh, good for you. We need more women in engineering,’” Carr said. “They only acknowledge that I’m a female. They didn’t acknowledge that I’m choosing to go into a difficult career with a lot of different paths I could choose from. I feel like they only cared that I was a woman, which always felt a bit condescending.”

Scalzo explained how she

MossCaféHelpsGrowtheCommunity

with Carrión, an artist and assistant professor of art and design making at The New School, in hopes to establish their first garden.

Through the OSS Project, the pair are able to not only create a safe space for the community, but to also educate others about the importance of environmental awareness. In 2017, the OSS Project decided to transform into a non-profit organization, and have been progressing and expanding since.

By developing such a sustainable and logical concept, many people have connected on a personal level to these environmental advancements being made in the community.

“This comes from my own personal experience growing up and noticing how much ecosystems in nature reflect human behavior and how much we can use the systems that nature puts together and observe them and use them as platforms or ways to work with people and with communities to address the issues there,” Carrión told The Quadrangle.

When asked about their partnership with Moss Café over on Johnson Ave, Carrión and Fischer had nothing but positive attributes to describe.

“They’re very community oriented and people oriented,” Fischer said. “Even in the way they grow their food for the restaurant and where they purchase it from. They became aware of us and followed us and approached us to give us the opportunity for fundraising based on their approval of how we work on the project.”

The two said donations are always welcome and are necessary for the program’s success. According to the organizers, $25 is enough to buy the seeds and supplies for some of these gardens, which furthers the idea that anyone can help out with this initiative. Fischer mentioned that Manhattan College students have volunteered for the organization in the past, and expressed her gratitude for the aid of the college.

Tess Watts, Director of Community Outreach for Moss Café, and former Jasper, expressed her respect and excitement about the café’s mission.

“We’re a restaurant and café first and foremost, we do catering and all that, but really, we want to try to use our cap- ital and our privilege, or pull through the community that we already exist in, to really promote local food systems,” Watts said.

Watts told The Quadrangle that one of the café’s biggest impacts on the community is their ability to work through a direct impact model, trying to distribute food and resources directly to the community. Watts also mentioned The Community Impact report and the Café’s accomplishment to hit over $11,000 worth of food donations to community fridges and a postpartum meal sponsorship.

Ashe Birthing Services and The Birthing Place have ongoing partnerships with Moss Café, allowing them to supply 17 weeks worth of meals in 2022. Other examples of longterm and past partnerships are the Friendly Fridges in the Bronx, Riverdale Neighborhood House and Kingsbridge Heights Community Center.

In the past year, Moss Café has fundraised over $2,900 for local community programs and donated over $10,800 revenue to local causes. The café is all feels women in engineering could be more normalized. She feels talking about it helps significantly.

“I think that there have been some pretty good strides, but I think a little bit more of a push for opening environments is always going to be really great […] I always say that discussions do more than you can ever think,” she told The Quadrangle.

Kehrberger’s advice for women in engineering today is to have discussions and speak publicly as often as possible. Another piece of advice from her is to take certification exams as soon as possible in order to further a career in engineering.

Carr has a goal to be in this field for as long as she can.

“One of the issues now is that even though we have a lot of women attending college as S.T.E.M majors, you’re seeing a trend where women don’t stay as engineers for their entire career,” Carr said. “So, I would definitely like to see myself staying as some form of an engineer for as long as possible.” around sustainability built, even demonstrating reliable sourcing practices.

“We try to source from organizations, farms and cooperatives that really care about keeping their employees well,” Watts said. “Caring about the environment, the people, the planet, social good. So, I think that’s probably where we try to make the most impact. Which would never have happened without the support of community organizations and customers.”

Moss Café is known for their mouth watering feel-good food, but with their positive initiatives and ethical practices students can take the walk up to Johnson Ave. and make a contribution to their community.