Table of Contents
A Letter from the Editor
Hi H.S.A Members!
We are officially halfway through the semester and I cannot believe it. I always feel as if the spring semester is faster than the fall semester, but I never expected time to move this fast! I can only imagine that time will start to go even faster, especially with how busy April is going to be. Between the Aid to South Africa Carnival and my participation in the Crossroads Conference for HON 310, it will certainly be an exciting month.
I like to think of March as the bridge to promising times ahead. The month where the days grow longer, the weather gets warmer, and life starts to blossom forth. After midterms season, I am sure that we all need this sort of positivity. As I am almost reaching the halfway point in my undergraduate education, there’s one word that I hear pretty consistently: BURNOUT. It can be so challenging when you feel as if you are pushing yourself to a point of physical and mental exhaustion to make it by in classes. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. I think one of the best lessons I have learned in college is that you have to listen to your body as much as possible. Taking care of yourself is nothing to be ashamed of, and actually allows you to be more productive overall. My goal is to make March a month free of burnout and full of self-discovery.
There are so many exciting topics to read about in this edition of H.S.A. Happenings, so I don’t want to hold up your reading any longer, but I will give a quick overview of the articles for this month. This edition includes a Capstone highlight of Rebecca Eck-Olsen’s International Student Mentorship Program, a recap of Aid to South Africa’s Battle for the Crown, a Research Corner highlighting students participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute, and Alex Chura’s efforts in running Better Together Day. Happy reading!
Sincerely,
March Capstone Highlight
By: Rebecca Eck-Olsen
For this month’s Capstone Highlight, Rebecca Eck-Olsen shares her efforts in creating an International Student Mentorship Program:
Being an International Student for almost three years now, I would claim I have experienced some of the ups and downs we face by having little to no guidance on campus. Because of this, I am in the process of creating an International Student Mentorship Program (ISMP), which will be peer-to-peer, to help students assimilate to and understand the American culture. The program will not only help incoming students (who have no network or family in the USA) receive guidance, but my theory is that it will also allow the students to quickly practice the language and form connections on campus so they feel comfortable attending student organizations. Sadly, international students tend to not join any campus events, nor do they usually know about upcoming events. The ISMP will also provide an opportunity for international students who have been in the US for a little to gain valuable leadership skills that they can bring with them for the rest of their lives.
In combination with the Mentorship Program, I have started the process of creating a Phi Beta Delta chapter at West Chester University. This is an Honor Society for International Students and/or International Program students. My belief is that by creating a chapter specifically for International Students and Programs, we can advocate for more change on campus. With more leadership opportunities (such as being a mentor through the International Student Mentorship Program, among other opportunities) I hope being part of a distinguished Honor Society can act as an incentive to advocate for more change on campus. It is the least we can offer to anyone whose goal is to make this campus better for those who travel to nothing.
The International Student Mentorship Program is set to begin in the Fall of 2022, where incoming international students will be able to meet their future mentors during New Student Orientation. The timeline for Phi Beta Delta is set to hopefully be ready for Fall 2022 as well, if not during the Spring depending on the time needed to start a chapter.
If anyone has started a chapter of their own on campus and would like to give Rebecca some advice to assist her in her project please email her at RE936346@wcupa.edu!
Battle for the Crown
By: Grace Nicholas and Carly Lare
On February 24th, Aid to South Africa was grateful for another successful Battle for the Crown, which raised $1331.50 in under two hours! Seven contestants highlighted their style, talents, and worldviews while racking up donations from the audience. These lovely contestants were Joe Blaney, Owen Cutler, Matt Cobos, Nolan Hibsman, Eli Leighton, Ronan McDermott, and Sarah Richie. Ronan McDermott was this year’s winner, and he was crowned by last year’s winner, Sarah Leinhauser!
Some highlights included fishbowl questions asked by Julie Stinson, this year’s Miss WCU, such as, “Which professor would you choose to be stranded on an island with?” or, “If you could be any vegetable, what vegetable would you be?” There was also a wide array of talents displayed, including music, magic, dancing, art, and even some knot tying!
On behalf of Aid to South Africa, we are so grateful to everyone who came out to support our cause. Every penny will be distributed between the beneficiaries of Aid to South Africa: H.E.L.P Ministries soup kitchen, Nkosi’s Haven, and Mosaic International. Our goal for this year is to raise $12,000 and we are well on our way. Save the date for our Carnival on Sunday, April 3rd in the academic quad!
Below are pictures of the contestants and some quotes about their experience competing in Battle for the Crown this year!
Quotes:
Joe: “Battle for the Crown was such a great experience and having the opportunity to help others while having fun with my friends was awesome!”
Owen: "It's great to help raise money for Nkosi's Haven and our other beneficiaries. Plus, my talent was knot that bad!"
Matt: "One of the best nights I've had at college so far. I was upset when I missed my freshman year due to covid, but events like this show me that I made the right decision in coming to WCU and in joining the Honors College"
Nolan: “I’m honored that I was able to participate in such an awesome event. Not only was it a ton of fun (a rather magical evening), but we were able to raise so much money for Aid to South Africa! I want to thank everyone who was involved- from our wonderful audience to our event coordinators who worked so hard. Expect to see me back next year, I’m coming back for that crown.”
Ronan: “Battle for the Crown was an exciting and rewarding experience! It is always great to see the Honors community come together and support such an important cause as Aid to South Africa. I am excited to see how this event will continue to grow in the future. Make sure you come out to the Aid to South Africa Festival!”
Spotify Playlist!!!
Better Together Day
By: Alex Chura
Better Together Day began as a project of the Interfaith Youth Core to educate college students about the importance of interfaith cooperation. Back in the fall of 2020, I along with Honors alumni Breanna Micolupo initiated virtual Better Together Days. We created a weeklong virtual campaign designed to celebrate interfaith leadership at West Chester. This year, the Interfaith Action Committee brought Better Together Day in person on March 24th in Sykes Ballroom. I have the honor of being the first Interfaith Action Committee coordinator. Several student-led religious organizations and outside religious organizations were present. Our hope was to show students how different organizations from different traditions can come together to make West Chester a more inclusive campus. There were personalized prizes and a live performance from the Honors Student Association choir. We also hosted keynote speaker, Parth Bhansali from the Interfaith Youth Core. Parth spoke of the importance of being an interfaith leader when creating genuine connections with others. We hope that everyone who participated in the Better Together Day celebrations realized the need for interfaith action on campus and the effect it could have on our lives.
Research Corner
By: Jocelyn Brown
Congratulations to all of the Honors students who applied for and will be participating in the 2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI)! This is one of WCU’s largest, funded research opportunities for undergraduate research! If you are interested in participating in SURI in the future, Research Scholars is a great place to start and find the faculty member that will apply with you! For now, let’s hear this year’s recipients talk about their projects:
Ronan McDermott: My SURI research project will focus on improving the Peer Leadership Program. This summer, I will be researching into collegiate peer mentorship programs across the world, how they work, and how this research can be applied to the future of PLP. As I conduct the research in May and June, I will be looking to create focus groups from people who have participated in the program, so please reach out if you've been a part of PLP and would like to help!”
Grace Montgomery and Brian Lynch: "For my Honors Capstone project, Brian Lynch and I have paired up with Dr. Angela Guerriero, head of WCU's Music Therapy department, to add supports and accommodations to the annual Concert on the Quad event on campus. By increasing the event’s inclusivity, we hope to involve as many individuals from the local community as possible without compromising the content of the concert. The event will take place on May 5 from 4:30-7:00pm in the Academic Quad. Over the summer, I will be focusing on the event’s success by conducting semi-structured interviews with concert attendees, musicians, and volunteers. Through this research, we hope to improve the event’s accessibility and create a sustainable NICE (Neurodiverse Inclusive Campus Event) concert for years to come.”
James Lingman: “I'll be researching death-omens in Ammianus Marcellinus’ Res Gestae as examples of reconstructed identity and inter-religious polemic during the 4th-century pagan revival. Built on foundational research undertaken in the Spring 2022 semester, I will analyze passages 30.5.15-19 and 31.1.1-5 from Ammianus' fourth-century history of the Romans. From that analysis, I hope to provide my interpretation of the historiographical inclusion of death-omens, with a specific focus on the pagan revival thesis introduced by historian Alan Cameron and identity theories introduced by Kathryn Woodward.”
Joe Blaney: “My planned research for SURI is attempting to understand the experiences of individuals who leave the alt-right pipeline. How were they able to escape the digital indoctrination, and what or who influenced their actions?”
Credits:
Created by Leela Rose, Graphic Design Editor | Edited by Sophia Shaloka, Director | Leela Rose & Allison Farrell, Assistant Directors | Dr. Martin & Dr. Wooten, Faculty Advisors | Created with an image by 165106 - "clover green four leaf clover"