PCO Newsletter

Issue I: February 2014

Philly Colleges Online

Staff Edward Trayes

Contributors Charlotte Jacobson Courtney Marabella Danielle Parsons Desmond Hester Harrison Brink Hua Zong Indira Jimenez Kathryn Stellato Kelsey Dubinsky Kelsey Stanger Maggie Andresen Marissa Pina Matthew Leister Nickee Plaksen Patrick McPeak Phillip Conine Randi Fair Susan Dong

managing director Alexis Wright-Whitley

production editor

Emily Ganser

designer

Alisa Miller

designer

Naveed Ahsan

sub-editor

Paul Imburgia

sub-editor

Robert Kennedy

sub-editor

Contents Chestnut Hill College

4

Community College of Philadelphia Drexel University La Salle University

8 10

St. Joseph’s University Temple University

6

12

16

University of the Arts

18

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania

22

20

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Chestnut Hill College Chestnut Hill or Diagon Alley?

February 20, 2014

Massive iron gates welcome students, faculty and visitors at the entrance of the historical Chestnut Hill College, founded in 1924.

While pulling up the uphill driveway to the campus, the majestic architecture of the main building, St. Joseph’s Hall, emanates a mystical ambiance before even entering the campus.

Once on campus, one might not even be able to guess that they were still in Philadelphia. This could be one possible explanation for Chestnut Hill’s attraction to the best-selling book and film series popularly known as “Harry Potter.”

Not only does Chestnut Hill College have a reputable Quidditch team – reconstructed to fit the needs of Muggles, of course – but every year the Philly section of Chestnut Hill holds a Harry Potter Festival, usually in late October. The neighborhood and the College disregard reality for a couple days and team up to transform the area into a magical wonderland.

“Harry Potter is definitely a big thing around here,” student Catherine Dempsey, Junior at Chestnut Hill. “The whole town gets involved, they have Harry Potter themed shops, they all come out to the school Quidditch game… it’s really fun and different for a college area.”

Common events in the festival include a neighborhood-wide costume party, a Harry Potter pub-crawl, a Quidditch game plus many more throughout the weekend. The town even goes as far to change menus and décor to fit the needs of wizards if they were to come visit the city of Philadelphia. The idea is to recreate the already quaint, quiet neighborhood into the famous Diagon Alley, by changing their names and menus to actual bars, restaurants and shops from the series.

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The main building on campus contains a student lounge, snack bar and a majority of lectures and classes.

You do not have to be a student of Chestnut Hill College or a member of the surrounding neighborhood to take part in the magical weekend of witchcraft and wizardry. People come from all over the city to take a step into the enchanted world of Harry Potter.

Temple student, Kelsey Garner, Senior, went this year and even though she is “not the biggest Harry Potter fan,” she only had positive comments to make about the Festival.

“It was pretty much everything you’d expect out of a Harry Potter Festival,” Garner says. “All of the craziest fans got dressed up as different characters… There was literally butter beer in almost every shop. You couldn’t even take one step without seeing someone with a lightning bolt on his or her forehead. Everyone was really into it, which is what made it so fun!”

The Harry Potter Festival and Quidditch team alone are enough to portray the image of a fantasy world. The architecture of the buildings and font on all their signs only add to the mystical effect of Chestnut Hill College.

(NICKEE PLAKSEN)

Chestnut Hill College being a Catholic college has an in-house chapel for students to attend to.

Philly Colleges Online

Community College of Philadelphia CCP Single Stop Helps Students Get Covered February 19, 2014

For years, Community College of Philadelphia has been partnered with Single Stop USA, a program that helps families across the country with financial issues. The CCP Single Stop program has helped students gain access to financial resources and other services that they may need.

Since the end of January, the colleges Single Stop program has added something else to its list of services; healthcare.

According to CCPs website, their Single Stop program is partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Federation and bringing in professionals to help students sign up for a healthcare plan that is right for them.

These professionals will set up sessions dedicated to healthcare sign up, where they will work with students and answer any questions they may have about getting covered. According to an article about the program from the Philadelphia Inquirer, since the healthcare enrollment sessions began, they have helped over 100 students learn more about getting healthcare coverage.

(COURTNEY MARABELLA)

Hannah Sendolo (right), a health insurance navigator, helps Erica Carter (left) sign up for health insurance in the colleges Bonnell building on Spring Garden Street, in Philadelphia, on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.

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Annual Art Gallery Showcases Student Work February 20, 2014

An annual art gallery showcasing student work from the Department of Architecture, Design and Construction at the Community College of Philadelphia has been up and running since January 13, 2014 and will continue until February 22, 2014.

This gallery can be found in the Rotunda, in the Mint Building of the college’s main campus. Students who are studying CAD and Architectural Design are currently showcasing blueprints and their model houses to show innovative and unique designs.

In addition to this event, the Rotunda is a space often used by the Art Department to showcase other works and also by the Music Department for small performances.

“My design professor, Terry, always asks us for our PDFs at the end of the semester. He hangs them up for examples. He puts on a lot of shows in the Rotunda,” says Amy Abercrombie, 20, an Art and Design student at the Community College of Philadelphia.

(SUSAN DONG)

Students who are studying Architecture, Design and Construction are showcasing their work in the Rotunda of the Mint Building from January 13, 2014 to February 22, 2014.

Philly Colleges Online

Drexel University The Drexel Football Team February 20, 2014

The football team at Drexel University is far from average. They have no trophies, titles, or even wins under their belt, but they certainly have a great sense of humor about it all.

Stating that they’ve been “disappointing sports fans since 2005,” the Drexel Football Team has been doing just that, choosing to perform improvisational comedy rather than to play football.

The name comes from the fact that Drexel University does not otherwise have a football team that actually plays the sport. The Drexel Football Team is Frieda Beckerman, Ross Reagan, Edric Garcia, Mary Perry, Dominick Arp, Francesco Fevola, Brian Driskill, Jesse Webster, Benny Feldman, and Matt Wiese.

(HARRISON BRINK, MARISSA PINA, KATHRYN STELLATO)

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Situated in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel University is surrounded by some of the most acclaimed universities on the East coast. Drexel’s accessibility may be a good thing, however when other schools are easily as accessible, it may also be a reason why the school has such a high transfer rate.

In 2012, Drexel University had a transfer out rate of 26% according to Drexel University’s Admission Data.

Interestingly enough, the school is only made of around 12,000 full time undergraduate students, which means about 3,000 students, leave early on in their college career.

Each student has a different reason for leaving, yet it’s really interesting how most of the answers are linked in some way. The most common reason why students leave seems to be financial reasons.

“It was fiscally irresponsible for me to stay there [Drexel],” said Julia Hewitt. Hewitt is a recent Temple University grad but started out at Drexel for her first year. Fall of her sophomore year, she decided it was the most responsible idea to go elsewhere within Philadelphia.

“I also didn’t know what I wanted to major in my first year, and I didn’t want to start co-op in a field I wasn’t sure on…I also wanted to be on a traditional college schedule. When I decided to pursue communications I realized Temple’s program was superior to Drexel’s,” said Hewitt.

Mario the Magnificent holds watch over Drexel University’s Campus, welcoming all new comers to University City. ( Marissa Nicole Pina ) Mario the Magnificent holds watch over Drexel University’s Campus, welcoming all new comers to University City. (MARISSA NICOLE PINA / Staff Photographer) Hewitt, like other students who go to school without determining their major often feel that it is irresponsible to go to Drexel unsure. Due to the high price of tuition, around $36,000 a year or more, most families do not want to squander that money on an undecided major or a co-op that won’t help them in the long run.

Even currently enrolled Drexel students echo this sentiment, feeling that it is important to know what you want and that the term scheduling is actually a major deterrent. Pre-junior, Matthew Robinson, has been attending the university for three years now and still argues that the 3 term schedule is really hard to maintain and is not for everyone.

Drexel University may offer one of the most unique higher education systems, but it is also has one of the highest rates of transferring around the city of Philadelphia. It is clear that in order to stay at Drexel, it is important to be dedicated to your field of work.

Philly Colleges Online

La Salle University The women’s basketball team from La Salle University hasn’t been off to a great start this year. The 12 – 14 Explorers dropped last night’s game by 25 points to the visiting University from Dayton Ohio. The team is 9th in the Atlantic-10 conference and looks to improve its record before the season’s close March 1st.

(ROBERT KENNEDY)

A highly contested driving layup is made in the opening minutes of La Salle’s loss against Dayton as guard Jasmine Alston drains the bucket.

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Number 43 Leeza Burdgess a 6′ 4″ center originally from Miami, Fla. takes the jump ball in Wednesday nights game against the Dayton Flyers.

Parking on Main Campus: La Salle personnel clash with local residents Febrary 20, 2013

There’s no doubt that amidst treacherous winter weather available parking spaces become more infrequent, the frustration of finding a public parking space can be felt on all college campuses in the Philadelphia area. This is especially true for the students and neighboring residents of La Salle University. Wednesday Feb 19, despite the passing of recent winter storms, the streets around La Salle University remain saturated with snow and ice, making it difficult for La Salle commuters to find a parking space.

According to Brian Smith, a middle-aged local renter from Philadelphia, La Salle’s treatment of residential parking spaces during the winter season is frustrating for the community. “It’s mainly La Salle that takes away our parking spaces, we have to park in the back… when it snows then we get snowed in because we’ve got to park wherever we can. And then you get a fine just to park on the street that you live on.”

Between excessive amounts of snow and ice, finding a parking space is only half of the problem for both residents and students. Vehicles on 20th st, having been successfully parked still risk being covered with snow or even damaged by the large plow.

“La Salle has private contractors that plow the streets, but they plow you in,” explains Smith as he helps another resident attempt to carefully move a van out of an ice-covered space that has been blocked in by a Mercedes Benz. Even thought the university provides plow service by hiring said private contractors, jurisdiction varies and some streets go unplowed. “They plow my street so I have to dig myself out. Sometimes they do a good job, but they’re getting paid either way,” comments Smith.

With the daily stress of work and school looming overhead, the quarrel over finding a parking space should be only a trivial matter for La Salle University students and surrounding residents.. But as the harsh weather lightens hopefully tensions between residents and La Salle University personnel will do the same.

(PAUL IMBURGIA) “Reserving” parking spots with folding chairs or traffic cones is a common, unwarranted yet effective practice for local residents. Wednesday February 19 2014, La Salle University Main Campus, Philadelphia PA

Philly Colleges Online

ST. JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY Saint Joseph’s University: Dedicated to Service Spring break for many college students often symbolizes a time of rest, but for Kevin Campbell, that week of academic break means being of service to others.

“Prior to Saint Joe’s, I did a lot of service,” Campbell said. “I was in Boy Scouts, so I did a lot of service through that.

In high school, I worked in a special education program, tutoring kids and helping them out with classes.”

Campbell is a senior, food marketing major at Saint Joseph’s University who truly embodies the university’s spirit of service.

Being a part of the Saint Joseph’s community led him to continue his service to those with special needs, particularly in terms of education.

Saint Joe’s has given its students, like Campbell, the opportunities and resources to engage in service projects through its Faith-Justice Institute Service-Learning program.

Service-learning is considered a form of experience-based education, in which opportunities to serve are embedded in students’ academic course work. A multitude of topics applied to the Philadelphia area — including AIDS, violence, mental illness, poverty and racism — are explored through classroom lectures and tests as well as three hours of weekly service in Philadelphia-based communities.

During the university’s spring break, March 7-15, over 500 undergraduate students, faculty, staff and alumni will take part in the 21st year of the Appalachia Experience, a Spring Break immersion program committed to serving with and for the people of the Appalachia region.

Participants will have the chance to travel to 17 different sites within West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina, working with service-based organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Lantz Farms, Cowboy up for Christ and Appalachia Mission of Hope, among other organizations dedicated to service.

“Whether it’s building a porch for an elderly lady’s house, cleaning or cleaning up a school,” Campbell said, “the experience is eye opening. There are a lot of different things that involve improving the community and listening to their stories, just really building a companionship.”

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Saint Joseph’s junior, Interdisciplinary Health Services major and biology and healthcare ethics minor, Nicole Goodwin has not of yet been a part of the Appalachia Experience, but she has utilized her major to immerse herself in acts of service.

“Freshman year, I took a service learning course as part of my English classes,” Goodwin said, “and it was one of the most awesome experiences I’ve ever done.”

As Goodwin is on the track of premed, she has been able to volunteer at hospice homes like Saint Mary’s Hospice in Langhorne.

The biology, management, Spanish, theology, pharmaceutical marketing, chemistry, education, English, philosophy and sociology departments currently offer service learning courses.

The university’s service-learning program is rooted in the application of Igatian pedagogy paradigm, which consists of four main elements: experience, reflection and action. According to Saint Joseph’s, applying this paradigm to service-learning”offer[s] students the opportunity to personally encounter the perspectives of marginalized populations and return to the classroom where their intellect and persona value will be challenged to be developed with the perspective of the poor.”

Both Campbell and Goodwin believe the act of service is vital in building up one’s own character, developing a new perspective by being exposed to unfamiliar things.

“I think this is something that Saint Joe’s really pushes,” Goodwin said. “That’s why so many students do end up getting involved. There are so many opportunities for us and kids really fall in love with the idea of giving back.”

(ALEXIS WRIGHT-WHITLEY)

Senior food marketing major, Kevin Campbell has been constantly been involved i service work during his four years at Saint Joseph’s.

Nicole Goodwin, junior Interdisciplinary Health Services major and biology and healthcare ethics minor, believs that doing service and being open-minded gives people an interest in society they may not have had before.

Philly Colleges Online

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Temple University The Intensive English Language Program at Temple University offers students from all over the world the

opportunity to come and experience Philadelphia while also improving their English language skills. The IELP is currently home to students from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Angola, Mali, Brazil, China, Japan, Taiwan, Spain, and many more.

Classes are provided in writing, reading, and listening and speaking, as well as a plethora of electives, which aim to further improve English skills through language practice. Some electives that students can choose from are Business English, Learning English Through Volunteer Work, Conversation Partners, and American Sports.

Students arriving to Philadelphia for IELP’s orientation week are required to complete a placement test that evaluates their current level in regards to English language proficiency. An international student who speaks little to no English would begin in a “level 1a” class and complete the program when he or she reaches “level 6b” or feels as though they are able to speak, read, and write English proficiently.

Sessions are divided into seven-week periods, with a level change every seven weeks. Students are evaluated individually for each class and may move levels in one class while remaining in the same level for another.

In order to study at the IELP, students must have completed a high school education. They must also prove that they have at least $21,000 in their bank account for covering tuition, housing, and food while they are in Philadelphia.

—Alisa Miller

On Tuesday, February 18th, Temple University hosted a special themed “High Tea Tuesday” in the Louis J. Esposito Dining Hall. Coinciding with Black History Month, the event was complimented with special African and Caribbean style tea; along with pan-African styled cookies from Temple chef Baker Dave.

Open to all students and staff, the event was free and was sponsored by Temple University’s Dining Services.

Vince McNeil, previous Temple student, ran the event. McNeil works currently as a marketing assistant for Sodexo meal services, and as a lab consultant in the Tuttleman computer center. He studied Spanish language and literature while attending the university, with a minor in mathematics.

“We’ve been doing this for four or five years now,” says McNeil. “Every month or so we host one, and our themes always change; this particular one being for Black History Month.” McNeil presented a dark African bush rooibos blend and a fruitier Caribbean calypso mate tea. “The African bush is harder going down for a lot of people, but the Caribbean calypso is popular because it’s light, fruity and fun; just like the Caribbean,” McNeil said.

Next to the teas was an assortment of baked goods made by Temple’s Baker Dave, head pastry chef for the university. The cookies were both traditional takes on and modern spins of African styled treats. Caribbean coconut chews rubbed shoulders with South African oatmeal crisps and West African benne wafers.

As students passed the stand to find seats and enjoy dinner, many stopped and spoke with McNeil while he poured them a cup of tea from his loose-leaf tea press. “I love the benne wafers,” said university student Abena Udo. “My mother makes them at home, I haven’t had one in months.”

A fire alarm interrupted the steady flow of visitors, but the students returned to McNeil’s table after re-entering the building.

Black History Month is additionally celebrated in the Louis J. Esposito Dining Center through food every Wednesday night of February, according to McNeil. “The first week was Caribbean fusion, followed by soul food, tomorrow is African themed, and the last week is Bayou inspired.”

For more information about the event, contact Vince McNeil at tudining@temple.edu or by phone at (215)-2045374.

—Maggie Andresen

Philly Colleges Online

University of the Arts FACES OF U. ARTS Giuseppe Sciumbata Freshman, Fine Arts Major

Was University of the Arts your first choice college?

“I had two first choice colleges. My other was Tyler School of Art at Temple-I got accepted into their art program but not the school unfortunately. So then this was kind of my fall back. I actually like this place a lot.”

What do you feel is the biggest misconception of art school students or attending art school?

“We’re not all pretentious, there are some people who think they’re high and mighty, then there’s everyone else who’s very accepting and friendly.”

Were your parents supportive in your decision to attend art school?

I have very supportive parents. Even though they’re italian, they supported me.

So, I gut lucky. I love Phily, I love art school, I love the people, I love the whole atmosphere. I just love everything.

Paige SmithPaige Smith Music Business Major

Was University of the Arts your first choice college?

Yeah, definitely one of the few that I actually went out for. It was definitely in my top.

What do you feel is the biggest misconception of art school students or attending art school?

I feel like some people might think that art school is kind of like, the people there are “uppity”, or pretentious, or overly competitive. Which, in some ways it is, but it’s good. You kind of push each other.

Were your parents supportive in your decision to attend art school?

They’re musicians too, so they were very supportive.

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Annette Eschel Graduate, Acting Major

Was University of the Arts your first choice college?

It was not, no. My first choice was Julliard. Nobody really gets in there.

What do you feel is the biggest misconception of art school students or attending art school?

I don’t know what people’s misconceptions really are in general. I think most people when I told them I went to art school they think that you do nothing all day. But really I think it’s more work than people realize.

Were your parents supportive in your decision to attend art school?

Yeah. My mom really believed in me, but my dad was afraid that I would not be making any money after I graduate, which I think is a normal fear.

And to graduate with so much debt is really scary.

Rocco PedittoRocco Peditto Junior, Photography Major

Was University of the Arts your first choice college?

No. It wasn’t. I’m actually from Jersey, and I originally was going to The College of New Jersey for tuition purposes. It was a lot cheaper. But, Uarts being in Philadelphia seemed a lot more appealing, being in a city as opposed to a regular campus in the middle of nowhere.

What do you feel is the biggest misconception of art school students or attending art school?

I think the fact that, you go to an art school and people expect to pay a lot of money and then they graduate and they don’t get jobs in their fields, which I haven’t really seen too much. I think the primary thing is you get what you put into it. As long as you put the effort in, I think most people would get what they would like to be doing in their career.

Were your parents supportive in your decision to attend art school?

Not at all, they were 100% on board actually. I’m realizing I’m pretty fortunate in that because not everyone apparently has that, which is kind of strange to me. But it’s understandable .

—Charlotte Jacobson, Danielle Parsons

Philly Colleges Online

University of the SCIENCES Today marks the 193rd anniversary of the opening of the first pharmaceutical school in the nation, University of the Sciences.

At 2 p.m. today, an honorary doctor of science degree was given to Harkishan Singh, PhD, at the McNeil Science & Technology Center on 43rd Street and Woodland Avenue.

Singh is a professor at Panjab University in India and has worked in the fields of pharmacy and science for over half a century. His standing as a worldwide leader as a science historian, scholar, and researcher has made him an influence on the scientific community and the school. His research group was successful in a creating the drug candocuronium iodide (INN) (chandonium iodide, HS-310), which is a synthetic azasteroid used in anesthesia and further research.

After the ceremony, a reception was held in the McNeil STC with a birthday cake celebrating the school and its dedication to science and pharmacy. —Matthew Leister

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(PATRICK MCPEAK)

Philly Colleges Online

PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY The Penn Vegan Society is an academic society researching and promoting discourse around plant-based diets and bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania. Their three key areas of inquiry and expertise are human health, environmental stewardship, and bioethics. They host high-profile speakers and conferences, maintain a web resource and blog for those looking to learn more about scholarly veganism, and work closely with Penn Dining and area restaurants to increase and improve vegan offerings available to those looking to make a dietary transition.

Founded in the spring of 2009, Victor Galli started the group during his years while an undergrad at PENN and now serves as a staff adviser as a researcher at Wharton. Galli says the group is unlike most vegan groups because they are looking to create new types of dialogue and push the boundaries of what veganism is and can be. “Many of our peer organizations are working within what many believe is veganism is. Things like having a bake sale where the proceeds go to some animal charity. But frankly, there are already people doing that, right?” Galli says.

He goes on to give examples of the kinds of conversations the Penn Vegan Society has. “At an event I attended there was a general counsel lawyer from a group called, ‘Friends of Farm Workers’ and he said one of the most common complaints he receives from workers at animal factory farming facilities is from women who report really severe cases of long and enduring sexual harassment. Because there is such a strong power differential between employer and employee at these places, many are illegal, and the employers can say and do what they want with no consequence. This was an issue I had never considered before and I and other members of the group in the audience at this talk were trying to figure out what kinds of events can we do on this.”

Galli points to this as a way to create dialog about an issue that matters to people within the value systems they already have. “As a society that cares about women and body autonomy, you can’t turn around and order some food item that supports an industry that so consistently puts women in positions of abuse. So, we aren’t trying to convert you to anything. We are trying to show you things that matter to you already,” Galli says.

—Randi Fair

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FENCING

SPORTS AT PENNSYLVANIA UNIV.

The Penn Quakers has won three NCAA national championships in men’s fencing and one in women’s fencing.

In Quakers’ fencing history, 11 men fencing athletes and one woman fencing athletes participated in Olympic Games.

The Quakers is the nickname and the mascot for the University of Pennsylvania athletes.

The Quakers is the nickname and the mascot for the University of Pennsylvania athletes.

ROWLING Penn’s Rowling team was founded in 1854 with the establishing of the University Barge Club of Philadelphia, an amateur rowing club located in the historic Boathouse, besides the Schuylkill River, Philadelphia. Schuylkill River is also the home of Penn’s Rowing. Currently, the university has three rowing team, including men’s heavy and light rowing teams, and women’s team. These three teams are all practicing in Penn’s Boathouse, which is at the No. 11 Boathouse Row. Penn’s Boathouse was constructed in 1876, one of the oldest collegiate boathouse in the country.

FOOTBALL Football is another time-honored team in the University of Pennsylvania. It played most college football games, 1,293 (until 2009), in the NCAA history. Penn Football’s first game was against Princeton, Penn’ s biggest rival in the Ivy League, on November 11, 1876. Since joining the Ivy League in 1956, Penn Football has been a major power in this league, wining 16 Ivy League titles, the second ranking in total in the Ivy League Conference.

MEN’S BASKETBALL Penn Men’s Basketball plays in the historical college basketball arena, the Palestra, for home games. It dominates in the Ivy League in the recent decades, wining 24 Ivy League championships from 1970 to 2007. Penn Men’s Basketball totally made 23 NCAA Tournament appearances and one Final Four Appearance in 1979. In the semifinals, the Quakers met Earvin “Magic” Johnson with defeat.

10 Ivy League Championship flags of Women’s Volleyball are hung in the Palestra.

10 Ivy League Championship flags of Women’s Volleyball are hung in the Palestra, the University of Pennsylvania.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Women’s Volleyball is another Penn varsity playing home games in the Palestra. Penn Women’s Volleyball team moved into the Palestra in 1990. And in the flowing 23 seasons, it made 19 winning season and six Ivy League championships.

WRESTLING Wrestling also has the meets in the Palestra. The Wrestling team in the University of Pennsylvania has a significant place in the history of collegiate wrestling. The first reported undergraduate national champion in wrestling is a Penn Quaker. Also, the Quakers were instrumental in the formation of the first intercollegiate wrestling association, hosted its first tournament and currently share the longest running dual-meet series in the country.

—Hua Zong Philly Colleges Online

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