The Aquilian October 2016 Volume 79, Number 1
Gonzaga College High School Men For Others Since 1821 www.theaquilian.com
19 Eye St, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Getting to Know Your SGA President Three years ago freshman Landen Buckson stepped onto campus for the first day of classes, not “nearly as social and outgoing [as he is] now…It was a weird feeling to go from a school with twenty students in the eighth grade class to having over 200 students in the freshmen class,” Landen says. “It is something that took me some time to get used to.” Landen has matured in many ways as a result of his surroundings. He credits this to “the way everyone handles themselves at Gonzaga, and I mean students, teachers, and other faculty.”
Along with being SGA President, Landen is also the co-President of Onyx. “I am very passionate about social issues concerning people of color,” says Landen. “I have tried to convey some of our struggles through my art work and I plan to bring them up this year in the Onyx club.” Landen is also very passionate about drawing and says that his favorite teacher, Mr. Tom Baker, who retired last year, motivated him to grow artistically and that Landen “cannot thank him enough for all of the support and wise words he gave me while I was his student.” As Student Body President, Landen says that he wants to “take second steps,”
and have the student government build on the work of last year’s Student Body President, Andy Carluccio, and his “year of first steps.” “Now we can accomplish tasks Andy started last year and expand upon them,” Landen says. “We will even have room to execute new ideas because so much has been laid out for us.” When asked about his goals for the SGA this year Landen said, “We are going to take a look at improving Spirit Week. We would also like the SGA to be more visible through WZAG and Canvas. We want to use those platforms so the student body understands that we are here to work for them.
I would also like to see more students advancing their interests both in and out of the classroom. Personally, I think that engaging your classmates on a personal level is just as important as academic success.” Landen is looking forward to his future after Gonzaga. He is not sure if he will continue in politics, saying: “I have thought about it every now and then, but I do not think that I would continue on to be involved in politics. Who knows, I feel that my mind could change at any time and dive into the political scene as early as I can, but for now I think I will leave future political positions alone.” Landen is getting ready
Red Cloud, p. 4
McKenna Immersion, p.5
Emmitsburg, p.5
New Faculty/Staff, p.8
By: Jack Martino ‘20 Contributor
for college and “taking in everything that I can at this point. It is about appreciating all of the experiences and memories I have made at Gonzaga, and it is about understanding what is the next step in my academic career.” Landen looks forward to a year “full of innovation that will directly benefit students while they are on Eye Street.” He also has a message for the student body: “Enjoy your school year, work your hardest during moments of discouragement, make a conscious effort to socialize with people you have never encountered, and always try to maintain a positive mindset regardless of the situation.”
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The Booster Club Article By: Adam Wojciak ‘20 Contributor Picture yourself at a Gonzaga football game for the first time, and everybody around you is screaming and cheering. The bleachers are shaking, everyone is sweating from clapping and yelling, and all the students are filled with energy that can only be released in the form of shouts and roars. Yet everyone seems to be asleep compared to a small group of people standing on the field. This small group is yelling at an inhuman volume level, is dressed in several different bizarre outfits, and one is wearing nothing but a Speedo. A freshman may think to himself that he should get some help for these people on the field, but he would be wrong. These people on the field are the Gonzaga Booster Club, and they, in all of their craziness, are just fine. To many freshman at Gonzaga, the Booster Club
is an intimidating group of fanatics who scream at you during sports games. While freshman who just view them in this light may not be entirely wrong, characterizing the Booster Club this way misses what they truly are. The Booster Club, while still a group of raucous Gonzaga students who are constantly yelling, also provides a big boost (for lack of a better word) to school pride. The members of the Booster Club are seniors who have grown to love Gonzaga through their time on Eye Street, and love sharing their enthusiasm. They have decided that one of the best ways to express how much they like their school is through leading the student body in cheers and chants at sporting events. One of the club’s members, Devin McNulty, spoke with The Aquilian in regards to his role in the Booster Club. When asked, “What is the main role of the Booster
Club,” McNulty replied: “I think the Booster Club is pretty much just for the boys. We’re gonna get the boys amped up for the games. We really bring the spirit of Gonzaga to the student body.” “What would you say is most effective when trying to rile people up and get them
“The Booster Club has a large selection of cheers. Where do all of these cheers come from?” “They’re just tradition. Every year, there’ll be maybe a new cheer. And that’s just been going on for... [a long time]” “Are there any differenc-
ual cheers, whereas [with] McNamara, we don’t have real specific cheers for them. Different sports get different cheers too. Football has ‘Move those chains,’ but you can’t do that in soccer… And there are a couple classics, like 2-4-6-8 Gonzaga, Gonzaga, and G-O-N-Z-A-G-A.”
pumped up for games?” “You gotta be wild. You just gotta push that limit. Between like, crazy, you just gotta get to that point. Gotta make them almost scared of you.”
es from one game to another in terms of cheers?” “Definitely. There are specific cheers for certain teams, like ‘Step On Prep’ is individual to Prep… Our biggest rivals have individ-
The Booster Club is a large part of the school community, and they are important not just in getting students excited for games, but also are important in contributing to overall school spirit.
Movies with Tom & Will By: Thomas Koenig ‘17 & Will Larroca ‘17 Senior Contributors Blair Witch (2016) This weekend we saw Adam Wingard’s (You’re Next, The Guest) sequel to The Blair Witch Project, the creatively titled Blair Witch. Below is our take: Thomas: I will start by stating that I did not enjoy this film. The plot felt too similar to the original Blair Witch Project, a common pitfall of horror sequels. The film suffered from major pacing issues, beginning in a similar vein to the original with a slow burning atmosphere until it quickly erupted into a climax that lasted too long. The film lacked the tension of the original and tried to replace it with another pitfall of modern horror films: the
jump scare. This technique immediately drains any tension from the film and robs the audience of legitimate scares. The addition of gross body horror was uncomfortable, unnecessary, and felt like weird pandering to fans of the Saw movies. The movie provided more laughs than screams, but worst of all, it just proved to be a boring mess that I cannot recommend. 3/10 Toms. What about you Will?
bility. Blair Witch has none of these things. The film is better shot, with body-cams, drones, and high-def cameras replacing the original’s cheap camcorders, which makes the “found footage” angle seem artificial. Along with this, the actors look too attractive to be real and act like they’re on a film set. Most troubling, however, is the amped up, supernatural “horror” that features prominently. Tents go flying, people appear and disappear, and deformed witches haunt the shots, which are far steps from the original’s off-screen menace. You know what the monster is in this film and you know that it could never exist. As a result, you know that you are not scared. 3/10 Wills.
Will: Yeah, I agree with you that the plot was basically just a rehash of the original, but I thought it was missing one major element: realism. Now I’m not one of those guys that thought the original was a true story, but it definitely felt like one. The equipment was low-tech, the actors seemed Consensus: 3/10 Woms. genuine, and the horror was Blair Witch? More like Not within the realm of possi- SCARY WITCH! HAHA!
The Aquilian
Founded In 1940 Gonzaga College HIgh School 19 Eye Street NW Washington, DC 20001 www.theaquilian.Com Men For Others in the Jesuit Tradition Since 1821
Editors-in-Chief Peter Brown ‘17 Nick Lazaroae ‘17 Editors Dela Adedze ‘17 Griffin Buising ‘17 Charlie Goetzman ‘17 Michael Jerakis ‘17 Matt Gannon ‘18
Poets & Writers By: Jirhe Love ‘17 Senior Contributor 7.4.07 I, too weep at the sights of my America. They Laugh at my failures yet whisper my accomplishments This is no new sight Independence day at the cemetery of my America. Blood Dripping in harmony with our black skin that sheds red tears As for tomorrow its guarantee is infused with smoke. Of my America a promised certificate of birth a falsified sense of life culminated with a pledge of alienation. Each issue The Aquilian plans to feature a work of poetry written by a Gonzaga Student.
Phototography Jack Chesen ‘18
Moderator: Dr. Harry Rissetto
Motivated By Peace By: Matt Gannon ‘18 Editor I’ll probably be in Cell Block C overnight…so I didn’t book my flight out until late afternoon. With a timid smile, Kathy Kelly casually predicts that, in four days, she will be locked up for trespassing at the Pentagon. She shrugs as she says it. To her, this is nothing out of the ordinary. Jail time is just another obstacle. As she talks about her work as a peace activist, her green eyes glint with excitement. She speaks calmly and with painstaking thought, but her hands, trembling with emotion, betray the hurt and resultant compassion she keeps buried behind a gentle, unimposing facade. Tucked away behind her overwhelming humility lies a deep desire to mend the wrongs forged by humanity. With steely determination and unparalleled conviction in her beliefs, Kathy Kelly dives into her tale. She modestly neglects to mention her two Nobel Peace Prize nominations in her introduction. Captivated by her unflinching take on war and peace, poverty and greed, her audience of 25 Gonzaga juniors absorbs her every sobering statement and unexpected quip with intense concentration. That in itself is a remarkable occurrence. There is always that guy who is lost somewhere between sleep and the horrifying reality of a quotidian lecture. But not today. No heads nod off when Ms. Kelly passionately delves into her gripping narrative. Ms. Kelly grew up in Chicago during the tumult of the Civil Rights Era in what she says was “the most racist neighborhood in America.” She recalls her neighbors and friends muttering approval when Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was struck by a stone hurled from the crowds as he marched peacefully through her city. That this exceedingly tolerant, loving, and gracious woman hails from a community that fostered bigotry is a daunting paradox. Ms. Kelly traces her journey from a girl raised in a racist town to an internationally renowned peace worker back to one high school religion class, in which she watched
a Holocaust documentary called Night of Fog. Its footage of Auschwitz and Dachau haunted her. She remembers wanting to ask the German townspeople, “couldn’t you smell the burning flesh?” Her life’s mission is an answer to that question: “I don’t want to be in the face of some terrible evil and not try to do anything.” She works to be the voice of reason when public opinion is turned against its own good. Ms. Kelly’s first stab at social justice took place in
the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” Ms. Kelly envisions a world in which diplomatic solutions for foreign issues are employed so that human rights can be guaranteed. On August 6, 1990, Ms. Kelly “could spell Iraq, and find Kuwait on a map if you gave me some time, but that’s about it.” Having just been released from prison, she was ready to jump back into the fray of peace work. She hur-
what she dubbed “the do gooders ghetto” in Chicago. There, she served in a soup kitchen, in a homeless shelter, and in a women’s drop in shelter, all while teaching religion at a Jesuit high school. It was in teaching that social justice class that “she talked [herself] into a lot of what [she] did later in life.” Through serving those in need in Chicago, Ms. Kelly found her calling. “Being able to put a plate of food in front of an old fellow on the street who was happy just to have someone sit down and talk to him… that fueled a lot of my own activism for years.” Much of Ms. Kelly’s work has focused on the military, its business overseas, its inflated budget, and its occasional wrongdoing. Without a military to devote half of our budget to, she says, the U.S. could spend billions more dollars on necessary things like housing for the homeless, infrastructure, ending hunger. To sum up her ideas, she quotes Eisenhower: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in
riedly joined activists with similar goals and hopped onto the last flight into Baghdad before the war began. Once there, she worked with an international peace team to aid humanitarian efforts. “We had an idea that we could protect the only road out for refugees and the only way in for medical supplies.” The U.S. and U.K. had been heavily bombing the route. Ms. Kelly and the other social workers stationed themselves along the highway, which was pockmarked by craters left by the bombs. They then notified the coalition that if the strikes on the road continued, one of their own might be killed in the process. By keeping the road open, the aid workers were able to bring in desperately needed medical supplies. This is not the only instance in which Ms. Kelly, at great personal risk, interfered with the U.S. government in the hopes of doing good. She recently spent a year in maximum security prison for attempting to deliver a loaf of bread to the general in command of the militarized drone operations that are
carried out in Missouri. She has also been imprisoned for planting corn on the ground above ICBMs in an attempt to protest nuclear proliferation. She once admonished a judge for “refusing to give a fair hearing to issues raised by [her] case regarding human rights in Nicaragua,”and got her sentence increased in retaliation. The list goes on, revealing Ms. Kelly’s willingness to sacrifice on behalf of others. Most recently, Ms. Kelly lived with a peace group in Kabul, a crumbling city in Afghanistan. There, she witnessed terrible bloodshed in a place where the air is polluted by fecal matter, bomb debris, and smoldering “burn pits.” The region’s hospital was located north of Kabul, in a province where Taliban forces have fought increasingly violently with the Afghan military. The U.S. bombed this hospital in October 2015. Khalid Ahmad, a young pharmacist living near the hospital, argued with his mother. The doctors working at this hospital, operated by Doctors Without Borders, needed his help in medicating the patients. Both Taliban and resistance fighters had been flooding into the emergency wing with wounds from the escalating skirmishes, and the doctors were hard pressed for time and personnel. Khalid’s mother begged him not to go she worried about the dangerous situation presented by welcoming Taliban patients. He went anyway, called by a sense of duty. Khalid awoke from his well deserved sleep during the night shift to earsplitting explosions, bursts of fire, and terrified screams. He was “confused… the bombs were coming from planes, but only the U.S. had planes… but why would the United States bomb a hospital?” Khalid was torn. He wanted to stay and help the patients now victims yet again, but the hospital was the only building in the complex being targeted. If he stuck around any longer, he would be killed. He sprinted to the gate. And he almost made it. Just before he reached the road, Khalid crumpled, struck in the back by shell fragments. He barely survived. When Ms. Kelly recounts this story, she is incredulous
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and her voice is heavy with sorrow. “The military talks of the fog of war, but with today’s technology, I find it hard to believe that this was a mistake.” It is after senseless acts of brutality like this that she struggles to find hope, yet she soldiers on. To stay grounded, she and the other peace volunteers find little joys in every passing day. “Yes, there is bereavement and suffering and it’s grievous, but there are also babies being born and children playing and affectionate mothers and wise fathers and sporting matches.” During the shock and awe bombings in Iraq in 2003 nearly indiscriminate strikes by the U.S. and coalition on Iraqi cities her peace group in Iraq threw a birthday party. “The children just needed to run and play, so we got white plastic chairs and Pepsicola and fried chicken, and played ‘duckduckgoose…’ and the kids just had a wonderful time….” It could not last for long, however. Their happiness was shattered by an earth trembling explosion. “We realized that none of us knew where this sixyear old was.” The adults frantically searched, his mother screaming his name. “And then we found him… and I’ll never forget the look on the mother’s face. It was just sheer relief and then sheer contempt… for the people who were bombing us.” This juxtaposition of pure, simple happiness and heartbreaking violence embodies Ms. Kelly’s work as a peace volunteer in the Middle East. “I think the most important ethical question of our time is ‘How can we learn to live together without killing one another?’” Ms. Kelly believes that this is something we all have to ask ourselves. World peace, she says, is achievable if we start today. But how? “Well, in real estate, they say ‘location, location, location.’ With something like world peace, I think we have to say ‘education, education, education.’” If we continue to educate each other, she believes, we can grow in empathy, compassion, and the drive to do good. Ms. Kelly ends with a nearly proverbial statement: “We can’t expect much more of each other than that each of us cares about the world’s issues. ”
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Red Cloud Summer Service Trip
By: Michael Jerakis ‘17 Editor My alarm buzzed and my body instinctively jolted itself awake. What time was it, I hazily wondered. The blinds on the single window in my room were down, and that coupled with overlapping curtains made it seem pitch black. I checked my phone; it read 6:00 AM, later than I was supposed to be up. Hastily, I shoved some last minute toothpaste and underwear into my hideously oversized duffle bag, and ran downstairs. Gobbling up some Cocoa Krispies, I shoved my feet into my sneakers, jumped in the car, and headed to airport with my parents. We arrived at Reagan National Airport in no more than ten minutes, and quickly found other Gonzaga boys and parents with whom we figured out where we ought to meet for our 8:30 AM flight to St. Paul, Minnesota. After receiving boarding passes, we began saying our farewells, and before long, found ourselves sitting together on the plane ready for takeoff. Here we go, I thought to myself. The summer service trips offered to rising seniors here at Gonzaga are nothing short of legendary. All year, as well as years prior, you eagerly listen to current seniors describe their experiences. “Definitely go to New Orleans,” some say, or “Try to go on Red Cloud I instead of II.” While not always helpful and/or insightful in any sort of way, the fact that these guys took some time to explain how much fun they had, how challenging a trip was, or how inspiring and eyeopening a certain experience was, most certainly generates more buzz or excitement than it does anxiety or fear. I knew soon last year that I, too, wanted to take part in one of
these trips, and honestly did not care which one. After Ms. Fitzsimmons came to our class and went a little more in depth than what was previously known to me, there were a couple trips that intrigued more than the rest: the Kino Border Initiative and Red Cloud. I applied for both Red Clouds and the Kino border trip, and ultimately got accepted onto the Red Cloud I service trip. To be honest, the Red Cloud trips, as much good as I had heard about, intimidated me in the sense that I had no real understanding or viewpoints on issues relating to Native American living standards, whereas if I had been accepted for the MexicoAmerican border trip, I was more attuned to what I could expect and brace myself for. So while there was definitely an overwhelming sense of excitement, there was a certain aura of anxiety about what would entail on such a trip. Pre-trip meetings absolutely put to rest most of those doubts. We began to look into more and more as a group what life on this particular Pine Ridge Indian Reservation was like. Statistics concerning the rampant alcoholism and drug addiction, widespread and brutal poverty, and the injustices placed upon these people were emotionally heavy and bearing talking points. What became apparent before we even arrived was also the pride taken by the Lakota people of the reservation in their own history. We briefly went over the influential presence of the Jesuit high school on the reservation and the role of Christianity and its unique mix with
the Lakota culture. After we arrived in St. Paul, we then took a connecting flight to Rapid City, South Dakota. From there, we drove nearly two hours to where we would be staying for the next week. We all had dinner together, messed around for a bit, and soon found ourselves on our cots dozing off to sleep. The next morning, we drove around forty-five minutes (we were later explained that everything out there in South Dakota was either 30 or 45 minutes away) to meet the kids from Our Lady of Lourdes. An awkward breakfast with the kids quickly turned jovial, as a game of
and on the day before, another Gonzaga student and I aided Doug, one of the two maintenance men working there, on his biweekly trip to
there, and couldn’t help but question why anyone would want to live here. A young woman who took us on a tour of the Jesuit high school ex-
the local dump. Doug was an interesting character. A massive human being, both tall and wide, Doug was kind from the moment we arrived, quickly dismantling preconceptions based on his appearance. He
tag right after lifted the spirits and dropped the social barriers for many. We were explained to that OLL as well as the local Jesuit high school very much depended on people coming to do community service to help take some of the burden off of maintenance costs and time. So each day, the early morning routine was the same with breakfast and tag, followed by some sort of physical labor. For instance, on the first day, we weeded and chopped down an incredibly overgrown dirt patch, and subsequently planted flowers into the cleared patch. Another day we painted a strip of fence a brand n e w white,
exemplified what the Lakota people had so admired: he was a hard-worker and proud of where he came from. We got to talking about where our families originated or emigrated from. Doug explained that he was German-Indian, and had lived on the reservation his whole life. He talked about his job as a truck driver, driving across the country, up and down both coasts, and we found ourselves discussing our east coast life versus what it was like there. He described his distaste for the fast-pace of big cities and the east coast, and said that he would always choose to live here on the reservation because not only did he enjoy the life and the lifestyle so much more than anywhere else, but it was also where his family was from, where his people were from. When he said this, I was rather taken aback. While I did not say this, I was thinking about the horror stories of alcoholism and poverty we had been exposed to during our time
plained that her own brother, who grew up on the reservation, thought the same exact thing. But the brother had a change of heart after college and wanted to come back to the reservation and provide medical services for his people. Doug’s life had taken him on many different twists and turns, so different than any of us might ever experience, but his mind and his heart was set on maintaining that Lakota pride and a determination to improve the situation for future generations. While not openly discussed or blatantly revealed, this sense of hope for the future is what drives so much of the disenfranchised, the impoverished, and the struggling to keep on pushing forward. This drive, this devotion to community and the ones around us is truly what defines us in the eyes of God. We are meant to serve others, and Doug and the young woman and her brother exemplify such a statement by preserving their unique and dying Lakota culture and applying themselves to help men and women on the reservation who are in desperate need of such action. I took away from my Red Cloud experience several notes and words of wisdom to always keep in the back of my mind. Our interaction with the kids (K through 8) at OLL made us more aware of the fact that children are especially molded and shaped by their surrounding environments, and that we ought to always take such matters into consideration before making an ill-advised or misleading judgement about someone prior to even coming close to understanding the circumstances behind their lives.
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McKenna Immersion Service Trip By: Collin Sundsted ‘18 Contributor Going into the week of summer service at the McKenna Center I wasn’t sure what to expect. I served Gonzaga’s Summer Outreach last summer where my classmates, chaperones and I participated in a myriad of service outreach in Emmitsburg doing everything from yard work to relational activities. I decided to step out of my comfort zone this summer and do something that I felt was more challenging and different. Having a first-hand account of poverty and homelessness in D.C. let alone any other city, especially when I have been so blessed, put life in perspective for me. At McKenna Immersion, we began our tour of duty by splitting up into two groups. For the next five days, one
group would stay at McKenna and the other would walk down the street to S.O.M.E (So Others May Eat). We served first-hand and interacted with those we were serving at McKenna and S.O.M.E. There was never a shortage of jobs and we worked non-stop. No job was too small for us…everything from washing dishes, serving coffee to mopping the floors or cutting up vegetables. We woke every morning at 6:15 to have plenty of time to set up. We served both shelters until around 2 P.M. After work we participated in a variety of activities that included basketball in the gym as well as tours to organizations that help with poverty and homelessness. We received more immersion into the life of the homeless in DC by visiting the DC Kitchen, Maryam’s Kitchen and
Emmitsburg, MD By: Joe Barloon ‘18 Contributor A lot of the time it is tough to know if your service truly benefits the lives of others, especially if you are disconnected from it. That was not the case on the Emmitsburg service trip. The people we served and met all were unique and you could really tell the work was making a difference to them. Everyone had their own stories and I can vividly remember each of them. They were people we could relate to and even see our own struggles through them. There was the lady would simply could not clear out all of the clutter in her house who was from the DC area and even went to Stone Ridge. She was the choir director at a local church and told us stories of her time as a music
teacher. If you knew nothing about her, it would be too easy to label her a “hoarder”, but she was so much more than that. All of the people we met were so much more than their labels whether it be poor, elderly, or disabled. Through the Emmitsburg service trip, I learned what it meant to get to know someone, both the people we served and my fellow Gonzaga students. We did not have to go thousands of miles to help those in need with Emmitsburg being less than ninety minutes away, but it a place very removed from the hustle and bustle of DC. Emmitsburg was all I expected it to be and more, and it helped me understand the value of a personal connection with everyone, but most importantly with the ones whom you serve.
even went to a doctor’s office and a healthcare center that provides service to anyone regardless of that person’s ability to pay. Not only did we visit where the homeless were treated, we also took a walking tour of D.C. to see how quickly poverty rates can change from neighborhood to neighborhood. On one occasion, our group journeyed to Capitol Hill where we competed in a heated game of ultimate Frisbee. Though we explored D.C., our priority was serving in the kitchen and also administering assistance to those in the McKenna center. Through my five days at McKenna I realized that one week of working at McKenna will not solve poverty or homelessness, but the most important part of our service week was building relationships. We were challenged
each day to step outside our comfort zone, learn the stories of the experienced and seasoned men who accompanied us and serve those in our community. The most influential activity of the week was the “Meet and Greet.” We were individually paired up with one man and we had to learn his life story, but also tell him
ours. I met Bobby and just knowing his story changed my perspective on how I view and interact with the people suffering from homelessness. There was one quote on the wall that stood out to me which sums up my week at the Father McKenna Center: “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
Better to Give than Receive By: Patrick Wisor ‘17 Senior Contributor Over the summer, I had an amazing experience at St. Jerome’s Academy in Hyattsville, Maryland. I chose this site for service because I knew the priest who was running the project, Father Scott. During the service, I worked in the school with the students, and I also prepared and served food for the homeless people that came into the café every Thursday. Before doing the service, I thought I was going to be cooking food and cleaning dishes, not really interacting with the people in the café. I also wasn’t intending to have fun there. I thought it was going to be a lot of work. However, the task grew on me. It became less about getting the hours and more about getting to know people and having fun. I was excited to go back to the café every Thursday to talk with the people I had made connections with. I was able to meet many great people like James, Mary, Jose, Tom, and Barbara. Mary ran the project, Tom was a Gonzaga graduate, and James, Barbara, and Jose helped set up the lunch even though they also needed the support of the café. For my service, I worked in the café making the lunch that the homeless would be
eating, preparing bagged lunches for them to take with them, serving the food, talking with the people about their day, and cleaning up. We worked with 4 ‘teams’ who rotated on a six week schedule. Every week, there would be a new team leader that we would meet and get the chance to work with. One of these leaders was Tom, who graduated from Gonzaga close to forty years ago. It was both fun and productive working with him because we were able to share stories from Gonzaga while we worked. He told me about the priests who taught, his one JUG, and how Brother Jon was a great guy. It was really enlightening being able to hear what the high school I attend was like a long time ago and how much it has changed since then. The most significant thing I found while performing the service was the people that I got to work with, one of them being James. Each week, James came for a meal and was always the last in line to get food. He had an Irish background like me, and even spoke Gaelic. At the end of the service, he said that it is “better to give than receive,” as he always stayed after with us to help clean up the lunch. Jose was another individual that we got to know.
He only spoke Spanish and for that reason couldn’t talk with many people. However, I would go sit with him and talk in Spanish about how he was, and he would give me a big smile that made me realize I made his day. As we got ready to leave every Thursday, he would come up to us and give a big hug. Mary was the director of the event and was there every week. She would always be in the back preparing bagged lunches or talking with the other volunteers making sure everything went smoothly. When I was about to leave for the last time, she told me to come back as the door was always open. Finally, Barbara was always the first person at the café to help set up. Once everything was set up and people were eating, she herself would eat. Afterwards, she would help everyone clean up. I was able to learn a lot from this experience, the biggest thing probably being that everyone has a story to tell. I learned that we are all God’s children no matter what, and whatever fell upon the people in the café could easily happen to anyone. I think seeing God in all things, something I learned over Kairos, became much more apparent after the service.
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Eagles for Democracy
By: Joey Peterson ‘17 Senior Contributor Welcome to room K23, the recently assembled nest holding the Eagles for Democracy. This club is home to the liberal minded of Gonzaga stretching from hardened progressives to political moderates to people who just don’t like Donald Trump. Three crucial topics that we, as a club, feel passionately about (especially for this upcoming election) include immigration, gun control, and a system of taxation that better serves all Americans and not just the top 1%. A wall is ridiculous. Why? Well, practically, about 50% of undocumented people crossed the border legally and merely outstayed their visas. This is a civil offense and does not rise to the criminal level of even a speeding violation. A wall would be an utter waste of billions of dollars, not to mention the economic consequences for the American economy, specifically in agriculture as much of its success rests on the labor of undocumented men and women. When dealing with immigration on a policy level, it can be so easy to only view it in the abstract. We forget that humans are at the heart of the issue and we become swayed by catchy partisan rhetoric that proposes inhumane ideas to deal with distinctly human problems. Human dignity and the ef-
fect our policies have on real people should be the driving force behind our society. We must start with our humanity when addressing the immigration issue, and we must preserve it in every manifestation of the issue, from policy proposals to classroom discussions. Thus the Eagles for Democracy supports a functional path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants currently residing in the US and beginning a massive overhaul of immigration policy surrounding Border Patrol enforcement that most certainly does not include a wall. In regards to gun control, Eagles for Democracy believe that there is no question that we need to restrict the availability of guns from what they are. The number of mass shootings in our country is way out of proportion compared to any other industrialized nation. The failure to pass a bill that would restrict gun rights of people on the no-fly list is ridiculous. There is a line that we as a nation draw that right now allows
citizens to obtain automatic weaponry with little background checks. This needs to be changed and the Republican perpetuation of more guns as a solution is simplistically facile. If you look anywhere else in the world, the implementation of more restrictive gun laws leads to fewer mass shootings and fewer gun deaths. Within our society, it is inevitable that there will be people without much money. We as a club believe that it is
thus the government’s job to protect these people who are often stomped over. The top 1% is gaining more and more wealth with stagnant middle and lower classes. This needs to be fixed with heavier taxes on the rich. Right now the equal opportunity and right to pursue happiness that we hold as central tenets of our country’s founding are simply not a reality. In order to achieve this equality, the middle class and small businesses must be supported,
rather than an illogical belief that giving money to huge businesses and rich people isn’t just going to turn into more profit for CEO’s and those at the top. The club is a great opportunity to discuss topics like these even if you do not agree. Make sure to also stop by the election forums and get informed before this November 8th.
On November 8th,
Remember to
VOTE!
Sons of Liberty By: Jack Guarino ‘17 Senior Contributor The Sons of Liberty is one of the oldest political clubs on Eye Street. The club was founded to promote and educate the student population on the ideals of our great democratic union. The club holds an unwavering belief that the role of the federal government is to provide people the basic freedoms necessary to pursue their own goals. The club believes that the empowerment of the individual is the key to solving his own problems, rather than the individual being reliant on the Federal Government to solve them.
highest possible standard of living for all the country’s citizens. An important part to this is the belief that the Federal Government should respect private property and ownership rights. Having a free marketplace allows for more economic growth and more jobs than those systems suppressed by excessive Federal Government regulation. This economic oppression is found in a variety of forms in our current economic policies. The Constitution of the United States permits the Federal Government to levy taxes for two purposes: to pay its debts and to both provide for
the common defense and the general welfare of its people. In the fiscal year 2015, the Federal Government spent 3.7 trillion dollars (which it raises through taxes). Of that 3.7 trillion dollars, only 6% (roughly 233 billion dollars) went to pay interest on our national debt which has surpassed 13 trillion dollars. An additional 16 percent of the federal budget went to defense and international security assistance. This adds up to less than a quarter of our budget being spent on two of the three things the Federal Government is allowed to Economic Policy tax! One intelligent reader The Sons of Liberty holds might be thinking that that a free market system and there are other things that private enterprise creates need to be paid for such as the best opportunity for the The following paragraphs will outline five hot topic issues in the 2016 Presidential Election, as well as where the club stands on these current issues. We will not discuss issues such as abortion, gay marriage, the death penalty, and global warming because we believe that these are very personal issues and that, by time one graduates Gonzaga, he will have been presented with enough information on these topics to make a decision for himself on what he believes.
transportation infrastructure, public education and even research. What you might be shocked to hear is that these three important features to ensure our future success only account for a minuscule 6% of the federal budget. So the question is: where does the rest of the 70% of our budget, our hard earned money go. The answer is Social Security, Medicare/ Medcaid and Safety net programs. It is important to ensure that the poor and elderly are taken care of, but to spend over 60% (2.22 trillion dollars) on these programs that clearly do not benefit the “general welfare” of the
a subsequent paragraph), instead of being reliant on a broken system. Welfare programs keep people in poverty instead of helping them out of poverty.
Immigration Policy
The United States is a country made up of immigrants. One look at Silicon Valley shows how important immigration is, and will continue to be, in the advancement of our country. When a University looks at its prospective students, it often asks the simple yet revealing question: “What will this person bring to our University and how will this person make us better.” This is how the Sons of Liberty feels we should approach immigration. The club does recognizes that the wait times to obtain legal entry into the United States are incredibly long and that this needs to be fixed to allow skilled immigrants to enter the country. We also accept that our country needs to do a better job at accepting r e f u g e e s . This being said, the club condones illegal immigration and granting amnesty to these immigrants. It is not fair to the citizens of our country and those US population is outrageous. who are waiting to enter our The Sons of Liberty believe country legally to allow these that the Federal Government people entrance. has gotten “too big” and Racism has overstepped its bounds The Sons of Liberty to tax and interfere in the economy. We believe that recognizes that racism exists two things need to change in American society, but in our economic policy: believes America is not racist Lower taxes (by cutting in whole. We recognize that the budget) and change our there is a problem with the Social Welfare programs recurrent improper treatment (not abolish them). The club of minorities (especially believes that lowering taxes African Americans) by our creates incentive for people police forces. We see America to work, save, invest, and as a whole more prejudiced socioeconomic engage in entrepreneurial towards status, not the color of endeavors and that money is best spent by those who one’s skin. People of lower earn it. We also believe socioeconomic status are that the best way to combat less likely to receive a good poverty is through education public education, have higher (which will be discussed in incarceration rates and are more likely to become reliant
The Aquilian 7
on Federal Government funded welfare programs. We believe that the best way to fix the growing income disparity (socioeconomic gap) in our country is through education (which will be discussed later). This being said, we believe that affirmative action and other programs like it should be based off socioeconomic status. This would still help the poor, and not just the poor minorities.
Homeland Security
The Sons of Liberty believes that homeland security is crucial to our advancement as a country. This not only includes the continual strengthening of our armed forces, but also strengthening our intelligence and cyber security programs. We believe that this is the best way to prevent the spread of terrorism and believe its track record has been proven worth while to invest in. The Sons of Liberty also believes that our veterans are being deprived of their rights and should be treated much better than they currently are. Lastly, we believe in the Second Amendment, and that citizens have the right to bear arms. Moreover, we believe that stricter gun control laws would not prevent criminals from obtaining weapons. What is needed is stricter enforcement of current laws.
Education The Sons of Liberty believes that improving our public education system is crucial to the advancement of America. We believe that it is the best way to break the cycle of socioeconomic oppression and poverty. We believe that much more of the budget (at least in the double digits percentage wise) should be directed to giving our future a better education. With this education, we believe children will be more informed citizens and be able to be self reliant and function without the government’s help. We hope by reading this, you have become a more educated citizen of our country and can understand some main ideas that we stand for. If these topics interest you, or if you are just interested in politics in general, please come to one of our meetings. Thank you and God bless America.
Welcome new faculty/Staff!
Shelly Pate
Carl Cardozo
Katie Garbart
Kathleen Parlett
Dominick Pugliese
Stefan Vastek
Lashieta McLean
Jen Doherty
Favorite quote or saying: Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. -Dennis Kimbro Position / Department: Fine Arts Department Hometown: Marietta, GA College...Major: University of Georgia... BFA Studio Art: Painting and BFA Art Education Favorite fast food: Taco Bell Favorite sport...Sports team: Football... UGA & Alabama Interesting personal fact: Allergic to Chocolate! Summer 2016 activities: moved to DC from Savannah, GA over the summer.
Favorite quote or saying: One trip or no trip Position / Department: teaches World Cultures and European History Hometown: Washington, DC (attended Gonzaga) College / major: Princeton University / History Favorite fast food: In and Out Favorite sports team: The Dirty Dozen Rowing Club Interesting personal fact: I have hitch-hiked over 1000 miles in Europe & SE Asia Summer 2016 activity: Got a hug from the hugging saint who has hugged over 30 million people since the 70’s
Favorite quote or saying: No matter where you go, there you are. - Buckaroo Banzai Position / Department: teaches Latin, Greek, and History Hometown: Philadelphia College: Saint Josephs University and University of Chicago Favorite fast food: Qdoba Favorite sport...Sports team: Baseball... Phillies Interesting personal fact: is currently trying to get a pilot›s license Summer 2016 activity: Had a lunch with the Hulk (Lou Ferrigno), Batman (Adam West), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew)
Favorite quote or saying: He was called. He served. He is counted. Position / Department: teaches Honors Geometry and Algebra 2) Hometown: Washington DC (attended St. Albans) College / major: University of Vermont: Math and Philosophy double major Favorite fast food: “easily” Chipotle. Favorite sport / sports team: Hockey / C-AP-S CAPS CAPS CAPS Interesting personal fact: can deadlift 500 and squat 405 pounds Summer 2016 Activities: sang with a choir at Canterbury Cathedral for a week
Favorite quote or saying: Nothing you do for children is ever wasted. - Garrison Keillor Position / Department: teaches Biology and Honors Biology Hometown: Baltimore, MD College / major: Undergrad: St. Mary›s College of Maryland, B.A. in Biology; Graduate: Johns Hopkins University, M.S. in Secondary Education Favorite fast food: Chik Fil-A Favorite sport: Gymnastics Interesting personal fact: held a wombat named Tonka on a visit to Australia. Summer 2016 activity: taught science to gifted and talented eight-year-olds.
Favorite quote or saying: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13 Position / Department: member of the Alumni and Advancement Team Hometown: Washington, DC (attended Northwestern High School) College / major: two and a half years through an architectural major at the Tuskegee Institue. Favorite fast food: P. F. Changs Favorite sport / sports team: Football / Washington Redskins Interesting personal fact: I love to fish and bowl with my family. Summer 2016 activitiy: Went camping.
Favorite quote or saying: No matter what you do, do it to the best of your ability. Position / Department: teaches Algebra I and Honors Geometry Hometown: Born in Buffalo, NY, but mostly grew up in Vestal, New York. College / major: Binghamton University / Bachelors of Science in Math and Masters of Arts in Teaching Favorite fast food: Chipotle Favorite sport / sports team: soccer / Bayern Munchen Interesting personal fact: is the mother of 6 children including a set of triplets) Summer 2016 activities: took a special day trip with youngest son to DC.
Favorite quote or saying: Why plan something once when you can plan it twice. Position / Department: Director of Events Hometown: Bethesda, MD (attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Visitation HS.) College / major: Providence College in Rhode Island / Elementary and Special Education with a minor in History. Favorite fast food: Chik Fil A . Favorite sport / sports team: NCAA College Basketball / Providence College Friars Interesting personal fact: is excited to plan the Gonzaga Reunion in October Summerr 2016 Activities: Beach trip with husband, three sons, one dog, and a hamster
Interviews:
Luke Ritter ‘17 Kylee Piper
Favorite quote or saying: It is what it is. Position / Department: English Hometown: Greencastle, PA College / major: Loyola University Maryland / English Favorite fast food: Chipotle Favorite sports team: Philadelphia Eagles (#flyeaglesfly) Interesting personal fact: is left-handed. Summer 2016 activities: moved from Philadelphia (“aka the Greatest City Ever”) to the DC area.
Paul Kemp
Favorite quote or saying: Live life to the fullest Position / Department: Maintenance Hometown: Silver Spring, MD ( attended Northwood HS) College / major: Montgomery College / Engineering Favorite fast food: Chick Fil-a Favorite sport / sports team: Football / Pittsburgh Steelers Interesting personal fact: has been a Boy scout/Adventure crew leader for 12 years Summer 2016 Activities: Spent time with the family in the traveling in the RV
Jonathan Ruano
Favorite quote or saying: AMDG Position / Department: Campus Ministry Hometown: Gaithersburg, MD (attended St. John›s) College / major: John Carroll University / Theology and Religious Studies Favorite fast food: Chipotle Favorite sport / sports team: Soccer / Real Madrid Interesting personal fact: Can do a pretty nice cartwheel Summer 2016 activities: Worked with 6-7 year old kids at soccer camp
Photos:
Jack CHesen ‘18