The Immaculatan - Immaculata University

Immaculatan
The
The Student Newspaper of Immaculata University Since 1934
APRIL 2, 2014 · Vol. LXXX, No. 6
The Time of Our Lives: Senior Ball 2014
Rebecca Gutherman ’14
Staff Writer
After eight months of
surveying, scoping out locations, contacting various
caterers and budgeting, Senior Ball finally took place.
The Class Council of 2014
worked diligently every
week since the beginning of
the school year to find the
perfect location, the best
food, the closest and best
venue, the least amount of
expenses, and of course,
a big enough dance floor.
When the council was
stumped, they even surveyed the entire senior class
for suggestions on pricing,
distances and dates. Finally,
the council decided: Doubletree, Valley Forge, March
22, 2014 7:30-11:30. Tickets
wer sold a week in advance
and due to an increase in in-
terest, the council extended
Senior Ball Ticket Sales up
until a few days before the
actual event. The deposit
was made and everything
was set.
The afternoon of the
dance, Ladies and Gentlemen in the Senior class
were preparing themselves.
Many students had reserved
rooms at the hotel in which
they could get ready while
others decided to get ready
on campus and come back
after the dance. Around
four o’clock, a group of
handsome young men
and beautiful young ladies
dressed in their evening finest gathered in the rotunda
for pictures. Couples stood
together, people stood
alone and modeled and
there was even a large group
photo taken with some serious and not so serious fac-
Provided By Rebecca Gutherman
es. Before the group knew
it, it was time to get in the
car and head to the dance.
However, some people had
other stops to make.
After working the entire
day at the Motherhouse,
I came home early to get
ready for the dance. The
nuns were all excited to
hear about my preparations
for the dance, but I couldn’t
put into words how or what
I was feeling. The best way
was to show them. So, before I drove to the hotel, I
stopped back at work to see
the Sisters, many of whom
had never seen me in something other than jeans and
a sweatshirt. They were
shocked that I could clean
up so nicely. After a few pictures, there was one more
stop: Sister Marcille. Yes,
my friends, I got to see the
infamous, beauty herself in
my gown. Nothing from
the night made me happier
than visiting the nuns in my
dress.
Seniors and their guests
arrived at random before
the dance to get ready.
CONTINUED ON PG.
2 “SENIOR BALL 2014”
16th Annual SEPCHE Honors Conference
Allison Wentzell ’16
Co-Editor-in-Chief
On March 22, 2014,
twelve of the students in
the Immaculata Honor’s
program, accompanied by
members of Immaculata’s
faculty, attended the Sixteenth annual SEPCHE
Honors Conference for a
mind enriching day of presentations. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education
(SEPCHE) is a consortium
of eight independent higher
education institutions in the
Greater Philadelphia region. This year’s SEPCHE
Honors Conference was
hosted by Gwynedd Mercy
University. All eight of the
SEPCHE institutions were
in attendance; they include:
huMAN iNTEREST
2
Arcadia University, Cabrini College, Chestnut Hill
College, Gwynedd Mercy
University, Holy Family University, Immaculata
University, Neumann University, and Rosemont University.
The students and faculty
in attendance were welcomed to Gwynedd Mercy
University early Saturday
morning and enjoyed a light
breakfast and inspiring musical performances by three
of Chestnut Hill College’s
exceptionally talented students, before continuing on
with the day. There time
there was split into three
hour long sessions in which
four to five students presented their research projects that they had perfected
during the recent semester.
Students and faculty enjoyed
the comforts and technology of Gwynedd Mercy’s
newest academic building,
University Hall, pictured to
the right, during many of
the presentations. The topics of these sessions ranged
from biology to international relations to sociology and
every possible subject in between. In addition, there
were fascinating displays of
different modes of artwork
by some of the honors students on display for those in
attendance to enjoy.
Each session included incredibly diverse topics that
were presented by individual students and groups.
The presentations were followed by thought provoking commentary that further enhanced the learning
experience. In total approximately 150 SEPCHE honors students participated
in this day of learning and
each and every presentation
was unique. It was clear to
those in attendance that the
presenters had a passion for
their particular topic, which
was infectious to those lis-
tening. It was impossible
for anyone in attendance to
walk away from this experience without not only gaining valuable knowledge,
but also an intrigue to dig
deeper into the topics they
were given the chance to
learn about.
OP/ED
ON THE HILL Sports
Entertainment
3
4&5
Provided by Gwynedd Mercy University
The newest academic buidling, University Hall, where the
majority of the presentations took place.
6
7
Page 2
April 2, 2014
Human Interest
The Immaculatan
National Catholic Sisters Week Remembering A Star
Rebecca Gutherman ’14
Staff Writer
As many are aware, March
is Women’s History Month.
During this month important women throughout history are remembered and
commemorated.
Various
events made possible only
by women are celebrated
and feminists go crazy.
While this month began as
a small celebration in 1987,
National Women’s Day
(March 8) was celebrated
for the first time in 1911.
The month as many see it
is a day to celebrate women
and their accomplishments
which are so far under the
carpet and often not in the
history books. This is great
celebration for women everywhere, but there was
one thing missing. Sister
Mary Soher, OP and Molly
Hazleton along with St.
Catherine’s University in St.
Paul, Minnesota, and the
Hilton Foundation brought
the missing piece to life on
March 7.
On March 7, 2014, women religious (AKA nuns/
sisters) of various religious
communities from all over
the United States and young
college aged women gathered for the first annual National Catholic Sisters Week
Kick-Off weekend at St.
Catherine’s University. I was
lucky enough to be a part of
that conference. The weekend included various talks
and seminars on women
religious in history, accomplishments of women religious, stories of women
religious and ways to pre-
serve even more stories of
women religious. The missing link in Women’s History
Month, according M&M as
they were called was that
women religious were left
out even more in the history books because not only
were they women, but they
were Catholic women religious sisters and nuns practicing humility under the
direction of the men in the
church. Not that practicing
the vow of obedience is a
bad thing, but these women
needed to share their stories of establishing the first
hospitals, schools and other
charitable organizations in
the United States.
The conference was
meant to not only encourage women religious and
young women to share the
stories of the past women
religious in history, but also
to capture the stories of today. I was blessed to share
my weekend with Sister Angela Szczawinska, CSFN,
who shared a bit of her
discernment story with me.
The best part about that
was being able to share my
discernment story with her.
We, along with many other
sisters, bonded over liturgies, talks, prayer and meals
and shared lots and lots of
stories. The weekend was a
sign of hope not only for
me but for many women
religious who, at the end of
the meeting, said that their
hope in young vocations
was restored. I was glad I
could do that for them.
National Catholic Sisters
Week was celebrated from
March 8 – 14 so that meant
Provided by Rebecca Gutherman
Rebecca Gutherman (L), Molly Hazelton (M) and Sister Angela (R), CSFN, during their time at St. Catherine’s Univeristy.
it wasn’t over when I got on
the plane and headed back
home to Philadelphia. As
many know, our campus is
so special because of the
beautiful belles in blue that
inhabit it. So, my mission of
spreading the NCSW good
news was far from being
over. I began by wishing all
of our IHM Sisters a happy
NCSW. They were doubly
confused. So then my mission continued by explaining it to each of them. I gave
multiple hugs of nun love
and encouraged everyone to
thank at least one Sister for
the gift of her vocation. Of
course, if one paid attention
enough to our digital advertising boards, one couldn’t
miss the wonderful slideshow of our IHM Sisters
simply being beautiful in
their day to day ministries.
Each day I gave an online
Sister Shout-Out and encouraged each of the Sisters
to keep on living out their
vocations. Of course, my
favorite part of the week
was explaining what I did in
Minnesota the second half
of Spring Break and asking
to hear the Sisters’ stories.
While National Catholic
Sisters Week is over and
Women’s History Month is
quickly coming to a close,
it’s important that all women (and men) remember the
importance of women religious in the world today.
Without them we would not
have had the first hospitals,
the first schools or even the
first options for the poor.
It’s important to remember
and thank each of the beautiful Sisters on our campus
for the gift of their vocation
because without them, Immaculata would not be Immaculata. Of course, I must
remember to constantly encourage my Sisters to share
their stories so we can make
history. Thanks, beautiful
belles in blue for everything
you do for Immaculata and
the world. One Sister can
change the world.
Provided by davehousley.com
Michael Jackson gives a peace sign to a swarm of fans and
reporters stationed outside London’s O2 Arena on March
5, 2009 for the announcement of his comeback/farewell
tour, This Is It. Unfortunately, this would later turn out to
be Michael’s last public appearance.
Luke Keeler ’16
Sports Editor
June 25, 2014, will mark
the fifth anniversary since
the tragic end of the greatest entertainer of all-time.
Michael Joseph Jackson was
born to a family of eight on
August 29th, 1958, in Gary,
Indiana. He started his music career with his brothers,
Jermaine, Tito, Jackie, Marlon, and later on, Randy in
1964 then later began his
career as a solo artist in
1971 with the release of his
single, “Got to Be There”.
In the early 1980s Michael’s
career and popularity soared
dramatically with the release
of his 1982 album, Thriller
which still stands today as
the best-selling album of
all-time. In March of 2009,
Jackson announced that he
was planning on making a
comeback tour entitled This
Is It to close out his career.
However on June 25th,
Jackson passed away of cardiac arrest. At that time he
was just 18 days away from
starting the shows and just
two months from celebrating his 51st birthday. However, like all others, Jackson
lives on in his music and
no one will ever forget the
talent, success and love he
brought to the world.
Senior Ball 2014
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1
There was a constant, steady
stream of beautiful people
walking in and out of the
lobby. The council didn’t
need to do much to help
set up the ballroom and so
there was plenty of time
to take even more pictures
in the hotel. Cameras and
family members were everywhere. It was like a throwback to Senior Prom 2010.
Finally, the dance started
with dinner. Some students,
like Theresa Stamegna, can
describe every serving she
ate in full detail; it was that
good.
Soon enough, the line to
the drink station formed
and dancing began. Without
fail, the majority of the class
was on the dance floor, the
whole time. Jack Merrylees
even commented at one
point that there were less
than twelve people sitting
at a table at any given time,
that’s how many people
were dancing. The DJ, an
Immaculata Alum, played
everything from the Cotton
Eye Joe and Chicken Fried
to the Macarena. The only
set back of the night was a
broken glass on the dance
floor which paused the music for about three minutes
and people danced on the
sidelines to the “No Music”
song. No one wanted to
go home at the end of the
night. A good time was had
by all.
Page 3
April 2, 2014
The Immaculatan
Opinion & editorial
Living Without Media: Seems Easy, Right?
Kristin Lynch ’17
Staff Writer
I initially harbored an
overly confident attitude
towards the Sans Media
Assignment distributed in
COM: 227, Decoding the
Media. As I read the directions, I thought smugly to
myself, “This assignment
should be an easy A. I rarely
engage in media consumption; I generally can’t sit
still long enough to watch
a movie, and the majority of television shows currently airing on TV fail to
capture my attention. I can
easily survive without the
media for a couple of days,
no sweat.” The instructions
suggested that living without the media for any length
of time would be nearly impossible, “…the struggles
you are engaged in…” (will
not be struggles for me)
“…and the ultimate disappointment you experience
when you give in…” (but I
won’t give in…) Let me tell
you just how horrendously
wrong I was:
9:00am Tuesday: My
alarm clock bellows; I begrudgingly roll out of bed,
and mentally prepare myself for another taxing day
of challenging classes, coping with everyday stuggles.
Worst of all: in 30 minutes,
I will be making my lengthy
expedition through the
bone-chilling tundra (AKA:
a 5 minute walk) to my first
class of the day.
As I make my way to the
sink to brush my teeth, I
instinctively flip the switch
on my portable speaker and
blare some music from my
iPod, in an attempt to muffle my daily morning grumbles. I listened to music for
about 10 minutes while I
put myself together, before
it dawned on me: 10 minutes into day one sans media, and I had already failed.
I switched the stereo off,
and finished getting ready
in silence. “I can brush
that one under the rug; I’ll
just continue through the
rest of the day without any
strain of media.” The rest
of the day went fairly well. I
walked to class for the first
time in a long time without headphones affixed to
my ears, and I resisted the
urge to check my Twitter
and Facebook accounts between classes.
1:00pm Tuesday: After
my Spanish class, I met up
with a few of my friends in
the cafeteria for lunch. We
sat around the table and
chatted about our classes
and our plans for the weekend while we ate. When the
conversation came to a lull,
I mindlessly looked up at
the TV suspended from the
cafeteria ceiling and caught
a glimpse of what I assumed to be a soap opera.
Who watches soap operas
at one o’clock in the afternoon (or at any time of the
day, for that matter), anyway? I made one innocent
glance in the wrong direction, and failed, yet again,
at my attempt to evade all
strains of the media.
The rest of Tuesday,
as well as the entirety of
Wednesday, were equally
unsuccessful. Audrey Hepburn hangs proudly above
my roommate’s bed; Minions (from Despicable
Me) adorn the hallways of
DeChantal Hall. “...I came
in like a wrecking ball…”
plays every time my roommate’s mother calls her. For
goodness’ sake, I couldn’t
even avoid the media in the
shower. Some misguided
soul thought it would be
appropriate to play My Big
Green Tractor over their
iPhone’s speakers in the
dormitory’s shower room.
The media is here, there,
and everywhere; and I made
it 18 years in this world
without ever realizing it.
All accidental engagements
with the media aside, I
honestly was not sure what
to do with my newfound
leisure time. Without the
distraction of Twitter and
Facebook, I was able to
complete my homework
in a significantly shorter
amount of time. Before this
assignment, I had not realized how many hours of my
time I was throwing away
Provided by research.usc.edu
by allowing social media to
distract me while I worked
on my assignments. This
discovery was the most
valuable. However, I cannot honestly say that this
knowledge will permanently change my work habits;
the likelihood of falling
back into a pattern of losing focus while working is,
regrettably, fairly high.
By working more efficiently on my homework,
I gained approximately 2
hours of leisure time. Unfortunately, I had no idea
what to do with the time
that I had gained, since all
strains of the media were
prohibited. I annoyed my
roommate for a little while,
and I gave my dad a call and
annoyed him for a short period of time as well. I spent
about 45 minutes working
on a new sketch before I
eventually grew bored with
that, and decided to just go
to bed.
What would I (and the rest
of my generation) do without all of the various forms
of media? If the Internet,
the radio, music, television,
movies, magazines, and
books all suddenly ceased
to exist tomorrow, what
would happen? How would
our society react? Panic and
dismay would likely ensue.
I realize now that the media surrounds me, and that
I need only to make a conscious effort to notice it. It
is important to be aware of
the fact that, even if only
subconsciously, I consume
considerably more media in
a given day than I had initially believed prior to this
assignment. I must admit,
I was thoroughly disheartened by my inability to refrain from engaging in the
media for even a single day;
but I pose the question: is it
even possible?
A Tale of Forgiveness: Terri Roberts Speaks
Jacqueline Jewell ’16
Staff Writer
Provided by crossmap.christianpost.com
What does it mean to forgive? Can we learn how to
release the feelings of anger,
bitterness, and resentment
that inhabit our hearts from
an act of injustice? Can we
leave justice in God’s hands?
What happens if our kin is
the one who committed the
sin that we now have to suffer for? Terri Roberts tells
her amazing story of the
Amish forgiveness for the
sinful actions of her son.
Terri asks, “How do we
respond when life circum-
stances shatter our lives?”
On March 18, 2014, at 9:45
AM in Sister Sheila Galligan’s Theology class we had
a surprise guest speaker,
Terri Roberts is the mother
of Charles Carl Roberts IV
who on October 2, 2006
shot and injured five Amish
girls while killing five others
in a school nearby, before
taking his own life.
“A root of bitterness
never brings peace,” These
powerful words were spoken by Mrs. Roberts during
her visit. On the same day
of the tragedy Mrs. Roberts
received a series of bless-
ing from the Amish and
that blessing was the gift of
forgiveness. Although they
had morned over the lost
of their young daughters,
they had nothing but love
to give. Is that not a miracle
in itself ? Mrs. Roberts, after
losing her son, had her own
battles with forgiveness.
She could have remained
angry at Charles; she could
have refused to claim
him as her son, but she
found the strength not to.
CONTINUED ON PG. 8
“MOTHER OF SHOOTER
TELLS STORY”
Page 4
April 2, 2014
On The Hill
The Immaculatan
Yes... AND Playback Theatre Performs at IU
Kristin Lynch ’17
Staff Writer
Immaculata University
was honored to host the
incredibly talented and
highly imaginative, “Yes…
AND Playback Theatre”,
on Thursday, March 20,
2014. The Playback Theatre is a group of gifted actors and actresses who put a
unique and innovative spin
on the conventional notion
of a theatrical performance.
Unlike standard theatrical
plays, The Playback Theatre
performs unrehearsed and
unscripted shows, and requires performers to think
on their feet and act offthe-cuff, all whilst creating
the illusion of an exquisitely
choreographed show. The
Playback Theatre not only
welcomes, but also necessitates audience participation,
as they pose thought-provoking questions to the au-
dience, and then reenact or
“play back” the audiences’
responses.
“Yes…AND
Playback
Theatre” was founded in
1975, and has since spread
to an astonishing 50 countries. Their mission is “to
improve collective mutual
understanding by fostering a continual, honest
and artistic dialogue about
the human experience, as
[they] listen, honor and play
back stories from individuals, communities and organizations.” The Playback
Theatre is more than just a
channel for artistic expression; it is a tool used to establish social change.
The play performed at
Immaculata
University
was entitled, “Immigration: What’s Your Story?”
The performers opened the
show with, “We all have an
immigration story – if we
know it, or not. Who cre-
ated boundaries, anyway?
Be kind to the stranger,
you were once a stranger
yourself. No human being
is illegal. We all migrate, all
the time.” These powerful
words encapsulate the overarching message of The
Playback Theatre’s performance.
As the show progressed,
various members of the Immaculata community readily shared their own personal
immigration stories and experiences. The atmosphere
was non-judgmental, and
conducive to enthusiastic
audience participation. Patrick Seyler, the director of
the performance, suggested
to the Immaculata community, “All of us have felt like
an outsider as some point in
our lives; perhaps some of
you experienced this feeling
during your first year of college?” The Playback Theatre did a phenomenal job
Provided by Immaculata University
of conveying the immigrant
experience to an audience
consisting predominately of
college students.
Immaculata University’s
Student Development and
Engagement
graciously
sponsored the play, in collaboration with the Global
Languages and Culture Department. The “Yes…AND
Playback Theatre” captivated the audience with their
spur-of-the-moment skits
and successfully shed light
upon the many challenges
faced by immigrants.
Finding Personal Legends Through Legos
Marie Hoban ’15
Contributing Writer
This week, students in
Professor John Church’s
COM 230: Global Media
class were assigned an unusual task. Each student was
presented 20 Lego pieces at
random along with a Lego
figurine. Students were
asked to create a physical
representation of what each
believed to be their own
personal legend, as depicted
in the week’s assigned reading, The Alchemist by Paulo
Coelho.
Provided by Lydia Szyjka
Molly Truitt (L) and Anthony Camarota (R) enjoying their time constructing there personal Lego legends.
The novel follows the
protagonist Santiago on his
journey towards realizing
his personal legend, conveying the importance in
living a life of meaning and
purpose. In this way, The
Alchemist and the recently
released Lego Movie share
similar themes, with the lat-
Provided by Lydia Szyjka
Professor Church’s Global Media class used their personal creativity to create unique
Lego figures that reflect the concepts conveyed in Coelho’s novel.
ter’s protagonist Emmett
leading a menial and unexamined life until he is called
to action and ultimately
finds his purpose. This
melding of current popular culture with the course
material is representative of
Professor Church’s teaching
style, emphasizing the student’s ability to personally
relate to the concepts being
taught, leading to a more
comprehensive understanding.
The Lego assignment
provided students the opportunity to relate the ideas
found in The Alchemist with a
familiar childhood pastime,
while encouraging creativity and energizing an early
morning class. Even more
importantly, the task reiterated the sentiments found
in The Alchemist: knowledge
is most fully found through
the happenings of life, and
everyone’s personal legend
is unique, with the ability to
be found only by the individual in search of it.
The Alchemist, The Lego Movie, and Professor Church’s
assignment act as important
reminders to experience
things beyond the everyday
routines with which we become accustomed, and to
actively participate in an attempt to find our purpose
as individuals.
Page 5
April 2, 2014
On The Hill
The Immaculatan
Alternate Spring Break in Kensington, PA
Rebecca Gutherman ’14
Staff Writer
Either you know Kensington or you don’t. If you
don’t know Kensington,
you’re shocked when you
hear about it. If you know
Kensington, you know to
stay away after dark…or
even during the day. If you
are a Philadelphia native,
you grew up in the know to
never go down Kensington
Avenue under the El and
if, God forbid, you had to,
you were to drive with the
windows up and make eye
contact with no one. Why?
Kensington is the badlands. It’s the land of the
drug lords, prostitutes, and
death. Kensington is the
place where hope is never
spoken about because there
it doesn’t seem to exist. But
the students who participated in the alternate spring
break overnight in Kensington might beg to differ.
Eight Students, freshwomen to seniors, along
with Sister Cathy Nally and
Fr. Chris Rogers, ventured
down to the Blessed Sarnelli House on Kensington
Avenue right under the El.
After passing the two row
home like buildings once,
the group quickly recognized the red door; the only
signage pointing anyone to
the BSH. There the group
met Edward, the twenty
year old on a year of service who ran the whole operation. He welcomed the
group to the house in which
they were staying which was
a bit on the frigid side and
then walked the group over
to the place where everything happens.
The group was given the
low down on what would
happen in the next few
hours and they suddenly
there was action. Half the
group worked serving the
home cooked meal that
Edward had prepared with
another long time volunteer while the other half of
the group mingled. Typically on Friday nights, the
Blessed Sarnelli House was
not open for dinner but due
to a “huge” group of volunteers, it was possible. Many
of the homeless from Kensington go to the BSH for
dinner when it is open (on
Tuesdays and Thursdays)
and have created a community of sorts. Everyone
who walked through the
front door seemed to know
one another. The group
that wasn’t serving dinner
mingled with the people as
they ate dinner. Many made
new friends and created a
Provided by Rebecca Gutherman
great atmosphere of conversation. This went one for
about two hours.
After dinner, was done
being served, the group
themselves then sat down
for dinner which essentially
consisted of leftovers and
good conversation. The
group discussed the immediate feeling of humility
and the culture shock of
immense poverty. For some
in the group, however,
it was no shock and there
was a comfort in being with
the homeless. Of course, a
conversation wouldn’t be
complete at the dinner table
without some great laughter
and story sharing.
The night ended with a
reflection on the Holy Father’s Lenten message and
a realization that both the
pipes in the volunteer house
were frozen. This meant
no running water which
meant no sinks, no showers, and no toilets. Good
luck, kids. The bathroom
routine was quite humorous
as the group got used to the
fact that they would have to
travel back and forth to the
other house for bathrooms,
but it was a clear reminder
that even without running
water, the group still had
more than most of the people they had met only a few
hours prior. Another thing
the group quickly learned
not to take for granted?
Heat. That night was a code
blue in Philadelphia which
meant that the temperature
dropped below 26 degrees
and homeless shelters were
required to make room for
any who knocked on their
door.
The next morning, the
day began with Mass and
a simple breakfast of cereal. After this, the group
took a “tour” of the section of Kensington to give
a reality to the stories they
had heard last night during
dinner. It was definitely an
eye-opening experience for
many. During the day the
group worked on clearing
and cleaning up the back
yard of bricks and snow.
The group also worked on
some handiwork inside the
volunteer house. It was a
day full of laughter, joy, and
service. Father Chris broke
out his strength to carry
loads (literally) of bricks
around the building and
Sister Cathy gained the nick
name, Dust Nunny, from all
her devout sweeping inside.
Later in the afternoon, the
group enjoyed a visit from
IU Alum, Teena Weisler,
who frequents the Blessed
Sarnelli House as a volunteer herself.
The group thoroughly enjoyed the eye-opening experience in Kensington and
ended the alternate spring
break overnight by stopping at Cabrini to cheer on
the IU Women’s basketball
team in their last game of
the year.
Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane: Villa Maria
Sister Anne Marie
Burton, IHM, Ed.D.
Contributing Writer
September, 2014 marks
the 100th anniversary of
Villa Maria. In October,
1908 Mother Camilla received permission from
Archbishop Ryan of the
archdiocese of Philadelphia to build a new facility
in Frazer, Pennsylvania, for
the Girls’ Academy which
was located in West Chester. Groundbreaking for
this venture took place on
November 6, 1908. The sisters from the Motherhouse,
Father Spaulding, the pastor
of Saint Agnes parish, and
school girls from the West
Chester school participated
in the ceremony. Carrying
a statue of Our Lady to the
new school site, they sang
hymns and prayed for the
success of the project. According to the memoirs of
Sister Mary Cosmas they
placed the statue of Our
Lady on a wooden stand
that had been provided for
this purpose.
The planning for this new
venture was extensive. The
services of the architects
and engineers Ballinger
and Perrot of Philadelphia
were engaged. Many letters
concerning the ordering
of supplies and salaries for
the construction workers
are examples of the business acumen of Mother
Camilla. Even though the
focus of the first phase of
construction was on Villa
Maria Hall, there is evidence
of the planning for Nazareth Hall and Lourdes Hall.
In addition to the school
building, planning for the
Power House, building of
roads, as well as the Grotto
was conducted with the architects. Correspondence
between the Sisters and the
architects showed the business sense possessed by the
Sisters. Payment of bills and
accounting for all expenses
were carefully documented.
The architect’s description
of the President’s Office
matches exactly the way
the office looks today. The
mantelpiece with a large
safe constructed beneath it
Provided by Sister Anne Marie Burton
Does this building look familiar? This is a view from what
is known to the IU community today as front campus of
Villa Maria upon its completion in 1914.
as well as the surrounding
bookcases remain today in
the manner in which they
were built in 1912.
The building of the new
facility began in 1912. This
construction would house
the Academy for Girls, both
elementary and secondary students, as well as the
future Villa Maria College.
On September 14, 1914, the
school was completed.
Page 6
April 2, 2014
Sports
The Immaculatan
Mighty Macs Kick off Spring Season in High Gear
Luke Keeler ’16
Sports Editor
As we round the corner
of the final stretch before
the last weeks of the semester, Immaculata University’s
spring teams look to make
strides to a potential postseason berth. While some
of the teams are kicking off
their seasons into high gear,
others seem to have started
off on the wrong foot. For
instance, Softball, Baseball, and Men & Women’s
Track have started strong
out of the gate. But on the
other hand, Men’s Tennis
and Lacrosse, and Women’s
Lacrosse have started on a
rough stretch.
Men & Women’s Track
In spite of not recording
a score at the Golden Ram
Invitational at West Chester University on Saturday,
March 22nd, there were
many positives to take from
this event. Sophomore Angel Rodriguez once again
continues to shine as the
top runner for this Mighty
Macs team. As stated on
“gomightymacs.com,” Rodriguez beat a 27-man field
with a time of 4:07.61, and
for the third time in his career at the Golden Ram Invitational, Rodriguez won
the 1,500-meter race. The
men’s track & field team will
now move on to its next
outdoor meet on April 5th
at the Millersville Invitational.
Women’s Track & Field
did not record a score at the
Golden Ram Invitational
either. On the positive side,
Junior Alex Okoro had the
best finish overall for the
Angel Rodriguez pictured
during the race that would
be his third win of the
1,500-meter race at the
Golden Ram Invitational.
Mighty Macs. She had a
throw of 30.57 meters to
come in fifth in the 17-person field, placing herself
in fifth overall. As reported from “gomightymacs.
com,” freshman Diana Cusick continues to build her
strong indoor season finishing in 11th place in the
1,500-meter, with a time of
5:18.86 and later 8th place
in the 800-meter with a time
of 2:34.60. The women’s
track & field team will now
move on to its next outdoor
meet on April 5th at the
Millersville Invitational.
challenging for us, and this
time I want everyone to get
involved and be energized.
So far, I think we have that.”
Unfortunately, those words
have seemed not to have
reached the bridge. Following the cancellation of
their season opener against
Wesley College, the Mighty
Macs have opened up the
young season at 0-6, overall. From the statistics, opponents have outscored the
Macs by a total of 77-30.
Their closest match so far
was an 11-15 defeat to Misericordia University. On
the bright side, this men’s
Women’s Lacrosse
team is very young (16
Immaculata Women’s La- freshmen). Hopefully, in
crosse came into this season the near the future this will
looking to maintain the suc- work to the Mighty Macs’
cess from last year. In the advantage.
first two games the Lady
Macs came out on fire, with
Men’s Tennis
wins against Rutgers-CamImmaculata Men’s Tenden, and Bryn Mawr. How- nis looked to build from
ever, in the last four games its amazing turnaround last
the Mighty Macs have ap- year that placed the team
peared to be off their game, in the CSAC Championfalling to Albright, Rowan, ship for the first time ever
and their first two confer- in program history. Howence games against both ever, things have started out
Neumann and Marywood. pretty rough for the Mighty
Currently, opponents have Macs (0-3, 0-0 CSAC), who
averaged about 14 goals a have dropped the first three
game against the Macs, who non-conference matches of
as a team only averaged just the season to Eastern, Miaround 10. On the positive sericordia and Stevenson.
side, senior midfielder Katie Also with the departure of
Cook has been the overall last season star players T.J.
superstar of this Mighty Klinger, Eric Schmidt, Todd
Macs team. She has been Stokley and Joe Walker, the
named the CSAC Player of guys have been left with just
the Week, and in the game six on the roster. In spite of
against Rowan, she scored the early season struggles,
her 100th career goal as a Coach Scott remains calm
Mighty Mac. Also, in the and is certain that his boys
game against Rutgers-Cam- will rise to the occasion.
den, she tallied 11 goals, 12
points, and six draw conSoftball
trols. For the rest of the seaAfter qualifying for the
son, the girls will play five CSAC Tournament for the
of their next nine games fifth straight season, the
at home. Three of them Immaculata Softball looked
will be conference games to write its own path to
against Cedar Crest, Cabri- delivering the program’s
ni, and Gwynedd Mercy.
first conference title in Immaculata softball history. In
Men’s Lacrosse
the first 10 games, the girls
Immaculata Men’s La- have so far proven to be the
crosse looked to bounce most dominant team in all
back from a hard fought Immaculata spring sports.
season last year. Accord- After going 2-4 in the Floring to Head Coach, Mickey ida tournament, followed
Hover on “gomightymacs. by a 3-1 start to its confercom,” said, “Last year was ence schedule against Cedar
Crest and Cabrini College.
The Mighty Macs currently stand in 4th place in the
CSAC at 5-5 overall and 3-1
in CSAC. Right now, this
bunch contains a well-balanced offense led by freshman Liz Biddle, who leads
the CSAC in on base percentage at .583. The pitching staff is led by senior
Meagan Fitzgerald, who
leads the league with a 1.12
ERA. For the remainder
of this season the Mighty
Macs will play 8 of their last
13 matches at home, four
of them within the conference; against Marywood,
Cairn, Gwynedd Mercy, and
Neumann.
Baseball
After what seem like an
eternity, Immaculata’s Baseball Team was finally able to
get its CSAC schedule underway with a 3-game series
against arch-rival Neumann
University. The Knights
would end up taking 2 or
3 in the series, leaving the
Macs at 5-7 overall, 1-2 in
the CSAC. There were some
positives that emerged from
this series. Sophomore Rick
DiDomenico belted his first
college career home run.
Senior 2B/3B, Eli Vottero
continued to make contact
with his bat and also made
strong defense plays in the
infield. Sophomore, Dan
Whalen posted five strikeouts in 5 and 2/3 innings
Senior Megan Fitzgerald
was honored as CSAC Softball Pitcher of the Week on
Monday, March 24.
of work in the series against
Neumann. In fact, Whalen
has been one of the top
stars for this Mighty Macs
team this season. During
the Florida Tournament,
Whalen posted his best outing of his college career, going 6 and 2/3 innings, struck
out nine and walking none
in a win against University
of Northwestern. Also as
reported from “gomightymacs.com,” senior shortstop Joe DiGiaimo became
the second player in team
history to go over 400 at
bats with 408. Also, senior
Bryan McHale became the
school’s all-time leader in
innings pitched with 175.0.
As a team, the Mighty Macs
have proven to be the speed
demons of the CSAC. In
just 12 games, the Macs
have stolen 42 bases in 52
attempts. Both Rick DiDomenico and Jason McCormick lead the team with
eleven, respectively.
All Photographs Provided by Immaculata University
The Newest Mighty Mac
Provided by Immaculata University
Seven-year old Philip Davis from Royersford, Pa threw
the first pitch prior to IU Baseballs’ doubleheader against
Neumann University. In prior months Philip had been
diagnosed and sucessfully treated for Stage Four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system.
Thanks to team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that
is commited to improving the livs of children with life
threatening illnesses, Philip will join the team in practices and games for the remainder of the 2014 season.
Page 7
April 2, 2014
Entertainment
The Immaculatan
Film Appreciation Society’s Trip to Colonial Theatre
Francesca Macera ’14
Staff Writer
On Friday, March 14th,
the Immaculata University
Film Appreciation Society traveled to the Colonial
Theatre in Phoenixville to
view the drama The Great
Beauty (Sorrentino, 2013).
Winner of the Academy
Award for Best Foreign
Language Film, this lush yet
frenetic tale centers on the
travails of Jep Gambardella (Tony Servilo), a suave
yet lonely journalist who
yearns to pen a noteworthy
novel that will showcase his
magnificent authorial skills.
Once he celebrates his sixtieth birthday with a motley and rambunctious party
that would put those at Studio 54 greatly to shame, he
begins to comprehend how
his forays into alcohol and
the company of women are
only bedraggled masks that
he must shed. It is only then
that he is able to recognize
the splendor and majesty
that comprise the grand and
antiquated streets of Rome
and observe true beauty in a
harsh and lugubrious world.
Director Paolo Sorrentino
does a fabulous job of panning the camera across the
sloping and intricate hills
of the city and the hushed
Provided by ciclecinema.com
tranquility of the countryside, making them into
protagonists whose ancient
facades portend the possibility of hope and redemption in the near future. The
acting is first-rate, particularly from Servilo, whose
sheepish and craggy face,
despite his ebullient manner, becomes a relic itself
for the years that his character yearned desperately for
a sense of love and belonging. The Great Beauty is available currently On Demand.
On Friday, March 21st,
the Film Appreciation Society returned to the Colonial
Theatre to view the thriller
The Past (Farhadi, 2013),
which was nominated for
the Golden Globe Award
for Best Foreign Language
Film. Marie-Anne (Berenice
Béjo, who received the Best
Actress prize at the Cannes
Film Festival for her performance) is a Parisian
pharmacist who welcomes
her estranged Iranian husband, Ahmad (Ali Mosaffa),
so that she may officially
file for divorce and marry
a launderer named Samir
(Tahar Rahim). While he is
hesitant to embrace Samir,
who is about to wed his ex-
A Touching Film on the
Empowerment of Women
Luke Keeler ’16
Sports Editor
Watching the film, Girl
Rising, really left a strong
point to those who were in
attendance for this event.
This heart-warming documentary chronicles the life
of nine different girls who
were faced with extremely
hard obstacles through
most of their lives. From
back breaking slavery, to
creative paintings, and even
speaking out of term, each
girl spoke not only of what
she thought she could be
but of what she believed
she could be. In general this
film leaves thoose watching with how we should stay
Provided by cinema.com
wife, Ahmad rekindles his
relationship with his two
former stepdaughters, Léa
(Jeanne Jestin) and Lucie
(Pauline Burlet). The latter
has been particularly sullen
and abrasive toward Marie-Anne in recent weeks,
which prompts Ahmad to
soothe her concerns about
her new stepfather. In the
process, he uncovers a vile
secret that threatens to destroy the sanctity and validity of the impending union
and plunge the family into
unspeakable chaos.
Director Asghar Farhadi,
whose previous feature, A
Separation, won the Oscar
for Best Foreign Language
Film in 2012, confines the
action of this enticing drama to three central locations, which assists greatly
with his bolstering the agony of the suspense until
the explosive climax barrels
into the frame. It works well
to his advantage that he has
such a gifted and remarkable cast, with Béjo, Rahim,
and Mosaffa letting forth a
tidal wave of talent and energy. The Past will be available on DVD and Blu-ray
on March 25th.
This Lent, come and joint the
Film Appreciation Society
as they experience the greatest
story of all time!
Provided by globaleducationfund.org
true to whom we really are and
why we should never give up
hope. Everyone has a voice to
be heard. Even when a person
feels alone, in reality no person is ever alone. That is what
these girls believe in; they
never lost hope and contin-
ued to strive towards their
dreams. As long as each of
these girls keep trying to
obtain their dreams, then
maybe people around the
world will soon learn that
men are not the only powerful beings on this planet.
What: The Prince of Egypt
When: Thursday, April 3rd, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Media Classroom in Gabriele Library
If there are any questions, please contact President Francesca Macera
([email protected]).
Page 8
April 2, 2014
Mother of Shooter Tells Story
of Struggling with Forgiveness
CONTINUED FROM PG. 5
That Tuesday at IU there
was a woman who stood
tall and confident before
eighteen IU students and
reencountered her tale of
sorrow, spiritual enlightenment, and survival. She
had this uncanny way of
showing sincere humility
and gratitude through her
lecture and it appealed to
us because of the storm
she had gone through. Mrs.
Roberts had beauty in her
smile, sadness but kindness
in her eyes, glasses that rested on her head, and a purple scarf wrapped around
her neck. She was a divine
and graceful inspiration.
Every Thursday evening,
Mrs. Roberts explained,
she visits an Amish girl,
Rosanna, who survived
of the shooting but she is
now handicapped and progresses by a wheel chair and
is fed through a tube. Although it isn’t Mrs. Roberts
obligation to assist this girl,
her heart is so admirable
that she believes she should
be there. Rosanna’s family accepts and welcomes
her into their home to aid
their daughter. It still hurts,
it will always hurt, but that
doesn’t mean you can’t go
on. Terri’s strength shines
through her empowerment
and healing of God when
she wallows as she speaks
of Charlie. She quotes the
Book of Proverbs and Saint
Paul had become her “an-
The Immaculatan
The Immaculatan
April 2, 2014 · Vol. LXXX, No. 6
Editors-in-Chiefs:
Melanie Lawrence ’14
Allison Wentzell ’16
Copy Editor:
Amelia Falcone ’15
Sports Editor:
Luke Keeler ’16
Provided by Jacqueline Jewell
Sister Sheila Galligan (L) with Terri Roberts (R) after she
gave a powerful presentation on her story of sorrow and
finding forgiveness.
chor” and declares, “God
I do not understand your
ways, but I will choose to
trust you.” Sister Sheila and
the students alike listened
attentively and intensely,
there was even some tears
that sprung from the audience. She had a way of making her trials relatable to us
individually and reached
our inner sentiments on another level. “Get behind me
Satan; you caused enough
damage in our lives!” Terri
spreads her wisdom of her
experiences explaining that
“we all have a story to tell”.
Each of us could choose
to take with us different
parts of her story and apply
them to our lives, or relate
it to our own circumstances
in hopes we can strive to be
better human beings. Sister Sheila chimed in, “…
that it’s beyond human understanding.” God only
understands these things,
and sometimes we have to
seek peace and contentment
through his graces. We cannot let unhealthy anger,
hatred, unforgiving natural
control our lives. We have
to strive for greatness by reinventing our moral virtues.
Terri Roberts acquaints to
us her faith in God; she lets
us know that when we let
Him in we let bitterness and
negativity out. Everyone
goes through some kind of
struggle whether it’s with
themselves or someone else,
but in order to reconcile we
have to be able to forgive.
Do we not all have a little
Charlie in us, or Terri, or
qualities of the Amish? The
answer is “Yes we do”, but
what we choose to act on
is the challenge of who we
truly are. Forgiveness is an
act of goodness and mercy
all on its own. We, God’s
children, possess the capability of doing so, that’s
what Terri Roberts has
taught us.
The Immaculata University’s Dance Company
Hosts the 12th Annual Chester County Dance Festival
Staff Writers:
Anne Marie DeCarolis ’17
Rebecca Gutherman ’14
Jacqueline Jewell ’16
Kristin Lynch ’17
Francesca Macera ’14
Contributing Writers:
Marie Hoban ’15
Sister Anne Marie Burton, IHM, Ed.D.
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Sean Flannery
The Immaculatan is open to reader submissions and
welcomes new staff members. Contact the newspaper
through Facebook, or at [email protected] if you are interested in submitting an article for
the next edition, 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 in one
of the upcoming editions, either as a local business or as
a club or organization on campus, feel free to email us
and we will be glad to 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 our student
newspaper.
April Fun Facts
Anne Marie DeCarolis ’17
Staff Writer
since 1924.
• Penne pasta is shaped
after fountain pens.
Check out these interesting • Wawa was named after
what the Native Amerifacts:
can tribe Ojibwe called
• Planting ivy at ImmacuCanadian geese.
lata has been a tradition
When: April 26th at 7:00pm
Where: Alumnae Hall Theater
Join them in celebrating
the dancers’ talent and
the diversity of dance
styles in Chester County.
Ways and Means Information Session
April 15th from 2-3pm in Loyola 127
Clubs, organizations, and advisors are invited to come meet with the
Ways and Means Committee to discuss and undertand the process
of approving Ways and Means submissions, how to write a ways and
means that will be approved, and the criteria that the committee follows.
Provided by Anne Marie DeCarolis
Immaculata’s Grotto is pictured above. This is where every
freshman class for the past 90 years has planted their class
ivy.