march 2015.indd - Immaculata University

THE
IMMAcUlATAN
The Student Newspaper of Immaculata University Since 1934
MARCH 12, 2015 · VOL. LXXXI, NO. 6
IU’s Enactus Team is Transforming Lives
Anne Marie DeCarolis ’17
Staff Writer
IU’s Enactus team is an
active and engaging organization sponsored by the
Business and Accounting
Department. It is one of
many teams in Enactus’s
international organization.
Each year Enactus encourages college students, particularly business students,
to apply what they learn in
the classroom to make an
entrepreneurial difference
both in the local community as well as abroad with the
end goal of creating longterm sustainable results.
This year, the Enactus
team is supporting the
Emilia Wojtyla Shelter of
El Alto, Bolivia, based on
a contact from within our
own IU community. Katherine Cartagena, the president of the Latino Club and
a member of the Class of
2015, approached Enactus
with her family’s amazing
story and a request for Enactus’s involvement.
Katherine met a priest
named Fr. Luciano Cicarelli
in a US parish and the two
quickly formed a bond and
exchanged contact information because of the priest’s
great interest in visiting her
home country of Bolivia.
Surprisingly, nine months
later, he went to visit her
mother at her home in El
Alto, Bolivia. Fr. Cicarelli
encouraged them to start a
women and children’s shelter, because of the devastat-
Provided by Anne Marie DeCarolis
ing treatment and domestic
violence women were experiencing in the area. Taking a
leap of faith, the courageous
mother and daughter did so.
They faced great challenges
and economic difficulty, but
with the continued support
of Fr. Cicarelli, persevered
and now run a shelter that
has already served over 70
women and children.
Named the Emilia Wojtyla Shelter after Pope St.
John Paul II’s mother, the
Shelter serves as a safe haven imparting strength and
renewed dignity so that the
women and children there
can start new chapters of
their lives. Enactus has researched and found that
“52% of Bolivian women
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5:
TRANSFORMING LIVES
WITH THE HELP OF ENACTUS
Students Learn How to Photoshop in INFO 214!
Jacqueline Jewell ’16
Staff Writer
On Thursday, February 19, 2015, during class
period, Immaculata University students presented
their Photoshop posters
in INFO 214, Multimedia Concepts and Design,
taught by Sister Monica Sicilia. Utilizing modern day
technology and apps, the
class is great for communications students because it
informs us on how to navigate online resources. Actually this class would benefit
all majors since in contemporary society most companies/ businesses have transferred to the web and social
media.
What is really interesting
about taking this class is
that students get to develop new skills and enhance
Provided by Jacqueline Jewell
L to R: Jacqueline Jewell, Marie Hoban, Jennifer Mikula,
Caitlin Osborn, Hannah Corrigan, and Amber Sampson
the ones they already have.
Most of us upon entering the classroom initially
weren’t tech-savvy, however, Sister Monica helped
us to achieve online capabilities in a short amount
of time. The class quickly
progressed and came across
a Photoshop project where
we had to create our own
posters using graphics, design, logos, and advertisements of our choosing.
Not only was this project
informative; it was fun! Stu-
HUMAN INTEREST 2 , 3 , & 4 ON THE HILL
dents formulated their ideas
and digitally placed them
on Photoshop using the
software to image-edit and
create their own advertisement. Some students posted
personal graphics that represented themselves, others posted outside sources
of advertisements that interested them so that they
can share it with the rest of
the student body. Once the
posters were completed online, students then sent their
projects to Sister Monica on
5
The artwork prepared during this class can be found hung
in the first level of Loyola Hall.
Google-drive to have them
printed and hung. The posters can be seen hanging in
the hallway of Loyola on
the first level next to the
Mathematics Center.
But the lessons do not
stop there! Now that we
are confident in Photoshop
it is time to move onto our
next project, Photography and Video Recording/
Editing. So far we learned
about visual effects, lighting, types of lenses and
microphones, typography,
ENTERTAINMENT
6
SPORT
filmography, photo editing,
illustration, animation, layering and much more! Sure
this class is exciting but the
knowledge we gain from it
is crucial and will be convenient when we interview for
careers after graduation. So
if you haven’t already taken
this course I suggest you
sign up and get the experience. Imagine the possibilities of career opportunities
that could come your way
with leveraging these skills.
7
Page 2
March 12, 2015
The Immaculatan
HUMAN INTEREST
One Man’s Gently Used Trash is Another Man’s Treasure
Kristin Lynch ’17
Staff Writer
Far too many shoppers
harbor foul, stomachchurning
visualizations
of resale stores. Sweaters
soiled with unfamiliar peagreen blotches. Tattered pillow cushions with a sticky
splash of who-knows-what
and an insufficient spritz
of lemon-scented disinfectant used in an attempt to
neutralize the cushion for
resale. Blankets of dust,
death, germs, and fermenting body fluids intermingle
in unventilated resale storerooms, producing a distinctive thrift store stench; a
musty aroma so poignant
it lingers in the back of
patrons’ raw throats. Fortunately, most resale shops
are not the manifestation of
these uninformed stereotypes.
Like any other division
of the retail industry, resale
stores are acutely mindful
of their businesses’ presentations. They are typically
well lit, meticulously and
purposefully organized, and
laid out in a shopper friendly
fashion. Aesthetically pleasing furniture displays and
tastefully designed outfits
are scattered throughout the
stores, inspiring shoppers to
see the potential within the
gently used items and enhancing the shopping experience for visiting patrons.
With the exception of
charitable establishments,
resale shops are in the business of doing business. Resale shops hand select their
inventories, rejecting heavily
used items that are unlikely
to sell, and gravitating towards newer, gently used
items. Because resale shops
draw their stocks from a
plethora of individual sellers, their inventories are
exceedingly diverse. Where,
besides a thrift store, could
one find a like-new designer
handbag for a fraction of
the cost, decorative antique
teapots and tea sets, vintage
Victorian style furniture,
and iPhone 5s accessories
cohabitating under the same
roof ?
According to the Associa-
tion of Resale Professionals,
NARTS, the resale industry
is growing an estimated seven percent annually, “This
percentage reflects the estimated number of new
stores opening each year,
minus the businesses that
close.” The resale industry’s
steady expansion parallels
our culture’s developing environmental awareness, and
suits the increasingly popular “recycle, reuse, repurpose” trend. Do-it-yourself
(DIY) websites (e.g. Pinterest.com) inspire users to circulate innovative ideas for
renovating and repurposing pre-owned items. Resale
shops provide communities
with an environmentallyfriendly way to be rid of
their unwanted possessions,
while making it possible for
individuals to pocket some
extra cash by selling their
undesired items rather than
throwing the items away.
According to NARTS,
furniture is “one of the
fastest growing segments of
the resale industry.” Considering the remarkably expensive nature of furniture,
it is not surprising that this
department is finding success in resale, where used
furniture items are typically
sold for less than half of
the original price. In addition to considerable savings,
another reason furniture is
flourishing in resale is due
to the fact that used furniture is highly customizable.
Ms. Krystal Reinhard, coowner of Resellers Consignment located in Frazer,
Pennsylvania,
explained
that her consignment store
attracts “a large clientele of
designers and upholsterers”
who purchase used furniture with the intention of
refinishing the old furniture
to their likings, or repurposing the furniture altogether.
Reinhard explained, “everyone is looking for something different, but daily,
one of everything sells.”
As the resale industry
continues to expand, more
communities are gaining
local resale clothing stores.
However, with previously
owned clothing comes the
cultural apprehension about
Photo Provided by unitedvolunteersutah.org & activerain.trulia.com
the cleanliness of secondhand apparel. According to
Ms. Carol Topolski, owner
of Plato’s Closet located in
Exton, Pennsylvania, “We
have some customers that
exclusively sell to us and
are not interested in buying
from us. I have heard from
people I know outside of
Plato’s Closet, that some
people are not interested in
buying used clothing.”
With the lingering threat
of infections, bedbugs, and
lice, it’s understandable that
a number of people hesitate
before stepping foot in a
resale clothing shop. However, there are preventative
measures that can be taken
to avoid these risks altogether, allowing shoppers to
save on previously owned
clothing yet maintain their
peace of mind. Taking preowned clothing to the dry
cleaner before wearing can
remove bacteria affixed to
the fabric. According to the
American Society of Microbiology, perchloroethylene, one of the chemicals
commonly used in the dry
cleaning process, has antibacterial effects when used
in conjunction with steaming and pressing articles of
clothing. For those less concerned about the possibility
of germs, it’s suggested that
washing the clothes in hot
water with a disinfectant before wearing should suffice.
Resale clothing shops are
especially rewarding for
parents with young children. “The average cost of
raising a child born in 2013
up until age 18 for a middleincome family in the U.S.
is approximately $245,340
(or $304,480, adjusted for
projected inflation), according to the latest annual
‘Cost of Raising A Child’
report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.”
When asked which area of
resale has the most promise, Ms. Topolski, who has
been in the resale business
since 2008, responded, “Resale baby clothes and baby
equipment.” As their children are incessantly growing, parents are able to sell
the articles of clothing that
their children have outgrown to resale shops, and
put the money that they receive towards clothes that
will fit their ever-growing
children. This system helps
cut back on the cost of raising a child significantly, and
benefits both the parents
selling the clothing, and future parents that purchase
the clothing for their smaller children at a more affordable price.
The Internet has contributed to the expansion of
the resale industry in a number of ways. According to
NARTS, websites like eBay.
com and Amazon.com,
which facilitate the sale of
used goods, have “made the
idea of resale even more
mainstream. When people
realize the bargains available by shopping for gently used items they flock
to their local consignment,
resale and thrift shops.”
Statistics show that in 2013,
an estimated two hundred
and nine million individuals
used Amazon.com - with
stupefying figures like this,
it’s fair to say that shopping
resale is no longer burdened
by a stigma.
The resale industry is
more than just a great way
for shoppers to save money; it’s also a great way for
individuals to bring money
in by selling their unwanted items. When asked how
websites like eBay.com and
Amazon.com have impacted the resale industry, Ms.
Topolski suggested, “I think
sometimes when someone
is selling a high end item,
they may get more money if
they sell it on one of these
sites rather than in a resale
store. But you have to be
willing to put the time in
to post it on the site …”
Popular websites like eBay.
com make selling unwanted
items over the Internet convenient and straightforward.
“List it. Ship it. Get Paid.”
However, selling items to
local resale and consignment shops does have its
advantages, such as receiving payment on the spot,
and frequently in the form
of cash.
Whether one is using the
resale industry as an agency for selling, buying, or a
combination of the two,
taking the time to familiarize oneself with the industry can be a rewarding
experience and can prove financially beneficial. For sellers, Reinhard offered this,
“Nothing shocks the owners anymore, there’s nothing they haven’t seen or had
before.” As long as items
are in reasonably good condition, it’s worth swinging
by the local consignment
store; the owners just might
be interested in purchasing your unwanted belongings. For buyers, Topolski
offered this advice, “You
need to shop frequently because we have new product
come in every day. Since
we don’t have multiples of
an item, you should buy it
if you want it. Many times
people don’t buy something
when they see it, and when
they come back to buy it, it’s
gone.” From consignment
stores, to local thrift shops,
to resale-oriented websites,
the resale industry provides
a valuable service to those
individuals who are willing
to give it an honest chance.
Page 3
March 12, 2015
The Immaculatan
Human Interest
Psychology And The Irish Rebellions
Tague Wilkins ’15
Staff Writer
As we enter the month of
March we approach St. Patrick’s Day, an opportunity
for Irish-Americans to party with their friends and to
celebrate their ancestry. Being related to the O’Brien
family, Irish culture and
history is something that I
possess a deep passion for.
Furthermore, as a psychology major this also serves as
an opportunity to examine
the mentality behind some
of the most brutal chapters in the culture’s history;
notably the insurrections
against the British.
In this case I single out
three notable uprisings:
1641, 1798 and 1916 respectively. The questions one
would ask are not just what
instigated these conflicts,
but what were the psychological motives for eradicating English presence from
Ireland? Furthermore, how
did an initial conquest for
liberty morph over time
into a disarray of factionalism and sadistic chaos? The
conclusion I offer is that
it was a personal struggle
not just for independence,
but for a sense of identity
and cultural belonging.
Self-identity is among the
primary innate goals of all
human beings, however the
problem in this case is that
the resulting nationalism
led to narcissism and then
the latter to a loss of empathy and purpose.
Getting up to speed,
in 1641 the Ulster plantations in Ireland had become
dominated by English control ever since the departure
of Irish nobles who unsuccessfully sought military
assistance from Spain. In
the midst of dealing with a
sudden wave of new English and Scottish immigrants into Ireland, Lord
Thomas Wentworth, under
command of King James I,
began to evict Irish landowners in order to make
room for the immigrants.
The pressure increased as
Irish Catholics were banned
from serving in parliament
and British and Scottish
candidates were permitted instead. Inspired by the
Bishops’ Wars in Scotland, a
group of rebels led by Rory
O’Moore staged a coup
d’état against the English
parliament that would start
by capturing a few towns
and using them as collateral to demand the return of
lands that had been taken
from them. The plan failed
however when a sibling of
one of the conspirators betrayed them to the British
authorities. Nevertheless,
riots and violence by Irish
citizens against the settlers
broke out a mere month
later, fueled by resentment
over oppressed rights. The
rebellion was ultimately
halted, but not before thousands of English Protestants were killed.
In the second mentioned
rebellion, which occurred
in 1798, the French Revolution had reignited feelings
of nationalism in the subconscious of many Irish natives. In this particular case
Irish Catholics, Protestants
and Dissenters, traditionally enemies, actually united
under the mutual desire for
an independent Irish state.
Despite a variety of notable
victories across the country, the rebels were again
put down, losing 25,000
lives and rendering any remaining Irish influence in
parliament obsolete. Subsequently, the Union between
Britain, Scotland and Ireland was then established in
1801.
Arguably, the most familiar of the Irish rebellions
to the average American is
the 1916 Easter Rising. Still
barely recovering from the
devastating potato famine
that ravaged the country in
the mid-1840s, the native
Irish deplored the lack of
assistance that the British
crown had offered them,
feeling neglected and exploited. Another coup was
staged by members of the
Irish Republican Brotherhood who attacked and
captured several important
locations in Dublin. Although the coup was again
quelled by British forces,
national support for the re-
bellion grew and the subsequent war of independence,
which occurred shortly after, led to the 1921 treaty
which established Southern Ireland as a free state.
However the treaty also retained a portion of Ireland
as a member of the United
Kingdom, which then instigated a bloody civil war between the nationalist Irish
Republican Army and the
pro-treaty Irish forces.
Getting into analysis of
the nature of these conflicts, it is interesting to note
that despite justifications
for these conflicts, heroism
and justice were ultimately
lost in the midst. Elaborating on this, I recently read
an article chronicling the
story of Sean McDermott,
a secretary for the Irish Republican Brotherhood and
participant in the Easter
Rising who was captured
and hanged for his actions.
Shortly before his execution, he proclaimed that he
was “happier than he had
ever been in his whole life”.
While one might look at it
from a Nathan Hale perspective and say that he was
a brave martyr, another may
see this man as an obsessed
anarchist, depressed over
the failed coup and relieved
that he was to be put out of
his misery. In other words,
a martyr does not necessarily equal a hero.
Pivoting further, shortly
after the 1641 rebellion began the rebels issued a proclamation that the objective
was purely to defend their
liberties, not to eliminate
the British. This code of
honor however could not
circumvent the animosity felt towards the occupiers and just a month later,
an atrocity occurred where
Irish rebels drowned 100
women and children at the
bridge of Country Armagh.
In this case, what you see is
not a noble fight for freedom but a demonstration of
sadism resulting from obsession for retribution.
As stated before, the psychological force driving the
rebellious nature of the Irish
was a desire for cultural and
self-identity. A sense of be-
Photo Provided by johnjburnslibrary.wordpress.com
longing in both the individual and collective sense
is something that each human being naturally craves
and it should be considered
an epitomizing factor in the
conflicts addressed in this
piece. In the eyes of many
individuals, being told what
to do is one thing, but being told who to be is entirely
different. In this case, the
Irish felt not only that they
were losing their liberties,
but that they were also losing their identity. The problem was that the obsession
to get back what had been
taken from them triggered
innate narcissism and ultimately a path of sociopathy
and destructiveness. This
has been demonstrated in
more recent times by the
actions of the Irish Republican Army, once considered
rebels for freedom, more
often reduced to a terrorist
faction.
The general point is that
in the midst of war, there
are no “heroes and villains”. The codes of honor
and even the driving purpose behind a conflict gets
lost in the midst of chaos.
Tracing back over history,
this has been seen in just
about every single conflict
regardless of the initial
justifications. The pedestal for obtaining freedoms
and independence is often tarnished when certain
sides commit the very same
atrocities that they once
condemned; in other words
the nature of retribution
corrupts all those involved.
As Mahatma Gandhi once
elegantly stated, “An eye for
an eye only make the whole
world blind”.
Taney Dragons
Luke Keeler ’16
Sports Editor
The Jackie Robinson
West (Chicago) Little
League Baseball team
was stripped of their Little League World Series
(LLWS) title following an
investigation that revealed
that the team used ineligible players, who came
from numerous Chicago
districts that were outside
the teams’ area. The main
purpose was that the team
apparently wanted to win
this tournament at all
costs. The coaching staff
of Jackie Robinson West
still denies any wrongdoing, but the Little League
does not believe their
story. The evidence is
simple, just Google search
the name from this team
and will show that they
are not from the same
district. This of course,
also happened to be the
same team who supposedly defeated Pennsylvania’s “Taney Dragons” in
the LLWS. Furthermore,
the last time the Little
League had to deal with a
scandal was in 2001 after
a team from the Bronx
used players who were 14
years old, two years above
the league’s maximum age
limit. According to SBnation.com, “kids are playing adults’ game,” which
is why these leagues have
ended up with “unfortunate situations and cheating” such as this.
Page 4
March 12, 2015
The Immaculatan
HUMAN INTEREST
IU Students Attend Philadelphia Car Show
Brandi Mayo ’16
& Jacqueline Jewell ’16
Staff Writers
On January 30th, 2015,
two Immaculata University
students, Brandi Mayo and
Jacqueline Jewell, attended
The Philadelphia Car Show
for press conference day.
The annual show, which is
sponsored by the Automobile Dealers Association
of Greater Philadelphia,
was held in the Convention
Center on 1101 Arch Street.
Many car lovers from all
over attended the event
to see what the New Year
had in store as far as modern technology placed in
these riveting automobiles.
To their delight, no car was
short of brilliant! Although
the cars were mostly showcased, still the attendees
could still purchase, sit in,
and even test drive the ridiculously wicked hardware.
These cars shows are great
because they’re more about
providing answers to customer’s questions and sending information about the
vehicles, then about pressuring people to buy like a
typical salesman.
Of course if you love
cars then this is the place
to be. The Philadelphia Car
Show reveals all types of
cars depending on which
is your style, type, feel,
and fits you to your liking. The event showcased
Ford, Volvos, Buicks, or
if you prefer the luxurious side such as, Lamborghinis, Mercedes-Benzes,
Porsches, and many more.
Being that it was press day,
numerous journalists from
the tri-state area were covering this event, including
us! We got the chance to interview a couple of marketing directors such as David
Princepati of Ford Motor
Company in Philadelphia.
When asked about David’s
latest models, he had this
to say, “The one model of
2015 I am very proud of is
our hybrid truck, the F-150,
conditioned with high horse
power ranges and tows up
to 12,200 pounds. The inside is purposely created
for luxury and the sound
system will blow your mind.
Let’s just say everybody will
be wanting a truck!”
During the Auto Show
we were able to attend
small gatherings for each
car manufacturer, Buick was
by far the most exciting and
interesting of them all. The
lead sales revealed to the assembly how the new Buick
2015 Enclave was the next
Provided by Brandi Mayo and Jacqueline Jewell
luxury car, which to a car
lover was very shocking. He
pointed out how the new
Enclave detailed its safety
to the drivers and passengers. The Enclave has “side
blind zone alert with rear
cross, traffic alerts, and lane
departing warning that assists in preventing accidents
before they happen, not to
mention the Buick is nice
on the eyes. The exterior is
sleek with chrome accents
that features blue signature
LED headlights. The sturdy
leather interior is made for
comfort with heating and
cooling seats so that all the
passengers are relaxed. We
vote the 2015 Buick Enclave as one of the most
sufficient family cars of the
New Year.
However, if you are single
there are plenty car options
for you also. While touring
the auto show, we showed
most of our attention to the
luxury cars like the BMW
and Mercedes Benz. Being
a car lover, Brandi knows
that there is no better feeling than sitting comfortably
in a new smelling car. The
BMW 4 Series Convertible
was the most fascinating car
to her. The sleek and classy
two-door is the perfect car
for any fashionista. The
car features a retractable
hardtop that transforms
the coupe into a convertible and if you’re not a fan
of the wind, this BMW offers a wind deflector that
keeps the drivers and passengers more comfortable
with a defense from the
harsh winds when driving at
elevated speeds. Of course
the comfort won us over
with elegant look but it also
allows us to stay updated
while traveling from destination to destination, this
convertible coupe offers
Bluetooth, internet, remote
services, traffic information, and more. Now, who
would not be in love with
this BMW?
After we finished interviewing, we experienced
the enthusiasm everyone
else was experiencing as we
made it to the MercedesBenz, Bentley, and Lamborghini side of the show and
decided to take pictures of
each other modeling next to
the cars. Low and behold a
professional journalist was
watching us and decided to
capture us in his pictures for
the article he’s writing about
the car show and post them
online. The journalist name
is Brian Bingaman, from
The Reporter newspaper, and
official website: www.thereporteronline.com. It truly
was an amazing and informative experience.
aimed to “preserve, protect,
and promote Chinatown as
a viable ethnic, residential,
and business community”.
Weiling Wang of the PCDC
told CBS News he encourages people of all ethnicities and cultures to join in
the celebrations, explaining,
“We wish to bring the wishes to everybody, so you are
able to experience the more
real and traditional feeling”
of the New Year. The Philadelphia Suns, a youth group
with organic beginnings
in 1972 as a group of kids
playing basketball around
Chinatown, has become an
integral part of the Chinese
community in Philadelphia,
and the group performs the
Lion Dance each New Year,
parading through the streets
and accepting monetary of-
ferings, which will in turn
bring prosperity and success
for the year. According to
the Suns website, “the Lion
Dance is a cultural activity
that all members participate
in. In addition to keeping
Philadelphia’s Asian American community close to
their roots, it is also our major fundraiser for our traveling sports teams. All funds
go directly to team needs
and all members practice &
perform this important tradition to preserve the cultural importance & tradition
of the lion dance.” Many
elements unite to celebrate
the Lunar new year, and it is
a great opportunity to learn
about, experience, honor,
and respect the traditions
of different cultures.
Let Us Ring in the Lunar New Year
Marie Hoban ’16
Staff Writer
The Lunar new year also
called the Spring Festival,
is the biggest holiday in the
Chinese culture, and the
largest travel day of the year
within China, with families
uniting for a traditional reunion meal each New Years
Eve. Celebrations differ
based on the geographical
location and cultural variances within China, and the
Lunar new year has been
embraced in cities around
the world, particularly in
the United States. This year
the New Year fell on February 19th, and Philadelphia kicked off a weeklong
celebration to usher in the
year of the sheep. Parades
through the streets bring
Provided by www.uwishunu.com
Traditional Lion Dance through the streets of Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
good fortune and prosperity to the local businesses,
and firecrackers are set off
to ward away any bad spirits. The Philadelphia Please
Touch Museum got in on
the celebration, dedicating three days to informing
children in the museum’s
unique and interactive way,
about the history and traditions of Chinese culture,
and the significance behind
the New Year. On Sunday,
February 22nd Great Valley
High School in Malvern participated with music, dance,
martial arts, poetry, various
games and traditional calligraphy demonstrations. The
Philadelphia
Chinatown
Development Corporation
(PCDC) helps to organize
the area’s festivities, and
since 1969 has, according
to their mission statement,
Page 5
March 12, 2015
On The Hill
The Immaculatan
Transforming Lives With the Help of Enactus
CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
experience domestic violence, the highest rate in
Latin America.” The IU
organization felt called to
help.
Katherine’s mother also
has a small clothing business
that financially supports the
Shelter. She and some of
the women from the Shelter weave alpaca fur into
scarves and clothing. Teaching the women this productive trade skill is invaluable,
allowing them to realize
they can be self-supporting.
The Emilia Wojtyla Shelter
also helps women through
personalized job counseling
and access to two psychologists and practitioner lawyers, who generously give
of their time to the Shelter.
To assist the Emilia Wojtyla Shelter, Immaculata’s
Enactus team is developing business and marketing
plans, crafting material for a
website, designing print ma-
terials, establishing mission
connections with Churches,
hosting campus awareness
campaigns and hopes to
facilitate placement of the
alpaca products in domestic
stores. Our Enactus team is
working to make the Shelter
and business sustainable,
which in turn is saving and
transforming lives.
When asked to describe
her experience working
on this Enactus project,
the Emilia Wojtyla Shelter
project lead Katie Conlin,
a member of the Class of
2015, remarked, “I have had
the opportunity to work
with an enthusiastic group
to develop and implement
a marketing plan for the
Shelter, the chance to work
with a classmate to form a
strategic business plan, and
the privilege to work closely
with a passionate leader,
Katherine Cartagena. This
project is quickly becoming
more than just a project.”
She is working with senior
Stephen Cummings on the
Provided by Anne Marie DeCarolis
strategic business plan as
part of their Business 365:
Strategic Planning course.
The classmates will be presenting their work at the
SEPCHE Honors Conference on March 28th.
At a recent meeting,
Katherine Cartagena reflected, “I’m impressed by
something I didn’t mean to
start, that God made this
come together, and you got
involved. It motivates and
encourages me. It feels like
what I am doing matters…
We’re creating a community
of people working together
to save lives…it’s not my
mission, it’s becoming your
mission, too, and we can do
it.”
IU’s Enactus team has also
partnered with four other
organizations this year.
Through small team-based
efforts, Enactus members
are focusing on assisting and
building a brighter future
for the entrepreneurs and
those they serve. The organizations Enactus students
are helping this year are HumanKind Water – providing
clean drinking water in third
world countries through
the sale of water bottles;
Locust Lane Riding Center
– enabling the growth of
the Center’s special needs
riding program; St. Rocco’s
Food Closet – serving the
Avondale, PA community;
and Committed to Helping
Our Warriors (CHOW) –
raising funds to support the
Wounded Warriors Foundation of Pennsylvania.
For more information or
to become involved, contact
Dr. Fitzwater (cfitzwater@
immaculata.edu) or project
lead Katie Conlin (kconlin@mail.immaculata.edu).
Do Not Say Goodbye
to Textbooks Just Yet
Provided by openeducation.net
Joseph Pugh M.B.A, D.M.
Professor of Business
I applaud Kristin Lynch
for her well researched
summary of the issues
involved in textbook selections. Clearly, the situation needs our attention
before events overtake us.
One factor - and a sad
one at that - is that the
cost of textbooks and
materials have become
prohibitive for a number
of our students. Those
students have already
made the decision to part
ways with textbooks. This
places a burden on those
students in trying to keep
up with course work. In
turn, it creates a burden
for teachers who have to
confront an increasing
number of students who
do not come prepared for
classroom discussions. So
we face not only a degradation of learning, but of
teaching as well.
While the time has not
yet come to part ways
with the paper textbook,
it is probably time to consider its future. I believe
we should have for an objective, systematic discussion by all of the stakeholders in the matter.
Page 6
March 12, 2015
The Immaculatan
Entertainment
Oscars Recap: Three Critically Acclaimed Films
Amelia Falcone ’15
Co-Editor-in-Chief
The 87th Academy
Awards ceremony was held
on February 22, 2015, at
the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. Hosted by awards show veteran
Neil Patrick Harris, the ceremony recognized the best
in film during 2014. Highlights of the night included
performances from the
nominees for Best Original Song, with a particularly moving performance
of “Glory” by John Legend
and Common. Other moments involved Neil Patrick
Harris running around the
Dolby Theatre in a Birdman
reenactment, Lego Oscar
statues being delivered to
the crowd during a performance of “Everything is
Awesome,” and Eddie Redmayne’s utter shock at being honored as Best Actor.
Films nominated for Best
Picture included: American
Sniper, Boyhood, The Theory of
Everything, Whiplash, Selma,
The Grand Budapest Hotel, The
Imitation Game, and Birdman
or (The Unexpected Virtue of
ries of Best Picture, Best
Actress for Jones, and Best
Adapted Screenplay for
McCarten, and won Best
Original Score for Jóhann
Jóhannsson and Best Actor
for Eddie Redmayne.
Provided by www.imdb.com
Ignorance), which took home
the award. The following
three films received high
critical acclaim and deserved recognition during
the Oscars.
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Co-written, co-produced,
and directed by Alejandro
González Iñárritu, Birdman stars Michael Keaton
and supporting cast Zach
Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough,
Amy Ryan, Emma Stone
and Naomi Watts. Birdman
Provided by www.moviereviewworld.
follows Riggan Thompson
(Keaton) as he struggles
to revive his dying career,
of which his claim to fame
was a stint as the superhero Birdman. The film
was nominated for including Best Picture, Sound
Editing, Sound Mixing,
Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Best Director,
Best Actor for Keaton, and
Best Supporting Acting for
Stone and Norton. The film
won Academy Awards for
Best Picture, Best Director,
Best Original Screenplay
and Best Cinematography.
Provided by www.amazon.com
The Theory of Everything
Directed by James Marsh
and adapted by Anthony
McCarten from the memoir
Travelling to Infinity: My Life
with Stephen by Jane Wilde
Hawking, The Theory of Everything details Jane’s relationship with theoretical
physicist Stephen Hawking,
his diagnosis of motor neuron disease, and his success
in physics. The film stars
Eddie Redmayne, Felicity
Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily
Watson, Simon McBurney,
Christian McKay, and David Thewlis. The film was
nominated in the catego-
Whiplash
Written and directed by
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
is based on Chazelle’s experiences in the Princeton
High School Studio Band.
The film stars Miles Teller
as Andrew Neiman, a first
year student drummer entering the jazz band seeking the approval of an abusive teacher, played by J. K.
Simmons. The film was included on the “Black List”
of 2012, which is an annual
survey of the “most liked”
motion picture screenplays
not yet produced. Whiplash
won Best Film Editing, Best
Sound Mixing, and Best
Supporting Actor for Simmons, and was nominated
for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.
A Taste of the Red Star Craft House
Patti Bachman ’15
Staff Writer
A new restaurant just
opened up at the Exton
Square Mall. Red Star Craft
House is affordable, only
4 miles from campus, and
serves lunch and dinner in
a colonial country atmosphere that mixes old and
new for a down home Texan feeling.
Stainless steel accents
break up the traditional red,
white, and blue color palette
and rustic wood plank walls
are offset with contemporary wagon wheel and lantern light fixtures to produce the timeless fusion.
Most of the square footage is set up in a long rectangular open plan with bar
and main dining areas sharing the space and having
full view into the kitchen so
guests can watch the chefs
Provided by www.dmkarchitect.com
prepare their dishes.
The long bar runs almost
the entire length of one side
of the room with a variety
of comfy booths and festive
tables separating it from the
kitchen located opposite
it on the other side of the
room.
Just out of view are a
small private dining room
with the same rustic feel, a
casual eatery filled with picnic tables for quick on the
go meals, and an outdoor
seating area for al fresco
dining in mild weather.
An extensive food menu
includes casual fare items
like wings and pizza as
well as gourmet plates like
Chesapeake crab cakes and
wood roasted salmon. An
underlying staple for all of
the dishes is Red Star’s commitment to using fresh delicious ingredients in all of its
offerings.
Those over 21 may enjoy
an impressive beer selection, which includes 30 different varieties on tap, ranging from the many locally
brewed like Victory and Sly
Fox to others a bit farther
from home like Purple
Haze and Ithaca.
Red Star shows its guests
hospitality with a warm
Texan welcome.
And its
friendly inviting atmosphere
will keep them coming back
with great tasting food, a
full bar, and plenty of televisions for watching sporting events with friends.
Page 7
March 12, 2015
Sports
The Immaculatan
Spring Forward into Mighty Mac Spring Sports
Luke Keeler ’16
Sports Editor
Spring is just around the
corner. That means that our
clocks will spring forward,
spring training for both major league baseball and soccer have already begun and
that mid-semester breaking
point is just upon us. Earth
is starting to go green again,
but can the same thing be
said to IU’s beloved athletic teams. With basketball
turning towards postseason
play and spring teams ready
to hit the field and track, all
of whom are going to need
strong leadership and teamwork if any of them are going to have a green, clean,
season to ride.
Men’s Basketball
With Cabrini beaten twice
and a 5-0 start to conference play, first started as a
sign that IU Men’s Basketball had a straight shot of
winning the conference for
the first time since 2008.
Unfortunately, it was not
meant to be as many had
anticipated. The boys ended
up dropping 8 of their last
13. However, by miracle
they were still able to clinch
a spot in the postseason for
the sixth consecutive year.
Sadly, their postseason run
ended as quickly as it started. The Mighty Macs fell
72-63 to the hosting Centenary College Cyclones, and
were eliminated from the
CSAC playoffs.
matched a career high in
conference wins with 13
(first time since joining the
league in 1992). In addition,
the girls secured one of the
top spots and a first-round
bye in the CSAC playoffs
for the first time ever in
school history. The girls later took advantage of this by
blowing out #3 GwyneddMercy University, 74-46
and advancing to the CSAC
Championship for the second straight season. Coming into the Championship,
the girls found themselves
once again, just one win
away from entering the
NCAA tournament for the
first time since 1977. Unfortunately, in spite of all their
hard work, the Mighty Macs
got the gate once again, falling to #1 Cabrini College
for the second straight year,
68-53. The girls end the season with a 13-3 conference
record, and a 17-10 overall
record. Senior, Sara Smith
demonstrated one of most
spectacular season by a single player in school history.
Also, congratulations to seniors Brittany Merkle, Lindsay Cras, Adriana Sciascia,
Emily Bell, Mackie Fitzgerald, Meghan Gallagher, Alison Zimney and Samantha
Bonvetti.
Men’s Track & Field
In spite of recording no
team score in their meet
at Reading, the IU Men’s
Track & Field once again
got an outstanding performance from junior Angel
Chimal Rodriguez. RodriWomen’s Basketball
Meanwhile,
the
IU guez picked up two more
Women’s Basketball Team victories at the Albright In-
All Sports Photos on this page are provided by immaculata.edu
The Immaculata women’s basketball team earned the 3D
award for best adhering to the NCAA Division III principles of “Discover. Develop. Dedicate” for the winter
season for the second year in a row.
Angel Rodriguez, junior,
picked up two more victories at the Albright Invitational.
vitational and in the teams’
final indoor meet of the
season. The first win came
in the 800-meter with a
time of just over two minutes. The second win came
in the one-mile run with a
mark of 4 minutes and 44
seconds. The Mighty Macs
will now take their game
outdoors, beginning on Saturday, March 21st at the Ursinus Invitational.
Women’s Track & Field
Women’s Track & Field
did not record a team score
at Reading either, despite
having 10 top-10 finishes.
However, sophomore Diana Cusick captured her first
individual win and the first
win for the team as well, by
recording a time of 2 minutes and 40 seconds in the
800-meter race. Freshman
Mary Ellen Grap, notched
her best finish in her college
career by placing third with
a time of 6 minutes and 11
seconds in the one-mile run.
The Mighty Macs will now
shift their season to the outdoors beginning with the
Ursinus College Invitational
on Saturday, March 21st.
Baseball
With the postponement
of their season opening
doubleheader against Arcadia (no make-up date has
been announced yet) the IU
Baseball team turned their
attention to the 10-game
Florida Spring Tournament.
The Mighty Macs swept
their first DH, 4-3 & 4-1
over Susquehanna University only to be swept they the
following day, 4-8 & 7-8 to
Elizabethtown College. The
Mighty Macs will open their
home slate on March 11th
when they welcome the on Saturday, February 28th
Eastern University Falcons. against Catholic University
of America with a 10-19 defeat. The Mighty Macs will
Softball
IU Softball traveled to Cl- look to rebound when they
ermont, FL for a 10-game travel to Doylestown, Pa
spring break swing. The to take on Delaware Valley
Mighty Macs so far dropped College.
their first two games of the
Women’s Lacrosse
trip, losing 0-8 to Wesleyan
IU Women’s Lacrosse
University and 7-8 (8 inn.)
to Saint Vincent College. opened their 2015 camThe girls will open their paign at 1-1, losing 4-19
home schedule on Thurs- to Arcadia University then
day, March 12th against Al- bouncing back to defeat
vernia University at 3:30pm. Rutgers-Camden 13-8. The
Mighty Macs will now have
a couple days off before reMen’s Lacrosse
With the departure of suming play next Thursday,
Mickey Hoover, the IU March 5 when they travel
Men’s Lacrosse enters the Abington, Pa., to take on
2015 season under the Penn State Abington. Junior
watch of Hugh Donavan. Allison Jakavick was named
The Mighty Macs were orig- the Colonial States Athletic
inally scheduled to begin Conference (CSAC) player
the season on Tuesday, Feb- of the week for the first
ruary 24th hosting Hood time in her college career. In
College, but the game was the team’s win over Rutgerscalled off due to “weather Camden, Jakavick registered
conditions”. The boys even- five goals and an assist for
tually opened their season six points on the day.
“Ask the Seniors”
Luke Keeler ’16
Sports Editor
#44 Brittany Merkle
spoke about her favorite
moments of being with
this team, “My favorite
memory playing for the
Macs women’s squad was
the high energized atmosphere and sweet feeling
I got every single time I
stepped foot on the court
with my team. We worked
so hard day in and day
out, during practice and
games, and received a
great amount of amazing opportunities that I
am forever thankful for.
This year’s team was truly
something special, and the
bond that is among us will
always remain. I hope we
were able to set a positive
example for those around
us and that people will
strive to be the best they
can be, just like the girls I
played with displayed.”
to join the Immaculata
“1,000 points club”, Sara
said, “It was an honor to
join them. From some
of the players from the
72,73,74 teams to some
of my Friends like Kelly
Brown and Chrissy Esbensen.”
#10 Lindsay Cras reflects on her time playing
for this team, “It was an
experience I will always
remember. The girls on
this team have become
my family over the past
four years and they have
given me memories that
will last a lifetime.”
#12 Mamadou Diakite
on what he went through
in the two years playing
for IU, “Getting close
with my teammates being able to get close with
my coaching staff and
the head coach was like a
father figure it was more
than basketball. Also the
#33 Sara Smith, response support I got during and
to how great was it for her after the games.”
Page 8
March 12, 2015
National Nutrition Month
Allison Wentzell ’16
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Each March the Academy
of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors their nutrition
education and information
campaign known as National Nutrition Month. The
idea behind this campaign
is to spread the word about
making informed food
choices and developing
sound eating and physical
activity habits. To celebrate
National Nutrition Month
the students in Dr. Tracy
Oliver’s FNU 353: Strategies in Teaching Nutrition
Concepts class will be offering four information tables
throughout the month in
several locations on campus.
Each information table will
cover a topic in nutrition
that the students feel is of
interest to their fellow students as well as the faculty
and staff.
In addition to sharing
their messages of healthy
eating and physical activity with the Immaculata
community this experience
also offers the FNU 353
students the opportunity
to practice their presenta-
The Immaculatan
The Immaculatan
March 12, 2015 · Vol. LXXXI, No. 6
Editors-in-Chiefs:
Allison Wentzell ’16 & Amelia Falcone ’15
Copy Editor:
Anne McDermott ’16
Sports Editor:
Luke Keeler ’16
Photo Provided by www.eatrightpro.org
tion and nutrition education
skills that they are fine tuning during their semester in
Dr. Oliver’s class.
The first information
table available for those interested is entitled “POD
Picks”. Students, faculty
and staff can stop by this
table located outside the
POD on Thursday March
12th from 1:30-2:30. There
they can learn about the
healthier options you can
select when looking for
something to eat in the
POD, in addition to trying
some free food samples.
The second information
table will be set up outside
the Nazareth Dining Hall
on Friday March 20th from
12:30-1:30. This informa-
tion table is entitled “I Want
Calories For 100!”. There
one will find a jeopardy
themed information table
focusing on the importance
of portion control; including several shocking examples of what 100 calories
really looks like.
Later in the month two
other exciting and informative tables will be set
up. One will take place on
Tuesday March 24th from
11:30-12:30 and another on
Monday March 30th from
12:00-1:00. Both are located outside the Nazareth
Dining Hall. The students
in FNU 353 look forward
to helping the Immaculata community bite into a
healthy lifestyle!
Staff Writers:
Patti Bachman ’15
Anne Marie DeCarolis ’17
Marie Hoban ’16
Kristin Lynch ’17
Jacqueline Jewell ’16
Brandi Mayo ’16
Tague Wilkins ’15
Contributing Writers:
Joseph Pugh M.B.A, D.M.
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Sean Flannery
The Immaculatan is open to reader submissions and
welcomes new staff members. Contact the newspaper at
immaculatan@mail.immaculata.edu if you are interested in
submitting an article, joining our staff, or have a suggestion of what you would like to see in an upcoming edition.
If you are interested in placing an advertisement, either as a
local business or as a club or organization on campus, feel
free to email us and we send you additional information.
Articles featured in past editions of the The Immaculatan, as
well as those in this issue, are available for you to view
on our website, www. immaculata.edu/immacualtan.
The Immaculatan staff thanks you for reading the paper.
Sister Spotlight: Sister Monica Sicilia
Patti Bachman ’15
Staff Writer
Meet Sister Monica Sicilia, IHM, M.A., M.S., tech
savvy educator extraordinaire and integral member
of Immaculata University’s
resident religious staff. As
the instructor of Information and Digital Systems in
Immaculata’s Mathematics,
Computing Sciences, and
Physics Department, Sister
Monica teaches Web Design, Interactive Digital Media, and Information Technology courses. She is well
known for her technological
instruction and kind ways;
however, there is so much
more to learn about her and
her life.
Sister Monica was born
as Lillian Sicilia in Philadelphia, PA, the eighth of
nine children. Making the
decision to raise their family in the country, her parents moved the family two
Provided by Patti Bachman
years later to East Stroudsburg, PA, in the Poconos.
At first, they lived in a small
cabin with no running water. Without their own
well, the family walked to a
community pump well for
water. Sister Monica said
she did not mind, as she
was too young to know any
different. Over the years,
her father and uncle added
plumbing and extended the
cabin.
Sister Monica had an early
introduction to the religious
life in her interaction with
the Sisters, Servants of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
whose community mem-
bers included her teachers
in Catholic school as well
as a few of her own family members. She attended
St. Matthews Elementary
School and Notre Dame
High School, both in East
Stroudsburg, PA. What began as an affinity for the religious life while growing up
became a firm realization
while in High School.
Sister Monica was accepted at Immaculata University
first as a student and then
was entered for her formation years to become a Sister. In 1990, she was professed as an IHM Sister and
graduated with a Bachelor
of Arts degree in English.
Since that time, Sister has
been a teacher, Vice Principal, and Principal for different elementary schools
in Pennsylvania, received
a Master of Arts degree in
Educational Leadership at
Immaculata University, received a Master of Science
degree in Interactive Media
and Design at Philadelphia
University, and has been
employed with Immaculata
University since 2013.
In addition to her busy
academic life, Sister Monica
also helps to care for her
mother, who suffers from
Parkinson’s disease, travelling back and forth from
Immaculata University to
her hometown of East
Stroudsburg.
Sister Monica is not only
a great asset for Immaculata University, nurturing
the minds of students and
touching the lives of faculty
and staff, but a blessing to
those around her, a wonderful person who truly lives
her life in service to God
and others.