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MLK Day of Service Project

Posted By under Op/Ed

By: Liz Gramlich, Lions Eye Staff Editor, eag5283@psu.edu

Penn State Brandywine teamed with The Giving Garden Food Pantry & Community Garden to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr.

On January 19, Brandywine students aspired to get involved with the community and start a tradition of a community service project on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  King was an asset to his own community, and the world, that Brandywine Student Affairs personnel thought this would be an insightful way to commemorate all that he did.

Student leaders Ryan Stone, Paul Alberici, Luke Burdsall, Elisabeth Gramlich and advisor Stephanie Jones worked together on this community service project. They drove to Foundry Church in the Brandywine community and were greeted by enthusiastic members, all there for the same cause. Their goal was to create food packages for those who were in need.

The Brandywine students and adviser split up into two groups. One group was in charge of checking food to make sure that it was not expired nor damaged. The other group was in charge of packaging foods for families and students in need. Throughout the day they checked hundreds of food items and put together about 80 packages for families in the community.

Those who visit the pantry are primarily single mothers and college students. It may be hard to think that by doing these tasks it can make an impact on families, but it really does. Families are relieved that they have a helping hand supporting them and helping them out. One thing I learned is that many college students have problems with not eating correctly or not enough, because that is the one cost that they can control. With paying for tuition and other bills, it leaves little room for food. This cause helps people across the Delaware County by supplying them with food and nourishment.

The Giving Garden Food Pantry & Community Garden is located at the Foundry Church. They collect and give to the community all year long. Students can help by volunteering, planning a food drive, or sponsoring. The Food Pantry is open on Fridays 4- 6 p.m. and is open to those in need.

“The fact that the people there were so caring was very touching,” Stone said.  “We walked in there as complete strangers but they treated us like they had already known us”.

King was a selfless leader and was an inspiration to others. There was not a better way to honor him then by participating in a day of community service. Student Affairs set up this event in the community to accomplish this task. It was a great day to give time and efforts to help others on, not just a day off of school, but a day to commemorate a great man.

Professor Weighs in on World

Posted By under Campus News, Uncategorized

Professor Weighs in on World 

Written by: Jamie Berridge, jrb1055@psu.edu

Penn State Brandywine’s very own, Dr. Stephen Cimbala, spoke to a crowded room of students and fellow professors about the state of our nation and other serious topics in today’s media.

The conversation having on Wednesday, February 11, during Common Hour.

Cimbala, a distinguished author and longtime professor at Brandywine, is overwhelmingly knowledgeable in topics such as government, politics, technology and foreign affairs. For Brandywine’s first common read of the semester, Cimbala was asked to share his knowledge of these topics to students, as well as professors that attended the event.

Cimbala began the common read speaking about security in the United States.

“Terrorism is the virtual obsession of government and media in today’s society,” Cimbala said.

He went on to speak about the United States’ stance with Russia and China and the potential danger of nuclear warfare.

“You can use nuclear weapons politically without ever actually firing them,” he said. “The Cold War is a perfect example.”

Cimbala continued to speak about the issue with our foreign affairs in the Middle East and the threat of Iran becoming a nuclear power. He believed the neighboring countries must take a stand against ISIS, Al-Qaeda and all other terroristic groups.

“Jordan seems to be doing so, the rest must follow,” Cimbala said.

Cimbala also spoke about the economic growth and stability over the last two years and how the country was able to overcome the recession of 2008.

“The United States is the cleanest shirt in a world full of dirty laundry,” Cimbala said, referring to the fact that the U.S. has been able to overcome the recession, yet many other developed countries continue to feel the effects.

Cimbala credited America’s recently stimulated economy to energy security and independence.  It’s his opinion that nothing is able to stimulate the economy as quickly and efficiently as lower fuel prices.  Though the economy is the best it’s been in years, Cimbala admitted the middle class still seems to be struggling to get back on their feet.

“The gap between the richest and middle classes is a disgrace,” he said. “The stock market is booming but people are still out of work. The wealthiest are not getting wealthy by creating new jobs, and this needs to change.”

Cimbala ended the lecture speaking about the future of our nation and potential job fields that may be on the rise.  The explosion in news and entertainment is astonishing, he stated. He also acknowledged that the price of college tuition, public especially, must decrease in order for our nation to progress.

“In today’s age, a college degree is imperative to move up the economic ladder,” Cimbala said. “Problem is, a lot of Americans can’t afford it, and something must be done.”

If there is anyone who can reassure the community at Penn State Brandywine that our nation is on the right path, look no farther than professor, author and historian — Dr. Cimbala.

Brandywine Student Profile Story: Jess Maginnis

Posted By under Op/Ed

Jessica Maginnis is more than just a student here at Penn State Brandywine, she’s a friend to many.

Maginnis has made her college experience a unique one by participating in events, joining clubs, as well as being an extraordinary student-athlete. Maginnis is a junior planning to graduate in spring of 2016, with a Bachelor of Arts in HDFS.

In 2013, Maginnis received the “Student Woman of the Year Award for Leadership and Involvement Enhancement on campus.” Student leaders at Penn State Brandywine are recognized for their positive influence on the study body, outstanding service to the campus community through volunteering, cross-cultural understanding, academic excellence and campus involvement during the campus’ annual Leadership Recognition Night.

A member of the women’s cross country team, Maginnis just recently experienced a National Championship. This past fall, the team went to the National Championship in Syracuse, New York. They finished in 11th place out of 18th overall, and first out of all Penn State satellite campuses, beating their big rival Scranton in the Women’s Conference.

“That experience was rewarding since all our girls trained like beasts and ran in the freezing, slippery weather in New York,” Maginnis said. “The experience also lead to getting a PSUAC Academic All-Conference award for the first time for earning a 3.0 and participating in a sport.”

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Maginnis excels in the classroom too. She’s had several memorable professors along the way.

“My favorite professor here at Brandywine is difficult to choose, but I would pick Dr. Zosh,” Maginnis said. “I’ve only had her twice, but I hope to have her again. She challenges me and knows so much about child development. She seems so passionate about her work and research, which gives me strength to want to do more with children.”

Maginnis’ experience here at Brandywine has been a very interesting one to say the least. College life has changed from freshman year to senior year. Hanging out in the Lion’s Den with amazing lifelong friends and creating irreplaceable memories is something that she will hold on to forever. Her sophomore year is when she took over THON with some help from her cousin and started running cross country. She managed this all while keeping up with her busy social life on campus, working 25 hours a week and taking classes.

“It was stressful beyond words, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way,” Maginnis said.

Maginnis’ hard work and determination to succeed in several fields here at Brandywine lead her to the impressive role of being the head of Brandywine THON. Stumbling upon the role of being chair of THON in 2011, with little to no guidance, she took the bull by the horns and has never looked back.

“Being a chair for THON at Brandywine has been difficult yet rewarding in so many ways,” Maginnis said “It’s hard getting people involved on campus and finding out what others would like to do as ‘fun’ on campus. But we are trying different things, and hopefully we increase the involvement and awareness here at Brandywine.”

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Her biggest accomplishment in her college career, she said, was attending last year’s THON. Unfortunately, she won’t get that opportunity again because she will be interning next spring.

This student-athlete has accomplished so much in her college career, and just wants current and prospective students to get involved.

“What’s interesting about Brandywine and the students here is that they have to opportunity to take advantage of the resources around them,” Maginnis said. “It’s so easy to get involved and build leadership skills which will help you achieve so much in life.”

That’s true Brandywine spirit right there.

Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, Victoria Marotta, vim5121@psu.edu

Brandywine graduate conducts cross-cultural research study in Italy

Posted By under Campus News

MeganItaly Brandywine graduate conducts cross-cultural research study in Italy – December 2014 psychology graduate Megan Griffith at a national undergraduate conference on body image at Cabrini College, where she presented her research.

1/9/2015 —

Megan Griffith took advantage of every opportunity to do research during her career as a psychology major at Penn State Brandywine. In her final year, her go-getting approach paid off, granting her an amazing journey. She, alongside Assistant Professor of Psychology Dana Martin, completed a cross-cultural research study that delves into the representation of women in the media in the United States and Italy.

Griffith, a December 2014 graduate, started with a few research questions: “What kinds of images are typically used to represent femininity? How do these representations compare between American and Italian cultures?” “By going outside of our own culture, we can pose a mirror to the norms that normally go unquestioned,” says Martin, Griffith’s research supervisor.

How did this journey start for Griffith? “My research started as a class project when I went to Italy on a Global Programs trip,” she explained. “I took it to the next level by doing independent research on the topic after the trip.”

Since 1995, Penn State Brandywine’s Global Programs experience has delivered distant education courses with short-term travel destinations worldwide. Each course includes pre-travel and post-travel coursework to be completed on an independent study basis, working with the instructor through distance education technologies. Griffith’s Global Programs course was cross-cultural psychology, taught by Martin.  Griffith on Penn State Brandywine’s Global Programs trip in Italy.  Griffith explained that she started with eight fashion and entertainment magazines, four of which she brought from Italy and the other four, serving as a comparison, published in the United States. She focused on the first 25 advertisements in each magazine and “coded” each image on seven different characteristics: eye gaze, makeup, disposition, clothing, body position, hand positioning and sex appeal. A stereotypical woman is portrayed with an indirect eye gaze, her hands caressing her body, revealing clothing and lots of makeup. “You always hear how women are seen differently, compared to men, within the media,” she said. “But I think through the research I did you can see how women are portrayed differently through simple mannerisms used within advertising.”

The aim of studies documenting the often stereotypical and super-sexualized ways in which the media portrays women is to introduce a broader range of options, especially when it comes to young girls.

“There’s research that shows that the way women are represented in the media reflects on how they act. We’re trying to break these gender norms,” Griffith said.

Even though literature suggests that gender roles tend to be more traditional in Italy than in the U.S., Griffith did not find a lot of evidence supporting this. The representation of women in the media in both the U.S. and Italy was very similar. This is a striking finding given that the majority of modern American women hold professional degrees and participate fully in the workforce.

“The pull of the media may hold women back from being seen as equal to men in their capacity to contribute meaningfully to our society,” says Martin. Griffith, who also served as the vice president of Brandywine’s Psychology Club, recently presented her research at a two-day national undergraduate conference on body image at Cabrini College. She is also set to present at the Eastern Psychological Association’s annual meeting this March in Philadelphia.

“This project gave me a bigger perspective of what goes into research and gave me a hands-on experience,” she said. “Research inspires students and gives them the tools to not just think, but to also test their thinking with something very concrete,” Martin added. “Megan is very determined and extremely persistent.

Those are the traits of a great researcher. She really sees the big picture.” Griffith plans to continue to work on her research and has been invited back to next year’s Body Image Conference. She is currently applying to graduate schools and hopes to study educational or organizational psychology.

 

 

article credit from:  http://brandywine.psu.edu/body_image.htm

Tierney Time at Brandywine

Posted By under Campus News ,

It’s not every day that a person can show strong life resiliency when dealt a bad deck of cards. One of three Brandywine chemistry teachers, John Tierney has been able to overcome unfortunate circumstances that has turned into remarkable success thus far at the age of 64.

Tierney is very well known around the Brandywine campus, as he is in the midst of his thirty-first year as one of Brandywine’s family members. Born in London to Irish parents, Tierney moved to the United States in 1974 after teaching two years in the UK, with the hopes of advancing his teaching career.

“I wanted to teach at Temple because I knew Philadelphia was a place where I could study chemistry and grow,” Tierney said.

While living in London as a child, Tierney attended a secondary school which consisted of a school made up of students ages 11-18. As an 11-year old, Tierney began to take chemistry classes, which would later become the gateway to pursuing a career as a chemistry teacher.

“I started doing chemistry from age 11,” said Tierney. “I had good teachers. They made it enjoyable.”

Tierney first became a Brandywine faculty member in 1983. However, from 1999-2001, Tierney took a break from teaching and worked for a pharmaceutical company. He later realized that he preferred the teaching environment over working in pharmaceutics.

“There are worse politics in that industry than here (teaching),” he said. “It’s always been a pleasant experience with the students (at Brandywine).”

In choosing Brandywine, Tierney said he “fell into” a teaching position at Brandywine. Tierney was sitting in the chem department at Temple at the time when the University received a call from Ed Tomesko who was searching for an employee for a part-time job at Brandywine.

It’s been smooth-sailing for Tierney ever since – up until 2008 when Tierney had his first traumatic experience.

Something was suddenly wrong with the feeling in Tierney’s ears while sitting at home on the computer, so with the feeling of worry, he and his wife immediately headed to the hospital to figure out the problem. It was discovered that while sitting at home with the feeling that his ear was being filled with large amounts of water, he experienced sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or SSHL. SSHL happens when a person loses hearing very quickly, in which it can happen instantly or over a span of several days. In Tierney’s case, the impact was immediate.

“I realized one second I could hear and I was typing on the computer, and another second I couldn’t hear and it was like my ear was filling up with water.”

Tierney has been living partially deaf for the last 6 years, not being able to hear out of his left ear. However, the experience has made him humble and more sensitive to others who have disabilities.

“I’m much more empathetic with people with any sort of disability now, not that I wasn’t empathetic before. It has just sort of hit home.”

Being partially deaf has had no effect on the measure of success he has had over the course of his adult life. He recently started coaching rowing at Unionville High School, the school in which his youngest daughters is currently enrolled. Since he was a teenager, Tierney has been passionate about rowing, as this year marks his fiftieth year attached to the sport.

Perhaps what’s even more impressive than that is what Tierney has done in that remarkable span of 50 years as a rower. Tierney rowed at an elite level in international competitions. He has been involved in the U.S. Olympic rowing team as a team leader and team coach. Assuming the role as a team leader gives him the power to speak for the team. Tierney has participated in the Pan Am games in 1991 and the Barcelona Olympics 1992, respectively. However, one of Tierney’s most gratifying moments came when he helped someone else make it big in the Olympics.

“One of the biggest thrills was coaching a 42-year old woman (from 1990-1991) who went on to win a silver medal,” said Tierney. She competed in a two-person boat in a women’s lightweight event, won trials, and made the Pan Ams team in 1991.

As a teacher, though, Tierney wishes to educate his students that the concept of chemistry impacts how we live our lives.

“I’m hoping they show an appreciation of how much the world around them is impacted by chemistry. That’s the major thing…I’m trying to challenge students to think critically – and hopefully by the end of the semester, the students will be the ones asking me the questions.”

To Tierney, the most important thing is to see his students live in each moment, seize the day, and follow what they are most passionate about.

“I think students should follow their passion,” he said. “The thing is, I often see that students in programs because their parents want them to be in them and they are doing it to please their parents. You’ll end up being miserable in life if you’re not doing what you’re passionate about.”

And for Tierney, sticking to his passions has lead him pretty far in life – that and refusing to let any obstacle get the best of him.

Text Alert

Posted By under Campus News , , ,

Texting has become the best way for young adults to communicate. Many people argue that it might be killing the English language. A lot of articles associate texting with a negative vibe but Penn State University has used texting to its advantage by helping out the students, faculty and staff. Penn State created an emergency text alert system that’s designed to help those who have signed up for the service.

It helps by delivering direct notifications to phones that are linked into the alert system. The messages will include everything from school closings, danger that’s happening on campus. Penn State University encourages every student to sign up for these free services. If you don’t have a cell phone number you can follow the PSUalert messages on Facebook and twitter. If you decide not to have text message alerts. You can choose to have the notifications delivered by email, or have an automated voice message delivered to the number you register with.

The alert system had helped many students in the previous years. Including a Penn State student Ayesha Siddiqua. She depended on the text alert system to notify her when the campus was closed due to weather related issues.

“The option to add three different numbers to the notification system was very helpful for my mother and father to stay notified of any emergencies that occurred on campus,” Siddiqua said.

The process to join the Penn State Emergency Alert system is fairly easy. You can log on to the webpage at www.psualert.psu.edu/psualert/ where it will show you step by step instructions on how to get registered for this free serve offered by the Penn State University. In order to sign for the service you must have a Penn state password and email. After you sign in with the email you choose how you want be notified, following with the campus you would wish to get notified by.

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer

Irfan Qureshi, iwq5004

New Face of Brandywine Basketball

Posted By under Sports ,

New faces are constantly popping up all over campus this year. Incoming freshman, transfer students, international students, and now, a new head basketball coach.

Coach Richburg has been coaching for a long time now, both at the collegiate and high school level. The new head coach is stepping into unfamiliar shoes, considering the fact that it is his first head coaching job at the collegiate level.

Luckily, Coach Richburg had the honor to be an assistant to William “Speedy” Morris. Speedy Morris is a retired college basketball coach who led the La Salle University Explorers to four NCAA tournament appearances and has the most wins in school history with 238. Currently Morris coaches’ high school basketball for St. Joe’s PREP, where he earned the most wins in the Philadelphia Catholic League.

“Speedy was my mentor and he taught me how to manage a team,” Richburg said.

Along with Coach Richburg, the basketball players are very excited to start the season. They seem to have total confidence in the new coach.

“I think Coach understands the game,” Chris Lyons, a basketball recruit for Penn State Brandywine, said. “He probably has a couple tricks up his sleeve from coaching with Speedy at St. Joe’s PREP.”

The men’s Brandywine team will have their first home basketball game on November 23 at 3:00PM against Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Richburg is making sure his team is in peak condition for the season to start by having the team run on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.

Besides being assistant coach at a great school for basketball, St. Joe’s PREP, Coach Richburg was the assistant coach at Rosemont College. Overall, Coach Richburg seems very suitable for the job and is confident that his team will do big things this year, as long as they come to compete every game.

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer

Terracne Quinn, tpq5004@psu.edu

iPhone 6: A Bite Out of the New Apple

Posted By under Entertainment , , ,

Known for its slogan “bigger than bigger,” the iPhone 6 is arguably the most anticipated Apple product of the year.

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 plus are the eighth generations of the iPhone, entering the market at only 6.9 millimeters thick.  The retina HD screen and wider viewing angle make this phone’s display distinctly different from others.

Photographers can plan on getting excited about a phone that is one step closer to becoming a cellular single-lens reflex (SLR). Phase detection autofocus gives the photos a more professional feel while noise reduction will help capture polished and more illuminated photos.

Apple is known for consistently releasing new products that compete with other pieces of technology on the market. When will Apple reach the peak of its technological advances?

“Never,” Bailey Phillips, a PSU Brandywine student, said, “They’ll keep throwing products at us, and we’ll keep buying them!”

Although the brand new Apple products most likely do not surprise the public, they always excite the public. Many customers camped outside of Apple stores across the country for days before the scheduled release, with hopes of becoming the firsts to own the brand new iPhone. Selling over 4 million phones within the first 24 hours of sale, Apple has raked in over $800 million.

In spite of its record-breaking sales, not everyone is elated about the new technology advance.

 

“If you buy the new iPhone, they’ll just update it next year and you will fall into the trap of needing another,” Anthony Felizardo, a quantum cosmology major at PSU Brandywine said, “Apple hasn’t been revolutionary since (Steve) Jobs unraveled the original iPhone.”

Regardless of conflicting opinions over the newest release, when the iPhone 6 comes back in stock on September 19, there is no doubt that Apple will continue to rake in millions of dollars from customers who are desperate to get their hands on the ripest new Apple.

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer

Jaden Bedwell, jhb5228@psu.edu

 

 

New faces on Campus

Posted By under Campus News ,

Penn State University is a leader of college education and graduate readiness, for the working world, according to U.S. News and the Wall Street Journal. A huge reason for the success can be attributed to the devotion and excellence of the professors.

This semester at Brandywine, to add to that list of exceptional professors, are some new faces on campus.

Professor Karen Theveny is an instructor of communications. She graduated from West Chester University and got her MBA from Widener University.

Her decision to go into communications was assisted by her college advisor, who helped her evaluate her weaknesses and strengths. Loving writing and wanting to do corporate work, but not knowing this would translate into corporate work, led to the selection of communications as a major.

The administration at Neumann University, which is where she worked before coming to Brandywine, needed someone to teach communication courses. Because her daughter was young and she wanted to come away from working full time in the public relations area, Professor Theveny took the position. She loved it, and that is what led her to teach.

“Looking back on my path, I see that from the beginning, my path led me to where I am now and because of this, I am well rounded and provide students with real world examples to round out the theory.”

When asked what she would like her students to remember through life, Professor Theveny said, “Learning is life-long and meant to be enjoyed.”

Professor Michael Sturm is an instructor and internship coordinator for the human development and family studies program. He graduated from Messiah College with a degree in family studies, and earned his master degree in family therapy at Drexel University.

What inspired him to go into human development and family studies (hdfs) the introduction of hdfs at Messiah College. From here, he became interested in the courses of:  family dynamics and relation, family in the Community and Social environment and cultural background and economics.

Before working at Brandywine, professor Sturm worked at Bowling Green State University as a human development and family studies professor and internship coordinator.

“I hope students continue to develop their self-awareness in relation to their values, beliefs, and biases.  Self-awareness is a career long process.  As time passes our perspectives shift and society evolves.” Professor Sturm, said. “Human service work will always challenge professionals and requires one to be fully in touch with themselves.  A high degree of self-awareness allows for one to manage their thoughts and feelings and ultimately work with difference more effectively while upholding ethical standards.”

Dr. Valerie Mendez-Gallardo is an instructor of psychology. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus, and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.

She pursued research in Puerto Rico. Dr. Mendez-Gallardo was grateful to be involved in the field of research and development at the University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa.

Just prior to joining Brandywine, Dr. Mendez-Gallardo worked at the University of Idaho teaching psychology as she does at Brandywine.

“I want my students to have a clear understanding of what was taught to them and then apply what they have learned, and continue to want to learn more.” Dr. Mendez-Gallardo, said.

Penn State Brandywine has been fortunate to have a long list of professors who hearts’ are dedicated to what they do and who carry excellence within them. These new professors appear likely to carry on the tradition.

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer

Latech Murphy, lnm107@psu.edu

Safety and Police Services

Posted By under Campus News , , ,

Campus security is felt at Penn State Brandywine. The reasons aren’t surprising. Being a commuter school we aren’t used to seeing this much officers on campus.

The campus used to employ the Allied Barton Security Company and now switched to Penn State’s own Police officers. There two new faces on campus: Officer Joseph Williamson and Officer Matthew Cerasuolo.

Brandywine’s chief of police Lewis Sweigart explained the reason for th change in security and the increase in officers. He also said “it’s make sure people feel safe here while studying.”

Sweigart also said the additional officers are due in part to the proposed dorms, with a possible completion date in 2017. As far as qualifications to be a police officer, one must have:

Bachelor’s degree, an act 120 certification which is a criminal justice training academy which takes about four and a half months to complete, one year of police experience, must be 21 years of age, and no “disqualifying” history.

Now being a commuter school one might think that there isn’t much crime on campus. But the officers of Brandywine campus have a big job to up hold.

Sweigart said the officers must “patrol the campus, provide customer service, provide community service, enforce Pennsylvania crime code and security code, university regulations, and maintain vigilant presence on campus,” Sweigart said.

A couple of Brandywine students commented on the recent increase in security.

“I don’t think that our campus needs any more security, but it can’t hurt to have an actual security guard with a firearm on campus,” Derek Emlet, a senior business major, said.

“I think this is a small campus and I’ve seen from 2 through 4 officers walking around and I don’t think that there’s a lot of things going on at this campus, so it’s fine.” Grace Kang, a junior nursing major, said.

Even though this is a commuter campus there is no telling what emergencies can happen on campus. With the addition of the proposed dorms coming in 2017 Brandywine would need extra security nonetheless.

Lion’s Eye Staff Writer

Avery Smith, acs5678@psu.edu