Jan 24, 2018

The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

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

Jan. 24, 2018

Sophomore identified as pedestrian struck during finals week ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief

Students walk along the crosswalk at the intersection of Cardinal Avenue and City Avenue (Photo by Matt Barrett ’21).

Increasing pedestrian safety Measures for a safer City Avenue CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 News Editor Two pedestrian accidents on City Avenue in December prompted St. Joe’s Department of Public Safety to email a statement to all student, faculty and staff asking students to be mindful when crossing a street even if it is supposedly safe to walk.

“Even though a safe crossing signal has been given, establishing what we hope is a safe walkway, people when crossing should still be very aware of their surroundings and attentive to detail,” said Arthur Grover, director of Public Safety and Security.

According to Grover, university officials met before the start of the spring semester in order to determine what needs to be done in terms of awareness, and also how to work with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to look at the intersections in which the St. Joe’s community crosses to assure that they are doing what is needed to keep those pedestrians safe.

ALEX KARPINSKI ’20 Assistant News Editor

“There is a plan that is in progress around City Avenue over the next couple of years you are going to see a change in the way the street is designed,” Grover said.

Cary Anderson, Ed.D., vice president of student life, associate provost, said that the new safety features on City Avenue are part of a multi-year university effort to improve the safety of City Avenue.

“This has been going on since the acquisition of the Maguire Campus,” Anderson said. “Dr. Reed and others at the University are very concerned about [pedestrian safety on City Avenue] and are helping move things along in a way that will be beneficial to the University.”

In an emailed response to a question about speed on City Avenue, PennDOT Safety press officer Ayanna N. Williams said new signage and street signs were installed as part of the project.

“City Avenue is a U.S. highway and ex-

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periences high daily traffic volumes which would not be conducive to speed traps, or lowering the speed limit,” Williams said.

While lowering the speed limit is not an option, Anderson said that the university is looking into placing electronic speed signs on City Avenue, which have been proven to decrease drivers speed.

Electronic speed signs do slow drivers speed, a Morgan State University study found, but only for a certain period of time. The study also found that placing the signs strategically is important, because drivers tend to speed up after seeing the signs. Even if drivers obey the speed limit, pedestrians are still at risk.

Ali Natale ’18, Student Senate President, thinks an increase in public safety officers on campus will help with keeping students safe.

CONTINUED ON PG. 3

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY

CITY AVENUE

Pedestrian Injuries

220

Julia Furey-Bastian leads a student protest on campus (Photo courtesy of Emily Sokolowski ’20).

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Pedestrian Injuries

1,739

1,761

1,548

1,557

1,701

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Crashes Involving Pedestrians 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Pedestrian Fatalities

11

9

4

9

5

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

8

10

2012

2013

6

2014

5 2015

12

Pedestrian Fatalities

34

37

38

26

44

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2016

Statistics courtesy of The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20).

A St. Joe’s student who was gravely injured last month when struck by a vehicle while she was crossing City Avenue is recovering in a rehabilitation hospital in a Philadelphia suburb.

Julia Furey-Bastian ’20 was hit Dec. 13 at the intersection of City Avenue and Lapsley Lane.

Furey-Bastian was initially taken to Lankenau Medical Center and then transferred to Thomas Jefferson Hospital.

Furey-Bastian suffered extensive injuries, including intensive brain trauma, multiple rib and facial fractures, a broken fibula and severe optic injuries, according to her mother Dyan Furey.

“She is courageously facing the first steps in a very long road toward recovery,” Furey said.

Furey-Bastian will remain at MossRehab, where she is undergoing intensive residential rehabilitation, until March 7, Furey said. After that time, she will receive intensive outpatient therapy.

The night of the accident, Emily Sokolowski ’20 saw someone lying in City Avenue who had been struck by a car and rushed to help.

“I ran into the street because cars were going around her. Nobody was stopping,” Sokolowski said.

Once she got closer and helped to turn the the injured woman over, she discovered the woman was her friend Furey-Bastian.

“Oh, my gosh, it’s Julia,” she remembered saying, then began calling her name.

“She took a gasp,” Sokolowski said.

Sokolowski has been visiting Furey-Bastian frequently since the accident.

“She’s doing really well,” Sokolowski said, “but she has a really really long road ahead.”

Furey said that she has appreciated all of the people from St. Joe’s who have visited Furey-Bastian.

“The outpouring of support has been, to me, absolutely astounding, not just students but professors,” Furey said.

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News

Jan. 24, 2018

Department of Public Safety reports (Jan. 18 – Jan. 28) ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

Jan. 17

Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm inside of the SJU Bookstore. Public Safety Officers responded. Philadelphia Fire Department responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by smoke inside the building caused by a mechanical issue.

Facilities Management notified.

4 0

Jan. 18

Public Safety was notified by an St. Joe's student in regards to person(s) unknown taking her cell phone near the area of Sweeney Field. Public Safety Officers responded into the area, along with the Philadelphia Police, but were unable to locate the suspect. Incident under investigation.

On campus

Off campus

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

1

Public Safety confiscated a quantity of alcohol from a St. Joe's student inside the lobby of the McShain Residence Center. Residence Life notified. Community Standards notified.

On campus

0

Off campus

Call Public Safety:

610-660-1111

ELECTION 2018 Pennsylvania will be electing‌ 18

1

Pa. seats in the U.S. House of Representatives

Pa. Senate seat in the U.S. Senate

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14

Senate Democrats needed to retain the U.S. Senate First day to circulate and file nomination petitions.

This means a candidate who wants placement on a ballot can file to do so to be on the ballot in the November election.

Feb. 13

Jan. 30 State of the Union, where the President of the United States will address the U.S. Congress on a report of where the Union is right now in terms of policies and what he wants to happen in the next year.

Senate Republicans needed to retain the majority in the U.S. Senate

First day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot for the November general election.

Last day to register before the primary election.

April 16

Sept. 17

March 26

May 15

Nov. 6

First day to apply for a civilian absentee ballot before the Primary election.

General Primary election. The general public will choose which candidates they want on the ballot in the general election.

General election for midterms.

News

Jan. 24, 2018

3

Advancing in thought and action

Students attend second annual Women’s March on Philadelphia SAM HENRY '19 LUKE MALANGA '20 Photo Editor Editor Emeritus The Women’s March on Philadelphia brought thousands of activists to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the second consecutive year. It was one of more than 600 rallies across the country and around the world that took place on Jan. 20.

This year’s march in Philadelphia focused on the “Power to the Polls” movement with the slogan, “We Persist. We Resist. We Rise.”

Rebecca Rhynhart, who is the first woman to be named City Controller in Philadelphia, spoke about the lack of gender representation in public office especially in Philadelphia. “Philadelphia has never had a woman mayor. Pennsylvania has never had a woman governor,” she stated at the rally following the march at Eakins Oval.

Gail Podlesny ’20, who attended the Women’s March on Philadelphia for the first time with a group of friends, emphasized the gravity of participating in a collective rally.

“I think it’s an amazing thing to be surrounded by thousands of people that believe in the same thing as you.” Podlesny said. “It

was incredible because as soon as we got on the train it was packed full of women wearing pink and people with signs and you just looked around and everyone was smiling at each other.”

Erin Davison ’19, who attended the march in Philadelphia for the second year thought that even though fewer people attended this year, there was still the same energy.

“I thought this year was a little more intersectional,” Davison said. “This year the organizers really made an effort to include diverse dialogue.”

Davison is the vice president and communications director of the St. Joe’s chapter of Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA SJU).

Coalition for Peace Action is a national nonpartisan organization that focuses on issues of peace and justice.

“A big part of Coalition for Peace Action is grassroots organizing and getting people on the ground doing things,” Davison said.

Davison wants to bring this political involvement to St. Joe’s through CFPA SJU.

Gail Podlesney '20 marches with a sign at the Women's March on Philadelphia (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

Ryan Scanlan '20, Malcolm Odum '20, Kayla Michel '20 and other St. Joe's students chant at the Women's March (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

“There are not a lot of super politically active or politically engaged students and there tends to be the belief that being political means being divisive when that’s not the case,” Davison said.

CFPA SJU organized a group of students to attend the march together, however only about 10 students traveled there together from St. Joe’s. Many students attended on their own.

Davison said that she had emailed students information about getting there and what to do after they got there.

“We had noticed that there was no group on campus leading anyone so we figured let’s make it easy, lets organize a group, we’ll take them, show them how to use the train,” Davison said. “We had a pretty nice turn out.”

Davison said that in addition to continuing hosting speakers and events on campus, CFPA SJU plans to begin sending out a monthly newsletter highlighting a variety of different issues of peace as a way to promote political engagement on campus.

“I think with anything that is political you should show up, that’s the important first step and then you should listen,” Davison said.

“Sometimes we go into things with our own assumptions or experiences and its nice to take the time to listen to someone else. The Women's March is particularly special because [it is] an entire gender and their allies and that is such a diverse community that just showing up you can learn something that you may have not already known.”

One of the reasons Podlesny believes the Women’s March is important is to increase awareness of the ever present inequalities women face - many of which go ignored.

“There are still a lot of people in this country that don’t realize that there’s a gap between the genders — whether it be in wages, or whether it be in the way that women are treated like in the military or in positions of power and being sexually harassed or assaulted,” Podlesny said, adding, “I just hope that it doesn’t dwindle again until next year. I want this to draw attention from different political leaders and maybe inspire some women to run for office. Inspire people that are in office now to actually create legislation to change things for women — actual concrete changes.”

University to look at preventive measures for pedestrian accidents CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 “Having a figure there that is an authoritative figure [will] keep people alert and paying attention,” Natale said. “Especially if they are at major crosswalks and stuff of that nature the public safety officers can be there advising students so that if they aren’t paying attention they can say stop or go when the light turns.”

Rose Walton ’19 was struck by a vehicle turning left from City Avenue onto Cardinal Avenue in 2017. She was paying attention at the time.

“I was in the middle of the crosswalk and had the right of way when I was hit,” Walton said “I mean at the end of the day, you can follow all the rules, but drivers that are driving without paying attention are going to hit you no whether they are within the bounds of law, or not.”

Terrence Foley, president and CEO of the City Ave District and John Collins, director of Operations and Public Safety of the City Ave District, said the City Avenue Project was created to enhance safety on City Ave. Phase one of the project, completed in summer 2017, included additional traffic signals and new audio alerts on crossing signs. In phase two of the project, the City Avenue Project team will work on textured warning stripes

that allows drivers to be aware that a crosswalk is coming up and to slow down.

“There will also be medians installed in certain sections of City Avenue including the university area,” Foley said. “We are also working on getting addition funding for lighting on the areas between 52nd and Lapsley so it is better lit at night and people can more easily see pedestrians in particular.”

The project also intends to try and add stamped crosswalks that makes the crosswalks more identifiable to drivers so they can stop in time.

Collins said a common factor in these pedestrian accidents is speed, which is why he encourages drivers to slow down and be more observant of what is happening. However, he also urges pedestrians to do the same thing.

“There are multiple reasons why a pedestrian might get struck, a lot of the time the pedestrian is at fault,” Collins said. “I am not saying that in these two cases [in December] but the large majority of pedestrian crashes are due to the fault of pedestrians stepping out in front of a car when the car has no time to stop whatsoever. That is educating the pedestrians and I think we are doing a good job with that.”

Students are not the only ones at risk each

time they have to cross City Avenue and some of the adjoining streets. Anthony Rogers, 58, a resident of the 5800 block of Woodcrest Avenue was struck and killed on the corner of 54th Street and City Avenue while crossing the street on Dec. 26 around 10:30 P.M. Grover said he understands that traffic must flow on City Avenue, and will urge PennDOT to consider the safety of the pedestrians.

“Those types of things are on my mind because I’m responsible for the safety of this campus,” Grover said. “We have had not one incident but two, so you want to communicate out, you want to learn what you can do with the authorities to enlist their aid, make sure that they are serving us well because safety is number one and they’ll agree with that.”

City Avenue appraoching the Lapsley Lane crosswalk (Photo by Matt Barrett '21).

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News

Jan. 24, 2018

Kinney Center director leaves

A change in leadership

“And I think that’s why, although we will be missing her, we will still be able to continue on our path of growth here at the Kinney Center.”

Although the staff is sad to see Hammond go, her new position provides new opportunities for the Center, according to DelCarlino. “[We’re] really excited for her and excited for us, too, because she went to the Eagles, and she’s still going to be working with the autism population. There’s going to be lots of great opportunities for us to collaborate with the Eagles now, so that’s going to be opening some great doors for us,” DelCarlino said.

The Kinney Center serves a two-fold mission: employing and training undergraduates interested in working with the autism community while also serving individuals and families affected by autism in the community with programs offered throughout the week, according to DelCarlino.

In addition to the annual 5K at Hawk-

Donahue returns as registrar

What's next for autism education at St. Joe's ALEX MARK '20 Assistant News Edtior Ryan Hammond, former Executive Director of the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support, recently left her position to work with the Philadelphia Eagles Autism Challenge Foundation.

A replacement has not been selected as of now, but the directors of the Kinney Center will share Hammond’s responsibilities until a new director is found, said Abigayle Jayroe, director of operations.

Hammond’s collaborative leadership style has left the Center in a good position for such a change according to Lindsey DelCarlino, assistant director of programs for the Kinney Center. “[Hammond] put her heart and soul into everything she did here at Kinney, but within that, she also supported us,” DelCarlino said.

The Kinney Center is located in Connelly Hall on the Maguire Campus (Photo by Matt Barrett '21).

Fest, the Kinney Center also hosts Autism Week every April. This year, the Center will be participating in the Day of Giving on April 10, with the fashion show kicking off Autism Week on April 13.

The Center also provides support to St. Joe's students affected by autism through the ASPIRE program. For those students, the Center offers skills classes, a supervised study hall, and a peer mentor to help them acclimate to the university.

Peer mentors are students who meet oneon-one with ASPIRE students on a weekly basis. Those pairs spend time in the community surrounding campus running errands, going to movies, and other activities which develop their friendships.

The Center offers other student opportunities as well. Kristen Foelsch ’20 is a member of the SCHOLARS (Students Committed to Helping Others Learn About Autism Research and Support) program.

Foelsch, an autism behavioral studies major, entered the program through the SCHOLARS Apprenticeship summer camp as a freshman. The experience was so positive she stayed to work through her sophomore year.

“I love that [the Center has] hands-on experience at such an early age, whereas other institutions don’t let you work with individuals with autism until you receive an internship or after school,” Foelsch said.

Overall, according to Jayroe, the Kinney Center is a tight-knit group of people dedicated to serving the autism community, and will continue to be so in the future.

“We feel really confident [that] we’ll be able to continue moving forward as a strategic asset of the University,” Jayroe said.

Six months in

Q&A with Faculty Senate President BRUCE HOWARD '20 Hawk Staff Ronald L. Dufresne, Ph.D. didn’t expect to be named Faculty Senate President, but is taking on the challenge with skills he's developed over the course of a 16-year career as an educator.

Dufresne received his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. After that, he earned his Ph.D. in management, specifically in leadership, from Boston College before coming to St. Joe’s in 2006 and creating the Leadership, Ethics and Organizational Sustainablity (LEO) program.

What do you hope to accomplish during your tenure as Faculty Senate President?

"Our number one priority for everything and all times will be to do whatever we can to enhance the student experience. That’s what we exist for. So to get there, it’s about ensuring we have faculty voices. Faculty voices are really important and the faculty’s perspective in the university’s decision making are included. So because we have the great virtue of getting to work with students while being close to the student experience, we make decisions in an inclusive and thoughtful way which ultimately results in the best student experience possible.”

What do you believe are the best ways to evaluate faculty members?

“The whole review process really begins with holding ourselves accountable, to make sure that we are thoughtful teachers. One of the core things that we evaluate in the quality of our professors is our ability to self reflect. We also work with each other and give each feedback as well so those are ways that we improve our teaching.”

What are the issues Faculty Senate focused on during the fall semester?

“There’s a lot of behind the scenes work that faculty senate has been working on. Things like our study tour policy or cleaning up the academic catalog. Things that probably most students aren’t even aware of how many professor hours are spent trying to make sure

New Faculty Senate President Ronald Dufrense, Ph.D., (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

again, we have the best student experience possible. Those types of changes have consumed our time. It’s something that we’re really right in the midst of having some really open and honest conversations about how that could help improve Saint Joseph’s.”

You’ve been here for more than a decade, could you describe how St. Joe’s has evolved since you began teaching here?

“Our students are different, there’s a lot more fixation on electronics and cell phones in 2018 then there was in 2006. What hasn’t changed is what I think is Saint Joseph’s at our best and that is our focus on community. I think that faculty really respect each other. I think the faculty really respect and are honored to get to work with students and are energized by seeing students working together, collaboratively in community, so that hasn’t changed. I would say it’s more the same 12 years later than it’s changed in my experience.”

How has the LEO program shaped your role in Faculty Senate?

“To have started the LEO program really gave me that sense of being all in. Also, if I want to teach students to be more thoughtful leaders, then I have to be a thoughtful leader. I’ve got to slow down and do my best to think about principles and how we can make better decisions together. So even the content has kind of echoed in my mind as I’m taking on this role.”

ALEX KARPINSKI '20 Assistant News Edtior After serving for five years as the Assistant Director, Business Intelligence and Analytics, Gerry Donahue has been named the Interim Registrar, a position which he served on a permanent basis from 1991 to 2013.

The university has had three registrars since 2013, the most recent of whom, Scott Spencer, resigned on Dec. 22, 2017. Paul Aspen, Ph.D., associate provost for Academic and Faculty Support, said that turnover in such an important office is deleterious to any community for which it serves. But Aspan added that he has complete confidence in Donahue’s ability to lead the office in a positive direction.

“I have a great deal of respect for his knowledge, professionalism, and for his dedication to and love for Saint Joseph’s,” Aspen said. “When we heard Mr. Spencer was leaving, it occurred to me that as an interim solution that Mr. Donahue moving to that position presented us with an extraordinary opportunity to advance the work of the registrar's office.”

Donahue is committed to both improving the services offered by the registrar's office, while also seeing to the fact that the basic are consistent with the high standard he had in his previous term as registrar. These improvements include the introduction of an electronic transcript, as well as an update of the Banner software, which is the “backbone” software that the university uses.

Donahue doesn’t look at his new position as just another job. He has served the St. Joe’s community for nearly 30 years, and treats the position of registrar as far more than strictly clerical work.

“I’m proud to have my signature represent the completion of each student’s education on behalf of all my colleagues here at the institution, across all divisions and all levels of the university that have some level of contribution to the experience that that student has had here at Saint Joseph’s,” Donahue said.

One major improvement that needs to take place in the registrar’s office is the consistent and accurate delivery of the course catalog on a yearly basis. Peter Norberg, Ph.D., professor and chair of the English department, said that the course catalog has given his department trouble for a number of years.

“In previous years, the catalog has not been up to date and accurate, and there have even been years where there has been no catalogue,” Norberg said.

Aspan said that the course catalog is a priority for the registrar's office, and is confident that Donahue will be able to make this priority into a tangible success in June of 2018, the goal date for the yearly release of the catalogue.

Aspan does not have a specific timeline established for finding a permanent registrar, but he is working closely with human resources and said they are moving forward in a fairly expeditious fashion.

“We will certainly be looking for someone who demonstrates a strong knowledge of best practices of a registrars office and who can also show us a track record of examples of how these individuals have functioned well in those settings,” Aspan said.

Opinions

Jan. 24, 2018

5

Pedestrian Safety on Campus

What we can do to make our campus safer EDITOR IN CHIEF Ana Faguy ’19 MANAGING EDITOR Nick Mandarano ’18 COPY CHIEF Rose Weldon ’19 FACULTY ADVISER Shenid Bhayroo CONTRIBUTING ADVISER Jenny Spinner COPY EDITOR Hayley Burns ’20 COPY EDITOR Annie Clark '19 COPY EDITOR Kaila Mundell-Hill '20 NEWS EDITOR Charley Rekstis ’20 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Alex Karpinski ’20 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Alex Mark ’20 EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Ann Marie Maloney '18 ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR Dominique Joe ’19 LIFESTYLE EDITOR Amber Denham ’18 ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR Emily Graham ’20 SPORTS EDITOR Alex Hargrave ’20 ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Nick Karpinski ’21 PHOTO EDITOR Luke Malanga ’20 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kaitlyn Patterson ’20 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Kelly Smith ’19 ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Erin Castellano, ’20 BUSINESS MANAGER Jarrett Hurms '18 ADVERTISING MANAGER Richard Bell 18 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Addie Guyer '19

In light of recent traffic accidents involving St. Joe’s students, the university sent an email about pedestrian safety to students, faculty and staff from Arthur Grover, director of Public Safety and Security on Jan. 19. The email reminded students to use caution while traveling across campus as pedestrians.

City Avenue is a high-traffic state road, and because it splits our campus, thousands of students cross it in waves every 50 minutes or every hour and 15 minutes. The Hawk reported in February 2017 that “seven reported accidents between pedestrians and moving vehicles have occurred at Saint Joseph’s University between January 2015 and February 2017.” St. Joe’s students were involved in six of the seven accidents.

The City Avenue Special Service District, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, initiated and completed the first phase of a two-phase plan between Aug. 2016 and June 2017 “to more efficiently accommodate traffic flow and pedestrians” and later was updated to include improved safety measures. These improvements should make a difference, according to the recommendations of several traffic studies completed to guide the improvements.

However, none of these entities are directly concerned with the safety of student pedestrians at St. Joe’s. The university and its community are the only actors directly and primarily concerned with our safety. So we need to advocate for ourselves.

The McShain Bridge, the only alternative pedestrian crossing, was constructed in 1988 thanks to the dedication of Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., former president of the university. Realizing the necessity of a safe pedestrian crossing, Rashford joined the Delaware River Port Authority to facilitate the construction of the bridge despite the bureaucratic challenges facing the project.

Although the bridge does provide the university community with a safe crossing, there are other ways to improve our safety on campus, and the University has a responsibility to work for these improve-

ments via the appropriate channels. The University’s Office of Government and Community relations, as well as relevant members of Student Senate and the administration, are specifically tasked with working with government leaders and our representative to advocate for our campus and our community’s best interests.

One way the University could try to amend the situation is to ask both the Philadelphia and Lower Merion Police departments to more regularly monitor City Avenue for speeding. Although research on the topic is not unanimous, more regular police presence should at least be an option to explore, even to the chagrin of student drivers.

Another step the University should consider, if it hasn't already, is to request the frelevant findings on pedestrian safety from the traffic studies completed for the City Service Special District's City Avenue improvement plan. If necessary, the University could look into conducting its own study.

After receiving the university’s email, students may have realized some of the poor pedestrian behavior practiced by their classmates—crossing outside of a crosswalk, crossing on a yellow light, and walking with our heads looking down at our phones are likely among the most common dangerous behaviors. Often, pedestrian-involved traffic accidents are caused at least in part due to wrongdoing by or distraction of pedestrians.

It goes without saying that as drivers, we, more than any of the thousands of drivers who regularly use City Avenue and other streets around campus, should exercise the utmost caution out of concern for our fellow campus community. But pedestrians, including us as students, need to use best practices, like the reminders emailed to students by the University, to keep ourselves and others safe.

However reasonable and appropriate the university’s safety reminders, they are also just the most immediate and easy ways to increase pedestrian safety on our campus. The reminders are just the beginning of the options both the university and students can pursue to ensure the safety of our campus.

Many students on our Hawk staff confessed that they don’t feel completely safe while travelling on campus, and nor should they. Part of why we don’t feel safe is because the roads around our campus, particularly City Avenue, aren’t very safe.

The Hawk staff noted such problems as the lack of speed limit signs on City Avenue, especially on or when approaching campus, drivers who fail to yield to pedestrians on 54th Street and Cardinal Avenue, and drivers who have difficulty seeing the traffic signal at Lapsley Lane when approaching from 54th Street.

There are plenty of ways to make our roads safer for pedestrians. One way for student to take action is to use the forms available on PennDOT’s website to report concerns about state roads or request new signage or repairs to existing road signs and signals.

Request new speed limit signs to make up for the lack of signs near campus on City Ave. Speed limit sides, though, are just the beginning, albeit an important first step.

We can also rquest the installation of radar speed signs. Some studies have found that radar speed signs do make a modest difference in reducing overall traffic speed.

Finally, we have to contact our campus’ state representatives, Rep. Mary Jo Daley on the Lower Merion side and Rep. Morgan Cephas on the Philadelphia side. It is their job as our representation in state government to act as intermediaries between our campus and PennDOT. St. Joe’s students are 8,000-strong. Each of us can make a difference as individuals, but we’re far more powerful as a united front. Our campus will never be completely immune from traffic accidents, and we’re not guaranteed to get the change or result we want, but it’s always worth it to try.

to drinking is, to say the least, unfortunate.

Secondly, one of the goals of the Business Policy project is to prepare students for the workplace, not just in terms of academic material, but in terms of professionalism and general business skills. It is not uncommon for recent graduates to return to HSB and report that they just participated in a workplace project very similar to what they experienced in Business Policy. As someone who worked in industry as a financial/ budget analyst for over 12 years, I can tell you that people don’t “pop the champagne” every time they finish an important project, especially right there in the workplace where they need to get back to work (or in our case, our next class).

Finally, we have many guests on our campus every day and this does not strike me as an image we should be projecting.

More importantly, I worry about underage

students who see this and might think, (as upcoming cohorts are apt to do in almost any context), “let’s do something to top this when it’s our time.” The upside to this practice is minimal, but the downside could be serious.

So, again, congratulations to all students who have completed their Business Policy project and, by all means, celebrate your hard work. But can we put an end to this particular “tradition” please?

—The Hawk Staff

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

Letter to the Editor To the editor: I would like to express my disappointment regarding your decision to publish a picture of students with alcohol on the sidewalk outside of Mandeville Hall in your Dec. 6 issue, especially given your regular practice of reporting community standard violations on page 2. However, my main purpose is to appeal to current and future Business Policy students to stop engaging in what I consider to be unbecoming and unprofessional behavior.

All of us who teach in the business school are proud of the effort and seriousness with which our students approach the Business Policy project. It is indeed an accomplishment worthy of congratulations.

Furthermore, there are many occasions when adults celebrate events and accomplishments with alcohol in an appropriate way. It strikes me, however, that the com-

pletion of a class presentation followed by public drinking outside our campus buildings is not one of those appropriate times.

Beyond the fact that, even if you are over 21, this practice is a violation of the SJU alcohol policy, there are several reasons this practice is ill-advised. Firstly, I have been on the SJU Alcohol & Drug Advisory Council for the last nine years and, year after year, I see data indicating that the business students have more alcohol violations than other students at SJU. The research I have personally undertaken for the Wellness, Alcohol, and Drug Education program (WADE), which I presented at SJU 2016 Alcohol Summit, also clearly indicates that our students engage in higher levels of drinking and an alarmingly high rate of high-risk and irresponsible drinking. In this context, the fact that our signature academic accomplishment is becoming linked

Sincerely, Eric Patton, Ph.D, Chair & Associate Professor of Management

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Opinions

Jan. 24, 2018

New year, new timeline

Zuckerberg announces new plan for Facebook JOSEPH PANICHELLI '20 Hawk Staff Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, has recently announced a new update to the iconic social media platform. The idea is to show fewer posts from publishers and brands, and more from friends and family. The update will create a more personalized feed for users and will dismantle the previous corporate and adbased direction that Facebook had in place to tailor user’s timelines.

In recent years, Facebook has struggled to cater to young people. It has become a platform for your estranged aunt to comment on your pictures, rather than a popular meeting space for teens and young adults. Despite having an estimated 2.07 billion active monthly users, the site has grown hackneyed due to more user-friendly platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, where the average individual is both the creator and the audience of shared content.

Zuckerberg’s decision could be detrimental to the ad revenue and corporate stock of Facebook. Appropriately,

Facebook's new algorithim is Mark Zuckerberg's plan for authenticity (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

Zuckerberg will take the largest financial hit since he owns the largest single-person stock holding in the company. The value of Zuckerberg’s stock in the company decreased significantly due to the drop in the company’s stock as of Jan. 12.

The 33 year old owner and poster child

of digital entrepreneurship intended to turn Facebook into a mediatized journal, essentially a “digital newspaper.” He chooses now to redirect the site’s theme back to original objectives of connectivity and online relations.

“The research shows that when we use social media to connect with people we

care about, it can be good for our well-being," Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.

This change could be among the most revolutionary and timely of Facebook’s history, as the general population has grown tired of their facilitation of sponsored posts, and the surplus of notorious “fake news.” A news-based platform has proven irrelevant, monotonous, and flat out annoying for users who fear the information they are receiving is being filtered through algorithms created and maintained by government departments.

Zuckerberg hopes an organic and authentic direction, fueled and dominated by user content, will increase trust and create a more appropriate and meaningful platform for discussion.

“I‘m changing the goal I give our product teams,” Zuckerberg wrote. “From focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.”

Filter bubbles and search history preferences have altered the site to ultimately show the user what they want to see, with political agendas at the forefront. Now more than ever, people have grown tired of political debate and slander being shoved in their faces. Seemingly, this is the best time

Starting up the Hill

How an internship can prepare you for adulthood ETHAN FLANAGAN ’18 Hawk Staff If I took one thing away from my semester in Washington, D.C. it would be just this: being an adult is hard work. Not to say, in any way, that I did not enjoy the entirety of my semester because I did. Working for Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) on Capitol Hill was an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life. However, there were some definite challenges that I did not anticipate when I moved in to The Washington Center at the end of August.

My first mistake was my clothes. I am a chronic over-packer and brought four, yes four, full-size suitcases to Washington. I

could not even carry all of them at the same time. But once I got settled into the routine of interning every day, I realized that I did not actually wear a lot of the clothes that I had packed.

Wearing a suit every day prevented me from wearing the plethora of cute outfits I had brought, which is for the better. Looking professional, I realized, was something that I actually enjoyed rather than dreaded.

Going to an office every morning wearing the blueprint of the same thing was easy, and allowed to me focus on my work, like researching the public housing crisis in Cairo, Illinois.

The rigidity of having a 9-6 pm work schedule every day was one of the more

Flanagan and other interns meet Sen. Duckworth (D-Illinois) (Courtesy of Ethan Flanagan '18).

beneficial aspects of my time in Washington. Having a set routine which I was preemptively dreading made me more alert in the mornings and better prepared me to work long nights. There was no waking up at noon, and I actually got a full 8 hours of sleep every night. Although my caffeine intake definitely shot up, the overall effect of having a solid routine enabled me to be a better intern.

That brings me to the work I was doing.

Being an intern is a lot different than being a student, a major divide being the absence of homework. Many things replaced homework, primarily mail runs and an hour-long phone shifts every day, the purpose of which was to listen to constituent concerns or just get yelled at by people.

I would also be doing research or going to hearings and briefings for the majority of each day. I attended hearings on preventing veteran suicides, improving the Every Student Succeeds Act, discussing the constitutional role of special prosecutors, and many more.

In addition, legislative assistants and correspondents assigned me research projects: pull quotes about the economy from every Illinois Republican in the past 5 years, dive deep into the tiered reward system of tax-deductible college athletic donations, ascertain just how a tax plan would impact lower and middle class families in each county in Illinois. These projects were intense, but they started and ended at the office. It motivated me to work harder to meet deadlines because I did not have the added bonus of working

Ethan Flanagan photographed with Sen. Durbin (D-Illinois) (Courtesy of Ethan Flanagan '18).

on evening or weekends.

Overall, my experience in Washington, D.C. definitely shaped my behavior and my expectations for post-graduate life. I have to say that it was entirely beneficial to know what it’s like to work 40 hours a week because I will be able to put that to good use if, or when, I start in the workforce.

It was, perhaps, the most opposite experience I could have from being an undergraduate student and taking classes, and it challenged me and my expectations in ways that I did not anticipate. I would not trade my experience for the world and it really proved to me what it was like to be an adult.

Opinions

Jan. 24, 2018

7

Challenging gender norms Five ways to advocate for women

VICTORIA TRALIES '18 Editor Emeritus “I stopped moving my lips and turned cold.”

These are the words of a woman pseudo-named Grace, the subject of an expose

by Babe’s Katie Way on actor and writer Aziz Ansari. In the article, Grace describes her date with Ansari in New York and going back to his place. Ansari never forces Grace into intercourse, but in Way’s article, his behavior reads as coercive and unnecessarily aggressive.

Grace’s recollection of the night is chilling. But her story is not unusual. Sexual encounters amongst twenty-somethings are often filled with miscommunication, frustration and anxiety. However, these encounters are even more difficult in a world where women are socialized to act like meek prey; men like aggressive predators. Women are conditioned to be polite; men to think “no” means “yes.”

But all of us are learning, and we need to be able to talk to one another about our differences and what we have in common. The problem to focus on doesn’t have to be our labels or what divides us but how we treat one another. I ask all students – regardless of creed, belief, religion, race, gender or upbringing – to consider the following ways to advocate for women.

Get informed. A startling 17.7 million American women since 1998 are rape survivors, according to RAINN. This reality is so deafening it can feel hard to unpack, which is why being informed on sexual misconduct involves more than just knowing statistics. Systemically ingrained sexual exploitation runs

TIME’S UP

Time's Up is the 2018 response to #MeToo (Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20).

deeps in our country’s history. Historically, in America, the term “rapist” was coined in the late 1800s and at the time functioned to perpetuate racism; marital rape was legal until states began reforming such laws in the 1980s. The term “sexual harassment” wasn’t used until 1975.

Our country’s failure to confront sexual misconduct continues to persist. If you don’t remember the numbers or dates in the timeline, remember this: today, violence against women continues to affect every woman on this campus in some form.

Recognize the effects of embedded sexual “norms.” From a young age, I was coached to follow certain rules in order to protect my sexuality. I remember my mother telling me the importance of not letting adults touch my “private parts,” and hearing frequent reminders not to trust strangers or put myself in vulnerable situations, lest anyone be predatorial or malicious.

These were the first moments I realized being a woman meant having a different set of rules. I was raised to be polite and a “good

GILLIVER’S

A satire on vaccination

eficial. That’s why all of my vaccines are Jones clarified. Yes that is right, despite his up to date—HPV, polio, measles, evidently well sourced opinhepatitis A-Z. I am a huge ions about vaccinations supporter of vaccinaand the fact that his tion.” insurance will To prove his completely covpoint, Jones er the cost of shared with me the flu shot, both his imJones still munization is unable record and a to find the series of metime to get mes that he to literally had recentany of the ly shared on dozens of Facebook. I can local places confirm that the offering flu memes were inshots. deed as dank as he “I guess it’s made them out to be. just a lot to plan.

“But like, a flu shot? I I mean, once a year I think I can skip that one,” have to take fifteen whole Graphics by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

H S O U L

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During this time of year, the conversation surrounding vaccination always seems to resurge. In recent years, the anti-vax movement has increased public debate about the efficacy of vaccination, despite the fact that all scientific evidence directly contradicts their positions. West Philly resident and professional slacktivist George Jones sat down with reporters this week to discuss his opinions on vaccination.

“Look, I think we all mostly agree that the anti-vaccination movement is bad,” Jones explained. “Vaccines don’t cause autism. They do prevent a number of horrible diseases. And for people who cannot receive vaccines for any medical reason, the herd immunity of an entire society being properly vaccinated is incredibly ben-

Take your best (flu) shot

F

ALEX GILL '20 Hawk Staff

TRAVELS

girl” in Catholic school. In my experience, I’ve found that this culture makes women fear being impolite or disrespectful, even when such fear may be detrimental to their safety or best interests. These underlying gender norms are more difficult to pinpoint than statistics, but they’re an important part of the conversation.

Rethink the way you use female-oriented language. Many of the expletives used in conversations are rooted in the exploitation of women’s bodies and sexuality.

It’s not unusual to hear the words slutty or fuck in conversation. If you’re looking to insult a woman and use a swear word, there appear to be endless possibilities.

Exploiting female genitalia, and making it crude, is used to degrade women and shame them. For example, the word “cunt” means “the vulva or vagina.” In the word’s entry, Dictionary.com has a usage alert that says: “the meanings that refer to a woman and a contemptible person are used with disparaging intent and are perceived as highly insulting and demeaning." If Dictio-

nary.com understands the grossness of such language, why can’t we? And yet, these terms that distort and condemn natural bodies continue to thrive in a language with over 170,000 active words in it, according to the Oxford Dictionary. Think before you speak.

Words matter.

Recognize that human rights include sexual rights. If it’s easier to think of women’s rights as simply human rights, then please do. Regardless of gender, everyone on this planet has inalienable rights, including bodily autonomy and sexual rights.

Advocating for human rights means acknowledging the importance of consensual sexual encounters, and being aware of the rights denied to women in society. Safe, enjoyable sex requires affirmative consent by both parties to each part of the encounter. It is up to each one of us to communicate with our partners before, during, and after sex to ensure they want to continue.

As the Ansari story revealed, we are all capable of doing things to hurt others, even if we may not realize it in the moment. Respecting others and their boundaries is not an option but an obligation. The final verdict is this: during sex, your partner should feel heard and empowered. If someone feels violated, then they are, period.

Listen. To advocate for others, we have to listen to their stories. Being empathetic to others and hearing them when no one else does is an essential part of living greater. Women may have struggled more in the past, but they are still struggling today and striving towards better futures, equal rights and inclusivity. Whoever you are, remember to listen. It may be the best thing you can do.

minutes out of my day to walk to the nearest CVS, wait for someone to be available, and receive one single injection?” Jones explained, gesturing to the accessibly located pharmacy that can be seen through his living room window. “And not only that, but then the next year I have to do it all over again? I think that’s a little too much to ask.”

When pressed further with statistics about the thousands of people who die from the flu each year, and the fact that this year’s flu strain is particularly potent, Jones claimed to be aware of the danger, but not so much that he felt compelled to get a flu shot.

“It seems pretty unlikely that I’ll catch the flu, and it’s probably not as bad as other diseases I’m vaccinated for already. The flu is completely different from those things.”

Most reporters present for the interview were tempted to pass judgment on Jones, but none could, as they too had not yet received their own flu shots.

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Opinions

Jan. 24, 2018

When bipartisanship fails

How and why the government shut down BRITTANY SWIFT '20 Editor Emeritus Facing the midnight deadline on Jan. 20 to pass government funding, Congress failed to prevent a government shutdown, largely due to disputes over immigration, military funding and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). While the House passed a short-term government funding plan, the Senate could not find an agreement for funding before the vote.

This shutdown — no matter how long it lasts — represents the inability of our representatives to compromise on behalf of the American people. One of the problems may be the lack of accountability or consequences for the representatives who could not negotiate with an open mind—a government shutdown leaves many federal jobs in limbo and government sites closed until funding is restored, while each party focuses on fault rather than take responsibility.

Senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle are playing the blame game, which only further perpetuates the partisanship and strong party ties preventing compromise in Congress.

President Trump clearly positioned the executive branch against Democrats as well before the possible government shutdown occurred. In a tweet, President Trump said, “Honestly, I don’t think the Democrats want to make a deal. They talk about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), but they don’t want to help. We are ready, willing and able to make a deal but they don’t want to.”

However, the President contradicted

his words with his actions. President Trump rejected an attempted bipartisan compromise on Jan. 11, which proposed a pathway to citizenship and protection for DACA recipients while simultaneously increasing border security. This agreement would have ended the visa lottery program—a favorable piece for conservatives—but would also have increased protections against deportations for immigrants from certain origin countries.

After the bipartisan committee suggested these agreements, the meeting turned unnecessarily tense. President Trump’s comment about some “shithole” countries turned

the conversation from objective negotiations to unreasonably emotional language.

Additionally, this description of certain countries lacks any legitimate reason for denying these people access to and protection in the United States. Immigration laws require complicated analyses and details to determine economic benefits, distribution and diversity of immigrants, market needs, and more. Discussions that turn away from these facts towards adverse and intolerant arguments will ultimately fail, like this meeting failed to produce successful a bipartisan agreement.

Republicans are not the only ones

The recent government shutdown demonstrates that Congress is a house divided (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

pointing fingers at the other side though.

Democrats are also pushing the blame to the other side of the spectrum in the days before the possible government shutdown.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) tweeted, “Nobody wins a government shutdown battle but I do know one thing: If it happens it will be because a bipartisan compromise was rejected by Republicans.”

Others have marked the President as the obstacle to passing reformed immigration and DACA standards, which hindered the attempts at passing a new government funding bill. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Jan. 9 said in an interview with The Washington Post, “Make no mistake about it: A government shutdown will fall entirely on his [President Trump’s] shoulders.”

Many senators and representatives are quick to blame the opposing party because of upcoming 2018 midterm elections. As of now, Republicans hold the Senate with only 51 seats, a slim majority that could easily slip. In the House, Republicans hold a larger majority with 241 seats to Democrats’ 194 seats. But all of the House seats are up for reelection this year, so consistent opposition to compromise and little action from Congress could swing party power in either legislative body.

As President Trump enters the second year of his term, we must emphasize cooperation and political agreement if we hope for comprehensive legislation in the future.

While midterm elections still stand months away, both parties need to hear from their constituents that a government shutdown is not a light issue, and that we choose compromise over alienation.

Marching forward one year on

Recalling the first anniversary of the Women’s March KELLY GARRIGAN ’18 Special to The Hawk I had a feeling that January 21, 2017 was just the beginning of a revolution. On the rainy evening of January 20, 2017, I boarded a Megabus to Washington D.C. with my mom, my sister, and my aunt. With the inauguration of the President, I was filled with so many emotions: anger, resentment, but also a fire to fight. I did not know what to expect as we walked to the Metro station on Saturday morning.

As we approached the station, the crowds already started building. We stopped at the pre-protest gathering to meet up with my aunt’s friends. At this gathering, a woman was knitting pussy hats at an astounding speed. She saw my sister and I admiring her work so she let us pick a hat out of her bag of at least 20 knit pussy hats. Rather than the well-known pink hat, I opted for a purple one.

I remember the sense of empowerment I felt the second I put on that hat. I was ready to be a part of something bigger than anything I ever imagined.

Wearing the hat gave me confidence as I started to gain a political voice. We arrived at the starting point and I could feel the passionate spirit in the crowds. I had been a part of a

couple protests, but this was truly spectacular.

The amount of men, women, children, trans women, trans men, grandparents, mothers, fathers, babies and much more was staggering. There were so many people that the main route of the march could not contain this population of people.

Although I cannot travel to D.C. this year, I look forward to marching in Philadelphia. I am ready to don the pussy hat once again. Even though some people are trying to phase out the pussy hat as indicator of the movement, I think the accessory is such a strong symbol. Its play on words is so powerful. It references the 2005 “Access Hollywood” recording wherein President Trump is heard discussing kissing women and saying, “Grab ‘em by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Amid this time of the Time’s Up campaign and #MeToo, we need symbols like the pussy hat to say enough is enough.

Some people believe that the pink pussy hat excludes transgender women and gender nonbinary people who may not have typically female genitalia and does not represent women of color because of the hats’ pink color. Like the pussy hats, the Women’s March just started last year. Anything new goes through growing pains.

The creators of the movement and the pussy hats are taking the criticism and striv-

ing for inclusivity. Jayna Zweiman, one of the creators of the Pussyhat Project, responded to the criticism saying, “Our intent was and always will be to support all women. We hear some of you saying that this symbol has made some women feel excluded. We hear you. We see you.”

The hat is more than a representation of the female anatomy and the color pink. It will spark conversation that has the potential

to lead to change. It is a symbol of our power to change the world, to fight for immigrants, to fight for racial justice, to fight for the LGBTQ community, to fight for healthcare for all, to fight for women’s rights, to fight for a better United States of America. Now more than ever, we cannot be divided. We need to unite. We need to bring power to the polls.

No matter how you identify, hat or not, we must march on.

Activists gather at the Women's March (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

Lifestyle

Jan. 24, 2018

9

Making a mark

How a student organization became a non-profit AMBER DENHAM '18 Lifestyle Editor Even the smallest drop can create the biggest wave.

That’s the mission behind the Make a Wave Foundation, a non-profit organization based out of New Jersey and Philadelphia that collects new and gently used clothing, sports equipment, books and toys for children of all ages in foster care.

Founded by Alisa Verratti ’18, the creation of Make a Wave originated from a childhood dream.

“I wanted to be a social worker when I was younger, but didn’t think I could handle how emotionally draining the work can be,” Verratti said. “Instead, my mom told me that maybe when I was older and had money of my own, I could find an organization to donate to, or maybe when I got to college there would be a club to be involved in.”

Verratti soon found there wasn’t a club at St. Joe’s which directly related to her mission. Instead of waiting for someone else to take charge, in February 2016 of her sophomore year she created the Make a Wave club on campus.

The organization went through a few name changes before treasurer Alexa

Stabile ’18 finally found one that described their mission perfectly.

“I always thought of a wave as a continuous thing, that it never stops. That’s what we wanted our organization to represent, because we want to keep going as help as many people as possible and not stop,” Stabile said.

In the beginning stages, Make a Wave started small, collecting as many donations as possible from the immediate Philadelphia area before packing them into bins and delivering them to social workers in local foster care centers to give to the children.

The first center the club worked closely with was Wordsworth 10, now known as Turning Points for Children, located in southeastern Philadelphia.

“We were able to buy duffel bags because one of the projects Turning Points does is called ‘Care Kits,’ ” Verratti said.

“When children are taken out of their homes and put into foster care, a lot of the times they’re not able to take any of their stuff [with them]. So they [Turning Points] try to give every kid one of these Care Kit duffel bags filled with clothes, toiletries, a book, and a toy in hopes they feel they have something of their own when they finally enter the system.”

It wasn’t long after the first donations were given when Verratti knew she wanted

to expand Make a Wave to include a larger audience and help even more children outside of the immediate area. In order to accomplish this goal, a bank account was needed to accept the monetary donations they were receiving.

This eventually led to the once small St. Joe’s based club becoming a legal non-profit organization in March of 2017, after a law firm, Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, worked with the foundation pro-bono, which allowed Make a Wave to expand their future goals, both on the St. Joe’s campus and with foster care centers.

“In the beginning of the school year we talked about in the spring doing a 5K, since we feel that would be a huge event that a lot of people on campus would hear about and actually see,” said Julia DiMarino ’18, the organization’s secretary. “Another thing we were looking into is making a campaign video for Facebook so it could circulate our mission and reach surrounding areas like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, DC, and Delaware.”

However, Verratti’s overall goal is to one day be able to restore or build new recreation centers or parks in inner city areas so foster children have a safe place to turn, instead of potentially falling on destructive outlets such as violence and drug use.

“I had always wanted to help children

in foster care because I feel like sometimes the system, as much as it tries to help them, can also neglect them,” Verratti said. “And a lot of times in inner city areas, which are the main foster systems we try and help, the children aren’t really given the opportunities they should be [given], and our goal is to try and help give them that.”

Founder Alisa Verratti '18 with boxes of donations to be sent to inter city foster care centers (Photo by Julia DiMarino '18).

Ready, set, plan

Reaching for success in the new semester JILLIAN BUCKLEY '20 Special to the Hawk Whether you’re a seasoned senior or a frightened freshman, every college student seems to be struck by how abruptly the spring semester begins. After a few weeks of relaxation, returning to rigorous classes and trying to keep up with all of your commitments can take some time to get used to. Here are some guidelines I’m following to not only survive, but thrive in this semester.

mation, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. After assessing my schedule over the past few days, I have recognized periods when I do not have anything going on. Within these moments, I have designated times to keep myself organized so all of my duties can be tended to.

I have specific days where my mandatory tasks include aspects of cleaning my room, like vacuuming or wiping down my desks. Other days, I use my time to organize myself academically, like perusing my folders and throwing out papers that I do not need or going through my syllabi and typing up a calendar so I can see

when all of my assignments are due. I hope that devoting even just a few minutes to organization each day will help me feel less cluttered, both mentally and physically.

Physically Make healthy choices whenever you possibly can. This guideline can be applied to the food you eat, how much water you drink, and how much exercise and sleep you get. While the first few weeks of the semester may make it difficult to have a consistent and healthy routine, making miniscule changes into your lifestyle can make a major difference. For example, I am

Academics Take advantage of every opportunity that is available to you. Personally, I am planning to utilize the Writing Center more often, along with my professors’ extra credit opportunities and office hours. The thought of asking for help and possibly receiving criticism can be worrisome, but the fellow tutors and professors here want you to succeed. Taking the initiative and setting up these appointments will also show that you are motivated to improve your grades and your comprehension of the class, which any professor would be thrilled to see.

Organization Set aside time each week to clean your room and organize class materials. During syllabus week, when you feel bombarded with new professors, classmates, and infor-

Students during the semester studying in the library (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

now more conscious of my water intake, so if I find myself reaching for a soda in Campion or The Perch, I get water instead.

I am also doing my best to create a relaxing nighttime routine, and in the morning, I have started doing miniature workouts as soon as I wake up to build my endurance. You don’t have to revamp your entire lifestyle, but there are plenty of changes you can make so you feel more alert and healthy throughout the day.

Mentally Allow yourself to get help if or when you need it. With everything that you might personally be handling right now, it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed or exhausted. However, if you find yourself unable to function in the classroom, around your friends, or in your general life, there are a multitude of resources that we have on campus, such as Counsling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Freshman Funk, and other resources for students struggling with specific issues.

Doing activities that you know make you feel happy, such as seeing your friends, listening to music, or drawing, should also be prioritized in your daily schedule whenever possible. Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health, and you should not have to feel shame due to your struggles.

College can be a lot to handle, but I have no doubts that everyone here has the power to make this semester great. Good luck!

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Jan. 24, 2018

Lifestyle A circus king takes on the big screen

“The Greatest Showman” is a musical drama telling the uplifting story of P.T. Barnum, played by Hugh Jackman, and his path to creating what would become the Barnum and Bailey Circus. The film is directed by Michael Gracey with original music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, also known for their musical composition in “La La Land.”

The story begins with a brief look at Barnum’s childhood. While the segment is short, it sets the theme of the movie as a rags-to-riches story. Young Barnum (Ellis Rubin) dreams of becoming successful so he can escape poverty, marry the girl he loves and defy her wealthy parents who have always looked down upon him. At a low point in his early life, a woman with a facial deformity offers him an apple and leaves a lasting impression of kindness.

Within the song “A Million Dreams,” Barnum grows up, marries Charity (Michelle Williams) and starts a family. The scene features both beautiful imagery and sentiments, as Barnum promises Charity, and later their two daughters, that he will always share his dream with them.

While the family seems happy, they are also struggling financially. When Barnum loses his job, he decides to turn his unspec-

ified dream into a career. Barnum opens a museum for the unusual, which includes stuffed animals and waxed figures.

When the museum fails, Barnum remembers the woman who gave him the apple when he was a child. Inspired by her, he turns his museum into a live performance of society’s outcasts, from trapeze artists to the bearded woman. The concept is shocking at first, but Barnum’s “circus,” as named by a snobbish theater critic, quickly takes off.

The score includes many memorable songs with a balance between upbeat rock and emotional ballads. The movie opens and closes with “The Greatest Show,” the circus’ main performance which highlights the vocals and talents of Barnum’s stars.

“This Is Me,” a powerful message of resilience sung by Keala Settle and the other circus performers, won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.

Accompanying Pacek and Paul’s score is a dynamic cast, including Zac Efron as Barnum’s business partner, Zendaya as a trapeze artist and Rebecca Ferguson as Swedish opera singer, Jenny Lind. Other notable performances and potential fanfavorites include “The Other Side,” a duet between Jackman and Efron, and “Rewrite The Stars,” by Efron and Zendaya.

While the movie promotes positive messages of diversity and acceptance, it has also sparked debate about the true nature of Barnum’s business. “The Greatest Show-

man” takes an inspirational approach, as Barnum promises his performers his circus is a place where they can overcome their hardships.

Though he is briefly distracted by monetary goals, there is no implication of the exploitation and false advertisement the historical Barnum may have practiced.

Along with the lighter spin on circus life, the film is a largely fictional account of Barnum’s story with several historical inaccuracies. These aspects range from less substantial details like the number of children Barnum had, to completely fabricated plot points. For example, the changing of some names, the characters Phillip Carlyle (Efron) and Anne Wheeler (Zendaya) were not based on actual people. Additionally, the movie adopts ungrounded rumors about Barnum’s ro-

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EMILY GRAHAM ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor

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The story of P.T. Barnum in “The Greatest Showman”

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Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

mantic interest with Lind as a primary point of conflict.

Despite these flaws, “The Greatest Showman” celebrates the importance of diversity and open-mindedness, with music and visual elements that provide an enjoyable experience for all audiences.

Tell me if you’ve heard this one...

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is gut-busting, genuine fun ROSE WELDON '19 Copy Chief Nearly everyone has one friend they look at and think, “You know, that person should do comedy. They make me laugh whenever I’m with them, and why not share that gift with the world? Can’t be too difficult; it’s not like it’s ‘Hamlet’ or anything.”

Well, like the old saying goes, “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

Nowhere is this more evident than in Amazon Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” The comedy-drama is set in the late 1950s in Manhattan, and follows housewife and mother Miriam “Midge” Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan, “House of Cards”) and her attempts at breaking into the tough game that is New York stand-up comedy.

The pilot begins with Midge’s wedding to a fellow New Yorker, the mousy Joel Maisel (Michael Zegen). Four years later, Joel is trying to become a comic himself, and Midge supports his dream by cooking

briskets to bribe club owners to give him a spot. After a particularly bad performance, Joel admits he is sleeping with his secretary and leaves. When seeking pity from her parents Abe and Rose (Tony Shalhoub and Marin Hinkle) doesn’t help, a drunk Midge returns to a comedy club and gives an impromptu rant about her problems, leading to applause from the patrons and starting her off on a new career path.

From here, it’s Comedy 101 as Midge and her aspiring manager Susie (Alex Borstein, “Family Guy”) conceive an image, battle indecent exposure charges, put together a “tight ten” and even debate stage names together.

The story alone is enough to set up a great program, but it’s truly the characters and writing that make it bingeworthy.

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has plenty of experience writing quirky individuals, thanks to her other show “Gilmore Girls,” and because of this every person on the show has something more to them: Joel is a likable loser, Abe a caring but distant father,

Susie a hard-nosed but self-conscious loner, and Midge herself is a naïve, insecure wit with a desire to be heard. Taken together, the cast is explosive onscreen, creating laughs or tears whenever they are called for.

Personally, my favorite part of the show is Sherman-Palladino’s choice to make legendary comedian Lenny Bruce (Luke Kirby) a recurring character. Bruce, one of the first “blue comics” and often recognized as a founding father of the form, serves as a kind of unofficial mentor to Midge after she bails him out of jail in the pilot. This could have been just a cameo or Easter egg, but Kirby brings a charisma to Bruce’s already electric personality that’s impossible to ignore, and like the rest of the cast, he and Brosnahan work remarkably well together.

Speaking of which, Brosnahan really is the heroine here. If one element or trait were off about Midge, the whole series would fall apart, but thankfully the actress makes her one of the funniest and relatable lead characters in recent comedic memory.

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” succeeds

because of its ingenious premise, stellar performances and uproarious writing, and even those who aren’t fans of standup will find this to be a worthy watch.

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

Lifestyle

Jan. 24, 2018

A wistfully romantic ride

s on Stack

Misfits fall in love in "Eleanor & Park" FRANKI RUDNESKY ’18 Editor Emeritus Looking for a novel to warm your heart amidst the bitter cold weather and maybe even make you believe in love again? That’s a tall order for sure, but Rainbow Rowell’s “Eleanor & Park” will do just that.

This novel, published in 2013, is the first young adult novel by Rowell which tells a poignant and beautiful story of first loves and the desperation and near-obsession that comes along with the often-misconception that they’ll last forever, set to the soundtrack of wistful 80s alternative hits.

This nostalgic young adult novel follows the unlikely romance between two star-crossed 16-year-olds: Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan. The story takes place over the course of the 19861987 school year in Omaha, Neb., where both teens are starting their sophomore year of high school.

Eleanor is the new girl at school, with vibrant red hair and whimsical outfits. She is bullied and teased at school, while also experiencing turmoil at home.

Eleanor has just returned to Omaha after being kicked out by her often-drunk, abusive stepfather Richie. She and her four younger siblings live in fear of their stepfather and in poverty, all sharing one tiny bedroom. Her biological father doesn’t

seem to care for her at all unless he’s using her as a babysitter. Eleanor often witnesses her stepfather physically or emotionally abusing her mother.

Park is half-Korean, which coupled along with his small stature causes him to

Rowell's first young adult novel, "Eleanor & Park" (Photo by Dominique Joe '19).

11

Deck

feel insecure about being different from his peers at school. He also feels different in his home, as if he is a disappointment to his masculine father, because he would rather read comics and listen to alternative music than participate in taekwondo. Unlike Eleanor, though, his home is filled with love.

The two teens meet on the bus on Eleanor’s first day at school, and it is anything but love at first sight. Park begrudgingly allows Eleanor to sit next to him, much to his own chagrin and amidst teasing from the "cool kids" at the back of the bus. They spend a number of bus rides in silence before eventually beginning to quietly bond over mixtapes and comic books. Their budding relationship is anything but easy, as it must overcome the bullies both at school and at home.

“Eleanor & Park” is told in dual narrative, with the point of view seamlessly switching between Eleanor and Park. This novel is powerful in its dealing with heavy themes such as bullying, body image, domestic abuse and child abuse. Eleanor and Park’s love story is one that will make readers of all ages smile, cry and root for the two misfits’ love to prevail. Good luck not feeling the need to finish it in one sitting.

Head of the class

Why some professors write their own textbooks ERIN DUFFY ’20 Special to The Hawk When Kristopher Tapp, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, begins to think about which textbook to use in his classes, he chooses a book with a reliable author: himself.

Tapp has written three textbooks overall, but the textbook he uses the most at St. Joe’s is “Symmetry: A Mathematical Exploration.” The book goes hand-in-hand with Tapp’s math course of the same name, which he designed for the new GEP (General Education Program) the university adopted in 2013.

The new GEP allowed St. Joe’s faculty to develop courses unique to the university’s curriculum. Because these courses were only taught at St. Joe’s, some professors decided to create their own textbooks for them as well.

“I wanted to develop a math beauty class I really believed in,” Tapp said. “For this topic, there just wasn’t a book. So, writing a book was the only choice if I wanted to teach this topic at this level.”

David Hecker, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, is also working on his own textbook for a math beauty course. The

book, “Linear Methods,” is slated for publication in the fall of 2018. Hecker is already co-author of another math textbook, “Linear Algebra,” which is in its fifth edition.

“I put together chapters from lots of books that covered the topics I wanted as a course pack,” Hecker said. “I found out it didn’t work very well because they weren’t at the right level.”

Hecker began writing chapters that he felt were important and, within a year, he had written 80 percent of the “Linear Methods” book.

Math is not the only area of the GEP which has encouraged faculty to write their own texts.

Two history professors, James Carter, Ph.D., and Richard Warren, Ph.D., wrote “Forging the Modern World,” a book that is used in all History 154 courses of the same name.

“The goal we had all along was that we wanted something not too big, not too expensive, and that would be flexible,” Carter said. “It wouldn’t have every factor and every detail, but the idea is that it would enable instructors to take their own expertise.”

Carter and Warren are currently working on the second edition of “Forging the Modern World.” The first edition is used at

other universities besides St. Joe’s.

Emma Herrmann ’20 used Carter and Warren’s “Forging the Modern World” in her history class. She said she did not mind that her professors earn royalties from the book’s sales.

“They’re from the school, so why not have the profits go to them?” she said.

Michael Solomon, Ph.D., professor of marketing, has written six textbooks. His first, “Consumer Behavior,” is in its 12th edition.

“The courses that I was teaching, the books didn’t reflect what I found important for the students to know,” Solomon said.

Melissa Goldthwaite,Ph.D., professor of English, has collaborated with other professors on multiple textbooks, her most recent one being “The Little Norton Reader: 50 Essays from the First 50 Years,” a shorter version of “The Norton Reader,” which she also edited.

Goldthwaite said she believes students can benefit from textbooks their professors write because they follow what the professors find important. Plus, reading from a textbook with a professor’s exact words allows the course to be more cohesive.

“In the case of ‘The Little Norton Reader’ and ‘The Norton Pocket Book of Writing by Students,’ I wrote all of the

questions after each reading,” Goldthwaite said. “In doing so, I was able to direct students’ attention to elements of the texts I find important.”

James Carter, Ph.D., with his textbook "Forging the Modern World" (Photo by Erin Duffy '20).

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Lifestyle

Jan. 24, 2018

Secondhand spell-books

Fascinating finds at the Spiral Bookcase ALEX MARK ’20 Assistant News Editor Located just off Manayunk’s Main Street, The Spiral Bookcase is a small but cozy secondhand bookshop full of fascinating finds.

Upon walking into the shop, one discovers that the most iconic part of the store is not a book, but a cat: Amelia, The Spiral Bookcase’s friendly feline mascot, who has lived in the shop for the past six years.

The shop was opened in 2010 by Ann Tetreault, owner and founder. Tetreault explained the shop is a culmination of her passions, from new and used books of all genres to tarot cards and crystals, which, though a more recent addition, are definitely part of the shop’s appeal.

After revamping the shop’s backroom, Tetreault took the opportunity to start experimenting with her collection, adding more occult-related books and items.

Last December, the shop hosted its second official gathering for witches: a Moon Manifestation, where people interested in witchcraft of all levels could gather to build spell kits for the full moon, an important phenomenon in Wicca.

Tetreault said it was a great success.

“It’s kind of cool, having a safe space like that to meet,” Tetreault said, adding she’d like to host more regular gatherings in

The Spiral Bookcase's mascot, Amelia (Photo by Alex Mark '20).

the future.

Anthony Palma, M.A., adjunct professor of English, participated in a poetry reading event jointly sponsored by The Dead Bards of Philadelphia and The Spiral Bookcase. The event was hosted at the bookstore last October to benefit Unidos Por Puerto Rico and raised around $700.00 (not including direct donations to the

organization), Palma said in an email to The Hawk.

“The shop was great,” Palma said in an email correspondence. “It definitely has a community feel to it, with a wide selection of books as well.”

Last March, in an effort to promote smaller publishers, Tetreault began a new mail-subscription box service, accessible

through the shop’s website. Each month, subscribers receive a secret small-press book, a small gift courtesy of The Spiral Bookcase, and a special note from the publisher.

As for the mascot, Tetreault first met Amelia, then an underfed-looking stray, on the street in front of the shop. Amelia decided to stick around when Tetreault started leaving food for her until, one rainy night, a pair of concerned women brought her into the store she now calls home.

“Everyone fell in love with her, and it just started there,” Tetreault said.

The back parlor of the shop is testament to this as, in addition to wall-to-wall shelves of reference volumes and occult books, it features a whole table dedicated to the little cat.

Gabbie D'Agostino '20 is a frequent customer of The Spiral Bookcase, as she believes local shopping to be important.

The shop's employees are also a big reason she keeps going back.

"The owner is super sweet," D'Agostino said. "Everyone who works there makes you feel like part of the coher quote is that the employees make you feel like it's community."

While the shop has always managed to maintain a positive vibe, Tetreault explained it evolves every year.

“It’s constant creation,” Tetreault said.

“There’s always something new.”

Word Search

Summer in January Edition AMBER DENHAM ‘18 Lifestyle Editor Solve the clue and find the word in the word search. Parentheses indicate number of letters.

1. They weren't lonely, because they were on a boat with T-Pain (6).

2. Van Halen's “______ Man” (8, 2 words).

3. Long, ____, and handsome (3).

4. "National Lampoon's _____" (8).

5. 1996 thriller/action film where aliens attack earth on July 4, or "_____ Day" (15, 2 words).

6. Don Henley’s song “The Boys of ____” (6).

7. DNCE’s “Cake by the ____ ” (5).

8. Beyoncé's latest album (8).

9. Martha and the Vandellas' 1963 hit song (8).

10. Where you'll be havin' some fun, people walking above, and fallin' in love (9).

11. “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of ____” (4).

12. The song where Katy Perry asks if you feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind (8).

13. Mack, Charlie, Frank and the gang know that “It's Always ____ in Philadelphia” (5).

14. "Let's go to the ____, let's go get away" (5).

Sports

Jan. 24, 2018

13

A championship mindset

Track star Steve Thompson on discipline, investment and passion DREW RHOADES ’20 Hawk Staff Senior track and field star Steve Thompson is gearing up for his fourth year running for St. Joe’s, but he didn’t start out in the sport.

Thompson originally played soccer and basketball at West Chester Henderson High School in West Chester, Pa. “My high school coach was a big track guy, so he recruited me to start running a bit, to take that more seriously,” Thompson said. “Once he realized I had a good amount of potential, I was persuaded to fully invest myself.”

Fully investing himself paid off, as he was able to become a Division I runner at

St. Joe’s, just a 45 minute drive away from his home in Downington, Pa. “St. Joe’s was appealing to me because of the business school, and that it was really close to Philadelphia,” Thompson said. “The opportunity for me to walk onto the track team was also really appealing.”

Out of the events he runs, the 800 meter is his favorite. Thompson won the event at the 2017 Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships.

“That’s the one that I’ve gotten the most success in,” Thompson said. “Every time I get to run a 4x4, I think those are really fun, gutsy, stuff like that.”

Track functions as not only a method of physical activity, but also a way to keep him focused.

“I guess in life in general, I like that it keeps me disciplined and focused and driven.” Thompson also noted the passion

that comes from track that helps him off the track field.

Men’s track and field head coach Mike Glavin feels that Thompson’s leadership tops his list of contributions to the team.

“There’s the easy leadership, like come on guys, let’s do this,” Glavin said. “There’s also leadership by what he does. The fact that he steps up to a work out and goes after it. There’s leadership without saying.”

In terms of Thompson’s character, Glavin feels that he shows the right kind of mentality.

“He’s mature beyond his years,” Glavin said. “He’s [Thompson] a get-it-done person and one that you don’t have to worry about what’s going on and whether he’s getting it done.”

Thompson and his teammates return to action on Jan. 26 at the Penn State National Open.

Thompson races in an indoor relay (Photo by Dylan Eddinger '19).

Dancing their way to success SJU Dance Team shines at nationals

The SJU Dance Team attended the Universal Dance Association's (UDA) nationals in Orlando, Fla., from Jan. 11-14. They earned third place in the hip hop category and fourth place in Pom (Photos courtesy of Lilly Walsh '20).

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Sports

Jan. 24, 2018

St. Joe's routs Fordham by double digits Oliva and Demery with career bests BRUCE HOWARD ’20 Hawk Staff Sophomore forward Pierfrancesco Oliva scored a career high 22 points and senior forward James Demery matched his season high with 25 as they led the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team to victory over the Fordham Rams 68-46 on Jan. 20. The Hawks (9-9) won their fifth straight game at Hagan Arena and are now 4-3 in Atlantic 10 conference play.

Oliva and Demery accounted for 47 of the Hawks’ 68 points, and snatched 15 rebounds collectively bringing the Hawks

to 6-1 at home.

“I was pretty confident”, Oliva Said.

A lot of people are asking me if I changed anything. I don’t think I did. I just took advantage of opportunities.”

Fordham led for the majority of the first half, until a three pointer by freshman forward Taylor Funk at the 1:59 mark brought the score to 26-25. The Hawks led 28-27 at halftime, despite shooting only 32 percent.

“They were giving us a hard time with jump defences,” Oliva said. We had to get used to that for the second half. We ran the offence in a different we have before. Eventually we figured out how to attack them and be aggressive.”

Oliva looks for an open pass while staring down a defender (Photos by Luke Mangala '20).

The team huddles around Head Coach Martelli.

The Hawks pulled away within the first 10 minutes of the second half and never looked back, going on a 17-6 run en route to victory.

The most pivotal aspect to the Hawks’ victory was their handling of the ball, as they finished with only seven turnovers.

The Hawks presently rank third in the nation in the fewest amount of turnovers per game.

"The big number was going to be turnovers, and to come out of that with seven, and really a handful of those were avoidable,” head coach Phil Martelli said.

Although the game was highlighted by offensive efficiency, especially from Oliva and Demery, most emphasis of the game was focused upon defense.

The Hawks kept Fordham to 19 points in the second half. Fordham finished with a total of 20 turnovers.

“I was really impressed with the defense in the second half, the rebounding in the second half, and staying the course,” Martelli said. “A lot of that first half was on me. We had a poor practice yesterday and I should have grinded on them a little bit more than that.”

Both Joseph Chartouny and Prokop Slanina were the leading scorers for Fordham with 11 each, while their leading scorer, Will Tavares, was held to just three points.

The Hawks have now won their last two games as they are well into conference play.

Their next game is Jan. 24 at St. Bonaventure. This is the second matchup between the two as the Hawks defeated them at Hagan Arena on Jan. 6. Fans can catch the game on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m.

St. Joe's returns to Philadelphia to play University of Pennsylvania at the Palestra on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.

Women's basketball falls on the road Hawks struggle to capitalize on offense

NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Assistant Sports Editor The St. Joe's women’s basketball team fell victim to conference opponent Saint Louis University in a 96-73 loss on Jan. 21.

This loss snaps their two game inner conference winning streak previously set with wins against University of Richmond and University of Massachusetts.

Leading up to this game, two St. Joe’s players were honored for their respective accomplishments on and off the court.

Senior guard Avery Marz was named Most Courageous Athlete at the 114th Annual PSWA Banquet for her miraculous recovery from a stroke while senior forward Chelsea Woods was named the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week after averaging 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.5 assists over a two game period.

“We had a lot of confidence headed into this game,” said fifth year senior forward Amanda Fioravanti. “One of our leading scorers was out for the game. Players knew they had to step up.”

The Hawks got off to a rough start in the first half. They were unable to match

Fioravanti drives in the paint while being covered by a defender (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

Saint Louis’ aggressive offense. Saint Louis racked up a twelve point lead with three minutes to play.

However, in the waning minutes of

the first half, St. Joe’s was able to fight back and bring it to within four. Senior forward Adashia Franklyn scored a layup with 57 seconds to play and kept the Hawks within

arms reach.

“A big thing was finishing plays,” Marz said. “We were getting the opportunities but weren’t able to finish. Coach emphasized finishing and getting points.”

Saint Louis was dominant throughout the entire second half. A 19-6 run combined with 50.7 percent shooting from the field put the Billikens in firm control. The Hawks remained no closer than 14 points for the remainder of the second half. Saint Louis closed with a twenty-three point margin victory 96-73.

“They were a great team and we needed to play great as well,” Marz said. “We didn’t come ready to play showed as the second half progressed. Our defense wasn’t there as a team.”

Fioravanti finished 7-15 with a game high eighteen points, Franlyn finished 5-11 with thirteen points, and Junior guard Kristalyn Baisden finished 6-13 with ten points.

With this loss, St. Joe’s moves to 4-2 (tied for fourth) in the A-10 and 9-9 overall.

They come back to Hagan Arena on Jan. 24 to host Duquesne University at 7 P.M.

Sports

Jan. 24, 2018

15

Senior Spotlight: James Demery Men’s basketball forward on scoring, A-10 and the future ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Sports Editor Before practice, senior basketball player James Demery can be found shooting around.

As his teammates arrive and start to joke around, he remains diligent and focused.

This may be why he is the team’s second leading scorer for the 2017-18 season, averaging 17.7 points per game.

“I’ve been at St. Joe’s for four years,” Demery said. “I’ve seen the highs and lows, I know what to expect and I know what it takes to be great.”

According to head coach Phil Martelli, Demery is a quiet and respectful presence off the court. His presence on the court is a different story.

Demery beats his defender en route to the hoop.

Demery led the team in points in the last three games played, including the wins against Atlantic 10 opponents Fordham University and Dayton University. He scored 25 and 19 points, respectively in these matchups. He scored in double figures in all 18 games this season.

With the injuries of two known scorers, sophomore Charlie Brown and senior Lamarr Kimble, Demery has stepped up and made baskets.

“This year, he [Demery] is scoring for a team that desperately needs scoring,” Martelli said. “He has a short term memory.

He can make a foolish play, and he forgets about it. That’s his best quality.”

The 6’6” senior has been playing basketball since he was seven years old. From his backyard to Amateur Athletic Union [AAU] basketball teams in North Carolina, Demery has come a long way in the sport.

“My eighth grade year my name was starting to build up in the college world, so I started to develop my game and a lot of people knew about me,” Demery said.

Before being recruited by St. Joe’s, Demery was a standout at Northside Christian Academy in Williamston, N.C. His success carried over to the collegiate level where he started 29 games as a freshman and continued to be an asset throughout the rest of his career, which includes a 2016 Atlantic 10 championship.

Despite an impressive career, this sea-

Demery finishes at the basket with an uncontested layup (Photos by Luke Malanga '20).

son is undoubtedly his best.

“Seniors in our program normally step up, and James has seen that before with different guys in his four years,” Martelli said.

While Demery’s main goal for his final season is to earn another A-10 championship, he has a personal goal of being all-league. He also hopes that his last year of NCAA eligibility does not mean his time playing basketball is over.

“Professional basketball [comes after college],” Demery said. “That’s the plan.

God willing.”

Martelli sees his potential to become a professional basketball player, whether it be through the NBA or another league.

“It could be in the minor leagues in the states, it could be over in Europe, but he’s going to have to embrace the opportunity, because that’s his dream, to play basketball beyond college,” Martelli said of Demery’s professional prospects. “He’ll play beyond college.”

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Sports

Jan. 24, 2018

While you were away...

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES! St. Joe's students celebrate the Eagles' NFC Championship victory

Bailey Ramirez '20, Jarod Ramses, '20, Dan Saker '20. Mitch McHale '20, Dan Munley '21, Hunter D'Avella '20, Tyler Scanlon '18, Rob Cameron '20, Kyle Curranx'19 and Brandon Striefsky '19 tailgate at Lincoln Financial Field.

Top: Chris Grosso '20 and Jenny Fritz '20 at the Eagle's tailgate. Middle: Rob Young '20 and Kevin Roussey '20 celebrate on S. Broad Street.

Bottom: Ally McCormick '20, Fiona Flood '20 and Shannon Nichols '20 on S. Broad Street (Photos by Luke Malanga '20).

Kyle Curran '19 and Chris Battinieri '18 chant Eagles fight songs.