FEBRUARY 20, 2018
Starting the Year Right: Recent Student Accomplishments
Here are brief highlights of Golden Rams successes during the first weeks of 2018. Keep up the great work, students!
A Community Honored
The Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry hosted a breakfast in January
that honored the West Chester community's response to the November fire at Barclay
Friends Home. Aria Swanson (pictured) and Danielle Gendler, Honors College students
who held the puppyland charity event on campus in December to benefit residents, represented
WCU, which counts a number of first responders among University faculty, staff, and
students. The University community turned out to help the residents during and after
the fires, and the students' event raised more than $2,500.
Champs Volunteer
Before classes resumed in January, members of the championship baseball team visited
with the employees at Handi-Crafters in Thorndale, where Tim Hoge, their bat boy,
works. The non-profit empowers people with disabilities to live more independent,
productive, and fulfilling lives by providing meaningful work opportunities and other
support services.
They KNOW They Can Dance
At the Universal Dance Association's 2018 National Dance Team Championship in Orlando
in mid-January, the WCU Dance Team (a student-run organization) placed fourth nationally
in the open hip hop dance division. They also competed in the jazz division. At the
beginning of January at the Battle of the Northeast, the Dance Team was the top-scoring
college for their hip hop routine, first in open hip hop, and second in open jazz. Their national performances are archived here.
The Voices
WCU students also excelled at the 2018 Varsity Vocals International Championship of
Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinal on Feb. 17. The two University
a cappella groups that competed — Under A Rest and High Street Harmonix — placed second
and third, respectively. University of Delaware took first place.
Individual WCU competitors also won special awards. From Under A Rest, Spencer Camacho
earned Outstanding Arrangement for the entire set while Bri Decerio earned Outstanding
Choreography for the entire set. High Street Harmonix member Andrew Bollenbach won
Outstanding Vocal Percussion for the entire set.
The Ultimate
In the Florida Winter Classic of Ultimate Frisbee (a club sport at WCU), West Chester's
women's team took first place and competed against several national qualifiers including
Michigan, Ohio State, and Florida. Now ranked 13th in the country, West Chester is
now on the radar as a team that is headed toward nationals. The home tournament is
March 24 – 25.
The Quad
Two members of The Quad staff earned awards for their writing at the Student Keystone
Press Awards. In the reviews category, first-year writer Gabe Sagherian received first
place for "How Did I Find This Album Here?" and former Quad Editor-in-Chief Samantha
Mineroff took second place for "13 Reasons Why Not." Winners will be honored at the
Student Keystone Press Awards Luncheon during the America East Media Business and
Technology Conference on March 14 in Hershey, PA.