Bluff + Stuff

Five Ways to Know if Your College is Duquesneable

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Taylor Miles

The students at Duquesne University, a Catholic institution in Pittsburgh, have coined the word “Duquesneable” as an adjective to describe something that follows the school’s mission statement properly. The university prides itself on its excellence in education, service to the Church and the community, maintenance on an ecumenical atmosphere open to diversity, concern for moral and spiritual values, and attentiveness for global concerns, according to its mission statement.

Here are some examples of the Duquesneable aspects of the university:

Students walk past the Laval House, home to the Spiritan priests on campus. The mural on the side of the house, titled, “I am Because We Are: A Celebration of Spiritans in Africa,” emphasizes diversity and Spiritan tradition at the school. Photo by Taylor Miles.

Meaghan Dugan, 20, of Hockessin, Delaware, left; and Kara Snyder, 20, of Claysburg, Pennsylvania, right, run a St. Patrick’s Day bake sale in College Hall for Duquesne’s service and education club, DUSEA. Photo by Taylor Miles.

The Counseling and Wellbeing Center on the sixth floor of Fisher Hall keeps its door open to students to help maintain their mental, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. The center provides psychotherapy, support groups, workshops, and an interfaith meditation room. Photo taken by Taylor Miles.

Linda Nevius, 50, of Pittsburgh, prepares medical supplies at a blood drive in the Towers Multipurpose room on March 17. Students are given the opportunity to donate blood through on-campus drives. Photo taken by Taylor Miles.

Catholic tradition is a major part of the Duquesne University atmosphere. “The Crucifix,” or informally known to students as “Scary Jesus,” stands next to Rockwell Hall. Photo by Taylor Miles.

President Barack Obama speaks about health care at a rally at the University of Maryland’s Comcast arena, College Park, MD, USA, 17 September 2009. Photo by EPA/Martin H. Simon Pool.

The Health Care Debate Continues

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Taylor Miles

When President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law early in 2010, Democrats rejoiced for a movement toward, hopefully, better health care for Americans. Republicans, however, have voted to repeal the law more than 50 times since its origin.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, informally known as Obamacare, does not give U.S. residents free health care but rather works toward an insurance mandate. This, according to truecostblog.com, is when the government “mandates that all citizens purchase insurance” and restricts insurers from “rejecting sick individuals.”

But, many Americans argue that, instead of affordable health care, health care should be completely free.

Leah King, 29, of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, a freelance artist, is one of them. King is seven months pregnant and explained that, since Obamacare passed, insurance companies are required to cover her maternity costs.

In a recent informal survey, most college students leaned toward wanting free health care.

Jacob Joyce, 20, a Millersville University communications major, for example, believes that all Americans should have that right. “Why deny citizens of our own country care?” Joyce said.

Megan Cassleberry, 19, a Duquesne University nursing major, believes that citizens should have the right because health care is “insanely expensive.” But, Cassleberry also feels that there is a lot more that goes into the process to answer so simply.

“There’s so many parts to it,” she said, “and so many things that go into one doctor or hospital trip.”

King tried to assess what those many things are and the impact they have. “I think that the insurance companies are the reason why health costs are so high,” she said. “They jack up prices, and that trickles down to health services.”

“In my opinion, I think insurance companies are greedy and only in it for the money.”

Jon Miles, 58, of Lititz, Pennsylvania, is the president of Engle, Hambright and Davies, one of the largest insurance brokers in the United States. Miles disagrees with King.

“Everyone wants free health care,” Miles said, “but no one wants to pay for it.

Miles also worries that, if health care were to become free, the quality of care would diminish. “If you’re not paying for a lot,” he said, “then you’re going to get a lot of clinics that have some good doctors but also ones that aren’t the best in their field.”

Miles’ colleague Joseph Harriger, also of Lititz, disagrees with the idea of free health care, as well. “I think that there are circumstances where health care needs to be provided to those in need,” Harriger said. “People that could be disabled or are not able to contribute through employment, (or) if somebody falls under some tough times, there should be discounts so they can afford it.”

There are 16 countries outside of the United States that have single-payer health insurance, which is when “the government provides insurance for all residents (or citizens) and pays all health care expenses except for copays and coinsurance,” according to truecostblog.com.

While many people believe that free health care sounds like a great idea, they also see potential downsides to the law.

“Of course, everyone should have medical access,” Shannon Coveleski, 19, a University of Pittsburgh business marketing student, said, “but, in practice, there are too many problems with free-riding and taking advantage of the system.”

Harriger feels similarly. “I think, sometimes, good intentions go bad,” he said.

Alyson Urban, 38, a physical therapist assistant from Hershey, Pennsylvania, has a mixed opinion. “I believe that all minors, veterans and disabled citizens should get free health care,” Urban said. “However, I have issues with those who have been on welfare for endless amounts of time. I believe the system is abused by too many, and there should be better solutions put in place to avoid that.”

Miles cautions that “free” can be a misleading term. “There is nothing that is free,” he said. “Someone has to pay for it. The government would pay for it, but the taxpayers pay the government.”

McCloskey Field Dedicated to Former Dean of Students

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Taylor Miles

While Rooney Field is home to varsity athletes, McCloskey Field remains as a recreational area for every student.

Located next to the Mary Pappert School of Music and Des Places Living Learning Center, McCloskey Field is used for intramural, recreational and athletic purposes. With a four-lane track, turf field, high jump pit and long jump pit, students and athletes have access to various activities. Greg Chingas, a freshman at Duquesne University, said he and his friends “use it mainly for soccer and frisbee. It’s also perfect for intramural because of its size.”

While Rooney Field is occupied with varsity practices and games, other athletic teams take advantage of the extra field. Nigel Seidu, a sophomore varsity soccer player at Duquesne University, explained McCloskey Field’s importance during the pre-season of fall sports. “We use it because football, lacrosse and soccer share Rooney field, so we need it for training.” Outside of the fall pre-season, Seidu said “the track team uses it for training, and the football team sometimes do speed and agility exercises on it.”

A favorite aspect of the field for many students is that it is well-lit. “Anyone can use it to practice at night because the street lights are bright enough to see well. I can use it to do some individual training, like after a night class for example,” Seidu said.

McCloskey Field was dedicated in the mid-1970s to Harry L. McCloskey, a former vice president of Students Services and Dean of Students at Duquesne University until his death in 1973. McCloskey’s commitment to the campus community resulted in the dedication of the field.

McCloskey Field has been renovated twice since its origin in the 1970s. The first upgrade was in 1998 to add the track lanes. The second restoration was in 2010 to repair damages caused by the development of the Des Places Living Learning Center. McCloskey Field has been updated throughout the years in the best interest of the community of students at Duquesne University.