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A highlight of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’s Homecoming week is the annual coronation. This year’s Regal and Radiantthemed ceremony, sponsored by the Office of Student Activities and the Student Government Association, crowned Nina-Simone Beaver and Trinis Robinson as the new Mister and Miss Cheyney. The two commanded the spotlight at the Wednesday evening event, held in the Marian Anderson Music Center auditorium. Last year’s Mister and Miss Cheyney, Shaneka Briggs and Shaquille Harrison were also on-hand to crown their successors.

The night commenced with a procession of “royal representatives” from student clubs, Greek organizations and members of the Royal Court including, Qualyn Meade and Erica Lyn Russell, Mister Miss Blue and White; Wesley Thorn and Keiasha Lumpkins, Mister and Miss Legend; Imir Adams and Courtney Stewart, Mister and Miss Congeniality; and James Mergile and Cara Fantini, Homecoming King and Queen. Class Kings and Queens included: seniors Brandon French and Tatyana Rollins; juniors DeJon Mackin-Irving and Marlon Herring; sophomores Jason Rodgers and Ashley Allen; and freshman Blanie Lewis-Thompson and Rebecca Evans.

Organizational Kings and Queens included Khalil Allen, Brotherhood; Monae Williams and Kelvon Hucks, the Cheyney University D.I.V.A.S.; Ricky Wilson, Jr. and Ericka Porter, L.L.C.; Nehemirah Revell and Kayla Marshall, N.A.A.C.P.; Eric Hodge and Nazirah Purnell, Emlen and Humphreys Hall; and Britney Castillo, Sisterhood.

Greek Organization Kings and Queens included Imir Adams and Joi Oliver, Alpha Phi Alpha; Roi Walker and Nate Saunders, Alpha Kappa Alpha; Ryan Taylor, KeJuan Bird, Omega Psi Phi; Phi Beta Sigma; and Ceani Beaden, Zeta Phi Beta.

Both Beaver and Robinson collectively aim to use their platforms to conduct community service and outreach initiatives and plan to collaborate with members of the royal court and campus community to host related events. Beaver has already started making strides towards this goal through her Breast Cancer Awareness month event, “Kiss Away Breast Cancer” and “Pink Tuesday” initiative that calls for the campus community to wear pink on Tuesdays during the month of October.

Additionally, the full-house was entertained by, MC Isaiah Stratton, Melissa Jean-Baptiste who delivered a powerful spoken word performance and Danielle Wilson who serenaded onlookers with a guitar solo of “Diamonds” by pop singer, Rihanna. Jihaad Nash also crooned to the crowd and brought on a wave of excitement as he exited the stage, and entered the audience during his rendition of John Legend’s, “Ordinary People.”

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania will host several events to heighten awareness and bring the campus community together to support the fight against breast cancer, while celebrating survivors and those currently battling the disease. In addition, the Health and Wellnesscenter will spearhead a visual awareness campaign that plans to engage the Cheyney community and further spread information on breast health and breast cancer.

Here are few related activities happening at CU during the month of October. Please continue to follow Cheyney’s official social media pages for more information:

On Tuesday, October 10, Miss Cheyney University 2017-18, Nina-Simone Beaver hosted “Kiss Away Breast Cancer.” Students, faculty and staff rocked their favorite shade of pink lipstick and kissed breast cancer goodbye on the kiss board. Along with their kiss, visitors signed their names or shared a note of encouragement. Throughout the event, the new Miss Cheyney, who will receive her crown at next Wednesday’s Coronation ceremony, shared materials on breast cancer with participants and all who strolled by.

Beaver has also declared that on Tuesday’s we wear pink – at least during the month of October. She is challenging CU to swap their traditional Cheyney blue for the softer hue of pink in support of breast cancer awareness. Those looking to take part in this Tuesday challenge on social media are asked to use the hashtags, #CUPink and #Pinktober.

For more photos from the “Kiss Away Breast Cancer” event, visit our Facebook page.

If you love shooting hoops, come rack up points for charity. Join The Cheyney University D.I.V.A.S for “Score 4 the Cure” on Thursday, October 12, at 7:00 p.m. in the Cope Hall Gymnasium. The cost is $1 for students and  $3 for faculty and staff.

The D.I.V.A.S will also team up with The Sisterhood on Friday, October 13, to shake for a cure. The student organizations will host aDance-a-Thon from 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. in the Marcus Foster Auditorium. The cost is  $2 for students and $5 for staff and faculty.

Proceeds from both event will go to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. For more information, contact or visit the Office of Student Activities at 610-399-2250.

To close out the month, on Friday, October 27, the Health and Wellness Center wants the campus community to  ‘Rep Ur Pink’ and wear pink as a way to display continued support. All who participate are asked to take a selfie in your pink and share it via social media using the hashtag: #CheyneyURepPNK4TheCure

To learn more about breast cancer, early detection, how you can help – and more, visit nationalbreastcancer.org. Students, faculty and staff can also visit Tia Brown, Associate Director of Student Health & Wellness Programs in the Health and Wellness Center or contact 610-399-2260 for more information.

On Tuesday, September 26, 146 years after his death, Octavius V. Catto stood tall as a crowd of hundreds gathered at Philadelphia’s City Hall to view the unveiling of a monument in his honor. The memorial for the Institute for Colored Youth (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania) 1858 alumnus, educator, scholar, civil rights activist, and athlete is the first of over 1,700 statues on public land in the city to be dedicated to an African-American.

Upon learning of Catto, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney felt compelled to educate the city and others of his heroic life and work. The efforts led Kenney and the O.V. Catto Memorial Fund to spearhead a 15-year crusade to build a memorial in Catto’s honor. In the end, sculptor Branly Cadet was commissioned to create the visual narrative, now known as “A Quest for Parity.”

“My hope is that someday, every child in Philadelphia will know as much about Octavius Valentine Catto as they do about Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Martin Luther King,” said Kenney during his keynote address at the event.

Born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1839, Catto migrated to Philadelphia after his mother’s death. He graduated from the Institute for Colored Youth as Valedictorian. He later became a highly regarded educator and Principal of the boys department at the institute.

While in his 20s, Catto rose to prominence in Philadelphia through his work to fight for the betterment of education for black students and efforts to recruit black soldiers to serve in the Union Army during the Civil War. Catto himself served as a Pennsylvania National Guard. He also advocated for the desegregation of the city’s trolley cars and rallied for ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment in Pennsylvania, which granted black men the right to vote.

Catto was also a talented baseball player and founder and captain of Negro League baseball team, The Pythians.

Catto’s life work ultimately brought about his untimely death. On October 10, 1871, the first Election Day that blacks were allowed to vote, the 32-year-old was shot and killed, as a result of Election Day violence from those that aimed to destroy the black vote.

Catto’s legacy is now celebrated via the 12-foot bronze statue that watches over the southwest corner of City Hall. Other sculptural elements seen at the memorial include, a ballot box and granite pillars that represent trolley cars. Both the pillars and ballot box are engraved and adorned with text and images that represent the accomplishments of Catto.

It is Kenney’s, Cadet’s and the members of the O.V. Catto Memorial Fund collective hope that the new monument will educate a new generation of Catto’s patriotic work.

“In this design, I have endeavored not only to celebrate the life of Octavius Catto, but also the values that Catto and his peers embodied so brilliantly: respect, growth, fairness, education and civic engagement,” said Cadet.

Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management (HRTM) and Recreation & Leisure Management majors, minors, and faculty participated in the Philadelphia Phillies #CollegeSeries Sport & Facility Management Night on Monday, September 18, 2017. The high-level networking, information, and sporting event began in the Media Room at Citizens Bank Park and ended with the viewing of the Phillies 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Cheyney delegation joined students from such institutions as Atlantic Cape Community College, Cairn University, Drexel, Penn State, St. Joseph’s University, and Temple to go behind-the-scenes in the business of baseball with Philadelphia Phillies, Aramark, and Spectra executives involved in facility management, food and beverage, and hospitality during a moderated question and answer session.

Panelists provided excellent insight into their areas of business in addition to sharing their career experience and advice. The panel included Sal DeAngelis, Director, Operations/Security; Eric Tobin, Director, Operations/Events; Kevin Tedesco, Aramark General Manager, Sports & Entertainment; Carolyn DiGuiseppe, Spectra General Manager, Facilities; Kristin Zeller, Manager of Phillies Special (Non-Game Day) Events, and Gregg Murphy, Phillies Broadcaster (Moderator).

Sophomore and REM major Nina Hicks, one of the 12 attendees from CU, exited the park with several tidbits of lasting advice. “One thing that stuck out to me the most was how all of the panelists told us to go after every opportunity you have, and to never think anything is beneath you because you have to get your start somewhere. They also told us to stay persistent, put yourself out there and never be afraid to ask questions and to remain open to different things.”

In addition, students like HRTM sophomore Rodney Jones posed questions to 25-year-old, Phillies catcher Andrew Knapp about his college and major league experience. The group was also able to meet informally with front office personnel from various departments, as well as those who spearhead the Phillies intern program.

“This was a phenomenal opportunity to get up close and personal with Phillies senior executives. I’m grateful Athletic Director Sue Kilian and Recreation & Leisure Management’s Pat Walker emailed regarding the opportunity and delighted the Phillies organization rolled out the red carpet. The students seemed to enjoy networking with peers from other schools and clearly had a great time learning about the myriad areas of sport, facility, and hospitality employment the Phillies and Citizens Bank Park provide,” shared Associate Professor and Chair of the Hospitality and Recreation Management Department, Dr. Ivan Turnipseed.

The evening concluded with viewing the home win from the popular Scoreboard Porch. Attendees also received a concession credit that could be redeemed throughout the ballpark for food, beverage, and/or merchandise.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is part of the second cohort to receive a $10,000 grant for the 2017-2018 academic year from the CVS Health Foundation, Truth Initiative and the American Cancer Society, to advocate for the campus to adopt and implement a smoke and tobacco-free policy. Cheyney’s own “Be Free” initiative explicitly calls for the campus to be smoke and tobacco-free by December 2018.

“Cheyney was originally awarded a two-year $10,000 grant from the Truth Initiative to assist with our efforts and now that it has ended, and the new grant with the CVS Health Foundation and the American Cancer Society is beginning, we plan to continue to expand our work to promote a tobacco-free generation,” says Thom Nixon, Associate Director of Community Living and Judicial Affairs. Nixon also serves as the Grant Lead and Chair of the CU Tobacco-Free Task Force.

Cheyney first began this initiative in 2015, through a partnership with Main Line Health (also a member of the CU Tobacco Free Task Force) and a grant from the Truth Initiative, a national non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. that advocates for a 100 percent smoke and tobacco-free campus policies at both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other college campuses across the United States. Since, the University has reached several milestones in their quest to become tobacco-free, including being among four HBCUs that won the 2017 Truth Initiative Art Campaign. Art students used the $1,000 award to create a commemorative bench that highlights CU’s smoke-free plan.

“Using this funding, the Task Force also plans to review CU’s current policies and implement new strategies that will allow us to reach our goal to become a smoke-and-tobacco-free campus by December 2018,” said Nixon.

Cheyney will also continue to host prevention education activities including health-fairs, town hall forums to discuss the dangers of tobacco usage and share prevention methods and the national event, The Great American Smokeout (which takes place on the third Thursday in November), that challenges smokers to quit cigarettes for 24 hours with the hopes that this decision will continue forever.

Nixon also shared that the University will be screening the short documentary, Black Lives/Black Lungs which takes aim at the tobacco industry’s blatant marketing strategies to selectively target Black consumers, and infiltrate into predominately Black communities.

Recent data from a public opinion poll (conducted by Morning Consult for CVS Health), confirms public support for a smoke-and-tobacco-free policies revealing that 57 percent of U.S. college students say a tobacco-free campus is important to them when considering applying to or attending a college, and 90 percent of Americans say college campuses should be tobacco free.