Kathryn Rosenbaum
Editor-in-Chief
Rachel Peters
Ann Tassone
Darren LaCour
Senior News Editors
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Betta’s lands lucrative liquor license
Long-sought license will bring alcohol to the Xavier neighbor by week’s end
Emily Hoferer
Managing Editor
Erika Bresee
Wine and other liquor will soon be sold at Betta’s Italian Oven, according to Will DeLuca, shown in the background above.
Betta’s Italian Oven has now acquired a highly coveted liquor license after its owner bought Randy’s Sports Bar from Cabana Boy, LLC.
Will DeLuca, the owner of Betta’s, had tried unsuccessfully to obtain a liquor license in the past and was still trying to get one.
DeLuca said he was contacted by Randy’s owners when they decided to sell the bar.
“I purchased the business and transferred the license to here,” said DeLuca.
He would not comment on the details of the purchase of Randy’s, except to say that Randy’s had been on the market for a while.
DeLuca received his license in the mail on Monday, Oct. 13.
This license gives him the legal right to sell alcohol in his restaurant after being on a waiting list for over seven years.
DeLuca said that they would start serving alcohol “at the end of the week.”
DeLuca tried to purchase the Norwood Café and its liquor license last fall, but was outbid by Xavier.
Xavier acquired “the Woods” for $290,000 and its liquor license for an additional, undisclosed sum.
Located at the corner of Montgomery Road and Cleneay Avenue, Betta’s will pose the nearest liquor-selling competition to the university, if plans go ahead for the development of a new Xavier Square.
The transfer of the liquor license from Randy’s to Betta’s appeared on the agenda at the Norwood City Council meeting on August 12 as a result of a memo from the Norwood Health Department, which had no objection to the transfer.
DeLuca said that liquor licenses are hard to come by in Norwood because local law limits the number of licenses to one per 2,000 residents.
DeLuca said that this has been a problem particular to Norwood because of the population decrease in the area.
Closures of big businesses and the expansion of others, including Xavier University, have also stifled Norwood’s growth.
DeLuca said that the liquor license will result in better business for Betta’s Italian Oven.
“People just want to drink,” he said. “They want a glass of wine with their pasta.”
DeLuca said that before “people will get up and leave” when they learned that Betta’s did not serve alcohol.
DeLuca is excited about the prospects of a liquor license.
“Without having a liquor license, profit margins aren’t that great and it’s hard to maintain staff,” he said. DeLuca said that he works about 80 hours a week but with the expansion of his business he can cut back on that.
DeLuca hopes to expand his restaurant space to include a European style coffee bar that will serve pastries and gelato as well as alcohol, in addition to a walk-up, carry-out window for slices of pizza. He also said that he plans to extend Betta’s hours.
will get up and leave” when they learned that Betta’s did not serve alcohol.
DeLuca is excited about the prospects of a liquor license.
“Without having a liquor license, profit margins aren’t that great and it’s hard to maintain staff,” he said. DeLuca said that he works about 80 hours a week but with the expansion of his business he can cut back on that.
DeLuca hopes to expand his restaurant space to include a European style coffee bar that will serve pastries and gelato as well as alcohol, in addition to a walk-up, carry-out window for slices of pizza. He also said that he plans to extend Betta’s hours.
Teaching for America
Many recent Xavier alumni are finding an alternative to the work force or grad school in Teach for America, a program that places new graduates in inner-city teaching positions
Kelly Shaw
Senior News Writer
Photo courtesy of Joe Moorman
Joe Moorman, a 2007 Xavier graduate, teaches eighth graders reading and language arts in Philadelphia, Penn. through the Teach for America program.
As this year’s seniors prepare for graduation, American culture seems to give new college graduates two options: (1) Get a job, or (2) Go to graduate school to prolong getting a job.
Some of Xavier’s recent alumni, however, have chosen a different path.
Teach for America, a program where outstanding college graduates become teachers in inner-city schools throughout the country, has become another option for seniors contemplating future plans. Using some of the nation’s top young leaders, TFA’s goal is to alleviate what it claims to be the nation’s greatest injustice— educational inequity.
Teachers in the TFA corps are put through extensive preparation and then are placed in one of 29 urban and rural cities for two years. All corps members are paid full teacher’s salaries, but must also earn their full teacher certification over the course of the two year commitment. In some regions, corps members also have the opportunity to apply to a master’s program and earn a graduate degree along with a full teacher certification.
TFA began as a project started by one college senior, Wendy Kopp. After college, Kopp raised $2.5 million to start her project, which began with 500 teachers in six low-income communities. There are now 6,200 teachers in the program.
Not surprisingly, some Xavier students are among the 14,000 Teach for America alumni, and other Xavier students are being recruited or applying for this year’s corps.
Greg LeSaint, a 2004 Xavier graduate, participated in the program for four years, first in New York and then in Hawaii. He is now in his first year at Harvard Law School.
“I wanted to be a teacher and I wanted to see a new part of the country,” said LeSaint. “It was a way to combine my interest in community service with a challenging and meaningful job.”
A 2007 Xavier graduate, Joe Moorman, had similar reasons for joining the corps, and believes that many Xavier students probably feel the same way.
“I think TFA is a great option for Xavier students who want to continue their work in social justice and service learning. So many students have a passion for service and take advantage of the opportunities that Xavier provides to engage with the community and make a difference worldwide.
TFA is looking for students with the passion, experience and knowledge that Xavier students have,” said Moorman.
Moorman is currently teaching eighth grade reading and language arts in North Philadelphia.
Both LeSaint and Moorman speak of the difficulties in the classroom due to the lack of funding and poor school management as well as the typical struggles of behavior control, but they developed ways to stay positive.
“It’s a job. No meaningful job is ever easy and it’s difficult to make an impact in anything without working hard,” said LeSaint, who dealt with his frustrations by trying to better engage his students in the classroom, taking them on field trips, and coaching the running club.
“Honestly, though, there were some times when the obstacles felt insurmountable and I just had to ride it out,” said LeSaint.
Moorman has also found obstacles in teaching, especially because his school does not even have the funds to provide all students with textbooks, let alone many performing arts or athletic activities.
“For many of the students at my school (and in Philadelphia in general), school is the safest place they know. Teachers are the only consistent positive presence in their lives. That means that the work we do as teachers is that much more important,” said Moorman.
Despite the frustrations that both LeSaint and Moorman have felt through their experience, they both believe that their time at TFA has been invaluable.
“Being in charge of the education of 90 children can be an intimidating task. But when you see the impact that you can make in their lives, it all makes sense and it is worthwhile, no doubt,” said Moorman.
Making an impact is what many TFA applicants, including senior John Kane, find appealing about the program.
“TFA is a great opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others while at the same time gain a focus for what you really want to do with your life,” said Kane.
Also appealing to applicants are the benefits after the two years spent in the corps. One of TFA’s main purposes is to influence its teachers who become professionals in careers other than education.
TFA believes the experience gives corps members a special set of leadership skills that will allow them to succeed in whatever profession they choose, and it also gives them a unique understanding of educational inequity.
“Its tough at 21 or 22 years old to know exactly what you want to do for a career. The program gives you time to figure that out and also provides the resources to pursue those goals after your commitment, be they in education or otherwise,” said Kane.
For more information about applying, go to www.teachforamerica.org. TFA representatives will be on Xavier’s campus for an information session on Wednesday, Oct. 22.