Dec 6, 2017 issuu

The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

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

Dec. 6, 2017

Returning to Puerto Rico MARISSA PURNELL ’18 Hawk Staff

From left to right: Seniors, Chris Blewitt, Bridget Durkin, Emily Shields, Brittney Welde and Mike Booth pop Champagne after finishing their Business Policy class – a tradition celebrated by Haub School of Business majors (Photo by John Fitzpatrick ’18).

Model minority myth

The burdens of stereotyping LIZZIE FULLER ’18 Special to The Hawk The pressure to do well in college can be intense. According to psychology major Sabrina Chen ’19, who spoke at an Office of Inclusion and Diversity (OID) event about the model minority myth, her mother reminds her often that she must get all A’s because she is is paying for an expensive education. As a result, Chen who is Asian-American, has high expectations of herself.

Chen said she did not want to disappoint her mother by not living up to her expectations.

“I [would] feel shame and guilt and ultimately like a failure to my parents,” said Chen.

Aubrey Wang, Ph.D., associate professor in the educational leadership department and director of the Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Program for Educational Leaders (IDEPEL) also attended the OID event and explained the misconceptions of the model minority myth.

“A simple way of thinking of the model minority myth is the stereotypical perception that all Asian Americans excel academically, often in math and science, because they are inherently good at these subjects and that studying comes easy to them,” said Aubrey Wang, Ph.D., associate professor in the educational leadership department and director of the Interdisciplinary Doctor of Education Program for Educational Leaders (IDEPEL).

Wang attended Chen’s presentation and offered the perspective as not just an educator, but as a parent to Asian American children.

“Teachers not paying enough attention to my children in their classes because

they assumed based on the model minority myth, that my children are inherently good at learning a subject,” said Wang “When in reality, they are struggling and need additional support and attention.”

Chen has been able to find this additional support by visiting the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).

Alison Eng ’18, a student who also attended the presentation, said she too has been impacted by the model minority myth. Eng said at first her parents put pressure on her to succeed academically, but now the pressure to succeed comes from her own motivations due to this stereotype.

“I set myself up to strive for perfectionism,” said Eng. “If I get less than B, I still have that aching feeling of falling into despair over it.”

According to National Association of Independent Schools, the term model minority myth comes from the 1960s when the narrative of Asian immigrants shifted from just a minority to the model minority. But, the model minority myth presents a clear problem in that it puts all of Asian Americans into one category. According to Chen’s presentation, the pressure of being the “model” minority not only isolates Asian Americans from other minorities, it places an added pressure on Asian American children to perform and uphold this stereotype.

The model minority myth not only comes from parents, but also peers. Chen explained there are stereotypes that affect Asian Americans, such as peers assuming Asian American students do not need to study or excel in mathematics.

Francesca Lupini ’19 said because she is half Japanese and half Italian/Polish, she looks ambiguous to others, and people are not able to pinpoint her ethnicity. Although Lupini defines her ethnicity as mixed, she said the model minority myth impacts her as well.

“Once I tell people my ethnicity, then the Asian jokes ensue, which I’ve learned to brush off,” said Lupini. “But [it] can become a bit much when people reduce me to just the butt end of a joke.”

Wang said that when her family meets new people and it appears they are being stereotyped according to the model minority myth, she changes how she interacts with them.

“I will typically use humor, self-deprecation to illustrate that Asian-Americans are not just about academic excellence in math and science, and that, we are like everyone else, with a number of weaknesses and strengths,” Wang said.

For linguistics major Eng, when she was in middle school and was sent for extra schooling by her family, she began to purposefully fail.

“Since I wasn’t improving much, I stopped caring and started to purposely fail,” Eng said. “My parents finally noticed my lack of motivation and we sat down to discuss the issue.”

“I set myself up to strive for perfectionism. If I get less than B, I still have that aching feeling of falling into despair over it,” said Eng. “It’s a long process I’m trying to figure out but I also know that I am not alone,” said Eng.

For many students from Puerto Rico, the upcoming semester break will be their first trip back home since Hurricane Maria devastated the island in late September.

Claudia Fuentes ’18 is focused on celebrating Christmas with her family.

“I am so excited,” said Fuentes. “Christmas in Puerto Rico is the best thing in the world. It’s amazing, and I just want to see my family.”

Although it has been more than two months, the hurricane has left a long-term impact on the island.

Fuentes said power at her family home is still on and off. Her parents told her they will get power for two days and then it will be off the next two days.

“There are still millions of people who remain without electricity or running water,” said Richard Warren, Ph.D., professor of history, who specializes in Latin American history. “The infrastructure was devastated.

Many properties, homes and commercial properties remain in ruins.”

Natalia Velazquez Lopez ’21 found something similar when she went home to Puerto Rico for Thanksgiving.

“It was a sight that I couldn’t believe, no matter how much I saw it on the news,” she said.

Velazquez Lopez said the damage is most noticeable outside the capital of San Juan.

Branches, trees and light posts are piled up on the side of the roads, which are marked with holes from where trees fell.

Since the hurricane, about 200,000 people have moved off the island to cities on the mainland, particularly Orlando, Chicago, Philadelphia and New York.

“Whether they go back or not is an interesting question and challenge,” Warren said.

“Some experts estimate that as much as 10 percent of the population is going to move out. So what does recovery mean when you have a 10 percent population loss for the foreseeable future?”

Fuentes said the best way to help Puerto Rico is by becoming aware of the issues it faces.

“Puerto Rico was in the tabloids for a little while, but then something else happens so people forget about it,” she said.

Recovery efforts are also complicated by the fact that Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but have no representation in congress.

“For disaster recovery, the island is very much dependent upon the federal government and simultaneously does not have voices represented in Washington with the same kind of power and leverage as states do,” Warren said.

Still, the island is slowly rebuilding, as Velazquez Lopez also noticed when she was home in November.

“It honestly broke my heart to see how my beautiful island had to go through such a horrible event,” said Velazquez Lopez. “But at the same time, it felt empowering seeing all Boricuas working together to rebuild our strong island. I was truly inspired seeing how we worked together to help each other in such desperate times.”

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Dec. 6, 2017

News

Department of Public Safety reports (Nov. 24 - Nov. 30) Nov. 26

Nov. 28

Public Safety was notified by Francis A. Drexel Library Staff of a suspicious female in the women’s bathroom. Public Safety officers responded, identified the female (non St. Joe’s) and escorted the individual off campus without incident.

Public Safety was notified by an area resident of a loud party involving St. Joe’s students taking place inside Ashwood Hall. Public Safety officers responded. Residence Life and Community Standards were notified.

Nov. 27

Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside of the Villiger Residence Hall. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed a student cooking activated the alarm. Facilities Management was notified.

Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student in regards to person(s) unknown gaining access to his off campus apartment located in the 5000 block of Woodbine Avenue and removing property. The Philadelphia Police were notified and responded. The incident is currently under investigation by the Philadelphia Police.

Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student in regards to person(s) unknown throwing eggs on her personal vehicle which was parked in the 2400 block of N. 56th Street. Community Standards ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS was notified. The incident is currently under investigation.

Nov. 29 Public Safety was notified by Residence Life regarding an odor of marijuana coming from a room in Lannon Hall. Public Safety officers responded to the room with Residence Life. A search of the room revealed no drugs or drug paraphernalia. Community Standards was notified.

Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside of Lannon Hall. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated accidentally. Facilities Management was notified.

Nov. 30 Public Safety was notified by Residence Life regarding an odor of marijuana coming from a room in Rashford Hall. Public Safety officers responded to the room with Residence Life. A search of the room revealed no drugs or drug paraphernalia. Community Standards was notified.

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610-660-1111

The effects of the tax bills passed CHARLEY REKSTIS '20 News Editor

ALEX KARPINSKI '20 Hawk Staff

What is the tax bill?

The U.S. Senate tax bill, also called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, is the “biggest tax cut in history” according to President Donald Trump. The Senate bill differs from the House of Representatives bill passed mid-November. The Senate tax bill is nearly a $1.5 trillion tax bill which President Trump claims will help the economy by lowering taxes for American businesses and families.

The Senate bill reduces taxes on corporations, changes the individual tax code and expands the standard deduction. The House bill and the Senate bill now must be reconciled to create a final tax bill to be put on the president’s desk by Christmas time.

How do the bills differ?

One of the main changes in the House tax bill is the reduction of the tax bracket from seven brackets to four. The Senate tax bill keeps the seven brackets but changes the rates. The tax rate for corporations would drop from 35 percent to 20 percent starting in 2019. Both the House bill and Senate bill nearly double the standard deduction, resulting in, for many taxpayers, a higher overall tax rate.

What is the controversy around the bill?

The bill was passed only hours before the final vote with handwritten notes in the margins in attempt to try and get a majority vote. Democrats argued there was not enough time for members to read the bill. The bill not only works on the taxes in the U.S. but also makes changes to health care which is expected to lead to 13 million Americans dropping insurance, opens up more land oil drilling in Alaska and alters the treatment of state and local taxes. This ultimately could affect local government budgets for schools and roads. The bill is also projected to add more than one trillion to the already hefty 20 trillion dollar U.S. national debt.

How does the tax bill impact St. Joe’s students and their families?

In an email to students, St. Joe’s President Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., urged students to stay informed about the tax bill and how it will impact students and their families. Reed highlighted implications in four major areas: 1) The repeal of the student loan interest deduction.

What this means: According to the IRS, about 12 million people claimed the student loan interest deduction in 2015. More than 40 million Americans have student debt, so the impact would be significant for many families with existing student debt.

2) Significant curtailment or elimination of tax-exempt financing for construction projects, infrastructure and campus improvements.

What this means: The new tax bill eliminates the tax exempt status of municipal bonds. According to The National Association of Counties, these bonds are predominantly issued by state and local governments for governmental infrastructure and capital needs purposes and to help pay for public projects such as the construction or improvement of schools, streets, highways, hospitals, bridges, water and sewer systems, ports, airports and other public works.

3) Taxation of faculty and staff tuition benefits for themselves, spouses, or dependent children.

What this means: The Senate plan, which has already cleared committee, left out many provisions of the House plan directly affecting student benefits. But it included a proposal that would create new costs for nonprofit entities like universities with business income unrelated to their core educational mission. Additionally it would tax income on royalties for licensing a college's name and logo. A provision that eliminates the ability to deduct any state and local taxes from a taxpayer's federal liability could have even bigger long-term consequences for public higher education by placing a huge strain on state budgets.

4) Taxation of graduate student tuition waivers.

What this means: Under the House bill, the value of college tuition benefits conferred on thousands of university employees would now be taxed, one of several provisions that would impact colleges, universities and their students. Tuition waivers are considered taxable under the bill.

News

Dec. 6, 2017

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Unlocking Spiritual Intelligence

Lecture explores important facet of St. Joe's Jesuit identity NATALIE DRUM '20 Hawk Staff Robin S. Seelan, S.J., the 2017 Donald I. MacLean Chair led a lecture titled Igniting Spiritual Intelligence, or “SQ”, on Nov. 30 to a packed audience in the Campion Student Center Presidents’ Lounge.

Honoring the university’s 24th president, the Donald I. MacLean Chair lecture was established in 1987 by donors Michael J. Morris ’56, Joseph McKinney ’52 as well as the Jesuit community at St. Joe’s. Accomplished scholars and members of the arts and sciences who are also members of the Society of Jesus helped bring this lecture into fruition.

Welcomed by the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Shaily Menon, Ph.D., Seelan led a presentation into the understanding and exploration of SQ. One topic of this lecture was seeking to bring awareness to spiritual intelligence in daily living. Additionally, Seelan spoke on the need for exploration of SQ characteristics to bring about a deeper meaning, value and true happiness to living life.

“Father Seelan presented information from various scientific disciplines as well as concepts from Ignatian teachings and Asian texts,” said Menon. “To help us understand the importance of spiritual intelligence in our lives to help us find meaning, value, and true happiness.”

SQ comes into fruition through reflection in hopes of discovering the true value of life.

“All of us have SQ but it is not always activated,” said Seelan.

Seelan continued to illustrate the many different in depth facets of SQ,

touching upon the key elements of transcendence, depth, basics and purpose.

The first topic he discussed dealt primarily with psychology and spirituality. Seelan explained that universality is the level in which we are all the same, whereas connectedness is part of a broader reality across different groups. This statement resonated with Natalie Mariotti ’20.

“I was able to learn about our spiritual intelligence and how everyone has it, it's just that not everyone uses it,” said Mariotti.

Seelan incorporated key questions such as ‘what have I done,’ ‘what am I doing’ and ‘what should I be doing’ into his lecture.

Awareness was another key aspect.

According to Seelan, yogic awareness, which relies heavily on training the mind and body, also increases the SQ, while also balancing personal awareness in what is going

on at the exact moment, according to Seelan.

“Even if [someone has] no IQ and EQ [emotional quotient], life becomes happy and content with an increase of SQ awareness,” said Seelan. “SQ is the dance holding the hands of IQ and EQ; my last word is it is still a work in progress.”

To conclude the lecture, Seelan focused on the engagement of SQ, primarily how one can bring it into their own life. According to Seelan, relating to a deeper inner self will bring SQ. “The MacLean Chair emphasizes that the university's Jesuit identity is inseparable from the finest teaching, scholarship, and collegial discourse,” said Menon. “Having university members assemble to discuss concepts such as the one that Seelan presented helps strengthen that identity and connection.”

Father Seelan speaks in the President's Lounge about the significance of SQ (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

St. Joe's graduates serve the community Volunteer programs provide post-grad options for seniors MICHAEL KOKIAS '19 Special to The Hawk This year, 40 St. Joe’s students have committed a year of their post-graduate lives to volunteering, in cities ranging from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, to countries as far as Uganda and Ecuador. This volunteering requires spending a year, or two, in full-time service to communities in the United States or abroad.

The volunteer positions can include education, rehabilitating people who have experienced homelessness, working with an impoverished community, or many other ways that address the unique needs of the community.

Seniors who decide not to apply for jobs or who take a break after college can opt for one of the many post graduate volunteering opportunities.

“I now serve at Covenant House, which serves 18 through 21 year olds who have experienced homelessness,” said Tara Levine ’17, a Weekly Service Intern for Campus Ministry’s Weekly Service program in her senior year.

Levine had worked constantly with people experiencing homelessness during her time at St. Joe’s and was not sure what to do after graduation. She attended the Post Graduate Volunteer Service Fair held at St. Joe’s and, of the 40 or so other volunteer programs, decided on a Covenant House site in New Jersey. Nabijah Shabazz, volunteer manager at Covenant House in Newark, emphasized the organization's mission of

serving homeless and trafficked youth.

“We see our role as empowering the youth we serve,” Shabazz said. “We develop workshops that involve resume writing and interviewing to help them start again.”

The Vincentian Mission Corps, based in St. Louis, also made a pitch for students who could volunteer in health services and education. Sister Frances, director of the Vincentian Service Corps West, works directly with the volunteers and acknowledges the difficulties of committing to be a volunteer.

“The biggest barrier is too much debt,” Sister Frances said. “But the nicest thing about doing a year of service is finding yourself and what you need to do with your life.”

Most year-long service programs also cover costs of housing and food and provide vacation days. The appeal of the service itself is only one aspect that draws possible participants to dedicate a year of their lives to volunteer service. Julian Zuzarte ’18 attended this year’s Post Graduate Volunteer Service Fair to learn about the options available that would provide him with skills he would have for the rest of his life.

“I think the best way to help myself determine a career path might be through this experiential learning in serving vulnerable, marginalized communities,” Zuzarte said.

Zuzarte’s belief that a year of service may have lasting effects on the rest of his life is

backed by research.

According a 2013 study by the Catholic Volunteer Network, which has over 18,000 alumni in its member organizations, more than two-thirds of alumni said their service was either somewhat or very important in influencing their career. The same study also found 98 percent of volunteers decided to join because of the compassion they felt towards people in need.

Zuzarte learned about several volunteer programs during the fair, but is still unsure about the idea of dedicating a year to service.

Grace Davis ’17 is currently serving with Rostro de Cristo in the Guayaquil area of Ecuador. Davis said she has encountered the harsh realities of poverty and disease during her time in the South American nation.

“My heart is being stretched, broken and opened in the best ways,” Davis said in an email correspondence. “It is a challenge to be in a position where there really isn’t much that I can do, but I am discovering the importance of presence, accompaniment and the value of walking with others on their journey.”

This volunteer fair demonstrates that finding a job is not the only option for seniors.

Post-graduate volunteer programs provide a unique opportunity and perspective for those students who may want to grow more before they settle into a career.

TYLER HARGRAVES '19 Contributing Writer This last week continued the common themes of weeks past. I saw myself become overwhelmed by work, and the realizations of home repairs. However, there were still small moments of joy I hope will begin to become more commonplace in the future.

Lamar University felt both like a sanctuary and an asylum this past week. Going to class helped me through some difficult situations, but also seemed to put me into some equally difficult ones. Classes are beginning to build to their climax as finals week approaches, and I have begun the preparations for the several papers looming over my head. It feels good to know I am almost finished with this semester, but it’s also terrifying to know that in a few weeks I will not have school to escape to.

The repairs on my damaged home continue to move at a painstakingly slow pace.

The drywall is still incomplete even though it should have been finished at least two weeks ago. It will be another two weeks until we can even start on installing the new cabinets and countertops. The new flooring still needs to be chosen and installed. And on top of that, we will also need to decide on a color for each room, and then actually paint them. All in all, there is a greater number of things to be completed than I had anticipated would be left at this point when we first started repairs. I just hope we can make it back into our home before the Christmas holiday.

I’ve mentioned over the course of these installments I have been experiencing burnout to a seemingly worsening degree each week. This last week was no different from the rest. I continued to work myself to the point of exhaustion, and had several moments where I seemed to have lost myself.

Now I know this is not the healthiest thing in the world, but I haven’t really had many other options. I have begun to scale back my workload a little bit which has somewhat helped. This has let me have some peace of mind, and allowed me some much-needed rest in the process. I am hopeful once the school year ends I will be able to take a few weeks off to simply rest and reset. Even though I will have home repairs to work on, I believe I will finally be able to get back to being a fully functioning and sane human being once again.

It’s almost unbelievable to me it has been three months since Hurricane Harvey disrupted my life. I would’ve never thought I would be without my home or peace of mind, but Hurricane Harvey took that from me. I know one day I will be able to stand in a downpour of rain, and not be taken back to the fateful night that has caused me so much pain, but I just don’t know when this day will come.

This is the final installment of the Dispatch from Lamar.

News

Dec. 6, 2017

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"Research Season" is here

The importance of resources provided by the library ERIN CASTELLANO '20 Hawk Staff It’s research paper season at St. Joe’s, and that means go-time for the team of nine reference librarians at Drexel Library.

“There are certain times of the year when undergraduate students are really going to be working on big papers and that tends to be two weeks before Thanksgiving in the fall,” said Catherine Collins, a reference librarian.

“In the spring, it seems to happen right after spring break.”

Collins is the librarian who works most closely with the departments of political science, economics, international relations, gender studies and Latin American studies.

“We have nine people who do reference librarian work here, but no longer is somebody just a reference librarian,” Collins explained.

“They are also a reference librarian for a particular subject. What’s great about our staff is that we all have some sort of specialized expertise in our specific area.”

When students have general questions about their research, the research help desk is the place to go.

“We answer thousands of reference questions a semester at that desk, and every reference librarian takes a shift every week,” Collins said.

The library research desk in the Francis A. Drexel Library (Photo courtesy of SJU Student Senate).

There is a librarian at the desk at all hours the library is open. They either help answer the student’s questions or guide them to the librarian who is the liaison for their topic.

Library Director Anne Krakow said that if students have simple questions such as how to cite sources or where to find a specific book, the librarian who sits at the research help desk is the one who is going to be able to get students started and lead them to the first place they need to go.

“I needed to find journal articles for a research project last semester, and I wasn’t sure how figure out if it was credible or not,” said Sophia Kotanidis ’20. “The librarian at the research help desk was able to help me find some that were really helpful and guided me in figuring out if it was a good source to use.”

When students need help with their specific assignments for a certain class, approaching the librarian whose specialty is in that particular subject area is the next course of action.

“If a student has in-depth questions on their particular project, it’s always recommended to make an appointment with the librarian who is a liaison in that area,” Krakow said. “It’s important because the librarians tend to be very prepared here, so they will sometimes come to the appointment with sources to help you.”

One of the toughest parts about research paper season for students is coming up with a topic on their own that actually

has research on it.

“I’ll have students come in who don’t even have an idea for a topic yet and will say ‘here are a couple of things that I am thinking of doing, is there even research on this?’” Collins said. “That is a really smart thing to do because if you pick a topic, get your professor to sign off on it, start writing, look for research and then realize there’s nothing published on it, there is not much that we can do.”

Reference librarians suggest students do some research on their potential ideas before solidifying their topic.

“It is always helpful for us if students have done something before they come to us so that were not truly starting from scratch,” said Thomas Ipri, a reference librarian who works with the departments of English, philosophy, theology and religious studies. “If they’ve done some research and told us what worked and what didn’t work, it gives us a little more to go off of and think of what we really need to do.”

The staff of reference librarians are there to make sure students have learned about how to properly address research assignments, but it is really the job of the student to reach out for help and get their assignments done.

“Even before the research season really begins, the important thing for students is to be a good planner and to really get your ducks in a row,” Krakow said.

St. Joe's holiday traditions

Annual Campion Christmas Dinner MOLLY DIXON '18 Hawk Staff St. Joe’s will host its 10th annual holiday dinner in the Campion Student Center from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 6. This will be the first year Kenneth Goldbach, general manager of SJU Dining, has run the popular dinner.

Goldbach worked as director of operations for SJU Dining from 2009 to 2010 before becoming Aramark’s general manager at Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey.

He returned to St. Joe’s this past April and was told the holiday dinner has significantly grown since he was last here.

“The dinner is not what it was like when I was here in 2009,” Goldbach said.

“It wasn’t that big.”

Goldbach explained SJU Dining is expecting 1,800 people for the holiday dinner this year. A typical dinner at Campion Dining Hall serves from 1,100 to 1,300 students.

Kiersten Glynn ’18 has attended the holiday dinner multiple times.

“It was always exciting to go there,” Glynn said. “They always have good food, better than usual, so it is definitely nicer. They also have live music.”

Glynn said her favorite dish is the sushi platter. Sushi is on the menu for Wednesday’s dinner along with peel and eat shrimp, buffalo chicken flatbread, milkshakes and more.

Goldbach said between the food and extra labor, SJU Dining typically spends more for this dinner. Just like any Campion dinner, though, students on meal plans can swipe in with their IDs at no additional cost. They can also bring friends, who can use a guest pass or pay $13 before entering the dining hall.

Joe Gaul ’18 has attended the dinner multiple times as well and is planning to be there Wednesday. Gaul recommends the seafood and prime rib steak.

“The food is excellent,” Gaul said. “Being there with friends is always nice and I am looking forward to it this year.”

Emily Finnack ’18 has attended the holiday dinner every year she has been at St. Joe’s.

She said she loves the turkey, salad and mashed potatoes. However, Finnack did note her gluten allergy can make it hard to find food she can eat.

“If there is something that is covered in gravy, then people who have a gluten allergy can’t have it,” Finnack said. “Last year they put the sauces on the side, so that was nice.”

No matter what’s on the menu, expect long lines, and long wait times to get in the door.

“I remember when I went when I was a sophomore and the line was almost back to the chapel so it took a while to get in,” Finnack said. “Probably close to an hour.”

To pacify hungry students waiting in line, Goldbach said dining staff will butler hors d’oeuvres this year, including chicken satay, mac and cheese bites, spanakopita and mini cocktail franks.

Along with getting in the holiday spirit, Goldbach is looking forward to interacting with students and serving them.

“We just want the students to relax and enjoy and us to say thank you for the opportunity to service during the fall semester,” Goldbach said.

Left to right: Lauren Preski '20 Mark Reed, Ed. D., and Mark Bernstiel '20 take a picture with the tree from the 2016 tree lighting (Photo courtesy of SJU Student Senate).

SJU Senate Tree Lighting ALYSSA THOMPSON '19 Special to the Hawk

Just in time to get campus in the holiday spirit, St. Joe’s seventh annual Christmas Tree Lighting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 in the Villiger Hall courtyard.

Sponsored by Student Senate, the event will feature hot chocolate, cookies, games and Chick-fil-A catering in the Doyle Banquet Hall North, located on the second floor of the Campion Student Center.

Julia McQuade ’20, co-alumni chair of the Student Senate, said the timing is perfect for some holiday cheer.

“There’s a moment where we realize we are all stressed together, so it brings a sense of community for sure,” McQuade said.

Mark Bernstiel ’20, Secretary of Communications for Student Senate, has worked to organize the event for the past two years and said he enjoys planning an event that is

so focused on the Christmas season.

“I love that this event can give students a break from their busy schedules to just relax and remember what this time of year is all about,” Bernstiel said.

Santa Claus will also make a special appearance at the event, thanks to behindthe-scenes negotiations by Mary-Elaine Perry, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Student Development.

“I really enjoy the student’s response to Santa,” Perry said. “They sit on Santa’s lap and everything.”

Perry, who serves as the advisor to the Student Senate, said the group tries to make the annual celebration bigger and better each year.

“We all love this time of year,” Perry said. “We’re really all kids at heart.”

Opinions

Dec. 6, 2017

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Proposed tax plan passes in Congress Consequences for the St. Joe's community Editor in Chief Vivian Milan ’18 Managing Editor Franki Rudnesky ’18 Copy Chief Emma Seely ’18 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner News Editor Charley Rekstis ’20 Opinions Editor Brittany Swift ’20 Assistant Opinions Editor Ann Marie Maloney ’18 Lifestyle Editor Rose Weldon ’19 Assistant Lifestyle Editor Emily Graham ’20 Sports Editor Nick Mandarano ’18 Assistant Sports Editor Alex Hargrave ’20 Assistant Copy Amber Denham ’18 Assistant Copy Becky Hartman ’18 Creative Director Kaitlyn Patterson ’20 Photo Editor Luke Malanga ’20 Social Media Manager Victoria Tralies ’18 Assistant Social Media Manager Anna Smollen ’19 Online Creative Director Kelly Smith ’19 Business Manager Michael Zito ’18 Assistant Business Manager Max Milano ’21 Keeping up with the news in 2017 was like running a never-ending marathon. Some days, it felt like every time we stepped out of class, there was another major news story we were supposed to know about before we sat down for our next class. The pace of the news sometimes made it difficult to know what was happening and what was important.

With the end of the year fast approaching, let’s take a look back at some of the most significant moments in politics, culture, our local community in Philadelphia and at St. Joe’s. Here’s what we think will be remembered when 2017 is written about in the history textbooks of the future.

Inaugurating another POTUS The inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 marked a historic moment for American citizens, since President Trump was a businessman, rather than a politician, before taking office. This shift away from traditional government leadership is new in modern American politics. This last election also shifted power in the government from a Democratic president to a Republican one.

Additionally, President Trump became

The United States Senate passed a version of a new tax plan early on Dec. 2, after the House of Representatives passed its own version a few weeks earlier on Nov. 16.

St. Joe's president Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., sent an email to the university about the implications of the tax bills should they become law. The bills must now go to conference in order to reconcile the differences between the versions passed by each chamber, and Congress must then pass a final version to send to President Donald Trump for his signature. With the most significant hurdles behind it, the final version of the bill will be expected to become law.

Changes in the federal tax structure affect almost everyone. If you work, either full-time or part-time, or have any loans out, the tax bill decides what you’re responsible for in taxes and what you can file as a deduction. Chances are, the outcome of this bill will affect each of us as students, faculty and staff of a university, so it’s our responsibility to be aware of the possible implications of such an important bill.

As a staff, we appreciate Reed bringing these bills to the attention of the whole campus community. We believe it’s important to highlight these provisions of the tax bills and understand how they would affect universities and those associated with them.

The current plans passed by the House and Senate would repeal the student loan interest deduction and would repeal or make significant cuts to tax exemptions for construction, improvement or infrastructure projects undertaken by colleges or universities. Furthermore, the new plan would tax faculty and staff tuition benefits for themselves, spouses or dependent children and graduate student tuition waivers as income.

Here’s what each of these changes means for us as members of a university community.

1) The House bill repeals the Lifetime Learning Credit, which allows some stu-

dents with outstanding loans to deduct up to $2,000 from their tax bill. Claiming this deduction saves qualifying taxpayers about $2.6 billion each year.

Additionally, the House bill repeals deductions that allow individuals with incomes below $80,000 and couples who file jointly with incomes below $160,000 to deduct up to $2,500 of the interest paid on federal student loans. In 2015, 12.4 million people claimed this tax break, but this will no longer be an option for qualifying taxpayers if the final version of the bill eliminates this deduction.

2) The House plan would eliminate tax breaks on the bond financing often used by universities to finance construction projects, which will ultimately make campus improvements more expensive. Bonds of this type totalling $402 billion were issued in 2016.

3) Some benefits that faculty and staff members receive include waived or reduced tuition for themselves and their dependents. Currently, education assistance up to $5,250 is not taxed. This is a crucial benefit for many employees, but under the House bill, the full value of these benefits will be considered taxable income.

4) St. Joe’s is one of many schools that waive or reduce tuition for some graduate students in exchange for working at the university. Under the House plan, these waivers or reductions will qualify as taxable income. Even though these students do not receive real income in compensation for their work, they will now be expected to pay the government taxes for the value of tuition waivers or deductions. Currently, about 145,000 students receive this kind of compensation, so they would now be expected to pay taxes on their tuition. This will only add to many students’ already heavy financial burden and will make attending graduate or doctoral programs increasingly difficult for those students.

Whether or not we agree with these changes, the fact of the matter is that they will impact each of us in some way. Students might feel the effects directly when they have to pay taxes on graduate student tuition assistance or cannot deduct student loan payments. Faculty and staff members who use tuition assistance to put themselves or their families through college will have to pay taxes on the full value of that assistance as though it were real income.

Each and every single one of us will be indirectly impacted if the university has to increase tuition or forgo improvement construction projects if we can’t afford them without bond financing.

The changes proposed in the House plan will have an undeniable effect on our lives, especially as students and as members of a university community. Therefore, each of us ought to get invested in the outcome of this tax plan.

The simultaneous joy and burden of democracy is that it’s up to us to hold our representatives accountable. Government representatives should be transparent and open to the thoughts of their constituents.

The slow-going legislative process is the object of much disatisfaction in our country, but the process necessary to conference and pass a final bill gives us time to voice our concerns to our representatives in Congress.

We can’t just sit silently as major policy decisions are made on our behalf. We need to ask our representatives to take our opinions into consideration. Take time this week to contact your representatives and raise your voice to express support of or concern about these proposals.

– The Hawk Staff The Hawk welcomes Letters to the Editor, typically no more than 300 words. They can be emailed to hawk.editorial@gmail.com.

2017: Year in review FRANKI RUDNESKY '18 Managing Editor

BRITTANY SWIFT '20 Opinions Editor

ANN MARIE MALONEY '18 Assistant Opinions Editor

one of five presidents who won the electoral college but lost the popular vote. Going into 2018, we will be looking at midterm elections for the Senate and House of Representatives to see if there will be more power shifts.

Protest at the Women’s March The mission of the Women's March was to "harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change," according to the website. More than 3 million people marched on the streets in reaction to and opposition of President Trump and his inauguration. This march was the largest single-day protest in U.S. history, exceeding the March on Washington in 1963, and spreading across more than 500 cities. This march was the beginning of a fight to give women and minorities a larger voice in the country.

A global refugee crisis About 65 million people worldwide are displaced worldwide because of conflict, natural disasters, ethnic cleansing crises and other factors, leaving us with the largest displacement and humanitarian crisis we’ve seen

in the modern era. Of the 65 million, about 22 million people are refugees. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has released a statement urging the United States to accept more refugees, but the 2018 refugee limit was reduced by more than half to only 45,000 admittances.

Similarly, the Trump administration signed an executive order in January that temporarily banned travel from the following seven countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. A revised order of this ban remains in place and continues to contribute to the global crisis we are facing.

Russian interference in Election The CIA, the National Security Agency, the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election through a misinformation campaign. The Justice Department appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate whether the Trump campaign colluded at any point with Russian actors to assist in election interference. Mueller has brought three indictments so far in the course of the investigation. Most recently,

former NSA director Michael Flynn entered into a plea agreement to work with the grand jury investigation on Dec. 1.

Hate Groups Rally at Charlottesville White supremacist groups marched through Charlottesville, armed with weapons, torches and racist chants, and gathered the next day for a so-called “Unite the Right” rally to protest the removal of a Confederate monument in August. The rally quickly turned violent when altercations erupted between demonstrators and counter-protesters. The violence culminated when James Alex Fields Jr. drove a car into a group of counter-protesters, killing one and injuring 19 others.

During his remarks on the events, President Trump disavowed violence and hatred at Charlottesville. He was sharply criticized for failing to unequivocally disavow racism and white supremacy and for drawing what many saw as a false comparison between racist ideologies and counter-protests.

A victory for diversity The 2017 elections were a victory for inclusion and diversity, as Danica Roem CONTINUED ON PG. 8.

6

Opinions

Dec. 6, 2017

An unmatched rivalry

Comparing teams in the "Holy War" JOSEPH PANICHELLI '20

Hawk Staff

The St. Joe’s men’s basketball team faced off against the Villanova Wildcats for yet another battle of this year’s “Holy War” on Dec. 2. The final score was Villanova 94 to St. Joe’s 53.

This Holy War, ironically, has turned into less of a war, and more of a David versus Goliath story.

The two teams are comparable in one sense as both programs have extremely reputable histories. St. Joe’s was once a national powerhouse and no stranger to advancing in March Madness. Their contrast, however, stems not from their honored traditions, but from current national success and relevance.

To put it in simple terms, despite the 2014-15 Hawks season led by DeAndre’ Bembry ’17, the two teams are on different levels of basketball. From the national recognition to things like funding and sponsorships, the Villanova Wildcats are just a bigger and more legitimate team.

It is irresponsible to continue to pin these two teams as having some sort of rivalry when the intensity of the hype is not matched appropriately on the court.

With respect to tradition, and acknowledging that this contest has reached levels of tremendous esteem, the Holy War has lost its game day experience.

While dissecting these two teams, it is important to understand that in no way is St. Joe’s a substandard or sophomoric program or team. The Hawks are a very good team, and deserve all of the credit that they earn. They consistently give hard-fought

battles, are able to recruit some of the most highly-touted prospects and have one of the most distinguished coaches in all of college basketball with head coach Phil Martelli.

Villanova’s team has similar roots.

Thanks to a buzzer beater three pointer

by Kris Jenkins, the Wildcats triumphed over Kansas to win the National Title in 2016. In recent years, basketball experts and fans alike have placed Villanova as one of the most dominant teams in the nation, and they are mentioned among legendary programs such as Duke, North Carolina and even Kentucky.

The Hawks came out strong and kept a tight game until around the end of the first half on Saturday. Freshman Taylor Funk continued to display his importance to the team with another strong performance. Senior James Demery specifically stepped up as a leader and veteran presence, along with senior Shavar Newkirk. Villanova eventually began to run away with the game, silencing the crowd and putting a damper on the game’s ability to keep the crowd enthused.

It seemed as though throughout the game there was a fear that eventually the Wildcats would run away with it, and unfortunately, that was ultimately the case.

Philly-area and Mainline families and friends packed the Hagan Arena. Although the game itself wasn’t the most inspiring, the loyalty of the St. Joe’s fans and the incredible atmosphere of the stadium still holds true to tradition. It’s safe to say that there will always be something special

about the Villanova and St. Joe’s contests and quarrels.

It is difficult to imagine a season in the near future where the Hawks can fully compete with the Wildcats, but it still seems as though there could be hope that St. Joe’s could sneak in another win against the Villanova team in any given year.

A twist on a holiday classic

TRAVELS

‘Twas the week before finals, and all through St. Joe’s Not a student was ready, not even lax bros.

A sense of fear now hung in the air For the week of finals soon would be there.

Each freshman felt they were on their deathbed.

Sophomores and juniors had minds full of dread.

Sad seniors felt it was time to wrap; They quietly prepared, thinking “Man, I need a nap.”

Each student checked the syllabus, "How much does this grade matter?"

They studied so much, their heads could simply shatter.

Schedules all soon turned into a mad dash Tell me, while reading, can eyes get whiplash?

But in the back of each mind, did every student know That winter break would soon be in tow.

The whispers of one brave soul did I hear,

ALEX GILL '18

Hawk Staff

“The stress of this week shall soon disappear.”

When finals seem to hit like a brick, Free snacks and library puppies always do the trick.

Now with the knowledge that the week would not be a shame, The students finally began to exclaim: "Now psych, now English, now bio and accounting!

You are a challenge I’ll soon be surmounting!

This week shall not be my downfall!

My exams I shall pass one and all!"

And they all survived, no need to cry.

They got ready, each to say their Christmas goodbye.

The semester was ending, the students all knew, Fortunately everyone had made it through.

Freshmen packed up, they finally had Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

Looking into uncertainty ALIM YOUNG '19 Special to The Hawk

Graphic by Kelly Smith '19.

‘Twas the week before finals GILLIVER’S

School board commission dissolved

proof— Their college careers were no mere goof.

And as sophomores and juniors left campus grounds, They had years of college left to hang around.

But seniors left campus, wanting to stay put: Their final semester would soon be afoot.

Their minds were filled with memories, as they looked back.

There was a twinge of nostalgia in each Thursday throwback.

It’s the same story each year, now let’s all get to work— The library will be the best place to lurk.

For every student should always know, Finals week stress is a temporary woe.

And as we get ready for our winter dismissal, I hope you are comforted by this finals week missile.

As I sign off for the semester, I shall be forthright: Happy finals to all, and to all a goodnight!

The School District of Philadelphia announced on Nov. 16 that it would be dissolving the School Reform Commission (SRC). The SRC, created as a part of a compromise to solve a budget deficit in Philadelphia, did its job in part, but at great cost to the city on the local level. Teachers were laid off, classroom sizes were maxed out and students lost arts programs.

While the state influence allowed for additional funding, it also meant relinquishing local say over privatization and charter school expansion.

The board was established in 2001 to create a temporary governance body for the Philadelphia education system, but now with nearly half of the School District of Philadelphia’s $3 billion budget intertwined with state budget allocations, funding has become integral for continued stability.

As a student who spent kindergarten through the 12th grade within the public school systems, it is important to ensure for the future of students that schools will be allocated sufficient funding that is then implemented under the the new governance body. While I am certain that the old governing board was not serving Philadelphia students justly, I am even more skeptical of what the unknown will bring forth.

The biggest question for me is one that seems general but should be most concerning: what now? Where does the SRC’s dissolve leave Philadelphia K-12 Public Education? What are the funding implications? Who will the next governance body be comprised of and what are their interests?

The only way to make certain that just education funding happens is to thoroughly vet those who seek to serve as members of the future school board. They should be expected to continuously listen to the voices of the community addressing the needs of the current and future Philadelphia students.

With the SRC now dissolved, Philadelphia K-12 Education has gone from state influenced control to local control. Mayor James Kenney said he thinks local control can bring the accountability and results deserved by Philadelphians.

“Unless we want to return to the days of classrooms without teachers and schools without nurses, Philadelphia must step up, agi,” Kenney said.

Community activists in Philadelphia need to be sure that they take part in the reorganization of the school board especially seeing the fragility of the financial state.

Perspective leaders should have demonstrated years of unfeigned commitment to district students and employees.

Opinions

Dec. 6, 2017

7

RAs of color matter

The importance of representation in leadership at St. Joe’s TAICHA MORIN '20

Hawk Staff

From the moment I set foot on campus at St. Joe’s, I was appalled by the lack of diversity at our institution. It’s one thing to hear the statistics. It’s another thing to feel like one of the five percent that make up the black and African-American community on campus, in comparison to the 80 percent white student population. I remember sitting at orientation in tears because I felt like an other. Growing up in the melting pot that is New York City, I had never encountered this feeling before.

After orientation, I realized I had to participate in and even be the change that I wanted to see in St. Joe’s. The only way I was going to make St. Joe’s a space I wanted to be in was to get involved on campus.

I’m very passionate about diversity, so I assumed leadership roles within the Office of Inclusion and Diversity. In addition, I decided to apply to be a RA during the middle of my freshman year. I was selected and accepted the position.

After extensive training, I have had the pleasure of being an RA to 36 residents that have brought so much joy, laughter and headaches to my life. This article is not a marketing tactic for me to tell students of color to go run and apply to be RAs because it is going to be the best experience of your life. Instead, I want to share what I have learned thus far as a person of color in leadership positions at St. Joe’s.

One of the most important things I have experienced is the importance of

representation on our campus. Representation is imperative for the overall diversity and inclusiveness of our campus, but it is particularly crucial in leadership positions, too. Taking leadership roles allows us to be a voice at the forefront of conversations that affect our community. As people of color, it’s important for us to show up and partake in roles of influence.

Deciding to be an RA required me to get out my comfort zone. It’s easy for me to want to be a part of groups, organizations and roles that are a part of my identity such as the Black Student Union or Caribbean Student Association, and I am so glad that we have these organizations on campus to create safe spaces for us. However, the conversations that we have within these organizations are crucial, so we should bring our thoughts and experiences as people of color to other groups, departments, organizations and roles on campus in order to be parts of dialogue as well active participants in the changes of our campus.

To my people of color, I urge you to find ways to get involved on campus that might be outside of your comfort zone.

We have a lot to offer in the dialogues that are happening and need to happen on our campus. Our voice and our participation matter. However, that cannot happen if we stay only with our people.

I am glad that I made the decision to step out of my comfort zone to become an RA, because I am able to facilitate conver-

RAs Taicha Morin '20 and Brian Thomas '19 with their residents during a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Photo courtesy of Taicha Morin '20).

sations with my residents that they may not have the opportunity to have in their classrooms. I am able to have conversations with my staff about my experience as a person of color on campus and how it is shaping my education at St. Joe’s. I am able to bring the conversations that I have with the organizations within the Office of Inclusion and Diversity to Residence Life to see what we can do within our office to be a part of that

change on campus.

Find the ways to get involved on campus and create the dialogue. This can be applying to be an RA, running for Student Senate or becoming a member of the Student Union Board. Whatever it is, just show up and participate. Mahatma Ghandi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

I say, before you do that, be the change you want to see in St. Joe’s.

Moving past stereotypes

A look at the lack of appreciation for cheerleading and women's sports KARLEIGH LOPEZ '20

Hawk Staff

To our peers, cheerleaders seem to only exist as a stereotype: high ponytails clad in gaudy ribbon, crimson skirts, cumbersome pompoms and that textbook hyperbolic smile. Despite the long nights in the Hagan Arena practice gym or the early mornings spent with trainers, we have been reduced and equated only to our exterior glamour.

Our identity as athletes has somewhere along the way morphed into a notion that a team 40 members strong is simply a sideline accessory for basketball players on game day.

We have been viewed as mere decorations on the court, as though composed of plastic lights and garland. Yet, if you roll up the uniform sleeves of our decorum, you’ll see an abundance of bruises—the imprints of endless trial and error, just as any other athlete.

Though officially considered a club sport, the St. Joe’s cheerleading team spends at least six hours per week refining material to perform on game days, on top of learning a complex and advanced routine to compete at NCA Nationals. These multifaceted routines are fast-paced and have difficult aspects. These skills, though worth the shock and awe, take long hours to learn and perfect, often leaving girls bruised, sore and sometimes seriously injured.

Contrary to our hyper feminine attire designed to charm, there is much more to a cheerleader than the length of her skirt or the ribbon in her ponytail. Not many

The St. Joe's cheerleading team (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

are aware of what the sport of competitive cheerleading is composed of. A St. Joe’s student once asked me: "Do you guys, like, have practices?" As much as many would like to think that we braid hair and tell secrets for hours, this isn’t peewee cheerleading anymore.

Collegiate level cheerleading allows for athletes to push themselves to perform at a very high level. Many of the dangerous but breathtaking stunts that are permitted at the collegiate level are often prohibited for high school cheerleaders to attempt. So, the idea that we do nothing but shake our pom-poms and look pretty is nothing shy of insulting and degrading. Especially when recent studies have stated that cheerleading is one of the most dangerous sports. We all know how much praise and honor we give our football players in America; yet, on the

sidelines, the cheerleaders are performing much higher displays of agility and athleticism with little approval and admiration.

Fans attend sporting events to be charmed by individuals performing outstandingly. They shout roars of encouragement, amazement and dumbfounded admiration. They enjoy the wonder that accompanies a slam dunk, a touchdown or a goal for their team. If it is pure athleticism and strength that amuses us, why is the same appreciation and excitement not extended to women’s sports?

Having been a cheerleader for essentially my entire life, I have become numb to what my peers think of me. However, the issue extends beyond just cheerleading. In the university setting, men’s sports tend to generate the most revenue. Yet, that should not discount the amazing successes of

female athletes on campus.

Very few students know of the outstanding accomplishments St. Joe’s female athletes have achieved within this past year.

As a cheerleader, I was able to travel with the women’s basketball team last March to the Atlantic 10 championship tournament.

This televised event is an impressive triumph for any team. The women’s team had stellar performances and excelled farther in the A-10 tournament than the men’s team did in their A-10 championship.

Despite this, tickets to a women’s home basketball game at St. Joe’s are free for students, whereas the men’s basketball games are not. In addition, earlier this year, our field hockey team were ranked 15th in the nation after winning the A-10 championship. Yet, little was spoken of this astonishing news throughout campus.

As athletes, we have an unadulterated appreciation for the fans in our bleachers. Whether they be our parents who are obliged to support us or our friends who make silly posters, it is fulfilling to be recognized for our dedication to what we love. It is difficult when your endless work is outshined, simply because of your gender or the stereotypes surrounding your sport. However, I have learned to accept the ignorance because, as every athlete knows, nothing compares to the thrill of competing.

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Opinions

Dec. 6, 2017

Not so neutral

The implications of repealing internet protections JOSH BOSTROM '19

Hawk Staff

We are living in the most connected society of human history. Never before has the creation, storage and sharing of content been so widespread and so easy. The term “big data” is thrown around frequently today when talking about this massive creation of content—as any student in the business school can easily attest to—but the actual scale and velocity at which we create data is mind-numbing.

A report published by IBM stated that 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every day. To put that number into perspective, a total of only 100 gigabytes were created in the entirety of 1992. What’s more impressive is the speed at which we are accelerating this creation: 90 percent of all the content that exists today was created in the past two years.

With a growing trove of information, we have become reliant on the internet and, subsequently, the telecommunication companies that provide internet access to our homes and offices. However, the internet continues to grow faster than the regulations guiding it, which represents a prob-

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lem for a heavily internet-reliant society.

When you use your phone, computer or any internet-capable device, you do so with a set of expectations. You expect that

you will be able to connect to any website published online. You expect that Internet Service Providers (ISP) won’t interfere with your browsing through, for example, blocking or censoring websites they don’t like; and you expect that you will be provided with the same speed on every website.

These basic expectations of the internet are collectively referred to as “net neutrality;” however, they could be completely eliminated by next week.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the regulatory body tasked with overseeing communications in the United States—anything from radio to television and, more recently, internet. In 2015, the previous commission voted on an order whose goal is to make an effort to

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protect net neutrality.

This order reclassified the telecommunication giants, like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon under Title II of the Communications Act, which subjected these service providers to increased scrutiny and oversight by the FCC. This guaranteed net neutrality for all citizens.

These protections were not, however, enacted through the legislative procedure in Congress, so they can be easily altered over time by the changing administrations.

The chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, recently announced that during the vote regarding

net neutrality next week on Dec. 14, there will be yet another effort to change the status of these companies, but under Title I instead of Title II. Should this vote pass— which is highly expected given the partisan composition of the commission—those expectations for a neutral internet will no longer be guaranteed.

While this upcoming vote may sound like typical, boring bureaucratic action in SOCIAL

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Washington to some, it is actually a watershed moment in the history of the internet.

This deregulation of the internet could and will open the door to any number of actions that threaten consumers’ equality on the internet. To put this into perspective for a college student, take Netflix as an example.

Netflix, the video-streaming giant, supplies an invaluable service to procrastinating college students. When you access Netflix there is an expectation that you will be able to stream video, assuming you have a reliable internet connection and a subscription. Under the potential new rules though, your ISP could charge an extra fee in their subscription just to access the website in the first place, similar to how we pay extra to access certain channels in a cable package.

But this vote goes beyond just slowing

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down or blocking your favorite websites.

Repealing the net neutrality rules currently in place would also facilitate private internet censorship. The companies who own ISPs and the people who manage them would in effect be able to choose which websites consumers can access. This takes dangerous steps into the realm of infringing on the First Amendment.

While Pai argues the new classification would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the responsibility to deal with these kinds of anti-competitive behavior, the FTC doesn’t have the same tools the FCC possesses. The FTC cannot issue blanket regulations and, instead, can only deal with infractions on a case-by-case basis—a clear step back for internet protection.

There is, however, an option that we can promote to help keep these protections.

With such an important and wide-reaching decision, I believe our elected representatives should work together to craft legislation outlining the rights that we have as citizens and consumers. Those who agree— which given the backlash, there should be thousands of people who do—can and should contact their representatives and express their concern.

Events that made 2017 history CONTINUED FROM PG. 4 was elected as a state representative in Virginia, making her one of the first openly transgender candidates elected to public office in the U.S. Roem defeated Republican Robert G. Marshall, who was Virginia’s most socially conservative state lawmaker. Marshall had refused to debate Roem and referred to her using male pronouns. Furthermore, Andrea Jenkins was elected to Minneapolis City Council, making her the first openly transgender black woman to serve in public office.

The rise of “fake news” 2017 has witnessed what most have dubbed “fake news.” Fake news usually refers to the spread of incorrect information on a widespread basis, but some have also used the term to describe a point of disagreement or uncertainty. The proliferation of social media has allowed false news stories to spread rapidly, creating an even stronger need for fact-checking, smart consumerism and ethical journalism in the media. The fake news uproar has underscored the need to verify information with multiple organizations before spreading news.

U.S. leaves Paris Climate Accords President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords on June 1. The Paris climate agreement is a historic pact to prevent irreversible change to the Earth's climate. The goals of the agreement include preventing a rise in global temperature above two degrees Celsius and to reduce greenhouse emissions to zero by midcentury. The United States is the only country of the original 195 to withdraw from the agreement. More than 200 mayors and some governors have announced

that their cities and states would continue to comply with the goals of the agreement despite U.S. withdrawal.

A peaceful transition of power After holding onto dictatorial power for 37 years in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe resigned as president after protests with little violence. Yes, the 93-year-old was under military detention and pressure from his own party when he stepped down, but Mugabe’s resignation represents a relatively peaceful transition of power compared to the violence that typically occurred amidst protests in the region. While Zimbabwe, and some other African nations, still face authoritarian rulers that repress civil rights and liberties, Zimbabweans showed unity in their protests against Mugabe. Outrage prevented Mugabe's wife from taking power, and now Emmerson Mnangagwa will gain control. Mnangagwa’s rule still presents obstacles to any hopes of implementing protection of freedom for the country, but this historic change of power is monumental nonetheless.

Fighting the oppression of women Saudi Arabia announced that women will be allowed to drive, a proclamation which overturned a longstanding policy of oppressing women. This change will take effect in 2018, thanks to protests and also the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This reform follows recent progress in women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, such as the 2015 decision to allow women to vote and run for seats on local councils. This decision is expected to face much dissension, and women are still far from equal to men in Saudi Arabia, but this decision symbolizes another step toward equal rights for men and women.

St. Joe's CAS welcomes a new dean St. Joe’s College of Arts and Sciences welcomed a new dean in August: Shaily Menon, Ph.D. Menon is an accomplished biologist and administrator who was previously the associate dean for research, facilities planning and community engagement in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

St. Joe’s receives Maguire donation This past summer, James and Francis Maguire made a $50 million “transformative” gift to the university, which was the single largest donation in the institution’s history. Part of the scholarship will support the Maguire Scholars scholarship program, which will be enhanced and the university’s number one ranked insurance and risk-management program will be supported. This donation marks a historic point for St. Joe’s and begins a period of growth and prosperity.

Philly African-American monument A statue of civil rights advocate Octavius V. Catto was installed at City Hall in Philadelphia this past September, marking the first public monument in the city dedicated to an African-American. Catto was an educator, scholar, writer and baseball player who was successful in protesting to desegregate Philly’s trolleys and fought for voting rights for black citizens. Finally, after more than 140 years since his death, he is getting the commemoration he deserves.

Moonlight won an Oscar “Moonlight,” a film written and directed by Barry Jenkins, won the Academy Award for Best Picture this year at the Oscars. This was a momentous occasion, because the film took a hard look at Amer-

ican reality through the lense of Chiron, an impoverished young black man growing up in Miami. The movie sheds light on issues of race, sexual orientation, drug abuse, mass incarceration and school violence, so this Oscar win represents an awareness of the importance of these issues.

First black Bachelorette premiered Rachel Lindsay made her premiere as the first black Bachelorette on ABC on May 22.

Considering almost 90 percent of shows feature white protagonists, Lindsay’s debut as the Bachelorette was a small step in encouraging more diversity in the media. Still, Lindsay's feature sparked conversations regarding prejudice, race and gender in America.

Total solar eclipse amazes the nation The total solar eclipse on Aug. 21 was not only a once in a lifetime event—it was a moment of national unity. Family, friends and neighbors came together to witness the eclipse and share safety glasses during with gatherings across the nation. Whether you were directly in path of totality for the eclipse or witnessed a partial eclipse, this day brought the country together to celebrate a single event.

Empowering the #MeToo movement The rise of the #MeToo movement has encouraged men and women who are survivors of sexual assault or harassment to speak up with their stories. This movement has empowered many who have been silenced to share their own experiences and call for conversations to bring attention to sexual assault issues. Recent allegations against Hollywood stars, politicians, and other influential members of society have also encouraged this movement.

Lifestyle

Dec. 6, 2017

9

From so bad to so good

Why "The Disaster Artist" must be seen Film history was changed in 2003 when a movie called “The Room” was unleashed on the world. Released only in one Los Angeles theater, this film was meant to be a Tennessee Williams-style melodrama, but viewers noticed it had incredible flaws: scenes were rushed, plot threads were abandoned altogether, the dialogue sounded like broken English and the acting was either wooden or over-the-top.

It was a perfect unintentional comedy, and at the center of it all was the movie’s director, producer, writer and lead actor: Tommy Wiseau, an eccentric, mysteriously wealthy aspiring actor who claimed to be from New Orleans, spoke with an Eastern European accent, and refused to reveal his true age.

In an era where so-bad-it’s-good humor ruled the Internet, “The Room” became a sensation. Midnight screenings across the world saw fans throw spoons and footballs at the screen and shout lines with the characters. Wiseau embraced his ersatz fame as the man behind the “worst movie ever,” traveling to showings and meeting fans.

On the movie’s 10th anniversary, Wiseau’s costar and friend Greg Sestero published a memoir, “The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside ‘The Room,’ the Greatest Bad Film Ever Made,” detailing the chaos of the film’s production and his friendship with Wiseau.

Now, 14 years after “The Room’s” premiere, Sestero’s book has been adapted into “The Disaster Artist,” produced, directed by and starring James Franco as Wiseau, with

ROSE WELDON '19 Lifestyle Editor

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

his brother Dave Franco as Sestero. The film received raves at South by Southwest and the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year, and goes into wide release on Dec. 8.

I’ve read Sestero’s book and seen “The Room” at least five times, which makes me the perfect audience for the movie. So I’m a bit biased when I say “The Disaster Artist” is my favorite movie of 2017.

Note I don’t think it’s the “best” movie of 2017, but on a level of sheer enjoyment, I haven’t found a better example this year

than this weird, yet totally charming film.

The best term to describe “Disaster Artist” is “fan nonfiction,” a true story with some fabrications to accentuate the real-life behavior of the major players, namely, Wiseau and Sestero. Nevertheless, nothing in the film feels forced or fake; it knows the inherent comedy and ridiculousness of the story but still treats its subject with respect.

Franco had an unenviable task in playing Wiseau. The man is a walking meme made up of odd accents and mannerisms.

He lives in utter secrecy, never telling anyone

his age, nationality or real name (though he told Jimmy Kimmel last week that he is “from Europe”).

Sestero’s book adds a malevolent layer, showing Wiseau’s tantrums and paranoia on the production of his masterwork. Yet, Franco accomplishes the impossible in his performance. By looking past all the enigmas about Wiseau, he manages to humanize him, delivering one of the best performances of the year in the process.

Another major hurdle for Franco and company was how to make the film work for those who are unfamiliar with “The Room.” This was addressed through having Sestero act as the audience surrogate, exploring his mixed feelings about being plunged into a friendship with Wiseau.

Additionally, the film sees an emphasis on Wiseau’s desire to achieve the American Dream, which in his eyes is becoming an actor. Throughout the montage of Wiseau and Sestero going on auditions and acquiring varying degrees of success, the former is told he’d make a great villain, but that’s not what he wants. Wiseau sees himself as an All-American guy, and when he cannot find someone who will cast him as such, he writes a script of his own to accomplish his goal. What could be more relatable?

Ironically, the reason “The Room” was shown for one week in a Los Angeles theater so many years ago was that Wiseau wanted his “real Hollywood movie” to qualify for the Academy Awards. With “The Disaster Artist” gaining Oscar buzz, Wiseau has finally come full circle.

Overcoming middle school struggles "Wonder," a story of family and acceptance EMILY GRAHAM '20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor “Wonder,” a family drama about acceptance and friendship, premiered on Nov. 17. The film is based on a children’s novel of the same title, written by Raquel J. Palacio.

“Wonder” features compelling performances by a great cast, including Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.

While “Wonder” may initially seem like a typical heartwarming family movie where a boy faces some challenges but overcomes them with the help of some great friends, the trailer may be deceiving for viewers who have not read the book.

The film has much more depth than the trailer implies.

The film tells the story of a boy named August “Auggie” Pullman (Tremblay), who was born with a facial deformity, as he begins his first year at school after being home schooled up until fifth grade. Unsurprisingly, Auggie has a difficult time fitting in, as the other children either bully him, stare or avoid him altogether. However, Auggie makes one great friend, starts to love school and everyone lives happily ever after.

Or so it might go in any other feelgood family story.

Instead, Auggie faces ups and downs throughout the movie, which takes place over the course of the school year. He makes a friend, who later denounces him due to peer pressure. He loses his astronaut helmet, which he wears often to feel safe, and is con-

stantly called a “freak” by his classmates.

As if Auggie’s struggles are not enough to make the audience cry, the film high-

and Miranda (Daniella Rose Russell), Via’s childhood friend. Auggie’s parents, Isabel (Roberts) and Nate (Wilson), are also cen-

Graphic by Kelly Smith '19.

lights the fact he is not the only person who faces hardship. The film is separated into various parts which focus on different characters, including Auggie’s sister Via (Izabela Vidovic), classmate Summer (Millie Davis), Auggie’s best friend Jack Will (Noah Jupe), Via’s boyfriend Justin (Nadji Jeter),

tral characters whose perspectives are seen throughout the story.

While Auggie’s life is at the forefront, the segmented plotline emphasizes the fact that he is not alone in this story. For example, the audience sees how Via, who is described as “the most understanding

girl in the world,” often falls in her brother’s shadow. When all her parents care about is Auggie’s bad day at school, Via silently struggles to deal with the fact that her lifelong best friend has abandoned her. As the film continues, Via tries to hide more and more from her parents, which ultimately puts a strain on her relationship with her mother.

However, in a simple yet heartbreaking scene of Isabel sitting at the desk where she used to homeschool Auggie, we see that she, too, must adjust to having Auggie at school and away from home.

Each character faces unique challenges which encompass the pains of friendship and family life. Although Auggie’s life is interesting on its own, insight into the views of the other characters in the film makes for a much more complex story. It highlights the reality that no one exists on their own, and that other people have reasons behind their actions that might not be obvious at first glance. While the main themes of this film may be friendship and acceptance, the underlying concept of understanding that everyone has their own story is a key element, making the story compelling and realistic.

Although “Wonder” does provide the satisfaction of a happy ending, viewers should be prepared to shed quite a few tears along the way.

10

Lifestyle

Dec. 6, 2017

Final year blues

Overcoming senior graduation anxiety MATTHEW TAMARIN '18 Hawk Staff As graduation draws closer for the St. Joe's Class of 2018, many seniors are thinking about job applications, graduate school or how to answer questions from others about what life after graduation holds. Preparing to strike it on their own and leave the relative comforts of college behind is an exciting transition, but also causes anxiety and stress.

Samantha Sur ’18, an arts and behavioral studies major and music minor, said thinking about life after graduation is scary, especially given that she is on her own.

“I’m excited, but I’m anxious for [graduating] as well,” said Sur. “There’s a small set of job opportunities available, especially for someone with my major.”

This feeling of apprehension and fear towards graduation is so common that Psychology Today has identified the phenomenon among outgoing seniors as “Post Commencement Stress Disorder” (“PCSD”). Common symptoms are described as feeling one has no control over their own life, or feeling a lack of support after graduation, a sense of failure, irritability and aversion to everyday activities.

“This is a difficult time for those who have felt a certain amount of security being a college student,” said Christine Mecke, Ph.D., director of Student Disability Services. “Mostly the focus is on doing well

The Career Development Center offers many services for graduating seniors (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

academically and having a good time, with less thought or worry about what the future might bring. The reality of paying back student loans comes into sharp focus. Those who have yet to find a job only seem to become more afraid.”

These are challenges St. Joe’s students can address by visiting the Career Development Center, where counselors provide support with the job application process,

edit resumes and help students find the best options to follow their desired career path.

Danielle Fichter, the Career Events and Recruiting Coordinator for the Career Development Center, notes the center has a variety of resources students can access.

“The Career Development Center aims to prepare students for professional success,” Fichter said. “We offer services such as resumes reviews, mock interviews, indi-

vidual career counseling appointments, and opportunities to network with employers and alumni through events held on campus each semester.”

According to the Career Development Center, the employment rate for the St. Joe’s Class of 2016 is 91 percent, currently employed in a position related to their career goals. Many of these former students found these positions through the Career Development Center.

The Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at St. Joe’s also provides mental health services so students may be able to develop healthy goals and practices for entering the working world.

“We are very fortunate to have such a great resource available to all of our students, not just the seniors,” said Mecke.

“I’ve referred students to speak to someone in CAPS many times. They’ve helped them through stressful times and with developing strategies to lower their anxiety so that they can come up with a plan post-graduation.”

There can be no denying that a period of such significant transition as graduating from college is a frightening one. But students are not alone, given the many people and resources available to help them prepare for life beyond the Commencement walk.

The science of studying

How to best prepare for finals, according to psychology BRITTANY SWIFT '20 Opinions Editor With finals on the horizon, many students stress about their academic performance and, more often than not, turn to caffeine and late nights. While it may be tempting to procrastinate on the growing pile of papers and projects, science says cramming is probably not the best option.

Instead of praying for extra credit, students should consider how the brain functions to best retain valuable information for the upcoming tests standing in front of the holiday vacation. Rather than cramming, psychology points to engaging with the material consistently and creatively while also taking time to manage stress.

Patricia Zaleski-Kramer, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of psychology, explained the brain has an executive function, which decides whether information is important enough to store for the long-term or to only hold onto it for a short time period.

If students want to retain information for finals season, they need to grab the brain’s attention and tell it to save this knowledge.

“It’s really important to be an active learner, to take this information and try to relate it to what you know already,” Zaleski-Kramer said. “Organize it. Don’t just let it sit all over the place.”

For students who haven’t engaged in class material so far, there’s still hope if one can arrange the knowledge from a class into neat categories within the brain.

Students study for finals in Post Learning Commons (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

Zaleski-Kramer said to imagine long-term memory as a closet.

“Now we all have a closet we basically throw stuff into and we close the door,” Zaleski-Kramer said. “And then, when you go to look for something, we can’t find it.

When you cram, that’s what you’re doing.”

Rather than cramming, students should find a routine that engages the brain but is also realistic and attainable. Night owl Adeline Dove ’19, an interdisciplin-

ary health services major (IHS), enjoys late-night Dunkin runs and motivation from roommates when studying for finals.

However, not all of Dove’s college days have been filled with efficient study routines.

“I did that [cram] my freshman year for a bio final. I just studied the whole day before from 11 a.m. through 2 a.m.,” Dove said. “I got to the exam, and I blanked. That was obviously scary as a freshman.”

Academic stress is common for under-

graduate students. According to the spring 2017 report from the National College Health Assessment, 30.6 percent of students report stress negatively affecting their individual academic performance. This is a slight increase compared to a report rate of 28.7 percent in 2000. Students are not alone in feeling overwhelmed by course work; 47.5 percent of undergraduate students this year reported academics has been traumatic or difficult to handle.

Political science major Julian Lutz ’19 feels the same academic pressures many college students also experience. He said there are many concerning factors when it comes to studying for finals, including stress about maintaining a high GPA to better prepare for postgraduate careers or studies.

“I come from a family that really stresses doing well in school, and for a long time I didn’t. I came to college and it was this fresh start,” Lutz said. “I kept myself to a high standard and raised the pressure.”

Despite the lure of waiting until the night before an exam to pick up that textbook, students are advised to consider their own sanity first. Studying day and night before an exam may not be the answer to all of one’s hopes and wishes. Instead, put down that fourth cup of coffee and organize that closet of information.

Lifestyle

Dec. 6, 2017

11

Never go out of style

The fashions of past decades return SAMI NIGRO '20 Hawk Staff

What’s old is new again as college-aged fashionistas recycle trends from previous decades. Here are a few favorites spotted on St. Joe’s students.

Denim Since jeans were first invented by Levi Strauss in the 1870s, denim has never really gone out of style. Today, high-rise (or “mom”) jeans, overalls and jean jackets are the height of denim fashion. All three of these clothing items were made popular in the late 1980s and 1990s by celebrities such as actress Jennifer Aniston and singer/ actor Will Smith. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake also wore matching head to toe denim at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, sparking the trend of wearing an excess amount of jean material, also known as “double denim.”

“Double denim is really in right now for both girls and boys. And really just denim in general,” said Anthony Savarese ’20.

Denim jackets are largely becoming popular again (Photos by Luke Malanga ’20).

Savarese said everyone he knows owns at least one pair of jeans or a jean jacket. He says a lot of his friends have high-waisted jeans as well.

“That material is crazy popular,” Savarese said. “One of my friends even has a denim dress.”

two brightly colored bands of fabric. One had small prints of pugs on it and the other was decorated with Christmas trees.

“I love them because there’s such a large variety,” Blumetti said. “Your scrunchie pattern says a lot about you. For instance, I love pugs and Christmas.”

Scrunchies “Scrunchie” is an appropriate word for a large hair tie made out of scrunched-up fabric. They come in all colors, and some

Converse Another trend that has had its ups and downs throughout the past century is Converse sneakers. In the 1920s, they were nicknamed “Chuck Taylors” or “Chucks,” after basketball player Chuck Taylor began wearing Converse sneakers during games.

Fans soon began to copy his style, with the company even adopting his name.

While these sneakers were mildly popular during the majority of the 20th century, they reached their peak in the 1980s, with multiple styles and colors available. They died down in the late 1990s into the early 2000s, but came back again in the last five years.

“I wore white Converse in college, so it’s crazy to see my college students wearing white converse as well,” said Laura Grace Pattillo, Ph.D., assistant professor of English.

Converse can be spotted on students of all genders, races, and ages on St. Joe’s campus. They are worn both to class and out on the weekends.

“Converse are really cool because they can be either dressed up or dressed down,” said Blumetti. “I can wear them with sweatpants, but I can also wear them with skirts.

And it’s so weird because my parents used to wear them, too.”

Scrunchies are one of a few items to make a comeback.

even have bold prints and patterns on them for individual customization.

Scrunchies first became stylish in the late 1980s, when women would wear them to work out. As they became more mainstream, teenage girls would wear them to school. Scrunchies started to die down in the mid 1990s, but they have made a comeback in recent years.

“My favorite trend right now is definitely scrunchies,” said Emily Blumetti ’20.

“I have two on my wrist right now.”

Blumetti pulled up her sleeve to display

A student models a pair of classic white Converse.

Chokers Chokers are necklaces that are tight around the neck and don’t hang. There are chokers made out of all types of material such as thin plastic, metal and even velvet. They have been spotted on a range of celebrities, from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in the 1990s to Kim Kardashian in 2017.

“The best thing about chokers is that there’s a style for every occasion,” said Catharine Coogan ’20. “If I’m going to class, I can wear one of those wire ones. But if I’m going out, I can wear a pretty velvet choker.”

Coogan also said this type of accessory is especially convenient for her because her mother also wears them. If she can’t find a choker that matches her outfit, she can always raid her mother’s jewelry box to find one that complements her style.

Live in the Perch

The process behind SJUbyU EMILY PAPIERNICK ’19 Special to The Hawk St. Joe’s students will get a chance to relive their early teen years with pop star Jesse McCartney’s performance at the Dec. 8 SJUbyU concert.

McCartney, 30, is a singer and actor who was part of the boy band Dream Street, which performed from 1999 to 2002.

After the band broke up, he embarked on a solo career, later releasing top 10 singles like “Beautiful Soul” and “Leavin’.”

“When I was 13 years old, I saw Jesse McCartney at a bat mitzvah,” said John Rosario ’19. “Can’t wait to feel like a 13 year old girl again.”

The free SJUbyU event series, sponsored by the Student Union Board (SUB), is now in its fifth year. Past performers include Aaron Carter, Ice-T, Ben Schwartz and Vanessa Carlton.

In late September, St. Joe’s students voted among three choices for the event.

This year, about 1,000 students voted for McCartney who will perform before 300 students in the Perch.

“Usually freshman and sophomores tend to vote more, and usually a lot more girls vote than guys,” said Danielle Prioleau ’18, head of SUB’s Late Night committee, which is organizing the event.

Prioleau explained the committee

comes up with the choices for SJUbyU after attending the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) conference each spring. The NACA conference provides ideas for events to student activities groups across the United States.

After last spring’s NACA conference, leaders of SUB contacted entertainment companies, which provided them with a list of performers who fit the board’s budget.

This year the budget is $25,000, and Prioleau said her committee divides it among a variety of events.

“For Late Night, we split up our budget for the different events, but we keep in mind what events we choose because we know that SJUbyU will require more funds than others,” Prioleau said.

Tickets to SJUbyU will be available in Campion on a first come first serve basis from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Dec. 7. The first nine students to get their tickets will receive a signed poster.

Maddie Michowski ’19 will be in line for her ticket.

“Jesse McCartney is performing Friday in the Perch and the City Belles are performing Sunday meaning we are going to stand on a stage that has touched his feet,” Michowski said. “Holy fangirling.”

The Student Union Board with actor/comedian Ben Schwartz just before his SJUByU event last year (Photo courtesy of Student Union Board).

12

Lifestyle

Dec. 6, 2017

Campus cookie exchange

Favorite desserts at the sweetest time of year ALY SEECHOCK ’18 Special to The Hawk For many people, one of the most delectable parts of the holidays is the sweet treats that go along with them. To get in the spirit, we asked Hawks to share their favorite holiday cookies with us.

Ali Natale ’18, President of University Student Senate Favorite Cookie: Italian Wedding Cookie What makes it special:“My best friend’s mom makes them every year as a present for my family.”

Nathan King ’20 Favorite Cookie: Oreo Balls What makes it special: “This is the only time of year I have them, so they’re special to my heart.”

Bennie Epright ’19 Favorite Cookie: Pillsbury Shape Christmas Sugar Cookies What makes it special: “They are something that I grew up with.”

Malcom Odum ’20 Favorite Cookie: Pillsbury Shape Christmas Sugar Cookies What makes it special: “I enjoy them because of their fun Christmas prints.”

Katie Sellers ’21 Favorite Cookie: Gingerbread Cookies What makes it special: “My siblings and I make them with my dad every year. We spend a whole day the week before Christmas baking cookies and frosting them.”

Beth Hagovsky, Ed.D, Director of Student Leadership and Activities Favorite Cookie: Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss Cookies What makes it special: “When I was a kid we really only made the peanut butter Hershey kiss ones at Christmas,so I think of them as Christmas cookie. Now I make them anytime so they’re not just a Christmas

cookie, but they’re still one of my favorites.”

Alexander Velazquez ’20 Favorite Cookie: Peanut Butter Blossoms What makes it special: “I associate them with holiday spirit.”

Tenaya Darlington, M.F.A., Associate Professor of English Favorite Cookie: Oatmeal or Gingerbread Cookie What makes it special: “While I love an oatmeal or gingerbread cookie, I’m always on the look-out for the next cookie flavor.

So, if I go to a holiday party, I am always trolling for that one unusual baked good I haven’t seen before. Last night I ate a chocolate-tahini cookie that rocked my world.

It tasted like dark cocoa and sesame, and

it had flakes of sea salt on top that added a tiny bit of crunch. I loved the combination.”

Mikaela Bakey ’18 Favorite Cookie: Sugar Cookies in Festive Shapes with Colored Sprinkles What makes it special: “As a kid, my family enjoyed baking cookies on Christmas Eve to put out for Santa.”

Emily Hanlon ’18 Favorite Cookie: Sugar Cookies What makes it special: “I always make them with my family, it’s a Christmas tradition for us. Without them, Christmas just wouldn’t be the same.”

Brian M. Forster, Ph.D., Lab Coordinator, General Education Program Natural Sciences

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.

Favorite Cookie: Christmas Meringues What makes it special: “They’re my favorite because of family tradition – that’s what we always have each year at Christmas.”

Gabrielle Stevenson ’21 Favorite Cookie: Snickerdoodles What makes it special: “I like them because they are just an amazing combination of cinnamon and brown sugar and they are super festive.”

Timothy Ward ’18 Favorite Cookie: Snickerdoodles What makes it special: “My mom makes them well.”

Evan Palmieri ’19 Favorite Cookie: Ginger Snap What makes it special: “Ginger cookies remind me of Christmas and gingerbread houses.”

Josie Covello ’18 Favorite Cookie: Italian Christmas Cookies What makes it special: “My favorite is my Nona’s Italian Christmas cookies because we used to make them together when I was growing up and they always remind me of the holidays.”

Megan Szabo ’19 Favorite Cookie: Kolaches (Hungarian cookies with apricot and berry fillings) What makes it special: “My grandma used to make them all the time when I was younger, but because they’re kind of time intensive to make right, we only get them around the holidays so it’s something I look forward to.”

Shyheim Williams, M.A. ’19 Favorite Cookie: Gingerbread/ginger snaps What makes it special: “They’re easy to make. You can make them into fun shapes with your family and friends, and I love building gingerbread houses. They can be really ‘spicy’ or really sweet.”

Spin on a budget

How to afford the SoulCycle fad STEPHANIE McCARTHY ’18 Special to The Hawk

SoulCycle, a New York-based fitness company that offers indoor cycling classes, is addicting–until it breaks the bank.

Each 45-minute class costs $34, well beyond the price range of many college students.

Maria Carrato ’18 took her first SoulCycle class at the company’s Ardmore location in early November. Her assessment perfectly captured what many St. Joe’s students have experienced.

“I love it![But] it's too expensive,” Carrato said.

Despite the hefty prices, students have found ways to join the SoulCycle craze without emptying their wallet. Students who love SoulCycle but don’t love the cost offer tips on how they afford classes.

Get a group discount SoulCycle offers deals to campus groups. Most recently, members of Alpha Phi received two and a half weeks of unlimited SoulCycle classes.

Morgan Jensen ’18, a member of Alpha Phi, was able to take advantage of that deal.

“I did not think that I would get hooked, and I didn’t want to,” Jensen said.

“It is way out of my budget. After the first class I went almost every day for those two

and a half weeks.”

Find a recruiter SoulCycle reaches out to students who attend classes regularly to recruit a group of 10 students who have never tried a class before. The company works with the recruiter to find one class that all the 10 students then take together. This class is free not only for the 10 students trying SoulCycle for the first time, but also for the recruiter.

Last week Caroline Napoli ’18 tried her her first SoulCycle class free of charge, courtesy of a recruiter.

“I have not taken a SoulCycle class in the past because of the cost and inconvenience,” Napoli said, noting she prefers the St. Joe’s gym, which “is already paid for from tuition.”

After attending a SoulCycle class with 10 other students, mostly friends and roommates, she said she understood the appeal.

“It was a lot more fun than I expected it to be,” Napoli said. “I liked that there was music the entire time. You’re kind of in your own world. I would definitely go again if it was cheaper.”

Nab student and holiday deals The Soul Cycle website lists class packages that can help cut costs, but from $145 for five classes all the way to $3,500 for 50 classes, they’re not ideal for every college student’s budget.

But students who are on the Ardmore location’s email list might receive holiday/ student specials from managers there.

When SoulCycle recently emailed Carrato with a holiday deal for students, she jumped on the opportunity to take three more classes for $20 each.

Carrato tried SoulCycle for the first time last fall when members of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, were offered one free class.

As a self-described workout fiend on a budget, Carrato said she found the experience “motivational and empowering,” and much better than working out alone.

“It is expensive, so you definitely need a college type of deal,” Carrato said.

Make the regular sacrifice Alexandra Scepansky ’18 has been going to SoulCycle regularly since January.

“The cost definitely causes me to go less,” Scepansky said.

But Scepansky also said she has man-

aged to afford a class once a week or every other week by making other sacrifices.

“I afford it by cutting back on other things,” Scepansky said. “If I did not spend money the weekend before, then I can go.”

The exterior of a popular SoulCycle gym (Photo by Morgan Jensen ’18).

Sports

Dec. 6, 2017

13

Bigger than basketball

Avery Marz's recovery and return inspires many NICK KARPINSKI '21 Hawk Staff At just 17 years old, women’s basketball guard and current senior Avery Marz overcame a hardship that most people couldn’t even imagine experiencing in their lifetime.

Marz’ world changed on Aug. 23, 2014 when she suffered a stroke while moving onto campus as a freshman at St. Joe’s.

“I kind of got an argument going on with my mom about my clothes and the closet space,” Marz said. “Then, she told me to help put up the fridge. My knee gave out so I went to sit on the bed to put my legs up and it was like a gust of wind hit me from my left side and pushed me off my bed. At that point I realized that I couldn’t move my left side.”

This moment prompted a mental and physical recovery process lasting three years.

Marz’s bravery and ability to overcome adversity sparked national attention; however, this did not come without difficulty.

“Everyday in the beginning was a struggle,” Marz said. “I was reminded that I was paralyzed or that I can’t move this or I can’t do that. I couldn’t take classes and I couldn’t be the normal college freshman that I wanted and planned to be. I can pinpoint one moment when I saw a video of myself running during the recovery process. I never saw myself look so slow and uncoordinated.

It was scary, I was sad and it was really a moment of 'Wow that’s really what I look like and will I ever look any different.'”

Without basketball, Marz would not have had the same level of motivation throughout her recovery. The sport set the

Senior Avery Marz tattooed the date of her stroke on her left shoulder (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

tone for her to get back to action.

“Basketball in general set me up to be goal seeking,” Marz said. “As an athlete, you’re always working towards a new goal and trying to better yourself. I think just having that mindset to begin with really helped with my recovery and two, just never being satisfied.”

Marz drew inspiration from her mother throughout the recovery process as a critical part of a larger support system. Teammates also played a significant role by simply working hard on the court.

“My mom was a huge part of my recovery and really kept me grounded through the entire process,” Marz said. “There were a lot of difficult times and she was around for most of them. Also, just seeing my team work hard and accomplish drills, seeing them win games inspired me to keep going.”

While certain individuals inspired her to recover, Marz herself acted as a huge inspiration for other people. This is especially true for women’s basketball head coach Cindy Griffin.

“She inspires me everyday,” Griffin said.

“She is an example of somebody who has had

a hardship, somebody that has come back.

Something was taken away from her and she’s worked her way back and it’s inspiring.”

Marz wants to use her experiences over the past three years to become a role model for other people. Teaching and influencing others is important to her and something that she wants to pursue.

“I think as I get older and mature I’ll be able to be a better role model, but I definitely want to be able to help and influence people,” Marz said. “Whether it’s people who are survivors of stroke or others, I hope I can influence other people to keep working hard and not give up.”

Marz wants to leave a lasting impression on St. Joe’s, and Griffin believes that she’s already done so.

“She’ll go away with people wanting to be like her,” Griffin said.

By the time she graduates, Marz wants the people at St. Joe’s to see her as a leader. She is serving as a captain this season for her team.

“I think as a leader you can do a lot of things,” Marz said. “You can influence people, you can help people, guide people and teach them. I’d also like to be known as someone who truly did just enjoy life. I think it’s big just to be happy with each day.”

Marz looks to continue a strong season with the Hawks after her debut on Nov. 12 against Niagara University. She will take advantage of another year of eligibility next season while pursuing an MBA at St. Joe's.

Hawks rugby travels to Nationals Club rugby travels to Ohio for Nationals

The St. Joe’s club rugby squad travelled to Greenville, South Carolina for the 2017 USA Rugby Collegiate Fall 15’s National Championship Match on Dec. 3. After beating the University of Tennessee and Bowling Green State University in previous rounds, the Hawks took on the University of Mary Washington. After an impressive season, St. Joe’s fell to Mary Washington, 37-13. The Hawks led at the end of the first half, 13-5, but Mary Washington put on a stellar second half performance, shutting out St. Joe’s and earning a win.

(Photos by Luke Malanga '20).

14

Sports

Dec. 6, 2017

Welcoming Erin Brooks St. Joe's hires new softball coach NICK MANDARANO '18 Sports Editor St. Joe’s officially named Erin Brooks the new head coach of the softball team on Nov. 7.

Brooks began her collegiate career playing at Cabrini College where she was named a second-team All-American as a sophomore in 2001. At Cabrini, Brooks was part of a team that was ranked as high as fourth in the country.

Following the season, she transferred to Fordham University when Cabrini’s coach, Bridget Orchard, took a position as the head coach. Between her time at Cabrini and Fordham, Brooks also spent a semester at Syracuse University, where she walked on to the basketball team.

Brooks was inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015 for her softball performance. Together, Brooks and Orchard helped to lead Fordham to its first ever 30-win season in 2003 and developed a relationship that stands to this day.

“We talk all the time, we’re very close friends,” Brooks said. “She’s very much a mentor to me.”

Brooks is excited for the opportunity to be on the same field as Orchard, who still holds the head coach position at Fordham.

The two will be sharing a field for the first time in 13 years when their two teams face off in a three-game series from March 3031 at St. Joe’s.

Despite becoming opponents, Orchard plans to continue mentoring Brooks and helping out where needed.

“I’ll offer her advice,” Orchard said with a laugh. “I kind of hope our conference gets better. Obviously, we don’t want to lose, but I think St. Joe’s getting better and stronger is going to help us get stronger and better.”

Brooks graduated from Fordham summa cum laude with a degree in communications and intelligence systems. She now works as a data analyst for Major League Baseball Advanced Media writing code that helps to organize and analyze data for and from marketing sponsorships.

“I do data-based analysis,” Brooks said.

“I’ve just been doing that for them remotely and part-time since 2016. I was there as an intern when I was at Fordham and then fulltime after I graduated for almost two years.”

Naturally, Brooks incorporates this data analysis into her coaching. She tries to steer clear from typical box score statistics and sees more value in data, like what each player does on a 1-2 count or how many times a player hits first-pitch strikes.

“I think just the more information you have, the better you can be,” Brooks said.

Brooks spent the last three seasons as the head coach at Haverford College, where she coached 14 players to All-Centennial Conference honors and 13 to the conference’s academic honor roll. In her first season, she was named the Centennial Coach of the Year after leading the team to the program’s second highest win-percentage ever.

Prior to Haverford, Brooks also served as head coach at Pacific Lutheran University and as a graduate assistant and head coach at John Carroll University. She led John Carroll to the program’s first ever NFCA Top-25 Poll appearance.

“I love coaching, I love educating, I love mentoring,” Brooks said. “I feel like each school gives you a different way of doing that. St. Joe’s gives you ample resources in order to be effective, not necessarily with wins, but just in the influence and the impact that you have on student-athletes.”

Orchard is convinced that Brooks will do a great job in her new role and have no problem continuing to bring great players

to the program.

“I think recruiting for her is going to be key,” Orchard said. “She’s so likeable and she’s genuine and honest, so I think that’s going to be a huge thing for her and obviously St. Joe’s. I think she gets the most out of everyone who wants to play for her.”

Following a 25-28 season that placed the Hawks as the third seed for the Atlantic 10 Championship, Brooks hopes the team will develop this upcoming season.

“I have high hopes for what we can put together on the field, I’m very optimistic about that,” Brooks said. “This program at this school has the ability to be at the top of the A-10 conference. That’s where we want to be.”

New softball head coach Erin Brooks cheers on her previous team, Haverford College (Photo courtesy of SJU Athletics).

Track stars heat up despite the cold Indoor track season commences DREW RHOADES '20 Hawk Staff

The St. Joe’s men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their indoor season on Dec. 2 at the Jack Pyrah Invitational hosted by Villanova University. The men finished first in a field of four teams, totaling 108 points, while the women finished third in a field of four teams with 70 points.

For the men, the season started out on a high note as senior Steve Thompson won the 800 meter. Thompson ran the 800 in 1:58.08, beating out 13 other runners. It was his fifth career 800 win. The crimson and gray dominated the 800 with seven of the top 10 runners. Freshman Stephan McClellan and senior Dan Ferraiolo took home the second and third spots behind Thompson, respectively.

“It felt really good,” Thompson said. “We treat this meet as kind of a rustbuster and an opportunity to go out there and be competitive and not really chase after sharp times, but to get good habits back into the mix.”

As a senior, Thompson knows he will be looked at as a leader for the men’s squad.

“I think a big part of leadership is showing the younger guys that you have to be out there in practice and developing

these good habits where you’re always being competitive and always pushing really hard to the line,” he said.

Thompson wasn’t the only one who took home a top spot. Sophomore Christian Roberts placed first in the mile run in a field of seven runners, putting in a collegiate best time of 4:23.91.

Other exceptional performances included junior Dylan Eddinger placing third in the 1000 meters with a time of 2:32.83 and sophomore Justin Moscoe and senior Kenny Evely placing third and fourth in the 300 meters respectively. The group of Moscoe, Evely, senior David Henderson and sophomore Trae’ Robinson placed second in the 4x400 meter relay with a time of 3:23.00.

For the women, sophomore Caroline Duffy dazzled as she finished sixth in the 60 meters with a time of 8.00, third in the 300 meters at 41.20 and also had a part in the Hawks’ second place finish in the 4x400 meter relay. Duffy recorded 11 points in the individual events.

“For personal goals, I’d just like to improve in events I did last year as a freshman and relay wise just keep it strong,” Duffy said.

“Just keep showing up for meets, just representing Saint Joseph’s to the best of my ability.”

Junior Nathaniela Bourdeau finished fifth in the 60 meters with a time of 7.75, while senior Stephanie Toland placed ninth in the 300 meters in 42.97. Sophomore Tamar Bourdeau finished third in the 500 meters, scoring a time of 1:21:83, while sophomore Maggie McGuire placed fourth in the 800 meters in 2:24.32. Senior Claudine Andre finished third in a field of 14 in the long jump, with 5.26 meters.

The core of Nathaniela Bourdeau, Duffy, Toland and junior Kelly Liebl led the way for a second place finish in a field of 9 in the 4x400 meter relay, placing a time of 3:58.55.

Toland said the team was nervous going into the meet.

“It’s the season opener, and you never know how it’s going to go,” Tolland said. “This is basically a checkpoint to see where you are.

During practice we knew we were ready to go, and I think we all did really well.”

Toland also stressed improvement as a goal for the team this indoor season.

“Definitely to have a lot of girls qualify for ECAC [Eastern College Athletic Con-

ference],” she said. “We also just want to improve overall PRs [personal records] and just have everyone perform better than they have in the past.”

The men and women have a break for the holidays and get back to the action on Jan. 5 at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York for the Wagner College Invitational.

Junior Nathaniela Bourdeau races in a meet at Yale University last winter (Photo by Dylan Eddinger '19).

Sports

Dec. 6, 2017

15

Holy war history A look inside the St. Joe's and Villanova rivalry BRUCE HOWARD '20 Hawk Staff In 1921, two schools just 6.1 miles away from one another played for the very first time. The St. Joe’s Hawks, then Saint Joseph's College, lost to the Villanova Wildcats 31-22 that year. It was the beginning of a rivalry known as The Holy War, named this way because of the Roman Catholic affiliation that is associated with the two universities, specifically, Nova’s affiliation with the Augustinian order and St. Joe’s with the Jesuit order.

Don DiJulia, the athletic director at St. Joe’s, called this game the “Army-Navy of basketball.” Much like the Army-Navy rivalry, it was pretty one-sided early on.

Nova won 11 of 12 matchups during the 1920s. The rivalry from the 1930s to the mid-1950s was pretty much dormant. The only matchup between the two teams during

that time occurred in 1939.

Philadelphia’s Big 5 was established in 1955, and that is when the rivalry was reborn. The Big 5 is an informal association of college athletic programs in the Philadelphia area consisting of La Salle University, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, Villanova and St. Joe’s. Each year, these five schools compete for the city championship. St. Joe’s has 20 championships, while Villanova has 25. Temple has the most with 27 championships.

St. Joe’s last victory came during the 2011-12 season, where they shared the title with Temple. Their last lone championship came during the 2003-04 season, where the Hawks went 30-2 and made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

Top left: A 1971 matchup between Villanova and St. Joe's in the NCAA tournament. St. Joe's fell to Villanova, 93-75 (Photos courtesy of SJU Archives) Top right: The Holy War continues in the NCAA tournament in 1971.

Bottom right: The Hawk on Feb. 7, 2003 captures a prank St. Joe's students played on Villanova (Photos courtesy of SJU Archives) Bottom left: Freshman Taylor Funk dribbles down court in the 2017 matchup (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

The Big 5 has many historic rivalries amongst its teams, but St. Joe’s-Villanova stands out from the rest, hence the rivalry earning a name itself.

Villanova and St. Joe’s played for the 74th time on Dec 2. A packed Hagan Arena witnessed the Hawks lose by a score of 94-53 to the fourth-ranked Wildcats. It was the largest margin of defeat in the history of the rivalry.

Through the 74 meetings between the two schools, Villanova leads the all-time series 49-25. Although Villanova has dominated this matchup during the recent years, St. Joe’s had their run of dominance when the Big 5 started. The Hawks won 10 of the first 12 games played during the first 10 years of

the Big 5, but ever since then, Villaova has been the most successful in this matchup.

Legendary head coaches have been part of this rivalry as well. For St. Joe’s, coaches Phil Martelli, Jim Lynam, Jack Ramsay and others have graced the rivalry with their leadership. For Villanova, it’s been current coach Jay Wright and former coaches Rollie Massimino and Mike Fratello.

This rivalry has history, tradition and proximity all working in its favor. But above all else, Hall of Fame-caliber coaches have contributed to what is already an historic rivalry in its own right.

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Sports

Dec. 6, 2017

A tale of three-pointers

Men's basketball loses to archrival ALEX HARGRAVE '20 Assistant Sports Editor

The roar from the student section could be heard across campus on Dec. 2 for the 2017 installment of the Holy War, a rivalry between St. Joe’s and Villanova University, that dates back to 1921.

However, the home crowd’s encouragement was not enough to help the Hawks.

This game brought the Hawks' biggest ever loss to the Wildcats with a 41-point deficit.

St. Joe’s fell to Villanova, 94-53 at Hagan Arena in front of a sold out crowd.

The biggest factor in Villanova’s win was the school record-setting three pointer performance. The Wildcats had 19 three-pointers, going 54.3 percent from deep.

“They’re [Villanova] trying to win every play and that’s what I said to our team,” Head Coach Phil Martelli said. “We didn’t play at every position to win; we played to play.”

This loss puts the Hawks at a record of 4-4 and improves the fourth-ranked Wildcats to 8-0.

Senior James Demery led the Hawk effort with 14 points while rookie Taylor Funk contributed 13. Junior Chris Clover followed close behind with 12 points as well as senior Shavar Newkirk, who chipped in 10.

The Hawks started the game strong, winning the tip and scoring the first basket. They would only take the lead twice throughout the game and both times were within the first three minutes of play.

St. Joe’s stayed on Villanova’s heels in

the beginning of the first half, tying up the score at 13 with a Demery layup. However, the Wildcats quickly proved why they are the defending national champions.

They went on a 12-0 run with four straight three-pointers, two from Wildcat Omari Spellman, in the last four minutes of the half, putting Villanova up by a score of 4127 at halftime.

The Hawks had 36.7 percent shooting in the first half combatted by the Wildcats’ 51.6 percent.

"I never thought that we comfortably got into offense,” Martelli said. “We had a specific way that we wanted to run offense and it was more based on skill, and we came out of the first half with six turnovers.

That meant that some of our skills met really good, aggressive defense.”

Villanova came out hard in the second half when they increased their lead to 20 points within the first two minutes. After this, they never looked back.

The Hawks had a few opportunities to close the gap, including an impressive Demery layup off of an assist from Funk to bring the game to 66-39 with just under 12 minutes left of play. Newkirk broke a stagnant Villanova defense when he drove to the basket for a layup with nine minutes left to decrease their deficit to 23 points.

The Wildcats quickly answered Newkirk’s basket with a three-pointer and took charge of the court again. They pressed

Junior Pierfrancesco Oliva catches his breath during a break in the game (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

the Hawks until the last minute when they subbed in their bench and the final buzzer sounded. Villanova walked off the court with another victory, 94-53.

While it was not the result St. Joe’s was hoping for, Martelli places the utmost importance in performing well in Atlantic 10 conference play.

“It’s terrific for the city that we have a nationally ranked program that’s top five [Villanova],” Martelli said. “I don’t come to work and say we need to be top five; we

need to be at the top of the Atlantic 10.”

With the losses of sophomore Charlie Brown and junior Lamar Kimble to injuries, the team is missing two of their leading scorers. While Kimble is sidelined for the season, Brown is expected to come back from his wrist fracture.

The Hawks will have until Dec. 9 to regroup before they take on another Big 5 opponent, Temple University, who currently sits at a record of 4-2.

Ranked rival slows Hawks' momentum Women's basketball falls in Holy War battle CHARLES SCALIES '20 Hawk Staff In this year’s edition of the Holy War, the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team took the floor at Jake Nevin Fieldhouse on Dec. 3. The team attempted to lift the hopes of the St. Joe’s basketball community after a tough men’s loss to 25th ranked Villanova Wildcats. However, the women faced a

similar fate, as Villanova walked away with a 79-44 win.

Things got out of hand early for the Hawks against Villanova and they couldn’t recover. The first three St. Joe’s possessions ended with a turnover and the score was 13-2 in favor of the Wildcats at the un-

Senior Adashia Franklyn dribbles towards the basket (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

der-four media. Things only got worse from there as the first half ended 39-14, ultimately leading up to Villanova’s decisive win.

From the outset, the Wildcats made scoring look effortless with crisp ball and player movement while the Hawks struggled on every offensive trip. Villanova’s sophomore guard Kelly Jekot, who entered the game averaging 11.7 points, finished the game with a career high of 27 points on 11 of 17 from the field. One of the big keys for her growth since freshman year is that she has gotten over that freshman indecisiveness.

“She’s using her natural ability to drive the ball by people where last year she didn’t know when to do that,” Villanova Head Coach Harry Perretta said.

Jekot led an attack that was shooting over 60 percent headed into the fourth quarter.

“It was the most complete game that we played all year,” Perretta said. “We just played one of those games where the ball started going in early and our defense was excellent.”

That excellent defense was on display from start to finish as St. Joe’s shot a woeful 29 percent from the field and missed all eight of their attempted three-pointers, despite leading the nation in three-point field goal percentage prior to the game. St. Joe’s

did not have a player reach double figures in scoring until after a basket by senior Adashia Franklyn in the fourth quarter.

Senior Hawk guard Chelsea Woods, who finished with a double-double in last year’s matchup, was limited by the Villanova defense.

“We were just trying to take away the inside as much as we could,” Perretta said.

“It was a concerted effort on our part to just zero in on [Woods].”

For St. Joe’s Head Coach Cindy Griffin, this was a very sobering loss for her and her team, who were 5-1 entering the game.

“We met a very good team on a very good day,” Griffin said. “I believe we are a good team, but we were not a good team today. I think we got outworked today quite honestly. That’s something that we can control, and we’ve got to learn from that for sure.”

The Hawks have now dropped eight straight games against ranked opponents and are 33-124 all-time against ranked teams. The next chance for Griffin’s squad to earn a win in Philadelphia will be their home game against Big 5 rival University of Pennsylvania on Dec. 11.