Squash takes off at Chatham

January 31, 2014 Admin

A brief history of the game of squash indicates that it is a sport that has been practiced for centuries in various forms. Squash rackets originated from the ancient game of tennis which was played in the twelfth century in the narrow streets of French villages. The game became popular in England, around the middle of the 19th century at the Harrow Boarding School of England. In 1864 the first four squash courts were constructed at the school.

For quite a long time, squash had been labeled “an old boy, Ivy League schools, and private clubs sport” inaccessible to the common athlete. However, for the past forty years or so, that has not been true. According to recent statistics published by the World Squash Federation, squash is played in some 185 countries on nearly 50,000 courts.

Chatham’s squash complex was built about 12 years ago. Coach Costa who teaches squash at Chatham as a regular sports activity explained he had the opportunity to provide some advice during the building of their structure. Chatham University is the only higher educational institution in the area to have squash courts that are built to international standard.

Photo courtesy of Yolaine Michaud

Amy Gilleazeau who attended Chatham College was ranked in the top 114 college players in the USA during the 2009-2010 seasons and placed 3rd in the Caribbean Squash championship in 2010.

Both Coach Costa and Dr. Sean McGreevey (the Assistant Dean of Students and an avid scholar of the game) emphasized that squash is a more complex and strategic sport than it appears. It is sophisticated and at the same time technical; it is considered a great body and mind exercise.

Squash strengthens the core and glutes of the athlete. Playing a serious game of squash can burn an average of 850 kcal/hour. Forbes magazine in 2003 classified squash at the top of the ten healthiest sports to practice.

In providing an analysis of the game, Coach Costa said that it is a game of deception. The speed of the ball movement and its size forces the player to maintain constant focus and have a keen awareness of the opponent and ball positions.

Coach Costa said, “Squash is known as the chess of Racket sport, it is a game of geometry and angle and this cannot be mastered by anyone. Squash is life and the rest is mere detail.”

Furthermore, it was emphasized that squash is weather proof, being practiced indoors; it is suitable for all ages; The health benefits are many. To name a few, it builds endurance and leg power, promotes coordination, boosts flexibility, improves concentration, and increased strength and stamina, those advantages may explain the growing popularity of the sport.

Dr. McGreevey provided a practitioners approach to the game. He explains that squash, while being excellent exercise for general fitness, is also a mental sport. One needs to maintain their inner aggression in order to have the optimum results. It also helps to deal with frustration.

However, one has to be aware that in this game, hitting harder it is not necessarily better. The player needs to adjust his/her game to the opponent. Dr. McGreevey also indicated that to be beneficial a player should practice at least three one-hour sessions a week.

He also gave a little insight in dealing with the equipment–particularly the ball, which needs to be warm in order to respond to the player hit. Additionally, the density of the ball differs according the altitude. For the players who passed the beginner stage, there is a Pennsylvania league, the Box league, which is an online matching of players that works on a six week rotation.

Squash seems to present all the advantages of a complete and thorough workout. For those who want to try it, Coach Costa would like to mention that up to date and standardized equipment is available to borrow for the classes. Squash sessions are held on Monday to Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. There is also a faculty clinic twice a week for 10 weeks between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The program is oriented toward beginners.

Reimagining Woodland: the future of art in liberal arts at Chatham University

January 31, 2014 Admin

One of Chatham’s most overlooked gems is the Olkes Collection, which contains hundreds of African artworks. Housed in the Woodland Gallery and the primary subject of one of the university’s Museum Studies courses, Curating African Art, it is rarely showcased to visitors due to both a lack of proper security and a shocking lack of interest on-campus.

When I came to Chatham in the fall of 2010, I entered as a Creative Writing major. Even so, it wasn’t long before I became an Art History major instead. One of the most promising and, in today’s contemporary art scene, most challenging fields out there, I felt thrilled to choose the museum world as my career path.

By the time I became a Senior, the art history program had vanished as its own major and had instead been reduced to a mere concentration in the Visual Arts major. The logical answer for this sad turn of events is simply that Chatham University did not have enough interested recruits.

But how could they when no marketing was given to the department? Chatham University’s numerous brochures boast for pages upon pages of their interest in global issues, politics, environmental studies, and science – and their renowned English department, whose professors have (quite deservingly) received many accolades.

However, the Olkes Collection, art history program, and Museum Studies minor were rarely mentioned. In fact, as Chatham pours millions of dollars into the Eden Hall Farm project (which has so far served only to artificially impress donors and alumni rather than serve current students), they have cut opportunities for student jobs, refused to fix faucets, pianos and other parts of their mansion-like dorms, taken away beloved student spots such as the Weathervane, and major by major, are slimming down their academic offerings.

Any other university in the country who offers a strong art history program, especially one with such a spectacularly focused collection and a close proximity to world-renowned museums such as the Carnegie International, would boast about these things. Chatham, however, has never said so much as a peep. I only knew about the major, in fact, after purposefully scrolling for it after taking interest in an art history survey course in high school.

If Chatham is to proclaim itself to be a powerful liberal arts school, then it must not ignore the study which so strongly encapsulates the visual culture and material evidence of our past, present and future. The wise choice would not have been to cut back on, but to build on their program (which has offered classes as varied as African Art, 19th Century European Art, Asian Art, and even special topics, such as Women in Art), to expand and market the Art History major, including welcoming new professors and redesigning the Woodland Gallery.

The new gallery could not only beautifully display the entire Olkes Collection, but might have also included a separate gallery, connected by doors, for student, faculty and guest exhibitions. Even better, would have been regular hours for the Woodland Gallery’s opening, regular security members on-site to protect the items, and, perhaps, even full-time staff members to research and restore the university’s art collection, both in a research room in the gallery, and in an off-site storage space for works not currently in view (perhaps at Eden Hall?).

Chatham University has always taught its students to be world-ready women. With an increasingly limited number of disciplines offered at the school, how can this be possible if we are not allowed, in college of all places, to explore different subject matter and improve upon those dear to our hearts?

How is it possible that they are able to quietly lock away studies, which–despite their important influence in the world at large–are strangely ignored in our own supposedly progressive academic halls? Take, for example, the Carnegie International, which made headlines not just in Pittsburgh but around the world this year for using groundbreaking contemporary art to bring light to important issues, including poverty, war, and discrimination. Art and its study must never, can never, and should never be removed from the liberal arts.

Students share laughs at Chatham Improv Night

January 31, 2014 Admin

On Friday January 17, students took the stage of Eddy Theater as drug dealers sailing in Jamaica, camel riders in Maryland, and a proud dog owner during Chatham Improv Night. Sponsored by the Fickes Residence Hall Council and hosted by Indigo Baloch, the event was based on the popular improvisational comedy show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”

The contestants participated in different games based on prompts read aloud by the host. The scene, characters, and dialogue were created on the spot by contestants or by audience suggestions. Anyone in the audience of 20 could participate. At the end of the night, audience members voted for the winner of “funniest” contestant.

McKenzie Haskins took home the grand prize, a $25 Chipotle gift card. “I literally just embarrassed myself for a couple of minutes and got a free gift card out of it,” said Haskins. Brianna Rice, Jessica Chow, and Erika Martin claimed second, third and fourth place, respectively.

Waiting for Intermission: Review of “Her”

January 31, 2014 Admin

Audiences know director Spike Jonze for his bizarre films. Those who watched “Being John Malkovich” can attest to this fact. As a filmmaker, he takes themes from the postmodern world and brings it to a mind-blowing conclusion.

Jonze continues this strong tradition with the new film “Her”, centered on loner Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix). After separating from his ex-wife, he develops a relationship with an operating system Samantha (Scarlett Johansson). As the relationship evolves, Theodore learns about the intimate and emotional components of human nature. Complete with stunning cinematography and astounding acting, “Her” examines the anxieties and beautiful nuances forming the human connection.

Success of the film relies on its basis in a grounded reality. Emotional attachment can only be maintained if audiences can believe in the world being portrayed. Visual and contextual elements create this grounded future world.

Audiences notice sprawling shots of the city skyline, panoramic outside Theodore’s apartment. The metallic texture of the buildings reminds audiences of the standard future setting, gleaming and otherworldly. Yet these buildings do not stretch into the atmosphere, nor do hover cars or teleportation devices dominate the skyline. Subtle technological changes mark a natural progression into the future.

Jonze envisions a future our children and grandchildren could potentially inhabit. Even Theodore’s job of writing emotional letters for those who cannot express themselves are just the natural evolution of Hallmark cards. This realistic world offers a platform to understand and ultimately accept the love between Theodore and Samantha.

Audiences also view this transition through Theodore’s flexibility toward talking about Samantha to the public, leading to an inevitable double date with him and a human couple. Some scenes will cause some seat lurching, particularly Theodore and Samantha’s sex scene and their date using a human female surrogate. However, these scenes capture Jonze constant break from the reality of the film. He finds opportunities to break the fourth wall, particularly through the musical transitions between scenes.

The musical score of the film seamlessly transforms into Samantha’s compositions, which she says represent the scene’s events. Jonze wants us to remain enchanted while inhabiting his grounded reality.

The film not only examines the logistics behind a relationship, but also analyzes Theodore’s inability to connect emotionally with those around him. Joaquin Phoenix’s portrayal of a man fearing the lonely expanse of life is simply fantastic. His pained desire to give language to his feelings provides a vessel for audiences to analyze their own anxieties.

Use of silent flashbacks reinforces this anxiety, as it forces audiences to give language to the emotions displayed on screen. Despite Phoenix’s acting command, the character of Amy, played by Amy Adams, hits the message home. In the middle of the film, Amy talks to Theodore about how overthinking things sews the seeds of our own self-doubt. People need to accept our emotions and strive to give voice to these emotions; otherwise thoughts could potentially cripple us into silence. Aside from the fresh portrayal of a strong female character, her monologue speaks to the purity of the human experience. Being open to connection involves risk, but eventual happiness outweighs these fears.

“Her” is an incredibly intelligent film examining our detached society through a post-structural lens. The wonderful messages of this film will stick with you long after leaving the theater.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Jasmine Davis speaks on life after Chatham

January 31, 2014 Admin

In 2010 Jasmine Davis graduated from Chatham with a degree in marketing. After living on campus all four years, she journeyed out into in the real world. Staying within the Chatham circle, her first job was for a pair of women who also graduated from Chatham. She worked at the content factory managing five to seven clients in social media, conducting phone interviews, and tending to any overall online needs. When talking about the transition from student to graduate, Davis admitted, “It took a little bit of time acclimating to not getting a grade–you have to maintain a level of quality while solving your own problems.”

Originally, Davis said she hoped to find an on-campus position, but is now glad that she chose to find a job away from the, “Chatham bubble.” Her time at Chatham clearly prepared her for her off-campus life, especially in the aspect of time management. Participating in a number of extra curricular activities added to her success, in particular her position as President of Student Government her senior year. Also, Davis held two jobs during her four years on-campus: an on-campus job and working as a page for the Carnegie Library.

Her tutorial prepared her most in the aspect of balance. During her tutorial she created an outline, allowing for her to utilize the entire year. Within the outline were highlighted dates to keep her on track. Davis believed her tutorial was her best tutor in time management skills.

Photo courtesy of Jasmine Davis

Now, Davis works for as an account manager at Community Elf. She describes her job as a, “blogger.” Working with local clients, she manages an online presence for most of her clients. The job entails working with her clients to respond to online conversation, and blogging about things people want to read. That’s not all Davis worked for last year though.

Davis created her own board game design on the side. She entered it in the Tabletop Deathmatch, though she did not win. She did make the cut for the sixteen finalists. Furthermore, she noted she was the only solo woman to be part of the competition. Davis admitted that part of her strive comes from attending an all-girls school and the empowering environment it involved. She explained, “It is really important for women to stand up for themselves, in the workplace, hobbies, or whatever you’re doing in life–Chatham was fantastic for that.”

Besides her time working and making board games, Davis is also a member of the young alumni association at the school. The Young Alumni Association’s goal is to remind young alumni they do not have to miss out on the events they loved as students. It also reminds graduates to attend any events such as reunions.

Davis’s love for the University and the campus itself runs deep. She was interested in holding her wedding reception on campus and admitted one of the first things she did when dating a guy was show him around our beautiful campus. She also noted her love for the dining hall during this part of the interview.

In fact, the last part of her advice for any students on campus that Davis gave was, “Enjoy the dining hall while you have it!”

Little Red Riding Vogue: The irresistible urge to stare at children’s clothes

January 31, 2014 Admin

I know it sounds ridiculous, but sometimes I wish I were still a little kid. I feel this more strongly when I’m in stores like Target ogling at all of the new toys and most importantly—the children’s clothes.

What I wouldn’t give to be seven and wearing a tutu like a little Monster High doll. I feel like children’s clothes have progressively gotten cuter as the years get on. When I was a kid in the late 90s I had parents who dressed me up in dark sweaters and black leggings (most likely to fit in with their Depeche-Mode-inspired fashion sense). Later though, I was able to graduate to soft, velvet party dresses and Mary Janes. However, what I was truly lusting after were glittery crop tops, jean shorts, and those weird hair clips that dominated the 90s. Who didn’t want to be a Spice Girl?

Nowadays, kids clothing aisles are stocked with brightly colored leggings, and pastel cardigans, and basically everything you wish they had in adult sizes. It’s not rare for me to hear a friend or two whine about wanting younger relatives to dress up. More and more children’s clothes are actually just smaller sizes of the types of clothes a young girl might see on her older sister. It’s almost like we’ve reverted into the Victorian era again where children were dressed as little adults.

Allison Albitz, first-year and Communique Managing Editor
Photo Credit: Indigo Baloch

Even boy clothes are overwhelmingly cute. There’s enough flannel and faux leather to make your little brother into a Winchester. In fact, there’s no better example than Instagram icon Alonso Mateo. Online he has been dubbed the world’s most fashionable 5-year-old. In real life, his stylist mother dresses him like a miniature adult—scratch that: a ridiculously fashionable miniature adult.

Now I’m not sure if the internet has decided on a “most fashionable little girl” yet, but the well-known blog Humans of New York often posts pictures of children with style, using the caption “Today in microfashion.” Sometimes they’re wild getups you know the kids chose themselves, but sometimes they’re pretty spectacular outfits that make you wonder if their dad is Karl Lagerfeld or if that kid is the next Coco Chanel.

And it’s not just the children who have great fashion these days. Monster High dolls, the new toy craze, are some of the most fashionable dolls I’ve seen by far (even I have a growing collection). The best part about these dolls is that each doll has a distinct personality and style. Where other dolls like Barbies and Bratz have interchangeable outfits, each Monster High doll is unique. Although you could exchange the outfits if you wanted to, each doll stands out. However, you’ll always see similarities in color choices among one character’s wardrobe.

Of course a classic example of clothing-envy in toys is the American Girl dolls. Especially with the more modern dolls, it seems like there is an endless amount of style options. And everything is just the right size to taunt you, but obviously never be wearable. It’s not small enough to be for a Barbie, but it isn’t big enough to be for a toddler. Then, American Girl changed everything and made certain clothes that could be bought for the doll, but also the owner. So yes, Kit and I did have matching pajamas every night.

Now maybe it’s just my/America’s obsession with merchandise, but the other day, when I saw that Target had Lalaloopsy dresses, I was immediately depressed by my lack of youth. Cherish your cuteness while you can.

Get to know Chatham’s Student Government

January 31, 2014 Admin

“Be the change you wish to see on Campus” is an opportunity that Chatham Student Government (CSG) grants to every student on campus.

CSG is the student elected Senate which consists of officers from each of the four classes, in addition to the executive board.

“[CSG] is a platform where we can be liaisons to the administration but where we can also advocate for issues that we really care about” is how Jeannette Schollaert describes CSG. Schollaert is a junior majoring in English & Women Studies at Chatham and serves as the Executive Vice President of CSG. According to Schollaert, CSG meetings as a whole are open to every single person on campus. Any student who has any concern may attend those meetings and express his/her concerns to the Senate members so they can work towards “making Chatham a better place to be.”

Mareija Bibbs, senior in Human Biology and the executive president of CSG said, “We’re always open to hear feedback, because we want everyone to enjoy their experience here at Chatham, so whenever there’s an issue, it’s our top priority.”

CSG Senate meetings are held every Thursday to discuss Senate issues.

CSG is a giant umbrella that is bisected by different branches. One of those branches is the Student Organization Forum (SOF), which is part of what Schollaert runs in her position. SOF consists of student organization leaders who gather for monthly Tuesday meetings. SOF meets to share concerns and operates under a basic set of policies and procedures, in order for student leaders to be more effective in their work.

SOF also provides guidance to the student organizations through the event planning process if needed in order to make events more profitable and efficient. They can be helped, for example, with a room request, a speaking invitation and other basic steps in order to eventually produce a successful event. Every organization is required to send one representative to those meetings, in order to remain eligible for the UBC funding.

Schollaert runs both the SOF meetings and the CSG Senate meetings as Parliamentarian.

A large number of the events held on campus are partially or fully funded by the Undergraduate Budget Committee (UBC), which is run by Claire Swauger, a senior majoring in Environmental Science at Chatham and the CSG Vice President of Finances. UBC is another branch of CSG.

According to Swauger, UBC was given a budget of $30,000 this year, which UBC is responsible for dispensing properly. “Student organizations come to us, present an event with a special funds request, and according to the UBC constitution or methods of order, we decide how to allocate those funds” added Swauger.

UBC meetings are held every other Tuesday and requests should be handed in four weeks in advance.

“We always try to be fair, and follow the guidelines for how we distribute funds. Things that happen on Chatham are given first priority, and if they collaborate with a lot of organizations, that gets priority as well.”

The CSG Constitution and UBC Methods of Order can be accessed on myChatham under Documents and Forms, Student Affairs.

CSG has been working on “Town Hall Information Sessions,” which is kind of a press conference release that is held every Thursday in January. In those sessions, each administration person from each category comes and discusses the students’ concerns with them.

All the information about the CSG meetings is open to the public, whether in hard copies or online. CSG announcements can also be reached at CSGSTUGOVT on Twitter, or on the Facebook page: Chatham Student Government, which is updated every Thursday to broadcast the meetings.

“We are all students here, and we want to get the most out of our four years in the happiest way possible, so if you have a concern, we probably have it too!” Schollaert said.

Ice Hockey: Cougars fall to Pioneers 4-3

January 31, 2014 Admin

On Saturday, January 18, the Chatham University Cougars fell to the Utica College Pioneers 4-3. The game was played in the McKnight Hockey Center at Shadyside Academy in Fox Chapel, PA.

Seven minutes and 48 seconds into the game, first year Brianna Rice got the Cougars on the board first with a powerplay goal assisted by sophomores Katrina Hawkins and Erika Bronk. The Pioneers’ Gabrielle Schnepp answered the goal and tied the game with six minutes and 15 seconds left in the first period. Schnepp was assisted by Morgan Reed and Nicole Kieffer.

Schnepp began the scoring play for the second period with a goal at 8:10 assisted by Megan Meyers and Nicole Kieffer. The Cougars’ Erika Bronk responded with an unassisted goal at 12:51. Within two minutes, the Cougars scored yet again, this time by Freshman Brianna Rice, assisted by Erika Bronk and Katrina Hawkins.

The Cougars went into the third period with a 3-2 lead over the Pioneers. After over ten minutes of scoreless play, Utica’s Vanessa Maines scored assisted by Janessa Haasbeek. Less than three minutes later, Utica took the lead with an unassisted goal by Megan Myers with 6:59 left in the game.

Chatham University trailed the Pioneers in shots, 32-12. Junior Megan Buchanan blocked 28 shots over the course of the game. The Cougar’s top shooters were Kaitlyn Perrins, with four shots, and Erika Bronk with three.

A new kind of literary experience: Abrams and Dorst impress audiences with S.

January 31, 2014 Admin

I have seen some intriguing concepts for books in my day, but never one so outstandingly original as that of S., the novel by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. In fact, I would be hard pressed to refer to this work as simply a novel, because it is indeed so much more than that. This work of meta-fiction has surpassed the label of novel, instead creating a fully interactive experience sure to thrill the full spectrum of readers.

Upon purchasing this book within a book, and removing the black slip-case emblazoned with a large scripted S, the reader encounters what appears to be an old, weathered library book entitled “Ship of Theseus” — complete with call numbers on the spine and return dates stamped inside the back cover. Written by the fictitious author and political dissident, V.M Straka — a man whose identity is highly debated among literary scholars — the book was “published” in 1949 under highly mysterious circumstances.

“Ship of Theseus” recounts the tale of a young man suffering from amnesia, who knows nothing about himself save his name, S. It is a classic adventure story with a few unexpected twists, chronicling S’s tale as he attempts to piece together his former life.

This tale, however, is merely the backbone of the novel. What makes it truly original is the annotations that fill the margins of the book.

As the reader soon learns, the book is being exchanged between its owner, an expunged graduate student named Eric, and an undergraduate named Jen. Their margin notes lay out their thoughts on the book as they work to uncover the identity of V.M Straka, as well as the messages hidden within the footnotes by Straka’s translator, F.X. Caldeira.

As the book goes on, however, it becomes clear that they are working against a force much bigger than literary intrigue, as their mutual interest in the book leads them towards a danger that is all too real.

In addition to the annotations left by Eric and Jen, the book is also filled with various photocopied documents, postcards, and sheets of notebook paper that the two have passed back and forth throughout their relationship, making it feel more like a one-of-a-kind gem found in the corner of a dusty antique shop, than a book that was bought brand new.

Unfortunately, this unique format does make the book at little complicated at times, requiring a great deal of focus from the reader (particularly when one realizes that the notes between Eric and Jen are from several different timelines, and are differentiated by color).

This could obviously be a drawback for some readers, but in my opinion the end result is entirely worth the effort. Personally, I fully intend to reread it in the hopes of picking up on the intricacies that I may have missed the first time through.

S. is an incredibly ambitious endeavor with a great deal of potential, which I think it lives up to in every way. Abrams cinematographic background lends itself beautifully to the conception of this novel, while Dorst’s writing manages to capture all of the voices that play into the telling of the story, and express them all with a deft ability.

Additionally, they accomplish all of this without making it feel at all gimmicky, which is a trap that is all too easy to fall into when writing a novel in such an unusual format.

This modern twist on the old-fashioned adventure story is one that will surely renew anyone’s love of literature. With realistic prose, and an extensive historical context, one almost forgets that it is indeed a work of fiction.

Abrams wasn’t kidding when he said that this book was created to be a “love letter to the written word”. It succeeds in not only providing an incredibly story, but also in proving that in a world where technology is the overwhelming standard, the written word still has a role to play.

World ready woman Mimi Huang speaks on working for the United Nations

January 20, 2014 Admin

Mimi Huang, a Reporting Officer at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, was invited as a guest speaker at Chatham University on January 10. Huang held two informational sessions for students and staff on United Nations Operations.

As an introduction, Huang gave a brief overview of her background and how she came to be a UN staff member. She informed the audience that she graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a first degree in Mechanical Engineering, and earned a graduate degree in Development Economics from the Latin American University of Social Sciences in Quito, Ecuador.

She is polyglot with proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin, Japanese; and she is currently studying Arabic. Huang started her career in the private sector with Sony Laboratory in Tokyo.

Shortly thereafter, the Tokyo Office of United Nations Industrial Development Organization contacted her. Huang explained that she was then fortunate enough to move to others agencies and be exposed to a wide array of the United Nations activities.

In a span of five years, she occupied various positions in the UN system including a 15 month field assignment in Timor-Leste which allowed her to observe first hand the complexity of United Nations operations on the ground, while considerably broadening her skills.

Huang emphasized that working in the United Nations requires versatility, people-oriented skills, sensitivity and capacity to adapt to a multicultural environment, and willingness and mental readiness to face potential hardship conditions.

Ms. Huang briefly discussed the bureaucratic nature of the organization, and highlighted that contrary to common belief, the United Nations does not make decisions independently from its members.

The organization is the world platform for discussion and consensus building and it does not have enforcement capacity for the respect of decisions taken. Only the Security Council, which is mandated to maintain peace and security, can carry out its decisions by making them mandatory on member states.

Ms. Huang stressed that working for the United Nations opens the door to knowledge and cultural diversity, while giving a sense of responsibility and hope that the world can be a better place.