“What we did sort of transcended investigative reporting. It really did perform a public service, a much bigger one than we obviously anticipated when we got into the story.” -Walter Robinson, Editor at Large, the Boston Globe
Spotlight Q&A p. 7 April 13, 2016
The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University | Volume XCV | Est. 1929 | www.hawkhillnews.com
St. Joe’s sleeps out
Community raises awareness for refugees KATRYNA PERERA ’16 Editor Emeritus Eight Saint Joseph’s University students slept outside in the cold on April 7 to be in solidarity with others halfway around the world. The students were participating in the Syria Sleepout, an event sponsored by the St. Joe’s campus chapter of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS). CRS, a student group on campus, meets every week to learn about global issues and spread awareness to the greater campus community. The group sponsors events such as the Syria Sleepout, to communicate issues of systematic injustice to other students. Grace Davis, ’17, executive board member of CRS, said the Syria Sleepout has taken place on campus before, and St. Joe’s is not the only university that holds them. The event was organized by the three members of the CRS executive board alongside Emily Kane, a campus ministry associate. Davis explained that the sleepout is a great event because it makes people more aware of an issue that is highly relevant in today’s world. “It’s just a really cool experience to be in solidarity and feel what it would be like,” she said. “It just reminds you that there are people who don’t have a bed to go home to
at night.” The sleepout began with an opening prayer at 8 p.m. last Thursday on the porch of Wolfington Hall. The group of students who participated then ate a simple Syrian meal of rice and vegetables while having a discussion with Cheryl Mrazick, St. Joe’s local CRS liaison. Mrazick recently returned from a trip to Iraq where she worked with refugees. Davis said that it was great to hear Mrazick’s first-hand experience. Following the discussion, students read a personal story of a refugee and participated in a simulation called “1,000 days in Syria” which provided various storylines of scenarios that refugees experience. The students also made signs explaining why they were sleeping out and wrote letters to local government representatives asking them to vote against a current bill in Congress which would bar refugees from entering the United States. They ended the night with an Ignatian Examen, a short, five-step reflective prayer. At midnight it was lights out as eight students slept outside on the porch of Wolfington. When asked why they decided to hold the sleepout, Kane explained that this has been an event that students have enjoyed
Michael Badalamenti, ’17, particpates in sleepout. (Photo courtesy of Grace Davis, ’17)
over the past three years and that CRS especially wanted to hold it since the Syrian refugee crisis has become so prevalent. Kane also made the point that it helps people become more connected to an issue that is physically so far away. “We are dealing with our own immigration crisis in the United States but the same thing, on a larger scale, is going on in Europe,” Kane said. “Because we are physically distant from that, a lot of times people forget that it’s happening. It was very important [to] be constantly bringing, shedding light on this issue and saying it doesn’t matter how far away we are. This is still a humanitarian crisis.” Lara Miller, ’17, is not a member of CRS but has participated in the sleepout for the past three years. “Just having the chance to sleep out and
experience on a small scale what they are going through, I think that’s so incredible, and that’s why I enjoy it, the education and the solidarity,” Miller said. She also said that this year she forgot to bring a pillow, so she felt like she really experienced a form of suffering that the refugees go through on a daily basis, which made her appreciate the life she has even more. Kane had similar sentiments. “I probably slept like four hours the whole night,” she said, “but every single time I woke up I thought immediately of these refugees.” Both Davis and Kane expressed their hope that this event will educate students about such a prominent issue and encourage them to take action in their greater communities.
Autism Awareness Month Kinney Center sponsors events throughout April
KAYLA LANE ’17 Hawk Staff For the past six years, the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support has fostered awareness for autism both on campus and in the community. That mission will be in full view during Autism Awareness Month when the center sponsors events for its Autism Week from April 15 to April 23. Part of the Kinney Center’s vision is to serve families of children with autism spectrum disorders by addressing the growing need for autism services in the larger community, said Michelle Rowe, Ph.D., executive director of the Kinney Center. The center also trains undergraduate students, or Kinney Scholars as the Center refers to them, to work one-on-one with learners with autism. Ryan Hammond, executive director for the Kinney Center, noted the appreciation
families have for the students’ work in the center. “Families have the ability to have this really engaged workforce of students who are working one-on-one with their children and are motivated by the progress of their child,” Hammond said. The upcoming events for Autism Awareness Month reflect the center’s desire to offer “diverse programming that can resonate with all the families,” Hammond said. The Kinney Center will host the creator of the first Sesame Street character with autism, Leslie Kimmelman, at 6 p.m. on April 20. Hammond said that the visit showcases the importance of representation for individuals who are underrepresented in mainstream media. Autism Week will also include the first Kinney Prom, which will give learners the chance to have fun in a relaxed environment with their scholars and families. The event
will be hosted 6 p.m. on April 22. Abigayle Jayroe, the Kinney Center’s manager of web and technology services, creates these events for students and families alike. “It’s very exciting to plan opportunities like that with individuals who may not get the opportunity from the community,” Jayroe said. Jayroe said she has seen the Kinney Center’s growth and believes that the work done there fulfills the Jesuit mission through its model of inclusivity. She describes the Kinney Center, located on Maguire Campus adjacent to Merion Hall, as a hidden gem. By hosting a variety of events during Autism Week, Hammond hopes that Saint Joseph’s students are able to walk away with increased awareness and insight about autism. After three years of success, the center began offering services to adults to address the needs of individuals who were aging out
Image by Krista Jaworski, ’17
of programs and lacked appropriate transitional support from the public school system. “We wanted to be a center for families and meet them where they needed us,” Hammond said. “We really thought it was critical to address the whole life cycle from a programmatic standpoint. Most importantly, from a training perspective, students were exposed to an adult population to become better, innovative providers for adult services in the field of autism.” The Kinney Center has expanded to over 120 undergraduate scholars and nine graduate assistants, enabling the center to serve over 800 families “One of the biggest things that I’ve learned from this experience is that it’s not about them being different. It’s about us being flexible,” Hammond said. “We can change one thing that doesn’t really mean that much to us, but it means the world to them.”