March 20, 2019

March 20, 2019

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Volume XCIX

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Est. 1929

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www.sjuhawknews.com

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The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

Students, faculty, staff and community members gather at the “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time” statue in prayer for the victims of the March 15 mosque attacks in New Zealand.

PHOTO: MATT BARRETT ’21/THE HAWK

Community gathers in solidarity with Muslims after NZ mosque attacks

Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu, Ph.D. (left), associate professor of theology and religous studies, and Imam Abdullah (right), from the Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship Mosque, attended the service.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

A gunman killed 50 people when he opened fire on worshippers at two mosques in Churchchrist, New Zealand on March 15. To honor the victims of the attack and to express religous solidarity, members of the campus community gathered outside the “Syngoga and Eccelsia in Our Time” statue to hear readings from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian traditions. Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religous studies, was one of the attendees. “When people are instantly killed, all human beings are the same and we feel sadness, so there’s that basic sadness,” Yazicioglu said. “A lot of the people who live as minorities in Europe and North America and Canada felt that they were under attack, and there was widespread fear and sadness.”

OPINIONS

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

@SJUHAWKNEWS

08

“Captain Marvel” points Marvel Comics towards real gender inclusion

LIFESTYLE

10

A look at Joseph Feeney’s, S.J. 45 years at St. Joe’s

SPORTS

16

Women’s basketball managers reflect on their role

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March 20, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

News

St. Joe’s requires students to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine before beiginning on campus. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Mumps outbreak on Philadelphia-area campus

St. Joe's vaccination policy minimizing effect, not eliminating risk ALYSA BAINBRIDGE ’21 Assistant News Editor

St. Joe’s Student Health Center and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health have advised students on campus to take precautionary measures after an outbreak of mumps at nearby Temple University.

At the end of last month, right before the school’s spring break, Temple released a statement that there were four confirmed cases of mumps on campus. As of March 18, there have been 54 cases of mumps at Temple—12 confirmed and 42 probable cases, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.

Although mumps cases were rare in the years following the introduction of the Mumps, Measles and Rubella (MMR) vaccine in 1971, a resurgence of outbreaks has occurred in recent years among vaccinated individuals.

Many of those 54 people at Temple had the MMR vaccine.

According to the Center for Disease

Control (CDC), experts do not know exactly why vaccinated individuals still contract mumps They suspect it could have to do with the number of doses and the immune system not responding properly to the vaccine.

Dana Perella, program manager for the Acute Communicable Disease Program at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said even though someone may have the MMR vaccine, cases can still occur years after vaccination, and the disease appears frequently on college campuses.

“Mumps outbreaks can still occur, and in recent years, have been reported in settings like universities, where individuals have close, prolonged contact,” Perella said.

Although contracting mumps is possible even with vaccination, symptoms are not as severe or life-threatening if vaccinated. Those symptoms include fever, painful, swollen salivary glands and pain while chewing or swallowing. There is currently no treatment for mumps, but the immune systems of vaccinated individuals

can fight off the virus in several days.

Nene Okunna, Ph.D., assistant professor of interdisciplinary health services and public health specialist, said the outbreak is a public health issue resulting from people not vaccinating their children out of fear that vaccinations cause autism— a connection that has been repeatedly disproved.

“The problem is if people don’t get vaccinated, then these diseases are spread across campus,” Okunna said. “This is a problem particularly on university campuses because we have a lot of people on one campus, so if one person gets it. That’s why it’s so concerning what we are seeing at Temple.”

St. Joe’s requires all incoming freshman and transfer students to have two doses of the MMR vaccine, as well as two Varicella, four Polio and four Tetanus/Diphtheria/ Pertussis with a booster within the past 10 years, according to Eileen Bevilacqua, director of the Student Health Center, This is not the case at all universities.

Some schools recommend rather than re-

quire vaccinations.

Until the mumps outbreak, this was the case at Temple.

“Temple did not have requirements for vaccine records other than meningitis, which is a federal law if a student lives in campus housing,” Bevilacqua said. “On their website, they state they will now require proof of MMR, Varicella and Tetanus/ Diphtheria/ Pertussis of all incoming students.”

Even though all St. Joe’s students are required to have the MMR vaccine, Bevilacqua and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health still advise students to take precautionary measures, such as washing their hands, not sharing utensils and staying away from infected individuals for five days.

“The SHC [Student Health Center] constantly discusses with students infection control measures such as washing your hands, coughing and sneezing into your sleeve and frequently wiping down surfaces that are touched regularly with a disinfectant wipe,” Bevilacqua said.

Chief diversity officer position advertised

Student and faculty input included in CDO job creation process ERIN BREEN ’19 News Editor The university officially advertised on March 5 the job of chief diversity officer (CDO), which has been vacant for eight months, anticipating that a successful candidate will be named in May. “I am very pleased to share that the position has been posted online in nearly 40 venues,” Brady said. “Additionally, Spelman Johnson, our search partner, is actively marketing and publicizing the opportunity nationwide.”

University President Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., announced on Dec. 10 via email that

University Provost Jeanne Brady would serve as the chair of the search committee.

A university email sent by Brady on Dec. 18 announced the launch of the search and the nine-member advisory committee that had its first meeting on Feb. 6.

The advisory committee includes six faculty and administration members and two student representatives, Luis Nuñez ’21 and Gabby Stevenson ’21.

According to Nuñez, student involvement in the process is essential.

“The needs of students differ than faculty, staff and administration,” Nuñez said. “Having students on the committee ensures a voice for the student body.”

The previous position of CDO was

classified as an administrative position and held by Monica Nixon, Ed.D., as a part of her role as assistant provost for inclusion and diversity. Nixon left the university in July 2018 for another job.

According to the job description online, the new position is for a “Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer” who will report to the provost and provide “leadership, advocacy, support services, and programming to strengthen the culture of inclusion and diversity at Saint Joseph’s University.”

Spelman Johnson met with St. Joe’s community members on March 4, including faculty and students not on the official advisory committee.

“The meeting with the search firm was

to help them learn more about SJU and what characteristics and background we would like to see in the CDO,” said Ronald Dufresne, Ph.D., assistant professor of leadership, ethics and organization, who was at the meeting.

On March 5, the job was open to internal and external applicants on the university’s website. The advertisement on the search firm’s website indicates that applications will continue to be reviewed until the position is filled, but “complete applications received by March 29, 2019, will be assured full consideration.”

News

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

3

New residence for Jesuits

Jordan Hall to be torn down in May CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Managing Editor Jordan Hall on Lapsley Lane will be torn down in May to make way for a new building that will serve as a residence for Jesuits, according to Tim McGuriman, associate vice president of Administrative Services.

The plan to demolish Jordan Hall, which houses upperclassmen, was made in agreement with the university and the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, the region in which the university is located.

“We’re hopeful that work will begin on the site when students move out after graduation,” McGuriman said. “Once graduation is over, we would anticipate hopefully beginning demolition and construction for the facility.”

The new residence will house active Jesuits while the current Jesuit residence, the Loyola Center, located on City Avenue, will remain a space for retired Jesuits and will have assisted living and skilled care, according to Brendan Lally, S.J., rector of the Jesuit community.

“It would be a multi-apostolic community but mostly the university Jesuits,” Lally said.

According to Robert Hussey, S.J., provincial of the Maryland Province, the current residence has an imbalance of active Jesuits and retired Jesuits.

“We needed a place that was more apostolically focused in its identity, so we wanted to create a new identity,” Hussey said.

Lally said the purpose of the new residence is to allow the active Jesuits to be able to work with and to help one another.

The Loyola Center currently serves as a residence for the St. Joe’s Jesuit community.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

“The idea was to have another location where men who are active can be together and more involved in the apostolic life,” Lally said. “It would be for Jesuits in the city to also join us, who are working full-time in an active apostoli.”

The new residence will be leased by the Maryland Province Jesuits, who will also pay for the construction, according to Lally and Hussey.

“The university is not providing housing for the Jesuits,” Hussey said. “We are the ones taking financial responsibility for this to happen though the university has been tremendously supportive of us doing this.”

University President Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., said in an email to The Hawk the new residence is a way for the Maryland Province to show its commitment to the university.

“It will afford the Jesuits both a pri-

vate living space while also enabling them to host and welcome guests in an inviting and new space,” Reed wrote. “I view the fact that the Province desires to make this investment as a tangible expression of their commitment to the university and the ongoing presence and engagement of Jesuits in academic, campus, sacramental, and pastoral activities.”

The Lapsley Lane location for the new Jesuit residence was decided because of its central location on campus and its visibility and accessibility to the university community.

“It’s a symbolic presence to the university in a very strong way,” said Rev. Thomas Pesci, S.J., minister of the Loyola Center community. “[The university has] the added benefit of the Jesuits walking around the campus. It’s a strong commitment to the ministry in Philadelphia and in a very particular way because it’s located here.”

One of the goals of the new residence is to allow Jesuits from around the world to have a place to live, work and learn from one another.

“The community will also be the center for the additional Jesuits who are trying to learn English in the ESL language program here,” Lally said.

Lally said the project will be a positive step forward for the university and allow it to be the center of apostolic life in Philadelphia. “[The new residence] will facilitate the exchange of ideas and involvement in the intellectual apostolate in the university as well as the pastoral apostolate at the university since they would be especially available for liturgy and pastoral needs,” Lally said.

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The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

News

The children's section of the Friends of Walnut St. West Library. PHOTO: DIMETRI WILLIAMS ’19/THE HAWK

Financial strain in Philadelphia public libraries Lack of funding hurts libraries and their communities CARLY CALHOUN ’21 Special to The Hawk Branches of the Free Public Library of Philadelphia are still feeling the effects of budget cuts from the 2008 recession, affecting their ability to effectively serve their communities.

The economic recession that occurred in 2008 led to an attempt by the city of Philadelphia to close down many public libraries across the county, but members of the community decided to fight back to keep their libraries. Despite their efforts, the budget was cut by nearly 30 percent in 2008 and has remained stagnant since 2010.

This lack of funding has created problems for the Free Libraries of Philadelphia, as well as members of the surrounding communities, according to Alice Wells, president of the Friends of Walnut St. West Library.

“I go to the library at 10 o’clock or noon depending on what time it opens,

and there’s always people lined up outside waiting for the library to open,” Wells said.

Wells said some libraries have had to close or delay opening due to broken air conditioners or heating, issues with plumbing and leaks in the roof.

“That’s part of the problem of the libraries not opening, we need money just for routine maintenance,” Wells said.

Members of the Free Public Libraries requested a $15 million increase in the budget for this coming year, but according to the Five Year Financial and Strategic Plan Mayor Jim Kenney presented on March 7, he will be providing only a $2.5 million increase.

“We plan to increase support for the Free Library, so all of our neighborhood libraries can provide six-day service,” Kenney said in his budget address.

Christi Buker, executive director of the Pennsylvania Library Association, said that each library has had to handle the budget cuts differently, especially

when dealing with decisions about staffing and maintenance issues.

“As each individual library looks at their funding, some of them have cut hours as a result of the budget cuts,” Buker said. “Some libraries across the state are talking about closing if they don’t get more funding in the future.”

Wells said that all of the branches of the Free Public Library in Philadelphia are short-staffed, even with the days that have already been removed from the schedule.

“We’re actually short 70 people for the hours that we have now, if we were to open six days a week, for all the branches, we would be short 150 [people],” Wells said.

Public libraries across the nation have Friends groups that raise money for afterschool and summer programs, and Wells said the Friends of Walnut St. West is no different.

“We take donations of money, and we also have fundraising book sales where people donate used books and we sell

them,” said Wells. “We spend a lot of time and effort selling books.”

These funds have been used to buy items including new chairs for the librarians, a brand-new microwave in the kitchen and a new collection of children’s books for the library.

“Lately we’ve been supplying the soaps and things like that for the bathroom, paper towels and stuff like that because the city’s budget just isn’t cutting it,” Wells said.

Although the Francis A. Drexel Library isn’t directly affected by the state’s budget, Annie Krakow, library director at St. Joe’s, recognized that libraries are essential parts of their communities, as they offer resources such as internet access, storytime for children and resume workshops.

“Public libraries are really, truly for the community,” Krakow said. “It’s about the face-to-face interaction that helps develop people’s lives.”

Department of Public Safety reports (March 1-14) March 1 Public Safety confiscated a quantity of beer from a St. Joe’s student inside the lobby of Rashford Hall. Residence Life and Community Standards notified.

March 5 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm inside the Morris Quad Townhouses. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by unknown means. Alarm was reset.

March 8 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm inside the Morris Quad Townhouses. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by a student cooking. Alarm was reset.

Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student regarding person(s) unknown re-

moving currency from her wallet which was left unattended in Villiger Residence Center.

Residence Life and Community Standards notified. No police report at this time. Incident under investigation.

Public Safety was notified by Residence Life regarding drug paraphernalia inside a room at the Morris Quad Townhouses.

Public Safety officers responded with Residence Life and confiscated the drug paraphernalia. Community Standards notified.

Public Safety was notified by Residence Life regarding an odor of marijuana coming from a room in Villiger Residence Center.

Public Safety officers responded with Residence Life. A search of the room revealed no signs of drugs or drug paraphernalia. Community Standards notified.

Public Safety confiscated a bottle of vodka from a St. Joe’s student’s room inside the Sourin Residence Center. Residence Life notified. Community Standards notified.

March 12 Public Safety was notified by Facilities Management in regards to unknown person(s) damaging several shower heads in a first floor bathroom of the McShain Residence Center. Residence Life and Community Standards notified. Incident under investigation.

ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

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On campus

Off campus

March 14 Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student regarding being approached by several juvenile males in the 2400 block of N. 56th Street while sparking her personal vehicle. The student believed that the males were going to open her car door and quickly accelerated and drove out of the area. There was no injury to the student. Philadelphia Police notified and responded. Incident under investigation.

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

3

On campus

0

Off campus

Call Public Safety:

610-660-1111

Opinions

March 20, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

5

Not the new normal Measuring socioeconomic diversity at St. Joe’s Editor in Chief Ana Faguy ’19 Managing Editor Charley Rekstis ’20 Copy Chief Emily Graham ’20 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner Copy Editor Paige Santiago ’19 Copy Editor Kaila Mundell-Hill ’20 News Editor Erin Breen ’19 Assistant News Editor Alex Mark ’20 Assistant News Editor Alysa Bainbridge ’21 Editorial Page Editor Annie Clark ’19 Opinions Editor Dominique Joe ’19 Assistant Opinions Editor Devin Yingling ’22

The country’s largest-ever college admissions cheating scandal was revealed last week by federal prosecutors who have now charged 50 people with counts ranging from mail fraud to money laundering.

These charges are part of a wider admissions cheating operation (nicknamed Operation Varsity Blues by the FBI) involving both monetary bribes to university officials at nine highly-ranked schools, as well as parents paying between $15,000 and $75,000 to have people take the SAT and ACT for their children. The scandal has even implicated several celebrities, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin.

These somehow unsurprising revelations raise questions of how much progress has actually been made in equalizing the college admissions process. There have always been ways to game the college admissions process; the current scandal is only revealing the absurd lengths to which some parents will go to secure an elite acceptance for their children.

Wealthy students gaining an unfair advantage in the college admissions process through their parents is nothing new. Even smaller-scale efforts like test preparation courses have become so normalized that we no longer think of them as a privilege.

SAT and ACT preparation courses are just one of many paths to an elite college acceptance only available to students whose parents have the means to pay. Likewise, “legacy” admissions and large donations have long been accepted as other ways wealthy students can gain entry to highly competitive schools.

With all the popular discussion about this scandal as direct evidence that the admissions process can be directly manipulated in favor of wealthy students, we can’t forget that navigating the college admissions process has always been a challenge for students

from low-income backgrounds.

The result has been a continued lack of socioeconomic diversity in higher education.

Income disparities persist at many schools, including St. Joe’s.

A 2017 analysis by The New York Times found that 74 percent of St. Joe’s students come from families in the top 20th income percentile. Out of 614 private colleges, the university ranked dead-last in the number of students represented from the bottom fifth income percentile.

These statistics are more than disappointing; they indicate that the majority of socioeconomic backgrounds are not represented among the St. Joe’s student body. Our current push towards a more inclusive university would be incomplete without an effort to recruit and support students from low-income backgrounds.

Low-income students who do end up attending college face obstacles during their time in school and after graduation. A 2016 study by the Institute for Education Policy at John Hopkins University found that only 14 percent of students from the lowest income quartile they surveyed completed college, compared with 60 percent of students from the top quartile.

The study’s findings, which indicate that low-income students face obstacles in mobility during and after their time in college, jibe with The New York Times’ report on St. Joe’s.

Students from lower income percentiles who graduated from St. Joe’s were not likely to see an increase in their income mobility; only 1.1 percent of St. Joe’s graduates from a bottom income percentile moved up to a top percentile.

As the recent scandal has invited discussion on the value of a college degree, some students may be wondering how to gauge the true value of their St. Joe’s education, and The New York Times’ data does offer a glimmer

of promise in that respect. St. Joe’s alumni earned higher-than-average salaries 10 years after graduation.

As we should be careful not to use the current college admissions scandal as a litmus test of what the process is now becoming, we should not use numerical figures like salary rates as a be-all, end-all indicator of what a St. Joe’s education offers.

Our school may not be ranked among the top in the country, but St. Joe’s students know the value of the education they receive here. We have a strong study abroad program with participation rates above 33 percent, a curriculum which offers practical application through co-ops and service learning courses, small class sizes and dedicated faculty.

Students know firsthand the academic and economic advantages to a St. Joe’s education—but it should be available to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.

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

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

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

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME Rolling our clocks forward an hour last week means we get to indulge in more sunlight. Say goodbye to winter, warmer days spent on Barb Beach are on the way.

BACK TO CLASS The 10 day break always feels shorter than it is. We’re already struggling to make it to our early classes, and as far as we’re concerned, May 1 can’t come soon enough.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY Whether it was a full Irish breakfast or a weekend event, St. Patrick’s Day gave us a chance to get some last-minute celebration time in before we headed back to campus after spring break. ’Til next year, St. Paddy’s Day.

SPRING CLEANING It has to be done, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good time. The right Spotify playlist can make all the difference, though, so find a good one and make a plan of action for deep cleaning your space. It’s one of those tasks that only seems worth it after it’s done.

TIME TO KILL IT With only six weeks remaining in the semester, the time has never been better to buckle down and focus on finishing strong. Find a good coffee brew and a quiet place to work and grind. We know you can do it.

TURN DOWN THE HEAT Even as temperatures rise, the heat in many campus buildings remain on. As we head into the end of March and a streak of temperatures in the 50s, we ask for a moratorium on heat in our dorms and apartments (unless we’re hit with another spring blizzard like last year).

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March 20, 2019

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Do you know how to apologize?

Finding hope for sincerity in a Notes app apology world OLIVIA CLARK ’22 Columnist Think back to the last time you remember apologizing. Why did you do it? Was it because you genuinely felt remorse for the hurtful words or actions that you said or did? Or did you apologize in order to assuage your sense of guilt and discomfort?

Reflect on the manner in which you apologized. Did you sit the person down, ask for their experience and offer a sincere apology? Was the apology handwritten, in person or digital?

In this fast-paced and technologically-centered world, it is hard to know how to properly apologize to one another anymore.

We are fed mass apology statements all over social media by celebrities and businesses that lose the trust of their customers. Often, we see a famous person post a picture online of their apology statement on the iPhone Notes app.

This specific medium is frequently used for celebrity mass communication because it provides an easy way to share your message.

Notes app apologies are screenshotted and dispersed to the many social media platforms and then eventually parsed for headlines in entertainment news media. They are displayed in tabloid magazines just as any publicist-approved statements might be.

As we scroll through the carefully proofread and edited paragraph, we are expected to take their apologies seriously as a genuine attempt at showing remorse.

However, when you consider the rhetoric and language used in these supposedly personal apology notes, they begin to blend together.

A false sense of intimacy is evoked by the presence of curse words and/or spelling errors.

This is purposely done to show that the guilty party is like everyone else: a fallible human.

Another common trait in these apologies is the use of cliche phrases. Often, these paragraphs have at least one phrase that looks like this: “from the bottom of my heart” or “I wish I knew then what I know now.” Because social media encourages this false sense of

heart” in the wake of backlash regarding his comments about fan tributes to Stan Lee after his death.

Ja Rule released a less than genuine apology when his widely advertised music event, Fyre Festival, proved to be a giant scam. The words slapped across an off-white screen were as follows: “I truly apologize as this is NOT MY FAULT... but I am taking responsibility.”

Here, Ja Rule completely contradicts himself,

im sorry

i don’t know how to say this in 280 characters

i can do better

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

connection, people are drawn to these forms of apologies.

There are a lot of different reasons for these mass apologies.

Armie Hammer released one on Twitter saying he was sorry “from the bottom of [his]

which makes for a less than adequate apology.

While these cases can make the world seem disconnected and insincere, there is hope. A good apology is like a recipe or a mathematical formula. When comprised of the right amount of empathy and responsi-

bility, all parties can leave the situation not only happy to have a solution, but a stronger relationship.

In this recipe for success, it is essential for the person apologizing to be direct and to get to the point. Lose the excuses or defenses for your actions. By admitting your wrongdoing, there is space for the most important part of a genuine and beneficial apology: the pledge to do better. This will complete your attempt at making things better.

Make a statement about how you plan to improve and avoid these mistakes in the future. This effort will make people more likely to accept and believe your remorse.

When you are accepting an apology, understand your role to be heard as well as to hear the apology. People desire to be taken seriously and to be listened to.

Empathy makes an apology real and creates a platform for compromise and growth.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes when you are apologizing and accept how your actions made them feel.

It is important to remember that apologizing doesn’t always mean that you are wrong. Sometimes they come from good intentions, but then it creates a problem. Many times, it has to do with tone, or how someone says something.

Try not to allow a “lack of knowledge” to be a scapegoat and lessen ownership.

Lastly, both parties in an apology have to come to terms with the fact a “sorry” might not be enough.

In a sea of Notes app apologies, it is hard to know how to approach these kinds of situations in real life with another person you care about sitting across from you. The best thing you can do, whether your on the giving or receiving end, is to speak and listen from the heart.

The importance of the European Union Why the looming Brexit deadline is disadvantageous DEVIN YINGLING ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor I can feel spring in the air.

The clocks have been pushed forward, the daffodils are starting to bloom and the United Kingdom (UK) is dealing with a quite a bit of political turmoil.

That’s right, three years into the debate, Brexit continues to plague the political climate in Europe, and it has only gotten more confusing since March has rolled around.

As of now, the UK is set to leave the European Union (EU) on March 29, but the sovereign country still has the opportunity to delay their leave up until that deadline.

However, it’s a complex decision with no clear answer whatsoever as to where the UK will be by March 29 in light of the recent votes within the House of Commons.

According to The New York Times, “Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday soundly defeated Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to exit the European Union, a 391 to 242 vote that is likely to delay Brexit and could derail it entirely.”

However, according to the Economist, leaving the EU by the March 29 deadline “is now extremely unlikely to happen. Immediately after the [March 12] vote...Mrs. May said that the government would now ask the Commons if it wanted to leave the EU with no deal at all. And if the answer was no, it would then invite [Members of Parliament] to vote

on whether to seek an extension.”

The house voted once again on March 13 in order to decide whether or not to leave the EU with or without a deal. They voted to withdraw on March 29 as planned, but with no deal in place with the EU. So, the big question is, what is the UK going to do in the end?

I can’t pretend like I know what the House of Commons or the EU is going to do. Typically countries want to join the EU, not leave it.

However, I do believe that the EU is a

mote democracy and basic human rights.

Like any institution, it has its flaws. It is by no means perfect nor accepted by every citizen within its jurisdiction, hence the debate in the UK. But the countries in Europe have seen more benefits than drawbacks from the EU’s policies.

Having democratic institutions in place that take into consideration the well-being of various actors is a step in the right direction towards global cooperation and peace.

Not to mention that these collaborative

Cooperation with other European states is unavoidable in the face of globalization. The world is at a remarkable level of interconnection between states, and the best thing for all countries to do is to adapt and make the best of that change. beneficial institution. For a solid portion of the 20th century, Western Europe was in two horrific wars. Now, the institution continues to do a good job of consolidating democracy and peace rather than foster war.

I see the EU as a beneficial outcome of globalization and an a major stabilizing factor within a region that has had quite a background of violence. It is an institution that aims to ensure open travel, sustain a stable internal market, consolidate a fair rule of law among all of the participating states and pro-

governmental institutions are inevitable in the face of globalization. Although independent sovereignty and isolationist policies are growing global trends, it is not sustainable in the long run considering the prevalence of supranational interactions.

With this in mind and regardless of the likelihood of the possible outcome in the House of Commons, I don’t think it would be beneficial for the UK to leave the EU. If the answer to leave was so clear-cut, wouldn’t you think the UK would have left by now?

Clearly many citizens have qualms with leaving, and the level of uncertainty is apparent. I don’t think the frustration over the debate is worth the outcome.

If the UK does in fact pull out of the EU on March 29 without a deal, all I can see in the forecast for European politics are issues between the UK and the rest of the region.

Isolation is not beneficial for any actors involved, and the best bet for the UK would be to remain a strong actor within an institution that promotes democracy and cooperation over solitude.

“UK-first” is not a surprising or original idea. Have you heard the rhetoric in the our own country? This mindset is nothing new, but it’s not a positive development for politics in any nation.

In a previous piece about the nature of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, I stressed cooperation and pragmatism. I think that same lesson applies to the situation in the UK. Cooperation with other European states is unavoidable in the face of globalization. The world is at a remarkable level of interconnection between states, and the best thing for all countries to do is to adapt and make the best of that change.

A state can benefit its own citizens’ lives while still working with other countries. The ability to compromise and work with others on a global stage is a sign of a truly strong state.

Deciding to pretend that a nation is better off alone is more so a sign of blatant denial of the world that we are living in.

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

7

The threat isn’t me

A perspective on the college admissions scandal

TAICHA MORIN ’20 Columnist Welcome to the game of Monopoly: College Admissions Edition. Your Mr. Monopoly Man is no longer Rich Uncle Pennybags, but instead William Singer. In this game, there aren’t many rules. In fact you don’t even have to roll the dice.

Are you white? Are you wealthy? Are your parents famous, affluent or well connected? Do you want to attend some of the nations top institutions, but don’t quite meet the mark? Georgetown University, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) or even Yale University? You’ve come to the right place, pay up and Mr. Monopoly will land you there.

This past week, a nationwide college admissions scandal was brought to our attention by the media involving many affluent families and renowned individuals.

Amongst them are Felicity Huffman from "Desperate Housewives" and Lori Loughlin from "Full House", who have been charged in paying bribes to Singer and his illegitimate college preparatory company.

The result was to alter and boost the standardized test scores of their children to guarantee them admission into some of the nations top institutions.

Many more individuals are being questioned and arrested in connection to this scandal. To many, the scandal and the number of people involved came as a surprise.

However, I, and I’m sure some others, are without any disbelief. It only confirms what we already know to be true, college—or for the sake of argument, the college admission process—is a big scam.

During my time in high school, the college admissions process was one of my most stressful experiences, as I’m sure it was for many students throughout the country who had to figure out what Common Application, FAFSA and CSS profiles are without the “consulting” of people like Singer.

I went to a college preparatory high school, Cristo Rey Brooklyn, that seeks to provide students from underserved communities with a rigorous pre-collegiate education and corporate work study program with the ultimate goal of providing college access.

From the moment I stepped into high school, college was the conversation. Therefore, standardized testing became the conver-

It was drilled into me that if you want to get into a good college, you get good grades, you do a couple of extracurriculars, you write a moving personal statement, and you get exceptional standardized test scores, especially if you’re trying to fund your education.

However, I knew that of those things, standardized testing held a huge weight in determining my admittance to many institutions.

I had the grades, resume and work ethic to get into Columbia University or Harvard University, but my test scores without a doubt would get my application automatically tossed away.

Looking back, I realized that I was wrong about the college admission proces’s equation,

Our acceptance is based on our skin color and our marginalized identities rather than our merit, and we are seen as a threat to the impartiality of the college admissions process, but the real threat doesn’t look like me. sation. When I took a practice standardized exam as a sophomore, it ripped my self-esteem out of my chest, not only because I scored poorly, but because on the back of the exam was a career readiness projectile.

Top performers would be CEOs, while those with scores like mine would earn paycheck-to-paycheck jobs.

This moment has stuck with me since. I can’t shake the feeling of my future being dictated by those results.

Then I took the actual ACT/SAT twice my junior year and twice again my senior year.

The scores remained the same. I felt defeated.

though it may vary from institution to institution. I think this scandal shows this equation is not one based on hard work or merit. It’s a rigged system and a rigged formula based on wealth, privilege and nepotism.

For so long, people have beat the self-esteem out of minority students, making us feel that the only reason why we get into places like St. Joe’s is because of affirmative action. Our acceptance is based on our skin color and our marginalized identities rather than our merit, and we are seen as a threat to the impartiality of the college admissions process, but the real threat doesn’t look like me.

The threat is in the faces that can pay half a million dollars to have their children's test scores modified in order to be admitted into institutions like the University of Southern California.

That’s the affirmative action that people should be concerned about. It’s the affirmative action of privilege and whiteness, not the one that’s intended to level the playing field in a society where equality is used as political correctness to avoid conversations of equity.

Equality is giving everyone the same opportunities. Equity is giving everyone what they need to be successful. Those are not the same thing.

They pin our inability to thrive in spaces like this on us. In order to survive in spaces like this, we have to keep overworking ourselves to be recognized. When we try to be “impressive,” it feels like we are entertainment in a modern day minstrel show.

We are square pegs trying to fit in a round hole, a rigged system. Do you know how tiring and disheartening that is?

As a black little girl I was taught that I have to work 10 times harder in life in order to be successful, but that was an understatement. I wish they told me the truth that I will have to work until every breath in me has no more strength to keep going and still not measure up.

College and life for a black woman like me is a series of continuous exhaustion, disappointment and unfairness. This scandal reaffirms that.

I am struggling to succeed here at St. Joe’s not because I’m dumb or incapable. I can’t think, I can’t focus and I’m tired.

I’m burned out and don’t know how to not only navigate life as a black girl, but to do well in it.

Being away from home isn’t so bad

One Hawk’s time abroad is a chance for adventure

KAITLYN PATTERSON ’20 Columnist When I thought about leaving home for four months to live and study in a foreign country, I was terrified. A million thoughts ran through my head: what if I get homesick? What if I don’t make any friends? What if my friends at home forget about me?

I’m blessed to have a close-knit family who I can always depend on, but this was the first time I would truly be on my own, and the thought of that was very unsettling.

At the airport, I latched on to my parents like a little kid being dropped off at the first day of kindergarten. Despite the preparation, research and advice I’d gotten from people, I still felt like I wasn’t ready.

But I knew it was something I had to get over (especially because I had already paid for the plane ticket and would have nowhere to live for the semester if I tried to go back to St. Joe’s). I gathered myself and my luggage, walked through security, and at that point there was no going back.

The nerves faded with every town, ocean and country I passed over on the plane. There was no going back, so I had no choice but to be excited about the amazing journey I was about to embark on.

I landed in Copenhagen, Denmark on a rainy Saturday night with what felt like fifty pounds of luggage and major sleep deprivation.

The next morning, after the introductions, fun facts and icebreakers with everyone on my floor, I got to explore my home for the next four months.

tor up to street level from below and looked around at the beautiful Danish architecture, clean streets and people eating outside despite the freezing temperature. I immediately felt at

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

My first moment in the daylight of Copenhagen is one I will never forget. After taking the metro to city centre, I rode the escala-

ease—I was home.

Now two months in, I know how to use public transportation; I look both ways before

crossing the bike lane, and I know to bring my own bag when I go grocery shopping.

And yet, as much as I love being in this new place, I find myself missing home every once in awhile.

I miss seeing the familiar faces every time I leave my house and walk around campus. I miss being able to read signage on the street and pickup snippets of small talk in public. I miss my dog. I miss the familiarity of the culture, customs, and food. I even miss Campion Dining Hall some days.

It’s comforting to know how much I have waiting for me when I come home in May. I’m only halfway through this semester, and I still have so much to see. With every cold, rainy day, mental breakdown, realization that Danish is quite impossible to learn and homesick moment I have, it is still an experience I wouldn’t change.

I can confidently say being abroad isn’t changing me, like people usually say when they return home. I’m learning a lot more about myself and the world around me, but I am still me.

The boundaries of my comfort zone have been pushed constantly since my arrival, with talking to strangers, trying exotic foods (pickled herring is surprisingly very good, by the way), attempting to learn the language, using a bike as my main form of transportation and volunteering alongside Danish students.

With every new site I see, new person I meet or place I visit, I take a moment and realize that I’m in the middle of making a memory that I will look back on for the rest of my life.

8

March 20, 2019

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Is “Captain Marvel” enough?

How the new superwoman film can change Marvel FAITH COWELL ’22 Guest Columnist

Since Marvel Comics’ inception in 1961, the comics have sorely lacked female representation.

Marvel's first female superhero was introduced the same year, though only in a supporting role: Susan Storm as the Invisible Girl, a member of The Fantastic Four.

Many of Marvel’s female superheroes, including the Invisible Girl, possess powers that are belittling in comparison to their male superhero counterparts. For example, female heroes in Marvel history have exhibited the abilities of invisibility, shrinking and smallscale telekinesis.

In 2019, Marvel has major issues with female representation in their movies. Since 2008, when the first “Iron Man” movie came out in 2008, they’ve released 21 films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Of these 21 films, only five female superheroes have been featured: Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Wasp, Gamora and now Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson.

These five aren’t enough.

If it sounds like I’m bashing Marvel here, that’s because I am. I’ve been a superhero movie fan since I was a toddler wandering around in my Spider-Man pajamas, watching and re-watching the original Tobey Maguire movies with my Spider-Man plushies in hand.

At one point in my life, I longed to see a solo Black Widow movie, with all the badassery that the character possessed in the first “Avengers” film. Now, I feel like a jaded old woman. Black Widow and her ever-changing haircut, half-unzipped skin-tight suit and pointless “witty” comments bore me.

Scarlet Witch’s magic powers and red

leather duster don’t do much for me either.

These characters had so much potential, but since their plotlines were written and directed by men who didn’t care about their character development or competency as true superheroes, Black Widow and Scarlet Witch have been relegated to the sidelines.

I find myself much more invested in the powers and plotlines of Captain America, Spider-Man and Black Panther. It’s not like I want to favor the male superheroes over the female ones, but the women of the MCU honestly sort of stink.

Black Widow doesn’t even have powers.

What she does have is KGB training and years of experience as a spy and assassin.

You’d think that a character like that would be incredibly fun to watch and that the announcement of her solo film would excite people. I would have been excited five years ago, before Black Widow’s story was written to include an ill-timed and uncomfortable relationship with the Hulk/Bruce Banner, a strange plotline about infertility and multiple poor suit and hairstyle changes.

As for Scarlet Witch, her last MCU appearance in "Avengers: Infinity War" included her failing to save the world in order to preserve her AI robot boyfriend, Vision, for a few more minutes because she loved him oh so much. (Spoiler: he dies anyway, and half of Earth’s population turns into dust, which she could have prevented).

Following the major success of DC’s “Wonder Woman” in 2017, Marvel released “Captain Marvel” on March 8 (also International Women’s Day).

You’d think this would have come earlier, after the incredible success of Marvel’s other examples of diversity in film. “Black Panther,” with a predominantly black cast, just took home three Academy Awards, and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (albeit not in the MCU), with the first onscreen portrayal

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

of Miles Morales, of black and Puerto Rican descent, claimed Best Animated Feature.

“Captain Marvel” feels like a watershed for superhero films: no romance, no flimsy, sexualized suit, just a superhero realizing the full extent of her power and saving the day.

And I can’t wait to watch her do it again in future MCU films.

The film centers on Carol Danvers, a former Air Force pilot who gets her superpowers from an alien race. Captain Marvel is an absolute badass and an overall great character.

She's cool, and nothing about her character feels forced. She is a great superhero if I’ve ever seen one.

At the heartbreaking end of “Infinity War”, a crucial call is made to Danvers, setting her up to save the world in the next Avengers film, “Endgame,” set to be released

in April 2019. I’m sure she’ll save both the day and the world, but I’m not sure her salvation will be enough.

Will “Captain Marvel” become part of a trend of female-led superhero movies, or will it be another outlier for Marvel?

After seeing the movie, I’m certainly Carol Danvers’ biggest fan, but I’m hoping the film will be a harbinger of more on-screen female superheroes who can hold their own without the irritating presence of a demeaning romance plotline or lesser powers.

I want movies like “Wonder Woman,” “Captain Marvel” and the eventual “Black Widow” to become the norm. I want them to bring forth a new generation of lifetime superhero fans like me, but that these new fans will grow up admiring women who are just as cool as Captain America and Spider-Man.

Childhood classics revisited How TV and movies are exploiting nostalgia and ruining it DOMINIQUE JOE ’19 Opinions Editor After the recent confirmation by Drake Bell about the reboot of his and Josh Peck’s Nickelodeon show “Drake & Josh,” I began to wonder how many more mediocre rebooted TV shows and movies the TV and film industry can be inundated with. It seems that the TV and film industry is taking advantage of our generation’s yearning for simpler times.

There is something happening in the U.S. right now involving a 20-year culture feedback loop.

I first heard about this phenomenon in my junior year English class when we were studying the Vietnam War. My teacher discussed how during the 90s when he was in high school, there was a yearning for 60s nostalgia, and even a yearning to look back on the Vietnam War. Millennials and early Gen Z-ers are looking back on their own childhood experiences as they, especially early Gen Z-ers such as myself, enter and endure their 20s and early 30s. We are very much longing for our own childhood experiences as we move farther away from them.

What that does though is create an idyllic, yet distant, understanding of our own

past experiences and things that we loved.

This allows for the TV and movie industry to capitalize on our need for nostalgia as we move into real adult life. But they do it poorly.

The “Drake & Josh” reboot might have the potential to be a revamped version of the show that many kids, myself included, loved dearly. The gags and jokes might hold up, but there is a very real possibility that it could be another cheap reboot that trots out old references and former characters to

The new Halloween movie, “Halloween (2018),” gave us the nostalgia factor in the very iconic battle between Laurie Strode and Michael Meyers, but it is also gave a new storyline and allowed the story to be something else. That is the way the film and TV industry should look at nostalgia.

If they are going to produce content for the explicit purpose of playing into a generation’s need for nostalgia, the industry needs to do it intentionally. If content is so blatantly cheesy or pandering, the initial

Nostalgia is tricky. It is something we yearn for, but it is something that can be manipulated easily. But even in that, nostalgia needs to be engaged with intentionality. tug at our nostalgic epicenters.

I don’t want another “Fuller House,” where the reboot is a cheap knockoff of the original. They pander to old audiences to the point where it is so blatantly clear that this show is machine for nostalgia. The jokes aren’t funny nor are the references even remotely organic. “Fuller House” is the textbook reboot for capitalizing on nostalgia.

Of course there are standout reboots that do a good job of actively engaging that nostalgia in a smart way.

excitement around the prospect fades. The viewer feels cheated.

I know that I felt somewhat cheated when I first watched the reboot of “Will & Grace.” Not that it wasn’t new in some ways, but it was trying too hard to play to the charm that the original series had.

It made it hard for someone like me to look at this rebooted “Will & Grace” series and see my desire for nostalgia be met, but at the same time see the show evolve with time. The gags revolving around Karen and

Jack’s friendship feel stale and dated. Certain storylines take into account the time that has passed, but at the same time it tries too hard to recreate magic.

If anything, I’m trying to articulate that nostalgia is something that we yearn for, especially as we move into the more adult phases of our lives.

If the TV and film industry is looking to respond to this well-communicated need for nostalgia, they have to do better. This industry has to engage with the viewer so that they know what their audience wants.

No one was looking to “Fuller House” to emulate its predecessor. The audience was looking for a subtle nod here or there.

It doesn’t have to be a carbon copy of what we once knew. It can be something brand new that simply takes into account the things that came before it.

Nostalgia is tricky. It is something that we yearn for, but it is something that can be manipulated easily. But even in that, nostalgia needs to be engaged with intentionality.

Whatever product the TV and film industry puts out, it needs to take into consideration that these things we yearn for have an insurmountable place in our hearts and our formative experiences.

Nostalgia shouldn't be used as a ploy for money, rather it should be met with real and genuine care.

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

9

a piece of home

Natalia Velázquez López's adjustment to life at St. Joe's Natalia Velázquez López ’21 in Bellarmine Hall, where she takes classes in the modern and classical languages department. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

EMILY GRAHAM ’20 Copy Chief Natalia Velázquez López ’21 is an English major with minors in Spanish and biology.

While biology is her main interest, her Spanish minor gives her a piece of home: Ponce, Puerto Rico.

Velázquez López came to St. Joe's in fall 2017 with the intention of transferring in the spring, but she decided to stay after realizing how much she liked being on Hawk Hill.

The Hawk sat down with Velázquez López to talk about her experience on campus as a student from Puerto Rico.

What’s it like to go to school this far from home?

It’s actually not that bad, because I love Puerto Rico, but I feel like in some universities, education-wise, we’re a little behind. The university that’s really good in Puerto Rico, there are a lot of protests, and then they close the university, and I could be held back a whole year depending on how long they take. I didn’t want to risk that, so that’s another reason why I decided to come here. It really isn’t that hard unless, for example, this summer I’m staying here, so I feel like that will be hard because I go back home every long break, like Thanksgiving, spring break, winter and summer.

Did you ever feel nervous about coming to this school or to the U.S. in general?

In the beginning I didn’t feel nervous coming, because I was really excited that I could be independent, away from my parents, fully rely only on myself. But when I actually got here, after the first two or three weeks, it was really hard. I was talking to another Puerto Rican about how we were in Spark together, and she had to give a small talk to the freshmen, and she mentioned in the beginning it

feels like summer camp, but then you realize no, it’s longer than a summer camp. And so after the honeymoon phase, I became really homesick, and then with the hurricane, I couldn’t communicate with my mom, so that was really hard. So in the beginning, no, but after a while, I became really homesick and I got nervous, because it was starting to affect my social and my study life.

Is the campus welcoming to people of different backgrounds?

It is, but I feel like the campus also suppresses a lot of diversity issues that it has. It promotes this image that they don’t fully fall into. In the beginning, staff wise and student life wise, I did feel welcome, but there are a lot of students at St. Joe’s who are really ignorant who do say microaggressions, whether they notice or not. I feel like that’s an issue we should address more, and it’s a conversation we should have more often. Personally, apart from microaggressions and lowkey racist comments towards Puerto Ricans, I haven’t had an issue that big. And I feel like the main reason is because I’m a white Puerto Rican. That’s another thing, if you notice all the Puerto Ricans here are white, and Puerto Ricans come in a variety of colors. We’re dark skin, light skin, medium skin. That way [the university] can say they’re diverse, when really they’re not, because we’re still white, European white. But since we’re Puerto Ricans and Latinos, they can say that they’re diverse. I just think it’s weird that they say [on the application], “What kind of Latino do you identify as?” If that’s what you’re focusing on, you’re giving me the idea that you’re just focusing on my skin color.

Do you have an example of microaggressions or smaller instances of racism like you mentioned?

Well, I mean, I’ve had conversations

with people and they’re like, “What kind of latina are you [if] you can’t really tan?”

For me, it’s more about questioning my culture. Another instance was when I was in Qdoba, and I mentioned I don’t like spicy food, and a girl was like, “What type of Latina are you? Aren’t you supposed to like spicy food?” And the other one was like, “Isn’t that part of your cuisine?” If you want to fall into stereotypes, that’s the stereotype of Mexican cuisine, again going back to all Latinos are Mexicans. It’s just those small things.

What is the significance of St. Joe’s not being a very diverse school?

If you put in a university a group of people who are—not everyone is ignorant to these issues and to these things—but if you take a lot of people who think the same, and they see someone who’s not the same as them, they feed off each other’s ignorance. I don’t mind getting asked certain questions, but when you word them in a way that you attack who I am and my own culture, that’s when you cross a line. I feel like if you take a group of people who are used to their own cultures and they’re not open to other cultures, again they feed into each other and they don’t want to get informed.

What do you think St. Joe’s could do to make the campus more welcoming?

For one, on the application, not asking what you identify as. I feel like that’s a start.

Secondly, in classes, some way to incorporate racial issues, that way it strikes a conversation. For instance, my biology professor always finds a way to incorporate small issues that are seen on campus, and also my history professor. I feel like that’s really good because you inform your students plus relate it to the material. Also, we have

these videos and then a quiz about sexual assault in the beginning of the year. Maybe put a video about examples of microaggressions and how to rephrase your question so it’s not an attack and it’s respectful. I feel like that’s critical.

What has been most memorable in your time at St. Joe’s so far?

The Latinx association has become, even though I don’t attend a lot of the meetings, it’s kind of like my Spanish minor, it’s a part of me that brings me back home and allows me to be fully who I am. Also just finding people who want to get informed or are already informed. I feel like there are a lot of minority groups that really allow me to get informed of other minorities and other racial issues apart from mine. When we all come together, it really empowers me to fight for justice. Like the talk with the Black Student Union, that really empowered me to speak more about racial issues instead of keeping quiet because it makes me uncomfortable. The Saint Joseph’s campus is welcoming, it really is, so that’s something that I greatly admire, because my transition from Puerto Rico to here would have been much harder if it wasn’t because everyone is so welcoming, especially in Wolfington.

Do you feel hopeful for St. Joe’s future?

In the beginning I did, but with the talk with the Black Student Union and the past alumni who said this has been a recurring issue, I feel like if you don’t change the administration, then there’s no hope because you’re not learning. But if you do change some people, I’m not saying everyone, the people who are repeating these mistakes, then I do think there’s hope for a more actually diverse campus.

10

March 20, 2019

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

Joseph Feeney on his time at St. Joe's CARA SMITH ’21 Assistant Lifestyle Editor Joseph Feeney, S.J., stood in the front of the room holding his hands out to make an air violin. With his classic mischievous smile, Feeney imitated the bow crossing the strings while making a screeching sound that represented an untuned violin.

The students and faculty gathered in the Wachterhauser Seminar Room on the second floor of the Post Learning Commons sat silently with the uncomfortable sound, looking towards Feeney to see what he would do next.

Feeney was acting out a line from a poem

by Gerard Manley Hopkins during his presentation about the author, a Victorian poet and Jesuit priest whose work has been the focus of Feeney’s academic life since 1977.

Throughout the March 5 presentation, Feeney, an internationally recognized Hopkins scholar and co-editor of “The Hopkins Quarterly” for 34 years, continued to act out the noises and sounds of the poems, to give the audience a full immersion into the art.

Feeney said that he used the same tactics to keep his students engaged in the English courses he taught at St. Joe’s for 45 years.

His personality allowed him to flourish as a professor, according to Feeney.

“I am a ham by nature,” Feeney said. “I am a ham while teaching, and I have a silly sense of humor. It has gotten sillier as I have gotten older.”

Feeney is a Philadelphia native from Germantown who attended St. Joseph’s Preparatory School. After high school graduation, Feeney joined the Society of Jesus and pursued his master of arts at Fordham University.

After training with an international group of young Jesuits, Feeney returned to Philadelphia to earn his doctorate in English from the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1971, Feeney was offered a position as an English professor at St. Joe’s.

Feeney taught a wide variety of English courses at St. Joe’s, ranging from first year English courses to upper level classes, such as a seminar on contemporary Catholic

Feeney speaks at the Gerard Manley Hopkins event on March 5. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

imagination in America and Modernism and Postmodernism.

No matter what class he was teaching, Feeney said he always had certain ideals that he wanted his students to learn. “[I want students to gain] a broadening of what it means to be a human, a greater affection for people different from them and a love of sound, especially to poetry, and beauty,” Feeney said. “Even a development of their sense of humor and development of the human sympathy.”

Peter Ferris ’18 took the final course Feeney taught at St. Joe’s during the fall of 2016, which was a seminar on Modernism and Postmodernism.

Due to low registration for the course, Ferris and George Fenton ’18 convinced Feeney to make the class an independent study. The course consisted of just Ferris, Fenton and Feeney.

Fenton and Feeney in front of the Loyola Center after last year’s commencement ceremony PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE FENTON ’18.

Ferris said that Feeney’s discussions in class altered his view of the world.

“Father Feeney helped me put into perspective our short time on earth and how we can use that to maximize our potential,” Ferris said. “Getting to know him really changed me as a whole person.”

Feeney said that in order for professors to keep their students engaged in class discussions, they have to make sure they keep students on their toes.

For example, Feeney said he was facilitating a class discussion about a short story written by Mark Twain. In the story, a bird scratched his head with his foot. “[I thought], I am able to do that myself,” Feeney said. “So I was sitting on the desk talking about that story and how the bird scratches his head with his foot, and I picked up my right foot and just scratched my head.”

Fenton, who had Feeney as a professor for two classes, said that his quirks made the class much more engaging. “[Feeney] was just fun,” Fenton said.

“There was a lot of laughter going on throughout the class. We could take everything seriously, but it was also silly.”

In addition to the fun teaching style, Fenton said that Feeney helped him grow significantly as a person and a writer.

“He was really open about helping you find the best way you can write about a topic,” Fenton said. “Not necessarily in an academic way, but in some way you can contribute to a positive conversation.”

Peter Norberg Ph.D., associate provost for academic and faculty support and former chair of the English department, said that Feeney’s teaching style was a source of inspiration for his own classes.

“With his personal connection he was able to push students much further,” Norberg said. “He is the kind of teacher I try to emulate in my own relationship with students.”

One of the classes that Feeney taught was a seminar on Gerard Hopkins and James Joyce, two poets.

Feeney was introduced to Hopkins in 1977 while staying at a Jesuit house in Oxford, England. He said he saw a note that

advertised a celebration of the centennial of Hopkins’ ordination to be held later in the summer. Feeney said he was disappointed that he would be back in the U.S. by then.

“I said to myself: ‘self, somebody ought to celebrate his centennial in the U.S.,’” Feeney said. “‘So what the heck, you do it.’”

Shortly after researching Hopkins for his personal celebration, Feeney wrote an article about Hopkins’ work which was featured on the cover of the journal “America.”

In 2008, Feeney published a book on Hopkins, titled “The Playfulness of Gerard Manley Hopkins.”

Today, Feeney is considered an expert in Hopkins’ work.

Feeney said that the most significant part of Hopkins’ work is what readers can learn from it. “[Hopkins] found a number of things beautiful that other people didn’t notice,” Feeney said. “He has a strong sense of uniqueness of everything and every person.”

Just as Feeney said that Hopkins’ work helped him to recognize beauty in everyday life, Fenton said he felt the same way about Feeney’s instruction.

“The postmodernism class was more about self development than the actual literature,” Fenton said. “[It was about] finding out where you fit in a postmodern world.

He wanted us to figure out what we see ourselves in and embrace that.”

Fenton said that looking back, Feeney is one of his favorite professors. “[Feeney] is sincerely the greatest man, he embodies what I love about St. Joe’s,” Fenton said.

In addition to supporting students in the classroom, Feeney became close with them through his role of as an RA in Breen Hall. This residence is no longer a building on campus.

Connie O’Hara ’78, a health professions advisor and former student of Feeney’s, said that Feeney and his residents created lifelong bonds in Breen Hall.

“Fr. Feeney celebrated the weddings and baptisms of so many of his former Breen Hall residents,” O’Hara. “That is how significant he was in the lives of his students.”

15% off for Students and Faculty Sunday – Friday from 11 - 4 Full priced items and food only with the showing of school ID.

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

11

Dining with the dogs CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Managing Editor For the next stop in the brunch series, we travel to our second spot, not far from last week’s restaurant, Bernie’s. Located only two doors down, this restaurant displays with elegance what almost everyone loves: man’s best friend.

You might have guessed it based on the hint; this week’s review is about a place called White Dog Cafe, once again in University City. There are three locations altogether, one not too far from St. Joe’s in Haverford, Pennsylvania.

The White Dog Cafe in University City has a history dating back to its opening in 1983. It was the first restaurant in Philadelphia to use environmentally sustainable, organic and local foods from farms within 50 miles of the restaurant, according to their website.

After hearing a lot of good things about it, I have wanted to try this place out.

However, I was a little worried about going, because I have found it to be too expensive for my budget.

What changed my mind? The fact that I was writing a brunch column and I wanted to try somewhere new. Enter: White Dog Cafe.

As soon as you walk into the restaurant, you are greeted by a dachshund door handle and bulldog heads mounted on the wall.

This place is dog paradise and as a dog person, I was all for it.

The restaurant itself is very large with a lot of nooks and crannies, and it seems that each separate room has completely

different furnishings.

One room has walls lined with booths and paintings of dogs in royal outfits, another has a white wall with frames to decorate it, and another is full of plants.

We were seated in a space that is surrounded by dark wooden walls, green paneling and black and white watercolor paintings of, you guessed it, dogs. It is a darker setting compared to rooms next to us that have open windows letting a lot of light in, but it is cozy and close with other customers.

While we were waiting for our food, the waitress brought us a mysterious bread that turned out to be a delicious coffee cake that I wanted to eat for the rest of my time there.

I ordered the pork belly benedict for $16, which is house-smoked pork belly, poached eggs, toasted brioche and pickled onions with home fries on the side.

The pork belly was cooked perfectly. It was sweet and went well with the sweet pickled onions; it melted in my mouth with every bite.

The brioche got a little soggy underneath the poached eggs, but it added a nice touch to the plate full of delicate foods.

The potatoes were also cooked perfectly. The saltiness was great for when I needed a break from the sweet cream that came on top of the eggs benedict.

All in all, the dog theme is a great touch to the restaurant, but without it, I feel it would be a very average place. I would not have had as much of a desire to go, especially for a fun day of brunch-ing.

It works better as a date place because of the close spaces. Due to the small rooms, I don’t know how practical it would be for large groups. There was a group in the

room where we were eating that looked a bit too snug.

The food was delicious and definitely worth the $16, however it’s not somewhere I will likely return to knowing there are better deals out there for the same kind of food.

Their brunch hours are Saturday and Sunday 9:30-2:30, about as long as brunch lasts at most places.

If you’re a dog lover, it’s definitely a place you should go to at least once just to see what it’s all about. The friend I went with is obsessed with dogs, so she was in heaven.

I recommend trying this place out at least once to see for yourself what it has to offer. It is a must-see, but not necessarily a go-to place.

The White Dog Cafe located on Sansom Street in University City. PHOTO: ALEX HARGRAVE ’20/THE HAWK

A bottle of bacteria

Kombucha trend hits St. Joe's FLYNN MARTIN ’21 Special to The Hawk CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Managing Editor For some people, there’s nothing more refreshing than a cool glass of bacteria, and kombucha fits the bill.

Kombucha is a fermented tea that has its roots in ancient China for over 2000 years.

Many people who drink kombucha say they do so because of reported health benefits.

The drink allows healthy bacteria to kill off the harmful bacteria in our systems, creating a “happy and peaceful place,” according to Jeremy Sayer, owner and head brewer of Renewal Kombucha based out of Lititz and West Chester, Pennsylvania.

“As a functional beverage product, kombucha is getting a lot of press for its health benefits that can range from weight loss to lowering blood pressure to cancer prevention to immune system boosting to increase in energy, just to name a few,” wrote Theresa Crossan, M.A., a registered dietician and adjunct professor of chemistry who teaches Food Chemistry. “So far though, there is not much evidence that proves these claims in humans.”

Kombucha has four main ingredients: water, SCOBY culture (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast), sugar and some form of tea or herb that contains tannins, according to Sayer.

“Basically, kombucha starts as freshbrewed tea that has sugar dissolved into it,”

Alex Bewley ’21 drinks kombucha in Campion Food Court. PHOTO: CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20/THE HAWK

Sayer said. “The SCOBY is then added to the brew and it’s allowed to mature in a fermenting vessel for typically seven to 20 days until it’s reached its desired level of maturity. Once it’s mature, kombucha is usually bottled or kegged and allowed to build up some fizziness in the container before being served, usually served cold.”

Although there is said to have a lot of health benefits, Crossan said that there is not much evidence supporting it.

“The fermentation process that makes kombucha what it is involves the use of good bacteria, probiotics, that can promote

positive gut health and less digestive issues,” Crossan said in an email to The Hawk. “The liquid after fermentation also contains B vitamins, which our body does need but can get through many food products.”

Despite its popularity, there are some drawbacks to the drink. Some have reported that it can cause upset stomachs, along with other risks, according to Crossan.

“Mostly in cases of home brewed kombucha, sickness from mold has resulted from the bacteria,yeast and sugar combination being improperly grown,” Crossan said.

Alex Bewley ’21 said she drinks kombu-

cha about four to five times a week. Not phased by the criticism of the drink, she likes the taste but also claims it helps her upset stomach.

“I have a very sensitive stomach, but when I’m drinking kombucha I feel like it makes everything work,” Bewley said. “It’s good for the bacteria in your stomach, so if the bacteria in your stomach is slightly off, you may have a stomach ache or you may be feeling a little bit nauseous. Putting the probiotics back into your gut is good for your gut health.”

Bewley encourages people to try the drink and find a brand and flavor that suits them.

“If you try it out and you don’t like it, I would say make sure you try another flavor or a different brand, because I think anyone could find one that they like,” Bewley said.

There are many other ways to get the same health benefits that kombucha provides, according to Crossan.

“There are many fermented products that can be consumed to promote good gut health,” Crossan said. “They include yogurt, kefir, kimchi and sauerkraut. Kombucha can be included in this list of probiotic foods or beverages. However, as with everything else in nutrition, kombucha is not the end allbe all. It takes many foods and beverages to make a healthy eating lifestyle.”

Alex Hargrave ’20 contributed to this article.

12

March 20, 2019

Finding common ground

Club facilitates political discussions on campus ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Lifestyle Editor Throughout any given semester, Common Grounds holds events in the hopes of bringing students of different political backgrounds together. The club hosts faculty-led panels and round table discussions about controversial issues.

The group was started in 2016 by Jessica Arends ’20 and Chelsea Smith ’20 along with Lia Howard, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and liberal studies at Eastern University, who formerly taught at St. Joe’s. The current leader is Cassidy Kovisto ’21, a political science major and environmental sustainability minor.

Kovisto said the group sets guidelines for each discussion to ensure an effective and respectful conversation.

“We try to refrain from using the terms Democrat or Republican, anything that can over-politicize something,” Kovisto said.

“We want to create a dialogue on campus by talking about political things without being too political about it.”

The guidelines are placed on the tables for each participant to see, according to Kovisto. These guidelines ask students to “be slow to speak, listen attentively, seek truth in what others are saying, disagree humbly, respectfully and thoughtfully and allow the dialogue the time it needs.”

Common Grounds’ first event took place a week before the 2016 presidential election, allowing students the opportunity to stand up and say who they would vote for, including the primary candidates, and why. This activity was followed by round table discussions.

According to Howard, the political party associations among students on Hawk Hill made it a good place to test out such an event.

“St. Joe’s has a significant representation from both political parties on campus, which is not always the case on college campuses.”

Howard said. “Many campuses have one party that is dominant, so I thought that SJU would be a particularly interesting place to test if something like this would work well.”

Kovisto runs Common Grounds with

help from Catherine Collins, a reference librarian and current faculty advisor to the group.

Collins agreed to take on the role after attending a Common Grounds event that was co-sponsored by the SJU Refugee & Immigrant Working Group during Mission Week in 2018.

“Especially in the last couple of years, that’s a space that’s really needed,” Collins said. “It’s very welcome, especially in a place like a college campus where we should have the free exchange of ideas.”

A lot of political discourse today takes place on social media, which according to Howard, makes it easier for people to abandon their manners and to dehumanize one another.

“Giving people the opportunity to practice the art of conversation, to practice talking about important things, issues of belief, face to face is a skill you need to practice,” Howard said.

The group’s most recent event was on Feb. 21 during Mission Week, where participants discussed polarization, which

refers to the deep divide between political parties in the U.S. A faculty panel consisting of Katherine Sibley, Ph.D., professor, director of American studies program, Laura Bucci, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and Michael Kates, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy, presented on political polarization and its relation to their respective disciplines.

Sibley used her time during the panel to discuss polarization in the past to put polarization today into perspective.

“I wouldn’t say this was a political discussion,” Sibley said. “It was about politics, but I don’t think anyone who came in came from any political perspective would be offended by anything. It was more looking at the history of certain issues, putting it in an international perspective or understanding how social media can affect things.”

Common Grounds’ next event will partner with SJU Fair Trade Initiative to discuss fair trade and its political implications.

The event is set to take place during the first week in April.

Kovisto, Sibley, Bucci and Kates at the event on Feb. 21. PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHERINE COLLINS.

Horoscopes Pisces: Pisces, let go of all the anxiety you have.

Channel any negative energy into something productive. Go outside and exercise, eat healthy and learn something new. You will see your hard work pay off and find solace in the unexpected.

Aries: Look within yourself for strength, Aries. Only put in what will make you stronger.

Success does not define you. Power through your struggles and beam an inner glow to everyone around you. Let go of the past and remain curious.

Taurus: Spring break may have ended, Taurus, but you are still in party mode. Gravitate toward what you should do and not what you want to do. Stay on track and focus your attention on the root of every situation. Keep yourself occupied and you will undoubtedly find yourself ahead of the game.

Gemini: Use your social skills to your advantage, Gemini. They will pay off as you will develop important relationships. Stay true to who you are and remain humble. Your witty personality could get you into trouble, so stay in line with how you communicate to others.

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

Cancer: Cancer, spend time with real, genuine friends. Hesitation over a relationship will deter you from your work. Stick with your gut and open up to someone close to you about your worries. You have authority over how your emotions play out. Stay alert and maintain contact with people who support who you really are.

Leo: Leo, a change will upset your normal schedule. Do not let this rattle your fixed sense of self. Channel your creativity and lead with confidence. Keep your head high like you always do. Follow your own lead to see the positive change you hope for.

Virgo: Virgo, when responsibility calls, you should answer. Break out that extrovert inside of you for a powerful experience. Try to harness your obsession with perfection.

Stay organized and watch the stars align in your favor.

Libra: Keep yourself occupied, Libra. Do not let other people’s decisions phase you. Stand tall and remain loyal to yourself. This may be a good time to reevaluate your lifestyle —mentally, physically and spiritually. The paths you create for yourself will allow you to make heartfelt choices.

Scorpio: Take time for yourself this weekend, Scorpio. Self-care is not easy, but it will provide you with a better sense of self. Allow your body to release all that pent-up negativity. Clarity for an upcoming important decision will come much easier to you.

Sagittarius: Sagittarius, sweep your past worries under the rug. Stretch out the deadline for your future goals and give yourself the confidence to accomplish these goals. You are growing into your true self and those around you will finally begin to see this. You have the power to accomplish anything you set your mind to.

Capricorn: Acknowledge anything that is making you unhappy, Capricorn. You need to begin spring cleaning. Get rid of the bad omens and fake friends in your life so that you can see more clearly. Understand that by doing this, your future and sense of self will begin to open up in a better and brighter way.

Aquarius: Write down what gets you up in the morning, Aquarius. Realize your unique qualities and grow on them. Your insecurities will only make you a stronger person.

Rely on family this weekend and reach out to those around you for a boost of positivity.

Party like it's the early 2000s MEGAN COLLINS ’20 Special to The Hawk It has been nearly a month since the Jonas Brothers reunited, and since then, “Sucker” has been on repeat for so many college students who were “tweens” during their prime.

This release has students reminiscing about their early-2000s childhoods, where we listened to most of our music on car rides to and from school or through neon-colored iPod shuffles.

In honor of the end of the JoBros’ decade-long hiatus, here are some bops to bring you back to your pre-teen years.

“Burnin’ Up” by the Jonas Brothers How could the newly revived band of brothers not be included in a playlist made in their honor? “Burnin’ Up” marks the height of the group’s fame, and you can almost hear the high-pitched screams of your middle school friends sitting front row at a concert in homemade T-shirts reading “I heart Nick.”

“Too Little Too Late” by JoJo Long before your first heartbreak, JoJo embodied the angst of first loves. This song was just re-released in 2018, and JoJo is as passionate as ever, making it the perfect track to add to your 2019 list of jams.

“Everytime We Touch” by Cascada This song screams Friday night school dances. You and your pals would awkwardly stand on the school’s basketball court, bouncing up and down to the beat. Cascada brings an electric beat that makes you want to dance your heart out even in 2019.

“Sk8er Boi” by Avril Lavigne “Sk8er Boi” was often the first track burned onto the CD mix tapes we all used to receive as birthday party favors. Whether or not you believe the Twitter-famous Avril Lavigne conspiracy theories, this song creates endless memories of that one childhood crush you never confessed your love to.

“Fireflies” by Owl City What ever happened to Owl City? This song dominated the Radio Disney airwaves and immediately brings you back to Saturdays spent running errands in the backseat of your parents’ minivan.

“Dynamite” by Taio Cruz “Just Dance,” anyone? “Dynamite” has all the high-energy vibes of dance battles with your besties. Turn up this track and relive the memories of all of the late-night sleepovers in your friends’ basements.

“Beautiful Girls” by Sean Kingston This song had you belting out its lyrics in 2007 and will soon have you doing the same at the 2019 Spring Concert. “Beautiful Girls” is the perfect bop to remind you of your most carefree days, but it will also get you in the mood to jam out on April 10, when Sean Kingston will be performing right here on Hawk Hill.

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

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

13

Poor officiating overshadows men's basketball A-10 Tournament JAMES MCCLOSKEY JR. ’20 Hawk Staff Division I basketball at St. Joe’s has ended for the 2018-19 season. Unfortunately, both the men’s and women’s teams were defeated in their respective Atlantic 10 Tournaments.

I was in attendance for the entirety of the men’s tournament games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. What I saw left me dumbfounded and outright angry.

The 10 seed Hawks were defeated 70-60 by the tournament’s two seed Davidson College on March 15.

The Hawks lost this game because of the way they played. The Wildcats outrebounded the Hawks by 18, including 17 offensive rebounds. The Hawks shot 10.5 percent from 3-point range compared to Davidson’s 2 percent. The Hawks attempted 63 field goals, yet they only scored 60 total points.

This season-ending loss was a result of the Wildcats outplaying the Hawks. The Hawks had a long season, but they fought hard each game, even when they were ex-

hausted, so it’s not the way the Hawks lost that has left me angry.

The officiating throughout the A-10 Tournament and the entire men’s basketball season has been atrocious.

During the tournament at the Barclays Center, the Hawks had two different officiating crews for their two games.

The first crew, which refereed their victory over Duquesne University, also called several of the games the Hawks played at Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena this season. The tournament game against the Dukes was refereed very similarly to the way the regular season games had been called.

Fans throughout the Barclays Center, Hawk fans, Duke fans and fans that were not affiliated with either team, could be heard complaining about the referees for being “soft,” “disgraceful” and “despicable.”

They weren’t wrong.

The Hawks were called for 20 fouls during the game, and the Dukes were called for 23. Of those fouls, the majority were touch fouls, where a player was contacted without being in a shooting motion.

At some point, the players need to be able to play. Officiating across all of basket-

Will Wade probably won’t return to LSU and that’s a problem SAM BRITT ’20 Assistant Sports Editor As Louisiana State University (LSU) rolled to their first SEC Championship since 2009, there was a key figure missing on their sideline: Head Coach Will Wade.

Wade was suspended by the school due to his alleged involvement with a middleman over the recruitment of a player believed to be freshman guard Javonte Smart.

This surfaced due to an FBI wiretap that uncovered Wade discussing a “strong-ass offer” with Christian Dawkins, an aspiring agent. In the recording, Wade seemed agitated about a hold-up over how much money would go to the potential player’s family.

Wade shouldn’t coach at LSU again. Not because he has been found out by the FBI, not due to a moral standard that LSU has to live up to, but because he has been betrayed.

In a transcript where no actual dollar amount was mentioned, no specific player was named, and where the whole point was to help out a player’s family, LSU was all too happy to kick Wade to the curb. There was no sense of loyalty to the coach who transformed their program into a national powerhouse.

Wade is no choir boy, but neither is any NCAA coach. The reason Wade is able to make $15 million over six years is because none of the revenue coming into the program has to flow back to the players. It is in his best interest to have these talented players come into the program, no matter the cost. But here lies the problem.

Power 5 schools have allowed their coaches free reign to offer recruits benefits for years.

What Wade took part in is nothing new. The problem is that the NCAA has let this underworld grow for decades, and now that the FBI is involved, they are forced to find some schmucks like Wade, University of Louisville’s Rick Pitino and University of Arizona’s Sean Miller to pin the wrap on.

When the FBI’s probe came to light in

September 2017, they uncovered the heinous crime of college basketball players being paid

by Adidas. The NCAA’s ugly truth was brought to the forefront of the American conscious. The country thought that this was the end of paying off top recruits.

The FBI shouldn’t be spending their time stopping college coaches from getting players their due. Right now the NCAA actively sets out to disrupt any chance a college athlete has of legally making money off of their sport.

However, the NCAA has done nothing since the release of the FBI probe. They let their coaches be outed by the FBI and have not acted in response. This only shows how complicit the NCAA was with these underground dealings.

The NCAA has been all too happy to reap the benefits of star recruits going to their blue blood programs, playing on national television, racking up viewership and advertising dollars in the process. “To their knowledge” it was all legitimate and they were able to keep some semblance of a moral high ground.

Those days are over. There is a growing need for major reform not only in college basketball, but in all major college sports.

Instead of these players being paid under the table by seedy agents, it’s time for the NCAA to set a system in place for these players to be paid their worth legally.

The NCAA has driven these star athletes to agents. Time after time they have refused to allow these young adults to take monetary advantage of their talents. Once they enter college, the NCAA only cares about how their talents will serve the NCAA, which should not be the case.

Players should be allowed to make money off of their likeness. They should be able to sign shoe deals, get agents and be rewarded for all of the money they make for their programs. The time is now to make a change.

ball has been called out during the past year for halting play unnecessarily due to touch fouls. The A-10 officials need to be calledout as well.

However, there were more issues with the conference tournament officiating crews than just calling soft fouls.

The general officiating has been, as fans throughout the Barclays Center exclaimed, disgraceful. Traveling violations, moving screens, offensive three-second violations and over-the-back fouls have been consistently missed throughout the conference tournament and the season as a whole.

In the Hawks’ 70-60 loss to Davidson, these missed calls, along with the unnecessary touch fouls, played a major role in swinging the momentum at key moments of the game.

Matt Doherty, the Atlantic 10 Conference associate commissioner for basketball, has kept quiet about the poor officiating throughout the conference tournament amidst an outcry from fans present at the games as well as fans watching on national television who have spoken out on social media.

The A-10 conference is consistently per-

ceived by the national audience as less than worthy of being viewed. If Doherty wants the conference to become relevant on a larger scale, he needs to look at the officiating.

When the conference officiating is as poor as it has been this season, a national audience is not going to be interested in watching, which will cause top-recruit high school players to overlook teams within the conference. The A-10 Conference will only continue to spiral downward.

It is time for a close evaluation to be completed by the A-10 in regard to their officiating crews. While some of the referees have called excellent games throughout the season, the majority have not.

If the conference wants to become relevant on a national stage once again, the conference officiating crews must be reviewed and replaced.

The Barclays Center provided an outstanding experience for fans, but the despicable officiating throughout the tournament may have overpowered it.

ADVERTISE IN THE HAWK CONTACT hawkbusinessmanager@gmail.com

14

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

Sports

Women's lacrosse prepares for A-10 Conference play COLLIN MESSENGER ’22 Hawk Staff St. Joe’s women’s lacrosse aims to build upon their previous successes as they begin Atlantic 10 Conference play on March 22 at St. Bonaventure University.

Over the past three years, the team has netted 7-2 conference records and third place finishes in the A-10 Tournament, with programs such as the University of Massachusetts and the University of Richmond claiming the top spots.

Senior defender Ally Beck said the team is setting its sights on beating out those teams to win the tournament.

“Going into [conference play], we are not going to overlook any team, even if we have not lost to them in recent years,” Beck said. “However, overall we are definitely motivated to beat Richmond, who beat us last year in the A-10 playoffs and sent us home,

Senior defender Ally Beck runs downfield against Georgetown University.

and Massachusetts, who has proved to be a tough competitor.”

Beck said the senior class’s combination of experience and talent highlights the team's stregnths and unifies the team as a whole.

“We have a small senior class, but all of our seniors have a lot of experience,” Beck said. “Just on attack, we have [Rebecca Lane] and [Francesca Donato] who have recently hit [milestone achievements] in their career, so I think our senior leadership helps focus the entire team.”

Senior attack and Captain Rebecca Lane recently hit the 200-point mark, totaling goals and assists, to place second all-time in St. Joe’s women’s lacrosse program history. Senior attack Francesca Donato recently broke the 100-point barrier. On defense, Beck leads the charge with 53 caused turnovers during her career, a stat line she attributes as a factor in building this year’s strong defensive core.

“Our defensive unit is the best one we’ve had in the past few years,” Beck said. “Switching in and out of different defensive sets, and our transition–getting the ball to the attackers–has been really great this year.”

Donato echoed Beck’s sentiment that the players’ confidence in each other forms the team’s backbone heading into conference play.

“What we have right now is what we have been building for a year and a half,” Donato said. “The chemistry and belief we have right now is something hard to come by, and I think these are the factors that are going to make us different from any other year.”

Donato added that their tough non-conference schedule against nationally ranked Georgetown University, the United States Naval Academy and Johns Hopkins Uni-

T H E U N I V E RS I TY O F S C R A N TO N

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Senior attack Rebecca Lane takes a shot against Georgetown University.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SIDELINE PHOTOS, LLC.

versity has provided valuable experience to take forward.

Lane compared the games they played against nationally ranked opponents to their strong conference opponents, Massachusetts and Richmond.

“Both Massachusetts and Richmond have very high-pressure defenses and strong goalies to cap it off,” Lane said. “It’s similar to what we’ve faced in our out-of-conference games with Georgetown, Navy and Johns Hopkins, so I think these experiences are preparing us in our face-off down the road.”

Lane said that the team’s great physical condition sets them apart from past seasons in their ability to compete at a high level. “[Our speed and fitness] allow us to push out our opponents, tire them out and grind them down over a full 60 minutes,” Lane said.

Head Coach Alex Kahoe added that

playing against nationally ranked competition affirms the team’s belief in their ability to do something special in conference play.

“To be able to play against ranked opponents, against strong programs early in our season has continued to build the team’s confidence,” Kahoe said. “It builds something we will take into every game going forward.”

Looking at the talent filling her roster, Kahoe said that there is no limit to what this team can accomplish.

“As a team, I think we are faster than we have ever been, more athletic and have a higher lacrosse IQ as a team than we’ve ever had,” Kahoe said. “Putting all those aspects together with our team chemistry, leadership and depth, we simply have a special team this year.”

In Celebration of Women’s History Month

Visionary Women Sr. Mary Scullion, RSM March 27, 2019 7:00 PM Cardinal John P. Foley Campus Center

As co-founder of Project HOME, Sr. Mary Scullion, RSM, has worked tirelessly to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty in innovative ways for the past 30 years.

From her outreach work on the streets of Philadelphia to her advocacy on the political issues affecting homeless and mentally ill persons, Sr. Mary is a visionary woman committed to social justice.

Sr. Mary will speak about the historical contributions of women as champions of peace and social justice in the Catholic Church, and her lifelong journey as a homeless advocate. She will also engage in the broader conversation about how the role of women in the Church could evolve.

Sponsored by the Faith-Justice Institute’s Joseph William and Madeline Eberle Klein Fund

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

15

Men's basketball players make no excuse for A-10 Tourney NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Sports Editor The St. Joe’s men’s basketball team lost 70-60 to Davidson College in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament on March 15.

This loss came one day after the Hawks beat Duquesne University 92-86 in the first round of the conference tournament.

Senior guard Chris Clover said the first game against Duquesne brought on fatigue, which contributed to the team’s tired legs and caused issues in terms of executing technical basketball plays.

“We didn’t necessarily feel tired during play, just due to adrenaline in the moment,” Clover said. “Looking back, Davidson had fresher legs, and with us being a little tired, it contributed to shooting poorly and making poor decisions from three.”

Head Coach Phil Martelli said players discussed their level of exhaustion in the locker room at halftime.

“These guys talked about playing until they were exhausted, and that’s what they did,” Martelli said during his press conference following the game. “They just didn’t play well enough.”

Redshirt junior guard Lamarr Kimble said that while the team was tired, it’s not an excuse for the end score.

“Everyone was tired, but it’s difficult to make that an excuse when it’s win or go home,” Kimble said. “You need to put forth extra energy and reserve it to the next day.

Everybody, no matter how many minutes they played, was tired. You shouldn’t be playing in the tournament if your excuse is fatigue.”

Martelli stuck to his season-long strategy of playing the starting five for a vast majority

of the game. Kimble played 37 minutes, Clover played 39 minutes, redshirt sophomore forward Charlie Brown played 39 minutes and freshman guard Jared Bynum played 36 minutes. The lone starter that did not break 30 minutes was redshirt sophomore forward Lorenzo Edwards, playing 22 minutes. The St. Joe’s bench played for a combined 27 minutes.

Of the four of Davidson’s seven players that saw action in the game, each played for less than 30 minutes on the day.

Kimble said that any bench player is capable of having the same effect on the game as most starters are. By incorporating the bench to a larger extent, a certain amount of pressure would be taken off starters in terms of big minutes, causing less fatigue on the court.

“If a player like [graduate student and guard] Troy [Holston] was on the court for me or anyone else, there would have been a similar effect in terms of production,” Kimble said. “But when you’re in the tournament, it’s about playing the guys who play well as a group together. That’s a coaching decision.”

Clover echoed Kimble’s thoughts, adding that more opportunities off the bench throughout the game, especially in terms of scoring, could have been helpful in the closing minutes of the game.

“It would have been ideal to have production off the bench, but Coach had a different idea,” Clover said. “He believed in the five guys out there.”

Kimble said he is unsure of the reason behind such a heavy reliance on the starting five, whether it be during the tournament or throughout the season as a whole.

“It’s just how the chips fell,” Kimble said.

“We’ve had adjustments throughout the season, and of course the bench could have been incorporated better. But everyone bought

Clover and freshman guard Jared Bynum in a game against Duquesne University in the A-10 Tournament.

PHOTOS: MITCHELL LEFF/ATLANTIC 10

into what was going on.”

Kimble said he needs to keep thoughts on bench production out of his mind rather than think about what could have been changed. But on a day where the Hawks went 2-19 from three, Holston could have contributed beyond the arc, according to Kimble.

“It would have been helpful for him to be on the court, but I don’t have any control over that decision,” Kimble said. “Troy definitely could have gotten in there and played, but the coaches saw something different.”

Aside from bench production and player fatigue, Clover said the team’s lack of experience showed when the Hawks were tied with two minutes left to play.

“We had five guys out there that wanted to win, playing their hardest, but some inexperience came into play in terms of key

turnovers towards the end of the game,” Clover said. “That happens in basketball. It was two turnovers within the last two minutes.

They were trying to make a play and help the team win.”

Aside from key turnovers, Kimble had an opportunity to bring the game within two points, shooting three free throws after being fouled from beyond the arc with just over a minute to play. He missed all three.

“I went up there and shot them like I do every time,” Kimble said. “I’ve made them in big moments, but this time they just didn’t fall. Of course that was hard for me. That was the reason why we lost. I went out there and played 110 percent so I can live with the end result. I will remember those misses forever, and I’ll work hard so that never happens again.”

16

The Hawk Newspaper

March 20, 2019

Sports

Behind the bench Women's basketball managers keep the team running

Pictured from left to right: Sophie Smyczek ’21, Emily Sarre ’22, Vilma Fermin ’20, Michele Bilotta ’22 and Vinny Lynch ’22. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

RYAN MULLIGAN ’21 Assistant Sports Editor On any given game day at Michael J. Hagan ‘85 Arena, a group of five student volunteers sits inches behind the players on the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team’s bench. Another hovers nearby, flapping her wings.

This team of six, led by Regan Gallagher ’20, serve as the team’s managers, performing the tasks that are necessary for Head Coach Cindy Griffin and her players to function smoothly and be successful.

This is Gallagher’s third year on the job.

“People don’t realize you do everything that the players do without being recognized that you are an athlete,” said Gallagher, who also served as a manager of her high school’s basketball team.

Sophie Smyczek ’21 is exempt from the game day duties that the other managers perform because she is also the Hawk mascot for the women’s team.

“It has been a rewarding experience,” Smyczek said. “You don’t get competition, but it’s cool to learn from the coaches and players. We get experience in terms of how to act in a professional setting.”

On game days, the managers keep the stat book, film the game and service the players on the bench.

Away games bring a whole new set of responsibilities. They pack everything the team might need, from hair ties to Griffin’s chair, into a big black box to be loaded onto a bus or a plane.

Once, that box was missing something important, Vilma Fermin ’20 remembered: a basketball. The team found itself in a Rhode Island hotel using a balled up T-shirt as a basketball for a pregame walk through.

On practice days, the managers show up 30 minutes before the players to pre-

pare water, basketballs and heart monitors. Throughout practices, they keep charts on foul shooting and possessions while also participating in drills and keeping the players hydrated.

“Even though we’re not technically a part of the team, the coaching staff goes out of their way to make us feel like we are,” said Fermin, who is in her second year on the job and shares many of the head manager responsibilities with Gallagher.

Vinny Lynch ’22 has spent his first year on Hawk Hill with the women’s basketball team and enjoys the inherent selflessness that comes with the job.

“We do a lot of work, and it can get hectic and crazy sometimes, but then you think about what you are doing and why you are doing it,” Lynch said. “Everything we do is

for the players. At the end of the day, sports are about the players. It is so much fun, and nobody else gets to do what you do. You just have to put things in perspective.”

Like many of the managers, Lynch took the position because he loves the game of basketball, which he played in high school.

Lynch and Michele Bilotta ’22 said working as a manager gives them a new perspective on what it takes to be a Division I athlete.

“It’s impressive how much time these players put into their game, being in the gym for so long,” Bilotta said. “It’s amazing how dedicated they are and how much they work to be better every day. Whenever they’re at practice, they’re ready to work.

It’s a cool thing to witness.”

This sentiment is reciprocal, according

to sophomore guard Lula Roig, who spoke of how appreciative the team is of the work the managers do and how essential they are to the team’s preparation.

“I have a very close relationship with the managers,” Roig said. “They are extremely likable people to be around in addition to all the work they put in for the team as a whole. They always make sure we have everything, they always make sure we are prepared.”

Although their names do not appear on any roster or statline, each of the managers mentioned the solidarity they feel with both the players and coaches.

“You get to know their playing styles but you also get to know them on a much deeper level,” Smyczek said. “There isn’t any intimidation because we’re their friends.”

The women's basketball team lines up next to Sophie Smyczek ’21, the Hawk mascot, and team manager before a game in Hagan Arena.