fbpx News & Notes | Chestnut Hill College Skip to content Skip to navigation
Menu

News & Notes

News & Notes

Campus Ministry News

"A Way Out" drew a spellbound crowd.Campus Ministry was awarded a grant through the Association of Colleges of the Sisters of St. Joseph to run programming for National Catholic Sisters Week in March. This funding allowed CHC to welcome Kathleen Coll, SSJ, of Dawn’s Place, to speak about human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Her talk, A Way Out: Stopping Modern Day Slavery, drew a crowd of 120, all of whom were enthralled by her tales. This type of presentation allows students to engage in diverse experiences and learn from others in ways that supplement their classroom requirements in courses such as criminal justice, religious studies and global awareness, all while deepening their understanding of CHC’s mission and values.

Discussion about individual faith traditions unified the audience.

An Interfaith Prayer for Unity gathering also was held in March. An imam and a rabbi spoke about their individual faith traditions and about the need to see everyone as dear neighbors, unifying rather than dividing.  

 

A Message of Forgiveness

Marie Conn, right, stands with Eva Kor on a visit to Birkenau in Poland.Marie Conn, Ph.D., professor or religious studies, recently visited Terre Haute, IN, where she participated in a two-day strategic planning session with other supporters of the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center founded by Eva Mozes Kor, a Holocaust survivor and human rights advocate who has spread her message of forgiveness and human rights around the world. Dr. Conn was invited, along with other human rights activists, educators and community leaders to help plan for the museum’s future. 

 

Standout Students Celebrated

Congratulations to those students who were honored on May 1 at the Student Leadership Banquet and Athletic Awards ceremonies. The June issue of Connections will contain a full photo gallery and list of winners.

Chestnut Hill College congratulates the members of the College community who were inducted into honor societies during the 2016-17 academic year. In all, the College enjoys membership in 20 honor societies and saw 168 students become new members this year.

 

Learning through the Arts

Some members of the Creative Arts Method class display their work.As part of a semester-long project, the students in the Creative Arts Methods class designed materials which were turned into published books at the end of the semester. The emphasis of the course is to increase the understanding of critical and creative thinking as primary ways to achieve real-world problem solving across academic disciplines in pre-service teachers. These books also become a resource for students to use in their own teaching. Students also designed creative newspapers, which they presented on the final day of class.

 

The State of Women and Girls

Danielle McDermond, '15, who majored in Political Science, currently works as the Education and Technology Specialist (new title) for Philadelphia City Councilman Brian O'Neill, and was appointed by him to the city's first Commission for Women. This commission was created by a ballot question during the May 2015 primary election and officially put into motion about a year ago. The Commission is about to publish its first year-end report on The State of Women and Girls in Philadelphia, which will highlight various socio-economic issues facing women of all ages in the city. Philly.com carried a story about the commission and mentions McDermond (under her old title).

 

Earth Week Celebrated

Members of the Green Team help spruce up campus for Earth Week.Earth Week activities included the collection of used electronics by representatives from PAR Recycle Works, which will recycle them to keep toxic materials out of landfills. Members of CHC's Green Team also took time to spruce up the campus.

 

Dancing for a Cause

In late April, members of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Student Government Association (SGA) partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to hold their fundraiser, “Dancing4ACause.” Students participated in the four-hour dance marathon and an online link for donations was made available for those who couldn’t attend.

Every dollar from the $5 cover charge went directly to the Make-A-Wish foundation, whose mission is to grant wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Donations food and beverages were received from Tonellis, Insomnia Cookies, Renos ice cream and others. The DJ also played for free. To date, SAAC and SGA have raised more than $1,600 for Make-A-Wish kids.

“This was the first year we did the dance and it was extremely successful. We’re already planning to have it again next year,” says Peyton Reno ’18, secretary of SAAC and member of the women’s volleyball team. “This is the most SAAC has ever raised for Make-A-Wish and we are so proud and thankful to the community and how they supported this fundraiser!”

To donate, visit CHC’s page on the Make-A-Wish website.

 

Alpha Lambda Delta holds Annual Honors Gala

Participants enjoy a reception after the induction ceremony.Following the induction of new members to Alpha Lambda Delta, the national honor society for first-year students, and Delta Epsilon Sigma, the national scholastic honor society for students, faculty and alumni of colleges and universities with a Catholic tradition and members of the College community were invited to a gala in the Rotunda. Attendees enjoyed a catered meal as well as conversations with some of CHC’s faculty.

 

Psy.D. Kudos

Congratulations to Cheryll Rothery, Psy.D., ABPP, associate professor of psychology, director of clinical training and chair of the department of professional psychology, who has received the Distinguished Service Award for 2017 by the Pennsylvania Psychological Association (PPA). The award is given in recognition of her many years of outstanding service to the PPA. Dr. Rothery will be presented with the award in June at the PPA Annual Convention.

 

​Congratulations to Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad, Year 4 in the Psy.D. program, who will receive one of the 2017 Pennsylvania Psychological Foundation’s Education Awards at the group’s annual ceremony in Bedford Springs, Pa., in June.  

 

Caribbash: CHC’s Twist on Carnival

Caribbash wouldn't be the same without painted coconuts.A few weeks before finals, members of the Black Student Union and Chestnut Hill Activities Team worked together to plan a fun-filled afternoon of food, music and activities, styled in the theme of a Brazilian carnival. The event celebrated Caribbean culture, giving students a chance to taste island cuisine such as jerk chicken and fried plantains, paint coconuts, design their own festive masks and more. The Pop-Shop truck, a favorite among students, even showed up with popsicle flavors befitting the occasion including “Rasta-Raspberry” and “Tropic Like It’s Hot.”

 

Fireplace dedicated by Class of ’66

Members of the Class of '66 pose with the fireplace and its new plaque after the dedication.Last June, the Class of 1966 celebrated its 50th reunion. In honor of that milestone, class members raised more than $75,000 for the College and used the funds to name the fireplace in McCaffrey Lounge. Funds also went to their scholarship fund to support students. On April 7, members of the Class of ’66 gathered for a dedication ceremony, Mass and lunch with Sister Carol and members of the Office of Institutional Advancement.   

 

CHC Participates in Relay For Life

On April 22, students from Chestnut Hill College participated in the Relay For Life at Villanova University, which raises money for the American Cancer Society.
 
Relay For Life started in 1985, and CHC has participated in the last four relays, three of them at Villanova, and last year at Arcadia University. Prior to the event, the club, Griffins Against Cancer, held two bake sales in March, which raised about $300. Most of the fundraising was conducted through the Relay For Life website, where each participant had their own page where contributions could be made. All proceeds went directly toward the Ralay.

CHC's Relay for Life 2017 team pose at Villanova.Nineteen CHC students, as well as Sister Betty Heller, a volunteer at St. Joseph Villa, and club advisor, Sister Jean Faustman, associate professor of French and Spanish, participated with 66 other teams in the fight against cancer. Team captain and president of Griffins Against Cancer, senior Karina Melendez, was proud of the contributions CHC had in the fundraising. “Our team was third in fundraising out of the 66 teams.”

The CHC Relay For Life team doubled the amount raised from last year with a total of $55,822. 

As for next year, Melendez says that CHC will try to continue the tradition. “I am working closely with Samantha Tomlinson, next year’s president, to ensure that next year’s Relay continues, along with other events.”

— Catie Hoops ’19 

 

Issue:
Posted In: "News and Notes"