News - Sapphire
Sapphire Leads THON 2011
This year The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon raised a record breaking $9,563,016.09, with much thanks to one extraordinary Sapphire student from the Smeal College of Business – Kirsten Kelly, the Overall Chairwoman for THON 2011.
Written by Cassandra Jacoby, Supply Chain Management and interview by Alyssa Wasserman, SLC, Member of President Spanier’s Presidential Leadership Academy.
As one can imagine, leading the largest student run philanthropy in the world comes with astronomical challenges. Ever since the moment Kelly was elected for Overall in 2010, she was faced with challenges ranging from operating 24 hour priority email communications to controlling THON’s growth in a positive way. Kirsten expressed that one of the biggest obstacles was dealing with time management, “There were never enough hours in a day.” She said between dealing with hundreds of organizations and orchestrating a multitude of volunteers, Kirsten found that prioritizing and balancing her responsibilities was the key to her success.
Despite the challenges she faced as Overall, it is clear to any person who has ever met Kirsten that the rewards she has gained from this experience far outweigh its hardships. She expressed that working closely with the Four Diamonds families combined with raising outstanding awareness and funds For The Kids (FTK) was the most fulfilling aspect of all. Kirsten was lucky enough to have the opportunity to view THON from a 50,000 foot view, overseeing how all the committees and organizations work together to make THON what it is today. All of her hard work, insight, dedication, and enthusiasm helped to raise a shocking total of $9,563,016.09. It will be forever cherished in her memories. When she was asked how she felt when the total was revealed she simply expressed, “I was on cloud nine for weeks.”
Since THON 2011 has finished, Kirsten has had the ability to step back and fully grasp the enormity of her accomplishments. Not only did she have the heartwarming opportunity to speak with Mrs. Willard, the founder of the Four Diamonds Fund, but also she left an ongoing legacy by coining the phrase “FTF – For The Future”. Her efforts to help students get “hooked” on THON and to transform students into great future leaders will impact the lives of future generations to come, and more importantly, the future of The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon forever.
The Smeal community would like to give a special thanks to Kirsten Kelly for all of her hard work and best wishes in all of her future endeavors.
Smeal Team Takes Second Place in International Marshall Cup
A team of four undergraduates from the Penn State Smeal College of Business finished in second place in the Marshall International Case Competition held on Feb. 15-19 and hosted by the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (February 28, 2011) – A team of four undergraduates from the Penn State Smeal College of Business finished in second place in the Marshall International Case Competition held on Feb. 15-19 and hosted by the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business.
Twenty-nine teams from the world's leading business schools were invited to participate in this year's competition, held on the USC campus in Los Angeles. After 24 hours of preparation and two rounds of presentations, Smeal's team of Chris Gray, Paul Lerew, Theresa Piazza, and Courtney Powell bested all of the teams but one, New Zealand's University of Auckland.
The competition officially kicked off on the morning of Feb. 18 when the teams received the case and had 24 hours to prepare their presentations. The case centered on developing a new global human resources strategy for Hewlett-Packard. Several HP executives served as judges for the competition, in addition to others from business, government and academia. Teams were judged based on the quality of their analysis, their presentations, and their ability to answer the judges' questions.
For their presentation, the members of Smeal's team drew inspiration from one of Penn State's signature athletic cheers and developed a plan of engagement for HP employees centered on the theme of "We Are HP." They focused on uniting HP employees worldwide while also celebrating the many diverse cultures represented in the regions where HP has a presence around the world. The team spent its 24 hours of preparation time in a hotel room researching HP's HR initiatives and policies and devising an overarching strategy to attract, retain and engage the company's more than 300,000 employees.
The team's preparation began a few weeks prior to the contest by studying cases from prior years' competitions and reviewing videos of past performances by Smeal participants with faculty adviser Andy Gustafson, assistant professor of business administration. Gustafson, who has advised Smeal teams in the Marshall International Case Competition for years, including during two Marshall Cup victories in 2001 and 2003, critiqued the team's performance during practice sessions and pointed out strengths and weaknesses in past teams' presentations.
During the first round of the competition, Smeal was grouped with the University of Minnesota, The National University of Singapore, and Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi (Italy). After advancing out of the group round, the team competed in the final round against the University of Texas, Thammasat University (Thailand), the University of Manchester (United Kingdom), the University of Auckland, and USC.
Three of the team members—Gray, Piazza and Powell—have competed together in previous case competitions, and Powell credits that experience for their success in California.
"We all knew each other and our respective strengths going into this competition," she says. "We didn't have to spend much time honing our presentation skills because we've done this before. We knew what we had to do presentation-wise, so we could focus all of our efforts on developing a strategy that addressed the case."
In addition to the competition itself, the four-day schedule included several social activities to allow the participants to get to know each other before the competing began. They participated in a scavenger hunt in Santa Monica, tours of the USC campus and CBS studios, and even a bull-riding contest.
Beyond the hard skills the team sharpened in the competition itself, Powell says the best part of the experience was competing with, and getting to know, students from more than a dozen countries around the world.
"The whole experience had a more global feel to it than other competitions, from the case itself to our competitors," she says. "It was incredibly valuable just to be able to compete with so many high caliber students from around the world. It really helped us all to grow our global perspective."
Not only will these new contacts potentially be a boon to her future career, but Powell adds that she's looking forward to visiting her new friends around the world after she graduates next year.
For more information and a complete list of the schools that participated in the Marshall International Case Competition, visit www.marshall.usc.edu/undergrad/buad/international/case.
Sapphire raises $13,000+ for THON 2011
Every year, Penn State hosts its IFC/PanHellenic Dance Marathon, a year-long effort to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer. It culminates in a 46-hour, no-sleeping, no-sitting event which took place February 18-20.
This year, THON raised $9,563,016.09 “For The Kids,” with the help of student organizations across the Commonwealth, such as Sapphire.
As the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, THON has raised more than $69 million for The Four Diamonds Fund at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital.
Interviewed by Christina Wang, Vice President of Marking, SLC
We were able to sit down and speak with Sapphire’s THON chair, Noah Zurad, about this year’s efforts…
Q: Hi Noah, thank you for a job well done this year! How much did Sapphire raise for THON 2011?
A: Sapphire's total was $13,884.51, surpassing last year’s total of over $11,000.
Q: That’s amazing! Tell me about canning and Sapphire’s trips this year.
A: Canning is a great way to fund-raise while engaging students in their communities. This year, Sapphire had canning trips in New Jersey, The Poconos and Harrisburg (where our THON Family, the Sorianos, is from).
Q: With such an effort, there must have been many things to accomplish. Was there a THON committee?
A: Yes, there were multiple Chairs for Sapphire THON including Canning, Alternative Fundraising, Family Relations and Donor Relations. This gave leadership opportunities to many people in Sapphire.
Q: What do you think helped contribute to our record-breaking total this year?
A: Canning weekends are always important as a significant source of funding. Besides that, reaching out to friends and family members via both THONvelopes and THONline fundraisers were a great way to spread awareness and gain donations.
Q: What were you most excited about this year?
A: I was most excited about getting dancers and having a THON family. THON is an incredible event and having dancers and a family to watch and talk to during THON weekend is really important. Getting to meet the families at THON is definitely the best part of the entire weekend and having one paired with our organization is great. I hope that Sapphire THON continues to build upon the foundation we started this year as THON is not just a great cause and event, but being involved helps everyone get to know each other.
Q: Lastly, please comment on Catherine Robertson and Molly Garraway, our two wonderful dancers this year!
A: Having dancers this year was awesome. I'm pretty sure that Catherine danced longer than anyone on the floor as she may have taken the term "Dance Marathon" literally and danced the entire time. Both did very well and it was great to see them stand with the other dancers, as well as make it to the end.
Dancer Catherine Robertson (junior, Finance) comments on her experience…
“I want to thank Sapphire so much for the opportunity to dance. Without all the wonderful support, financially raising money and emotionally with THON Mail, we wouldn't have been able to participate in THON 2011. THON weekend was not only the highlight of my college career, but also a time I will truly never forget.
Everyone tells you to fully appreciate every second of the 46 hours you stand and dance at THON. What you really learn from THON though, is to fully appreciate every second of every day you get to live out.
Looking around THON, you see children playing like they've never experienced pain, you see moralers carrying dancers like they've been friends since childhood, and you see Penn State students come together like they know every dancer on the floor and every THON family is their own.
I've never been more proud to be part of the Penn State community or a member of the Sapphire Program than I was during THON.“
Get In Touch With Politics That Influence Your World
Anthony Shelton promotes voter literacy for PSU students and area residents.
By Alyssa Wasserman, SLC, Member of President Spanier’s Presidential Leadership Academy
Anthony Shelton, a member of the Sophomore Sapphire class has created a Facebook page to help create voter literacy for college students especially here at Penn State. The page is called Vote for You, PSU and can be found by clicking this link:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Vote-for-You-PSU/116541581739663.
Anthony’s goal with Vote for You, PSU is to have information on elections together in one central place where students and adults alike can gain access to candidate information, candidate quizzes, party websites, and registration resources.
Creating Vote for You, PSU was a way for Anthony to have a leadership project that could make an impact on Penn State students. There are not many resources out there that have all the information about elections in one centralized and easy to access location. Although the page was originally designed to help college students, he found that many adults in the State College area were accessing his page to gain information before the November 2nd elections this past year.
The website will be updated in cycles and the information available will vary depending on the upcoming elections. The next elections are in May, so new material will be posted on Vote for You, PSU starting in March and April. Registration and absentee ballot information will be available for every first time voter or anyone wishing to vote away from home.
At the moment, Anthony’s website is currently focused on the State College area elections and started off his web page by inviting his friends at Penn State. His Facebook page is continuing to expand as more and more people are finding out about it and inviting his friends. When asked if he wanted to create a free standing web page, Anthony replied that he didn’t feel like he had the technical expertise to design one, but if another Sapphire student would like to make it into a website than that would be great! Anthony can be contacted at ajs5475@psu.edu if you are interested in helping him expand his project, or if you need any information on upcoming elections.
Nittany Knowledge Team advances in the Danone Nationals Trust 7 Case Competition
Sapphires move ahead in international case competition.
By Christina Wang, Vice President of Marketing, Sapphire Leadership Program
On March 11, Sapphire’s Nittany Knowledge team (comprised of sophomores Ashley Schano, Maggie McGinley, Val Karpeshov, Grace Neiswonger, and Vu Evans) will compete in Dannon’s national competition, Trust by Danone. They will face 5 other teams from NYU, Purdue University, Pace University, University of Arkansas, and University of Delaware at Dannon’s headquarters in White Plains, NY.
To advance to this round, Nittany Knowledge beat out 20 teams in a computer simulation, where they created strategic plans and conducted various analyses. “We fared particularly well in ethics and principle issues, but know that we still have room to improve,” said Vu Evans (Actuarial Science). Val Karpeshov (Accounting) agrees, “Our teamwork and communication skills are solid; our challenge lies in time management and task allocation.”
At Nationals, the team will have to present their proposal to an executive committee and answer questions at their display table. “I’m looking forward to meeting Dannon’s senior leaders, and learning more about the Danone Way,” says Maggie McGinley (Accounting), “It will give us great exposure to the company, their culture and real issues they face.”
The International Competition will be in Paris, France on April 5 and 6, 2011. Grace Neiswonger (Finance) sums up, “There’s going to be a lot of work ahead, but we’re excited for the opportunity. It’s a chance of a lifetime.”
Sapphire Makes A Name For Itself in the Nittany Lion Fund
Twelve Sapphire students selected through a competitive interview process to be part of a 30-member, $4.5 million student run fund.
By Nathan Weiner, Fund Manager, Nittany Lion Fund, LLC
Following a devastating financial crisis, Penn State students have decided to pursue a Wall Street career and become the new pioneers of a changing financial services industry. Making a name for themselves among those students are a number of Sapphires. One well known way to get to Wall Street from Penn State is to join the Nittany Lion Fund, a 30-member, student-run investment fund with $4.5 million in investable assets. After learning about valuation methods and stock analysis, students go through a rigorous interview process to be accepted into the Nittany Lion Fund. Once they becomes members, students analyze, value, pitch, and invest in companies they feel will “beat the market”.
Michael Mathis, William Begley, Michael Long, Kevin Kuhlman, Sean Gilooly, Noah Zurad, Nathan Weiner, Matt Shannon, Joe Gallo, Kyle Wang, Sean Rothermel and Katie Lally are among the Sapphires that will be part of the 2011-2012 Fund Manager class. Noah Zurad and Matt Shannon, two junior finance majors, hope to obtain an internship this summer in Sales and Trading. As members of the fund, they are encouraged to network with alumni in the industry and make numerous trips to New York in order to get their feet in the door and eventually receive a job. Both have made excellent headway in doing so at firms such as Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley. They have access to other students that already have full-time offers lined up in careers including investment banking, sales and trading, equity research, wealth management, and more. All of these upper classmen are willing to extend advice and be a go-to resource for landing that summer internship.
All Sapphires are encouraged to get involved in the Nittany Lion Fund and its counterpart, the Penn State Investment Association if they are interested in pursuing a career on Wall Street. For any questions about getting involved, please contact Nathan Weiner at nathan.weiner@psu.edu or any of the students listed above.
Sapphires carry work for 30-Hour Famine from their High School to Penn State
Tara Zierler and Juliet Smith are giving their time to help feed hungry children.
Interviewed and written by Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing, SLC
Tara Zierler and Juliet Smith, both sophomores in the Sapphire Leadership Program, have to decided to bring the 30 Hour Famine to Penn State. Juliet first heard about the 30 Hour Famine in high school where she participated in the event with her youth group. 30 Hour Famine’s goal is to help raise money and awareness about childhood hunger in third world countries. Juliet wanted to bring this cause onto Penn State’s campus in hopes of continuing her hard work she put in during high school. During their Sapphire Leadership Seminar class Juliet told Tara about 30 Hour Famine and she quickly wanted to become involved.
30 Hour Famine consists of two main stages. The first stage is the actual famine. Volunteers give up food for 30 hours in order to get a glimpse of how it feels to be one of the starving children. During those 30 hours they join together to make posters and promotional materials to educate the public about childhood hunger. The fast will begin at noon on Friday, March 18th and last until seven in the evening on Saturday, March 19th. All volunteers will meet in room 208 in the HUB at 6PM Friday for the duration of the fast, and to work on the displays as a group. Ipods, computers, sleeping bags, and anything else needed for the overnight stay is permitted in the room. At the end of the fast, pizza will be provided to all the volunteers to honor all their hard work and dedication to the cause.
After the event at the HUB, Tara and Juliet along with any other interested volunteers will go to local churches and companies and speak about the cause. They hope for people to gain awareness about the world’s problems with childhood hunger and also raise money for 30 Hour Famine. All their money will go towards giving needy children food and the correct amount of nutrients they need in their daily lives.
During the spring semester, Tara and Juliet will be coming into a general body meaning to talk about the leadership project and give other Sapphires the opportunity to get involved with such a great cause. If you would like to get involved with the 30 Hour Famine at Penn State, you can contact Tara at txz903@psu.edu or Juliet at jas6007@psu.edu. To donate or learn more, visit the 30 Hour Famine website.
Sapphires & Smeal students stand out in PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) 2010 Case Competition
Sapphires, Megan Cyran, Mark Thomassen and Casey Morrison and Smeal students, Binti Pathak and Laura Kohler win $250 each for taking first place in the PwC’s xACT 2010 Case Competition here at Penn State
Interviewed and written by Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing, SLC
This fall, PricewaterhouseCoopers brought their xACT 2010 case competition to Penn State. PwC’s case competition dealt with today’s real world issue of converging Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) with Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Each team had to choose if they felt it would be better to merge the two accounting standards in a “big bang” approach, or if it would be better to take a staggered approach. Teams also had to research and discuss how each of these possible solutions would affect investors and preparers within the accounting world.
There were 15 teams that competed and presented their findings to PwC employees. The winning team was comprised of three Sapphires, Megan Cyran (sophomore), Mark Thomassen (junior), and Casey Morrison (junior). Binti Pathak and Laura Kohler were the two other members of the group and together they shared the grand prize of $250 per team member. With only a little over a week and half to make their presentation, the group members met almost every day. For the presentation they chose the staggered approach over the “big bang” and created a time line that they believed would be best for convergence.
Megan Cryan admitted it was pretty nerve racking, but it was a great experience and a great way to network with possible future employers. “For me personally, it also helped me learn more about what’s going on in today’s accounting world.”
The first place teams from different schools have a video of their presentation sent to nationals. Five finalists from across the country will travel to New York City and present in front of several PricewaterhouseCoopers partners that will then select a national winner. We wish Penn State’s winning team the best of luck, and congratulations to all of the group members!
Sapphires’ Leadership “airs” on Penn State Radio Station
Senior Sapphire Mike Sulkosky is the Music Director at Lion 90.7FM. Find out how you can get involved! This might be the Leadership Project for you.
Interview and written by Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing, SLC
Mike first found out about the Lion 90.7 FM through a friend who was a communications major and helped out at the radio station. One of the regular DJs stopped showing up to work, so Mike often tagged along to help fill in the position. The Lion 90.7 FM is a non-profit radio station that broadcasts out of the HUB and is completely student run. They are a multi-format station, so their programs include classic rock, modern rock, sports talk shows, and many more! The Lion 90.7 FM was ranked the 6th best student-run station this past year by MTV. When Mike first started going on air he admits he was nervous, but he has managed to overcome that and now enjoys his time on air.
Although he is not a communications major, Mike was great at what he did and got to know the President of the station very well. He was promoted to Staff Head and now is currently Music Director. As music director, Mike is 3rd in command. He spends 2 to 3 hours on air doing various shows including his Indie Rock Show the Indie 500. He also spends a few hours a week listening to music so that he can dictate what goes on air. Mike oversees all the DJs and considers himself the “face of the station” when it comes to talking to record labels and promotional companies. One of the things Mike is most proud of, however, is the relationship he has built with the promotional companies. He helped spearhead relations with these companies and hopes that in a few years he can look back and see how these relationships grow.
One of the biggest challenges as Music Director is making everyone happy. There are often times where DJs want complete freedom with their music; however, companies want certain music placed on air. It’s difficult to find the balance and create a happy medium for everyone involved. The biggest reward for Mike is when a lesser known band calls and thanks him for playing their music on air. It’s great to hear when bands are appreciative. He also has had many unique experiences at concerts and has been able to go back stage for interviews. He would love to continue with broadcasting after graduating this December, although he admits it will be hard to do. He is currently going to work with Ernst and Young, but will consider going into communications if he ever decides accounting is not right for him.
If anyone wishes to get involved with the Lion 90.7FM you can visit their website. They are always looking for new people! There are specific openings for a Hip Hop and Classic Rock DJ and also openings for talk shows. All you have to do is go through some training and you can be put on air! Mike’s advice to anyone who wishes to be a leader, whether with the Lion 90.7FM or another cause or organization is to be as friendly and as personable as possible. Meet and talk to people as often as you can. It’s all about knowing people and keeping doors open.
Students Raising Money To Travel To Panama And Help The Global Economy
Megan Ruffe and Hortense Fong have created a chapter of the Global Business Brigades here at University Park. Find out how you can become a part of this worthwhile project.
By Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing, SLC
Megan and Hortense are working together to bring Global Business Brigades into Smeal. Penn State already has three different programs within Global Brigades including water, public health, and medical. Hortense first found out about the Global Brigades when she joined the medical program. When she heard about the business program, she knew that it would be a great opportunity not only for her, but other business students as well.
The Global Business Brigades is a national organization where students are assigned a project that will take place in either Honduras or Panama. A group of twenty students will be able to travel to Panama if they raise $1500 each for the trip. These students will provide consulting and share knowledge with locals to help increase the amount of money they earn a day. Currently the average daily income in Panama is $2 per day in US currency. The Global Business Brigades works with the citizens to improve their skills in order to make more money to provide a sustainable income to cover living expenses. Students will also be working with the Peace Corps during their visit to Panama to insure that the project is sustainable and will continue for years to come.
Penn State has officially recognized The Global Business Brigades as a club this past month. Megan and Hortense have just ended their big recruitment push, but could still use volunteers! They are working to get a group of twenty students together to jointly create a business consulting plan for their project, and also raise money for the trip. So far the club has already done a bake sale and sold radios outside of Beaver Stadium for a football game in order to fundraise. They have several upcoming fundraising events include canning with the Global Water Brigades, working concessions at the basketball games and are looking to receive corporate contacts for donations. They are also trying to get grants both from Schreyer, Smeal, and also national donors as well. Once they get a set group of students in place, they plan on creating a fund-raising chair in order to generate more ideas.
Even though they have ended their recruitment push, Megan and Hortense are still looking for more volunteers! This organization could be a great opportunity for anyone looking for a way to combine their philanthropic and business skills and make a difference! Other universities that have well established business schools take part in The Global Business Brigades, so this organization has potential of making both Smeal and Sapphire even better!
If you would like more information on The Global Business Brigades you can contact Megan and Hortense at pennstate.gbb@globalbrigades.org or visit the website.
The Pitfalls and Rewards of Running a Lump Lump Truck!
Sapphire John Barth learns firsthand about the ups and downs of running a business and the importance of marketing, being prepared, and networking.
Interviewed and written by Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing, SLC
John Barth is currently a Junior right now in the Sapphire program and has taken a rather unique direction for his leadership project. This summer, John and two of his friends from home worked together to run their own business. One of his father’s friends had some extra money and always wanted to buy an ice cream truck. Unfortunately, he worked full-time and couldn’t be on the truck so he gave the responsibility to John and his two friends to run the business.
They started working on the truck, named Lump Lump, the first week in May. Before running the truck, the entrepreneurs had to do a lot of work on it, which included installing new speakers, a freezer and decals. The group also had to install a sink with running water in order to pass the town health department’s requirements and receive their peddler’s license. Once the truck was ready they started looking into major bulk distributors. Narrowing down the list down to Costco and Restaurant Depot, they ended up going with the latter because the company had more of a variety of Italian Ice flavors. They purchased each 3 gallon tub for $13 and on average made about $110 turn around on the tub. They also decided to sell candy, chips, and hot dogs although those were not as big sellers.
In the beginning, the group started off just driving the truck around but were only making about $200 - $300. They realized the trouble was their marketing approach. The Lump Lump truck started visiting different events that attracted groups of people such as little league games and car shows, but it took a lot of time and effort to hunt these events down. Gas is very expensive and they were only breaking even or making a few bucks. They decided to create a website where people could request the truck to come to their events, and realized that this was where they would make the most money. Due to the word of mouth and the website, the business began growing.
The entrepreneurs were able to network with the director of the local Relay for Life and began bringing Lump Lump to their events. They ended up doing 4 different Relay for Life events, one of which netted their biggest selling day ever of $500. They actively gave out their business cards during those nights and received a lot of new business from satisfied customers. Every Friday they would bring their truck to a preschool and on Wednesdays they drove to a law firm that held ice cream socials for company employees. These two events helped established a set schedule for John and his friends. They filled in the rest of the week with other events. At this point, the team was still driving around, especially on really nice days. However, they tried to gear themselves more towards the events because it accounted for about 75% of their income.
Freshmen Class Of 2014 “SURVIVE” Leadership Day Fall 2010
The Executive Board and First Year Seminar Teaching Assistants help improve Leadership Day
By Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing, SLC
This year’s Leadership Day for the freshman Sapphire students was the first of its kind. After many changes over the past few years, Sapphire VP of Campus Affairs, Eric Bodnar, along with his committee decided it was time to revamp the structure and agenda of the day. The events of Leadership Day all revolved around a Survivor theme. Students were broken up into four teams: Fiji, Hawaii, Palau, and Micronesia. Each Sapphire was given a bandanna that corresponded with their team color, and started the day off with an ice breaker activity to get to know their new team members. Lunch was served soon after, compliments of Sapphire’s Faculty Advisor Shaun Knight. The homemade buffet of food was one of the highlights of the day.
After lunch, students once again broke into their teams and got to participate in four different challenges. The first challenge for the team I led was “Lost at Sea.” Each member of the team is given a worksheet with a description of the predicament they are in. They have found themselves lost at sea with only 15 items. It is up to each individual to rank the importance of the 15 items they posses in hopes they will aid in their safe recovery. After each student individually ranks the items, they join together in subgroups of around 4 to 6 people and then decide as a team the importance of the items. The purpose of this game was to see if the group is stronger than the individual. In almost every case, the group score was lower (meaning they were more accurate with their rankings) than the individual score. This activity helped with thinking logically as an individual and within a team as well.
Up next was the Jump Rope Challenge. Students broke into two even groups within their team to complete this challenge. Two students were chosen from each group to be the turners at each end of the jump rope, while the rest of the team had to complete several different tasks. To start off, each member of the group had to safely run into the spinning jump rope, jump over it one time and exit. If one member of the team did not make it through as required, then everyone had to start from the beginning. The task was completed when everyone successfully made it through to the other side. The same rules applied to the next few challenges where students had to go through in groups of two, three, four, and then the entire team together. Once all those tasks were complete the team stood by the side of the rope and had to see how many consecutive jumps they could make without stopping the turning rope. This event helped with teamwork skills and worked to strengthen verbal communication. The groups found that sometimes what works with some events, doesn’t work well in other situations, and what works well with some teams is not necessarily the right strategy for others.
The third event was the Minefield Game. Students started off this game by splitting into pairs. One partner from each pair chose to be blindfolded while the other student was in charge of giving them verbal directions on how to safely navigate the minefield. The minefield was made up of different objects and obstacles that had to be safely avoided. Yellow rope was laid on the ground and students could not step on them, but could step over them. Once the blindfold student made it to the end of the minefield, the partners switched. The partner who was previously giving directions now made their way through the minefield with directions from their partner until they were lead to safety. This event helped build the students verbal communication skills as well as teamwork and learning the importance of trusting a fellow student.
The last event that Sapphires participated in was the Lava Pit. Similar to The Minefield Game, students had to break off into pairs before the start of The Lava Pit. Before anyone was blindfolded, the team worked together to make a strategy to complete the challenge. They were given two flat boards about 6 inches in width, three 2 inch wide blocks, and one long skinny piece of wood only an inch in width. The objective of this game was to get the entire team to the other side of the volleyball court or the “lava pit” without touching the sand. Once a strategy was formed, one of the partners was blindfolded, while the other partner was in charge of safely guiding themselves and their blindfolded to the other end of the lava pit. If one student touched the “lava” then the entire team had to start from the beginning. This event helped build teamwork and trust between peers.
At the end of the day, the Sapphire freshman all gathered on the bleachers for a group picture and to do a short recap of the day’s activities and the lessons they learned. Not only did they leave Sunset Park with a better set of leadership skills, they also were able to build a closer bond within their cohort. Freshman Ally Cristy noted, “I really felt like I got to know the rest of the freshman Sapphires so much better than I had previously. The leadership activities were a great change for us to bond, and I ended up having a lot of fun.” I look forward to watching the Sapphire class of 2014 grow into well rounded leaders over the next few years. If this day was any indication of their ability to work together as a team, then I know they will be very successful here at Penn State and into their future.
Hoop Shoot “scores” more than $1,000.00 at Beaver Stadium during Homecoming Weekend
The Sapphires unite with the Pink Zone Foundation to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer.
By Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing SLC – and Eric Bodnar Co-Founder, Pink Zone Committee and Vice President, Campus Affairs SLC
During the recent home football game vs. Illinois, Sapphire students, Eric Bodnar, Mark Barbella, Alex Drost, Joe Knittel and Alyssa Wasserman helped out with a basketball fundraising event to raise money for the Pink Zone Foundation, an organization dedicated to fighting breast cancer. Outside the bookstore by the stadium, the Pink Zone Foundation set up a basketball hoop and solicited donations from participants as they attempted to make a shot in hopes of winning various prizes. All the money raised through this event went towards breast cancer awareness and research. Many members of the Lady Lion basketball team were in attendance to support the cause. The event was so popular that there was a continuous line for more than two hours trying to sink a basket. The final total raised was $1,041.20.
Student involvement in the Pink Zone is beginning to spread to many more members of Sapphire. Committees are currently being set up to help increase the attendance at the Lady Lion’s Pink Zone basketball game versus Northwestern at noon on February 27, 2001 at the Bryce Jordan Center. This is a unique opportunity for many Sapphires to be able to work closely with the Penn State Athletic Department administrators and other organizations. Actively participating on a committee will be a great way for all Sapphires to gain real life experience in marketing and planning. Partnerships like this within the university are unique and provide a great opportunity to expose you to real world applications.
There are other possible partnerships that may be formed through this movement. As an example, this week, Eric Bodnar, solidified a partnership with the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. They are now working to enhance cross-college collaboration to market the Pink Zone Foundation and spread the word to further get the community involved. There is also a future meeting scheduled with the organization “The Power of Pink,” a breast cancer awareness organization that works closely with the Pink Zone Foundation. These new partnerships can create an even bigger impact on raising money for breast cancer.
If you are student, club, organization, or college interested in joining the cause, please contact Eric Bodnar at ericwbodnar@gmail.com.
Hurry, Vote to Pink Out Beaver Stadium Before August 31!!
Sapphire Vice President of Campus Affairs, Eric Bodnar takes an inspiring Leadership Project
By Dan Allen
Without an official Whiteout game to be played at Beaver Stadium this year, Penn State sophomore Eric Bodnar had an idea that would continue to bring students together and help out a good cause. As part of Eric’s Sapphire Leadership Project, he intends to organize a "Pink Out" of Beaver Stadium that would benefit breast cancer research and continue to bring an overall awareness of its pervasiveness. This would not be the first time Penn State Athletics has supported the fight against breast cancer. The Lady Lions basketball team has a Pink Zone at their home games to show their awareness of the impact breast cancer has on many families, and this is where Eric received some of his inspiration to have Beaver Stadium host a Pink Out. Although the idea is greatly supported around campus, funding for a project like this would be pricey. Eric submitted his idea to the Pepsi Refresh Project, which awards two ideas each month, for a $250,000 grant. Eric’s idea is currently ranked #36. Voting will go on until the end of August and you can help this dream become a reality.
Help Pink Out Beaver Stadium and find a cure for breast cancer, Vote once a day by texting 101958 to Pepsi (73774) and visiting www.refresheverything.com/pinkoutpsu before August 31, 2010.
If we don’t win this month, look for Pink Out Beaver Stadium next month. As long as we make the top 100 our proposal will carry over from month to month. Keep voting until we succeed.
We are Penn State!
Sapphire Welcomes Incoming Freshman Class 2010
Orientation Breakfast a Success
By Alyssa Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing, SLC
On Sunday, August 22nd, the new incoming Sapphire students were invited to an orientation breakfast to kick off the new school year. All the Freshman Sapphire students along with a few upperclassmen and the executive board gathered together in the Business Building atrium to get to know one another and learn about some exciting new events for the upcoming semester. 
Sapphire’s faculty advisor, Shaun Knight, started off the morning welcoming in the incoming freshman and giving them a preview of what to expect out of the Sapphire Leadership Program. One import point he presented was how important it is to fulfill their leadership projects and aim to take as much out of what the program has to offer. Shaun then presented Sapphire’s VP of Campus Affairs, Eric Bodner, who has made it his goal and leadership project to “Pink Out” Beaver Stadium in honor of breast cancer awareness. Penn State Women’s Basketball Coach, Coquese Washington was also at the breakfast and gave an inspiring speech about breast cancer awareness and how important leadership is as a student, employee, and a community member. At the conclusion of the meeting the executive board handed out gifts to the new freshman and welcomed them into the Sapphire Leadership Program.
