Suddenly the father found himself, his girlfriend, and his child in a homeless shelter. He had no money for transportation to seek help from social services. After two weeks, they were forced to leave the shelter as well – and once out on the streets, were picked up by the police and put in jail. The father was able to pay bail and return to the work force, leaving his family behind while he saved money.

“I figured since they had shelter and hot meals, and that was a better situation than being on the streets,” he explained.

The father was a character, played by student Kayley Argenbright, as part of the poverty simulations staged in late October at 91����Ƶ. More than 40 students participated.

“My goal for the event was for the students to have a better understanding of low income families and the struggles they deal with,” said Cristin Sprenger, a agent who coordinated the exercise with , student advisor for . [To learn more about VCE poverty simulations, click .]

Frustration, anxiety surface after activity

Students, grouped into “families” with specific obstacles and backgrounds, had to meet certain quotas of working, feeding their children, paying bills, meeting medical needs, and managing transportation by visiting different stations around the room. Every 15 minutes represented a week, with four weeks in the simulation followed by a debriefing.

Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards were filled and ran out, the pawn shop was booming in furniture but refused to buy microwaves, and the bank service was slow and swathed in red tape. Children were left in daycare when their parents could not afford transportation vouchers. Chairs, representing homes, were overturned with eviction signs – often illegally. Interfaith services had extra transportation, food, and clothing vouchers to disperse, but only two families were aware of that resource. The schoolteacher spoke only Spanish.

The simulation was realistic enough that in the debriefing, students voiced frustration and anxiety. Only one family paid for the minimum food necessary during all four weeks. Three people admitted to doing something “illegal.” No family paid their rent in full, on time, every time.

“It is never one thing at a time” that causes poverty, said volunteer , an assistant in the cross-cultural program who acted as the Department of Social Services. “Things layer up.”

Burkholder came to her role with life experience: the impoverished people she met while working in a community development agency were beset by several misfortunes at once – disabilities, injuries, teenage pregnancies, car failures.

Sprenger wanted students to be realize that this “layering-up” effect can happen to anyone. “My hope is that they will take this experience with them as they enter the workforce and be understanding of the people that they work with in the community.”

Difficult choices

Nursing student Rebecca Powell, who played a young homeless mother, said that the simulation brought these common difficulties to life. “In the future I hope to be able to make a difference and touch the lives of the patients that I encounter by delving into their personal lives,” said Powell, “seeing them … in a more holistic view – spiritually, mentally, physically, socially.”

Ry Bergum, also of the nursing program, played the father struggling to care for his family and a mother-in-law. Bergum comes from a background in which this is not uncommon, but saw the impact of this exercise on his classmates’ faces.

“The vast majority of the time, it is not a red or a blue issue,” said Bergum about the tendency to view poverty in terms of policy rather than people. But, he explained, when poverty is seen only as a partisan issue, “the victims in that are the impoverished people in our society.”

“It is real life,” answered Sprenger. “People make the best decisions that they can. Sometimes they’re choosing between food and medication.”

And in that case, Kayley Argenbright added, “There’s no right thing to do [in that situation].”

All of 91����Ƶ’s ODAC-sponsored sports were represented on the All-Academic Team.  Men’s volleyball competes in the Continental Volleyball Conference and is not eligible for the ODAC team.

The ODAC All-Academic Team eclipsed 1,000 student-athletes for the seventh consecutive year and set a new high-water mark for conference honorees for the fourth year in a row.  With representatives from each of the 17 ODAC institutions (including Catholic University for football only and Greensboro College and Notre Dame of Maryland University for swimming only), 1,459 student-athletes earned recognition on the 2012-13 ODAC All-Academic Team.

Eligibility for the ODAC All-Academic Team is open to any student-athlete that competes in a conference-sponsored sport, regardless of academic class.  He or she must achieve at least a 3.25 grade point average for the year to be considered for an ODAC All-Academic Award.

The entire list of Royals named to the ODAC All-Academic Team is listed below.

Nels Akerson – Cross Country, Track & Field
Elizabeth Alderfer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Sonja Anderson – Field Hockey
Kayley Argenbright – Women’s Basketball
Trey Barrett – Men’s Basketball
Ruthie Beck – Softball
Jennifer Blankenship – Women’s Basketball
Jessica Blanks – Field Hockey
Carol Brinkley – Field Hockey
Jonathan Bush – Men’s Soccer, Track & Field
Hannah Chappell-Dick – Cross Country, Track & Field
Hannah Clemmer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Melissa Cox – Field Hockey
Nicolette Cuevas – Softball
Mary Beth Danaher – Field Hockey
Patty Danaher – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jenessa Derstine – Field Hockey
Alli Eanes – Cross Country, Track & Field
Katie Eckman – Cross Country
Ryan Eshleman – Men’s Soccer
Jonathan Estrada – Baseball
Daniel Friesen – Men’s Soccer
Chantelle Garber – Field Hockey
Jessica Goertzen – Women’s Volleyball
Naomi Good – Women’s Soccer
Patrick Graber – Cross Country, Track & Field
Derek Harnish – Men’s Soccer
Bethany Hench – Field Hockey
Ryan Henschel – Baseball
Brooke Hensley – Softball
Jordan Hollinger – Men’s Soccer
David Hooley – Men’s Soccer
Holly Jensen – Women’s Soccer
Brianna Kauffman – Field Hockey
Janna Kaufman – Women’s Soccer
Rachel Kennel – Women’s Volleyball
Lanae Kreider – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jonathan Leaman – Men’s Golf
Parker Leap – Men’s Soccer
Mattie Lehman – Women’s Volleyball
Mollie Lehman – Field Hockey
Rachel Lehman – Women’s Volleyball
Lexi Link – Women’s Volleyball
Owen Longacre – Men’s Basketball
Karla Martin – Women’s Volleyball
Katie Martin – Women’s Volleyball
Phillip Martin – Track & Field
Ian Mast – Men’s Soccer
Mark Mast – Men’s Soccer
Saralyn Mast – Cross Country, Track & Field
Brittany McDonaldson – Women’s Golf
Thomas Millary – Cross Country
Katie Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Michelle Miller – Women’s Volleyball
Kaitlyn Morris – Softball
Austin Mumaw – Men’s Soccer
Joel Murray – Men’s Golf
Dan Nafziger – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jolee Paden – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jesse Parker – Cross Country, Track & Field
Hannah Patterson – Track & Field
Alicia Poplett – Women’s Soccer
Jess Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Steph Rheinheimer – Women’s Basketball
Sara Ritchie – Women’s Volleyball
Krista Rittenhouse – Cross Country, Track & Field
Adriana Santiago – Field Hockey
Meghan Schaefer – Cross Country
Juni Schirch – Cross Country, Track & Field
Jacob Shank – Men’s Soccer
Aaron Sloan – Track & Field
Kayla Smeltzer – Women’s Volleyball
Aaron Springer – Cross Country, Track & Field
Andre Swartzentruber – Men’s Golf
John Toney – Men’s Golf
Alena Yoder – Women’s Volleyball
Andrew Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Kegan Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Tyler Yoder – Men’s Soccer
Michelle Zook – Field Hockey

Coach Kevin Griffin knew he had a talented crew last winter, but with just three upperclassmen on the roster, Griffin didn’t expect the explosion of wins his team earned.

“I was very surprised considering how young we were and what we had lost,” he said.  “Things just sort of fell into place.”

This year the eighth-year mentor returns his top six players, including all five starters.  Griffin acknowledges that returning core triggers an extra layer of pressure.

“It means that expectations are high from ourselves and from others,” said Griffin.  “And it means that we do have experience, which is why those expectations are so high.  I think everybody expects we’re going to be good and so there’s a pressure.  Our schedule is a lot tougher this year, but I think that pressure and schedule can be a good motivator.  At the end of the day it’s basketball and we just need to go play, try to improve and see what happens.”

The Royals return three All-ODAC performers, each of who are entering their junior seasons this year.  Forward (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) exploded to a team-best 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds, all the while coming off the bench.  She was named All-ODAC First Team and All-South Region Third Team by D3hoops.com.

Whether or not Ygarza starts this year doesn’t appear to be an issue to either the player or the head coach.

“The only planned change is that Bianca plays more,” Griffin said of his dynamic player who averaged 22.9 minutes last year.  “It’s hard to define her role.  She just finds a way to score, and finds the ball and rebounds.  We need to find more ways to get her the ball and more minutes without wearing her down.”

(Myerstown, PA/Eastern Lebanon County), the ODAC Rookie of the Year two seasons ago, landed on the All-ODAC Second Team as a sophomore, averaging 12.1 points and 6.7 rebounds.  Small forward (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) hit 39% of her three-point shots and earned Third Team honors with 11.3 points per game.

Starting guards (Bristow, VA/Brentsville District) and (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park) return, as does (Dumfries, VA/Forest Park).  Baltimore transferred to 91����Ƶ last year after one season at Bluefield and ended up among national leaders with a 2.4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.  Brown scored 6.7 a game and became a harassing defender, while Sykes contributed 6.2 points and 4.8 boards in her first season.

(Bassett, VA/Bassett) will be the lone senior on the team this time around and is joined by sophomores (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) and (Pulaski, VA/Pulaski County).  Osei had 3.7 rebounds a game as a reserve frontliner, while Patterson tantalized fans with flashy offense and defense in just eight games early in the season.  Sharpshooting (Goshen, IN/Bethany Christian) hurt her knee in the offseason and will spend this year out of uniform as a student assistant.

Griffin said the experience of his returners is evident.

“Hopefully they are smarter and are more confident and more skilled and realize the opportunity that is in front of them,” he said.  “I do think we’re in better shape and the confidence of some of the kids that played a lot last year is a lot higher, either because they put in a lot of work (in the offseason) or because they played a lot last year.  So it’s made a difference in how they’ve played at the start of practices.”

Adding to the returning core, Griffin brought in another athletic recruiting class to give his team much-needed depth for their up-tempo style.  Two of the newcomers are younger sisters of All-ODAC honorees for the Royals.

“I think that (Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor) will help us athletically,” Griffin said, “with her ability to defend and her strength.  (Glen Allen, VA/Hermitage) will help as an athlete and can really shoot the ball.  And (Manheim, PA/Lancaster Mennonite) does a lot of things well.  She can score and has a very high basketball IQ.”

Other new players include: (Fishersville, VA/Wilson Memorial), (Stuarts Draft, VA/Stuarts Draft), (Woodbridge, VA/Garfield) and sophomore Belmont Abbey-transfer (Dale City, VA/Forest Park).

Griffin said that new wave of faces will pay dividends throughout the year.

“I hope we can just play faster,” he said.  “We should have someone to provide relief at every position so some of those kids aren’t playing as many minutes, which will be really helpful come January and February.”

Despite all the returners and talented newcomers, Griffin still needs to replace one key aspect – leadership, which had been provided by now-graduated Marla Young.

“I don’t think we’re going to (replace Young’s leadership),” said Griffin.  “It will be by committee.  What Marla brought you can’t measure in terms of statistics.  In terms of a person and vocal leader, we’re sorely going to miss her.  Just her work ethic was an example for everyone.  I’m hoping some of our returners will step up and be a little more vocal.  I think they will lead by example in terms of work ethic and recognize the value of what Marla brought and fill that void.”

That leadership void will be tested early, as the Royals start the year with a very tough stretch of six games, including contests against tradition powers Kean and Ferrum, nationally-ranked Mary Washington and potentially Messiah, as well as at ODAC heavy weights Virginia Wesleyan and Guilford.  The Marlins tied 91����Ƶ with an ODAC-best record of 17-3 last year, while Guilford finished third before winning the ODAC Tournament.

Both Eastern Mennonite and the Quakers received votes in the two “official” preseason national polls from D3hoops.com and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Griffin said the impressive non-conference slate should benefit his women.

“I’m hoping what takes place there is that we find ourselves,” he said, “and that we are tested but not crushed, so that when we hit the rest of our league schedule we are prepared.  We have talked a lot about preparation this year, so the point is that 1) we needed games and 2) we needed to be better prepared.”

The Eastern Mennonite women open the year at the Messiah Tip-Off Classic, taking on Kean on Nov. 16, followed by either Messiah or Methodist the following day.  The Royals host Ferrum on Nov. 24 for their home opener.