The Waltonian

On a damp April 10, Eastern’s Center for Career Development hosted their Cookout with Careers event in the gym for students to connect with potential employers in their field of interest. Over 35 employers were represented from across the Greater Philadelphia area looking to hire interns, part-time employees and entry-level positions in nursing, social work, education, finance and more.

Cookout with Careers differed from the business attire and printed resumes many expect at a traditional career fair. Instead, Cookout with Careers was designed so that students and employers meet on more approachable terms and share common interests over a casual meal. Abigail Brooke, Assistant Director of the Center for Career Development, said, “We found that resonates really well with students and employers, because it takes a lot of the pressure off and they’re able to be more human and have real conversations.”

Eastern Alumni Michelle Germaine was at the Cookout for Careers as an employer representing Meridee Winters School of Music. Germaine, like many other employers, was representing a company they trust and wanted students to share the kind of job experiences they’ve had. “I think we have a really cool job position at Meridee Winters. I’ve had a good experience working with the company and I want to recommend it to current students,” Germaine said.

“I think that the career fair is really well done,” Germaine continued. “Sarah Todd is awesome and her Center for Career Development is awesome. I’ve always looked up to Sarah Todd and I think she’s doing an awesome job connecting students to careers.”

Many students came to browse the booths of potential employers with hopes of finding something applicable to their major. Moon Bellitta, a social work and psychology double major, said, “I’m starting my junior year, and I have to find an internship for next semester. I wanted to come and see what was here. Also, there was food.”

Psychology majors Samantha Sturkey and Jamiyah Jackson attended the event as seniors ready to graduate. Sturkey said, “Since I’m graduating, I wanted to see what options were available for me.”

Jackson agreed and specified that she was looking for either internships or jobs. With an event this approachable, it was easy for students like Jackson and Sturkey to come without researching employers ahead of time. When asked about which employers they were eager to see, Sturkey replied, “We’re just going to look around and see which ones are available.”

Months of preparation and hard work were put into the Center for Career Development’s biggest event of the year and Mackenzie Bancroft, Eastern’s Center for Career Development Administrative Assistant, tackled the project head-on. Brooke praised Bancroft’s hard work by saying, “She [Bancroft] is really the backbone of Cookout… It was a team effort, but Mackenzie does all the detail work, all of the coordinating with the employers. This event wouldn’t happen without her.”

After 100 years of operation, there are bound to be parts of Eastern University’s legacy that got swept under the proverbial rug. Clubs, ministries, societies and activities come and go naturally as students dedicate themselves to fresh ideas while reinventing the old. Even traditions that span decades eventually go out of style for one reason or another.

With the help of “The Log” – Eastern’s now-extinct yearbook – I uncovered some of the most unique and interesting parts of campus life that are sadly no longer with us.

Orientation week, aka frosh week, used to be filled with chaos during the first twenty years of Eastern Baptist College. Frosh week consisted of the seniors creating punishments and mild hazing for the freshman, before “sneaking” off for a class trip. Juniors supposedly attempted to track down the seniors due to jealousy, but seniors somehow always managed to slip away. Senior sneak locations included New York City, Hampton Roads, VA and Cape Cod among other places before they dissolved in the early 1970’s. By 1972, the senior sneak had to be advertised to get people on board, but still had low attendance.

There have been many mission groups and outreach programs directed by Eastern students over the years, but one decided to go in a particularly silly direction. According to the 1995 edition of “The Log,” Clown Connection was, “among the oldest ministry groups at Eastern College.” The goal of Clown Connection was to entertain local churches, shelters, hospitals and prisons as clowns and spread the gospel to “children of all ages.” Clown Connection unfortunately ended after the 1990’s.

The 2000s brought a new tradition to Eastern in the form of Mr. Eastern pageants. In a highly competitive battle of talent and hijinks located in the Dining Commons, male students fought for the title of Mr. Eastern. A night filled with dancing, costumes and vocal performances, the pageant aimed to find someone possessing the most “overall awesomeness,” according to a 2010 Waltonian article. 2010 was also the last year of Mr. Eastern, with junior Shaant Shishmanian claiming the crown.

Miss Eastern was introduced a few years after Mr. Eastern and took place during the spring semester. Similarly, Miss Eastern focused on talent, pizazz and generally having a good time. Miss Eastern hosted their last contest in spring of 2012.

There was a time when Eastern’s literary societies ruled the school. According to the 1955 edition of “The Log,” “A literary society is a small intimate circle of associations, with the emphasis upon true Christian fellowship, giving closer contacts than are possible on a large campus. The particular societies are local, and are not affiliated with national fraternities, sororities, or honor societies.”

There you have it. The simplest explanation I could find for what Greek life was on Eastern’s campus. Although they weren’t chapters of larger fraternities and sororities, Eastern Greek life still knew how to have fun. Homecoming used to include Greek life cheering contests at bonfire pep rallies and floats in the homecoming parade (yes, there used to be a homecoming parade).

For every campus with Greek life, there is also the craze of rush week. Eastern’s rush week was often represented in “The Log” as part of the “campus activities” collage. A popular tradition seemed to include having an Amish themed dinner, fake beards and all. Eastern’s Greek life fizzled out in the early 1980’s and by 1984, there was only one co-ed, national honors society represented in “The Log,” Sigma Zeta.

As previously mentioned, “The Log” was the Eastern yearbook that lasted from 1954 to 2014 – sixty issues total. Technically speaking, “The Sheaf” was the yearbook for the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary with copies dating back to the 1940’s. Now “The Log” has since been replaced with Eastern’s social media pages, but we all know they don’t provide the same awkward charm of a yearbook.

Without a physical log of all the good times Eastern University’s experienced in the last decade, we can hardly expect future students to reminisce on the legacy we’re creating right now. Will “The Log” ever be revived? Who knows, but for now we have sixty years worth of memories to enjoy.

We all know Stephen King writes horror novels, a few of which have revolutionized and redefined the genre forever. After reading On Writing, I can say that King’s take on writing a memoir feels revolutionary as well. The book is uniquely separated into three forwards, a memoir, a guide to the craft of writing fiction, more memoir, a look into King’s editorial process and three book lists. If you get the twentieth anniversary edition like I did, the book also includes contributions from King’s sons Joe Hill and Owen King.

I approached this book having never read a King novel before, and I left it inspired to write professionally and with a new respect for King as an author. The second forward talks about how most books on writing are bad with the exception of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. The Elements of Style was the only book on the fundamentals of writing I owned before On Writing, and even though I’d only read five pages of it, King affirmed my taste in books, so I was determined to hear him out.

In On Writing, King demystifies the publishing industry for aspiring writers and uses the memoir portion of the book to recount his struggle making writing a viable career. In terms of prose, I found King relatable, if a little dated. It’s clear that he’s a product of the 1970’s and 80’s, but I’m not here to complain.What’s important is that each sentence feels candid; something you’d hear in a conversation with King in his living room. In fact, the last portion of the book is a transcription of a conversation between Joe Hill and his dad from 2019.

The part of King’s personal journey that I found most endearing was his attachment to his wife and family over his career. King specifically states on page 101, “Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way around.”

I believe the message throughout his memoir section shows readers it is possible to put family and values first and have a successful career. The memoir focuses mostly on his career journey that started as a lowly no-name, but also includes large portions on family life, addiction, and the time he got hit by a truck. I don’t want to spoil anything for those interested in reading, but like all good memoirs, King’s life is filled with emotional intrigue, pain, and restoration.

Going into this memoir, I was unaware how comedic King was. As someone who hasn’t read any of his novels, King’s jokes and tales of childhood antics caught my attention. In my opinion, a good sense of humor goes a long way in the realm of non-fiction. King’s humor also helps to pad his brutal honesty at times when he talks about bad writers. Nothing is meant to personally attack, but aspiring writers may feel convicted on a few occasions when King discusses all the habits authors should avoid.

Unlike other books I’ve read on the writing process, On Writing doesn’t make objective statements about how to write well. There are some guidelines King strongly suggests and provides evidence for his reasoning, but most of his advice boils down to, “this works for me, and I have reason to believe this might work for you too.” I’m paraphrasing of course, but it felt like a more enjoyable read than other authors who talk about their craft in hard and fast rules.

For college students, I recommend On Writing to anyone who has to write papers frequently. King’s advice leans toward writing fiction, but many of his principles for writing well can be used universally. As an English major with a concentration in writing, I am strongly motivated to learn good writing techniques. But for those who aren’t in my situation, King has writing tips that can improve just about anything, even emails.

I’d also recommend this book to those who enjoy reading fiction, even if they have no plans to write in the future. King gives a glimpse into the mind of an author, and helps to dissect what makes a story worthwhile. As a reader, I like to read good books, plain and simple. Understanding what authors are attempting to do helps me know why a book is well written or not, and King does just that in his “On Writing” section.

I was given On Writing by my summer internship boss, and I finally got to sit down with it after a busy fall semester. I felt tired of writing, tired of reading, and quite frankly drained from finals week. But I encouraged myself to finish at least one book over the break, and I’m thankful I did. King’s easygoing prose made the act of reading enjoyable and the contemplation of writing exciting again. I have King to thank for reinvigorating me to write, especially going into my senior project. If you pick up On Writing, King can hopefully encourage you on your writing journey too.

I didn’t like Wicked (2024). Even though it takes place in the magical land of Oz, everything looks too hyper realistic to be considered theatrical. The colors were dulled, the CG effects overwhelmed every scene, and the monkeys were blue for some reason. Aside from the singing and dancing, there was nothing to suggest that Wicked needed to be a musical.

I sat down and watched this two hour and forty minute behemoth with my boyfriend over winter break. At the end of the number “The Wizard and I,” Elphaba is running through a field outside her school to emphasize the scope of her plans. Afterwards my boyfriend said, “Now she has to walk all the way back.”

He was right: Cynthia Erivo looks stupid running and singing a coming-of-age ballad if she isn’t actually going anywhere. But the stage doesn’t show you that. It limits your imagination in a constructive way, I feel. The song is allowed to take center stage instead of acting as a vehicle for showcasing a fake school. Personally, I don’t need a fully realized universe to get the story.

The importance of the stage cannot be understated. It’s a barrier that demands suspension of disbelief and allows singing and dancing to become a means of expression, not a representation of reality. We understand as an audience that the theater isn’t real life. With movies, however, the barrier is not as stark. Not all movies are fantastical, choreographed, or staged to a surreal degree.

When it comes to making movie musicals, choices like filming on location and using CG effects muddle this barrier between what’s theatrical and what’s reality. I’m no longer asked to believe in a fictional place; it’s right in front of me. Instead, I’m asked to believe that people in said place would sing and dance in the town square. But that doesn’t feel like reality as I know it, and now I’m conflicted about how much I relate to the characters. Can I take them seriously if they stop every ten minutes to sing a little song?

This isn’t to say movie musicals can’t be done well. The Wiz (1978) used landmarks throughout New York City as filming locations, but made it look like an extended stage captured on film. Each bridge, building, or rollercoaster was transformed into an isolated set, redesigned to look like Oz. We don’t see every alley and building, and there are no aerial establishing shots of Harlem’s many neighborhoods. That would make NYC, a.k.a. Oz, look too grounded. The practical effects of 1978 are limited compared to today’s standards, but are a more accurate representation of the theater. As a viewer, I buy into musical Afrofuturism as an art form; it has meaning specifically because it’s not true-to-life. Wicked wants me to believe Oz is as real as NYC and choreographed dances with all my classmates are normal. I don’t buy it.

Wicked is only the most recent of many movie musicals that have fallen into this trap. Cats (2019), Cinderella (2021), and Into The Woods (2014), are more extreme examples of fantastical theater gone wrong with the help of CG effects. These movies suffered in other areas as well: writing, pacing, James Cordon, to name a few – but I’d argue that traditional costumes, lighting, and practical effects would have significantly improved the end products.

Many of the classic movie musicals from the 1950s and 60s inadvertently benefited from limited resources. Having interior scenes set on soundstages subconsciously gives the presence of a stage, even if it was industry standard at the time. Classics such as Singing in the Rain (1952) and My Fair Lady (1964) were filmed entirely on sets, but others like The Sound of Music (1965), Hello Dolly! (1969), and West Side Story (1961) had a combination of outdoor locations and soundstage interiors. The grandeur of the motion picture was captured with real parades and alleyways and mountainsides, but the stage was preserved through what happened indoors.

Some of the best movie musicals made in my lifetime may not have followed this formula exactly, but there were deliberate choices that told the audience “this is a musical” outside of song and dance. For instance, La La Land (2016) and Steven Speilberg’s West Side Story (2021) used lighting and costumes to achieve this effect. What’s important is that the barrier between musical and reality stays distinguishable. You won’t convince me to like the movie Wicked no matter how hard you try, but I’ll hold out hope that Hollywood can respect theater as an art form in the future.