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Megan Robinson
News and Web Editor
The president's dining room features a long table.
In early July, 2 College Hill welcomed two new residents: Dr. Robert Casey and his wife, Robyn Allens. Dr. Casey, the ninth president of the college and the former Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at Rollins College in Florida, is the eighth president to live in the three-story home.
The house, completed in 1889, is located across from the theater on McDaniel’s campus. It has housed every college president since the second president, Thomas Lewis. Former President Dr. Joan Develin Coley lived in the house for six years before moving to an off-campus home with her husband, Lee Rice, in 2006.
For all current McDaniel students, this will be the first time that a college president has lived on campus. “The president’s house is an important component [to campus],” said Casey, who also noted that a president’s house was built while he worked at Rollins, and he saw firsthand the positive effect it had on the campus.
Senior Lauren Fischetti also seems to share Casey’s feelings: “It really shows that he wants to be a part of the community. We have a deep and rich history that should be celebrated and he’s jumping all in.”
Casey said he first saw the house October 2009, when he visited the campus for his first interview. He was impressed by the central location of both the president’s house and the office.
Casey’s former home was in a more private location, he joked, so he and his wife have had to adjust to shutting their blinds at night. However, he also noted that he loved the commute. He went home for lunch for the first time ever on his first day as McDaniel’s president. Casey spoke with Dr. Coley about her experiences in the house. They shared one experience in common already; they both got locked out on their first day in the house.
As in previous years, the first floor is used mostly for entertaining guests, the second is living quarters for the president and his family, and the third is a small apartment with an office for Dr. Casey. Casey has plans to open up the house to students and already envisions turning the third floor into a movie room for students’ use, with comfy chairs and a big screen.
Susan Leahy, a local interior designer who previously worked with Dr. Coley on the house, helped Casey and his wife decorate their new home. Dr. Casey said he wanted to maintain much of the original Victorian style. The biggest challenge was integrating his belongings – especially a large collection of folk art– with the furnishings of the home.
Vice president of Administration and Finances, Ethan Seidel said that the operating budget for the 2009-10 school year had already been approved when Coley announced her retirement, which meant it was too late to set aside funds for president’s house renovations. Recent updates were so minimal that the costs fit into the campus improvements portion of the normal operating budget, explained Seidel. However, not all of the additions to the home were financed by the college. Casey said that his wife and he paid for items they didn’t feel were appropriate for the college to cover such as his refrigerator, explaining that Robin and he are particular about fridges.
The couple also hopes to make the house environmentally greener by following the campus environmental plan created by McDaniel’s Greenterra environmental club. Changes linked to this greening effort include removing the garbage disposal and replacing light bulbs with energy efficient ones. Casey’s environmentally friendly plan extends to his presidential car – a Prius hybrid. Casey and Allens look forward to students’ return to campus so that it feels like a “real” campus. They also hope to open doors to their new home soon.
mar015 @ September 1, 2010
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From right, President Dr. Roger Casey, his wife Robyn Allers, and family cat Little.
Dr. Roger Casey
President
My name is Roger Casey. Along with my wife, Robyn Allers, and our entire faculty and staff, I’d like to say, “Welcome home, returning students, and welcome to McDaniel, first-years.” When I walk the Hill, you’ll see me proudly wearing a green button that says, “I am McDaniel.” I hope you will wear one, too. Collectively, we are all McDaniel College, and I am delighted to begin this academic year as McDaniel’s ninth President.
What’s so great about McD? We’re one of only forty Colleges That Change Lives, and we do so through our personalized interdisciplinary curriculum (The McDaniel Plan) and phenomenal faculty-student collaborations in teaching, research, advising, and even crab-eating. Our diverse community is engaged in hundreds of opportunities. In fact, we’re ranked as one of the Top Ten colleges in community service. Anyone can get involved in the arts at McDaniel. We host a nationally renowned folk-arts festival, Common Ground on the Hill. Innovative January courses take students to Spain, China, Cameroon, Belize, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Japan, Turkey, Greece . . . . Want more internationalization? Then study all year at our European campus, the only American university in Budapest, Hungary. We believe in environmental sustainability. Even our mascot is green! And speaking of The Green: where else can you tailgate in a drive- in stadium? Finally, location, location, location: we’re an hour or less from Baltimore, DC, PA, WV, VA, the Chesapeake, Amtrak, and the global connections of BWI. And yet you won’t be fighting rush-hour traffic to get to class. So if four years aren’t enough here, stay and get a masters from one of twenty programs.
See what a privilege it is to say, “I am McDaniel.” In just my first week here, I encountered alumni who have argued before the Supreme Court, had books written about them, taught as an endowed professor at Harvard, conducted cutting-edge biomedical research, started Fortune 500 corporations, and won a Pulitzer Prize. That was Week One. Couple such alumni with the amazing accomplishments of our student-centered faculty and staff and your own impressive achievements and it’s easy to understand: 1) Why we have all chosen to be part of this phenomenal college, and 2) Why I am deeply honored to serve as your new president.
I’ve been asking many different people hard questions to gain a clearer understanding of our collective vision for McDaniel’s future. So when you see me, stop me and tell me yours. Two goals are already clearly important to me: 1) Improving the image and reputation of McDaniel, and 2) Enhancing the quality of student life, especially our residential and student-life facilities.
When it comes to the first goal, you can help profoundly. Despite all the great opportunities here, I don’t think McDaniel has nearly enough swagger. So get some swag and swagger. We live in an age of super connectivity. Like me, most of you publish on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube. (I invite you to follow my Tweets @DrRog; or friend me, and I’ll friend you back.) How often do you use your social networks to spread the word about interesting things on the Hill? I challenge you to use your status bar or your Flip cam to make the rest of the world as aware of this great community as we are. Every time we post something positive about McDaniel, the value of our college brand and ultimately the value of your diploma rises. (And every time we say something negative, the reverse is true. Let’s not shoot ourselves in the foot!) Wear Green; speak Green; act Green. You are McDaniel; shout about it.
Have a great year, Green! I’m honored to serve as your President.
mar015 @ August 31, 2010
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Hannah Barker
Co-Commentary Editor and Assistant Web Editor
I almost didn’t join the staff of The McDaniel Free Press freshman year. I was intimidated by the collegiate level, even after my great experiences with newspaper in high school. On a whim, though, I attended the second staff meeting of the year, and the atmosphere was so energetic and welcoming, I was hooked. I stayed after that first meeting to speak with faculty sponsor Lisa Breslin, who quickly ushered me over to Art Director Ashleigh Smith ’10 upon hearing that I was proficient with Adobe InDesign. Ashleigh and I stayed outside the Writing Center and talked for over half an hour about both the paper and life at McDaniel. I knew that this was an environment where I belonged, and I dove right in. Joining the Free Press was my best decision of freshman year. This one action resulted in so many benefits. I grew as a writer. I met amazing people. I found leadership and networking opportunities. I also learned many useful skills, such as video editing and interviewing techniques. It was all so easy, too. I just expressed interest to either Lisa or whatever student was in charge of my area of interest, and they were more than willing to set me on the right path. During my first semester, I was not only a staff writer, but a member of both the layout and copy desk staff, and I loved it. When my level of coursework got heavy, it was easy to cut back on Free Press commitments by writing a simpler piece or just focusing on layout that week rather than doing everything. Let me tell you, that flexibility was vital to the preservation of my sanity. You really can do as much or as little as you have the time or the desire for. I took the practicum class next semester because I enjoyed it all so much. This allowed me to get even more involved. We learned how to use iMovie, and then I created a 60 Seconds video about whether students felt they got what they paid for at McDaniel College. The class reported on Snowmaggedon as it unfolded. We took candid photos of life on campus and learned how to write interesting and informative captions. I helped two seniors create the senior issue of the paper, which was challenging, but a lot of fun. The Newspaper Practicum does require more work than just being a member of the staff, but I enjoyed it so much I’m signed up for it this semester. My favorite Free Press experience of freshman year was definitely the CMA conference in New York City. Senior Kim Williams, Junior Megan Robinson, and I listened to speakers like Terry Moran from ABC News, attended sessions about the future of newspapers, and got to take a look at the papers of other colleges from across the country. It was a fun, enlightening, and unforgettable experience. Interested in joining the McDaniel Free Press? Come to one of our meetings, held in the Writing Center on Monday nights. If you can’t make it, talk to Lisa Breslin, whose office is located right across from the Writing Center in Hill Hall. Hope to see you there!
mar015 @ August 31, 2010
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The country music group Lady Antebellum is shown.
Lauren Miller
Blog Editor
Maryland may not be the musical mother load as say Nashville, New York or LA, but if you know where to look and what you’re looking at there’s plenty of quality music to be consumed in and around McDaniel.
CONCERTS AND EVENTS TO CHECK OUT IN AND AROUND MARYLAND:
1. September 4, 2010: Pat Benetar at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, MD
2. September 5, 2010: Allstar Weekend at the Maryland State Fair.
3. September 10, 2010: Lady Antebelleum at the York Fair in York, Pennsylvania. For more info visit: http://ladyantebellum.com/tourdates/2010-09-10/york-pa
4. September 11, 2010: Selena Gomez and the Scene at the York Fair in York, Pennsylvania. For more info visit: http://selenagomez.com/event/show/york-fair
5. September 18, 2010: HFStival 2010 at Meriwether Post Pavilion. This year’s lineup includes Third Eye Blind, Billy Idol, and Everclear among other bands. Visit: http://www.merriweathermusic.com/schedule/ to buy tickets and for more info.
6. The Maryland Renaissance Fair: It begins August 28th and runs every weekend through October 24th. For more info visit: http://www.rennfest.com/
LOCAL-ISH BANDS TO CHECK OUT:
1. Victory By Revenge — www.myspace.com/victorybyrevenge
2. Hot Spur — www.myspace.com/hotspur
3. All Time Low — www.myspace.com/alltimelow
4. The Dangerous Summer — http://www.myspace.com/dangeroussummer
5. Oh The Story — www.myspace.com/ohthestory
To stay up to date on concert happenings during the school year make sure to check out http://mcdanielfreepress.com/lauren/.
mar015 @ August 31, 2010
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Emma Simon
Features Editor
The saying, “Broke College Students” was formulated for one reason: It’s true! With inconsistent daily class schedules, it can be very difficult to get a decent paying job with enough hours. Then there’s the tuition bill, a rather intimidating number which far exceeds the life savings of most students.
After that whopping tuition bill, students face expenses linked to all the room essentials: Bedding, an alarm clock, a television, various toiletries, and of course, clothes.
With all of these money-dissolvers combined, many students end up feeling eternally broke. However, there are some steps that can be taken in order to save money rather than waste it.
- Use your meal plan. All students without kitchens are required to have one and it is already paid for, so you may as well get your money’s worth.
- ind a campus job (especially if you receive a Work Study Award).
- Buy used books online. Amazon and Half.com have some great deals.
- Skip out on the drinking. It will save money, calories, and a possible alcohol citation.
- Take advantage of on-campus events. Most of them are free, and the ones that do cost money will be far less expensive than most off-campus entertainment.
- Open a savings account. When you get paychecks, deposit them and forget them. It will definitely pay off later.
- Don’t carry cash or cards around. It’s tempting to spend money if it’s readily available, so keep it in the bank instead of the pockets.
“I have a hollowed out book in my bookshelf and about once a week I put in 5 or ten dollars. By the end of the semester, I am packing my books and I say ‘Oh wow, money!,” said John Maddrey ‘11.
“I try not to buy a lot of coffee from the Budapest Cafe, I have a coffee maker in my room, but remember it has to have automatic shut-off!,” said Samantha Lambert ‘12.
mar015 @ August 31, 2010
