Month: September 2014

Tennis team is cut from Chatham athletics

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Chatham University has one less sports team to support and cheer on this year. The tennis team, the only team to be eliminated from Chatham athletics, had been expected to play this fall and its elimination came as a surprise to its former players.

The news broke over the summer, and seemed to have left a lot of team members feeling uninformed as to the reasons why they are not longer playing tennis for their school.

The initial meeting to discuss the future of the team was on June 12, though the email announcing the meeting was sent on June 11. With only two students able to attend the meeting in person, many were informed of the final decision through email. The final decision was explained through the email as being the result of, “a variety of challenges which included resource and recruitment challenges.”

Kristi Hruska, and Lauren Trichtinger are two players who feel that the reasons given to them for the team being cut are rather vague and uninformative. They also feel as if they are missing out on the experiences that they have been working toward throughout their previous semesters on the team.

Hruska is missing out on her senior year as a member of the tennis team and Trichtinger is losing her chance to be awarded the Scholar Athlete of the Year award which celebrates both excellent academic and athletic achievements.

With 11 girls confirmed to play in the fall, five of which were returning starters, the tennis team had enough to play and was not in danger of coming up short as far as participants. However, their previous coach had recently left and a replacement had not yet been found at the time the meeting was held.

Several of the team members attempted to find alternative ways to be able to continue on with the team, but their efforts still were unsuccessful. Among all of the other changes that Chatham is facing this fall semester, the lack of a women’s tennis team is another alteration that can be added to the list.

Improvised Shakespeare Company performs at Eden Hall

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William Shakespeare, considered by many as one of the greatest playwrights in history, is famous for his comedies and his tragedies; however, in his day, Shakespeare never combined the two genres quite like The Improvised Shakespeare Company did in their performance at Eden Hall’s Hilda M. Willis Amphitheater on Thursday, September 18.

The crowd included students, visiting for pleasure or extra credit; members of the general public; the Falk School of Sustainability’s Dean Peter Walker; and Chatham University President Esther Barazzone.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company, as their name suggests, improvises plays based entirely on a title suggested by an audience member.  Though they employ Elizabethan language and use themes present in many of Shakespeare’s works, the troop does not rehearse, pre-plan, or memorize any material.

“Everything you’re about to see tonight has been made up on the spot,” said actor Blaine Swen, as he introduced the concept.  “If ever you’re wondering where the story is going, so are we.”

An audience member chose the title A Horse Named Shirley, and the play began for, as Swen said, both its world premier and its closing night.

The action began in France, in the middle of war with England. Princes James (Randall Harr) and William (Ric Walker) of England weep for their brothers fallen in battle.  When their youngest brother, Ned (Josh Logan), appears–Ned was their smallest brother and, as the princes point out, he is even smaller now that his legs have been severed in battle–William swiftly kills him, leaving the two brothers alone once more.

Prince James, who is first in line for the throne now that their father has died, devises a plan to sneak into the French camp and overthrow the French King. He cuts off the mane of a horse named Shirley, fashions it into a wig, and disguises himself as a French woman to infiltrate the camp–in reminiscence of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” in which Viola disguises herself as her twin brother Sebastian.

In the next scene, the King of France (Ross Bryant) and his son (Logan) converse–in heavy French accents–at their camp. The Prince wishes to find true love, and his father sets him up with a homely French woman (Walker) with a comically husky voice. The Prince thanks his father for choosing for him a fiancée who he describes as “the most beautiful flower in the field,” but questions whether she was the only flower from which to choose.

Next the audience is introduced to Penelope (Swen), the Princess of France, who wishes for a love of her own, just as her father has found for her brother. She, like Juliet before her, finds solace in her nurse and confidante.

The next scene takes the audience back to the battlefield where five surviving soldiers (played by all five members of the cast: Bryant, Harr, Logan, Swen, and Walker) discuss their good fortune, which has allowed them to survive the war. One soldier, Boyd (Swen), admits to having penned a one-act play that is a metaphor for the political situation between France and England, instead of assisting his friends in the fight; as one friend remembers, Boyd drafted part of his play on the back of a soldier slain in battle. The men decide to stage Boyd’s play, and they go off into the woods to rehearse.

Back at the French court, Prince James in disguise meets the Prince of France, who instantly falls in love with him, disguised as a “her.” Admiring the incognito James’s “strong arms” and “sausage fingers,” the Prince of France wishes to marry the masculine lady. James, spotting a chance to infiltrate the kingdom and conquer France, pretends to reciprocate the French Prince’s love.

The next scene takes the audience to Prince William and a Spanish assassin he has hired to kill his brother James so he might inherit the English throne instead, just as King Claudius killed Hamlet’s father to inherit the throne of Denmark.

Finally the climactic scene begins. The King of France is troubled by his son’s attraction to an “openly manly” woman, and speaks to the memory of his deceased wife. A guard interrupts his soliloquizing without knocking, sending the King into a fit of rage beginning with the line, “Was knocking just invented?” and ending with the murder of the guard for not respecting his privacy.

The King is then visited by his daughter Penelope longing for a fiancé; the ghost of his deceased wife urging him to find love for his daughter; and his son with his bride-to-be, the disguised Prince James of England. When James sees Penelope, he falls instantly in love, sheds his disguise, and begs to marry Penelope and begin a peaceful union between England and France. Despite Penelope’s hesitation at first–“Well, this is happening really fast…”–she soon falls in love with James as well.

As Brutus, Macbeth, and Romeo before him, James makes a tragic error: he puts down his dagger as a sign of peacefulness towards France and is stabbed in the back by the Spanish assassin hired by his brother. William then enters and is transfixed by Penelope, but she stabs him for killing her love, before screaming, “This is the worst day of my life.”

Penelope and her brother the Prince fight over the now-deceased James, and she stabs him, too. As he dies, he professes his lasting love for James, despite his actual gender.

Finally, although her father tries to convince her otherwise, Penelope then stabs herself, leaving the King of France all alone.

At this point, the soldiers-turned-actors arrive to perform Boyd’s play. Having lost his family, the King is suicidal, but Boyd makes a deal with him: if they play is good, the King will not kill himself. After the play, the King murders all of the actors in displeasure for the performance. Just before the King stabs himself, too, the mane-less horse named Shirley enters.  It is the production’s last survivor.

The risqué and contemporary humor presented in a Shakespearian style kept the crowd in stitches throughout the performance. Even the actors were unable to stay in character at times, finding their peers’ additions so ridiculous they could not help but laugh. The show received a standing ovation and much cheering, followed by the buzz of audience members sharing their praise for the play.

“It was hilarious,” said first-year student Kayla Doyle. “It needs to happen again,” she said.

“I would definitely come back again and again,” said first-year student Kasi Petersen, in response to Doyle.

The Improvised Shakespeare Company performs at Chicago’s iO Theater and around the country. For more information, visit their website.

“Thrival Innovation + Music Festival” celebrates its second year

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The area around Bakery Square was uncharacteristically crowded on the weekend of September 13, as people from all over Pittsburgh showed up for the second annual “Thrival Innovation + Music Festival.”

The festival, presented by PNC Bank and powered by the East Liberty based startup incubator Thrill Mill, is an annual effort to raise funds for the non-profit. According to their website Thrill Mill, founded by Bobby Zappala, “works with entrepreneurs from all industries, offering funding, a depth of hands-on programming, mentorship, investors, growth-focused partnerships and access to a first-class collaborative workspace.”

Branching off of lasts year’s efforts, the festival organizers worked to make this year’s festival bigger and better, offering two days of musical acts in their fenced in main stage area across the street from the Bakery Square complex. Performers ranged from local acts to world famous artists, including Portugal. The Man and Motion City Soundtrack.

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Tickets for the event ranged from $45 for a one day pass, to $350 for a two day back stage pass, and it seemed that there was no shortage of hip twenty-somethings willing to pay for a weekend of top-notch musical acts.

The festival also included numerous vendors, food trucks, and tents with promotional materials for Thrill Mill and Thrival.

Throughout the festivities, festival workers in grey and white “Thrival” t-shirts were a common sight. Security was also a high priority, and an expansive security staff was stationed at the entrance to the music area.

Despite the security and high fences, even people without tickets could enjoy the music as the large sound system made it audible throughout the entire block surrounding the stage.

The festival also boasted free Wi-Fi across all of Bakery Square for the duration of the weekend.

In addition to the main stage area near Bakery Square, the weekend’s events also included several presentations, or “Innovation Events,” given by successful entrepreneurs and business people. According to the website, these events were for people to, “learn from leading experts from across sectors about the innovation trends of today and tomorrow, and meet the innovators and companies developing new businesses in Western Pennsylvania.”

These talks, which had to be registered for ahead of time on the Thrival Festival’s website, began on Monday, September 8, and continued through the end of the festival on Sunday, September 14. They were held at the Bakery Square location, as well as at the festival’s “North Campus” on Broad Street in East Liberty, which is where Thrill Mill’s headquarters are located.

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

Photo Credit: Katerina Sarandou

The weekend also involved the “PNC Pitch,” sponsored by PNC Bank, in which budding startup companies competed for $25,000 of investment money to get their companies off the ground.

When asked about the location of the festival, one staff member noted, “There is a big entrepreneurship scene here, and East Liberty is really an up and coming area,” which, based on the enthusiasm that the neighborhood showed for the event, certainly seemed to be true.

With two days worth of beautiful weather and crowds of young people flocking to the music venue throughout the entire weekend, it appears the Thrival Festival had a successful second year.

Cougars claim victory over Gators 2-1

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The Chatham Cougars claimed their first victory of the soccer season over the Notre Dame of Maryland Gators. The game took place on Saturday, September 13, at 12 p.m.

The Cougars were the first on the board, with first year goalkeeper Megan Sieg getting a shot past Gator goalkeeper Heather Lancellotti at about the six-minute mark in the first half. The Cougars maintained this lead throughout the first half.

Only a minute and 16 seconds into the second half of play, Gators freshman Raeden McCullough answered the goal, sending a ball past Chatham goalie Liz Sawyer, and tying the game, 1-1.

Another 13 minutes, 41 seconds later, however, Cougar’s Sieg scored yet another goal, this time a penalty shot, once again on goalkeeper Lancellotti. This was the goal that ultimately won Chatham the game.

Senior goalkeeper Liz Sawyer made six of the seven shots that reached the goal.

The Cougar’s top player was Sieg, who finished the game with both of Chatham’s goals as well as nine shots on goal in total.

Other top players were senior midfielder Sarah Ellis, who had three shots on goal and one assist, sophomore midfielder Megan E. Cooper with one shot on goal, and junior midfielder Auralia Henderson, who also had one shot.

Rest in peace, net neutrality

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Net neutrality is dead and Tom Wheeler killed it.

Since 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been in proceedings to discuss the issue of network neutrality–the principle that Internet Service Providers must treat all electronic data equally, without discrimination or different charges based on user, content, site, platform, application, type of attached equipment, and modes of communication.

Corporations involved in the issue tend to lean towards the side of internet fast lanes–charging users more to use certain sites–and other methods of restricting the internet in violation of current net neutrality doctrine, which is covered by common carrier regulations.

Common carrier regulations are a previous FCC ruling that forced phone companies to treat all calls equally or without preference. Until September 10, 2014, communications providers were forced to treat the internet under common carrier regulations.

As the FCC has struck down prior rulings–one as recent as last year (“Verizon Communications, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission”)–on net neutrality with this new decision, drastic changes may be coming. The internet, predictably, did not respond well to the news of these happenings.

Over the course of the last year, internet users have broken the FCC website twice with the sheer volume of complaints filed on the subject of net neutrality.  Figures as recent as September 10 put the number of complaints in the area of 3.7 million.

Due to the volume of complaints, the original comment period of five months that the FCC had opened had to be extended for over a week due to server latency issues.  On September 10, over 220,000 complaints were registered on the site over the course of the day. The average number of calls to the FCC during the Day of Action was around 1,000 calls per minute.

Contributing actions in favor of continued net neutrality and the volume of complaints issued to the FCC were internet-wide blackouts and server slow-downs by various sites, including Tumblr, Netflix, Reddit, and other sources–including a widely viewed segment by John Oliver from “Last Week Tonight.”

One of the possible outcomes from this decision is that last year’s victory over Comcast–in which the company’s merger with Time Warner was only approved if they agreed to maintain net neutrality until 2018–may no longer be enforceable.

Comcast has since joined Team Cable, which comprises of Verizon, Time Warner, and AT&T; coincidentally, these are some of the most reviled companies in the United States.

However, this may not be the outcome as there does exist the grandfather clause in their original agreement on the Comcast-Time Warner merger wherein they will have to protect network neutrality for their users until 2018, barring renegotiation with the FCC.

Despite the rulings and possible outcomes of the rulings, organizations like Free Press and Battle for the Net are still running active campaigns and organizing petitions to keep the net neutral. Battle for the Net currently hosts downloadable code to make an artificial slowdown on websites and blogs, with links to more information.

It is still possible to crash the FCC servers and tie up their phone lines to express your displeasure with their ruling on net neutrality.

For Internet complaints, visit www.fcc.gov/comments.

For phone complaints, call 1-888-225-5322 or 1-888-835-5322.

 

Chatham screens “Madame Presidenta” documentary

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To honor Constitution Day and the ladies that Abigail Adams was famous for asking her founding father husband not forget, on September 17, Chatham students and non-students alike gathered in Eddy Theatre to watch a documentary called “Madame Presidenta,” which was co-produced by the Women and Girls Foundation along with Elas Social Investment Fund.

The evening opened with Chatham’s own Dana Brown of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics recounting women’s history of political advocacy both with and without the right to vote to the audience. Following Brown, Chatham senior Sarah Pesi described the role that the Women and Girls Foundation played in her life and journey into policymaking.

After the speeches were finished Heather Arnet, CEO of the Women and Girls Foundation, took the audience on a journey to Brazil in an attempt to understand how Brazil elected its first woman president and why the United States has yet to have a “madame” president.

While in Brazil, Arnet interviewed mothers, activists, historians, and politicians. Though the interviewees had varying backgrounds, a recurring theme throughout the film was that the only way for a person (particularly a woman) to have their voice heard, was to get involved.

The film explored Brazil’s complex past in an attempt to explain how Dilma Rousseff went from being an imprisoned activist to the president. It also noted the contrasts in Brazil’s political culture–namely the redrafted constitution, mandatory voting, control around birth control, six month paid maternity leave, and the way that feminism, to quote Arnet, “Rolls off the tongue with no fear.”

After the credits rolled, the discussion began. On the panel Dr. George Reid Andrews of the University of Pittsburgh, self-proclaimed “internationalist” and “americanist” Dr. David Rossbach, and Dr. Jennie Sweet-Cushman were enlisted to shed some light.

Quotas, mandatory voting, party systems, reproductive rights, and even redrafting the constitution were brought up.

“I’ll take that six-hundred page unworkable constitution over our screwed up four page constitution at this point,” Andrews said.

“We all really dropped the ball on the women’s movement,” said Sweet-Cushman, who also noted that the lack of women running and the complex electoral system were contributing factors.

Arnet said she wanted to make this film in order to show her beloved grandmother that her dream of a woman president was not impossible.

Only time will tell if and when that dream will become a reality, because as Dana Brown told the audience at the end of the event, “History is happening now.”

 

Foodie on the Half Shell: Warm up this fall with a toasty tostada

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What we have today is a crunchy and spicy shrimp tostada. Tostadas can be made with pretty much anything, but they usually have some beans, cheese, and veggies on top. The shell is crunchy, and usually flat, and then it is piled high with ingredients of your choosing.

The only downside to tostadas is that they are so hard to eat! I tried using a fork and knife, but that didn’t seem right, so I actually looked it up online. Go to this Youtube video, and learn how to eat a tostada before you make them! This guy’s technique was not only funny, but seemed legitimate.

The word tostada means “toasted” in Spanish and is a Mexican food that you can get at almost any Mexican restaurant you go to in the United States. A lot of food from Mexican restaurants in the US is very heavy, and full of beans, cheese, ground beef, and sour cream. Although, that is delicious, it’s just not that good for you, and a lot of authentic Mexican food isn’t actually like that.

I’ve been to Mexico twice, and I’ve been to the Southwest a lot, so I have had my share of all kinds of styles of Mexican food. I have to say that my favorite type is the coastal style from the Yucatan Peninsula.

I’ve never been to the Yucatan Peninsula, but I have tried their style of food, and it is very fresh and unlike the burritos and nachos that most of us are used to. They use ingredients like avocado, oranges, plums, and seafood.

I was inspired by the freshness of the Mexican food I know and love, and also by the crunchy tostadas we can get from our own Mexican restaurants around us. This tostada is not deep fried; only lightly pan fried and then put into the oven to crisp up. This will save you calories and fat from the useless amount of oil from deep frying. By using shrimp instead of the usual ground beef, you are saving yourself from saturated fat and cholesterol. Shrimp is lean, and still gives you a great amount of protein.

What you will need for 5 tostadas:

1 pound of uncooked shrimp

5 small corn tortillas

1 can of refried beans

1 bell pepper

1/2 large onion

1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese

1 chopped large tomato

1 head of chopped romaine lettuce

1/4 cup of cilantro

2 tablespoons of chili powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

2 tablespoons of chipotle pepper powder

2 tablespoons of honey

1 juiced lime

salt and pepper to taste

Sunflower oil or veggie oil for pan frying the tortillas

2 tablespoons of olive oil

To fry the tortillas, add two tablespoons of oil into the pan and make sure it is hot. Add the tortilla and let it fry for two minutes on each side. Put the finished tortillas on paper towels to get rid of excess oil, and then pop them into the oven around 350 degrees to keep them crunchy and not soggy.

Clean the shrimp, and take their tails off. Marinate them in half of the chili powder and half of the chipotle, with the honey, lime, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Sauté them in a pan until they are cooked thru, and then chop them into little chunks to put on top of the tostada when ready.

Put the bell pepper and onion into a pan, cook them until they are sweating, and season them with salt and pepper and some extra chili powder if you desire.

Cook the beans and add the rest of the chipotle, cumin, and chili powder into them. Spread the beans onto the crunchy tostada, add the sautéd veggies, and sprinkle on the cheese. Broil them on low, and take them out when fully melted. After you take them out, add the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, shrimp and cilantro. Add salsa, lime, or hot sauce to top it off.

Little Red Riding Vogue: Review of New York Fashion Week

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Now that things from 2014’s New York Fashion Week have settled down a bit, it’s time to analyze and review! Although I love the classics like Chanel and Dior, I have to say, I always get especially excited to see shows from more alternative fashion houses.

One of my favorites will always be Kate Spade. Part of that may stem from the fact that her pieces are often somewhat affordable—especially if you hit up an outlet. This year she continued with her usual style of color blocking, stripes, and florals. In my opinion, she nailed it. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! She showed off some great dresses and bags that I can’t wait to see in the stores.

Another fantastic collection came from Zimmermann who charmed with ruffled gowns and gleaming blouses. Zimmermann chose to play with many textures and colors, and it definitely gets your attention. With dreamy periwinkle and creamsicle tones, this collection has me absolutely swooning. Any one of their pieces could make me feel like a princess in a Disney movie.

Now if you’re looking to be a specific princess—namely Jasmine—you should check out the collection from The Blonds. As usual, The Blonds dominated with a specific theme in mind. This time, they showed off gorgeous sequined and beaded outfits, often with beautiful billowy bottoms that couldn’t help but remind me of Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin. All told, it was iconic as always.

Anna Sui, a regular at this point, knew what she was doing and rocked fashion week with a collection boasting dozens of unique patterns and cuts. Each outfit was uniquely edgy and charming with tones ranging from scarlet to indigo. She even threw in a few metallics to rival Zimmermann.

One thing I always love to see at fashion week is collaboration. In Jeremy Scott’s case, it was none other than Miley Cyrus. To be specific, Cyrus created a series of collaged sculptures to exhibit at Scott’s show. And she couldn’t have picked a better partner. Scott is well-known for his colorful, “out-there” style which he reiterated this year.

One of the best shows this year had to be Betsey Johnson who went above and beyond as usual. This time, her show’s theme was marriage equality. The show’s openers were models styled as same-sex couples. Many of the models throughout the show were also drag-queens—each one sashaying down the runway in one of Johnson’s crush-worthy, over-the-top ball gowns. She relied, as always, on girly tones and cuts, rocking the femininity of each queen.

If you missed my piece on the new designers at Marc by Marc Jacobs, check it out because that’s all I have to say about the new MBMJ previewed at fashion week. It’s flawless, shocking, and so Luella. With bright colors, color blocking, polka-dots, and bold text, Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley have stolen my heart once again.

Finally, there’s Altuzarra who is now featuring pieces at Target. Who doesn’t love high fashion at affordable prices? None of what was shown at fashion week is on the racks at Target (simply because this is their 2015 Ready to Wear, and also because these are not pieces they designed for Target), but nonetheless, it was darling and daring, shifting from baby pinks and blues to black and gold.

Overall it was a fantastic fashion week that has me drooling and dreaming about all the amazing pieces the designers of the world are creating.

International journalist speaks to Chatham students

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On Thursday, September 18, in celebration of Chatham University’s year of Southern Africa, Lynda Schuster, a journalist and author of the book “A Burning Hunger: One Family’s Struggle Against Apartheid,” was invited to speak to students about her book and her experiences reporting about apartheid in South Africa.

The evening began with a brief welcome from Dr. Jean-Jacques Sène, the director of Chatham’s Global Focus Program, followed by a few words from Professor Marc Nieson, a friend of Schuster.

Maggie Pahos, the Global Focus graduate assistant, then came to the podium to formally introduce Schuster, and give a brief background of her accomplishments in journalism.

“What strikes me most about [Schuster’s] work is her sensitivity…to the human experience,” Pahos said.  “She brings the stories alive to the reader.”

With that Pahos invited Schuster to the podium, where she was met with a round of applause.

Schuster, who clearly felt very comfortable in front of the approximately 40 people gathered in Chatham’s Welker room, began by casually requesting that the audience bear with her on account of her cold.

She then launched into the story of the events leading up to her writing her book “A Burning Hunger” which chronicles apartheid in South Africa from the point of view of a single family, the Mashininis.

Beginning by explaining what compelled her to write the book in the first place, she talked about what she encountered while reporting from South Africa before apartheid ended.  Schuster described apartheid as “the last great morality plague left on Earth…[with] 80% percent of the population, by law, marginalized.”

“Race was everything,” she said, as she recounted a story about a conversation she had with a South African judge, in which the judge described a black defendant as a monkey, rather than a human being.

Noting how journalism is the first draft of history, Schuster explained how she wanted to tell the Mashinini’s story because they were all inexorably linked to the efforts to end apartheid, and therefore, “in telling the their story, [she] would be telling South Africa’s story.”

The Mashinini family consists of parents, Joseph and Nomkhitha, and their 13 children, five of whom are talked about in detail in the book.

Their stories cover everything from being driven from the country and living in exile, to being kidnapped and tortured by the secret police for information, and the book does not shy away from describing the good and the bad sides of each of the family members throughout their fight to end apartheid.

In gathering information for the book, Schuster ran into several difficulties, which she discussed in great detail.

When Schuster first met Nomkhitha in 1988, she was living in fear of the secret police, who were always watching her and her family.  That, combined with the fact that three of her sons were in exile, caused Nomkhitha to be very tight lipped about her story.

However, after leaving the country for a few years after the end of apartheid, Schuster “came back to a very different country,” where people were not living in quite as much fear and were free to discuss their stories.

She explained how her process was still difficult because she was asking the family members to recall details about their lives from upwards of 20 years prior so the information was often hard for them to remember.

However, Schuster described one instance in which she discovered, through her hundreds of hours worth of taped interviews with the family, that Nomkhitha had packed one of her sons a tuna fish sandwich before he fled the country. She explained how details like that are “so important” because they make stories more relatable to the reader.

The process of the gathering the information for the book took several trips back and forth to South Africa, hours and hours of research in newspapers and journals, and even flying one of the sons to where she was living in Peru just to finish interviewing him.

The final result was clearly worth the effort, though, which was evidenced when she read two excerpts from the book, one of which was a chilling description of one of the son’s experiences being tortured for information by the secret police.

After the conclusion of her talk, which was met with an enthusiastic round of applause, Schuster took some time to accept questions from the audience, of which there were several about both the Mashinini family and the state of South Africa.

Afterwards, students milled about, chatting about the book and eating the food provided for the event. Renee Seaman, a senior political science major at Chatham, explained that she came to the event based on a professor’s recommendation.

“I didn’t know much about the topic,” she said, “so I was interested in coming.”  She went on to say that she thought the talk was extremely interesting, and she liked Schuster’s family oriented approach in the book.

Several other students and faculty echoed her sentiments, and many expressed how glad they were that they came and heard Schuster’s story.

By the people, for the people: CSG weekly update

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On Thursday, September 18, the Chatham Student Government (CSG) convened in the PCW room, off of Anderson Dining Hall, for their weekly meeting. At 11:30 a.m. Jenny Schollaert, Executive Vice President, called the meeting to order, after which Erin Smith, Vice President of Communications, took attendance.

Following the approval of the minutes, the CSG officers delivered the officer’s reports, beginning with Sarah Jugovic, Executive President of CSG.  Jugovic’s report covered the issues discussed at the recent Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting, including access to food for athletes after their games. She also mentioned a meeting with a New York Times representative regarding integrating technology into CSG proceedings.

The report then moved to Schollaert, who discussed the Student Organization Forum (SOF) retreat, which occurred the previous Friday. Samantha Elbaz, Vice President of Finance, reported that the Undergraduate Budget Committee had a good turnout at their first meeting.  Elbaz also noted that there were two requests for funding and one appeal, and that they came in under budget. Officer’s reports closed with Smith, who had nothing to report in regards to Communications.

The next item on the agenda, class reports, had no significant updates aside from the need for another Class of 2016 representative.

The meeting then shifted to old business, which included a discussion of the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics (PCWP) and their efforts to raise awareness for turbo vote. In addition to the tabling that is already occurring, it was also mentioned that word of mouth is an excellent way to raise awareness.

In regards to internal affairs, the CSG spoke briefly about a possible amendment to their constitution revising their attendance policy to include late arrivals.

The final topic of discussion before the meeting closed was the possibility of adding a place on MyChatham for students to check the status of their meal plans, and their flex balance. As Alex Waasdorp, Class of 2018 President, noted, “We talk about being eco-friendly, but…the only way to check our meals is to print a receipt.” After some discussion it was determined that both Pattie Malloy, Head of Dining Services, and the IT department would need to be contacted in order to make any headway on this issue.

The CSG meets every Thursday in the PCW room, and all meetings are open to the student body.  Check MyChatham for times and any further information regarding these meetings.