Category Archives: Campus

Never Go Hungry at Scranton

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Written by: Nicki Sanchirico Exsc/Kines ’18, DPT ’21

The University of Scranton offers a wide variety of food options for its undergraduate and graduate students! There are a few main areas for students to grab a bite to eat: “3rd floor” (The Fresh Food Company), “1st floor” (1st Floor DeNaples food court), “big P.O.D.” (the Mulberry Street P.O.D. Market and food court) and “Einsteins” (Einstein Bros. Bagels).

The 3rd floor of the DeNaples Center is considered the main dining hall on campus.  This provides students with an “all-you-care-to-eat” style of service for a single meal swipe or price. There are many different stations with meal choices changing at each meal and individual plates made to order. This provides students with an ever-changing variety of choices and the ability to customize their meals. There is always one station that is for students who require a gluten sensitive diet and a station for students who are vegetarian. Fan favorite meals include the raspberry chicken and the chicken parm sandwich. Two of my personal favorite meals are their poke bowls and chicken enchiladas! At the beginning of fall 2020, a new option called “Fresh Food Co to Go” was introduced. Through this option, students pick up food through a to-go line and can enjoy the food outside or back in their residence halls.

The 3rd floor isn’t the only food area on campus that introduced new to-go options! The 1st floor food court, big P.O.D. and Einsteins were always known as areas where students could grab a quick bite to eat, but now it is even more convenient for students to order food. Students now have the option of ordering via a mobile app! This is a convenient way for students to order and pick up food quickly on busy nights. The 1st floor food court includes Which-Wich, Chick-fil-A, Zoca, Oath Pizza, a pasta station and Grill Works. My go-to meal on 1st floor is always a Zoca bean burrito bowl! In big P.O.D., you will find a sandwich station, a salad station and a station called Road Trip America.  Road Trip America offers students a taste of food from various regions! My personal favorite place to grab a quick bite to eat is at Einsteins. Nothing beats grabbing a warm bagel sandwich or a breakfast burrito between classes.

As a graduate student, you can pay for meals as needed, or you can participate in a meal plan. Full meal plans and commuter meal plans are offered. There are three options for the full meal plans: 10 meals per week, 14 meals per week or unlimited. There are two options for the commuter block meal plans: 30 meals per semester or 60 meals per semester. During my graduate school experience, I opted for the 60-block meal plan. This allowed me to get a couple of meals a week on campus with friends and grab a couple of quick meals on busy test days! Whether you decide to get a meal plan, or just pay for meals as needed, you’ll always have plenty of options available on campus!

“Scranton? Where The Office takes place?”

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Written by: Rachel Kosty Exsc/Kines ’18, DPT ’21

If there’s one question you’ll be continuously asked from the moment you are accepted to the University it’s, “Scranton? Where The Office takes place?” Scranton, PA is famous for many things, but well known to most is that this is where one of the best comedy TV shows of all time is set! During your time here, I highly recommend you re-watch the series. You’ll find yourself yelling at the TV, “Hey I know where that is!” and “Pam has a University of Scranton flag behind her desk!” The creators of The Office did a fantastic job of filling the TV show with actual places and objects from the real Scranton, down to Froggy 101 radio station stickers and the McCarthy Cab cars! Family and friends will ask to visit you here and take a tour of Scranton to see places and memorabilia from the show! My cousins asked to do just this, so here are some famous places to go visit in Scranton if you’re a fan of the show!

1.  The “Scranton Welcomes You” Sign

Everyone and anyone who has seen The Office knows this sign! It’s shown right in the opening credits! It can now be found inside the Steamtown Mall and is a fantastic photo-op for any fan of the show! The Steamtown Mall is also featured in the show as well!

2. The Dunder Mifflin Building (kind of)

Another famous building featured in the opening credits of the show is home to an actual paper company! The building is owned by the Pennsylvania Paper & Supply Company and features the Dunder Mifflin Logo on the tower.

3. Poor Richard’s Pub

An establishment frequented by all employees of Dunder Mifflin is Poor Richard’s Pub! The pub is located inside of South Side Bowl (a bowling alley), a great place to spend the evening bowling and having a drink where actual members of the office have been! The pub sells memorabilia perfect for any fan!

4. Lake Scranton and Lake Wallenpaupak

The Lake Scranton featured in the show is very different than the one in real life but is still a beautiful place to take a walk on a sunny day! You won’t find any sandy beaches at Lake Scranton or a booze cruise on Lake Wallenpaupak, but they are both gorgeous places to visit!

5. Cooper’s Seafood House

If there is one place on this list that has the most Office memorabilia, it is Cooper’s! The restaurant has lots of artifacts, photos and history of the Scranton area, and also features a large gift shop where you can get all The Office gear you could imagine, plus more! What a great restaurant to have dinner, get some mementos and take a few photos!

6. The Electric City Sign

Scranton, what? The Electric City! Scranton is famously known as The Electric City for having the first street cars in the U.S. to be powered by only electricity! There is an amazing sign found in downtown Scranton at the corner of N. Washington Ave and Linden Street that makes a perfect place to recreate Michael and Dwight’s music video!

7. Alfredo’s Pizza Café

Famously mentioned in The Office is Alfredo’s Pizza Café, which is definitely not Pizza by Alfredo’s! Alfredo’s Pizza Café is a real restaurant located on S. Washington Street in Scranton! Stop by for a great photo and head inside to grab some pizza!

8. The University of Scranton!

When you re-watch the show, you’ll notice just how many times our university is featured! From t-shirts to office decorations, our school is represented! A fun fact you may not know is that The University of Scranton actually hosted the wrap party for The Office! All the cast members were here on campus to say one final goodbye to the series. They even hosted a panel session in our gym! When you step on campus, you are standing where each one of the cast members of the show has as well!

Although Scranton might not be home to its own Chili’s, there are so many places you can visit both on and off campus that were important to the series! If you stick around here in Scranton long enough, you might even get to meet a cast member from the show! A few are very well known for coming back into town regularly and hitting up our favorite local establishments.

Staying Active on Campus!

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Written by: Rachel Kosty Exsc/Kines ’18, DPT ’21

Getting movement into your day can be beneficial to you in so many ways! Exercise can help improve your mood, boost your energy, and promote better sleep! These are all great for college students; especially graduate students! The University of Scranton has so many opportunities and facilities for students to get active. There is something for everyone!

1. The Fitness Center

One of the most popular fitness activities and locations on campus is the fitness center itself! A membership for graduate students is only $70 per semester and includes access to the Byron Recreation Center. This membership includes access to this 14,000 square foot facility, which holds 50 pieces of cardio equipment, 22 weight machines, and a state of the art free weight area. Our beautiful fitness center is a great place to relax and get in a great workout.

2. Intramural Sports

Some of the most popular activities on campus are intramural sports! For their efforts, winners of each league take home a t-shirt, which is one of the most coveted items given away on campus! Each season and semester host different sports leagues. Intramural sports leagues include: badminton, basketball, kan-jam, kickball, soccer, softball, ultimate frisbee, bean bag toss, dodgeball, volleyball, whiffle ball, pickleball, and flag football! This is a great way to get your friends together once a week for some exercise!

3. Swimming

The Byron Recreation Center is home to a six-lane, Olympic-size, competitive swimming pool! Open swim and lap swim are available if swimming is your go-to fitness activity! In addition, locker rooms, saunas, and steam rooms are available nearby.

 

4. Fitness Classes

Spin, yoga, Irish dance, Zumba, HIIT, and many more fitness classes are held in the Byron Recreation Center and outside campus, including the beautiful rooftop garden in Leahy Hall! There are options for everyone, from relaxing yoga to intense spin classes! The new spin classroom has been a very popular addition to the Byron Recreation Center!

5. Racquetball

Inside the Byron Recreation Complex, you’ll find so many fitness activities and locations! One of which, are multiple racquetball courts! All the gear you would need to play can be borrowed from the main desk inside the front door of the building. Racquetball is a great wintertime sport and gets pretty competitive between friends here on campus!

6. Indoor Walking Track

Inside the Byron Recreation Complex, there is a 1/10-mile walking track surrounding three basketball courts! This is the perfect spot to get a walk in with a friend when the weather might not allow for a stroll outside! Bring some headphones and walk as many laps as you please!

7. The Dionne Green

On any nice day in Scranton, there is one place where you are guaranteed to find students getting some sun while playing frisbee, soccer, or any sport you can think of: the Dionne Green! Home to the University’s own amphitheater, this 22,000 square foot green space is always a popular spot on campus! Pick-up soccer games can be seen here throughout the week, and they are always great to watch on the sidelines or from this great view in the dining hall!

8. Open Gym

The Byron Recreation Complex’s three courts can be used for multiple sports: basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, and more! Supplies can be borrowed from the main office of the building, inside the entrance. During open gym times, bring some friends and have a pick-up game!

9. Outdoor Sand Volleyball

Next to Condron Hall, the University has its very own sand volleyball court! On sunny days, you can usually find a pick-up game happening with some spectators watching! This is a perfect place to get a few friends together and enjoy the sunshine!

No matter the time of year, you’re sure to find great opportunities to stay fit and energized. Perhaps that’s why the University ranked among the nation’s “Healthiest Colleges in the U.S.” by Greatist.com just a few years ago.

Best College: What That Means for Us

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U.S. News & World Report has ranked The University of Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for the 26th consecutive year. U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 in the 2020 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today.

U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 5 in its category in a listing, based on peer assessment recommendations, of the nation’s “Most Innovative Schools,” which recognizes colleges that are making “innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities.” In addition, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 12 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”

In national rankings, as opposed to listings by category, U.S. News included Scranton among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” ranking Scranton at No. 224 in the U.S., and among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs,” ranking Scranton No. 143 among schools where a doctorate is not offered. Also, in national rankings of all business programs in America, U.S. News ranked Scranton’s entrepreneurship program at No. 33, its finance program at No. 43 and its accounting program at No. 52 in the country.

In addition, Scranton was ranked No. 38 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the seventh consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was also listed among the “top ranked” colleges where students do well based on “spirit and hard work.”

U.S. News slightly changed the methodology used in its rankings this year to include a first-generation student graduation variable among the data used to determine a school’s “outcomes” assessment, which represents 35 percent of the overall score. Other factors in the “outcomes” assessment include a social mobility score, freshman retention, graduation rates and graduation performance rates, which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class.

In addition, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators for its ranking that includes peer assessment of academic excellence (20 percent); faculty resources (20 percent), which now includes regional cost-of-living adjustments to faculty pay and benefits; student selectivity (10 percent); financial resources (10 percent); and alumni giving (5 percent).

U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.

The 2020 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 9.

Original article: Royal News