Bulletproof Tiger

The Society

2010-12-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

By Joseph Van Dusen

Photo by Joseph Van Dusen

Bob Jones with fellow CCS member Margaret Weinstein

There was a time when Coatesville was a bustling steel town. But when the American steel industry faded away in the 1970s, Coatesville went with it.

What's left is the rusting shell of what was once Lukens Steel Company, whose dilapidated warehouses and factories still dominate the center of town. To the people who once worked within them, these decaying facilities are a constant reminder of the hardships they now face.

Red brick buildings, some with boards over their windows, line the surrounding streets. It's here -- hardly a stone's throw from the old steel mill -- that an uncharacteristically well-maintained building rests, with a clean, gold on green signboard across the front reading "Coatesville Cultural Society."

Rain plastered the front windows of the CCS café as I sat down with Bob Jones to discuss his role within this organization and his mission to bring people together in his community.

Q: You’re the artistic director here at the Coatesville Cultural Society. What exactly does that entail?

A: Mopping the floor, making corned beef, making lemonade with honey. You laugh but it's true! It entails making decisions about what we're going to produce in the place, what we are going to do as actors in our season, what outside people we're going to support to bring things into our space. Developing the theater troop, running the chess club.

Q: So am I understanding that you also act in the plays as well as being the artistic director?

A: I act in the plays. Sometimes I play music in the plays.

Q: The CCS was started in 1994. How long have you personally been involved with it?

A: I was one of the founders

Q: What initially drew you to create this place?

A: Well, we did it because really our theater was People's Light [& Theater], and we were doing things that were sort of outside the vision of People's Light, and they didn’t want affiliation with what we were doing.

Q: What kind of things were you doing?

A: I would say that our theater is more avant-garde. They're trying to reach a wide group and they're doing more traditional kinds of things. I think that was one of the primary reasons, and we needed a theater to play, so we made our own theater, and as we sat down to try to organize, we needed a mission statement. Once we made the mission statement, [to create a community of artists who live and make art in Coatesville], our focus shifted a little bit from just theater itself to this community thing. I guess being in Coatesville and feeling that racial division made us want to bring people together.

Q: I noticed on your Web site that you're hosting traditional Irish music on Oct. 16. What are your thoughts on downtown Coatesville as the setting for Irish folk music?

A:The Irish musicians seem to really love the venue. They love coming out to this town. They love getting out of Philadelphia. They really love being in a small town, you know?

Q: How does your audience respond to Irish folk music?

A: The Irish audience comes. A small percentage of attendees live in Coatesville. A lot of these folks describe our place like a spaceship that landed in Coatesville. It's out of step with a lot of what's happening here. But we are here too and we draw folks. We have Fiesta Latina, which draws many of the Latina people in the Ville; we have old time music festival with fiddles and banjos playing Appalachian music. The people that come to Fiesta Latina don’t really come to the old time festival, and the people that come to the old time festival don’t really come to Fiesta Latina. We've had gospel music, we've had a hip-hop festival, we had a jazz festival. So really, it's not local in the way that maybe you're thinking, where just people in town come.

A: Coatesville has a reputation for being a gritty town. What kind of role do you think the CCS plays in an environment like this?

A: We're not going to change the perception of Coatesville, but surely I can't think of any other place at night where you will find a group of white people gathering in Coatesville socially. I mean it's hard to get them to come to Coatesville period, but on a Friday night for them to be here, we're probably the only place that has that kind of a draw, where people would actually come to socialize, to have a good time, to see theater, to have a discussion. I think we're like an outpost for diversity.

Q: Do you have examples of some positive effects that you have seen occur here since you have been running the CCS?

A: Fiesta Latina is an example of what you're talking about, because the Spanish community really loves the Fiesta Latina. We may not do it anymore, but we've done it for 10 years I think, and they talk about it the whole year. We block off the street and we have vendors and musicians and DJs. We've had dancers come and salsa bands and mariachi bands. I don’t know how to measure it, but I'm sure that’s had a good effect. It’s a celebration and a lot of the people are aliens, but that gives them more of a sense of connection to the town, which I think is good. But I don’t know if everyone would see that as a good thing. What we might perceive as good might not feel that way to someone else.

Q: What kind of challenges have you encountered while running the CCS?

A: To stay here. To survive. We've been really broke. We haven't had funding. For a couple years we only survived off what we were making. The council of arts gave us something and we had some people who gave personal contributions. But the foundation support, which we were depending on and we were hoping to rely on, withdrew from us. We've been without funding for a while.

Q: Which foundations withdrew?

A: Do I want to even get into that? I don’t want to stigmatize any particular foundations, but you know, we were reaching out to people, mainly in Philadelphia, some local people. They helped us out at first, and then they kind of withdrew. It seemed like we were going to be the redevelopment thing, and then we disappointed them because we didn’t change Coatesville. We sort of stepped out there, and all these things were going to happen that never did happen. So we were in a strange position, because we could have maybe survived, but when things didn’t happen, we were left alone. That’s been the major challenge for us. To stay afloat, keep our integrity and not sell out our mission. Even to continue now because we're not into making money or big numbers. When we have a play, we try to keep our house no more than 25 people per night because we come out [to the café] after the show and we have food together and we talk. We talk about the show sometimes and we talk about things that are on people's minds. So if somebody from the east end you know, who's right off the corner, is sitting here with somebody who's from Bryn Mawr, we're eating together and we're laughing together. It's not a real direct change you can get, but people walk away with something.

Q: How much longer do you see yourself doing this?

A: As long as I can keep my sanity I guess. It's my life. I'm committed to it. I don’t get a salary here. We're all volunteers. It's what we do.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?

A: I'll say this about what our mission is. You know, I grew up in Coatesville. I graduated from Scott [High School] in 67, the last class that graduated from Scott. Some people talk about the good old days you know, with Lukens [Steel Company], when everybody was getting paid. And there was something good about that, but this place has been sort of racially divided. They had James Adams [Community] School down there. And even when the avenue was mixed, Coatesville was racially divided. The schools were different, and in the movie house you had to sit in a different section. You couldn’t sit at the [J.J.] Newberry's or Woolworth's at the lunch counter and eat. You had to take the food out if you were black. That went up into the sixties, you know? There's been big changes since then, but a lot of that is still here, and even though we're not trying to make changes or tell people that it's better do that, we have tried to be a place where everybody could feel welcome so this [change] could happen for those that wanted it to happen. To come together with someone who's different. A lot of folks want to be around folks that are like them. They want a place where their neighbor cuts their yard like they do. It's understandable, but it's also, I think, important for us because we're a large community, to be able to minimize these differences enough to understand. That’s what we're dedicated to.

Drilling for Hope

2010-12-15T11:57:00.000-08:00

By Joseph Van Dusen

Photo by Joseph Van Dusen
Jeff Roten recounts his experience in Chile at DCCC

The crowd of onlookers grows as the roaring Schramm drilling rig burrows closer to the 33 Chilean miners trapped 700 meters below. Suddenly, the tension is broken when truck horns and the elated cries of workers and family members peal through the air in a shower of champagne as the drill finally breaks through the last of the rock separating rescue workers from the men deep in the earth.

Jeff Roten, 29, compares the excitement of that moment at the San Jose copper mine, near Copiapo Chile, to winning the Super Bowl. "There was so much excitement," he said. "People screaming and cheering. It was the perfect moment."

Roten was working on a gas and oil rig at a Marcellus Shale deposit when he received the call informing him he was heading to Chile to assist with the rescue operation.

"There was a little bit of fear, because it’s a totally different type of experience, a totally different type of hole," Roten said. "But I was pretty excited because the whole world was watching, so I certainly didn’t say no."

Roten arrived on Sept. 9 at a scene that he described as dismal. "It was pretty rough," he said. "A lot of people were pretty concerned about how long it was going to take us to get to those guys. They didn’t think it was going to happen, but they didn’t want to tell the families that."

Originally from a small town called Holtwood outside Lancaster Pa., Roten attended Delaware County Community College as a mechanical systems major. Afterward he studied diesel mechanics at the Lancaster Technology Center and finally took an internship with John Deere.

For the past six and a half years, Roten has been working at Schramm Inc., a West Chester based company that specializes in drilling equipment and services. Today, he is a technical field representative, a job that requires him to keep his company's machinery running properly at drilling sites.

When the organizers in charge of the rescue effort chose to use a Schramm drilling rig to bore one of three holes at the Chilean mine collapse, it fell on Roten's shoulders to ensure the proper functioning of his company's equipment.

"Twenty four hours a day for 36 days I stayed with it nonstop, Just to make sure if it had a mechanical issue I could keep it running" Roten said.

The Schramm T130XD rig, which Roten was responsible for, was used to dig the 12-inch hole that would eventually be widened enough to lower a rescue capsule. A separate 5 1/2-inch hole had already been dug and was used to get supplies to the men trapped below.

Roten recalls that the operation wasn’t without hurdles. During one incident, the face of their drill bit was ripped off when it struck a mine wall, clogging the hole and halting operations for five days while they fished out the pieces.

After more than a month, Roten's drilling rig finally reached the trapped miners. "It was a feeling of total relief," he said. "It was like an elephant had been sitting on my chest and it finally got up, like a really big weight was gone. I knew that after we got that hole through, the capsule was going to work and we were going to be able to get this over with."

When Roten and the other American workers came home, they were honored by a trip to the Whitehouse to meet President Barak Obama. "You never imagine that coming from a small town you're going to meet the President of the United States," Roten said. "He was a pretty humble, nice guy."

Since returning to America, Roten has been dealing with more attention than he is used to from friends and media. He looks forward to all the attention blowing over so he can "get back to being normal Jeff."

"I hope it never happens again," he added. "I would hate to see another mine disaster, but hopefully in the future we will be even better prepared because of this."

Stop Eating My Money

2010-12-15T11:50:00.000-08:00

By Joseph Van Dusen

Photo courtesy of FunkyDowntown.com

Obese man fills an economy class seat on a Boeing 747

I can't remember the last time I went out in public without seeing a distended stomach hanging over somebody's belt or back fat draped over bra straps like a pair of cellulite wings. I won't even go to a buffet anymore for fear of sitting next to some family of land beasts shoveling food into their mouths between labored breaths.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 60 percent of our country is obese or over-weight, having a body mass index of 25 percent or higher, and this figure is still increasing. At the current rate, 86 percent of our country will be obese or over-weight by 2030.

What's truly staggering however is the cost to those of us who have the restraint to put down the fork and the motivation to use the stairs. A study performed by the CDC in 2009 revealed that over 9 percent of Medicare and Medicaid's combined $630 billion budget is spent on medical treatment for obesity related conditions.

In another study, performed by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2004, it is estimated that the US consumes approximately 1 billion additional gallons of fuel each year to transport the mass of over-weight individuals. This study also puts the cost of obesity to US businesses at $13 billion each year.

If somebody wants to dig their grave with a knife and fork, I say more power to them. What I take issue with is my tax dollars paying for surgery on somebody's heart that looks like a basketball filled with cottage cheese.

The most upsetting part is that our country coddles these people. Constantly I hear obesity referred to as "a disease." If that's true, then America has contracted the only pandemic to which third world countries are immune.

If you think of yourself as big boned, plus sized, full figured, Jolly, plump, or husky then guess what? You're probably just fat.

We even have television shows like "The Biggest Loser" that hand out money to people who can stop chugging gallons of soda and taking their gravy intravenously long enough to lose a few. I'm still holding out for a game show called "Never Got Fat In The First Place."

It's time we stopped handing out our money for the treatment of medical conditions that result from years of self-neglect. At the very least, can't we charge people by the pound for airline tickets?

Gay Patriots

2010-12-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

By Joseph Van Dusen

Photo courtesy of campusprogress.org

Yale Law school students stand in silent protest wearing gags and suits in New Haven, Conn., against the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.

Ian Edward Kohlepp, a native of Downingtown Pa., joined the Marines on Oct. 31, 2005 when he was 20 years old. Serving as a 0331 machine gunner in 22 Fox Company, Second Marine Division, he distinguished himself in combat, earning the Navy Marine Core Achievement Medal and a Purple Heart when he took shrapnel from an IED in his spine during combat operations in Iraq.

He's also gay.

"All the men in my family are veterans," he said. "Vietnam, Korea, the Pacific campaign at Guadalcanal and Saipan. I needed a job and I figured I would serve my country at the same time."

By the time Kohlepp received his discharge from the Marines in 2009 he had reached the rank of corporal and become a machine gun section leader. Throughout the majority of his four years of service and two tours of duty in Iraq, he did his best to hide his sexual preference from his fellow soldiers.

"When I would go out with my friends, I would talk to girls, and eventually I would find myself in situations where they wanted to come home with me or get a hotel room," he said. "When I turned a woman away from that sort of thing, it seemed strange to my friends."

Kohlepp's attempts to keep his secret ended after his second tour when a staff sergeant discovered certain materials in his wall locker during a barracks inspection.

"There were no ifs ands or buts," Kohlepp said. "I was asked if I wanted to explain myself and I said no. I was relieved and embarrassed at the same time."

In Kohlepp's case, the information never went higher than his immediate chain of command and he was able to serve out the remainder of his obligation to the Marines. "It was awkward at first, but because it was after my second deployment and there was no deficiency in the way I worked," he said. "It didn’t matter to the people who knew."

Not every gay soldier receives the same treatment, however. The Congressional Research Service published a report on Oct 14, 2010 stating that 10,958 service members have been discharged under the "Don’t ask, don’t tell" policy since 1997.

The "Don’t ask, don’t tell" policy prohibits openly gay individuals from serving in the armed forces, but new legislation could have it repealed. On Oct 12, 2010, federal judge Virginia Phillips filed an injunction against the law, but eight days later a federal appeals court blocked her order.

On Nov 12, The Department of Defense reported on its Web site: "The court denied without comment an emergency request from a gay rights group to suspend implementation of the 'Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell' law while it is under review by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco."

According to the Palm Center, a research institute at the University of California, most western nations already allow gays and lesbians to serve in their militaries, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Nevertheless, the idea still faces strong opposition in the United States. Results from a 10 month study ordered by defense secretary Robert Gates revealed that while only 30 percent of soldiers surveyed felt that allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly would cause a problem, 56 percent of Marines serving in combat roles felt repeal would have a negative effect on unit cohesion.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation calls the "Don’t ask, don’t tell" policy unconstitutional and discriminatory on its Web site. In a press release dated Sept. 10, 2010 Jarrett Barrios, the president of GLAAD, said: "For years gay and lesbian people have made great sacrifices to keep our country safe, yet faced the travesty of dismissal from the military simply for being who they are."

Kohlepp wasn’t the only gay soldier in his unit. Together they agreed that coming out would be an unneeded distraction during a combat operation.

"Within the military, especially infantry related fields, you need to fit a certain character to do that type of work," Kohlepp said. "The military isn't there to work for you, you're there to work for it."

Kohlepp hopes that eventually homosexuality will be seen as a sexual preference, not a lifestyle, and that "Don’t ask, don’t tell" should be lifted when most of America is comfortable with gay people.

"It's a shaky situation," Kohlepp said. "You have to understand the fundamentals most Americans grew up with. If you want to go into the military, you have to conform to their regulations because it's a dictatorship, not a democracy."

Today, Kohlepp has been accepted to the Lancaster College of Nursing and General Health, where he will be attending the spring 2011 semester using the Montgomery GI Bill to pay his tuition.

When asked about ending his military service, he said, "I was tired of living a lie, but I'm proud of my service."

Phi Theta Kappa Breaks Records

2010-12-05T16:59:00.001-08:00

By Joseph Van Dusen

Photo by Joseph Van Dusen

Faculty, PTK members and alumni pose after the induction ceremony.

Phi Theta Kappa, America's largest honor society in higher education, just got a little larger. Delaware County Community College's Alpha Tau Epsilon chapter of the international organization inducted 166 students Nov. 1 during its semi-annual induction ceremony.

The night's inductees were the largest group to become members since the ATE chapter started in 1991. As family and friends looked on, the students, illuminated by candles in the dimmed lights of the Marple campus large auditorium, recited the PTK membership pledge.

"Your society depends on you to be educated," Said keynote speaker Patricia Barnes, associate professor of English. "In your time, you are distinguishing yourselves as excellent students who can and will meet the highest expectations of your society."

PTK extends the invitation to their community in recognition of select students' academic achievements. Access to more than $36 million in scholarships and the opportunity to take part in their chapter's fellowship events is the reward for individuals who have maintained a GPA of 3.5 or higher for 12 or more credit hours leading to an associate's degree.

Members can also receive funding and assistance from their chapter to create tools and programs with PTK. Maxwell McAdams, director of public relations for the ATE chapter at DCCC, said he encourages members to exercise their full potential within the society by starting projects that embody the PTK ethos.

The evening began with an orientation for PTK inductees in the small auditorium, where the ATE Executive Committee gave a brief overview of the benefits and activities new members can access.

As the formal ceremony commenced, the building rang with the sounds of "A New Day" performed by the Agnes Irwin School's "Bel Cantos," a girls' acapella choral ensemble. Faculty, alumni and current members of PTK were among those who spoke, giving words of praise and encouragement to the students being honored.

"It is my privilege to welcome you into the Phi Theta Kappa society," said Isaac Fomevor, a third semester business major and ATE chapter president. "I salute you for your accomplishment, and I charge you to explore always for truth."

After concluding with another song by the "Bel Cantos," attendees and organizers moved to the A Lobby for refreshments where they discussed the evening's events.

"The Ceremony was very nice and very well structured," said Greg Zinc, whose daughter Christine is now a PTK member. "It was an inspiring evening."

New members Anna Chen, a second year accounting major, and Kenneth NG, a first year business major, both expressed excitement for their newfound scholarship and career opportunities.

Attendees also had the opportunity to purchase golf shirts, honor stoles and sweatshirts that display the PTK emblem. Susan Scalzi, assistant professor of allied health, explained that proceeds from these sales go towards scholarship funds for members and attendance of national honors society events and programs.

"You are all great examples of scholarship and excellence in our school," Raymond G. Toto, chairman of the DCCC Board of Trustees, told the inductees. "I heartily congratulate you on this achievement and wish you continued success."