The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University
Volume XCV | Est. 1929 | www.sjuhawknews.com
April 26, 2017
Selection process takes off CAS seeks permanent Dean ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief Newley elected St. Joe's Student Senate executive board members, Megan Kloss, '19, Ali Natale, '18 and Billy McCallaster, '18. (Photo by Luke Malanga '20). SEE PG. 2
A look inside constructive days
The reasoning behind the unpopular schedule switchup SAM HENRY ’19 Managing Editor
As a way to allocate the required meeting time for each course, Saint Joseph’s University scheduled two constructive days during the spring 2017 semester. The first constructive day took place on Tuesday April 18, where the university followed a Monday class schedule. “Because a lot of our holidays fall on a Monday, some of the Mondays get chopped, but we have enough Tuesdays because we don’t chop a lot of Tuesdays out of the calendar,” said Scott Spencer, JD, registrar, student records and financial services. An academic year should have a minimum of 28 weeks of instructional sessions, According to Pennsylvania Code 31.22. Abiding by this becomes difficult when multiple holidays fall on a Monday or Friday, requiring the university to build in constructive days. Often times, constructive days do not affect a lot of students or professors because
most classes run on the same schedule on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, such as the constructive Friday that will take place on Wednesday May 3. “I realize it is not much different because mostly Wednesdays and Fridays are the same, but I still needed to make sure that if there were any Friday once a week classes, they got their opportunity to make up any time that they lost from spring break and Easter break,” Spencer said. However, conflicts occur when a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule runs on a Tuesday or Thursday, such as the constructive Monday that occurred on April 18. “It [the constructive schedule] is roundly disliked,” Spencer said. ”I understand the concern and why it is a pain. For example, students who go to class in the evenings, like graduate students who are getting bachelor's degrees, things like that, they plan their
schedule around what days of the week they have class. When you mess with that a little bit, it can throw off babysitting schedules and work schedules and that kind of thing, and people don’t like that very much.” Constructive days can prohibit both students and professors from attending or holding classes if they have other commitments outside of the university. “I've been attending an off-campus class at Penn all semester on Tuesdays, since I have a MWF teaching schedule,” said David Carpenter, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies. “So that was my conflict. I would prefer that these constructive days be scheduled for the same week day as your regular schedule, but perhaps this is not really an option.” Additionally, students with jobs often face conflicts with constructive schedules.
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Hawk Hill at your fingertips St. Joe's mobile app goes live MOLLY GRAB ’17 Editor Emeritus Saint Joseph’s University has officially gone mobile, unveiling a new app for students, faculty and staff to download. SJU Mobile, which was facilitated by the Office of Information Technology as well as Student Senate, centralizes many features of existing St. Joe’s sites and apps: a course schedule, shuttle tracker, What’s Open When, person directory, calendar of events, emergency notifications and more. The app officially launched on April 19, but according to Francis DiSanti, chief information officer, its development began in the fall of 2015. “It was not only time, but we had the right vendor partner and student interest, so that convergence really made it the right time to do it,” DiSanti said. Conor Isbitski, ’17, the IT chair for Student Senate, has been heavily involved in the development of the app. “I helped to facilitate the movement of
the project,” Isbitski said. “Hopefully one day students will use it for regular, simple functions. If you give the students power like that, it creates a more welcoming university.” Amanda Sciarra, director of application services, agreed. “We wanted an app that would easily connect students to the services that they use
most readily so that it’s literally in the palm of your hand when you need it,” Sciarra said. Modo Labs, an outside company that specializes in creating campus apps, was chosen for this project of bringing the SJU Mobile app to life.
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Conor Isbitski, '17, the IT chair for Student Senate reps the new St. Joe's app (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).
After two years with temporary leadership, the search for the new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has lifted off. Jeanne Brady, Ph.D., provost, at Saint Joseph’s University announced to all faculty that a selection committee has been formed and preliminary interviews have been scheduled for the coming weeks. Brady announced in an email that the search had begun on April 11. “They are all experienced academics who have gained tenure and risen to the rank of professor,” Brady said in an email to faculty. “They possess both depth and breadth in their respective levels of administrative experience and represent a diverse cross section of the population. They evince strong appreciation for our Jesuit mission, as well as for the distinctive character of Saint Joseph’s University.” Richard Warren, Ph.D., holds the current position and has been filling in as a temporary role. Five students were chosen to be part of the process of selecting the new Dean. Erica McDonald, ’17, was one of them. McDonald worked with Monica Nixon, Ph.D., assistant provost for inclusion and diversity in her capacity as an RA and was thus chosen to be included in the selection. “I think the most important component to being a Dean is evaluating student, staff and faculty's needs and attempting to bring new, innovative ideas to the campus to alleviate those needs,” McDonald said. “This requires the Dean to become involved with the entire Saint Joseph's community and critically evaluating what aspects could be improved upon.” The selection process has been largely confidential in an effort to maintain the privacy of candidates, according to Brady. “For me, I would love to see the candidates have a dedication to diversifying both the student body as well as the faculty we have in classrooms,” McDonald said. “This campus is largely underrepresented in its minority populations and it is so essential for minority students to see themselves represented in the student body population as well as the classroom. Having new and effective ideas for how to accomplish this is definitely something that I value and would love to see in the new Dean.” A final selection for the new Dean is set to be made sometime in May.
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News
April 26, 2017
Department of Public Safety reports (April 7 - April 20) April 7 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside Lannon Hall. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by a student accidentally bumping into a pull station. Facilities Management was notified.
April 8 Public Safety was notified by an area resident of a loud party involving St. Joe’s students taking place in the 2300 block of N. 54th Street. Public Safety and Philadelphia Police responded and dispersed the crowd. Community Standards was notified. Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student regarding being assaulted by another St. Joe’s student at an off campus bar location. No police report was filed at this time. There were no injuries to report. Community Standards was notified.
April 9
ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS
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Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student in regards to person(s) unknown removing her wallet which was left unsecured on a bench inside the Hagan Arena. No police report was filed at this time. The incident is under investigation. On campus Public Safety was notified by the Lehigh University Police regarding citing a St. Joe’s student for underage drinking. Community Standards was notified.
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Off campus
DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS
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April 11
On campus Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside the Sourin Residence Center. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation at this time could not reveal how the alarm was activated. Facilities Management was notified.
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Off campus
Call Public Safety:
610-660-1111
THE FIRST 100 DAYS President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office will end on April 29. The Commander in Chief has planned to celebrate with a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Congress
Congress returns to session this week to approve spending legislation before April 28 to prevent a government shutdown. The White House has pressured Democrats to consider including some funding for the promised border wall with Mexico during these negotiations.
Economy
Immigration
President Trump signed an executive order on April 18 that directs federal agencies to review employment immigration laws to promote “Hire American” policies. One objective is to modify or replace the current lottery for H-1B visas with a merit-based system that would restrict the visas to highly skilled workers.
President Trump plans to release a comprehensive tax reform plan on April 26. When asked about the deficit impact of the tax plan, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said that when accounting for the economic growth that would occur because of the tax changes, the tax overhaul will pay for itself.
Military
Cabinet
President Donald Trump has awarded the Purple Heart to U.S. Army Sgt. First Class Alvaro Barrientos, who was recently injured in Afghanistan on April 21.
The Senate has confirmed Sonny Perdue as secretary of agriculture. Alexander Acosta and Robert Lighthizer remain to be confirmed as Secretary of Labor and United States Trade Representative respectively. Compiled by Mark De Leon '17. Information from BBC News and Reuters. Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.
New student leadership on Hawk Hill SJU4YOU ticket on plans for Student Senate ANA FAGUY '19 Editor in Chief The SJU4YOU team was elected to the executive board of the 17th University Student Senate. Elections took place from April 19-20 and the results were announced on April 21. Ali Natale, '18, was elected President, Megan Kloss, '19, was elected Vice President and Billy McAllister, '18, was elected as Treasurer. All three sat down with The Hawk to discuss their future on April 24. How did you guys come up with your campaign slogan? AN: "So our slogan was SJU4YOU, and as you can see the three of us are heavily involved on this campus and heavily involved with student organizations besides Senate. And we were campaigning on having a more active and inclusive community of all students, not just particular student groups
or particular student organizations. So we thought that SJU4YOU really encompassed that we represent the student body as a whole and we represent the diversified student body and all those particular areas." If you could only do one thing in your tenure on the executive board in Senate, what would it be? BM: "As Student Body Treasurer, I think one of my goals is to help with the funding. A lot of people don’t really use SBAC [Student Budget Allocations Committee] for clubs and activities. We all talked about how we want to get student groups to network with each other, and being able to do that through funding and putting on events is something that’s important to me. And also being able to make sure that the funding is split up equally, making sure that everyone
is able to get funding to do the things they need to get done." AN: "I want to further the transparency between the Senate and the students, or the administration and the Senate and the students. I’d like to work on creating opportunities for the general student body to be more involved with the Senate. Students can give more direct feedback of what the university could improve and also have the opportunity to interact with the administration wants to hear from them but they don’t always know how they can reach out to them or have meetings with them or give their feedback." Why do you think the student body selected your ticket? MK: "I think that people recognize that the three of us represent diverse parts of the St. Joe's community. Being involved in dif-
ferent activities and having different experiences and being talented in different areas allows the three of us to pull from each other’s skills. And I think that they realize that we are friends, that we are people who lean on each other, socially and professionally and academically. For that to be available to people to vote for on one ticket is attractive." What kind of roles are your senators going to play in the 17th University Senate? BM: "I think something that’s especially big is the idea of being involved. And I think what we’ve all kind of pushed is the idea of getting involved, and no matter what else you’re involved in, giving 100 percent to the Student Senate. We want to inspire others on the Student Senate to have that fire under them to get the job done to the best of their abilities."
News
April 26, 2017
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Once a Hawk, always a Hawk St. Joe's education shapes alumnus' life CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Assistant News Editor
It was a sunny day outside the old field house, filled with high spirited men getting ready to graduate from St. Joseph’s College in May 1950. Charles Reilly, ’50, and his 504 fellow graduates lined up for a picture while proud parents watched their sons graduate. 70 years later, Reilly is now retired in Florida with four children, three stepchildren, 21 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He served in the Korean War, saw the Vietnam War, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a man walk on the moon and the creation of the Internet. Reilly's oldest daughter, Lynn Marshall, describes him as effervescent. "He's just such an optimistic, bubbly, look-on-the-bright-side type of person," Marshall said. "He's smart of course and funny and very articulate, but really I think after he's gone my main thought of him is going to be how he's such a bright person." Reilly attended St. Joe's before it became a university, commuting to campus every day from home. "I lived on Bryn Mawr Ave., which was a five minute walk and there’s a lot to be said about going away to college, there’s a lot to be said about walking down the street to go to college," Reilly said. "You know you can get out of bed late, you can sometimes slip back home, sneak out, get lunch, whatever." Reilly and his childhood friend Hugh Jones ’50 both lived in the same area and attended Lower Merion High School together before attending St. Joe's. "We lived on the same street," Jones said. "He lived on Bryn Mawr Ave. in the back. The street over from Bryn Mawr was Hekamore Rd and there were six or seven houses and they all had boys in them, boys our age. We were living in a little adolescent universe." Back in October of 1946, the class of 1950 made up 63 percent of the total enrollment for the 1946-47 first term with 755 men altogether, the largest class St. Joe’s had seen, according to The Hawk. Out of that 63 percent, 561 were veterans leaving only 194 men who had not served in war and, according to Reilly, 19 of them were young men straight from high school. Reilly and Jones were part of that small number who were straight out of high school.
"The thing that was different, you got these kids out of high school and then you’re a wash in the sea of military veterans, many of whom were married guys who have been shot at, so wearing a freshman dinky [cap] was not something that came easily to them, the vets," Reilly said. Jones found the experience of going to class with men who were much older than him to be educational and enlightening. "It enlarged your perspective," Jones said. "It provided some maturity, some awareness. As a senior in high school, you don’t really have a sense of what the world is about or what you’re growing into." Reilly studied business and has a Bachelor of Science in Business. "In retrospect I probably would have taken journalism, but I took business thinking I’d probably go in the real estate business with my father and my grandfather," Reilly said. "As it was, I turned out being a newspaper man and a writer. Journalism probably would have helped me more although I’m not complaining." Reilly's favorite aspect of St. Joe's was the Jesuit education and how it helped him not only in the classroom, but in everything he did. "The thing in retrospect I most admire were the Jesuit priests that I had," Reilly said. "I think they gave me the tools that guided me through adulthood. Their names are only history today, but they live on forever in the minds of the students. These guys were legends." Marshall said that she wishes she paid more attention to her father's stories, but says that every time he spoke about his college years it was always in a positive light. "He thoroughly enjoyed his years there and he remembers being very active," Marshall said. "He remembers fondly the people and the things that happened back then. He loved the tennis team, he loved anything that had to do with the sports there, but he really wished that one of us would go to St. Joe's." About 16 days after Reilly and Jones’ graduation, President Truman ordered U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea. "Everybody else was a vet and of course we never dreamed that we would ever be vets, but the Korean War broke out right after we graduated in 1950," Reilly said. "So
Constructive days affect students and faculty
we went into service ourselves but that’s the big thing about my college years in the late '40s." After the war both Reilly and Jones went to work in communications and worked for TV Guide, a bi-weekly magazine that provides television show listings and news about the shows. "He [Reilly] was there for a while, but then he went off and did some other stuff and I stayed with the magazine and retired with the magazine," Jones said. "I was with TV Guide for over 30 years. I couldn’t have gotten a job without my diploma from Saint Joseph’s." Reilly's other communications jobs included working in Manhattan with advertising companies Young & Rubicam, J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather and Hammond Farrell. Reilly also founded the counseling firm InPerson Communications, established the first National Catholic Office for Radio and Television (NCORT) and was appointed by Pope Paul VI to be a consultant to the Vatican's office to help arrange Communio et Progresso, the Holy See’s pastoral instruction on communications. With all of these accomplishments in life, Reilly is most proud of his grandchildren. "All this stuff about being listed and who’s who, or being in a hall of fame at the infantry school, they are all nice, but they
are really not as important as knowing in your own heart that you made a difference, that you accomplished something for other people as well as yourself," Reilly said. Jones finds the Jesuit education vital because it requires the person to learn what is considered important. "I learned how to distinguish the stuff and use it," Jones said. "I don’t speak Spanish but I did learn the discipline of the foreign language. I have not spoken Spanish in years. I think St. Joe’s was a good value intellectually and societally." Reilly thinks that St. Joe's helped him with his career because of the Jesuit education. "If you have been educated by the Jesuits, you automatically have a networking system," Reilly said. Both Reilly and Jones are proud to call themselves Hawks and will always remember their four years at St. Joe's. "The Hawk Will Never Die and there’s something about being a Hawk, it’s like being a Marine,” Reilly said. “Anybody that graduates from Saint Joseph's University ought to think of that with a sense of pride. You know when you get that diploma, it stands for something and that something is good. It’s life enriching. And it’s like, to use another cliché, it’s like a St. Joe’s education is a gift that keeps on giving."
Student Senate provides mobile app for campus CONTINUED FROM PG. 1
CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 “On Tuesdays I work at Kinney from 9-12, so my one program that starts at 11 had to be cancelled, so we didn’t have it that week because it’s for college kids, so they had class,” said Mary Murphy, ‘18. Murphy explained how she had to switch shifts with other students at The Kinney Center in order to attend their classes on the constructive Monday. “There are 12 different teams and they all had to find different subs because everyone’s schedules were messed up, so it was
St. Joe's tennis team in 1950, including Charles Reilly '50 (Photo courtesy of Charles Reilly '50).
kind of hectic,” Murphy said. Spencer said that the university is always looking for new ways to do things and plans on adjusting the calendar for spring 2018 in order to eliminate one or both constructive days. “We are trying to work towards getting rid of those constructive days, but still have the meeting times that are required,” Spencer said. “And that is the important thing, is to make sure we hit those meeting hours.”
A committee that included IT and Application Services staff as well as Student Senators selected Modo Lab in the fall of 2016. After the decision was made, SJU Mobile was underway. The initial project expenses were funded through the Technology Advancement Fund in the Office of Information Technology’s budget. “Once we got legs under this initiative, then I went to the university for the recurring
funding,” DiSanti said. “But because [the bid process] was competitive, it ensured that our vendors were giving us their best quote on not only what they could provide, but how costly it might be.” In February 2017, SJU Mobile was tested by student senators, who provided in-app feedback on their experience. The feedback feature is still active in the app for students to use, according to Sciarra.
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News
April 26, 2017
Confronting our heritage
‘Black Catholics’ course reveals great need for discourse ANGELA CHRISTALDI '17 Editor Emeritus Time is running out for African-American Catholicism, a popular course in the department of sociology, taught by Tia Pratt, Ph.D., a visiting instructor in her third year at Saint Joseph’s University. Visiting instructor positions at St. Joe’s are temporary and generally end after three years. Pratt is expected to leave at the end of this semester, but she is allowed to continue for just one more year. That means one more year for one of the few courses at the university that delves specifically into the intersection between African Americans and Catholicism and the only sociology course that focuses on both race and religion. “There are not many people in sociology that bring race and religion together the way that I do, so there’s that aspect of it,” Pratt said. “Also, there’s still this myth that ‘there aren’t many Black Catholics, so why bother?’ My work tries to challenge that.” Covering topics from Jesuit slaveholding to African American women, Pratt’s course, which she created, has been taught every spring semester for the past three years. It’s taken by Catholic and non-Catholic students alike and attracts students from across the university. “It’s been very, very successful,” said Kim Logio, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the sociology department. “It’s been helpful to all of our students, not just our students of color, but all of them.” Logio said that the course’s importance cannot be overstated, especially in light of the fact that the class is touching on issues that many students either don’t know enough about or have never been made aware. Prior to Pratt’s first African-American Catholicism course in the spring 2015 semester, the sociology department once offered a far broader course on the sociological aspects of religion, Logio said. “Years ago, we used to have a generic sociology of religion course, which talked much
more about religion as a social institution,” Logio said. “It talked about how religion is yet another socializing agent, how we learn about ourselves and our identity in our interaction with society through religion, but it was much more broad. There was nothing like what Dr. Pratt’s teaching.” In African-American Catholicism, Pratt focuses specifically on how topics like slavery and racism connect to the history of St. Joe’s as well. “That history needs to be addressed, needs to be acknowledged,” Pratt said. “We need to look at our own history. We need to look at the people who our buildings are named for and why. It’s important that we, as an institution, know this, and that our students know it, because it is part of our heritage.” Pratt was part of a panel on Jesuit slaveholding that the university hosted in October 2016. For her, it is important for the university to take responsibility for its history and acknowledge the fact that there may, indeed, be connections to institutions such as slavery. While Paul Aspan, Ph.D. associate provost for academic and faculty support, acknowledged in a Feb. 6 interview for The Hawk that there have been conversations about taking further steps toward exploring any possible connections between St. Joe’s and the institution of slavery, the university has taken no further public action at this time. Pratt sees a direct connection between university action and her course. “Action on this kind of issue happens when students push for it,” Pratt said. “And students push for it when they know that it’s important, and students know that it’s important when it’s being brought to their attention. My class brings these issues to 25 students in the spring semester. That’s not a lot, but it’s something. And if I wasn’t here teaching this class, the university wouldn’t have a class focused on these issues in the same way. And that would be a major loss.” Kayla Lane, ’17, took the African-Ameri-
Tia Pratt teaches class about African-American Catholicism (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).
can Catholicism course in the spring 2015 semester and spoke alongside Pratt at the panel in October 2016. “I was especially grateful when Dr. Pratt asked me to be a part of the panel,” Lane said. “I felt proud to stand in my truth as an African American woman thriving in and educated by predominantly white and parochial institutions. As an institution located in West Philadelphia, with a disparaging number of minority students and faculty, the panel marked a start to a long road of recovery.” Lane said that she also believes while St. Joe’s has significant work to do, offering a course such as Pratt’s is a step in the right direction. “Before taking Dr. Pratt's African-American Catholicism course, I had no clue of the dark history surrounding most Jesuit and Catholic institutions,” she said. “I was forced to both process and reconcile the reality that the very institutions responsible for my own spiritual and academic growth were once active participants in the oppression of my ancestors. I can't imagine how I would've felt to have graduated without knowing the truth about the university I attended.” Jay Nichols, ’17, one of the students taking Pratt’s course this semester, registered for the class to learn about Catholicism, something
he didn’t previously have much knowledge of. “I have a Catholic grandmother, so I thought it would be cool to learn about some of her practices and history,” Nichols said. “Going into it, I had perceived Catholicism as a mainly white religion because I personally only know two black Catholics to this day. But I learned there are a lot out there and there is also systemic oppression within that religion that is deeply rooted in slavery. Since I never really studied the religion and don't know many people that are Catholic, I would have never known the history of this denomination without this class.” Logio said that when Pratt leaves, it is possible that another faculty member in sociology could teach the course, but not likely. “Right now, knowing who is on our faculty and knowing who we have available to us to teach, I can’t envision anyone other than Dr. Pratt teaching it,” Logio said. For Pratt, that leaves a major hole in many of her students’ education. “What I have learned over the course of these last three springs semesters that I taught the class is not just how valuable it is, but how needed it is,” Pratt said. “We have students that have been in Catholic schools since they were five years old, but they never heard of these things that we’re talking about.”
Rediscovering home
Students reflect on difficulty coming back from abroad TESS HILL '18 Hawk Staff During the first semester of my junior year, I studied abroad in Leuven, Belgium and interned at the European Parliament. While abroad, I grew into a savvy traveler and an independent student. Coming back to Saint Joseph’s University was a difficult transition. In Europe, I consistently felt like I was taking risks, learning about myself and challenging my greatest fears. But back on campus, I felt stuck and limited. Kelly Horning, the assistant director for semester abroad and health and safety at the Center for International Programs (CIP) at St. Joe’s, said that she understands the many issues that students like me face when coming back from a semester abroad, especially the feelings of isolation. “A major issue for students is having the feeling that you have no one to talk to,” Horning said. “Students often feel that people are over it.” Bridget Mullen, ’18, shared these feelings when she returned from a semester abroad in Galway, Ireland. “I thought I was prepared, but when I came back I realized I wasn’t,” Mullen said. “I
had assumed that I changed and my friends at home did not. But my friends in America had grown, too, just as I did.” CIP offers an online guide that provides resources for students when they return to the states. After searching my CIP page, I found the re-entry manual which gives tips for returning home on topics like preparing for the adjustment process, seeking support networks and reserving judgments. It also lists re-entry challenges like boredom, relationship changes and feelings of alienation. As one way to counter difficulties in re-entry, Horning suggested students join Peer Ambassadors, a program in which returning students volunteer at the Study Abroad Fair, post on CIP’s social media accounts, meet with prospective students or participate in the annual photo contest. In the past, CIP employees did exit interviews, meeting with every student who travelled abroad. Last year, CIP faced cuts. Now, Horning cannot hold exit interviews with the year’s students by herself. “It’s hard to meet with all 156 students for 20 to 30 minutes each, on top of processing the
next semester’s applications,” Horning said. “I loved doing it, but we were out of resources.” The office still offers exit interviews, but students must take the initiative of scheduling. Horning said only two out of the 400 students who traveled abroad have participated in exit interviews this year. Many students said that they did not feel like the programs offered by CIP helped the transition back to campus. Zoe Haveles, ’17, shared these sentiments, especially after her semester in Belgium. Haveles had an exit interview with Horning, but said it felt too general and she couldn’t relate it to her semester abroad. “I think that everyone’s abroad experiences are different,” Haveles said. “There could be no one uniform program that could help people feel back at home.” RA, Greta Shanley, ’18, organized an event in Villiger Hall for her first-year residents interested in studying abroad. She asked several students who travelled abroad, including me, to discuss their experiences. The group was diverse and included students who had studied in India, southern
Africa, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Florence and Madrid. Panelists shared their stories, what they had learned about themselves, giving advice to the first-year students and to Shanley herself, who will be studying in Madrid next fall. Shanley’s event was as much an information session for the first-year students as it was a therapy session for the panelists. What everyone seemed to have in common was that no one was actually prepared for life back on campus. “Hearing [the panelists’] stories made me nervous,” she said. “When I come back I will be graduating in a few months and may never fully re-adjust, almost making me feel as if this semester is my last to feel comfortable at SJU.” For Dan Soucy, ’18, who studied abroad in Pune, India, talking about the experience, to others and with others, is key to a smoother re-entry. “I realized that having longer conversations with people who went abroad is helpful,” Soucy said. “You can hear stories about their experience and share your own.”
News
April 26, 2017
Institutional memory
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St. Joe’s archives not reaching fullest potential ANGELA CHRISTALDI ’17 Editor Emeritus
Located on the third floor of the Post Learning Commons, the Saint Joseph’s University Archives occupies the least-populated area of the typically bustling library. Most people only go to the Archives if they have a reason to be there, such as students brought by professors, or others doing research for projects related to the university’s history. Behind the large wooden doors that lead into the archives’ rooms are documents and artifacts dating back to the university’s founding in 1851, when it was located on Willings Alley in Old City. There are medals from early years of the university, awarded to students for academic excellence, and an original painting of Felix Barbelin, S.J., the university’s first president. There are also some more recent items, including a model of the Hawk mascot and helmets and shovels from the groundbreaking of the Post Learning Commons, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. University archives are responsible for the institution’s historical record. That means collecting, maintaining and preserving documents and other materials. But that mission has been difficult to fulfill at St. Joe’s. A lack of resources, staffing, space and plan for acquisitions have left the archives floundering—even as researchers do what they can. Daniel Joyce, S.J., ’88, executive director of Mission Programs at St. Joe’s, has visited the archives several times to do research about the history of St. Joe’s and the greater Philadelphia area. Because the archives are small he said that he was able to quickly get what he needed. However, Joyce also said that the materials within the archives are limited, and the archives on campus “do not function as a major archive would.” “We don’t have lots of material,” said Christopher Dixon, the university’s archival research librarian. “We get things when they’re donated. It’s a long process.” Katryna Perera, ’16, investigated potential connections between St. Joe’s and the slaves that the Maryland Province of Jesuits owned for two stories that appeared in The Hawk in April 2016. Like Joyce, Perera said she found the archives to be helpful but also, in some ways, lacking. “There is definitely a lot of missing information, and when I was doing my story on slavery, the problem was that there was no information on what I was exactly looking for,” Perera said. “The info does exist. It just wasn’t accessible immediately to me because it was at Georgetown [University]. It would be great if we could get hold all the documents related to [St. Joe’s] right on site, but I don’t think the library has the capacity for that.” While St. Joe’s has had an Archives Collection since the university’s founding, as a space for storing historical documents, the Archives Collection as they are known today did not come to fruition until 1987, when Josephine Savaro, formerly the head librarian, was named archivist. In the 30-year history of the archives, Savaro is the only one to have held the actual title of archivist. Nancy Miller, who held the title of archival research librarian, succeeded Savaro, and worked with Dixon until she left
the university to work in the archives at the University of Pennsylvania. Dixon has been the sole holder of the position of archival research librarian since 2008. “We’re fairly new at doing this,” Dixon said. While the St. Joe’s archive has grown from one room in the basement of the Drexel Library to the suite of workrooms and scholars’ rooms on the third floor of the Post Learning Commons, the archives seems to suffer from the lack of an overall plan. “We need to set up a plan, look at what we have, what is our acquisition plan,” said Anne Krakow, library director. “We need to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want to go in this direction or that direction?’ Right now, what we’re doing is just taking it as it comes.” Like St. Joe’s, Villanova University’s archives were also recently established. Villanova’s Archives reside in the Falvey Library, but there are multiple archives on the campus, according to Michael Foight, special collections and digital library coordinator and acting university archivist at Villanova. The law school keeps its own records, and others are kept by the Augustinians at the St. Thomas Monastery on campus. In comparison to the archives on the St. Joe’s campus, Villanova’s archives have more space, resources and staff. “As part of the library, [the archive] is comparably well-staffed,” Foight said. “There’s a budget for housing and preservation of materials, and there’s enough room for HVAC archival storage of print and electronic materials.” Archives can only preserve what they are given and collecting has become more difficult due to the digital nature of communications. Carmen Croce, director of the Saint Joseph’s University Press and curator of the University Art Collection, acts as somewhat of an unofficial archivist at St. Joe’s. He has been employed by St. Joe’s since 1967. Croce has noticed that, while
Christopher Dixon looks through a replica of the Saint John’s Bible (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).
the digital age has made communication convenient, it also poses a problem for record-keeping and preservation. “I do print out some things, because I realize how important that is, but 90 percent of everything I do is on a computer,” Croce said. “So, that’s a problem for archives all over. It’s a problem for collecting and preserving and interpreting. These various media devices, it’s really a nightmare.” Krakow said she has been working with Deborah Lenert, the manager of library digital services at St. Joe’s, as well as communicating with other universities’ archivists and librarians about their plans for the future of their archives. “[We’ve been] looking at other Jesuit colleges and universities who already have in place plans for acquisitions from departments,” Krakow said. “So, hopefully in the next six months, we’re going to look at some of those plans and create our own plan, to say, ‘This is what we’d like to acquire from departments so we can preserve that history and that culture.’” However, a plan is not an easy fix or a perfect solution. For example, Villanova’s archives does have an intake plan in place, but staff still have trouble collecting materials. “There is a records retention schedule that lists all forms of university records,” Foight said. “The dispositions for some of those materials include ‘transfer’ to archives or ‘copy’ to the archives. The problem is that most offices don’t comply with the records retention schedule, most things are born digital and while the records retention system has provisions, little to none of that gets transferred to the university archives.” At Villanova, the archives’ digital presence has expanded. They’ve been digitally displaying current exhibits via their website. The site also has previous exhibits archived so that they are still available. Georgetown University also has information about current and past exhibits, a searchable archival photo collection, and re-
cords dating back to before the university’s 1789 founding. Likewise, La Salle University, whose former archivist, Brother Joseph Grabenstein, F.S.C., stepped down from the position this past fall, also has some resources available via its archives’ website. St. Joe’s does not currently have digitized versions of its exhibits. The archives’ website, a page on the site for the Post Learning Commons and Drexel Library, contains information about the St. John’s Bible, which is a handwritten and hand-illustrated edition of the Bible done by a master calligrapher between 1998 and 2011. Only 299 copies of the seven-volume Bible were made, and one was acquired by St. Joe’s in 2014. The archives’ website also provides details about university’s photo collection (though photos are not directly searchable), as well as a digital archive of The Hawk, with issues from 1930 to 2002. Beyond that, though, the site does not contain information about any past, present, or upcoming exhibits, or about the materials currently possessed by the archives. Croce works with Dixon on both the special collections and the curation of exhibits. He said it is up to the archivist to decide what belongs in the archives, what helps chart the university’s history—and then go after it. “Most people, within their daily activities, aren’t thinking that what they’re doing has any relevance to the story of the university as it moves forward, but it does,” Croce said. “But saving them isn’t enough. They need to get from your filing cabinet to the archives. And, of course, the library doesn’t ask people for things.” Krakow agrees with Croce in that there is more that the university can do to help its Archives Collections. “This university, as well as a lot of other universities right now, are going through a difficult time readjusting to the economic landscape of higher education,” Krakow said. “We need to get organized here.”
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Opinions
April 26, 2017
Looking to the past and future
Reflecting on St. Joe's history and marking progression 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.
While the Hawk has flown strong for over 100 years, Saint Joseph’s University, as we know it, has evolved over time. For example, City Avenue was not always the powerhouse we know it to be, a raging force in the night where cars fly and horns blare. Decades ago, it was just an avenue, quiet and well-rested. There are other parts of our campus that come to mind when we think back on our time here on Hawk Hill: Barbelin, Campion Student Center, the Perch, Merion Hall and Mandeville Hall. These buildings are pieces of our student experience and physical representations of our core values of the magis and cura personalis. Our physical campus, both the Philadelphia County and Lower Merion side, act as places where our mission can manifest through academics, extracurricular activities and relationships. While they may be firmly rooted in our mission, they are not necessarily rooted in our past. History tells us a different story. We started with something simpler. The idea for St. Joe’s as a college was planned back in 1741, but the actual establishment began in 1851, more than 100 years later. Back then, St. Joe’s was a college, not a grandiose and expanding university. Even Barbelin, a beacon for the university, wasn’t built until 1927. These physical spaces we have come to love and adore grew out of an idea and a passion for something greater. The physical marks of time are not the only things that have signified such change through the years. Our university has experienced visible urbanization and growth. Simultaneously, our campus culture has transformed and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. While U.S. military veterans made up the majority of students more than 60 years ago, most of us cannot imagine what it would be like to graduate
from high school and fight for our country before proceeding on to a higher education. Now most students envision a college education at a young age, because it has become the new norm to earn a bachelor’s degree before entering the professional world. The class of 1950 consisted of 755 men who graduated from St. Joseph’s College, many of whom were commuters and or veterans. Just two years prior, the first African American graduated from St. Joseph’s College. By 1970, women joined the ranks of our college, which was vital for fostering acceptance and acknowledging the equality of men and women. The next major milestone for our intimate community was in 1978 when St. Joe’s officially became a university. We may still share that same Hawk spirit that prioritizes our Jesuit values, but our standards of excellence have continued to change. It’s important to recognize that diversity around us continues to expand, but progress doesn’t stop there. One step we have made as of late is providing 36 gender inclusive bathrooms for students across campus. This past January, the new center for the Office of Inclusion and Diversity space in Campion opened in an effort to create an area for both inclusivity, open mindedness and tolerance. Steps like these do not act as full solutions, but do remind us of our constant goal towards progress. Some of the most radical changes have been in technology—whether that takes the form of smartboards, iPads, computer software or even just campus Wifi—has drastically changed the way we communicate with those around us. We have a way to quickly connect with professors, students, community members and others not just on the local level, but globally; consequently, we are more aware of the heterogeneous world in which we live.
It goes without saying that with our roots in Catholicism, we have to maintain a delicate balance between respecting our past and looking towards our future. But moving forward, we also need to continue opening the doors of our education to those of different socioeconomic statuses, diverse backgrounds and sexual orientations. Clubs such as the Women’s Leadership Initiative, Asian Students Association (ASA), Black Student Union (BSU), Down to Pray (DTP) and Active Minds recognize tolerance and understanding within our current student body. Another part of our Jesuit mission expects compassion for the community that supports us. There are many faculty members, staff and employees that contribute to our learning experience. We look forward to further extending equal benefits and privileges to all of those who progress the ideals of St. Joe’s and inspire us everyday. We have an obligation to respect the legacy of the approximately 66,000 Hawks that came before us. History teaches us that our past is not much different from our present. Collective history is something that binds all of us together. Respecting our roots is just as important as questioning them. Only by maintaining an open mind and heart can we truly accept more changes for the better. And maybe, in 50 years, when we return as esteemed alumni, we won’t recognize ourselves in the students that walk the campus. What we will recognize is the all-too-familiar spark of tenacity and fire in their eyes, as a student of a university that never settles and an institution that reaches further.
-The Hawk Staff
HOT NOT or
barbelin in full bloom
Walking past Barbelin during these final weeks of the semester, we’ve all done it: slowed down to admire (and snap Instagram-worthy photos) of the beautiful, pink, flowering trees that reside just below the towers. So, if finals have you feeling down, just stop and smell the cherry blossoms.
school is almost out for summer
Feeling bogged down by the endless assignments crammed toward the end of the semester? Think of it like this: only a few more nights of studying until we can taste the sweet freedom of summer.
oh, the places you will go
While graduation is certainly a bittersweet occasion *cue anxiety over post-undergrad life,* it’s also a time for the Class of 2017 to reflect on their time at St. Joe’s and look to their bright futures ahead. We can’t wait to see these Hawks fly.
movin out
Reserve that laundry basket and box up your stuff, because move-out day sneaks up on you without warning. Here’s hoping you're one of the lucky few who can pack up and get out in less than a few hours
tests, essays and projects oh my
Need we say more? There's so much to do and coordinate when it comes to finals that it's ridiculous. Is the faculty teaming up on us? Plus the projects and essays prior to finals are piling up now. Procrastination may be tempting, so we need our caffeine to power through.
senior blues
Whether you’re about to see your friends graduate or are getting a diploma of your own, issuing a farewell is never fun. Keep a few tissues at hand, though—you are almost guaranteed to cry while saying goodbye.
Opinions
April 26, 2017
7
STEPPING INTO THE PAST
Alumnus reflects on his time at St. Joe’s CHARLES REILLY JR. ’50 Special to The Hawk September 1946 was a time of great change. World War II had ended. Peace was welcomed around the world. It was also a time of great challenge, particularly to recent high school graduates heading for college. For two such, Hugh Jones, ’50, and myself of Bala Cynwyd, the mountain did not seem all that high. “College” in our case meant wandering four blocks west on City Line Avenue. (It may be worth noting that just a few years prior, the two of us would lie down in the middle of this very same City Line because there was no automobile traffic, and we could hear the distant rumbling of Army convoys well ahead of their appearance, thus avoiding being made permanent parts of the macadam.) However, nothing about leaving high school for college is completely simple. For one thing we were descending from the top of the academic/social world to the lowest of ranks – freshmen. September of ‘44 was also marked by broad, unforeseen demographic changes in student bodies. Those who served in the armed forces were covered by The Government Issue Bill, dubbed the G.I. bill. In essence, books, tuition and a small additional allowance for each student were covered by the government. Bottom line? Thousands of veterans, previously not bound for a college campus were now heading for it. Traditional entrance gave way (rightly) to those whose lives were put on hold by the war. Those of us coming directly from high school in September of 1946 were vastly outnumbered by these returning “Vets.” (Our Freshman Class saw 19 recent high schoolers engulfed in a sea of 600 veterans.) For us high schoolers, it was essentially a repeat of our senior year; for men away from the books for years, it was another thing altogether. That gap lessened over our next four years, but we still had to meld two different life experiences. Many of my classmates had been in combat. Even if they had not seen actual fighting, they were older. Many were married or about to be. The thought of wearing the “dink” cap freshman wore had very little or no appeal for them. Social environments were also different worlds. Over those four years the influence of the Jesuits grew. We had some powerhouse priests in that era. Names like Dincher, Blee, Gannon, Emery, Handren and Smith are easy to remember and hard to forget. Elderly, but formidable Father Myles O’Malia thundered to one class: “Remember, Mister, when you’re parked in that car on a dark road with your girlfriend, the Blessed Mother is right there with you. Many a face, vet and high schooler alike, blanched. Cigarette smoking and drinking were old stories to former military (“smoke ‘em if you got ‘em”). Bars, welcoming oasis from the drill field or worse carried over to their civilian life. The changes to the campus from the late 1940s to 2017 are far too many to count. When I think back to limited space enriched by an old Army barracks which doubled as our academic space, comparing the then to the now is culture shock, pure and simple. Some feats from those earlier
days of innocence could never be duplicated. The moves we made on certain professors were illegal. I can still hear Kelley, our prized long distance runner yelling “Here!” from the lawn outside the building when the roll was called. Or a friend of mine knocking on the cloakroom door in the back and in muffled voice pretending to be someone locked in, moaning “Lemme out!” My years at St. Joseph’s College brought me firmly into the sport of tennis. I labored as manager of the team for three years before I acquired enough skill to play in doubles matches, especially alongside John Bateman, a class behind and a player of far greater talent. It was also
here where I established friendship with J. Taney Willcox who became my lifelong hero. Taney (pronounced “Tawney”) was a towering blonde athlete who captained our team and went out of his way to help others. He provided the assistance my game sorely lacked. Short years after our graduation Taney was crippled by infantile paralysis yet completed law school and built a very successful career. But that is another story for another time. Graduation Day, 1950, at Hawk Hill beamed sunny, enriched no doubt by the smiles of our class finally ready to go out the door. The new field house and the downtown Cathedral for Mass were high-
lights. The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a photo of the very long line of gowned graduates wending our way toward tomorrow. I remember it clearly because a diminutive woman stood to one side anxiously searching for her eldest son. She was my proud mother. Proud as well a few years later when my younger brother, Tom F. Reilly, II, graduated. Prouder still when her two Reilly granddaughters received their diplomas with honors. Hawks one and all. My own view is that my classmates and other graduates of Saint Joseph’s University are bound together by one chorus that proclaims year after year, The Hawk Will Never Die.
The front page of The Hawk from May 12, 1950 embodies the cultural changes of St. Joe’s and the world over the past 67 years (Image courtesy of Archives and Special Collections at Saint Joseph’s University).
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Opinions
April 26, 2017
College debt affordability
How New York is moving towards free public education CARTER TODD ’19 Hawk Staff College debt looms over many of us during our time on Hawk Hill. As much as we love all of what Saint Joseph’s University has to offer, it is likely that students and parents alike share a fear: wondering if all the money spent will be worth it by the time we graduate. On a regular basis we find ourselves complaining about costs there that come along with St. Joe’s. Unfortunately, many young people are denied a higher education specifically because of their financial situation. Generations ago, a college education was something pursued by people who sought to separate themselves from the pack. Nowadays, a college degree is necessary in order to start any type of career path - not just skill driven, high paying jobs. For this reason, many students graduating high school are expected to subsequently graduate college if they are serious about their career. As people become more expected to graduate from college, our laws must support the education of the citizens they
govern. Currently, a four year college entirely innovative. 24 countries around education is not publicly funded, in full, in the world allow people to pursue a higher 49 states. The only reason it was knocked education without paying any tuition. down from 50 to 49 is because the state However, there are definitely some of New York is making public college free hefty strings attached to this legislation, for those high school graduates who have and not everyone is a fan. First of all, by received the 2019, the scholExcelsior Scholarship will be arship. available to only Led by govstudents from ernor Andrew households earning Cuomo, this less than $125,000 legislation has per year, according been prioritized to Katie Lobosco as of late in New from CNN Money. York state govAdditionally, only ernment. Some full-time students may remember earning their this idea from first associate’s or Senator Bernie bachelor’s degree Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20. Sanders’ election are eligible; in order campaign, which set a goal to make public to walk away debt-free with a degree, the colleges in America tuition free. Many had student must live and work in New York for written this goal off as unrealistic or impos- as many years as they studied there tuition sible, but it has now become a reality in one free, Lobosco wrote. of our states. Keep in mind that this change Although this may not affect most makes schools “tuition-free” for some and seizing this opportunity (84 percent of New does not take away from costs of living York State and City University graduates on campus, books, etc. This move is not remain in New York after graduation,
reported Lobosco) it could still prevent graduates from going to their highest paying opportunity, which could very well be in bordering states such as New Jersey, Massachusetts or Pennsylvania. Don’t expect the buck to stop with New York, either. CNN reported earlier this month that Rhode Island could be the next state in our country to make public college tuition free. Moving further, the progressive Northeastern region of our country could very well continue moving toward more tuition free public college across the board. In 2015, our area was affected when The Community College of Philadelphia made it possible for low income students to enroll without any cost of tuition. If this trend continues, it would be a huge victory for our democracy. Young people would be able to receive the education and training they need in order to pursue any career. Additionally, it would be far less burdensome financially on the families who want to send their children to college. If the college debt issue perpetuates, less and less people will be able to afford the schooling they need to be considered educated in our country.
Taking the SNAP challenge A glimpse of life with food insecurity JESSICA WHELAN ’17 Special to the Hawk In order to better understand the physical and mental challenges of hunger, I decided to partake in a SNAP challenge. I limited myself to $4.40 worth of food each day for five days, modeled approximately after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2017 SNAP data per person average monthly benefit. SNAP challenges are one way that religious organizations, food pantries or other hunger advocacy groups raise awareness about poverty. I generally purchase my food from the ACME near campus, but for the purpose of the challenge, I bought my groceries at a convenience store called the Economic Food Mart on Bryn Mawr Avenue. This market is
known for discounted food. In order to make the most of my $4.40 a day, I collected tips from individuals who had participated in SNAP challenges before. I got the hint pretty quickly: I needed food that was cheap and filling, such as spaghetti or food with a lot of carbs. At the Economic Food Market, I bought a canister of Quaker’s Oats, soups, a can of whole potatoes, a can of sauerkraut, a can of store-brand tomato sauce, mixed veggies, spaghetti, two bananas and a box of applesauce. The total came to $20.86. I was hungry at times during the challenge and eating the same thing became monotonous. There was also a lack of nutri-
SSUPPLEMENTALL NUTRITIO N N AS PR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Fiscal Year
I have never gone hungry. On the contrary, I generally spend around $80 per week on groceries, supplemented by more-than-occasional $9.50 take-out falafel platters from Mediterra Grill. Like many students at St. Joe’s, I am what is known as “food secure.” That means I “have physical, social and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food”, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute and United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security. By comparison, according to the Philabundance ‘About hunger’ web page, “one in every three children live in poverty”. Hundreds of thousands of individuals in Philadelphia participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program. “In 2012, there were 259,741 households in the Delaware Valley receiving SNAP benefits,” one Philabundance blog post said. SNAP is a federal program, which provides benefits to some consumers at grocery stores, convenient stores, and certain farmer’s markets. Emma Kornetsky, government relations associate for Philabundance, said that SNAP is a valid and necessary resource, especially for children. SNAP, she explained, is crucial for child development and a child’s ability to be self-sufficient when they’re older. But getting that message across is tough, according to Kornestky. “I don’t think people understand,” she said. “They think that SNAP is cushy or that SNAP isn’t important. SNAP is important if you don’t have any other source of income. If we want people to be self-sufficient and we want them to get jobs and an education, they need to be fed.”
2014
Served 87.9 percent of those elegible in Pennsylvania
2015
Provided about $2.7 billion in
food benefits
Assisted monthly average of 1,826,667 people in Pensylvania
2017
Assisted 43,073,465 people with $21,485,142,336 (with a monthly average of $124.70 per person)
nationally
Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.
tional content in the food I was eating. But I also recognized that unlike many people on SNAP, I was doing the challenge by choice and for a small portion of time. I am not only privileged, but I have no prior knowledge of what true hunger is really like. I wondered, are SNAP challenges really a good way to raise awareness? Kornetsky seemed to think so. “It’s not the sexiest issue, but there’s a lot of people who want to get involved and make people understand that SNAP is the biggest support for people living in poverty,” she said. Kornetsky said that people who oppose food stamps dislike what it takes from the federal budget—but at the same time, they don’t want to include the elderly, the disabled or children in budget cuts. The reality is that approximately 66 percent of those in SNAP fit this category, according to SNAP’s frequently asked questions page. What SNAP challenges do is give you a glimpse of what it’s like to live without food security. Developing empathy, is key, according to Sara Williamson, Ph.D., assistant professor of food marketing at St. Joe’s. “In order not to have kids continue in the cycle, we need to help them, and our empathy and compassion is incredibly important to help,” Williamson said. While completing the challenge, I was inclined to imagine the faces behind those who benefits from SNAP. Were they children? Were they disabled? Elderly? And then it struck me. I don’t need to know the faces behind food stamps. I don’t need to know who SNAP helps or why. They are human and that should be enough.
Opinions
April 26, 2017
9
Wrap it and tap it
The safe way to screw yourself without screwing yourself ASHLEY CAPPETTA ’17 Editor Emeritus
You wouldn't think we would need this conversation, would you? We are intelligent students and responsible adults. But recently, I've questioned how responsible we truly are. I’ve had several conversations over the past few months that brought light to the fact that women and men on our campus do not have basic contraceptive knowledge. I'm an advocate for sex. I'm an advocate for masturbation. I'm an advocate for love. I'm also an advocate for educating yourself. Whether or not you choose to engage in sex is your choice, but if you are sexually active, it's important to know what kind of contraceptive works with you and with your body. Religion plays an obvious role in this discussion; particularly at Saint Joseph’s University, a school that identifies as being founded in Catholic beliefs and Jesuit ideals. For those who identify as female, we do have a nurse practitioner who specializes in women’s health. According to the university’s Student Health Center website, the Center offers Women’s Health services “which include information on related topics, confidential consultation with clinicians, instruction in self-breast examination, routine gynecologic examination with Pap tests and treatment or referral if necessary.” For those who identify as male, the Student Health Center offers Men’s Health Services, “which include information on related topics, confidential consultation with clinicians and treatment or referral if necessary.” But, because we are a private, Jesuit uni-
versity, St. Joe's does not provide its students with contraceptives, unlike many of our neighboring colleges. I firmly believe that the university has every right to make that choice, as I realize the decision aligns with their Catholic mission. This being said, I also believe that as college-aged individuals, we cannot use the lack of available contraceptives on campus as an excuse for ignorance. Go to the store. Buy a condom. Use protection. Anything less than that is unacceptable.
For those who feel they don’t have a clear understanding of the various contraceptive options, Planned Parenthood is a great place to gain information. There are several different kinds of birth control. For women, we have the birth control pill, the patch, an IUD, a NuvaRing, a sponge, a cervical cap, among others. For men, the options are spermicide, vasectomy, withdrawal and condoms. And, of course, I would be remiss if I were not to mention abstinence. But, alas, if you’ve read this far, there’s a slight chance you might be doing the dirty already. In the conversations I’ve had on our campus, I’ve found that most are afraid of pregnancy and not as concerned with catching STDs. I would encourage you to rethink the message that this kind of ideology sends: Do you lack practicality? Are you unconcerned with using appropriate protection? Contraception is essential. If you are a woman on the pill, decide to have sex and do not choose to also use a condom— well, I worry. To
my knowledge, over their four years, most college students engage in sex with many different partners. When you don’t use a condom, you open yourself up - sorry for the gross metaphor) - to potentially inviting an STD to nestle up in you. And vice versa for the men. Condoms are the only absolute way to protect against STDs. If you are in a committed relationship, and both you and your partner have been checked for STDs—then go to town. But, for one-night stands, where you don’t know where his banana has been, :time to use a condom. And while we are on that, companies are making crazy condoms so that you will, in fact, use them. Trojan makes what they call a “Pleasure Pack.” It’s literally in the name. No excuses. Contraceptives are important. Further, understanding what kind of contraceptive works for you and your lifestyle is important. Talk to your gynecologist. Explore options. Be practical.
Graphics by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.
Goodbye Haub School of Business
A farewell to St. Joe's and a look forward to what's next ALLI DELGRIPPO '17 Hawk Staff
So we’ve covered classes; we’ve covered internships, advisors and career paths. Before you know it, all of that gets figured out, and in 23 days you finally can reflect on that concept. You’ll be walking in a cap and gown, feeling excited, confused, old and lovey-dovey about your friends/roommates/ professors/that kid you spent that one semester with playing tic-tac-toe and whoa, congratulations; You did it, it’s now your turn to buy the alumni mug in the bookstore and whine about the perils of post-grad life. In all reality, I’m just teasing. After all, we don’t spend four years of time on Hawk Hill to lament about how it’s been the absolute happiest time we will ever experience. It is a wonderful time, but it is also a building block to find what we love, add more to our brains and gain experiences that help us decide who we are moving forward. And because I’m weeks away from restarting the cycle of becoming the little fish in the pond, bear with me while I embrace
my last few moments of “big fish” wisdom. Here’s what I got for you: 1.You’ll figure it out. You will have the tools. You will find the internship. You will get better at interviewing, networking and the like, so try to give yourself a break on the pressure, and be excited about what you bring to the table. 2.As we’ve learned, the Marketing Research group project is miserable until you have some really rockin’ people in your group and it all ends up being okay. The people are what make it - that class, that team, that club. An immense amount of love to my Business Policy group for reinforcing this one for me. 3.You may love a lot of moments and you may not love some moments. Weigh more on the times you love than the times you don’t, but know you’re taking something from every single one of them. If you’re finding you have more that you don’t love than you do love, don’t forget that you can (and should) change that. And with that, enjoy every single second. It goes incredibly fast, and even then, you’ll be ready. To any of my business major friends reading this, believe in that. Thanks for entertaining my old person wisdom these past few weeks. Best of luck.
Alli Delgrippo, '17, and Michael Soucy, '20, embrace at Delta Sigma Pi intitation. (Photo courtesy of Alli Delgrippo,'17).
Opinions
April 26, 2017
10 the real truth about
A lasting legacy
A graduating senior reflects on REAL past inspiration numbers SARAH COONEY ’17 Hawk Staff
As I got ready to begin this final article, I was at a loss as to where to start. What profound words or lasting legacy could I leave with my readers? I decided to look back to my first article for inspiration, which inevitably led me to reflect on my entire Saint Joseph’s University journey, considering where I was when I began and where I am today. (With less than a month to go, every last ‘this’ and final ‘that’ has me contemplating the past four years.) When I arrived on Hawk Hill, I was a little shy but determined to make the most of my next chapter, and in that regard, I suppose not much has changed. However, other things have changed quite a bit. Four
years ago, I was just a kid who thought I liked math, and my perceptions of a computer scientist would have borne a striking resemblance to Jesse Eisenberg in the film “The Social Network.” Since then, I’ve gone from the wide-eyed student who wanted to cry after the first day of Calculus II, to a mathematician with a solid mathematical intuition and confidence in my abilities. I think if I were to watch “The Social Network” today I would be frankly offended by the misconceptions and stereotypes it promotes about computer science. My first column marked approximately the chronological halfway point in this journey. At the time, I was frustrated by the bias a large portion of the general public seemed to have against math. However, as I continued to write I began to cast a wider net look-
Sarah Cooney, ’17, during her frehsman year move-in day (Photos courtesy of Sarah Cooney ’17).
ing for topics—there’s only so many ways to write, ‘Math is not that bad, and maybe it could even be fun if you gave it a chance. I decided to tackle some of the prejudices found within my fields, particularly those faced by women. For instance, why did people always assume I wanted to be a teacher, but also assume the male math majors would do something like engineering? When I’d exhausted myself on gender biases, and perhaps inevitably, because we’re at St. Joe’s, I landed on the world’s broader injustices, although written through a mathematical lens or from a science perspective of course. In some way, this transition from concern with the more minor, personally relevant, problems to an awareness of a wider, more encompassing point of view reflects the personal growth I’ve experienced in the last four years. So, to return to my earlier question, perhaps the legacy of this column isn’t all about math after all. I would certainly be happy to know that I’ve inspired even just one person to have a slightly less unfavorable view of mathematics, but it’s become about much more. I came to Hawk Hill from a small town with a lot of homogenous people with homogenous ideas about the world. While I had worked hard to see beyond the narrow confines, books, vacations and imagination can only take one so far. However, at St. Joe’s and in the surrounding community of Philadelphia, I have had opportunities to meet new and different people, to take courses that tested not only my GPA but my values and
Cooney prepares for graduate school at the University of Southern California.
perceptions, to travel within our own country and to several others and maybe most importantly to identify biases of my own. Therefore, dear readers, if I can leave you with anything, I’ll say don’t be afraid to try things that are difficult, seek out all the opportunities you can to learn something, meet someone, go somewhere new, check your personal prejudices, whether it’s a negative perception of math or something much more serious. Finally, to those of you with more than a month left at St. Joe’s, make the most of every minute, because like the Hawk, time flies.
“America first” in foreign policy
New administration should consider global role JOSH BOSTROM ’19 Hawk Staff President Donald Trump was at his Mara-Lago estate in Florida with Chinese president Xi Jinping on April 6. All eyes were on the possibility of new trade deals, North Korea’s nuclear development and a newfound relationship between the United States and China. Meanwhile, only a select few in President Trump’s inner circle knew of the pending U.S. military attack on a Syrian base. An hour later, as President Jinping was pulling away in his motorcade, 59 tomahawk cruise missiles struck the Al Shayrat airbase in Syria. In a somewhat unexpected move, President Trump broke away from the foreign policy of the previous administration and directly involved America with the ongoing Syrian civil war. This attack, however, was not unprovoked, and deemed by many—in both the Democratic and Republican parties—as a completely justified response to President Bashar Al-Assad’s bombing of his own people just days before. As if genocide wasn’t already atrocious enough, the suspected chemical agent, sarin, had horrible effects. Killing 89 people, the attack’s reports described people foaming from the mouth and struggling to breath. This reaction is due to the effects sarin has.
Chemical warfare “attacks the nervous system” and causes death through asphyxiation, according to a Business Insider article by reporter Dave Mosher. In what was deemed by the administration as a proportional response, President Trump made the decision to strategically target the military installation through these chemical attacks, and the warplanes carrying them, were located. Not only were these chemical attacks terrible, they are not the first time Assad has carried out such actions. Back in 2013, Assad chemically bombed the city of Damascus killing around 1300 people. After blatant disregard for the chemical weapons treaty earlier this month, many agree this incidence of genocide marked the need for change. After the 2013 attack was confirmed to be chemical warfare, “three separate Washington Post-ABC News polls found clear majorities of the public opposed launching missile strikes in Syria,” pollster Scott Clement of the Washington Post wrote on April 4. This time around, however, at least as far as government officials are concerned, Clement notes that there are “fairly positive reactions from Congress,” despite Trump not seeking congressional approval. Trump ran a campaign based on the
notion of putting America first. Through his many speeches and press releases, he listed the dangers of globalization and the necessity to focus on domestic issues in the United States and not play the role of world police. This attack against the citizens in Syria, however, seems to have changed his perspective to a degree. He admitted that Assad’s bombing altered his view on the situation, and that the brutally murdered children had a serious impact on his decision. While this reaction is certainly understandable, it has opened up the question of America’s role in the region. Following several wars in the Middle East and an overwhelming desire to leave the region—something Obama made efforts towards—this move seems to have positioned the U.S. back at the forefront of rebel opposition in a highly unstable country. Despite claiming that the United States’ position in Syria remains unchanged, it is difficult to imagine that the United States will return to allow the Assad regime to carry out unfettered attacks. What is most surprising about these strikes is the public reaction. Even one of Trump’s most critical opponents have defended the action. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is constantly critiquing the admin-
istration. Yet, even Warren expressed the necessity for action after such an atrocity. However, she asked for a clear explanation from the administration about their plans in the region. The administration is now positioned in a very difficult place and presented with the first real foreign policy issue of the term. During the previous administration, the regime was criticized for its actions; however, no direct confrontation was taken against the regime. The strike also highlights the lack of unified foreign policy in the current administration. While many agree with the strike—for the time being at least—the administration has yet to develop a coherent and public policy towards both our allies and enemies. It was easy for President Trump to ridicule our countries foreign policy while he was campaigning, but it is now his administration and his decisions that will shape the U.S. relations with other countries for years to come. Going forward, the administration will have to decide whether to stand by their “America First” approach and leave the Syrian civil war alone or actively participate in the civil war. While not criticizing the actual strike, many are wary of the implications from this decision.
Lifestyle
April 26, 2017
11
Tuned to perfection
A Q&A with Daisy Abrams '19 FRANKI RUDNESKY ’18 Assistant Lifestyle Editor
cool, so people are so nice, especially here at St. Joe’s. People are so supportive.
Daisy Abrams, ’19, a music major from Los Angeles recently released an EP entitled “Stay Open.” The EP includes five original songs written and performed by Abrams: “Hypothetical,” “Inevitable,” “Beautiful Distractions,” “Daydreaming,” and “Outer Space.” I had the chance to meet up with Abrams and chat about her inspiration, her songwriting process and where she sees herself in the future.
FR: What would be your ultimate goal, like where do you see yourself in the future? DA: Anything where I could do this for a living is definitely the dream. You know, I’d love to go on tour, I’d love to perform at music festivals and continue to record. Obviously it’d be great to be able to record without having to put in the money myself, like it would be nice if that could be taken care of. To be able to do it for a living, as a career, is where I see it. I don’t really care how successful I am, just as long as it’s a comfortable lifestyle that would be nice.
Franki Rudnesky: What made you decide to come to SJU? Daisy Abrams: I knew I always wanted to go on the east coast, just because I wanted something different. And my sister ended up kind of randomly going to St. Joe’s, and she now lives in Philadelphia so it was an easy transition to go far away because of being near her. FR: When did you first have the idea to release an EP? DA: I’ve been writing music since probably high school, which is when I really got into it. So as soon as I had a body of work I was like ‘it makes sense to release it,’ so I went to a studio in Los Angeles years ago, and it just wasn’t good. I liked the songs but I just felt like I wasn’t ready to go forward with it. But after writing years after, I knew last summer that I wanted to release this certain EP. FR: Once you had the idea for the EP, how did it make its way all the way to production?
Daisy Abrams, '19, aims to become a recording artist in the future (Photo courtesy of Daisy Abrams).
DA: So first I was just dealing with the songs, picking out of all my originals, which ones fit together and which ones I wanted to be my first ever. So first I decided that, decided the title, decided what I wanted the cover to be and then I went forward and I recorded the songs here in Philadelphia at a studio that’s called Milkboy Studios in Center City. And I recorded everything in one day: piano, vocals, ukelele. I was gonna just release it like that, just basic, and then I was like you know, these songs are really special to me and I felt like they didn’t have enough substance as it was. So my friends from L.A., Lexi Sorrentino and John J. Fox, they are musicians and producers, added the production. So if you hear the cellos and the little things here and there, that’s all them. FR: So, how would you describe your songwriting process? What is that like? DA: It definitely varies. Sometimes I’m in such a flow and it can take minutes like
start to finish to write the song and that’s obviously the best when that happens; the song kinda writes itself. But other times it takes a little work, like I’ll really wanna sit down and write something and I can’t come up with anything. FR: How are you feeling about releasing your EP? DA: It’s definitely really satisfying just because I’ve been talking about this EP for a while and to have something to show for it is really nice. So I’m definitely relieved that I can check it off. I am proud of it; I’m really happy with how it turned out. FR: And what has the response been like? DA: People are so nice, it’s overwhelming just how kind people are. I’ll pass by people and they’ll be like ‘Oh I listened to it,’ and it’s like as much as it means the world, I didn’t really expect that. That was really
FR: So I just really have one more question overall - I was just wondering if you have any advice for students who want to release music, but maybe they’re nervous? DA: I would say definitely put your fears aside. It’s just a thought at one point, but then you can just take the little steps, like writing down what you’re envisioning, what you’re hearing, and what you want it to be like, and just go from there. I think really people let their beliefs stop them. So I think that if people wanna release an EP just go ahead and do the little things and you’ll get there, for sure. FR: That’s so cool. And then did you have anything else you wanted to say? DA: Just, “Stay Open,” which is the name of it [the EP]. Stay open, guys. “Stay Open” is now available on Spotify, iTunes and BandCamp.
Laughing yourself silly
A first-timer goes to Philly Sketchfest ROSE WELDON ’19 Lifestyle Editor The Ruba Club is a cabaret in a brownstone located on Green Street in Center City. It’s the kind of swanky place where one can imagine taking in a drink with some flappers or gangsters. There’s an array of questionable decorations adorning its walls, from a mounted deer’s head that looks straight out of an album cover to a framed picture of Albert Einstein, complete with an explanation of the theory of relativity. But I wasn’t there to hear a Willie Nelson cover band or a lecture on physics, though the space has done both. Rather, I had arrived to see the third night of the 9th Annual Philly Sketchfest. With 35 performers scheduled across four nights in three different venues, Sketchfest is made for fans of “Saturday Night Live” and other sketch comedy shows, and is one of several events that make up the blossoming comedy scene in Philadelphia. From April 20-23, patrons could buy tickets for one of three performances per night, with each featuring three different troupes acting out their sketches. I attended the 8:30 p.m. performance on April 22. I’ll admit that I’m a comedy snob. Sure, I like “SNL” and “Key and Peele” as much as the next person, but my true love belongs to more esoteric programs, like “The Kids
in the Hall,” “Upright Citizens Brigade” and the grandfather of them all, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” My mind recalled these sketches as the master of ceremonies announced, “And now, Rock Bottom University!” What could these groups do that I haven’t seen before? As this thought ran through my head, one of the comedians ran out onstage with his bare posterior exposed and googly eyes placed on each, um, cheek. “I transfigured my head into a butt!” he screamed at the audience, who replied with shocked applause. Well, I thought as the performer shoved an unlit cigarette into his rear. That knocked me off my high horse. Well played, Rock Bottom U. The night continued with the aptly-named Philadelphia-based duo “Jon and Ian Have Something to Tell You.” Two guys in khakis reenacted movie scenes. All right, I haven’t seen that before (usually it’s guys in jeans). They riffed on “The Purge” and “Flight,” and I felt myself laugh more and more. I love a good parody, and this was prime content. In between performers, I asked Josh Higham, a volunteer at the front of the Ruba Club, how long he had been volunteering. “It’s my second year,” Higham said. “I have a podcast called ‘My First Sketch,’ and we got to perform this year. We talk about the first sketches we wrote, if they were ac-
The stage at the Ruba Club, where part of Philly Sketchfest was shown (Photo by Rose Weldon, '19).
cepted or not. It’s a lot of fun.” The last performer was Thunderstood, a one-man show by comedian A.J. Schraeder. Schraeder utilized the venue’s screen to present a bit about mixing up texts. His last portion was about a young boy looking for his father in a “Where’s Waldo” picture. He approached the audience and pointed at each member. “Not my dad,” he said. “Not my dad, also not my dad.” When he had gone through all the rows, Schraeder stood up and frowned. “My dad
never comes to my shows.” The club erupted in simultaneous laughter and applause, and Schraeder took a bow. As I called my Uber, I thought back to Wick and his podcast. If I were on it, I wouldn’t have anything to talk about, as I really hadn’t written a full-on “sketch.” When I got home, I opened up Microsoft Word on my laptop. Feeling inspired by the night's events, I titled a new document: “My First Sketch.”
Lifestyle
April 26, 2017
12
Giving the power to the people Polling out and giving up MAGGIE MCHALE ’17 Hawk Staff I was slowly and surely falling asleep, yet I had to brush my teeth. I felt much too comfortable to move. This was a conundrum. Eventually, I just let it happen. I fell asleep—without brushing my teeth. That’s what the people on Twitter told me to do. For some reason (or no reason at all—I can’t decide), I had opted to give full power over my life to a couple of hundred usernames on the Internet, people who occasionally enjoyed my semi-funny anecdotal quips about my semi-funny life and my retweets about food, dogs or music. I did this by way of Twitter polls, a crowd-sourcing feature that Twitter introduced in late 2015. I posted any time I was stuck on something and couldn’t decide for myself. I had first experimented with this polling idea back in October when I struggled to figure out which Halloween costume I wanted to wear for my house’s annual party. I posted my Twitter poll and, 24 hours later, the subsequent result,Tina Belcher from “Bob’s Burgers,” won by just a single vote. For a while, a picture of me in my costume was my most-liked photo on Instagram. So, thanks, Internet; I relished a brief moment of fleeting personage. This time, I decided to push the idea to the next level, using Twitter polls to help me make decisions that spanned everything from daily mundanity to potential future permanence. I was going to give the power to the people—and the polls. What should I eat for lunch? Pizza. What beer should I drink at this gig? A new one that I’d never tried.
Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.
Is the fact that I’ve applied for roughly 70 post-grad jobs not enough, or too many? Keep going, [it’s] not too many. Admittedly, my Twitter feed reflects my desire for action and reaction. I tend to view my life as one big joke, and I’m the comedian. I want everyone to be in on the punch line. In that same vein, however, I often think very seriously about the responses I can receive on my pages. If my tweet does not receive, at the very minimum, four likes or responses, then I will almost always delete it. It’s a sad Millennial truth—I want people to want me, and I want them to want my content. Phyllis Anastasio, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, said that psychologists refer to this as the “spotlight effect.” “[It] refers to how much we think others are looking at us and judging us,” Anastasio explained. “We think we are much more noticeable, and hence judged more often, than
we actually are.” Only a tenth of my roughly 630 followers responded to each of my polls. My most popular poll asked where I should be applying for jobs after graduation. Even then, only 59 people replied. Twitter polls seem to be a fascinating exercise in attention-seeking (something at which I am fairly adequate) and decision-making (something at which I am sufficiently inadequate). In essence, you are capable of liberating yourself from the overwhelming burden of making pressing decisions such as what Halloween costume would be best or what should be on the menu for lunch. Yet, while Twitter polls allow for control over the questions and the responses, they did not control the final results. It is a well-ordered freedom. The result must be accepted because, after all, you brought it upon yourself. Like, for example, the way in which you get around for the day.
Perpetually hopscotching across campus one sunny afternoon, I was seriously questioning my life choices. It was quite a workout, and I was certainly receiving a few weird looks from passersby. But, I had to do it because my followers had voted for me to hopscotch rather than to walk with a limp, skip or walk as I normally do. In the month that I have given Twitter control over my choices, I have found myself thrown into similarly uncomfortable situations on more than one occasion . I did not, however, give up total authority over my day-to-day experiences and decisions. That seemed to be the middle ground that Bill Wolff, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication studies, explained to me was important when it comes to social media. What’s most critical, Wolff said, is “Whether or not you’re consciously thinking about why you’re doing these kinds of things.” Most days, I don’t know why I do anything, let alone why I post on social media. My go-with-the-flow attitude is both a blessing and curse. I am constantly seeking satisfaction, and if I don’t find it myself, I lean on others. Social media has magnified that tenfold. I asked Wolff for his opinion on my most popular poll question: Where should I work post-grad? I told him that Twitter wanted me to stay local, and Wolff laughed. He said he believed that my followers voted based on their own desire for security. As a matter of fact, Wolff disagreed with Twitter’s verdict. “You need to get out of here,” he told me. And so I applied to three jobs in Austin, Texas. Take that, Internet.
Feeling a buzz
Washing my hair with beer JACKIE MARONE ’17 Special to The Hawk CO N D
I was wondering what I should make for dinner after my marketing strategy class late on a Monday night when I quickly came back into focus. My instructor Bud Drago, adjunct professor of marketing, posed the class a question: “How many of you have drunk a beer in the shower?” All 30 of my classmates raised their hands. Drago went on to introduce Shower Beer as part of our weekly “what’s new in the market” discussion. Clearly, we had just proven that there is a target market for such a product. Shower Beer was created in Sweden by Fredrik Tunedael, founder of PangPang Brewery. The ale comes in a 6-ounce bottle and has 10 percent alcohol by volume content. It is meant to be consumed in three sips while standing in the shower before getting ready for a night out. But Shower Beer isn’t meant just to sip, it also doubles as a conditioning agent for your hair. You can sip the beer’s hoppy goodness in the shower, while sparing a swing to cleanse your locks. Right now, Shower Beer is only being
sold predominantly in the European market, but it’s possible to make your own DIY version using any of your favorite brews. Taking this as inspiration, I decided to wash my hair with beer for one week Before diving into my experiment, I made an appointment with a local hairdresser, Ashley Myers, of Salon L in Manayunk, Pa. to see if she had any knowledge of hair care with beer. Myers told me about a product that the salon sells called BRÖÖ, a beer infused shampoo and conditioner line that consists of proteins and B vitamins from malts and hops in beer that help repair damaged hair and increases volume. “The sugars in beer also tighten the hair’s cuticles for enhanced shine,” Myers said. BRÖÖ is also available at Target for $7.50 per 8-ounce tube. I opted instead for bottles of Leinenkugel Cranberry Ginger Shandy, which I already had in the fridge (I also thought they would smell better than Bud Light). From tips I had picked up watching several YouTube tutorials, I knew it wasn’t as simple as cracking open a beer in the show-
er and pouring it on my hair. I still needed to use a light shampoo before the beer rinse because the various ingredients in beer will just condition hair, not necessarily get rid of dirt and grease. I poured the beer into a pot and let it simmer on a low heat until all the carbonation was gone. This reduced the alcohol content, which could dry out my hair. I left a cup of flat beer in the shower all week next to my shampoo, so I had only to do this once. After lightly washing my hair, I poured the beer from roots to ends, massaging it in and then letting it sit for five minutes. After that, I rinsed it out. My biggest worry was that I would smell like a bar floor for upcoming job interviews. I also had graduation pictures and feared the beer would make my hair oily or dry. After just one wash, my hair felt lighter than it normally does after using a retail conditioner. Most surprisingly, I did not smell a hint of beer. As the days went on, I noticed that the beer wash added volume to the roots of my hair while also relaxing my normally curlyfrizz mess. A classmate complimented on
ITI O N E R
B O DY W A S H
Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.
the shine of my hair and asked if she could touch it after I told her of my experiment. It was a bit crazy, but the truth is, by the end of the week, my hair was at peak softness and shine. I asked Donovan Krebs, assistant brewer at Manayunk Brewing Company if this trend could catch on in the U.S., too. Krebs has been in the brewing industry for four years and after starting to tell him about my experiment, he cut me off. “Not only should you be rinsing your hair with beer, but you should also be washing your face with it as well,” he advised. Krebs went on to tell me how malts are a rich source of vitamin B. Plus, hops help with moisturizing. In fact, he said there are specific gels made from hops to ease itching and inflammation, as yeast is widely known for its antibiotic factors. Krebs said his own skin has improved once he began brewing professionally. I suppose it’s time to pick up some more beer. This deserves a few more experiments.
Lifesyle
April 26, 2017
The Glow Show ft. MAC MILLER The following will not be permitted: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Bags- No purses, book bags, etc Audio or video recording devices Alcohol Drugs Glass- no liquid may be brought into the venue Bottles- no liquid may be brought into the venue Containers Weapons of any kind Fireworks Large chains or spiked bracelets Silly string Laser Pens, Glow Necklaces, Glow Bracelets
• • • • • • •
Doors will OPEN at 7:45pm and CLOSE at 9:30pm- No Exceptions All guests must show printed e-ticket (phones will not work) Ladies may bring a wristlet no larger than a 5x7 notecard All guests must have wristband Only people with backstage passes are permitted backstage. NO RE-ENTRY NO ONE UNDER 18 ALLOWED IN THE VENUE
** STUDENTS AND/OR GUESTS WHO ARE VISIBLY UNDER THE INFLUENCE AND/OR DISRUPTIVE WILL BE ESCORTED OUT OF THE VENUE **
13
Lifestyle
April 26, 2017
14
Lights out
Saving on energy expenses while boosting productivity ASHLEY CAPPETTA ’17 Editor Emeritus
Before we became seniors, my friends and I decided to hop on the bandwagon and live in Manayunk. What we quickly learned is that living off campus is a huge responsibility (read: bills on bills on bills.) A decent chunk of the money we spend each month goes to our electric bill, specifically because of our light usage. I wondered if we could do anything to reduce our usage—and get that bill down. My first move was to call PECO to discuss options to cut light costs. A PECO representative recommended that I replace my traditional incandescent bulbs with energy-saving bulbs. That is a good plan, if I were a homeowner. For someone like me, though—a tenant with a yearlong lease—replacing my current bulbs would add another expense to my already tight budget. To break it down for you: It would cost me more than $63 to replace the bulbs in my room alone, let alone the rest of the house. So, what if we just, you know, turned off the lights? One of the main reasons our bill is so high is that we always keep our place illuminated. The downstairs light is rarely turned off, a conscious choice on our part because it offers a sense of security. My roommates and I are not alone in this theory. Mary Lockwood, ’17, a fellow Manayunk resident, told me she and her room-
mates feel safer when leaving their lights on, too—even if they’re burning through their electric bill in the process. “Living in Manayunk, we like to have at least leave one light on, especially at night, in case people are bustling around,” Lockwood said. “We usually leave one light on downstairs at all times even when we go out. This way, we feel safe.” Many experts advise people to switch lights on and off every now and then rather than keep them on constantly in order to signal to the outside that there are people in the house. While that would also signal to my electric bill to settle down and stop taking my money, I’m not sure I could convince my roommates. So I decided to look long and hard at another culprit: the one who is terrified of the dark and leaves her lights on 24/7--me. My fear is costly. I don’t sleep well because of my light dependence, I’m worsening my productivity levels by stressing my eyesight with those artificial hues, and—my biggest complaint—I’m running up the electric bill. What if I showed those light bulbs who’s boss by leaving them off altogether? In preparation for such a momentous event, I met with Jodi Mindell, Ph.D., professor of psychology and a clinical psychologist specializing in pediatric sleep medicine. If I was going to try to lower my bill while simultaneously learning how to sleep in the
unplugged Graphics by Kelly Smith ’19.
dark, I needed help from an expert. “What we know is that light—any kind of light—suppresses melatonin,” Mindell told me. “Melatonin is our sleep hormone. So, light goes to the eyes, then goes to the pineal gland, then suppresses melatonin. What you want at night is dim light so that your melatonin will peak. In the morning, you want bright light so it suppresses your melatonin and gets you set for the day.” I read up on cost-effective options to achieve that “dim light” and learned that orange-tinted bulbs are best. That same day, I hopped over to Target to buy some. This option was much cheaper than what PECO recommended, coming to a total of only $12. While there I also bought a flashlight. I wasn’t kidding about that being-afraid-ofthe-dark thing. I picked up several candles as well to use as a back-up light source. I gave my dad, Anthony Cappetta, a ring to check in with him about any safety concerns from burning candles for light. He’s a fire captain at our local firehouse in Marlton, New Jersey, so I knew he’d steer me in the right direction. His advice was not to exceed 10 candles (for fire hazard purposes) and to not burn the candles for longer than one hour (for ventilation concerns in my tiny room). Fast-forward to my first night without artificial light: I inserted my orange-tinted bulb into the flashlight and climbed the stairs. I had also hung battery-powered, orange-tinted bulbs from my ceiling. For you sticklers out there, this light usage is not technically breaking the rules; it isn’t using household electricity nor does it affect my eyes like a traditional incandescent bulb. Once I got to my room I proceeded to light candles and then surveyed my new space. My pupils enlarged to adjust to the dim light, and the hues didn’t put as much stress on my eyes as artificial lights usually did. And, another small perk, they offered just enough brightness that I was even able to read my book for class. It was peaceful. But, alas, the fairytale was over. It was time to face the ultimate fear—sleeping in the dark. For the experiment, I decided that when home, I would follow a strict no-usage rule for my laptop as laptops emit the exact kind of artificial light that I was keen on staying away from, but I did allow moderate phone usage. I used my iPhone to set my morning alarm, and I put on an old episode of “The Office” in the background for comfort. I placed my phone face down beneath my pillow and sank into bed. With the candles blown out and just a small orange light emitting from my flashlight, I felt like I was in my own personal hell. I lay still for about an hour and could not settle. After what felt like years of tossing and turning, eventually, tiredness won out. I shut off the flashlight and fell asleep.
When I woke up in the morning, I felt well rested. I recalled something Mindell told me about sleeping in complete darkness. “The darker it is, the more likely it is you’re going to have your natural melatonin cycles,” Mindell said. That morning I felt like a rockstar, and that feeling was absolutely connected to my night of sleep. “Sleep affects every aspect of functioning,” Mindell said. “It affects mood, it makes you cranky, makes you irritable. It affects your emotional regulation. It also affects cognition, so memory, decision-making, problem-solving.” I opened up my blinds and let the sunlight in. I know, I sound like a Disney princess, but stay with me here. Mindell said that using that bright natural light in the morning wakes up your system, suppressing your melatonin. Later that day in the library, my eyes struggled to adjust. The library’s fluorescent lights, paired with the light from my laptop and cell phone, actually irritated my eyes. Ironically, I used my laptop to Google why my eyes were taking so long to adjust. It turns out that the transition from darkness to artificial light requires a longer adjustment period, depending on your eyes’ sensitivity. Even after one day of little to no exposure to artificial light, it took longer than usual for my irises to shrink and for my pupils to contract, causing that irritation. As the week went on, I found that sleeping in the dark had its positive effects—well beyond the electric bill. By ridding my life of artificial light, I saw immediate improvement in many facets: my eyes adjusted quicker than usual to darkness, I slept in eight-hour cycles and woke up refreshed and my productivity levels were at a peak. As for my PECO bill, I am still waiting on the results. If my seven days spent living without artificial light didn’t change anything on that front, at least I learned how to sleep in the dark.
Lifestyle
April 26, 2017
15
Out of my trash
Getting rid of plastics for a week KATIE WHITE ’17 Editor Emeritus Like a lot of people, I’ve made some well-intentioned attempts to eliminate plastic from my life. I carry a reusable water bottle and Thermos. I always bring my own bags when I grocery shop. At some point I even started making tiny, drop-in-the-bucket choices like saying no to plastic straws in restaurants and occasionally foregoing the plastic lids on take-out cups. Efforts like these have been enough to appease a guilty conscience for some time. But while I’ve found validation knowing that my personal plastic consumption could be a whole lot worse, convenience still often wins out over responsibility, even though I know better. I recently decided to follow through on my half-ventures into eco-friendliness. So after one last cup of coffee from my Keurig, I put the K-cups away and bravely embarked on a week without plastic, starting with the biggest culprit in the world of plastic waste: single-use disposables. According to Worldwatch Institute, an organization dedicated to global concerns, over 300 million metric tons of plastics are produced globally each year. Nearly half of this volume comes from products and packaging that are discarded within a year of their purchase. Most of these materials end up in landfills and oceans. It didn’t take long to realize just how present single-use plastic is around me, from items in vending machines to containers and utensils in dining halls. When lunchtime rolled around the first day of my challenge, I was hard-pressed to find a single item in the POD not individually-wrapped or otherwise encased in plastic, aside from a banana and a canned energy drink. SJU Green Fund, which sponsors campus-wide projects related to environmental sustainability, has addressed plastic consumption and disposal at Saint Joseph’s
University. One of the organization’s recent endeavors sought to limit the university’s demand for single-use plastics. “The water bottle filling stations are our way to taking control of our carbon footprint here at SJU,” said Thomas Pearsall, ’17, a Green Fund executive board member. “We wanted to provide a way for people to be able to refill their water bottles at places other than the dining hall and have the water more filtered than with water fountains.” These efforts have already been successful at reducing the campus’s reliance on disposable plastics, according to Pearsall. “What is so cool about these stations is that it actually tracks our progress in how many water bottles have been kept from landfills by simply refilling it, whether it be plastic or not,” Pearsall said. “This impact has been huge, as the counters have all run very high, but they reset themselves at times, so it’s difficult to know the exact numbers or even give a guess.” I managed to steer clear of plastic bottles and other disposable items during the week, in part thanks to these water stations. But as time went on I couldn’t help but notice that the amount of total trash I produced wasn’t exactly lessening. I seemed to be mostly trading in one type of waste for another—a Styrofoam cup for a paper one; a plastic-bagged treat for one wrapped in foil. I felt like I was cheating, or at least that I’d found some counterproductive loophole in my environmentally-friendly mission. “It really depends on what you are switching to,” said Jonathan Fingerut, Ph.D, associate professor of biology and director of the environmental science program. “If you switch to things that are reusable, like silverware, then the total footprint can be greatly reduced.” Even if my changes this week were positive ones, there were still a disheartening number of plastic items I hadn’t cut out of my life. My reusable water bottle, useful as
it is, is made from plastic. So is the pitcher I use to fill it. I asked Fingerut if my limited efforts could ever be good enough. “It’s a small drop,” Fingerut said. “You using disposable cutlery by itself is not doing a huge amount of damage to the environment, but an entire school doing it can start to add up. If you can be an example for others, then in aggregate there can be a big impact.” I discovered that such small changes don’t need to be a huge interruption to daily life I discovered. In fact, I was surprised by just how little I struggled to carry on normally during my seven days of plastic-free living. The only roadblocks that arose occurred when doing something outside of my normal routine, like in avoiding plastic plates and utensils at Bridging The Gap’s Taste of The World event—a problem I eventually solved with the help of wooden chopsticks, paper napkins and determination. Making the jump from an awareness of eco-friendly habits to changed behavior is
not always so straightforward, though, according to Pearsall. “We are making strides towards reducing consumption with our water bottle refilling stations,” Pearsall said. “but it takes a large amount of time.” In my own experiment too, it’s clear that my efforts to pursue a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle have only just scratched the surface. But by continuing to chip away at my ecological footprint in these small ways, I can still feed into a culture of people who are increasingly more intentional about what they buy, consume and throw away. SJU Green Fund’s ultimate goal of eliminating the sale of disposable single-use plastics on campus—its next big project— stems from a similar mindset. “In order to reduce consumption,we need to first change the culture of consumption and educate people about the impact of consumption practices,” Pearsall said.
Signing off the Survival Guide
Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson, '20.
Making the most of one’s time on Hawk Hill CIARRA BIANCULLI ‘17 Editor Emeritus
I started writing this column last year because I love school and everything about it. I love going to class, learning new things, meeting different people, sitting in the library and spending my time at various meetings or events around campus with different organizations. Since I am a person who wants to spend the rest of her life inside the classroom as a teacher, this is where I have found the most happiness. Even though my love for school was apparent since I was a little girl, it wasn’t until I stepped foot onto Hawk Hill that I
knew how strong this love truly was. As I reflect on my years here as a senior who is getting ready to embrace the real world, I’d like to leave some words of advice (one last time) in the hopes that underclassmen will embrace their time left here on Hawk Hill. 1. Schoolwork should always come first. When this mindset is established, it becomes so much more bearable to wake up, go to class, sit through a lecture and then later sit through hours of homework and studying later. 2. Go to Mad River Thursday (MRT) as much as possible. If you haven’t noticed, MRT comes at the best time of the week. By Thursday, I am completely exhausted and just want to dance with my friends.
Graphic by Krista Jaworski, '17.
3. Getting involved on campus will only enhance your college experience. It is the most redundant, yet important, piece of advice that everyone will give you. Find your home on campus and let it consume you. I’ve been lucky enough to find my home in orga-
nizations such as PSP and The Hawk, and also through campus ministry retreats and experiences (I’ll always love you, APEX). 4. Surround yourself with good people and even better friends. If you are in a toxic relationship or friendship, let it go and move on. College is short and your time should not be spent with those who do not support you, care for you or make you laugh until you cry. 5. Furthermore, the friends you meet here are so special. College is so pivotal for young adults: it challenges us, changes us, motivates us and our people who stick besides us through all of this are the people who should be in our lives forever. Besides, there is no one else who will understand the struggle of searching for a table at Club Lib. Don’t ever let them go. 6. Fall in love with yourself. I can’t stress enough how important this is. These four years are a roller coaster ride. You will find and lose friends, you will get in and out of relationships, you will make good decisions
mixed with some bad ones. But please, do not be hard on yourself. Practice self love and take care of your mind. You can do this by reflecting on your days more often to highlight what brought you happiness, what impacted you or what made you smile. Meditate, go on walks, try a new coffee shop, journal on Sweeney Field on a sunny day. Do whatever brings you happiness and peace of mind. Self care is key to maintaining a positive attitude while bringing good vibes – both of which will shape your time here on Hawk Hill. Embrace your time and take full advantage of all the opportunities this place has to offer. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to attend this beautiful university, to meet all of the wonderful people that I’ve come to love, and to grow as a better person. I am especially grateful for all of my readers who put up with my love of school over the past couple years. Although these four years have flown by, I am glad that I got to watch them fly at St. Joe’s.
16
Sports
April 26, 2017
Rise and shine
The benefits of completing an early morning workout ABBY PANETTA ’17 Special to the Hawk My alarm clock pulled me from a peaceful slumber at 6 a.m. on a Monday morning. Voluntarily doing physical activity in 30-degree mid-April weather almost two hours before I usually get up seemed borderline insane.I told myself to push through, knowing that I would have one less thing to worry about in the busy day ahead. Like many college students, trying to squeeze exercise into my school, work and social schedules gets difficult. So, for one week, I decided to try an early morning workout. The first day, I opted for a run. After loosening up, I was able to keep a steady pace and managed to do three to four miles, about what I generally run later in the day. As the week went on, I continued to start my mornings with a workout, alternating between running, hot yoga and a spin class. With each morning came more ease. My body was beginning to adjust. Experimenting with different types of workouts allowed me to test what my body could handle that early in the morning and how it would affect my energy level and productivity for the rest of my day. Jessica Witzke, assistant athletic trainer for Saint Joseph’s University Athletics, explained that certain exercises and workouts in the morning are, in fact, more effective than others. Witzke recommends ear-
ly-morning high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. “The calorie burn from a HIIT workout will last thought the day,” Witzke said. “For a shorter duration HIIT workout, say, 20 minutes of sprint intervals, the calorie burn will stay elevated throughout the next several hours rather than a normal steadystate cardio workout.” In addition to the fitness benefits, Gabriela Proietti, ’18, said that she believes that morning workouts allows us to make the most of our day. Proietti starts off every morning with cardio interval workouts or spin classes to get energized and clear her mind. Getting to the gym by 6:30 a.m. gives her enough time to get in a full workout without having to cut it short. “When I get my workout done in the morning, I don’t find myself struggling to get through it later after a long day at school or work,” Proietti said. “By setting aside time in the morning, I avoid cutting my workouts short as I do late in the day when I am more limited on time and when the gym gets much more crowded.” I also liked getting a jump start on my day. With one less thing on my mind, I found that working out in the morning allowed me to dedicate more time and focus to my work, internship and job applications.
In addition to increasing my productivity, I also discovered that my eating habits improved during the week. When I work out in the evening, I tend to justify eating more, and sometimes worse, throughout the day by convincing myself that I will push harder at the gym later (that rarely happens). Starting off my days with fitness encouraged me to keep the ball rolling throughout the day. I felt inclined to eat more balanced and nutritional meals. Brian Bingaman, director of strength and conditioning for St. Joe’s Athletics, confirmed that an early morning routine helps build momentum throughout the day in order to help you reach your ultimate health goals. “From a fitness standpoint, getting up and training in the morning with either strength or cardio helps to jumpstart your metabolism for burning calories,” Bingaman said. “Additionally, the endorphins that are released during exercise will help put you in a good mood.” The benefits don’t stop there, according to Ben Steenrod, head strength and conditioning coach for St. Joe’s Athletics.
“Early exercise is shown to help improve focus and energy throughout the day, helping you to be more productive and think clearer,” Steenrod said. “These benefits maintain throughout the day and help the individual feel less stressed.” That’s all the more reason to motivate this graduating senior out of bed for an early morning workout.
Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.
Hawk fun fact
Senior tennis player Kyle Chalmers tied the record for career singles victories at 73 on April 23. he will have the opportunity to break the record during the Atlantic 10 championships on April 26. Data courtesy of SJU Athletics (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).
Sports
April 26, 2017
17
Walk it off
Baseball wins series with two clutch at-bats NICK MANDARANO ’18 Sports Editor The Saint Joseph’s University baseball team carried a four-game losing streak into their weekend series against the Richmond University Spiders from April 21-23. The Hawks began the series with a 10-2 loss. Richmond struck immediately, scoring four runs before even the second out of the game was recorded. Graduate student Tim Ponto struggled on the mound for St. Joe’s. He tossed one inning and allowed six runs on five hits. Freshman Jordan DiValerio threw four innings of one-run ball and senior Matt Morella pitched a shutout inning in the eighth. Unfortunately, the Spiders did string together 13 hits and 10 runs, seven of which came in the first two innings. For the Hawks, junior Marc Giacalone and senior Peter Sitaras each contributed with two hits. Sitaras led off the seventh inning with a solo home run for one of the Hawks’ two runs. The other came when freshman Kadar Namey scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. Game two was postponed until April 23 due to inclement weather, so the Hawks and the Spiders would face off in a double header to close the series. Sophomore Tim Brennan started the second game for St. Joe’s, pitching a gem of a game. He went eight innings allowing just five hits, one run and no walks while striking out four. Unfortunately, he was without much run support. The Spiders’ only run came in the second inning, but the Hawks were able to quickly answer in the third. Sitaras led the inning off
with a walk and proceeded to steal second base. Junior Matt Maul singled, allowing Sitaras to score and tie the game at 1-1. Upon Brennan’s exit, the game was still tied at one run apiece. Senior Zach DeVincenzo entered to pitch the ninth inning and retired each of the three batters he faced by way of fly balls. In the bottom of the ninth, St. Joe’s needed just one run to score. Sophomore Charlie Concannon singled to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from senior Brian Lau. Freshman Tim Johnson came on to pinch-run for Concannon. Then, with two outs, Giacalone singled up the middle to score Johnson and win the game for the Hawks by a score of 2-1. “It was bottom nine, down by one,” Giacalone said. “I was focused on just putting the ball in play, just trying to make the defense either mess up or make an unforced error on their part. The guy [Richmond pitcher Jonathan De Marte] threw a fastball down the middle and [I] just forced it right back up through the middle. Off the bat, I knew it was getting through and I had a real good feeling that Tim Johnson was coming from second and scoring right away.” The rubber match began about a half hour after the conclusion of game two. Junior Justin Aungst was on the mound to start for St. Joe’s. He finished five full innings, giving up four hits and no runs. Sophomore Lucas Rollins, who was originally scheduled to pitch in game one prior to the early deficit, closed the final four innings for the Hawks and allowed three hits and no runs.
St. Joe’s scored the first and only run of the game in the bottom of the seventh. Sitaras pulled a ball in the air down the right field line that just stayed fair for a home run. “I had a pretty good feeling,” Sitaras said. “I got really fortunate. I think the wind really helped keeping it fair. The fact that our pitchers kept us in the game when we had two hits until that point and scored just one run the whole game is pretty impressive. It was a good win.” Despite scoring just one run on three hits, the Hawks were able to hang on for a 1-0 victory thanks to stellar pitching from Aungst and Rollins. “We’ve pitched well,” said Head Coach
Fritz Hamburg. “I’ve been very pleased with the way we’ve pitched in the weekends. Our numbers, our team ERA. This was a huge day just to give us a leg to stay in the race for the A-10 tournament. We really needed today to stay in it.” St. Joe’s will travel to Atlantic 10 leader Virginia Commonwealth University on April 28 for a three-game series. “We go to VCU next weekend,” Hamburg said. “They’re playing well. They’re a real good ball club. They pitch really well, so I expect the series to be very similar to what it’s been the last couple weekends.” .
Senior Peter Sitaras rounds third base following a home run (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).
The final serves
Tennis winds down regular season and prepares for A-10’s ALEX KARPINSKI ’20 Hawk Staff The Saint Joseph’s University men’s and women’s tennis teams wrapped up their respective regular seasons this week. The women went on the road to face Villanova University and suffered a disappointing 1-6 loss on April 20. The men finished their season on a high note, handing out decisive 7-0 defeats to both Rider University and Saint Peter’s University on April 23. A 1-6 loss was a fitting end to a somewhat disappointing season for the women’s team. A lack of depth on the roster, according to Head Coach Ian Crookenden, made this season particularly difficult for the Hawks. “We had a thin year this year,” Crookenden said. “We didn’t have a lot of depth like we might have had in the past. If somebody wasn’t playing well there wasn’t anybody to pick up the slack.” Although this season was disappointing, the future looks bright, because this problem will soon change according to Crookenden. The team will add new recruits next year, which will provide much needed support for the years to come. “It’s a sizable class, at least five right now,” Crookenden said. “We will be a young team next year, the incoming talent will be on a comparable level to what’s leaving [five seniors], but with experience and a future ahead of them.” The men’s team bounced back after losing their previous match to Villanova, cruising to two victories over the weekend. The
Hawks defeated Rider and Saint Peter’s 7-0 apiece, not losing a single set. Crookenden was very happy with the results and all around good performances from every member of the team. “It was a very good homestand,” Crookenden said. “We were pretty consistent across the board and we used everyone on the squad at some point during the day and everybody had a win. That’s very positive for us going into the conference championship.” The Atlantic 10 Conference championship begins on April 26 and Crookenden has nothing but confidence in the team going forward. “We are playing with a poise and confidence that is coming at the right time of the season,” he said. “We’ve had some tough matches and some disappointments, but we’re going in at the end of the season at a high note and I think it will carry over.” Although the team won, the match was bittersweet. It marked the final time senior captain Kyle Chalmers would play an official match at St. Joe’s. Chalmers won both of his final home matches, the latter being his 73rd victory. This win tied him for most career singles wins of all time at St. Joe’s and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest tennis players to set foot on Hawk Hill. Crookenden not only praised Chalmers on court play, but spoke extensively about the leadership and competitiveness he brought to every match.
“He has always been a leader and an individual that maximizes every opportunity,” Crookenden said. “His competitive spirit is magnificent, and I think he’s in the record books at St. Joe’s, as he deserves to be.” Chalmers is not just an exceptional tennis player, he is also an exceptional leader, according to Crookenden. “He has led by example,” Crookenden said. “He is not a leader from behind. He’s not a pusher. He’s a leader that is out in front and says come with me and do it this way. He keeps pitching in and showing everybody that nobody is too big or too important not to do the little things.” Though Chalmers never saw himself being in this position as one of the most decorated tennis players of all time at this program, he takes pride in his accomplishments. “I just like playing tennis,” Chalmers said. “The goal was to just win as many matches as possible and to have fun doing it. I wanted to enjoy the team experience and live in the moment because I only get four years of collegiate level tennis.” Chalmers is most proud of being captain of the tennis team and always putting forth his best effort. “Being able to lead the tennis team is my proudest achievement,” he said. “Knowing that whatever I did, whether athletic, academic, or something else, that I gave it 100 percent. I’m going to graduate with no regrets, which is pretty cool. I’ve made the
most out of my time here [at St. Joe’s].” Chalmers’ leadership and talent will be missed next season, as the program and school says goodbye to one of its best players. He now has 73 career singles victories, which ties Antonio Aniello, ’09, for the school record, according to SJU Athletics. The men’s and women’s teams will travel to Orlando on April 26 to compete in the A-10 championships, and Chalmers will have an opportunity to gain sole possession of the all-time singles victory record at St. Joe’s.
Senior Valentijn van Erven prepares to serve (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).
18
Sports
April 26, 2017
The last lap
Track and field prepares for three big upcoming meets ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Assistant Sports Editor
It was a weekend of battling the elements for the Saint Joseph’s University men’s and women’s track teams. Both competed in the Widener Invitational and the Larry Ellis Invitational held at Princeton University on April 21 and 22. Poor weather conditions made it difficult for runners to compete at their best level. “This weekend was tough, because the weather was not cooperating for fast times,” remarked women’s Head Coach Melody O’Reilly. “However, we did have some good performances within the team.” At the Widener Invitational, the women’s 4x400 meter relay took first place overall, with freshman Karley Hess, freshman Tamar Bourdeau, senior Ashley Gerald and junior Alex Edger running. Sophomore Lucy Harmon earned the bronze in the 1500 meter run, where she was in a field of 93 competitors and classmate Erin McGuire also received third place in the 10,000 meter run. Another sophomore, Bridget McNierney, raced her way to a fourth place finish in the 400 meter hurdles. About an hour later, more Hawks competed in Princeton. The Larry Ellis Invitational held three ECAC qualifying performances for the women’s team. Junior Claudine Andre took the silver in the high
jump, senior Dannah Hayward earned fourth in the 400 meter hurdles and the women’s 4x100 relay placed fifth to earn spots at the ECAC’s at the end of the season. “It’s a huge goal for everyone to achieve ECAC qualification,” O’Reilly said. “It’s great for the team, and it keeps letting them know that they’re ready to run well.” The 4x100 relay aforementioned consisted of freshman Aliyah Stokes, freshman Caroline Duffy, sophomore Kelly Liebl and sophomore Nathaniela Bourdeau, who missed the school record in this event by tenths of a second. The men’s team had success as well, bringing home four wins and seven IC4A qualifiers from the weekend. Head Coach Mike Glavin places a lot of importance on these qualifying times. “As far as getting those qualifiers, that’s the benchmark we use as far as extending your season in championships,” Glavin said. Senior Torey Doaty, who has already qualified for the IC4A’s, led the way for the Hawks, earning second place in the 400 meter hurdles and anchoring the winning 4x400 meter relay. Junior David Henderson, senior Eddison Gulama and junior Barren McCoy joined Doaty in the IC4A qualifying relay. St. Joe’s success spread to Widener, where
Daiki Hibachi & Sushi
freshman Zach Michon struck gold in the 1500 meter, sophomore Shawn Hutchinson was first in the 10,000 meter and sophomore Tommy Higley claimed the title in the 3000 meter. Michon earned a season best time while competing against 104 other runners. “He [Michon] had to take the lead earlier than what he might’ve wanted,” Glavin said. “He had to worry about pace and leading, but he held off everyone who wanted to kick him out and won it.” Sophomore Alec Arena placed second in the high jump, earning a personal record of 1.90 meters, and freshman Josh Clark took fourth place in his first 5,000 meter race. The next challenge for the men’s and women’s squads proves to be a great one, as they look to compete in the Penn Relays April 27-29. The Penn Relays are a longstanding tradition of the sport that began in 1895 at the University of Pennsylvania. This meet boasts some of the best competition in the United States, featuring colleges from coast to coast and from almost all conferences. The Penn Relays will take place just a week before the Hawks hope to impress at the A-10 championships on May 5-7. “Competition is always pretty stiff,” Glavin said. “However, the Penn Relays are more for fun and brag-
ging rights, while the A-10 championship are where you get to claim whether you’re a conference champion or not.” The Hawks will put their seasons to the final test at the ECAC’s and IC4A’s on May 1214 at Princeton University, where some athletes will hope to extend their seasons even further into the NCAA top 48 in the East. .
Barron McCoy races at the Colonial Relays on April 1 (Photo by Dylan Eddnger '19).
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Sports
April 26, 2017
19
Battle of the best
Softball competes for top seed in conference ALLEN SMITH ’19 Hawk Staff The Saint Joseph’s University softball team took on the University of Massachusetts Minutemen on April 22 and 23, to determine the top team in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Hawks were in first place while UMass was in second going into the games over the weekend. The series was going to be a tough one for both teams. “I think that as long as we respond well and work hard at practice that when we move forward and play our next game that as long as we bring our stuff, we will be fine,” said sophomore pitcher Ashley Ventura after their second loss on Sunday. “We have to keep working hard and chucking along at everyone that steps on our field, give it the best we have, and we will be fine.” Game one started on April 22 with Ventura on the mound for the Hawks. The game was scoreless up until the top of the third inning. UMass was able to take advantage of runners in scoring position and score the game’s first and only run on an RBI single. The Hawks came up to bat looking to take the lead. Unfortunately for them, they would have to wait to even the score. The game went into a rain delay and was resumed on April 23. They battled in their first game the following day, but could not get anything going.
The Hawks were only able to get two hits after the rain delay and were not able to get on base, leaving the victory to UMass at 1-0. Both teams went back to their dugouts for a brief break before the start of the second game. Ventura was back on the mound for her team. The Hawks were looking to break the tie for first place with UMass. Things did not start out well for the Hawks. In the top of the first inning, Ven-
tura let up a two run home run. The Hawks went down, but did not give up. St. Joe’s kept getting hits and advancing the runners, but they could not bring anyone home. They left runners in scoring position multiple times with one out in the inning. The game remained 2-0 until the top of the sixth inning. UMass added more insurance runs and were able to capitalize on an error by the Hawks to score another run.
St. Joe’s went into the bottom of the sixth trying to take the lead. They were able to get runners aboard, and through a stolen base and some hits, were able to score one run. “Adjusting to the pitcher and umpire and making faster adjustments are why [the Hawks] struggled so much,” Ventura said. St. Joe’s had another opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the seventh. Unfortunately, the Hawks could not rally and fell to UMass. “I think today we got stumbled up with their pitching,” said assistant coach Brooke Darreff. “She [Ventura] threw two really good games.” The Hawks did make some great defensive plays during the game, but they were not enough to keep UMass from winning. “Mostly minor adjustments need to be made, and these two game dictated our offense,” Darrief said about the future. She also thinks that facing the UMass pitcher so often will prepare the team for success in the playoffs. The final score was 3-1, UMass, with Ventura receiving a loss for this game. The Hawks’ next game is against conference rival La Salle University on April 26.
Sophomore Ashley Ventura throws a pitch against Massachussetts University (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).
Race for the Schuylkill
Philadelphia crew teams compete ALEX MARK ’20 Hawk Staff Fighting a slight water current and tailwind, the Saint Joseph’s University rowing teams faced off against Drexel University, Temple University, Villanova University, Philadelphia University and LaSalle University in the Bergen (men’s) and Kelly (women’s) Cup races on April 22. “It’s exciting to be part of the great Philadelphia collegiate racing that is represented by the Bergen and Kelly Cups,” said Head Coach Mike Irwin. The men’s victorious Varsity 8 boat, which clocked in at 5:39.9 (just 0.2 seconds before Drexel), contained senior coxswain Caroline Bird, senior Matt Ladd, senior Keenan Perry, junior Garren Best, freshman Slam Dunkley, senior Dave Wong, sophomore Riley McGwin, junior Thomson Rymer and junior Claudio Recchilungo. “It has been too long since we have had enough team speed to be a larger part of the conversation for this tradition,” said Irwin. “And it is fun to be part of close, hard and fast races.” Another first-place win of 5:48.2 was accomplished by the men’s Second Varsity 8 boat, which contained junior coxswain Jennifer Reynolds, freshman Devin Swech, sophomore Joseph Sullivan, senior Matt Conlin, junior Andrew O’Connor, sophomore Jack Darling, freshman Kevin Lichtenfels, junior Eric Jones and sophomore James Hammerstedt.
Placing second in their race was the Third Varsity 8, consisting of sophomore coxswain Fiona Conway, sophomore Justin Aikens, junior Trevor Tuthill, sophomore Josh Bostrom, freshman Dave Gee, junior Rob McCollough, senior Matt Weiner and sophomore Nick O’Malley. The boat beat Temple by just four seconds with a time of 6:04.15. The men’s Freshmen 4 held coxswain Caroline Seelig, Joel Ridd, Eddie Blackburn, Tommy McGuane and Jansen Kachel. They placed second in their race at 6:54.8, four seconds behind Temple and five seconds ahead Villanova. “We have to keep growing if we want to get to the medals dock at the Dad Vail,” Irwin said.“We have more work to do and only three weeks left to prepare.” The women’s team showed their success over the weekend as well, with the Freshman 8, consisting of coxswain Shannon Mulgrew, Gabby Gorman, Demi Simms, Sam O’Connell, Maura Donnelly, Emma Schuettler, Kelsey Bellomia, Fiona McKee, and Kate LaCasse, scoring a Kelly Cup victory with a time of 6:58.39. “[The women’s team] had a solid day with our Freshman 8 continuing to have a dominant year and our other boats gaining speed as we move towards A-10’s,” according to women’s Head Coach Gerry Quinlan. The Women’s Varsity 4, including sophomore coxswain Caitlin Kennedy, junior Kerri
Roman, junior Rose Tavianini, sophomore Olivia Sullivan, and sophomore Fiona Devine, placed third in their race with a time of 7:25.16, 24.26 seconds ahead of Villanova. Varsity 8, placing fourth with a score of 6:45.58, consisted of freshman coxswain Gabby Argo, freshman Kiernan Loue, freshman Jen Raphaelson, junior Maria Biancaniello, freshman Isabella Haleski, junior Katherine Robb, freshman Allie Howell, junior Cailin McCully and sophomore Brianna Stone. Women’s Second Varsity 8, securing
a close third behind Drexel with a time of 6:49.06, consisted of sophomore coxswain Jess Crosby, junior Lauren Slattery, junior Natalie Simms, freshman Christine Porcaro, sophomore Sam Haines, junior Caroline Strauss, junior Alyssa Vanni, junior Dominique Milillo, and sophomore Cassie Francis. The men’s team will face Rutgers University next in New Brunswick, N.J. on April 29, while the women will take a weekend off to prepare to compete in the Atlantic 10 Championships in Pennsauken, N.J., on May 6.
Members of the crew team pose with their Bergen Cup trophy (Photo courtesy of Sideline Photos LLC).
20
Sports
April 26, 2017
Chasing a dream
Timmy Parks reflects on his time as the Hawk mascot ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Assistant Sports Editor We’ve all seen the Hawk running around campus or at a basketball game at some point during our Saint Joseph’s University career. However, it is rarely acknowledged that there is an actual person in that costume. Most people do not know that senior Timmy Parks proudly wears the mascot suit. The Hawk had a chance to talk with him about his time on the job. Alex Hargrave: How long have you been the hawk mascot? Timmy Parks: I took over as the Hawk at the end of my sophomore year. Brian Lafferty was a senior that year and I took over right around graduation, so it’s been two full years of being in the best position here on campus. AH: What events do you participate in as the mascot on campus? TP: I’m with the basketball team every day, not only as the Hawk for games, but also as a manager for practice. I don’t think people know as much about the other events as I do; I do weddings for St. Joe’s alumni who are getting married. Through admissions I help out with the open houses and Admitted Students Day. One of the cooler things we’ve done was the red envelope deliveries with the hawk hosts to go to the kids’ houses. I basically just do different events on campus where they need me. Charity events are big, like walks for Alzheimer’s and Autism at Citizens Bank Park. I’ll also be at the Philly Phanatic’s birthday party, which I’m looking forward to. AH: Can you explain the process of auditioning to be the Hawk? TP: They [SJU Athletics] want you to submit an essay about why you want to do it and what you think it represents. You also need a letter of recommendation from a staff member and to submit your resume. Once you do that, you submit it to the athletic director, Don DiJulia, and I had my interview with him and other members of athletics.
Basketball players mostly represent themselves more than the school. As the Hawk, whether you’re in the costume or not, all eyes are on you and you represent the school more than anything. That always stuck out to me. After interviewing with them, I was asked to interview with the men’s basketball Head Coach Phil Martelli, which was more one-on-one in his office. The Hawk [mascot] is representative of the university, but the major component is the basketball, so it’s important to have that relationship with him. AH: What made you want to become the Hawk mascot? TP: My dad graduated from St. Joe’s in 1985, so growing up I always came to basketball games and other events on campus. I always wanted to play my part with the basketball team, because I was such a huge fan. I remember going to the games in 2004 when they were in the elite eight [of the NCAA tournament]. I’ve always had a passion for St. Joe’s basketball. Growing up, I always thought I could be the Hawk one day, and now everything has come full circle. I feel like I’ve lived out a dream that I had from when I was a little kid and it’s so cool. I think people see the position as something prestigious, but for me, it was more about that 8 year-old kid that had that passion and exercising that now as a 21-year-old is amazing. AH: What’s your favorite part about being the Hawk? TP: I’ve had good memories on and off the court, but the basketball portion of it is just so cool, and for me, being able to basically be part of the program on a daily basis has been great. When I look back on my two years, it was a lot of time, but being there everyday around the team was so cool, and to travel and go to so many cool places has been great. While I’m not a basketball player, it’s nice to be part of it all. People who don’t know this school and how the program operates see
Timmy Parks waves to the crowd as the Hawk mascot (Photo courtesy of Timmy Parks ’17).
Timmy Parks poses in the Hawk mascot costume (Photo courtesy of SJU Athletics).
me as a cheerleader or mascot separate from the team, but my coach is Phil Martelli, my teammates are the basketball players and managers. I’ve been living out that childhood dream and being part of it has been what I’ve always loved. AH: What is your favorite moment from your time as the Hawk? TP: The easy answer is last year [2016]. Winning the Atlantic 10 tournament was incredible and that weekend was so cool. We stayed at the Manhattan Marriott and played in Brooklyn. The first game kind of gave us a heart attack, but I knew after we came back and won that game that the rest of the weekend we were going to win it. Winning the tournament and celebrating was great. We watched the selection show and saw we were placed in Spokane, Washington, and I’ve never been to the west coast so flying out there was so cool. Winning [in the first round] the way we did, capturing the hearts of America since we were the latest game and all eyes were on us. Winning in such dramatic fashion was really big. The Oregon game may not have turned out how we wanted it, but it was still a really close game. The whole country was watching us and we came really close to pulling off a big upset which would’ve been awesome. I’ll never forget that week. It was one of the greatest weeks of my life. AH: What advice do you have for people who are thinking about trying out for the position? TP: I think this position is something very traditional, but it’s also what you make of it. Something that I always tried to do was interact and engage with little kids and families. A little kid is going to remember that they got their picture taken with a mascot, so that’s something I always try to do. If you’re interested in becoming the Hawk, put your whole self forward. For me, it’s something I had always thought of doing, and I think there are a lot
of people at this school that have that kind of background where St. Joe’s is in their family. But even if that’s not the case, still put your full self forward. I think passion comes in a lot of different ways and this position is so unique in general. I’ve met so many people though the position, and it’s just done wonders for me and been such a great ride. AH: What have you learned from your time as the Hawk mascot? TP: One thing that’s big about being the Hawk is the fact that it’s not about me. Obviously I’m living out my dream and having the time of my life, but at the end of the day it’s not about me. It’s not about my dream or a scholarship, but about representing the university as a whole. The position is very selfless. You’re doing it for the university and trying to represent it and the entire community in the greatest light. You’re doing the little things. Also with being a manager, you’re doing things to make the program run and things that aren’t about yourself. AH: After two years of being the Hawk and four years as a student, what’s up next for you? TP: Graduation is in about a month, so I’ll graduate with a degree in accounting and will start working at PWC [PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP] in Philadelphia. I don’t start work until October, but I’ll spend the summer studying for the CPA [certified public accountant] and having one last good summer with a vacation or two and some baseball. I said this at the basketball banquet a few weeks ago, but I love this university and I’ll always be part of the Saint Joseph’s community. I love this school, I love the program and I don’t think that love will ever die. While I might not be a student here next year, which is a sad and scary thought, I’ll always be part of it. St. Joe’s has had a huge, positive impact on my life, and I wouldn’t trade my four years here for anything.