THE
Philadelphia, PA  
Student Awarded for Outstanding Service
Sister Helen Prejean Speaks Against the Death Penalty
Marilee Gallagher
‘14
________________
Helen Prejean, CSJ, anti-
death penalty activist and au-
thor of Dead Man Walking
and The Death of Innocents, vis-
ited Chestnut Hill College on
April 6, to give a presentation
through the Institute for For-
giveness and Reconciliation, ad-
vocating against the death pen-
alty and sharing her experience
with death row inmates.
Sister Prejean began by say-
ing that she does not speak
through notes but rather that
each talk is spontaneous and
“always fresh” because she is a
storyteller and wants each au-
dience to hear her words as if
it were the first time she was
saying them. As the presenta-
tion began, Sister Prejean told
everyone to see her story in
two parts, just as there are two
arms of the cross. At the one
end is the victim whom, accord-
ing to Sister Prejean, deserves
the same dignity that everyone
else has. For Sister Prejean,
the way to ensure this dignity
News 2 STYLE
April-May 2010
The Free Student Newspaper of Chestnut Hill College
is through presence. “When
someone comes to visit, that
very visit says you have dignity,”
said Sister Prejean. She added
that killing someone who is
made defenseless takes away
the very dignity of that person.
The quality of the relationships
formed are also important to
her because in the “sharing of
their souls and struggles, they
take me into their hearts.”
On the other side of the
cross, Sister Prejean said, is the
victim and their family. They are
pressured by society to choose
the death penalty because cul-
ture teaches that the death
penalty does not often heal the
families or honor the victims.
In fact, it was the father of a
murdered child that taught her
the importance of forgiveness
and its part in the healing pro-
cess. “He was the first to teach
me the journey of the victims’
family,” Sister Prejean said. He
was pressured to choose death
but chose forgiveness, some-
thing that according to Sister
Prejean, “is not a gift you give
somebody else but a way of
GRIFFIN
not letting love be overcome by
hate.”
Sister Prejean, who has
been involved with death row
inmates since 1981, began her
ministry when she was asked
to write a letter to Patrick Son-
nier, a death row inmate. Sister
Prejean became his spiritual ad-
visor, continued writing letters
and visited him. “I didn’t know
when I addressed that first let-
ter, that it was going to change
my life,” Sister Prejean said. It
was after seeing Sonnier’s ex-
ecution by way of the electric
chair that Sister Prejean became
active in her ministry of want-
ing to abolish the death penalty.
“We as people don’t deserve the
death penalty,” Sister Prejean
said, adding that every person
has “dignity and worth” that is
taken away when condemned to
death.
For Sister Prejean, being a
death penalty activist is more
than just a mission but a great
passion and commitment. She
believes that inviting people to
be active and convincing people
to wake up with regards to the
4 Opinion
Photo by Jim Roese. Zac Grubb
‘12
________
Esther McCrea ‘12 recieved
the prestigious St. Catherine
Medal on Sunday, May 1 in
recognition of her service and
scholarship. This is one of the
highest awards presented to a
sophomore or junior student.
President Carol Jean Vale, SSJ,
Ph.D. herself presented Mc-
Crea with the award.
McCrea recieved the award
at the College’s Honors Con-
vocation in front of her pro-
fessors and peers. The Medal
was given to McCrea after
completing a process of nomi-
nation and application that be-
gan early in the spring semester
Despite recieving the pres-
tigious award, McCrea remains
humble, stating she doesn’t
seek acknowledgment. She
said, “I do all the service be-
cause I love it and it makes me
happy.”
cause is the first step to ending importance of getting young
the death penalty. “The call to people involved and uses her
action is there,” Sister Prejean talks as a way to advocate for
said “and if we don’t act we are the anti-death penalty cause.
complicit.” She understands the
On April 6, Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, spoke to Sorgenti
Arena, advocating against the death penalty. Sr. Prejean
is the author of the book-turned-movie Dead Man Walking.
Photo by Caitlin Kain ‘13.
6 Sports 8
2 The Griffin

THE
GRIFFIN
Vol. I, Issue 7

The Free Student

Newspaper of
Chestnut Hill College

Max Kaplan ‘11

Editor-in-Chief

Jarreau Freeman ‘11

Managing Editor

Westly Mandoske ‘13

Layout Editor

Michael Bradley ‘14

Layout Editor
“One year can
create many
Mary Marzano ‘12
News Editor long and hilarious
Olivia Marcinka ‘13
stories. Why try
Opinion Editor writing it when a
Jill Sanger ‘11
photo can say it
Sports Editor all?”
Jen Jones ‘12 - Jess Veazey ‘13
Style Editor

Bleu Lane ‘12

Style Editor

Aizaz Gill ‘14

Online Editor

Jess Veazey ‘13

Photo Editor

Dana Consalvo ‘12

Copy Editor

Hannah Campbell ‘12

Copy Editor

Susan Magee, M.F.A.

Advisor

The Griffin strives for ac-

curacy and fair representa-
tion in all of its publications
and correctness. If an error
is found, e-mail the issue
number, the article in which
the error was found, and the
correction that needs to be
made. The resulting correc-
tion may be printed in the
next edition of The Griffin.

Make your opinion heard

by submitting letters to the
editor or contributions to
The Griffin. Submissions be-
come property of The Grif-
fin and are subject to editing
for style, clarity and space
concerns. The views rep-
resented in submissions do
not represent the views of
the College or the Griffin’s
Advisor. Submissions also
do not neccessarily repre-
sent The Griffin’s position.

Interested in writing, pho-

tographing, layout or de-
sign? Fill out a short form
Photos by
on our Facebook and The
Griffin will contact you. Caitlin Kain ‘13, Alyssa Cherewaty ‘13,
Email The Griffin at the Linda Johnson, Max Kaplan ‘11
griffin.chc@gmail.com and Jess Veazey ‘13.
or visit The Griffin on Face-
book.
News
The Griffin
Griffins Around the World
TAYLOR EBEN
‘14
______________
As summer is quickly ap-
proaching, many of us are plan-
ning on working, taking road
trips to the beach, and enjoying
Intern Diaries the gorgeous weather. But six
of our own CHC students have
a different summer in mind;
they’ll be studying abroad.
Becky Bond, ’12 will be study-
ing in Paris, France. Caroline
Stutz, ‘12 and Anna St. Hilaire,
’12 will be studying in Dublin,
Many students at the college are involved in excit- Ireland.
ing internships. In the Intern Diaries, students with Caroline Stutz and Anna St.
internships are invited to share their experiences. Hilaire will be studying in Ire-
This issue’s diary entrant is Kevin Crawley ‘11. land through Arcadia Universi-
ty’s study abroad program. The
two leave for Dublin on June 22
My name is Kevin Crawley, I am currently a senior com- and will come back to the States
munications major in my last semester. Since the beginning on August 6. They’ll be taking
of my fall semester I had been searching for an internship. I
knew for awhile that I wanted to complete my internship at
a video production studio to gain more experience in film-
making, creative writing, video editing and more. I applied to
four companies that were listed on the Greater Philadelphia
Film Office website. The companies I applied to were video
production studios looking for intern video editors.
Out of all the internships, the one I was most interest-
ed in was Branded Productions located in Lansdale, Pa. I
emailed the owner, Ed Seiders, many times letting him know
that I was interested in becoming an intern for their com-
pany. In the emails I let him know exactly what my major is
at Chestnut Hill College, my intentions after graduation and
why I would be great intern at his company.
After two weeks I received a call from Ed Seiders ask-
ing me to come in for an interview. During the interview
he asked me why I thought I would be a good intern. I told
him that I have good video editing skills and great comput-
er knowledge. Only a couple of days after our meeting, Ed
called me and told me that he would like to have me intern
with his company. On 26 April, “Big Griff ”, the largest bus in the College’s fleet, was parked on the Pi-
azza to show off the new wrapping. The bus’s new exterior represents the joint effort
My internship is three days a week for five to six hours. I of Gillian Chapline in Enrollment Management; Frank Dealy, Transportation Chief
work in the Branded Productions video editing suites. I edit and design firm 160over90. Photo By Jess Veazey ‘13.
many videos including commercials, weddings, promos, dif-
Staff Spotlight: Ms. Tea
ferent sporting events and stage plays. Right now I have ed-
ited 11 videos which are on the Youtube and Vimeo websites.
Luckily, the company has offered me a job as a freelance
videographer, collaborator and video editor. My plan after Nicole heigl
graduation is to continue working as videographer and travel ‘14
more with the company. ___________
Whether you are a student,
This summer most of the shoots we are planning to film part of the faculty or just a
and edit will be commercials for Nike, Philadelphia Phillies guest eating a meal at Chestnut
commercial with the pitchers and a few other sports adver- Hill College, chances are you
tisements. have run into Miss Tea at least
once. Theresa Evans, or as she
We are also planning to work on the set of a few music is more affectionately known,
videos with artists such as Lloyd Banks and Mary J. Blige. I’m Miss Tea, grew up and still cur-
really excited and interested in working on these projects this rently lives in the Germantown
summer with my crew. area of Philadelphia.
The sassy cashier has been
Eventually my plan is to become an animator and writer working in the CHC cafeteria
for my own animation series or film. for over 15 years. She is there
everyday waiting for students
as they slowly and sleepily drift
into the cafeteria in the morn-
Join The Griffin on Facebook ing, trying to wake up from a
sleepless night’s rest. “Good
Mornin’ baby,” she will excit-
Catch news updates between issues edly say as you hand over your
on The Griffin’s facebook. Search for card.
“The Griffin”. But even better, Miss Tea
has gotten to know many
students by their first name.
two classes on Irish literature
and an Irish politics and history
course. “I have always wanted
to study abroad,” said St. Hi-
laire, “I knew that pursuing an
education minor would make it
difficult to study abroad during
the school year but I wanted to
make it work so I chose to do it
in the summer instead.”
Becky Bond is looking for-
ward to spending eight weeks
in Paris, France, with Boston
University’s study abroad pro-
gram. “I’m doing an internship
in either marketing, event plan-
ning, PR [public relations], or in
the non-profit sector,” she said.
She will also be taking a class on
French literature, where she’ll
study famous French authors
and poets.
Bond is an international
In fact, her favorite part of
the job is being able to inter-
act with the kids, or “young
adults,” as she calls the stu-
dents. Justin Kirkland, ’14,
loves Miss Tea. “She brightens
my day every time I see her,”
he said. “She makes sure I get
to class on time; she is like my
mother away from home.”
As much as she loves be-
ing around the students, Miss
Tea says that her favorite
mealtime of the day is lunch,
because that means the work-
day is almost over. When she
is not working hard in the caf-
eteria, Miss Tea, who has three
daughters, loves spending time
with her grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Fifteen years of working in
the cafeteria has provided Miss
Tea with many funny stories to
share. After letting out a little
chuckle, she confessed that a
while back, when the cafeteria
3
business major, so she’s re-
quired to study abroad, but
she’s wanted to study abroad
ever since middle school. “I’m
in love with the culture and lan-
guage. I hope to improve my
French a lot.”
“I really just want the op-
portunity to step outside my
comfort zone and experience a
new culture and lifestyle differ-
ent from my own,” said St. Hi-
laire. Traveling within Europe
is fairly inexpensive, so Stutz
and St. Hilaire plan on spend-
ing a weekend in London where
they’ll met up with Becky Bond
and Travis Wolfe. “I don’t want
to waste a second of my time
there,” said Stutz. “Oh, and of
course I’ll be doing some study-
ing, too.”
had “those old, rickety chairs,”
she went to sit down and fell
right off the chair “onto her
behind.” She started laughing
and said, “It probably wasn’t
funny at the time, but it is
now!”
Above, Ms. Tea and DJ
Santoro ‘11 pose for a photo.
Photo by Max Kaplan ‘11.

4 The Griffin
An Interview With
MATT
DUKE
Olivia Marcinka
‘13
______________
He stands tall in his thin
frame and slim-cut jeans, keep-
ing his feet planted firmly on the
floor. With each change of tune
he almost involuntary bends his
knees, as if letting the music
flow through his bones. As he
strums the guitar that is non-
chalantly slung across his torso,
it seems to be a minor contribu-
tion to each note that he bellows
from the back of his throat.
Matt has a calm and witty
presence with his audience.
During his acoustic session, he
reaches out to the crowd and
connects with them effortlessly.
Matt humors his viewers with
tinges of sarcasm. “I uh...I know
that this is a Catholic school, so
this next song might not be ap-
propriate for the ears,” Matt
says. The crowd laughs, answer-
ing back in alliance.
Matt Duke grew up in Mt.
Laurel, N.J., a short distance
from the city that would bring
him to distinction—Philadel-
phia. He attended Catholic
school throughout his life and
followed the tradition with one
semester at Saint Joseph’s Uni-
versity in Pennsylvania. Grow-
ing up, his family values were
The Long Awaited Sequel Lands on its Feet
ZAC GRUBB
‘12
________
Ask any gamer for a list of
the greatest fighting games ever
made and chances are Marvel
Vs. Capcom 2 will be near the
top. This game was widely cel-
ebrated as one of the most in-
ventive, well constructed, and
challenging fighting games ever
made. After multiple rereleases
the game finally has what the
fans have been asking for over
the past decade; a sequel.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 has ar-
conservative but not too much,
so that his mental development
involved a lot of critical think-
ing.
Matt strives to separate him-
self from the typical love-song
writing singer/songwriter. He
feels that his job is to put his
heart and soul into his art and to
expose his insights to the audi-
ence. Unlike the typical singer/
songwriter, “My music gets a bit
intense,” Matt said. He believes
that an artist’s purpose is to in-
spire thought or emotion in each
witness of the masterpiece. His
incredible ambitions and willing-
ness to jump into bouts of men-
tal and emotional contemplation
have earned him favorable suc-
cess in the area. “I have tried to
coin a term for my genre,” Matt
said, “but I draw my sound from
so many different influences.”
It is quite evident that the
students and staff at the Col-
lege could grasp Matt’s streak
of originality in one short show.
“Matt Duke is an ever-maturing,
emotive, explosive, vocal power-
house,” said an avid fan. “His live
show is entrancing, and though
less powerful, his studio work is
incredible. If there’s anyone in
the Philly music scene who has
a bright future, it’s Matt.”
He has played many shows,
rived, and it’s hitting the gaming
world at full force.
MvC3 boasts a cast of 34
characters with two more to
come through downloadable
content. In all, there are cur-
rently 18 characters from both
Marvel and Capcom, and here,
diversity is the name of the
game.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 had a
larger roster, but when it came
to variety the game was slightly
lacking, many super attacks and
hyper combos were different
animations with the same out-
including the short set in the
Griffin’s Den. Matt takes an in-
terest in projecting a sense of
creative understanding through
his music and exploring the pure
and raw outlets of human exis-
tence, personal faith and routine.
“I am usually taking from
situations that may seem bleak,”
Matt said. Although he focuses
on darker subjects, Matt scrapes
away the rough edges of topics
like mortality to “find light in
the darkness.”
“In my new record One Day
Die, I focus on coping with trag-
edy and coming to terms with
mortality as a human being”
Matt said.
Many of Matt’s songs cater
to his religiously curious nature.
His reasoning for this is that, “It
is just the first place that I go.
Everyone or most people grow
up in an area that has some ma-
jor affiliation.” Matt feels that
remaining critical or question-
ing throughout life is incredibly
important to human growth and
existence. “Honestly, I am sur-
prised that we don’t hear more
tunes about that—questioning
religion,” Matt said.
Some of his lyrics convey
negative religious connotations
and are well known for that fact.
In “Tidal Waves” off of the re-
come. For MvC3, the develop-
ers have gone to great lengths
to make every character unique
and have their own specific play
style.
The most notable addition
to this game is a simple mode
for new players. By mapping
each character’s unique attacks
to specific buttons, simple
mode makes it easy for a new
player to pull off spectacular,
eye-popping combos. Also,
once a player has used the regu-
lar control system enough, the
game recognizes their progress
STYLE
cord Winter Child, Matt wrote,
“And if everyone here
is a child of God’s,/this
world is a pitiless whore./
And He’s still playing fa-
vorites/and behind on his
child support.”
Matt’s boldness in making
such statements is an example
of his exploration into the un-
checked facets of religion. He
admits that there are parts of
any religion that can prove un-
true and that it is important to
be wary of that fact.
“I was playing a show in the
bible-belt region and I decided
to play a non-religious song
that was kind of slamming the
church” Matt said. “Two nuns
and a priest came up to me af-
terwards and said that although
they don’t agree with me, they
could see that I had strong con-
victions.”
Matt is not very reluctant
to admit that throughout his
schooling he might have had
trouble with his queries about
Catholicism, but he is thank-
ful to have experienced such a
unique way of life. “All through-
out grade school, I had a lot
of unanswered questions. Al-
though this can stunt a student’s
and turns off simple mode.
The graphics in this game
take a new, yet understandable
direction. What comes across
as simple visuals actually func-
tions as a smooth, stylized, and
impressive graphics engine.
The multi-player leaves
something to be desired when it
comes to online play, but the lo-
cal multi-player is right where it
should be. The local multi-play-
er pits you and a friend in three
on three matches, and the great
part is, no matter how good one
player is, the game can still be
philyist.com
growth, I became much more
inquisitive.”
Many of his songs also pro-
vide literary insight influenced
by grade school grammar les-
sons and a more recent inter-
est in classic authors. Although
Matt feels that “those grammar
lessons were a great fodder for
material,“ writers like Steinbeck
and Hemingway inspire him to
write lyrics related to his literary
interests. “Sounds strange, but
I dropped out of college and
became interested in reading,“
Matt joked.
Along with reading, when
Matt is at home, he gardens,
watches Animal Planet, and
spends time with family and
friends. He also takes to watch-
ing ESPN for his daily dose of
athleticism. “I really like sports,”
Matt said. “I also like golf. For
those of us who have lost all
athletic ability, or never had it,
golfing is the sport of choice.”
Even from home, he is com-
pelled to move forward with the
success of his career. He does
recognize, however, that he is
one for traveling from place to
place. “I love not staying root-
ed,” Matt said. “There are just
some of us who are made to do
it.”
balanced. The learning curve
works, and if a player is really
lost, they can always use simple
mode.
The story is just what you
would expect from a fighting
game, nothing in depth, but
each character has a unique
short little ending with easter
egg characters from both uni-
verses strewn throughout.
Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is
available for Xbox360 and Play-
Station3. If you own either of
these systems, you need to own
this game.
 The Griffin 5

Style Spotter: Spring Edition

Kait Leonard, ‘13 Christian Carnevali, ‘11 Chris Dunn, ‘13

“I dress for me, so that is my style, just “My personal style is most inspired “Tweed is what I need.”
me. But recently, I have fallen in love by: GW and the suburbs.”
with earrings.”

Photos by Jess Veazey ‘13.

Alex Garcia, ‘11 Jess O’Neil, ‘13

“There is not much to say about my style. I believe that people should dress “My style represents my personality and mood, but every outfit is
their age or to their environment. My style is very conservative and I would complete with a hair accessory.”
have to say somewhat classy.”

Summer 2011 Movie Previews

Welcome to the summer movie season. It’s one that has been long waited for by studio execs and audiences alike, due to the underwhelming slate of
AIZAZ GILL‘14 movies delivered by the first half of the year. This year’s summer lineup brings us origin stories, sequels, prequels and series finales. Which ones are wor-
thy of your hard earned cash? Read on to find out!
images: imdb.com

The Hangover Part II
Releases May 26
The sequel to the most successful R rated comedy in
Hollywood history (“The Hangover”) returns with most
of its original cast and a few surprise cameos. When
asked why they were doing a sequel, Director Todd Phil-
lips explained that he had another story to tell with a
cast of characters that fans had come to enjoy. Con-
sequently, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and
Alan (Zach Galifianakis) find themselves in Bangkok for
Stu’s wedding. Of course, things do not go as planned
for the crew as they wind up losing the younger brother
of Stu’s fiancée after a night of debauchery that none
one of them can seem to remember. As they attempt to
retrace their steps again, the cast runs into some familiar
faces such as Mike Tyson (playing himself) and Leslie
Chow (Ken Jeong). The film appears to be following the
same formula as the first one though it remains to be
seen whether this follow-up can replicate the original’s
success or quality.
X-Men: First Class
Releases June 3
The X-Men universe is a labyrinth of fascinating
mythos and intriguing characters-- many of which did
not receive the proper attention in the original trilogy
or the Wolverine spinoff. X-Men: First Class, a prequel
set in the 1960s, seeks to shed some further light on
both new and familiar mutants such as Mystique, Beast,
Emma Frost, Sebastian Shawn and Azazel. Moreover,
fans finally get to witness the events which led to Charles
Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) go-
ing from close friends to mortal enemies. With a re-
ported $120 million budget, Director Matthew Vaughn
and 20th Century Fox are taking a chance with a prequel
which doesn’t feature popular characters such as Wolver-
ine, Jean Grey, Storm or Cyclops. Instead, they are hop-
ing that audiences will want to see talented actors such
as James McAvoy (“Wanted”) and Michael Fassbender
(“300”) bring new life to a franchise that was left in tat-
ters at the end X-Men: The Last Stand.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Releases July 15
The end is nigh for the Potter films as Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows Part II marks the final install-
ment of the wildly successful Potter franchise. Direc-
tor Yates promises a faster movie which features plenty
of action as Harry, Ron and Hermione struggle to de-
stroy the last of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes while bat-
tling the ever increasing forces of Death Eaters. While
the Golden Trio is off on their own journey, the rest
of the Order of Phoenix has their own part to play in
the Wizarding War. The film promises to shed light on
characters such as Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley,
Abeforth Dumbledore, Kingsley Shacklebolt and many
others who valiantly stand up to their Death Eater over-
lords and continue to form pockets of resistance. With
major character deaths, epic magical battles and a thrill-
ing chase sequence involving a dragon, this film should
be a worthy farewell to a franchise that has won the
hearts of billions around the world.

6 The Griffin
Subjective Scrutiny
Travis Wolfe ‘12
Letters From the Editors
As our editors close the
year’s final issue of The Griffin,
it’s hard to believe how far we’ve
come. In one academic year
we’ve transitioned from black-
and-white to colored printing,
Max Kaplan ‘11
Editor in Chief
more than doubled our number
of issues, and seen unmatched
growth in our readership. These
may be signs of long overdue
progress, but I think something
of a much greater magnitude is
happening: we’ve realized and
fulfilled a responsibility to our
fellow students.
While blogs and “aggregat-
ing” news websites have diluted
the impact of a print newspaper,
the role of a journalist remains
the same. At his best, a journal-
Over the course of the pre-
vious year, The Griffin has gone
through a tremendous amount
of change, and it has definitely
been for the better. This revo-
lution would not have occurred
without the dedication and vi-
sion of our incredible writers
and Board of Editors. I would
like to take this opportunity to
thank each and every one of
you for making this a special
year for The Griffin.
Having said that, I, along
with the rest of our Editorial
ist is responsible for conveying
the news of the people to the
people in a clear, ethical way
that both draws conclusions
and allows the reader to draw
their own. With reflective and
timely responses to topics pop-
ularized by students, our team
has owned its responsibility to
serve the student body. It must
be noted, though, that a change
this swift could only happen
at an institution like ours. Two
major projects I’ve overseen
at our institution have taught
me a great deal about our stu-
dents and the college we attend.
We may consider the sport of
Quidditch a normality on our
campus, but it began as a crazy
idea that I had to run down the
main hallway of Fournier Hall
on a broom to sell. Rather than
throwing tomatoes at me, our
student body embraced the
whimsical sport and helped it
reach its status today. Similarly,
when I proposed some of the
large-scale changes to The Grif-
fin for this year, tradition was
Board, are looking to improve
upon last year’s monumental ef-
fort. For the Opinions section,
you can expect more diversity
Online Editor
Aizaz Gill ‘14
in our content than ever before.
Whether it’s a policy change at
Chestnut Hill or a hot topic is-
Opinion
Speak Kindly of the Dead
Westly Mandoske
‘13
_____________
While I applaud the suc-
cess of the military mission to
apprehend Osama bin Laden,
widely regarded as the architect
of the 9/11 attacks, I cannot
in good conscience revel in the
death of any man.
I first heard the news late
Sunday evening. I didn’t im-
mediately believe the news
and brushed it off, chalking it
up to the inadequacies of the
Internet. But the immediate
outpouring of media coverage
attested to the immediacy and
importance of the news. I was
struck by the strength of will
that President Obama commu-
being broken: we were rewrit-
ing a tired formula in a bold,
new way. The changes were met
with open arms.
Our college community’s
reception of these initiatives-
-from students to staff and
faculty to administration--is a
shining example of what I love
about Chestnut Hill College.
There is always room for a new
idea here, and it’s the perfect
place to dust off and try again.
Should you fall, it’s never very
far, and there are countless peo-
ple to help you stand up again.
Shortly before this issue’s
publication, The Griffin received
the honor of being named Out-
standing Organization of the
Year. We don’t take this privi-
lege lightly. I have no doubt
that next year’s staff will con-
tinue this year’s innovations
and, more than ever before,
own their responsibility to each
and every student. Thank you
for a wonderful year as editor-
in-chief.
sue in the news, we are looking
to receive your opinions. The
goal is to have several thought-
provoking articles which seek
to inform people and possibly
encourage new ways of think-
ing. After all, as American poet
James Russell Lowell stated
“The foolish and the dead alone
never change their opinions.”
To accomplish our objec-
tive, we will need your help. The
Griffin is a vessel for the student
body to have their voice heard.
However, if you do not send
nicated in his address. I was also
astonished at the spontaneous
celebrations occurring around
the nation. The celebrants’ un-
abashed glee at the death of
this man was appalling to me.
I can sympathize with those
who have lost loved ones to
terrorist attacks or the two pro-
tracted wars in the Middle East.
I think that I can understand
the sense of relief they may
have felt following his death,
closing a decade of uncertainty
about his whereabouts and the
possibility of other attacks.
However, I cannot do as
others have; I cannot celebrate
one man’s death, spontaneously
or otherwise, without ignoring
in some ways my belief in hu-
Jarreau Freeman ‘11
Managing Editor
Edith Wharton once wrote
in Age of Innocence, “there was
good in the old…there was
good in the new.” Wharton’s
statement embodies the transi-
tion that The Griffin underwent
this year. In previous years the
paper was good; however, this
year it was elevated to a new
level of excellence. The new
sections, printing more fre-
quently, and the addition of
color print helped make these
issues some of the finest pub-
lished. None of this could have
been possible without awesome
editors, writers, photographers,
and design team that made The
us your ideas and opinions,
we cannot accurately represent
our student body. As the new
Opinions Editor, I humbly ask
our readers not to shy away
from stating their opinions. If
you think you have a good idea,
please do not feel shy in run-
ning it past us. As editors, we
merely seek to guide those who
are willing to speak their minds.
With your assistance, we hope
to take The Griffin to even great-
er heights.
man rights and our common
dignity. Osama bin Laden’s ac-
tions and associates may have
forfeited their rights in the eyes
of the American public, but we,
as a nation and a people, should
show mercy on his life.
No one should deceive
themselves; the wars continue
to rage in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bin Laden’s death is a milestone
in the progress of the war, but
we are presented with a choice:
we can either continue to wage
war blindly, strengthening their
convictions against the Unites
States and others, or we can
open our eyes and minds to the
people of the Middle East and
stop the terror.
Griffin what it is today.
As I step down and pass
the torch to the next Managing
Editor, I will never forget the
wonderful memories we shared.
The Susan lunches and the
lively weekly meetings are my
most cherished memories with
the staff. Also, I have learned
very valuable lessons from my
time on the newspaper such as,
maintaining your swag is never
more than five easy steps away,
and the tense political and eco-
nomic state of the country can
be easily satirized in a light-
hearted cartoon.
I know that next year, and
in the years to follow, that pa-
per will continue to soar. Con-
gratulations Griffin team for a
job well done. I applaud you for
your commitment to the paper
and your zeal for journalism.
Long Live Print!
Make your opinion heard
by submitting letters to the
editor or contributions to The
Griffin.
Submissions become prop-
erty of The Griffin and are
subject to editing for style,
clarity and space concerns.
Submissions represent the
opinions of the author(s) and
do not necessarily represent
The Griffin’s position.
Please send all letters or ar-
ticle ideas to Olivia Marcinka
at marcinkao@chc.edu.
 Sports
Above, Griffins Mark Winkelspecht ‘13 and Tom Carfagna ‘13 and Lindsay Alexan-
der ‘12 (below) hustle after the ball. Photo above from griffinathletics.com. Photo
below by Jess Veazey ‘13.
Women’s Lacrosse
Continued from page 8.
win against the University of
Bridgeport, in which she scored
another five goals on only sev-
en shots. Senior midfielder and
captain, Jill Sanger, added an-
other 6 points to contribute to
the Griffins dominating 19-3
win.
As conference play began
the Griffins did not start as
they hoped. They fell to Geor-
gian Court University with a
score of 20-1 and then again
to Molloy College. After the
two game losing streak howev-
er, the Griffins came charging
back. They won their next two
conference games against Holy
Family University and Domini-
can College with two close and
dramatic wins which saw Cov-
ella score fifteen goals and earn
the CACC Player of the Week
honors.
Unfortunately for the Grif-
fins, the late game heroics were
not to continue as they saw ral-
lies fall short and ended up los-
ing their next three conference
games. These losses ended up
costing the Griffins as it placed
them further out of playoff
contention with only a few
games remaining. Luckily for
the Griffins however the streak
came to an end after a 27-15 win
over Post University. Covella led
the scoring with six goals and
sophomore midfielder Lindsay
Alexander added four goals and
another six assists. This was one
of the most energetic games of
the season and really motivated
the Griffins as they headed into
the stretch run of their season.
It was at this point where
the Griffins really began to gel
as a team. “In the beginning of
the year we had about four girls
score, and now we have eight,”
Sanger said. It was in sharing
the duties on the field that real-
ly helped the Griffins but it was
the camaraderie off the field
The Griffin
that contributed to team bond-
ing and better play on the field.
“All of us captains organize
team bonding activities before
games,” Sanger said adding that
some of these activities includ-
ed pasta parties, cupcake wars
and just nights spent hanging
out and getting to know each
other.
The final games saw both
victory and defeat for the Grif-
fins. Although they managed
to notch a few more confer-
ence victories, it was the loss of
Covella that really doomed the
Griffins. Her injury saw unlikely
suspects step up and score key
goals and make key plays down
the stretch but ultimately losing
their leading goal scorer and the
conference’s third leading scor-
er was too much for the Grif-
fins to overcome. They finished
the season (7-10, 5-7) with a
final win over Wilmington Uni-
versity, but unfortunately out
of the playoffs.
Men’s Lacrosse
Continued from page 8.
from the previous season and
were certainly a force to be
reckoned with. It was not long
after this, that the Griffins re-
ceived national attention as they
shocked the world by upsetting
number two ranked Mercyhurst
College by an overtime score of
8-7. This was the first confer-
ence win in the CHC lacrosse
program’s history and it came
against the second ranked team
in Division II. “It felt amazing
and rewarding that all of our
hard work has finally started to
pay off,” Morlock said adding
that it felt like they “finally got
the monkey off their backs.”
It also alerted the other teams
in the conference of the talent
and high-energy play the Grif-
fins were going to bring to ev-
ery game and that they had a
much greater fight than every-
one previously thought.
With a new swag and a
new respect, the CHC Griffins
went on to win their next game
against Penn State Abington
with a 19-0 blow out at home
where the Griffins had really
established their dominance.
With the help of their fans the
Griffins went on to a 5-2 record
at Victory Field #1. “When we
scored, we had a loud roar that
may have gotten into the op-
posing team’s head a little,” D.
J. Lynch ‘15, said. The Griffins
three conference victories all
happened at home including
their two upsets over #2 ranked
Mercyhurst and #5 Dowling
University.
Although 7-6, 3-6 and out
of the playoffs, the Griffins
ensured themselves at least a
.500 season which is a huge ac-
complishment for a team that
only won four games last year.
The team quickly strategizes before an offensive play.
Photo by Jess Veazey ‘13.
7
The team also earned NCAA
Div. II accolades and recogni-
tion ranking in the top twenty
in the country in both scoring
offense (13) and scoring de-
fense (16) and in the top ten in
assists (5), points (9) and saves
(4) per game. Rookie sensation,
Mike Melnychenko, received
accolades as the nation’s leading
goal scorer averaging 3.5 goals
per game and is fifth in points
per game. Goalie Dakota Mau-
rer ’15, was also recognized as
second in the nation in saves
per game, ninth in save percent-
age and twenty-second in goals
against average.
Dougherty has a lot of con-
fidence in his team and believes
that they are built to succeed.
With him at the helm, the team
had to learn a brand new style
of play and develop a new and
confident attitude. They learned
new offensive and defensive
schemes and Dougherty has
been very impressed with how
quickly and how well they all
have adapted. “Considering
that everything has changed
from last year, I am really proud
of them,” Dougherty said.
The team certainly has im-
proved and used this season as
an opportunity to show the rest
of the conference what they are
made of. “The referees have
said that we have improved
night and day from last year,”
Assistant Head Coach Adam
Eddinger said. The improve-
ments both physically and men-
tally coupled with a new drive
and determination to succeed
has put the Griffins on the path
to success and although they
did not make the playoffs this
year, they are certainly built to
get better every year and to be
a legitimate competitor in the
near future.
8 The Griffin
Current Record
Baseball 16-21-0
Golf
On 4/30, team placed 3 of 3. For more information, visit:
Men’s Lacrosse 7-6
Women’s Lacrosse Final 7-10
Softball 5-31-0
The founding members of the baseball program from left to right: Mike Knipe #15, Dan Etherton #23, George Kochu #9, Ryan Weber #20,
D. J. Santoro #8, Andrew Koziol #24, Andrew Donofry #33, Chris Lauber #11. Photo by Jess Veazey ‘13.
An Era Comes to a Close for CHC Baseball
Justin Englehardt
‘11
__________________
What is the hardest part
about being the first group of
players to begin a program? Is
it the lack of experience, leader-
ship, or camaraderie? All these
questions have been asked and
answered with first-hand experi-
ence through the past four years,
being this is the first baseball re-
cruiting class to graduate from
Chestnut Hill College.
From immaturity, on and off
the field issues, and playing com-
petition full of upper classmen
experience, the seniors all agree
that being the first class to start
a program was far from easy.
“Being the first class in a pro-
Women’s Lacrosse Finishes Great Season The Boys Are Alright
Marilee Gallagher
‘14
__________________
It was a long and hard
fought out season for the CHC
women’s lacrosse team that
saw huge conference wins and
losses, injuries and an amazing
sense of teamwork and bond-
ing. Although the team did not
make the playoffs, they showed
a valiant effort all season long
and never gave up striving to
achieve their goals. For this, we
commend them and look back
on the season that was 2011
Women’s Lacrosse.
The women’s lacrosse sea-
son began with a tough start
before the first game was even
Men’s Tennis Final 9-13
Women’s Tennis Final 13-9
griffinathletics.com
Current as of 5/5.
gram’s history was great experi-
ence, but we had to go through
all the growing pains associated
with starting a program,” says
Mike Knipe, a four year starter
at first base. “We took our beat-
ings early and we had to adapt to
practicing in different locations
but it was all worth it. At the end
of my career I can look back and
say that I was there at the begin-
ning and the guys that made it
four years here hold a connec-
tion to the program that no one
else will ever have.”
That connection is some-
thing these seniors will share
together forever; being they
are the only nine players from
the original recruiting class to
remain on the team for their
played. They were predicted to
finish sixth out of the seven
teams in the conference and
were not expected to even make
a run at the playoffs. “We came
into this season as underdogs
so had no where else to go but
up,” senior captain Erica Eaby
said. Motivation then became
key as the Griffins set out to
prove everyone wrong and to
finish in the top of their confer-
ence. This motivation began be-
fore the first minute of play as
the Griffins had a special ritual
before every game. “Each game
we usually have a word such
as communication or strength
and we write those words on
headbands that we wear during
sports
senior years. Chris Lauber, An-
drew Koziol, Ryan Weber, Dan
Etherton, George Kochu, Justin
Wiercinski, DJ Santoro, Mike
Knipe, and Andrew Donofry
are the remaining seniors who
are still leading the Griffin’s in
their 2011 season. Not too many
teams can emulate the type of
experience that these players
have together. Starting off their
career with only a few wins, af-
ter three strenuous years of hard
work and hardships, they are
now competing for their second
consecutive playoff birth, and
looking to win Chestnut Hill
College its first CACC baseball
championship.
The players acknowledge
though that getting to this point
Kelsey Moran ‘14 and
Lindsay Alexander ‘13
pursue Post rival. Photo by
Jess Veazy ‘13.
the game,” senior captain Kelly
McKay said.
Although the season began
with a loss to Mercy College, it
was clear the CHC team came
into the season ready to play.
After the first game, sopho-
more attack Nicole Covella,
emerged as the scoring leader
of the team tallying five and
adding one assist.
Her torrid start continued in
the Griffins second game, a
“Women’s Lacrosse”
continued on page 7
was not an easy task. “I guess
what comes to mind to me is
how challenging its been to build
a college baseball program,” says
George Kochu, another four
year starter. “It was definitely
harder than I expected, but all
the trials and whatnot have built
a solid core of guys who are ca-
pable of leading a team to victo-
ry. These guys are all my dudes,
and I’m honored to have played
ball with each of them. Now we
just want to win a champion-
ship.”
The team is 8-9 right now
in conference and is in conten-
tion to make the school’s sec-
ond straight playoff appearance
in school history. “To make the
playoffs and actually make a run
Marilee Gallagher
‘14
_______________
After finishing last season
with a 4-11, 0-11 record, the
CHC Men’s Lacrosse Team
came back this year with a
new coach and new goals in
mind, one of which was mak-
ing the NCAA Div. II play-
offs. Although they fell short,
it was a great season and a
valiant effort on the part of
the Griffins.
Making the playoffs is
always a tough task but for
Chestnut Hill College, it was
certainly an uphill climb.
Having been ranked tenth out
of eleven ECC teams in the
preseason poll, the Griffins
were really not expected to do
much this season. The hire of
Brian Dougherty, a nationally
and internationally acclaimed
and decorated player as head
coach, was a great step in
pushing the program forward
but the Griffins knew that
this alone would not get them
for the championship would be
the best scenario for us as a se-
nior class and as a team,” says
relief pitcher Justin Wiercinski.
“I remember our first season,
and it was tough for us to have
to endure all those losses at such
a young age, but now that I look
back, those experiences have
molded our team to who we are
today.”
The Griffins have four
games remaining, three away
and one home. Come out and
show your Griffin pride towards
the team and their seniors April
30, 2011 against Post University.
Show your support to this group
of seniors that were the building
blocks for the baseball program.
to the playoffs and that they
needed to use their talents
and skills to succeed.
As the season began, the
Griffins were faced with a
huge loss as former first year
student Shane Franzone was
sidelined with a rare blood
disease. “A few guys on our
team put his number on the
side of our helmets to let him
know we think about him
every game,” Shane Morlock
‘15, said adding that “he’s tru-
ly been a huge influence on
the team.”
After their first game non
conference win, the Grif-
fins were certainly pumped
going into conference play
which immediately saw them
play the ECC’s number one
ranked team, C.W. Post Uni-
versity. Although Chestnut
Hill lost by a score of 7-13,
it was evident to everyone
watching that the Griffins
were a much better team
“Men’s Lacrosse”
continued on page 7