Feb. 13, 2019

Feb. 13, 2019

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Volume XCIX

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www.sjuhawknews.com

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The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

Jason D’Antonio ’19, University Student Senate president, speaks with U.S. Sen. Bob Casey after the hearing. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

St. Joe’s hosts state officials for a hearing on border security

Julia McQuade ’20 (left) and Julian Lutz ’19 (center) speak with Rep. Madeleine Dean (right) following the hearing.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, along with U.S. Reps. Chrissy Houlahan, Mary Gay Scanlon, Madeleine Dean and Dwight Evans hosted a listening session and field hearing with national security experts on Feb. 11 in the Mandeville Dining Room. The event featured a discussion on border security and comprehensive immigration reform. It was not open to the St. Joe’s community, but a select number of political science and international relations students were in attendance.

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St. Joe’s lack of racial awareness needs to be remedied

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News

St. Joe’s group helps resettled refugees Philadelphia area efforts continue despite federal pullback ERIN BREEN ’19 News Editor The university’s Refugee & Immigrant Working Group (RIWG) is working to find ways to support new refugees in the Greater Philadelphia area after the Archdiocese of Philadelphia scaled back its own efforts.

The working group, comprised of St. Joe’s staff, faculty and students, previously operated within the Refugee Resettlement Program, which was run by Philadelphia’s branch of Catholic Social Services. The program, which ended in late December after mandated cuts by the U.S. Department of State/Bureau of Population Refugees and Migrants, was responsible for helping 84 people resettle since 2015, mostly from African and Asian countries.

“It has very little to do with the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops or the archdiocese and a lot to do with decisions being made at the federal level,” said Bethany Welsh, co-chair of the Coalition for Immigrants and Refugees, which is made up of individuals from Catholic institutions in the Philadelphia region who support resettlement efforts.

For the last three years, RIWG has organized on- and off-campus events, including guest speakers, panel discussions, call-your-representative efforts, airport greetings for newly arrived refugee families and a vigil for immigrant families held at the Berks County Detention Center. “[RIWG] didn’t really have a budget or infrastructure, so we were using [the Refu-

gee Resettlement Program’s] infrastructure as a way of funneling our donations, energy and enthusiasm on this campus,” said Catherine Collins, a reference librarian for the Francis A. Drexel Library and an organizer of RIWG. Despite changes in the archdiocese, St. Joe’s will continue working with Catholic Social Services and other refugee-related agencies, according to Beth Ford-McNamee, assistant director of Campus Ministry and another organizer of RIWG. “SJU is committed to our partnership with Catholic Social Services in their efforts to support refugee families who have already resettled in the Philadelphia area,” McNamee said. “We also work with Jesuit Refugee Service, Catholic Relief Services, other community partners and faculty, staff and student organizations to educate our campus, pray, support and advocate for refugees and immigrants locally, nationally and globally.”

Mary Kate McNaught ’20, who interns with Aquinas Center, an organization that works with and provides services for the immigrant and refugee population of South Philadelphia, said the presence of RIWG on campus helps remind the university of its moral duty to protect and promote the well-being of every person and family.

“A person can’t be illegal,” McNaught said. “Safety is a human right. It makes me proud to be a part of this university. It’s not just about St. Joe’s campus, it’s about the Philadelphia community beyond that.”

Collins said although she and oth-

Data courtesy of the City of Philadelphia GRAPHIC: KELLY SMITH ’19/THE HAWK

ers were shocked and disappointed by the news of the elimination of the archdiocese’s program, she was relieved that the archdiocese will continue to support families already resettled in Philadelphia as well as those families who are currently approved for resettlement but have not yet arrived.

“It also opens up an opportunity for small efforts like what we do here to really

reach out to some of these other communities that are doing resettlement,” Collins said. “We are going to start looking at what’s being done in the New Jersey area, what’s being done in other areas. There are also two resettlement programs remaining in Philadelphia, and we can work through them as well.”

Residence Life discusses changes in training

Summer training to include more diversity and inclusion CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Managing Editor Inclusion and diversity was the focus of discussion during winter training for all Resident Assistants (RA) as the Office of Residence Life grapples with how to create a more inclusive community in the residence halls.

The topic during winter training was in response to the results of the 2018 Campus Climate Study, which analyzed inclusion and diversity on campus and a highly publicized racial bias incident on campus last semester.

The incident involved a white student who left a racial slur on the residence hall door of two black students.

“On the heels of two data points, the climate study and the situation that happened at the end of last semester, we sat down and asked, ‘How do we utilize, as we always have, the winter training with our RAs?’” said Jessica Moran-Buckridge, director of Residence Life.

Liz Ali, assistant director for Residential Education, said the purpose of the discussion was to give RAs a chance to reflect on necessary changes and next steps.

“That’s a conversation I wanted to have with the RAs because, in the fall, I think there was a lot of anger and frustration and rightfully so, but we weren’t emotionally as a campus at the place where we could say what we wanted the next steps to be,” Ali said.

Khalil Thames ’21, an RA in Villiger Residence Hall, said it was necessary for Residence Life to have this discussion.

“It’s their obligation to have a talk like this,” Thames said. “They didn’t have a choice. If they didn’t talk about it or want to improve it, then they aren’t committing to what they promised.”

Thames said the RAs in his breakout group at the training focused on the need for

Khalil Thames ’21 outside Villiger Residence Hall. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

the university to have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to racial bias incidents.

“Racism is everywhere,” Thames said. “We can strive our best to put in changes that expand our thoughts on diversity. But when it comes down to it, you’re going to have people who are ignorant. When it comes down to a bias-related incident, it can’t be tolerated.”

Adam Mullin ’20 an RA in Villiger, said what he learned from the training is the need for “accountability and connection” among all levels of Resident Life staff. He also said the staff needs to figure out how to have more meaningful conversations about race.

“What resources can we give to RAs so we can better be prepared to have those chal-

lenging conversations and go into a certain depth that doesn’t just say, ‘Oh we are going to pass the responsibility off to high-level staff members who then think there is a great risk to saying, 'Hey, we are going to empower a student peer to be prepared and to feel confident in stepping up to the plate to help you talk through these difficult subjects, to have conversations of substance and, if nothing else, grow and learn to understand different viewpoints,” Mullin said.

Of 11 other RAs contacted by The Hawk, six declined to comment on the discussion at the training and five did not respond.

Ali said the entire Residence Life professional staff addressed the discussion

items at a Jan. 30 meeting.

“As a professional staff, our role is to ascertain what from those can be our short-term goals and long-term goals,” Ali said. “Those are talking points for summer training that can then continue into our ongoing education.”

Thames said he appreciates that Residence Life made inclusion and diversity the focus of its training.

“It meant a lot that they had this,” Thames said. “It was definitely needed and interesting to talk about. Going into summer training for next year, they are going to make some changes to summer training as well to incorporate some of those things.”

News

The Hawk Newspaper

Feb. 13, 2019

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The end starts with us

Panel discusses American opioid crisis KAILA MUNDELL-HILL ’20 Copy Editor National substance use disorder recovery advocate Ryan Hampton reminded attendees at a panel discussion about the opioid epidemic that college students are heavily impacted by the crisis.

Many students are either struggling themselves or know friends who are struggling with substance use disorder, Hampton said.

Speaking at an event co-hosted by Wellness, Alcohol & Drug Awareness (WADE) Program and Life of Purpose Treatment Centers in Campion North Lounge on Feb. 11, Hampton promoted his book “American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis—and How to End It.” “The biggest issue that we have is combating the societal shame, the stigma, the barriers that have been put up,” Hampton said. “People don’t see us as equals. People don’t see us as voters. People don’t see us as this constituency of consequence that actually really matters.”

Hampton, who said he is four years in recovery, wrote his book because he wanted people to realize that every person can do something to help end the opioid crisis.

“I am hoping the takeaway is action, the ability to get involved and get your voice heard,” Hampton said. “In my experience, what I’ve learned is that most of the people that are making decisions for us when it comes to ending the crisis really have no idea what they are doing, and it requires that lived experience.

It requires community input. Sometimes, it requires a little bit of outrage.”

Andrew Burki speaks alongside other panelists. PHOTO: ROSE BARRETT ’20/THE HAWK

Other panelists at the event included Andrew Burki, director and founder of Life of Purpose Treatment Centers, Patti Anne McAndrews, founder and director of Adolescents and Young Adult Advocates & Main Line Addiction Specialist and Sarah Lathrop ’19, a member of The Flock, a student organization that raises awareness on substance use disorder and students in recovery.

Burki said it is important to destigmatize substance use disorder and recovery care infrastructures at the collegiate level.

“Getting someone to St. Joe’s that has a substance abuse disorder and is in recovery, and then they’re able to be supported over their collegiate experience, and then they’re

able to enter the professional world,” Burki said. “That’s how you really reduce stigma.”

Lathrop, a student in recovery, said she is passionate about advocacy for substance use disorder and recovery.

“It’s showing from St. Joe’s that we’re not ignoring what’s happening on campus,” Lathrop said. “Even just acknowledging that we’re here and there might be some students in recovery.”

McAndrews, who works with teens and young adults to provide treatment to those in recovery, said removing stigma contributes to the recovery process.

“Addiction is treated according to whoever’s in front of you’s mood or their tem-

perament and their history with someone with substance use disorder,” McAndrews said. “The reality is the person in front of you is making the judgment.”

Caroline Stefan ’22 said she was interested in Hampton’s story because it reminded her of a personal connection to the opioid crisis.

“I had a cousin who suffered from an overdose and passed away, so I was interested to see someone [Hampton] who dealt with it and came out alive,” Stefan said. “Just to hear his story and what he thinks could change.”

Katie Bean, assistant director of Student Outreach and Support, said she is hopeful that the panel will contribute to meaningful conversations about substance use disorder on campus.

“We’re not going to change the world with a panel, but can we open up and have some dialogue and get people to realize that this is important,” Bean said. “There’s people out there probably right around them who they could support, who need that support.”

Hampton said he hopes his book generates conversations that lead to concrete steps to ending the opioid crisis.

“Not only do the discussions need to be happening within the college community, [but] the infrastructure needs to be set up in a way to support people who have these health problems,” Hampton said. “Most importantly there needs to be a cultural competence around how we deal with people who have substance use disorder.”

Paige Santiago ’19 contributed to this story.

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Feb. 13, 2019

News

Safe injection site model study published fellow for the team. “The opioid crisis is [as] indiscriminate as it is relentless.”

The team’s results come as the U.S. Department of Justice filed a suit last week against Safehouse, a nonprofit that was working to open a safe-injection site in Philadelphia. The site would be the first such site in the U.S. Clark and the group of researchers based their published model on Insite in Vancouver, the first legal safe injection site in North America.

Insite offers services like fentanyl screening, needle exchange programs, naloxone (Narcan) distribution and education, wound care, HIV and HEP C testing and counseling for rehabilitation and detox done by individuals in recovery.

Marvin Lee, Ph.D., adjunct professor of health administration and a member of Clark’s Opioid Research Team, said the team wanted to look into whether a safe injection site modeled after Insite would work in Philadelphia.

“Eastside, Vancouver, where the Canadian [safe injection site] is located, is similar in many ways to Kensington, Philadelphia, where the planned site will be,” Lee said.

In the Philadelphia model, services would include wound care, fentanyl screen-

ELLIE BLEECKER ’21 Hawk Staff The Opioid Research Team, led by Peter Clark, S.J., Ph.D., professor of medical ethics, has published the results of its yearlong research for a safe injection site model in Philadelphia.

The team aimed to determine what services would be most effective in operating a safe and useful site in Philadelphia, as previously reported by The Hawk. They concluded that a harm reduction method would be most successful in the city.

“Harm reduction is an approach focused on minimizing the negative results that go hand-in-hand with drug abuse,” Clark explained. “Harm reduction techniques accept the individuals as they are, while also tailoring that person's treatment to fit his or her needs.”

Overdose deaths in Philadelphia rose by about 11 percent from April to June of 2018, and opioids were involved in 86 percent of these cases, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

“The opioid epidemic has reached the point in which it is no longer uncommon to know someone who has been affected by opioid abuse,” said Olivia Nguyen ’19, a research

ing, and counseling for rehabilitation and detox, as they are most needed in the city, according to Clark.

“We tried to meet the needs of those addicted and society as a whole,” Clark said.

As for how a safe injection site would affect the surrounding area, Clark said these sites would make the area safer.

“According to the research we did in regards to Insite in Vancouver, it cleaned up the immediate area of used needles,” Clark said.

“This not only helped to make the area safer, but also decreased others from needle sticks.”

While Clark acknowledged some people believe safe injection sites may promote illegal behavior, he disagrees.

“It actually makes those suffering from addiction realize that someone cares about them as human persons,” Clark said. “Many feel they are marginalized, disposable and vulnerable people. A safe injection site will treat them with dignity and respect.”

Nguyen said those affected are often stigmatized and incarcerated instead of receiving help.

“The opioid effects compounded with the incarcerations have broken individuals and their families, leaving them subject to criticism and pushed to the wayside,” Nguyen said.

Priscilla Rodriguez ’20, who was also a part of the Opioid Research Team led by Clark, said the opioid epidemic affects everyone, whether they are aware of it or not. Taxpayers’ money goes towards the treatment of this epidemic, and the harm reduction theory mitigates the costs in the long run.

“In reducing overdoses, HIV and Hep C, the amount of treatments and hospitalizations decreases, therefore reducing the costs for the health care system, the city and taxpayers,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said she realizes that people may react negatively at first, but the Opioid Research Team has researched it thoroughly and support a safe injection site in Philadelphia.

“I think that once people do their own research and see how effective it has proven to be in other countries, they will agree to this harm reduction proposal,” Rodriguez said.

Ultimately, Clark said safe injection sites are a possible solution that will treat individuals with respect.

“We meet people who suffer from addiction where they are, we offer help in getting them treatment and help to keep them alive until they are ready for treatment,” Clark said.

University provides flight vouchers for students Conference travel now funded

ALYSA BAINBRIDGE '21 Assistant News Editor The university’s plan to fund student conference travel by converting its accrued frequent flyer miles into flight vouchers had a bumpy takeoff when the vouchers could not be redeemed.

Jason D’Antonio ’19, University Student Senate (USS) president, said the idea was initially proposed last semester by David Beaupré, vice president for finance & administration and treasurer, during a meeting between Beaupré and other representatives from Student Senate. The meeting was planned to discuss increasing student need for student conference travel booked through Student Leadership & Activities (SLA).

“We did a comprehensive analysis of the needs of student organizations and our financial resources,” D’Antonio said. “It turned out that the number three priority for students

was attending conferences. To be quite honest, I couldn’t tell you the last time student leaders sat down with a treasurer and just explained the situation.”

Beth Hagovsky, Ed.D., SLA director, said she was surprised the university was willing to give its airline points to students. The Student Budget Allocation Committee (SBAC), though it covers registration fees and hotel stays, has never funded travel for conferences.

“It was a very generous gesture,” Hagovsky said. “It gave us the opportunity that when we knew there were organizations that wanted or needed to travel somewhere, we could then potentially supplement what SBAC would have given them for other things.”

But when the voucher program was tested last December before being rolled out to the entire university, SLA was not able to redeem the vouchers for any student flights.

Hagovsky said she tried to use the vouchers for four separate flights for four different organizations: Student Senate, Student Union

Board, Villiger Debate Team and American Marketing Association. All four times, the airline denied the use of the vouchers due to several specific restrictions.

“The airline kept saying, ‘There are no guidelines. You just have to keep checking with us,’” Hagovsky said. “I [was not] able to get a set of policies or guidelines around it.”

Student Senate was not aware either that the vouchers were rejected until they returned from their conference. Students whose flight vouchers were rejected were initially told by SBAC that they had to pay for their trip out of pocket or from their organizations’ budgets.

University Procurement Services rectified the situation in late January after The Hawk inquired about the vouchers and made them aware of the rejected vouchers.

“I’ll be very upfront and say you brought that to our attention,” Barry Harte, assistant vice president for Budget & Financial Planning told The Hawk. “We have since worked with the airline advantage agency to redeem

them for certificates that are less restrictive.

The catch, of course, is that there are fewer certificates since you need more points for the less restrictive airfare.”

Procurement Services contacted the airline and changed the reward level to “anytime rewards,” which covers almost any flight, Harte said. However, this upgrade means the university will not be able to convert its frequent flyer points into as many individual vouchers.

“We were assured that because the university continues to use miles, we would have a healthy supply of points for students,” D’Antonio said.

The university’s revised frequent flyer rewards program, which D’Antonio said is intended to be a permanent solution rather than a one-time solution for a few select conferences, will be officially rolled out to all student organizations within the next two weeks. Organizations must submit formal requests to be considered.

Department of Public Safety reports (Feb. 1 - Feb. 7 ) Feb. 1 Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student in regards to person(s) unknown taking his cash and debit card from an unsecured locker inside the O’Pake Recreation Center. No police report at this time. Incident under investigation.

Feb. 2 Public Safety was notified by the desk attendant of the LaFarge Student Residence in regards to person(s) unknown damaging ceiling tiles in the fifth floor hallway. Residence Life notified. Facilities Management notified. Incident under investigation.

Public Safety was notified by an area resident regarding students being loud in the 5300 block of Wynnefield Avenue. Public Safety officers, along with the Philadelphia Police notified and responded into the area. Community Standards notified.

Feb. 4 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm inside the Villiger Residence Hall. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated from a student cooking. Alarm was reset.

Feb. 5 Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student in regards to person(s) unknown taking toiletries items from her bag which was left in the third floor common area of the Villiger Residence Hall. Incident under investigation.

Feb. 6 Public Safety was notified by Facilities Management in regards to person(s) unknown damaging ceiling tiles in the second floor hallway of McShain Hall. Residence Life notified. Facilities Management notified. Incident under investigation.

Public Safety was notified by the mother of a St. Joe’s student in regards to a suspicious person knocking on her daughter’s off-campus residence front door located in the 5400 block of Woodcrest Avenue. Public Safety officers along with Philadelphia Police responded, but were unable to locate the individual. Incident under investigation.

Feb. 7 Public Safety confiscated a small amount of marijuana from a student’s room inside McShain Hall during a fire drill. Community Standards notified.

ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

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DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

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Opinions

Feb. 13, 2019

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Showing up to effect change Students need to be there for the discussion Editor in Chief Ana Faguy ’19 Managing Editor Charley Rekstis ’20 Copy Chief Emily Graham ’20 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner Copy Editor Paige Santiago ’19 Copy Editor Kaila Mundell-Hill ’20 News Editor Erin Breen ’19 Assistant News Editor Alex Mark ’20 Assistant News Editor Alysa Bainbridge ’21 Editorial Page Editor Annie Clark ’19 Opinions Editor Dominique Joe ’19

A panel discussion held on Feb. 6 about Pennsylvania’s 40th Grand Jury Report was an opportunity for candid conversation on reconciling Catholic identity with the Church’s sexual abuse crisis and cover-ups.

Despite the event’s importance, it was sparsely attended by St. Joe’s students, predominantly attracting community members including Charles Gallagher, a former prosecutor who worked on a 2005 grand jury investigation of sexual abuse concealment within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Contributions from people outside the St. Joe’s community can add new dimension and insight to open forum discussions, especially those regarding issues as widely impactful as sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. Events like last week’s panel can and should be promoted to members of the outside community.

However, as part of a Catholic university, St. Joe’s students have a responsibility to be informed on the topic of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

Even if we do not identify as Catholic, and whether or not we have ever known anyone who was a victim of priest abuse, we live and learn in an environment steeped in Jesuit-Catholic identity.

Catholic values are enshrined in our General Education Program in the form of Faith, Justice, and the Catholic Tradition, the theology requirement.

An education on Catholicism is incomplete without an understanding of the institution behind it, and that requires learning about the Catholic Church’s internal structuring and its institutional history of protecting priests who commit sexual abuse.

Last week’s panel was an opportunity to

learn from experts who have worked with victims of priest abuse and who study the crisis within the Church.

Scheduling conflicts and busy days may also be to blame for the lack of turnout from St. Joe’s students, and that is perfectly understandable. With discussions as important as these, however, the focus should be on making time rather than finding the time.

It is, of course, uncomfortable for anyone, regardless of religious identity, to confront such an overwhelming crisis. It is beyond uncomfortable for people of the Catholic faith to reconcile their religion with the Church’s failure to shield countless victims who once found refuge in Catholicism.

However, it must be possible for Catholic people of faith to have their own relationship with their religion while also personally acknowledging and confronting the Church’s systemic problems, whether that be their protection of abusive priests, their refusal to ordain women or their outdated stances on human sexuality.

Being close to an institution with systemic problems does not mean that a person or an organization automatically subscribes to what that institution does and believes.

However, the Catholic Church is an immensely powerful organization. As students at a Catholic university, we can’t afford to be uneducated on the harm that the Church has caused both continents away and right here in Philadelphia.

It is only through informing ourselves on this issue, and the people and institutions responsible for it, that we can begin to support survivors of priest abuse and open up discussion.

After the release of August’s grand jury

report, the St. Joe’s community was reminded of how close it is to the Church’s sexual abuse crisis when an email memorandum disclosed that a priest cited in the report was employed in the Division of Student Life during the 1976-1977 academic year.

There was another grand jury report, too, released after the 2005 investigation into the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. That report revealed more than forty years of abuse concealed by two cardinals and named 63 offending priests.

And 14 years after that, one of the prosecutors who worked to bring justice to those priests’ victims spoke up at a panel discussion on yet another grand jury report which brought to light an abuse crisis spanning six dioceses and numbering 300 abusive priests and nearly 1,000 victims.

That is indicative of a cycle, and it is one we all have an obligation to break through action which can only begin with acknowledgment and meaningful discussion.

—The Editorial Board This week’s Editorial Board is comprised of the Editor in Chief, News Editor, Opinions Editor, Editorial Page Editor, Lifestyle Editor and Assistant Lifestyle Editor. This editorial reflects the views of the Board and not the entire Hawk staff.

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

Assistant Opinions Editor Devin Yingling ’22 Lifestyle Editor Alex Hargrave ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor Natalie Drum ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor Cara Smith ’21 Sports Editor Nick Karpinski ’21 Assistant Sports Editor Sam Britt ’20 Assistant Sports Editor Ryan Mulligan ’21 Creative Director Kelly Smith ’19 Photo Editor Mitchell Shields ’22 Social Media Manager Erin Castellano ’20 Assistant Social Media Manager Angela DiMarco ’21 Business Manager Tom Trullinger ’21 Distribution Manager Addie Guyer ’19 Assistant Distribution Manager Gavin O’Reilly ’20

VALENTINE'S DAY EDITION LOW-COST SUGAR RUSH

SINGLE AND BITTER

Valentine’s Day-themed candy is always on sale the week after the best/worst holiday of the year. Hitting up CVS on Feb. 15 should be a tradition whether you’re single or not.

If you aren’t in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can be lonely—though even hating the holiday can itself be a kind of spiteful fun (and that’s why we featured an anti Valentine’s Day playlist in this week’s Lifestyle section).

CELEBRATING FRIENDS

WEEKDAY HOLIDAY

Who says Valentine’s Day has to be all about significant others? Appreciating your friends is just as valid a way to celebrate a holiday about love. Whether you make a card, buy some candy or go out to dinner, let your friends know how much they mean to you.

Valentine’s Day this year awkwardly falls on a Thursday, making latenight dinners or an early weekend getaway trip hard to do (unless you decide to skip Friday classes).

STUFF-A-PLUSH

LIMITED DINNER OPTIONS

The Student Union Board (SUB) tradition continues on Feb. 13 in the Perch from 5-7 p.m. Your new stuffed animal friend could be a Valentine’s Day gift or just a really cute reminder that SUB never lets us down.

The only sit-down restaurants within a block of St. Joe’s are Landmark Americana and Larry’s Steaks; never bad choices, but sports bars and cheesesteaks aren’t exactly romantic. If you’re really looking for something fancy, you’re better off splurging for an Uber.

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Opinions

Returning to Cold War mentality

Suspending the INF treaty causes serious geopolitical concerns MEGAN PIASECKI ’22 Columnist In the year 1987, two of the largest world powers came together to sign a treaty that would halt the development of nuclear missiles within a certain range. This Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty is now in jeopardy due to the political, social and economic climate between the U.S. and Russia.

So what exactly is the INF Treaty and why is it important?

Ever since the end of World War II, the Russian-U.S. Cold War has been taking place between these two countries. These two nations have been in a political sibling rivalry of sorts. They are constantly picking fights over who has the most weapons or who has the better space program.

During the Cold War, Russia, formerly part of the Soviet Union (USSR), and the U. S. were having an intense arms race; each country was trying to build up the largest nuclear arsenal in the world.

This treaty halted both powers from developing or using nuclear ballistic missiles in a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers of each other.

Both sides of this bilateral agreement have now decided to pull out of the agreement after the U.S. accused Russia of violating INF guidelines as early as 2014. This is startling to me because it reveals the es-

sence of an arms race.

But even more worrisome is that the decision on the part of the U.S. also opens these two world powers up to a rematch, essentially a continuation of the Cold War. In retaliation to the U.S.’s decision, Russia’s current president, Vladimir Putin has decided to follow the U.S. and pull out of the INF Treaty as well. Members of Putin’s team call the accusations “unfounded,” but who’s to say considering the underhanded business reputation Putin’s administration has developed.

two of the world’s biggest powers. Both of the countries have large nuclear arsenals, and now that there is nothing stopping them from coming within a certain range, who says they won’t try it?

Russian officials have even stated that they are beginning to openly develop and test ballistic nuclear missiles that completely violate INF guidelines. They have predicted that they will have developed long range ground-based hypersonic rockets by 2020.

These developments are obviously lead-

The latest withdrawal from the INF Treaty however poses a real threat to stability of two of the world’s biggest powers. Both of the countries have extremely large nuclear arsenals, and now that there is nothing stopping them from coming within a certain range, who says they won’t try it?

A glaring example of such business is the suspected meddling in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

Dissolving the INF Treaty leaves a foreboding feeling to the political air, due to the fact that Russia and the U.S. are on incredibly unstable footing to begin with.

The latest withdrawal from the INF Treaty poses a real threat to the stability of

ing Russia and the U.S. into an even more intense case of nuclear deterrence. Nuclear deterrence is a theory which boils down to the idea that a threat of mutually assured destruction deters nations from using their nuclear warheads on one another.

I would not be surprised if it came out in the next few months that the U.S. will also be working on new weapons for the

national arsenal.

Nuclear deterrence is not always what it seems though. There are a few challenges, and the withdrawal from the INF Treaty exposes one blatantly. As leaders and political climates change, so do the perspectives on certain policies within international relations.

Today, Russia is once again on the upward trend as a world superpower with a weak and unstable democracy. Russia also has one of the largest militaries. And with Putin in the chair of the presidency, living up to his moniker “Strongman,” he has pulled Russia out of a major economic gutter.

The U.S. in turn, while still a definite economic superpower, is dealing with a political climate in 2019 that is intense to say the least.

With both of these factors in play, it is no surprise that the INF Treaty is dissolving.

On that note, there is some hope when it comes to global nuclear deterrence. There have been talks of creating a revised multilateral INF Treaty. This new treaty would include other major players like China or the National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This would be a great compromise, and Russia seems open to it. But others do not seem as willing. A multilateral agreement will be something to look out for in the future, but for now, there is currently nothing to stop Russia and the U.S. from each creating a bigger and badder nuclear arsenal.

21 Savage, the latest victim of ICE Rapper’s public criticism of ICE leads to detainment CAMILLE LODUGNON ’22 Guest Columnist Instead of watching Super Bowl LII like many others, I was on Twitter trying to make sense of the news that Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, better known as 21 Savage, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), probably because of his outspoken behavior against the agency.

On Feb. 3, 21 Savage was detained by ICE. The age at which 21 Savage originally entered the U.S. is murky and varies depending on which news source you read.

However, two consistent pieces of information can be determined: 21 Savage was legally in the United States during 2005 and his visa he was here on expired in 2006.

Apparently they couldn’t find him since then, which doesn’t make much sense because he is one of the most sought after rappers of our generation.

The fact that Abraham-Joseph wasn’t on ICE’s radar aside, the rapper has been very outspoken about his dislike for ICE and the controversies that come with U.S. immigration.

On Jan. 28, Abraham-Joseph was a guest on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and performed his song “A Lot,” where he changed his lyrics to “I can’t imagine my kids stuck at the border / Flint still need water

/ People was innocent, couldn’t get lawyers.”

I believe that because Abraham-Joseph has been so vocal about his dislike for ICE and the way in which the U.S. handles immigration, ICE decided to look into him.

And when they found out he was living here illegally, they decided to detain him.

I know that sounds like a long shot, but in 2014, Abraham-Joseph was arrested for felony drug charges and wasn’t looked into

by ICE at that time.

Or does ICE only pay attention to legal status when a prominent celebrity like 21 Savage speaks out against them?

It’s also too convenient that when Abraham-Joseph has been outwardly critical of ICE, all of a sudden the agency realizes that he is not of legal status.

ICE is using the excuse that Abraham-Joseph is a “convicted felon” to justify detaining him because the agency knows that even though he is currently here ille-

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

ICE argues that Abraham-Joseph was convicted, but the rapper’s lawyers in turn said that he was arrested but not convicted.

If he was arrested and convicted as ICE believes, wouldn’t they have found out that the rapper wasn’t here legally?

gally, he is not dangerous. And according to Abraham-Joseph’s lawyers, the U.S. government has been aware of the rapper’s legal status since 2017 when he applied for a U.S. visa. So why didn’t they detain him then?

I know that 21 Savage is technically

here illegally, but I feel as though people are overlooking all the good that he has done while lving in the States. When people hear his music and see his tattoos and mugshot from 2014, they automatically assume that he’s a dangerous threat and needs to go back to Britain.

On the contrary, the rapper has done a lot for his community in Atlanta such as create numerous charitable campaigns for the children who reside in the city.

For example, he announced on “The Ellen Show” in early 2018 that he was starting a financial literacy program for children.

Isn’t that the “type of immigrant” the current administration is looking for? Or does his single mugshot outshine that?

Abraham-Joseph’s situation is similar to many Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. He came here when he was 13 years old and his parents overstayed their work visas. Because they stayed, he had to stay as well.

In the end, Abraham-Joseph should be released by ICE because it seems that ICE only detained the rapper in light of of his outspoken criticism.

If anything, when the rapper is released, he will probably advocate even more for the many people who are being mistreated by ICE and the U.S. immigration system.

In the long run, will ICE’s deliberate detainment of Abraham-Joseph really accomplish anything?

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Feb. 13, 2019

7

We aren’t going anywhere “Women in White” stand out at State of the Union DEVIN YINGLING ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor The State of the Union Address equates to the Oscars for politicians. Rather than the Dolby Theatre, we get to see some of the country’s most prominent figures taking their places on Capitol Hill to showcase their approval, or if a representative has contentions with the president, roll their eyes.

We, along with both chambers of Congress, get to see what kind of agenda the president plans to set for the year ahead and come to our own judgments about these ideas.

The State of the Union provides an aspect of transparency between the people and the government, as well as between each branch of government.

This is particularly true of this year’s State of the Union as a daunting group of Democratic women sat in the benches sporting their pristine white outfits.

This powerful image during a State of the Union Address mired in controversy, speaks to this importance of this transparency.

This State of the Union was dramatic and vexed. However, it was worth the watch not just to catch controversial soundbites or hear Trump bolster the image of our military, but rather to take a look at who was in the audience. This, most importantly, included women asserting their place in government.

The color white is more that just a clean cut look. According to the Congressional Union for Women’s Suffrage “White, the emblem of purity, symbolizes the quality of our purpose.”

Trump said it himself, “Exactly one cen-

tury after the Congress passed the Constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote, we also have more women serving in the

class, race, religion and sexual identity—take on the State of the Union in their suffragette white is the ultimate form of empowerment.

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

Congress than ever before.”

For me, this was the most incredible image I have seen within any national political event. Watching this group of Democratic women—and not just wealthy white women, but a diverse group of women in terms of

We know that representation matters, we know that promoting equality on the basis of gender and sex is beyond important, and we know that we are living in an age in which progressive change is inevitable.

In order to improve the world, we first

have to improve the lower levels of society and become equal in our roots and our laws.

By seeing the highest amount of female representation in the U.S. Congress to date, it made me feel as if the world is one step closer to true equality.

Women and girls across the globe have continued to be systematically marginalized and rejected as being a part of humanity. The 116th Congress demands an end to that.

98 years ago, women in the U.S. were not allowed the right to vote. They had no voice in their legislation and were systematically denied equality.

We now have 102 women out of 435 representatives in our lower house and 25 women out of 100 representatives in our upper house. Although it doesn’t directly correlate with the true U.S. population (which is 50.8% female), we are getting close and we surely won’t stop here.

I find it fitting to say thank you to the women who fought for our right to vote and now to those who currently represent me and all the other women and girls in the U.S. Women are not treated as equal in this country nor in other countries across the globe. By seeing the strength of women in our current Congress, a very powerful message has been sent: we are not going anywhere. Not in the U.S. nor across the globe.

As Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second female to sit as a Supreme Court Justice claimed, “Women belong in all the places where decisions are being made.”

After seeing the display of empowered women at the State of the Union, there is no doubt in my mind that she could not have been more right about that.

Saying goodbye when you don’t know how A tribute to St. Joe’s Susan Fenton

PAIGE SANTIAGO ’19 Guest Columnist Susan Fenton changed St. Joe’s for me. She was a mentor, a storyteller and a teacher in every aspect of the words. She was someone who was truly important to me.

Susan Fenton, M.F.A., associate professor of art, appeared at a time in my life when I needed someone to shake me awake and say “Stop listening to other people and do what makes you happy.” When she did that to me, I listened.

When I found out about her death, I was devastated. How do you say goodbye to someone you weren’t expecting to have to say goodbye to? I wish I knew.

When I attended her memorial mass on Feb. 5 and met her husband, son and daughter, I cried the entire time.

Outside, the weather was unseasonably warm. In the hours leading up to Susan’s mass, I didn’t think much about how it would all go. I just knew I had to be there.

When I got to the Chapel of Saint Joseph, a modest group of people was waiting to be seated. We only filled up a handful of chairs in the first five rows, but it didn’t matter. The important people were there, and it was important for me to be there.

To have lost someone who sparked so much change in my time at school was difficult to comprehend. I hadn’t given myself the

room to grieve, and this memorial was the only way I knew how.

When I met Susan as a sophomore, I wasn’t sure where my interests fit in on campus. I knew I liked to take pictures and work creatively, but it wasn’t until I nervously walked into Boland Hall for the first time and was handed a Pentax K1000 that everything clicked.

Susan’s Darkroom Photography class gave me a reason to do more and a chance to rediscover something I knew I was passionate about. Shooting film is fun, tangible and

me assignments that challenged me and forced me to look at my world differently, but she would never have asked me to pass up a good shot because of her.

That’s what I liked the most about her.

Susan appreciated everyone’s art, even when it varied so greatly from her own. She wanted us to capitalize on our own unique interests and perspectives, which is a lesson I believe we could all take from her.

I valued time in her classroom so much that the one time when I couldn’t show up, I felt guilty. If Susan always showed up for class,

It has been a gift to have someone like Susan in my life. I could say that she pushed me to see and do more in the space that I had made for myself on campus, but what she really did was help me grow outside of the boundaries I was comfortable with. something different. I can’t conceive what my college experience would have been like without it.

With Susan’s guidance and reassurance as I took on my first semester of photography, I learned just about all I needed in order to confidently purchase a Pentax K1000 of my own.

Even now, I look for pieces of inspiration from her whenever I go out to shoot a roll of black and white film.

While she was my professor, Susan gave

why shouldn’t I? But when I talked to her about it, she was more than understanding.

She wasn’t the kind of professor who expected her students to be perfect all the time.

She acknowledged that we were only human and in turn made herself the most relatable professor I’ve ever had.

There were days when I would have assignments missing or low quality prints from the night before. And even though I had nothing to do for three hours, I would

go to class anyway.

It’s important to show up for the people and things that are important to you, even if you don’t know why.

Susan knew our experiences outside of the classroom were just as valuable as the experiences inside the classroom, so she was encouraging even when it wasn’t necessarily in her favor.

Throughout her memorial, as I let myself cry, I started to feel better. Not being able to grieve properly had put a serious weight on my chest. Throughout this semester, I had been walking around lost in how to feel about almost everything.

But this moment was therapeutic. Having the chance to say goodbye was important.

It has been a gift to have someone like Susan in my life. I could say that she pushed me to see and do more in the space that I had made for myself on campus, but what she really did was help me grow outside of the boundaries I was comfortable with.

It’s hard to say goodbye to someone you weren’t expecting to have to say it to. But as one of my most impactful mentors throughout my time at St. Joe’s, Susan Fenton gave me more than I could have asked for.

So thank you, Susan. Thank you for the countless rolls of film, long hours in the darkroom, a beautiful portfolio, a lifelong passion I wouldn’t have discovered without you and so much more. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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Feb. 13, 2019

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

I am not a machine Ending the obsession with productivity ANNIE CLARK ’19 Editorial Page Editor I am not a machine.

It’s a fact I’ve had to remind myself of repeatedly this year as I’ve tried to balance the many things on my calendar.

It’s also a mantra, one that’s especially useful as I sit with the cold, stale drone of the library at 1 a.m. and realize that, despite hours of genuine effort, my work is still not done.

I’ve been struck recently by an interest in artificial intelligence (AI)—specifically, whether AIs are more capable than people at solving the innumerable issues facing us as a society.

The algorithms that power AIs don’t need to sleep, take lunch breaks or call out sick.

They react and create, react and create, ad infinitum, more efficiently than any human being ever could be. And if AIs are more capable than people, what does that mean for the next 70 or so years that I will be on this planet?

I know it sounds bleak. I’ve only recently begun to understand this preoccupation as part of a long-standing fear that what I am doing is never enough.

My overbooked schedule has left me feeling so exhausted and demoralized that I haven’t been able to focus on enjoying the

interesting classes or final moments with my favorite people that should be defining my last semester of college.

I have been trying to perform the nonstop efficiency of a machine with a human brain susceptible to distraction, burnout and frustration.

We live in an age increasingly focused on numbers and productivity and, as with many societal ills, we can blame social media.

In my last semester of college it is uniquely terrifying in that I have no clearly defined “next.” Of all the possible paths I could take after I cross the commencement stage in May, I’ve considered the following: going to grad school; teaching English abroad; applying for full-time jobs in the communications field; moving across the country and winging it; moving to another country and winging it; or doing a year of service. I’ll let you know when

Becoming an adult citizen of our flawed, backwards world full of potential is not so much about accepting defeat as learning to pick our battles.

“Influencers” build entire careers bolstered by their Instagram or YouTube followings. LinkedIn, as useful as it may be, publicizes the number of “connections” a person has, a status symbol on a website otherwise dedicated to showcasing users’ professional experience and work samples.

The concept of “doing it for the résumé” is part of this productivity and quantity obsessed culture. It’s something that burdens a lot of us.

And I know personally that there’s a unique burden placed on those of us who, in three short months, will trade our routines and our dependable circles of friends for a wider world.

I’ve narrowed it down.

And it is so easy to feel defeated by these things—by the rigmarole of the job application process or the mandated hoop-jumping of getting into grad school. I’ve found it helpful to remind myself that part of being an adult is accepting things as they are and learning to live with them.

I look back on idealist attitudes I had when I was younger, and I am grateful for the healthy level of jadedness that settled in around the time I turned 20. Becoming an adult citizen of our flawed, backwards world full of potential is not so much about accept-

ing defeat as learning to pick our battles.

When it comes to growing up, I’m glad I’m not a robot. I like being able to decide how I’m going to change myself and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with personal growth; doing things like paring down my schedule because I’ve learned what I can and can’t handle.

I wish I could end this piece with a reassurance that we won’t all be replaced by AIs someday. Unfortunately, I can make no such promises.

But I can end with something a mentor told me over coffee in December. We’d been talking about how the Internet is continuing to expand opportunities for writers in ways we don’t fully understand yet, and I mentioned that I was afraid human writing abilities would be made obsolete by artificial intelligence within the next 20 or 30 years of my life.

“Do you know what an algorithm auditor is?” she asked. I said no.

“It’s someone who screens algorithms professionally to make sure they’re not prejudiced.”

Algorithms can do a lot, but they don’t understand people well enough to know the worst of us, the ways we dehumanize and deny opportunity to entire groups. Technology isunfortunately making that easier.

But technology can’t keep itself in check.

Only people can do that.

Black face in a white crowd St. Joe’s lack of racial awareness does the institution no favors DOMINIQUE JOE ’19 Opinions Editor In commemoration of Black History Month, I wanted to write a piece that delved into the ways in which St. Joe’s perpetuates a kind of racial self-segregation out of necessity, protection and simply nonjudgmental community.

I wanted to talk about the ways in which self-segregation can be an inherently divisive coping mechanism built into the framework of life at our university for students of color, especially black students on campus.

But after the reporting by The Hawk on the racial slur incident that happened back in November, I’ve thought a lot more about my experience as a black student on campus.

After all of this careful consideration I’ve come to the realization that I’ve never felt wholy comfortable on this campus.

To my own knowledge, I have thankfully never been antagonized by another student due to my race, but I have felt out of place. And four years in, as my college career at St. Joe’s is coming to an end, I can say that on certain days I still feel out of place.

What I’ve learned is that my uncomfortability on this campus stems from a lack of understanding my blackness and knowing that it isn’t an oddity. It stems from how I know that I am seen as a racial other, not only by the administration, but by faculty and my fellow students as well.

My blackness is something that I take considerable pride in. I look forward to Black History Month every year because it reminds me of all of the wonderful things that my community has brought to our country.

But this Black History Month, I think more about the ways in which black people took a stand and shook off their discomfort to make a point.

Like my predecessors, I want to do the same.

St. Joe’s has a race problem that stems from something far more ingrained than racial slurs and antagonistic actions of one student against another. The race problem stems from the way in which our university isn’t deliberate in try-

stereotypes to the supposedly well-meaning but still isolating comments from faculty, students of color are meant to simply endure this and still foster some connection to this university.

We go to a university that is relatively homogenized. Most students come from the

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

ing to foster a sense of racial understanding between students.

It is one thing to have the university create a council where few weigh in on the issue of racial diversity on our campus. But if this council at this point isn’t productive due to recent events, there has to be a better way to go about dealing with racial diversity on campus.

The few on this council aren’t looking at the ways in which the day-to-day existence of students of color on this campus are mired with uncomfortability due to a lack of racial understanding between all students.

From flagrant comments that perpetuate

same area, are relatively within the same socioeconomic status and phenotypically look relatively the same.

This allows for a kind of experience that caters to that demographic, because it is overwhelmingly the majority of students. In this, there is no reason to delve into difference when on the surface the majority of people are the same.

The lack of structural changes to policy, training and curriculum doesn’t provide any pushback to this majority’s experience.

College is supposed to be about gaining new experiences and challenging yourself. It is

imperative on our campus that racial diversity be a part of that.

If St. Joe’s wants to diminish racial tension on campus, there needs to be a deliberate conversation about race and inclusion of racially diverse topics, especially within the curriculum.

The General Education Program (GEP) requirement for diversity isn’t enough to help students of all different backgrounds break down and unlearn ingrained racial preconceptions. The vastness of what falls under diversity within our curriculum disallows any meaningful discussion of race and racism.

We, as students, lose out on meaningful conversations and reformative discussion if we don’t take courses that could provide these things.

There needs to be an imbuing of diverse topics and viewpoints within most courses.

Regardless of whether a student is in the Haub School of Business or the College of Art and Sciences, courses need to reflect a persistent attempt to have the hard discussions about race and racism. Otherwise we are going to continue to have racial slur incidents for the foreseeable future.

St. Joe’s can bring in the Factuality game, a facilitated discourse of race relations in America, and host discussions on influential black figures, but that doesn’t mean that the university is going to be able to change the tide. The first meaningful way to do so is to meet all students where they are: in their classes.

This step is the first among many that the university has to take to actually begin to chip away at the racial issue that has sat with this university since it became racially integrated.

The only way for this university to make meaningful change and ameliorate the discomfort of many students of color is to take those deliberate steps to include them in every facet of educational life at St. Joe’s. We need to see, hear and learn about and from people like us in the classroom.

The Hawk Newspaper

Lifestyle

Feb. 13, 2019

9

MILAN MORRIS ON HER YEARS AT ST. JOE'S

Morris stands in the Office of Inclusion and Diversity where she said she feels most at home on campus. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

CARA SMITH ’21 Assistant Lifestyle Editor As part of The Hawk’s coverage of Black History Month and ongoing coverage of race and diversity on campus, we will interview black students about their experiences at St. Joe’s throughout February.

Our first Q&A is with Milan Morris ’19, a co-president of the Black Student Union (BSU).

Three of her family members, two of her cousins and her older brother, also attended St. Joe’s. Morris’ father owns an art gallery on 52nd Street.

After she graduates with her degree in biology this May, Morris plans on taking a year off to work as a medical scribe before she heads to medical school. Morris grew up in Wynnefield Philadelphia, where she still resides today.

What are your most memorable experiences from your time at St. Joe’s?

I remember being a freshman and going [to the Office of Inclusion and Diversity (OID)], it used to be called Office of Multicultural Life, but it was still in Campion, just in a smaller office. The seniors of my freshman year were always in there. They were there to give us a laugh. When you would come in after class, mad about a test or something like that, you always had those seniors there to lift you up.

Why is the OID space important for black students?

It allows them to feel like they are around people that understand them. They can relate to the experiences that they may be going through that other people may not be able to feel. Also just feeling at home. If someone was like me and wanted to go to a [historically black college or university (HBCU)], that’s their moment where you can feel that it is an HBCU experience even though it is not.

How significant is the fact the St. Joe’s is a majority white school?

Positively, I feel like, and I tell a lot of people of color this, it is the world we live in. So for people to moan and groan about it, you can’t.

It is bound to happen. You are going to get into a professional field and you are going to see predominantly white institutions no matter where you are. You have to be the person of color to say that we are all human, so we all have the same ability. We all have the same capability to do the same things. You can’t say, “Well everybody is white here, and I am this one black person, and I can’t do what they can do.” It allows you to get used to that in college versus in the professional setting.

Have you experienced racial profiling or incidents of racism on campus?

No I haven’t, not personally. There was a guy who graduated in 2017, my sophomore year, and he said that he had experienced many forms of racism on campus through-

out his four years here. In dorms, he would be called monkey or have bananas thrown at him, and things like that. He was a more to himself kind of person, so that is why it didn’t really get [talked about] like the other girls’ [incident]. He just held that stuff in. He was open to [talking about it], but it was sad to hear that something like that is going on at the same university I am going to. Luckily it is not happening to me.

How has your involvement in the BSU shaped your experience at St. Joe’s?

I got thrown into the BSU sophomore year, and I have learned to appreciate my role as I have gotten older. Especially from the things like the incident last semester. I see that I have to be one of those voices to speak up for people in my community that may not be able to speak up. But also be there as a mentor and show them how they should go about different situations like this. So when the freshman brought it up and the incident happened, I was there to be a mentor. Once it exploded, I took it to a bigger stance and allowed the whole community to see where we should go with it.

I feel like it just allowed me to grow in different areas, in terms of being a mentor to people that are younger than me and coming in and not really liking the school because of the different community situations, but being able to be there as one of those seniors that I saw freshman year coming in the office and brightening their day. I think having that role in BSU people look to you to do that even more. They

know that they can definitely come to you because they know that we are the voice for the black students on this campus.

What should St. Joe’s be doing to make the campus a more welcoming environment to students of color?

One thing that could happen is having different diversity training that people have to go to. I think it will just bring everybody together to the same level on how everyone should be treated, although obviously we should know.

Having that diversity training for everyone, allows us to know that everyone is trained accordingly. So that way, we feel comfortable in instances that may occur.

[Another] thing would be allowing people to know that BSU isn’t just for black students. I think that is another way we get singled out. It is all just black people coming [to meetings], but if other students knew that they could join. For example, at the activities fair, when we are promoting our organization, other students see that it is the BSU they’re like “I don’t want to do this,” because they don’t think it is for them. I have had students come up and say, “Well can I join?” and I say, “Of course!”

We are at the activities fair. It is for everybody.

I think somehow enforcing that the organization isn’t just for black students. That will be another way we can get diversity, we can have more people coming to together. It allows others to hear how we feel, so that way we can be a better community.

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Feb. 13, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Lifestyle

Spreading luck and fortune Lion Dance Parade celebrates Chinese New Year NATALIE DRUM ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor In honor of Chinese New Year, the 2019 Lion Dance Parade made its way around Philadelphia’s Chinatown on Feb. 10.

A celebration of the holiday, restaurants and stores in Chinatown hung firecrackers and lettuce outside their shops, two traditional practices believed to bring luck. People of all ages lined the six streets that the parade went down, looking to catch a glimpse of the colorful costumes.

The Lion Dance Parade is put on by the non-profit volunteer organization, Philadelphia Suns, which is based in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. With the Lion Dance event, the Suns aim to harness the importance of tradition for youth and use the funds towards the organization’s recreational events for youth members.

“Lion dancing is scaring away the evil spirit and welcoming the new good luck and fortune,” said Timothy Mac, a junior at Drexel University and a member of the Philadelphia Suns. “Red is good luck in Chinese, and the loud crackling scares away the evil spirit.”

Julie Juan Yu, Ph.D., director of China Programs at St. Joe’s and advisor for the Chinese Student and Scholar Association (CSSA), said the Lion Dance Parade is her favorite event during the Chinese New Year.

“I have many fond memories of lion dances since my childhood,” Yu said. “I even have a lion dance performance costume and drum set in my office, as I used to teach lion dancing to my students when I taught Chinese language and cultural classes.”

According to Yu, the Chinese New Year, also called Spring Festival or Lunar New Year,

is the biggest holiday in China, and people frequently travel home to celebrate the festivities with family and friends.

“Many traditions revolve around luck and activities regarded as lucky that may bring good fortune, happiness, wealth and longevity,” Yu said. “Oftentimes, these activities include cleaning, or forbearing from cleaning, giving away money in red paper envelopes, lighting firecrackers or celebrating with lion dancing.”

These activities were all practiced during the parade in Chinatown. Many in attendance wore earplugs in hopes of drowning out the popping of firecrackers.

Jennie Bui, 17, who attends Central High School in Philadelphia, wore a bandana to protect her face from the flying debris of the firecrackers. Bui, along with three others, held a yellow banner at the front of the parade for the Philadelphia Suns.

“The guy in the little hat is supposed to be leading to lions,” Bui said. “So the lion is supposed to represent good luck with the fireworks. It is like the guy leading luck into stores.

That is why the stores are having [fireworks].”

Mango Mango Dessert on Cherry Street was one of the restaurants that put out firecrackers and lettuce, for which the lions are believed to be competing as they stop by along the parade route.

Miranda Tan, a senior at Temple University, works at Mango Mango Dessert and reminisced about being in the Lion Dance Parade.

“My favorite part is the amount of people, all the energy and positive vibes,” Tan said.

According to Tan, it is tradition for a majority of the Chinatown stores to hang fireworks and lettuce outside their storefront.

“Pretty much every store has it,” Tan said.

Attendees celebrating in dragon costumes. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

“After they are done, we give them a red envelope for good luck in return of what they are doing.”

Customers at the Mango Mango Dessert shop received an up-close look when one of the lions and performers came inside the restaurant.

Lamei Zhang is the projects manager for Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), a nonprofit organization that has promoted the Lion Dance Parade for the past 10 years.

“We make a graphic to provide a bunch of information for everyone to let them know what kind of activities there are in Chinatown for the Chinese New Year, which includes the Lion Dance Parade,” Zhang said.

Promoting the Lion Dance event is a way

that Zhang and PCDC advocate for the Chinatown neighborhood.

“The organization is very dedicated to the people of Chinatown as well as other people who don’t live in Chinatown and who cannot speak English,” Zhang said.

St. Joe’s CSSA also works to promote Chinese culture in the city. One event they host is an annual Spring Festival Gala alongside The University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University and Temple University, Yu said.

“As the CSSA advisor, I am very proud of all the Chinese students who showcased a spectacular performance at this year’s gala,” Yu said. “They make all of us Hawks proud.”

"INSPIRED BY SUSAN"

Students exhibit photography in honor of late professor ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Lifestyle Editor A photography exhibit dedicated to Susan Fenton, M.F.A, associate professor of art at St. Joe's, who died on Nov. 23, will be on display from now through the end of June.

Seven students who were slated to take her advanced photography class before she fell ill last fall submitted their work to be featured in the exhibit on the second floor of Post Learning Commons.

The students were asked by Jeanne Bracy, gallery coordinator for the Merion Hall and Boland Hall galleries, to submit two photos along with a caption for each describing why it reminded them of Fenton.

Bracy said the photos are all very different but carry similar themes.

“The common theme was how [Fenton] inspired all of them to be their own person and their own artist,” Bracy said. “Kind of like, ‘I’ll give you the foundation and then you go out there and make it your own and be creative.’”

Photography exhibit dedicated to Susan Fenton, located on the second floor of Post Learning Commons.

PHOTO: JUL HANKINSON ’19

Following the memorial service held in Fenton’s honor on Feb. 5, Bracy invited Fenton’s family and friends to visit the exhibit to see firsthand the impact Fenton made on her students.

The students who submitted their photography and took classes with Fenton come from a variety of majors, including Bethany Zaccaria ’19, a pharmaceutical marketing major with an art minor. She took two of Fenton’s darkroom photography classes where she learned to think outside the box in her practice.

Zaccaria chose to exhibit a photo that she did not particularly like until Fenton pointed it out as one of her favorites during a critique.

“She very much liked the unique pictures and the ones that you didn’t like and maybe other people wouldn’t like,” Zaccaria said. “She inspired me to start looking at photography in an even more unique way.”

Aedan Accardi ’19 had a similar reason for choosing a photo of Independence Hall to exhibit in honor of Fenton. He said he nearly threw the negative away because the exposure was off and the photo was too dark, but Fenton saw its potential.

“Susan looked at them and saw that I could develop them somehow,” Accardi said.

“She literally took me to the side and taught me how to use filters and how to get the picture to exist. I would’ve just thrown that negative away, and it became a picture that everyone really liked.”

Along with choosing photos Fenton herself enjoyed, students chose those that had the

elements they learned from her classes. The second photo Accardi chose was of a seagull in front of the lower Manhattan skyline.

“That picture has depth of field, directional lines and the rule of thirds,” Accardi said. “It took the concepts she taught us and put it into one.”

Fenton’s legacy at St. Joe’s is in her talent and personality alike, according to Bracy.

“She was friendly with all of the students, but she found that fine line where you can be friends with your students while also keeping the discipline and the teaching going on,” Bracy said. “The students appreciated that.”

Julia Donahue ’19 took three classes with Fenton and was also her advisee. For Donahue, what made Fenton such an impactful professor was her constructive criticism.

“She was never afraid to tell me or my classmates if she wasn’t crazy about a certain piece of work,” Donahue said. “That helped because I think some teachers are a little scared to do that.”

According to Bracy, what the art department will miss most about Fenton is the energy and spirit she brought with her to Boland Hall.

“She was 69 years old and she would go to zumba classes like four times a week,” Bracy said. “She would come in here in her zumba pants ready to go, and she carried her class along like that.”

There will be an exhibition of Fenton’s artwork in Merion Hall in August.

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

Feb. 13, 2019

11

Who needs Valentines Day? COLLEEN DUDDY ’20 Special to The Hawk

Gabrielle Beauvais ’21 helps a student in an SI session. PHOTO: DIMETRI WILLIAMS ’19/THE HAWK

Learning after hours

SI leaders provide academic support ALEX GONZALEZ ’20 Special to The Hawk Alex Velazquez ’20 sat in the back of an Economics 101 class last year, taking notes along with the other students in his row.

This was Velazquez’ second time taking the course. He’d already been through it once during the spring semester of his freshman year. He was back not to repeat the course but to serve as a Supplementary Instruction leader (SI).

“I am interested in teaching positions, specifically in the social sciences,” said Velazquez, an economics major. “So it was a really cool opportunity.”

The SI program began in 2002 as a pilot program with three SI leaders in the biology major. Today, there are eight courses with SI leaders from biology, accounting, math, chemistry, economics and physics. Each semester, 25 to 35 leaders are assigned to different classes.

SI students go through a selective interview process and have to meet certain requirements to make it into the program, according to Allie Flick, SI coordinator for fall 2018. That interview process includes a “how to” piece that asks students to explain an activity they enjoy and teach it.

Kris Goldberg, director of the Office of Learning Resources, said professors also help to choose potential SI leaders.

Sudoku

“We do a little bit of the legwork for the professors in that we pull everyone they’ve had in the past couple of semesters that would be eligible based on that criteria,” Goldberg said. “Then we send those lists to professors and ask them to nominate students from there.”

Nancy Fox, associate professor of economics, was a professor who pushed to obtain an SI student leader for her Economics 101 class. She said that finding an extra resource for students is important, because she feels that her class can be challenging.

“Economics is hard for students” Fox said. “I was telling one of my upper-level students that I was doing my best, and I felt like it wasn’t enough.”

Fox was able to appoint Velazquez as an SI leader for her Economics 101 class, and he is currently the only one assigned to the economics department.

“Any resource that we can have that can help the students is a positive thing,” Fox said.

One challenge SI leaders face is striking a balance between their own school work and the work needed to prepare for the sessions they hold. SI leaders attend lectures, prepare hour-long study sessions that are held two times a week, as well as review sessions around test times.

Mary Kate Dougherty ’19, a biology major and SI leader for Biology 101, has been part of the program since her sophomore year.

“It just becomes a part of the back-

ground,” Dougherty said. “It gets ingrained in your schedule, and you just get used to it.”

For many SI leaders, the course lectures they attend serve as a refresher in some of the basic concepts taught in these classes, useful not only in their teaching as SI leaders but in their own studies.

“It is a really good review for anyone who plans on taking an MCAT like myself,” Dougherty said. “The basics of biology have been so helpful.”

Velazquez also said he has benefitted from going back to the basics in economics.

“I haven’t taken [Economics 101] in like a year and a half,” Velazquez said. “I had built upon those fundamental ideas but haven’t touched some of those ideas in a long time.”

Accounting major Victoria Francesconi ’20 said the relationship between an SI leader and a student is similar to a sibling dynamic.

“I’m just there as an older sibling or a friend that tries to help teach in different ways to help them understand the material,” Francesconi said. “It’s all about being on the same playing field and trying to get on the same page so they understand.”

Ultimately, being passionate about their subjects helps SI leaders make the material easier for others to understand.

“Being an SI is a really fun job if you enjoy the subject you are teaching,” Dougherty said. “There has to be some aspect of the job that you are passionate about in order fully commit to the job.”

It’s that time of year again. CVS has had oversized teddy bears, fake roses and heartshaped boxes of chocolate on their shelves since the beginning of January. Time is running out to make reservations at Max Brenner on Feb. 14 with your significant other.

But here’s the thing: Valentine’s Day comes no matter what, even for people who are going through a rough patch in their relationship, have recently been dumped or have decided to end their relationship. It can be tough for them to watch happy couples celebrate the “most romantic day of the year.”

Here is an anti-Valentine’s Day playlist for people that feel alone, heartbroken or just want to let go of their previous relationship. Failed partnership is difficult and these songs can be therapeutic to anyone going through it.

“Better Off ” by Ariana Grande This breakup tune has a laid back vibe.

It’s perfect for anyone coming to the realization that they need space from a relationship or need to break it off completely. This song emphasizes the idea of understanding your own needs and being strong enough to say goodbye to something or someone that isn’t good for you.

“Dead” by Madison Beer Madison Beer’s lyrics paint an image of a toxic, one-sided relationship where one person is giving everything they have to save it and the other is a sketchy liar. The chorus says it all with, “You say you can’t live without me, so why aren’t you dead yet?”

“One Last Song” by Sam Smith In this song, Sam Smith tells his ex everything he wants to say for the last time.

This is a good one to listen to when you’re sad and want your ex to feel all the same emotions.

“You Don’t Do It For Me Anymore” by Demi Lovato The title itself and the blunt lyrics make this the perfect song to listen to when you want to accept the fact that letting go of a person is the best thing for you. Not only are Lovato’s vocals in this song unbelievable, but she also puts her ex in his place and tells him how she feels instead of leading him on. “i hate u, i love u” by Gnash The title says it all. This love song describes the anger and confusion you feel when you hate the things that someone did to you but still love and want to be with them.

“Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood This is the breakup song that everyone has at one point or another screamed at the top of their lungs in the car with their girlfriends. If you have recently been cheated on and want revenge on the person that did you wrong, I advise you to turn this one up.

“Single Ladies” by Beyoncé Last but certainly not least, this anthem is ideal to listen to on Valentine’s Day if you’re single. You can’t help but dance when you hear this—the perfect medicine when you’re trying to get over an ex, especially when you’re newly single and trying to find your way. And if you’ve been single for awhile, it’s a jam regardless.

Scan this QR code to listen to the playlist on Spotify.

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Feb. 13, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Lifestyle

Women and their bodies

Author speaks about underrepresented women SABRINA STAMPE ’19 Special to The Hawk Award-winning author and former St. Joe’s adjunct professor, Carmen Maria Machado did a reading from her book of short stories, “Her Body and Other Parties.”

Machado read her story, “8 Bites,” about a woman having bypass surgery so she can be thin enough to bring her closer to what society considers an ideal body image for a woman.

“Back on earth, Dr. U is inside me,” Machado read to a diverse group of students and faculty who attended the event in McShain Hall Feb. 6. “Her hands are in my torso, her fingers searching for something. She is loosening flesh from its casing. Slipping around where she’s been welcome. Talking to a nurse about her recent vacation to Chile.”

“Her Body and Other Parties” is a collection of eight narratives, each of which tells a story about women and their bodies.

“Whether we’re talking about queerness or fatness or feminism or gender, all of these things had to do with the body and the way the body is criticized and sort of positioned in the world,” Machado said.

The stories in “Her Body and Other Parties” use elements of horror and mystery to write about women’s experiences of sexual violence, sexual orientation and body image. Machado said she uses specular fiction because it allows her to write without thinking about rules.

“Writing is about self-discovery,” Machado said. “It’s about figuring out what you’re interested in, what you’re obsessed with and what is sort of going on in your own head.”

Aisha Lockridge, Ph.D., associate professor of English, said she thought Machado’s book created a space that made visible voices that are present but often coerced

Carmen Maria Machado's book “Her Body And Other Parties.” PHOTO: CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20/THE HAWK

into silence.

“These stories are important now because they amplify the voices of silenced intersectional minorities, some of whom

may find themselves in privileged spaces alone, routinely having their opinions overlooked, dismissed, disrespected,” Lockridge said. “She writes their whole-

ness into being, making them undeniable.”

Machado used different voices and facial expressions to convey different emotions as she read about a woman’s struggle with her weight.

“There was a poetic rhythm to it that I really enjoyed,” Sydney Villard ’19 said.

“And having a voice to it always helps, I think, when it comes to picturing things.”

In her stories Machado addresses the reader directly and gives them instructions.

“I really liked the idea of having stage directions and thinking in what way can I as a writer reach out in the story,” said Machado.

Maggie Nealon ’20 said the ability to connect with characters drew her to literature.

“I think there are multiple storylines and different characterizations,” Nealon said. “And there’s just more for people to be drawn to and connect to in the story, so I think it opens it up to a wider audience.”

At the end of her talk Machado answered audience questions about her methods of writing and storytelling.

“Sometimes this is the truth about writers, sometimes you just do things because you want to do them and you don’t have a super deep reason for doing it and that’s the horrible truth,” Machado said.

“Sometimes you decide to do it for no good reason.”

Nealon said she felt represented in Machado’s book since diverse groups are not often represented in artists who speak at St. Joe’s.

“It’s really important for us to have on campus because it allows marginalized groups on campus to see this representation and inspiration from people who have been successful in life with what they love doing,” Nealon said.

Machado said “Her Body and Other Parties” is in the process of being considered for a television series.

Crossword: Valentine's Day edition

Across:

Down:

4. These iconic candies share messages such as “Be mine” and “Kiss me.”

5. King __ VIII, declared Feb. 14 as an official holiday in 1537.

8. This winged archer is a classic representative of the holiday.

10. This type of flower is a Valentine’s Day go-to.

11. The Roman goddess of love and mother of Cupid.

12. While the exact origin is unclear, the tradition is believed to come from this Ital ian city.

1. Boxes of chocolates made in this shape are a common Valentine’s Day gift.

2. Valentine’s Day is only second to this holiday in sending cards.

3. This company began making cards for the holiday in 1913.

6. The candy company often associated with Easter was the first to produce boxes of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. 7. This color is used during Valentine’s Day because it symbolizes love and passion.

9. These birds are associated with the holiday because of their tendency to mate for life.

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

Feb. 13, 2019

13

St. Joe's baseball team prepares for season opener RYAN MULLIGAN ’21 Assistant Sports Editor After finishing their 2018 season with a 21-27 record, the St. Joe’s baseball team aspires to jump to the top of the Atlantic 10 Conference standings in the 2019 season.

With seven freshmen and 11 sophomores, the Hawks have many inexperienced members who may look up to veteran leaders to accomplish that goal.

Taking a leap like this one however, does not happen overnight, according to Head Coach Fritz Hamburg. With a young group like this one, the team has concentrated on overhauling the culture.

“I think our expectation is we’re out here to win a championship,” Hamburg said. “But we’re not going to win a championship today. We have to take it each day and try to get better. I think there’s a lot of reason to have optimism and good thoughts about where this ballclub is going to go.”

With only three seniors and one graduate student, senior first baseman Charlie Concannon said the team has a new dynamic to work with.

“Really anything short of a championship and a playoff run, we don’t consider that too much of a success,” Concannon said. “This is a totally different team and we have totally different goals going forward.

You can tell when you see this group, it’s a different feel, and we’re really excited to show what we have on the field.”

Concannon was an offensive leader for the Hawks last year and will take the same role this year. He has been a mainstay in Hamburg’s lineup for each of his seasons at St. Joe’s, starting more than 40 games in each of his three previous seasons and leading the team in batting average, hits and slugging percentage. Concannon said he has taken on a bigger leadership role as they transition into this season.

“Overall, I just feel like our leadership, there’s more guys walking in stride that way and we always want that, but sometimes it goes off the tracks a little bit,” Hamburg said.

“But I think this group is on the tracks.”

Graduate student Dominic Cuoci (left) and senior Charlie Concannon (right) on John W. Smithson Field before practice.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

One player that has a lot of experience on the team is right-handed pitcher Dominic Cuoci, who exercised his fifth year of eligibility after getting injured halfway through last year’s season.

Cuoci started 16 games before getting hurt last year. He said his injury will help him look at his last season as a Hawk in a slightly different way.

“One thing that I’ve learned from this year is that our actions speak louder than our words,” Cuoci said. “I think years before we kind of got caught up in talking about a lot of stuff. This year we’re definitely trying to focus on not just our play.”

The older players will certainly have a lot to handle, as the underclassmen not

only have strength in numbers, but also in their talent, according to Concannon.

“This freshman class is one of the most talented, and a lot of these guys are some of the most talented players that I’ve seen,” Concannon said. “They’ve bought in completely to that and they’re going to be really exciting to watch this year.”

Freshman infielder Nate Thomas and freshman catcher Andrew Cossetti are two players that Hamburg said he will look to insert into his lineup however he can.

Thomas currently holds the starting spot at third base.

“Right now, there’s a couple of them that will have immediate impacts and there’s some that could have significant im-

pacts as we go along,” Hamburg said.

The freshmen class will be looked to in aiding the Hawks in attaining their ultimate goal of winning a championship. The upperclassmen see no difference between them, as they are all striding towards the same goal, according to junior pitcher Hayden Seig.

“Whether it be on the mound or whether it be at the plate, they’re just as important,” Seig said. “I think those guys are taking that seriously and I think those guys will be instrumental in our success. And the truth is, although you have to be a leader on the field, those guys can step in and be leaders just as well.”

Undervalued, overachieving JAMES MCCLOSKEY JR. ’20 Hawk Staff As players line the field, preparing for the game to start, they see their coaches yelling from the sideline. But when they look beyond the sideline, the stands are half-filled, mostly occupied by family and friends. Very few students are scattered throughout.

The St. Joe’s field hockey team, who are reigning Atlantic 10 Conference champions, and the men’s rugby team, who have been National Championship contenders for the past four seasons, experience this phenomenon on a regular basis during their respective seasons.

The success that field hockey attained in the 2018 season was not a surprise, as they were

regular season A-10 champions in the previous two seasons. Even while being ranked as a top 10 team in the nation this past season, fan support from the stands was low.

Similarly, the men’s rugby team has excelled at a high level, reaching the DIAA National Championship Tournament each of the past two seasons while also garnering their first number one ranking in program history. The team’s student support doesn’t seem to correspond with their recent success.

Even though the men’s basketball team is currently in the bottom quarter of the A-10 standings, the student section remains strong with support. What has to happen for similar support to be given to our other teams? If winning isn’t what students need to show up, what is?

I, for one, show up to each basketball game screaming until my voice is raw no

matter if the team is expected to win or be crushed. I find joy in watching the team play with their passion on their sleeves, fighting each game to win.

As a child, I was exposed to basketball, watching and cheering. Maybe that’s why I, like so many others, attend every men’s basketball game screaming for the Hawks to win.

It wasn’t until arriving at St. Joe’s that I was exposed to field hockey.

The first time I attended a field hockey game, I’ll admit, I was bored. I didn’t know what was going on. After learning more about the game, I found the same passion I have for the men’s basketball team with the players of the field hockey team.

Field hockey’s success is unprecedented amongst all sports at St. Joe’s. The fierce battles faced by this team throughout the season are unlike any other. If you don’t know much about field hockey, watch a game and learn.

Don’t use ignorance as reason not to attend.

Field hockey is a sport that might appeal to students if they took the time to learn about it.

If it’s passion you’re looking for in a sports team, field hockey may be the team you should be watching. Not only do they have the same drive to win as any other sports team at St. Joe's, they are actually succeeding.

While the field hockey season is over for this academic year, the spring season for the men’s rugby is set to begin on Mar. 23. The team is looking to excel far beyond what they did last year.

The rugby games are played on Sweeney Field, right in the heart of campus. This spring, students have the opportunity to show support to one of the two teams on Hawk Hill that are truly excelling in their respective sport. It is time for the student body to step up and cheer on the teams most deserving of support.

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Feb. 13, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

Men's ice hockey looks to continue success in playoffs MATT DELEO ’20 Hawk Staff The St. Joe’s men’s club ice hockey team has officially secured the eighth seed in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) playoffs. After finishing 11-7-1 in the regular season, winning seven games at home, the Hawks will play North Carolina State on Feb. 15 to open up their post season.

Senior Captain Andrew Sarre said Head Coach Matt McGarvey has created an environment that brings out the best in players.

“He has built a great culture and has implemented great systems for us to succeed,” Sarre said.

Sarre and fellow senior Captain JT Tarantino are veteran leaders on the team, both of whom played all four years of their respective collegiate careers. Offensively, Tarantino leads the team with 20 goals and 34 points. He also has nine power play goals with three game winners.

Tarantino was awarded ACCHL Defensive Player of the Year last season and ACCHL Player of the Month earlier this season.

Despite these accomplishments, the team as a whole has faced adversity this season with multiple injuries. Three players are out for the remainder of the season, while three others have had their playing time lim-

ited due to injury, according to Sarre.

Tarantino said that although the team has had to fight through the injuries, it has been a successful year nonetheless.

“We’ve remained ranked in the region for almost all of the year, which is something that we’re really proud of as a group,” Tarantino said.

Tarantino said the additions of senior Griffin Pierce and freshman Tyler Finerty have made a difference.

“We’re definitely becoming a stronger team in the area,” Tarantino said. “[The new additions] have definitely made the team come closer together. Those two are great locker room guys.”

Pierce said the whole team was on the same page in terms of winning before the season even started.

“The team really bought in, and we were able to put together a decent record,” Pierce said. “It is better than people thought we were going to do.”

Pierce stepped up and played on defense, a position he never played until this year. He said it was challenging to make that transition.

“It was a huge adjustment for me since I have played offense my whole life,” Pierce said. “I was pretty frustrated all year, but any success that I did have should be attributed

Senior Captain Andrew Sarre takes the ice in an early season game. PHOTO COURTESY OF BILL GERKE

to my defense partner Andrew Sarre. He was always providing me with positive feedback on what I could work on and always encouraging me when I was down about my play.”

The team has not only had an impact on Pierce with their performance on the ice,

but their camaraderie off the ice has been just as special.

“They are a great group of people to be around and never fail to bring a smile to my face when I am having a bad day, whether it’s on campus or at the rink,” Pierce said.

Tennis program unveils Captains' Club for alumni SAM BRITT ’20 Assistant Sports Editor The St. Joe’s tennis program recently created the Captains’ Club, a program meant to create an alumni network and coordinate activities for former tennis players, keeping them involved with the team once they’ve graduated.

The Captains’ Club was started by Ian Crookenden, the men’s and women’s tennis head coach. He said that he wanted there to be a more regulated way to keep in contact with tennis alumni.

“I got to thinking that it would be great to have a regular communication group rather than just one individual reaching out,” Crookenden said. “If the captains could join they could reach out and network to teammates on their squad.”

Crookenden drew inspiration from the Wimbledon Final Eight Club, a program he is currently a member of, which is an exclusive program that reaches out to former players who have made it to the final eight of a Wimbledon event. Its purpose is to reach out and invite its members to certain events and extend special privileges.

The two captains who were chosen to spearhead this new club are former women’s captain Alex Zachem ’17 and former men’s captain Kyle Chalmers ’17. Crookenden reached out to them in August to let them know his plan.

“It is nice just to continue to stay involved with the St. Joe’s tennis program,” Chalmers said. “Trying to keep the bond with our school and teammates strong.”

The role of the captains in the Captains' Club is to keep in contact with alumni from their team. As one of the initial captains, Chalmers said he had to communicate a plethora of former players.

“It was cool because I had an excuse to reach out to a bunch of alumni and team-

Senior Captain Dan Tan in a match last spring. PHOTO COURTESY OF SJU ATHLETICS

mates,” Chalmers said. “I keep in touch with a few of them but I hadn’t talked to some of them in a while. I can connect with them and even with some people I wasn’t on the same team with.”

Senior Captain Dan Tan became aware of this club last semester. He said that he thinks it’s important for alumni to stay involved with the team.

“It is a way for alumni to always be involved,” Tan said. “Our career doesn’t just end once we leave college. We can still be a part of what is happening. It is a way for those who loved their journey at St. Joe’s to keep in touch.”

Junior Captain Scott Battaglia said he is excited that there is a more accessible way to stay involved with the team post-graduation.

“I want to be involved after I am done,” Battaglia said. “The team has given me so many great experiences and memories that I never would have had without them. The opportunity to help out with future funding to make Hawks tennis as good as possible is really exciting.”

Crookenden said that even though there will be some fundraising elements, that will not be the primary focus of the Captains’ Club.

“The goal is more social and for continued involvement,” Crookenden said.

The Captains’ Club wants to continue to have events geared toward alumni. In doing so, Chalmers discussed possibly sponsoring a match and having a potluck beforehand.

Battaglia said he enjoys the opportuni-

ty to be around the former captains. Having them involved gives the team’s current captains the opportunity to pass down their experiences to the next generation of Hawks.

“It means the world just to hear what they went through and how they handled certain situations,” Battaglia said. “Learning from them is [an] invaluable experience."

Chalmers said he hopes that the club can continue to grow in the coming years.

“I hope we have a strong foundation,” Chalmers said. “Hopefully it is a pipeline to getting more St. Joe’s tennis alums involved in the team. Give people an excuse to come back and reminisce about old times and see where the team is now.”

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

Feb. 13, 2019

15

Mason Wyckoff signs his letter of intent to the St. Joe’s baseball program alongside his mother, Brianna Wyckoff and Head Coach Fritz Hamburg. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

New teammate gives perspective to St. Joe's baseball NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Sports Editor On Feb. 9 at Loews Philadelphia Hotel, the St. Joe's baseball team welcomed a new member to their team. Mason Wyckoff, a 7-year-old boy who was diagnosed with immune dysfunction in 2013, officially became a Hawk during his “Draft Day” celebration.

This event was coordinated through the national nonprofit Team IMPACT in association with the St. Joe’s baseball program.

Team IMPACT is an organization that connects children facing serious or chronic illnesses with college athletic teams. They have matched approximately 1,700 children with over 500 colleges across the country.

After signing his contract in front of a room of over 200 people, Mason Wyckoff said he’s incredibly excited to be a Hawk.

“It felt really amazing [to officially sign],” Mason Wyckoff said. [Since I started going to practices], everything’s starting to get pretty insane. [I’m excited to] hit a home run and be the bat boy.”

Brianna Wyckoff, Mason Wyckoff ’s

mother, said she’s proud of how her son overcame certain anxieties in order to get up and address the crowd.

“He was able to show everyone what he goes through every day,” Brianna Wyckoff said. “It took a ton of courage.”

Junior catcher James McConnon said courage is something Mason Wyckoff will be able to teach the entire team.

“He goes through some of the toughest treatments I’ve seen for a kid his age,” McConnon said. “The fact that he’s 7 years old and he’s in there every day, eight hours at a time, it really gives us a moment to reflect on how lucky we are.”

Junior right handed pitcher Hayden Seig said that officially adding Mason Wyckoff as a member of the program is an incredibly special moment for everyone involved.

“We added another person to our family,” Seig said. “It’s nice to have another guy that we can say completes our team. We talk about family a lot with our team. Mason is part of that. It’s not just on the field, it’s also about off, and Mason’s a perfect fit for us.”

Shelby Carney, the marketing and

Junior pitcher Hayden Seig with Mason Wyckoff.

communications coordinator for Team IMPACT, said a family atmosphere is important for Mason because due to treatment, many children diagnosed with such illnesses are isolated.

“Our program is geared to improve a child’s sense of optimism and sense of belonging,” Carney said. “We want to make sure they feel like they can be a part of something.”

With her son as the newest addition to the Hawk family, Brianna Wyckoff is excited for Mason to be surrounded by 34 players who are like brothers to him. She said Mason will be able to teach the team the true meaning of strength and bravery in a whole different way than they’ve ever known.

Head Coach Fritz Hamburg agreed, saying the relationships between players and Mason Wyckoff will be twofold.

“I don’t think [this experience] can be measured in terms of how much it means to Mason,” Hamburg said. “On the flip side, it also means a lot to us because we recognize that if we can make Mason’s day just a little bit better, that’s what living is all about.”

McConnon has already taken that sen-

timent to heart. He said that every time he sees Mason Wyckoff, it makes his day.

“To see the reaction on his face, it really touches you and hits home,” McConnon said. “There’s no feeling that can generate that. There’s only one way you can do that to get a genuine reaction.”

Brianna Wyckoff said that one of the most important aspects of Wyckoff joining older players is that they have a unique perspective on what Wyckoff is going through.

“It’s much easier for Mason [to participate] at St. Joe’s,” Brianna Wyckoff said.

“It’s okay for him to sit on the sidelines if he’s too tired to participate. He wouldn’t have that option playing with kids his age.

They wouldn’t understand what he’s going through.”

McConnon said he looks forward to building his relationship with Mason throughout the rest of the season.

“It’s a great opportunity to keep things in perspective for us,” McConnon said. “We have the opportunity as athletes for people to look up to us. For us to give back to him, it’s a special moment.”

Hamburg congratulates Mason Wyckoff on becoming part of the St. Joe’s baseball program.

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Feb. 13, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

Hawk basketball pays tribute to father of Phil Martelli Martelli gestures towards the ceiling in remembrance of his late father. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Saint Louis University players pay their respects to Martelli before the game.

Freshman guard Jared Bynum hugs Martelli after his last play of the game.

St. Joe’s players in the pregame huddle moments after Hawk basketball paid tribute to Phil Martelli’s father.

Phil “Pops” Martelli Sr., the father of men’s basketball Head Coach Phil Martelli, died on Feb. 6. The Hawk basketball program paid tribute to Martelli Sr. two days later on Feb. 8, before the team’s 30-point victory over Saint Louis University. Both Saint Louis and St. Joe’s players participated in the tribute.