By: Paula Scott Lions Eye Staff Editor, pms5152@psu.edu

Multimedia production has just been simplified. By inserting a flash drive and clicking one button, the camera, microphone and pre-set lighting turn on, eliminating the tedious studio setup.

Students enrolled in multimedia production courses aren’t the only ones who will find this new studio useful.

“Many courses are now requiring a multimedia aspect to accompany projects,”said Brandywine’s head librarian Susan Ware.

Subjects including sociology, business, psychology, speech and earth sciences may also find this newest extension from Penn State Main quite handy. Originally called the Presentation Practice Room, by project manager Justin Miller of Penn State Information Technology Services, the One Button Studio is a perfect place to practice.

Students can practice presentations, record classroom presentations, and extracurricular club promotions or produce a creative media project without the hassle of setting or clean up. This studio is also great for faculty who wish to create demonstration models, record a lecture, present research papers or to record an introduction for an online class!

Editing can be achieved through the many resources including Garage Band and iMovie that are provided in the Media Commons section located in the back of Vairo.

The One Button Studio’s open house on Jan. 29, gave faculty and students the opportunity to see what the new studio had to offer, while providing a few demos. Features of the room include a blue and green screen that the user can easily toggle from one to the other with a switch. The studio is also equipped with lighting, a microphone, a computer and projector to show PowerPoint presentations on the screen during recording.

Students and faculty can block off hour time slots by visiting the front desk. University libraries funded the equipment and the project was completed over the duration of winter break.

“The Vairo Library staff welcome student feedback and recommendations for added props and staging that might make the One Button Studio even more useful,” said Susan Ware.

Students, come and check out the studio located in room 201A in Vairo!

By: Ana Elmasllari, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, ave5065@psu.edu

On Friday, January 16 at 6 p.m., the King family joined friends and family of Brandywine’s THON members for the first time at THON’s Annual Chance Auction in the Tomezsko Building. THON is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world that raises money for kids with cancer.

This year the King Family is Brandywine’s THON family. They have been a part of the Four Diamonds Fund since March 2014. The THON members tried to be calm and not overwhelm them when meeting their THON family for the first time. Mr. and Mrs. King walked in at the event very excited to meet their whole Thon Organization.

The King Family consists of 3 girls and twin boys. One of the boys, 10-year old Trevor, is a cancer survivor. He has been clear for about six months now but he is still going to Hershey Medical Center for checkups once a month. Trevor will be finishing treatment at Hershey Medical Center in the summer of 2015.

Students, faculty and the community wrapped many baskets together to auction off on Friday night. Everyone was excited to play and to win the beautifully crafted baskets. Each basket had its own unique and clever name. One of the baskets was filled with different Legos and the name of the basket was “Building Dreams.” The King family ended up winning a few of them.

Each year THON introduces a different theme and this year’s theme is Empower the Dreamers, which was the inspiration for each baskets name.The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, known as THON, is a yearlong effort to raise funds and awareness for the fight against pediatric cancer. THON has raised over $114 million for the Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital since when it first started in 1977.

The year culminates with a 46-hour no-sitting, no-sleeping dance marathon known as THON Weekend. This event is held at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center each year in the month of February. In 2014, THON raised a record-breaking $13.34 million and was able to donate 96% of funds raised directly to Four Diamonds. Visit  THON’s official website, www.Thon.org to learn more about THON and/or donate.

Written by: Kahri Jones, kjj5053@psu.edu

Chinese born American author, Cathy Bao Bean, spoke in front of students in Tomezsko lounge Thursday, February 19, during common hour.

The opportunity for the American students to learn exactly what it means to be bicultural became readily available as Bean began to share her experiences since moving to Brooklyn, New York from China in 1946.

She is a firm believer of self-empowerment through life stories. This self-awareness of being bicultural ultimately led Bean to write The Chopsticks-Fork Principle, a memoir of exploring her multiple identity roles.

Bean’s presentation gave the audience detailed recounts of her experiences of acculturation in America after emigrating from China with her parents and growing up in the 1950’s.

She affirmed that dealing with the pressures of her native ideologies and western beliefs has shaped her to become a more dynamic person.

By request, Bean asked the students to have some sense of humor when exploring cultural differences.

Bean informed the students, “To be culturally based, you have to understand a cultures humor.” She followed by explaining, “There is a fine line between dysfunctional stereotypes and functional generalizations.”

Bean professed that good humor allows one to see things from different perspectives.

“You have to admit when you do not understand,” Bean told the audience. “It is only then where you allow others to play the role as teacher.”

Bean noted that 25-percent of Americans view Chinese people negatively. She then joked that any U.S. president would be pleased to have an approval rating of 75-percent. Mainstream images of foreign cultures rarely do a good job at portraying realistic insight into others who happen to live in other places. Bean recounted purchasing a house near farmland with her Caucasian husband. The neighbors thought that she was the housemaid until there was an exchange of communication and perspectives.

Student were equipped with philosophical advice for understanding oneself. Bean informed the students that one must step out of structure to get a hold of your true self. She also reminded students that people are a formation of the relations with others and your duty to them.

Bean ends in a light note and encourages people to embrace differences. Her book explores the balance between traditional cultures and modern cultures. It resonates not only with people from traditional Chinese families, but also with all cultures. We all are internally full of diverse ideas, beliefs and customs that help build societal relationships.

Traditional culture requires more time than modern life calls for.

Bean offers suggestive advice when taking the time to acknowledge other cultures different from ours. The observer or learner must give attention to the ordinary events and figure out how it binds cultural meaning. What is normal to one person may be strange to others; it works the other way around too.

In light of the Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, Chinese-American food was available for those who filled the lounge in attendance.

Alongside the students who are born American citizens was their international exchange student peers.

Vince Wang, a freshman whose hometown is not far from Shanghai, China, ecstatically describes Chinese New Year as a time when families gather and celebrate over a huge dinner. “Dumplings are a favorite food item in my family,” Vince states as he waits for a serving of veggie dumplings. “After we eat, our parents give children red envelopes that represent fortune and luck. There are many fire works too.”

Chinese New Year is a major holiday that is sometimes referred to as Lunar New Year, and is celebrated by neighboring cultures, because of the commonly shared lunisolar calendar.

By: James Berridge, Lions Eye Writer jrb1055@psu.edu

An event that schooled the audience on perception and application of cultural and language differences left Brandywine students all a little bit more compassionate.

Hosting the December event included three of Brandywine’s very own multilingual students, as well as two guest speakers from the University of San Francisco, Dr. Johnnie Hafernik and Dr. Fredel Wiant.  The guest speakers spoke about the challenges of students who are not originally from this country and the different obstacles they must overcome.

Eric Garay, Fatimat Karamoko and Lazine Chowdhruy are three Penn State Brandywine students, but are from far different backgrounds then the majority of fellow students. They informed the standing room only crowd about life here in the United States and how it differs from life in their home country.

They informed the crowd that what seems like easy tasks for someone originally from this country, may be difficult for someone that is not.

“For someone whose first language is not English, it is difficult for us to put our idea onto paper while writing an essay,” Garay said.

Fatimat came to the United States in 2007 from West Africa.

“In Africa they do not teach English until college,” Fatimat said.  “Since I was still in high school when my family moved here, I was not able to learn any English until my first day of school.”

The students also told stories of their home country and the differences from their schools back home in comparison to education here in the States.

“The most surprising thing about American schools is the freedom that the students are given,” Fatimat said. “I like that I can share my thoughts here.”

The students also gave some tips on how to teach to a non-native student.

“Cursive writing is much harder to read than print as a bilingual student,”  Garay stated.

“Activities after lectures help us learn the material much better,” Fatimat added.

As the event was coming to a close, a new sense of understanding was evident in the room.  Although Africa may just be an Atlantic Ocean away, to Fatimat and the rest of the guest speakers, it’s a totally different world.

James Berridge, Lions Eye Writer jrb1055@psu.edu

The Student Involvement Fair this year was an abbreviated success.  Due to weather conditions on Wednesday, January 14, the Student Involvement Fair, which showcases all of the clubs that Penn State Brandywine campus has to offer, was cut short.  The fair, during common hour, only lasted 30-minutes, but still made students aware of the vast variety of clubs they may want to consider.

A sense of excitement was evident when walking into the Student Involvement Fair.  Each club had a table set up around the perimeter of the gymnasium so students could walk around and visit while enjoying a cold refreshment or snack.  Tables were set up by the members of the various clubs, highlighting what they do and how to get involved.

While interacting with members of different clubs, it was obvious that each once spoke highly about their cause.  Paul Alberici, a member of Penn State Brandywine’s THON group, was no different.

“I enjoy being a member of THON because you are able to meet the people who really need your help; the people whose lives you can impact by being a member of THON is overwhelming.” Alberici said.

For students who may be unaware, THON is the largest student run philanthropy in the world.  It brings together students from the entire Penn State community to form a dance marathon that continues for 46 consecutive hours during a weekend in February.  The club raises money for the Four Diamonds Fund which supports children suffering from cancer at the PSU Hershey Medical Center.  Last year, THON raised more than 13.34 million dollars to help find a cure for children’s cancer.

Olivia Shiner, a member of the Student Government Association, enjoyed being involved in her club.

“We are the voice of the student body,” Shiner said.

The Student Government Association works with Penn State Brandywine executives to plan events, make decisions and team up with other branch campuses to work on issues involving the Penn State community.

With all of the hustle and bustle of the spring semester, extra time is hard to find, but being involved in a club has many advantages.  Whether it be THON, the SGA, or the Lion’s Eye, being a member of these clubs provides students with a sense of community that they may not get from just attending class.  Being involved also looks great on resumes.  So do some research, find a club that may be of interest and get involved.

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

At this year’s annual Brandywine Benefitting THON Chance Auction the dancers selected by Brandywine THON were revealed. What is THON and why do people dance? THON is short for Penn State Dance Marathon. THON is one of biggest student run philanthropies in the world. It raises money for children diagnosed with cancer at the Hershey Medical Center. At the end of each fundraising year, Penn State holds a forty-six hour dancer marathon to raise money for this cause.

Brandywine THON raises money all year and selects two dancers to dance for these forty-six hours. Each year Brandywine THON holds an election to see who will represent Brandywine as dancers at THON. This year, in order to be eligible to run for dancer; candidates had to go great lengths to help fundraise for this cause.  In addition, to be able to vote in the election you had to be considered a member of Brandywine THON.

This was instilled for the first time this year to give each candidate the best possible chance to be elected. On Jan. 14 six candidates presented to their fellow THON members reasons why they they should dance in THON 2015. Every candidate had different reasons, but one reason remained the same: they wanted to dance for the kids, or as THON members say:  “FTK.” All of the candidates have dedicated their year to ensure they could provide for the kids at the Hershey Medical Center.

These members are all deserving of the opportunity to dance in THON 2015, but only two could dance. After the votes were cast and counted, the dancers were announced at Brandywine THON’s Chance Auction. The two dancers who were selected for THON 2015 were Michael Mensah and Paul Alberici. Michael Mensah is a sophomore at Brandywine and has participated in THON since his freshman year. He is currently the canister solicitation “canning” captain for Brandywine THON and has worked on many THON events throughout the year.

Mensah states, “I want to be dancer to entertain the kids and help put a smile on their faces even if they might be going through a lot. I want to remind them to never lose faith, and to never give up!”

Paul Alberici is a junior at Penn State Brandywine and joined THON his freshman year as well. Alberici is currently the public relations captain for Brandywine. With this job he has done all of the public relations work for each event and has worked on other fundraising for the organization. Alberici states, “I’m doing this to let these families know this is no longer just their family’s fight, this is a fight undertaken by every THON volunteer.

Even if you are not a physically raising money, you are raising one of the greatest things you can give somebody…hope.” Paul Alberici and Michael Mensah have been revealed as Brandywine’s dancers for THON 2015. Their hard work and dedication to Brandywine THON’s organization has proven that they are ready to take on the daunting task of dancing forty-six hours.

This will be to celebrate those who have defeated cancer, support those who are battling, and honor those children who have lost the battle. This may be the hardest, most emotional, and memorable experience of their life. The task of dancing forty-six hours may be one of the most selfless things they will do for anyone, and it is a journey of a lifetime.

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.

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