By: Cole Young, Lion’s Eye Staff cry5060@psu.edu

We’re closing in on November 6, which is Election Day this year. For many at Penn State Brandywine it will be their first opportunity to cast their vote. While it isn’t a presidential election, these elections are still highly important. The position of Pennsylvania governor is up for grabs, as well as seats in Congress. Many local offices are also going to be contested this November.

The 2018 elections will still have a huge impact on our government, and you can have your say. To get to know more about how Brandywine helps students learn about the voting process, I talked to the Center of Ethics and Civic Engagement Director, Vippy Yee.

“Part of what we’ve been doing is collaborating with other groups on campus. For example, for Constitution Day I worked very closely with the library. We had a national voter registration drive that day as well as recorded students on camera voicing what issues are important to them. Those videos are going to be turned into PSAs and distributed around campus on all the different screens leading up to the election.”

This semester the Center of Ethics and Civic Engagement has been working diligently to prepare students for the election.

“We’ve had seven voter registrations this semester. I’ve partnered with the Library, Orchard Hall and the Civic and Community Engagement Club. We had two drives in Orchard Hall, as well as a few in the Student Union Building.”

Unfortunately, for those who still need to register, the October 9 deadline has passed. However, it seems that many students have already registered to vote.

“What was really enlightening about the process was that a lot of students are already signed up. We tried to engage as many students as we could and often we found that they had already signed up. In those cases we directed students to a website where they could check their registration and make sure their voter registration was active, had the right information and that they’d definitely be able to vote. There were instances of students whose registration was not active in the way they thought it would be. In those cases we took those students and had them register immediately.”

Even though many students had already registered, the drives were still very successful.

“Of the brand new registrations, those who said they’d never registered before and would like to now, I would say we registered about 70 students.”

There still are more things to do after getting students registered. Yee explained,

“The first step was getting students registered, whether that was through registration drives, Constitution Day or National Voter Registration Day. Now we’re into our voter education phase. A lot of students explained that they didn’t know who to vote for or that they didn’t what we’re talking about. These elections are called the midterm elections which means that all 435 seats in the U.S House of Representatives are up for grabs. That means whether a student is from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey or anywhere else in the U.S they have a member of congress they’re going to be voting on. In Pennsylvania there’s the governor’s race, a senate race, and state legislature races. The second phase is helping students understand what are their resources to learn more about candidates.”

Now Brandywine students may be wondering where they can go to vote and the answer is closer than you think.

“If you’ve registered with this address your voting location is actually across the street from the Main Building at the Easter Seals school.”

Now if you’re on the fence about voting, maybe this incentive will help.

“We are part of the Big Ten Challenge which is a competition to see which Big Ten school can get the most students to get registered and then go out and vote. Penn State does very well, but we really do want to win this contest. I would hope you’re voting, because of your civic duty, but there’s also Penn State pride. We can’t let Michigan beat us.”

Voting is a very important thing in our country, and we at the Lion’s Eye hope to see you at the polls November 6!

By: Laura Wilson, Lions Eye Staff Writer, lcw5189@psu.edu

Penn State Brandywine’s Student Activities host different events every week that everyone can attend. Student activities staff works tirelessly every year to bring fun new things to campus. They start every year with their Week of Welcome.

“This year the Week of Welcome started from Saturday, August 18 and went until Friday, August 24, which was during the first week of classes. We had seven to eight events. There were escape rooms which were really popular and we had our first, First Friday, event which was an arcade movie event. The movie event had over 80 people attend so I think that was a good way to start the year with lots of people knowing that there are student activities happening on campus,” said Assistant Director of Student ActivitiesBridget O’Donnell.

Since the Week of Welcome, there have been many more activities held. You can find the schedule of activities each week on the Brandywine Bulletin which is emailed to students every Monday at 8:00 a.m. One can also find out about activities through the monthly Commode Commentary, or through their social media pages. Instagram and Facebook: @psubrandywinesa.

Do you want to go to an event but it is over lunch or dinnertime? There is no need to choose between the two because, “most events have free food since a lot of them are during the dinner or lunch hour so students don’t have to choose between going to the program or going to eat; you can get both,” O’Donnell.

Student activities are trying out some new events this year as well as improving events from last year.“Truth Tuesdays have shifted gears from full 60-90 minute speakers to a shorter “spoken words” series. A spoken word artist comes on campus and tells their stories, journeys or experiences through poems and interactions. This happens one Tuesday every month for five months,” said O’Donnell.

A new event coming to campus this year is the haunted library, which is an overnight event. “The haunted library overnight event starts at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30 and goes until 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 31. There is a full schedule of events‑some of which include a costume contest, a pizza party, scary movies, scary stories, a game design competition and many more. It ends with a pumpkin Halloween breakfast in the morning,” said O’Donnell. Even if you are not able to come for the whole 12 hours you are still able to check it out.

Going to student activities is a great way to make new friends, have fun and even get free food! “There is a ton of stuff going on through October and November. Keep an eye out on the Brandywine bulletins to find the most up to date information all across campus,” said O’Donnell.

By: Laura Wilson, Lions Eye Staff Writer, lcw5189@psu.edu

As part of the on-going Penn State Brandywine expansion, which began with residence life in Orchard Hall and a Student Union, the Commons/Athletic Center has received a makeover. The Commons renovation was started in late May 2018 and completed late in September 2018. These renovations have added many new additions to the campus. According to Brandywine’s website, “The project cost $3.4 million dollars, which was funded by campus donors, match funding from University Park, the Brandywine Student Facilities Committee and Penn State’s Office of the Physical Plant.”

The completion of the Commons building has brought many new and improved amenities to Penn State Brandywine. “These include a new commuter lounge, nurse’s station, athletic training room, a new police services office and an expanded, state-of-the-art fitness center,” according to Brandywine’s website.

The renovations benefit many different areas on campus. One of the larger programs it will benefit is the athletics programs. The new fitness center and athletic training room are two of the perks of these renovations.

“A lot of our student athletes didn’t work out here on campus because it was so condensed in years past, so the fitness center is going to be tripled in size. We are also getting over $100,000 worth of new equipment. The athletic training room will also triple in size. One of the biggest changes is that we are getting air conditioning in the gym,” said Athletic Director Sarah Kurpel.

The process did not come without some hardships. Although most of the work was scheduled for the summer months, many professors, coaches and athletes were displaced during the renovations. They found temporary offices throughout campus.

“One of the biggest problems was that it displaced all of us and specifically the students,” said Kurpel. Athletes who were around in the summer were unable to train or work out while the gym was closed and, “Since the gym was not available, the volleyball team had to practice off campus.”

The new renovations may have presented some obstacles, but go see for yourself if the craziness was worth it.

Mike Ryan, Lion’s Eye Staff Writer, mpr5198@psu.edu

With May graduation fast approaching students may still not have a job lined up. With students all of over the world applying to what, hopefully, is a long and successful career, some students may be stuck about how to get their name and resume out there. For the second time this school year, Penn State Brandywine hosted a career fair, inviting varied employers from many different companies and industries. Some students may be skeptical that they can find a job at a school job fair, but after speaking with many representatives, they expressed their need for employees and a job fair is a great way to find them.

“We are looking for students who are eager to learn, and have the ability to try things that are outside of their comfort zone. We look for students that challenge themselves, and work hard. “That’s one of the most important things that companies look for,” said Elizabeth Schroeder, manager of university relations at InternU. “It’s a great way to get your foot in the door. A lot of times the organizations here is a great way to get started on the job search,” said Brad Sabathne, campus recruiting specialist for United Airlines.

Not only were companies looking for future employees, they were also offering part-time jobs for students. Speaking with Edwin Hernandez, lead scientist for MadScience, a program that hires college students to go do science shows at after school clubs and summer camps at the elementary level in southeastern Pennsylvania, he said, “All we look for is if the person has had experience working with kids. Everything else you get with the training, so you don’t need to come with a science background; we provide all of the training that will be needed do the job well.”

With the fair a huge success many students felt this career fair was a great way to find a career after graduation.

Charged with overseeing 13 varsity sports teams as well as the club and intramural programs, Sarah Kurpel joins Penn State Brandywine as the new athletic director.

Since 2006, Kurpel was an assistant athletic director for student services and compliance, senior woman administrator, and head field hockey coach at Neumann University.

“I’ll have oversight of adding and managing positions and coaches, the budget and compliance,” Kurpel explained, “I also want to make sure athletes are having an awesome experience.”

Growing up, she was always around sports. She enjoyed many sports including softball, field hockey, lacrosse, track, dancing and cheerleading, so Kurpel is comfortable in the sports area.

“. . . months ago when this position opened, I did research about Brandywine and I was really interested in the residence aspect. I remembered how fun it was when the dorms opened at Neumann and how campus life expanded. I wanted to be a part of that.”

Kurpel believes in Penn State and is sure that she could not have been an athletic director anywhere else.

“I applied in a let’s-see-what-happens kind of way and everything went great,” she began. “This is a great opportunity for me. I’m eager to focus on the enhancement of the student-athlete experience, while we transition to a residential community in the coming academic year.”

Working at Brandywine, she wants to get to know everyone. She is looking forward to exploring options of additional sports and activities. Kurpel hopes to continue the work already in place for bringing sports to next level of competition as appropriate.

While at Neumann, Kurpel saw the sport teams increase from 12 to 24 and new facilities built and improved—similar to Brandywine’s current growth.

Referring to the need for activities on nights and weekends once Brandywine is residential, Kurpel said, “I want to increase the night life to include more recreational opportunities so students have something to do at night.”

Kurpel is excited for the residence halls and thinks they can help in many ways. She believes it will open opportunities for coaches to recruit students from further distances.

A native of Delaware County, Kurpel believes the residence option appeals to local students too.

“Students want a college experience and degree but don’t want to go two hours away,” said Kurpel.

Kurpel is excited to hear from the students and wants them to come to her with ideas.

“My door’s open and I want to hear from people,” Kurpel concluded. Kurpel is located in the Commons Athletic building by the gym.

Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, Alyssa Abbonizio, aqa5498@psu.edu