Butterflies of Brandywine

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

Over the course of three days, September 6-8, the students at Brandywine came together to consider suicide prevention. During common hour in the campus Lion’s Den, students, staff and outside guests gathered to share stories and resources.

In Pennsylvania, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people aged 15-34. High school, through college, into early adulthood is the range in which those are most affected.
There is no single cause to suicide, however, it most often occurs when the daily stressors of life exceed a person’s current coping abilities. They may also be suffering from a mental health condition, like depression.

Before the festivities began, supporters had the opportunity to post a personal message to those struggling on one large poster board. The title was, What would you say to someone who is struggling?

Messages covered the board with inspirational quotes like, “just keep swimming,” “things will get better,” “keep moving forward,”. . . the list goes on.

Ayesha Smith, a senior human development and family studies (HDFS) major at Brandywine reflected on the importance of suicide awareness.

“I think it’s great that we’re having suicide awareness here at school because let’s be honest, school is hard and it adds a lot of pressure to students. Some people just don’t know how to handle the stress that they may feel from their parents to succeed, from their job and from the pressure we put on ourselves to stay in school and actually be something after we graduate,” she said.

On the last day of events, students gathered in the Lion’s Den to watch a film on suicide awareness. They also got a chance to listen to their peers and an outside guest speak on their experience and knowledge on the subject.

At the end of the day, the group relocated outside and released several butterflies representing peace, freedom and hope.

Launa Andrews, a senior at Brandywine was one among the group during the butterfly release.

“I love the idea of releasing butterflies. To me it’s like a sigh of relief for people struggling and it’s a symbolic way of taking all the built up stress we may feel and simply letting it go and moving on…it felt good even for someone who isn’t struggling as deeply,” she said.

Students left the event with more than just the number to a hotline, and as suicide prevention week came to a close, the hearts of students remained open to those in need.

Brandywine Women’s Tennis comes Roaring Back Against Cedar Crest Falcons

By: Margot Gargus Lions Eye Staff Writer, mbg5317@psu.edu

On a Thursday in early September the Lady Lions tennis team fought hard to win over the Cedar Crest Falcons for a 5-4 victory! With two big wins in doubles and an additional three wins in singles, the girls came out swinging. Lead by senior captain Heather Gartside and her doubles partner, Brandywine grabbed the first doubles win clinching the number one spot with a final score of 8-4.

“My overall feel for this match was determination. I was determined to play better than my previous match, and ready to show my opponent up. I had practiced different drills for this match, so I was glad to see my hard work paid off in my doubles playing,” states Heather after the win.

Keeping the winning streak alive was Elizabeth Sexton and Melody Zheng. The girls came out with a sweep, 8-0, over their opponents to clinch the number three spot.

“I was nervous going into the match, but Melody and I were really in sync, which made us a great team. In addition to having a lot of fun playing, it felt great to have a comeback of 8-0,” Elizabeth Sexton said.

Along with the showing in their doubles competition, Agno was able to take the number three spot in singles with her victory over Kristina Litonjua of Cedar Crest leaving the score at 8-5. The girls were unstoppable after Alexis Ellison won fifth-flight singles scoring 8-6, coupled with Katie Corey taking the number four spot in singles.

This new year brought a new coach, new outlook on the game and new strategy. “Coach Tony Clark is a new coach this year, and he certainly is a great one. He is always ready for correction on the court, and he truly cares about the tennis program here on campus. Coach has definitely helped me improve my game by teaching me new techniques and ways of hitting the ball,” said Heather Gartside.

“The girls this year are coming out on fire and are ready to continue the winning streak,” said Corey.

Come out and support Brandywine women’s tennis team as they travel for their next matches!

Common Read 2016 : Between the World and Me

By: Margot Gargus Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, mbg5317@psu.edu

Brandywine’s common read book this year is “Between the World and Me,”
By Ta-Nehisi Coates.

The book addresses black struggles in today’s society. The author tries to enlighten readers about the current situation of divisiveness in the world.

Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempts to address these questions in a letter to his young son—sharing his story and his history The story covers events in Ta-Nehisi’s life from university to fighting in war. The book jacket review by Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times commends Coates,

“Mr. Coates’s expressionistic book is a sequel … to “The Beautiful Struggle,” the evocative 2008 memoir of growing up in Baltimore, the son of a Vietnam vet and former Black Panther.”

In this day in age there are race issues. Black lives matter vs. all lives matter are topics in the daily news. This read addresses the issues in an honest, open way, paving the way for dialogue.

The story of Ta-Nehisi’s everyday life has been spread around campus; pick up a copy of this year’s common read and share!

Soccer Standouts Ready for the Season

 

By: Alyssa Abbonizio Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, aqa5498@psu.edu

 

With fall sports underway, the men and women’s soccer team look to garner winning seasons. The women’s soccer team looks to return to the championship game after making it there in Brandywine’s inaugural year. The men’s team looks to return to playoffs after being upset in the first round last season.

Senior Bill Walleekendeh and sophomore captain James Cellucci lead the men’s team as they are looking to make it to the PSUAC championship. A human development and family studies major, James has been playing soccer since he was little. His parents got him playing as a child and he’s been playing ever since. When he was in high school, his high school coach had a big influence on him and because of him he decided to continue playing in college. Last season, James was named an USCAA All-American and a Second Team All-PSUAC.

“When I heard it I was surprised,” says James. “My friend Joe showed me and I wouldn’t have ever known unless he told me.”

When asked about being named captain, he said,

“It’s pretty cool. It’s an honor and cool to be a sophomore captain.”

One of James’ memorable moments happened in the first game of this season; he scored off a free kick. Being a defensive player, you rarely get chances to score so when he scored off a free kick, it was a big deal.

“I was really surprised and very happy to score my first goal in college off a free kick,” he explains. “Pure shock was going through my head.”

Bill started playing soccer because it’s a major sport in his country, Liberia. He came to Brandywine because of its proximity and he decided to join the soccer team. Bill is the all-time points leader in Brandywine history for soccer and this makes him feel great. “It makes me want to work more and prove I’m the leading scorer and keep doing it when I step on the field,” he explained. “It motivates me to keep working hard.” Bill knew he would play in college but never thought he would make history. He didn’t think it would happen. In his first game of his senior season, he scored five goals against Central Penn. Once he scored his fifth goal, he kept thinking, “31 more goals so I can reach 100 goals in my college career.”

This season he’s looking forward to his first PSUAC championship, scoring 100 goals, going to nationals with a winning soccer team, and graduating. Both Bill and James like the new coach, Jesse Zafiratos, and feel the team has “adapted well with him.”

On the woman’s side, returning sophomore Laura Delgadillo and senior Jen Lindauer are looking to return to the championship game in the program’s second season. A business major, Laura is in her fourth year of playing soccer and wanted to play because she loves the sport and loves high intensity games. Last season, the team lost in penalty kicks to Penn State Beaver in the championship.

“The reason we lost is because the team fell apart at the end,” says Laura. “It motivated the team and me to work better as a unit to be able to compete and win a championship.”

With an almost totally different team this season, she thinks the team definitely has what it takes to return to the championship and win. Laura was a member of the historic inaugural season of women’s soccer at Penn State Brandywine and never thought she would be a part of history.

“I never thought I would be a part of history at this college or through the woman’s soccer team,” says Laura. “But I’m glad I was and hopefully the program gets better and better each year.” Looking forward to the season, she hopes to destroy Beaver and be able to enjoy the championship game with the new freshman and returning players.

Jen’s story is different from these players. She had never touched a soccer ball in her life. She grew up playing lacrosse and never thought she would play soccer in her junior year of college.

“The first time I touched a soccer ball was last year,” says Jen. “So I’m always trying to improve my foot skill.”

Being a part of the team last season, she was a part of history being on the first-ever team at Penn State Brandywine. She didn’t expect the team to make it all the way to the championship in its inaugural season.

“I didn’t think we were making history until I looked back on the season and was like ‘wow’ we’re the first ever Brandywine team,” she explains. “We made it to the championship with players who’ve never touched a ball.”

With a lot of new talent this season, the team works together, Jen and the returning players, are looking to come back with a vengeance and dominate the conference to winning the conference and going to nationals. You can catch Jen, Laura, Bill, and James in action on the field this fall by checking their schedule on Brandywine’s athletic website.

New Additions to Athletics Puts Penn State Brandywine in the Running

Brandon Stewart, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, bis5306@psu.edu

Penn State Brandywine has added track and field to its men’s and women’s sports lineup this season. This comes on the heels of the success of the recently added soccer program that went to championships in its inaugural season and the announcement of residence life—expansion is a theme.

With the addition of track & field as a club for Spring ’17 and positioned for future varsity status, Brandywine has officially added four programs in the last four years to bring the total sports programs to thirteen.
Each of Brandywine’s current varsity programs: baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, cross country, cross country, tennis, tennis, and basketball compete as members of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) as well as the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC).

Two new coaches have been added to lead the runners.

Angela Fitch will lead the track and field program and assist as cross country coach. Having coached and mentored at the college and high school levels in schools such as Kell High School in Marietta, GA and Bowie State, Fitch brings a wealth of experience to the team. While at Kell, Fitch led the girl’s team to a third-place showing in the state.

Joe Frassenei will lead cross country and assist with track and field. He comes to Brandywine from Woodstown High School in New Jersey where he spent many years as girls’ track coach and as girls’ cross country coach. Fitch has mentored many student athletes and has run programs to benefit athletics.

Assistant Athletic Director Bobbi Caprice is excited to add another sport to Brandywine’s growing list. She said,

“It is an exciting time for Penn State Brandywine athletics as we have expanded to include 13 varsity sports. We identified track & field as having a large amount of interest among high school students in the area as well as those students already on campus. I look forward to watching our new programs and the athletic department as a whole continue to grow.”

The school hopes that more sports will bring more success and more students over to Brandywine in athletics.

PSU and DCCC Agreement

Brandon Stewart, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, bis5306@psu.edu

Earlier this summer Penn State Brandywine and Delaware County Community College (DCCC) signed an agreement that would allow graduates of the community college to transfer directly over to PSU Brandywine.  The agreement doesn’t just stop at Brandywine, it actually extends to all 13 Penn State campuses. DCCC students who graduate with an associate in arts or science and have a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 will be eligible. Penn State’s application fees will also be waived.

DCCC students who apply with their associate’s degree can consider bachelor of science degrees in: biology, business, and psychology (BA and BS). Many students of the community college are ecstatic to have another university as a transfer option. Khalil Jenkins, a communication major at DCCC said.

“Penn State has always been on my radar as a school I would consider, but seeing how difficult it is at the University Park campus I figure this is the perfect opportunity to start small once again and work my way up, or even finish with a Penn State degree from Brandywine.

Taken from an article written by PSU Brandywine’s University Relations Department Personnel,

Penn State Brandywine’s Chancellor Kristin Woolever and DCCC President Jerry Parker expressed their excitement,

“We’re very pleased to build on the long and collaborative relationship we have with the community college,” said Penn State Brandywine Chancellor Kristin Woolever. “This mutually beneficial agreement furthers our mission to provide accessible and affordable higher education opportunities for students in our region and continues our commitment to be invested in our community.”

“This forward-thinking agreement provides an excellent opportunity for our graduates to pursue a four-year degree at a wonderful university,” Delaware County Community College President Jerry Parker said. “Many of our students prefer to stay local, and this agreement enables them to further their education at Penn State’s nearby Brandywine campus.”

Students are already taking advantage of the agreement and can also benefit from the first PSU Brandywine residence hall scheduled to open in Fall ’17 if they want to take full advantage of the college experience.

Go Global for Spring ’17

This Spring, Travel to the French Riviera or Havana, Cuba

Brandywine Global Programs offers courses with an academic study and travel experience abroad during the Spring and Fall breaks in the University’s academic calendar.

Students prepare to travel abroad by enrolling in one of the many courses geared for the experience. Prior to travel, students complete pre-travel coursework and work with an instructor using distance distant education formats through Angel/Canvas and email. During the immersion experience the students work on the projects and travel the country as outlined in the syllabus. Post-travel coursework is then completed upon return to campus.

This Spring, students will have the opportunity to travel to the French Riviera from March 3-11 and Havana, Cuba from March 4-11.

Courses offered for Spring travel to Cuba include:

CIVCM 211 (GS;US;IL) Foundations in Civic and Community

Engagement, Dr. Lynn Hartle, 3 credits

INART 001 (GA), The arts,
Dr. Paul Greene, 3 credits

Courses offered for Spring travel to the French Riviera include:

AM ST 105 (GH) American Popular Culture and Folklife,
Patricia Hillen, 3 credits

HD FS 229/PSYCH 212 (GS) Infant and Child Development,
Dr. Laura Evans, 3 credits

HD FS 429/PSYCH 410 Advanced Child Development,
Dr. Laura Evans, 3 credits

INART 001/ARTH 100 (GA) (IL) The Arts,
Juliet Gundy, 3 credits

KINES 081 (GHA) Wellness Theory,
Barbara Rostick, 1.5 & 3 credits

LING 001(GS) (IL) (US) /LING 100 (GS) The Study of Language,
Dr. Evan Bradley, 3 credits

LING 102 (GH) Introduction to Historical Linguistics,
Dr. Evan Bradley, 3 credits

MGMT 445 (US) Managing a Diverse Workforce,
Dr. Veronica Godshalk, 3 credits

MGMT 499 (IL) Foreign Studies,
Dr. Veronica Godshalk, 3 credits

Explore the opportunities at http://brandywine.psu.edu/global-programs.