Author: chathamcommunique

Chatham ceilings falling down

chathamcommunique

By: Teri Bradford

One of the major selling points of Chatham University is the historic campus. Students walk among an arboretum, have first and only edition books in the library, and regularly pass buildings that hold the names of Pittsburgh legacies. Most excitingly, students who live on campus stay in mansions, some of which have been standing since before 1869 when Chatham was first the Pennsylvania Female College.

However, as the years pass, the historical landmarks students live in have been seeing problems. When students have construction issues in the residence hall living areas, they are encouraged to put in work orders to get the problem fixed. From flickering lights to broken windows, students are told that maintenance will get it done and preserve the history.

Robert DuBray, the director of facility management for the Chatham campuses, explained what happens when a student puts in a work order.

“The work order goes to the [Resident Assistant] or the [Graduate Resident Assistant] and it’s sent over to Lisa, [the secretary at Rea Garage], who puts it into the computer,” said DuBray. “Then she issues it to the appropriate tradesperson to make the correction. They will go to the location within the next day or two. [The tradesperson] will assess what the problem is and whether or not they have to order parts or if it’s a quick fix. Then they have these small red cards that they are supposed to fill out briefly just to tell the occupant that they were there and are ordering parts, that they fixed the problem, or whatever the case may be just so they can close the loop with that person.”

However, some students are finding that their work orders have graduated from leaky faucets to plaster and debris falling from their ceilings. Diana Cabrera, a junior, found herself in a serious dilemma early in the fall semester.

“I noticed my bed had tiny spots of wetness, then realized the ceiling above my bed was dripping water,” said Cabrera. “When I initially moved in, no one warned me about the ceiling. A friend who lived next to this room in previous years said that the area around the door had water damage, [but] the area above my bed was nowhere near the door’s water damage. I ended up leaving a towel on my bed to soak up the water since I was going to be out late for [a theater] rehearsal.”

Cabrera said she did not put in a work order because she didn’t have the time and didn’t think a small leak was a relevant problem. She found that she was mistaken later that night.

“I came back to my room shortly after midnight. The desk attendant just got off, and she was my roommate. She told me there was something wrong with my side of the room. We both went up to the room and saw my bed was completely drenched, [and] so was the floor on my half of the room, including under my bed where I stored items.”

Cabrera said that Residence Life moved her to the Gate House for the night and eventually relocated her and her roommate.

“I would go to the room regularly while it was being repaired because I did not fully move out. My stay in Fickes was intended to be temporary. When I went to my Rea room, I would clean up the plaster [and] move furniture around, so it wasn’t in the way or in danger of having more things fall on it. I had to throw out items that were damaged by the water or had started to grow mold. I would open the window while I was there and turn on my fan to circulate the air because it was difficult to breathe and smelled terrible. The repairs took longer than a week. I was able to move back the Tuesday before classes started again after Fall break,” said Cabrera.

She praised the Residence Life staff life for relocating her so quickly but said that the RAs weren’t informed when she relocated or returned. Though she no longer lives in the room, to Cabrera’s knowledge, the roof is fixed.

Incidents like these happen in upper campus housing, but also in lower campus housing. Earlier this semester, a bathroom ceiling in the Chatham undergraduate apartments collapsed, leaving a leaky hole in sophomore Lacey Massari and her roommates’ bathroom.

“[The damage] happened on a Tuesday night,” said Massari. “[My roommates and I] called the emergency number, and they said that someone would come the next morning, but no one did. Someone eventually came and said the plumber would come on Thursday, but they didn’t.”

Massari said that a plumber came on Friday but, that the leaking came from the room above, stopping it from being a quick fix. Corrin Walker, a junior transfer and a member of the track team, is the resident in the bathroom above Massari’s.

“My roommate and I’s shower was leaking to the apartment below us and [maintenance] came on a Tuesday to fix the problem,” said Walker. “The maintenance man came and said that he fixed it, and I just needed to give it an hour to let the caulking dry. I had class all evening and didn’t come back until later. When I tried to turn on the water, nothing came out. So I called [the maintenance number], and a woman said that there would be someone there the next morning. They came later that evening, and the maintenance man left a note saying ‘debris stuck in shower body need to replace whole unit will order new one sorry.’

Walker says she didn’t call again because she knew that they were ordering a unit, and that may take time. However, when it came to be Monday, she felt she needed to take action.

“That is when I talked to Kim Small [in Residence Life], and she said that she would help me and send in another work order. On [the next] Tuesday it still wasn’t fixed. When I told my coach I still didn’t have [a shower]; he contacted Heather Black. I explained my situation to her, and she said she would talk with facilities to get the problem fixed. Finally, on Thursday, my shower was fixed. When it was all said and done, it was 11 days that we went without a shower,” said Walker.

Since then, Walker says that her shower is working, and Massari says the leaking has stopped in her bathroom, but the hole has not been patched up.

Cabrera’s, Massari’s, and Walker’s stories are not uncommon among the campus. There have been discussions amongst the student body about horror stories in different campus buildings.

As the director of facilities, public safety, and transportation, DuBray says that he receives many complaints from students as well as parents, faculty, and staff. He encourages the community to look at the bigger picture.

“I’m responsible for every building on this campus, and we don’t have that many collapses [within residence halls],” said DuBray. “What we do here is big but with [the] support of the senior administration, we try to maintain every single building [with] the intent that it was meant to be. Every building has got something [that needs work]. That’s all controlled by a capital budget that we try to fit in during the summer months when we can, hopefully, do [construction] uninterrupted. We have a window of opportunity [in the summer] to do this work, so it’s a challenge.”

The facilities team at Chatham takes care of the daily work orders in residence halls, offices, academic buildings on the Shadyside, Eastside, and Eden Hall campuses. In the summers, the team does the bigger renovations including the newly transformed carriage house and post office. And in the winter, the team clears the pathways, stairs, and roads for Chatham and the Woodland neighboring community.

“We get over 25,000 requests for service [in a year], and we only have a handful of tradespeople,” said DuBray. “We have two plumbers, two electricians, one HVC cooling guy, two painters, [and] two carpenters. We do a pretty good job of responding and getting things fixed.”

As for the campus horrors, DuBray asks the community to be wary of stories that may be lacking truth. Many students may be concerned about things in their dorms such as cracks in the plaster of their dorms, which are more benign than anything.

“[With] all due respect to the students or whoever makes the comments, they need to know what the problem is before they elaborate or blow it up into something that it’s not. As soon as you find something, and we can’t stress it enough, tell all the RAs and GRDs as soon as a problem is identified in your building. We need to be notified because we need to investigate to see what the extent of the problem is. Then, if at all possible, we fix it right away. But if it’s [in] the dead of winter, it’s a little tough to get [to] the roof of a building for a leak, but we still do it. So let’s not lose track of really what it is,” said DuBray.

“Some [students] complain, and it’s legitimate, some exaggerate. [We] treat certain circumstances that arise, but we don’t know it’s a problem until someone reports it. We don’t just ignore things that are leaking,” he continued. “We don’t put students at risk in an area that shouldn’t be lived in. We would never do that. It takes a lot to maintain these buildings at the level of activity that they get, and we operate about 12 months a year. We don’t get any downtime, but I’ll say it again; when we get a problem we address it. Some are corrected immediately, some take longer, it’s just the nature of the beast.”

DuBray says that many complaints come from students possibly thinking that their problems are worse than they are.

“I deal with students. I deal with parents because they get reports from their son or their daughter that the sky is falling, and the sky is not falling. It’s a crack above your bed that you stare at every night. It’s a roof. It’s just a hundred-year-old building.” said DuBray.

Some members of the Chatham community want to see more action in the way maintenance handles the campus and won’t settle for less. The topic of building conditions has risen in Chatham Student Government meetings multiple times in the 2015-2016 school year alone. Early in the fall semester, Bethany Bookout, President of the Class of 2018, spoke on the issue.

“When will we stop band-aiding problems in the residence halls?” Bookout asked.

The idea that Chatham has lower quality living conditions that can be fixed is something that is not new to the campus. On Niche, a website designed for providing reviews, anonymous or not, and insight on colleges shows Chatham students expressing frustrations about their living conditions up to five years ago.

“They won’t update the dorms because they would have to comply with codes for historical buildings. So they leave them. I have seen the paneling on the ceiling fall off, [and] someone’s windows [almost] fall out all winter (later to just have plexiglass screwed in). The bathrooms are never quite clean and have improper ventilation. There is mold and scum [almost] everywhere,” said an anonymous junior student’s comment from 2011.  

Two years later, a similar comment was written by a Chatham alum.

“Buildings were falling apart, [leaking], balconies on buildings were physically separating from buildings. [Roofs] had green vegetation growing on [them], as it was so old it needed to be replaced, and [the roofs] leaked,” read a comment from an alumnus in 2013.

“These are old buildings and they are in deep need of repair,” 2011 sophomore student stated simply.  

DuBray acknowledges the fact that these buildings are older, and that there are unique difficulties that come with this. However, he wants it to be known that the facilities team is doing the best they can.

“You have to think about how many buildings we have, how many rooms we have. We have not had a problem in these dorms. These are old buildings, I give you that much, and we do get the occasional roofing [problem]. We try to address that as much as possible. We put new roofs on Woodland. We put new roofs on Fickes. We’ve repaired roofs over here in Rea and Laughlin,” said DuBray. “You can’t just go in and fix them any way you want to. You have to maintain the integrity of the building and its historical appearance. In some of these [buildings], like Mellon, [the walls] are 38 inches thick. If you have a plumbing or electrical problem, sometimes you just have to abandon it because you can’t get to the problem and then rewire or re-plumb.”

The effects of time can be seen in Mellon, but also in some of the academic buildings. The prayer room in the basement of Braun Hall sees some need for repairs as well.

“I have absolutely no idea what is going on with the hole in the wall in the Prayer Room,” said Maryem Aslam, a Muslim commuter student who uses the prayer room while on campus.

Muslims pray five times a day, so Chatham’s community uses it often.

“The hole has been in the wall of the Prayer and Meditation room for at least the duration of the Fall 2015 semester,” said Aslam. “Before it was a hole, it seemed as though the wallpaper or paint was bubbling due to the humidity or atmosphere of the basement of Braun Hall. The hole was covered up by plaster for a [few months], but it was never properly repaired. [Assistant Dean of Students] Mary Utter, said that she would email the head of facilities and let me know when s/he replied. I have not heard anything since I went to the Office of Student Affairs last week.”

Aslam says she has been off campus for the past week and is not sure if it has any progress.

“Older buildings present a lot of problems. It’s all old piping,” said DuBray. “We try to maintain safe, secure buildings, but it’s a structure. Things are going to go wrong; it’s what happens with old buildings. It’s the difference between a young person and an older person. They’re going to require more medical help as the years go on. It’s a never-ending battle for us. But that’s kind of the mystique and the character of the campus.”

Destynie Chase, a sophomore student who lives in the apartments, considers the idea that facilities may not be the problem.  

“I’ve heard if you email maintenance directly instead of going through Chatham [with work orders]; things get fixed in a timely matter,” said Chase. “Maybe the solution is to cut out the middleman.”

Though for Walker, she did cut out the middleman in her situation and directly called maintenance. She found that this did not hurry the results.

“I understand that sometimes it takes time to fix issues, but I thought I was being courteous by giving them time to order the new unit,” she said. “I really appreciate my coach, Kim, and Heather for putting in the time to help me fix the problem, but I feel like it still should have been done in a more timely manor. I’m not sure where the miscommunication was with the issue, but I wish there [were] a way I could have communicated better with maintenance so that the process could have been fixed quicker.”

Changes may need to be made on the campus to satisfy all parties involved. Proper upkeep is essential for the historical buildings that create the school many students have come to love. Until then, DuBray encourages students to come to him if they have concerns.

“Anytime when anyone has a concern, I’m more than available,” said DuBray.

Going Global: Museum employees to stand trial for damage to King Tut mask

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Eight employees of the Egyptian Museum will stand trial for negligence after a yearlong investigation into the botched reattachment of a piece of King Tutankhamen’s mask.

The over 3,000-year-old artifact is not only revered historical artifact in Egypt, but is also one of the nation’s biggest tourist attractions.

Though there are differing accounts of how the beard was initially damaged — ranging from loosening with age to breaking off when the mask fell during a routine cleaning — it is agreed that the reattachment process was hasty and reckless, and carried out using excessive amount of the wrong type of glue.

“The (museum) officials dealt recklessly with a piece of an artifact that is 3,300 years old, produced by one of the oldest civilizations in the world,” the Administrative Prosecution said in a statement to Ahram Online.

The cover-up left a noticeable gap between the face and the beard — one that the accused later made four attempt to remedy before the truth came to light.

Prosecutors were quoted in The Daily News Egypt as saying, “Ignoring all scientific methods of restoration, the suspects tried to conceal their crime by using sharp metal tools to remove parts of the glue that became visible, thus damaging the 3,000-year-old piece without a moment of conscience.”

The staffs to face trial include six restorers and two former heads of the museum’s restoration section.

The mask has since been correctly restored by a team of German conservators, and as of the December is back on public display.

Chatham seniors celebrate 116 days until graduation

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On Friday, Jan. 22, in what is quickly becoming an established campus tradition, Chatham University hosted its third annual “116 Days Until Graduation,” a mixer and motivational event for graduating seniors.

The intimate affair, hosted in the Mellon Board Room, drew a crowd of approximately 30 people.  Starting with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, the event allowed seniors to mingle with the staff in attendance, including event organizer Assistant Director of Alumni Relations Dana DePasquale and Assistant Dean for Career Development Dr. Sean McGreevey, as well as several Chatham alumni.

After a half an hour of mixing and mingling students were encouraged to make their way towards a seating area in the back of the room in anticipation for the evening’s main event, Keynote speaker and 2013 Chatham alumna Emily Cassel.

Introduced by Chatham Student Government president Sarah Jugovic, who took the opportunity to plug the senior class gift of Adirondack chairs and picnic tables for the quad, and to promote the fundraising event “Moonlight Boozy Breakfast” on Thursday, Feb. 18, Cassel — an entrepreneur, Women’s Leadership Coach, and Sisterhood Expert — took the floor amidst a round of applause.

Cassel began by saying that not too long ago she was sitting in the exact same place as the student’s in attendance.  She explained that there is a space between the “now” and any big event, adding, “how infrequently we appreciate the time between, because we’re so focused on that big event.”

She then encouraged students to close their eyes and imagine meeting themselves 116 days in the future. She asked them to think, “What do I need to know right now that would help me become more like [my future self].”

After giving everyone a chance to think for a while, Cassel asked the audience for words and themes that described their future selves, and received answer like “balanced,” and “stress-free.” She went on to say this is a technique that professional athletes often use, and one that she use with her clients.

Cassel then went on to give a little bit of her own background, explaining that her passions in college were positive psychology — how to move someone from their baseline mental and emotional state, to a better and more positive one — and nutrition, and how her first job out of college, working at Whirl Magazine’s Edible Allegheny publication, was fun, but didn’t feel like “it” for her.  

“Our purpose is a line,” she explained, “ and everyone once in awhile our path crosses over that line and we feel really good and exciting and enthusiastic.”

So, as she said, she thought back about what made her excited, and the answer was positive psychology and coaching, so she took a risk and decided to start her own business.

As she said, “the quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can handle.  

“Taking those leap of faith the best things you can do,” she added.  “We’re kind of risk averse as human, but you don’t have to say yes to that human monkey mind that says that any time to take a risk you will die.”

Cassel said that as soon as she branched out on her own the opportunities came flooding in, and with it the lifestyle that she wanted that allowed her to have clients, take care of herself, work from home if she wanted to, and generally be an activist and coach for women.

“My challenge for you over the next 116 days is to not be afraid to ask for what you want,” she said, adding, “what do you want your day to look like, how do you want to feel, what kind of impact do you want to have on the world at large?”

Her final advice was to say that success is about more than just the end goal, and that everyone in attendance should give themselves permission to “be in the process,” and to remember to take care of themselves.

After the address Cassel spent some time answer audience questions, after which McGreevey took the stage to give closing remarks and remind student that the office of Career Development exists to do more than just edit resumes.

As he said, “interviews are resumes are about telling your story.  Thinking about the things that are behind, and being able to tell that story to the people in front of you.”

McGreevy concluded by saying how proud he is of the people that the senior will become, and initiating a toast to the senior class.

After the speakers, students were once again encouraged to talk o the alumni in attendance, and ask for advice for their futures.

Cassel also encouraged student to contact her with any question via email at Emily@EmilyCassel.com.

Chatham prepares itself for its fifth annual Relay for Life

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Chatham Relay For Life Association (RFLA) will be hosting Chatham’s fifth annual Relay For Life event on Friday, Feb. 5 from noon until midnight in Chatham’s Athletic and Fitness Center.

This is the first year Relay For Life has been spearheaded by a student organization. RFLA became a student organization in the fall of 2015 with the hope of making Relay For Life a student-driven event.

The Relay For Life Committee has worked since August in conjunction with the local American Cancer Society chapter to plan an event that is not only tons of fun for the Chatham Community; but also draws attention to how cancer has touched each and every one of us and commemorate those who have fought cancer and lived to tell about it. RFLA has fundraised so far with events such as the Squirt Gun Hunger Games, The Talent Show, and the Willy Wonka-themed Sarris chocolate bar sale to help reach the goal of $25,000.

Relay For Life is a 12-hour fundraiser benefiting the American Cancer Society. Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to make or join teams. Chatham Relay has 21 teams and counting. Some established teams include Girl Up, FACE, SASB Faculty and Staff, Chatham Student Government, Chatham MSA, and many others.

Many of the teams will have a table during Relay with an activity to further reach their fundraising goal.  New this year is a team gift basket raffle. Teams have the opportunity to make gift baskets and the money generated from the basket goes to that team’s fundraising goal.  

The survivor’s ceremony will occur once again. The ceremony is meant to celebrate those who have survived cancer. There will be a speaker followed by a survivor’s lap around the track.  

Those wanting to pay tribute to a loved one who fell victim to cancer can purchase a luminaria bag. The bags are being sold currently and will also be sold during the Relay For Life event. Luminaria will be placed out on the Athletic and Fitness Center’s staircase so as participants walk up to the track they can see all of them.

The whole day is fully packed. The event kicks off at noon with opening ceremonies. Lunch will be provided in the gym by Parkhurst dining services. Local bands such as Karma and Chatham’s own Chris Bollinger will perform in the evening.  The much-enjoyed game of Extreme Musical Chairs has returned with the possibility of a life-sized version of your favorite childhood board game. Last but not least, one can watch three Chatham students chop off their ponytails to be made into wigs for cancer patients.

Students and faculty can help support Chatham Relay by registering for the event and fundraising, and joining the twelve hours of games, activities and celebration as we work to end the fight with cancer once and for all.

For information on Chatham University Relay For Life Association, follow them and Facebook  for updates and visit the official Relay page at relayforlife.org/pachatham.edu.

Chatham first years reflect on first semester

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For first year students, there are a lot of challenges and experiences to encounter. These include independence, being away from home for the first time, and going to 8 a.m. classes without parents forcing them to wake up.

Carly Peterson, a first year student in psychology, expressed how much she enjoyed being away from home.

“I actually really like it. I think it’s a good feeling being independent [even though I miss home] but the environment at Chatham is very welcoming,” Peterson said. She was born and raised in Philadelphia and visits home at least once a month.

Many first year students, especially those who live out of state, typically miss home but the amount of freedom and independence is worth it.

If she had it to do differently, Peterson might change a few things about her first semester.

“I would not be so hard on myself [as far as] adjusting myself [to college life],” she said. “It takes time, and I think it stressed me out.”

Frankie Brown, an exercise science major and point guard on Chatham’s first ever men’s basketball team, has some advice for high school seniors.

“Just have fun and don’t give up. Keep pushing. Have fun but most importantly, get your school work done,” he said.

Another first year student, nursing student and Pittsburgh native Alyssa Brown, would change aspects of her first semester, too.

“I wouldn’t procrastinate as much. I do everything at the last minute, everything,” she said.

For first year students, being away from home for the first time can be difficult, but it can be a positive experience, as well.

Foodie on the Half Shell: Where I’m eating in January

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After the holidays, most of us have new goals and ideas about what this New Year will look like for us. Every year I try to pick up a new healthy habit to improve my exercise and eating habits. This year I am keeping a food journal to become more aware of what and how often I am consuming.

That being said, I still need to uphold my reputation as a Pittsburgh food connoisseur so I still need to get out and about and try new restaurants, even if that means not eating an entire plate of Bolognese from Piccolo Forno or Steak and Frites from Park Bruges. It’s a real test of control when going out on the town to eat and knowing you have to have an honest moment at home when you are counting your calories for the night. It’s a humbling experience when you realize that the huge margarita you just drank was 800 calories of pure sugar and you have to WRITE IT DOWN, which makes it all the more real.

    So, where am I eating this month? All kinds of places that will help me not go home 1000 calories deep into fried foods after only one meal.  Enjoy some fresh seafood, lots of seasonal veggies, and maybe a vodka martini every now and then (just don’t drink your calories, guys!).

Everyday Noodles: This little noodle shop is not only super cute and stylish, but they also serve yummy noodle dishes that are reasonably sized portions and fulfill my craving for all things sweet, salty, and crunchy. Their noodles are full of things like bok choy, peanuts, tempura fried chicken and shrimp, and all kinds of other dreamy stuff. All of the noodle dishes are only $9, which is a fantastic deal for the tasty dishes you are getting. This place is perfect for a quick lunch or a simple dinner. BYOB. 242 South Highland Avenue in Shadyside.

Kaya: Always Kaya. I would eat at Kaya every week if I could. Its aesthetic is funky Caribbean flair (that could use some work), but the food is undeniably delicious no matter what. After 20 years they always have a full house and are serving tasty dishes like their Yucatan Hot Bean Dip, Jamaican Green Curry Vegetables, and their grilled salmon salad with green apples and Manchego. There are so many healthy options here, and a lot of fresh seafood options. I sometimes get “New Restaurant Anxiety” meaning I’m afraid I won’t know how the restaurant works, and I’ll order wrong, and they’ll yell at me or laugh at me when I call and try to make a reservation only two weeks in advance.  Kaya is a very comfortable place to be where everyone is nice, and it’s not pretentious at all. 2000 Smallman Street in the Strip.

The Vandal: It is no wonder that this Lawrenceville hot spot is stealing locals’ hearts with their short and sweet menu complete with ever-changing seasonal ingredients. The dishes are comfort food but are plated so elegantly you’d think you were in a high-end restaurant. Meat eater, vegetarian, or vegan, you will find something filling and wholesome here at The Vandal. No need to worry too much about what to order on the menu—it is all delicious. Anybody who is anybody knows how hard The Vandal rocks. BYOB. 4306 Butler Street in Lawrenceville.

CWE gives entrepreneurs a lesson in the basics of running a business

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On January 16, the Center For Women’s Entrepreneurship hosted their Small Business Basics workshop in the Mellon Board Room. Entrepreneurs filled the seats, eager to learn about the ins and outs of starting a business.

The workshop began with an introduction from Anne Flynn Schlicht, the Assistant Director of the Center For Women’s Entrepreneurship who gave a brief overview of the day’s agenda, pointing out the various professional speakers and and better business workshops on the schedule.

The first of these speakers was Joyce Pearl, a counselor from the Pittsburgh chapter of SCORE.

SCORE is a counseling service for entrepreneurs through which individuals are paired up with mentors in their industry. SCORE also hosts workshops, including topics like, “How to Grow Your Business with Social Media” and “Building a Winning Business.”

The workshops also highlighted another resource for small business owner—the Small Business Association or SBA.  Headquartered in Washington D.C., the SBA has 68 district offices, and offers services to small businesses including counseling and financial assistance with low interest loans.

A crowd favorite was the visit by local entrepreneur, Jennifer Mrzlack. Mrzlack is one of the founders of the organic food company Naturi. She shared the ups and downs of starting her business, and advised new entrepreneurs to see their business as more than the product.

“The trick is to sell the story,” says Mrzlack. “It’s more than a yogurt company.”

Financial advisors from Kiva and Bridgeway Capital made presentations on how to finance a business. Kiva is a non-profit lender that provides entrepreneurs with access to loans with no interest. The loans are crowdfunded by lenders around the world. Bridgeway Capital is an unconventional lending source for small businesses.

“I used to work at a bank and our job was to sell loans,” said Business Education Director, Aaron S. Aldrich. “Here at Bridgeway Capital my focus is to help small businesses be successful.”

Other business advisers spoke including Tracy Zihmer, a business lawyer from The Lynch Law Group. The focus of her presentation was how to choose a business structure.  Zihmer discussed common entities of structure, such as sole proprietorship, general partnership, limited partnerships, Limited Liabilities Company (LLC), and corporation. In addition, Pamela Falkner, the Director of Business Development for Bookminders, provided tips on bookkeeping.

“When it comes to good bookkeeping practices remember RECORD. Reporting requirements, Establish the financial tool,  Chart of accounts, Organized, Reevaluate, Determine if you need help.  For bookkeeping, remember to keep it SIMPLE.  Separate, Information gathering, accounting Method, Professionals, Look Evaluate,” said Falkner.

The day concluded with the Director of the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship, Rebecca Harris.  Harris advised entrepreneurs that, “a business cannot be a hobby,” and to know what niche their product serves.

“For a business to be successful, a business must have the right product, at the right place, at the right time, at the right price,” Harris said.

The Center For Women’s Entrepreneurship will be hosting more events throughout the semester. For more information about the center visit the second floor of Braun Hall or visit their website at chatham.edu/cwe.

Chatham unites for annual Thanksgiving dinner

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Laughter and smiles filled the AFC gym on Wednesday, November 18, as hundreds of Chatham faculty, staff, students, and community members sat around tables for the annual Thanksgiving Dinner.

The dinner is one of the many traditions that the Chatham community looks forward to around the holiday season.

The event kicked off with Hunter Milroy, President of the Class of 2016, and Sarah Jugovic, CSG Executive President, welcoming everyone to the festivities. Milroy also explained that there were a number of seniors walking around the gym selling 50/50 raffles tickets benefitting the senior class gift.

After the initial welcome, Jugovic invited President Esther Barazzone to the stage. Barazzone also welcomed attendees, as well as recognized members of the Board of Trustees and extended a special welcome to international students experiencing their first American Thanksgiving.

President Barazzone kept her speech brief — saying that she didn’t want to keep anyone from the fabulous Parkhurst food that was being held behind a large black curtain near the back of the gym.

There was a general sigh of relief when the food began to circulate — guests waited nearly an hour after the event began to actually begin filling their plates. Servers brought out large plates of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and sweet potatoes to each table. The dishes were served family-style.

After everyone seemed to be finished with the main meal, servers cleared the tables and brought out dozens of apple and pumpkin pies. The sweet treats brought a collective smile to the gym.

As a whole, many students felt the food to be a bit disappointing.

“I was slightly disappointed with the food, but the pie was great,” said Junior Corrin Walker.

Parkhurst did provide a vegetarian options for those students with dietary restrictions.

“I am vegetarian and lactose intolerant, so I was able to get the vegetarian plate as well as the meal everyone else was eating,” said sophomore Teri Bradford. “The vegetarian plate wasn’t warm which wasn’t great…I think that it’s awesome that they even tried.”

Bradford also saw the potential for other issues regarding dietary restrictions.

“When I was give the vegetarian plate, they didn’t tell me what it was or what was in it which could be bad if I had another allergy,” she said.

Regardless of the food, attendees were in high spirits because of the nature of the event itself.

“I loved the atmosphere and being with all of [my friends],” Walker said.

Bradford agreed.

“I thought that Thanksgiving dinner at Chatham was great,” she said. “It’s more about the friends and family than it is about the food.”

Review: “Hunger Games” final installment doesn’t disappoint

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Excitement buzzed in the seats of the Cinemark Monroeville as Chatham University students waited impatiently for the final installment of the “Hunger Games” series.

“Mockingjay Part 2” follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) on her journey to overthrow the Capitol. The film included the favorite characters from past films, such as Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), and Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin).

The film even included Plutarch Heavensbee, played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Mockingjay Part 2 was the last film Hoffman made before he passed away.

Director Francis Lawrence produced another visually intriguing piece. The film often played with lighting, throwing a character’s face into shadow to increase drama or showing a character in silhouette for a similar effect. Lawrence directed the last three installments of the series.

Jennifer Lawrence did not disappoint with her final portrayal of Katniss. She utilized her acting chops to show a reluctant leader whose life seems to be crumbling around her.

Similarly, Josh Hutcherson characterized Peeta — who is still being rehabilitated after being brainwashed by the Capitol to believe that Katniss is evil — as unsure and vulnerable.

Two surprising standouts were Jena Malone (who played Johanna Mason) and Sam Claflin (who played Finnick Odair). The character of Johanna gave the audience most of the limited moments comic relief, which Malone played carefully, never too over-the-top. Claflin portrayed the role of Finnick with all the grace and kindness that fans adored from the books.

The film overall had nearly everyone in the theater on the edge of their seats. The suspense that we grew to love in the last three movies is certainly not missing in Mockingjay Part 2 — if anything, viewers can expect even more tension and jump-out-and-scare-you moments than any of the films before.

As a lover of the books myself, I was completely satisfied with the film. It followed the storyline of the book very closely, and all of the characters were, as usual, very good portrayals of much-loved characters from the book.

To be perfectly honest, I could find very little that I didn’t like about the film. The one exception to this is the final scene in the film. Those familiar with the book series will likely recall the polarizing epilogue; while some felt it was a nice wrap-up to the series, others felt dissatisfied with Suzanne Collins’ choice to tell the reader how the world changed rather than let them make up their own minds.

Regardless of my personal feelings toward the epilogue in the books, I felt the epilogue in the film was heavy-handed — the wonderful characterization we got throughout the film was stripped away in favor of two-dimensional versions of the characters many years later.

4.5/5 stars

Students with dietary restrictions voice their concerns about the dining menu

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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.”