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Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus (PLBC) visited the historic Cheyney University of Pennsylvania campus on Monday, September 18, 2017. This visit was part of the annual White House National Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) week to host a student-focused town hall forum that centered on the importance of the HBCU and students mobilizing change.

Congressman Dwight Evans, who represents Pennsylvania’s 2^nd Congressional District and is one of the 49 members that compose the CBC, and members of the PLBC, also aimed to create synergy between legislators and the student body. During the meeting, held here at the nation’s oldest historically Black college, various questions and concerns were raised by students regarding the institutions current challenges.

“I wanted to join the PLBC to heighten the importance of the HBCU and what it has meant not only to America but the world. When you look at the people that historically Black colleges have produced, we need to reinforce and raise their value,” said Evans.

Evens and PLBC members, brought optimism to the packed house of students, faculty, staff and Cheyney community members in the Carnegie Hall Great Room by collectively urging all to remain resilient and to view Cheyney’s issues as temporary hurdles. The legislators also advised students to use their voice to create groups that spark critical conversations and effect constructive change, as a positive way to leave their legacy at their future alma mater.

“We have some work to do and we have to work together. We have to work with the students, the faculty, the Council of Trustees, Board of Governors, the state and the federal government. We have to do it together, it’s not just one single element – it’s all working together,” Evans reinforced.

Members of the PLBC in attendance included: Chairman, Representative Jordan A. Harris, Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, Rep. Isabella Fitzgerald, Rep. Stephen Kinsey, Rep. Joanna E. McClinton, Rep. Christopher M. Rabb, and Rep. James R. Roebuck, Jr., Rep. Jake Wheatley. Sitting in for Senator Vincent Hughes was Tiffany A. Wilson, Director, Constituent Activities in the Office of Senator Vincent Hughes. Staff to Congressman Evans Kendra Brown, Deputy Chief of Staff and Legislative Director also sat on the panel. Cheyney alumnus and Trustee, Samuel Patterson was also in attendance and addressed the audience during the forum.

Cheyney University of Pennsylvania held their first ‘Spirit Send-Off Rally’ of the football season on Friday, September 8, 2017, to help pump-up the Cheyney Wolves as they boarded their team buses to take an almost five-hour journey to California University of Pennsylvania to face the Vulcans on their home turf.

During the morning spirit rally, Cheyney faculty, students, and staff gathered near the O’Shields-Stevenson Stadium and displayed their CU pride front and center. President Aaron Walton was also present for the early send-off to offer an encouraging pep-talk that not only helped motivate the players and coaches but all in attendance.

The rally also included an extra special performance by the talented Cheyney cheerleading squad and drummers from the Soulful Sound band led by Assistant Professor and Director of Bands, Allen Gardner. Members of the Student Government Association and fellow classmates were also on hand to help amp up the crowd, as they played music of their own and waved classic Cheyney blue and white signs containing supportive messages.

Fresh off their 56-28 victory in the Battle of the First, over rival Lincoln University, the Wolves are anxious to get back on the field and follow up with another win. The away game against the Vulcans will kick off this Saturday, September 9 at 1:00 PM. The Wolves will remain on the road for the next two straight games and will return to their home stadium on Saturday, September 30, where they will contest East Stroudsburg University at 1:00 PM.

Save the date for Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’s Family Day on Saturday, September 30^th.  The theme, “It’s a Family Affair”, makes it clear that everyone from Nanas and Pop Pops to siblings, aunts and uncles, even family friends are invited to join a day of fun, food and fellowship on the historic campus. Visitors will also get a chance to go to the 1 pm football game when the Cheyney Wolves host the East Stroudsburg Warriors.

“We hope to get parents and students engaged,” explains Thom Nixon, Chair of this year’s event.  “We want freshmen parents to see how their kids have transitioned and adjusted, we want to highlight our student athletes, we want families of all of our Cheyney students to come to campus and enjoy all that we have planned.”

Wolf Zones lined with vendors, a DJ, and games for children and adults will offer something for everyone.  Health officials will be on hand to give blood pressure screenings, nutrition tips, vision testing, and more. There will also be a delicious barbeque that’s sure to be finger-lickin’ good.

Everything kicks off at 10 am and runs until 5 pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children and include a t-shirt, entry to the football game, games, food, drinks and a good time. To purchase tickets, visit Ticketleap.

For any additional information, contact Thom Nixon at tnixon@cheyney.edu.

When Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Senior Shaneka Briggs and Junior Veronica Baccera get back in the classroom next week, they’ll have much to share with their professors and their classmates. Both girls spent time over their summer break in Belize as part of the PA State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Honors Study Abroad program. Both received full scholarships to participate, as did students from other PASSHE schools. All were competitively selected in a process that included writing a statement of purpose, soliciting letters of support and preparing a portfolio.

“The best part was getting to go on an adventure every day,” remarked Briggs, who will finish her studies in December. The English major learned much about the Central American country—from its two-party democratic political system and globalization efforts to its social diversity and tourism industry, and so much more.

“It was mind-blowing to be able to explore and meet so many different people along the way,” she shared. The aspiring college professor took special interest in the schools, noting that once students pass the sixth grade, their education is no longer free.  She’d like to travel more, study how other countries teach, and, perhaps, even teach abroad.

Baccera, a junior Graphic Design and Fine Arts double major from Kennett Square, PA, had never been on a plane before this trip, let alone, out of the country.

“I thought Belize was beautiful,” she gushed. “It was a completely different lifestyle, not only culturally, but the people, schools, food, daily life and art, was completely different.”

While learning about the many aspects of Belize, the girls and their comrades did a lot of physical activity in very hot and, often, humid temperatures, such as hiking through jungles and swimming through caves. While the adventures were sometimes challenging, both agree that they were always worth their efforts, especially when they visited Actun Tunichil Muknal, a famous archaeological site, designated by National Geographic as one of the most sacred caves in the world.

“We walked for one hour through the forest and swam across rivers to get to the ATM Cave,” Baccera recalled. “It was dark inside of the cave so we had helmets with lights on them. We swam and climbed for hours to reach the sacred Mayan grounds where we learned all about Mayan history and saw real Mayan Ceramics and sacrificial remains dating back to 600 AD, including the skeletal remains  of a young 18-year-old woman who was sacrificed to Choc, the Mayan rain god, during a serious drought that killed many Mayans.”

In addition to evidence of ancient Mayan rituals there, the group visited Mayan Temples such as Xunantunich, Altun Ha, and Lamanai, met with politicians, business leaders, professors, tourism and non-governmental reps. The coursework while abroad involved interviews and direct observations from their travels and interactions with others. They had research questions to answer and each had to do a paper related to their major and write a service project paper with ideas to alleviate poverty, a real problem in Belize.

Briggs and Baccera, both Keystone Honors Academy students at Cheyney, got very close to the PASSHE students who accompanied them, having spent four days at Mansfield University bonding prior to the two week-long trip, and spending virtually every day—morning, noon and night—with them while abroad.  Both agree that this trip was a once in a lifetime experience—one they won’t soon forget.

Instead of spending the close of summer beating the heat, high-school sophomores, juniors and seniors participating in Cheyney University of Pennsylvania’s Hotel, Restaraunt, and Tourism Management (HRTM) Hyatt Summer Bridge Program are basking in the rising temperatures of the kitchen at a campus eatery, The Grille, designing, prepping and preparing gourmet meals.

Led by Associate Professor and Chair of the Hospitality and Recreation Management Department, Dr. Ivan Turnipseed, the Hyatt Summer Bridge Program targets students who want to enter the vast and ever-growing Hospitality and Tourism industry.

“This year we have 17 students, from 15 high-schools in five states. The states are Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. This is the most diverse group that we’ve hosted and this is our fourth year,” says Dr. Turnipseed.

Throughout this week-long residential program, which takes place from Sunday, August 6 to Friday, August 11, students are participating in interactive field trips, activities and breakout sessions that focus on the 5 major areas of Hospitality.

“When we teach and talk about Hospitality here at Cheyney, we talk about it in 5 different areas: Hotels and Lodging, Food and Beverage, Travel and Tourism, Recreation and Leisure, and Meetings and Events,” explains Dr. Turnipseed.

On the program’s first full-day, students delved into the area of Food and Beverage with a visit to the Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm in nearby Malvern, PA. There they learned more about the harvesting and growing process and picked produce to bring back to Cheyney. Following their return to campus, students headed to The Grille, where Manager and HRTM Adjunct Instructor Christine Amarosa Neugebauer shared her ‘chef-pertise’, teaching the group kitchen safety, food preparation methods and food plating techniques.

Among the group of young apprentices who eagerly absorbed Neugebauer’s 40 years of experience in the Food Service and Hospitality industry, was 15-year-old Tyvina Taylor of South Philadelphia, who had zero qualms about her decision to attend, “I’m enjoying the program and know that Hospitality will be my career – there are no if’s, and’s or but’s about that,” Taylor assured.

Four current HRTM students are also on-hand serving as mentors to the aspiring professionals. “I was a program mentor last year and I loved it,” said rising senior Wesley Thorn. “In high-school I wasn’t able to participate in programs like this, so giving back feels good.”

Outside of the kitchen, students are also engaged via the daily mentoring and Q&A sessions, “Hyatt Heart-to-Heart and the “Cheyney Chat”, in which industry professionals video-conference in to discuss their careers and experiences in the Hospitality field. The “Cheyney Chat” featuring HRTM grads that have advanced to competitive positions, are adding an extra special flair to the informative discussions. May 2017 Cheyney graduate Tyneesah Davenport, now a Food Service Manager at Tennessee State University in Nashville, TN, was included in the line-up, Skyping in with students on Day 3.

Students also have some extra-curricular fun tossed in this week’s itinerary, with field-trips to the AMC Dine-In Theater, Hershey Park and Citizens Bank Park to watch the Philadelphia Phillies take on the New York Mets.

A $7,000 grant from the Hyatt Hotels Corporation alongside an additional $5,000, raised through corporate partnerships, covers all program costs for students, including food, lodging, activities and materials.