March 6, 2019

March 6, 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

Kerry Dowd ’20, president of SJUPride, Rachel Cox ’19, the residential life chair for the Student Senate, and Jordon Constantino ’22, are involved in the discussion about gender-inclusive housing on campus.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Gender-inclusive housing to be implemented next year Undergraduate students will now be able to select gender-inclusive housing options when housing selection begins on March 25.

The new option is a result of St. Joe’s first gender-inclusive housing program, which the Office of Residence Life is implementing for the fall 2019 semester.

That program will permit students who identify as transgender to have roommates in a residence hall of their choosing, according to Jessica Moran-Buckridge, director of Residence Life, who gave a presentation on the proposal at the Feb. 25 University Student Senate (USS) meeting.

Only upper-level students who request gender-inclusive housing are allowed to live in any of the available residence halls.

First-year students are restricted to LaFarge Student Residence.

“That is our smallest suite-style location that would still allow students to have that organic first-year experience, but LaFarge still has the smallest number [of students] sharing a restroom,” Moran-Buck-

ridge said during the presentation.

Jordon Constantino ’22, a commuter student who identifies as transgender, said the lack of gender-inclusive housing at St. Joe’s contributed to his decision to commute to school.

Constantino said the new program will not only show support for students who identify as transgender but will provide a needed sense of community for them at St. Joe’s.

“It is nice that [students] can have a suite-style, that they have a space,” Constantino said. “You are not just singled out.

You have a community around you who understands you.”

In previous years, it was university policy that the Office of Residence Life worked on a case-by-case basis with students who identified as transgender to place them in housing that matched their gender identity. Students who identified as transgender weren’t allowed to have roommates.

Moran-Buckridge said the new policy aligns with the university’s Jesuit values. As of December 2018, four Jesuit schools—Gonzaga, Fairfield and Georgetown universities and the University of San Francisco—offered gender-inclusive

housing options.

“It fits our commitment in Residence Life to provide safe, inclusive, welcoming residential communities to all of our students,” Moran-Buckridge said.

Although first-year students are now allowed to have roommates, both Constantino and Rachel Cox ’19, the residential life chair for USS, said they are still concerned that first-year students who live in gender-inclusive housing will experience social isolation due to there being a single designated suite for the program.

“Other students, who may not know of anything beyond a gender binary, [might question] why those students are living together,” Cox said. “I want to make sure the community at-large is inclusive and that those students get the support they need.”

Residence Life has been working on this proposal for the past five years, according to Cox, who said a meeting with the Transgender Working Group, Residence Life and University President Mark Reed, Ed.D., helped to propel the housing program to be enacted next year.

“At that meeting [with Reed, we were] able to say: ‘We need this, we need to make this a priority and you need to give your un-

equivocal support,’” Cox said.

Constantino said one of the best ways to support students in gender-inclusive housing is to educate and train Resident Assistants (RAs) to handle difficult situations.

“Ideally, you want an RA who doesn’t conform to the gender binary,” said Constantino, who was selected to be an RA next year. “There are certain situations and issues that we face as a trans student that a [cisgender] person just won’t get. This piece of your identity is difficult no matter what.”

Christopher Heasley, Ph.D., assistant professor of educational leadership and head of the Transgender Working Group, said he hopes that in the future the program can expand beyond the suite-style accommodations for first-year students.

“The future direction is [thinking] about how our campus expands,” Heasley said. “We can accomodate a different kind of student generation with needs that are different than these halls have historically been serving.”

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March 6, 2019

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News

Tim McGuriman, associate vice president of Administrative Services, gives a presentation to students on the master plan. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Master plan unveiled

Roadmap proposes ways to unify campus ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief The university’s newest master plan was publicly released to students, faculty and staff over the past week.

Details of the plan were provided to faculty and staff at an information session on Feb. 28 and to students on March 4.

As previously announced, Sasaki, the firm hired two years ago to construct the master plan, conducted a number of site visits in order to develop three alternatives. At the recent information sessions, university officials said they had chosen the plan entitled “Two Hearts” from the three.

The “Two Hearts” plan includes moving the student center to where LaFarge Residence Center and Sourin Residence Center are, knocking down those dorms and building new ones near the Maguire Wolfington Welcome Center. It also includes the addition of two parking garages, an expansion of green spaces and an underpass to and from the Merion side of campus. The renovations would also feature an update to O’Pake Recreation Center as well as additional residence halls and academic buildings if the

need arises.

The master plan is said to be a roadmap for the university, not a construction plan, according to Joseph Kender, vice president of University Relations.

“We now have more land on the Lower Merion side of campus than we do on the Philadelphia side,” Kender said. “Having said that, most of our activity still takes place on the Philadelphia side. The reality is that we want to activate the entire campus.”

Gabby Stevenson ’21, a student senator who attended the March 4 information session, said she was hoping to hear answers about what the future of the campus would look like.

While Stevenson acknowledged that this was a long-term plan, she was left wondering what would happen to the spaces in the Campion Student Center once it was recreated and moved.

“The biggest [missing] thing was just where the Office of Inclusion and Diversity would be located, where the commuter’s lounge was going to be relocated, if it was going to be relocated,” Stevenson said.

During the March 4 student information session, Tim McGuriman, associate

vice president of Administrative Services, said that the master plan was designed to be adaptive.

“This is a systematic plan,” McGuriman said. “It’s not necessarily a plan that says this building at this place at this time.”

At the faculty presentation, Richard Haslam Ph.D., associate professor of English, said he was impressed by the plan to beautify the campus, but he was concerned about the cost.

Haslam, who asked several questions at the faculty and staff forum, pressed Kender on the “jarring context” of the master plan that will cost a large amount of money and the layoffs that took place last May. “Given that last May there were layoffs, in that climate, the optics of rolling out this wonderful plan, it might seem discordant with the knowledge that these [buildings] are beautiful, but people were laid off,” Haslam said. “How do we connect those two things together?”

Kender said the plan is more about process than about specific cost.

“You can’t look at something like this just as cost,” Kender said. “You have to look at this process as something much broader.

This probably a 10- to 20-year plan. It’s really more of an investment.”

Kender said the plan will be funded exclusively on philanthropy, but it was unclear how much the total cost would be, given that the plan is not definite. Eighty percent of the donations will need to be in cash in order for construction to begin, he said, creating a lag between when the money is raised, when the university has the money in hand and when construction begins.

“By having a more direct policy that we are up front with our donors about, it allows [us] to focus on what we need to raise and the donors become motivated as well,” Kender said. “I would call it best practice.

There may be a few projects that move up quicker if someone wants to make a commitment, then we will move forward.”

A third presentation date, again for faculty and staff, has yet to be determined but will take place sometime after spring break, Kender said.

Alysa Bainbridge ’21 and Cara Smith ’21 contributed to this article.

Gender-inclusive housing to be offered next year FROM PG. 1 There is no direct reference to the gender-inclusive housing program on the new housing application, but a question prompts students to select the sex assigned to them at birth. Below that question is a statement directing students who selected a sex that does not match their gender identity to call an employee in Residence Life. Moran-Buckridge said the employee who will handle these calls has not yet been determined.

Moran-Buckridge acknowledged that being required to call Residence Life might be intimidating to some students.

“We are going to identify a [specific] person who will be the recipient of those questions and they will shepherd the student through the process,” Moran-Buckridge said.

Requiring students to self-disclose to the office might be frustrating, Moran-Buckridge acknowledged. However, she said it helps to streamline the process for Residence Life.

“Many students don’t follow through with something they say they are interested in,” Moran-Buckridge said. “This process al-

Jessica Moran-Buckridge, director of Residence Life, details the new housing program to University Student Senate on Feb. 25. PHOTO: MATT BARRETT ’21/THE HAWK

lows the student to be in control of outreach, saying, ‘This is something I want, not just something I am thinking about.’”

Constantino said he worries that requir-

ing students to reach out to Residence Life might pose problems for students.

“For some students who are not out to their parents, they could be accidentally out-

ed,” Constantino said. “For me personally, I just want to fit in, I don’t want to be spotlighted.”

The Hawk Newspaper

News

March 6, 2019

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Updates to Student Health Center Main Line Health partnership offers women's health services ALYSA BAINBRIDGE ’21 Assistant News Editor The university has contracted with Main Line Health to provide more comprehensive women’s health care services, as petitioned for by students last semester.

One of four doctors or nurse practitioners from Main Line Health will be on staff at the Student Health Center every day during business hours on a rotating basis throughout the week. They will join two full-time RNs currently on staff.

The part-time staff members from Main Line Health include Dr. Christine Stallkamp, Dr. Patricia Boken, Diana Morris, CRNP, and Reagan Devine, CRN, making the health center staff all-female.

The partnership is a solution to problems that arose when the university lost two of its primary doctors and nurses last semester. Laura Hurst, CRNP, who was the director of the health center for 20 years, left in the summer of 2018 to take a new job. Dr. Edward Gorrie, an internist,

retired in December after 40 years with the university.

Eileen Bevilacqua, RN, who worked as a nurse at the Health Center for 12 years and now serves as the director, said in an email to The Hawk that this partnership is a good way to replace Hurst and Gorrie and provide more services to students.

“The MLH staff are able to suture, assess for corneal abrasions, and perform GYN exams,” Bevilacqua said. “These procedures were referred to outside providers last semester.”

With the addition of the new staff, the health center now provides services including but not limited to common illness, injury and wellness care such as cold and flu, strep throat, mononucleosis, pneumonia, corneal abrasion and laceration repair, allergy injections, GYN exams and a wider range of STI testing.

The ability of the rotating Main Line Health staff to perform GYN exams specifically responds to a student petiMaria Kokol, RN, a nurse at the Student Health Center. PHOTOS: ROSE BARRETT ’20/THE HAWK

Students have observed shorter wait times with the new changes.

tion last October. The petition, started by Catherine Geruson ’19, Molly Mullen ’19 and Sara Hoffman ’19 and facilitated by University Student Senate (USS), demanded a full-time gynecologist be hired in the health center after the university did not hire new staff following the departure of the only staff members with women’s health experience.

Geruson said a partnership with Main Line Health was mentioned as a solution in her meeting with administrators and she is satisfied university officials kept their word.

“For the most part, I think for a college clinic, they’re meeting a lot more needs with this change,” Geruson said.

“That definitely meets what I wanted and what a lot of other girls wanted. I can’t speak for everybody, but I think it’s definitely satisfactory.”

Bevilacqua said the health center is also allowing students to schedule appointments in order to reduce wait times.

Previously, students were served on a walk-in basis only.

Meghan Doyle ’19, who went to the health center as a walk-in three weeks ago and then made an appointment for later in the week, said she waited 25 minutes without an appointment and 10 with one.

She saw one of the clinicians from Main Line Health and said the experience was a good one.

“It seemed like there was good communication between the nurse from the health center that I talked to earlier in the week and the doctor, so it wasn’t a lot of those same repetitive questions,” Doyle said.

Bevilacqua said the Main Line Health partnership has been a positive one so far.

“The doctors and nurse practitioners from MLH are able to care for the whole person,” Bevilacqua said. “They have been incredible. They are excellent clinicians and truly seem to care about the well-being of the students.”

U.S.-China trade war

Economist urges more free trade, fewer tariffs CARLY CALHOUN ’21 Special to The Hawk David Dollar, economist, expert on China and senior fellow at the China Center at the Brookings Institute, told students and faculty the world is nervous about rising protectionism in the U.S. and America’s imposition of trade tariffs on China during a lecture Feb. 26 in Mandeville Hall.

Dollar said free trade is foundational to the global economy and free trade with China is a foundation for America’s economic prosperity.

“I think the most important issue is to press China to open up more markets,” Dollar said. “That would create new opportunities for American firms and American workers.”

During the lecture, which focused on the history of U.S.-China economic relations and China’s rise to global economic prominence, Dollar said that when Chi-

na joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 the U.S. negotiated to get access to markets in China.

“I’ve supported the view that we should try to focus the [current] negotiations on opening up more Chinese markets,” Dollar said. “And there’s some hope there because China has been making some moves in the last couple years. It has reduced its tariff on imported automobiles, for example, and it has put in place a time table for phasing out investment restrictions.”

President Donald Trump first imposed tariffs on China in January 2018, and the Chinese government retaliated two and a half months later with tariffs on about $3 billion worth of U.S. goods, including a tariff on soybeans that disproportionately affected farmers.

Nancy Fox, Ph.D., an economics professor, said Chinese and American officials have since then continued to negotiate for a new trade deal, but that when the U.S. imposed tariffs on China, the Chinese

imposed tariffs on the U.S. “I think that people don’t understand why tariffs are not good economic policy,” Fox said. “Tariffs are bad economic policy.”

In a tweet on March 1, Trump wrote: “I have asked China to immediately remove all Tariffs on our agricultural products (including beef, port, etc.) based on the fact we are moving nicely along with Trade [sic] discussions.”

Trump’s delay of the March 1 deadline now allows more time for negotiations, but also causes American companies and workers to suffer from the implemented tariffs, according to Benjamin Liebman, Ph.D., an economics professor who specializations in international trade and the steel industry.

“American farmers have depended upon the Chinese market, this massive market, to buy a lot of agricultural products,” Liebman said. “And now that market has been taken away.”

According to Liebman, former pres-

ident Barack Obama implemented tariffs against China, however his tariff policy was not as aggressive as Trump’s.

“There has been a much more aggressive pursuit of trying to make China change its policies with regard to intellectual property and joint ventures,” Liebman said. “I think that they are more dependent on us than we are on them, and if you look, their stock market has been more damaged by American tariffs than ours has been by Chinese tariffs.”

Dollar said the idea that tariffs on China will bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. is naïve. Instead, the U.S. should focus on intellectual property rights issues and recognize that China is gradually improving intellectual property rights protections.

“Those structural issues would actually improve our economic relationship,” Dollar said. “Whereas this focus on trade balances doesn’t really make sense.”

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March 6, 2019

News

LEFT: Dr. Twayigira spoke on refugee education. RIGHT: Ryan Magarity ’21 attended the lecture. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Survival through education: a refugee’s hope ERIN BREEN ’19 News Editor Refugee education advocate and Rwandan Genocide survivor Dr. Mireille Twayigira, M.D., spoke about her experiences as a refugee in a lecture on Feb. 27.

In 1994, two-year-old Twayigira and her family were forced to flee their home after her father was killed in the genocide.

Her family spent the next six years moving between refugee camps in Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi, covering the equivalent distance between Los Angeles and New York on foot. Her mother, sister and grandmother died along the way.

After arriving at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, Twayigira became a student of the Jesuit Refugee Service’s (JRS) education program.

“Despite all the challenges, me and my classmates would wake up every day, we’d go to school and we’d work hard because we knew that school held our only help,” Twayigira said in an interview with The Hawk. “Despite our past, education was the key that would help us come out of all that. We were not sure if we’d get a chance

[to go to] university, but we were ready whenever a chance was presented.”

In 2010, Twayigira graduated high school as one of the top three academically ranked females in the country, providing her the chance to attend university.

With aid from JRS, along with the Malawian and Chinese governments, Twayigira gained citizenship in Malawi, providing her with a passport that allowed her to begin her medical studies in China.

After a year of language school to learn Mandarin, she entered a four-year medical program, becoming a doctor in 2016. Once she completed a year-long medical internship back in Malawi, Twayigira was offered a position with JRS, which involved traveling and speaking about her experiences as a refugee.

“I got this chance to work with the same organization that had been very influential in my own life, to be able to advocate for other young refugees in terms of education because I had seen how important it had been in my own life, how transformational it had been,” Twayigira said. “I am here because I am someone whose life has been very much influenced

and very much transformed by education.”

For Josee Bell ’22, who attended the lecture, Twayigira’s story put a face to the international issue of forced migration.

“When you read about [forced migration], it’s different than when you see someone who went through it,” Bell said.

“I thought it was really inspirational. She was really strong.”

Richard Gioioso, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science, said that beyond her story serving as inspiration, hearing about individuals like Twayigira offers St. Joe’s students a well-rounded perspective on global issues.

“It is important for Americans and college students in particular, through their studies, to learn more about the world,” Gioioso said. “Having Dr. Twayigira here is an aspect of that. To come in close contact with and hear the stories of refugees and political asylees, who at this point are in the news a lot and there is a lot of misunderstanding or misinformation, that’s a real privilege for us to have hosted her here and heard her story.”

Josh Utter, outreach and advocacy coordinator for JRS, said that beyond donat-

Department of Public Safety reports (Feb. 22-28) Feb. 24 Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm inside the Sourin Residence Center. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by a faulty washing machine. Alarm was reset.

Feb. 28 Public Safety was notified by a St Joe’s student that unknown person(s) removed a bracelet from an unsecured locker in the O’Pake Recreation Center. Incident under investigation.

ing money, individuals can be contributing to the cause by educating themselves and others and petitioning their government officials to create legislation that protects forced migrants. “[The JRS] mission is to accompany, advocate and serve refugees and forcibly displaced persons throughout the world, and a lot of that looks like education programs, workforce development, psycho-social support and also some emergency response,” Utter said.

Twayigira said the value of her story and her work is helping to secure education for the next generation of refugees.

“Jesuit Refugee Services want to help refugees to heal and also give them a way to determine their own futures so they can become who they want and support their families and the community,” Twayigira said in her lecture. “These innocent refugees whose lives have been turned upside down, at least they have a chance [of] a brighter future.”

Alysa Bainbridge ’21 contributed to this article.

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Opinions

March 6, 2019

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Progress doesn’t make perfect Steps remain for gender-inclusive housing policy 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 Lifestyle Editor Alex Hargrave ’20

Next year, St. Joe’s will begin offering a gender-inclusive housing program, joining several other institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Firstyear students who identify as transgender or gender non-binary will have the option of living in a suite in LaFarge Residence Center, while sophomores and older will be able to live with any student of the opposite gender as long as all residents agree to the housing arrangement.

The new policy, developed by the Transgender Working Group, the Office of Residence Life and University President Mark C. Reed, Ed.D., has been in development for five years and marks a monumental step forward for the university. Still, it is not without its flaws.

Students applying to live in campus housing during the 2019-2020 academic year will not see gender-inclusive housing explicitly outlined as option. Regardless of the recent major policy change, the housing application will remain the same, prompting transgender students to contact Residence Life if their gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.

Transgender youth are among the most vulnerable populations in the LGBTQ community, and policies impacting them must be crafted with attention to their current realities.

A 2018 survey by the University of Arizona, Tucson found that transgender teenagers attempted suicide at rates up to five times higher than their cisgender peers.

A professor who worked on the study cited familial rejection as one of the major risk factors for transgender youth experiencing suicidal ideation.

Transgender students who are not yet out to their parents, or who have parents not supportive of their transitions, would need to risk being outed just to identify themselves as transgender to Residence Life. This

holdover from the previous policy could place transgender students at risk in their home living arrangements.

It also places a substantial emotional burden on these students to speak to someone they have never met about their personal identities before they may have come out to their parents and close friends.

Residence Life has said that it will designate one person to speak with transgender students about housing concerns, which is certainly an improvement over the previous policy. Yet it remains an outmoded and potentially harmful arrangement that should be phased out.

The university’s explanation that students often check boxes on the housing agreement and then change their minds or don’t follow through with that designation may be true, but it does not hold up in relation to an issue of this magnitude.

Students who express interest in participating with a gender-inclusive housing program may do so to support a friend, but the program was designed specifically for transgender students. The program allows transgender students to live with roommates and have more autonomy in selecting campus housing (under the previous policy, transgender students were administratively placed in available housing assignments).

A box on a form may not seem like it would make much of a difference, but it helps to protect the privacy of a vulnerable group of students for whom this new policy was enacted. After the logistical challenges of implementing the new policy have settled, the university needs to consider input from the transgender students it serves in making any necessary changes.

The new policy, while not perfect, does get a few things right. Allowing students in their sophomore year or above to live with roommates of any gender, as Residence Life

will do on a case-by-case basis, is a substantial and forward-thinking change.

It permits transgender students to live with chosen roommates in any residence hall on campus, mitigating the social isolation effect of the previous policy and allowing them freedom of choice.

Restricting all transgender students to a single building or wing would be socially isolating and exclusionary.

However, the suite option offered to transgender first-year students in LaFarge Residence Center acknowledges that safety on college campuses is still a concern for transgender students. A campus-wide, gender-inclusive housing policy should be our ultimate goal, but such a policy may not jive with current social realities.

The strengths of this new policy should not distract from the work which still needs to be done on behalf of transgender students at St. Joe’s. Let’s get started.

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

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

Assistant 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

SPRING CONCERT ANNOUNCED It’s official—Sean Kingston and DJ Pauly D of “Jersey Shore” famewill be performing in this year’s Spring Concert. It’s a unique combination to be sure, but we’re looking forward to seeing what they will bring to the stage on April 10.

WHERE'S THE REST OF THE "JERSEY SHORE" CAST? Sadly, DJ Pauly D will be the only “Jersey Shore” alum to headline the Spring Concert. If we want to relive the rest of the cast’s antics, we’ll have to return to any of the show’s six classic seasons. One out of six main cast members isn’t bad.

BRYCE HARPER IS COMING TO PHILLY The right fielder, formerly of the Washington Nationals, just recently signed an unprecedented $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies. Hopefully Harper will lead the team to a more successful 2019 season and improve their 80-82 benchmark from 2018.

MIDTERM SEASON We dread them and yet they always arrive, like clockwork, during the middle of each semester. Good luck, Hawks, and try to think of spring break as a reward for all your hard work this semester.

THE JONAS BROTHERS ARE BACK One of our childhood favorite boy bands returned on March 1 with the new song “Sucker,” and it’s a hit. There haven’t been any announcements of a forthcoming album just yet, but if there is one in the works, we know it will be good.

BASKETBALL SEASON IS (ALMOST) OVER The men’s basketball team scored another win this past Saturday, March 2 against La Salle University, with the final scoreboard reading 72-62. With only one more game left, this season is down to the wire. We’ll miss the games, but we’ll definitely be back cheering on many more victories next fall.

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March 6, 2019

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Maintaining confidence in college Boundaries are necessary in the face of social comparison DEVIN YINGLING ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor One of my favorite John Mulaney jokes comes from his comedy special “The Comeback Kid.” In a blue three-piece suit, he addresses the audience in his nonchalant demeanor, “What is college? Stop going until we figure it out.

Because I went to college, I have no idea what it was. I went to college, I was 18 years old, I looked like I was 11.”

So as I was looking in the mirror getting ready for my 12:30 seminar and thinking of John Mulaney as one does, I realized oh...I’m really in college.

I spent my first semester here enjoying feeling like I was in one of those cliché movie montages: grabbing a coffee, running to my morning English class and holing up in the library with books stacked to my knees.

But during the past seven weeks of my second semester, the realization that those montages are just for movies has hit me harder than I expected.

I knew I wasn’t going to be Elle Woods running around Harvard with a teacup dog in my purse and studying law. But I have always been relatively good at school, and I have valued my education immensely.

Most importantly, I always felt as though I knew what exactly I was doing. I had a plan to go to college, major in political science and eventually go to law school. I was confident that this goal was attainable, and if anyone was going to do it, it was going to be me.

So in the fall, the transition from high school to college wasn’t too bad. I was doing well in my classes, joining clubs, making friends and meticulously filling all of the holes in my get-to-law-school master plan.

I still believe I am able to achieve these

goals, however, my confidence in my ability to get there has recently taken quite a blow.

I noticed issues with my confidence when I realized I don’t participate much in my classes the way I did last semester, and I am having trouble even talking to my professors about needing help.

I let nervous ticks take hold. I keep my hair over my face, cuff my sleeves around my

resume, for example, I panic. “Am I good enough?” “How do my credentials compare with the people around me?” “Am I doing everything right?” “But how do I know that everything will turn out okay?”

I am stuck in a cycle of constant comparison with others which increasingly dwindles my levels of confidence.

The American Psychological Association

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

hands and twiddle my thumbs just a bit more than I used to.

I’m an opinionated person (can’t you tell?), and I had no problem being forward and confident back in high school.

But now, everytime I go to edit my

deems this as the Social Comparison Theory, or “the proposition that people evaluate their abilities and attitudes in relation to those of others in a process that plays a significant role in self-image and subjective well-being.”

Although sometimes comparison can

promote inspiration and encourage positive change (known as the assimilation effect), there is also the principle that upward comparisons create feelings of inferiority and thus promote a negative self-perception in what is known as the contrast effect.

Dealing with this type of negative comparison is tough, and it feels as though you’re constantly being weighed down with the burden of self-doubt.

But I recently received some amazing advice from one of the wisest people I have ever come to meet: my mother.

She reiterated the importance of boundaries. Your life is your life, it’s nobody else’s, so you make decisions that work best for you.

It can be tempting to want to please everyone, but sometimes that just isn’t possible and you have to take care of yourself first. If you try and please everyone all the time, you get too wrapped up in the life of someone else, and thus end up getting sucked back into this cycle of inferiority caused by the contrast effect.

Finding a healthy level of separation between your life and someone else’s life is the key takeaway. We are all in college to build upon ourselves and learn where we fit best in the world based on who we are.

Only you can know that about yourself.

Nobody else can define your successes or failures, so set some boundaries.

This is probably one of the most difficult concepts I have realized that comes with being at college. It’s difficult to do, and your confidence might take a few hits along the way.

But, again, we are here to learn. We are all adults, and we define our own successes and failures with each “adult decision” we make.

So next time you feel like you are stuck comparing everything you do to what those around you are doing, take a step back to lay out your own boundaries and be confident what you define as success.

Fighting abuse in the Catholic Church Moving forward by advocating for victims MEGAN PIASECKI ’22 Columnist The world of Catholicism was turned on its head when Cardinal George Pell was convicted of sexual abuse against minors this past week and was refused bail.

This is just the latest account in the string of abuse charges against Catholic Church officials. Pell's case is particularly jarring being that he is the highest ranked figure within the Church to be charged for sex abuse crimes towards minors.

Although the topic of abuse is deeply saddening, I think that it is incredibly important to see these men brought to justice and their victims speak out about the heinous crimes committed against them.

And Catholicism has taken a huge blow from these scandals.

As a devout Catholic, I do not believe every priest is a pedophile, however this stereotype does force me to look at the bigger issue at hand; this abuse has gone on for too long.

Although the issue is deeply rooted, we can work to combat the problem. A few ways to do so can be through supporting the victims so they can share their stories, as well as better vetting of our priests to prevent abuse like this from happening again.

The fact that it has taken this long for Church officials to be held accountable for

their actions is despicable.

According to The Washington Post and BBC, Pell could face a sentence of 50 years if found guilty on "one charge of sexually penetrating a child under 16, and four counts of committing an indecent act on a child under 16."

Church officials’ trend of hesitation can even be seen when looking at other accusations similar to Pell’s. This is by no means the first wave of modern accusations against Church officials.

Pell committed these abusive acts in the 90s and is now being prosecuted for the charges of abusing two children under 16.

There is a common trend within stories about sexual abuse enacted by Catholic priests. It takes a long time for these victims to speak out against the church regarding what happened to them.

It was recently revealed that the Church frequently attempts to keep their victims quiet about abuse. Until recently with Pope Francis hosting a summit on how to tackle sex abuse

It is understandable that the Church would act in secrecy in order to maintain a pristine and holy reputation. However, that does not mean that Pell should be relieved of accountability for his actions. This goes for any other Church official found to have committed these disgusting acts against children.

Reports of molestation perpetrated by priests can be documented all the way back to the 1950s. These documentations account for church officials across multiple countries, including Argentina, Austria, the U.S. and Australia.

Even more staggering than this history of abuse is the time it took for victims to speak out.

within the Church and how to prevent it, there has seemingly been an unofficial “code of silence,” a kind of censorship surrounding discussion of sexual abuse within the Church.

According to Cardinal Reinhard Marx, a German Roman Catholic Cardinal, documentation of church officials abusing children was either “destroyed, or not even created.”

He has also said that the victims often

were told to be quiet about what had happened to them, and that their fates were completely in the hands of their abusers.

While it is absolutely despicable for the Church to operate under this self-censorship, it is not shocking to me. It is understandable that the Church would act in secrecy in order to maintain a pristine and holy reputation.

However, that does not mean that Pell should be relieved of accountability for his actions. This goes for any other Church official found to have committed these disgusting acts against children.

This abuse needs to end and be brought to light.

Pope Francis hosting a summit is a hopeful sign towards progress. It is time to reform, and Pope Francis is breaking this unofficial “code of silence,” seemingly for the first time.

Although the damage is done for many of the survivors that have been mistreated and abused by Church officials, hopefully one day the entire Catholic community can become advocates for victims of sexual abuse.

The Summit Pope Francis held to help look for and prevent sexual abuse is the first step. We now have to incorporate our own programs that focus on advocacy for survivors of sexual abuse into local parishes.

If every church and everyone in the Catholic community could embrace advocacy, then we can work together toward ending this continued abuse.

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

March 6, 2019

7

The repercussions of Jussie Smollett's case How the situation impacts perceptions of hate crimes

DOMINIQUE JOE ’19 Opinions Editor The situation surrounding Jussie Smollett, actor and activist who is best known for his role on the hit Fox show “Empire,” has disappointed me thoroughly.

Not solely because an actor I had enjoyed seeing on screen would possibly do something so heinous, but because of the horrific implication this is going to place on the victims of very real hate crimes.

Also I want to preface this piece by saying that I will not speak on the reasoning behind Smollett’s actions, nor am I necessarily saying that Smollett did perpetrate this ruse.

I don’t think it is necessary to play into the speculation of whether or not this story was a ploy to garner attention for his own selfish gain.

For me, it is more about how Smollett’s supposed decisions have greater ramifications than simply dubbing him a liar. It’s much greater than that, because as we know, when one black person steps out of line in this country, the blame is apparently on all black people and affects all black people.

There is a chance that the possible orchestration of this incident by Smollett could have negative effects on real activism and civic engagement pertaining to and centering on black people’s actual experiences with visceral and violent racial antagonism.

The Jan. 29 assumed attack against Smol-

lett, where he was beaten and doused in bleach at 2 a.m. in Chicago, was initially horrifying to hear about. The fact that he had a noose affixed around his neck struck fear in my heart.

Not simply because this was an act of absolute barbarism, but that a racist and homophobic act such as this could happen in a relatively progressive city.

Initially many people, especially prominent black people in the entertainment industry like Smollett’s co-stars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, stood by Smollett.

major doubt casted by the Chicago Police Department’s investigation. We upheld and cosigned these claims because we thought they were true (and some still think they are true), because we know that these kinds of actions happen to everyday black people.

The sad thing is that now the alleged stunt calls into question the validity of actual victims of hate crimes, actual victims of police brutality, actual victims of any antagonistic and violent action taken against a black body simply because it was a black body.

The sad thing is that now the alleged stunt calls into question the validity of actual victims of hate crimes, actual victims of police brutality, actual victims of any antagonistic and violent action taken against a black body simply because it was a black body.

We all stood by Smollett.

As a black community, we came together to lift Smollett up because he was a familiar face, a famous face who still experienced the violent effects of systemic racism in this country regardless of how much money he had.

We looked to Smollett and said, “Here, now you have a famous person who was attacked due to his race. Here, now you have to see the validity in Black Lives Matter, to see the legitimacy in black people’s struggles.”

This isn’t the case any longer because of

We are sitting in this limbo of uncertainty around Smollett’s claims, but even worse, this case has also detracted from what we know as definitely real, extremely painful and demoralizing experiences of racial antagonism.

Eddie T. Johnson, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, said it himself, “I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got as much attention.”

Whether or not this was a ruse, Smollett’s case has detracted from media coverage, and in the case of Chicago specifically, funds

and resources that could have been used to investigate other crimes that affect the black community were rerouted for Smollett’s star-studded sham.

Media coverage is still focused on Smollett and his alleged hoax. Countless news outlets from the New York Times to USA Today are reporting on the Smollett case as it develops. And now prosecutors have charged Smollett with a felony count, where he is facing up to three years in prison and is only garnering more attention due to the story’s salacious quality.

The writer for the National Review’s “G Files,” Jonah Goldberg, even joked about the situation, addressing people within his readership who may be “pretending to be readers as part of some elaborate ruse to get more attention.”

Not only has the continued reporting on this story caused a distraction from real ongoing cases of police brutality and gun violence, the story has also given license to some to make a mockery of real systemic issues in our country.

In the end, whether Smollett orchestrated the story or not, the doubt surrounding an incident like this and the evidence levied against the actor calls into question the validity of all real crimes like these that will come to pass.

America is a country where black people are always unsafe, no matter money, no matter fame. This used to be an indisputable fact, but now the naysayers have the ammo to claim fake news.

Are we 2000-and-late?

A nostalgic look at the past decade KELLY SMITH ’19 Columnist As college students, many of us are entering our twenties—the second decade of our lives. And in 2019, it seems as though the stark reality of politics and societal epidemics have transformed the way we look at the past, present and future.

When we turn on the television, we see headlines and images that leave us with far more questions than answers.

The sponsored ads on our phones are generated by cookies and algorithms that track our every move. Even at the dentist, the waiting room tables are scattered with magazines about famous people who are “just like us.”

Everywhere we go there is always noise that we struggle to make sense of, so we seek out things that provide us a reprieve from the noise.

Whether you’re in your twenties or fifties, you’ve probably caught yourself daydreaming about the good old days. That being said, nostalgia is sometimes the best medicine when trying to make sense of the chaos in our heads and the world at our feet.

It’s especially hard for people to ignore the difference in lifestyles between their generation and the next. This topic often leads to long complaints about how kids spend too much time on social media and are more concerned with their looks than their education.

Rather than focusing on what appears to be negative on a surface level, we need to take a step back and remember how popular culture played a significant role in our own adolescence during the 2000s.

The year is 2008, and you’re on your way

to the “Twilight” premiere wearing your new Team Edward T-shirt. On your wrist rests a rubber Livestrong bracelet and your Silly Bandz collection. You make sure to bring your babysitting money to put in your Vera Bradley purse—it’s been a hard week of sixth grade, so treating yourself to a pack of peanut M&M’s and a blue raspberry ICEE is exactly what you need to take the edge off.

At school, conversations at the lunch table

internet. The entire demonstration is about stranger danger on MySpace and AIM, but every middle schooler knows that Facebook and ooVoo are the next best thing. Instead of paying attention, you pass the time playing MASH with your friends or drawing a graffiti “S” on the back of a composition notebook.

On the bus ride home, you and your best friend share a pair of headphones and listen to the new Jonas Brothers song on an iPod shuf-

ILLUSTRATION: KELLY SMITH ’19/THE HAWK

are a mix of whether or not the cafeteria food is poisoned and which of your friends thought the book was better than the movie you saw the weekend before.

Your mom packed you your favorite Lunchables and a Capri Sun, but you trade the Welch’s fruit snacks at the bottom of your L.L. Bean lunch box for Dunkaroos.

Social studies class is moved to the gymnasium where the police department holds a surprise assembly about the dark side of the

fle. You’re not allowed to use phones or MP3 players in school, so you flip open your Sidekick a hundred times for good measure.

Since these simplier times, our generation has experienced a tremendous amount of change.

Touch screens replaced buttons and antennas on phones. Kim Kardashian, who is now far more relevant than Paris Hilton, got married twice and had three kids.

Getting blocked is now a bigger insult

than getting unfriended. Teenagers have moved on from soda flavored Lip Smackers to $30 lip kits. Music is streamed rather than downloaded from CDs or iTunes. Screen names have evolved into Instagram handles.

Low rise denim has been traded in for high waisted mom jeans. Uber and Lyft have made hailing a taxi a thing of the past.

Between waking up and going to school, there wasn’t much kids worried about during the day in the 2000s.

You had to wait for the paper or the 6 o’clock news for updates about what was going on in the world rather than headlines that appear as notifications on your smartphone.

There are certain moments that I know I will never forget. I remember sitting in my sixth grade history class watching Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. I remember seeing pictures of my community being broadcasted during the Concert For Sandy Relief.

I remember what my parents told me when the stock market crashed. I remember the people I was with when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage.

The world still moved at the same pace it did 10 years ago, but we vividly remember what we want to because it seemed so distant from where we are today.

Sometimes I wonder if I would look at my formative years differently if I had the instant access and exposure to breaking news and pop culture events like I do now.

Understanding every cultural, political, social and environmental event around us is never an easy task when it feels so constant, but reflecting on how far we have come over the past 10 years can be a cathartic and introspective process. It's important we all take some time to do so.

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March 6, 2019

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

One liar in jail while one runs the country What Michael Cohen’s testimony really means ERIN FENZEL ’22 Columnist Michael Cohen’s testimony in front of the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Feb. 27 has opened up a new perspective into who President Donald Trump is and how he uses others— that is if you believe what Cohen said.

Cohen was Trump’s former personal lawyer, also known as his “fixer.” He was a former vice president of the Trump Organization, provided personal counsel for the president and dealt with Trump’s more private matters.

In all of his roles, Cohen described his job as monopolizing his life.

He continued to work for Trump during his 2016 election campaign, and during that time the adult film star actress, Stormy Daniels, accused Trump of having an affair with her in 2006.

Due to this self-described life-monopolizing job that required steady allegiance to and support of Trump, the Stormy Daniels case proved to be Cohen’s downfall.

In April 2018, Cohen’s hotel room, office and home were stormed by the FBI investigating Cohen for bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations. In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion, false bank statements and campaign violations.

As if that’s not enough, in November, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress concerning Trump’s knowledge of the Trump Tower project in Moscow.

So, what does this have to do with his most recent testimony?

Cohen’s former relationship with Trump has influenced the Mueller investigation greatly, as well as whether Congress trusts Cohen and his testimony all together.

close partners, Cohen switched political parties before the midterm elections and advised voters to vote Democrat to avoid the current political turmoil.

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

Cohen was reportedly very close with Trump prior to pleading guilty to perjury, stating in 2011 that he was a loyal employee who liked Trump quite a bit. He even called himself “the sixth Trump child.”

However, once Cohen pleaded guilty to perjury and began to cooperate with the Mueller investigation, relations turned sour between the two, with Trump for example, calling Cohen a “weak man.”

With relations soured between the former

Cohen’s obvious distaste for his former boss leaves people somewhat worried about trusting what he said at last Wednesday’s testimony: he has already been found guilty of lying to Congress, and what he has said now is pretty severe.

During his testimony, Cohen publicly declared Trump a racist and a conman. He said Trump was well aware of Cohen paying off Daniels and of WikiLeaks leaking Hillary Clinton’s campaign advisor’s emails.

These are substantial claims that many are wary of believing. As Republican Rep. Carol Miller questioned Cohen: “You’re about to go to prison for lying. How can we believe anything you say?”

This is important to consider, but one must also consider, how much does Cohen have to lose? Respect for him is basically gone, the president bashes him on Twitter frequently, and he is about to go to prison.

Cohen has proved himself to be untrustworthy and he does not offer much evidence for his claims of the president being a racist and conman. What he is saying is not unbelievable.

In 2015, Trump tweeted: “The Mexican legal system is corrupt, as is much of Mexico.

Pay me the money that is owed me now — and stop sending criminals over our border”.

Moreover, Trump has yet to release his tax returns (and has no plans to), but in 1995 he reported a loss of $1 billion, “a tax deduction so substantial it could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years”. There are countless examples from numerous other sources that prove Cohen’s accusations.

Neither Cohen nor Trump is believable, but one of them is the president and the other is going to prison.

Cohen’s testimony is no more shocking than the countless terrible things Trump has said both in and out of office that prove he is not trustworthy, so what is it going to take to remove from office?

Cohen is the most unscrupulous former Trump administrative liasons of them all, yet we let someone on his level run the country.

Our strength is beautiful Shattering stigma around female athletes OLIVIA CLARK ’22 Guest Columnist It’s time to stop focusing on how female athletes look, and instead talk about how they perform. The greatest and most accomplished female athletes still face discrimination on the court, on the field and in the pool.

Society expects compliance from men and women to follow accepted gender roles, and thus women athletes do not receive the recognition they desperately deserve, both in the collegiate and professional sectors.

The stereotypes facing women in athletics is felt at every stage and can even influence their willingness to participate at a young age.

In her most recent season, Serena Williams emerged on the courts in various colorful and unconventional outfits. Whether or not she played a great game or won her match, her bold fashion statements were analyzed, criticized and even banned.

The following day, media outlets focused solely on her rebellious fashion statements rather than her game performance or the fact that she was bouncing back from pregnancy, playing in the top tournaments and winning.

Her choices of clothing sparked so much controversy for their departure from the traditional uniform for female tennis players that her actual athletic performance was disregarded and put in the shadow of

her appearance. While this should not have been the main focus, her outfits were intended to push boundaries.

Williams’ catsuit ensemble was likened to a superhero, and while the French Tennis Federation considered the outfit disrespectful, it did not discourage her from coming back and proving to critics that her game will push the boundaries of athletics even further than her clothing.

Williams and many other women all over the world prove that you can take the

athletes is usually framed by limits. By this I mean that when a woman is exceptional at a sport, she is considered a great female athlete. Contrastingly, when men receive compliments and accolades, they are considered incredible athletes overall.

While many may see rhetoric as a minute aspect of sport, language does play a large role in how athletes are seen and treated.

In Nike’s most recent ad, the company demonstrated that women are scrutinized for their actions in a way men do not experience.

For all my fellow powerhouses in ponytails, do not get discouraged. While there are stigmas and barriers facing female athletes, women are dedicating every day to breaking those obstacles down. superhero out of her suit, but you cannot take away her superpowers.

For those who may not know, Williams is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and a five-time Women’s Tennis Association champion.

In an interview with “Vanity Fair,” Williams was asked whether or not she considers herself the greatest athlete of our time. Her response is as follows: “If I were a man, then it wouldn’t be any sort of question.”

The rhetoric around successful female

Should a woman show emotion or get angry or frustrated with the game, she is called dramatic or even hysterical. Likewise, when women demand equal opportunity, they face doubt in their ability to match up to men and perform equally.

For all my fellow powerhouses in ponytails, do not get discouraged. While there are stigmas and barriers facing female athletes, women are dedicating every day to breaking those obstacles down. We have come a long way.

As I was standing in the St. Joe’s

strength and conditioning gym, one of the coaches explained that one goal of their program is to show female athletes the advantage and empowerment that physical strength offers us.

He wanted us to see our physical strength and success in the weightroom as a positive. Many of the female athletes he works with, including myself, come into the gym in the beginning of the season and express fears and concerns that their bodies will change or “get big” due to lifting.

This fear stems from our society’s rejection of muscle as a feminine trait. Strength is more often correlated to masculinity and therefore not “beautiful.”

Women are not supposed to have biceps like Williams or abs of steel like Simone Biles because it is considered intimidating and unattractive to men. This toxic and frankly inappropriate opinion has to go.

It is important to reevaluate and alter the way that we talk about ourselves as athletes and how we respond to the insults and blockades that are hurled at us.

Women who compete in sports are determined and strong in every sense of the word. They have grit and grace. We are just as emotional as men are when we do not perform to our best abilities.

Being passionate about your performance is what makes a successful athlete, regardless of gender. As Williams says, “If they want to call you crazy, show them what crazy can do.”

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

March 6, 2019

9

Emotional Support Animals help students' mental health Melissa Leonardi's ’20 pitbull-lab mix and ESA, Maddy. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Lifestyle Editor There is no excitement like a crowd of college students spotting a dog on campus. Animals bring a certain joy to people that is unlike any other; they don’t judge, they don’t ask questions, they only provide unwavering love.

These reasons are why some students turn to emotional support animals (ESAs) to improve their mental health.

The concept of ESAs is a fairly new one.

Dr. Christine Mecke, director of student disability services, fields the requests for ESAs in on campus housing, and she said that five years ago when she started working at St. Joe’s there were no students requesting them.

“A lot of it has to do with increases in anxiety that students are experiencing,” Mecke said. “More students are expressing anxiety and find that [an ESA] might be a comfort to them.”

According to Mecke, three students requested to have ESAs on campus this school year. To get approval to keep an ESA in a residence hall, students must submit documentation from their doctor stating that having the animal is not just beneficial, but it is necessary for the student’s well-being.

Documentation has to be submitted to the Office of Student Disability Services at least 60 days before the start of the semester so appropriate housing can be arranged for the student and their ESA. Students with ESAs who live off campus do not need to register them with the university, and under the fair housing act, their landlords are required to allow them to keep an ESA on the premise regardless of their pet policies.

After students are granted permission to have an ESA with them on campus, there are many rules and responsibilities that come with the privilege.

“They have to sign an agreement listing what their responsibilities are for the animal,” Mecke said. “The animal must stay in the residence, so it’s not something that goes to class with them or to other activities on campus.”

Disability Services works closely with the Office of Residence Life as well as the Office of

Public Safety to make sure everyone is aware of the presence of ESAs in residence halls in the event of emergencies.

Students are responsible for caring for their ESA and making sure they are not a disturbance in the residence hall.

Melissa Leonardi ’20 has had Maddy, a six-year-old pitbull-lab mix and an ESA, for the past two years, first living in McShain Residence Center and now Merion Gardens.

Leonardi compared the task of taking care of Maddy to taking care of a child.

“Not only do you have to worry about them going to the bathroom, but you also have to feed them, give them water, give them love,” Leonardi said.

Leonardi bases her class schedule and extracurriculars around Maddy’s schedule, which she said can be difficult, but she wants to make it work, because the benefits outweigh the problems.

“When I go into an anxiety or panic attack, if I’m crying or if I’m having a breakdown, she’ll come and sit next to me, comfort me and lick my face and be like, ‘hey, I’m here, you’re not alone,’” Leonardi said. “That’s the most rewarding feeling in the world.”

Kerry Dowd ’20 also lives with an ESA in Merion Gardens. Dowd adopted Nutmeg Jo, a seven-year-old miniature poodle from the Pennsylvania SPCA about two years ago. Like Leonardi, Dowd adopted their pet with the intention of registering her as an ESA. “I’ve always grown up with pets, and since I’ve come to college, I’ve been struggling with my mental health,” Dowd said. “I thought getting an ESA would help me with responsibility and just cheering up my mood. I was lucky enough that it worked; she’s really helpful.”

Both Leonardi and Dowd said that students tend to have positive reactions when they see the ESAs on campus or outside of their residence hall.

“Anyone who knows Maddy knows she’s a sweetheart and would never hurt a fly,” Leonardi said. “[Students] adore her. I hear people tell me all the time, ‘I love seeing your dog.’”

Greg Nicholls, Ph.D., director of Counseling and Psychological services (CAPS), recognizes the wide-ranging benefits that come with having an ESA for people with a variety

of mental illnesses.

“Even when students are not with their ESA, the anticipation of going home at the end of the day and knowing how they’ll feel [is beneficial],” Nicholls said. “That responsibility to care for the support animal has a big benefit; it gives people more of a purpose. That increased sense of purpose can’t be underestimated.”

ESAs are different than service animals in the sense that they do not have to go through training to be certified. Leonardi said she researched the process and spent $150 to have Maddy certified as an ESA for the remainder of her life.

Service animals tend to be dogs, while ESAs can be almost any animal. Mecke said her office has seen requests for cats and a gerbil

in addition to the typical dog.

“You can have a lizard for an emotional support animal, but a lizard wouldn’t necessarily make a good service animal,” Mecke said.

Nicholls said ESAs are a valuable resource for students struggling with mental health based on companionship and unconditional positive regard that they offer.

“When we’re working with students in counseling and one will tell us that they’re applying for an emotional support animal or have an emotional support animal, often a dog, it benefits the counseling,” Nicholls said.

“It’s always good news when they’re able to have that, because we know how much that’ll improve their lives.”

Leonardi outside Merion Gardens with her ESA dog Maddy.

10

March 6, 2019

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

Songs to get you ready for vacation COLLEEN DUDDY ’20 Hawk Staff With midterms wrapping up and the cold winter dragging on, it’s safe to say everybody is ready for spring break.

Whether you’re going home to your family, on a vacation with your roommates or in a van with fellow Hawks to the Appalachian region, students can’t wait to get off campus for a while.

Here are some songs to jam to while you’re on break that have some relaxing spring energy.

Alim-Karim Kamara ’20, known as LiMM, performs a song for the spring concert auditions. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Spring Concert performers announced

Concert committee holds first student opener contest ANNIE MACKERT ’21 Special to The Hawk For the first time, the Spring Concert Executive Board held a contest to select the student openers for the university’s Spring Concert. After all the contestants performed, the committee announced that Blck Chld, a singer/songwriter, will be performing at Saxbys, DJ duo TyPham and Joe Leo will take the preshow and rapper LiMM and dance duo the Sweeney Sisters will open on stage in Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena.

The event was held in the Perch on March 3 and was followed by the announcement of the 2019 Spring Concert headliners, Sean Kingston and DJ Pauly D. Ten different student acts came to compete for three different positions: coffee house (at Saxbys), preshow (outside of Hagan) and main stage (inside of Hagan).

Taylor Geiger ’21, co-chair of the Spring Concert Executive Board, said the committee wanted to get the campus more involved in the selection of the openers.

“We feel like it is the students who make up this amazing student-run organization and amazing performance that we have in April,” Geiger said. “We would love to have more input on it so it is not a secluded decision.”

Nayo Walters ’22, known as Blck Chld,

is a singer/songwriter who competed at the contest and will be playing in the coffee house position.

Walters said she has been singing for about eight years and has performed casually in the Perch, so her friends encouraged her to try out.

Walters sang an original song while playing the guitar.

“Everyone tells me that I have a little coffee shop vibe,” Walters said. “I used to perform in coffee shops in high school, it is kind of my thing; now I get to do it on a bigger platform.”

Alim-Karim Kamara ’20, known as LiMM, will be performing on stage in Hagan before the headliners. He said he liked having the student opener contest rather than just video submissions, because it allowed students as well as the committee to see how acts would perform on stage.

“I feel like this was the best way to go about it, because not only were we able to see all the different talents, but students also get a glimpse of who would be the student opener,” Kamara said.

In the past, students sent videos to the executive board, and board members decided on the openers. At the competition, a panel of judges, Megan Azzalina, assistant director of Student Leadership and Activities, Michael Miranda ’22 and Alexis Wilson ’19, made the decision.

“Through this contest, the board was hoping to get the campus more involved in the decision and to utilize all of the talent that is on campus,” Geiger said.

The members of the executive board advertised the contest on social media as well as monitors around campus, encouraging students to reach out to the board if they knew someone with a talent that should be showcased.

Videos were still required for the first round. The board narrowed down the submissions to the acts that performed at the contest.

Taylor Sweeney ’19, member of the executive board and coordinator of student openers is part of the Sweeney Sisters, who were selected to open the event, along with LiMM. Taylor Sweeney and her sister, Jordan Sweeney ’21 also opened for T-Pain at the 2018 Spring Concert.

Taylor Sweeney said because she was a competitor herself, she had no say in who was chosen in the contest, only in whose initial submissions got them into the contest. “[We pick] people that you can tell put effort into their submission,” Taylor Sweeney said. “Whether it is a video they made or they sent in their songs or something.

This way you know its an original, so you know it's not something that they pulled together last minute.”

At the contest, the panel of judges said they were looking for three criteria in the performers: quality of content, creativity and entertainment. With this criteria in mind, the judges decided where each act would perform.

The 2019 Spring Concert will be held on April 10 in Hagan Arena.

“We’re Going Home” by Vance Joy This song is from Vance Joy’s most recent album “Nation of Two.” The entire album screams spring break vibes, but especially this track. It’s about going home not only to the physical place, but to the people and experiences within it. The laid-back and happy tune will get you into spring break mode.

“Best Day of My Life” by American Authors This is the ideal song to blast in the car with friends on a warm spring day. It has an optimistic message and upbeat tune that makes you want to go on an adventure with friends.

It’s also a good song to blast when you’re walking out of your last class before break. “(Take Me Home) Country Roads” by John Denver This one is for everyone going on APEX for spring break. The banjo, guitar and vocals make this country classic the perfect song to belt while gazing out of the window of those white 12-person passenger vans in Appalachia.

“Malibu” by Miley Cyrus “Malibu” makes you want to dance and skip around the beach just like Miley Cyrus did in the song’s music video. This jam is about relaxing with someone you love on a gorgeous day and feeling content with your life.

“Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett What other song would you listen to while lounging on spring break? The imagery in the lyrics of this song will make you feel like you’re on a tropical island even if you’re just on your couch in the 40-degree New Jersey weather.

“Lost in Japan - Remix” by Shawn Mendes, Zedd This song will be stuck in your head all day once you give it a few listens. Shawn Mendes’ vocals and the song’s beat have a smoothness that makes it impossible not to dance when you hear it. It’s about traveling a long distance to be with someone you care about, which is something students can relate to when going home for break.

“The Sound of Sunshine” by Michael Franti and Spearhead Even though spring break is early and the weather most days is pretty dreary, warmer days are ahead, and the sun being out is exciting in itself. This song gives you the same feeling that the warm sunshine does on a nice spring day. The vibes are happy and carefree, just like spring break should be.

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

Taylor Sweeney ’19 performs dance routine in The Perch.

Nayo Walters ’22, known as Blck Chld, sings an original song at the spring concert auditions.

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

March 6, 2019

11

An afternoon at Bernie’s CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Managing Editor Whether we like to admit it or not, college students tend to have a love for the oddly timed meal that falls between breakfast and lunch fondly known as brunch.

Just seeing the word “brunch” mentioned in your group chat when the weekend approaches makes your heart rate increase.

I had an idea this past summer that every Sunday I would go to brunch alone and try out as many places as I possibly could.

Now that I am an expert brunch-er, I want to assist you in finding the best brunch place for the afternoon you and your pals are looking for.

I am here to help you find a place that fits your personalities, your cocktail cravings and most importantly, your desire for delicious food.

The first stop on this brunch journey is Bernie’s Restaurant & Bar in University City.

Bernie’s is located on Sansom and 34th Street at the end of a row of about five other restaurants.

There was a good atmosphere when I went there alone this summer, but I could tell this was a place that was better for groups to have a boozy brunch or couples on a Sunday morning date (i.e. not me).

I decided to go a second time to have a different experience, so I gathered a group of

friends and took the short train ride to University City to experience Bernie’s the right way — no book and more friends.

We went around 11 a.m. and it was pretty empty. We sat down in the back of the restaurant where there was an open area with an abundance of tables. It was an aesthetically pleasing set up with a lot of open space and interesting decor, making it a perfect place for your instagram story.

We were slightly confused at first, because we had no menus and our waiter was not telling us anything.

Finally, we looked to our right, and there was a buffet full of fruit, donuts, shrimp, corned beef hash, mac and cheese, bacon, sausage, fried chicken, an omelet station, a pancake/french toast station, brisket, potato salad and so much more (I know you’re getting hungry reading this list).

And for those who are 21, along with the buffet, there was the jackpot when it comes to brunch: bottomless mimosas.

The mimosas and the buffet all came to $25 (without tip), a price everyone was more than willing to pay.

The coffee, delicious and smooth, was also bottomless after the first pour, which is all I ask for in a restaurant.

Brunch runs from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., leaving plenty of time to taste everything in the buffet. The crowds started coming in around 1 p.m., so if you want to go at a peak time, go later rather than earlier.

Bernie’s sits on Sansom Street in University City. PHOTO: CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20/THE HAWK

I recommend this place if you are trying to find a fun brunch place with a group of friends and have time to sit and hang out for the afternoon to take full advantage of the buffet.

The atmosphere is playful, and the staff was generous and fun to talk to.

If you are not 21 quite yet, it may not be as fun or as good of a deal because you won’t be able to get the mimosas. However,

if you try to get your money’s worth with the buffet, there is more than enough.

One of the downsides to Bernie’s was having to pay to take the train to 30th Street Station, but if you make a day of it in Center City, you won’t be disappointed.

If you and your friends are looking for a quality day of brunch-ing, Bernie’s is the place for you.

Spreading hope in a tangible way

Hearts of Hope serves campus community BRIGETTE PHELOUNG ’19 Special to The Hawk The St. Joe’s chapter of Hearts of Hope, has been making and sending decorated hearts to people who are experiencing difficult times since the chapter was established last year. The St. Joe’s chapter, the Hearts of Hope Foundation’s first collegiate chapter, meets twice per month to paint and decorate hearts made from clay which they donate to a charity, and organization or individuals.

The Hearts of Hope foundation was created after the Sept. 11 2001 attacks when volunteers gathered at Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton, New York to make gifts for the families of victims. Judy Pedersen, founder, board president and director of the Hearts of Hope Foundation, said the work the organization does is simple, and is intended to benefit people going through a hard time.

“We don’t want bad things to happen, but we all know they will,” Pedersen said. “We have all felt the feeling of fear and helplessness. This motivates us and drives us to think, what can I do and how can I do it?”

Since 2001, three chapters in total have been established, in Newtown and Stratford, CT, as well as at St. Joe’s. Each chapter is able to personalize where they want to donate their artwork.

“The reason this organization has sustained itself so long and continues to grow, is because the painters are receiving just as much benefit as those who receive the hearts,” Pedersen said.

According to Anna Zalepa ’21, president of the St. Joe’s chapter of Hearts of Hope, the club had its biggest turnout of almost 60 people, including faculty and staff, during an

event called “Paint with A Purpose” which was to honor St. Joe’s rugby player Mark Dombroski ’21 who died in March 2018. The chapter sent hearts to Dombroksi’s family.

“People came up to me days after the paintings for Mark telling me how it helped them cope in some way and continue to remember him,” Zalepa said.

Lisa Dombroski, Mark Dombroski’s mother said she was surprised and happy to receive the hearts that came packaged individually with notes from each student who participated.

“It was nice to see a lot of these kids who knew Mark put a personal message [on each heart] along with their relationship to Mark,” Lisa Dombroski said. “We were able to establish a connection to who was creating these beautiful gifts for us.”

Zoe Petrides ’21, a friend of Dombroski who attended the event where St. Joe’s students painted hearts for the Dombroski’s, said the painting was a cathartic experience.

“It was touching to see so many people,” Petrides said. “I took away this feeling of community while I was there. I felt a sense of

giving, because I was able to make an impact on his family.”

Zalepa said she wanted to start the Hearts of Hope chapter at St. Joe’s to bring the community together and to support people.

The hearts donated to the Dombroski family did just that. “[These gestures] are very important, because they show that your child is loved, cared for and will be missed,” Lisa Dombroski said. “Even though Mark was only [at St. Joe’s] for less than a full year, he did make an impact.”

Sarah O’Boyle ’22 and Natalie Nguyen ’22 paint at an event on Feb. 19. PHOTO: MATT BARRETT ’21/THE HAWK

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The Hawk Newspaper

March 6, 2019

Lifestyle

Creating a space to call home

Commuter lounge gets needed makeover

NATALIE DRUM ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor The St. Joe’s commuter lounge is currently undergoing a redesign with the assistance of Student Transitions Director Nancy Komada, Ph.D., and Campus Minister Jackie Newns.

Commuter students said they hope to create a space that feels more like home.

With artistic direction from Newns, commuter students will weekly add different elements to the commuter space, including framed photographs and reupholstering old furniture using recycled jeans donated by the students.

While this redesign is exciting for commuter students, the maze of scissors and smell of hot glue-guns are just a small reminder to some that this makeover is long overdue, according to commuter student Daja Walker ’19.

“For a long time I felt as though commuters were ignored,” Walker said. “I saw this little tiny space, it was dull and there were some commuters, but they were crammed in here. I don’t understand as a university why you want a certain segment of your students to be in a space that looks so dull and unbecoming.”

Walker said she remembers her first experience on campus, thinking that the Perch was the commuter lounge, because she did not know a there was a space dedicated to commuter students.

“A physical space should represent the people who dwell in it,” Newns said. “I feel like there is a personality and a spirit to the commuter population. This space was in need of more energy and care to reflect the people in it.”

According to Newns, the commuter students have taken charge of the redesign and are energetic and excited about their gradually beautified space.

“This room needed to reflect the home environment,” Newns said. “A lot of the stu-

Sierra Long ’21 (left) and Daja Walker ’19 (right) frame photos to hang in the Commuter lounge. PHOTO: DIMETRI WILLIAMS ’19 /THE HAWK

dents here don’t spend time in residence halls, which are other places of community building, so this is that home space.”

“I am happy it is going to be a comfortable space, and hopefully more commuters will feel comfortable when they come in here and will want to stay,” Walker said.

Walker, advocating for change ever since, recognizes the impact of even the smallest changes to the space.

“A simple paint change can change the feeling in a room,” Walker said. “We are lively people, we have a really good time when we are here, so we needed something to match our personalities.”

The first change happened over Thanksgiving break, with the repainting of the walls in the lounge.

Walker and Newns both credit Nancy Komada's position for putting into action the lounge’s redesign.

“Nancy Komada initiated the idea after her office moved into this space,” Newns said. “She recognized that students were here all day every day. It just was time.”

Having served the St. Joe’s community in the positions of senior director of Adult Student Life, assistant to vice president for Student Life/Senior Judicial Officer and director of Student Leadership in addition to her current one, Komada said that each of her previous roles has been a resource in spreading awareness about the need for change in the commuter lounge.

“The idea is how can we embed and integrate [these students] more in the community,” Komada said. “What do they need that we can provide?”

Komada hopes this space will act as a home to commuters on campus, understanding that it will take time for students to gravitate to the new space.

“I really hope that students don’t eat their lunch in their car, ” Komada said. “But instead that they come here and use this space.”

After hearing about the redesign, Makiah Stephens ’22 spends more time in the lounge than she used to. Stephens has now found companionship and comradery while helping to create a more comfortable area.

“This used to be a place I would just walk through,” Stephens said. “I would say my hellos and then just go along with my business.”

As part of the redecoration, a painted canvas with a collage made by some of the commuter students now hangs on one of the central lounge walls. Stephens came up with the idea to rearrange the collage into the shape of a “C” for commuters.

“We are all like a little tiny family here with each of us adding something, each of us having an element here bringing us all together in this little tiny space,” Walker said.

Celebrity crossword

Across: 1. Making news for her new music as well as relationship woes.

3. Her boyfriend and the father of her child just cheated on her with family friend, Jordyn Woods.

5. Star valued at $900 million thanks to her cosmetic brand.

6. An actress who made the news after going public about her battle with Multiple Sclerosis.

8. American actress turned Duchess of Sussex.

9. A Philly hero who was just released from the Philadelphia Eagles and is now a free agent.

10. This singer/child star just changed her last name to Hemsworth.

11. There is speculation about his relationship with Lady Gaga after a steamy duet performance at the Oscars.

Down: 1. Dance teacher and reality star who served a year in prison and is currently recovering from a cancer diagnosis.

2. This boy band just made a comeback with their new song that was released at midnight on March 1.

4. American pop star recently engaged to Orlando Bloom.

7. Indian actress recently wedded a Jonas brother.

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

March 6, 2019

13

A thank you to our senior basketball players JAMES MCCLOSKEY JR. ’20 Hawk Staff Fours years of running sprints up and down the court. Four years of scoring points in front of fans flapping their wings.

Four years of walking onto the court in Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena, ready to play with their hearts and souls for Hawk fans that have come to show their support.

Nine men’s and women’s basketball players played in the final regular season home game of their collegiate career. Each of these players has been crucial components of the way each season has been played since their arrival on campus. Each has laid all they have on the court in an effort to win.

For the women’s team, senior guards Alyssa Monaghan and Kristalyn Baisden, along with senior forwards Michala Clay, Whisper Fisher and Sarah Veilleux were celebrated on Saturday, March 2, after they lost 51-41 to Fordham University Over the past four seasons, the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team has finished the

regular season: 14-14 (2015-2016), 15-13 (2016-2017), 15-13 (2017-2018), and 11-18 (2018-2019) These seniors have been a part of all of the successes and shortcomings of the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team. These women are the veterans on a team of fairly young players.

Hours later, the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team took on one of their Philadelphia Big 5 rivals La Salle University in the second to last home game of the season. 15 minutes prior to the start of the game, the senior players were honored.

Redshirt senior forward Markell Lodge, senior guard Chris Clover, senior forward Pierfrancesco Oliva and senior guard Mike Muggeo stood in front of the fans amongst cheers and thanks. From what I have witnessed, I am confident that they deserved all of the praise they were given.

Lodge, the school leader in blocked shots at 55, completed his collegiate basketball career at St. Joe’s on the bench due to a season-ending hand injury on Feb. 8 against Saint Louis University.

In his tenure playing for St. Joe’s, Lodge was recognized as the only Hawk to be in the starting lineup in all 31 games of the 2016-17 season. I have said it before

and I will say it again, Lodge is the heart and soul of the Hawks. He can make the most disappointing performance by the team exciting with an emphatic block or a posterizing dunk.

Oliva, a 30-game starter during the 20152016 championship season, also took part in Senior Night on the sidelines after an injury on Jan. 12 at Duquesne University. During his tenure with the team, Oliva remained a steady option for Head Coach Phil Martelli to turn to late in games for offensive and defensive support.

Clover, on the other hand, began his career with the Hawks a bit slower. Barely seeing the court in his first season, Clover’s role expanded in the 2016-17 season in which he played 30-games and helped the Hawks to capture the A-10 Championship.

Throughout his time playing for St. Joe’s, Clover earned a nickname from the student section because of his ability to change the outcome of the game: the X-Factor. It has been joked that every few games, Clover will score 15 or more points and barely miss a shot. In these games, when Clover hardly misses the bottom of the net, he multiplies the Hawks’ chance of winning.

Lodge, Oliva and Clover were all a part

of the 2015-16 A-10 Championship winning team which went on to win their first round game against the University of Cincinnati in the NCAA Tournament before losing to the University of Oregon in the second round.

It is these three who have hoisted the A-10 Championship trophy who have held their heads high in losing seasons. Lodge, Oliva and Clover have seen it all when it comes to the Hawks, and it is time they were recognized for everything they have done for the team, the students, the fans and the university.

These nine seniors have stood with their teams, have come together during the wins and the losses and have grown as players and people throughout their time on the court in front of the Hawk faithful.

My time as a fan of the St. Joe’s basketball programs has been built upon their dedication to winning and pursuing excellence both on and off the court.

For all you have given me, for all you have given the fans, for all you have given to St. Joe’s, thank you.

Zion’s broken shoe raises questions about NCAA SAM BRITT ’20 Assistant Sports Editor When Zion Williamson’s sneaker exploded and the potential 2019 first overall NBA draft pick fell over clutching his right knee, the entire basketball world held their breath. His Duke teammates, NBA scouts and especially the higher-ups at the NCAA saw their golden goose squirming on the hardwood with a lame wing.

In the weeks that followed, an idea began to spread. The idea that Williamson shouldn’t subject himself to the chance of further injury and should sit out the rest of the NCAA season. He shouldn’t risk his spot at the top of every NBA draft board just for Duke.

Of course, Williamson would never do this. One doesn’t become one of the top players in their class by lacking a competitive drive. He doesn’t seem to be selfish enough to dishonor his collegiate commitment.

But should he be selfish?

When it comes to playing more college basketball, everyone has something to gain besides Williamson. ESPN televises Duke nationally every chance they get. They produced a documentary about the team on ESPN+ and have been posting Williamson’s ridiculous dunks since he was a junior at Spartanburg Day School.

The NCAA has certainly benefited by having their own personal human highlight reel playing. This season, there has been a reason to tune into games like Duke vs. Hartford because nobody wants to miss a chance to see Williamson do something spectacular.

He has been one of the most electrifying players in college basketball history.

However, he won’t see a single dime of the money he has generated for the NCAA. By continuing to play for Duke, Zion could be risking millions of dollars. Even a drop from first overall to second could represent a $5 million discrepancy. He also plays with no insurance. If Williamson, god forbid, suffers a career-ending injury, he could lose out on $40 million.

This scenario has happened before.

Last season, Michael Porter Jr. entered the season as a potential top three pick. He suf-

fered a back injury in the first half of his collegiate debut for the University of Missouri and missed the rest of the season. He ended up being picked 14th and will only make half of what the first overall pick, Deandre Ayton, will net over the course of his rookie contract.

These examples do technically have a safety net. They are highly rated prospects who never really faced the possibility of not getting drafted. What about players where that is a very real question?

Say there was a player on a mid to major basketball team. He was one of the better players in his conference but doesn’t necessarily have realistic NBA aspirations.

He is one of the biggest draws of his team’s games, generating plenty of ticket sales for the school.

Towards the end of his junior year, he goes up for a rebound and comes down on his knee wrong. He sits out the rest of the season, and when he returns for his senior year he isn’t the same. He is slow, lacks mobility and there are no professional teams willing to offer him a contract.

This player gave up his body for his school and will now have nothing to show

for it. He won’t fulfill his dream of playing professionally and the only people with anything to show for his career are those within the NCAA, counting all of the revenue this player brought them.

Strictly in terms of logic, Williamson shouldn’t play for Duke. The NBA is currently working towards getting rid of the oneand-done rule which will allow high school players to be eligible for the NBA draft, a change that would have allowed Williamson to never step foot on Duke’s campus.

This rule will help players like Williamson and Porter Jr., but it shouldn’t be the end of restructuring college basketball. The NCAA has a stranglehold on the finances of every athlete under their flag.

Their players aren’t paid the proverbial fair wage for their work.

So while players like Williamson have the potential rule change to look forward to, there are still players who will be stuck in the college system, risking everything with the potential of getting nothing in return.

Hawks celebrate Senior Day in Hagan Arena

St. Joe's men's basketball seniors celebrate Senior Day after beating La Salle University 72-62 on March 2 (left). St. Joe's dance team in Hagan Arena (middle). Kristalyn Baisden hugs teammate during Senior Day (right).

PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

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Sports

Men's rugby competes in 2019 Las Vegas Invitational NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Sports Editor The St. Joe’s men’s rugby team played and finished sixth in the 2019 Las Vegas Invitational over the weekend, the largest amatuer rugby tournament in North America hosted from Feb. 28 to March 3.

The Hawks set out with two rosters, the first side roster and the second side roster.

The first roster was the “elite side,” one that had the best shot at a championship run. The second roster was composed of mostly seniors with the goal of experiencing another rugby trip before leaving St. Joe’s.

The second side roster lost the majority of their games, only beating Weber State University 24-22 in their Bowl Consolation match.

The first side roster was selected as the eighth seed within the top eight teams.

However, on March 1, they lost 17-12 in the Cup Quarterfinals to Dartmouth University, a team that went on to win the championship game.

St. Joe’s then beat the Air Force Academy 29-14 in the Cup Consolation, a game that secured the Hawks their sixth place finish for the tournament. However, it was what the team can take from the week and apply later in the season that they valued most.

"Getting in physically better shape, getting beat around on the field, the doing it over again is one of the hardest things about the game," Fifth year senior Captain and full back Adram Keshgegian said. "The repetition that we withstood in Las vegas is really going to help us."

The backdrop of the Las Vegas Invitational was an even larger rugby event, the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, which is

an annual series of international rugby sevens. All of the St. Joe’s players that were in Las Vegas attended the series for one day to witness the professional games.

Keshgegian said that by watching those players compete at such high speeds, the Hawks mentality can see that there is no limit to how good they can be in the future.

“We’re not the main event [in Las Vegas] but we’re part of it,” Keshgegian said. “People come to see our games, and we get to see the best in the world. Being around that environment is an experience that motivates us as a team.”

Junior Captain and scrumhalf Noah Niumataiwalu said witnessing different clubs and divisions of men and women is an incredible experience for the team to carry forward.

“Everything is one step quicker, the speed that they are able to produce is unreal to me,” Niumataiwalu said. “You can see the fruits of their labor show by the performance they’re able to put on for so many people. It shows us what we need to do to get to that level.”

Through film, senior captain and lock George Harris said the Hawks have been able to learn from international play. However, witnessing it firsthand was an even more powerful learning experience for the team.

“It gave us a sense of unity within all of USA rugby from top to bottom,” Harris said.

“We watch a lot of film from the international teams, in particular the USA team. We use a lot of their same attack patterns. We can really take away strategic choices that they make on the field.”

In terms of their own play, the Hawks weren’t able to accomplish their goal of win-

Men's rugby teammates come together before match in Las Vegas. PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. JOE'S MEN'S RUGBY

ning the championship, according to Keshgegian. However, he said they were able to use this time as an opportunity to sharpen their chemistry and overall play.

“It’s good to get our season started, get all the kinks out [and] start building chemistry,” Keshgegian said. “We’re getting our bodies equipped to play five games in a twoday span.”

Niumataiwalu said despite the team not accomplishing their overall goal for the invitational, their confidence is at an all time high.

“There’s depth that we haven’t had in the past couple years so it gives us more of a full team," Niumataiwalu said. "We know we can hang around with any team we go up against.”

The Hawks still need to work on aspects

of their game including their new defensive structure according to Keshgegian.

“We have one man covering the ball on attack in the middle of the field and everyone else mans up,” Keshgegian said. “It’s harder to do, it takes more running and thought, but its the best possible defense we can use.”

Overall, Niumataiwalu said their trip to Las Vegas allowed the team to grow and learn before heading into the regular season.

“We’ll get to a level where we can go out to Santa Clara for the Jesuit Sevens, win that event dominantly and crack the top eight this season and go for a big run,” Niumataiwalu said. “There’s great chemistry and we love being around each other, which is first and foremost what’s important.”

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

March 6, 2019

15

Senior guard Chris Clover dribbling the ball during a victory over La Salle University. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

St. Joe's men's basketball confident about A-10 tournament RYAN MULLIGAN ’21 Assistant Sports Editor The road to an Atlantic 10 Conference title will not be an easy one this year for the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team. Currently sitting in 10th place in the A-10 standings, the Hawks’ final regular season games will determine whether the team will have a first round bye in the conference tournament or is one of four teams who have to play in the tournament’s opening day. St. Joe's has captured a first round bye in seven of the last eight years.

The A-10 Tournament returns to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York this year, where the Hawks came away with a conference title the last time the tournament was held there in 2016. The Hawks have won two of the four A-10 tournaments that have been held in Brooklyn.

Despite being a team that by their own admission has underachieved, redshirt junior guard and Captain Lamarr Kimble said the team could be dangerous once they get to the postseason.

“I don’t think a team wants us to be there as a first round matchup, and we’re still confident that we can win the whole thing and that’s scary,” Kimble said. “Once the pieces start to come together, I think we’ll be very dangerous and it will be hard for teams to go against us in Brooklyn.”

Kimble knows what it takes to win an A-10 Championship. He was a key contributor as a freshman for the program’s last conference title winning team in 2016.

Senior guard Chris Clover was also part of that team and said one thing he sees in common between this year’s team and his freshman year team is the competitiveness.

“We have guys that want to win,” Clover said. “We really hate losing, it’s not something we’re used to. Knowing that I have a championship, I try to tell these guys that you have a winning attitude each and every day and come in here and work hard each

and every day.”

According to Clover, the injuries and struggles throughout the regular season have only tightened the team’s bond and served as motivation going into the tournament.

“I felt like we’ve built a lot of chemistry and even though there have been ups and downs it makes us more hungry to win, and that’s something that we can bring into the A-10 Tournament,” Clover said.

Despite the inconsistency this season, the ultimate goal the team set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year has not wavered, according to redshirt sophomore guard Lorenzo Edwards.

“The goal hasn’t changed,” Edwards said. “We haven’t had the record we’ve wanted, but it’s always the same. We want an A-10 Championship.

Edwards, who has found an increased role in the offense recently, said the key to accomplishing their goal is defense.

“When we want to play defense we can really lock down and strap up, and when we have shots falling, I feel like it helps with our defense,” Edwards said. ”Making shots can bring us to get more stops and then I feel like we can be a scary team to play.”

The Hawks are coming off of a Big 5 and A-10 win over La Salle University that brought them within one game of the Explorers. The Hawks will cap off their regular season against Virginia Commonwealth University, who currently sits atop the A-10 standings.

“We just want to go out there and finish these last couple regular season games with a bang,” Clover said. “We’re just trying to get our rhythm going, get everyone on the same page so we can make a run in this A-10 Tournament.”

As a team that was picked to finish second in the league’s 2018-19 men’s basketball preseason poll and is now struggling to stay out of the bottom four, experts originally saw the Hawks as a team that could compete at

the top of the A-10. Inside the locker room, these sentiments have not changed despite their standing. “[The goal] is still an A-10 Championship,” Kimble said. “It never changed. I know

that could be hard for other people to see, but in between the lines and in the locker room, we all have the same goal and we believe that once we get to Brooklyn we can still make a lot of noise.”

Redshirt junior guard Lamarr Kimble shoots a layup in the Hawk's game against La Salle University.

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The Hawk Newspaper

Michon, Walker and Duffy impress at A-10 track Championships COLLIN MESSENGER ’22 Hawk Staff Junior standouts Zach Michon, John Walker, and Caroline Duffy shined in the Atlantic 10 Indoor Track and Field Championship held at George Mason University from Feb. 23-24.

The trio led their respective teams with Michon bringing home a gold (mile) and bronze medal (3000m), Walker a gold (Distance Medley Relay), and two silver medals (mile and 4x800m relay), and Duffy scoring in all three of her events.

For Michon and Walker, their weekend’s success began Saturday night as Walker ran the anchor 1600m leg of the gold medaling DMR. Walker said the energy created by Saturday night’s DMR set the tone for Sunday’s day of racing.

“The atmosphere was like nothing I’ve ever experienced,” Walker said. “I’ve never seen the SJU section get as rowdy – chanting, screaming, and going crazy – as they were for that race. It was hard to not be motivated to give it my all.”

Michon said this moment had a cascading inspirational effect on his own racing.

“At these big conference meets, you kind of gain momentum as the meet goes on,” Michon said. “Seeing the performances of your teammates before racing, gives you that energy and edge to also take part and keep the ball rolling.”

Michon began competition joining Walker in Sunday afternoon’s mile race, the duo taking home respective first and second place finishes. Michon said claiming the top two spots with his training partner meant the world to the work they have put forth together.

“Me and John are great workout partners,” Michon said. “We are very close in ability so it’s great to have someone right there to train with and be pushing you every day.”

Michon wrapped up his successful A-10 competition just two hours later, taking home third place in the 3000m.

Meanwhile, Walker, feeling great after his mile race, felt he had more to give. Men’s Track and Field Head Coach Mike Glavin said he was not going to stay in the way of Walker’s ambition.

“John Walker, when he finished the mile with his gold medal in the distance medley and silver in the mile, came to me and said ‘if you need me for the 4×800, I’m here,’” Glavin said. “When a guy’s hot like that and he’s not hurt, confident, up and going, it sounds dumb but sometimes him and his third race will be better to you than someone who’s fresh because the guy’s just on fire.”

Walker led the relay with an 800m split of 1.54.4 and topped of his collected hardware with a second-place team finish. Coach

Glavin said Michon and Walker’s A-10 success stems from their decision to embrace the life of an athlete.

“First of all, they have talent, second of all they are both competitive kids, and thirdly they have desire,” Glavin said. “Their desire causes them to set up athletics and running as a lifestyle: To make choices not sacrifices to be great.”

For the Women’s Track and Field team, Junior captain Caroline Duffy led the charge, contributing a total 8 pts to her team and claiming 4th place and a personal best of 55.24 in the 400m, 8th place in the 200m, and 7th place in the 4×400 relay.

Looking at the weekend in its entirety, Duffy said she is pleased with her showing.

“Overall, I am really happy with my performance coming out of this weekend,” Duffy said. “It was great PRing and going sub-56 in both [the 400 meter preliminary and final race], contributing a point to the team in my 200 meter race, and finishing up with the relay, being able to run with three other teammates and get that [ECAC qualifying spot].”

Duffy carried her dominant performance into the ECAC Championships this past weekend. In the preliminary race for the 400m on Saturday, Duffy shattered the school record with a time of 54.86, accomplishing a goal she set out to achieve at the beginning of the season.

“I really wanted to break the school record no matter what happened,” Duffy said.

“That was what I had my eyes on and being able to do it in the trials on the first day was a feeling like no other to be honest. I was working towards it all season and to finally see it pay off and for it to happen was just an indescribable feeling.”

With both championships being stretched out over the long period of a weekend, Duffy said that she had to place her faith in her preparation.

“Mentally I had to just trust my training,” Duffy said. “At this point, we’ve done all the work and so it just becomes about putting that work to the test.”

Duffy got a personal record in the 400m preliminary race with a time of 55.68 before besting that time in the final with a time of 55.24 at the A-10 Championships.

Women’s Track and Field Head Coach Melody O’Reilly said she is impressed by Duffy’s constant determination to better herself.

“She never ceases to amaze me in her consistency,” O’Reilly said. “This year more than ever, she has seemingly PRed every time she has gone out and competed.”

Coach O’Reilly also said Duffy’s character stands out among the many athletes she has had the privilege of coaching.

“This is the only time we’ve had a junior captain, so that’s how much I respect

From top to bottom, Walker, Michon and Duffy in Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena PHOTOS: DIMETRI WILLIAMS ’19/THE HAWK

her as an athlete in her approach to everything she does,” O’Reilly said. “She puts everything down into everything she does.”

Michon, Walker, and Duffy concluded their season traveling to Boston to compete in their respective IC4A and ECAC Track and Field Championships from March 1-3.

Michon looked at is as a great opportunity to have a personal best time.

“Our mindset going in is just to relax and run fast,” Michon said. Boston is famous for having a really fast track and a high level of competition, so we look to use this opportunity as a little extra bonus at the end of the season to go out and grab a fast time.”

St. Joe's home track, where the Hawks often practice. PHOTO: LUKE MALANGA ’20/THE HAWK