March 1, 2017

The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

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

March 1, 2017

Handbook policies to be re-examined Student Senate helps launch committee on sexual health ROSE WELDON ’19 Lifestyle Editor

The University Student Senate gathers in the President's Lounge (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

In an attempt to help students and bring on-campus sexual health resources to light, the University Student Senate (USS), in collaboration with the office of the Vice President for Student Life, is currently in the process of creating a committee on student sexual health.

Amelia Brown,’18, has been taking birth control since her freshman year of high school in 2010 in order to control cramps from her menstrual cycle. When she attempted to have her prescription filled last semester at the Health Center at Saint Joseph’s University, however, Brown was surprised by the Center’s inability to do it. “[The woman I met with] said, ‘First of all, it would be a huge process here, I’d have to speak to so-and-so doctor and second of all, because you have migraines,

you would have to go to a neurologist or something, Brown said. "She wouldn’t refer me to one. I was very confused.”

In the end, Brown had to take a train and a bus to a Planned Parenthood in Center City to fill her prescription.

“It takes so much time out of my day; it’s very inconvenient,” Brown said. “It would be so much more convenient if I could just pop over [to the Health Center] between classes.”

The committee will be co-chaired by Student Senate Speaker Angelo d’Antonio-Bertagnolli, ’18, who also proposed the resolution to establish it back in December 2016., however the committee members have yet to be named. “[St. Joe's] does not seem to recognize that students have safer consensual sex, "d'Antonio-Bertagnolli. It offers few sexual

health resources, and is not transparent about the few resources it offers. The committee aims to examine the current state and make improvements where possible.”

The committee will be expected to review the current state of the university’s sexual health resources, analyze their findings, and suggest solutions. In a memorandum included with the resolution, d’Antonio-Bertagnolli lists a number of Catholic universities whose sexual health resources are clearly marked on their websites or in other media, including Villanova University, Regis University, and Fordham University.

Cary Anderson, Ph.D, vice president of Student Life and associate provost, is putting the committee together.

“The resolution was asking for the university to look at our policies and pro-

cedures around sexual health and how we communicate all those things,” Anderson said. “That’s what the committee will do.

And then they will come back and make some recommendations, and then we’ll move forward from there.”

One initiative that the committee would have is the revision of the Sexual Activity Policy in the Student Handbook.

The policy states: “Nonmarital sexual intercourse, on campus at anytime [sic], is behavior unacceptable to the University.

Students involved in activity of this nature will be subject to disciplinary action and/ or counseling.” d’Antonio-Bertanolli has spoken with the Office of Community Standards concerning this rule, and thinks it requires a more detailed explanation.

“It’s something where, if you live in a suite, and your roommates are being indecent very often, they’ll hit your roommates with certain Handbook violations,” d’Antonio-Bertanolli said. “I understand that there needs to be something in the handbook, but I don’t think what we have is adequate.”

He adds that the rule itself is somewhat “archaic,” a common conception that is supported by the Health Center’s 2014 student survey, where 67.1 percent of students reported having one or more sexual partners in the last 12 months.

The committee is expected to begin work in the next month and Anderson says that their findings may affect the Handbook in the future.

“If the committee can have something back by the end of the semester, that would be helpful,” Anderson said. “Because if we’re going to change policies and procedures, it’s always easier to do it in the summer, put it in the Handbook, and move forward.”

Putting the responsibility on drivers Traffic incidents on campus consistent with citywide problem MARK DE LEON ’17 News Editor Seven reported accidents between pedestrians and moving vehicles have occurred at Saint Joseph’s University between January 2015 and February 2017. Six of those seven accidents involved St. Joe’s students.

The latest incident involved Rose Walton, ’19, on Feb. 14. Walton was crossing Cardinal Ave, leaving campus to go back to Pennbrook Apartments at 5:15 p.m.

Seeing the walk sign, she crossed halfway into the intersection when a car turned left off of City Avenue and struck her.

“I honestly don’t remember what happened between walking and landing on the ground,” Walton said. “The car hit me pretty hard. If I didn’t land on my backpack, I probably would have landed on my back and broke it. My head shot back and I got pretty bad whiplash.”

Two female witnesses from Main campus and one male witness from the Merion side of campus came to Walton’s help.

Thinking she was fine, Walton returned to Pennbrook and had a friend drive her to night class, despite concerns from her

mother and friends.

“The second I sat down [in night class], it hit me,” Walton said. “I had a massive headache, my vision started blurring out and it was really hard to focus.

During the class break, I stood up, and I could barely put any weight on my legs. It just hurt so bad.”

After night class, Walton was taken to the emergency room where she was told that she had a sprained knee, a concussion, and deep bruising on her legs from the impact.

In Philadelphia City Council District 4, where St. Joe’s is located, there have been four pedestrian deaths as a result of car crashes during 2016, including the death of 8-year-old Jayanna Powell on 63rd and Lansdowne in November 2016. As of February 2017, there has been one pedestrian death in District 4 and five citywide.

The 76 traffic fatalities in Philadelphia in 2016 is a historic low; 36 of the 76 are pedestrians, according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. Making up 47 percent of traffic fatalities is the highest

that the percentage of pedestrian deaths has been since 1985.

In November 2016, Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order to create the Vision Zero Task Force. Vision Zero develops Philadelphia traffic safety efforts in the hopes to reduce all traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by 2030. Kenney also hired Kelley Yemen as Philadelphia’s first director of Complete Streets.

“It’s a mind shift from how we have traditionally road safety programs,” Kelley Yemen said. “From putting the onus on the individual, the person walking, driving, or biking, to the system. That [involves] designing new roads, understanding how people are travelling, and figuring ways to accommodate that.”

After 120 days of consultation, the office of Complete Streets and the Vision Zero task force will present short and long-term plans in March that will utilize engineering, education, and enforcement.

The Office of Public Safety and Security at St. Joe’s is making efforts to keep

pedestrians safe around campus. The university has lobbied to Philadelphia County as well as Montgomery County authorities for traffic calming measures near campus.

Installations include crosswalks with speed bumps to slow traffic, warning signals for cars on Cardinal Ave., and signs that indicate state law requires drivers to allow pedestrians right of way in crossing areas.

CONTINUED ON PG. 3

Graphic by Luke Malanga '20.

2

News

March 1, 2017

Department of Public Safety reports (Feb. 17 – Feb. 23)

Feb. 17

Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside the Campion Student Center. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by a faulty battery.

Facilities Management was notified.

Feb. 18 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside the Morris Quad Townhouses. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed that the cause of the alarm activation was unknown. Facilities Management was notified.

Public Safety was notified regarding a disorderly St. Joe’s male student in the lobby of Lannon Hall. Public Safety Officers responded. The student left the lobby without incident. Residence Life and Community Standards were notified.

Public Safety was notified regarding two disorderly students in the lobby of Lannon Hall. Public Safety Officers and Residence Life responded. The students were admitted to their rooms without incident. Community Standards was notified.

Feb. 19

Public Safety was notified of an alcohol confiscation of numerous empty cans outside of Ashwood Apartments. Public Safety Officers responded and confiscated the cans. Residence Life and Community Standards was notified.

Feb. 20 Public Safety was notified by Residence Life regarding an odor of marijuana coming from a room inside Ashwood Apartments. Public Safety Officers responded to the room with Residence Life. A search

of the room revealed no drugs or drug paraphernalia. Community Standards was notified.

Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm activation inside Pennbrook Apartments. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed unknown heat in the attic caused the alarm activation. Property Management was notified.

Feb. 21 Public Safety was notified regarding a male non-St. Joe’s student, who while walking near Lannon Hall, was struck with a frying pan that had been tossed out of a window. The male sustained an injury to his arm and was taken to Lankenau Hospital. Philadelphia Police was notified and responded. Community Standards and Residence Life were notified. The incident is under investigation.

Public Safety was notified by Residence Life in regards to person(s) unknown damaging a fire extinguisher case inside Pennbrook Apartments. Community Standards and Property Management were notified. The incident is under investigation.

Public Safety was notified by an area resident of a loud party involving St. Joe’s students taking place in the 2300 block of N. 54th Street. Public Safety and Philadelphia Police were notified and responded. Community Standards was notified.

ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

7

On campus

0

Off campus

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

3

On campus

0

Off campus

Call Public Safety:

610-660-1111

Feb. 23 Public Safety was notified by Residence Life in regards to person(s) unknown damaging a water fountain on the second floor of the LaFarge Residence Center. Facilities Management and Community Standards were notified. The incident is under investigation.

THE FIRST 100 DAYS LGBTQ The Trump administration has repealed federal guidelines that protect transgender students who desire to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. Critics of the Obama administration guidelines, such as Secretary of Education, Betsy Devos, believed they violated the privacy and safety of students and that states should decide this issue for themselves.

media

IMMIGRATION

Commenting on federal raids for deportation, President Trump used the term “military operation.”

White House press secretary Sean Spicer clarified that the president was describing the management of the operations and not insinuating that the military may have been involved.

When visiting Mexican officials with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly assured that there will be no use of military force and no mass deportations.

CONGRESS

President Trump addressed a joint session of Congress for the first time and discussed plans regarding tax reform, health care, immigration, and regulation on Feb. 28.

After cancelling a daily briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer scheduled an off-camera meeting and excluded media organizations, such as The New York Times, CNN, Politico, Buzzfeed, the Los Angeles Times, the BBC, and the Guardian from attending. The Associated Press, USA Today, and Time magazine decided to protest the act and not attend the briefing despite being invited.

DEFENSE

President Trump announced on Twitter that he will not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April. The event gathers together celebrities, journalists, and politicians to celebrate the First Amendment and the role that the independent news media has in a healthy republic.

In an interview with Reuters, President Trump said that it would be ideal if no country had a nuclear arsenal. However, since countries are to have them, then the United States should be “at the top of the pack.” and have the most In coordinating federal agencies to put together a budget for the upcoming fiscal year, President Trump instructed for sharp increases in Defense Department spending. Currently Trump has requested 10 percent, or $54 billion, increase in defense spending.

REGULATION

President Trump signed an executive order that requires every federal agency to establish a task force that will work to eliminate costly and unnecessary regulations. Trump believes that this will not only cut red tape but also increase economic opportunity.

Compiled by Mark De Leon '17.

Information from BBC News and Reuters.

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

News

March 1, 2017

3

Corporate responsibility

St. Joe’s event discusses environmental impact on businesses GINA DEROSA ’19 Special to the Hawk Students gathered to watch a panel of faculty discuss environmental and social values in business in Wolfington Teletorium in Mandeville Hall.

The Wall Street Trading Room and Arrupe Center for Business Ethics sponsored the event, titled “Climate Change is Real: Now What?,” that focused on businesses’ responsibilities toward protecting the planet.

Carolin Schellhorn, Ph.D., assistant professor of finance, moderated the event while the panel featured insights from Diane Phillips, Ph.D., professor of marketing, and Michael Angelina, Ph.D., executive director of the academy of risk management and finance.

Phillips, a member of Al Gore’s Climate Reality Leadership Corps, gave a presentation on The Climate Reality Project, whose mission it is to educate on the problems of climate change and propel activism.

For the past 40 years temperatures on Earth have risen, with 15 of the 16 hottest

years on record starting from 2001, according to Phillips.

“Forty years is an unrecorded high,” Phillips said. “It is no longer a normal fluctuation, but a trend.”

Angelina spoke to the enormous risks of the extreme weather events, like heavy precipitation, mudslides, and hurricanes. Angelina believes that when actuaries assess the resulting damages of these occurrences, they are only concerned with the truth.

“What do the facts tell us? You can’t argue facts,” Angelina said.

As a result, actuaries acknowledge the major costs of these events on the profits of insurance companies and other businesses, taxpayers’ incomes, and all human lives, according to Angelina.

“When you measure fatalities, one in six people’s deaths have happened due to heat related incidents,” Angelina said. “Let’s not lose sight of the people factor. There is human life in everything.”

Students fill Wolfington Teletorium to listen to panel about sustainabilty. (Photo courtesy of Luke Malanga '20).

Diane Phillips, Ph.D., discusses The New Climate Reality. (Photo courtesy of Luke Malanga '20).

At the end of the presentation, students and faculty were invited to ask the speakers questions or voice concerns.

Thom Pearsall, ’17, member of the Green Fund, informed the audience about The Green Fund’s new initiative to eliminate single use water bottles on campus by introducing more filter stations.

“We want to create an infrastructure to ensure that all have the ability to obtain free and filtered water in any building throughout campus,” Pearsall said.

This presentation allowed attendees to focus on the prevalent and severe effects of global warming.

“There are still people who haven’t fully realized the seriousness of the effects of

climate change. But, from this presentation today, I don’t think it’s something that you can pass over in any facet of life,” said Louis Andreacchio, ’18.

Pearsall, an environmental science major, developed his passion for the environment within the realm of social justice. He said that he came out to the event to see how the university was reaching out to those who do not recognize the significance of climate change.

“I learned that it is going to take an economic impact for people to be considerate about climate change,” Pearsall said.

“If that is what it takes, that’s ok with me.

But I wish people would realize their connectedness to the Earth.”

Graduating Seniors Do you want to deliver the Student Address at this year’s undergraduate commencement ceremony?

Seniors of this year’s graduating class from the College of Arts & Sciences and the Erivan K. Haub School of Business are welcome to submit a typed copy of a commencement address for consideration. This invitation to submit is open to students enrolled in traditional undergraduate day programs, as well as to adult learners in our Professional and Liberal Studies and Haub Degree Completion programs.

Criteria for selection Candidates must have completed all academic requirements by May 2017 with an overall superior academic record. In addition to the academic record, students will be evaluated on the basis of their leadership, service, and contribution to SJU’s mission. The delivered speech should not exceed 4 minutes.

Finalists will be invited to appear before a faculty panel to give a public reading of their proposed speech.

Please submit a copy of your speech in an electronic version using M.S. word format and double spaced. Upon receipt of your speech, you will also be asked to complete a formal application.

Submit to: Donna Mandery, Senior Administrative Assistant, College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office, dmandery@sju.edu Deadline: March 24, 2017 @ Noon

4

News

March 1, 2017

Understanding the facts

Universities continue to acknowledge their connections to slavery ANGELA CHRISTALDI ’17 Editor Emeritus When Columbia University launched a website in late January detailing its history with slavery, it joined a growing number of universities attempting to determine what, if any, ties they have to slavery.

In addition to Columbia, many Jesuit schools, including Georgetown University, John Carroll University, and Saint Louis University (SLU), have also begun to explore their ties to the institution of slavery.

At Saint Joseph’s University, that exploration has only just begun.

Paul Aspan, Ph.D., associate provost for academic and faculty support, said that there are plans in the works for some kind of university-led initiative to address St. Joe’s ties to slavery.

Aspan said that he, along with Jenny Spinner, Ph.D., associate professor of English, Monica Nixon, Ed.D., assistant provost for inclusion and diversity, and Randall Miller, Ph.D., professor of history, have met to discuss “next steps” for the university.

“I think we have a clear, shared sense of those [steps], but I cannot comment publicly on specifics yet because some contingencies need to fall into place in order for this proposed path to be pursued,” Aspan said in an email.

Like St. Joe’s, Columbia’s location in a free state did not absolve its ties to slavery.

Columbia’s website, “Columbia University and Slavery," gives users information about the slaves who accompanied their owners to Columbia.

The site was inspired by work and research done by a now-annual undergraduate class first taught in the spring of 2015 that focuses on Columbia’s history with slavery.

Eric Foner, Ph.D., professor of history at Columbia, is the first person to have taught the course.

“It is too early to assess the response at Columbia to the report on slavery, which was only released [recently],” Foner said via email. “I think most people are glad that the university has undertaken this study and are looking forward to further information being developed.”

Last spring, Georgetown University administrators announced that the university would make reparations to the descendants of the 272 slaves sold in 1838 with proceeds helping to pay off the young school’s debts.

That announcement came about a year after Georgetown’s President John D. DeGioia had announced a Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation, which was tasked to recommend to university officials how to acknowledge and recognize the university’s history with slavery, interpret the history of the campus, and create a dialogue within the university community.

Along with Georgetown, St. Joe’s is a member of the Jesuits’ Maryland Province, which also includes Loyola University Maryland, the University of Scranton, and Wheeling Jesuit University. As members of the Maryland Province, all of these universities are tied to slavery by virtue of the fact that the Jesuits of the Province ran plantations and owned slaves. While the Jesuits sold the majority of their slaves in 1838, other universities in the Province may have benefited from slavery, even if they were founded after the sale.

St. Joe’s was founded in 1851, 13 years after the sale of Georgetown’s slaves. Loyola Maryland was founded a year later in 1852.

Scranton was founded in 1888 as St. Thomas College, and Wheeling Jesuit was formed in 1954.

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) issued a statement in

The traveling exhibit from Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery came to Saint Joseph's University on Feb. 22 (Photos courtesy of Office of Inclusion and Diversity).

September 2016 acknowledging the work of Georgetown’s Working Group saying it hoped the work would “help heal the long-lasting scars of this deplorable eighteenth- and nineteenth-century history and advance the pursuit of racial equality and social justice in the present.”

Also in a September 2016 statement, University President Robert L. Niehoff, S.J., of John Carroll University, another AJCU member institution, urged the John Carroll community to, “acknowledge our Jesuit participation in slavery as a sin.”

John Carroll University, located in Ohio, is named for Archbishop John Carroll, the first American bishop who helped manage Jesuit plantations and, as was later revealed, personally owned slaves.

Niehoff said the direct involvement of the university’s namesake with the institution of slavery was a “shock and a disappointment” and urged the university community to engage with the history. He proposed a working group similar to Georgetown’s to investigate both the university’s and Archbishop Carroll’s ties to slavery.

“The working group has been meeting since last fall,” said Sherri Crehan, Ph.D., dean of students and associate vice president for student affairs at John Carroll University.

“Some members of the working group have been very involved in researching a number of topics: the Catholic Church and their role in slaveholding; the Carroll family and their role in slaveholding; and John Carroll. We know that he owned at least two slaves.”

Crehan also discussed the university’s plans to hold “listening sessions,” during which members of the community will be able to come together and discuss how they

believe the school should move forward in light of its connections to slavery.

In 2015, before Georgetown publicly acknowledged the 1838 slave sale, Nathaniel Millett, Ph.D., associate professor of history at SLU, gave a keynote speech at the university’s Second Annual Jesuit Research Symposium entitled, The History and Memory of Slavery at Saint Louis University.

In the essay that inspired the keynote, Millett condemns the fact that the role of slavery at SLU seems to have been forgotten, possibly because of the contentious role that race has played in the area immediately surrounding the university.

Millett told The Hawk that he has long been aware that the Jesuits who founded SLU owned slaves, but that that was the extent of what most people on campus knew.

Millett said it was important for universities, especially Jesuit universities, to engage in conversations about possible ties to slavery.

“I think that it's important to talk honestly and openly about the past,” he said.

“This is particularly so at a Jesuit university where great emphasis is placed on social justice. One of things that struck me in my research about slavery and memory at SLU was the extent to which the university had prided itself on being a beacon of justice during the Civil Rights era which is great and admirable but had failed to adequately address its history with slavery.”

For Millett, institutional working groups on slavery, like the one that was recently founded at SLU, are a good place to start.

“Without a detailed understanding of the facts, nothing else really matters,” Millett said.

Attention brought to pedestrian safety in St. Joe's community CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 “Despite that, we know that there are thousands of crossers in our community on a daily basis," said Arthur Grover, director of the Office of Public Safety and Security. “One incident is too many. [City Ave.] is a very busy street with thousands of cars traversing every single day. Awareness is very important. Don’t take anything for granted. Be sure that the vehicles are stopped appropriately and the crosswalk is clear before crossing.”

Even though Public Safety has established traffic calming initiatives, that

doesn’t always affect whether or not drivers adhere to them.

“I live in Rashford [Hall] and I constantly use that crosswalk [across 54th St.],” said Marygrace Hallinan, ’19. “Even the drivers are aggravated when you’re crossing because they want to zoom by. People just go way too fast around our campus. While we’re safe here, it is definitely a concern when you’re crossing because people aren’t cognizant of all the students.”

Speeding vehicles are a major concern

for students because they are most likely to cause death and injuries.

“The key factor in crashes involving deaths and serious injuries is speed of the vehicle," Yemen said "If somebody’s hit with a [vehicle] going 20 miles an hour, there’s a 10 percent chance they’ll die. That increases to 80-90 percent when that car is going 40 miles an hour. Getting speeds down where we know pedestrian and bike volumes are high is the surest way to reduce [these incidents].”

Walton believes, especially in Phila-

delphia, having to look and walk past parallel parked cars on the road adds another hindrance.

“You have to go even in front of those cars to make sure the road is clear and by then it could be too late because people always zoom by,” Walton said. “I mean in a perfect world, you can make the streets bigger, but I don’t know. I got dropped off by Bellarmine and I was so scared to cross that curve. [That] I’m going to get hit again with the crutches.”

Opinions

March 1, 2017

5

The role of the media

How newspapers serve the public and the common good

EDITOR IN CHIEF Ana Faguy ’19 MANAGING EDITOR Sam Henry ’19 COPY CHIEF Vivian Milan ’18 FACULTY ADVISER Shenid Bhayroo NEWS EDITOR Mark De Leon ’17 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Charley Rekstis ’20 OPINIONS EDITOR Victoria Tralies ’18 ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR Brittany Swift ’20 LIFESTYLE EDITOR Rose Weldon ’19 ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR Franki Rudnesky ’18 SPORTS EDITOR Nick Mandarano ’18 ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR Alex Hargrave ’20 ASSISTANT COPY Becky Hartman ’18 CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kaitlyn Patterson ’20 PHOTO EDITOR Luke Malanga ’20 SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Kellie O’Brien ’19 ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA Madsion Auer ‘20 DIGITAL PHOTO EDITOR Joey Toczylowski ’19 BUSINESS MANAGER Alexis Hewish ’17 ADVERTISING MANAGER Michael Zito ’18 ASSISTANT BUSINESS Amy Ferrigno ’20 ASSISTANT ADVERTISING Jarrett Hurms ’18 The Hawk welcomes letters to the editor (400-600 words). They can be emailed to hawk.editorial@gmail.com.

In the currently tense political climate, the integrity of the media has been undermined by accusations of fake news, the development of so-called alternative facts, and the rise of far right and far left media outlets. President Donald Trump made the White House attitude toward the media very clear, stating at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Feb. 24, “A few days ago I called the fake news the enemy of the people, and they are — they are the enemy of the people.” On the same day, Sean Spicer, White House press secretary, barred some news outlets from his media gaggle. The banned news organizations included The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, BuzzFeed, the BBC, and the Guardian.

As the independent student-run news organization at Saint Joseph’s University, The Hawk is, by extension, impacted by the claims that the media are “an enemy of the people.”

The Hawk, originally founded in 1929, is a news organization founded on truthful reportage and rooted in Jesuit principles. The Hawk welcomes writers of all ideologies, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds to contribute to the newspaper. All content is subject to an editorial process, Associated Press Stylebook guidelines, and fact-checking by the editorial board. All editors went through an application process to receive their positions. We reaffirm our dedication to a free and robust media, guided by ethical practices, accurate

and fair reporting, and a dedication to serving the public good. All writers share the same responsibility: to educate, entertain, inform, and to hold those in power accountable. Each section—news, opinions, lifestyle, and sports— provides students with an outlet for publication.

The News section produces timely content, that is guided by best practices, journalistic ethics, and intellectually honest reporting.

Our reporters must have multiple sources and information in their stories that is supported by verifiable facts and evidence.

The Lifestyle section typically provides more light-hearted articles about topics such as entertainment, arts, travel, profiles, games, movies, music, etc.

The Sports section works diligently to report on athletics on campus at all levels.

Writers in this section cover sports stories from a St. Joe’s perspective.

The Opinions section provides a forum for diverse opinions on a range of topics. Content on these pages are also held to journalistic standards and industry best practices. Regardless of the subject matter the writing must be factually accurate, contain no hate speech or personal attacks, and advance conversations on the chosen topic. There are four types of content on the Opinions pages: staff editorials, Letters to the Editor, op-ed pieces, and columnists.

Editorials are written through consensus by the entire Hawk editorial staff, and address a current topic that the staff believes to be

relevant to the community. These pieces vary in topic, length, and style from week to week.

Letters to the Editor can be submitted by students, faculty, and staff from the St. Joe’s community. These pieces may address an issue or story previously published in The Hawk.

Op-ed’s are opinions pieces submitted by writers who focus on timely or newsworthy events. These pieces can be personal narratives and reflections, or opinions about local, national, or international issues, that relate to St. Joe’s. The Opinions sections strives to include a variety of topics and perspectives each week to maintain balance within the scope of the section.

A columnist applies for her or his position at the beginning of each semester; however, applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Columnists must write on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis. Columns generally revolve around a singular theme, but writers can interpret this theme in a variety of ways.

The Hawk consistently strive to uphold these standards and journalistic ethics. In these challenging and fraught times, we live by the creed of truthful, accurate, and fair repertoire.

-The Hawk Staff

HOT NOT

Hammock chillin’

The recent spring-like weather has led to a premature return of “Villiger Beach,” the nickname given to the lawn, in front of Villiger that students flock to when the sun comes out. Beach towels could be seen dotting the lawn, as students basked in the uncharacteristically warm February sunshine and avoided all responsibility, at least for a few hours.

There were even hammocks set up between the trees for students to lounge in, adding to the chill beachy vibes.

or

TEARING UP CITY AVE

Construction on City Avenue is somehow still going on, and students are not too pleased that the precious morning commute is taking longer. It’s especially inconvenient for pedestrians shopping at Acme, who are trying to cross but find no crosswalk. Here’s hoping that it stops before the summer. For now, look both ways before you cross.

db in decline

It is usually at this point in the semester that the cashiers at Einstein’s, the POD or DB will say, “You’ve been declined.” Losing the sweet convenience of declining balance and havCheck your emails, Hawks, because chances are you’ve received an email from Student ing to live off of Campion is a fate that can’t even be wished on the Villanova Wildcat himUnion Board (SUB) urging you to vote for the next SJUbyU performance. Previous acts have self. Say goodbye to stress free swiping and open up your wallet for those extra expenses. included Aaron Carter, Vanessa Bayer, and Ice-T. This year, there are many exciting options to choose from, like Ben Schwartz from Parks and Rec, Bowling for Soup, Aidy Bryant from SNL, and many more. So, be sure to cast your vote by March 3 to have your voice heard.

It would be a tragedy not to include the biggest faux paus at the most recent Academy Awards. Presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the musical “La La Land” as the winner of the Best Picture award. It was soon discovered, however, that Beatty The women’s Basketball Team has been on a roll recently. They crushed Rhode Island had been given the wrong envelope, and the ceremony’s producers were quick to rectify in the first round of the A-10 Tournament. On Feb. 25, the game, held at Hagan Arena, the situation - in the middle of the acceptance speeches. The drama “Moonlight” was then finished with a more than 20-point lead by the Hawks. These ladies aren’t done yet, though. announced as the correct winner, with the “La La Land” producers graciously handing Be sure to root on the third seed Hawks as they take on six seed La Salle in the Quarter their statues over. But it’s been memed to death anyway, and is sure to be remembered as Finals of the A-10 Championship in Richmond, Va. on March 3. #THWND the biggest mistake in Oscar history.

SJU by u voting begins

THE sTEVE HARVEY EFFECT

women clinch first round

Opinions

6

March 1, 2017

Accepting a serendipitous life Ignite your passion for leadership ALLI DELGRIPPO ’17 Hawk Staff

Gr ap hi

cb yK ait ly

nP att er so n’

20

.

I am very lucky to owe my personal growth during my college experience to a lot of amazing individuals who have made my four years at Saint Joseph’s University incredibly special. Two of these are people I was really lucky to start with. They were clad in red polos and khakis, and offered such warmth and excitement that I couldn’t imagine not being able to pass forward that same love. I was so sure that being an Orientation Leader was going to be my calling at St. Joe’s; that was, until my interview didn’t go so hot, but the follow up feedback I received urged me to better showcase how I

could be a leader.

Shortly thereafter, it came time to pick classes. Scanning through a list of possibilities, I happened to see a class called Perspectives on Leadership and concluded that this was going to be my tool. This was how I was going to transform into the girl who would rock her interviews. I fully, intentionally, and wholeheartedly believed all of this, of course, until Ronald Dufresne, Ph.D, professor of management, opened the class by saying that this class will not teach you how to be a leader. Despite the fact that wanting to be a leader had been my reason for sign-

ing up for the class, I stayed. The next day I chose to make my primary major Leadership, Ethics, and Organizational Sustainability (LEO). Both decisions have transformed the person I am every day since.

We come into our experience at St Joe’s and meet the concept of “go forth and set the world on fire” head on. We let this concept drive our pursuit of joining a team we once never heard of and now couldn’t imagine not being a part of. We let it ignite our relationships with community members in tiny, charming St. Paul, Va. on the Appalachain Experience (APEX) and with the kids at Gesu school that we’ve formed relationships with during weekly service. But we should be feeling just as ignited, just as passionate in the classroom. After all, though I sometimes forget, we are here to be students.

And while “student” can also include Philadelphia Service Immersion Program (PSIP) leader, Dean’s Leadership Program

member, Student Senator, or Gaelic football player, what you’re putting in your brain while you’re here is important. For me, thanks to Perspectives on Leadership, that’s using “and” rather than “but” as much as possible for more effective and positive conversations. Because of Applied Sustainable Leadership, I know how to audit a firm and provide suggestions as to how they can become a benefit corporation. I can meet the business world with an ethics-focused lens thanks to Business, Stakeholders, and Ethics. Because of Organizational Sustainability, I know how we can work towards the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (think as big as alleviating poverty and world hunger). I’m nothing short of thrilled to keep building on all of these concepts, and to go forth and set the world on fire with what this phenomenal program has given me.

We are all obsessed

Our lives are consumed by Snapchat KARLEIGH LOPEZ ’20 Special to the Hawk

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson ’20.

I once watched a girl in the middle of a mall drop shoddily to her knees, roll around on the ground flailing her arms, squinting her eyes and almost tearing up, while screaming: “We lost our streak.”

Now, anyone else might find this scene quite strange or even alarming. However, my level of concern and second hand embarrassment at that moment was only moderate. In fact, I stopped in my tracks to watch because I felt my heart break a little for her. How long was said streak? What if it were over one hundred days? Poor girl.

I realized in that moment how skewed our values are. Think about it: we have assigned an immense and almost disgusting amount of importance to a score that accounts for the number of days in a row we have sent

an image to another person. Often those images aren’t even of anything significant. Typically, they are just a blank screen with the word “streak” lazily typed across with the sole purpose of keeping the score going.

I am not one to bash social media, because I am a firm believer that the Internet and other technological advancements have only benefitted our lives thus far. We have the privilege--I’m talking to you, Millennials--of having the world at our fingertips via a computer or phone.

I do not find anything wrong with sharing political videos on Facebook or tweeting funny memes on Twitter. However, I do struggle with the fact that sometimes we become consumed by the unnecessary. Snapchat, I’m sorry, but you really gotta go.

Since the advent of Snapchat in 2011, the way in which it has been used has changed drastically. Snapchat was originally popular for sending nude photos, but *Kermit sips tea* (that’s none of my business). With each update, I have watched users become more and more addicted.

I have seen people trip and fall while taking selfies. I’ve seen full blown meltdowns from young adults about someone opening a snap and not answering. We are undoubtedly consumed.

This obsession is not unique to Snapchat. Within a small amount of time, the fixation with the app has spiraled out of our control. I believe that is more than just a mere fascination. With Myspace, the fascination died down and the site was rendered obsolete. I cannot foresee the same outcome for Snapchat.

For some odd reason, flower crown filters and 10 second videos appeal to Millennials tremendously. Our short attention span and our unexplainable affinity for puppy dog overlays have allowed us to become slaves to our phone screens. Because what else is it really giving us, other than a crappy selfie or a high Snapchat score that counts for absolutely nothing?

Instead of impatiently waiting for the next update with new filters and tools on Snapchat, why don’t we actually watch where we are going when we are walking, pay attention in class, and get this—stop caring so much about who we have streaks with. I am by no means against Snapchat, but I think we could all use a little break until we can learn how to use it in moderation.

Opinions

March 1, 2017

7

It has been an honor

How AGD gave me the bond of sisterhood MAGGIE STEWART '17 Special to the Hawk

I would not consider myself a crier.

I do not cry at movies, a song has never moved me to tears, and I just barely shed a tear when my brother said “I do” at his wedding. So when I found myself ugly crying into a napkin at a Dave and Buster’s this past January, I couldn’t help but also laugh at myself.

It was a round of rags and roses at the annual Alpha Gamma Delta (AGD) retreat that brought me to tears. This activity allows members to talk openly about their concerns with the chapter as a whole, affirm people for their accomplishments, or shower someone in adoration. I was so

caught off guard by my own emotion that I was also laughing. To this day, I still do not know if everyone was laughing with me or at me for not understanding a word I said.

It is hard for me to even imagine how I got to this point. I came into college with no intention of joining a sorority. When I eventually succumbed to the peer pressure of my suitemates freshman year to go through recruitment, I knew from day one that I wanted to be in AGD. From the rest of my freshman year all the way through my junior year, I created friendships so strong that nothing could shake them.

My sisters were the people who were with me during the absolute toughest times of my life, and they have always been right by my side: in class, on spontaneous adventures, at weekly service, in the car to buy Insomnia cookies at midnight,

on The Appalachian Experience, on my living room floor laughing about nothing, on a hill running a half marathon, and as bridesmaids at a fake wedding. AGD introduced me to the women who made me the best possible version of myself.

For those who know me, they know I really do not take life too seriously, yet I sobbed at a glorified arcade and the sentiments of what this sorority has given me. I am also a second semester senior. For many people that means applying for jobs, going out to Manayunk several nights a week, and potentially dropping their activities.

I know someone from every club sports team, Greek chapter, and even service organization that feel like they have “gotten everything out of it they could have.” I could have very easily have said thanks for the memories and left AGD. I would still have the same friends, so what was the difference? Was it worth it to invest my time and energy as an active member when I could enjoy my extra free time and celebrate the “lasts” of college?

I gave this a great deal of thought. It was at that moment during the retreat at Dave and Buster’s that I was certain I had made the right decision. Listening to the sophomores and juniors made me both

(Photos courtesy of Franki Rudnesky '18).

happy, hopeful, and a bit jealous of all the time ahead of them. They reminded me of all the moments we lifted each other up and how I have been shaped by these women.

When my time came, I am not sure I really got my point across between my rambling, laughter, and tears.

My point was that I could not be any prouder to be a part of AGD and to call these people my sister. Life at Saint Joseph’s University will go on after the seniors graduate, and I have zero doubt that all of these women will continue to do great things on this campus.

Jim Valvano, the sports broadcaster once said, “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special.”

AGD is one of the few things in my life that makes me think, laugh, and cry, and it has been an honor to be a part of something this special.

Justice and Tolerance

The pillars of St. Joe's and the American experiment JASON D'ANTONIO '19 Special to the Hawk

Like almost everyone, I was shocked after the result of the election. Regardless of which candidate you voted for, he or she was the one you thought would make the right decision for our country. However, few predicted the eventual outcome.

So, I decided to attend the forum hosted on Nov. 10 called, “Making Sense of the Presidential Election,” hosted by the university to further reflect on the election and its effects.

I will be frank and admit, I was uncomfortable at the forum. Like many, my parents make over $50,000 a year, I am not a female, and I am white. According to some of the statements made by a speaker at the forum, I could have been someone who did not care about women or minorities. According to this speaker, my vote may have told those students they do not matter. But nobody knew who I voted for, nor should they.

You and I are different. Through no fault of our own, you and I were born with

a different appearance, with a different heritage, and in a different home with different surroundings. But we do have one thing in common: we are human.

As a history enthusiast, I often look back to moments in our nation’s history for guidance and hope.

In the winter of 1770, tension between American colonists and the Crown were reaching a boiling point and much like our current political climate today, it was charged, tense, and volatile. Similarly, disagreements about governance and taxation split the colonies in two. In an effort to quell rebellious attitudes, the British sent troops to Boston, Mass., much to the discontent of its citizens.

On March 5, 1770 , in a protest of discontented demonstrators, violence erupted, resulting in the death of five men, including a freed slave and a boy named Samuel Maverick who was 17—just about our age. The culprits of these deaths were the detested British soldiers. This event became known as the Boston Massacre, and after it occurred, pamphlets were a way for persons to give voice to dissent in a time of heated conflict. Many colonists wanted a fair trial for the soldiers and believed they

deserved justice.

It is theorized that one man believed they deserved a fair trial: our soon-to-be president, John Adams. Understanding that a fair and just trial should be a cornerstone of what would become the United States of America, Adams agreed to represent the men and provide legal representation.

To me, this is remarkable. The man who would later go on to help draft our Declaration of Independence and become a formidable adversary to Great Britain as an ambassador and president, was to ensure that justice was carried out, even for representatives of the loathsome British government. He put aside his differences and political views, and volunteered his career and reputation to represent these men in court.

Let’s face it – we are in a critical time. A time that will test our democracy and values. A time that will require each and every one of us to be fair and open, something we practice daily here at Saint Joseph’s University. We shouldn’t judge others by who they voted for, their skin color, or religion, only

Graphic by Kaitlyn Patterson '20.

by their actions and character.

In this peculiar time, we must remember to, in fact, open our hearts towards one another. Violence and dysfunction will surely come as a result of close-mindedness and will lead to the destruction of our sacred liberties and values.

Tolerance and understanding is the only way to create a safe and just future for all.

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Opinions

March 1, 2017

A defining moment of our evolution The future of gene editing

I

magine living in a world with no hereditary diseases. Doesn’t that sound like the opening line of a science fiction film trailer?

Well, just like many other things that once seemed like a distant fantasy, it’s now headed towards our reality.

As reported by the Washington Post in 2015, a recent breakthrough of a genome editing tool called Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR), controlling the genetic makeup of human beings just got a whole lot easier.

This tool has the potential to, and likely will, change the course of humanity forever.

"CRISPR "spacer" sequences are transcribed into short RNA sequences ("CRISPR RNAs" or "crNA") capable of guiding the system to matching sequences of DNA. When the target DNA is found, Cas 9 - one of the enzymes produced by the CRISPR system - bind to the DNA and cuts it, shutting the targeted gene off," as explained by the Broad Institute. By editing active cells in a person’s DNA, CRISPR has the ability to rid a person of hereditary disease. This tool is something that went from being expensive and time consuming to cheap and accessible all around the world. In 2016, the US National Institute of Health approved the use of CRISPR for humans in a trial for cancer therapy, according to nature, a weekly science journal. Upon this news

CARTER TODD '19 Hawk Staff being revealed, it is easy to jump to conclusions about all of the benefits this medical advancement offers. Of course it seems like a good idea to rid the world of health issues if possible, but at what cost?

When new technology is revealed, it always presents itself as a win-win situation.

However, history has taught us that it is not quite so simple, and with the normalization of advancements like these come a very real danger. First of all, scientists do not know the effects that editing the DNA of a person could have on future generations.

Once something is in someone’s DNA, it is capable of being passed down to future generations. That being said, it is not hard to imagine a family deciding to use CRISPR in the future to prevent their child from obtaining a hereditary disease common to their bloodline. This is something that could prove to be very beneficial to health in our country but should not be done without proper precautions being taken, even if it means slowing the momentum of CRISPR for more than a generation.

Let’s now assume that CRISPR has proven itself to be impeccable over the next 100 years. Hereditary diseases have been wiped off the planet, mental health is soaring, and parents are able to successfully and safely alter the genetic makeup of their children. It wouldn’t make much sense to stop after that. As always, for better or

Students experiment in the Science Center (Photo by Luke Malanga '20).

worse, curiosity will get the best of us and it won’t be too long before there is serious abuse of this tool. A government could use it to ensure obedience from its’ citizens.

This could be pushed to a point where we end up living on a planet with people who all look the same, talk the same, and don’t have a sliver of an idea of what it means to be an individual. Of course, the evil this presents won’t be visible right away. It takes

generations for something so foreign to be trusted by people everywhere. Maybe it is something where people decide to take the bad with the good. No matter the direction that CRISPR advancements take us to, we can be sure that once regularly implemented, humankind will be beyond the point of return in a defining moment of our evolution.

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Lifestyle

March 1, 2017

9

PROFILES IN THE ARTS: MOLLY LEDBETTER

Actress, improv comedienne, and singer on laughter, nerves, and the "freedom" of acapella ROSE WELDON ’19 Lifestyle Editor The first day Molly Ledbetter, ’17, performed on a stage was also the same day her mother broke her own arm.

“It was a very tumultuous morning,” Ledbetter said. “And thank heavens that didn’t foreshadow where my acting career would go.”

Ledbetter, an international relations major and double-minor in history and art history, is not only a veteran member of SJU Improv, the on-campus improv comedy group, but also a co-president of the acapella group Hawkapella. Her associations with both organizations began during her freshman year.

In 2014, after attending one of the group’s community practices, Ledbetter auditioned and became one of the founding members of the improv team. Her spontaneous characters are visibly influenced by her own comedy idols, including Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig, and Maya Rudolph, all of “Saturday Night Live” fame.

“I believe in the power of laughter,” said Ledbetter, who won the “Class Clown” title in her senior year at Council Rock North High School in Newton, Bucks County, Pa. “I love how people can leave their sorrows behind, even just for a minute, even if they don’t know it’s happening.”

In addition to improv, Ledbetter has acted in two musicals with the SJU Theater

Company: “Avenue Q,” as one of the Bad Idea Bears, and “West Side Story” as Pauline. She also has a role in student theater group Followed By a Bear’s latest show, “To the Rescue,” which will be performed on March 5.

While she joined improv after one practice, Ledbetter has been singing for most of her life and first heard acapella music and joined a group while in high school.

“I loved that new style,” Ledbetter said.

“It gives you a freedom to sing how you want to sing.”

Auditioning for Hawkapella, however, was a different story, as she forgot the words to her song halfway through. She was sure she didn’t have a chance after learning that 90 other people had auditioned.

“I was positive I wasn’t going to get in,” Ledbetter said. “I called my mom crying after the audition, saying ‘I didn’t make it, I love singing so much.’”

Nevertheless, she made it into the group. Ledbetter’s co-president, Derrek Bui, ’18, said that she is an organized and hardworking member of the group.

“My first impression of Molly was that she had such a bubbly personality,” Bui said.

“That still holds true today; it’s very rare to find Molly not smiling.”

Bui also said that one of his favorite memories was recording a cover of Panic! At the Disco’s “Hallelujah” in a hotel room in

Molly Ledbetter, '17, is best known for her talents in comedy and music (Photo by Rose Weldon, '19).

Washington D.C. with Hawkapella, where Ledbetter had a featured solo.

Hawkapella later made a video to accompany their recording, which Ledbetter says is one of her proudest moments.

In the face of all her accomplishments, however, Ledbetter says she still gets nervous before going onstage, which does not exactly help when she is singing.

“I’m good at tricking my brain. So I tell myself that I’m not nervous, but I definitely am,” Ledbetter said. “It’s more of an excited

energy, with improv and with singing. But I think that nerves are good. They keep you alert and on your toes.”

While Ledbetter says that she is also nervous of what the future holds, it helps to remember a piece of advice that her father keeps telling her.

“Don’t worry about what you can’t control,” Ledbetter said. “And my biggest quote in life is that ‘everyone’s fighting a battle that you know nothing about, so always be kind.’

I try to let that steer everything I do.”

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Lifestyle

March 1, 2017

Taking flight with aerial yoga A novice explores a re-emerging trend ELANA VALENTIN ’19 Special to the Hawk

Graphic by Luke Malanga '20.

W

hat do you get when you combine the circus and yoga?

You get aerial yoga, a reemerging trend that has been around since the yoga boom in the 1970s. Think traditional yoga, but upside-down and two feet off the ground.

Kaya Aerial Yoga, located in Old City, is the only studio in Philadelphia dedicated to aerial yoga. It offers a range of classes, from boot camps to FlexFlow, all involving various intensities of core exercises and deep stretching. I had only tried yoga a couple of times in my life, and had recently skipped some gym sessions in lieu of homework, so I decided to pay the flat-rate fee of $20 for an introductory course.

One mid-February morning, I threw on a tank top and my “I can do anything” leggings, and ordered an Uber for the 90-minute class. Admittedly, my initial impression of the studio, despite the amazing website and sunny disposition for the day, was lacking due to its grungy exterior. But behind its hot pink door, Kaya Aerial Yoga Studio proved to be a diamond in the rough.

The jam-packed space was covered with colorful silks and sun-soaked chalk boards.

The lobby was dense with mirrors, water bottles, and fun quotes. However, the only thing missing was a view of the exercise space itself, appropriately named “The Hammock Room,” which made the experience feel a little mysterious. What was hidden behind

that closed door? Why was there muffled laughter every time the ceiling started to creak?

In the meantime, everyone I met, including the instructors, new students, and returning students, were all amicable. Alyssa Vaccaro, a nursing major at the University of Pennsylvania and returning aerial yoga student, was especially kind. She helped me find a cubby, reminded me to take off my socks, and offered encouraging words while we were waiting for class to begin.

Vaccaro also told me that she had practiced aerial yoga in Doylestown, Pa. for a while, but takes the introductory course at Kaya on Saturday mornings.

“I really like the stretches,” she said. “And I like how centered it makes me feel. I always feel a little bit better after I come here.”

Finally, it was time to enter the Hammock Room. I was greeted by rows of upside-down rainbows, empty walls, and a young, fit instructor.

The instructor turned out to be Alexandra Densmore, who taught our class for the day.

Understanding that most of the students in the class were new to aerial yoga, she patiently explained the safety precautions of the studio in full detail. She reassured us that the circusgrade silks, daisy chains, and rock-climbing equipment shifting against each other was completely normal, and emphasized that we should “trust the fabric” as if the swings were steel-reinforced friends who earned a living doing trust falls.

Unlike yoga classes in the past, I found it very easy to follow Densmore’s instructions.

The pace was slow, but everything was done with careful intention. She reminded us to focus on certain muscles when stretching and flexing, and cautioned the “flighty” bravados who were excelling in inversions.

The terms “flighty” and “inversions” were typically used in regard to flipping upsidedown in the hammocks. I wasn’t particularly brave when it came to inversions, but I aspired to become as comfortable as Vaccaro who had been twisting and turning before the class had even begun.

By the end of the session, I felt like I had paid $20 for an hour-long deep tissue massage. We had the final option of choosing between the Sleeping Bear Pose, or meditating in a hammock if we were too dizzy. Weirdly enough, I found myself contemplating a lot of childhood memories there, like how I practiced tricks on the tire swing back home in Connecticut, or how I used to twirl around on the swing set in elementary school. Later on I would find out that Carrie Ann Phelinczak, co-owner of Kaya Aerial Yoga and the studio director, would describe this childlike wonder as being one of the best aspects of the craft.

Leaving the class, I was absorbed by the mental version of the “rush” Densmore had told us about during our morning session: sore and shaky at first, but bursting with energy from exercising new parts of the body. This was quickly becoming one of my

favorite parts of aerial yoga.

Densmore says her favorite part of aerial yoga is channeling people’s inner strength.

“I like people to mentally get to a point where their body is uncomfortable and realize they’re not dying, and that there’s room for growth,” Densmore said. “And they flip the switch to inner strength.”

I admitted that it was hard to flip the switch, but once you do, it’s very addicting.

“It’s so hard when you’re still there,” Densmore agreed with me. “Then you think ‘Okay, I’m not dead. I’m not dying. I’m not actually in pain. I’m just uncomfortable.’

Then they flip the switch and think, ‘Well, what if I keep going? And they get stronger.’”

As I stepped back out to the cobblestone alleyway, bright and cheery under the cloudless, blue sky, I couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief. Densmore was right. In a weird way, I felt much stronger than I had before the class.

Was I any closer to becoming a Cirque du Soleil performer? Hardly. But through enduring the trip to the studio (rush hour is quite the dragon) and braving the inversions, I still managed to make progress.

So while my muscles were shaking and my legs felt like jelly, my confidence was spurred. Thus I headed out into the depths of Old City to conquer the day, keeping these lessons in the back of my mind, and gently maintaining that “centeredness” while my feet took flight.

Lifestyle

March 1, 2017

11

Songs of Ice and Fire

Wells Fargo Center transformed into the world of “Game of Thrones” ALYSSA LAMONT ’19 Special to the Hawk The Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience on Feb. 27 allowed fans of the show to experience every situation we thought we lived through when watching the show on TV. This concert took me into a land of George R. R. Martin’s dreams.

The loud and rhythmic beat of the per-

The land of Westoros is brought to vivid life onstage (Photos by Alyssa LaMont ’19).

cussion replaced the pounding of my heart.

I saw the life leave his eyes and my blood ran cold. I could feel the beating of the percussion grow louder until it consumed me.

I froze and began to sweat while running through the city of Meereen.

Silence was followed by clapping. My eyes shot open to see the composer, Ramin Djawadi, taking a quick bow as he ended the opening and began to ready the next piece.

I took this time to look around. I couldn’t recognize the Wells Fargo Center, as it was occupied with seven stages varying in size and over a dozen screens. I could see the orchestra at the far end of the stadium from my seat.

The composer’s stand was covered in swords, just like the Iron Throne. The mark of the Sparrow hung from the ceiling in a daunting spotlight.

Hordes of Wildlings and Sons of the Harpy lingered about, acting as the chorus and main musicians for the concert.

It didn’t feel like I was in Philadelphia, but rather a long day in Westeros or Essos, as the acts of great people like Daenerys Targaryen or Tyrion Lannister were recreated around me.

While watching Game of Thrones, viewers are thrown through the high and low points of every character’s life. You

are propelled into a whirlpool of emotions through battle, crying over the loss of the King in the North, and then watching a love story take place.

No event was left out of the concert.

I lived through the Battle of Blackwater, which I only ever watched on TV. I was on the rocking ship as it was the target of dozens of flaming arrows. I watched as the water was engulfed in green fire and burned every ship to ash.

I saw the piano Djawadi played rise from the stage and the screens turn to the endless stream of organs. I watched the screens to see the events in King’s Landing as Cersei Lannister planned the death of the Sparrow.

The Sept of the Seven burned with the same green fire that took over the ships in Blackwater. When the song reached its climax, the stage around him rose in an endless stream of smoke lit up by green lights.

No happiness engulfed me as I watched the stage rise once more during the battle between Ramsay Bolton and Jon Targaryen. I could feel the shields of the Boltons painted red with the flayed man closing in on me.

I couldn’t breath as the stages once more transformed, splitting the screens and allowing Djawadi to be surrounded by the shields just like Jon Snow and his warriors.

I felt myself short of breath awaiting

each event that burned itself into my brain during the seasons of the HBO show.

I’ve seen 60 episodes and six seasons, and yet just over two hours watching these scenes accompanied by the brilliant music had completely immersed me into Martin’s world.

I was the puppet and the music was my puppeteer. Even after I left, I was never allowed to leave the world Djawadi created around me, as each and every chord sung throughout the arena.

To the Rescue

Followed by a Bear prepares new night of scenes JENNY NESSEL ’19 Hawk Staff Followed by a Bear, the student-run theater group on campus, prides itself on being a group that pushes its members, and strives to be a learning experience for everyone involved.

The motto for the group is “Anyone can act or direct or write.”

The group started in 2013 with John Reheiner, ’15, and Sequoia Collier-Hezel, ’15. They originally went to a Saint Joseph’s Prep night of scenes, and saw the need on campus for those who were not comfortable being involved in the SJU Theater Company to get involved in theater.

Now, the group has about 100-200 members, which includes alumni and stage crew. For the upcoming show, “To the Rescue,” there are about 30 members and eight directors.

“It [the theme] was just fun, and we just thought that the possibilities were endless. We saw the results through all the submissions we got,” said Michael Rizzo, ’17, president of Followed by a Bear.

The process behind the show relies on teamwork and communication because the company depends on student-written pieces. For this show, there were about 18 submissions, all having to do with the theme around the title, “To the Rescue.”

Colin Mallee, ’17, vice president, and Tom Smith, ’18, treasurer, look at all the script submissions and give notes for improvement.

Actors rehearse a scene for Followed by a Bear’s “To the Rescue” show (Photo by Jenny Nessel ’19).

However, after they give out the scenes to the actors and directors, the executive board focuses on the show itself. Then, the actors and directors are on their own.

“We prefer that people take their own direction for things,” Mallee said. “We’ve had some scripts that we thought would go one way that went another.”

That doesn’t diminish the work of the board, though. The members of the executive board include Rizzo, Mallee, Smith and Morgan Yearick, ’18, secretary and head marketer. They make sure that the work gets done behind the scenes.

Rizzo feels his job is to work with the

actors. Mallee deals directly with directors and actors and also makes sure that the tech crew knows what they’re doing, while Smith is in charge of funds and organizes fundraisers to help directors out by acquiring props.

Yearick sends out all the emails, takes minutes, and makes sure they stay organized.

What the team is proudest of is the way the club allows everyone to participate.

“The community made me feel so welcomed and important [when I first joined.]

This club brings people together,” Yearick said.

Even new writers have an opportunity to get involved. Smith and Mallee often hold “Writer’s Workshops” so that those interest-

ed can improve on their script writing.

Many of the members are involved with the SJU Theater Company, like Megan Hennessey, ’18. However, she described Followed by a Bear’s atmosphere as relaxing, and without the pressure that the company brings with it.

“Being able to say that we did this all ourselves is really rewarding. It’s fun to produce our own art,” Hennessey said.

Rizzo feels that Followed by a Bear is different because it’s an educational program that allows students to have new experiences in theater with other individuals who care about theater and the arts.

“I think theater is very academic and intellectual,” Rizzo said. “You have to know what you’re doing from day one. You [also] have to expect from people. There’s a communal thing, and then when you present to the audience, their reactions come back to that. It’s very communal and spiritual.”

Overall, the company seeks to provide a safe environment for those who want to create something.

“It’s all student everything,” Hennessey said. “It’s a very healthy outlet, especially for students that don’t have a good opportunity to take creative writing and screenwriting. It’s very student empowering.”

“To the Rescue” will be held on March 5 at the Perch.

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Lifestyle

Crossword Puzzle"

March 1, 2017

DOWN 1. Yosemite, Yellowstone, etc.

2. “Surf the ___” 3. 5280 feet (x2) 4. Solitary 5. Novia Scotia 6. “__ phone home!”

7. Slang term for a beard grown out over a year 8. Genetics 9. Lawyer 13. Surround or hold within 17. Four leaf clover 18. Summertime Sadness singer 22. Need to stay alive 24. Mister, abbreviation

KELLIE O'BRIEN, '19 Social Media Manager

ACROSS 1. Wealth, not inherited 8. Glamorous person 10. Albert, German-born theoretical physicist 11. A place to sit at 12. Piece clothing covering entire body 14. Person who uses their body as a form of art 15. “I said yes, not __!”

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Sports

March 1, 2017

13

Eight straight

Men’s basketball struggles to break losing streak NICK MANDARANO ’18 Sports Editor The Saint Joseph’s University men’s basketball team lost their eighth straight game by 1 point against the Saint Louis University Billikens on Feb. 25. The Hawks lost a double-digit lead in another heartbreaking defeat.

“We’re really just trying to improve every day,” said senior captain Brendan Casper. “We understand that we have to battle every night and we have a short deck of guys. We’re just trying to get a win, and then you never know what happens next week in Pittsburgh [in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament]. That’s the best part. When you’re in Pittsburgh, everyone’s 0-0 at that point, so it’s a fresh start.”

St. Joe’s led by as many as 13 points during the game and held a 58-53 lead with under three minutes left in the game. However, the Billikens were able to rattle off eight consecutive points. A 3-pointer from St. Louis’ senior Mike Crawford put the team ahead by one and a layup then gave the Billikens a three-point cushion with just 23 seconds remaining. The Hawks managed to make one more layup before time expired, but nothing else.

“We’ve got guys in positions and for whatever reason they felt uncomfortable,” Head Coach Phil Martelli told SJUHawks.com. “We stopped processing. We didn’t think. We gave

up a layup down one with no time left on the shot clock. Then obviously there’s the last play of the game.”

The Hawks shot 16-for-29 from the foul line. All across the game, they were in situations where they’re not comfortable, according to Martelli.

The struggles from the free throw line are nothing new for St. Joe’s. On the season, the Hawks have shot 65.2 percent on foul shots. Their opponents have been successful on 72.8 percent of their free throws.

Against St. Louis, the Hawks shot 55.2 percent on free throws, leaving 13 points at the line. The Billikens shot 63 percent, leaving just seven points.

St. Joe’s dug themselves into an early hole, falling behind 12-1 within the first six minutes of the game. From there, the deficit remained at least seven for about the next 10 minutes of game play. Finally, with just over a minute to go in the half, the Hawks tied the game at 22-22 and owned a 25-22 lead headed into halftime.

After outscoring St. Louis 49-25 from the time they trailed 12-1 until their 13-point lead in the second half, a run that spanned close to 25 minutes, the Hawks struggled going 3-8 from the floor and 4-7 from the free throw line.

“We’ve been in this situation numerous times this year,” Casper said. “We’re up 10, we’re up eight, we’re up 13 with about seven [or] eight minutes left. We just happen to have a couple bad turnovers, some missed free throws, a couple bad defensive missed assignments and we just kind of give it away.

It’s disappointing because we work so hard to get to that point and then we just let it go.”

The Hawks will look to break their losing streak at home on March 1 at 7 p.m. against Rhode Island University in what will be their final home game this year. St. Joe’s will honor their senior captains Casper and Javon Baumann.

“Our last night playing at Hagan Arena − it’s definitely going to be a lot of emotions running through my mind and I’m sure through Javon’s as well,” Casper said.

“It’s been a great ride and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. Definitely, you don’t want to go out on a losing streak like this, but for me, I’m just going to cherish every moment of it. It would mean a lot for us, for the team, for myself, for the coaches to finish with a win at Hagan.”

The Hawks will play for more than just their seniors, however.

“We’re going to be ready to play and compete,” Casper said. “We remember they [Rhode

Brendan Casper looks to move the ball downcourt (Photo courtesy of Sideline Photos, LLC).

Island] beat us by 30 at their place earlier in the year. We have a bad taste in our mouth from that, so hopefully we can come and compete and play hard in our last game for the home fans who have supported us all year.”

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14

Sports

March 1, 2017

Turning it around

Men’s tennis wins second of two matches CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Assistant News Editor Starting the season with an equal amount of wins and losses, the Saint Joseph’s University men’s tennis team sought to reach a winning record against Saint Louis University on Feb. 24. The Hawks fell, 5-2, losing their second conference match of the season.

Doubles partners senior Valentijn van Erven and senior Tristan Boustany won their flight 7-5. Sophomore Tim Stierle and junior Peter Dewitt lost their doubles flight 6-3 alongside senior Kyle Chalmers and sophomore Dan Tan who lost in their doubles flight 6-3.

“St. Louis has got some talent and we did not play well in doubles,” said Head Coach Ian Crookenden. “The one and two positions, which are more of our solid positions, we did not play well and that shakes the player’s confidence a little bit when that happens. We competed hard, we just have to bounce back and try to improve on it that’s all.”

In the singles matches, the Hawks tried fighting for the win with Stierle, Tan, and Dewitt all going into three-set matches. Tan won his singles match after losing the second set 7-5, but came back and won the third set 6-0. Stierle lost his match after winning the first set 6-4, but lost the second 6-4 and the third set 6-2. Dewitt also fought hard in his match losing the first set 4-6, but winning the second 6-4; however, in the last set he fell 6-2.

“They are competitive, but at the

end of a long week against a tough opponent we just were a little fragile and that is what they have to learn to be able to handle,” Crookenden said. “They have to learn to handle the mistakes, learn to handle if things don’t go their way, handle it, shrug it off, and focus.”

Boustany won his singles flight 6-2, 6-0 in what Crookenden called a “perfect matchup”. Chalmers lost his singles match 6-3, 6-1.

Sophomore Andre Fick lost his singles flight losing his first set 6-4 and had a close match in the second set with a score of 7-5.

“The match against St. Louis, the result wasn’t good,” Chalmers said. “We didn’t compete as well as we should’ve. Especially for a conference match, it wasn’t a good one to lose.”

The Hawks came back on Feb. 25 with a 6-1 win against the University of Delaware. They started off strong with every doubles team winning their matches.. Dewitt and Stierle won 6-2, Chalmers and Tan, and Boustany and Van Erven won 6-3.

“We had a stronger mental state, which is what you need for the game we play,” Crookenden said.

Both Chalmers and freshman Beekman Schaeffer won their singles flights in a three-set victory− Chalmers with a score of 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 and Schaeffer with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.

Boustany fell to Delaware in his singles match with a 1-6, 4-6 loss and the only loss of the night. Fick won his singles flight in a

close 7-5, 7-5 match as did Dewitt who won 6-4, 6-4. Van Erven played singles and won his singles flight 7-5, 6-1.

Both Chalmers and Tan agree that Van Erven was the best player of the weekend, ending the weekend undefeated in two doubles matches and one singles match.

“He’s [Van Erven] playing really well for us right now and has done his job well in the role he has on the team,” Chalmers said. “I’m especially happy for him too since he is senior and this is his first season getting regular playing time.”

Tan believes that the team did well and bounced back from a loss with strength.

Winning doubles gives the momentum of a good match and that is what they did.

“I think overall we are still doing well,” Tan said. “We have a positive record overall now even though we are down 0-2 in terms of conference matches. We have a lot in the future and I think that as long as we stay focused and with the A-10’s in mind we will still be able to contest strongly against some of the top teams.”

The Hawks do not play again until March 11 where they will begin to play in their outdoor season with their first match against Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. They will play again on March 12 against Davidson College in North Carolina.

Valentijn van Erven prepares to return a hit (Photo by Luke Malenga ’20).

Duking it out

Lacrosse falls to nationally-ranked Blue Devils ALEX KARPINSKI ’20 Hawk Staff The Saint Joseph’s University men’s lacrosse team squared off against the Duke University Blue Devils on Feb. 26. The Hawks traveled to Durham, North Carolina to take on their third nationally-ranked opponent in the past two weeks.

After dropping to a record of 0-2 following a loss to the University of Pennsylvania, St. Joe’s was looking for their first win of the season against the Blue Devils team ranked 18th in the nation. Unfortunately, the Hawks could not halt their skid, losing by a score of 16-3.

Senior Kevin Reidinger provided the offense for the Hawks in the first half, scoring two goals and bringing his total to a team leading six goals on the season.

Reidinger’s efforts proved not to be enough, as the Blue Devils hit St. Joe’s with 12 goals in the first half.

“Unfortunately, as I told the guys, there weren’t many bright spots in this one,” said Head Coach Taylor Wray. “Nothing went very well for us.”

In the second half, junior Patrick O’Brien tallied the Hawks lone goal, while the Blue Devils added another four goals to their already large lead.

Wray emphasized that the team needed to do a better job of translating what they do on the practice field to actual ingame situations.

“When we’re under pressure, both be-

cause of the opponent and the competitive atmosphere, we haven’t executed and done the things we’ve discussed and practiced doing,” Wray said. “That’s really the biggest takeaway. We need to be able to execute the game plan and the things we’re practicing in the critical moments of the games.”

Although it is a difficult task, Wray said his team enjoys the challenge of playing perennial national powerhouses such as Duke.

“It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself against the best and to find out where you really stand,” Wray said. “We would’ve liked to have played better, that’s the truth.

I don’t think we played well. I think that we’re more competitive than we demonstrated in the game.”

Wray added that he thinks at their very best, the Hawks could be competitive with any program in the country.

“In the Maryland and the Penn games there were stretches where we did a good job and we were playing with those guys,” Wray said. “And then there would be a mistake here or there and when you play good teams they really capitalize on your mistakes. For us to beat teams like that we have to play nearly mistake free lacrosse, and we’re just making too many mistakes right now to stay in these games.”

One of the major challenges St. Joe’s faces this season is the loss of senior captain Mike Rastivo in the fall due to inju-

ry. In 2016, Rastivo led the Hawks in goals, points, and assists. His presence is sorely missed on the field both as a leader and a player.

“It’s been a collective job to handle not only the playmaking but also the leadership loss,” Wray said. “It has been a challenge, but guys are stepping up a little differently at each position.”

One of the bright spots that have filled the hole left by Rastivo’s injury is Reidinger, who is leading St. Joe’s in goals and points this season.

“Kevin [Reidinger] has been terrific,” Wray said. “He’s been our best offensive player. Kevin is a heck of a competitor, from just watching his approach to practice and the amount of work and time that he’s put in throughout the fall, we knew he was going to have a good year.”

Wray looked at these past three games as a humbling experience for his team.

“The bottom line is we have a lot of work to do,” he said. “We need to get better from end line to end line in everything that we do,” Wray said. “When you play good teams you learn about yourself and that’s what we’ve done.”

Although Wray was disappointed with the past three games, he sees a very promising future for this team.

“I still feel like we have a great team,” Wray said. “ In the end, we want to win ev-

ery game on the schedule, but we also want to improve as we go through the schedule so that we’re playing our best lacrosse once we get to league play and towards the tail end of the season.”

Senior captain Charles Guinta mentioned before the season that a great end to the season could make up for any kind of rough start.

“It doesn’t matter how you start, it’s how you finish,” Guinta said. “We’d much rather be in first in May than in February.”

The Hawks will be looking for their first win of the season March 1, as they go on the road to face St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y.

Kevin Reidinger shoots against Duke University (Photos courtesy of Sideline Photos, LLC).

Sports

March 1, 2017

15

Respecting the process

Baseball keeps high hopes despite rough start NICK MANDARANO ’18 Sports Editor The Saint Joseph’s University baseball team traveled to Norfolk, Va. for the Old Dominion Tournament last weekend. After getting swept by Pepperdine University in a three-game series from Feb. 17-19, the Hawks were looking for their first win of the 2017 season.

St. Joe’s opened the tournament on Feb. 24 with a game against the University of Kentucky Wildcats, in which they lost 16-9.

With two-outs in the second inning, the Hawks’ offense caught fire and struck for four runs. After three consecutive singles, the bases were loaded for senior center fielder Peter Sitaras, who took Kentucky’s Sean Hjelle deep for a grand slam homerun.

By the fourth inning, the Hawks led 5-2. The Wildcats exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth, taking a 9-5 lead. St. Joe’s immediately responded with a four-spot in the top of the fifth.

Following a leadoff single from junior catcher Deon Stafford and a double from senior left fielder Cal Jadacki, senior first baseman Dom Cuoci hit a three-run homerun. Before the third out, the Hawks added another run when junior shortstop Matt Maul singled home sophomore right fielder Charlie Concannon, which tied the game at nine runs apiece.

“We’re all just focused on getting on base and then we trust the guys behind us to bring us home,” Jadacki said.

The Wildcats managed to score four runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh, which put them up 16-9, where the score would stand until the game’s final out.

St. Joe’s faced the University of Delaware Blue Hens the following day, but lost the game 10-8. The Hawks got on the scoreboard first after a leadoff homerun from Maul in the bottom of the third inning, the first of three straight innings in which St. Joe’s would score. In the fourth inning, Cuoci singled through the left side to score Jadacki, who reached on a double to lead off the inning. Cuoci later scored on a wild pitch from Delaware’s Burk FitzPatrick to give the Hawks a three-run lead.

The Blue Hens called on Matt Hornich,

their fourth pitcher of the game, for the start of the fifth inning. The Hawks jumped on Hornich from the get-go. Stafford led off with a double to left field, setting up a tworun homerun for Jadacki. The fifth inning finished with a 5-0 St. Joe’s lead.

In the top of the sixth, the Blue Hens finally got to St. Joe’s sophomore starting pitcher Tim Brennan, who had shut them out for the first five innings. The first two runners reached base with singles for Delaware and advanced on a passed ball before Doug Trimble brought them home. Brennan would stop the damage there, keeping hold of a 5-2 lead through six innings.

At the start of the seventh, the Hawks replaced Brennan with junior Justin Aungst. Brennan finished in line for the win with four strikeouts, two walks, and just two runs allowed, one earned, through his six innings.

“He had a little bit of a rough start, but he had a big strikeout and a 5-2-3 double play to get us out of a bases loaded jam,” Head Coach Fritz Hamburg said. “But he settled in. He had a long inning in the sixth when he gave up the two runs, but Tim [Brennan] threw the ball very well. This early in the season, you have to be very cognizant of pitch counts and things like that from a health standpoint.”

The Blue Hens loaded the bases with one out against Aungst before Blue Hens’ Jordan Glover cleared the bases with a double that tied the game at five. St. Joe’s was unable to respond in the bottom of the inning, but Delaware kept the momentum rolling in the eighth with three more runs.

In the bottom of the eighth, down three runs, senior catcher Brain Lau led off with a homerun to left field. Maul then reached on an error and advanced to third on a double by freshman third baseman Matt Cuppari. Sitaras brought Maul home with a sacrifice fly to left field and cut the deficit to a single run.

Delaware plated two more runs in the top of the ninth, scoring in four straight innings. The Hawks had three runs to make up in three outs. With one out, Concannon cleared the right field wall to make the

Need for speed

Track and field prepares for ECAC’s ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Assistant Sports Editor

Nathaniela Bourdeau races in the 200 meter (Photo courtesy of Tom Connelly).

With just a week until their most important meet of the season, the men’s and women’s track and field teams travelled to Staten Island, N.Y. for the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational on Feb. 25. Runners and jumpers had one more chance to qualify for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships (ECAC’s) for the women and the IC4A’s for the men.

Not all members of the track and field teams competed at this meet, but the ones who did certainly left their mark.

For the women’s squad, the 4x800 meter relay won first place in addition to qualifying for the ECAC’s. The relay consisted of junior Cassidy Weimer, senior Kiersten Moylan, freshman Emily Bracken, and senior Sarah Regnault.

Sophomore Nathaniela Bourdeau took third and qualified in the 200 meter.

score 10-8. St. Joe’s saw two more runners reach base, but neither scored before the game ended.

In the final day of the tournament, the Hawks went up against the Old Dominion University Monarchs, still looking for their first win of the young season. Again, the Hawks jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs on a double by Cuoci in the opening inning. St. Joe’s then scored two more in the third and led 4-0.

The Monarchs scratched their way back into a tie game. In the fourth inning, Old Dominion’s Culver Lamb homered for their first run. Then in the sixth inning, Lamb picked up two more runs, batting in with a single through the right side. Later in the inning, Zach Rutherford of Old Dominion scored on a wild pitch and tied the game at 4-4.

The seventh and eighth innings were scoreless for both teams, but the Hawks appeared on the scoreboard again in the ninth. Stafford walked and Jadacki singled to start the inning. After Old Dominion’s pitcher Brett Smith balked, St. Joe’s had runners on second and third. Cuoci singled home both runners and advanced to second on the throw home. The next three Hawk hitters struck out, stranding Cuoci on second, but St. Joe’s went to the bottom of the ninth up two runs.

Freshman Hayden Seig, who entered the game for the Hawks in the seventh inning, was on to pitch the ninth. The Monarchs’ leadoff hitter walked. The next hitter singled down the line, allowing the base runner to advance to third. A wild pitch allowed for the runner on first to advance to second. A balk then forced the runner on third home. Now with one out and a runner on third, pinch hitter Turner Bishop tripled to right field and tied the game back up at 6-6. ODU’s Nick Walker flew out to left field, but Bishop was able to tag up and beat the throw home to complete the walkoff victory for Old Dominion.

St. Joe’s finished the weekend 0-3 and moved to a record of 0-6 for the season, but Hamburg doesn’t seem too frazzled by the rough start.

“I think in general this week, we’ve done some really good things offensively,” Hamburg said. “We’re starting to find some rhythm. This is a tough part of the year for all of us because we don’t have a preseason.

You come out of the gates playing.”

Despite the struggles, Hamburg points to plenty of positives he’s seen with the team, especially the play of their defense.

“Our defense has been outstanding,” he said. “We’ve made four errors this year, three unfortunately have come via the pitching staff on picks a throw away on a bunt, but the defense has been as good as we could ask.”

Like in years past, Hamburg continues to stress to his players to respect the process. By doing so this season thus far, they’re getting a lot closer to getting on track.

“This is a really good ball club,” Hamburg said. “The process is how we play our game and not trying to chase things and not trying to do too much and having a good balance with how we play. It’s our way, our process, how we hit, how we go about how play the game. That’s our belief. Our guys are all in with that.”

Jadacki expanded on how he believes in the process that Hamburg preaches and why the rough start doesn’t detract from it.

“It’s not a thing we look at after the end of every game,” Jadacki said. “It’s over the course of a season.”

The Hawks will travel to Florida for the Stetson Invitational, in which they’re slated to face Stetson University, Western Michigan University, and the University of Connecticut on March 3-5.

Women’s Head Coach Melody O’Reilly was pleased with her team’s performance just a week before regionals.

“We had some great performances and some ECAC qualifiers,” O’Reilly remarked.

“The people we decided to travel [to this meet] were the ones who were really close to qualifying for ECAC’s and anyone who was running really well in order to get a new personal best.”

The men’s team did not have any additional qualifiers, but still had a good weekend, according to men’s Head Coach Mike Glavin.

“This is a meet to bring the young guys up for one last chance to do something big with the season, and we had some people do that,” Glavin said.

Senior Brandon Ossont and freshman Will Davies earned fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 500 meter.

Rookies in particular made progress at the meet. Three freshmen turned in season-best times: Colin Parker in the 800 meter, David Bryant in the 60 meter and 200 meter, and Aaron Lemma in the 400 meter. Freshman Josh Clark also shared in the rookies’ success, leading the Hawks in the mile and earning 11th place.

“It was a good effort, and it was worth the drive up the turnpike,” Glavin said about the meet.

With the Fastrack Last Chance Invitational out of the way, St. Joe’s looks forward to traveling to Boston, Mass. for the ECAC’s and the IC4A’s.

It will not be an easy race, with high caliber competition and the inability for some members of the men’s team to compete for various reasons according to Glavin.

“I’ve got my work cut out for me in deciding the final entries,” Glavin said.

The women’s team has high hopes for their ECAC’s, with one event closing in on a school record.

“The distance medley relay is trying to break a school record so that should be fun,” O’Reilly noted. “Individually, we have a lot of really solid performers who should do very well.”

The Hawks are looking to take flight for their most important meet of the season on March 3-5 for the ECAC’s.

“The whole group is looking forward to going up there and seeing what they could do to finish off their season,” O’Reilly said.

“We’re pretty excited about it.”

Cal Jadacki runs the bases (Photo courtesy of Sideline Photos, LLC).

16

Sports

March 1, 2017

On the move

Women’s basketball advances in Atlantic 10 tournament CHARLES SCALIES ’20 Special to the Hawk After losing to the University of Rhode Island Rams in last year’s Atlantic 10 Tournament, there was quite a sense of urgency for the Saint Joseph’s University women’s basketball team on Feb. 25. That urgency started on the defensive end for St. Joe’s, as they held Rhode Island to 51 points on 34 percent shooting for the game. Rhode Island had trouble getting good shots and could not get into a rhythm offensively.

“That is the difference between a third-place team and a last place team unfortunately,” said Rhode Island Head Coach Daynia La-Force after the 26 point loss. “We didn’t execute well, and we were helter-skelter all over the place.”

This game marked the ninth win in the last 11 games for St. Joe’s over Rhode Island, and they are now 54-8 all-time against the Rams.

Mackenzie Rule leads the Hawks’ pregame chant (Photos by Luke Malanga ’20).

Offensively, junior forward Adashia Franklyn tied her career high with 23 points and added 7 rebounds in 25 minutes in the contest. She was also part of the turning point in the game, when she had a block leading to an and-one by junior Chelsea Woods, and a technical foul on LaForce. That play, started by Franklyn, broke the spirit of the Rhode Island team.

“Us losing last year in the first round to Rhode Island really put something deep in me,” Franklyn said about her motivation for the game. “When I am doing hard work, my team is going to do better.”

That hard work really showed as she went to the free throw line 13 times, giving Rhode Island’s defense trouble on the inside.

Another big contributor for the Hawks was Woods, the team’s leading scorer.

Woods poured in 17 points and grabbed six rebounds. Her scoring provides a spark off the bench that is unmatched by any other team in the conference.

“Chelsea has been so consistent for us all season coming off the bench,” said Assistant Coach John Hampton. “It causes a lot of teams’ issues because she is one of our better players. So, their secondary players aren’t as good as her, and she has an oppor-

tunity to take advantage of some players that aren’t as strong.”

Hampton described Chelsea’s presence off the bench as a “sense of comfort” for the rest of the team as she supplies a team leading 13.5 points per game and a competitive fire for an undersized forward.

The third player in double-figures for St. Joe’s was sophomore guard Alyssa Monaghan. Monaghan supplied the Hawks with 13 points and three of the team’s five 3-pointers. Her 3-point presence helped Franklyn get more space under the basket to operate, and when the Rams pressed on Franklyn, Monaghan had great looks from long-range. Her skills are going to be key for the Hawks moving forward, as the team has only shot 29 percent from downtown on the season.

This was the 500th game for Cindy Griffin as head coach, and a 26-point drubbing of Rhode Island was the right way to celebrate.

St. Joe’s will play Big-5 rival La Salle University down at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va., and Hampton can’t wait to get started.

“I’m really excited,” Hampton said. “It’s the third time around so it is going to be a challenging game. I know our girls are

Adashia Franklyn makes a layup against Rhode Island on Feb. 25

going to be ready for it.” It is rare in sports for a team to beat the same opponent three times in one season. That is the challenge that St. Joe’s is up against in the second round of the conference tournament. If the Hawks can defeat La Salle for a third time on March 3, they will advance to the A-10 semi-finals.

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