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Chatham celebrates LGBT history with campus-wide events

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Though the chalk did not last long due to the rainstorm, the Chatham University This is Me! Queer-Straight Alliance kicked off a month-long series of events with Chalk the Quad. Students gathered at the quad on Wednesday, October 14, to draw different words and pictures conveying self-expression, respect, and flat-out fun.

The following evening, students poured into Rea Coffeehouse for the Coming Out Dialogues, where students listened to their peers tell stories of their emergence into the LGBTQ+ community. Due to the inclement weather, turnouts had been small, but those who participated had called it “a great experience” and “a good way to get to know each other.”

Comedienne Emma Willmann, an openly lesbian funnywoman who is known for her widespread sense of humor, also took the stage at Rea. This show provided a little break from the stresses of midterms to laugh a little and have fun with fellow classmates in a judgment-free environment.

October has been jam-packed with events for LGBTQ History Month. Next up on the docket is a screening of documentary “Celebrating Stonewall: The Stonewall Uprising,” in Eddy Theater on Monday, October 26, at 7 p.m.

The events on campus have provided an outlet to the queer community and acted as a catalyst for social change on campus. This month proved that Chatham, as a community, is trying its best to stay intact as an accepting community throughout all the previous changes added tension to the campus, and they met expectations as a social glue that made people bind together to support a similar cause.

Chatham international students go to Washington

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Coming to a new country to study abroad is a peculiar and difficult experience. For some students, it is their first time leaving home altogether. Others cannot wait to experience a new culture.

In order to help international students experience as much of the United States as possible, Chatham sponsored a trip to Washington, D.C., over fall break., and many international students loved the experience.

“I want to brush up on my English skills,” said Reimi Ibuki, who is from Japan. “It’s good to try something new.”

Ibuki is majoring in English, and she feels that coming to Chatham has helped her to improve her language skills.

Hye Young Baek, a South Korean student majoring in English and International Studies, likes living in Pittsburgh.

“I like Chatham because first of all, it’s in the city, and the public transportation is very comfortable to get around on,” she said, about why she chose to study at Chatham. “Also, the professors at Chatham are so nice to us international students. Many people recommended this school to me.”

But Baek also enjoyed the chance of scenery for the long weekend.

Chatham’s international student population is from a variety of backgrounds; people come from South Korea, Japan, Germany, and more to study here.

Many have not had the opportunity to study internationally before, and this fall break Washington, D.C., trip gave many a look into the American experience.

Chatham students particularly enjoyed visiting the Smithsonian Museum.

“I really like the ‘Night at the Museum’ movies, and I was glad to see some exhibits that were in the movie,” Baek said about her trip to the Smithsonian’s National History Museum. “There were so many nice exhibitions.”

“All the museums were really fun,” Ibuki added. “I also got to eat at a sushi place with my friends after.”

Another point of interest was visiting the more political buildings.

“I really liked the architecture of the White House and Capitol Building,” Baek said about her experience on Capitol Hill. “I also found the Lincoln Memorial very impressive. The people in D.C. were dressed for business. It was interesting to see a different atmosphere from Pittsburgh.”

The students had the opportunity to see the Washington Monument, as well as some of the other historical points in the city.

The trip not only provided a fun learning experience; it also offered great opportunities to bond with the other international students.

“There are not many chances to communicate in English in my country, so maybe this gives an advantage to me to communicate better and to make good memories here,” Ibuki said about how the trip helped her socially. “My friends and I had fun. We bonded a lot.”

Though the trip was short, it offered cultural exposure that many students had not yet had the chance to experience. Washington, D.C., offered a change of scenery from Pittsburgh, while still offering students a broad view of city life.

Baek said she would definitely visit the United States’ capital again, if given the chance.

“I heard the cherry blossoms are very pretty. I would love to go back and see that scenery,” she said.

While this will be the first of many trips international students will likely embark on while attending Chatham, it set a precedent in regards to education and entertainment, providing the international students with the full American experience.

CMU takes on police brutality

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Is there a lack of trust between police officers and the general public? What makes a good cop or a bad cop?  How are officers perceived by the general public? How do stereotypes play into how officers police urban communities? What kinds of mistakes on the part of law enforcement should be forgiven?

These are the hard questions that have been being asked all over the country over the years. At Carnegie Mellon University, the Theta Beta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Beta Epsilon Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity came together, along with Lieutenant Joseph Meyers and Larry Powell of CMU’s Equal Opportunity services, to discuss the state of policing in America.

The discussion started with introductions from everyone involved. Lieutenant Meyers has worked as a policeman for 30 years. He has worked in cities, suburbs, small towns, and even Homewood. He spoke of the evolution of some perspectives on relations between the public and police officers among the group of students.  

“It seems like black boys are considered to be adults younger than people of other races,” Theta Beta’s President observed, bringing up the case of twelve-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ohio.  

The intergenerational as well as interracial questions of respectability were brought up. Does a suit and tie guarantee more safety than a hoodie and jeans? Should it?

“Why can’t we just wear whatever we want and be safe?” one girl asked.

The Lieutenant spoke honestly and candidly referring back to his own experiences and addressing the experience of the students. He admitted that over the years in Pittsburgh there have been quite a few incident between white police officers and African-American men.

The mostly millennial audience has grown up in the time of the first African-American president and multiple heritage months, but millennials have also grown up in a time of Trayvon Martin and Black Lives Matter. Although the group came from different universities and had different majors, what they had in common was a feeling of unease around law enforcement.

“If Sandra Bland was white, she’d still be alive,” a student said in a disheartened, but matter of fact tone. Most of them had more than one story of a time when they felt targeted, were treated badly or with suspicion by officers of the law, or felt they were perceived and treated as “instant criminals.”  

“I think the only way to really hold police officers accountable would be to have all cops wear body cameras,” one student said.

Many of the young men in the audience spoke of feeling unsafe around police officers and shared their thoughts about the Black Lives Matter movement. Lieutenant Meyers said simply that there are no easy answers but, “You gotta have the communication on the streets. Respect on both sides.” He also shared his belief that in comparison to his officers during his years patrolling, officers today are not trained on how to deescalate situations.

Getting the scoop on the Real Food Challenge

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Over the years there has been a rise in advocacy in regards to food at Chatham. From the success of the Masters in Food Studies to the creation of the Naturality Club, Chatham students have become very interested in what they are putting into their mouths.

This year, junior Mayann Fix created a Chatham chapter of the Real Food Challenge. The Real Food Challenge (RFC) is an organization that is campaigning to move colleges and universities food services away from factory farms. These types of farms operate on a for-profit basis, often at the expense of the animals. The RFC wants to push educational institutions towards food that is local and/or community based, ecologically sound, and humane. Food that carries these characteristics is referred to as “Real Food.”

Chatham’s dining services has previously committed them to providing the student body with locally grown foods. This was previously seen during the 2014-2015 school year where Eden Hall Tomatoes were available at the sandwich and salad bar. However, with all the progress the dining services have accomplished, Fix still believed more needed to be done to improve the quality of food on campus.

Fix first became interested in the Real Food Challenge after sitting in a RFC meeting at the University of Pittsburgh.

“[At these meetings] I began to learn more and more [about] how our food systems needs to change for the better. I saw Chatham as an awesome opportunity to start that change because one of our pillars is a commitment to sustainability,” she said.

Fix spoke at the World Food Day Dinner on Friday, October 16, in Mellon Board Room.  She informed her listeners about how simple snacks consumed in the western world can be regarded as a luxury in other countries.

In some places where cocoa beans are grown, the people [who] are responsible for the planting and harvesting of cocoa beans may have never tasted chocolate because it is regarded as a luxury product,” said Fix. “One of the goals of the Real Food Challenge is to only acquire foods which pay their workers a fair wage and offer safe working conditions.”

The Real Challenge has been readily accepted in the Chatham Community with undergraduates and graduate students supporting the cause. Fix is also working closely with Anderson Dining Hall Manager Rob Coyne along with the sustainability faculty.

“We need more, always, so pledging your support is a great way to help,” Fix said.

Chatham RFC is currently working on hosting monthly Real Food Days in Anderson where local, fair trade, humane, and ecologically-sound foods are showcased. Fix hopes that this event series will excite the campus community about sustainable foods.

There are many ways for students to get involved in the Chatham RFC initiative.  Meetings are held on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in Falk 216. More events are scheduled for later in the year, and help is needed to plan the activities, along with individuals to partake in the event.  Check out the RFC on Facebook by searching Real Food Challenge @ Chatham.  For more information about getting involved, email realfoodchallenge.chathamu@gmail.com.

Chatham offers trendy new flavors with the opening of the Carriage House smoothie bar

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On March 26, 2015, Chatham’s Student Government (CSG) met with administrators and Chatham’s architect to discuss changes on campus—including the relocation of the post office and bookstore. When discussing the future use of The Carriage House, it was suggested that a smoothie or juice bar could be added. The proposal gained moderate support and was put into motion.

Rob Coyne, the general manager of dining services at Chatham said, “Residence Life was looking for something to attract students to come to the Carriage House. They had received a lot of feedback from students wanting a fresh fruit smoothie and juice bar.”

When the remodeled Carriage House was opened, there was space for a smoothie bar in the main room. The Carriage House Smoothie & Juice Bar was later opened on September 24. For the first day, the hours were restricted from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. but have since been switched to the usual hours of operation from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

When asked if it was hard to pull the smoothie bar together in such a short amount of time, supervisor Stephanie Cervi said, “It was not hard at all; we were very organized.”

The menu of the Carriage House Smoothie & Juice Bar offers many options. These range from the Eden Hall Bliss juice (Eden Hall tomatoes, spinach or kale, and fresh-squeezed Granny Smith apple juice) to the ‘Fu Smoothie (silken tofu, fresh bananas, local honey, and organic soy milk) to the Melon Cuke Mint juice (watermelon, cucumber, and mint), and more. There are even options that allow students to create their own drinks from a list of optional ingredients. Students can also always add a “boost” to their smoothies (green tea matcha powder, energy, protein [whey], or immune support).

“Some of the smoothie recipes (the Cougar Cooler and the Going Bananas) were from the McGrady Café Smoothie Bar that was opened when the AFC came on line,” said Coyne. “The others are based on popular trends in smoothie bars. The juice recipes were developed with help of Delicious Raw, a Juice Bar concept as part of the Hello Bistros’ (Eat’n Park restaurants) partnership within downtown Pittsburgh.”

Cervi said, “It’s a great option for all customers. Vegans and vegetarians seem to really enjoy it. The athletes enjoy getting a drink after practice or before going to the gym and adding protein powder to their drink.”

The current menu offers 11 options—seven smoothies and four juices, with two of the smoothies and one of the juices being CYO (choose your own).

“We will tweak the menus around seasonally available fruits and vegetables. We will also make menu changes based on guest feedback,” said Coyne. “So far we have very positive comments around the smoothie and juice recipes.”

Going Global: Doctors without borders

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On Sunday, October 4, international aid service Doctors Without Borders withdrew from the Afghan city of Kunduz after 22 individuals (12 hospital staff and 10 patients including children) were killed and over 37 were wounded in a US airstrike that destroyed their hospital earlier in the weekend.

The US military promised full transparency as it looks into the incident, and NATO is in the process of conducting a preliminary, multinational investigation.

After the incident the Pentagon swiftly released a statement saying that the airstrikes were targeted at insurgents who were firing on US service members from the vicinity of the hospital, and a statement from Afghanistan Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqi claimed that up to 15 insurgents were firing from the hospital.  The Associated Press reported video footage showing automatic weapons resting on windowsills within the compound.

However Doctors Without Borders denied this, and spokesperson Kate Stegeman asserted that, “only staff, patients, and caretakers were inside when bombing occurred.” The Taliban later released a statement confirming that its fighters were not in the vicinity at the time when the airstrike took place.

Doctors Without Border released a statement saying, “[The bombing] constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”

“If there was a major military operation going on there, our staff would have noticed. And that wasn’t the case when the strikes occurred,” Christopher Stokes, the organization’s general director, said in an interview with CNN.

Top human rights officials at the United Nations have even gone so far as to  say that it could be considered a war crime.

Police Blotter

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A false fire alarm sounded in Woodland on Friday, September 18, at about 7 p.m. Fire trucks were called, but it was discovered that the alarm had been triggered by an air freshener.

Police were notified about a domestic dispute on campus at about 3 p.m. on Monday, September 21. Police advised the students involved to end contact with each other.

A student playing a game of pickup basketball in the AFC gymnasium on Tuesday, September 22, tripped and fell into the bleachers. Police were notified of his injury at about 10 p.m., and he was transported to UPMC Shadyside, where he received stitches.

By the people, for the people: CSG weekly update

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On Thursday, October 1, the Chatham Student Government held their weekly meeting, during which they discussed the changes that could make the University a better community.

Donald Aubrecht, Chief of Chatham’s Public Safety of four years, spoke first at the CSG meeting. He first discussed the Saturday Shuttle that goes to the Eden Hall campus. According to the staff, students are not taking advantage of using the Eden Hall shuttle, and therefore they believe that funding could go towards something else on campus.

Dean of Students Zauyah Waite argued that, “if students don’t know about this transportation, then they can’t utilize it.” Administration has agreed to find ways to broadcast the Eden Hall shuttle through Moodle or my.Chatham so that all students are aware of it and can see its schedule.

Next, Chief Aubrecht talked about students getting to know the officers. By doing so, officers are encouraged to support students.

“All of the officers try to attend the sporting events [and] Easter egg hunts, so that the students can get to know the officers,” he said. “This will help students to build personal relationships with these officers and to feel comfortable with them,” he added.

The campus police department is trying to be beneficial to students and make sure that they are safe. CSG Executive President Sarah Jugovic raised the question about how public safety can help students when they are off of Chatham’s campus. Chief Aubrecht stressed that no matter where the students are, help will always be available through the University’s campus police and other police departments around the city.

“The campus police are not there to antagonize students,” said Aubrecht, “but to help them.”

The last but also drastic change that was discussed in the CSG meeting was the enrollment at Chatham. Amy Becher, Vice President for Enrollment Management, spoke about how the enrollment is increasing at a significant rate. According to the data, the Class of 2019 is the biggest enrolling class in the University’s history. This year, there are 295 first-year undergraduates whereas last year there were only 154 first-year undergraduates. Since the University has transitioned to co-education, more women as well as men have applied to Chatham.

Becher cleared the air about Chatham being a Division III school. She emphasized that this means that no extra money is given to students who play sports, and no athletes benefit more than non-athletes.

However, enrollment, as well as the student athlete population, is expected to grow largely within five years. Phoebe Armstrong, a representative for the Class of 2016, raised the question, “What is the carrying capacity here at Chatham?” The campus is known for its small community and classroom sizes. Some of the CSG members expressed their concerns that because of the University’s growing numbers, housing would become an issue and class sizes would grow.  Their concern was largely due to the fact that small class sizes and personal attention from professors is a part of what attracts many current and prospective students to Chatham.

The CSG members were assured that there would be no expansions of the University to accommodate more people.

The CSG meets every Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in the Conover Room, and all meetings are open to the student body.

Chatham students participate in pro-choice rally in Market Square

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Monday, September 29, was a dreary day to say the least, with consistent rainfall from morning until night. This, however, did not stop Chatham students from trekking through the storms to show their support for Planned Parenthood.

With the recent government defunding of the organization, a group of students chose to attend a rally in Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh. For several of the students, it was the first rally they had ever attended. They marched to the Pittsburgh office of Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey—who voted to block a bill that would allow the government to keep running because it also continued to fund Planned Parenthood—to view speakers from Planned Parenthood share their stories.

The Chatham community has exhibited great support for Planned Parenthood and their message—doing everything from setting up tables with informational material to writing cards to local legislature in support of Planned Parenthood. Students even wore pink for a Chatham Pink-Out on September 29, even if they could not attend the rally itself. An overwhelming wall of support came from this pink-out, as many students participated in this on-campus statement.

Though the Chatham turnout was small, the rally itself was full of local Pittsburghers giving their support to Planned Parenthood.

Chatham holds annual cultural dinner

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On the evening of Friday, September 25, the quad was set up in a picnic-style fashion. Chatham students, faculty, and staff sat at round tables chatting with one another. Unlike most Chatham picnics, however, instead of hot dogs and boca burgers there was a chance to indulge in international delicacies. This is was the annual Global Focus picnic, sponsored by the Laughlin Global Citizen Living Learning Community.

The food at the picnic included many ethnic dishes. The start of the buffet had a variety of salads from an Asian Cucumber Slaw to an African Chickpea and Peppadew salad.

Moving up the buffet to the entrees, there were the Brazilian Black Bean Stew and the Hispanic Lime Portabellas Soft Tacos, which also included a vegan option.

“We love the donuts,” said seniors Kelly Nestman and Tiffany Schmidt.

However, those donuts were actually Sopaipillas. Sopapillas are a fried dessert pastry derived from Spanish roots.  The Sopapillas were served with ice cream and topped with cherries and whipped cream.

The planning of the cultural dinner was a combined effort of the Office of Residence Life and Student Activities, Student Affairs, and Parkhurst Catering.

“Our goal was to offer a diverse collection of food to supplement the student’s homemade dishes,” said director of catering, Scott Steiner.

The cultural dinner offered students the opportunity to share and prepare a dish from their country or even an old family recipe.

Many of recipes have been passed down from generation to generation.  Senior Sarah Weinschenker made Sausage Balls, a German-American dish that is usually eaten during the holidays and is very simple to prepare.

First-year Melanie Landsittel prepared homemade pasta and sauce. Her family is from Naples, Italy, and this is how they prepare pasta. Landsittel’s pasta  ran out almost immediately.

Assistant Director of Career Services Crystal Vietmeier had a chance to try the pasta.

“The sauce alone was excellent,” she said.

Many of the international students prepared dishes from their home country.  International student Eleonor Nilsson made Swedish meatball in honor of her home country, Sweden.  Swedish meatballs are commonly eaten during the holidays but can appear during regular dinners.

“It is a old-fashion Swedish meal and simple to make,” Nilsson said.

Rachael Dymski, who is the Graduate Resident Director of Rea and Laughlin House and who was the main organizer for the cultural dinner found it to be a success.

“I am very happy with the turnout and very impressed with how well all the dishes turned out,” she said.