Students with dietary restrictions voice their concerns about the dining menu

With sixty percent of American adults having at least one food allergy, dietary restriction, or religious restriction, Chatham prides itself on catering to students that fit into this demographic. Chatham also heavily reflects on how these lifestyles affect the environment. Anderson Dining Hall uses a compost system; the napkins and straws are biodegradable, and, since 2009, Chatham has gotten rid of using trays.

However, some students who fall into the category of having dietary restrictions of any kind still often find themselves struggling. Monii Peters, a sophomore student, has multiple restrictions that Chatham fails to cover.

“I have a very restrictive diet now and am extremely limited at both Anderson and Cafe Rachel,” Peters says, “If it doesn’t have nuts, it has soy or dairy and vice versa. Those of us with food allergies and sensitivities are struggling to eat while wasting money on a meal plan we don’t use. That’s the story of my life.”

Rob Coyne, who became the General Manager of Parkhurst Dining Services at Chatham in February of this year, has been working with the Chatham community to make changes to the meal experience to accommodate new students and make the dining services more efficient.

“[The meal experience] is based on what the students tell me. I encourage anybody who presents to me with dietary restrictions to let us know that they have those restrictions so we can work with them,” he said. “We can’t offer every item for every student every day based on everyone’s dietary restrictions. There just wouldn’t be enough food for everyone to like. So if we have something they are allergic to, if we have a breaded chicken, and they’re allergic to gluten, they are a celiac, they let the server know, the Chef and we’ll make sure they get something to eat. I guess the best way to put it is the student meal experience is what they want to make of it.”

However, students such as Fiorella Nicoloso, a senior who is a pre-diabetic, say it’s not that easy.

“When I’ve tried to bring up health related things, nobody has emailed me back, ever. Which is frustrating, when I’m just trying to be healthy,” said Nicoloso.

Lynzy Groves, a junior student with a gluten allergy, agrees and says she’s also been trying to see change for nearly three years. When Groves started as a first-year student at Chatham, she was a size 4. Since then, she says she loses around 10 pounds every fall when she comes back to school due to lack of options. She is now a size 00 without attempts to diet or exercise.

           “Having a gluten allergy makes eating at Anderson very difficult. I have been trying for the three years that I have been here to get more gluten free (GF) options at all of the meals,” Groves said. “Unfortunately, it has only gotten worse every year. Every time I or any of my friends who aren’t GF write a comment card asking for more GF options, we usually get negative feedback with the statement that there aren’t enough people with gluten allergies to make changes to the menu.”

“This is ridiculous,” Groves continued. “I am not asking for everything to be GF. I just want to eat something other than the salad bar and cooked vegetables. Every week I waste between 3 and 5 meals on my plan just because Anderson doesn’t offer anything that I can eat other than lettuce and veggies. One cannot survive on salad alone.”

Coyne admitted that, unless the Chatham population in need of this special menu presents itself, there will not be much of a menu change.

“If I know that within our student population I’ve got 35 percent people that are celiac, that gives me [the ability] to focus on the menu a little more.” said Coyne. “But for 2 to 3 percent of people it’s easier to do one on one instead of trying to design a menu around 4 or 5 people when we’re feeding 400 at lunch, 300 to 400 at dinner.”

“I am lactose intolerant, allergic to radishes and mushrooms and have an intolerance to gluten,” said Kelly Nestman, a senior who is also allergic to all seeds and nuts. “At Anderson, it is very hard for me to find things to eat that fill me up and are healthy. To find food that is filling I find myself bringing Lactaid pills to every meal, which costs $18 for 60 of them, and I take two every time I eat dairy and that adds up quickly. Or I have to eat gluten, which then makes me sick later. While yes there are arguments that there is a salad bar, it is rarely changed, and the food sits out all day, and I constantly find flies on the things on the bar. There is a ‘gluten free’ section of items, but every time I check they are stale, old, and sometimes moldy. I have had such a hard time being able to eat a meal there that is healthy and doesn’t make me sick.”

Though it’s not clear exactly how many students it will take for there to be a meal change for students with a gluten or wheat allergy, more common restrictions such as vegan and vegetarian have more attention. Even Chatham’s Office of Sustainability expresses that many students fall into this category. The Sustainability Culture page states, “The dining hall provides vegan and vegetarian selections at all meals to accommodate the large population that prefers this low-carbon diet, as well as to reduce the campus footprint.”

The dining hall contains a deli for sandwiches, a station for pizza or single serve dinner dishes, a grill, a bar for the main entrees, a Vegan and Vegetarian bar, a salad bar, and, during lunch, Casey’s Kitchen. However, with the food that is currently in Anderson, students say that it’s not quality, and there are few options.

“I’ll eat cucumbers and fruit as a meal because I have no other options,” said Peters, “[Chatham’s] ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan’ options are such a joke. It’s always squash and pasta.”

A typical meal on the vegan and vegetarian bar consists of cooked pasta and marinara sauce, and an entree that is usually Middle Eastern such as baba ganoush or falafel.

Nestman agrees that there isn’t much when it comes to the options for those who do not eat any animal byproducts, whether by choice or for medical reasons.

“The vegan options are not high quality and seem to be considered an afterthought with whatever ingredients that are extra or lying around,” said Nestman.

“All too often [the vegetables] are very overcooked or very undercooked, and when that is one of my only ‘healthy’ options available, this is incredibly frustrating,” said Nicoloso.

Nadia Frock, a first-year student, is also frustrated with what is considered an acceptable meal.  “Half the time the vegetarian soup isn’t actually vegetarian, and they think that cheese is a meal.”

“The cafeteria is our only option because we don’t have a stove,” said another first year Melanie Landsittel, who is a vegetarian who lives on upper campus in Fickes residence hall. She is also a part of the Vegan/Vegetarian committee. “The quality of the vegetarian food is not good.”

For those residents who live on lower campus, in graduate housing, and are commuters, the meal experience can be very different from upper campus residents. Instead of eating every meal in the dining hall, they often only experience one or two meals in Anderson. Some don’t experience any meals at all.

For Bethany Hagensen, a commuter, she has the option to eat at Anderson but chooses not to.

“I live off campus and ate one meal at Anderson one time,” she said. “I was told there were vegan options when I toured the campus last spring, but the only vegan thing on the menu was the salad bar. I wouldn’t complain if there weren’t students locked into a meal plan that have to eat three meals a day, every day basically from an Eat’n’Park quality salad bar. More options, please. How about putting a few vegan and allergen-free entrees that change routinely on the regular menu?”

There has also been an issue in the dining hall where, on nights when there are specials such as a taco bar, French fry extravaganza, or a hot dog bar, the food is put on the designated vegetarian/vegan bar. Coyne says that in these circumstances, it really comes down to space.

“That’s kind of the way it’s been done here for a while now. While we always keep a vegan or a vegetarian option over there, when we do bars and things, the space is very limited for what we have and what we are able to put out,” he said. “You know, I don’t have an additional area where I can set up another bar and put some of those things so yes, there are times when we need to [repurpose the space].”

Having non-vegan and vegetarian food on this bar happens to be a factor within another frustration of students with restrictions and even students without: labeling. An issue that has been brought up amongst students is the labeling, or lack thereof, in the dining hall.  There are small signs that state whether a dish contains nuts, fish, soy, etc. or is vegan, vegetarian, or gluten-free approved. However, when staff inappropriately use these signs, students with restrictions get the worst of it.

“Anderson needs to label the dishes with allergens or applicable dietary restrictions. I know a lot of people that expect vegetarian food in the vegetarian serving area. Instead, there are salads or sauces with alcohol, meat, or pork,” said Maryem Aslam, a junior commuter student who relies on labeling for religious purposes.

“The major problem with Anderson is that they do not understand what GF means,” said Groves, “Many items are mislabeled if they ever are labeled, and items in the GF section are actually not GF. Rice Krispies contain malt, which is wheat/gluten. And, the Rice Chex were mixed with Corn Chex in the same cereal dispenser which makes it no longer GF.  Gluten allergies are a real thing. Don’t write it off as a diet until you get violently ill with an allergic reaction from eating something that was mislabeled. If Anderson took wheat and gluten allergies as seriously as they take nut allergies, the world would be a better place.”

The meal restrictions don’t stop at Vegan/Vegetarian. Nicoloso says she just recently learned she was pre-diabetic and tried to reach out to the dining hall over the summer but has yet to be able to get in touch with anyone.

“Hardly any, if any options in Anderson for any meal are diabetic-friendly. Basically no options in Cafe Rachel are,” she said. “Having recently received a diagnosis of pre-diabetes, I’m hyper-aware of this, and I’m really upset that I basically can’t use my meals to eat things that I physically should be eating.”

She says one of her main struggles is not being able to know the nutrition facts of the food she’s eating which forces her to take risks when trying to watch her sugar intake. Coyne says Parkhurst is working on it.

“As a company, Parkhurst Dining is working on a system that may not roll out until the middle of spring. There will be a website students can go to that will list all the stuff that we do on a daily basis,” he said. ”All the salad bar stuff will be listed there, all the different types of cereal options will be listed there. We’re also working on trying to plan our cycle menu. As long as the menus are in our database, there will be limited nutritional information about it.”

Coyne also says that Anderson is already making moves in cutting sugar.

“As a diabetic myself, I have to watch sugar and what kind of intake and what goes into my body,” he said. “They can always ask us, they can ask myself, they can ask any of the supervisors, they can ask Chef Dan. We generally tend not to use a lot of sugar in what we do depending on the cuisine.  A lot of the Asian sauces are higher in maybe sugar. They do use some things in the sauces, but we tend not to use just sugar as an additive to sweeten something. We have a few pre-made dressings that we use. They tend to be a little higher in sugar like the raspberry vinaigrette. The low fat [dressings], yeah they take the fat out of it, but they make up for the flavor by adding a ton of sugar to it. Actually, along the salad bar, they have little stickers with [nutrition information] about most of the things in the salad bar.  The best thing is just to ask, and then we can give them the answers they need.”

Unfortunately, this doesn’t address foods such as ketchup, potatoes, bread, fruits, and most carbs that are problematic for diabetics. However, Coyne does speak to the students who may feel like they don’t have an option at the dining hall.   

“Talk to us. I don’t want anyone leaving here hungry,” he said. “Like I said to start, we can make something differently so that they don’t feel singled out.”

Coyne reiterated that there are too many types of restrictions to be able to cater to them all on a daily basis.

“Like I said, if we tried to do everyone’s onesy twosy dietary restrictions there wouldn’t be any place for food.”

Coyne says that he is working with Chatham Student Government to get more Vegan/Vegetarian options for students. He also says students can send in recipes.

“Right now Chef Dan plans most of the vegan and vegetarian options when he does his weekly menu planning. We are working with CSG to create a new vegan and vegetarian committee to get some more feedback. I know there’s been some concerns out there. We’re hoping to get that committee started sooner. If somebody gives us a recipe and says ‘hey, would you try that’ Chef Dan always does that. We’re definitely open to trying things and if they’ve got ideas for us [we’ll try them]. We want to plan around what the students want, some ideas on what they want to see. I know we’ve done that in the past.”

Maryann Fix, the head of the Vegan/Vegetarian Committee for CSG, confirms that the dining staff is working with her to create a better meal experience.

“I have been working a lot with Rob and Chef Dan, and they generally try to make sure I can find something to eat in Anderson. But I think a lot more could be done to meet the needs of gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan individuals,” said Fix. “For example, Pitt has a whole station dedicated only to gluten free including a gluten-free grill and a different dish every day. We should have something like that because something that is gluten-free can also be easily vegan or vegetarian, like a quinoa dish.”

Though Fix compares the Anderson Dining Hall with the University of Pittsburgh’s Market Central, she makes it clear that she is not looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“None of us are asking for special treatment; we’re just asking to get what we pay for like everybody else does,” she said. “Just because someone has a dietary restriction, whether it is their choice or not, we are paying for these meals, and we should be able to find something that we are happy with at any time. We shouldn’t have to eat such similar things every day, either.”

Coyne welcomes students to bring their concerns to his office in the back of the dining hall. There are also comment cards in the dining hall that receive feedback and staff members who will provide students with something if specifically asked for such as a bowl of pineapples.

A student’s meal experience has a huge impact on their college experience. With studies, work, and co-curricular activities, having to worry about what one is going to eat should be the last thing on the list of priorities. Some would say that the current ways of the dining hall wouldn’t be so hurtful if the university didn’t advertise a diverse menu.

On the Chatham University and Parkhurst Dining Services webpage, Chatham says, “Parkhurst Dining Services understands that dining is an integral part of the college experience. That’s why we offer students a number of delicious and healthful dining options. Our dining plans provide the ultimate in flexibility and offer something to satisfy even the most discriminating tastes.”

Even in the tours for prospective undergraduate and graduate students, tour guides are told to point out that Chatham has wonderful options for everyone.

“We definitely have to say that [Chatham] has vegan, vegetarian, and kosher options for every meal when we take a tour through Anderson. It’s on the script,” said McKenzie Gordon, a former student worker at the Admissions Office.

The current system has a lack of options, mislabels food, and causes students to alter the state of their health. Many students ask, what will it take to make a change?

“They need to start considering the ramifications of their actions because someone could die,” said Groves, “I’m not joking.”

Foodie on the Half Shell: Top 3 Delivery Joints in Pittsburgh

I order out more than I’d like to admit. At this point, I even know the delivery guys’ names. The GrubHub app is my best friend at least once a week.

Unfortunately, Pittsburgh doesn’t have the greatest selection of delivery options. There are about 50 crappy pizza places, a couple vague Asian places, and maybe one Indian restaurant that delivers. Most of the food is pretty bad, or really average. It’s as if they make a restaurant specifically made for delivery and they know we have no options and they’ll make money no matter how bad they are.

Honestly, all of the pizza tastes the same, too. They all get their dough and sauce pre-made from the same food distributor. It drives me crazy that delivery places won’t take more pride in what they do.

Creative and quality food is still desired in a delivery setting. Don’t get me wrong, though, I still pay for the convenience of it all. Because I know we don’t all love to cook at home or go out and get something ourselves, I have made an official “Top 3 Delivery Joints in Pittsburgh” complete with different genres of food and my favorite dishes!

Thai Hana: This restaurant delivers Thai and Japanese food straight to your door. You can enjoy curry dishes, pad Thai, and lots and lots of sushi. They have never been late to deliver food, and they have never messed up one of my orders. One of my favorite dishes to have delivered would be their Spider Roll from their sushi menu. This sushi roll is made with tempura fried soft shell crab, asparagus, and avocado. I pretty much love any sushi that comes with tempura fried anything, though. Thai Hana’s sushi is delicious, and is as good as most places around Pittsburgh. If you are looking for the real deal with grade A fresh fish, this isn’t the place for you, but if you want some tasty sushi with spicy creamy sauce drizzled all over it, then this is your place! Their Basil Fried Rice is also on point, and I would even say possibly the best in the Burgh’s delivery world.

Beta Bites: Beta Bites is my favorite place for “healthy” delivery food. It has Moroccan influences throughout its menu, but also will deliver your usual wings and fries. If the restaurant is a Moroccan restaurant, though, order their Moroccan food. One of my favorite dishes from here is their falafel salad that is served with spinach, real creamy feta, and the usual other salad fixings. Their falafel isn’t the best (it’s a little dry), but it still tastes like falafel and that will do. It comes with five nice sized balls, and is definitely a great amount of food. The BEST dish on their menu is from the “hot bar” part of their menu. Any of the dishes from the hot bar are delicious, but I enjoy the chicken with a side of vegetables, lentils, and rice. This is a lot of food complete with three spiced chicken breasts and scoops of whatever side you pick. Other options for your sides include mac and cheese, and a white bean dish that is native to Morocco. Any of their food is delicious, though, but if it looks like it has Moroccan influences in the description, it is almost guaranteed to be good.

Genoas: Now, what makes Genoas so good is their consistency. They are open all day up until 2 a.m. on the weekdays and 3 a.m. on the weekends. This is perfect when you are hungry at home after a party or a long day. Their food is the usual Italian inspired delivery joint complete with pizzas, subs, and calzones. Their subs are huge, and you really can’t go wrong with a spicy Italian. Their jalapeno poppers are so tasty, and so are their Parmesan and garlic wings.

Women’s Basketball team takes on Carlow and PSU-Beaver in scrimmage

The Chatham Women’s basketball team has been in the gym working diligently in preparation for the home opener against Penn State New Kensington on November 17.

With the five freshman playing major minutes the first two scrimmages, the team had a lot of inexperience on the court. But this did not seem to phase the young Cougar team. Lead by three seniors, the team clicked with one another.

The seniors feel that this year’s team has a lot of promise.

“Honestly I think this year we’re going to be really strong. We have a lot of good leaders on the team that we haven’t had in the past, we have some great players who bring all different things to the team, and we have the will to win that we haven’t had in the past,” said senior Chelsea Kovalcsik. “I think this year’s team is much better than the teams in the past.”

There were challenges in the scrimmages that were noticeable.

“Based on the scrimmages, I think our team really needs to work on boxing out. We’re a small team so fundamentals to rebounding are going to be extremely important,” said Rachel McClain, another senior.

Rebounding will be crucial in the success of the team. What they lack in size, they’ll need to make up for in fundamentals.

“Another area we need to work on is passing,” said McClain. “During the scrimmages, we had some weak passes that turned into points for the other team so it’s crucial that we sure this area up.”  

Although they have some areas of improvement, there are areas of strength.

“I think our biggest strength is that we really are great teammates to each other and we play because we want to be there.” Kovalcsik said.

Besides having to be fundamentally good, they have to be able to be good teammates too.

“We especially aren’t selfish when we’re playing,” said Kovalcsik. “We’re so good at looking for our players and playing off their strengths and weaknesses.”

By the people, for the people: CSG weekly update

On Thursday, November 12, the Chatham Student Government held their weekly meeting in the Conover Room. The topics discussed were Thanksgiving Dinner and developing ideas for the student orientation for the 2016-2017 year. In attendance was Dean of Students Zauyah Waite, Director of Residence Life Heather Black, Student Activities and Residence Life staff member Stephanie Alvarez Poe, and the members of CSG.

Black started the meeting by talking about the tradition of Thanksgiving Dinner on campus. She explained that this is a time to bring students and staff together to celebrate the holiday.

The conversation then moved to orientation for the 2016-2017 school year.

“We are starting fresh and throwing the old schedule out of the window,” said Black. CSG members were asked to form groups and come up with one program that they would like to see implemented for orientation.

After being given five to ten minutes to think and discuss, each group presented a program they thought students would enjoy. Some students suggested doing a tour of Pittsburgh so students who are not from the area can learn about their new surroundings.

Question were also posed about the necessity mandatory events during orientation

“When everything is mandatory, it makes people exhausted,” said Heathir McIntyre, Vice-President of the Class of 2016.

CSG members believe that if people have the option to come and if events sound interesting, then they will most likely come to events.

The Chatham Dining Experience: Where’s Casey?!

This year at Anderson, Chatham has upped their dining services tremendously.  Much of this has to do with the expansion of Bravisimo’s dining experiences. During lunch hours, Bravisimo features different dishes to tempt your taste buds. Korean tacos, build-your-own broth bowls, firecracker shrimp, and many other unique foods have been prepared by the beloved cook, Casey Haughey. For the first few months of the semester, Casey became a familiar sight to most students, jamming out to music while whipping up something spectacular.

However, lately, Casey has been absent from the Bravissimo scene and students have begun to question: Where is Casey? During the past few weeks, while Casey was missing from the dining room, the question arose as to whether he had left Chatham.  When he was around the kitchen, curiosity struck.

“Casey has been promoted to our PM sous chef position. This is why he has not been at the Bravisimo station,” said Rob Coyne, general manager of dining services at Chatham.

According to Coyne, over the past few weeks, Casey has been cooking and overseeing the kitchen at night, while they’ve been searching for a steady replacement.  

“This is a great opportunity for him,” said Coyne.

Monday, November 9, Casey was seen at Bravisimo one last time. He was training his replacement Megan Elstner, an Art Institute Culinary School graduate.  

Photo: Destiny Reber

Photo: Destiny Reber

“She is just starting her career in the kitchen and this is a great place for [her to] learn and expand her culinary knowledge and also bring some new ideas from the culinary school to us,” said Coyne.

“I used to work at a bar, and as much as I liked it, I needed to expand my horizons,” said Elstner. “Chatham was something completely different than the bar scene.  I’m excited to cook different things each day instead of sticking to the same menu.”

“We all care about serving the best food possible to the students [and] staff,” said Haughey. “As for Megan, our new Bravo cook, she will be just fine. [She] just has to get a rhythm, and I’m sure the students and staff will welcome her as they all did me.”

While Casey and Megan make the transition into their new experiences in the Chatham kitchen, students are told to expect one hundred percent from the kitchen staff. Their goal is to prepare food the same way they would want to eat it and to provide delicious meals. The Chatham Community is also to expect more gluten-free options in the near future.

“Everyone in our kitchen gives their best to provide a welcoming dining experience.” said Haughey.

“I think the students should look forward to having a good laugh when they’re at my station. I love making someone’s day because I know that college can be stressful,” said Elstner.

Students and staff alike are curious to see what it is that Haughey, Elstner, and the rest of the Anderson crew will be bringing to the table. Literally.

Athletes and Injuries: Things That Can Be Done to Take Care of Yourself

We cheer for them, we encourage them, we want them to win because they are our athletes.

When it comes to sports, whether it be on the field, on the court, or in the pool, all athletes have one thing in common. Once they push themselves too hard, or are in the wake of an accident, they can get injured. No athlete likes being put on the bench, but it seems as though injury — from something as minor as slight shoulder problems from over rotation in swimming to getting a concussion in soccer and even to spraining or breaking your ankle in basketball or track — is an unavoidable part of being an athlete.  

When faced with an injury, there are several general things an athlete can do — besides not practice — to get back into peak physical condition for their specific sport. The first of many things you can do for standard surface injury such as a bruise, a stub, or just general after practice pain is to visit the trainer. The first of many jobs of the training staff is to make sure that an athlete is feeling their best so that they can do the sport they love. Just walk in, tell them what’s wrong, and most likely it can be solved with some ice, a bit of heat, and rolling/stretching out the area.

If the injury seems like it could be more serious, go to the hospital or your local sports medicine clinic. This can be a great preventative measure so that the injury doesn’t lead to surgery or even worse, not being able to play the sport in question. Many injuries can often be solved with proper care and rehabilitation to the injured area. Most, if not all sports medicine centers can give an athlete an at-home, or in college cases at-school, rehab that can be done over time to improve the injury. While it may seem like a pain to do, it is one of the cases when the end justifies the means. If the injury heals, then the athlete can return to their sport.

So say all else fails and you end up with an injury that results in you being out for most of, if not the whole season. That’s okay. Things happen, and it is more important to recover correctly then to push to hard and make a bad injury worse. At the end of the day, as long as the recovery process goes well and the injury doesn’t prevent you from participating during the next season, then it is worth the time.

So remember athletes, if anything with your body seems to be wrong while practicing, make sure to follow up with it. That way, something small doesn’t turn into something major, and you don’t end up paying for it down the road.

Chatham screens documentary on the struggle of masculinity

Be a man. Stop with the emotions. Man up. Suck it up. Don’t be a sissy. Boys don’t cry. These are the things young men and boys often grow up hearing.  But how does that affect them and what kind of world does it create? How much of masculinity is a reaction to societal norms? What are the consequences for boys and men who spend their lives wearing “the mask?”

On November 13, in Eddy Theater Chatham University’s own Psychology of Gender Research Team screened a film that took on those questions.  Although the experiences and backgrounds differed, the answers came to a grave consensus. As Joe Ehrmann frankly said, “The three most destructive words that every man receives when he is a boy is when he’s told to be a man.”

“The Mask You Live In” is a Documentary made by Jennifer Siebel Newsome of The Representation Project. Venturing into classrooms, playgrounds, locker rooms, college campuses, and even prisons, filmmakers explored what a “real man” has been defined as in America and the consequences for boys and men. Gaining perspectives and hearing the experiences of boys and men all ages and backgrounds, the audience in Eddy gained a look inside of what is behind “the mask.”

What exactly is this mask exactly? Not something apparent to the naked eye, but a façade that young men are told they must wear for most of their lives because what’s often behind it: pain, sadness, loss, and emotion are feminine and not acceptable. Something forces young men to grow up, hiding their pain in helmets and locker rooms.

In a not-often-seen way, the men and boys interviewed shared what was behind their personal masks and how they were made. Grown men spoke of abuse they had experienced at the hands of their fathers and sometimes their mothers.  The film explores how once vulnerable and innocent faces can wind up on the news or in prison for unspeakable crimes.  One of many examples was what one psychologist called “The Great Setup” meaning from a young age boys are taught that to be a girl means inferiority and weakness, yet we as a society are surprised when men and boys behave violently towards women and girls.

Through anecdotes and statistics the documentary sheds light on the danger that has come from linking respect and control to violence. It also challenged quite a few common misconceptions American society has about what young boys need. Showing that contrary to popular belief in some cases having relationships with one’s father is more damaging than having an absent father.

Startling and at times heart wrenching facts were revealed: that boys experience depression and suicidal thoughts at a similar rate to girls, but the difference is in how it’s expressed. The inherent danger in a world where the only emotion men are allowed to express is anger. Substance abuse sometimes occurs with boys and men, not to feel good in some cases, but to feel nothing. Girls hurt themselves; boys hurt others and are less likely to get treatment. Boys and men are highly unlikely to report being abused. Additionally, unfortunately the first places men start to explore masculinity and their “masks” is behind bars.

However this is not always the case. There were men in the films who were able to remove their masks before doing permanent damage to themselves or others. Some chose to be different than their fathers and their fathers’ fathers. The documentary also featured coaches and activists and their takes on how to help boys become well adjusted men.

Jason Lucarelli, a student in the Masters of Psychology program, played a key role in putting together the event and he explained that while growing, despite having a supportive family, he occasionally felt pressure to suppress his own interests because they differed from that of his male peers. Because of his area of study and his background, this film was important for him to show because, “While traditional masculinity has and will in many ways continue to cause the oppression of women, we need to examine the effects of traditional masculinity on men. We need to examine the consequences of distancing oneself from one’s true feelings and emotions in order to convey stoicism.”  

Before its release, the documentary was subject to criticism; it and those who made it were accused of trying to “feminize” boys.

“My first response is that it’s ridiculous and heterosexist and is probably coming from individuals who have little to no understanding of the realities and influences of gender inequality,” said Lucarelli, in response to this criticism. “My other response is that it is a perfect demonstration of how problematic the gender binary can be.  Gender is a social construct and sadly many members in society view sex and gender as the same thing and in doing so confine males and females to stereotypical gender roles.” 

The event was Sponsored by Psi Chi, AWP Pittsburgh, SPW Campus Representatives, and The Women’s Institute, in collaboration with a number of student organizations.

Foodie on the Half Shell: Eating for the season

Many connote the cooler seasons with a lack of fresh produce that is available to eat. Well, that may be true during the sub zero winters that we have been having, but so far we have had a beautiful November and there is still plenty of seasonal and local foods to cook and eat.

It’s important to eat seasonally, because if we buy food that is out of season that means that it is being shipped in from far away. The amount of miles that is between where the food is grown and to where it is eaten or sold is called food miles. A large amount of food miles causes a scary amount of gas emissions into the air, which is bad for the environment.  

Some of my favorite November foods are Brussels sprouts, winter squash, and beets. These may sound like intimidating foods to some, but I can assure you that if you try out the recipes that I created, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Brussels Sprout and Bacon Salad: Heat the oven at 350 degrees. Clean one pound of Brussels sprouts by peeling off the first layer of leaves and cutting the rough bottom off. Cut large Brussels in half and leave smaller ones whole. Toss in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put in ovenproof pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until crispy and dark and green. Crisp up a few slices of bacon and crumble them up. When Brussels are done, toss in a bowl with the bacon crumbles along with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar. Keep this dish delicious by not overdoing it on the oil and vinegar and topping it all off with Parmesan cheese.

Maple Roasted Acorn Squash: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut one large acorn squash in half and clean out the seeds. Then, cut the halves into about one-inch slices, so they should be little half circles. No need to cut off the skin, it is awesomely edible. Now, make a marinade with one tablespoon of olive oil, one tablespoon of soy sauce, one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, two tablespoons of maple syrup (the real stuff), and some salt and pepper. Rub those slices down with this stuff and bake in an ovenproof pan for about 25 minutes. They should be super tender to the touch.

Beet “Caprese”: You will need two large beets or three smaller ones. Heat up two cups of balsamic vinegar and a quarter cup of sugar in a pot and stir till the sugar is dissolved. Boil beets in water until they are tender and their rough skin slides off easily. When the sugar has dissolved into the vinegar and the beets are tender and have their skins removed, shut off heat to the vinegar mixture and place beets into the pot. Let sit for 30 minutes. If they are not entirely submerged, rotate halfway through. When finished, slice the beets into about quarter inch circles. Layer with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, and drizzle balsamic reduction on top with a little salt and pepper.

By the people, for the people: CSG weekly update

On Thursday, November 5, the Chatham Student Government held its hour-long meeting in the Conover Room. In attendance were CSG members, Dean of Students  Zauyah Waite, Director of Residence Life and Student Affairs Heather Black, and Assistant Dean of Students Mary Utter. The topics of conversation included sexual assault, issues with language, winter openings for residence halls, and the differences between new and current students.

Utter started the meeting off by talking about a sexual assault campaign called “It’s On Us.” This organization is designed to spread awareness about sexual assault. “It’s On Us” means, “It’s an environment we all create, not just victim and perpetrator,” said Utter. It is everyone’s job to help those in need. Starting next week, Chatham University and other campuses in America will support this cause and spread the word.

Utter also provided statistics such as one in five women and one in six men are sexually assaulted on college campuses. Eight in 10 victims know their attacker and only 13 percent of rape survivors report sexual assault. These compelling statistics are the reason why campaigns and organizations such as “It’s On Us” are formed. This also allows survivors to talk about their problems. Students can spread the word on social media by sending tweets, making Facebook statuses, and even changing their profile pictures to the “It’s On Us” logo.

With the winter is approaching, Black shifted the conversation to the residence hall forms. All residence hall requests to stay on campus for the winter break are due by Friday, November 5. All residence halls will be open to students for Thanksgiving break.

CSG members talked about the ways in which they can bridge the gap between new and current students. Many members of the CSG feel that there is a line between first year students and older students. They discussed trying to get events that would bring the first year students and the current students together so that no class is singled out.

The language used by students also has a major impact on students, as well.

“We are policing our words but regardless, people are going to say what they want. People talk how they want to. People should call themselves what they want,” said Chloe Bell, a representative for the Class of 2016.

Using words such as first-year instead of freshman is gender inclusive. Dean Waite said, “Once you’ve been recruited by Chatham, we say men and women [and first-year because] you have now reached a level of maturity.”

Many CSG members agreed about using the term first-year instead of freshman. They have also now agreed to use pronouns to refer to people as man and woman because girls and boys are percieved as immature.

“I wish we had these conversations naturally. Remember when Dr. McGreevey (Assistant Dean for Career Development) talked to us and said, ‘It’s not an all girl’s school, it’s an all women’s college,’” said Bell.

The room was silent and heads were nodding in agreement with Bell. CSG members, faculty, and staff would like to spread the word about using proper language when addressing people. Instead of seeing posters, Jackie Stanfield, President of the Class of 2017, said, “Seeing [the issues with language] on video is more powerful than reading it with words.”

Most CSG members agreed that someone watching the video about language is better reading about it. Some ideas were the video to be accessible on MyChatham and screened at Anderson Dining Hall and in the Carriage House.

The members ended the conversation on a positive note making the announcement that there will be a “Real Food Friday.” This allows students to have a taste of real food at the Anderson Dining Hall.

Chatham celebrates Native American Indian Heritage Month

As Chatham is a campus full of rich diversity, we celebrate all sorts of cultures and faiths on campus. November is Native American Indian Heritage Month, and Chatham has established several on-campus events to celebrate.

A traditional Native American tradition is the telling of folklore, which the Global Citizen LLC had set up to kick off NAIHM festivities, with storytelling and cultural information for students curious about Native American History.

Additionally, Chatham will be hosting climate activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez in Café Rachel on November 12. Martinez is renowned for his discussion of climate change on a higher level, starting to advocate for the cause at only six years old. While young, he has embraced both his culture and his passion for environmental sustainability, something that Chatham greatly stands for. The event has no admission fee.

On the following Saturday, November 14, Chatham will be hosting a day at the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History for students. The event will provide a great experience to students, especially with the newest Native American artifact; a Tlingit Totem Pole by Tommy Joseph is now a permanent exhibition at the Natural History museum, providing stories of the Eagle Clan that have been passed down for generations. The exhibit is quite new, so students who are interested but unable to attend need not worry since it will be around for many months to come.

All in all, Chatham is providing several great opportunities to get involved this Native American Indian Heritage Month and urges you to come out to support these events.