Table of Contents
H.S.A COMMUNITY SERVICE UPDATE
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK IN HON352
TRIP HIGHLIGHT - HADESTOWN MUSICAL
A Letter from the Editor
Sophia Shaloka
Hi H.S.A Members!
What a semester this has been so far! This time of year can be extremely busy, and I’m sure I can speak for all of us when I say that it has been a bit overwhelming. It can be easy to forget to take care of yourself during times like this, but it’s important to remember that your well-being takes priority.
I’ve found that when I practice self-care, I am able to be more productive and assess my work with a clear head.
Try to carve out a few minutes in every day to take a deep breath, say some encouraging words about yourself, and do whatever makes you feel relaxed. Luckily, Thanksgiving break is right around the corner, so look forward to that as you approach the small school week ahead. For me personally, the thing I look forward to the most is listening to Christmas music the second that Black Friday hits. Just remember this: you are all doing a great job and the stress you feel now is only temporary.
Now while I admit that I have been overwhelmed with school, I am also pleasantly overwhelmed with how many articles were written for this month’s newsletter! This edition is jam-packed with student-written articles that I am so eager to share with all of you. The Honors Student Association has had an extremely successful month and I can only imagine what will come next. I hope you enjoy reading this edition and, as always, reach out to me if you are interested in writing!
Sincerely,
Sophia Shaloka
H.S.A. Community Service Update
By: Cecilia Tabor
Second Year, Early Grades Prep Major, H.S.A Community Service Coordinator
Honors students jumped right into serving their community this school year. In just about two months, our organization has logged a total of 850 service hours and counting. Students completed these hours through the H.S.A. service initiatives, as well as through other on-campus and off-campus organizations.
Over the past two months, there were many notable projects that the Honors Student Association sponsored. One ongoing act of service that honors students enjoyed was Adopt-a-Block. Pictured below are a group of honors first-years and second-years who took to the streets of West Chester to pick up trash and keep our community clean. Also pictured are students holding up hand-made cards. The H.S.A. community service committee hosted a card-making night for patients at Barclay Friends nursing home and for the organization Letters to a Stranger, which allowed students to write anonymously to those struggling with mental illness.
Along with these opportunities, the community service committee also sponsored two service projects to get into the Halloween spirit. Members put together a candy drive for the Care Center in West Chester so that children could have Halloween candy. Pictured below is a group of students who carved pumpkins for “Carve for a Cure”. The students involved paid a donation to carve pumpkins together and the proceeds went to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Keep up the great service work H.S.A.!
Community Engagement Work in HON 452
In the HON 452 seminar taught by Dr. Saboe, students have taken on leadership roles by working on community engagement projects. HON 452 explores complex subjects such as race, the criminal legal system, homelessness, etc., and the intersections these subjects have. The class offers a combination of traditional lectures, relevant guest speaker presentations, and service-learning projects. HON 452 has been extremely successful this semester, and Dr. Saboe credits this success to his students. He states,
The success, in terms of real learning, is completely due to the wonderful and diverse group of students who come to class prepared, vulnerable, and with an appetite to push themselves”.
This article will highlight two students in particular - Evan Brooks and Christine Schmitt - who have worked with community partners to create a positive impact.
Evan Brooks and The Bike Shop Project
Senior Business Management Major, Economics and Civic & Professional Leadership Minors.
“The Bike Shop project that my HON 452 team is working on essentially takes ‘well-loved bikes,’ fixes them up, and gives them to those in the community who need them. Another side to the project is where the members of the Bike Shop project teach individuals how to build and take care of their bikes. The Bike Shop team, consisting of eight WCU HON 452 students, including myself, have so far met with Ryan Enns - the Executive Director of Westside Community Center - via a zoom call back in late September. Since then, we had a workday in early October where we helped clean out a garage, organize a couple of tool kits on the workbench walls, and construct a bike workstation stand. Besides that, we recently had another workday where we helped organize and inventory bikes at another location. We helped sort the bikes based on whether they were finished and ready for use or if they needed some level of repair. Lastly, we helped check the air pressure in the bike's tires and pumped air in the tires that could hold it. Overall, the Bike Shop team and I have had a few successful workdays aiding the Bike Shop project and we will be having another meeting with Ryan Enns soon to look into some other upcoming workdays the team can help with.”
If you are interested in the work that Evan Brooks and the Bike Shop team are doing, please click the button for more information!
Christine Schmitt and Justice Restored 3.0
Third-Year Criminal Justice Major, Law, Politics, and Society Minor.
“Justice Restored 3.0 is a project that takes the expressive writing of incarcerated youths and incorporates them into a book. Most of these pieces are poems but sometimes artwork is included as well. There are currently two published editions of Justice Restored, so our objective is to sort through all the writings (2017 to present) that came from juveniles in the Chester County Youth Center and choose which ones to be submitted for the third edition. The Chester County Youth Center is a detention center for young boys and girls from ages ten to eighteen. Our group has been working closely with Jan Michner, the founder of Arts Holding Hands and Hearts to produce this edition. Arts Holding Hands and Hearts (AHHAH) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower youth, strengthen families, and mobilize communities through arts, literacy, and mindfulness for social and racial justice and equity. Creating Justice Restored 3.0 gives an artistic voice to incarcerated juveniles in our local community. AHHAH hopes to break the stereotypes that many people in our society have about youth who are in the criminal legal system by sharing their authentic voices and their life experiences. These writings depict the youth’s experiences being incarcerated as well as their life on the outside. The following is a message from Jan Michner: ‘AHHAH is grateful to the students in Matt Saboe's Economics Honor class who are helping compile the writings that will be included in Justice Restored 3.0. I hope you are moved to take action to change policies and help transform the criminal legal system of mass incarceration in the United States into a Restorative Justice System.’”
To learn more about Arts Holding Hands and Hearts, click the button!
By Sarah Leinhauser
Second-Year, Criminal Justice Major, Women’s & Gender Studies and Civic & Professional Leadership Minors, H.S.A Sustainability Coordinator.
On November 5th, the 2021 HSA Sustainability Committee made its debut with the first-ever HSA clothing exchange! Students donated gently used clothes to be swapped and exchanged with other items at no cost. The idea behind the exchange was for students to get new items for their closets without going out and buying brand-new outfits, which can cause a burden on the planet when done excessively.
Through the exchange, clothing that was donated was able to be given a new life with a new owner!
Everyone who came to the exchange went away with new items just in time for the winter season - even HSA president Carlyn Crisi left with a new scarf to add to her collection! All extra clothes that were not taken at the event are going to be donated to GreenDrop, an organization that distributes to the American Red Cross, the National Federation for the Blind, and others.
As Sustainability Coordinator, I am so happy that we were able to get this event off the ground and that it was so well received by Honors students. Thank you to everyone who came out and to all those who donated!
Trip Highlight: Hadestown Musical!
In the HON 315 class (Community and The Arts) led by Professor Urrutia, students had the opportunity to see the Hadestown musical in Washington D.C. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to get outside of the classroom and see a live display of music and theatrics! Check out some pictures from students who went on the trip:
Philosophy Forum
On Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 5PM-6PM (EST), West Chester University’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies is hosting a virtual Philosophy Forum. Zachary C. Wooten will be discussing “Spirituality and The Pain of Disconnection.” Drawing upon the writings of sociologist Parker J. Palmer and recent research on American spirituality, this presentation will discuss dimensions of spirituality, the merits and pitfalls of spirituality in the context of education, and the use of spirituality as a lens to deepen the study and experiences of leadership and education. Zach Wooten is an Instructor of Leadership Studies for the Honors College and Minor in Civic and Professional Leadership. His recent scholarship has focused on the aim of leadership education, spirituality, and the writings of Parker J. Palmer.
For more information contact Dr. Jea Sophia Oh, joh@wcupa.edu
Omicron Delta Kappa
By Jessie Hazell
Omicron Kappa Delta President, Early Grades Preparation Major, Theatre and Civc & Professional Leadership Minors, H.S.A Involvement Coordinator.
Congratulations to the honors students for their new membership into Omicron Kappa Delta! ΟΔΚ is one of the most nationally recognized and highly respected honor societies and celebrates a combination of scholarly excellence, co-curricular achievement, demonstrated leadership, and commitment to service. ΟΔΚ is a very select honorary for juniors and seniors and the premier recognition honorary for West Chester University students. Ultimately, membership recognizes a record of outstanding leadership and service to West Chester University during a students’ tenure at the institution.
We would like to congratulate the following honors students for their new membership:
- Jocelyn Brown
- Carley Cirafesi
- Carlyn Crisi
- Rebecca Eck-Olsen
- Steven Kendikian
- James Lingman
- Dunya Markovic
- Ronan McDermott
- Kathryn Melvin
- Aric Melvin
- Frederick Shegog
- Sarah Supplee
- Lucy Torres
- Madison Weaver
- Zack Zajkowski.
Thank you so much for your outstanding achievements in academics, leadership, and service!
Research Scholars Program 2021-2022
By Jocelyn Brown
Third-Year, Political Science: International Relations Major, Civic & Professional Leadership, Philosophy, and Global Studies Minors.
Applications for the Research Scholars Program for Spring 2022 are now open! Research Scholars is a program that pairs Honors sophomores and juniors with faculty members that are not only looking for help with their research, but also looking to help students start their own research. Students who participate in the program are expected to complete 30 hours of research during the spring semester.
Because the university was virtual last year, I was worried that no one would be interested in the program. However, we actually had our most successful year yet! We had 17 students paired with 7 professors that finished the semester strong. Our students achieved amazing things, from my Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) placement to Lizzie Gittleson presenting at the 2021 International Leadership Association Conference.
You have the opportunity to complete amazing research just like this! This year, we have 18 outstanding faculty members looking to work with students. They represent every college at the university, and many of them are open to working with students from any department. You can find descriptions of our professors’ research projects on the Research Scholars D2L page.
If you are interested, the application is also located on the Research Scholars D2L page, and you have to submit it in the dropbox of the professor of your choosing by Saturday, November 27. You will have a short interview with the professor after Thanksgiving Break to see if the project is a good fit for you. You can apply to work with multiple professors, but you can only accept one offer. However, professors can work with as many students as they would like to, so it is not too competitive.
If you are already completing research with a professor, or want to work with a professor that is not already on my list, then just email me at JB941149@wcupa.edu. Completing your work under the umbrella of Research Scholars is beneficial, as you get another line on your Curriculum Vita and a certificate at the end of the year.
I hope to see your application!
Scheduling Advice
By James Lingman
Junior, History Major, Spanish, and Civic & Professional Leadership Minors, H.S.A Second Vice President.
With scheduling having just finished this month, you may be ready to put planning classes out of your mind until March. However, the best effort you can make for time here at West Chester is to plan your class career early.
The first step should be to print out your Honors-specific advisement sheet and any other relevant minor advisement sheets. Make sure to also print out the Honors core sequence paper! Mark any classes you’ve already taken with either your final grade or IP (in progress).
Next, you’ll want to write out each class you’ve yet to take on a separate sheet of paper. For example, as a 2nd year entering your spring semester, you’ll still need to take HON310, HON314, HON311, HON315, and HON490. Write out your major requirements, too, so that you have a sense of how many classes you need to take.
Here’s the trickiest part: start planning each semester individually by requirement. With the Honors core sequence laid out, and your major also most likely laid out, you can begin to plan semester by semester. You can also reach out to your advisor for help; with scheduling out of the way, they might have more time to meet with you than prior to scheduling.
The planning process can be tedious and time-consuming, but it will set you up for easy future scheduling. You’ll know exactly which classes to take, and be able to adjust your schedule far in advance if a new class or opportunity emerges. If a trip to South Africa or Norway becomes available, you’ll know ahead of time where it can fit in your schedule.
Remember, the best step you can take for your future is to prepare for it!
H.S.A. Halloween Party
By Lope Rojas
Junior, Microbiology Major (Pre-Med), CPL Minor, Vice President of H.S.A.
Two weeks ago, H.S.A. put on its annual Halloween Party. This was a time for students to dress up and enjoy a night of spooky games and our annual H.S.A. Halloween costume contest! The night started with the Halloween Costume Contest with categories such as Scariest, Best Duo/Group, and Funniest costume. Then the fun games began. students participated in a mummy wrapping contest where a duo would try to wrap their partner in toilet paper the quickest. Another event that occurred was “Pin The Pumpkin on Dr. Dean”. Many spectators and the contestants themselves were left laughing and very dizzy from spinning. Even Dr. Levassuer joined the fun and participated in the activity. Candy was given out and then students took pictures together in their costumes. Overall, it was a fun night that allowed the Honors Community to enjoy each other's company. It was definitely a BOO-tiful night to have with everyone!
Student Spotlight!
Lizzie Gittleson
Last month, Lizzie Gittleson presented alongside Professor Wooten at the International Leadership Association’s 23rd Global Conference! Lizzie is a junior who is majoring in Microbiology with Psychology and Civic and Professional Leadership minors. Lizzie also served as the past president of West Chester University’s Hillel Jewish Student Union. At the Global Conference, Lizzie and Professor Wooten discussed their research on the leadership of Regina Jonas, the first woman to be ordained as a Rabbi. Great job sharing the beauty and importance of leadership with others!
Major-Specific Clubs and Tutoring
By Audrey Carson
Second Year, Forensic and Toxicological Chemistry Major, H.S.A. Historian
There are over 300+ clubs available to West Chester University students. Such clubs are based on interests, religions, and academics (including major-specific clubs). These major-specific clubs bring students of the same or similar major together. For example, there is an alchemist club for chemistry students, a pre-medical club for students preparing to go to medical school, and a microbiology club for biology and microbiology majors. Not only do these clubs give students the chance to interact with those of the same major in a social setting, but it also acts as a place for academic support.
Many of the major-specific clubs also offer tutoring. The tutoring is typically provided by students who have taken the class previously and received a sufficient grade in it. Tutors can designate what classes they tutor, who they tutor, and the number of hours that they tutor on a weekly basis. Although these tutors do not get paid, each hour that they tutor can count as an hour of service for HSA.
Make sure to look out for clubs relating to your major. There is most likely a list of tutors for specific classes if you are struggling, or you can even become a tutor yourself!
Credits:
Created by Leela Rose, Graphic Design Editor | Edited by Sophia Shaloka, Director | Leela Rose & Allison Farrell, Assistant Directors | Dr. Martin & Professor Wooten, Faculty Advisors | Created with an image by pasja1000 - "boards lived pattern"