April 12, 2017

The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

Volume XCV | Est. 1929 | www.sjuhawknews.com

April 12, 2017

From left to right: St. Joe's students show their Relay pride as they pose for a group picture, Luminaria bags line the Michael J. Hagan Arena floor to commerate those affected by cancer (Kristen Babich '20).

St. Joe's fights cancer

Hawk Hill hosts annual Relay for Life fundraiser LUKE MALANGA '20 Photo Editor Saint Joseph’s University held its annual Relay For Life on April 7 in Michael J. Hagan Arena. Overseen by the American Cancer Society (ACS), Relay For Life is a fundraiser for cancer research and support. The team fundraising event, featuring groups from different St. Joe’s clubs and organizations, raised over $83,000 for the event.

The committee that organized the event and fundraising, through help from the ACS and corporate sponsors, was comprised of 138 students this year—the largest ever at St. Joe’s.

Emily Serkes, ’17, was the head chair for this year’s relay and has been involved in the event since her first year at St. Joe’s.

“My senior year of high school, my cousin Shannon had passed away from cancer so I was kind of looking for answers—some sort of way to accept that she had passed away and to celebrate her life rather than dwell on the fact that she wasn’t here anymore,” Serkes said. “When I came to St. Joe’s, one of my friends who was a junior convinced me [to participate in Relay] because she said it was a great way to meet other people.”

Serkes originally got involved in community Relays for her high school friend whose father was a survivor of cancer.

“She asked me to go with her to support her dad and then it [my involvement] kind of built up when I lost my cousin and since then it’s just been more and more important because cancer’s been more prevalent in my life,” Serkes said.

Serkes believes Relay For Life is more than just a fundraiser because it brings together those who have experienced the effects of cancer and those without a direct connection to the disease. This year the committee created a video of students saying why they participate in Relay For Life.

“We realized that so many people have a story to tell,” she said. “We wanted to capture everyone's stories and really show St. Joe’s that we are a community and we are a supporting community.”

She also stressed the importance of getting involved and participating with others to foster greater connections.

“Sharing your story has a really big impact,” Serkes added. “It really teaches others

how hard it is to have cancer. I think it’s bigger than a fundraiser because it teaches others why we need to fundraise and how research can have an end to this because it really is a horrible sickness.”

Alex Mazur, ’20, who experienced Relay For Life at St. Joe’s for the first time and decided to lead his own team, shared similar sentiments.

“Both of my parents have cancer,” Mazur said. “They were diagnosed when I was in high school so I figured any way I could help fight back would be good. Cancer is such a scary thing. It’s something you would never wish upon anyone and for anyone to help is such a big deal.”

This was the first time Mazur participated in a fundraising event that works to combat cancer and he thought the event made a significant impact both for him personally and for the greater fight against cancer.

“I absolutely think the event makes an impact,” Mazur said. “When you’re there you just feel like you’re helping make a difference.

We raised somewhere around $83,000 so anything just to help stop cancer in general is

so important.”

The event serves a dual purpose by promoting awareness of cancer and also fundraising to continue new treatment developments and to help current patients.

Serkes contributed to the event because of family members affected by cancer. The money raised through Relay For Life events is currently helping her uncle’s fight against the disease.

“My uncle is actually going through one of the ACS cancer treatment trials and it’s working out really well,” Serkes said.

Each year, St. Joe’s Relay For Life has raised tens of thousands of dollars that the ACS uses for cancer research and treatment.

It’s also provided a space for students to reflect on the significance of the disease and show compassion towards those fighting cancer.

“It was really touching to see everyone come together and you could tell that everyone there was affected by it and it meant a lot to them to fight back because so many of their loved ones were affected by cancer,” Mazur said.

Global perspective on campus Vice President of Panama visits St. Joe's ANA FAGUY '19 Editor in Chief Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, '89, Vice President of Panama, visited Saint Joseph's University to give a talk entitled “Panama: A Critical UN Partner for Sustainable Development Goals” on April 10.

Saint Malo sat down with The Hawk before her presentation to answer a few questions regarding U.S. and Panama relations.

What changes do you expect in U.S. Panama relations under President Trump?

"Panama and the United States have always had a very strong relationship. Our collaboration is strongest I would say on issues like security and diplomacy because Panama is not such a big exporter I wouldn’t think that the changes in policies in that regard is going to really affect Panama, so we have a very positive outlook towards the new administration and we are looking forward to working on that bilateral agenda and strengthening the historic past."

What are the primary reasons for Panama’s rapid economic growth?

"I would say that the fact that we have a very diversified economy, not one sector of the

economy represents more than 20 percent of GDP, so it’s very diverse. You have the financial sector, you have the canal trade commerce and we have been very active in

attracting foreign companies to make Panama their home. Taking advantage of I think what is our most priced asset which is our geographical position which makes us a maritime hub, an air hub and has attracted the presence of for example most United Nations regional offices to Panama and many multilateral cooperation’s."

What can Panama share or teach the U.S. about economic growth?

"I think we try to be inclusive. Panama is what it is because we are very diverse. Before we were even a republic, we have received people from all over the world that have made Panama their home. That continues to happen and that allows us to attract talent in capacities from all over the world. I want to say that we can teach anybody that but I would say that is one of our strongest points in our economy."

Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado answers questions about Panama and U.S. relations (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

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News

April 12, 2017

Department of Public Safety reports (March 31 – April 6)

April 1

Public Safety was notified by an area resident of a loud party involving St. Joe's students taking place in the 5200 block of Overbrook Avenue. Public Safety and Philadelphia Police were notified and responded. Community Standards was notified.

April 4 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside Villiger Hall. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS revealed the alarm was activated by a student using the microwave.

Facilities Management was notified.

April 2

Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe's student in regards to person(s) unknown gaining access to his off campus residence located in the 5400 block of Woodcrest Avenue, and removing property. Philadelphia Police were notified and responded. Incident is under investigation.

April 3 Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe's student regarding an unidentified male knocking on her door located in Villiger Hall and then opening the door. Public Safety Officers responded, but were unable to locate the unidentified individual. Residence Life and Community Standards were notified.

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April 5

On campus

Public Safety was notified of an alcohol confiscation in the lobby of the McShain Hall. Public Safety Officers responded and confiscated the alcohol. Residence Life and Community Standards were notified.

April 6 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside the Merion Gardens Apartments. Public Safety Officers responded.

Preliminary investigation was unable to reveal how the alarm was activated. Facilities Management was notified.

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Off campus

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

1 0

On campus

Off campus

Call Public Safety:

610-660-1111

THE FIRST 100 DAYS Supreme court Neil M. Gorsuch was sworn in as the 113th Supreme Court justice on April 10. After Senate Democrats threatened his nomination process with a filibuster, Senate Republicans lowered the threshold on Supreme Court nominations to a simple majority vote.

White House Staff Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security Council’s principals committee, which consists of the president’s top officials that consider policy issues affecting national security. Bannon was a top advisor for President Trump and previously his chief strategist.

Kathleen Troia McFarland, President Trump’s deputy national security adviser, has been asked to step down from her position in the National Security Council and has been offered the position of U.S. ambassador to Singapore.

Diplomacy

Military

President Trump ordered a military strike on Syrian military targets in order to prevent and deter the use of deadly chemical weapons. On April 4 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad carried out a chemical attack that killed Syrian citizens.

Shayrat, the airfield targeted, is located 50 miles south of the village that was hit.

The airstrike order was done without formal congressional approval. Members of Congress have displayed mixed reactions, some praising the action and others showing their disdain.

Regulations Republicans in Congress continue to use the Congressional Review Act to repeal regulations made during the last six months of the Obama Administration. The most recent regulations repealed are the Alaska National Wildlife Refuges rule, the OSHA Recordkeeping Rule and the Broadband Privacy Protections. The Women’s Health Care Protections and the State Retirement Savings Plans Rules have been repealed by the House and the Senate, but still await President Trump to sign off on them.

The Congressional Review Act gives Congress 60 legislative days to repeal these regulations. An estimate given by the Senate Republican Policy Committee places this deadline to be May 9. Congress will be back in session after a two-week recess on April 24.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visits Moscow this week. As of April 10, the Russian government has said that Tillerson is not scheduled to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

Compiled by Mark De Leon '17.

Information from BBC News and Reuters.

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

News

April 12, 2017

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Peace not nukes

CFPA event discusses the future of nuclear disarmament GINA DEROSA ’19 Special to the Hawk The Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) chapter at Saint Joseph’s University held a panel about the hazards of nuclear weapons and energy on April 5 in the Perch The “Nukes and Nuggets” panel included insights from Frank von Hippel, Ph.D., former assistant director of National Security in the White House Office of Science and Technology and assistant Science Advisor to during the Clinton administration; Zia Mian, Ph.D., renowned nuclear physicist; and Edward Aguilar, the Project Director of the CFPA. “Our goal as a chapter is to create conscious global citizens, particularly in an age where students aren’t thinking about these issues,” said Liz Mitchell, ’19, president of CFPA at St. Joe’s. “Not one of us grew up in the 1970s. We don’t think [nuclear weapons are] a big deal. So, the idea was to draw attention to its effects.”

There are currently nine nuclear weapons states in the world, with the United States and Russia in possession of 90 percent of all nuclear warheads, according to a report from the Arms Control Association in January 2017.

Due to the reduced costs and ease to manufacture nuclear warheads, Mian predicts that there will be a rise in production in developing countries such as India, Indonesia and Pakistan.

This increase in weapons only raises tensions and puts countries on the defensive.

“The concern is, the likelihood of an accidental nuclear war is much more likely than a deliberate attack,” von Hippel said.

Just one warhead can cause enough damage to spur a global crisis, resulting in horrific loss of lives and shortages in the food supply, according to von Hippel.

Mian retraced the history of the fight for nuclear disarmament from the protests of the 1970s and 1980s, to the Russell-Ein-

Frank von Hippel, Ph.D, discusses nuclear warheads over time in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Luke Malanga '20).

stein manifesto of 1955, to the United Nations (U.N.) General Assembly of 1946.

“Of all the problems facing the U.N. after World War II, which killed tens of thousands of people, the U.N. claimed the most challenging problem that needed to be tackled was nuclear weaponization,” Mian said.

“The U.S. was the only country at the time to have them. So, all the U.S. had to do was say ‘yes’. But, we said ‘no.’ Now we are in the midst of a nuclear arms race.”

However, history could be reversed as the U.N. began negotiations on March 27 on a proposed international law to indefinitely ban nuclear weapons, including the production, stockpiling, transfer, financial assistance and encouragement of them.

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get it right in terms of nuclear disarmament,” Mian said, who was present at the negotiations. “If we don’t get rid of nukes, nuclear modernization happens and we train a new generation of scientists to think of nukes as cool. Then we add another 50,

60, 70 years on. So right now, we are in the window of a historical moment.”

The problem not only includes nuclear weapons, as so-called “safe” nuclear energy presents just as much of a threat, according to Aguilar.

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster of 2011 is a case in point. To decrease costs, the plant was allowed to cut corners by overpacking nuclear containment pods and not leaving the recommended distance of 70 to 80 km for the evacuation zone.

The result was the leakage of the damaging radioactive substance Cesium 137, which has a half-life of 30 years. Consequently, the Japanese people are still dealing with the repercussions of the nuclear fallout.

“Fukushima could have been prevented, but the government was too close to the nuclear agencies,” Aguilar said. “And unfortunately, this is the case in the U.S. today.”

Aguilar stated that if a disaster like Fukushima happened at Peach Bottom Nuclear Generating Station in York County, Pa., the

entire area past Peach Bottom across to Philadelphia would be in the range of high content levels and would need to be evacuated.

Additionally, the effects would reach across the entire state of New Jersey, down to Delaware and Maryland, and farthest north to New York and Connecticut. In total, the number of residents that would need to be evacuated would be equivalent to the number of people affected by the Syrian refugee crisis. Aguilar believes the U.S. is in no way prepared to deal with this.

All three panelists agreed that student activism is crucial.

A believer in direct action, Aguilar had audience members take out their phones and add Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ’s number to their contacts. He encouraged students to call and leave the following message: “Governor, please don’t risk our health and safety. Stop the dense packing of nuclear fuels in the state of Pennsylvania.”

As a participant in the 1982 Anti-Nuclear March in New York City, von Hippel is encouraged by the current upsurge in citizen activism in the country.

“I hope this activism will inspire some subset of people, maybe even some of you, to take up this issue and organize,” he said.

Overall, advocating for social justice is at the heart of CFPA’s mission.

“The goal is to get students involved while they’re in the private sector so they can eventually take it to the public sector and promote it in their future endeavors,” Mitchell said. “Throughout human history, these [biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons] adversely affect the poorer populations and less rich countries. The Jesuit mission teaches us time and time again to help our neighbors. And with global citizenship, everyone is our neighbor.”

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News

April 12, 2017

HAWK HILL HAPPENINGS

Row 1: Students celebrate the arrival of spring with, Holi, a Hindi festival of colors on Villager Lawn, April 8.

Row 2: The Post Learning Commons commemorates its five year anniversary with a wine and cheese event for faculty and staff, April 7.

Row 3 (left and middle): The Decades of Service event awards and honors professors, faculty and staff for 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years of work at St. Joe's, April 6.

Row 3 (right): Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, '89, Vice President of Panama, speaks on campus, April 10.

(Photos by Luke Malanga '20).

April 12, 2017

Opinions

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Media and social insensitivity Pepsi’s commercial sparks debate

EDITOR IN CHIEF Ana Faguy ’19 MANAGING EDITOR Sam Henry ’19 COPY CHIEF Vivian Milan ’18 FACULTY ADVISER Shenid Bhayroo NEWS EDITOR Mark De Leon ’17 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Charley Rekstis ’20 OPINIONS EDITOR Victoria Tralies ’18 ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR Brittany Swift ’20 LIFESTYLE EDITOR Rose Weldon ’19 ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR Franki Rudnesky ’18 SPORTS EDITOR Nick Mandarano ’18 ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Alex Hargrave ’20 ASSISTANT COPY Becky Hartman ’18 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kaitlyn Patterson ’20 PHOTO EDITOR Luke Malanga ’20 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Kellie O’Brien ’19 ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA Madsion Auer ‘20 DIGITAL PHOTO EDITOR Joey Toczylowski ’19 BUSINESS MANAGER Amy Ferrigno ’20 ADVERTISING MANAGER Michael Zito ’18 ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Jarrett Hurms ’18 The Hawk welcomes letters to the editor, typically no more than 400 words.

They can be emailed to hawk.editorial@gmail.com.

PepsiCo recently used a marketing campaign to gloss over some of the most prevalent issues of 2017. It didn’t go down as easily as the soft drink.

On April 4, Pepsi released a commercial that starred Kendall Jenner, a super-model, leaving a photoshoot to join what appears to be a peaceful protest, gracefully weaving among the diverse group of protesters. The scene shifts to a line of stoic police officers, and Jenner decides to approach one to diffuse the tension. She hands one of the officers a can of Pepsi, who cracks it open and drinks it. As a result, the group of protesters excitedly erupt in cheers. This advertisement created an onslaught of outrage, as many called it “tone deaf ” and especially insensitive to the racial issues present in our country. Saturday Night Live parodied the creation of the commercial, portraying a naïve writer/director who supported the unifying message of the commercial. Only too late did he realize the stereotypes that Pepsi portrayed.

The commercial failed to take a stance on current social justice issues. The march devalued protests around the country and the issues that people are fighting to fix.

The next day, Pepsi removed the ad, issuing a statement saying in part, “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue.”

Although the apology was needed, we are left to wonder how the ad survived the various stages of production despite the inherent problems. Joining the social justice conversation isn’t easy, but there’s a better way to promote these causes.

Protest posters featured peace signs and slogans like “join the conversation” and “love”; yet, these vague calls for peace left a significant amount of ambiguity for viewers.

Many interpreted this ad as a misguided reflection of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The distinct gap between protesters and the

line of police officers eerily mirrored some iconic images of protests.

The commercial was distasteful, to say the least.

These generalizations about how simple these problems are advertised should make us uncomfortable. It also stereotyped cultures and made protesting look like a hip social experiment. Pepsi's inability to address anything in the commercial was evident by its ambiguity.

As students of a university that encourages social awareness, as Millennials encouraged to “stay woke,” how can we digest such antipathy and exploitation of conflicts? Education is part of the solution to recognizing what could be considered socially insensitive. Even if Pepsi did not intend to poorly address such serious issues like race and inequality, that is what it looked like. The advertisement downplayed the struggle of some Americans to gain the rights they deserve.

Bernice King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, was one of many to dish out criticism. Her tweet featured a picture of MLK against a line of policeman, stating “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi.” King’s late father’s legacy is one with weight and her reaction only further reveals just how insensitive this ad was.

Similarly, The Philadelphia Tribune, in a recent article titled “Tone-deaf Pepsi ad draws global ire,” featured an article including King’s tweet and other reactions from the black community. Writer Bobbi Booker cited a few influential journalists of color. He included a tweet from Ernest Owen, journalist and editor for Philadelphia magazine’s G Philly, which read “@pepsi thinks it can appropriate social justice movements with Kendall Jenner for capital gains...Nah. #BoycottPepsi #ByePepsi.”

Other journalists have spoken out about the insensitivity of the ad. Jamilah Lemieux, EBONY Magazine’s senior editor, highlighted the problem with simplifying the complexities behind protests. She tweeted, “Imagine

putting your life on the line like this to fight for justice only to have it parodied by a soda company and a Kardashian” accompanied by a picture of activist Ieshia Evans standing against police officers. Lemieux’s comment highlights the danger and courage required to stand up for rights, which Pepsi disregarded when Jenner smoothly created peace with a soda can.

Jenner is not representative of the activists who have stood up against injustice, disregarding the historical implications intertwined with the right to peaceful protests.

This is not the first time simplification and marketing have come together to tackle complex social issues.

Sometimes the public notices, but other times we too have fallen prey to the Hollywood-directed pandering of heated discussions. The downfall of this simplification is made obvious of course by moments like this: Jenner suavely making her way through a crowd of diverse people to hand a police officer a Pepsi.

In light of such stereotyping we find it necessary to say this: over-simplification of some of the most controversial issues facing our generation is problematic. Simplification isn’t the enemy. Rather, it is a tool that we can use for change. We just have to use it wisely.

It’s obvious in this example that Pepsi did not use such caution. Do not be dissuaded by the allure of such solutions. Real change is difficult. It can be gruesome, fierce, fiery, exhausting, beautiful—but none of it is easy.

Maybe this commercial sparked a controversy, but the controversy is representative of a larger conversation regarding peace.

As students, it is our moral obligation to look at the world through a critical lens and act ethically.

And none of this will ever be accomplished by a can of soda.

-The Hawk Staff

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, I would like to respond to a comment made by a male student in the article “A thread of interrelationship” written by Mark De Leon, ’17, in the March 29 issue of The Hawk. His comment, although I’m sure it wasn’t meant to be, was indicative of one of the prevalent issues facing women in STEM. The student, after attending an on campus showing of the Oscar nominated film “Hidden Figures,” said of women in STEM, “We need more women who are willing to go that extra mile to convince the doubters of women’s capabilities being equal to that of anybody else regardless of

race or any other identifying feature.”

First of all, as a woman in STEM I would like to say, “Hello!” While we may not be here in large numbers, we are here, working beside you in the classroom and lab. I understand that with so few us of we may be easy to overlook, but I would caution you against underestimating us.

My question to males who hold this kind of assumption is this: Why is it that, as women in STEM, we are the ones responsible for going the “extra mile” and convincing the “doubters” that our capabilities in these fields are just as strong as those of our male counterparts? Why should I have to go above and beyond, for example, learning Fortran,

which is not widely used outside of a few specialized areas, to prove my worth? Are you saying that if my male counterparts learn seven programming languages I should learn 10 to prove I can keep up?

That just doesn’t seem fair. Yet, I know that I speak for many women in STEM, particularly those that are most heavily male dominated, when I say that we all acutely feel this pressure. We recognize, even if you can’t, that when you make a mistake it’s your privilege to own it as only yours, whereas our individual missteps will undoubtedly be projected onto our entire gender. Many of us do feel the need to work harder and do better to prove to you

that we belong.

I would like to reiterate that I am sure that comments such as this one are not meant to be malicious, and I applaud SJU for holding this screening and discussion to increase awareness of diversity issues in STEM. However, it is clear that we still have a long way to go. In conclusion, as always, we need to keep checking our biases and continue doing what we can to make the STEM community accessible and inclusive for all.

Sarah Cooney '17 Hawk Staff

Opinions

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April 12, 2017

Browser history up for sale

What lies ahead for Internet providers and customers CARTER TODD ’17 Hawk Staff

C

ongress voted to repeal the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) rule “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunication Services” on March 28.

The proposed law, that had not yet been put in place, “requires ISPs [Internet Service Providers] to obtain affirmative ‘opt-in’ consent from customers to use and share certain information, including app usage and web browsing history”, as stated in the press release from the White House on March 28. The original restriction, which was put in place under Obama administration, was mostly to prevent privacy infringement from taking place in the future .

Of course, the law did not guarantee 100 percent security and privacy on the Internet. Using the Internet naturally forces people to publicize themselves as well as give sensitive information to people in power in large corporations.

We are at a point where the Internet is no longer a commodity or a convenience.

People must have access to it in order to complete basic tasks. What you search for online says a lot about your personality, occupation and how your ideas flow. A search history for sale means your thought

WARNING

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

processes are up for grabs, whether you like it or not.

For example, have you ever searched for something to purchase online and found advertisements for that same product only a few clicks away? This is the result of online cookies storing your information and passing them from one website to the next, and it is even interchangeable through all of your devices. For instance, you may search for something on your computer, which is connected to your Facebook account. Later, while scrolling through Instagram on your phone, you find an advertisement for something you searched for hours ago on your computer. Cookies collect and connect information from all of your accounts, devices and their search histories.

Now imagine a more detailed and careful collection of data on all of your devices.

This could lead to much more aggressive and specific advertising on the Internet.

The near future does not seem to have

much responsibility in store as far as Internet privacy. For the time being, there are imperfect solutions such as a virtual private network (VPN) which helps protect your information from being available to your service provider. Unfortunately, there is a service provider tied to these as well, but is just a little more cautious and responsible with your information (one could hope).

Additionally, at the risk of very slow surfing speeds, Internet users may use Tor, an online service that allows them to hide their identity as well as their whereabouts while surfing the web.

Internet privacy is important for all of it’s users. The more dependent we become on the Internet for our daily lives, the more we must defend our rights related to Internet usage. The direction in which we send ourselves in these seemingly still primitive times of the digital age will have everlasting effects on mankind—something we can never be too careful with.

Every day is Earth Day

Why showing our planet love and caring for it is essential

T

here once was a planet. She was beautiful, with sparkling blue waters, gorgeous green mountains, luscious fields of every kind of plant imaginable and all kinds of creatures roaming her endless lands. Among these creatures was something different; something more intelligent.

They were called humans. The planet had a lot to offer her inhabitants and they were grateful. Water, minerals, resources, land; the humans took and took and took. The planet was happy to give, but she began to grow weak. Now her waters are not quite as sparkling, her mountains less green, her fields paved over and her lovely creatures endangered.

Yes, I am talking about planet Earth, and it’s time to step up and realize what we are doing to it. Living on this beautiful planet is one thing every human has in common, yet we

KAITLYN PATTERSON ’20 Creative Director fight over land and resources and overlook the destruction we cause. Nothing breaks my heart more than to see smoke flooding the skies and trash carelessly tossed on the ground. I always wonder, when did we decide to treat our planet this way?

Something that gives so much, like a mother to her children, is sucked dry of her resources and will one day be abandoned.

As the next generation enters society, we must take charge and focus on the importance of maintaining a more sustainable lifestyle. The first step is being informed.

April has Earth Day, and it’s mission is to bring awareness to the necessity of caring for our planet. Earth Day is on April 22, and I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities to educate yourself

and your friends on being environmentally conscious. Even if you think it’s pointless to do even the small things, it is so important to learn about our changing climate and realize how critical Earth’s condition is. As fellow inhabitants of this planet, we do have the power to take care of it. It is up to us to make the change and the first step is knowing how to do so.

Change is not going to happen overnight, nor can we reverse climate change, but with enough support and motivation, the smallest actions can make a huge impact on the quality of our planet.

Recycling, composting, turning the water off while you brush your teeth, turning off the lights when you leave a room, carpooling and so many other simple activities add up and make a big difference. With a mindful and conscious attitude toward how we treat the planet

and a unified focus, we can fight for a more sustainable society. Through these actions, change can and will be made.

The official Earth Day may be one day out of the year, but as the planet we call home, Earth should be celebrated and cherished every day. We have the power to make a change, so let’s start by showing the Earth a little more love.

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

Opinions

April 12, 2017

7

A beauty or a beast?

Why accepting the unexpected is good

SARAH COONEY ’17 Hawk Staff I recently saw Disney’s great new movie “Beauty and the Beast” and it got me thinking about attitudes toward math. And, yes, I know you’re thinking, ‘Sarah where are you going with this?’ But hear me out.

Here at Saint Joseph’s University, math courses for non-math majors are called “math beauty” courses. They are designed to give students an introduction to the beauty of pure mathematics, that is mathematics explored for its own sake. However, after three semesters as a supplemental instructor (SI) for Linear Methods, which introduces formal logic, linear algebra and graph theory, I’ve found that this course is more beast than beauty for many.

I’ll admit up front that I do believe there is an element of talent or natural ability that allows some people to appreciate mathematics, but for the most part I think what holds

people back is attitude. There is a prejudice against math that keeps the general public from seeing the beauty that we mathematicians see. I find beauty in the abstractions, patterns and interconnections in mathematics, and it’s honestly a little frustrating that this beauty is so hard to share.

I believe that the general bias against math stems from our system of education.

We are first taught to think of as math as arithmetic, which is only a small branch of the larger subject. You might think that as a math major I sit around crunching numbers all day, but I actually rarely use arithmetic these days. Arithmetic, while perhaps one of the most useful and practical branch of mathematics, is far from the heart of the field. After we’ve mastered the operations of arithmetic (PEMDAS anyone?), we slowly work our way toward algebra. This is the

first opportunity to see the abstraction in mathematics. However, this is also where the prejudice truly takes hold.

While arithmetic has a practicality—it’s all around us in little moments every day— in algebra, there are letters and symbols.

Suddenly, math can seem much less relevant. Then it’s geometry, trigonometry and calculus, and as the connections become more apparent, the questions continue: Why is this important and when will I use this?

In the flurry of standardized testing, report cards and other politics of the education system, these questions often go unanswered.

In order to stunt mathematical prejudices, we need to answer these questions.

Frankly, we should study math because it is good for the mind. In a way, studying math is like reading Shakespeare in English—it’s not always pleasant or easy to get through,

but it’s important nonetheless. Sure, you may never whip out the Pythagorean Theorem after you’ve finished your requisite semester of math, but math is important for learning to appreciate reason, logical problem solving and the incredible patterns and paradigms that it reveals in our world.

Furthermore, just as with Shakespeare and literature, we have to appreciate the foundation in order to push forward into the future. We must study math to become the rational problem solvers that our future demands.

Another registration week has just come and gone, and if you’ve just signed up for a math beauty next semester, I hope you go in with an open mind to see the beauty, in these courses and not the beast.

Striving for more

A patient mindset for class registration LORI GALLAGHER '20 Hawk Staff

As I approach my sophmore year, one of the things I looked forward to, yet dreaded simultaneously, was the housing selection process. I planned to live with three other girls in a four-person apartment with a

kitchen. In reality, we got the exact opposite of that, ending up having to split into doubles due to our late pick time.

Although the process was initially disappointing, I was able to find beneficial as-

A student registers for courses on the Nest (Photo by Luke Malanga, '20).

pects of where I will live next year. I do not believe we could have handled the housing process better because we thought about our options beforehand, and when presented with our limited choices, we chose and accepted what we were given.

By going through this process, I realized people need multiple back up plans for not just deciding housing at college, but for any decision in life. There will be times where several options are apparent, yet perhaps none of the options are an obvious or desirable choice. By having these roadblocks, it allows you to learn how to stop and reflect.

Life is not a book where you can skip a chapter or two ahead and find out what happens next; it is more of an Internet page that is slowly loading and revealing more parts of itself as time passes. While waiting for the page to load, you need to learn that the page may not be what you are looking for.

People also need to learn how to be patient and anticipate what comes their way, no matter what it is. Have the strength to allow something to occur when it will, but do not procrastinate a decision once the time has come. Prepare if you can, and then live out whatever your choice is.

I did not initially have this mindset while I went through the housing process because I thought I was guaranteed a quad.

As time went by and less quads were available, reality hit me and I had to live with the outcome. Hopefully, I can take this mindset with me as I decide on my classes. Picking classes will be one of many decisions I have to make that might either be joyous or disappointing, but whatever the outcome may be, I think it is better to accept it and learn to seek out the best.

If people do not do this, then they may never be satisfied with anything, and this is not a great way to live. This mentality might stop people from even trying to achieve things, and this could end productivity and higher aspirations. I would rather try to achieve something and fail than never try, because winning does not determine success—effort does. As long as I attempt something, I am a winner.

If more people were to think like this, maybe there would be less time spent on dissapointment and more time spent on acceptance and striving for more.

8

Opinions

April 12, 2017

Autism awareness should be a priority

April celebrates the importance of education for autism JENNA MANGOLD ’20 Hawk Staff

Learning is something everyone can do, regardless of age, gender, class or any other difference. For this reason, I believe it is vital to know and understand those who may not look or act the same way as the majority. Some of the most prevalent types of differences which are often misunderstood or generalized are the autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which many students and adults around the globe may suffer from.

Because April marks Autism Awareness Month, individuals and organizations are working hard to inform the general population about the disorders and how they can affect the lifestyles of all people who are diagnosed. I hope to aid in this effort during the course of the month by better informing myself and those I know about the challenges faced by people every day.

Ever since my days of playing school with my stuffed animals, education has always been something that I am passionate about. With my elementary and special education certification which I will attain in a few short years, my excitement for teaching is only growing. Working with children has always been a dream of mine due to the fact that my own role models throughout

the years have been my educators. I plan to achieve this dream no matter what. I am a firm believer that education has the power to change the world in unlimited ways and it is my hope that this stance holds true for autism as well.

In order to work towards all children accepting and loving those on the spectrum for who they are, they must first understand what this disorder means. It is therefore a teacher’s job to educate students on autism, its vast variations and most importantly, how to respect others, despite differences.

Children should be encouraged to get to know every person whom they encounter in school and to recognize that differences make humans incredible and interesting creatures. We must regard those on the spectrum as having a vital role in all classrooms and cherish the participation of all individuals in order to get the most out of our time in school.

It is my conviction that every child in this world needs to be cared for, appreciated, understood and loved for every aspect of who they are. For some children in our society, these aspects often include an autism spectrum disorder. These disorders are not

The Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support helps individuals with autism spectrum disorder (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).

to be looked upon by teachers as obstacles to instruction or flaws in children, but rather should be appreciated as small fractions of all that makes up the incredible child who

sits before them.

For all of these reasons and more, I personally vow to spread this message to everyone I can during this amazing Autism Awareness Month.

Scientific progress through animal testing The humane sacrifices are necessary for breakthroughs ALEX GILL ’18 Special to the Hawk

Every time I start to tell someone about the work I do in my lab for the first time, I inevitably get into a discussion much like this.

“So you work with mice?”

Yes, I work with a species called the

Graphics by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.

California mouse.

“And you look at the mice’s brains?”

I answer in the affirmative, already knowing where the conversation is headed.

“But how do you do that?”

Then I have to explain, yes, we do extract their brain. And yes, they do die. That is what happens when you take something’s brain out. Then comes the shock, the horror and the outrage.

I understand those responses. Maybe you are having a similar reaction to my hypothetical interrogator right now.

But animal testing is one of our greatest tools as scientists. Through the sciences, we look for answers about the world and about ourselves. However, we cannot study everything through human beings, for both ethical and practical reasons. We can neither force people to live in a lab nor are we able to take their brains out for what I hope are obvious reasons.

As a result, animals provide good models to answer our questions. Drug research, studies on aggression and research into early brain development are just some examples of research that is difficult if not impossible to do in human subjects. There are too many variables, too little control for valid results. But the research questions are important nonetheless.

Every lab in the world that uses animals does so for exactly those reasons: we want answers, and this is the best way to find them. Scientists want to test medicines and see if they will help humans. Scientists want to learn about genes to discover if we can alter genetic diseases that would otherwise be fatal. Scientists want to learn about how the brain develops so that we can better rear children in our increasingly unnatural world.

From the level of DNA to the study of how the brain functions, scientists want to understand our biology better so that we can live better, and animal testing provides us a useful avenue to carry out that research.

But animals are more than just tools that we use to learn about the world. The relationship between researcher and animal is one of respect and care. As researchers, we do everything we can to care for our animals. Regardless of how we use them experimentally, the safety of our mice (and of all lab animals) always comes first.

We return their service to us by providing them a happy and healthy existence. And that is not just a policy of my lab. There are innumerable laws and school codes that ensure that safety as well. From recording their births to ensuring that they experience a swift, humane death at the end of their lives, our animals are always cared for.

Animals are used in the sciences to help us learn. Their sacrifice is not in vain. Animal testing has yielded an endless number of scientific breakthroughs, from medical research to the importance of hormones for various brain functions. The humane usage of animals in the sciences should be revered and celebrated, not blindly criticized.

Lifestyle

April 12, 2017

9

A body of work

Danielle Zabielski, '17, on painting nude portraits CORINNE SINESI ’19 Hawk Staff In a former fraternity house on Woodbine Avenue resides Danielle Zabielski, ’17, who has made an art den out of her small turquoise bedroom. Canvases not only embellish her walls but also lean up against all the wall space she owns. She smooths out an old, dirty sheet that she claims has saved the life of her security deposit and gets to work painting nude Saint Joseph’s University students right in the middle of her room.

Zabielski is an artist on campus who

has been specializing in the beauty of human bodies in order to come to terms with negative body image.

“I first started painting myself because you’re always your most available model,” she said. “It was hard at first but worth it to confront my issues and honestly portray them with paint.”

Zabielski started painting last January when someone told her to pick up a canvas and do with it what she wished. After months of getting deeper into a love for art, painting bodies came naturally to her. She’s been doing it for eight months now.

Painting nude self-portraits began as a form of release for Zabielski.

“When I was younger I always had issues with body image which led to even greater issues,” she said. “This has changed the way I look at myself.”

After going through the motions of growing up with the self-deprecation that accompanies adolescence, discovering recognition and love for her physical form gave Zabielski newfound confidence. She wanted others to feel the same acceptance, so she started painting friends and anyone else who would volunteer for this body image project.

“I notice that with that bodily nakedness comes emotional nakedness; people are more willing to be vulnerable which is something I love,” Zabielski said.

Yaa McNeil, ’17, is one of Zabielski’s many supporting models.

“I’m working on acceptance and ownership of my body and all the curves that

come with it,” McNeil said. “Posing nude was just a part of my journey to accepting my body for what it is.”

Zabielski and McNeil agree that the naked body is not an inherently sexual object. If there’s one thing that’s universal about human beings, it’s that we were all birthed from a woman, and we should collectively work towards normalizing nudity in all forms, shapes and sizes.

“You would think that in 2017 we would be a little farther along with that,” McNeil said. “To express messages through the body is a way everyone can understand them.”

Although Zabielski’s art belongs to her above anyone else, support from others is important and all opinions do matter, but they won’t change things, she said.

“Everyone I talk to loves Danielle’s art.

She’s talented on so many levels that I think whatever she puts out is great,” McNeil said.

“My mom wasn’t too happy though.”

As much as nudity can come as a shock to more traditional individuals, Zabielski has the support of many people at St. Joe’s.

“When I first brought a nude piece into class, I realized it obviously looked exactly like a vagina during my critique, and I took a step back and was like ‘oh my god, he’s a priest,’” Zabielski said about her professor, Dennis McNally, S.J., Ph.D. “I tried to go around the fact that I painted a vagina and he was like, ‘no, do more. Do a man with a banana.’”

She laughs about this interaction with her professor, but genuinely feels lucky to

Danielle Zabielski, '17, focuses her artwork on the human body (Photos by Corinne Sinesi, '19).

have encountered such an accepting and supportive individual of all art forms.

Zabielski is currently in her first painting class as a senior but has found a lot of happiness in the class and recommends it to everyone.

She typically paints women; however, she welcomes everyone to join her for an afternoon of painting in their most vulnerable states.

“I really want to paint anyone,” she said. “It’s just fun.”

Life, onstage

A Q&A with the cast of "The Heidi Chronicles" ROSE WELDON ’19 Lifestyle Editor Wendy Wasserstein’s 1988 play “The Heidi Chronicles” has been praised as a masterwork of feminist drama, winning a Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1989.

Now, 29 years later, it will be performed by members of the SJU Theater Company in a production directed by Laura Pattillo, Ph.D, assistant professor in the department of English.

Rose Weldon: So how are you all getting into character?

Hannah Field, ’18 (Becky/Clara/Denise): There’s a differentiation between all the different roles. We’re putting a lot of thought into how the mannerisms are and things like that versus the other characters, so you don’t look like you are the same person.

Mattie Yoncha, ’20 (Jill/Debbie/Lisa): One of my characters, Lisa, is Southern, so I’ll catch myself saying random phrases in a Southern accent [laughs].

Natalie Roche, ’17 (Heidi Holland): Now that we’ve started running scenes more and more in order, it’s a lot easier to transition from Heidi being a teenager throughout the many periods of her life.

Michael Rizzo, ’17 (Scoop Rosenbaum): We were talking about that the other night with Dr. Pattillo, how you get to watch Heidi grow, and for Susan [Johnston] and I, every time we’re seen, we are radically different in some way. So, for example, I start off very eager, then as a yuppie, then a full on douche-

bag, then I’m going through a midlife crisis.

Abigail Gorman, ’17 (Susan Johnston): Susan is always an extremist in whatever phase she’s in. It’s really funny because in a way she’s similar to the people playing multiple characters – she always has a different mindset, but there has to be an aura of similarity, because she’s still Susan. So she goes from boy-crazy, to super feminist, to joining a women’s health collective, back to business school, then she’s a TV executive.

That dynamic is fun to play.

RW: Do you find yourself getting inspiration from within for your characters?

MR: I have those moments of being too arrogant and cocky, kind of like Scoop.

NR: I think I’m very similar to Heidi,

because when our director asks where I’m getting our inspiration from, I usually say myself. And that’s a weird thing, because in past roles I just take it from people, but I literally say lines that I would say in real life, talking to my roommate about guys.

HF: One of my characters, Denise, is a little bit younger than everyone else in the cast and a little more naïve than everyone else. She’s in her early 20s and talks about how she wants to get married and have a baby by 30 and have a career, and I think that ambition is something that everyone who’s in college can relate to right now.

RW: Natalie, this is your first time onstage in a while. What made you want to come back to theater?

Michael Rizzo, '17, as Scoop and Natalie Roche, '17 as Heidi in a scene from "The Heidi Chronicles" (Photo by Luke Malanga, '20).

NR: I had been involved in a lot of organizations on campus, but when I student-taught in the fall, I had to let go of a lot of those positions. Late in the fall, I got more time. This was the first time I’ve gone out for a show, and I saw it was “The Heidi Chronicles,” so I read the script in the library and chose her big monologue to audition with. And I went in saying, ‘I just want to be back onstage, have a small role or something that my parents can see.’ So when I started reading for Heidi in callbacks, that’s when I thought, ‘Oh. This is going to take up more time than I thought’ [laughs]. But it’s been awesome. I’ve never been a lead before in my life, so I’m so grateful for this experience.

RW: What do you want to say to people who are on the fence about seeing “Heidi”?

MR: From a male perspective, it’s important to see what women have been going through throughout the decades and compare it to now. And to really ask the question whether or not we have grown.

NR: This is the type of show where people in the audience will think, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve felt that way before.’ They’re going to find so much in common with the characters that take place throughout, which is interesting because it does take place from the 60s to the 80s. So many of the problems back then are problems now. And people are going to sit in the audience and think, ‘I have so much in common with what they are saying.’

“The Heidi Chronicles” will be performed in Bluett Theatre on April 19, 20, 21 and 22 at 8p.m. and April 23 at 2p.m.

Lifestyle

April 12, 2017

10

The Satellite of Love flies again

Cult comedy program “Mystery Science Theater 3000” returns on Netflix ROSE WELDON ’19 Lifestyle Editor In 1988, the Minneapolis public access TV station KTMA greenlit a comedy program created by standup comedian Joel Hodgson. The premise was relatively simple: Janitor and inventor Joel (played by Hodgson) is launched into space by his mad scientist employers, who force him to watch awful B-movies in an attempt to see which makes him go crazy. To keep his sanity, Joel builds a team of sentient robots from parts of the ship, and they watch the movies together and crack jokes back at the screen.

The show was called “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” or “MST3K” to its fans, and it ran for 11 years, going through two cancellations, two network changes, another host, a major motion picture (“Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie”), a Peabody Award and 197 episodes in the process.

Its fanbase of “Mysties” reaches across generations. Rachel Cox, ’19, watched it with her family as a child.

“Whenever my family did a movie night and we couldn’t decide on anything, we just watched ‘MST3K,’” Cox said. “It was a real crowd-pleaser, and the commentary was really funny.”

The show is also revered in the comedy community. SJU Improv co-president Jimmy Wyatt, ’17, first learned about “MST3K” while working at Philadelphia’s Helium Comedy Club, and started watching it from there.

“I told my coworkers I hadn’t seen it,’” Wyatt said. “And they were like, ‘What do you mean you haven’t seen it?’ They gave me

a list of episodes I had to see.”

In every episode, the crew trapped on the Satellite of Love were forced to watch an abysmal B-movie, with titles including “Danger!! Death Ray,” “Hercules Against the Moon Men,” “The Final Sacrifice” and, for a holiday special, “Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.” The jokes that Joel and the robots shot back at the movies proved to be the main draw of the show.

Jeffrey Hyson, Ph.D, assistant professor in the department of history, says the commentary may have been inspired by the advent of home video in the early-to-mid 80s, and likely influenced comments in today’s culture.

“Whether it’s Snapchat or Periscope [a live video streaming service], where you have something live at that moment and

people are bringing in comments, I think that the sense of engagement between makers and consumers is very consistent with the style of ‘MST3K,’” Hyson said. “It was the impact of group-watching home videos in the 1980s.”

“MST3K” is also credited for popularizing some of the worst films ever made, including “Monster A-Go-Go,” “The Beast of Yucca Flats” and, most notoriously, “Manos: The Hands of Fate.”

Jackey Neyman Jones acted in “Manos” as a child, with her father Tom Neyman playing the film’s villain. She hadn’t seen the film since its 1966 premiere, until one day in 1993, when her father called.

“My dad was a big ‘Mystery Science Theater’ fan, he liked watching it on Sunday

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.

afternoons,” Jones said in a phone interview.

“And he was watching the show one day and fell asleep. But he heard some familiar music, and he opened his eyes and saw himself on the screen.”

“Manos” proved to be one of the program’s most beloved episodes, with the show’s official revival league calling it the best episode of the series. The film’s popularity on “MST3K” has led to a musical, a puppet show, video games, references in “How I Met Your Mother” and “Elementary,” a book written by Jones (“Growing Up with Manos: The Hands of Fate,” with an introduction written by Hodgson) and a crowdfunded sequel, “Manos Returns,” which is currently in post-production.

“MST3K” had been off the air for 16 years, but in 2015 Hodgson announced plans to revive the show through a campaign on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. Over the course of a month, 48,270 fans donated $5,764,224 to bring back the show. With other non-Kickstarter funds taken into account, a record $6.3 million was raised for the project, which premieres on Netflix on April 14 in a special series named “Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return.”

Jones says that she will watch the new season when it becomes available to stream, and has some advice for any other filmmakers whose movies are mocked.

“Embrace it,” Jones said. “I always say, if you can’t be the best, make the best of being the worst.”

Chilling with canines

A first-timer’s trip to puppy yoga ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Assistant Sports Editor As college students, some of our biggest problems stem from trying to stay healthy while maintaining a busy schedule, and from missing our family and friends back home - including our furry family members.

What if we could deal with both of these issues at the same time? It almost sounds too good to be true.

I thought so too, until I saw an event in Philadelphia entitled Puppy Yoga. As some-

one who likes to try different fitness classes and has an undying love for dogs, this made my heart skip a beat.

After looking into this event, I found out that it was being held at SWEAT Fitness in South Philly and was hosted by the Morris Animal Refuge, a shelter that houses homeless pets in the Philadelphia area. With a $20 donation to the shelter, participants were given the opportunity to take a yoga class, that featured puppies running around while participants worked on their fitness and relaxation.

I raced to sign up for the next session, but found out the class was full, as they could only provide so many puppies for everyone.

Determined to experience this dream, I emailed the organizer of the event, who told me that the Refuge would be having another class due to high demand and that I would be put on their waiting list for it.

Finally, I received an email saying the class would be coming up, and I eagerly waited for the day to arrive.

I hopped in an Uber, and made my way to South Philly for what I expected to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.

Walking into the class, I was immediately greeted by puppies running around a room full of people that were just as excited

as I was. I laid my mat down and took my spot on the floor, and a puppy immediately jumped on me. I was in heaven.

As our instructor took her place, she told us that teaching the class would be hard for her, as her love for puppies would certainly be distracting. She also told us that if we feel called to stop doing yoga and play with a puppy that we should go for it, which is something I was surprised, but relieved, to hear.

The class was like any other yoga class, only with the welcome addition of a puppy biting my ankles.

I was able to go for most of the class without getting distracted by the puppies, until they started getting tired and falling asleep on everyone. I had one doze off on my chest and not wake up until we let out the final “aum.”

Shannon Pepe, ’20, also attended the class and referred to it as one of her favorite experiences ever.

“The two best kinds of stress relievers are puppies and yoga, so it doesn’t get much better than puppy yoga,” Pepe said.

When the hour was up and we had to return the puppies, I was sad to leave this heaven, but also happy because the organizers of the event told us that all of the pup-

Patrons did yoga with rescue puppies at SWEAT Fitness (Photos courtesy of Alex Hargrave ’20).

pies there had been adopted. Not only did I get to enjoy an afternoon of yoga and furry friends, but also help spread the word about Morris Animal Refuge and help them make extra money.

Thus I left SWEAT Fitness feeling stress free, with a just few bite marks on my ankles.

April 12, 2017

Lifestyle

11

Word Search LILAC AMARYLLIS LILY CARNATION MARIGOLD DAFFODIL ORCHID DAHLIA PETUNIA DAISY ROSE FOXGLOVE SUNFLOWER HIBISCUS TULIP HYDRANGEA VIOLET HYACINTH

Crossword Answers

Originally published March 22, 2017.

12

Lifestyle

April 12, 2017

Japanese culture in full bloom

Cherry Blossom Festival takes Philly into spring KATIE WHITE ’17 Editor Emeritus All year long, the secluded gardens and greenhouse at Fairmount Park Horticulture Center offer a sanctuary in the middle of a bustling city. But for one weekend each April, the park comes to life to host an energetic festival packed with music and activities to celebrate Japanese culture.

The annual Subaru Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival kicked off its calendar of events on April 1 with a host of activities throughout Philadelphia, including sushi making classes at The HeadHouse and cultural demonstrations at Liberty Place Rotunda.

The festivities rounded out on April 9 with Sakura Sunday, an entire day devoted to honoring Japanese culture through music, food and art. For $15, festival attendees were given access to the scenic Horticultural Center and a range of cultural events running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

I started my Sunday afternoon at the festival just after the opening ceremony, and sake barrel breaking commenced. Joining festival-goers buzzing with excitement, I made my way through the gates and down the park’s central walkway toward the main stage.

The center of the walk featured a long, reflective fountain where families sat to take in the view of the park while enjoying meals from nearby food carts. The far end of a paved walk opened up to rows of tents selling fresh fruit, satay and bubble tea, as well as traditional fair food like funnel cakes and fried candy bars.

Sponsored by the Japan American Society of Greater Philadelphia, the Cherry Blossom Festival looks to celebrate aspects of both traditional and contemporary Japanese culture. This was reflected in the artisans displaying crafts like traditional calligraphy prints and bright paper parasols, alongside vendors selling Japanese candies and stuffed animals. All around, crowds of people—some in cosplay for the afternoon’s upcoming showcase and others in Japanese-inspired robes—weaved in and out of the venues.

A walk past the first line of tents revealed a pathway leading down through the conservatory gardens and into Sakura Pavilion. There, I found Shofuso, a small, 17th century-style pagoda surrounded by a viewing garden, complete with a koi pond, a tea garden and a courtyard.

The Japanese house and gardens are Fairmount Park Horticulture Center’s most famous attraction. Throughout the year, it hosts various classes and exhibitions on Japanese culture, but on Sakura Sunday it was the setting for a tea demonstration. One woman in a kimono prepared a traditional tea ceremony while another explained each careful step.

Meanwhile, local performers kept the energy up back toward the main tents. A drum and dance show performed by the Tamagawa Taiko dance troupe commanded the main stage, drawing crowds away from their picnic blankets and to their feet.

Additional musical performances took place throughout the day in a tucked-away section of the park called Little Akiba.

There, a Harajuku fashion show and cosplay showcase represented some of the festival’s appreciation for modern Japanese culture.

With events hosted both indoors and outdoors aimed at traditionalists and pop culture fans alike, Sakura Sunday was a day filled with Japanese celebration that could appeal to anyone.

The festival celebrates Japanese culture (Photos courtesy of Katie White ’17).

Still, there were many chances to simply sit and take in the view.

Away from the action, families and couples settled into shaded spots on the grass, enjoying a picnic lunch surrounded by blossom petals that fell from the trees lining each side of the park. With drum music still playing in the distance and the smells of katsu hanging in the air, they took the chance to appreciate a warm spring day and a taste of Japan, without ever having to leave the city of Philadelphia.

Getting in shape for summer

Fitness apps and techniques for warmer weather ALYSSA LAMONT ’19 Hawk Staff Working out allows you to release pent up aggression and stress, and let’s be honest, college students have a lot of energy built up.

By implementing workout routines into your schedule, you’ll find that there is always time to put your health first. After a while, you begin to enjoy the feeling you get after finishing a hard workout.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to go to O’Pake Recreation Center every day and pump iron, but you should probably do something other than sit down and watch Netflix for hours.

The hardest part of working out is simply getting started. “[Getting started] is always the biggest hurdle, whether it is from the fear of being judged or just not being in a routine, finding any activity that you enjoy that will get you moving is the best place to begin,” said Ben Steenrod, head strength and conditioning coach at O’Pake. “If you feel that going alone is too scary, then don’t be afraid to reach out to others at the gym, or convince your friends to join you.”

I always suggest testing out what you can

and cannot do as a good way to begin. Find your weaknesses so that you can improve upon them. Steenrod suggests “low-level cardio and weight training” as good starting places if you are heading to the gym.

Cardio workouts include the bike, the elliptical and incline walking. The Saint Joseph’s University campus is called “Hawk Hill” for a reason - incline walking is just called “being late for class.”

St. Joe’s makes staying fit and active an easy task. It is just up to you whether or not to take advantage of the opportunities offered. There are a variety of classes offered in O’Pake deemed “Hawk-Fit” workouts, such as Zumba and yoga.

However, there are also uniques classes like “Total Body Conditioning” and “Hawk-HIIT” where you can get an intense workout with fellow students and trainers.

These sessions are offered on multiple occasions during the week at varying times.

All you have to do is check out the St. Joe’s campus recreation site for the schedule and class descriptions.

Fitness apps are also a great start if you like working out in your dorm room.

There are a good number of resources, and personally, I always follow my gut and look towards renowned apps with good ratings.

My app of choice is “30 Day Fitness Challenge,” which allows the user to pick if they want a full body workout or if they want to focus on a particular section of their body.

After that, you just choose your difficulty and let the 30-day challenge begin.

If you like running more than muscle building, you can take Steenrod’s advice and use the “Strava” app, good for anyone who is walking or running for exercise. This app utilizes GPS signals to track your speed and distance accurately and allows you to compete in daily or weekly challenges to keep you motivated. Steenrod suggests the “Pen and Paper Strength” Instagram account, written by a former strength coach who posts daily workouts.

Working out can help you set a foundation for the rest of your life. It improves your focus, self image and boosts your energy.

“I work out as often as my schedule allows me to and I find that I always have more energy than when my workout began,” said Tyler Yucha, ’19.

Moreover, some of the students you meet in the classes become your personal support group in both workouts and in life.

Take advice from Steenrod: “Working out and making healthy choices while in college also will help to improve a student’s health later in life.”

FIT

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.

Sports

April 12, 2017

13

Recapping the week’s results Rhode Island

George Mason

4-3 (W) 4-1 (W) 11-0 (W)

Duquesne 19-7 (W)

Hobart 8-7 (L)

Fordham

4-1 (L) 5-2 (W) 5-2 (W)

4-3 (W)

Fordham

5-2 (W)

Saint Francis

Saint Francis Dayton

7-0 (L)

4-3 (W)

4-2 (L)

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.

Practice makes perfect

Track and field teams prepare for upcoming competition DANIELLE CIAMPOLI ’19 Hawk Staff The Saint Joseph’s University men’s and women’s track teams were successful over the weekend of April 7. 12 men and three women raced at Princeton University in hopes of time improvements and qualifications. Both squads raced at Rider University on April 8 and came in second place.

The teams bundled up in layers for the Sam Howell Invitational at Princeton. Despite high winds and cold temperatures, both teams ran strongly with high rankings and solid times. The men advanced toward their goals of qualifying for the IC4A championships and the women all placed in the top 10.

Senior Jimmy Daniels placed third in

Senior Angelena Minniti runs in a relay (Photos by Dylan Eddinger ’19).

the 10k beating his personal record by 53 seconds. This is his second qualification for the IC4A championships and Daniels reached his goal by breaking 30 minutes.

“I was overcome with joy,” Daniels said.

“My family was all there to support me which made it even better.”

Senior Dan Savage, came in fourth place for the 5000 meter. Savage came close to qualifying for the IC4A, but missed it by 2.5 seconds.

“The winds were at their worst for his race,” said Head Coach Mike Glavin.

“He would have easily qualified if it weren’t for the wind.”

The unfavorable conditions affected the women as well.

“There’s nothing you can do about it though,” said junior Cassidy Weimer.

“Once I got there and experienced the weather, my goal changed to going out and racing the competition.”

Weimer placed sixth for the 1500 meter. Seniors Julia Jenkin and Sarah Regnault both placed in the top 10 ten as well. Head Coach Melody O’Reilly was proud of the girls’ effort and sees these three distance runners scoring well for the A-10 and qualifying for the ECAC. The meets at Rider University brought

more triumphs for the team. The strong winds were still present, but these conditions certainly did not play a major factor.

It was a scoring meet, with both men and women winning second place. There were major successes both individually and for the relays for the men and women.

Senior Torey Doaty, sophomore Justin Branco and freshman David Bryant all won their events. Relays in the 100 meter, 400 meter and 800 meter also contributed to the team’s scoring.

“All the younger ones and less experienced ones scored,, Glavin said. “That went very well.”

O’Reilly was extremely proud of the team’s overall performances.

“I would consider it a huge success,” O’Reilly said. “What I like most about what I saw is how everyone was competing and putting themselves out there.”

St. Joe’s was able to gain extra points from throwing and additional field events, but the team as a whole displayed strong efforts in high jump, sprinting and distance.

Junior Claudine Andre won high jump, freshman Caroline Duffy came in first place in the 200 meter and sophmore Nathaniela Bourdeau came in first for the 100 meter.

Senior Sarah Regnault, who ran the pre-

vious night, raced her first time in the 400 meter with a time of 59:52.

“That was a really big deal,” O’Reilly said.

“This will set her up for her 800s in the future.”

O’Reilly hopes for the girls to run well, score for the A-10 and qualify for the ECAC. She would like them to do better at the A-10 than last year.

Both coaches are preparing their teams for the next upcoming invitational − the Penn Relays on April 27.

“We still have work to do to make the season even better, but we’re putting together a great team,” Glavin said.

Freshman Emily Clayton races at the Colonial Relays earlier in the season.

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April 12, 2017

Building momentum

Baseball wins series against George Mason NICK MANDARANO ’18 Sports Editor In their second Atlantic 10 series of the season, the Saint Joseph’s University baseball team hosted the George Mason University Patriots from April 7-9.

The series opened with a 4-1 loss for St. Joe’s. The Hawks struck first with their only run of the game in the second inning. Junior Dom Cuoci led off the inning with a single, which was followed by another single from junior Matt Maul. Cuoci advanced to second on Maul’s hit and to third on a fielder’s choice off the bat of senior Taylor Boyd before eventually scoring on a wild pitch.

Throughout the game, St. Joe’s would collect seven other hits, but no other runs.

George Mason took the lead from the Hawks in the sixth inning, scoring three runs off two hits. The Patriots would add another run in the eighth inning before taking the victory.

Senior Pat Vanderslice, who started game one for the Hawks, went 5.2 innings allowing five hits and striking out six, but took the loss. Vanderslice’s 34 strikeouts this season lead the team so far.

St. Joe’s returned with a strong showing in game two right from the start. Junior Justin Aungst retired the first three hitters for George Mason in the top of the first inning

before his offense would score three runs in the bottom of the inning for an early lead.

In the second inning, the Hawks added another two runs to their lead thanks to a two-run homer by sophomore Charlie Concannon, his fifth of the year. By the end of the second inning, the Hawks had tallied seven hits and held a 5-0 lead.

George Mason was able to plate one run in the third and one in the ninth inning, but nothing more. St. Joe’s held on for a 5-2 win, evening out the series at one win apiece. Aungst went three innings for the Hawks, allowing just one run and two hits. Sophomore Lucas Rollins finished the final six innings on the mound as planned prior to the game and picked up his first win of the season.

“I felt good in the pen and when I got out there,” Rollins said. “[I had] a little shaky start, let up the first pitch hit and then got down 3-0 to the kid, but after that I settled in. Everything was working good.”

Pitching Rollins for the final six innings of the game was a premeditated plan from the coaching staff. With sophomore Tim Brennan unavailable for the weekend due to illness, the previous pitching plan was rendered.

“We’ve seen throughout the year, our

issue has been in the back innings,” said Head Coach Fritz Hamburg. “The plan was to try to be strong on the back. Lucas [Rollins] finished with 75 or 76 pitches.

He’s a gamer. It was nice to see some guys step up now.”

In game three, George Mason scored a run in the top of the first inning, but the Hawks responded quickly with two of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

Junior Deon Stafford, Jr. homered for the fourth time this year for the first run. Following the homerun, Concannon singled and later scored on a ground ball hit by senior Cal Jadacki.

The Patriots tied the game at two runs apiece in the third inning, but St. Joe’s retook the lead in the fourth inning. Senior Peter Sitaras tripled with Cuoci on base to score the first run of the inning. In the next at-bat, Sitaras scored on a double by Maul.

The Hawks added one more run in the eighth inning when Boyd singled home Cuoci, who reached on a double. St. Joe’s held on for back-to-back 5-2 wins.

Freshman Hayden Seig started game three for the Hawks and pitched four innings of three-hit baseball before being pulled due to pitch count. Senior Zach DeVincenzo pitched the next two innings

in shutout fashion and picked up the win before senior Brian Lau finished the game with a three-inning save.

Hamburg credited the offense and the pitching as being crucial parts of the victories, but didn’t fail to praise the stellar defense in the final game either.

“We had some really nice defensive plays,” Hamburg said. “Charlie Concannon made some great plays in right field. All in all it was a team effort and we’re excited to take the series.”

Maul went 7-11 at the plate in the series to raise his batting average to a team-leading .346. With hits in each of the three games against the Patriots, Cuoci extended his hitting streak to ten games. Additionally, Stafford has reached base safely in 17 straight games.

Rollins says that winning the rubber match will be huge moving forward for the Hawks.

“It’s a big momentum piece for us,” he said. “[We’re] just sticking with what we’re doing and going to the next weekend looking for a sweep.”

The Hawks will take the field again at Fordham University for a three-game series from April 13-15.

Senior Pat Vanderslice, team-leader in strikeouts, delivers a pitch to home plate.

Sophomore Charlie Concannon makes a tough catch in right field.

Junior Dom Cuoci slides into home plate.

Freshman Hayden Seig prepares to pitch (Photos by Luke Malanga '20).

Sports

April 12, 2017

15

Clean sweep

Softball goes 3-0 in series against Rhode Island ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Assisstant Sports Editor It’s not very often that a team scores 10 runs in one inning, but the Saint Joseph’s University softball team proved it could be done on April 9 in the last game of their three game series against the Rhode Island University Rams. The Hawks swept the Rams, winning 4-3, 4-1 and 11-0.

The Hawks started off strong in game one, going up 3-0 in the third inning off of an RBI single from sophomore Raelynn Genovese that scored sophomore Taryn Grober and a single from freshman Sarah Ostaszewski, ultimately scoring both freshman Molly Kapala and Genovese.

Throughout the remainder of the game, the Rams began to chip away at the Hawks’ lead, making the score 3-2 in the top of the sixth. Freshman Caela Abadie answered with an RBI double to increase the lead to 4-2.

Rhode Island would score another to threaten St. Joe’s in cutting their lead to one, but it wouldn’t be enough, because sophomore pitcher Ashley Ventura and the rest of the Hawks’ defense made sure they wouldn’t score again, ending the game with a 4-3 win.

Game two produced an even better result for the Hawks, as junior pitcher Madison Clarke kept the Rams to one run the entire game.

Rhode Island scored and took the lead early, but the Hawks answered back when sophomore Amanda Kulp was walked with the bases loaded, scoring sophomore Stacey Mayer to tie the game at 1-1. Senior Madeline Brunck provided a power hit that scored

Grober and Kapala to go up 3-1.

The Hawks would score once more off of a solo home run from senior Kaylyn Zierke to end the game with a final score of 4-1, finishing the day 2-0 against the Rams.

Looking to sweep the series against a fellow Atlantic 10 team, the Hawks set out to win their third game.

“Coming out yesterday and getting those two wins, we had a lot of confidence going into this game,” Abadie said. “Beating them like we did, this is going to carry on into the rest of the season.”

St. Joe’s was not on the field long, as they took down Rhode Island in only five innings.

Ventura didn’t give up any runs as the Hawks cruised to an 11-0 win.

“I think we found momentum within each other,” Ventura said of the Hawks’ successful day. “One person just set the tone, and we were all on the same page.”

The Hawks went up 1-0 in the bottom of the second off of a Grober double that scored Zierke.

The third inning was the longest of the game as the Hawks poured in 10 runs off of eight hits. Kulp scored the first run of the inning off of a catcher’s error, followed closely behind by a run from freshman Jancarla Herrera off of a sacrifice fly ball from Mayer to go up 3-0.

Brunck singled to score Abadie and Grober singled to score Ostaszewski to go up 5-0. Two more runs scored in similar fashion would push the Hawks to 7-0.

As Abadie stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded, she knew she could do something special.

“I was just trying to focus on what I could do to help this team and we were stringing a lot of hits together,” Abadie said.

“Everyone was doing their part today.”

She certainly played her part, hitting a grand slam to go up 11-0.

Not much work was left to be done, but freshman pitcher Abigail Stroud sealed the win for the Hawks in the fifth inning, marking a three game sweep of Rhode Island.

This weekend marks a vast improvement in St. Joe’s play.

“We gave it our all every single game, made adjustments that we had to make and got the outcome that we wanted,” Ventura said. “We did everything that we could to make this happen.”

These wins put St. Joe’s overall record at 1220 and their conference record at 6-3, bumping them up to third place in the A-10 standings.

“The sweep puts us in a better position,” Ventura said. “Three wins is always good in conference play, and hopefully this momentum carries into next week’s conference play.”

The Hawks return to action within the A-10 on April 14 in a series against St. Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y. at 3 p.m.

Sophomore Abigail Stroud throws to freshman Caela Abadie (Photo by Julianna Hankinson ’19).

Putting in work

Tennis picks up two wins in three consecutive days of matches NICK MANDARANO ’18 Sports Editor The Saint Joseph’s University men’s and women’s tennis teams both had a busy weekend from April 7-9.

Head Coach Ian Crookenden looked at the abundance of matches as a good test for the Hawks.

“This is a good weekend because if we’re going to do well in the A-10 tournament, we have to be able to string together two or three consecutive days of matches,” Crookenden said.”

The men’s team took on Fordham University in an indoor Atlantic 10 match on April 7. Senior Kyle Chalmers and sophomore Tim Stierle were able to pick up a doubles victory for the Hawks, but Fordham University would win the other two flights to take the doubles point.

Freshman Beekman Schaeffer defeated his opponent in the fourth flight in two sets before Chalmers did the same in the second flight to give the Hawks a 2-1 lead. After Stierle won his match in the first flight, junior Peter Dewitt finished with a win for the Hawks’ fourth point, sealing a 4-3 victory. The women’s team didn’t fare as well in their match against Fordham, losing all seven points.

Both St. Joe’s squads picked up victories against Saint Francis University on April 8. The men’s team broke Saint Francis’ seven-match win streak with a 5-2 victory. The Hawks won the doubles point with victories

from Chalmers and Stierle as well as Dewitt and sophomore Dan Tan. Dewitt won his singles match followed by a win from Stierle. Schaeffer was the fourth singles match to finish as he picked up a win in three sets. His victory was the fourth point for the Hawks, enough to secure a victory. Chalmers also won his singles flight for the Hawks’ fifth and final point.

“Saint Francis was a really good team that we went into knowing it was going to be tough,” Dewitt said. “We really came up clutch and came up big. We all played really well. We came up with a win pretty handily.”

The women’s team also picked up a win by way of a 4-3 score. After losing the doubles point, the Hawks were granted a point due to a lack of players, so freshman Katherine Devlin was given a win by default. Seniors Alex Zachem, Sarah Contrata and sophomore Isis Gill-Reid each picked up a win in singles to tally four total points and the win for St. Joe’s.

On the third straight day of play, the St. Joe’s men’s team went up against the University of Dayton, while the women’s team rested. The Hawks were able to pick up the doubles point, but unfortunately only one singles point thanks to Dewitt, who won each of his singles flights over the weekend.

“I’m feeling fully confident in my game right now,” Dewitt said. “That George Ma-

son [University] match [on April 2] was definitely a confidence booster. I’m glad that I’m going in to the end of the season and the A-10s with that confidence. I think the whole team has definitely gained a lot of confidence from it, especially the George Mason win.”

Despite falling to Dayton, Crookenden was satisfied with the performance from the men’s team over the weekend.

“I was extremely pleased they won the doubles point,” he said. “It’s been an area

that we’ve been a little concerned about. All in all, it was a really good weekend coming out with a 2-1 record. We would’ve liked to turn today [April 9] around, but they’re [Dayton] a strong team; very physical and they were a little bit fresher than we were.”

The men’s team will travel to rival Villanova University next on April 12 for a 3 p.m. match. The women’s team will play again on April 13 at 3 p.m. against the University of Delaware at home.

Sophomore Dan Tan prepares to return a volley (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).

16

Sports

April 12, 2017

Stunting on the competition Cheerleading places second at nationals ALEX MARK ’20 Hawk Staff After a full year of intense training and practice, the Saint Joseph’s University cheer squad took second place in their division at the 2017 Collegiate Nationals in Daytona Beach, Fl., on April 7.

The team left for Florida on April 5, feeling extremely prepared, according to Head Coach Lauren Hanos. The team had been practicing since the beginning of the school year and choreographing and polishing their final routine since January 2017.

Many of the squad members also had family members who travelled along with them, which helped keep up morale, according to Hanos. In addition, support from students and cheer alumni on social media helped keep the team grounded and focused.

“It was a nice support system,” said senior and team captain Georgie Streb, whose family had joined her in travelling to the competition.

The preliminary rounds began on April 6 consisting of 12 teams from across the country. In this round, teams were judged based on their tumbling, stunting and pyramid skills, along with their overall performance. For the St. Joe’s squad, this round was completed outdoors in a bandshell on the beach.

While the location provided a beautiful view, the weather gave the team a minor challenge to overcome. It was a warm, windy day, so concentration was crucial. “[Wind] throws you at first,” Hanossaid, “But once you get into it, you don’t even notice.”

Before even making it to the bandshell, each team had a total of 24 minutes to warm

up: eight minutes of stretching, eight minutes of tumbling and eight minutes of floor practice. To prepare for such limitations, the Hawks started putting their routine together roughly three months in advance, which allowed them a significant advantage knowing what kinds of moves were in the routine, the team was able to figure out how best to quickly warm-up in order to succeed on the floor.

By the end of the first day, St. Joe’s had made it to third place with a score of 89.55 points out of 100 total, meaning they were one of the top six teams that would advance

to the final round on April 7.

“Overall, I think everyone had a great performance,” Streb said.

Once the competition had ended for the day, the team gathered together for dinner to relax and reflect on their performance, discussing what they could do better for the next round.

The team began finals the next day with a clean score sheet, stepping up their game from the day before and scoring 90.3 out of 100 points and moving up to second place just behind Stephen F. Austin State Univer-

Members of the St. Joe’s cheerleading team pose with their second place trophy (Photo courtesy of Lauren Hanos ’04).

sity, who took first with 91.87 points.

Such close scores are typical at national competitions, and sometimes teams are separated by hundredths of a point, according to Hanos, which increases the alreadypresent tension significantly.

“Every single stunt, every single flip, everything counts,” Hanos said. “Pressure is high.”

In the meantime between performances, the team would do their best to alleviate that pressure by relaxing as much as possible and participating in squad traditions, like remembering the best practice moments and taking time to have meals together.

“I was extremely impressed with their composure,” Hanos said, who remarked that the six freshmen on the team were especially impressive in terms of staying calm, in addition to the rest of the girls.

Their ability to keep grounded and move forward helped the squad push themselves to perform “nearly perfect routines back-to-back,” according to Hanos.

The team was also especially close with each other this year, which Hanos said definitely helped them in their performances.

Cheerleading can be a dangerous sport, and having a tight-knit group who trust each other is crucial to a successful performance.

Ultimately, however, the squad competes not for the shiny trophies or the recognition, but for the fulfillment of doing what they love to do.

“That’s what we do this for,” Hanos said.

“It’s about going out there and doing our best.”

Jumping for joy

Emely Ramirez excels on and off the field DANIELLE CIAMPOLI ’19 Hawk Staff Senior Emely Ramirez is the epitome of a student athlete. She makes leaps and bounds of achievements not only on the track, but in her academics and service to others.

Ramirez is an Interdisciplinary Health Services (IHS) major with a minor in health care ethics. After graduation, she plans to take a year off before going to law school. This past year, Ramirez was an intern for the Philadelphia DA where she gained a strong interest in health care law and reform.

“We need to help these kids instead of throwing them into jails,” Ramirez said.

“We need to create programs.”

At age 16, her mother and father moved from the Dominican Republic to the United States. Ramirez grew up in a rural town of Buena, New Jersey, with her mom, step-dad and older brother learning both English and Spanish. Her mother arranged her work hours so that she was able to drive her daughter to various activities and sports. In Ramirez’s free time, she played with her brother and his friends. She considered herself a tomboy, always covered in bruises and scratches. This toughness transferred into her gym class where she was noticed by her middle school gym coach for her talent.

One year in middle school, Emely jumped exceptionally far for the presiden-

tial fitness test. Her teacher was impressed and encouraged her to join the track team.

Due to her commitment to field hockey and other activities, Ramirez rejected the opportunity.

When she entered high school, he contacted the high school track coach who then recruited Ramirez. Ramirez agreed and joined the team mainly for high jump, but later began sprinting as well. Track was enjoyable for Ramirez, as she pushed herself and travelled with her friends. She ran varsity all four years of high school and by her junior year, she was the all-American for shuttle hurdles.

At Saint Joseph’s University, Ramirez has had a very successful track career over the years in the high jump, hurdles and relays. Now into her senior year, she has continued to improve. In the indoor season, Ramirez jumped her best yet, at a mark of 1.70 meter. She placed third at the Atlantic 10 Conference and 11th at the ECAC Championship.

The outdoor season began two weeks ago at the Colonial Relays.

Ramirez contributed to her team by placing seventh in the high jump.

At the Rider Invitational on April 8, Ramirez placed fourth in the 4x800 meter relay with three teammates.

Ramirez hopes to place third or better at the outdoor A-10 championship, or to set a new personal record in the high jump. Though she is tough on herself, Ramirez is supportive of all her teammates and friends.

“It’s very fitting that she’s a captain this year,” said junior teammate Ashley Gerald.

“She leads by example. We all need to make sacrifices for our sport, but there’s a way to do it and do it smart, and Emely does it smart.”

Gerald “met” Emely in high school through racing against each other as rivals in the 4x400 meter relay. It was not until their first practice at St. Joe’s that they formally met.

“I just remember thinking ‘Uh…I’m teammates now with one of the Buena girls? You can’t be serious,’” Gerald said.

Graphic by Luke Malanga ’20.

“One of the great ironies of sports is how often rivals turn into friends.”

Now together on the team, Gerald describes Ramirez as a loyal, empathetic friend who is someone she considers as one of the hardest working and most intelligent people she knows. Others her age are inspired as well by her versatility.

“This girl is on another level,” said senior Deepa Patel. “She really has her life together.

She’s on a sports team at a D-I school and has managed to complete her athletic obligations while excelling in her major and minors and has held multiple internships, with time to hang out with her friends.”

Though busy with track and friends, school has always been a top priority for Ramirez. She manages her time well and realizes the importance of dedication to her work. She describes herself as always having a book or laptop tucked under her arm.

Her work ethic is noted as she has been recognized to St. Joe’s Athletic Director’s Honor Roll for all three years and was recognized at the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for her sophomore and senior year.

One thing is for certain, no matter what Ramirez does in life, she has the capacity to succeed.