Our project consists of examining different expansion projects that the University underwent during the 20th Century. We decided that if a source includes additional important information, we’ll include it in our analysis. For example, if a source explains the effect of a certain type of expansion project, such as increasing the population of the school, we will include it to show the growth of the University. We will include a Timeline of at least 7 University projects so the audience can see how the University is growing and renovating as time goes on. The project got off to a rocky start because of illness, but we’re attempting to overcome it and do the best we can. Our project will be compiled in a Google Site and the link will be posted on the class website.
Matt,Colin,Jack project
Our project is looking into Division 3 athletics and how the University of Scranton fits into the big picture. One of the central themes of the project is our timeline. It will tie in the project especially between the NCAA and the University of Scranton. We have used timeline KnightLab to format and organize the data. It has been really interesting to use. It gives the audience a visual way to see the data while also being ascetically pleasing. Overall the project has been a exciting learning experience tying together sports and the University.
The Expansion of Campus Diversity
From doing research thus far, we have discovered that from 1980 to 1999 there has been an increase in diversity at the University of Scranton. This project has provided us with historical information of the University that most students wouldn’t know. I find it interesting to learn about the background of the school I am attending.
As I work on the timeline, I skim the sources to get a feel of what they are about. I’ve realized that the University worked hard to be a more inclusive school for others by holding various events. They had numerous lectures about diversity that included guest speakers who spoke about their experiences and were eager to spread their knowledge to the community of Scranton. Conferences were also held to bring together local schools to discuss cultural diversity. Nowadays, the University is seen as a community that supports diversity and advocates for it. There has been progress from the past and this progress is still ongoing. Currently, there are different events held for students that provide knowledge of diversity and some events are even seen as fun yet informative. We are also looking at how diversity was expanded in terms of nationality. There was a significant increase in the number of international students attending the University during this time, and this played a major role in the expansion of diversity. As for sources, we have found our primary sources from the digital library provided by the University of Scranton. These sources provided us with information on how the University extensively worked towards boosting the efficiency of racial and ethnic diversity on campus.
Our group has made great progress on discovering how the University has increased its multicultural life on campus and has increased in international students attending. There is still plenty of work to get done before we can be completely content with our project!
The Jesuits Take Moving WAY Too Seriously
Our projects are due in less than a month, and doing research has officially ascended to the level of priority number one. I have read so many letters and have had to analyze so much poor handwriting, I think my glasses need a new prescription. We are making a lot of progress, though. After compiling a list of letters exchanged between everyone involved in the Jesuit takeover, dating them, and writing a brief description to make sense of the dates, I should have enough data to start constructing a basic timeline by Saturday. James has been in and out of the Lackawanna Historical Society finding primary sources to determine Scranton’s reaction to World War II and the Jesuit takeover, and is surprisingly finding more information in the Wilkes-Barre newspaper’s archives than our own, but sources are sources.
We are feeling confident about our Clio post (which is still in the works) and our project, but it wasn’t always that way. Trying to find a landmark in Scranton that had anything to do with our topic was . . . difficult. We mulled over ideas for a few days with nothing to show for it. And then an idea came. Where did it all begin . . . for us as students anyway? Answer: the Estate. Walking around the campus is one thing, but every student starts their journey at the University of Scranton in admissions, conveniently housed in the old Victorian residency of the Scranton family. How does that relate to our project? The Jesuits began their journey their, too: they covertly moved into the Estate in June 1942, and I do mean covertly. Not even the moving truck driver was allowed to know what was going on. It’s a little much on the Jesuit’s part, but nonetheless a fun story.
When I found out our final projects had to be about the University of Scranton way back in the beginning of the semester, I was a little disappointed. Correction: I feared the impeding boredom I thought would follow researching something as niche as the University of Scranton. That isn’t the case now, though. The stories we’re uncovering are interesting and all the more relevant because we walk the grounds they unfolded on. It’s an eye-opening experience to say the least.
BLOG #1 (Scranton Arts)
Today, the crew met up at the Weinberg Memorial Library, to discuss our Clio Page and the research website. After weighing in our options, we concluded that providing a tour of Gunster Memorial Student Center, would best suit our research. Opened in 1960, the University’s student center was home to many campus theater productions and artistic events. Since this building was constructed at the start of our time line (1960’s), we figured that its features would reflect the style and treads of that time period. In 2008, Gunster was demolished and replaced with the DeNaples Center. The old building stood at the location of the Dionne Green. For further information about the former “Hub” of the campus check out our page on Clio! In addition, our research website now has a tab dedicated to our Clio findings. This page will include pictures and a brief summary on our topic (GMSC). Overall, we are making great progress and are on pace to meet our goals. Good luck to all the other fellow researchers! Have a great weekend!
