Day: April 28, 2015

Building On The Pinstripes

Posted By under Sports

The Penn State Nittany Lions take the field for the first time since the epic Pinstripe Bowl victory.
By Vito Purpura, Lion’s Eye Editor, vap5077@psu.edu

Many months have passed since former walk-on Sam Ficken drilled an extra point at Yankee Stadium that gave Penn State a 31-30 overtime victory.

It was Penn State’s first bowl victory following a postseason ban. Since then some players have left for the NFL, while others have graduated and began life after football. As summer approaches, Penn State continues its preparations for next season.  One of which includes the annual Blue & White game held at Beaver Stadium.

The Blue & White game, which is essentially an overhyped practice, provides a glimpse at the team and what plays they might be running this season. Making assumptions based off of the Blue & White game is almost impossible.

“If we analyzed the Blue & White game like a normal game, then Nick Scott might be a Heisman trophy candidate,” Penn State fan John Derosier said at the annual event.

Nick Scott had an impressive day running the ball, which included a 52-yard touchdown run.

Expectations are high this year for the Penn State football team. Coming off of a New Era Pinstripe Bowl championship, they look to improve and make it to a major BCS bowl game. Now with a full year under his belt, Coach James Franklin can continue to build his ideal team. People sometimes forget that he inherited a team molded by Bill O’Brien and originally constructed by the late Joe Paterno.

As time goes on, one would hope Coach Franklin continues to excel in recruiting and build the program he has in mind. Some are still skeptical about Coach Franklin.

“Sometimes he reminds me of a guy who’s full of you know what,” Season ticket holder Jordan Gillespie on Coach Franklin.  “He talks a big game, but really all I care about is what he produces on the field. Talk doesn’t put points on the board.”

Just a short time ago, Joe Paterno was continuing his legendary coaching career, Penn State was flirting with top 25 rankings and they were still being revered as “Linebacker U”. While the name, traditions and for the most part the uniform remain the same, the Penn State football program has unfortunately lost some of its prestige. Winning fixes everything, but the question remains if James Franklin can.

The Second Chance

Posted By under Op/Ed, Sports

By: Liz Gramlich, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, eag5283@psu.edu

Frenc Baro had to leave everything behind and move to America to ensure a better life with his family, which has lead to him having the ability to go to college and receive his degree this May in information science and technology (IST) with a minor in business.

Baro was born in Albania after the fall of communism and his parents felt that the country was an unsafe place; therefore they moved to Greece in search of a better life. In Greece the economy started to decline and their education became very limited as well as their job opportunities. This would lead Baro’s family to applying for a Diversity Immigrant Visa and being chosen to come to the U.S. through this process in 2004.

At the age of 11 it became very difficult for Baro to make the transition from living in Europe to then living in America. The main reason for this was that he did not know the English language or understand the culture yet and he was now being thrown into this culture where he needed to assimilate to succeed. Baro was able take on these challenges and go on to graduate from Springfield High School and be accepted into Penn State Brandywine.

Baro choose Penn State Brandywine because the school offered the major he was interested in and he felt like Brandywine had an inviting atmosphere. Brandywine also had a soccer team; this was exciting for Baro because he has had a passion for soccer his entire life. Unfortunately Baro was injured playing soccer in the beginning of his freshman year so he was not able to play. But by the next year he was out on the field again doing what he loved. Soccer became a way for Baro to relieve the stress of school and work. Brandywine’s soccer coach, Scott Spangler influenced Baro on and off the field. When Baro played soccer for Brandywine they won back-to-back championships and Baro was chosen to be a captain of the soccer team for his senior year.

While working on his academics, Baro was thankful to go through his courses with his friends, Andrew Sinigaglio and Blendi Hasa, who were there with help and support. One thing that stood out about his educational experience was that his education involved a lot of hands on experiences and group projects that applied to work in a career setting. Baro’s advice to future students would be to make friends while you are in school because they will help you during times that you are in need of support.

If he had stayed in Albania, Baro would not have had the opportunity to succeed and earn a degree.
Baro and his immediate family had to leave everything behind including their friends and family in hopes of a better life in order to have the opportunity to accomplish their dreams. Baro states,

“If you look back at what you have done and smile, you have accomplished your goals. I am able to smile because my parents have gave me that chance in life.”

The Penn State Family

Posted By under Op/Ed

Dan Ketler, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, dmk5614@psu.edu

With graduation rapidly approaching on our beloved Penn State Brandywine campus, it is a perfect time to reflect on memories of the graduating class and to also point out notable students who made an impact here for themselves and for others around them. One Brandywine student who proved himself exceptionally worthy of being highlighted, not just for his extremely good grades and ongoing work ethic, but for his interesting story of how he attended Penn State alongside two out of three of his children. This man is none other than Mr. Stephen Braconnier.

Braconnier is a father of three: Stephen Jr., Megan and Allison Braconnier. It was during Stephen Jr.’s senior year at University Park when Braconnier decided to go back to school to obtain his degree in psychology. Interestingly enough, for personal reasons, he kept it to himself that he was attending classes regularly at Brandywine.

“I didn’t tell a single person until I completed my first semester. That was a tough secret to keep!” Braconnier stated.

In May of 2013, Braconnier’s son graduated from main campus while his daughter Megan was in her sophomore year at the University of Notre Dame. The youngest of his three children, Allie, was still in high school at the Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Bryn Mawr. Allie was trying to make up her mind about which college to attend and she chose to follow in her older brother’s footsteps and enroll at Penn State University Park. Braconnier could not have been any more pleased with his family. “I recall being so proud of Stephen’s accomplishment, Allie’s decision and my personal success in my first semester. After the summer semester, my family officially had a Penn State bloodline!” Braconnier shared.

Currently, Braconnier’s daughter is finishing up her second year at main campus while Braconnier himself is getting closer to graduating. He and his daughter keep in touch quite frequently by texting and calling.
“We are both competitive, so we can’t wait to compare GPAs at the end of each semester. I currently hold a slight edge by only decimal places.” Braconnier proudly admitted.

Since he attends college full-time and works two jobs, it is difficult for Braconnier to make the trip up to University Park to visit Allie and to experience all the fun things that main campus has to offer. He hopes to be able to visit Allie in the fall as things will be winding down for him since he will be an official Penn State University graduate.

Stephen Braconnier, will join his son as the second Penn State graduate in their family. His daughter Megan will graduate this May from Notre Dame and Allie plans to graduate from University Park in 2017. What a remarkable journey it has been for the Braconnier family.

Senior Reflection: The Do’s and Don’ts of College

Posted By under Op/Ed

By: James Berridge, Lions Eye Staff Writer jrb1055@psu.edu and Paula Scott, Lions Eye Staff Editor pms5152@psu.edu

Senior year.  The time that we’ve all been looking forward to our entire college career.  I think it is safe to say that college is no easy task, and senior year is the most important of them all.  Deadlines, exams, internships, 400 level classes—worrying about all of these things is enough to make one’s head explode.  However, there are things that you can do throughout your freshman, sophomore, and junior years that might make your senior year a little less stressful.

Here are some dos and don’ts that will make your life much easier

Do- Take summer classes

Don’t- Take a year off

Taking time off from college, then going back, is one of the hardest things to do.  It’s important to stay committed to your education and finish on time.  This is also why taking summer classes may be beneficial.  By taking summer classes, you stay in the “school” mindset.  Once September rolls around, it’s not as hard to get back in the swing of things.

Do- Be organized

Don’t- Be a procrastinator

Organize your schedule early on and set aside time to be in the library. After receiving each course syllabus, highlight all the deadlines and put them into your planner. Saving all your assignments until the last minute will not only hinder your grade, but will increase your stress. The library is the best environment to be in to be the most productive. Use this resource to your advantage; become a regular.

Do- Take advantage of online classes

Don’t- Underestimate them

As a Penn State student, you can register for World Campus classes, so long as you’re taking more credits at Brandywine than you are online. Do take advantage of these courses if you need a class and they aren’t offering it at Brandywine that semester. Do not underestimate the course simply because it is online. Online classes may be more convenient but require you to be very organized and self-motivated. Yes, you don’t have to physically attend class, however, not following the syllabus and required reading can really put you behind. Just because a course is online, doesn’t mean group work is eliminated!

Do- Finish all of your gen eds before your senior year

Don’t- Wait until you senior year to take all 12 required credits of a language

Senior year is when you focus the most on your major.  Most of your classes are of the 300 and 400 level variety.  This means that these classes are the most difficult and take up a lot of your time.  It is much easier to get through senior year when you only have to focus on these classes and not worry about your gen. ed.
requirements.

Do- Manage your schedule wisely

Don’t- Take 22 or 24 credits the last semester of your senior year

It’s the hardest semester of your college career, and you’re taking well above the normal amount of credits in a semester. Not good!  It is important to finish each semester with at least 15 credits.  Although 12 credits may be considered “full-time,” it makes it very hard to graduate on time when only taking that amount.  The last thing you want is to be swamped with school work, your internship, and your personal everyday life during the most important semester of college.

Do- Take care of yourself

Don’t- Neglect your health

Nourish your body with wholesome food to fuel you through your day. Eating vending machine junk (that’s if they even work) will quickly give you energy, but will send you crashing. Get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water. We’ve all heard it…listen to it. Don’t let stress get the best of you. Exercising regularly helps reduce stress levels and keeps your body and mind healthy.

Hopefully these tips can help you through your college education.  College will be part of some of your most memorable times in life.  Have fun, meet new people, but take it seriously.  Know when assignments are due, and hand them in on time.  Make your professor’s life easier, and in return, your own.

Career Fair Provides Students with Great Opportunity

Posted By under Uncategorized

By: James Berridge, Lions Eye Staff Writer, Jrb1055@psu.edu

A lot of time during a student’s senior year is spent on job and internship searching.  Penn State Brandywine hosted its bi-semester career fair for business, communications, and information systems technology majors in order to help with just that.

The career fair on Wednesday, March 25, invited a variety of businesses in the area to join the Brandywine campus in hopes of providing students with job and internship opportunities. Students were asked to wear professional dress and come prepared, with resume in hand, so they could meet as many companies as possible in the short time allotted.

The companies that participated in the career fair included Unites States Liability Insurance, Intern U, Stratus Interactive, Pennoni Associates, Almac Group, Penn State Great Valley, Evolve IP, 101.1 More FM radio, Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry and WSFS Bank.

Internships are very important for college students. Besides the fact that most majors here at Penn State require an internship in order to graduate, they also provide the student with certain lessons that can only be learned in the professional environment. Plus, they can be a great start to a potential full time job.

“I already fulfilled my internship requirement to graduate this semester, but I view an internship as another opportunity for your career,” Paula Scott, a senior corporate communications major, said.

“The more interning you can get under your belt, the more you learn about your major and the better your resume looks.”

Scott also attended the career fair for possible job opportunities and leads.

“Most college seniors do not have a full-time job lined up for them as soon as they graduate, so career fairs are a great way to get your resume out there and get the ball rolling,” Scott said.

Attending career fairs can also be very beneficial to the companies that are looking to hire. career fairs are able to provide potential employers with a face that matches his or her resume. For this reason, it is important to dress professionally. Though career fairs are very beneficial, they can be short. It is important to have one’s resume updated, review background on companies that one wishes to visit during the fair, write a cover letter to share with potential businesses, and show confidence. A good first impression is very important.

Kate Wysocki, event coordinator and PSU Brandywine’s career counseling specialist, helped make this event happen and deserves a big “Thank you,” from all attendees of the PSU Brandywine Career Fair. It was a great success, and hopefully, it continues to gain popularity in the future.

 

Activities Of A Graduate

Posted By under Op/Ed

By: Brooke Byrne, Lion’s Eye Staff Editor, bzb5183@psu.edu

The weeks leading up to the end of the semester are busy ones, especially for Rebecca Slomowitz, who is graduating this spring. Slomowitz is a psychology major here at Penn State Brandywine and, recently at the Academic Awards Convocation, she was the recipient with the most awards.

As the semester winds down, Rebecca is working on finishing up work in her classes. “Before graduation, I have a few presentations left and multiple papers to finish. I have to complete a presentation on a solution to an environmental problem for my honors environmental science course with Dr. Boudreau; a paper and presentation for the developmental appropriateness project for my advanced infant development course with Dr. Zosh; and a paper focused on a cultural group or cultural traditions for my cultural anthropology course taught by Professor Bean,” Slomowitz said. In addition to this, she is also taking six independent study credits. “It has definitely been a balancing act trying to juggle my thesis work and my course work this semester, but I think I have done an OK job.”

As if all of this wasn’t enough, Slomowitz also has plenty keeping her busy outside of her classes as she finishes up work on her Schreyer Honors Thesis investigating infant working memory and whether humans and human-looking objects are special in the minds of infants. This month, her schedule includes presentations for the honors symposium, the 2015 Undergraduate Exhibition at University Park, and two more at the exhibition of Undergraduate Research Enterprise and Creative Accomplishment (EURECA) and Sigma Xi. For some, this may seem daunting, but for Rebecca, this just confirms that she is where she wants to be.

“The process of developing and completing my own study confirms my passion for research and has given me the hands-on experience that I need in order to work toward a career in research,” Slomowitz said. With all this excitement, Rebecca hopes to enjoy a few things on campus before graduation day. “I am currently working on the Honors Organic Garden with other students in Dr. Boudreau’s Honors Environmental Science class, so I’m hoping to spend more time working in the garden now that the weather is getting warmer.”

Since it was Rebecca who wrote the original proposal for the garden after going on a field trip for an honors course that was focused on sustainability, it would be an extra bonus for her to be able to see the garden as a reality. While Slomowitz is focusing all of her graduation attention on finishing up her course work, she says there are lessons she learned here at Brandywine that she will keep in mind during the next couple of weeks.

“My mentor, Dr. Jennifer Zosh, has given me many pieces of advice and has supported me immensely in preparation for leaving school. She has helped me grow as an individual and as a researcher, and words cannot describe how thankful I am for her guidance over the past year. I think my favorite piece of her advice is that I should always be kind and helpful to others, but that I should never belittle my interests or passions because of the opinions of others,” Slomowitz said.

Rebecca says that as she finishes up her time here on campus, her mentality is excitement for the new chapter in her life and aiming to emulate the enthusiasm of her mentor, Dr. Zosh, as she begins her own work as a clinical research assistant at the Center for Autism Research within the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.