Jewish and non-Jewish students alike gathered in Mitchell Auditorium April 9 to recognize Social Justice Week and hear the story of Robert Fischl, Holocaust survivor and professor of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel.

Attendees listened intently as Fischl addressed Drexel for the first time about his memories of the Holocaust and the story of his cousin, Sonja Fischerova, who was murdered in Auschwitz. Fischl particularly emphasized artwork done by his cousin while in Terezin concentration camp.

Born only two months apart in then-Czechoslovakia, Fischl and Fischerova were cousins and inseparable friends. Fischl began his talk by sharing photos of family and friends from before the war. When unable to identify some subjects in photos, Fischl said, “One of the things of the Holocaust was we were all uprooted and all of these friends are gone. We don’t know who they are, their names, what happened to them — nothing. We don’t know anything.”

Fischl continued with photos of his home village of Kilcany, pointing out his home and even his bedroom. He explained that his family was not particularly religious; their village consisted of only 15 families, and only two, including his, were Jewish. They didn’t even have a synagogue. Even so, as Fischl was explaining the one-room schoolhouse his grandfather had built, he said, “I got to the third row, and then the world changed. I never finished the third row.”

When the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia, the Gestapo displaced Fischl’s family, forcing them to move to Prague, where they lived with his grandparents. Only 7 years old at the time, Fischl said, “As far as I was concerned, I didn’t have to go to school. My grandmother spoiled me, and I could play with Sonja all of the time.”

Immediately upon moving to Prague, however, Fischl said his father began searching for a way out. Fischl’s family eventually obtained certificates, tickets and visas to go to Palestine, and he recalled saying goodbye to the rest of his family for the last time in January 1940. He described Fischerova and her family as some of the “unlucky ones.”

Fischerova, along with her mother, sister Renee and grandmother Anna, were deported in 1942 to Terezin (or Theresienstadt) concentration camp in Czechoslovakia when Fischerova and Fischl were both 11 years old. Each person was allowed one suitcase to store belongings. One woman, Friedel Dickers Brandeis, filled her suitcase with as many art supplies as possible instead of personal belongings.

Brandeis began what Fischl describes as an art therapy class for children, as they were too young to work in the concentration camp. With Brandeis’ help, 4,500 drawings were made, and she made sure each one was signed by the artist. She also graded each piece based on strength, intensity, dimensions, forms, character, composition and color.

Terezin began “beautification” in 1944 to prepare for an inspection by the International Red Cross. The buildings were painted, coffee shops were built and a soccer game was even organized to show the Red Cross that Jews were being treated with dignity. A propaganda film was even created to show the rest of the world “what it was like” in Terezin.

However, as Fischl explained, in order for Terezin to seem beautiful and not overcrowded, 7,500 Jews boarded a train in May 1944 for the 270-mile ride to Auschwitz. Fischerova, her sister and her mother were among those sent to the gas chamber upon arrival. Brandeis’ husband was also deported, but because of his carpentry skills, he wasn’t immediately killed.

Without her husband at Terezin, Brandeis had little desire to carry on, according to Fischl. In August 1944, she volunteered herself to go to Auschwitz to be with her husband. When she got there, she was also sent to the gas chamber.

Before leaving, Brandeis stored all artwork done by the children in a trunk hidden in the attic of the engineers’ barracks in Terezin. She told other members of the camp about the artwork, and after the war they were recovered. The children’s art has since been displayed in a synagogue.

Fischl stumbled upon Sonja’s art by chance during what he calls his family’s “roots trip.” Looking at all the artwork in the synagogue, his daughter pointed out a piece by Fischerova titled “Cleaning the Dormitories.” Fischl was reluctant to believe he had found the artwork of a family member, so he inquired more with the curator. His family discovered 30 pieces done by Fischerova, and he realized that the artist was in fact his cousin when he recognized a sketch of his grandparents’ living room. His family has since started Sonja’s Legacy Foundation to educate people about the Holocaust. He speaks in high schools and museums throughout New Jersey.

Fischl left Palestine and returned to Prague in order to escape the Communist occupation. From there he went to Paris and eventually came to the United States, where he received a bachelor’s degree from City College of New York and his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He has been teaching at Drexel since 1966.

Fischl recalled being one of two Jewish professors in the electrical engineering department, which used to be known as the Jewish department. He said, “I am amazed by how big Hillel is here [at Drexel]. It’s a totally different world.”

Fischl said he wants people who attended the event to understand that prejudice is horrible but indifference is worse.

“I think the worst part was the indifference. We were two families in this village of 15, and no one did a damn thing to help us. When we came back, we were accused of being collaborators. There were terrible things being done to us, and the others looked away and didn’t interfere,” Fischl said.

Fifth-year international area studies major Emily Jessup said, “I came out with a new perspective. When [Fischl] told us that he doesn’t have friends from high school or any reunions to go to, that really hit home. I realized what a ‘secure’ environment we all live in, and that’s sometimes taken for granted. I thought the discussion was really intense, but I enjoyed it. It makes me sad, but I think it’s important to learn about these things.”

Engineering professor Peter Herczfeld was originally scheduled to speak about growing up in Nazi-occupied Hungary but was unfortunately unable to attend the event due to illness.

Fischl’s story of Sonja’s legacy was scheduled to complement Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on April 7. Drexel Hillel also organized a memorial service and discussion with yarzheit candles to recognize the day.

More information on Sonja’s Legacy Foundation can be found at www.sonjaslegacy.com.

A Drexel University delegation — including President John A. Fry; University benefactors Dana and David Dornsife; and Shannon Marquez, associate dean of Drexel’s School of Public Health — recently traveled to Ethiopia for inspiration for potential University programs and future partnerships dedicated to health care practices and safe drinking water access.

Through World Vision, the Dornsifes support economic, educational and agricultural developments in seven African countries. “When we were speaking with the Dornsifes about the gift for the [Dana and David Dornsife Center for Community Partnerships], we were in the process of getting to know each other, and they spoke with passion and commitment about water projects in Africa. I just remember being moved and impressed and curious,” Fry said. Soon thereafter, the couple invited Fry to join them on their trip to Ethiopia.

The group spent the beginning of their trip in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. They then traveled to villages outside the capital including Yekasha, Kechema, Sekekelo, Waliso, Walkite and Gimbichu to observe various water projects such as well drilling, sanitation and hygiene programs. Villagers continuously greeted the group with songs and flowers.

Since the visit, Fry has expressed hopes to develop programs offered to Drexel students and faculty that could combine co-op, research and civic engagement experiences.

“I’d like if the program could be offered a year from now, maybe sooner, but the logistics and the work to be done to make this a good experience are still being deliberated. Judging from my own experience, I think there is so much good to be done, and I’d rather take the time to do it right than rush to get a program,” Fry said.

The program could be enriching for students and faculty from both an academic and volunteer standpoint, according to Fry. He recalled his own feelings of the trip and said, “It was really the most incredible experience. … It was just so warm, so nice; it was beautiful. I don’t know what I expected to see, but I didn’t expect to leave feeling so uplifted. The villagers were so lovely and gracious, even though they had so little.”

Fry said he believes that students and faculty could learn a lot from the villages in terms of resiliency and resourcefulness, at the very least. Perhaps more importantly, students and faculty could provide villages with technology that could alleviate fears of resource scarcity. Fry said that engineering would be a central component to the potential program.

The itinerary was planned by volunteers of World Vision, an international organization dedicated to “building a better world for children,” according to its website. The volunteers also accompanied the Drexel group throughout their travels. World Vision has built over 1,500 wells and 70,000 latrines and provided nearly 1 million people with access to safe drinking water. World Vision also seeks to improve health, education, food access, child protection and economic development, as well as to provide disaster relief to developing countries.

Dana Dornsife is a 1983 graduate of Drexel’s LeBow College of Business, and her husband David is a graduate of the University of Southern California. The couple is committed to improving the quality of life for all people. The Dornsifes donated $10 million for what is now the Dana and David Dornsife Center for Community Partnerships, and they are active supporters of World Vision along with various other organizations, including the Lazarex Cancer Foundation, of which Dana is founder and CEO.

Drexel University biomedical engineering professor Don McEachron and architecture and interior design professor Eugenia Ellis are developing an LED light fixture that mimics the natural progression of the sun throughout a day. Their plan is to install the fixtures in health care facilities where light will help maintain natural rhythms within the body and ultimately improve the health of residents.

The 2-square-foot fixture will first be tested in St. Francis Country House, a senior living facility in Delaware County, Pa., where it will be placed in corridors and communal dining rooms.

The problem with artificial lighting currently used in care facilities is that it does not cater to natural circadian rhythms of its patients, especially aging ones. Just like any bodily function or process, the circadian rhythm weakens with age. McEachron, research professor and coordinator for academic assessment and quality improvement in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, said, “We put [patients] in an environment with virtually no light-dark cycle, thus increasing the chances that their rhythms will become erratic or desynchronized. If we wanted to decrease the quality of their lives, both physiologically and psychologically, we have certainly created the right environment to do it. However, the goal is to improve the residents’ or patients’ lives, not make those lives worse. Human ancestors evolved in an environment with a strong light and dark cycle — it is what the circadian system evolved to expect. While we cannot take aging individuals and put them outdoors in order to expose them to the solar cycle, we can use technology to bring the solar day inside.”

Ellis, an associate professor in both the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design and the College of Engineering, is currently building the prototype. She compares the fixture to a stereo sound system — in a good sound system you can hear the music but cannot see the speakers. Ellis explained that though the fixture won’t be seen in the living facility, residents will notice the mimic of colors and intensities of natural sunlight depending on the time of day.

The colors will begin with gold that imitate morning light, progress to bright light with a blue cast, then to amber and eventually red, where it will stay throughout the night. The light fixture will not mimic the weather of a particular day, nor will it imitate the progression of the sun in dark, winter months. The short photoperiod (length of daylight in a 24-hour period) characteristic of winter has been associated with a type of seasonal affective disorder called winter depression, and Ellis and McEachron believe that this type of photoperiod could generate negative effects within the facility. In the event of an emergency, the LED fixtures can be overridden to allow for a safe evacuation of the building with maximum light.

The circadian (Latin for “about a day”) rhythms are natural 24-hour cycles that serve to organize the body’s various activities, McEachron explained. As mammals, humans are equipped with a “master circadian clock” called the suprachiasmatic nuclei, located in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. This clock is linked to the eye, from which it receives information about light and dark, and to the rest of the body so that rhythmic processes can be controlled appropriately. Among its many functions, the SCN controls the secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland. Melatonin is a hormone that makes humans drowsy, improves sleep and stimulates the immune system. The circadian system is most sensitive to light on the green-blue side of the spectrum. Exposing a human to such light at the correct time of day can assist in synchronizing rhythms; exposure at other times can suppress melatonin secretion, disturbing sleep and inhibiting immune responses.

While the SCN reacts to light on the blue-green side of the visible spectrum, it is relatively insensitive to light in the red part of the spectrum. Red light is still visible but does not significantly suppress the secretion of melatonin. Therefore, the LED light will maintain a red light throughout the night so as to allow staff to be able to see and effectively conduct their work in corridors. Patients will turn off the lights in their individual rooms to complete darkness and will no longer be disturbed by the light coming in through cracks under the door.

Ellis explained, “When you’re young you know your body regulates itself, but as you get older the systems aren’t quite as resilient. So when you become a much older person, your body is much more delicate, and it doesn’t rebound quite as fast. That’s why it’s more important to keep the environment stable in a cyclical rhythm.”

McEachron and Ellis argued that if you can resynchronize and establish rhythm coherence, then cognitive functions will improve. It won’t be a cure, but it will limit stress and the impact of aging on tissue repair, immune functions and other healing processes. This theory extends beyond health care facilities.

McEachron said that students are particularly susceptible to rhythm disruption as well. While younger, with a relatively strong SCN, lighting in residence halls and late-night buildings (combined with energy drinks and other stimulants) disrupts natural circadian rhythms. Just as with nursing home patients, this disruption has a negative effect on cognitive functions.

“Students are following a cycle which is destructive to their ability to learn and maintain their health. What I see happening is that they are putting themselves at risk with these schedules and the lack of sleep they are engaging in. It makes no sense to pay tuition to become educated and then develop a schedule that limits that. I would contend that the schedules that students are keeping are physiologically impairing them from learning,” McEachron said.

McEachron hopes to prove this assertion with studies that will be done in the St. Francis Country House. There, he and Elizabeth Gonzalez, an associate professor and department chair of the Doctoral Nursing Program, will observe the effects of the LED fixture on patient health and recovery.

Citizens Bank executives presented a $100,000 donation to Drexel University March 1 to kickstart University-led civic engagement projects. The donation will help establish the Growing Communities Initiative, which will be housed in the Dana and David Dornsife Center for Neighborhood Partnerships.

Citizens Bank President and CEO Daniel Fitzpatrick and Senior Vice President and Director of Public Affairs Henri Moore met with Drexel President John A. Fry and Vice Provost Lucy Kerman. Kerman’s work at Drexel focuses on University and community partnerships. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa., and Philadelphia City Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell were also in attendance.

In his opening remarks, Fry said, “These things only work when you can build concentric circles of institutional partners who share your vision within these neighborhoods and who believe in Drexel, and that’s why I’m so thankful to have Citizens Bank and Citizens Bank Foundation.”

Citizens Bank is the inspiration behind the new program, which began when Fitzpatrick approached Drexel expressing his support for Drexel’s priority in community building.

“It’s an opportunity to interact on a volunteer basis and help people. Good banking, good citizenship — that’s what it’s all about,” Fitzpatrick said. He also applauded Drexel for its constant integration and emphasis of work and education both on campus and in the community.

Drexel will partner with local nonprofits to increase financial literacy, build wealth and start small businesses in the area. Fry said the initiative is the perfect fit for Drexel’s emphasis on entrepreneurship and innovation.

“The work that we’re going to do all together, as a single family, in our house, is really going to be tremendous. And so this is a great day, but the best is yet to come,” Fry said.

Services at the Dornsife Center are free for community members in Mantua, Powelton Village and West Powelton and are intended to rejuvenate these neighborhoods that surround Drexel. Services include help with tax filing, GED test preparation, housing intake clinics, estate planning clinics, and a criminal record expungement project.

DeWayne Drummond, manager of the Civic Association, member of the 24th Ward Democratic Executive Committee and a Mantua resident, is excited for the initiative’s plan to increase financial literacy. Drummond said, “[The initiative] will engage residents to come together in Mantua and Powelton and to take the resources and make households stronger.”

Odessa Mitchell, who is a neighborhood resident and the director and co-founder of Unique Miracles Drill Team, is excited to see the neighborhood “come alive again.” She said Drexel’s commitment to the community shows residents that “they mean business” and said the partnership is “going to give our youth a better chance in the long run.”

Drexel’s presence in the community will also offer other resources to community members. For instance, Mitchell is confident that Drexel will be able to help her obtain a facility for her drill team practices so they won’t have to practice outside during the winter.

The donation was presented at an open house at the Dornsife Center. In his opening remarks, Fry thanked the Dornsife and Lindy families for their continuous support and contributions to Drexel’s civic engagement priorities. Drexel recently acquired the property on the 3500 block of Spring Garden Street and began renovations Feb. 1. The Center began offering services March 1.

Students of Race Street Hall were evacuated from the building around 1:30 a.m. Feb. 23 due to a sprinkler activation on the sixth floor. Floors 2 through 6 have experienced extensive water damage, and students residing on those floors have been temporarily displaced.

When the fire alarm was activated, Drexel Residential Living and Public Safety staff worked with students to exit the building per standard fire procedures. Public Safety and the Philadelphia Fire Department responded immediately and determined that, for safety reasons, residents would not be permitted into the building for an extended, but temporary, amount of time.

Lobbies and common areas of Kelly, Myers and North halls were immediately offered as shelter until University Housing and Residential Living worked with campus partners to relocate students. Resident assistants staffed the areas and encouraged students to stay with friends for the night if possible. Chris Heasley, executive director of University Housing, said the Residential Living Office and University Housing coordinated placements of displaced students with vacancies of other halls within an hour and sent notice to residents shortly thereafter.

While residents of Race Street were encouraged to stay with friends if possible and notice was sent to on-campus residents, no notification was sent to students living off campus. Heasley explained that because there was no immediate or ongoing threat, Universitywide communication was unnecessary. Jeremy Lenhart, a junior business and engineering student whose younger brother is a freshman living on campus in Van Rensselaer Hall, said, “I would want to know something like that, especially since I’m older and live off campus. If he needed something or was hurt, I wouldn’t have even known.”

It is unclear what triggered the activation of the sprinkler on the sixth floor. Heasley and Subir Sahu, assistant dean of Residential Living, wrote in an email to campus residents Feb. 23, “A fire occurred in Race Street Hall, causing fire sprinkler systems to activate. There were no injuries, and all fire suppression systems operated correctly.”

Public Safety released an announcement that had stated a defective sprinkler had been set off, with no indication of a fire. Heasley has since confirmed, “A single sprinkler activated the fire alarm. There is no evidence that a fire or heat source is related to the activation of the sprinkler. There is also no evidence of any defect in a sprinkler head.” The Public Safety has since removed this announcement from its website.

After the flood, 205 residents and five RAs were relocated to vacancies in other residence halls. “Between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23, Race Street residents were allowed 15 to 30 minutes to enter their rooms and gather enough belongings for one week,” Heasley said.

According to Heasley, University Facilities, Environmental Health and Safety, and contracted vendors evaluated the cause of the sprinkler activation and determined the extent of the damage earlier this week. Some, but not all, of the displaced students were notified in an email from University Housing Feb. 28 that they would be able to move back into their rooms March 2.

Tri Dinh, a freshman engineering major, was visiting a neighboring school during the time of the evacuation. While his section of the sixth floor did not sustain direct water or property damage, he and neighbors have not been permitted back onto their floor for other safety reasons. While Dinh said that all staff and students have been patient and understanding, he said, “It’s inconvenient to go back and get things because I can only go with an RA for certain times, and sometimes I have class.”

Mary Rant, a third-year physical therapy student, said that her room was initially overbooked. Rant, who lives in North Hall and had vacancy in her room, received an email with the names of two girls who would be moving into her suite, but the email didn’t specify a timeframe. Rant said that another resident whose name was not on the initial email was also given a key to the suite. The issue has since been resolved, but not without confusion. Rant then emailed her resident director. “She [the resident director] said her name wasn’t even in the system and she shouldn’t have been given a key,” Rant said.

A freshman international area studies major sustained a concussion while exiting the building. The resident, who has had three concussions in the past, was woken up by the alarm when her room began to flood. Upon exiting, she says she slipped on a puddle, fell onto her back, hit her head and blacked out for a short time. She exited the building and sought shelter in another residence hall, where she began to feel nauseous. Public Safety drove the resident to the emergency room, and she was kept overnight.

“I was examined. My back, shoulder and head hurt, but I was just prescribed Tylenol and kept overnight, where I fell in and out of sleep,” the resident said. The resident has missed classes as a result but said that most professors have been understanding.

“I’m not going to complain because it could be a lot worse. I’m just trying to deal with catching up.”

This particular resident did not experience severe personal property damage but said that some others did.

“I was lucky because my clothes were wet, and my parents were there the next day, so we took everything that was wet out of my room. But some people that weren’t able to do that — the construction workers are just moving everything to the middle of the room and putting a tarp over it for the duration of the construction. So if anything’s wet in there, they’re going to have to throw it out.”

Heasley said that students are encouraged to purchase renter’s insurance when they apply to live in the residence halls. He assures that students can meet with Residential Living or University Housing staff if there are concerns about their belongings.

Heasley said that Residential Living and University Housing staff will continue to work with individual students and provide support and updates.