Chatham up all night for Relay for Life

An all night celebration was held in the AFC for the eighth annual Relay for Life. Relay for Life is an event in which cancer survivors are celebrated, cancer victims are commemorated and funds are raised to further cancer research.

Relay for life was started by Dr. Gordy Klatt who ran for24 hours around a track raising $27,000 for the American Cancer Society.  A year later more people joined the cause and today, over 4 million people in more than 20 countries have helped to find a cure for cancer.

The Chatham community helped to fund cancer research with the event held on Friday October 28. Chatham had 19 teams, 152 participants and over $10,000 dollars raised. The event was lively with music and various games and activities like blanket making, spin art, extreme twister, trivia, corn hole and much more.

Later in the evening a survivor’s ceremony was held and the speaker was Chatham Student Government executive president, Mareija Bibb’s’ mother, Pamela Bibbs. Pamela Bibbs is a ­­­­seven year survivor of breast cancer. She explained the difficulties of dealing with and digesting the news of her sickness.

“The difficulty was explaining to my children why Mommy was sick without using the word cancer.” Bibbs said.

Bibbs wanted the attendees to know that the money raised for cancer research does go to cancer research. She said that when she had surgery, she signed papers allowing her tissue to be used in cancer research. Bibbs applauded the efforts made by events like Relay for Life and hopes that “one day these speeches will just be about the cure.”

A Luminaria ceremony was held on the track to remember lives lost to cancer. Friends and family of victims spoke about their lost relatives or read poems in their honor. Then two laps were walked in the memory of the lives taken by cancer.

 

Trans Activist Skylar Kergil speaks at Chatham

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Photo: Elizabeth Sawyer

On Friday, October 18, This is Me! partnered with Student Affairs to bring Skylar Kergil to Chatham University’s Eddy Theatre to speak on the topic of gender identity and sexuality and to show what he is doing to educate people on diversity through his art.

Kergil, a transgender activist, writer, artist, and YouTube star, opened his talk by defining the differences between sex, gender identity, gender expression and orientation. He was quick to make it clear that not only were these definitions his own, but that even he does not think his own definitions should be set in stone.

Kergil also noted that he believes gender identity is fluid and should not be contained within the normal terms of boy and girl that we come across so commonly in society. He also talked about his transition from female to male and the complications that he faced within his everyday life. Some of the struggles faced were with himself, his relationships with the people who surrounded him, whether that was family, friends, or society, as well as his documentation of his transition from female to male on YouTube.

Kergil is currently working on a photography project entitled “Re-Humamizing” where he mails disposable cameras to trans-masculine individuals to document their lives. The cameras are then mailed back to Kergil, along with personal accounts from the individuals, which he then documents. The 53 page book, “Re-humanizing the Transmasculine Community,” is a collection of the images and writings of the individuals participating in Kergil’s art.

Kergil wrapped up his talk with a slideshow of some of the images in “Re-humanizing the Transmasculine Community.” He also played some of the songs that he has written, some of which dealt with his coming to terms with his identit. Kergil’s book, “Re-humanizing the Transmasculine Community” can be purchased online as a CD that can be found on Kickstarter.

 

Horoscopes

Aries (March 21-April 19): You’re going to get your oodles mixed up this week.

Taurus (April 20-May 20): Watching 5 uninterrupted hours of The Big Bang Theory is completely acceptable and should be done at least once a week.

Gemini (May 21-June 21): When ordering baby cheeses, make sure to enunciate or confusion may arise.

Cancer (June 22-July 22): Petting a raccoon is not worth the rabies.

Leo (July 23-August 22): You should dedicate every spare moment of your life to BOTC. It will pay off in the end.

Virgo (August 23-September 22): Referring to yourself in the third person benefits more people than you think… if that means you… and Bri.

Libra (September 23-October 22): Watch out for that squirrel!!!

Scorpio (October 23-November 21): I’ll lend you a helping hand; yes, you should be Spider Man for Halloween.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21): The stars told me that the seniors are going to lose BOTC. If you’re not a senior, I’m sorry, but you should probably deliver this news now.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19): You might learn that a good friend is a closet tap dancer. You should welcome this with open arms.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18): You might receive some good news in the near future. Treasure it.

Pisces (February 19-March 20): Always say “yes,” unless you feel “no” is a more suitable answer.

 

Fall hits featuring strong female leads

Women are all over the television circuit. Here are some shows to check out with strong female leads.

 Scandal | ABC | Thursday, 10 p.m.

Get ready gladiators because ABC’s “Scandal” has returned for its third season, and it’s hotter than ever. Olivia Pope, played by actress Kerry Washington, is known for fixing problems for D.C.’s high society, but now she has to deal with her own scandal. The show is filled with romance, and drama. “Scandal” airs on ABC at 10 p.m.

 The Mindy Project | Fox | Tuesday, 9 p.m.

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The “Mindy Project” is a comedy on Fox in its second season starring comedian Mindy Kaling. Kaling plays Doctor Mindy Lahiri who struggles to balance her work and personal life with searching for the perfect guy. The show is witty and an enjoyment to watch. Tune in to Fox at 9 p.m. to watch “The Mindy Project.”

 New Girl | Fox | Tuesday, 9 p.m.

“New Girl” is a quirky comedy, starring actress Zooey Deschanel as Jess. In the show’s first season Jess went through a rough breakup and decided to move into a Los Angeles loft with three single guys. Right away Jess feels a connection with Nick, a law-school drop out, who is currently bartending and feels he’s not meeting his potential.  “New Girl,” now in its third season, continues to follow the five misfit friends in their efforts to find love. “New Girl” airs on Fox, Tuesday nights at 9 p.m.

 Good Wife | CBS | Sunday, 9 p.m.

“The Good Wife” Stars Julianne Margulies as Alicia Florrick. Alicia is a corporate attorney and mother of two who returns back to a life of corporate law after her husband’s public sex scandal lands him in jail. Alicia’s loyalties to her career and her family are constantly tested. “The Good Wife” is an intense drama full politics and controversy. It airs on CBS, Sunday nights at 9 p.m.

 Grey’s Anatomy | ABC | Thursday, 9 p.m.

“Grey’s Anatomy” is currently in its tenth season and is full of drama. Female Lead Meredith Grey, played by Ellen Pompano, has just had her baby boy, Baily, and she struggles to balance motherhood and the chaos at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Christina Yang, played by Sandra Oh, has cut ties with Chief of Surgery, Owen Hunt, and continues to perform cutting edge surgeries and continues to be Meredith’s confidant. Kalie Torres and Arizona Robbins are at a breaking point due Arizona affair. Renaissance woman Debbie Allen returns to play Jackson Avery’s strong willed mother, Dr. Catherine Avery. Check out all these leading ladies on ABC, Thursday night at 9 p.m.

Chatham University’s Eden Hall Campus receives $15 million donation from Falk Foundation

Chatham University received the largest donation in its 144-year history recently: $15 million from the Falk Foundation. Chatham has had a relationship with the Falk Foundation for more than 50 years, and it has been a generous sponsor of the university.

The donation goes towards Chatham University’s School of Sustainability and the Environment, as well as the Eden Hall Campus. The school will be renamed the Falk School of Sustainability at Chatham University.

The Falk Foundation is not the only contributor to the new school. “The majority of the development costs related to Eden Hall are being raised through fundraising and other efforts,” said Bill Campbell, Chatham’s vice president of marketing and communications.

“In addition to the Falk Foundation gift, we have received other major gifts from foundations such as the Richard King Mellon Foundation and many other alumni and other donors,” he said. The Richard King Mellon Foundation granted Chatham University  $7.5 million to put towards the new campus and school.

The Falk Foundation’s relationship with Chatham University began in 1952 when it funded Chatham’s Falk Hall, which was named in memory of Laura Falk, wife of Maurice Falk who founded the Falk Foundation.

Sigo Falk also has been a member of the Chatham Board of Trustees since 1981, was the Chair of the Boards of Trustees from 1995 to 2002 and has been the vice chair since 2002.

The announcement of the donation was made at the Eden Hall Campus before faculty, guests, and a few students who volunteered to help out. “All they said was that there was a big surprise and they didn’t tell us what it was because they didn’t know either,” said first-year, Kelly Nestman. “It was cool because when we got there, we found out because we were there ahead of everyone else who planned this out.”

The announcement was made and everyone celebrated. “They were really shocked because it’s one of the biggest grants Chatham has gotten,” said Tahmina Tursonzadah, a first-year volunteer. “When they were actually saying it—President Barazzone was giving a speech—no one really said anything, but I feel like…they realized this is really big.”

This donation will go towards the creation of new faculty positions such as sustainability management, the expansion of Chatham’s Rachel Carson Institute, the development of a program of non-profit and corporate partnerships through paid student internships during the summer and the continued construction of Chatham’s Eden Hall Campus.

Eden Hall Campus will be the first living campus built from the ground up, meaning that it is entirely self-sustainable. This goes along with Chatham’s long-standing commitment to sustainability.

At the International Sustainable Campus Network Awards in Singapore earlier this year, Chatham was the only North American Institute to be honored. The university also earned a Second Nature Climate Award in the United States, was named a top 25 “Cool School” by the Sierra Club and jumped seven spots in the US News and World Report rankings.

“Eden Hall Campus and our efforts in sustainability are gaining Chatham University national and international recognition and accolades,” said Campbell. “This definitely helps the institution as a whole. It will continue to provide momentum and assistance to our fundraising efforts for the entire university, and hopefully lead to increased awareness and enrollment across all areas of the university including Chatham College for Women.”

When asked if the donation will benefit the main campus and its students, Campbell said, “Each year Chatham works to invest in maintaining, renewing and enhancing Shadyside and Eastside. In fact, the summer’s repaving and new paths on Shadyside is an example of a significant investment that improves and enhances our main campus for years to come. Shadyside campus and Eastside facility renewal are also an important element of our capital campaign and fundraising priorities.”

 Update: An earlier version of this story stated that the donation came from Sigo Falk. The donation came from the Falk Foundation.

Waiting For Intermission: Review of You’re Next

Horror movies have always been a quick moneymaker. Once a new angle to the genre is introduced, six more films of the same type are churned out. The cut-and-dry horror films work for some audiences, but they don’t require much thought. It’s just one countless slaughtering after another. In response, director Adam Wingard made a film that not only critiques new horror films, but also spits in its face.

His film “You’re Next” is an excellent film that provides a fresh perspective on the horror genre. The film is set around the dysfunctional Davison family, where middle brother Crispian (AJ Bowen) takes his girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson) to a family reunion for the weekend. During the celebrations, a group of masked men attack the family. With fascinating character studies, fresh plot twists, and downright hilarity, “You’re Next” not only critiques the genre, but also serves to correct it.

The film is an illusion. For the first 20 minutes, the audience is forced to endure the most painfully campy moments in horror cinema. The background music is overwhelming. The camera movements are nauseating. The hokey “You’re Next” written in blood next to the body of the second murder just reinforces the camp. Then suddenly, Wingard pulls the rug from under us. He releases several plot twists that truly shock audiences, departing from the standard ‘Cabin in the Woods’ horror narrative. Though camp remains in the film, scenes of natural dialogue and tension coupled with organic camera shots only pull us further in the labyrinth Wingard has created.

The horror movies referenced in this film are numerous: “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Scream” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” However, where films like Joss Whedon’s “Cabin in the Woods” exploited horror tropes, “You’re Next” both critiques and corrects these tropes. The obvious correction is the character of Erin. She is introduced as the typical horror heroine, subject to the torture of the mass killers. Later in the film, it is revealed that she grew up in a survivalist compound. Suddenly she is transformed into a resident badass. Erin is everything we want in a horror heroine: smart, resourceful and ruthless.

She is not helpless nor does she luck into safety. She takes on the killers with nothing more than kitchen utensils, clear commentary on the traditional role of women. As the horror heroine receives agency, the masked killers are humanized. Even with non-supernatural killers such the family from “The Strangers,” villains in horror films carry some infallibility. Because they are on the fringes of society, they are portrayed to be nothing like the victims. Not the case in Wingard’s film. Here, audiences hear the killers express pain and suffering. The killers are also unmasked, giving them a human face.

Once audiences see their faces, the infallibility is removed, coming with it the fear of realizing we may not be much different from the killers. Wingard wants audiences to think about the violence portrayed as opposed to just being witnesses. At the same time, he wants his audiences to have fun as well. Camp remains throughout the film, culminating in one of the most hilarious endings in horror movies. Very few horror films succeed in getting audiences to laugh and scream at the same time; Wingard has found this balance.

 If you can get beyond the first 20 minutes, you will enjoy “You’re Next.” It is definitely not like any of the horror films topping box offices lately. It’s better.

 Rating: 4/5

 

Andy Warhol Museum’s top exhibit: Yasumasa Morimura’s “Theater of Self”

Yasumasa Morimura's "Self Portrait (B/W)- After Marilyn Monroe," 1996

Yasumasa Morimura’s “Self Portrait (B/W)- After Marilyn Monroe,” 1996

Kayla Mento

The talented Yasumasa Morimura, a Japanese political artist making his name known internationally, has come to the seventh floor of the Andy Warhol Museum.

Morimura is well known for depicting famous artwork throughout history and integrating himself one way or another within the pieces to capture the viewer’s eye from a mile away. Going to this exhibit and not knowing much about him is quite alright for viewers because of the vast information integrated throughout the entire exhibit that takes up all of the seventh floor.

Part of the “Art History” section posted on the wall reads, “Morimura’s depictions of self promotes consumption of European and American visual culture in Japan and other non-Western countries as a primary concern for his work, by inserting his own Japanese identity to narrate Western art history.”

When entering the seventh floor there is one lone picture that mirrors Andy Warhol’s obsession with Marilyn Monroe; however it is Morimura himself posing

as Marilyn in a vintage style black-and-white photograph. Most of his works were made in the 90s and early 2000s, but some photographs and paintings closely mirror old paintings, such as Monet’s Olympia, in which Morimura presents himself as Olympia and mimicked Monet’s technique for this controversial piece.

There are many pieces in the exhibit that Morimura depicts almost identically but makes his own, such as The Mona Lisa, only Morimura renamed his rendition The Pregnant Mona Lisa. He depicts himself as Mona Lisa and shows not only her face but also her lower body sitting in the chair, nude, and pregnant.

The piece next to it portrays the same thing, but shows the viewer the image through her stomach, so that viewers can see the child within Mona Lisa’s stomach.

Many other interesting and controversial pieces Morimura has done was over to the left of the exhibit just after entering, In one photograph he presents himself as the famous Chinese communist leader, Mao Zedong, and next to it, presents himself as Che Guevara.

Walking past these two pieces is my favorite of Morimura’s renditions: He is Charlie Chaplin playing Adolf Hitler in the 1940s movie, “The Great Dictator.” In this photograph, Morimura is doing Chaplin’s famous stance from the movie cover. He is standing in front of microphones and derailing Hitler by presenting a phallic shape in the bottom right corner. Morimura’s take on this is absolutely incredible and controversial-not only for that but for also presenting the audience in the background as various animal heads ranging from elephants to pigs.

These are only a few of Morimura’s amazing pieces, but there are many more to experience. Chatham ID’s allows students free admission to Carnegie Museum’s and Andy Warhol is one out of the four students can get free access into by showing ID’s. Take advantage of this opportunity and check out the exhibit for yourself so that you can experience this breathtaking exhibit by Morimura. The exhibit will remain open until January 12, 2014.

Yellow Jackets Edge Cougars 3-0

In a Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) matchup on Oct. 9, the Chatham University Cougars fell 3-0 to the visiting Waynesburg University Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets are ranked number four in the PAC, and snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory over Chatham.

 The Yellow Jackets took an early lead 7:03 into the game on a goal by Susie Godwin. Natalie Abraham and Erica Norlund also scored goals in the first 30 minutes. Despite the three unanswered goals, Chatham held the Yellow Jackets scoreless in the second half. “We started talking to each other and picking up the marks that we were supposed to,” said senior midfielder Ashley Lamb.

 First-year forward Skylar Benjamin led the Cougars with two shots. Lamb, Carolyn Bristow, Becca Pell, Jessica Manifredi, and Lindsey Matusak recorded one shot apiece, and junior goalkeeper Liz Sawyer stopped six shots. With the loss, the Cougars dropped to 0-2 in the PAC, and 1-9 overall.

 

Little Red Riding Vogue: Real Style

By: Indigo Baloch

On average, I would say I am “that girl” who tries to look her best—and by best I certainly don’t mean wearing ball gowns to class. That’s just impractical. What I mean is that I like to pull together outfits I can truly enjoy. It could even be a “Great Gatsby” sweatshirt from Out of Print, paired with black leggings and TUK Creepers. If it looks good and feels good, you’re on the right track.

In this column, Little Red Riding Vogue, I hope to keep you up to date on the latest in fashion—as well as share tips and favorite stores. Most importantly, I plan to showcase someone on campus every issue, that I believe has great style and deserves a little praise. We could all enjoy a little praise every now and then.

The most important thing you need to know about fashion is that it is all subjective. It is all personal. Wear what you love. Even if you’re wearing yoga pants, if you own it and feel confident in it, that can be a runway-worthy outfit. Also, fashion is not simply about clothes. Think of all the wild runway makeup and hair you see at Fashion Week—they are designed to complement and enhance.

Everything about how you present yourself, from confidence to attitude, says a lot about your style. Modeling agencies and designers don’t just hire a model because they think she’s attractive. They hire her if they think she can walk the way they need her to and display the attitude that works for their collection.

Where you pull your outfit inspiration from is entirely individual. Most recently, I designed an outfit around the premiere of American Horror Story: Coven, basing the outfit off of teaser trailers featuring witches in ivory blouses, black skirts and kitten heels and flat black hats. The cherry on top was a pair of earrings: one a black cross, the other a black pentagram.

The same goes for makeup. What makeup gurus do best is replicate makeups. It’s what they’re known for. Say you particularly love Babydoll’s makeup in “Sucker Punch” and decide you want to try it for yourself. All you really need is some pale foundation, blush, false eyelashes, and possibly a quick swipe of Maybelline’s Baby Lips in Peach Kiss.

It might seem silly, but think about where you draw your inspiration from. Is it a pop culture icon like Florence Welch, a specific designer like Alberta Ferretti, or maybe even your family or friends. Who you are and who you are inspired by defines your style. Never change your style to fit into someone else’s mold. Never force yourself to follow a trend because someone else says you should. Wear what you love and feel comfortable in. That is style.

In the words of Blair Waldorf, “Fashion is the most powerful art there is. It’s movement, design, and architecture all in one. It shows the world who we are and who we’d like to be.”

For more frequent updates on my own outfits, you can also check out my fashion blog, Little Red Riding Vogue, on Tumblr.

Athlete of the week: Rachel Leftwich

Athletics at a Division III school are often overlooked; however, Chatham athlete Rachel Leftwich stands out. After breaking two records her senior year, Leftwich is leaving Chatham with a bang.

As captain of the cross-country team, she works hard to create a fun, inviting environment for her team. Often acting as a mentor, Leftwich displays time management skills with ease. “Time management is a constant learning process of being able to fit in all the things you want to do at once,” Leftwich said.

Running for Chatham has been a large part of Leftwich’s career at the university.  When she chose Chatham, the school coaches went above and beyond to ensure her transition from her high school track team to the university’s track team.

Chatham coaches contacted her high school coaches and observed her talents.  Looking back to her first year, Leftwich said college athletics are more difficult than high school athletics, and perhaps she was not ready.  However, her readiness became more than apparent this year as she continued to make great strides in the cross-country community.

Named “woman runner of the week” two weeks in a row by the President’s Athletic Conference and the Eastern College Athletic Conference, Leftwhich’s love for the sport is apparent.   Both conferences honored her for first place win at the Bethany Cross Country Invitational.  Her individual title at Bethany was the first individual title given to a Chatham athlete.

The following week she as again honored by both conferences for her second place title at the Waynesburg Cross-Country invitational.  On top of winning an individual title at Waynesburg, she also broke the Chatham School record for running 6k by 44 seconds with a winning time of 23:20.

Leftwich also ran in the Cross-Country seventh Invitational, which was held on Chatham’s campus for the first time.  Placing third out of 100 runners in the seventh Invitational, Leftwich continues to demonstrate herself as a serious asset to Chatham’s cross-country team.

Athletics are not the only concern for the environmental science major. Minoring in both French and environmental policy, Leftwich is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society at Chatham.  She has also been on the PAC academic honor roll for the past three seasons she has run.

In September, the PAC Student Athletic Advisory Committee honored her as the woman scholar athlete of the month.  Continuing her commitments to Chatham and cross-country, Leftwich serves as the luminaria and survivorship committee chair for the American Cancer Society’s relay for life initiative at Chatham University.

 However, as school nears to an end for Leftwich, so do college athletics.  With plans to continue running, she signed up for her first full marathon in May. After giving herself a small amount of downtown, she will begin preparing for the marathon shortly after graduation. Leftwich said she runs for personal benefit as well, and that long runs act as a stress reliever for her, allowing her to think things over.

Despite nearing the end of her athletic career at Chatham, Leftwich appears strong-willed and ready for anything when she graduates at the end of the year.