Day: October 31, 2016

Butterflies of Brandywine

Posted By under Campus News

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

Posted By under Sports

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

Posted By under Campus News, Uncategorized

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!