News

By the people, for the people: CSG weekly update

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On Thursday, September 24, the Chatham Student Government met in the Conover Room for their weekly meeting. The CSG discussed embracing the new male undergraduate student population on campus which is a major historical point for the University.

To start off the meeting, CSG Executive President Sarah Jugovic said that she will meet with University President Esther Barazzone to get the reasoning behind her stepping down. The CSG meeting also discussed the topics of women requesting financial assistance for studying abroad and of trying to grow the shuttle committee for the University the goals of which are more drivers and more vehicles.

During the meeting, the CSG discussed the undergraduate dinner that will take place on Monday, September 27, in the Athletic and Fitness Center at 6:00 p.m. This dinner is not only meant to open a new chapter as the University becomes co-educational, but also to get students who usually do not participate involved in campus activities.

This dinner is meant to alleviate a problem that Dean Waite pointed out in the meeting: that classes tend not to integrate. She said that many students think like this: “There are the new students and there are the current students, and we are different.” Many of the current students view first-years as high school freshman who are immature and the “new kids on the block.”

“I don’t think there is going to be a lot of junior/senior population going on,” said Phoebe Armstrong, a representative for the Class of 2016. All of the members of CSG agreed that not many juniors and seniors go to events because they believe they are geared towards first-year students.

However, in order to promote class integration, the CSG has decided to have an event that will allow all classes to paint pumpkins with their class colors to display outside of the Library.

“People get closer when they do weird and awkward stuff,” said Nicole Lyons, a representative for the Class of 2016. Such an event will allow not only for class integration but also for relationship building within the classes as well.

Before the meeting was adjourned, the CSG also talked about trying to make sure that every voice is heard so that all students feel a level of acceptance. However, Armstrong objected, saying, “It’s like this, it’s college. If you have to be forcing relationships, you’re silly. Relationships happen over a period of time.” Nonetheless all members agreed that they would put at a committee into effect that would allow all voices to be heard, and that would acknowledge campus issues.

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

Chatham hosts discussion on faith in the 21st century

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What is a “Biblical Marriage?” How catholic are most Catholics these days? What exactly does the bible say about homosexuality? Where do Science and Religion meet, if at all? What is the difference between God and the Church? Could Morgan Freeman be God? What does the Bible say about homosexuality? What does it say about women in the church?

If you happened to wander into Café Rachel on Tuesday, September 22, in addition to coffee or a cinnamon roll you could have been, and could be again, treated to an intimate discussion about faith and spirituality in the twenty-first century by and for those who grew up in the twenty-first century.

Statistically speaking, Millennials are less religious than previous generations. Having lived through 9/11, war, and a recession, most would say it’s natural for this generation to be more skeptical than those who came before them.

However the statistics also say that millennials are not necessarily more godless, but a bit wearier of religious institutions in the individualist culture they have grown up in.

The discussion was lead by Will Forest of the East Liberty Presbyterian Church. Forest, who co-lead the LGBT and the Bible discussion series a year ago and sits on Chatham’s Multi-Faith Council, is no stranger to Chatham University.

“I was asked last fall to come in and talk about homosexuality and Christianity in a series of discussions,” he said. “This fall I was asked to come and step back into broader issues that college aged people may struggle with.”

“It’s hard for any one person to become an expert in the area of religion because there are so many religions and they are so personal and the way they are embodied can be as different as the person they are worshiping next to,” he added.

Forest asked the intimate group to start the discussion by describing their image or images of God. Those in attendance were able to look at an eclectic group of images from a variety of different cultures, pick which image best represented how they imaged God, and explain why.

Attendees were of different majors and at different points in their time at Chatham.  As they explained what they felt their idea of a higher power was and was not, they were asked to reflect on what it said about them.

Reminiscent of last fall, the topic of homosexuality and the church came up.

“I guess biblically, I really don’t know what the bible says about homosexuality,” said junior Allison Ablitz.

Will Forest who spoke candidly about his own journey to reconciling his faith with his sexual orientation answered questions with ease.

“It says a lot,” he said matter of factly, “But it says nothing.”

He deconstructed what he called the “clobber passages” and the history behind them and how they have been interpreted and used overtime.

When asked what he hoped that attendees would get out the discussion series Forest responded by saying that he would like them to get a free exploration of their beliefs.

There will be another discussion in Café Rachael on the Monday, September 29 at 7 p.m.

Students come together for GlobalPittsburgh’s annual picnic

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On Saturday, September 19, GlobalPittsburgh — a local nonprofit dedicated to fostering an international community in Pittsburgh — hosted its annual picnic at North Park. They welcomed over 200 international students, community members, and globally-minded people to the event, which boasted the Brassero Grill Food Truck and the PGH Halal Food Truck, as well as family friendly games, a photo booth sponsored by Zipcar, music, and dancing.

Chatham University’s participants gathered in front of Chapel at 11:15 a.m. with the intention of leaving at 11:30 a.m., but the van was severely delayed due to a misunderstanding about the location of the meeting place.  The mix-up left students feeling frustration.

“There are many troubles in this event,” junior Kaho Akai said, going on to describe problems at the event itself.

“Suddenly one of the Arabic student playing soccer shouted and fell down,” she said.

The student in question broke his leg because of a dislocation of the knee, and he couldn’t stand up. A GlobalPittsburgh member called police and an ambulance.  

“However, it happened during ending ceremony, so we ended the event without finishing the ending ceremony,” Akai added.

Although there were a lot of troubles, Akai added that she really enjoyed the event.

“The activity was really enjoyable,” she said.

One of the activities played at the picnic was Human Bingo. The participants wrote 25 things about people’s cultural behaviors, characteristics, or knowledge on a paper — for example, people who know the words “good night” in German, people who can use chopsticks well, and people with tattoos. Participants had to seek out people who met each characteristic and get a signature from the person.

“The game was really good opportunity to talk with strangers,” junior Ayako Inoue said. “Usually I am afraid of talking with strangers in English because my English is not so good. However, thanks to this activity, I could talk with many people. This activity was really good for international students who are learning English.”

Inoue was moved by the fact that there were so many people talking to each other in the same language, English.

“I don’t know why, but I was surprised and moved very much,” said Inoue. “Perhaps, it was because many people from different countries can communicate with each other only they can speak English. This experience became my strong motivation to study English.”

Akai was also thankful for the activity.

“I am originally a sociable person in my native language, but in English, I couldn’t talk very well. The game gave me opportunity to talk with many people,” she said.

“Many international students, even if they are originally sociable, can’t communicate well in English,” Akai added. “I want to participate in more events like this event, and I want to talk with more and more people from various country.”

Chatham University makes major renovations to the Carriage House

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Chatham University’s Carriage House used to house the university’s bookstore and post office, however over the course of the summer the University renovated the Carriage House into an area for study and festivities.

“Changes were made to go along with all the changes to the University,” said Gabrielle Matich, an admissions counselor. “We changed the marketing to go with the change of going co-ed, so we added a new lounge in the Carriage House to accommodate the growing student population.”

So far the changes to the Carriage House have been a success.

“I love the changes! They are beneficial to the campus to study and hangout and have festivities,” said first-year student London Pipkins. “Some things that they could add are decorations and game systems since there’s a flat screen T.V.”

Inside the Carriage House is an 80-inch flat screen television, a smoothie bar, pool tables, study rooms and numerous lounging areas to relax. Officer Toi Kenney, a member of the campus police, said, “These students need to be here and learn how to have fun on campus instead of going to those [University of Pittsburgh] parties.”

Amy Winter, a first-year studying film photography, said, “If I know there are any events, I would go.”

She is not alone, and many students say that they are looking forward to what the Carriage House has to offer in the future.

Chatham welcomes the academic year with a dance to remember

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Twinkle lights hang from the trees, the scent of Buffalo Chicken Dip fills the air, and students dance the night away. This just about sums up the Welcome Back Dance on Friday, September 4, at the Athletic and Fitness Center Patio.

Students arrived sporadically, with some of the ladies wearing evening dresses and the men sporting a tie and dress shirt. The event was catered by Parkhurst Dining and featured assortments of appetizers including cheese and crackers, fruits and the crowd favorite, Buffalo Chicken Dip accompanied by warm pita chips. A Chatham event wouldn’t be complete without some sweets. Two whole platters of brownies and purple sugar cookies were enough to cure even the most stubborn sweet tooth.

The Office of Residence Life and Student Activities-Student Affairs sponsored the dance, where Student Activities student workers acted as the hosts. Late Night Coordinator, sophomore Jorjanna Smith, greeted dance attendees and offered them tasty appetizers with her counterpart, sophomore Maya Carey, who was the creative brain behind decorations for the evening.

“The lights and lanterns were really awesome. They really brought some life to the patio” said first-year Iris Marzolf.

Many of the dance attendees waited in anticipation for the announcement of the results from the Residence Hall Council Elections (RHC). Coordinator of Residence Life and Student Activities Emily Fidago delivered the news. The Residence Hall Council officials for each hall are as follows:

CHATHAM APARTMENTS

President: Jesse Hinkle

Secretary/Treasurer: Jacquelyn Stanfield

Communications Coordinator: Gino Peluso

Programming Coordinator: Haley Porterfield

Sustainability Coordinator: Rachael Oplinger

 

FICKES HALL

President: Rosemary Quintana

Secretary/Treasurer: Imani Constant

Communications Coordinator: Diamond Ricketts

Programming Coordinator: Mikayla Psenick

Sustainability Coordinator: Nichole Dahlen

 

REA & LAUGHLIN

President: Abby Beckwith

Secretary/Treasurer: Noah Smith

Communications Coordinator: Suzi Nanthavong

Programming Coordinator: London Pipkins

Sustainability Coordinator: Evalynn Farkas

 

WOODLAND HALL

President: Carsyn Smith

Secretary/Treasurer: Taylor Frankenstein

Communications Coordinator: Lindsey Bost

Programming Coordinator: Noah Thompson

Sustainability Coordinator: Holly Taylor

The dance had a low turn out but that did not stop those who were there from having a good time. First-Year student Derrick Robinson said the low attendance was an actual highlight of the event itself.

“It amazed me how little people were there but yet [we] still had fun and made the most out of the experience,” said Robinson.

The dance did feature a DJ who played a mixture of current songs and throwbacks, including “Where Are U Now,” “Bad Blood,” “Wobble” and “Get Low.”

One throwback in particular really got the party going: “The Cupid Shuffle.”

“It was my favorite song of the night because it got everyone up and moving and it’s just a really fun song,” said Marzolf.

At around 11 p.m., a group of students took to the Carriage House with leftover Buffalo Chicken Dip and pita chips — the perfect snack for watching “Sweeney Todd” — and the student workers began taking down the decorations. The Chatham After Hours event ended and everyone left the AFC energized and ready for the new school year.

Esther Barazzone announces retirement from Chatham University

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Esther Barazzone, Chatham’s president for over two decades, will retire in June 2016, she announced in an email to faculty, staff, and students on Wednesday, June 3.

Barazzone characterized her tenure as a time of “great growth and change for Chatham.” She cited growing enrollment, increased assets, and national and international recognition for the college-turned-university, as well as the coming undergraduate coeducation and reorganization and the opening of the Eden Hall Campus (the world’s first net zero, carbon neutral campus), as just a few of Chatham’s successes.

In addition to these accomplishment, Barazzone wrote that she is, “most proud that we have been able to do these things while always seeking quality and the individual orientation of our academic programs.”

“We have much to celebrate, in areas both of continuity of mission as well as change,” she wrote.

Barazzone went on to thank administrators, faculty, and students, both current and alumni. She acknowledged the past year’s strife over the Board of Trustees’ decision for the undergraduate college to transition to coeducation, but wrote, “all, regardless of their position on the topic of coeducation, cared passionately about Chatham and valued their educational experience here.”

Although she is uncertain of what her time after Chatham will bring, Barazzone is optimistic, writing “Think of me as on that sled in the last frame of the Calvin and Hobbes series—‘Let’s go exploring!!’”

The Board of Trustees will soon announce details of the search for her successor, she said. For more information about her accomplishments as Chatham’s president, visit http://www.chatham.edu/barazzone2016/.

Dr. Brian Jara dines with Chatham students following speech

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Dr. Brian R. Jara honored Chatham with his knowledge and honesty about feminism in his talk “Pronouns, Bathrooms, and Hashtag Feminism: Looking Back at the Future of Gender.”

“I really enjoyed Dr. Jara, he was so informative, and I really liked his stance on privilege,” said Maya Carey, a first year Political Science major. “I’ve never met someone with so much privilege who acknowledges it and is an identifiable feminist who is so informative. It’s a breath of fresh air to see a male who is so encouraging of other privileged people to embark on feminism.”

Jara repeatedly stressed the importance of dialogue between students and the importance of awkward, messy conversations during his talk. The dinner that took place in the Welker Room on campus after the speech recognized this and created a space for casual but intimate dialog.

At the dinner, there was no pressure to mingle, though Dr. Lynne Bruckner, professor of English and Gender Studies courses, encouraged students to talk to Jara.

Upon arrival, Dr. Jara sat at a table, front and center, allowing interested students to accompany him. Students who finished talking to the professor rotated with other students so everyone could have a chance.

Some students like junior Kelly Nestman, president of Chatham’s feminist coalition FACE (Feminist Activist Creating Equality) spoke to Jara.

“With this dinner, being a Women’s Studies major, I was given the opportunity to speak with Brian R. Jara about what he thought about the coeducational transition. He also gave FACE advice as well on how to be an active participant in the coeducational transition,” said Nestman. “I think that speaking to not only a feminist from another institution but a male feminist from another institution was really beneficial and it was really beneficial to me as president [of FACE] to help organize all of this as well.”

Some students who rotated into the table simply wanted to hear what Jara had to say.

   “I [felt] excited at this dinner. I think it’s great to have some one-on-one time with someone who is so knowledgeable about feminism,” said Jennifer St. Clair, a biology major, “He’s a very clear speaker and is very thoughtful.”

Chatham Students appreciated the opportunity to talk with the feminist in a more intimate setting. Some said this wouldn’t have happened in a school that didn’t have the Chatham University environment.

“I really feel that at other schools you [wouldn’t] really get the opportunity to speak with the lecturers or professors who are speaking at your college. I just don’t think I would have the opportunity to speak with him,” said Carey. “I think I’d be able to see him, but I wouldn’t be able to shake his hand and see his point of view on what I’m saying.”

Student Leadership and Student Organization Awards celebrate students and student organizations on campus

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On Tuesday, April 14, immediately following Closing Convocation, was the Student Leadership and Student Organization Awards hosted at the Athletic and Fitness Center. Members of student organizations met in the gymnasium to celebrate the nominees of several campus awards and to enjoy a dinner hosted by Parkhurst Dining Services. This annual event is intended to honor the work being done by Chatham’s clubs and organizations and to recognize the ones that stand out.

The first honor given was to the Pre-Physicians Assistant Club. They were awarded the “Big Thinking Award” for their services to the campus. Her Campus Chatham then received the “Most Spirited Student Organization” award, while the “Outstanding Community Service Program” award went to the Student Athlete Advising Committee for their work.

The winners of the the “Outstanding Diversity Program” award were the Psychology of Gender Student Research Team. The “Outstanding New Student Organization” award went to Feminist Activists Creating Equality (FACE). Also, the Creative Writing Club was awarded the “Outstanding Student Organization” award.

The Graduate Creative Excellence Award went to graduate student Dustin Felix, the Graduate Empirical Excellence Award went to Lauren Manning, and the Graduate Professional Excellence Award went to Tess Wilson.

The winner of the “Emerging Leaders Institute Recognition” award was Coordinator of Student Activities and Residence Life Emily Fidago. The Cougar Fanatic Award went to senior Catherine Giles. The Community Advocate Award was awarded to graduate student Jason Lucarelli and junior Sarah Pesi. The International Advocate Award went to senior Sarah Jugovic.

Senior Jade Lawson won the Rachel Carson Sustainability Award. Junior Meg Scanlon won the Emerging Leader Award. Senior Jenny Schollaert won the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Leader Award. The winner of the Outstanding Graduate Student Leader Award was graduate student Paul Torres. Finally, the Advisor of the Year award went to Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Dana DePasquale.

The overall feeling at the event was excitement. Students cheered loudly for their organizations and for each other.

Represent Us Pittsburgh screens “Pay 2 Play” at Chatham

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The local chapter of Represent Us held their first major event on Wednesday, April 15, in Sanger Hall. The event had two major goals. The first was to bring awareness of what the group stands for, since there was no Pittsburgh chapter until March of this year. The second was to try and recruit students and community members for the cause.

Represent Us is a national bi-partisan organization, whose mission is to pass anti-corporation legislation and work toward ending legalized corruption in the government. The goal is to begin at the local level and form a grassroots beginning. To that end, they rely heavily on individual local chapters. Pittsburgh’s chapter’s first event was a screening of the film “Pay 2 Play” by John Wellington Ennis.

The film worked to lay out to the viewer why corporate personhood laws are dangerous for individuals. It focused on researching laws that have been put into effect and their origins, and it included interviews with politicians and individuals who had run in elections. Paul Hackett, Subodh Chandra, Surya Yalamanchili, and Ralph Anspach were all featured in the film.

The event’s attendees included not only Chatham students but also community members, including the family services coordinator at Habitat for Humanity, Daniel Webb. This is due to the fact that Represent Us is not strictly a student organization, since the majority of the American voting population is not composed of students. Chatham was chosen as a host for the event because the founders of the chapter, Samantha Bigley and Bethany Bookout are Chatham students.

The chapter was a project for a class Bigley was taking during the semester.

“I had to choose a semester long project,” she explained. “As a young person who just got the right to vote, I was pretty frustrated with the system and thought I might as well not vote.”

So like many frustrated college students, she turned to google for answers.

“I just searched ‘get money out of politics’ and [Represent Us] had the best laid out webpage. When I contacted them they told me there was no local chapter, and it just fit with the class.”

Bookout’s interest in the group stemmed from her frustration with the current political system, as well.

“I want my vote to count, and I want money out of politics. I want everyone to be represented,” she said.

An attendee, Erick Sovich, said he attended because, “I’m not a corporation, just a person. So this issue is obviously important to me.”

The group’s advertising for the screening was done primarily through their page on Facebook. The second form of advertising Chatham students have been seeing around campus were the Chubby Bucks which were left on tables at Café Rachel and Anderson. The fake million dollar bill features the picture of a cat with a monocle, top hat, and cigar with the words “Federal Bribery Note” written on the top and “In Bribes we Trust” on the back over a picture of the Capitol Building.

The group looks forward to continuing their efforts and planning an event for the upcoming fall semester.

Post-Gazette article sparks controversy over Holocaust Remembrance Day event

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On April 15, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran an opinion piece written by Brian Albert, the mid-atlantic campus coordinator for the Zionist Organization of America. The article had the attention-grabbing headline, “Anti-Semitism 101 at University of Pittsburgh.” The event Albert was bringing attention to was “SJP Holocaust Remembrance Day: Edith Bell on Palestine,” cosponsored by the University of Pittsburgh student group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the Pittsburgh chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Yom Hashoah, on April 16.

In his article, Albert primarily criticized the University of Pittsburgh for including the event as one that can be used to acquire Outside the Classroom Curriculum (OCC) credit, which is meant to help students become well rounded and ready for the world beyond college. In his piece, he wrote that the keynote speaker, Edith Bell, was not going to be speaking to, “commemorate the Holocaust but rather to vandalize the day by painting Israelis as modern-day Nazis.”

However, the article unintentionally brought more attention to the event.

“We were initially expecting 50 people but because of the Gazette, we expect more people,” SJP student board member Hadeel Salameh commented.

The event was moved from a smaller room it was originally scheduled for to a larger one at the William Pitt Student Union, and even with the added space there were few open seats. The SJP’s intention was to provide a space for Bell to talk about her experiences in the Holocaust, as well as her life afterward. Bell is well known for being critical of the Israeli government, and the country’s relationship with the Palestinians. It is this notoriety that caught the attention of Albert, and also SJP.

Before the article was published, Hillel JUC–the Jewish student organization that serves primarily Pitt and CMU students–contacted SJP after having students express anxiety over the event.

“Hillel is deeply concerned that SJP has appropriated the holocaust and exploited it for their political purposes. I think that’s what has been most upsetting for a lot of our Jewish students,” said Hillel President and junior Zachary Schaffer when asked about the event. “A day we are meant to commemorate people who were killed, was instead appropriated to attack Israel.”

The event had two halves. During the first half, Edith Bell told her moving story of her experiences during the Holocaust. After, she took questions from the audience and asked that questions be on topic to this part of her story. The audience stayed on target and asked the questions that Bell has undoubtedly heard countless times about the experience, and she provided answers from her perspective. The second part of the event focused on her life experiences after liberation. Her travels took her around the world, going to what would become the state of Israel and later to the United States.

The questions following this portion of the speech entirely revolved around the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Between the two open question portions, the second half yielded a greater number of questions, and they veered away from Bell’s Holocaust survival story and got extremely political with audience members asking for Bell’s opinion on settlements, whether Hammas is a terrorist organization, and the establishment of Israel. As in the previous section, Bell kept her responses to her own personal experiences and made it clear that the opinions she was expressing were solely her own.

Jewish Voice for Peace member Dani Klein, when asked about the article in relationship to the event, said, “This person was criticizing the event before it happened. They didn’t show up, so they don’t know what happened here, it is about honoring a survivor.” In response to the article, both the SJP and Jewish Voice for Peace had letters to the editor published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on April 17.

Schaffer, who attended the event, commented, “The event definitely wasn’t what the article said it would be, the article threw it out of proportion, but there were still concerning aspects.” He added, “It was less the content than the fact they were exploiting Holocaust Remembrance Day–despite the fact they knew Jewish students were offended by this.”

Moving forward, the Jewish student organization is in communication with the staff in charge of the OCC credits.

“The Pitt administration has been a great friend to the Jewish community on campus and listened to us about our concerns about anti-Semitism. We’re very appreciative of the support from the university,” said Schaffer.

When asked how Hillel had responded to the event, Schaffer stated that their primary goal was to reassure the Jewish students that Pitt was still a safe place for them to voice their own concerns.

“It has been hard for people in our community. We haven’t had time to be political,” Schaffer said.