Nov 28, 2018

Nov. 28, 2018

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Volume XCVIII

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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

A felt letter board, which was on the door of African-American students’ room, with words rearranged by a white student to spell a racial slur. PHOTO: CAMILLE LODUGNON ’22

Racial slur left on students’ dorm room door One night in late September, an African-American student noticed someone had rearranged the letters on her felt board on her Villiger Residence Centerroom door to spell the word “coons,” a term associated with a historically racist caricature dating back to the era of American slavery.

Alyvia Benson ’22 discovered the board on Sept. 28. Her roommate, Camille Lodugnon ’22, was out for the night.

Benson texted Lodugnon, who is also African American, to tell her that someone had changed their “Welcome to Camille and Alyvia’s room” sign, using the letters

to spell “coons.”

David Pilgrim, Ph.D., professor of sociology at Ferris State University and founder of the Jim Crow Museum, is an expert on the history of the word “coon.”

On the museum’s website, Pilgrim explains that “coon,” an abbreviation of the word “racoon,” is “one of the most insulting of all anti-black caricatures.” It is used as an insult to dehumanize people of color, depicting them as lazy and ignorant.

The women were not familiar with the word until a couple of days after the incident when Lodugnon was describing it to friends.

“It’s never been used in front of me,” Benson said.

Benson’s mother, Alysia Benson, how-

ever, knew what the word meant.

“I never in my wildest dreams would have thought my daughter would have faced this type of racism at St. Joe’s, so I was shocked. I was sad. I was heartbroken,” Alysia Benson said.

Lodugnon’s mother, Denise Akoko, also was upset when she heard what had happened.

“It saddened me,” Akoko said. “I was very scared.”

Benson and Lodugnon reported the incident to the Office of Public Safety and their Resident Assistant.

The women received an email on Oct. 3 from Bill Bordak, director of Community Standards, setting up a meeting for the

following day.

By then, the university had identified and spoken to the alleged perpetrator, a white male student. Benson and Lodugnon said they were told the student took the word from an episode of iCarly, a teen sitcom on Nickelodeon.

“Personally, I do think he knew what it meant,” Alyvia Benson said. “There was definitely some kind of intent behind it.

Lodugnon also said she doubts the student’s explanation.

“We’re the only two black [women] on our floor,” Lodugnon said. “He couldn’t have meant it any other way.”

FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

OPINIONS

LIFESTYLE

SPORTS

ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief

@SJUHAWKNEWS

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U.S. treatment of Latin American migrants

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Desk attendant Rodney Gould, a friendley face

SEE PG. 3

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Students count Hawk mascot flaps at Myrtle Beach

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Nov. 28, 2018

The Hawk Newspaper

News

Meredith O'Reilly ’20 in her current St. Joe's residence hall. PHOTO: LUKE MALANGA ’20/ THE HAWK

Transgender student faces isolation University weighs gender-inclusive housing options CARA SMITH ’20 Hawk Staff The university has in the last five years been working on creating an official gender inclusive housing option for students who identify as transgender.

The Office of Residence Life currently works with students who identify as transgender on a case-by-case basis to place them in housing that matches their gender identity, said Jessica Moran-Buckridge, director of Residence Life.

Transgender students are not allowed to have roommates.

“We have not been able to assign roommates to them at this time,” Moran-Buckridge said. “Best practices are telling us different things every year, so that is something that I think we would be wanting to address in the very near future, but at this point, we have not been able to do that.”

Students who identify as transgender and are seeking on-campus housing are instructed on the housing application to contact the Office of Residence Life directly or to complete a Medical Need Request.

Meredith O’Reilly ’20 said she shared a room with another student when she lived in a residence hall her freshman year. In her sophomore year she said she came out as transgender and was told she would not be allowed to have a roommate.

She has since lived by herself in a double room in her residence hall.

“Coming home to a cold dark apartment every day feels, not necessarily segregated, but everyone else I know talks about their roommates, and about what’s going on in their apartment,” O’Reilly said. “I just go home, and that’s it.”

O’Reilly said transgender students should be allowed to have roommates if both parties agree to it.

“If the roommate signs something saying that they are alright with the situation, there is no reason they shouldn’t be granted a roommate,” O’Reilly said.

A review of the home pages for student housing options of the 28 Jesuit schools in the United States show that four have gender inclusive housing policies— Gonzaga, Fairfield and Georgetown universities and the University of San Francisco. In the Philadelphia area, Temple University, Drexel University, The University of Pennsylvania and The University of the Arts have gender inclusive housing programs for their students.

According to Campus Pride, a non-profit that supports the rights of LGBTQIA college students, about 267 U.S. universities and colleges offer gender inclusive housing, in which students are allowed to have a roommate of any gender.

“I think our missions are different, being a Catholic-Jesuit institution that is, for better or worse, different than the mission of the public university,” Moran-Buckridge said.

Moran-Buckridge said Residence Life has made progress to be more accommodating to students who identify as transgender.

“We know it is the best thing to do.

We know it is the right thing to do,” said Moran-Buckridge. “And there is an actual student need and an increasing amount of students who are asking for [gender inclusive housing]."

Along with recent proposals to establish an official gender inclusive housing program, there have been changes made to the on-campus housing application. On the application, there are instructions to call a phone number if the student’s sex at birth doesn’t match the student’s gender identity. The option for a student’s sex at birth is pre-populated in the form, carried over from whatever the student selected— male or female— in the Common Application.

There are no specific options on St. Joe’s housing application for gender identity.

O’Reilly said she initially communicated with Residence Life through email after she came out as transgender, but to get a definitive answer if she could be placed in on-campus housing, she had to visit the office in person. Although Residence Life was able to place her in an apartment, she said she found the housing application process stressful.

O’Reilly said she has seen some of the the changes that Residence Life has made, but she wishes they would do more.

“It’s a nice effort that they’re trying,

but it is not enough,” O’Reilly said. “It’s not what needs to be done. What needs to be done is gender-neutral housing. An entire building dedicated to gender neutral housing would be the best option for students, but that’s ideal and that’s lofty. Realistically, I would like to see an entire floor that is dedicated to gender neutral housing.”

Rachel Cox ’19, who identifies as non-binary, has worked with Moran-Buckridge and Kelly Bersett, associate director of Housing & Operations, in Cox’s capacity as chair for Residence Life on University Student Senate.

“I have seen that they are very willing to help and do what they can,” Cox said. “They just don’t know what they can do because of this overall uncertainty of the university.”

Cox said transgender students suffer without the university’s full support.

“In my time here I have seen a lot of areas where St. Joe’s needs to bolster their supports for marginalized students,” Cox said. “The amount of supports for trans students that I have seen are nonexistent. I know there are individual people on campus that are willing to do whatever they can, but overall the university as a whole does not support any trans or non-binary students.”

O’Reilly said St. Joe’s should follow other Jesuit schools and establish a gender-inclusive housing program that serves all students.

“Fix my name on my ID, let me live with someone, let me have friends,” O’Reilly said.

News

The Hawk Newspaper

Nov. 28, 2018

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CONTINUED FROM PG. 1

Racial slur left on students’ dorm room door The male student was asked to apologize to Benson and Lodugnon at a meeting that took place on Oct. 9. Only Benson attended the meeting as Lodugnon had a Service Learning conflict.

The Hawk reached out to the male student for comment, but he did not respond.

Benson and Lodugnon said they were disappointed about the university’s response to the situation.

“We didn’t want him to be expelled, but we wanted something to be done about the situation,” Alyvia Benson said.

“I definitely feel like the university tried to sweep it under the rug.”

Alysia Benson said she was unhappy that the student apparently faced no clear consequences for his actions. Alysia Benson said she contacted university administrators and requested a second meeting that she would attend.

“The fact that there were no repercussions for the student is not sitting well with me,” Alysia Benson said. “I wanted further action. I was not satisfied with an ‘I’m sorry.’ ‘I’m sorry’ is not good enough.

It’s just not good enough. In the state of our nation right now, racism should never be tolerated, especially not now.”

Cary Anderson, Ed.D., associate provost and vice president of Student Life, wrote in an email that the university takes all reports of bias seriously but “does not discuss or comment on specific community standards cases — in alignment with our policy and federal law.”

Benson said what the student did to her daughter and roommate was a crime.

“I just find it hard to believe that a crime can be committed on St. Joe’s campus and an ‘I’m sorry’ is sufficient,’ Alysia Benson said.

Mary-Elaine Perry, Ph.D., St. Joe’s Title IX coordinator, said the incident was determined to be a bias incident, not a hate crime.

According to the Saint Joseph’s University Handbook, incidents of bias include “conduct, speech, images, or expression that demonstrate conscious or implicit bias which targets individuals or groups based on, but not limited to, the protected

Alyvia Benson ’22 and Camille Lodugnon ’22 hold up the felt board which they recreated to show the original message they had written.

PHOTO: LUKE MALANGA/THE HAWK ’20

statuses named in the SJU Non-Discrimination Statement, as well as other social identities and life experiences.”

“There are lots of things that we adjudicate on campus that are not crimes, but they are against our policies or our values, and so a bias incident, we’re still going to address it, adjudicate if we can, if we know the parties involved,” Perry said.

Benson and Lodugnon also said they were disappointed with the lack of communication from Community Standards and the university involving the adjudication process and resulting verdict.

Anderson said the university is working to improve its response in these situations.

“I have completed a preliminary re-

view of university responses to reports of bias and have determined that communication around those responses could be better,” Anderson wrote in an email.

Anderson said in an effort to “develop better communication protocols,” Perry will chair a small group of people who will examine the university’s responses to bias incidents, with the hope of later gathering input from the wider university community.

Raymond Plaza, Ph.D., director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit institution in California, said it is important for universities to communicate the harm that such incidents cause.

“The key piece is to acknowledge what took place, the harm that the slurs and/or

racial incidents caused and to explain why this type of behavior is not appropriate for the community,” Plaza said. “The main point is how can the community move forward and learn from this.”

For Alyvia Benson and Lodugnon, that harm has manifested itself in discomfort and fear. They requested the male student no longer be permitted in their wing of their residence hall. Since the indecent, Benson and Lodugnon said they have seen the student in their wing multiple times.

“If he calls me that word, what else is he capable of?” Alyvia Benson asked. “It makes me feel unsafe being in my room knowing that he’s there.”

R.E.P.P. extends support to survivors Student advocates educate and provide resources AMANDA ADINOLFI ’19 Special to The Hawk Gabby Southworth ’18 had no intention of becoming a member of the university Rape Education Prevention Program (R.E.P.P.) when she first arrived at St. Joe’s. Then she was sexually assaulted in the spring semester of her freshman year.

Southworth now serves as the president of R.E.P.P. and views her own experience as motivation for the work she does.

“I chose to take the negative experience that happened to me, and I chose to help others through their experiences,” said Southworth.

R.E.P.P. provides 24-hour anonymous counseling to survivors of sexual violence as well as plans educational events throughout the academic year. It is a confidential resource that survivors or their friends and families can call for a listening ear, to get information about resources available to them or to gain insight on how to help a

loved one.

“The focus has changed a little bit from more narrowly sexual violence to now more broadly sexual violence as well as dating violence,” said Raquel Kennedy Bergen, Ph.D., professor of sociology, director of Gender Studies and R.E.P.P. faculty moderator.

Bergen highlighted the group’s emphasis on providing support to whatever extent a survivor is comfortable with.

“These are students who are peer advocates and who care and are generally chosen and involved in the program because they’re empathetic and passionate about the work they are doing,” said Bergen. “It’s a listening ear. It’s not a position in which you are being told you must go get a medical examination you must do X, Y and Z. It’s really to advocate for whatever the survivor wants or needs.”

Working with R.E.P.P. requires students to meet on a weekly basis as well as attend crisis training, in addition to helping

to operate the call line. This year, the 20plus hour training, which is run through Victim Services of Montgomery County, is being funded by a $300,000 federal grant awarded to St. Joe’s in November 2017.

Nine students are currently going through the training.

“It involves doing educational programing as well as now doing the crisis training,” said Bergen. “It’s a serious time commitment, and I think it attracts motivated committed students who are passionate for all sorts of reasons about the work.”

After taking a First-Year Seminar on sociology with Bergen, Gabrielle Loeser ’20 decided to join R.E.P.P. in the spring semester of her freshman year. For Loeser, being an advocate is a crucial part of the work R.E.P.P. does.

“It is allowing them to have someone who they feel like they can talk to who they feel like will understand what they are going through,” Loeser said.

The fact that R.E.P.P. volunteers are

college students themselves also makes them especially well equipped to help others, Loeser said.

“Because we’re students, I think we understand the atmosphere more of the different anxieties and things you will be worried about as a student when it comes to reporting or talking about it in general,” Loeser said. “I think we just have a better understanding of the atmosphere on campus and what things you would be worried about when you are reporting.”

Southworth, who hopes to continue to work in this field after graduating, said that survivors should always feel like they have someone who will listen to them.

“There are people who care about you on our campus, there are people to help you who care about you who have been through it and it’s our job,” Southworth said. “This is what gets us out of bed in the morning.”

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Nov. 28, 2018

News

Loss of a leader

Cathleen Spinelli, Ph.D., dies at age 67 ALEX MARK ’20 News Editor Cathleen Spinelli, Ph.D., professor and former chair of special education, died Nov. 12.

A certified school psychologist and special education teacher who received her doctorate from Temple University, Spinelli joined the St. Joe’s education department in 2001 as an associate professor, becoming a full-time professor in 2007. During her tenure at the university, Spinelli authored multiple textbooks and articles both for graduate and undergraduate students.

“Cathy was an intentional and thoughtful colleague and friend, a uniquely qualified expert in special education who also had an amazing spirit based on her family, her husband Mike and her grown children,” said Virginia Johnson, chair of special education.

“She cared deeply about the students she taught and made a lasting impact on all of us.”

Johnson cited Spinelli’s commitment to the students of Samuel Gompers Elementary

Spinelli at the Hong Kong Red Cross Special Education and Rehabilitation Service International Conference.

PHOTO COURTESY OF DEPT. OF SPECIAL EDUCATION

School as an example of that impact. After a Gompers teacher raised concerns about students squinting in class, Spinelli brought volunteer eye doctors to the school.

“The children who were squinting because of their eye problems, not because they couldn’t read, were able to then get the gift of reading,” Johnson said. “She was a very cool person.”

Carly Sepe ’19, one of Spinelli’s advisees and a student worker in the education department, said she admired Spinelli’s dedication to special education.

“She cared for her students,” Sepe said in an email to The Hawk. “But her heart was with students with disabilities, and I always admired her work.”

Sepe said one of her best memories of

Spinelli was during her sophomore year education exams when Spinelli welcomed her into her office to talk when Sepe felt stressed.

“I remember one of those days I was crying, and she gave me tissues, chocolate, was telling me jokes and was telling me about her life, as she was rubbing my back,” Sepe said.

“She always told me to never give up, and all these exams will be worth it when I have a classroom of my own some day.”

To her colleagues, Spinelli was tenacious and dedicated during her tenure at the university.

“Dr. Spinelli was a force,” Johnson said.

“She didn’t so much approach you as kind of get you and hold you until she got what she needed to get from you.”

Sepe said Spinelli was a treasured mentor and friend.

“She was so dedicated to her work and the love she had for students with disabilities,” Sepe said. “She was a mother, wife, grandmother, professor, coworker and a friend to many. If you were to know her, you would love her in a minute.”

More than just the "winter blues"

Understanding the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder ERIN SWEENEY ’20 Special to the Hawk As the weather turns cold and the sky grays, John McCall ’20 doesn’t deny the trouble he faces trying to get out of bed in the morning.

“With it getting darker earlier and being colder, it makes me feel more tired and less productive,” McCall said.

Many students like McCall are dealing with the negative impact of seasonal changes, struggling to keep motivated as winter settles in.

For some students, though, symptoms are severe enough to contribute to a diagnosis of Seasonal Affective Disorder, more commonly known as SAD. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, individuals with SAD experience depressive episodes, typically starting in the late fall or early winter, that lift during the spring and summer seasons.

Symptoms range from feelings of hopelessness, decreased energy, fatigue, difficulty

concentrating, to avoidance of social situations and suicidal thoughts.

Kris Brightbill, a licensed professional counselor in West Chester, said it is wise to identify symptoms and the degree to which they are interfering with daily functioning.

“Symptoms and signs of SAD are easily researched,” said Brightbill. “Some clients are able to manage their symptoms by lifestyle change when the SAD is identified. It is often self diagnosed.”

Brightbill said possible lifestyle changes can be made to help manage symptoms.

These include exposure to UV light, exercising more frequently and outside, planning a trip to a warmer, sunny climate, talking with a trusted friend or professional, or joining a support group.

“Most people experience some relief in discussing their struggle with someone who responds with empathy and compassion,” Brightbill said. “That can be a peer, friend, parent, spouse, partner, but it can also require a professional to help access a comprehensive treatment plan.”

Students can seek professional help on campus from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), located in Merion Gardens.

According to CAPS Director Greg Nicholls, Ph.D., CAPS is busiest during the months of October and November, but there are multiple reasons as to why that is the case, including academic stress combined with seasonal changes.

“That’s due mostly to building stress as academic pressure mounts, and so many weeks go by without a break,” Nicholls said.

“Certainly, the increasing darkness doesn’t help, and some students will directly tell us that they believe their lower mood is partly due to it.”

While January is also a cold, dark month in Philadelphia, most students spend much of the month away from school and with their families, Nicholls said. With a break that long, many students come back to campus feeling refreshed and well-rested.

“When they get back, academic stress is absent,” Nicholls said, “so only those

very sensitive to weather will struggle.”

From late November through the end of February, CAPS offers students already in counseling there the opportunity to use a light therapy box for up to 20 minutes in a session. Students can read or study while sitting under the large lamp, which emits bright light that mimics outdoor light. This light therapy has been shown to have positive benefits in addressing many health issues.

“Generally, they report a lift in mood after a short 15 to 20 minute dose,” Nicholls said.

Carlee Harbright ’19, who said the seasonal changes make her feel more lethargic, bought her own light therapy box.

Having a light box has helped improve my overall mood,” Harbright said. “I find myself less sad when I use the light box consecutively. It also helps boost my energy level, so I am less lethargic throughout the day.”

Department of Public Safety reports (Nov. 9– Nov. 22) Nov. 12 Public Safety officers responded to a fire alarm at the LaFarge Residence Center. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by unknown means. Alarm was reset.

Nov. 13 Public Safety officers responded to a fire alarm at the Merion Gardens Apartments.

Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by contractors working. Alarm was reset.

Nov. 15 Public Safety was notified by Residence Life regarding an odor of marijuana coming from a fifth-floor room in Rashford Hall. Public Safety officers responded to the floor with Residence Life. A search of the floor revealed no signs of drugs or drug paraphernalia. Community Standards notified.

Public Safety officers responded to a fire

alarm at the Villiger Residence Center.

Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by a student cooking. Alarm was reset.

Nov. 16 Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student regarding person(s) unknown removing his sweatshirt from an unsecured locker in the O’Pake Recreation Center. No police report at this time. Incident under investigation.

Nov. 20 Residence Life and Public Safety, during a room inspection, confiscated a quantity of marijuana from a student’s room inside the Pennbrook Apartments. Community Standards notified.

Residence Life and Public Safety, during a room inspection, confiscated drug paraphernalia from a student’s room inside the Pennbrook Apartments. Community Standards notified.

Residence Life and Public Safety, during a room inspection, confiscated drug paraphernalia from a student’s room inside the ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS LaFarge Residence Center. Community Standards notified.

Nov. 21 Residence Life and Public Safety, during a room inspection, confiscated a quantity of marijuana from a student’s room inside the Pennbrook Apartments. Community Standards notified.

Residence Life and Public Safety, during a room inspection, confiscated drug paraphernalia from a student’s room inside the Pennbrook Apartments. Community Standards notified.

Residence Life and Public Safety, during a room inspection, confiscated a quantity of marijuana from a student’s room inside the Morris Quad Townhouses. Community Standards notified.

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DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

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Opinions

Nov. 28, 2018

The Hawk Newspaper

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Sustainability at St. Joe’s We need to be fighting climate change Editor in Chief Ana Faguy ’19 Managing Editor Luke Malanga ’20 Copy Chief Erin Breen ’19 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner Copy Editor Paige Santiago ’19 Copy Editor Kaila Mundell-Hill ’20 Online Copy Editor Leslie Briggs ’17, M.A. ’18 News Editor Alex Mark ’20 Assistant News Editor Natalie Drum ’20 Editorial Page Editor Annie Clark ’19 Opinions Editor Dominique Joe ’19 Assistant Opinions Editor Taicha Morin ’20 Lifestyle Editor Emily Graham ’20

A series of wildfires have been ravaging Butte County, California, near the state’s capital of Sacramento since Nov. 8. Camp Fire, as it is now being referred to, currently has an estimated death toll of 85. The fire was finally contained on Nov. 25. Two hundred forrty nine people are still missing as of Nov. 26.

These wildfires, the deadliest in the United States since 1918, are part of many recent events which demonstrate that climate change is worsening and we are running out of time to mitigate its effects.

The New York Times reported in October that major consequences of climate change, including the continued depletion of coral reefs and an increase in wildfires and food shortages, could reach a point of crisis as early as 2040 if immediate efforts are not made to stall the rate at which the planet is warming.

While it is important to stay informed about the severity of what climate change is doing to the planet, promoting alarmist attitudes and spreading panic are more unproductive than motivating. We need to recognize the current status of climate change and that it is a human problem with a human solution.

Individuals and institutions, including colleges and universities, all need to do their part. That includes us at St. Joe’s.

However, the university currently lacks a centralized organization dedicated to creating a more environmentally friendly campus, utilizing input from students, faculty and administrators.

St. Joe’s had a sustainability committee formed in 2009 which was comprised of 40 members of faculty, staff, administrators and students. However, the committee is no longer active.

Most sustainability initiatives at St. Joe’s are now proposed and financed by Green Fund, a completely student-run organization. Past projects sponsored by the group

have included installing water bottle refilling stations on campus and supplying students with reusable food containers.

Green Fund was one of many student groups impacted by budget cuts this semester. In previous years, the group was financed by a $5-per-student charge as part of an activity fee. Its 75 percent budget cut, effective this fall, was attributed in part to dwindling membership and a decrease in activity from the organization, implying a lack of interest from the student body.

The need for a centralized, well-funded group dedicated to planning and implementing university-wide sustainability initiatives has never been greater. Campus organizations set the tone for how we interact with our school environment--and that extends to efforts like recycling and other sustainability practices.

However, Green Fund’s model of students having the sole responsibility of bringing proposals to the administration does not encourage involvement from all members of the St. Joe’s community, including faculty and staff.

A sustainability-focused group would need to cull input from the entire St. Joe’s community, as the previous committee did, to ensure that all members of the university are engaged in making our school more eco-friendly.

The efficiency of a centralized, sustainability-focused group would also need to be supplemented by student groups’ efforts to make their events and meetings more environmentally friendly.

All student groups can find their own ways to contribute, starting with small changes like providing compostable utensils at general meetings where food is served.

Easier-to-implement initiatives can create a precedent for larger-scale events, like a letter-writing or phone-banking campaign in support of sustainability-focused legislation.

Outside of ensuring our dining fa-

cilities are adhering to sustainability best practices, other campus locations, like the SJU Bookstore, have steps they can take towards a more environmentally-friendly future. While it may not be realistic to expect the university to move the newly-renovated bookstore completely online as other colleges have done, selling course packs in the form of ebooks would substantially cut down on paper waste.

The current system at St. Joe’s, in which students use physical course packs for 15 weeks before discarding them, is financially and materially wasteful.

Ensuring environmental sustainability is supported by our Jesuit mission-Pope Francis even wrote one of his encyclicals, “Laudato si,” on the importance of quickly and effectively responding to climate change.

To this end, all members of the St. Joe’s community ought to take advantage of the university’s call for feedback on how it can ensure the continuance of its Jesuit mission, either at the Nov. 28 examen in Campion Student Center’s North Lounge, or in the Mission Priority Examen Survey, distributed via email on Nov. 2.

We need to consider how sustainable our campus actually is, while asking all members of our community to further our Jesuit mission by committing to making the planet a safer, more habitable place for all people.

—The Editorial Board This week’s Editorial Board is comprised of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Opinions Editor, Editorial Page Editor, Copy Chief and Assistant Social Media Manager. 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.

Sports Editor Nick Karpinski ’21 Assistant Sports Editor Sam Britt ’20 Assistant Sports Editor Ryan Mulligan ’21 Creative Director Kelly Smith ’19 Page Designer Kaitlyn Patterson ’20 Staff Photographer Rose Barrett ’20 Staff Photographer Matt Barrett ’21 Social Media Manager Erin Castellano ’20 Assistant Social Media Manager Alyssa Lamont ’19 Business Manager Jordan Grossbaum ’21 Distribution Manager Addie Guyer ’19 Assistant Distribution Manager Gavin O'Reilly ’20

THANKSGIVING BREAK The five-day reprieve from classes and other obligations was very much welcomed. Thanksgiving weekend is the metaphorical hump day of breaks, with only two weeks left to go in the semester. Let’s finish strong and put the fall 2018 semester in the books.

THANKSGIVING TRAFFIC Whether you were stuck in a crowded airport or in a traffic jam on I-76, one of the downsides of Thanksgiving is definitely the atrocious travelling congestion. Hopefully, we all made it back to school safely and ready to wrap up the semester.

CREED II IS OUT The sequel to “Creed” is finally here. The fact that the filmmakers chose the Maguire pool in the Michael J. Hagan ’85 arena as a shooting location should make the movie a priority-watch for all of us.

WE'RE WITH YOU, KENDALL Sixers fans have created a Change.org petition to have Kendall Jenner banned from the Wells Fargo Center after reports that she is currently dating point guard Ben Simmons. We are definitely not okay with the petition’s unfair (and arguably sexist) accusations that Jenner is “cursed” and “damaging the livelihood of innocent men.”

WINTER IS COMING We are officially one month out from the winter solstice on Dec. 21, which means the holidays, time with family and friends, fun sweaters, delicious hot drinks and the promise of snow. We’re ready for the cozier aspects of the winter season, even if we aren’t quite prepared for the plunging temperatures.

DOING IT FOR EDUCATION St. Joe’s opted not to cancel classes until mid-afternoon on Nov. 15, after many of us were already on campus. The lack of an operating shuttle meant a long, frigid trip home for those of us who live away from the main campus.

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Nov. 28, 2018

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

The right to write The freedom of the press will protect Jim Acosta DEVIN YINGLING ’22 Columnist Though the media is supposed to be an impartial source of unbiased information, it is no secret that almost every outlet has taken a political stance.

Media bias is nothing new, and neither is President Donald Trump’s showdown with the media. As CNN points out, “Past examples are The New York Times v. U.S., the famous Supreme Court case involving the Pentagon Papers in 1971, and CNN's 1981 case against the White House and the broadcast networks, when CNN sued to be included in the White House press pool.”

Although Trump is not quite Nixon after the Pentagon Papers scandal, his efforts to barr left-leaning CNN journalist Jim Acosta from the White House shows a somewhat similar parallel.

The same goes for CNN’s lawsuit filed against the White House in response to these events, which, as of Nov. 6, CNN has won.

A video of Jim Acosta sharing an ill-natured conversation with Trump was posted by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Nov. 7. Acosta pressed Trump on questions

dealing with the Central American migrant “caravan” and the Russia investigation. Notably, two very touchy subjects for the Trump administration.

To these questions, Trump replied “honestly, I think you should let me run the country, you run CNN, and if you did it well, your ratings would be much better.” Then, when Acosta relinquished the microphone, Trump turned to him and deemed him a “rude, terrible person.”

In response to the event, the White House revoked Acosta of his credentials, the New York Times reporting that the White House was effectively “denying him access to the White House and the president’s staff.”

And now, there is a doctored video circulating in social media that pins Acosta as being physical with an intern who attempted to take the microphone from him.

As always, when the executive power and the press clash, we are reminded about how important and vital the freedom of publication is. Now more than ever, the press must prevail, as it should in any case.

No matter the party of the president or the political spectrum swing of the media outlet, the media has the right to report.

The Washington Post works under the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” and I think they say it best; the press has the consti-

tutional right and democratic duty to inform the public.

Though the press has the responsibility to produce reliable and impartial content, it remains up to the reader to discern whether or not to pardon any potential bias.

If the people don’t like the source, then they don’t have to read it. The same goes for the president, as he is certainly not obligated to agree with what the media publishes. However, let’s not forget that it is the duty of the executive branch to uphold freedom of the press, regardless of political bias. Trump doesn’t have to approve of Acosta’s work, but he must act in a mature manner when met with criticism and still protect CNN’s right to publish.

Though I write for the opinions section, there is no way my argument can get to the public without some serious fact-checking and research. And that is for a college newspaper. So imagine the amount of checking that goes into a national news outlet.

By no means does CNN agree with all of Trump’s positions, but their points are credible and informed, and thus have the right to be circulated. In the video of the debacle, Acosta remained calm and did not fire back insults at the president.

Acosta was doing his job.

The purpose of the media is to inform.

Editorial or not, informed and true information is allowed to be published, and the press has the right to do so. With the White House revoking Acosta’s credentials, the White House takes a jab at one of the most fundamental pieces of our democracy.

The press has the right to publish, and no person, Democrat or Republican, has the right to take that freedom away.

ILLUSTRATION: KELLY SMITH ’19/ THE HAWK

Zero tolerance, one hundred percent hate Trump’s policies perpetuate discrimination MADISON CASSEL ’20 Columnist Immigration reform seems like an abstract concept or a buzzword topic thrown around during election cycles; but for many people in this country, these two words spark feelings of uneasiness, frustration, or

even fear.

Since his election, President Donald Trump has done some egregious acts towards immigrant populations, including people of Latino heritage. With over 80,000 deportations, the building of an 18 billion dollar border wall, and the despicable separation of families and detainment of Latin American immigrant children, Trump has set the tone for his zero-tolerance immigration policy.

The issue with a zero-tolerance policy is that when you have zero-tolerance policy placed on people, you overlook their humanity. Treating immigration as something that is abstract or a platform to rest political campaigns on is dangerous because we as a country forget that these issues and policies being reformed affect actual people and families.

Now this zero-tolerance policy has evolved from a political issue to a social one as more and more people feel less accepted in their own country, the United States.

Part of the reason Latin American immigrants feel less accepted by the United States is because American media outlets frequently portray Latin American immigrants in a “criminal” light. The Washington Post conducted research on three prominent news magazines -Time, Newsweek and US News and World Report- to see how these publications present immigrants in their stories. The research concluded that these magazines perpetuate a narrative of a “Latino threat” and portray Latin American immigrants as criminals.

These types of media sources are not only allowing this type of discrimination to exist, but they are also perpetuating this negative stigma about a group of people. It is no wonder Latin American immigrants, but also the Latino population in general are feeling less at home in America.

Attitudes toward Latin American immigrants, and Latinos in general, have become increasingly negative since Trump’s election in 2016. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, Latinos make up about 81 percent of the un-

demands to go back to their own country, or even threats to call the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These survey results are heartbreaking. Our country is a country of immigrants, but there is a prevailing discriminating concept of “right” and “wrong” immigrants.

This “us” versus “them” mentality has provided a new platform for hate and discrimination. However, this platform has lies and misconceptions as its infrastructure. Corrupt news outlets and uneducated political leaders feed the American people falsities and overt

ILLUSTRATION: KELLY SMITH ’19/THE HAWK

documented immigrants in the United States and one out of every two Latinos in the United States says that life has become more difficult for them in the past year.

This statistic is surprising and saddening since, as Mark Lopez the director of global migration and demography research at the Pew Research Center said in an interview with NPR, Latinos are generally more optimistic than the rest of the U.S. population. Pew also found that nearly four out of 10 Latinos have experienced some kind of harassment because of their ethnicity in the past year.

This harassment came in the form of being asked to not speak Spanish in public,

lies about immigrants and immigration policies. Here are common lies and misconceptions that foster negative attitudes towards Latin American immigrants and Latino people: Lie: Immigrants steal American jobs.

Truth: According to the Urban Institute, there is little connection between immigrant jobs and native-born employment rates. In fact, immigrants and native-borns rarely compete for the same type of jobs.

Lie: Immigrants contribute to the high crime rate.

Truth: According to a 2015 report from the American Immigration Council, immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated than native-born citizens.

Lie: Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes and burden the U.S. economy.

Truth: A 2017 report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy showed that undocumented immigrants pay an estimated 11.74 billion dollars in state and local taxes a year. In addition, The U.S. Social Security Administration estimated that, in 2010, undocumented immigrants and their employers paid 13 billion dollars in payroll taxes alone for benefits they will never get.

These lies have contributed to American ignorance about issues happening within their own borders. One lie in particular that has sparked the naïvety, negative attitudes and crackdown on immigration policy is this: it is too easy to enter this country illegally.

Unlike some politicians who are writing immigration policies, I have actually been to the U.S.-Mexican Border and I have spent time with immigrant families. I have listened to the desperate stories of arrival and survival in this country. I have heard the fear in these people’s voices when they spoke of their encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and hateful Americans. I have seen the conditions they suffer through to live in this country.

These people exist in a state of instability and insecurity for fear that each day could be their last day with their families in this country. Immigration cannot be viewed in the abstract. Immigration can no longer be viewed as something outside of humanity. Immigration has a heartbeat.

To the Latin American Immigrant and Latino populations at St. Joe's, we see you, we love you, and we accept you.

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Nov. 28, 2018

7

Racial disparities in healthcare treatment A reflection on the death of model/actress, Kim Porter KAILA MUNDELL-HILL ’20 Columnist When I heard about the death of Kim Porter, I was shocked. Porter passed away at only 43 years old. She had been a model and actress, best known for her relationship with

P. Diddy.

With her cause of death still unknown, I have read reports which claim Porter was suffering from pneumonia at the time of her death. Although a complete cause of death has yet to be released, the possibility of Porter dying from a treatable illness doesn’t sit well with me.

Porter’s death hits close to home for me because she is close to my mother’s age.

My mother is only 54 years old, and has suffered two heart attacks, one just a few weeks ago. When she had the first heart attack, she was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance only for the paramedics to drop her off in the waiting room where she sat for 45 minutes before she was treated.

Who knows what could have happened if she sat curled in a ball in a waiting room chair for just a few more minutes?

Thankfully, when she had the second heart attack, the paramedics acted with ur-

gency and she was immediately rushed into surgery. Had the doctors not acted fast, my mother might not be here today. I am constantly worried about my mom.

In the U.S., black women die at alarming rates, not due to a prevalence of life threatening illnesses, but because they are not afforded the same quality of medical care as others. It seems that one of the wealthiest countries in the world cannot, or will not, keep black women from dying.

Pregnant black women are three times more likely to die from childbirth or child-

and healthcare is no exception. Institutional and structural racism are affecting black women’s lives in hospitals all around the country where they are treated as if they are unworthy of proper medical care; where their pain and concerns are being ignored.

Doctors are much more likely to underestimate a black patient’s pain than a nonblack patient’s pain and, in turn, under-prescribe them medication for their pain.

False beliefs about biological differences between races, and just plain contempt for black bodies are plaguing the

Black women are dying, or at a higher risk of dying, while receiving medical care and I’m starting to wonder how no one else is noticing birth-related illnesses. Even world-famous tennis star Serena Williams is no stranger to the maternal death disparity, having almost lost her life after being initially ignored by medical personnel.

Black women are dying, or at a higher risk of dying, while receiving medical care and I’m starting to wonder how no one else is noticing.

Racial biases are prevalent everywhere,

medical industry and black women are paying the price.

During my senior year in high school, I got sick and my doctor couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I distinctly remember visiting the emergency room, and the doctor telling me that whatever was wrong was most likely just stress.

She recommended I get some sleep (mind you I was sleeping for over 10 hours

a day) and maybe get a therapist. After countless blood tests and trips to different doctors, a neurologist diagnosed me with a sleep disorder and POTS. I am so grateful for my doctor’s refusal to give up on me, but many black women aren’t as lucky.

Health obstacles are challenging on their own without the added burden of racial bias affecting medical care.

Throughout all the discussions of health care and people’s access to it, we fail to acknowledge that even those with access to health care do not receive adequate treatment. Racial disparities are built into all institutions that affect people in the workplace, in the classroom and even in the hospital room.

I grow weary of reading more and more articles about black women dying, when their deaths could have easily been prevented. Thinking about Porter’s untimely death, and the slight possibility that her death could have been prevented is haunting. My mother was lucky. Porter may not have been.

I hope the greatest takeaway from this article is not Kim Porter, or my mother, or even my own story.

I hope this article moves people to reevaluate their place in society; to recognize that their pain may never be doubted.

Are we still feeling the Bern?

Bernie Sanders isn't the candidate to support in 2020 DOMINQUE JOE ’19 Opinions Editor Since the midterms have ended, I’ve started looking to potential candidates in the Democratic Party for the 2020 elections.

One such candidate that I continue to follow is Sen. Bernie Sanders from Vermont. He has run as an Independent and a Democrat and is considered by everyone bordering the aisle to be an extremely far-left candidate.

Sanders was that during the lead-up to the 2016 Presidential Election. He is what Sydney Ember, political reporter for the New York Times, charges him to be, the “Lion of the Left,” but as Ember also astutely observes, he is “not the only one roaring”.

Sanders isn’t the stand-out and far-left voice in the Democratic Party; he isn’t even the stand-out Socialist voice in the party.

With the promotion of Democrats like Member-elect for U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 14th District Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders isn’t a lone voice in the Democratic Party.

There is power in numbers and in like-mindedness, but there is also something detrimental in that. Sanders may get pushed by the wayside in favor of these new (and popular) political figures.

But that isn’t the only reason Sanders may not be the best choice for the party.

In the United States, we have a bifurcated political party system. Even though

we don’t, we have to try to find commonalities and a consensus on a variety of issues or our country suffers.

As during the 2016 election, Sanders is the outlier politically. Democratic Socialism is radical in this country. And while we have these far-left political figures, like U.S. Congresswoman-elect Ocasio-Cortez in New York, spurred on by young people and older people alike, the Democratic Party has to think pragmatically.

While Sanders may be the choice we want to make, he is the choice I wish we could make. He is the far-left voice that

tive it can be. The Democratic party needs to choose wisely, because they want, and in my opinion, they need to win.

The only way to win is to look to more centrist candidates. If we look at the results of the midterms, the Blue Wave (while not totally effective in the end) hinged on Democratic candidates not running on the more touchy subjects of abolishing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Medicare-for-All. Democratic centrists have the ability to push the country back in a blue direction, Sanders with his far-left, still determined

Many of us looked up to Sanders’ tenacity, his resoluteness and his ability to cut through the political pandering, but that was a time when we thought a Democratic president was in the cards after Obama many young people actually took stock of.

Many of us looked up to Sanders’ tenacity, his resoluteness and his ability to cut through the political pandering, but that was a time when we thought a Democratic president was in the cards after Obama.

We thought after the first black president, we were either going to get the first female president or the first Jewish, Socialist-leaning president.

We were wrong and the political climate has now changed. Trump has changed our country. He has changed the way governance looks, sounds and even how effec-

radical, politics doesn’t have the optics to do it.

The Democratic Party needs to move in the moderate direction if we want control of the executive branch again.

If former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton couldn’t secure the white female demographic for the Democrats, even though she literally spoke to those demographics, represented that subset of American society, a new tactic has to be taken.

Sen. Cory Booker, though I have my issues with his politics, could be a good candidate for the Democratic Party. While the

leaking of those documents pertaining to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s hearing is a hurdle to have to jump over, he can spin it.

It is Booker’s connection to Wall Street, something which he was criticized for heavily back in 2013 by liberals, which could provide him that support from fiscal conservatives.

Being part black is a racist hurdle in and of itself, but former President Obama was able to make it over that obstacle and Booker could as well.

Of course, I’m not throwing all of my eggs into one basket with Booker. There are other more centrist Democratic political leaders that could be promoted in 2020, and they should be.

And if that means sacrificing true progressive and far-left ideals that the Democratic Party should be promoting, it might have to happen.

Sanders, while my favorite candidate and probably one of the political candidates I ever felt actually listened to young people with patronizing countenance, can’t be the Democratic Party’s choice.

The Democratic Party has to make sacrifices to make change, to fix wrongs and to do major damage control.

A presidency riddled with human rights violations and misogynistic, xenophobic, homophobic, islamophobic rhetoric needs to end, and moderacy has to be the answer.

We can’t feel the Bern this time around.

8

Nov. 28 , 2018

The Hawk Newspaper

Opinions

Cronyism and Amazon’s HQ2

The inevitable strain that will come with Amazon’s capital gain BRENDAN KILEY ’19 Columnist Not many issues manage to unite hardcore Libertarians and Democratic Socialists of America, so in a way you have to commend Amazon for bringing people together.

Amazon’s recent search for a second headquarters in North America (HQ2) created some strange political bedfellows, but it also pitted cities against each other in a cronyism death match.

Cities all over the United States and Canada pitched to Amazon that their city was the place for Jeff Bezos and company. Middle-American cities like Cleveland, Indianapolis and Columbus tried valiantly, hoping a big company, soon to be the biggest, would take a chance and bring about an economic boom, maybe even a renaissance.

Instead, Amazon decided to split up HQ2 in plucky, up-and-coming cities no one ever paid attention to before: New York and Washington D.C. (the location is actually in the nearby satellite city of Crystal City, Virginia). A third smaller location in Nashville is also in the works.

Now Amazon can open up an office anywhere they want. They’re a business and it’s a free country as they say. If it is a free country though it should actually be a free country, not a bought and sold one.

Corporate welfare is a bipartisan issue. Both major parties support it in various ways and both parties have constituencies that recoil at it. Amazon received 3.1 billion dollars in subsidies from New

York alone; Jeff Bezos made 39.2 billion dollars over the last year alone. Did they really need it?

They obviously do not need the subsidies, but you have to tip your cap to Bezos and co. While the choice to have Amazon HQ2A and HQ2B in already powerful cities is frustrating, the sweepstakes debacle is ingenious. Now Amazon knows the major long-term infrastructure and economic plans for almost every major Canadian and American city, including our own lovely Philadelphia, for the next quarter century.

These cities willingly played their own version of billion-dollar bachelorette.

Two of the most important cities in the country are holding the rose and every city, including them, are suckers for playing. If a city is a winner, they will make money from Amazon over the subsidies 10 times over, but it’s a mixed bag at best and a pyrrhic victory at worst.

With Amazon's Headquarters there is going to come another huge strain on the already stretched-thin public transit systems in New York and D.C. The lack of affordable housing in New York is already a problem and now, it might become a disaster.

Some taxes that could have been reinvested into these cities and states could have been minimized or waived entirely. The people who will staff the new headquarters are some of the best and brightest America has to offer.

They will come from all over, and some will be from New York and Washington, but it is naive to think these places are helping the average New Yorker or Washingtonian. Property owners will be thrilled, but

the people almost priced out but not quite in surrounding areas should be thinking about contingency plans.

What can be done about this? Well, prosperity is a tricky thing, and what is good for somebody is often not good for everybody. According to a survey done by Georgetown University and New York University, Amazon is the second-most trusted institution in America, after the military.

They got away with this one because we let them, but Americans should fight against crony capitalism like this.

Crony capitalism can come from Republican Governor and Senator-elect Rick Scott of Florida, and in this case it did come from Bernie Sanders sans charisma New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio. Cronyism

is something if one person starts it, but it is a completely different story if everybody participates in it. It’s not even cheating anymore. It’s the rules of the game.

The rules must be changed though. We need a state and city government detente.

Bringing industry to states and cities is good, but the central planning of cronyism is not.

Winners and losers aren’t for our elected officials to pick. Catering to special interests is not in the public’s interest. Amazon can move anywhere it wants, but it should be your impulsive buy of new socks that gets them there, not your tax dollars.

A lot of people make this argument better than me, I suggest looking those books up. I’m sure they are on Amazon.

ILLUSTRATION: KELLY SMITH’19/ THE HAWK

I’m single and not ready to mingle The value of singleness in a romance-infatuated society TAICHA MORIN ’20 Assitant Opinions Editor The weather is getting colder and holidays are kicking in. It’s every millennial’s favorite time or least favorite time of year, “cuffing season.”

It’s the time of year when single people feel the pressure to have a significant other to keep them company during the long and cold months of winter. After all, what’s better than a another person to serve as your personal heater, validation machine and emotional pillow? The answer is yourself.

I’m not saying that relationships are a bad thing. Relationships are great when pursued at the right time for the right reasons with the right person. What I am saying is that we live in a society that is infatuated with romanticism which makes it difficult, uncomfortable, and kind of embarrassing to be single.

That moment when you're sitting at your cousin’s wedding and it’s time for the bride to toss the bouquet. They call up all the single ladies, but we are all hesitant to get up out of our seats to state the obvious truth that “I don’t have a man.” You conjure up the courage to make your way

to the dance floor and angle your arms to guarantee you catch the bouquet, but miss it. Sigh, maybe next time.

Romance is thrown at us from every corner from movies to celebrity couples to holidays designated for love birds. We love romance and romance sells. From a young age, we are bombarded with narratives of

And a list of many of other questions that made me the problem.

I’m almost three years deep into my college experience and I still don’t have a relationship while being surrounded by the past, present and future Hawkmates of St. Joe’s. And the question that first comes up in my mind, “Is something wrong with me?”

You have your whole life to be connected to someone, to assume titles, to be in love, heartbroken, etc. lovers and couples in our favorite childhood shows and movies.

Growing up I wanted the Cosmo to my Wanda, the Simba to my Nala, the Mickey to my Minnie and the Edward (or Jacob) to my Bella.

When I was about 5 years old I had my wedding planned out. I hadn’t even known what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would play dress up and walk down the aisle to my nonexistent groom and almost 16 years later he’s still nonexistent.

I think my younger self would be disappointed. I have never been in serious relationship and for a long time I thought something was wrong with me. Am I not pretty enough? Am I not smart enough?

The answer is no.

During Thanksgiving break, I was on a panel with other young adults from my church, who came to answer the real life questions that our youth wanted to ask us.

Of course, one of the first questions that emerge is, how do we navigate romantic relationships? I guess that’s the selling point of college.

I answer with three simple words before I elaborated, “Value your singleness.”

I got the looks of "what the hell is she talking about?" Then I further explained, you have your whole life to be connected to someone, to assume titles, to be in love, heartbroken, etc.

There are few moments in life that you

have to yourself, few opportunities to be selfish and it took me a while to come to that realization. I think many of us take singleness to be synonymous for loneliness and it’s not.

I thank God that I haven’t been in a serious relationship yet. I’m glad I didn’t have the opportunity to project my insecurities and brokenness onto someone else or rely on someone to be my fix or fill my void. That leaves room for toxicity. I don’t need or want that.

I’m 20 years old, 21 in January. I’m single and definitely not ready to mingle because I’m currently mingling with myself. Figuring my kinks and quirks, learning to love me, exploring and growing before I try figure out someone else.

I was scrolling through Pinterest and found a quote that stuck out to me which said: “Your 20’s are your ‘selfish’ years.

It’s a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all the aspects of you. Tinker with shit, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little and never touch the ground.”

This is what I hope to do. In the meantime, I’ll vicariously live through all the love stories society presents and when the time is right, my nonexistent groom will be replaced with a real one. Maybe.

Nov. 28, 2018

The Hawk Newspaper

Lifestyle

9

Passion for photography Student thrives in local industry

Dylan Eddinger ’19 snaps a photo. PHOTO: LUKE MALANGA ’20 / THE HAWK

ANDREA RODRIGUEZ ’18 Hawk Staff Dylan Eddinger ’19 might look like an average student until you notice all the camera gear hanging off of him.

Eddinger, an entertainment marketing major, has managed to turn his passion for photography into a job. He has made a name for himself in the local photography industry—all while juggling his responsibilities as a full-time student, a freelance photographer for radio station WXPN, an ambassador for several brands on Instagram and a member of the St. Joe’s men’s track and field team. He also keeps a music blog with his girlfriend Emily Herbein ’19.

Eddinger’s daily routine is designed to accommodate his many activities. He usually wakes up around 5:30 a.m., goes lifting, naps for about an hour, attends class, finds some type of photography project to work on after his classes, goes to track practice and comes back to his house to edit and keep working on photography.

“I know that I couldn't do as much as he does,” Herbein said. “He's doing school and all this stuff, and he still is doing really well. So it's definitely admirable. It’s not something that I think everybody could probably do and enjoy. It's never like homework for him.”

Eddinger first became interested in cameras after his grandfather took up photography as a hobby for a short period of time when Eddinger was a child.

Eddinger took a photography class during his sophomore year at Boyertown Area Senior High School in Boyertown, Pennsylvania. The summer before starting college, he realized how much he enjoyed the art behind snapping pictures and started doing it more frequently, taking pictures of his camping adventures with friends and shooting weddings from time to time.

Grand Trunk, an outdoor gear and hammock store, was the first brand Eddinger worked with. He applied to become an ambassador of the brand after buying a ham-

mock during his first semester at St. Joe’s.

“I applied, showed them a bunch of pictures with all the other camping stuff that me and my friends have been doing forever, and I got into the program,” Eddinger said. “They had a whole tier system, like the more reposts you get, the more perks you get, and I made my way to the top of this within a year, which is great. And while I was doing all this, I got more opportunities from other brands.”

Eddinger is also involved with the local music industry. During his first years at St. Joe’s, he joined 1851 Entertainment and began working on Philly Live, the music blog he created with Herbein.

Started as class project during Herbein’s freshman year, the blog allows Herbein to mingle her passions for writing and music.

Herbein writes the posts, designs the site and co-manages the social media accounts, while Eddinger is responsible for the photography featured on the site.

Philly Live opened many doors for the couple. They learned how to contact public relations agents for bands, how to get photo passes and how to cover concerts for the blog.

They also got the chance to expand their network and work with a variety artists.

The work they did for the blog also helped them land internships at WXPN, which have now turned into freelance jobs.

In the summer of 2017, Eddinger and Herbein traveled to Langhorne, Pennsylvania to take presskit photos for the group Good Old War. “I think that was probably one of the biggest accomplishments we had,” Herbein said.

One of the photos was used for band’s summer tour, and another was turned in a giant poster that hung outside World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

Eddinger’s style and work has inspired his friend Chris Deflitch ’19 to work even harder by showing him that it is possible to make it, Deflitch said. They are both members of 1851 Entertainment on campus, where they met.

“His work ethic, that dude is always

grinding,” Deflitch said. “He's always doing something new, something exciting. And again, it shows me that it's possible out there to do anything you set your mind to.”

Eddinger is currently the official photographer of the local band FoxTrot & the Get Down. He shot the photo art for their new song, which is managed by Sony Records Distribution. He has toured with them in the past, and he is also accompanying them to the film and music festival South by Southwest early next year in Austin, Texas.

Krista Svalbonas, MFA, assistant professor of art, has taught Eddinger in various art classes, including photography. She described him as a “thoughtful and conscious” artist who not only pays attention to photographic techniques, but also takes into consideration the messages that he

wants to express with his art.

“When people ask me what makes a successful artist or creative person, to me, it's a mix of technical capability and the ability to be able to think really big,” Svalbonas said. “He has both of those, and that leaves the world wide open for you if you have both of those talents.”

Eddinger said he hopes to be a concert photographer for a few years after he graduates next spring, touring with bands and capturing their moments on and off stage.

While he plans to work in music management or music marketing in the long run, he said his love for photography is always going to be a part of whatever he does.

“I feel like I always have fun with it,” Eddinger said. “Either way, whether or not I'd be making money out of it, I'd still be doing it.”

Dylan Eddinger with one of his cameras. PHOTO: DYLAN EDDINGER ’19

10 Nov. 28, 2018

The Hawk Newspaper

Lifestyle

A friendly face

Campus desk attendant looks out for students

Rodney Gould smiles as he talks to residents in Pennbrook Hall. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22 / THE HAWK

ELLIE BLEECKER ’21 Hawk Staff Each weekday, residents of Pennbrook Hall are greeted by a man dressed in a navy blue suit and a striped tie, who never fails to ask with a friendly smile how they are doing.

Rodney Gould, a Philadelphia native who loves jazz, Bobby Chez’s crab cakes and the 1945 film “Leave Her to Heaven,” has been working as a desk attendant for St. Joe’s residence halls for five years. He spent two years in Ashwood Hall, two years in McShain Residence Center, and is now in his first year in Pennbrook Hall.

Before taking on the job as a desk attendant in campus residence halls, Gould had recently retired from his job with Verizon Customer Service.

“I won’t say how long I worked there because it will make me feel old,” said

Gould, who swears he is 29 years old.

Gould graduated from Central High School in Philadelphia where his favorite subject was English. After high school, he attended Virginia Union University, a small historically black college in Richmond, Virginia for two years.

At St. Joe’s, Gould works the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift on weekdays, so he gets a lot of interaction with students.

“I am a people person,” Gould said.

“So, therefore, I’m interested in what the students have to say. When I ask ‘How’s your day?’, I really mean that.”

Every Thursday, Gould hosts “Candy Thursdays,” providing students in the residence hall with candy that he buys on his own.

“I do Candy Thursdays because everybody needs a little break at the end of the week,” Gould said. “And Candy Thursday lets you know there’s only one day left,

so you can make it, and it’s just something sweet to take your mind off of it.”

Emma Wright ’21, a resident of Pennbrook, is an avid fan of Gould and Candy Thursdays.

When Wright first met Gould, she found him extraordinarily friendly.

“Everybody would always talk about how great he was, and when I met him, I realized he is just the way everybody told me he would be,” Wright said.

Earlier this year, a package sent from Wright’s mother went missing. The Overbrook Post Office said it had been delivered to Pennbrook Hall, but she never received it.

Wright said Gould went above and beyond to assist her in finding the package.

“He was really great about telling me every day when I came downstairs that it still wasn’t there, and he helped me get in touch with the Overbrook Post Office,”

Wright said. “And he was eventually the one who found the package when someone returned it.”

Kayla Roberts ’20, an RA in Pennbrook, said Gould also seems to know everything, so he is a good source of information for the RAs in Pennbrook Hall.

“When we’re on duty and we walk in the building, sometimes he’ll tell us there’s a formal or date party tonight, so ‘good luck’,” Roberts said.

Outside of work, Gould loves to hang out with his family and friends. He said he likes to keep his weekends open so if anything comes up he is always available.

“We have movie nights at friends’ places, my friends and family,” Gould said. “We have fun. It’s all about the food, you know.”

But at St. Joe’s, it’s all about the smiles.

“Rodney’s just a really welcoming and friendly face to see every day,” Wright said.

The final course registration Seniors choose electives for their last semester ALEX VENTOLA ’19 Hawk Staff Seniors registered for their final semester as undergraduates on Nov. 6 with enviable pick times and, for some, the ability to choose electives for their last hoorah at the university.

While some selected electives that align with their majors, others picked courses that simply piqued their interests.

Many have saved that one elective they have always wanted to take for their very last semester, and so they end up in courses like Pottery I, Music in Film, or Writing and Reading Animals.

Here's where you will find some of St. Joe’s seniors next semester.

PSY 128: Psychology and Architecture

Caroline Mulligan ’19, a marketing major, used her free elective as an opportunity to gain a different perspective in a field that interests her.

Mulligan enrolled in Psychology and Architecture.

“It focuses on how psychological theory can relate to urban planning,” Mulligan said.

“I chose to take this course mainly because I enjoy learning psych content when it strays from abnormal psychology, or what people typically think of when they think of psych.”

Mulligan said she is looking forward to learning how the psychology of the person can affect the whole of society through their

role as an architect.

Sara Girotto, Ph.D., professor of psychology, who is both an architect and a psychologist, will be teaching the course.

“I believe that spaces cannot be planned without taking people into consideration,” Girotto said. “Who better than psychologists to help architects and urban planners do that?”

Girotto said her favorite aspect of the course is the in-class discussions.

“It's great to see how students get engaged in the conversations and look at spaces from a completely different perspective,” Girotto said. “They come up with very creative ways to create and improve spaces for people. I learn a lot from my students.”

MKT 354: The Business of Baseball

Domenic Godshall ’19, a sports marketing major, will bring his love for baseball into the classroom when he takes The Business of Baseball in the spring.

“I heard great things about the class and Dr. Lord, who teaches it,” Godshall said.

“Baseball was the first sport I fell in love with and the movie ‘Moneyball’ is one of my favorites of all time.”

Godshall said he is interested in learning more about what goes on behind the scenes in baseball.

John Lord, Ph.D., professor of sports marketing, who developed the popular course, said he enjoys teaching students about the sport he loves.

Lord said students will learn the his-

tory of baseball and how the sport has evolved to become the $10 billion business it is today. The class will also dive into how baseball functions “off the field” from a business standpoint.

“I like having the opportunity to host really excellent guest speakers who are executives for the Phillies and Trenton Thunder, and to tell a lot of stories about my 64-year history with the game as fan and follower, player, coach, administrator, teacher and author,” Lord said.

PSY 125: Forensic Psychology

Samantha Santomauro ’19, an English major, will channel her love for crime shows when she takes Forensic Psychology in the spring.

“It’s basically about the ways psychology can be applied in practices of law, such as how mental illness is assessed and evaluated in criminal cases,” Santomauro said.

Santomauro said she looks forward to seeing how this process really works.

“I think it’s really interesting because it mixes two subjects in a unique way,” Santomauro said. “I love crime shows, and taking a class on this is like getting the actual facts of how this stuff works and learning the ins and outs of it all.”

MAT 132: Math of Games and Politics

Jack Coleman ’19, a computer science major, has had an elective up his sleeve since his first year at St. Joe’s.

Coleman created what he believes is the perfect schedule for his last semester. He

will be taking four computer science courses and the elective he has been waiting for: Math of Games and Politics.

“The class is mostly things like game theory, which is applicable to a lot of tabletop games that I like to play,” Coleman said.

“And the kicker? No early classes and no Friday classes.”

ENG

241:

Creative

Writing

Nina Cavallaro ’19 enrolled in an elective that she hopes will aid her in the future, even if it is not directly related to her interdisciplinary health services major.

Cavallaro signed up for a creative writing course.

“I’ve always loved to write, and I took a creative writing course in high school,” Cavallaro said. “Recently I’ve been contemplating leaning more into a creative field such as broadcasting, journalism or copywriting, and I wanted to further develop my skills.”

MTF 142: History of Rock and Pop

Faith Kenville ’19, a finance major, is taking the History of Rock and Pop because it looked fun.

According to the university’s course catalog, the course examines the history of popular music in the English-speaking world from the mid-twentieth century to the present day.

“I like music, so that’s why it seemed interesting to me,” Kenville said. “I’m looking to learn something and have fun with it.”

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

Nov. 28, 2018

11

A "going out" staple Students buy into the Gucci belt trend

The standard black Gucci belt ties an outfit together PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANIELLE PHELOUNG ’19 AND BRIGETTE PHELOUNG ’19.

ALYSA BAINBRIDGE ’21 Special to The Hawk The iconic Gucci belt, with its two shiny, golden metal “Gs” intersecting on thick black leather, has become a popular staple in the “going out” wardrobe of some St. Joe’s students.

But it’s not a cheap staple—unless you get a fake one.

When bought directly from Gucci or an authorized retailer, the belt sells for between $350 and $550, depending on the width of the belt and size of the logo.

A belt embellished with pearls is $700 and comes in men and women’s sizes and in several colors, including black, brown and light pink.

Danielle Pheloung ’19 and Brigette Pheloung ’19, twins who run their own fashion blog entitled “Double the Look,” said the trend is attracting buyers who normally wouldn’t be willing to spend that kind of money on an accessory.

“So many groups of people are buying it, and not just the typical Gucci buyer,” Brigette Pheloung said. “There are lots of

people who don’t own one designer thing, and they’re getting this belt.”

Jenn Jacobs ’19, who bought her Gucci belt directly from the Gucci website before the hype, when the price was cheaper but there was still a waitlist for purchasers, said she feels a sense of pride that she was able to buy it with her own money.

“Everything I have that is designer, I’ve bought,” Jacobs said. “So, it’s me investing in myself, for the most part. I like to buy them for myself, and it shows all the work I’ve been able to do for it to pay off.”

The twins said the reason for the belt’s popularity is its quality and ability to transform an outfit.

“It literally makes every outfit look better,” Brigette Pheloung said. “I’ve never seen an accessory that makes an outfit look better.”

Jacobs said another reason for the sudden craze over the belt is its appearance in popular culture, especially in hit songs.

“I had known about it and heard about it from songs and stuff like that,” Jacobs said.

“I definitely think that it’s influenced some of the craze.”

Other high-end designers make mono-

grammed belts, too. Why Gucci over those?

Brigette Pheloung said it’s because of the belt’s superior design and buyers’ satisfaction with how it makes their body look.

“I think Gucci is the only one who has really figured out how to make the belt look flattering,” Brigette Pheloung said. “They make it the perfect thickness. The double G logo is the perfect size. Dolce and Gabbana had done it, too, but they hadn’t perfected the length, the width, the thickness.”

“The GG is very chunky,” Danielle Pheloung said, “which is flattering on someone’s waist. It’s slimming.”

Competing fashion brand, Chanel, makes a similar monogrammed leather belt that costs between $850 and $1,025.

According to the Pheloung sisters, who also own a Chanel belt they share, the Chanel is of lesser quality than Gucci’s and just doesn’t work the same kind of magic.

Those kinds of prices are more typical of other Gucci products, with most bags and clothing items selling for well over $1,000.

This is why people are jumping on the Gucci belt Sam Fiocchi ’19 said.

“They can say they have a Gucci item with-

Danielle and Brigette Pheloung '19.

out having to buy a $1,000 bag,” Fiocchi said.

Danielle Pheloung said a belt is even more ideal than another item because it’s very visible. Buyers want people to know they’re wearing Gucci.

“It’s in your face,” Danielle Pheloung said. “It’s not like a bag, where it’s to the side.

The GG is in the center of your body.”

For students who cannot drop hundreds of dollars on a belt or find the idea absurd, there are more affordable options.

Independent sellers on resale websites like Poshmark sell used Gucci belts for a bit cheaper.

For a cheap dupe, websites like Etsy and Amazon sell replicas for as low as $25.

According to Brigette and Danielle Pheloung, Urban Outfitters and Free People have also created a similar, affordable leather belt with two intersecting gold circles.

“It doesn’t look like it,” Brigette Pheloung said, “but it represents it.”

Some of the dupes are especially realistic, according to Danielle Pheloung.

“When someone’s wearing it, I actually have to do a double take,” Danielle Pheloung said.

The Fortnite fandom

St. Joe’s students join the video game trend JOSEPH PANICHELLI ’20 Hawk Staff Fortnite Battle Royale, an animated third-person shooter video game released

by Epic Games in September 2017, has been downloaded millions of times on a multitude of gaming platforms across the globe.

What makes it so popular?

“I think the biggest thing is that it’s free,” said Ethan Bedwell ’21, who plays Fortnite every day. “At that point when someone says, ‘Hey, I have this game. It’s free,’ sure, you’ll go download it. If you like it, you keep it. If you don’t like it, you won’t play it. There’s no risk for trying it out.”

Although Fortnite is free to play, Epic Games generates a majority of its revenue through in-game purchases.

Players are prompted to spend real dollars on Fornite currency coined “V-bucks,” which are used to buy accessories and costumes for their avatars.

Fortnite has also pioneered something completely different than ordinary shooter games, adding a colorful and goofy aesthetic to something typically graphic and gruesome.

While this may foster a more light-hearted gaming experience, Fortnite’s biggest audience tends to be young kids.

“Fornite’s concept is different, and it’s simple to everyone,” said Jerrick Juanillo

’19, president of the campus gaming club Gamers on Fire. “It’s extremely accessible and popular with kids, even though there are military rifles in it.”

For Bedwell, it’s the social aspect of the game that presents the most alluring case.

“Growing up, I think kids our age played Call of Duty a lot because of that,” Bedwell said. “Getting friends together and playing, Fortnite has brought that back for us, and playing with others encourages you to stay on for longer.”

Fortnite allows up to four players to connect with each other online, teaming up as a squad.

In September of this year, the game became the first ever to enable cross-platform gameplay, allowing people from Playstation to play with friends on Xbox.

While Bedwell spends plenty of time playing the game, he spends even more time watching it.

Twitch is an app that allows gamers to stream their gameplay to live audiences and add their own commentary. While the service has been around for years, Fortnite’s meteoric rise and mainstream popularity has lifted it to new heights.

Animated and larger-than-life streamers and professional gamers, such as Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, hold streams that attract up to 1 million viewers.

“I think it’s the same reason why people watch sports,” Bedwell said, “watching

people do stuff that everybody technically can do. Everyone can go throw a football, but you want to watch the professionals do it. In reality, there’s a very small percentage of people who are going to get paid to play video games.”

Nazeim Brame ’21 is aiming to be a part of that small percentage.

As a lifelong gamer, Brame came across Fortnite and never looked back.

“I saw Fortnite as an opportunity,” Brame said. “Instantly, as I saw how popular it was around campus, and all of my friends were playing it. I thought it’d be pretty easy to build a fanbase and have a popular channel. It’s worked out so far.”

Brame is currently verified on Twitch.

He has over 65 followers and on a given night has around seven to 10 viewers in stream.

“It’s all about time management,” Brame said. “I’m doing well in all of my classes right now. I set out a certain time in my day to do every single one of my personal activities. I just make sure I’m at home in front of my screen when I schedule my streams.”

While Juanillo said not everyone in the Gamers on Fire club plays Fortnite, he has noticed the craze among other gamers.

“Games like Call of Duty have gotten really stale with the gaming community,” Juanillo said. “I think people were getting sick of it. When Fortnite came along, it was like a breath of fresh air.”

Marc Cozzarelli ’22 plays Fortnite Battle Royale PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22 / THE HAWK

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Nov. 28, 2018

Nineteenth year of Fe y Alegría St. Joe's supports international schools ANNIE CLARK ’19 Editorial Page Editor Fe y Alegría, a nonprofit organization associated with the Society of Jesus which builds and manages primary and secondary schools in low-income areas on three continents, will enter the 19th year of its partnership with St. Joe’s in 2019.

Founded in 1955 in Venezuela, Fe y Alegría (Spanish for “faith and joy”) serves 1.5 million students in schools primarily spread across South America with additional locations in Madagascar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Spain and Italy.

Ann Marie Jursca Keffer, director of the Faith-Justice Institute, said the early years of the St. Joe’s and Fe y Alegría partnership involved St. Joe’s faculty in the department of education facilitating teacher training initiatives with educators at Fe y Alegría schools in Bolivia.

Those efforts of cross-cultural education immersion have continued with the Faith-Justice Institute’s organizing of faculty immersion trips to Bolivia and hosting of delegations from Fe y Alegría.

“It’s not just our faculty and staff going down and learning from Fe y Alegría,” Keffer said. “Every other year, as of this year, we’ll be bringing a delegation from Fe y Alegría up to the States.”

The last Fe y Alegría delegation to visit St. Joe’s toured certain schools in the Philadelphia area out of an interest in learning about special education in the United States.

Catherine Collins, a reference librarian in the Francis A. Drexel Library who went on last year’s faculty immersion trip, was impressed by Fe y Alegría’s efforts to stay up-to-date with the latest technology being used in secondary education.

The Geometer’s Sketchpad, a program Collins saw used in a Fe y Alegría classroom while on the trip, is also used in her daughter’s ninth grade geometry class.

“It was fascinating to see a concrete rep-

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

Cold weather, warm soul ERIN BREEN ’19 Copy Chief

Fe y Alegría school in La Pinuela, Antioquia, Colombia. PHOTO: JULES RINCON

resentation of the Jesuit mission,” Collins said. “We read about it and talk about it, and to see it actually put in action like that was really amazing.”

The Faith-Justice Institute’s partnership with Fe y Alegría has also influenced several classes within the St. Joe’s curriculum, including Introduction to Data Mining, a Decision & System Sciences course taught by Kathleen Campbell Garwood, Ph.D. Students in the Data Mining course analyze data from a survey commissioned by Fe y Alegría, in partnership with the Bolivian government, to evaluate socioeconomic trends among the country’s secondary school students.

The students work closely with Miguel Angel Marca, national adviser for general education at Fe y Alegría Bolivia.

The ultimate goal of the analysis is to develop an algorithm which would help

Marca identify schools and regions most in need of support.

Garwood said she hopes Fe y Alegría’s influence on the Introduction to Data Mining course helps students to see the humanitarian potential of the skills they learn in business school.

“You have the bad rap as a business school teacher that we teach students to get finance jobs and to go out into the world and make a lot of money,” Garwood said.

“What we’re teaching them [in this course] is how to help people reorganize their systems so they can maximize the number of people they can help.”

Each year, the Faith-Justice Institute sells Christmas cards made by Fe y Alegría students.

Proceeds from the card sales this year will go to the Mother Ascensión Nicol School in La Paz, Bolivia.

Crossword: Author Edition Across

2. The Giver.

3. To Kill a Mockingbird.

4. The Handmaid’s Tale.

6. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 7. Harry Potter series.

11. The Lord of the Rings.

12. The Shining.

13. Beloved.

Down

1. The Alchemist.

4. Sense and Sensibility.

5. 1984.

6. Jane Eyre.

8. The Hunger Games.

9. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 10. Great Expectations.

With the weather getting colder and the days getting shorter, it can be hard to keep ourselves in good spirits.

Use this playlist as a reminder of the beauty the winter season has to offer: “Beloved” by Mumford and Sons From their new album, Delta, “Beloved” maintains the same English folk genre that Mumford and Sons is known for. With a tempo that builds up to the refrain and a central theme of being loved and accompanied, it’s hard to listen to this song and not be put in a better mood.

“Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)” by The Byrds This song is a product of the mid-’60s’ folk-rock band, The Byrds, who played an instrumental role in the development of the genre. Originally written by Pete Seeger, the song takes a majority of its lyrics from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes and uses an upbeat melody to put the listener in a happy and hopeful mood.

“The Fruitful Darkness” by Trevor Hall This song has a unique perspective of darkness. Normally, darkness is depicted as barren, empty and well, dark. Instead, Trevor Hall’s central and closing lyrics of the song discuss darkness as being “in bloom.” The use of a single guitar keeps the focus on the words being sung. Even with the sun setting earlier and the trees growing bare, good things are coming this winter. Things outside might be dying, but the chill doesn’t mean we stop growing.

“Be Where You Are” by Birdtalker It can be really easy to spend the whole season wishing it was another. Birdtalker, a band that mixes acoustic folk and indie rock sounds, uses this song to remind us to practice presence.

“Atlas Hands” by Benjamin Francis Leftwich The smoothness of Leftwich’s voice and the story the song tells make this song perfect for days when the bitter coldness is getting the best of us. An added benefit to this song is it’s acoustic sound, with the guitar being the first thing you hear, and the rhythmic beat carrying you through the entirety of the song.

“Let it Be” by the Beatles This song is well-known for a reason.

The calmness in the repeated lyrics makes it perfect for days when winter stress is getting to us. The electric guitars and drums in many of the remastered versions add an upbeat and uplifting tone to keep the listener relaxed and hopeful.

“All I Can See” by Brendan James The piano in this song is relaxing from the moment the music begins. James’ voice is full and carries the meaningful and heavy lyrics well. The message about wanting to learn new things and help those around him, all against the backdrop of the passing of time, helps to balance meaning and hopefulness of the song.

“Tree to Grow” by The Lone Bellow The way this song tells the story throughout with the mixture of the male and female voice in the chorus makes it easy to listen to.

It’s central messages of someone wanting to do something out of love and the timelessness of love makes you feel encouraged and reminded of those you love.

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

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

Nov. 28, 2018

13

Grad transfers bring experience to women’s basketball team MICHAEL DROOGAN ’20 Hawk Staff Graduate transfer guard Rachel Gartner and graduate transfer forward Ashlyn Wert provide experience to the St. Joe’s women’s basketball team in their last year of eligibility. Gartner transferred from Boston College and Wert transferred from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

Wert won three Southern Conference titles and made three NCAA Tournament appearances at Chattanooga while playing for former St. Joe’s women’s basketball Head Coach Jim Foster.

Originally from Lancaster, Pa., Wert said she wanted to be on a team close to home so that her family could see her play.

Wert’s journey to Hawk Hill was made easy by her St. Joe’s connection at Chattanooga.

Rachel Gartner handles the basketball, dribbling it between her legs

“Ashlyn’s Assistant Coach Debbie Black was a former player here so she reached out to me and said that Ashlyn wanted to get closer to home,” Head Coach Cindy Griffin said.” Based on who we were losing, she thought Ashlyn would be a good fit.”

Gartner said she was familiar with the Hawks' program, as the St. Joe’s coaching staff recruited her out of high school.

“I wanted to change it up [from Boston College],” Gartner said. “[St. Joe’s] just felt like home and knowing all the coaches was something that helped [ my decision].”

Wert said she brings a post presence through dominating on the block and grabbing boards. The team will have to wait for her arrival, as she is currently healing from an ankle injury that has delayed her debut.

“I rehab three times a week for my ankle and I try to do as much conditioning as I can with the boot on, either on the skis or on the bike,” Wert said.

Griffin said both Gartner and Wert have embraced their roles as leaders on the team, adding a vocal and mature presence both on and off the court.

“Rachel is very vocal, she understands what were trying to do here at St. Joe’s,” Griffin said. “She’s been through a different program, but she’s been there before as opposed to a freshman where everything’s a first.”

Freshman forward Katie Mayock said that Wert has taken up a motherly role with her, sharing advice and knowledge she’s gained over the years playing the same position. Wert agreed, saying she’s trying to be the person that she needed as a young player.

“I think at certain times you don’t see stuff or it doesn’t come naturally to you, in your first year especially,” Wert said.

Ashlyn Wert poses in her St. Joe's basketball attire. PHOTOS: SJU Athletics

“Normally in practice, I’ll tell her small stuff like maybe she needs to position her hands a little differently.”

Gartner served as the captain at Boston College her senior year. She said her role at St. Joe’s is different.

“Just having a voice everyday, that’s a big thing,” Gartner said. “And there’s little nooks where I say ‘oh I can be a better asset here’ and with my experiences at Boston College for four years, I learned how to be a good leader so again I can help [the captains at St. Joe’s].”

Mayock said there’s a lot of inexperience on the team, so Wert and Gartner’s presence helps to add maturity.

“It’s funny saying its a young team because there’s eight seniors on the roster, but I would say it’s more of an inexperienced one,” Mayock said. “The seniors don’t really have a ton of experience and the young players are seeing a lot of playing time.”

After majoring in French and minoring in business as an undergrad, Wert said

she is getting her MBA with the goal of a career in international business when she graduates. Gartner majored in math at Boston College and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Organization, Development and Leadership. Gartner said her diverse interests led her to St. Joe’s.

“I’m also very much into nutrition and sports and athletics, so I wanted to see how I could maybe step aside from math,” Gartner said. “I’m good at math, but I wanted to see how I would fit in a world where leadership is needed and also working with athletes, so that’s why I decided to come here.”

Both players said they are glad to end their careers at Hawk Hill and have embraced the family mentality and camaraderie of the team.

“I really love that everyone is on the same page,” Wert said. “Everyone does a good job of doing what is expected, maintaining that and taking pride in our work.”

Club field hockey makes trip to Fall Championship SAM BRITT ’20 Assistant Sports Editor The St. Joe’s club field hockey team finished their season at the National Field Hockey League’s Fall Championship in Virginia Beach, Va with the help of a GoFundMe page. This gave the team an opportunity to further develop chemistry beyond the regular season and demonstrate their commitment to each other on and off the field.

“The season went really well,” junior forward Alaina Boccino said. “We have become so close as a team. When we first started, we didn’t know each other but it is awesome how close we are now.”

The fact that the team was able to make it to Virginia Beach was a victory in itself, as the they didn’t have necessary funding leading up to the tournament for travel.

“When I found out we only had $1500 in our budget, I freaked out,” Boccino said.

“So I called a meeting with the whole team.”

Out of this meeting came the idea for a GoFundMe to raise the necessary funds.

“That night we started the GoFundMe,” Boccino said. “The next morning we already had $700. It was insane that we got that much so quickly. We ended up raising $1300, which was awesome because without that we wouldn’t have been able to go.”

The team-wide commitment to this GoFundMe is a good example of what draws

St. Joe's club field hockey at the National Field Hockey League Fall Championship. PHOTO: SJU Recreation

players to joining club field hockey, according to sophomore goalkeeper Isabelle Boles.

“As a club team, we kind of have to help ourselves when it comes to funding,” Boles said. “It was a cool thing we all did together. It was fun. I am surprised how much we were able to make too.”

Junior forward Lydia Bariteau, who

played on the Division I field hockey team, is in her first year with the team. She said her favorite aspect has been the atmosphere.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Bariteau said. “I didn’t know anybody on the team. Honestly, it is one of the best things I have ever done. It is just really fun. It is getting to play the sport you love

for fun.”

Boles also came to St. Joe’s to play on the Division I team. She ended up deciding to leave that team but still wanted the opportunity to play field hockey, so she turned to the club team.

“I still loved field hockey and wanted to keep playing,” Boles said. “The club team seemed nice and had some good players. They are all so fun and super relaxed. It isn’t a super stressful thing and we can be good at the same time. It is just a fun experience overall.”

In the past, the club field hockey season has ended in the fall. This year, the captains decided to enroll the team in a spring season as well.

“We wanted to have another season together before our seniors graduate,” Boccino said. “So it is another season and that gives us another opportunity to make the national tournament.”

Bariteau hopes that the team can build off of their success from the fall season in the spring.

“I feel like we can improve upon what we established,” Bariteau said. “This is the first time a lot of us are playing together and now we have a season under our belt. I think it will just get better from here.”

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Nov. 28, 2018

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

Coastal Carolina University students track Hawk flaps SAM BRITT ’20 Assistant Sports Editor During every St. Joe’s men's and women’s basketball game, the Hawk mascot can be found on the sideline, flapping its wings. This caught the eye of two members of the Coastal Carolina University game staff during the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Nov. 18.

“At the beginning of the tournament, my friend R.J. and I saw that the Hawk was flapping and not stopping,” said Stephen Pratt, a Coastal Carolina game staff member. “So I looked it up and found a whole article about how the Hawk hasn’t stopped flapping since he debuted in 1956. My boss decided we should count the flaps.”

Pratt and R.J. Reyes, another game staff member, were both drawn to the tradition and decided to take on counting the flaps as a project for the tournament.

“The Hawk was really the only mascot we had seen at the tournament,” Reyes said.

“So we would watch him flap. We didn’t really know anything about him, so we had to dig some stuff up. We found the whole system and tradition and decided to count.”

The system was simple, follow the Hawk and count each time he flapped his wings.

“We downloaded a counting app on my phone,” Reyes said. “Starting at the national anthem, I would start counting. We would follow him through the whole game and count each flap. It was pretty fun.”

The results they got ended up being very surprising, according to Pratt.

“We had heard his average was around

Stephen Pratt poses with the Hawk mascot, who flapped its wings 6164 time during St. Joe's men's basketball game versus West Virginia University PHOTOS: COASTAL CAROLIINA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

3,500 flaps,” Pratt said. “But by the first half he was already around 3,000, so we knew he was going to be way above that.”

Acording to Reyes and Pratt’s count, the

Coastal Carolina University student workers keep the Hawk's flap count on a white board during St. Joe's men's basketball game against West Virginia University during the Myrtle Beach Invitational held at Coastal Carolina University.

Hawk flapped his wings 6,164 times during St. Joe’s game against West Virginia University on Nov. 18. Pratt was impressed with the strength of the Hawk.

“I thought that the guy must have really big shoulders and be jacked,” Pratt said. “He must be to stand out there for two and a half hours in a mascot suit and flap.”

PRINT SERVICES

SAINT JOSEPH’S UNIVERSITY ON-CAMPUS PRINTING FACILITY CONTACT US FOR:

course packets posters flyers stationery

lawn signs pop up banners scanning and more.

Our services are alsoavailab le for personal projects and for commercial b usinesses.

Copies - color or black and white sizes up to 1 3 x 1 9 • course packets for classes • term papers • invitations, posters, brochures Wide format printing • large presentation posters • pop up & hanging banners, lawn signs Offset printing - 2 and 4 -color presses Binding - stapling, collating, folding SJU stationery orders • business cards • letterhead and envelopes • notepads

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sju.edu/printservices

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

Nov. 28, 2018

15

Charlie Brown puts up career numbers in Myrtle Beach SAM BRITT ’21 Assistant Sports Editor The St. Joe’s men’s basketball team has seen redshirt sophomore forward Charlie Brown Jr. return to form after a wrist fracture forced him to miss the entirety of last season. Through the first six games of this season, Brown has led the team in points as well as field goal and three point percentages. He is also tied for 10th in the country in scoring and is 19th in three-point fieldgoal percentage.

This immediate success after losing an entire season was a surprise to Brown.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Brown said. “When I got back on the court, I just knew I was going to try my best and do my best. I’m happy with where I am now and there is more work to be done.”

Brown believed that his success can’t be attributed to anything he has changed on the court.

“I think it is the mental aspect of the game,” Brown said. “[Head Coach Phil Martelli] is always talking to me about making the right decisions. I should always be thinking ahead to the next play. It is always a mental game.”

Brown’s decision-making is one of the reasons he has excelled this season, sopho-

more forward Taylor Funk said.

“He is amazing,” Funk said. “He is an NBA player. The best part about him is he won’t take a bad shot. He only takes shots he is capable of making and will pass up a good shot for a great shot. That is what I think makes someone a great player.”

Funk has seen the difference in the Hawks’ offense since Brown’s return to the floor as a playmaker.

“It takes the stress off of the other scorers because he can create his own shot,” Funk said. “He is long, lanky, very athletic.

He really is the whole package.”

Freshman guard Jared Bynum said that he feels Brown’s game is a mix of multiple NBA talents.

“He has the scoring ability of a lot of the guys in the NBA,” Bynum said. “I think he is a mix of a couple players. He has the mid-range game of DeMar DeRozan. His catch-and-shoot is amazing, I can’t really pick one guy that he plays like.”

Brown has a more direct answer for who he models his game after.

“Right now, Jayson Tatum,” Brown said. “I watch his college highlights. I really focus on how he gets his spots, how he shoots the ball so efficiently and the different moves he uses.”

After winning Atlantic 10 Player of the

Redshirt sophomore forward Charlie Brown drives to the basket against a West Virginia University defender.

PHOTO: JOE FARAONI/ESPN IMAGES

Week, Brown said he needs to work past being in the spotlight.

“I know that there are going to be eyes on me,” Brown said. “My teammates are going to lean on me and I am going to lean on my teammates and coaches to do the right things.”

Brown’s scorching first couple of weeks

in the season has Twitter pundits wondering about his NBA draft stock. All Brown wants to do is block out that noise and continue helping the Hawks win.

“I am just focused on this season and this season only,” Brown said. “I am just letting God take care of the rest.”

Maric and Grana receive Atlantic 10 accolades RYAN FLOOD ’21 Hawk Staff For the first time in 15 years, the St. Joe’s men’s soccer program has garnered an Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team player, junior forward Leon Maric. Sophomore defender David Grana also received a conference accolade, earning a spot on the A-10 All-Academic Team.

Maric is the 11th St. Joe’s player in program history to receive this award, joining his current Head Coach Don D’Ambra as part of that group.

Grana, a biology major, maintained a 4.0 grade point average en route to receiving his position on the All-Academic team.

He is the 16th Hawk in program history to receive the award.

D’Ambra said he’s very proud of both their performances on and off the field. “[Maric] has come in and made the difference,” D’Ambra said. “Just being that

goal-scoring threat. The thing that I’m most pleased with is that he has a team mentality. Also, Grana is one of our hardest workers on the field and also in his academics.

For him to do well on the field and also excel at such a high level academically, I’m really glad that he’s getting acknowledged for that.”

Grana said he wanted to achieve a good GPA so he could be prepared for his future profession.

“My goal is to eventually go to medical school,” Grana said. “My brother is currently going through the process now and I know he's going to get there, but I want to follow his path.”

Maric’s 2018 season was his first with the Hawks after transferring from the University of Virginia. In 2016, he played five games for the Cavaliers and in 2017, he appeared in one.

Maric said he was good enough to start at Virginia but wasn’t getting any playing time on the team, so when he transferred,

Junior forward Leon Maric dribbles the ball down the field. PHOTOS: SIDELINE PHOTOS, LLC

he worked hard to prove himself with the Hawks. With St. Joe’s, he has led all the A-10 forwards in goals.

“I conditioned all summer and went out and played my hardest every game,” Maric said.

D’Ambra said that Maric’s accolade has a lot of significance, being that he is the first St. Joe’s men’s soccer player to receive it in 15 years.

“It’s good to have that type of exposure within the conference,” D’Ambra said. “We need to continue to strive to get more of that representation. It’s good to show that kids within our program are making a difference within the conference.”

Grana said he has similar motivations for both academics and his performance on the field.

“Athletically, our record wasn't great last year and, as a defender, I wanted to concede less goals and ultimately win more games,” Grana said. “Academically, it's the same motivation, and using the best of what

time I have and studying hard to make sure that I achieve my accomplishments.”

Maric said his success on the field this year is entirely because of his teammates and coach.

“I don't think of this as an individual award,” Maric said. “I look a this primarily as a team award. My coach won these honors when he played here and played the same position as me so he knew exactly how to keep my head up and keep me going.”

D’Ambra said both players set a standard for other players on the team, especially the younger guys.

“To have someone like Grana that works as hard as he does is showing the younger guys that this is how things are supposed to be done,” D’Ambra said. “Also, with Leon coming in and doing as well as he has, it’s lifted expectations. It’s created a large amount of excitement.”

Sophomore defender David Grana controls the ball on the field against Drexel University.

16

The Hawk Newspaper

Nov. 28, 2018

Sports

Men’s rugby honors Dombroski while advancing to national championship NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Sports Editor A few weeks after winning their third consecutive conference title on Nov. 3, the St. Joe’s men’s rugby team entered the USA Rugby D1AA National Tournament, winning 15-10 in the semifinal game over Western Michigan University on Nov. 18.

On Nov. 16, a day before the tournament began, the squad honored fellow teammate Mark Dombroski, who died in March,2018. He would have been celebrating his 20th birthday.

“If we could have one wish on your birthday, it would to be have you suit up with us at Nationals this weekend,” the team said via their Hawk Rugby Twitter account.

Fifth-year senior fullback Aram Keshgegian said the Twitter post created an added presence for the team, keeping Dombroski in the back of each player’s mind the entire time.

“Just as we would have played for one of our teammates who are injured and can’t be out there, we’re especially playing those games for Mark,” Keshgegian said. “We wish we had him out there, we wish we still had him. It’s really big in our hearts.”

During play, the Hawks continued their season-long tradition of placing Dombroski’s number 15 jersey on the sideline. The team also mentioned Dombroski in their pregame prayer, something

The Hawks make a play on the ball.

St. Joe’s men’s rugby teamafter beating Western Michigan University in the semifinal game of the USA Rugby D1AA National Championship at Mount St. Mary’s College.

PHOTO: SJU RECREATION

they’ve consistently done all season.

“After we finish the Hail Mary before the game, we say, ‘Mark Dombroski, pray for us,’” senior Number 8 George Harris said. “He was a hell of a player and would have given anything to be out there with us.”

The Hawks hoisted Dombroski’s jersey after their semifinal win, along with a sign that said “We Got This Mark.” Players were covered in a thick layer of mud from poor playing conditions, but the white sign and jersey remained unblemished.

The Hawks want to take their season-long experiences and further prove themselves in the national championship game, according to Keshgegian. He said the Hawks have a chip on their shoulder.

“We’re putting everything forward to prove to our fans and this school that this is something we work hard for and we’re going to continue to work hard at,” Keshgegian said. “We’re trying to build something. Eventually we want the school

St. Joe’s celebrates after beating Western Michigan University.

to realize that there’s absolutely no quit in [this team] and they’re really going to work for this.”

The Hawks will enter the national championship ranked No. 1 in the countryfor the first time in program history.

They will be matched up against Bowling Green University, who upset previously number one ranked Mary Washington University in their semifinal game.

St. Joe’s played Mary Washington in last year’s championship game, prompting junior fly-half Noah Niumataiwalu to call this year’s championship matchup bittersweet, as the team sought revenge against Mary Washington.

Niumataiwalu said he’d love to win a national championship regardless of the opponent.

“We have got to win Dec. 1 to make sure everyone knows we’re number one,” Niumataiwalu said. “We take pride in St. Joe’s on our jersey. To get that representation in the rugby community is awesome.”

Jonathan Ahem during the semifinal game of the USA Rugby D1AA National Championship.

The Hawks convene on the field, covered in mud.