Philadelphia, PA March 2013

THE GRIFFINThe Free Student Newspaper of Chestnut Hill College

NEWS 2 STYLE 5 Opinion 9 Sports 10

MiCHAel brAdley ’14NeWS ediTOr

After years of propositions from students, faculty, and staff, Chestnut Hill College has offi-cially gone fully green by begin-ning a recycling initiative.

The plan was initiated in the fall 2012 semester, and has con-tinued to grow since.

in early October 2012, Col-lege President Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.d., unveiled the plan at an event held on the school’s Pi-azza.

The plan was initiated by the Sustainability Task Force, head-ed by Mary elizabeth Clark, SSJ., director of The earth Center. The group, which is composed of faculty and students, held meetings with one goal in mind-- to present a plan to the Col-lege’s administration outlining a complete recycling plan. The plan was accepted by adminis-tration at the beginning of the fall 2012 semester.

“The best way for us to launch our new recycling plan was through a grand opening of the new bins,” said Mary Kate Whelan, ’13, president of the College’s environmental club, and student-member of the Sus-tainability Task Force.

in the past, recyclables and trash were all combined in one dumpster and picked up by one trash company. The company would then burn the trash, re-move any lingering metals, and recycle those. because this non-traditional method of recycling allowed students to combine

trash and recyclables, students did not have a heightened aware-ness of where they were dispos-ing of specific items.

Now, the College is a full recycling institution. At the be-ginning of the spring semester, the College purchased all new dumpsters, one of which is used solely for recyclables, according to Krista bailey-Murphy, Ph.d., dean of student life.

in fact, the College commu-nity has done so well with recy-cling that they had to purchase a larger dumpster to accommo-date the amount of recyclables being disposed of each day.

Much of the recycled items are pulled from the large recy-cling bins placed around cam-pus, all of which are clearly la-beled.

“everyone must recognize that these bins are not just for their trash,” Whelan said. “Most people just aren’t aware of what can and cannot be recycled.”

To make the recycling pro-cess easier, bailey-Murphy has ensured that trash and recycling bins are placed around campus in pairs, so that there will never be an excuse to not recycle.

The general rule of thumb for what items can be recycled include any clean paper, plastic or glass product. Anything that has been heavily tarnished with food or a drink must be well-rinsed before it is deposited into the recycling bin.

“We are working toward a way to teach the school while also helping the environment,” Whelan said.

MegAN WelCH ’16STAFF WriTer

In an office below Font-bonne sat Chestnut Hill Col-lege’s new director of Security, a gentle-looking woman in a green zip-up sweater searching through her phone for a picture of her dog on its 13th birthday.

but though she has a soft spot for puppies, three decades of experience in the police force show that Polly Teti is more than meets the eye.

“Most recently, i worked in a detective division,” she said. “i handled the criminal cases that came through, which was really where my interests were.”

After retiring recently, she found she “wasn’t busy enough” and decided to look for some-thing to occupy her time.

“That’s how i ended up here,” Teti said. “i found some-thing i thought i would enjoy and went from there. but this school really blew me away from my expectations.”

Teti graduated from West Chester University, and says she was “floored by how differ-ent” CHC seemed. “if i had to compare the two, i would say that this is a more caring envi-ronment,” she said. “it’s really unique and the people are awe-some, whereas the school that i went to was more traditional, and it was a lot less inviting. every day i’m amazed by how nice it is here. everyone is so welcoming.”

Her opinions of the school carry over to her staff as well. “All of the security officers real-ly care about the students here,” Teti said.

While Teti spends a great deal of time on campus, she stressed the importance of hav-ing a balance. “i used to handle a lot of violent crimes, so i learned that you need to have an outlet,” she said. “When you do any kind of security or criminal work you have to re-member you’re seeing all of the negative things.”

She found an outlet in un-likely friends – her dogs. “i love to train my dogs,” Teti said. “At one point, we qualified and went to the lab [labrador] Na-tionals. She got her champion-ship title and now she’s retired. i’m very proud of her.”

Teti also has a hobby straight from her childhood. When she is not at work or with her dogs, she likes to ride motorcycles. “it started when i was 12,” she said. “i got my brother’s old scooter and i used to ride it to softball practice down the street. As i got older, the bikes got bigger, and now i have a Harley.”

but in all areas of her life, Teti stressed the importance of loving what you do. “it has to be about caring,” she said. “you have to want to do something. it’s not about promotions or the money. in my job, i have the chance to have such a positive impact on people even at what could be their worst time and they will never forget it. That’s what’s important.”

recycling initiative revamped

College Hires New Director of Security

THE GRIFFINIntroduces

thechcgriffin.com

Our New Online Section

Survey Shows Students in Favor of Smoke-Free CampusMiCHAel brAdley ’14

NeWS ediTOr

in mid-February, Krista Murphy, Ph.d., dean of stu-dent life, dispensed a survey to students, faculty and staff weighing their opinions on the College becoming a smoke-free campus.

The results, which were pulled from 459 received sur-veys, show that 65 percent of the campus agrees or strongly agrees with becoming a smoke-free campus, while 35 percent

disagrees or strongly disagrees with the proposition.

While the results communi-cated a majority desire from stu-dents to become a smoke-free campus, the shift is difficult and involves many different steps.

“We are meeting with some-one from the Philadelphia department of Health who specializes in transitioning to a smoke-free campus,” Murphy said. “There is just so much grey area with the entire process.”

The toughest part of the project is eliminating all possi-

ble ramifications that may arise. Particularly, considering how this change will impact the areas surrounding the campus. if the College does decide to go fully smoke free, students who do smoke will be forced to do so in surrounding off-campus areas.

“We don’t want to be bad neighbors,” Murphy said, “so we are proposing a spot on campus where students will be able to smoke that is in compli-ance with the Philadelphia City ordinances.”

Strongly agree

Agree disagree Stronglydisagree

Q: I am in favor of a smoke-free campus.

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The Griffin2

THE

GRIFFINVol. III, Issue 7

The Free StudentNewspaper of

Chestnut Hill College

Olivia Marcinka ’13Editor-in-Chief

Westly Mandoske ’13Business Manager

Michael Bradley ’14News Editor

Bleu Lane ’13Style Editor

Amanda Finlaw ’15Style Editor

Jessica Pennell ’14Opinion Editor

Marilee Gallagher ’13Sports Editor

Mary Frances Cavallaro ’13Online Editor

Jess Veazey ’13Photo Editor

Skyler Stillwaggon ’14Senior Layout Staff

Andrea Wentzell ’15Layout Staff

Advertising Assisstant

Sally Simons ’15Senior Copy Editor

Copy EditorsKerry O’Brien ’14

Briana Charlton ’16Megan Welch ’16

Copy WritersDanielle Molino ’14

Gabriel Henninger ’15

Susan Magee, M.F.A.Facilitator

Make your opinion heard and submit editorials to The Griffin. Submissions become property of The Griffin and are subject o editing for style, clarity and length. The views represented in submissions do not represent Chestnut Hill College. Submissions also do not represent The Griffin’s position, or that of its facilitator.

The Griffin strives for accuracy and fair representation in all of its publications and factual correctness. If an error is found, email the issue number, the error, and the correction that needs to be made to the.griffin.chc@gmail.com. Corrections may be printed in the next issue.

MegAN diCUS ’15STAFF WriTer

For the spring semester of 2013, Chestnut Hill College of-fered a trip to london, england, from Feb. 22 – Mar. 1. i had the opportunity, along with seven other students, to go on this ex-citing trip, and it was definitely the best decision i could have made. We had the privilege of traveling with two chaperones, Sister rita Scully, S.S.J., M.A., as-

sociate professor of english, and deborah ebbert, registrar. The weekly meetings with Sister rita prepared us fully for the trip.

it was so incredible going to a different country, explor-ing sites, and eating the different foods. We got to see amazing at-tractions such as The Tower of london (along with seeing the famous Tower bridge), West-minster Abbey to visit interesting tombstones of significant people in history, The london eye with

its spectacular views, and of course big ben and the Parlia-ment building. We also got to see buckingham Palace, and wit-ness the flag flying on top of the building, meaning that the queen was in the palace at that time.

We had the opportunity to walk to Trafalgar Square, which is located in central london. While there, we visited The Na-tional gallery, and even got to see Kate Middleton’s official por-trait. One of the nights we went out to explore, we found our-selves taking the ‘underground,’ which is comparable to the New york City subway, and went to a place called Piccadilly Circus. The liveliness, lights, and sounds of this little section of london is similar to Times Square in New york City.

To make the trip even more interesting, we traveled to the countryside, visiting Canterbury and Stratford-upon-Avon. Many people know the name Canter-bury from the famous book, Can-terbury Tales by geoffrey Chau-cer, so going to the place where the story began was very exciting. We decided to go to Canterbury the second day we were in eng-land. it was a little town, with winding alleyways that were filled with intriguing shops. The main attraction we saw there was the Canterbury Cathedral, a gothic

style structure and took five hun-dred years to build.

The last day we were in eng-land, we traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon, most commonly known as the place where Wil-liam Shakespeare was born. While walking down the cobble-stoned streets of the timeworn town, we saw the house that Shakespeare grew up in, which was actually a rather large house for that time period.

After we did some shop-ping, we ate in an old time pub called “The Ugly duck” and had a great meal. before leav-ing Stratford, we were able to see one last attraction, the place at which Shakespeare is buried-- the Church of the Holy Trinity.

“One of my many joys on the london 2013 trip came from hearing eight students constantly exclaim ‘awesome’ and ‘cool’ -- and always – ‘thank you’ as we visited more than 20 sites,” said Sister rita.

it was an honor to have Sis-ter rita coordinate this fabulous trip for us. Since this is her 25th time traveling to london, it was wonderful to have someone with us who knows most everything about the country. This trip was certainly one that all of us will never forget!

Springtime Adventures Across the Pond

A group of eight students and two faculty members spent their spring break studying in London, England.

image: Megan Dicus ’15

Ramping Up Accessibility on CampusTAylOr ebeN ’14

SeNiOr STAFF WriTer

Accessibility on campus is something many of us don’t think about. As you huff and puff your way up the steps of St. Joe’s and arrive to class com-pletely winded, you might joke about how many steps this cam-pus has, but what about people who have disabilities that might limit their mobility and make it difficult to navigate around campus?

“When everything except Martino Hall and Fitzsimmons Hall were built, people didn’t think about access,” said lauri Strimkovsky, senior vice presi-dent for financial affairs and chief of staff. “you built a building that was aesthetically pleasing, that met the needs of what you were trying to accom-plish, that fit your budget. Peo-ple just didn’t give accessibility much thought,” she said.

Nowadays, buildings need to have features like wheelchair ac-cessibility, signs with braille on them, an elevator with buttons that are at an accessible height that verbally announces where it’s going and so on. While the College has made noticeable improvements in making things more handicapped accessible, like the addition of two new ele-

vators in St. Joseph Hall, there’s still much to be done.

Take logue library for ex-ample. Walking up the steps might not even be an issue for you, but the building is by no means handicapped accessible. if a ramp were installed, it would need to be 70 feet long in order to make it physically possible to enter, Strimkovsky said. even buildings that are technically “ground level,” like Fontbonne Hall, have steps that make it difficult for someone in a wheelchair to enter.

luckily the College’s Master Plan includes changes to make the campus more accessible for those with disabilities, like po-tentially raising the ground level around the library to make the entrance a walk-up instead of stairs.

Kerry O’brien, ’14, who has cerebral palsy, which has af-fected her mobility on the left side of her body, is thankful for the changes the College is making to become more handi-capped accessible, but wishes these changes would be made in a more timely, effective manner. Unfortunately, College structure has gotten in the way of making improvements around campus.

“Things aren’t always as easy as you think they should be,” said Kristin Tracy, director of

the disabilities resource center.“Any time we do any kind of

renovation we work on bringing spaces up to code,” Strimkovsky said.

So how does the College seem to bypass these regula-tions? They don’t, according to Tracy. She began researching the guidelines of the Americans with disabilities Act (AdA) manual over the summer. “The book would say, ‘you need to be within these parameters,’ and i’d measure and we weren’t within those parameters,” Tracy said, “but then i kept reading and it had a different set of standards for already existing structures. We met those standards.”

Tracy, who chairs the dis-ability Committee, and Strim-kovsky, who chairs the Ac-cessibility Committee, work together to make the College campus a more easily naviga-ble place. While the disability Committee focuses mainly on the needs of students, the Ac-cessibility Committee concen-trates on College structure.

“The topic that got us start-ed on the Accessibility Commit-tee was, ‘What if we have a fire and there are people on the fifth floor of St. Joe’s that have mo-bility issues and they can’t get out?’ ” Strimkovsky said.

The Committee, which has

only been around for about a year and is made up of faculty and staff members, began as more of a task force, but the more they met, the more they realized just how much needs to be done on campus.

improvements that will be made in the near future include adding handrails and making re-pairs to the ramps in the music corridor, replacing the door to the computer lab with a more accessible one, installing signage to notify visitors of available handicapped parking behind St. Joseph’s Hall, and creating a map showing handicapped accessible routes, elevators and bathrooms around campus.

Strimkovsky and Tracy en-courage students, faculty and staff that have mobility or dis-ability concerns to create their individual emergency plans, and urge the College community to be aware of the needs of others and let administration know of any issues. They’ll listen, too.

Strimkovsky noted that the buttons in the old blue eleva-tor in St. Joseph’s Hall used to be higher, until a student who used a wheelchair couldn’t reach them, and they were lowered.

“between the disability Committee and the Accessibil-ity Committee, we’ll tackle the problem,” Strimkovsky said.

The Griffin 3

NEWS Kerry O’brieN ’14SeNiOr STAFF WriTer

As a way to offer both a bachelor’s degree and a mas-ter’s degree in one program, Chestnut Hill College will in-troduce a five-year Interna-tional business major into their curriculum in the Fall of 2013.

The new international busi-ness Program differs from the existing four-year program be-cause it will allow students to graduate in five years with a master’s degree. This oppor-tunity can allow students who complete this program to be more marketable for employ-ment and will put them on a higher playing field in the eyes of potential employers. They will graduate with a competi-tive edge over many of their peers in securing a job and will be able to command a higher salary.

in addition to undergradu-ate courses, a student in the five-year International Busi-ness Program will begin taking graduate courses their senior year. Two internships will also be a requirement for those in the program. One of these will include a local internship while

the other will be an internship abroad. This gives students the opportunity to travel to anoth-er country and experience the business environment outside of the United States. Students will also gain proficiency in an-other language or two. This will further enhance their ability to succeed in the field of Interna-tional business after graduating from Chestnut Hill.

According to Mary Helen Kashuba, SSJ, d.M.C., pro-fessor of French and russian foreign language and literature, the new program is not limited to newcomers to the Chestnut Hill College community; exist-ing majors may still be eligible to enroll in the new five-year program.

Kashuba outlined six worthwhile benefits of this program: “increased awareness of the interdependence of the world and global economies; creating an understanding of cultural differences and how they impact the business world; gaining greater proficiency in a second or third language; de-veloping competencies in ana-lyzing and solving international business issues; gaining two internationally focused intern-

NiCOle CArNey ’16STAFF WriTer

Social media is a public out-let for personal information, which means whatever you de-cide to post online can be seen by anyone. Users can put pri-vacy settings on their accounts, can block other users, or can even erase explicit posts. How-ever, once something is posted online it may have already been viewed by unsuspecting eyes. Some possible viewers such as professors or employers may have a large impact on a per-son’s success in the present or future.

Chestnut Hill College alum Jen Jones ‘12, recently had an experience while interviewing for jobs that affirmed the no-tion that a social media page can affect the job search.

Jones was on a second in-terview at Hope Paige designs in Conshohocken. When the interview began, the C.e.O., who was hosting the interview, informed Jones that she had looked at her Facebook page.

“My page was fairly locked down, leaving her access to only my cover photo and profile pic-ture,” Jones said. “However, my cover photo was a picture of the front of a book titled To Hell with Culture and my tat-toos were visible, which i had hidden under a sweater for my interview.”

The CeO immediately ques-

tioned Jones about the book, which is simply a collection of critical essays, and asked her in-detail about her tattoos.

“luckily for me, the tattoos ended up working in my favor and allowed for an icebreaker,” Jones said. “Although i realized that could have worked entirely against me in another situation.”

Jones assumed that because she had such a common name, she would be difficult to track down, “but i was wrong,” she said.

Aware of this growing trend, Chestnut Hill’s Career develop-ment office offered a presenta-tion called “Social Media and your Career Path” to inform students about the harms social networking can have on their career pursuit, as well as some of the benefits it can provide. ryan Mooney, assistant director of career development, hosted the presentation, during which she reviewed the do’s and don’ts of social networking.

“First, know your audience. Make sure you know who you are friends with before you start posting,” she said. “Second, make sure what you are posting is appropriate and not offensive. you never know how someone will interpret one of your tweets or posts, so be conscientious before you start typing.”

The third tip, she discussed was to “look into the privacy settings” of the various social networking sites. They may not

protect you from all viewers but they do help to deviate some people from viewing your pro-file.

in fact, it is suggested that users make professional Face-book and Twitter pages in or-der to engage with peers from work and company administra-tors. The point of it is to make the user look marketable and knowledgeable about his or her field of work.

Some social media websites are designed specifically to con-nect those searching for a job with employers in particular ca-reer fields. The most prominent of these sites is linkedin, a site on which users can reconnect with classmates or coworkers. Users can then use those con-nections to discover jobs in their specific areas of interest.

Mooney can attest to the success of linkedin, as it is what helped her find her job at the College. This professional networking site has over 175 million members worldwide.

“Having an online identity is becoming increasingly impor-tant as a way to establish your credibility and personal brand and to attract career business opportunities,” Mooney said.

it is ultimately up to each person how he or she decides to portray him or herself online, a decision that could ultimately help or hinder each users’ pro-fessional career.

Interviewing? Beware Social Media

Going Global: New Business major at CHCship experiences; as well as the program preparing students for leadership roles in global or international organizations.”

As time approaches for the program to begin, adver-tisements will be distributed through various mediums on campus. The program will be advertised on the CHC web-site, through admissions, and through the graduate program.

SGAElections

April 4Applications Avaliable

• • •April 15

Applications due• • •

April 16SgA Speeches

• • •April 17elections

Senior DinnerApril 18, 2013 • 8p.m.Commonwealth Chateau

Invitations Coming SoonSubmit Photos & Speaker Nominationsemail: Seniordinner2013@gmail.com

Speak WeekQ: I get the full value of my meal in the Griffin’s Den.

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Q: My faculty advisor has been helpful and supportive.

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during the week of Mar. 11, the Student government As-sociation & The Griffin co-sponsored Speak Week. We asked undergraduate students to tell us what they think about as-pects of campus life including: Food Services, Academics, residence life, Commuter life, Security, and Student gov-ernment.

To find out the full results and read commentary writ-ten by Griffin staff and Student government leaders, visit thechcgriffin.com.

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The Griffin4

KATie MClAUgHliN ’15CONTribUTiNg WriTer

With all the shootings oc-curring recently in schools, colleges, and universities, the most recent being the tragedy at Sandy Hook elementary, students here at Chestnut Hill cannot avoid thinking about what could happen here, a place many of us call home. What would we do if there was a shooter on campus?

Krista Murphy, dean of student life, has some advice for students that are living in fear of such a threat. Murphy says to first follow “the Cam-pus Crisis protocol available on our website.”

Most colleges and uni-versities today now have a Web page dedicated to the emergency situations involv-ing shooters and snipers. The link to Chestnut Hill’s can be found by clicking “School of Undergraduate Studies,” “Stu-dent Service and resources,” then finally “Campus Crisis Protocol.”

Chestnut Hill’s Campus Crisis Protocol page has 11 scenarios that students and

MATT lUKACHiNSKy ’15CONTribUTiNg WriTer

Today, college students are more concerned with their safety. With recent shootings involving schools from kin-dergarten to college, students, parents, and professors have opened their eyes to the ran-dom violence that is prevalent now in K-12 schools and on college campuses.

Have we done enough to protect ourselves at our college campus? Chestnut Hill College has a campus crisis protocol that provides guidelines to help students and faculty in time of disaster, but many students do not know what this crisis proto-col consists of.

According to The Chestnut Hill Crisis Protocol, if an ac-tive shooter is in the building, proceed to a room that can be locked, lock the door, close and lock all windows, then shut off the lights. if possible, get on the floor and make sure that no stu-dent is visible from an outside point. The protocol empha-sizes the point to call 911 at any and every possible opportunity.

if in the vicinity of the shooter, the protocol asks to negotiate first, with the abso-lute last resort to be acting with force against the shooter(s). Students are recommended to leave the wounded and notify the authorities about the indi-viduals’ location.

The protocol is very formal and ideal, but if put into prac-tice, would an unaware student stay calm and follow this pro-tocol?

Students david King ’15 and Tristan Johns ’16 say they are not aware of the campus’ crisis protocol, or any procedure in-volving the crisis protocol.

Although they are not aware of the guidelines, they do feel safe on campus. While we do

Safety: The More You Know

ARE Students Secure?

faculty can choose from—from “dangerous Person in building” to “Active Shooter in building.” The protocol for number seven, “Active Shooter in building,” recommends calling 911 and NOT hanging up. A student or faculty member should tell the operator their exact location, de-scription of suspect, how many shots heard, if there is still active fire, if you are aware of any hos-tages and/or how many victims you know of.

Though students are encour-aged to read the entire protocol, here is an excerpt for what to do if you hear shots: if an active shooter is outside your build-ing, proceed to a room that can be locked, then close and lock all the windows and doors, and turn off all the lights. if pos-sible, get everyone down on the floor and ensure that no one is visible from outside the room. Call Campus Safety or 911 if possible. remain in place until the police, or a campus admin-istrator known to you, gives the “all clear.” Unfamiliar voices may be the shooter attempting to lure victims from their safe space; do not respond to any voice commands until you can

verify with certainty that they are being issued by a police officer.

The guidelines also advise students or faculty to call 911, even if there is an individual threatening or attacking others that does not show a weapon. Also, students can take comfort in the fact that Chestnut Hill has a PA system in every classroom and hallway to alert students and faculty of a threat.

For students who may be anxious about a threat on cam-pus, Murphy advises that aside from visiting our counselors, stu-dents should remember “if you see something then you should say something.” Security cannot look into a suspicious person if he or she is not reported.

According to Murphy, drills are a topic of discussion but have not been implemented. We cannot practice any kind of imminent threat or active shooter drill during the school day because of time restric-tions, but students who are interested in participating in filming a mock drill can e-mail MclaughlinK1@chc.edu for more information.

have a security department, many colleges and universi-ties have an additional police presence on campus. Some schools like Temple Universi-ty even have their own actual police force.

“Our current policy makes me feel safe,” Johns said. “i feel like there is no need for a police presence on campus.”

“Police presence is im-portant at a bigger school in the city, but not necessary at Chestnut Hill,” King said.

Other students are not as secure. “i feel like because our security isn’t armed, i would not feel safe if there was a shooter on campus. i am considering how long it takes for armed protection to arrive here on campus,” said Olivia Marcinka ’13.

The security department at Chestnut Hill is on duty 24/7. Allied barton’s website does express their research on security procedures differ-ing from universities, urban schools, community colleges, and faith-based colleges like ours.

Allied barton gives Chest-nut Hill a plan, which they see fit for a faith-based col-lege near a large city. between swiping and signing into buildings, and the constant presence of security cars around campus, many in the College community feel safe.

Also, the security depart-ment offers a service escort-ing students around campus, if the student is stuck in the dark, alone, or on campus af-ter hours. This can be a safe way around campus at night. The College’s security and close-knit environment gives many students a safe feel-ing. The best solution for all students and faculty would be: “let’s hope it never hap-pens.”

Campus Violence: A Growing National Concern

Home & Garden Festival

Sunday, May 5, 2013 • 11a.m. to 5p.m.

Over 150 Home and Garden Vendors, Artists and Craftsmen on display!

17th Annual

Germantown ave. Between rex and Grove avenues

Live Music ByCity rhythm Orchestra

The rich Posmontier OrchestraThe dukes of destiny

Melissa Martin & the Mighty rhythm Kings

Visit chestnuthillpa.com for more information

SPSA Sponsors

Contact Dr. Reich (ReichJ@chc.edu) or Chris Hess (HessC@chc.edu) for Details

A Trip to

Independence Hall &THe proHIbITIon exHIbIT

April 5, 2013

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According to the Fed-eral Bureau of Investiga-tion, the most commonly used weapon is a firearm, with knives and blades in a distant second. The grow-ing amount of gun vio-lence on college campuses has sparked a national de-bate on the need for gun control.

Firearms

Knives/blades

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image: Catherine Dempsey ’15

STYLEThe Griffin 5

Going Out Guide: March 2013

Bleu lane ’13STYle eDITOR

Spring is (almost) here! Whether you’re from the area or not, take the nice weather as an opportunity to explore the city. Here are some up-coming concerts, restaurants, and other places to check out in Philadelphia. Flosstradamus3/28/13 - $25.50Soundgarden Hall Pusha T3/29/13 - $30-50Union Transfer

Kendrick Lamar4/22/13 - $29.50The Electric Factory

Dim Sum Garden59 N. 11th St.One of the best spots in Chinatown with affordable prices. Loco Pez2401 E. Norris St.Tip: Follow their Twitter/Facebook page for dollar taco day announcements. Cinedelphia Film Festival4/4 – 4/27Check cinedelphia.com for schedule and ticket info. The Book Trader7 N. 2nd St.Used bookstore that some-times offers freebies outside.

BriaNa CHarlTON ’16COnTRIBuTIng WRITeR

The film Beautiful Creatures, based on the novel of the same name by Kami Garcia and Mar-garet Stohl, is a fresh and fas-cinating take on the world of witches and magic that many people have found an interest in through works such as the Har-ry Potter series by J.K. rowling. During its opening weekend, the film grossed $10,124,912, and even though this was below expectations, it should in no way keep anyone from going to see it.

in Beautiful Creatures, those who can wield magic are known as “casters.” a caster is chosen for either the dark or light in an occasion called “the Claiming.”

This movie and novel fol-

lows lena Duchannes (al-ice Englert), a caster yet to be Claimed when she turns sixteen, and Ethan Wate (alden Ehren-reich), a non-magic high school junior who is waiting to escape the miserable, close-minded, middle-of-nowhere town of Gatlin, S.C. What gives this film its unique appeal, in part, is the quirkiness and innocence of the two main characters capped off by charming southern accents which viewers find interesting to the ear. The love that these two teens share is not the ob-sessive, hot, and consuming passion that is found in most fiction love stories, but rather a sweet and pure love that re-duces viewers to a puddle. The moments that lena and Ethan spend together will have you laughing, crying, or picking your

A Fresh Take on Fantasy

aMaNDa FiNlaW ’15STYle eDITOR

You are a commuter, and you’re absolutely starving af-ter that long lecture. You don’t know exactly what you want to eat, but you know you defi-nitely don’t want Chartwells food. While it is difficult to have a healthy diet because the life of a commuter almost re-quires you to be on the run all the time, there are some food options you won’t regret later.

it can be difficult to eat a nutritious breakfast or snack when you have to get in the car or on the train and get to your next destination quickly. rath-er than stopping at the drive-thru or grabbing a pastry at the coffee shop, throw an apple, a granola bar, or a bag of trail mix in your bag to eat on-the-go. according to Jaime Young in Health Magazine, “You can use traffic time to enjoy your

meal and save time.” Now your stomach won’t be growling during class.

Do you have a long break between classes and can’t go back home? a great option to eat something enjoyable and healthy is to stop at a grocery store salad bar. This way, you can fill your container with whatever you like, and even grab some fruit while you’re there. Or, if you prefer sitting down in a nice atmosphere, get the somewhat pricier but delicious Saladworks (Keep in mind they have a card/points system where you get a free salad after so many points). a healthy sub without cheese from Subway or Wawa is an-other great option. avoid the unnecessary carbs like bags of chips if you can.

This may sound obvious, but avoid fast-food. While it’s very quick, easy, and probably satisfying for a little while, it is

not a good idea. Fatty burgers and fries will leave you drained of energy in the long run, and if it becomes a habit, weight-gain is inevitable. if you abso-lutely must get fast food (and a splurge is okay every once in awhile) go for a grilled chicken sandwich paired with a fruit smoothie or water. if you perform a Google search for healthiest fast food meals, each result has one repeating fac-tor in common: Grilled chick-en. Better yet, pack yourself a sandwich, with an apple or celery sticks, for a quick meal on-the-go.

as commuters, we have to practically plan when and where we will eat each day, between the chaos of classes, meetings, and getting assign-ments done. This makes it very difficult to eat healthy, but if you take the time to think about what you are potentially putting into your body, it be-

jaw up from off of the floor. Their relationship is a realistic teen romance, minus the walls filled with hidden poetry, the attacks by vines, and a tornado inside of a house.

another enticing character-istic of this film is that it has a funny layer to it that provides relief from the power and dra-ma of the actual plot. During the narration by Ethan in the beginning of the film, he criti-cizes the Gatlin movie theater’s unyielding ability to get movie titles wrong. For example, it was showing “interception” with leo DiCaprio instead of “inception” with leonardo Di-Caprio.

Futhermore, the people of Gatlin are portrayed comically because they take their religion to an outrageous proportion. it is so outrageous that you just have to laugh at it. For example, in one scene, two girls condemn To Kill A Mockingbird because they believe only Satan worship-ers read books like this.

Sarcasm does not get away from the town of Gatlin as both Ethan and lena are very witty and sarcastic. Their entire rela-tionship is filled with sarcastic and humorous banter and teas-ing. at one point, Ethan has to beg lena “to stop raining on [him]” when she becomes angry and sets a rain cloud over his

Commuting and Consuming: Eating Healthy on the Runimages: beautifulcreatures.warnerbros.com

comes easier to make a health-conscious choice. Healthy food will fuel the body and

provide more energy so you can keep up with the busy life-style required for commuters.

head. This film is hilarious and is a great one to watch if you are in need of a little pick-me-up.For The Phantom of the Op-era fans, Emmy rossum, who plays Christine in the epic musi-cal, also portrays lena’s cousin ridley Duchannes in Beautiful Creatures. For Harry Potter fans, Emma Thompson, who plays the bizarre Professor Trelawney, is in this movie as the bigot Mrs. lincoln and evil caster Sarafine.

Beautiful Creatures is a film filled with the magic and fantasy that most everyone has come to love. it contains fantastic and enticing special effects for ac-tion fans. also, for those who shy away from love stories, this film focuses equally on lena’s family and the battle that lies between the dark and light cast-ers. This film is certainly a phe-nomenon and one that is highly recommended to watch.

images: flickr.com/photos/catsper/

The Griffin6

Tweets of the Month

@UnluckyBrian: Gets into Hogwarts. Hufflepuff.

@cher: Just landed ! Twit-ter lost mind in Paris ! Maybe phone ,Who knows MErCUrY iS iN rET-rOGraDE !

@chanelsick: at least in-ternet has 0 calories

@PinterestFake: a drop of bleach in each of your sleeping husband’s eyes to make him look more like a Twilight.

anDRea WenTzell ’15STaFF WriTEr

Taking inspiration from the community around her, Sim-one Elkeles, a New York Times and USA Today bestselling au-thor, began writing in 2000. Currently with eight books published, Elkeles became best known in the literary world for her two series’, Perfect Chemis-try and Leaving Paradise. Simi-lar to author Ellen Hopkins, who writes of drug addiction, abuse, and prostitution, Sim-one tackles usually tabooed lit-erary topics such as gang vio-lence, drugs, and multicultural families in her writing.

Born and raised in the Chi-cago suburbs, Elkeles attended college nearby and gained a master’s degree in industrial relations. She worked for a pe-riod of time on creating diver-sity programs for a manufac-turing company in the Chicago area. But, soon began pursuing her dream of becoming a writ-er, which led her to take many research trips into jails, police cars, and gang torn areas of Chicago.

Her first series, How to Ruin,

first published in 2005, tackles the issues of growing up in a multicultural world. Taken from Simone’s own experienc-es, readers follow main charac-ter amy Nelson through many cultural mishaps, as she visits her family’s moshav (farm) in israel. The series includes three books: How to Ruin a Summer Vacation, How to Ruin My Teen-age Life, and How to Ruin Your Boyfriend’s Reputation. The series overall is a snarky and quirky read that has received much recognition for its multicul-tural content because it allows readers to learn about israel’s people and government.

Elkeles’ second series, Leav-ing Paradise is a loose adaption of a stabbing case from her hometown. Simone’s contem-plation of what the future would hold for a victim and a criminal led to the two books, Leaving Paradise and Return to Paradise. The storyline starts one year after the crime, as Ca-leb Becker is released from jail after having hit Maggie arm-strong while drunk driving. Full of raw emotions, the se-ries is about going from hatred to trust, overcoming the con-

sequences of Caleb’s actions and how an unlikely situation can bring together a victim and a criminal.

Covering gang and drug violence across the United States, the Perfect Chemistry se-ries follows the lives of the Fuentes brothers. This se-ries, which is much loved by Elkeles’ fans, has meant count-less hours of Simone perform-ing research in police cars and immersing herself in the gang culture. The first book titled, Perfect Chemistry, introduces the backstory of the Fuentes brothers, and follows the old-est brother alejandro (“alex”). Rules of Attraction, the second book, acquaints readers to Carlos, and Chain Reaction, the final book, shows readers how alex and Carlos’ actions have affected luis, their younger brother. Simone’s inspiration for the Perfect Chemistry series came from her hometown’s divisions of rich and poor. it tells the tale of falling in love with a “wrong-side-of-the-tracker.” But the story takes on a darker perspective as each of the Fuentes brother struggles to overcome being involved in

Literature Reflecting Life

gang violence and drugs. a hit in reading circles

around the world, Simone Elkeles has received many awards, including several Yal-Sas (Young adult library Service association), a riTa (romance Writers of america) for Perfect Chemistry, and was added to the illinois “read for a lifetime” reading list. Simone has also been nomi-nated for the Cybils literary

award and several other riTa awards.

along with writing, Simone is a hockey mom and Girl Scout leader. She is currently working on a new series called Fullrid-ers, featuring the romance and drama of football players.

Simone’s books range in pricing from $6 to $12. To find out more about Simone Elkeles check out her website, simoneelkeles.com.

images: simonelkeles.com

Top 5: Favorite Blog & Internet Personalities Bleu lane ’13STYle eDITOR

Hipster Runoff(hipsterrunoff.com)

a self-described “blog worth blogging about,” Hipster runoff is one of my favorite blogs/Twitters to follow. The voice behind Hipster runoff is Carles, whose gender, age, and overall identity are never re-vealed. Carles writes in an ab-breviated internet language and if you are unfamiliar with the topics and the sense of humor, you may just think that you are reading the rants of a confused, alternative culture-obsessed teenager.

Riff Raff

While this list is in no par-ticular order, riff raff might actually be my favorite inter-net personality. Yeah, he exists in real life, performing shows and making appearances, but i like his internet presence more. i’ve seen him live twice (more out of curiosity than for his music) and was disap-pointed both times. He didn’t say much, ended both sets ear-ly, and actually ate a McDon-alds sandwich on stage while his music played in the back-ground at one show. On the internet, however, i find him to be ridiculously entertaining. recently, there was a video released online of him at art Basel in Miami walking around giving his insight on artwork and interviewing other guests. He doesn’t really make sense and i’m not sure whether or not he’s trying to be funny, but hey, i’m into that.

Art Thoughtz

Created by University of Pennsylvania alum, Jayson Mus-son, art Thoughtz is a You-Tube series in which Jayson’s alter ego, Hennessy Youngman, presents relevant art world commentary in a new and in-teresting way. The first time i saw an art Thoughtz video i thought it was a joke until i re-alized everything he was saying was intelligent and made sense. By combining the worlds of hip-hop and art, Musson’s char-acter provides a fresh and en-tertaining perspective.

The Style Playlist(thestyleplaylist.blogspot.com)

This is a fashion blog run by a 23-year-old girl from ariz.. She posts pictures of her wardrobe, reviews of re-cent purchases, and responds to style-related questions from readers. i like this blog because her style is experimental yet the places she shops are realistic. She often mentions places that are accessible and affordable like Forever 21 as opposed to everything being exclusive and expensive. The only negative affect this blog has had on me is that it sparked a deep ward-robe envy towards a girl i don’t even know.

Rookie Mag(rookiemag.com)

if you go to rookiemag.com, the description is straight-forward in that it is “a website for teenage girls” and while i’m not a teenage girl anymore, the stuff they’re writing on here is more interesting than stuff aimed for people my age. While magazines like Cosmopolitan are trying to get young women to worry about how to score a date or what fad diet will help you slim down the quickest for summer, rookie is posting sto-ries about relatable issues and recognizing women who are out there doing more than just looking pretty. What can i say, i’m a sucker for girl power.

image: youtube.com/user/HennesyY-oungman

image: hipsterrunoff.com

image: thestyleplaylist.blogspot.com

image: rookiemag.com

The Griffin 7

@hipsterrunoff: Do u evr wish Beats By Dre just made ears that u could wear 4evr?

@tkylemac: Can it be “Spring Forward to Fri-day”?

@hipstermermaid: New York Fashion Week Up-date: Millions in develop-ing world still lack access to non-contaminated water sources.

@AmandaBynes:Walking with a limp

@NotClearOn: Fish McBites. #NotClearOn

STyLe SpoTTeR: MARch 20131

images: Beth Bachmayer ’16

1. AleciA FerrAr ’13Where are your favorite places to shop? H&M, For-ever 21, and thrift stores.

Who/what are your style inspirations? rihanna; i had her hairstyle for a minute. i also follow a lot of fashion bloggers and use them for inspiration.

2

2. HAyAl yAlcinkAyA ’15How would you describe your personal style? Casual, but classic. i don’t like wearing too many acces-sories, i like looking natural.

Who/what are your style inspirations? i do not have a specific inspiration because i like being all over. i think a person’s style has a lot to do with their personality, so depending on my mood i can be in any type of outfit. i strongly like the 1960s style, the look just makes me feel like i belonged there.

Seasons changing often bring about typical “out with the old, in with the new” attitudes, so why not apply that to your music selection? Here are some recommendations of songs (new and old) that we’re currently into:

aMaNDa FiNlaW ’15STYle eDITOR

1. “Colours” – Grouplove2. “First Day Of My life” – Bright Eyes3. “location” – Freelance Whales4. “This Year” – The Mountain Goats5. “Of all the Gin Joints in all the World” – Fall Out Boy

CaTHEriNE DEMPSEY ’15STaFF WriTEr

1. “Don’t look Back into the Sun” – The libertines2. “Put it On” – Big l3. “Mint Car” – The Cure4. “rebirth of Slick (Cool like Dat)” – Digable Planets5. “Shining On” – Big D & The Kid’s Table

Bleu lane ’13STYle eDITOR

1. “Everything is Embarrassing” – Sky Ferreira2. “Can’t ruin My Fun” – Jahan lennon3. “Million Voices” – Otto Knows4. “i love it” – icona Pop ft. Charli XCX5. “Jah No Partial (Heroes x Villains remix)” – Major lazer

MiCHaEl BraDlEY ’14neW eDITOR

1. “Sacrilege” – Yeah Yeah Yeahs2. “The Mother We Share” – CHVrCHES3. “C’mere” – interpol4. “My Sister Says the Saddest Things” – Grimes5. “Where the Kids are” – Blondfire

aIzaz gIll ’13SENiOr STaFF WriTEr On Feb. 1, Netflix unveiled

their latest foray into original TV with a dark political series called House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey (The Usual Sus-pects) as an ambitious politician. The series takes a look at the seedy underbelly of Capitol Hill. Spacey plays House Majority Whip Francis Underwood, a S.C. Democrat who wages a complex and ruthless political war on the White House after the President passes him over for Secretary of State. along with Spacey, Net-flix acquired the services of re-nowned director David Fincher (The Social Network) to helm the intricate plot of the show.

Considering the amount of talent involved, it was no sur-prise to discover that the show had a budget of over $100 mil-lion. Netflix didn’t flinch as they invested a significant portion of their revenue into the show. By financing their own original con-tent, Netflix was also investing in a bold new initiative as they challenged the titans of original programming such as Showtime and HBO.

With 27.1 million US sub-scribers, Netflix already had a built-in audience that they could utilize to showcase the crown jewel of their original program-ming. Netflix’s gambit paid off as weeks after the show’s re-lease, the company’s Chief Con-tent Officer Ted Sarandos an-nounced that “House of Cards is the most watched television show on Netflix.” Sarandos re-fused to release the ratings stat-ing, “i don’t want to give ratings, because it is a real apples-to-or-anges comparison with network ratings.”

Though Netflix is not releas-ing ratings, there are other ways to measure the success of the show. For instance, reports out of D.C. say that House of Cards has become a cultural touch-stone on Capitol Hill. Moreover, the superb writing, the amazing acting, the enthralling score, the gripping story, and the attention to the smallest of details have drawn rave reviews from audi-ence members, Capitol Hill, and critics.

The making of House of Cards was not the only audacious act by Netflix. Their distribu-tion strategy has also targeted

What We’re listening To Netflix: House of CardSthe traditional norms of televi-sion. Challenging the notion of “appointment television” where viewers would have to wait a week to watch an episode, Netf-lix released all 13 episodes of the first season at the same time. For viewers, this distribution strat-egy is liberating since it allows them to watch the show at their own pace and schedule, a luxury which channels such as HBO and Showtime cannot afford, since they are set in the tradi-tional ways of television. Netf-lix is defying the rules of tradi-tional programming and they are winning, which means the age of “appointment television” is coming to a swift end while the reign of “television on my terms” has just begun, thanks to distributors such as Netflix.

The Griffin8

aMaNDa FiNlaW ’15STYle eDITOR

allie Baumgartner, President of the Dorm Décor Club at Chestnut Hill College, is pleased to be sharing her lifelong pas-sion for do-it-yourself (DiY) and craft projects with her peers and friends. She gets to instruct her fellow students on how to complete various craft projects, see others enjoy creating items to add a more pleasant atmo-sphere to their personal space, add to her own room, and help friendships form.

Here is my Q&a with allie about her hobby, her club, and her inspirations:

Q. Why did you start the Dorm Décor Club?a. i decided to start Dorm Dé-cor to make new friends and have a club that allowed stu-dents from all walks of life to share a similar goal: to make their dorm into their temporary homes. Q. When did you start doing DIY?a. i have done DiY projects ever since i could remember.

My Mom had crafts stashed away to keep my siblings and me busy on rainy or cold days. Q. Do you have any advice for others just getting into DIY?a. Come to Dorm Décor! We make all crafts that people show an interest in. Pinterest and oth-er crafting blogs are also great to get started doing DiY projects. Q. What have you created for your room?a. i have made everything on my walls besides my tapestry. i made two large canvases of whimsical pictures, a prayer flag and more. almost all of the dec-orations in my room have been made in our club! My roommate and i wish we had more walls to decorate though. Q. How would you decorate your dream home?a. Decorating my dream home is a topic i think of often. i am into whimsical, rustic designs; this can include antique furni-ture that looks worn. i would paint the walls a light neutral color with pops of fabrics in complementary colors. in my opinion, the outside of the house is equally important. i

would plant wild flowers and Black-Eyed Susans with the cli-ché white picket fence. Q. What are your other hob-bies and do they play into your interest in décor?a. i have always been interested in art, interior design, clothing and landscaping; anything that i find appealing visually. Q. Before the club, did you teach your friends?a. i actually had a small busi-ness with a friend in high school. We sold handmade jewelry and accessories. For a little bit, i sold items in a consignment shop. Q. Has anyone asked you to help decorate their rooms?a. Both freshman and sopho-more year i was asked to help decorate friends’ rooms. These requests helped me make the decision to create Dorm Décor. Q. How have you helped oth-er students with your club?a. i know a handful of mem-bers who wanted to become craftier and have learned that they had it in them all along. also, a good amount of people have met new friends which was

Story Spotter: Allie’s DIY

my main goal.Q. How do you feel when you work on DIY projects?a. Working on DiY projects is so relaxing that it becomes a dis-traction. Q. Have you grown as a per-son through these activities?a. i have grown so much with

the club. i have learned to pres-ent myself well and articulate my thoughts in front of new faces and even go after some-thing i wanted. i have found my place in our school which is something that i was searching for during my first three semes-ters here.

images: Jess Veazey ’13

Above Allie Baumgartner ’14 (right), and her roommate Kara Mia Kusnirik ’14 surrounded by their handmade decorations. Pictured below, Allie and Kara Mia show off their designs.

8236 Germantown Ave, Chestnut Hill, PA 19118(267) 336 - 7259 • hipsterhome@comcast.net • shop.hipsterhome.com

Store Hours: Wed. thru Sat. 11 - 7pm, Sun. thru Tues 11 - 5pm

Student Video ConteStEntEr to Win thE Chair PiCturEd hErE

Visit our Store and Make a Short Video With ThisReal Good Chair by Blu DotFor rules Visit: thechcgriffin.com

Post Your Video to The Griffin Facebook Pagefacebook.com/The.Griffin.CHC

a Winner Will Be Determined by The Most Facebook likes onApril 10, 2013

OpiniOnSubjective Scrutiny

Make your opinion heard by submitting letters, articles, or cartoons to The Griffin. Submissions become proper-ty of The Griffin and are sub-ject to editing for style, clarity and space concerns.

Submissions represent the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent The Griffin’s position.

Gabriel henninGer ’15

The Griffin 9

kyle Mick ’15STaFF WriTer

chestnut hill college has always promoted the impor-tance of the health of the en-vironment and has encouraged people to respect the campus as they would respect another person. The college’s environ-mental programs, such as lower-ing the ecological footprint by building the earth-friendly Sum-mer house, has encouraged this mission greatly. Students are also taught the importance of pro-tecting the environment. These lessons have become an impor-tant part of what this college stands for. yet, in spite of all of the wonderful things that chest-nut hill has been able to achieve by going green, it has somehow ignored the health and well-be-ing of its hard-working faculty, staff, and students by means of its carelessly placed no-smoking signs and the failure to enforce them.

To be clear, one of the things that chestnut hill college has failed to do to protect the health of its community from the ef-fects of secondhand smoke is to enforce its smoking restric-tions. a perfect example of this failure is the fact that the ter-race connected to the college is colloquially referred to as the “Smoker’s Patio.” even though there are clearly marked “no-smoking” signs posted on and around the terrace, many people continue to smoke there. This is not only one of the biggest jokes on campus, but it is also quite a health risk. Those who smoke on the terrace use that door to enter the building, which can bring unwanted drafts of sec-ondhand smoke into the hall-way that connects Fournier hall, Martino hall, and Saint Joseph’s hall. Those who must use that

Smoke-Free CHC?hallway to get to class have to breathe in secondhand smoke, which is not only unfair to non-smokers and people with a his-tory of asthma or other breath-ing problems, but it also shows the apparent disregard the col-lege has for the health and safety of its community.

chestnut hill college could learn much from other colleges around the United States, such as lewis and clark college, which has security guards pa-trolling the campus to remind people not to smoke in non-smoking areas, and if required, to hand out fines for repeat offenders. chestnut hill could take action by joining the ranks of nearly five hundred other colleges across the U.S., which have enforced one hundred percent smoke-free campus en-vironment. it would be a great help if the college just set up designated smoking areas that are a safe distance away from the main building. These small things would not only allow chestnut hill college to have a healthier campus in the long run, but they would also make it a safer environment for every-one in the building.

hopefully, by bringing this issue to the college’s attention, the first steps might be taken to achieve a healthier and safer campus environment.

Michael bradley ’14neWS ediTOr

The boy Scouts of amer-ica (bSa) recently made news headlines for considering plans to allow openly gay members to participate in their group both as members and as lead-ers. in 2000, the Supreme Court affirmed the right of the bSa to ban gay men and women from participating in their organization. imme-diately following this ruling, lesbian, Gay, bisexual, Trans-gender, and Queer (lGbTQ) groups protested the Scouts, arguing that rejecting members solely based on their sexuality is both immoral and unfair. This ruling is not just unfair, but it is inconsistent with the core values of the organiza-tion. The bSa should not con-sider a person’s sexuality when deciding whether to allow that person to participate in the or-ganization.

according to the bSa’s official website, the ultimate goal of the decades-old or-ganization is to “help youth develop academic skills, self-confidence, ethics, leadership skills, and citizenship skills that influence their adult lives.” All of these skills are clearly ben-eficial for a child to learn at a young age, so that he may con-tinually build these core values throughout his adolescence.

Similarly, adult leaders are expected to advance as skilled

members of society while fol-lowing boy Scout ideals. The Scoutmasters take a paternal position over the Scouts and essentially, help guide them through their adolescence.

Unfortunately, if a boy, as he begins to develop his identi-ty, discovers that he is gay, he is unable to participate in this or-ganization. he will still be the same boy he was before this realization however, because of the sexuality that he wishes to associate himself with, he cannot better his life in this or-ganization.

The bSa recently released a statement published by the New York Times explaining their position on banning gay people from their organiza-tion: “While the bSa does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employ-ees, volunteers or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the bSa.”

This exclusion of members based on something as truly in-consequential as their sexuality demonstrates hypocrisy with regard to the standards the or-ganization seeks to instill in its members. The mission of the bSa is based on fairness, loyal-ty, and honor---none of which are remotely threatened by someone who “engages in the behavior of homosexuality.”

On the bSa website, the or-ganization has broken down its core values in a resource manu-al for scout leaders. a piece of this document, under an elabo-ration of the line of the oath “To do my duty to God and to my country” reads: “it means standing up for the rights of all americans.” This line is direct-ly inconsistent with the bSa’s current policy that allows for discrimination. in their state-ment concerning why gay men are not allowed to participate in their organization, the bSa insinuated that homosexuality is inconsistent with their core values. however, discrimina-tion is also clearly inconsistent with their core values. There-fore, their argument lacks a great deal of credibility and justification.

The bSa must be consis-tent with their policies, and how they discuss them, par-ticularly when dealing with the exclusion of an entire group of people from their organiza-tion. The bSa is an american tradition that has bettered the lives of hundreds of thousands of boys and men, scouts and leaders alike. rejecting par-ticipants, who have the hopes of excelling as well-rounded citizens, based solely on their sexuality is not just unfair. rather, it is inconsistent with the organization’s core value of “standing up for the rights of all americans.”

Boy Scouts Excluding gays from troops

From the Inside Looking OutJeSSica Pennell ’14

OPiniOn ediTOr

if you were to ask everyone i’ve ever interacted with if i was an introvert or an extra-vert, my guess is the majority would choose the latter. i’m outgoing, i like to meet people, and i’m far from quiet and shy. Even the first entry in an on-line dictionary classifies me as an extravert, defining it as “an outgoing, gregarious person.” but it is with the second, and i feel more personally-defining, entry that i am excluded from extroversion. a person “con-cerned primarily with the phys-ical and social environment,” is not, and has never been, me.

There is a misconception, perpetuated by even the online dictionary, that outgoingness isn’t exclusive to extraversion. This is not the case, and i am

a prime example. i am both outgoing and introverted, talk-ative and solitude-seeking. i find truth in the definition of an introvert, one who is more focused on their own thoughts, feelings, and motivations than their external environment. This does not mean i am shy, it simply means i need some time alone.

So why is this seemingly meaningless description im-portant? Why does it matter what i am primarily concerned with? My argument is not about the designation or as-signment of the title but about the core differences between intro/extroverts. it’s impor-tant because my “introversion” explains and precludes most of my decisions. i am energized by spending time alone, read-ing, or walking outside.

“extroverts,” on the other

hand, typically get their energy from social settings. They feel fulfilled after hanging out with friends or going to a party. i am the opposite; when i need to be refreshed, i seek solitude.

i feel there is a gap in knowledge about just how im-portant this difference is. it’s nearly impossible for an extra-vert to understand that i’m not sad or angry when i choose to be alone. in the same way, it’s difficult for me to comprehend the desire to be surrounded by people when i feel low. This thinking needs to be changed. Whether it is by hanging with friends or reading harry Potter for hours alone, we all need a way to find our center. That method is up to the individual and i guess we just need to un-derstand and accept the end-less variations.

The Griffin10

SportS

thechcgriffin.com

The Upcoming Game CalendarCan Now Be Found At

Matt Lukachinsky ’15contributing writer

The Chestnut Hill College golf team is preparing itself for the upcoming spring sea-son, with optimistic hopes of making an impact this year on the links.

With a young squad, the Griffins look to improve upon their performance from last year, hoping to do so be-hind the contributions of re-turning stars and new players, all with one goal in common -- make the playoffs. With a large and talented new recruit-ing class as well as a trio of experienced sophomores, the Griffins believe they have the personnel to make their play-off goal a reality. Sophomores that have taken on leadership roles are Patrick Steger, David King, and the top-returning competitor Blaise Straka.

Although golf is a spring sport, the Griffins have been working hard in the offseason to put this program on the map. The freshmen had the opportunity to practice on lo-cal courses in the fall, prepar-ing them for their first “of-ficial” season.

The group of freshman players will turn out to be the bulk of the team. Matthew Balcer, Cody Bloom, Steve Mencia, Daniel Repsik, Bryan

Saxon, and Timothy Smith make up the new athletes. De-spite lacking experience, this group has proved in recent practices and fall tournaments that they are a quality bunch of golfers.

The team’s top returning member, Blaise Straka ’15, is very excited to lead the oth-ers with his experience this spring. “Our expectations are like everyone’s—we want to come out and win,” Straka says. He adds that the team chemistry is great this year, noting the freshmen’s ability to mesh with the others as a big part of that. “The fresh-men have been good players and supportive teammates preparing for the upcoming season.

Straka also notes that the team chemistry does not keep each member from wanting to play their best and push their teammates to succeed as well. “There has been a great competitive atmosphere, but it has been respectful of each other’s play,” Straka says. “We always want to improve our scores, but we do it while sup-porting one another.”

With such a young team, the Griffins want to make a statement this year in the CACC and hope to put the team on the map for years to come.

Golf Anticipates CACC Playoffs

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Baseball Team Has High Hopes

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Blaise Straka Jr. ’15, above, during the 2011-2012 school year led to the Griffins placing 11 out of 747 teams at the CACC Championships.

tiffany urena ’15staff writer

As the Chestnut Hill College baseball team begins their 2013 season, the Griffins hope to pick up where they left off last year when they posted their best record in school history.

To start the season, the Grif-fins headed down to S.C. and Fla. for their spring training tournament. Placed against the top schools in the contest, they worked hard to leave with a suc-cessful record.

Senior pitcher Bob Hopkins was satisfied with the outcome of the rigorous tournament as the Griffins ended their spring training competition with a 4-7 record. “Our trip put us up against some of the best compe-tition in the country and should really prove to be valuable as we move through our schedule this year,” he said.

Back in Philadelphia, the Griffins are ready to focus on

their goals for the season with a fresh-faced team. Hopkins is looking forward to what they can do as a group. “We have a re-ally exciting team this year with a good mix of experienced and young talent,” he said. “We are extremely athletic and play with a high intensity which makes us tough to beat when we throw strikes and play good defense.”

The team’s highest hope is to win the Central Atlantic Col-legiate Conference (CACC) but they know they have smaller goals to achieve first. “Our team goals are pretty much the same as they have been since I started in the program and that is to win a CACC champion-ship,” Hopkins said. He also mentioned that although the overall plan is to win the CACC championship everyone made a personal plan for the season. “We all have also set individual goals for our season that we aim to make achievable but still chal-lenging,” he said. Hopkins con-

tinued by saying that the team made plans that are easier to reach one game at a time. “On a smaller scale, we have a goal to win every pitch of every game. The more pitches that we win, the closer we get to our main goal of a championship.”

All in all, the Griffins can only help themselves one game at a time. According to Hop-kins, the baseball team has ev-erything in line to be successful this season.

As the team prepares for the start of the season, the seniors are ready to leave everything they have on the field to make this the best one they can have. “I have made lifelong friends here and want to make this a memorable year that I can look back on with pride,” Hopkins said. “I have been so fortunate to be a part of such a great pro-gram and I will do everything in my power this year to help leave my mark on the first season that brings a banner back to CHC.”

anthony Mignona ’16contributing writer

After starting their fall sea-son with just a 3-2 record, the Chestnut Hill College men’s tennis team has already exceed-ed that in its spring matches so far, going 4-1 in the second half of the year.

The spring portion of the season, which for the men’s team includes conference play

Men’s tennis: Chance at NCAA titleand a chance to qualify for the Central Atlantic Collegiate Con-ference (CACC) and NCAA Tournament, began for the Griffins when they took a trip to Fla. to partake in some tune-up matches over spring break.

According to Head Coach Albert Stroble, this experience was certainly one he believes will help the team move for-ward. “From a bonding per-spective, we got to travel with each other and live with each other” Stroble said, adding, “we certainly learned a lot from each other off of the court, which is invaluable to our success this year.”

After handedly losing their first match in Fla., the Griffins responded by winning their next three matches before returning home and getting their fourth win in a row against Southern New Hampshire University.

Chestnut Hill entered the season ranked 2nd in the Cen-tral Atlantic Collegiate Con-ference (CACC), behind their rivals and defending champion Concordia College, who the Griffins will play on Tuesday, Mar. 19, in Bronxville, N.Y.. In the past, Concordia has been the premier team in the confer-ence but Stroble is confident that CHC can still get the win. “If we play our best tennis, we definitely have a chance to beat

them,” Stroble said.In addition to Concordia,

Chestnut Hill has a tough list of conference games left to be played. The team is optimistic about the rest of their season however, already looking to-wards postseason success. “My expectation is that we get to the conference tournament again and we make it to the champi-onship game,” Stroble said.

Currently ranked 10th in their region, the Griffins have aspirations of becoming one of the top seven teams in the region which would qualify them for the NCAA tourna-ment this year, a goal echoed by players and coach alike. One of these players is junior Anthony Moore, who has been making his presence known with an im-pressive 9-2 singles record this year. “For my team, I would like for us to make the NCAA tournament, as well as have a successful win-to-lose ratio,” Moore said, adding that his per-sonal goal is “to do [his] best at all times.”

Freshmen Kevin Taylor, also with a 9-2 record, is confident about his team’s spring season success. According to Taylor, the postseason is very much a reality. “I think we’ll make it to the NCAA tournament,” he said. “We’ve already beat some pretty big teams.”

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Yoann Pham ’14 during an unfinished doubles match at the Tampa Tennis Cen-ter during the Tennis’ teams Spring Break Trip to Flordia.

The Griffin 11

CHC teams play Around the Globe

images: grffinathletics.com, Jess Veazey ’13

“ Part of the great experi-ence of Chestnut Hill Col-lege is to adventure abroad and compete with players you may have never had the chance to meet otherwise.”

- Jess Veazey ’13

The Griffin12

SportSMen’s Lacrosse 3-2Women’s Lacrosse 0-4Men’s Tennis 7-3Women’s Tennis 14-6Baseball 8-8-0Softball 3-5-0

Men’s Basketball (Final) 12-15Women’s Basketball (Final) 6-20

Current Record

For more information, visit: griffinathletics.com

(Current as of 3/16)

cheLsea Maguire ’15staff writer

As spring approaches, the Chestnut Hill College softball team is preparing for a long season of competition.

For the second year in a row the team is under the guidance of head coach John Kelly, a former softball coach at Philadelphia University who has been coaching the sport for 18 years. He also served coaching appointments at Im-maculata University for a year and at Haverford College for seven years.

Kelly is definitely opti-mistic about the new season. When interviewed by griffi-nathletics.com he said, “With the infusion of new, talented performers, and overall athleti-cism, we will be dramatically improved.”

“We will be very young and inexperienced, but as the sea-son progresses and newcom-ers gain valuable game experi-ence, we should be stronger at the end of the season” Kelly noted.

Putting last season’s 2-30 performance in the rearview mirror, the Griffins are pre-pared and poised for a good year in 2013.

The team is bolstered by new blood, but they also

ADele GIANGIUlIO ’15staff writer

In preparation for the sea-son, the men’s lacrosse team flew across the country to San Francisco to showcase their talents on the field. little did they know that it was what they did off of the field that caught the eye of a stranger.

Bill Powers, a 75-year-old man who was on vacation and staying in the same hotel as the team, sent an email to the college commenting on how impressed he was with

the team’s behavior. Powers went as far as to say that “our country is in great shape with [the] fine young men…that I observed over four days.”

In the email, Powers ex-plained that he was staying in the same hotel with the Grif-fins during their preseason tournament in San Francisco and was so impressed with their behavior that he had to send an email to the school commending them. “They be-haved admirably throughout the four days,” Powers said. “They were respectful and had

lots of fun as well.” With some of the bad press

some athletic teams have re-ceived in the past, this was a burst of fresh air. “Differ-ent team members addressed me as ‘sir,’opened doors for me, smiled regularly and were likewise courteous to others,” Powers said.

When Sister Cecelia Cava-naugh, dean of undergraduate studies, caught wind of this email she felt that the credit should go to the Griffins’ head coach. “We are greatly blessed to have Brian Dough-

erty as our head coach,” Sister Cecelia said. “He and his staff insist on a culture of good citizenship with his players and that ripples through our campus.”

The lacrosse team is known for their exceptional play on the field but to be recognized for how they carry themselves off of the field is something special. Behavior away from the field is rarely recognized in a college level team but it is important and a good marker for not only a well-coached team, but for the bright future

that lies ahead for these young men. “There are so many risks that your student/athletes have faced in their young lives to accomplish what they have so far…” Powers said. “They need to be physically and mentally tough for what they encounter every day and for what lies ahead.”

On behalf of the student body, The Griffin wishes to commend the men’s lacrosse team and wish them contin-ued success both on and off the field and throughout their current season.

Men’s Lacrosse Team Commended for Off-Field Behavior

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Softball puts previous Year Behind

tiffany urena ’15staff writer

After a successful 2012 cam-paign, senior pitcher Bob Hop-kins has been nominated as a candidate for the 2013 Tino Martinez Division II Player of the Year Award.

In his 16-year Major league career, Martinez played for four different teams accumulating 339 home runs while hitting for a .271 average. As a first baseman, he led the New York Yankees to four World Series Champi-onships and has since been im-mortalized with the award in his honor.

Hopkins hopes to have his college career remembered as well by winning the award. “It’s a pretty unreal feeling to be men-tioned with some of the best players in the country,” Hop-kins said. “I have been fortunate enough to learn from some great former players that went here and also from our coaches.”

The senior pitcher realizes that being nominated is a huge honor but he will not let it dis-tract him throughout the season. “My focus doesn’t change one bit,” Hopkins said. “I have al-ways tried to stick to a very struc-tured routine that helps to keep me consistent and focused.”

He also does not feel pressure

Pitcher Nominated for Prestigious DII Award

to play any differently knowing the award is in his reach. “I re-ally don’t even think about it to be honest,” Hopkins said. “My main goal and focus is to win a CACC (Central Atlantic Colle-giate Conference) championship and I try to have tunnel vision and focus on that.”

Hopkins is one of 152 play-ers around the country who will be watched for the rest of the season in order to determine the recipient of the award. When asked about what it means to be nominated, Hopkins stayed humble. “It would obviously be amazing to be honored with an award named after Tino Mar-tinez,” he said. “He was a great role model for many players and has also proved how successful DII players can be at the next level.”

The semi-finalists in the run-ning for the award will be an-nounced on May 6.

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have four key returning play-ers, including junior Sarah Mat-taliano who led the team in categories such as at bats (82), games played (32), and game starts (32) in 2012. Mattaliano has started 2013 off strong as well, leading the team in average (.409), doubles (4) and RBI (7). Also returning is senior pitcher Mandi Rush who this year leads the team with a 2-2 record and 3.42 eRA.

Benefiting from veteran presence are seven freshmen that have already breathed new life and energy into the team. Two of these freshmen, Julie Heaton and Megan Kehr, have put together strong numbers so far, with Heaton batting .273 with two doubles and Kehr bat-ting .280 with three runs scored.

The lady Griffins started the season with a double header against the New York Institute of Technology Bears on March

2. The girls had a bit of a rough start, losing the first game 2-4, but they came back in the sec-ond, winning 5-1 and splitting the double header. On March 7, the team faced Philadelphia University and swept the dou-bleheader, giving them their second and third wins of the season, putting them past their 2012 win total after just four games.

Currently their record is 3-5 which has them ranked eighth in the conference.

When asked about the sea-son so far, freshman outfielder Nicole Carney said: “We have a good chance this season. We’ve been working hard since the fall and we hope to make it to the playoffs.”

With the athletic talent of several new players and return-ing players combined, the lady Griffins’ season looks promis-ing.

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On 3/9 the Softball team played East Stroudsburg University. Sarah Mattaliano ’14 was 4-for-5 with two runs-batted-in (RBI).