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Iconic and Informative: PSU Brandywine Bookstore

Posted By under Campus News, Sports

By:  Michael Patterson, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, map6169@psu.edu

Nestled on the second floor of the Commons building, the Penn State Brandywine bookstore is a hidden treasure. Two large glass doors lead you into a plethora of textbooks and student apparel. With a rich Penn State history and the promise of higher learning, the bookstore is a hidden gem that every student on Brandywine’s Campus should visit.

One can access the bookstore Mondays through Thursdays from 8:30 a.m – 5:00 p.m, or on Fridays until 4:00 p.m. In the first few hectic weeks of the school year, the store is at its busiest selling textbooks for all incoming students. The store offers everything from basic classroom essentials to the iconic Penn State apparel. Apparel is especially popular with local residents who live and breathe Penn State. In the last two weeks, the store starts to buzz again with students looking to prepare for finals or sell their used textbooks.

Over the summer, the bookstore has reinvented school shopping with a phone app that allows students to purchase, rent, or download their classroom specific books. The app, ‘My College Bookstore,’ is available on the apple store or android for all PSU Brandywine students as well as other satellite campuses. When a student downloads the app, they get student and campus-specific sales which include a 25% off discount for downloading the app.

The Penn State Bookstore at Brandywine has been on campus for over 30 years and was originally run by Penn State Main Campus, but in the last 22 years it has been controlled by Barnes and Noble College. The Bookstore is managed by Alan Pine for the past three years, who is also a Penn State Altoona Alumni.

When a student starts their chapter at Penn State Brandywine, their first step is to prepare for their upcoming classes and there is no better way to start than by visiting the Penn State Brandywine Bookstore for all their needs.

Getting to Know Your Counselor, Jennifer Toadvine

Posted By under Campus News

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

Coming from a background of adoptive parents and friends’ dependent on her, Jennifer Toadvine knew her calling. Jennifer is the clinical counselor here on the Brandywine campus in the commons building. She works and talks with students every day to discuss their issues and help them through college. After starting here just about a year ago, Toadvine says she’s now comfortable on campus and is happy to be at Brandywine.

When asked what made Toadvine dive into the counseling world, her face lit up. She stated, “I remember growing up and I was always the person people came to talk to, so in a weird way I just fell into counseling.” Jennifer moved on to talk about her family life, and how that had affected her choice. She said, “being adopted, my family was very different than a lot of other families, it made me very curious, so I actually ended up getting my degree as a couples and family therapist.” Using her prior experiences, she was able to migrate to counseling.

Jennifer loves school and everything it has to offer. Earning her undergrad at Elon University in North Carolina, and a master’s in couples and family therapy at Thomas Jefferson in Philadelphia, she then went to Widener University for her master’s in education, and Ph. D. in human sexuality. “I absolutely love school and what it has to offer and if I could still be taking classes I would!” she stated.

She fell in love with Brandywine the day she arrived. “It is so small and personal, everyone knows everyone and they just invite you in,” she said. She believes that college is an extremely difficult and important time in someone’s life, which is why she chooses to counsel college students. “You guys have a lot going on as commuter students,” she stated, “with your families still having a big part in your life because you’re living at home… I love to help students and listen to them. I love being able to walk building-to-building and recognize people. It is also incredible to meet some of the students and watch them grow as individuals and find themselves, I feel, as a counselor, that’s one of the best aspects of my job.”

Being a counselor, Toadvine is asked every day for advice and is called upon to be there in times of need. She may even be considered a mentor to some people. When asked who her mentors were she smiled and said, “I was really influenced by my undergrad research mentor. I still talk to her and that relationship was just so fabulous. Authors and therapists also have influenced me. I love looking at the way they think about their profession and their thoughts on certain topics. I also thank the people who have taught me throughout my life and helped shape me into the therapist I am today.”

Being someone to turn to on our campus, Jennifer Toadvine cannot wait to move forward with her career here at Brandywine. She is excited to mentor counseling interns in her office too.

Students are encouraged to make an appointment or stop by her office. Whether it’s a small worry about a class or relationship; need to vent; or an ongoing concern, Toadvine’s door is always open. The counseling office is in 213 Commons, in the Student Affairs Suite.

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!

Soccer Standouts Ready for the Season

Posted By under Sports

 

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

Posted By under Sports, Uncategorized

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

Posted By under Campus News

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

Posted By under Campus News

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.

Vairo Library surveys social media possibilities

Posted By under Uncategorized

Vairo Library surveys social media possibilities

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

The spring semester has been a semester where students and faculty have watched the campus slowly being to transform into a bigger, better Brandywine.

The changes don’t just come in big forms such as buildings and new ways to schedule courses.  Behind the scenes, the Vairo Library has been working on ways to change and better its reach and interaction with students on campus. Besides being a faithful hide away for finals and having spacious areas for group work, the library offers a lot more than printers and emergency cell phone chargers.

With finals approaching, the library will offer extended hours (including free coffee after 7 p.m.), a safe zone better known as the quiet zone downstairs, plenty of tables for projects and final paper touches from the Writing Studio. The library is also home to the media commons lab, the one button studio, and the STEM lab. However, students may not be aware of what the library offers because of a gap in communication between the library and students.

In March, Vairo library intern and a friendly face around the library, Malaika Hamid, lead a survey. The survey was conducted to discover what library resources students enjoyed the most and what visual and social media the library should adopt to better communicate with the campus community. The survey had 131 student responses.

Head Librarian Susan Ware explained that a word cloud was created based off of the survey showing how students perceive the library’s atmosphere. An overview of the results showed that students relate word such as: study, chill, procrastination and helpful with the library. The word cloud displays how the library can offer many different environments from the students’ needs and assistance.

“The library is looking into expanding its options for students,” Ware said. “We’re currently working on adding individual study pods to the library for students to work alone but still be a part of the library environment, the pods are a lot like the singular work places in the quiet zone.”

The most popular areas of the library, according to the survey, for students were the study tables, the quiet zone, and the group study cells.

“I spend a lot of time in the library and the Lion’s Den,” Senior psychology student Alexis Cavalli said. “I always read the messages on the screens because they’re typically attention catching and brief but information. I think they’re good resources for students because they give you the information you need and might want quickly without drowning you in details. I get a lot of event news and even the library hours from there.”

Eighty-nine percent of the respondents from the survey agree with Cavalli that they learn news about the library from the digital screen behind the front desk.

If the visual aids in the library are enough to make a large impression on the students who come through the library daily, the question is how social media can help as well. The library’s presence on social media could give students better access to library, research presentations, and other resources that become available to students through library.

Based off of the survey results, Hamid will conduct a focus group of 12 students. The focus group will be used to gather more detailed information about the preferred media for communication with the library students on campus.

There is currently a minimum presence of the library online, only through the library’s official webpage. The reach of a Facebook and Twitter account would not only be a way to inform students, but also the network of alumni of the exiting resources, services and development of the Vairo Library.

This summer the library staff plans to further the research based off of Hamid’s survey and focus group to improve the library’s communication strategies. Depending on the results, a Facebook and Twitter account may start in time for the fall semester.