Dress to impress

By: Meghan Burton, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, mcb5509@psu.edu

Dress to impress was the motto on Penn State Brandywine’s campus on March 24.

The annual career day, held at the Tomezsko Lounge during common hour, was a big day for some Penn State Brandywine students.

Students dressed up in business attire ready to learn, gain experience and to network with the following companies: JP Morgan, an American multinational banking and financial services holding company, Vanguard, an American investment management company and Crozer-Keystone Health Systems, a 501 not-for-profit health system.

Representatives from Pennoni Associates, Communications Test Design Inc., Pennrose Properties, Monarch Staffing, A Duie Pyle, Wawa and InternU were also on hand at the Career Day.

Looking around the room, some students seemed nervous and others seemed eager to communicate. However, the individuals representing these particular companies made sure every student was at ease.

Penn State Brandywine students were given the best advice from a Wawa representative, who suggested smiling. This advice definitely cut the tension in the room and made all the students feel at home.

Many students lined up to communicate and network with the participating companies. Overall, the Career Fair was a hit. Students from all majors were welcomed.

Social Justice Fair: Week of events to bring attention to good cause

By: Nick Huntoon, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, nhh5036@psu.edu

The majority of students and faculty at Penn State Brandywine have at least heard of the communications major. Some may not know of another aspect of the communications field called civic and community engagement.

Brandywine’s Dr. Lynn Hartle is the head of the civic and community engagement committee. At Brandywine, she is responsible for planning events, including the upcoming social justice fair, that will be held on campus April 18-21.

Events will be held throughout the four days to promote student and faculty involvement in the civic and community engagement field. Students will get a chance to listen to guest speakers and take away knowledge on a variety of social aspects, and students will have a chance to interact and engage.

Monday will feature a democracy/civic engagement session where each student can learn how to become more involved in political events both on the local and national level.

Tuesday will feature an ecological session where students will be taught how to leave less of a carbon footprint.

Wednesday’s event takes on the music and arts. Students will understand how the arts influence college students’ activism in social events.

Thursday, students and faculty will engage in learning about selected people’s rights on issues such as sexual assault and immigration.

The social justice fair is a great opportunity for students to get involved.  To everyone’s liking, there will be also food each day. Students should know, however, that the best way to get involved is to attend as well as talk to participating professors and faculty.

It should also be of interest to the student body that the civic and community engagement minor and group on campus is a great way to become involved. The civic and community engagement event focuses on giving back to the community.

Being involved with civic and community engagement also makes for a great resume builder.  All in all, Hartle and the civic and community engagement group offers great opportunities on campus and beyond. The job of the students is to embrace them.

The event schedule with locations has not yet been released.

Updated by the Lion’s Eye web staff

Don’t stop now

By: Sharifa Small, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, sns161@psu.edu

As Penn State Brandywine 2016 commencement draws near, students are wrapping up research projects, internships, independent study classes and exams in preparation for what lies ahead.

The commencement ceremony is set to be held on Saturday, May 7, at 10 a.m., in the Commons Building/Athletic Center. Additionally, the commencement speaker will be Jennifer Morgan, President of SAP North America.

While many students are counting down the weeks until graduation day, which tends to be the busiest, others are reminiscing about their first day on campus.

Will Gruehn, a senior Corporate Communications major, is set to graduate this spring. He remembers his first day as a freshman.

“It was fairly uneventful,” Gruehn said. “I remember thinking that the campus was a lot smaller than I initially envisioned it.  I also remember being very shocked by the general size of most classes, but as the days passed by, the class sizes were a thing of the past.”

Within the weeks leading up to graduation day, there are always activities on campus to either ease one’s mind of final exam stress or help a student look for a job. Such activities include mock interviews, speed networking with alumni, career day prep (Resumania), career day and internship poster and capstone presentations. There are also fun events like Tunes Thursday, Movie Night, Senior Send-off, Spring Fling and much more.

Commencement is a joyous occasion. With that being said, seniors are urged to RSVP with attendance and ticket requests by April 20 for the commencement ceremony as well as pick up their cap and gowns, as it is very much needed for the service. Seniors are still required to RSVP even if they do not plan to attend the commencement ceremony, to ensure an appropriate count of attendees.

“I have a lot of mixed feelings about graduation, Gruehn said. “I honestly cannot wait to be finally finished with research papers, presentations and exams; however, I am also a bit sad about the prospect of leaving my friends behind.”

Congratulations to those seniors graduating. A new chapter will begin soon. It starts with being called a Penn State alum.

Brandywine Softball: 2016 Preview

Brian Bosco, Lions Eye Editor, bwb5310@psu.edu

The Penn State Brandywine softball team is returning to defend its championship title in the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC).

In just their second season as a varsity program, head coach Mark Caserta led Brandywine to a 23-12 record and its first PSUAC championship.  The Brandywine Lady Lions won all 18 of their games against league competition, while outscoring opponents 220-51 during those contests.  The women are eager to show the league they can do it again.

This season there will be six returning players, two of whom were named All-Americans as freshman.  The All-American duo of Katie DeStefano and Katy Steffen helped lead the team to the championship last season, and they look to forward to everyone gunning for them as Caserta said.

DeStefano was also PSUAC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year for 2015, with seven starts against league competition, and posted a perfect 7-0 record with a 1.02 earned run average and 54 strikeouts in 41.0 innings.  On the offensive side of the All-American duo is Steffen.  The first baseman registered a team best eight home runs, 51 RBI, and had a batting average of .377 with 24 extra-base hits.  The two have been working hard to be even better this year, and will help elevate their overall team play.

Entering the 2016 season, the Lady Lions are down seven players from 2015.  Last year’s starting shortstop and centerfielder, players named USCAA All-Americans, did not return to the team this year because of personal issues.  This has created some question marks in the lineup.

However, the Lady Lions welcomed seven new players, including two pitchers who are dedicated to help out DeStefano.  Having multiple pitchers with different strengths is another asset this team has lacked in years past.  Each of the seven players brought in are hoping to make a positive impact on the starting lineup.

“One of the strengths of this year’s team is going to be how versatile each player is,” Caserta said.  “There will be lots of options for me as each position will be interchangeable.”

Key matchups for the Lady Lions include conference games against Hazelton and Schuylkill.  Penn State Hazleton won the championship in 2014 and gave Brandywine a run for its money in the playoffs last season.  Penn State Schuylkill will also be a matchup that will be tough as they qualified for the national United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) tournament last season.
Caserta had some interesting insight as to how a softball season can go.

“Every year could be different, one year a team could be bad, but the next they could have a pitcher that could turn the whole team around,” Caserta said.

All-in-all, the 2016 Brandywine softball team will be a force to be reckoned with.  Having a great core of upperclassman leadership, along with adding dedicated freshman, will help this team have the depth they need to go all the way.  These women are seeking a championship from pitch number one.

Open Mic Karaoke Draws Crowd

Open Mic Karaoke Draws Crowd
By: Nick Huntoon, Lions Eye Writer, nhh5036@psu.edu
Open Mic Karaoke drew in a large crowd to experience the diversity of talent and student life on campus.
Surprisingly, amateur singing fits into lunchtime on a college campus much better than imagined.
Looking at Brandywine´s lounge area, it seemed a bit empty for the usual lunch rush. Soon enough there was a stage and microphone set up. The once nearly vacant Lion’s Den began to buzz with student life.
Before the event, senior Elisabeth Gremlich talked about the motivation for Tunes Thursday, and how it was inspired by the diversity of talent and student life on campus.
“It is very student driven,” Associate Director of Student Affairs Stephanie Jones said. “It gives members of the Brandywine’s newly formed club Musician’s Collaborative the opportunity to highlight the talents of their members.”
The drive of those students was apparent. To kick off the event, a member of the Musician’s Collaborative Club stepped up to the mic, and a couple of students recited verses of their own poetry.
By this time, the news of an open mic spread. More students filed into a now cramped Lion’s Den and somehow, with the tremendous turn out, most of the audience shied away from taking the mic.
The silence was promptly broken when eager student Alexis Proctor took the stage. Before the audience could ponder the upcoming song choice, the words of “I Want it that Way,” by the Backstreet Boys blared through the speakers.
It was an amusing choice and Proctor’s effort proved to be the ice-breaker. Soon people took the stage with song choices ranging from Disney’s “Frozen,” “Let it Go,” and Usher’s “Confessions.”
For the remaining hour, the performers truly provided the crowd a good show.
“The event was fun and a good way to get out of the everyday routine,” Alexis Proctor said after her experience at Tunes Thursday.
Of course, as in any event, there were some who decided to sit back and watch instead of participate.
Freshman Shacor Tyler was one of the bystanders.
“I wasn’t able to find an inspiring song,” Tyler said.
Sure enough, the first ever Tunes Thursday proved to be a refreshing and unique way to spend a lunch break.
Updated by the Lion’s Eye Web Staff

Nostalgia Mixes with Newness as “Star Wars” is Reborn

Nostalgia Mixes with Newness as “Star Wars” is Reborn
Paul Alberici, Lion’s Eye Editor, paa5102@psu.edu

In 2005, George Lucas capped his epic space saga “Star Wars” with the final chapter of the prequel trilogy, highlighting the fall of Anakin Skywalker to become the evil Darth Vader.

This chapter connected the critically acclaimed trilogy of the 70s and 80s with the recently released films and it seemed that the series concluded. However, in 2012, Disney bought out Lucas films for $4 billion, and their announcement was as expected: they will be continuing the “Star Wars” saga from where “Return of the Jedi” (1983) left off. The announcement also came with skepticism.

“[I was] curious how Disney was going to handle it,” sophomore Carly Dargitz said. “I was excited, regardless, that the series was coming back.”

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” the seventh chapter of the saga, 30 years after “Return of the Jedi,” and “Empire,” a new evil emerged from its ashes — “The First Order,” led by an
evil dark side user, Kylo Ren (played by Adam Driver). Opposing The First Order is the heroic Resistance, which is the fighting force of the New Republic.

Some of the main pieces of the fighting force are new characters: pilot Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac), a feisty desert scavenger, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley) and a former Stormtrooper, Finn
(played by John Boyega).

Many of these new actors have been praised for their portrayal of these new characters.

“I absolutely loved Boyega’s portrayal of Finn,” freshman Dave McDermott said. “I think that whoever cast this movie made an excellent choice, and I think that he will have a good future after his run in “Star Wars” movies. Ridley was also excellent. I think that she played Rey well, but I sense that there was a bit of a difference between what she was showed onscreen, what she wanted to show, and what was written. I think that she will evolve as an actress with the series, and it will be interesting to see where she goes. Although his character was immature and his performance wasn’t loved by all, I think that Driver’s Kylo Ren was intended to be exactly as he was.”

Yet, the freshness was also paired with nostalgia. Between the flight of the “Millennium Falcon,” one of the iconic movies of the series and the original cast of the first movies, including the lovable smuggler,
Han Solo, and his faithful companion, Chewbacca (played by Harrison Ford and Peter Mayhew respectively), General Leia Organa (played by Carrie Fisher), and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker (played by Mark Hamil), it was hard for some fans to pick one iconic moment.

“I think the movie fit really well into the series so far,” senior Kevin Cardella said. “They made tons of references to past movies and followed up on the stories of the old characters. It isn’t just a movie of
all new characters. The characters are learning from the older classic characters.”

Needless to say, the movie has become a worldwide phenomenon and has been acclaimed by both critics and fans alike, making Disney’s big buy a favorable one.

“If I could, I would rate it an 11,” freshman Andrew Leake said. “I believe this installment will be an amazing addition to the saga. At the moment, it fits in perfectly, in my mind at least. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.”

With this chapter, the series now in the books, and seemingly redeeming the series from the continually bashed movies known as the prequel trilogy. Expectations are already high for the next chapter.

“The next one will be even more awesome,” sophomore Coleman Hart said. “Rey will work on learning about her past while Kylo Ren moves closer to the Dark Side. I feel like showing the parallels in
their training would be cool to see.”

While fans of the galaxy far away have to wait until December of 2017 to see where all of these characters are going to be in “Episode VIII” (the title has yet to be released), a new “Star Wars” movie will be released this year. “Rogue One” is the first movie of a spinoff series of the movies known as “The Star Wars Anthology.”

While they will be based on main characters and events of the main series, these spinoffs will focus on some of the more minor characters. The focus of “Rogue One” will be how the Rebel Alliance of the original trilogy was able to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s superweapon that blows up planets, prior to “Episode IV; A New Hope.” This spinoff is set to be released in December of 2016.

Other Side of Learning

Other Side of Higher Learning

By: Najla King, nxk5136@psu.edu, Lion’s Eye

As students begin their college careers at Penn State, thoughts and questions surrounding their future goals are constantly brought to mind.

So much so, students likely don’t give much thought to their professors’ accomplishments or the achievements that possibly aided them in securing a position with a reputable university such as Penn State. The further along students progress in their college careers, they begin to notice the syllabus a little more and begin to take advantage of their seasoned professors’ expertise.

Amanda Gunlefinger, a professor at Penn State Brandywine, is one of those extraordinary teachers who has first hand knowledge of the vaccine to prevent the spread of the sexually transmitted virus, HPV, which can lead to the development of cervical cancer.

“I began working in the manufacturing of Gardasil in 2009, a little after the production of the vaccine started,” Gunlefinger said. “Before I started teaching, I worked at a company called Merck, and there, we worked on Gardasil.”

Gunlefinger provides experience and knowledge of working in such a demanding industry to her students, which can be helpful for them. Some students dream to be in a similar occupation.

Gunlefinger said the long hours and stress working at Merck was enough to convince her to switch career paths.

“I taught in grad school and always enjoyed teaching,” Gunlefinger said.

Now, as a professor at Brandywine, she offers students experience that in their opinion makes her more credible as a teacher.

“Knowing that your teacher has worked on something that’s actually on the market is extremely cool,” Ayesha Smith, a Brandywine student, said. “It makes you think your goals aren’t so far- fetched when you have a real life example of success telling you what to do.”

College students should take advantage of their instructors’ knowledge and get to know them outside the classroom. Professors are hired to pass along their experiences, tips and tools that students will need to succeed. New discoveries, even conversations, can spark an occupational interest for students that they didn’t know existed.

Students may be surprised at the similarities they have with the people they call professor.

Student Views on Campus Construction

 

image1By: Sara Piatetsky, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, svp5316@psu.edu

What has been part of a master plan for the Brandywine campus is in the process of beginning, starting with the Vairo parking lot.

Dorms on campus have been both a rumor and long time goal for Penn State Brandywine. With a plan of action now in progress, the campus is preparing for the addition of a residence hall and student union. The new buildings will be located between the Tomezsko and Vairo buildings and behind the Vairo building.

The trailers in the Vairo library parking lot are just two out of the predicted 10 that will be stored in the small parking lot during construction. What this might mean for students on campus now is an increase in noise, traffic and maybe even confusion.

“I understand the longer term benefits for the campus and future students but it seems like current students aren’t being considered,” Jennifer Lindauer, a junior corporate communications major, said. “Most of us have busy schedules and rely on the convenience of coming to campus and going to class. Now I have to come early and plan ahead for parking. It’s just inconvenient and stressful.”

Junior Sam Andricola, a communications, arts and sciences major, agrees that one benefit to our campus was the convenience.

“When the trailers were being delivered, it was early in the day and I ended up in a line of six cars and almost didn’t make it to my class on time,” Andricola said. “I didn’t know what was happening. I expected all this of happen at night when the campus is less crowded.”

The Vairo library parking lot will not be the only affected lot. The front parking lot adjacent to the Tomezsko building will be used as well.

Brandywine’s Director of Marketing and Communications Bill Tyson says the university will be providing information about the construction projects to students through email and signs.

“One of the impacts will be on parking,” Tyson said. “The lot near the Vairo library will have reduced space due to construction trailers and the lot next to the baseball field will be used for contractor parking. In addition, the sidewalk between Vairo and Tomezsko will be closed and the walkway will be detoured onto a mulch path.”

The campus community is also being warned of noise and vibrations that may be heard or felt because of the use of heavy equipment. That will likely only apply to classes in the Tomezsko and Vairo buildings.

The groundbreaking ceremony, the official event commemorating the new additions to the campus, will be March 29 during common hour.

Classroom with Real-Life Experiences

By: Alexis Cavalli, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, acc5407@psu.edu

 

Penn State Brandywine provides students the opportunity to apply their education outside the classroom.

Attending a smaller commuter campus has its perks when it comes to one-on-one interaction with professors. There are currently 12 bachelor degree options for students and many of them offer independent study opportunities.

One of the most common degrees at Brandywine is psychology. The degree offers students the chance to be an independent studies researcher.

One of the research options is with Dr. Evan Bradley, who is an assistant professor of psychology. He and his team focus their research on linguistics and perception.  They are currently working on the AURAL study, which explores the effects of musical aural skills training on tone language perception.

One of the research students is junior psychology major, Brian Fairfield.

“Given the small student to teacher ratio, I am able to pursue the advantage of participating in research which will ultimately assist me in being accepted into grad school,” Fairfield said.

For many psychology students, participating in research will not only count as their capstone, but also become an asset when applying to graduate school. Lab experience is becoming a vital part of the graduate school prerequisites and Brandywine provides realistic ways to become a part of a research team.

Antonio Nicosia is another member of Bradley’s research team.

“When attending a large school, students have to actively look for research opportunities because there is such a limited amount of spots,” Nicosia said.  “When you attend schools like Brandywine, the professors are the ones recruiting you.”

If you are interested in learning more about the AURAL project or want to become part of the team, contact Bradley at edb13@psu.edu.

 

Speed Networking with Alumni

By: Sharifa Small, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, sns161@psu.edu

One way for college students to learn about what the real world has to offer is to network and connect with alumni.

Penn State Brandywine’s Career Services collaborated with the Student Government Association, Blue and White Society and University Relations to host the annual Speed Networking with Alumni event on February 24.

The purpose of the event was for students to get a better understanding of and experience with networking. By practicing networking, students may feel more comfortable when engaging in two-way dialogue.

Olivia Shiner, a junior business management major and the President of S.G.A., was one of the many people who made the event a success.

“This event offers an excellent opportunity to make contact with people from Penn State and within the local area,” Shiner said. “Because of the past speed networking events, I have met many alumni. Plus, I know at least three people and myself who have worked with alumni after the event.”

Shiner believes networking is essential and once students start talking to people, they will realize what they have in common and how others can help in a job search.

How it worked

The networking event took place in the Tomezsko Lounge during common hour.  The lounge was staged as a coffee house; refreshments, lunch and music were available. There were 27 students and 14 alumni in attendance. Each alum was assigned to a numbered table and each student received a number upon arrival, which placed them as a group.

The group consisted of one alumni and two to three students. For the first half of the event, and at the sound of a bell, participants were able to take turns asking questions and delivering their elevator pitches. Each session was timed, so students rotated to the a new alum’s table every four minutes.

Photo by: Sharifa Small
Photo by: Sharifa Small

Observing the success of the event, and one of the many people in charge was Christine Allen, the Career Services Coordinator.

“Feedback from both students and alumni was very positive,” Allen said.  “Students were primarily from two Internship Prep classes, (BA 420 and CNED 280) but student leaders opened the event to all students. Many connections were made for potential opportunities and students are better prepared and more confident as they prepare for Career Days on March 1st and March 24th.”

Denita Wright Watson, Penn State Great Valley’s Academic Program Manager, said she loves participating and been to several of these events.

“I think it was a great event,” Watson said.  “The students were very well prepared, and they asked thoughtful and insightful questions and were very receptive to receiving advice. One thing that stood out to me was the way in which the students traveled in pairs to each station. I think it allowed them to offer support to each other. What I noticed in some of the groupings is that one person might have been nervous. However, the person they were paired with was very reassuring in making the person feel more comfortable by nodding and smiling.”

Virginia Harrison, Penn State Brandywine Assistant Director of Development and Blue and White Society Adviser, said she enjoyed seeing Penn Staters connect.

“The Speed Networking event at Brandywine was an excellent opportunity for alumni to be mentors,” Harrison said.  “It also gave them a chance to come back to campus and remember their time here.

Career Day will be held March 1 and 24; March Madness/Resumania will be held on March 21 and 22 to help students prepare. For more information or a list of all the events, visit www.bw.psu.edu/acs-events-fairs, or stop by Career Services located in 104 Main Building.