| From The Main Line Times, 5-1-09 |
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A Degree for an Ace; Moyer honored by SJU Saint Joseph's University honored Phillies pitcher Jamie Moyer and his wife, Karen, with an honorary degree Thursday afternoon at the new Maguire campus. |
| From The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial page, 4-20-09 |
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Bad Sports Many homeowners would be ecstatic to be surrounded by 38 acres of mostly open space containing athletic fields, tennis courts, and a handful of beautiful buildings used as centers for higher learning.But not in Merion Station, a community that's tough to please. Neighbors there have raised objections to a plan by Saint Joseph's University to refurbish sports fields that were part of Episcopal Academy's former campus. When St. Joe's struck a deal to purchase the Episcopal site a few years back, it seemed like a win all around. Episcopal was moving to a bigger site in Delaware County and had found a single buyer for its campus. St. Joe's needed the classroom space and athletic fields for its men's baseball and women's softball teams, which now play in Norristown, and its women's field hockey team, which travels to Drexel University to practice each day. Best of all - it would seem - the surrounding homeowners in the upscale, leafy neighborhood would be relieved that St. Joe's had no plans to substantially change the property. Usually when such a prime piece of real estate becomes available, a developer comes along and jams as many houses as possible on the site. Or something much worse. But all St. Joe's wants to do is renovate the handful of existing buildings and upgrade the athletic fields by adding some bleachers, dugouts, and a sound system designed to minimize the voices of announcers. That, apparently, was too much for some residents, whose frequent complaints suggest they have too much time - and money - on their hands. The Merion Community Coalition gathered 275 names on a petition, launched a Web site, hired a lawyer, a public relations flack, and a sound engineer, who claimed the proposed audio system on the athletic fields would be heard a half-mile away. Keep in mind that many of these complaining residents are the same ones who made life miserable for the Barnes Foundation, which only houses one of the greatest art collections in the world. Now, many of those same residents are upset that the Barnes is moving to Philadelphia. These people don't like having the Barnes, and don't want it to leave. That mentality helps explain why they oppose plans that would keep the former Episcopal campus essentially the same. St. Joe's has bent over backward to appease nearby residents, holding more than 20 community meetings, and making a number of concessions in response to residents' concerns. Even still, the Lower Merion Township zoning board rejected St. Joe's plans last month, saying the athletic-field upgrades were substantially different from what the university told the board in 2005, when it agreed not to do any new construction on the site. St. Joe's must now go back to the zoning board for special exceptions before eventually seeking final approval from the township Board of Commissioners. While taking those steps, the university also plans to appeal the recent zoning decision in Montgomery County Court. All of these added steps will cost St. Joe's time and money, while it is enduring shabby treatment from persnickety residents who seem impossible to please. That's so unnecessary. |
| Testimony by SJU Field Hockey coach Michelle Finegan Lower Merion Township Commissioners' Meeting, 4-15-09 |
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Hi, my name is Michelle Finegan and I’m the Head Field Hockey Coach at Saint Joseph's University. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you this evening.
Our goal with the field hockey program is to create an optimal experience for the students attending Saint Joseph's University both on the playing field and in the classroom. With the addition of the Maguire Campus to our school, the coaching staff, team and their families have been excited in anticipation of competing on our very own field for the first time. Our hockey field in the past was a shared field space with four other NCAA Division I sports. The additional field space on the Maguire Campus will allow us to set consistent practice times and reduce conflicts with these other teams. Another advantage of having our own field is that it will allow the team to more time to focus on their academics. We have continually achieved a team GPA exceeding 3.2 and have been recognized by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) for academic prowess. Eight individual athletes were also recognized by the NFHCA for achieving a GPA above a 3.3 while they were competing in a Division I sport. This past year we traveled off campus for our games and competitions to Drexel University, which is an Astroturf surface. In field hockey this surface makes a huge difference in the game performance. For our team to continue to be competitive in the NCAA and Atlantic 10 Conference, we need the best possible field conditions. The Saint Joseph’s University field hockey team has represented the Atlantic 10 Conference in the Championship Game for 2 of the last 3 years. In the fall of 2008, 14 of 16 teams represented in the NCAA Tournament for field hockey had home Astroturf fields. Our team has set goals to achieve and adding a home Astroturf field is one facet of our program that will enhance our performance directly. With our own field at the Maguire Campus, we would have the best of both worlds. This would allow us to practice right on campus, allowing our team reduced travel time combined with having a field specifically designated to the hockey program. Incidentally, the current location for the field is the same location where the Episcopal Academy field hockey team practiced since the early eighty’s when women first matriculated at EA. On our team, we have 24 full time students who play a Division I sport and are also involved in various community service projects. This includes the Christin’s Crusades 5k and the Walk for Hunger around the Art Museum. All they want is a place to call home and improve their game performance. I am fortunate to know first hand how valuable these experiences can be. My own career has led to competing internationally in Germany, Australia, England, Canada and Holland, on the US National field hockey team and was able to carry the torch through Philadelphia in the 1984 Olympics. Our student athletes should have the same opportunities to reach their potential. Thank you. |
| Published in part in The Philadelphia Inquirer letters to the editor, 4-3-09 |
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St. Joe's Insult Dear Editor: As a neighbor of Saint Joseph's University and long-time resident of Lower Merion Township, I am embarrassed by the comments of the Merion Community Coalition in its ongoing efforts to limit how Saint Joseph's uses its own property (the former Episcopal Academy). While features such as dugouts and bleachers are reasonable items for discussion, the disparaging of the University as portrayed in a recent Karen Heller column makes one wonder if this dispute is more about social class than varsity sports. If true, I find that very troubling as the Merion Community Coalition members seem to be nice people who have been led astray by their zealous devotion to this cause. Saint Joseph's University has been at its City Avenue location since 1927, a part of Lower Merion since the 1950s, and it would be nearly impossible to document anything but positive developments along that vibrant corridor. One thinks back to a time before the grand gothic bridge over City Line, the 20-year-old McShain Hall student residence, and the 10-year-old Haub School of Business (in a former City Avenue parking lot) to the potential eyesores each replaced. Same for the new 54th Street business district, in which neighborhood beautification and enhanced retail opportunities now abound. Saint Joseph's is a proud and giving institution, one at which well over half of the students, staff and alumni perform volunteer service throughout the region and beyond. It has produced exceptional citizens such as Sr. Mary Scullion of Project HOME, former state and federal environmental advocate Katie McGinty and Dr. Jack Ramsay, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and international icon in his profession. More recently, Saint Joseph’s helped out over 200 children who participated in the Lower Merion Township swimming programs. Due to construction at Lower Merion High School, the Lower Merion Aquatic Club, a 43 year old community swimming program, and both Lower Merion and Harriton High School teams were without a pool in which to practice and compete. Saint Joseph's provided the Lower Merion Township programs with pool time, saving these programs from almost certain extinction. Both Lower Merion and Harriton sent swimmers to state championships-- an achievement that would not have been possible but for Saint Joseph's assistance. If this is the Saint Joseph's University deemed unacceptable by representatives of the Merion Community Coalition, shame on them and their snobbish approach. Saint Joseph's would like to install bleachers and safety netting to use an existing baseball field to play baseball. I would imagine this would be helpful even for high school teams, or community programs who, like us, would love to use Saint Joseph's facilities. Wouldn't safety netting might be a nice way to prevent baseballs from crashing into cars? These proposed fields certainly seem appropriate facilities for three varsity teams in all, far fewer than the sports Episcopal Academy played on the same fields. Saint Joseph's is a Top 10 regional university, according to U.S. News and World Report. I, for one, am proud to call it my neighbor. I hope my other neighbors, the Merion Community Coalition, will shed their haughty approach and work with Saint Joseph's towards finding a creative solution to the current dispute. Francie McComb |
| From The Philadelphia Inquirer letters to the editor, 3-31-09 |
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Elitist comment I was shocked to read Merion Community Coalition member Irene Glickman's comments about Saint Joseph's University: "I don't want to be a snob - but I am one - but we're not exactly talking about Haverford College here... This is a school that accepts 80 percent of its applicants. They're big on sports." Well, I don't know (or care) what percentage of its applicants Saint Joseph's accepts, but I do know that my peers and I received an excellent education there, as did my daughter and her peers. We are also quite proud of our school's sports heritage. Thomas J. Lees |
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I had the pleasure of coaching at Saint Joseph's University from 1989 to 1995 and then returned to coach for a second stint from 2003 until now. During my time on campus, I have had the pleasure of interacting with dozens of student athletes and hundreds of family members.