Another Brandywine THON Record Broken

By: Paul Alberici, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, paa5102@psu.edu, updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff

Each year Penn State students join together in defiance of pediatric cancer through THON, and Brandywine’s own THON organization continues to break its own personal records.

During the first canister solicitation where students collect donations on various street corners, Brandywine’s THON organization raised $12,331.07. This breaks the single weekend record for the group by $200, which was a new record set last year. The two canning captains of the group, who plan locations were very pleased.

“I was very impressed,” Canning Captain Kevin Cardella said, who was part of the previous record breaking weekends was. “Our members are brilliant and work so hard. This reflects on our organization and the generosity of the community.”

“The success came from everyone,” Canning Captain Nick Raffaele said. “It was a team effort from everybody. We all contributed to make this work.”

This success has been heavily attributed to the amount of new members in the organization. There are many new freshman and sophomores in THON now. All the different members bring their own unique reasons for joining.

“I joined THON at Penn State Brandywine because of the great experiences that I had with my high school’s mini-THON,” Freshman Dave McDermott said. He is an alum of Springfield High School, which hosts the largest Mini-THON in Pennsylvania. “After meeting some of the people who actually do THON here at Brandywine, I realized that I wouldn’t be forced into anything, and that they were like the people from Springfield: devoted, excited, fun, kind, and understanding.  So I joined Brandywine’s THON, and I’ve met some of my favorite people on campus.”

Other members had family influences with their decision, like freshman Cody Stewart.

“I joined THON because my sister told me it was great,” Stewart said. “That piece of advice made me want to check it out.”

Some members wanted to use THON as a chance to make friends and an impact at the same time.

“I joined THON because I was always an introvert,” freshman Hannah Chu said. “I wanted a change of pace. I wanted to make a positive impact while making unforgettable friends.”

Between these new members and the dedicated captains, Brandywine has had a consistent team this year.

“It comes down to team building,” Brandywine THON President Liz Gramlich said. “We have been doing more things to increase involvement with new members so they have the chance to make as much of an impact as the captains of our group. We are also consistently reinforcing why we do this to the members.”

With the first big success of the year under their belt, Brandywine THON members, new and old, have high expectations.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know more people here at Brandywine, canning some more, and just enjoying my first year of college,” McDermott said. “I’m sure that there is plenty to look forward to that I don’t even know about yet.”

The one thing that everyone seems to be looking forward to above everything else is the annual 46-hour Dance Marathon. This event ends the fundraising year and the total amount raised throughout that year. THON 2016 will be held February 19 -21 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

This early success is only the beginning for this group. Multiple events and another canning weekend separate them from the dance marathon at the end of the year. Since this is just the beginning, the only place for the total to go is up.

Holocaust Survivor Enlightens Brandywine with Story

By: Kevin Dallatore, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, kzd5241@psu.edu, updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff

 

Holocaust survivor Esther Bauer came to Brandywine in October during common hour to talk about her experiences during the Holocaust.

Through her amazing recollection, those in attendance were able to picture the events of her life and get a closer look at what happened during this tragic time in world history. It was a moving speech that had everyone interested in learning as much as they could—at times, aghast and others, angry.

Bauer, who was born into a middle-income family in 1924, lived in Hamburg, Germany. When she was 9 years old, Hitler came to power. She recalls that, at that time, people were not sophisticated and, to shield her from the truth of Hitler’s reign, her parents did not tell her the truth of Hitler’s plans. After Hitler began to control Germany, her father, a Jewish teacher, was no longer allowed to teach the Jewish children who attended public schools. This trend continued as her mother, a doctor, could not go to work anymore, and Jewish people were not allowed to walk in the parks.

When the Nazis burned the synagogues in 1938, Bauer and her family were forced to wear the yellow stars on all of their clothing. “I can remember a man who got up from his seat on the subway and said to me, ‘please sit down.’ I knew that not all Germans were bad people,” Bauer said.

Another one of the rules enacted was that she and her family had to move from the home in which they lived in Hamburg to a Jewish apartment where there was no hot water and no heat–until they received a notice they were to move to Theresienstadt, a Jewish ghetto camp which is located in the present Czech Republic.

Upon arrival to Theresienstadt, they were forced to leave their suitcases on the floor and walk to the top floor of the building. While walking up to the top floor, she caught a glimpse of a young man, who would later introduce himself as Hanza, standing in the kitchen. Once she got up to the top floor where they were forced to sleep, they slept with nothing to comfort them. Their suitcases never made it to their rooms either.

Six weeks after her arrival at Theresienstadt, her father came down with meningitis and died. Later in her stay, Bauer also suffered health issues as she came down with pneumonia so severe that Hanza, who could not speak German but brought translators with him to speak with Bauer, found a doctor for her. Hanza was also able to get Bauer a job in the offices at the camp so she didn’t have to work in the fields. While working in the offices, one of her co-workers was able to teach her Czech so she could finally communicate with Hanza. Apparently the communication helped because they secretly married when they discovered he was going to be transferred to a different Nazi camp.

One of the main characteristics of Theresienstadt was that it was a temporary holding camp, and those in the camp would not be there for a long time. This was true for Bauer who was told she could be reunited with Hanza since she was his wife. Bauer made the hard decision to leave her mother behind to move to the camp in which Hanza was supposedly located. It was on the train that Bauer realized she was not going to be reunited with Hanza; she was actually going to Auschwitz.

As she recalls, Auschwitz was a dreadful place. Upon arrival she was told by the Nazi officers to throw all the food she was carrying over the fence because the Nazis would not allow them to carry it in. The lady who was standing next to her decided she was going to do as she was told and was immediately shot and killed.

As Bauer got as settled in as she could at Auschwitz, she received the new job of making metal rivets for German airplanes. She would work on these pieces for 12 hours a day with no breaks during her shifts.

In one of her many feisty moments during the speech, Bauer mentioned that she tried to make some of the pieces as short as possible as an act of sabotage so that none of the pieces she made for the planes would fit.

During the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945, Bauer was finally freed from Nazi rule and soon moved to the American occupied city of Lintz. While in Lintz, she was able to reach out to a family member who had moved to Illinois. They gave her an affidavit to come to the United States, and she arrived in New York in the June 1945.

As she finished her story, she opened it up for questions. The audience learned that Bauer does not feel guilty that she was able to be liberated while 6 million others were killed. Rather, she is happy that she was given the chance to live her life, marry, and after her husband’s death nearly 50 years later, meet her “boy-toy” Bill and tell everyone about her story.

“I couldn’t talk about my experience for the first 20 years. For the next 20 years, no one seemed to care, and now for these past 20 years, it seems like everyone wants to hear my story, which I am happy to tell,” Bauer said. “I would like for those who have heard my story to learn that everyone should look to see that the events that took place in my youth never happen again.”

Volleyball Advances to National Championship

The Brandywine Women’s Volleyball team beat PS Fayette at University Park yesterday to capture their first PSUAC Championship in program history. They have dominated the league going undefeated, and until yesterday, had never lost a game in conference play. They beat Fayette in 4 games taking game 1, 3 and 4. This win gives the team an automatic bid to the USCAA National Championship being held 11-4 through 11-7 at SUNY Canton in Canton, NY.

Kicking off the women’s soccer team

This year, Penn State Brandywine has its very first women’s soccer team, and playing the position of right back is junior Jennifer Lindauer.

It may surprise some to know that Lindauer came to Brandywine with no experience as a soccer player.

“I’ve played a couple of other sports, but my main one was lacrosse,” Lindauer said. “I played for school and travel. I actually missed playing lacrosse a lot, so that’s part of the reason why I joined the soccer team.”

After hearing other students discussing the upcoming team, Lindauer was interested. Soon she spoke to Bobbi Caprice, who works in many areas of our school’s athletic department, and made the decision to join the team.

“Bobbi had a lot of great reasons why it would be a good idea to play, as well as the head coach,“ Lindauer said. “I also figured it’d be an exciting way to get back in shape.”

Since then, Lindauer has had a lot of fun on and off the field with her team. She said the girls have become one big family, and it helps them to play better.

“I’ve played on a lot of teams where everyone didn’t clique together, and you can see it on the field,” Lindauer said. “Becoming so close so fast, in my opinion, gives us a slight advantage over other teams.”

Even with all of the fun they are having, Lindauer says there is some pressure since it is the school’s first year with a team. Their effective combination of teamwork and practice seem to be paying off, though, as they currently have a record of 3-2.

As for the rest of the season, Lindauer hopes to go to University Park for the championships and also improve on her own personal skills as a player.

“My goal for the season is to learn how to hit a long ball correctly,” Lindauer said. “Everyone makes it look so easy, but I rarely can get the ball off the ground unless I toe it.”

The Lion’s Eye will continue to follow the progress of the team.

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer
Brooke Byrne, bzb5183@psu.edu

Penn State Issues Statement about Vague Threats

An email was sent to Penn State Brandywine students Sunday about vague threats to a Philadelphia-area University.

The message stated:

Penn State, along with other universities that have a presence in the Philadelphia region, has learned from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that there have been vague threats of violence at “a Philadelphia area University.” The FBI indicated that similarly vague threats have been made on social media across the country in the last several days. While law enforcement is not aware of any specific threat, Penn State University Police and Public Safety is closely monitoring the situation and police at Penn State’s Abington, Brandywine and Great Valley campuses will be operating with heightened awareness and diligence. Operations will continue as normal on Monday.

Students, faculty and staff at Abington, Brandywine and Great Valley should report any concerns or suspicious activity to police, either by dialing 911 or by calling one of the following numbers:

Abington: 215-881-7575
Brandywine: 610-892-1496
Great Valley: 610-648-3203

The FBI released the following statement over the weekend:

Out of an abundance of caution, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office notified local colleges and universities of a social media posting which threatened violence at a Philadelphia-area college or university for Monday, October 5. No specific college or university was identified in the posting. We encourage students, faculty, and employees at area colleges and universities to follow the guidance of their campus security officials. The FBI will continue to work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to investigate threats of violence, and, as always, we ask the public to report suspicious activity to law enforcement.

The threat was posted on 4chan, a message board where everyone is anonymous, last Friday, the day after the shooting in Oregon. It praises the gunman as a fellow member of the “Beta Rebellion.”

Brandywine campus abounds with new construction

As Penn State Brandywine began a new fall semester, students were greeted with new construction throughout the campus.

The construction can be seen all throughout the campus, most noticeably in front of the Commons building, where right now most of the patio is a dirt patch, but will, soon enough, be a water fountain.

Other locations of construction around campus are in the walkways where the school is adding more lamp posts. Another addition to the campus is right around Vairo Library and the tennis courts. Probably not many students noticed the few stones that made up a small short cut from the walkway that passes the tennis courts and connects to the walkway that passes the library. Those few stones are now newly built steps.

Many students and faculty are excited to see what the campus has in store for the new plans. Other students are excited but also feel inconvenienced by the schools construction.

“I think the construction outside of Commons is an inconvenience because it cuts off several pathways that lead to the entrance, but overall I think the construction will do the campus good,” one senior student who wishes to remain anonymous said.

Did you notice the upgraded lounge area in Viaro Library basement? Some of the furniture has been changed along with the outdated computers, which have been replaced with new Mac computers. Talks of adding a glass wall and entrance to the lounge have also been discussed.

Another reoccurring rumor around campus is when campus residence halls will be built. Well, rumor no more! The campus just received final township approval to construct the new student housing and student union projects. The school has plans to construct the residence halls right behind Vairo Library where the woods are currently located. The residence hall will be an L-shaped building able to house 250 students with a new dining hall.

“I am really excited that they will be adding dorms to the campus, it’s just a shame that I will be graduated by the time they are built, and I will not get to enjoy all of the new additions,” senior Anna Toshtzar said.

Some students would like to see other additions made to the campus in future years.

“I wish the school would build a better place for students to hang out,” senior Justin Gomez said. “I know that Commons is a place for students to hang out, but I wish that there was a place that had more chairs to relax in and more games for students to play such as a pool or foosball.”

Only the future will tell what advancements will be made on campus in the years to come. Penn State Brandywine is constantly updating in order to stay modern and competitive in the educational arena.

Lions Eye Staff Writer
Tom O’Donnell, two5047@psu.edu
updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff

Campus celebrates Constitution Day

The Brandywine, PSU Civic and Community Engagement celebrated this year’s Constitution Day, on Thursday, September 17, 2015.

Lynn C. Hartle, Ph.D., Professor of Education, Coordinator, Civic and Community Engagement Laboratory
Lynn C. Hartle, Ph.D., Professor of Education, Coordinator, Civic and Community Engagement Laboratory
From left: Jamie Sabilion, Adasiah Blackshear, Yano Rodriquez, Cov comm intern
From left: Jamie Sabilion, Adasiah Blackshear, Yano Rodriquez, Cov comm intern

This date commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who are born in the U.S. or, by naturalization, have become citizens. In Vairo’s open-air patio, DJ Rohit Goswamy, kept the event lively with popular tunes and Karaoke. Students from the CIVCM 211 class, Adnaan Lambe, Brandi James, Brandi Johnson and CIVCM intern Yanira Rodriguez assisted with the festivities, which included a patriotic bandana decorating contest and Bill of Rights trivia game show. The main event was a “kick-off” for the campus voter registration drive, spear headed by Schreyer’s Honors student, Haleigh Swansen’s “Uncle Sam” squad. At this event, 25 students registered to vote. On-site voter registration will continue in the Vairo first floor lounge. Exercise your Right!

Lynn C. Hartle, Ph.D., Professor of Education, Coordinator, Civic and Community Engagement Laboratory
updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff

Students react to “The Walking Dead” spin-off

When the AMC TV network and Walking Dead creators announced there would be a spin-off series to coincide with the critically acclaimed series The Walking Dead, fans were very excited yet curious as to what this series would be all about. Well on Aug. 23, fans got their first look at the spin-off titled Fear the Walking Dead.

The series is set in Los Angles and, instead of the apocalypse already being well under way like in the main series, starts at the very beginning of the outbreak in a much more populated area than the original show’s location of Georgia. The following for this show encompasses many people who have been fans of The Walking Dead since the very beginning.

“I have been watching the Walking Dead since it began in 2010,” senior Abby Wilt said. “It took me a while to get into the whole “zombie craze” but after the first three episodes, I was hooked.”

Because of the die-hard fans of the mainstream show, expectations have been high and the spinoff has its hands full trying to fill such big shoes.

“My expectations with this show will always be high, especially because I am comparing it to The Walking Dead,” senior Emily Battista said. “I am looking forward to seeing what they have in store.”

Some fans are also fully aware that like with any other show, the opening few episodes may be slow, but for good reason.

“It was as I expected,” senior Kevin Cardella said. “The episodes were kind of slow, but you can clearly see them building into large significant events. It’s also nice to see a different take to the show other than the original show.”

This show, however, takes a very different approach to the zombie apocalypse scenario. Instead of the seasoned veterans who know how to survive against the “walkers” (what this shows call zombies) in the main show, the characters of “Fear” have no idea how to handle this outbreak, or even what is going on. That, and the fact that there aren’t nearly as many walkers roaming around yet because the outbreak had just started, give it a unique twist.

“I expected the character to be naïve about what to do when approached by a walker,” Wilt said. “The thing that makes this show great is that it shows you what happened before the first episode of The Walking Dead.”

Kevin Cardella had a very similar opinion on the general population:

“In this new series they are living with the mind-set that these are just sick people who need help,” Cardella said. “By trying to help them and failing to see the danger of the walkers, people are getting infected more easily.”

With the show already renewed for another season before its first one is over, it will be interesting to see how these innocent people are forced to adapt. The spinoff series Fear The Walking Dead is on Sunday nights on AMC at 9:00 p.m. Season 6 of The Walking Dead begins Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9:00 p.m. on AMC as well.

Lions Eye Staff Editor,
Paul Alberici, paa5102@psu.edu
updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff

Women’s Soccer Looks for Bright Beginning

As Brandywine’s fall sports’ seasons are well underway, new faces have the tough task of putting Brandywine’s women’s soccer on the map.

Penn State Brandywine has added women’s soccer to the mix. During the fall of 2014 the team played locally, but this year they have moved to an intercollegiate schedule. To accompany the new team, there are many newcomers on Brandywine’s campus and a new coach as well –Sharif Sabar.

Sabar, a Boyertown, PA native, worked as an assistant coach at Immaculata University and coached club soccer for 12 years. Sabar expects a lot this season.

“Our expectations are to have fun and build a culture around our team,” Sabar said.

Assistant Coach Takyiyah Thomas backed up Sabar’s idea.

“Our goal is to create a culture for this team and a foundation,” Thomas said.

With the season underway, Coach Sabar seems to be enjoying Brandywine thus far.

“I don’t like it, I love it, and it seems as if we’re one big family,” Sabar said. “The other coaches have been extremely helpful and supportive since my arrival.”

“I enjoy it here, and we have great facilities,” Thomas said.

While both coaches adapt to their new homes, the players embrace similar challenges. The players are looking forward to new challenges too. Freshman midfielder Ami Iannello, from Strath Haven High is excited about the team.

“So far I really like Brandywine, the teachers and students have been very supportive and welcoming,” Iannello said. “Our coaches are doing the best they can in developing the team, and it seems like we have really developed since the first day of preseason.”

This team has a lot of work to put in for the upcoming season and are hoping to improve skills and develop leadership among those who step up this year. It will be interesting to see the impact this team makes, not only on campus but also in the league as well. Developing chemistry throughout the new squad may be key to how they perform in the upcoming season. When the scrimmages come to a close, and the first games are played, Brandywine students and staff will have a better idea of how the new Nittany Lions look and what can be expected for the upcoming season.

 

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer

David Brown, dvb5451@psu.edu (updated by the Lion’s Eye web staff)

Brandywine Trap Club Takes Aim at New Year

Penn State Brandywine offers a diverse learning experience to all of its students. In keeping with its diversity, Brandywine also has a large number of clubs for students. One of these is the Brandywine Trap Shooting Club.

The Trap Shooting Club gives Penn State students the thrilling experience of learning about the game of trap shooting and master some key terms used within the sport such as pigeon, traphouse and no-bird.

Each new member is given special instructions on firearm safety and how to properly handle the firearm. Safety is a number one priority with the Trap Shooting Club, which is why they always have trained monitors standing by to assist members with questions or concerns.

The club welcomes members of all skill levels, from novice to expert and does not require that all of its members own a gun.

“It is beneficial if you have your own gun, however, we normally have extras on hand. The officers and sometimes other members allow those without their own gun to borrow theirs for a few rounds,” club president Carlie Swallow said.

Although trap club does not require members to own their own gun, there are only two types of guns allowed. The first is a 12-gauge shotgun and the second is a 20-gauge shotgun. The 12 and 20 represent the size of the shotgun shell; the higher the gauge the smaller the shell, and the smaller the gauge the larger the shell.

Currently, the club does not require members to pay a fee to shoot, but that may change. Members are required to wear eye and ear protection to ensure their safety. Other equipment that members may be interested in purchasing includes a shooting vest or shell bag.

In the past, the club has not competed against other schools. Given the number of members and strong interest, the club hopes that they will be able to compete soon.

There are a few mandatory meetings on campus for both officers and members to discuss upcoming shoots and address concerns. In addition to mandatory meetings, the club takes attendance one week prior to a shoot. The club uses the attendance records to estimate how many people will be there, how much ammo they will need to purchase before the shoot, and if they will need to borrow extra guns from Delaware County Sportsmen.

The trap club meets on the second, fourth and fifth Sunday of each month at noon at Delaware County Sportsmen—just 10 minutes from the Brandywine campus. To learn more or if you’re interested in joining the Trap Shooting Club, please feel free to email the club president Carlie Swallow at CAS6102@psu.edu or call 484-682-8372.

Lions Eye Staff Writer
Tom O’Donnell, two5047@psu.edu
updated by Lion’s Eye Web Staff