Oct 10, 2018

The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

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

Oct. 10, 2018

McShain Bridge repairs continue LUKE MALANGA ’20 Managing Editor

Senior Anna Willocks poses on Ellen Ryan Field after scoring her 68th goal to become the leading goal scorer in St. Joe’s field hockey history (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20). SEE SJUHAWKNEWS.COM FOR STORY

The McShain pedestrian bridge is expected to reopen in November after undergoing structural repairs needed to address deteriorating steel.

Following an inspection in 2017, the bridge was closed for temporary repairs.

The bridge was closed again in May 2018 for permanent repairs and has remained closed ever since.

Part of the difficulty of repairing the bridge is due to the original design, said Kevin Kane, director of Facilities Management. Because the bridge is clad in limestone, it does not allow for easy access to the steel bearings inside the bridge.

“One of the engineers commented it’s built more like a building than a bridge because the masonry is connected directly to the steel,” Kane said CONTINUED ON PG. 3

Honors program introduces new requirement MARIANA RUIZ ’20 Special to The Hawk In order to receive a full Honors degree, all honors students graduating in May 2019 will be required to complete two consecutive semesters of research or study that will culminate in a senior thesis or capstone project.

Associate Director of the Honors Program and professor of philosophy, Joseph Corabi, Ph.D., said with the implementation of the new requirement called College Honors, students will be able to complete the required courses with greater ease because the requirement fulfills two of the eight required courses. Corabi said this requirement is sometimes difficult to achieve because of scheduling issues.

“By creating these two specific courses for seniors, we’ll be relieving the stress of making those requirements in time,” Corabi said. “This new program is set to make Honor Program students’ life much easier.”

Honors student Anna-Maria Berezovski ’21, computer science and Asian studies double major, said she is relieved that this will help students in the honors program fulfill the necessary requirements in time and will add a practical research experience to the the honors program as a whole.

“You get to study, work with and write about what you are passionate about,” Berezovski said. “I also think that having the two courses cover the required eight is extremely helpful.”

CONTINUED ON PG. 3

The Claver House, where honors students have 24-hour access (Photo by Matt Barrett ’21).

Female healthcare limited on campus ERIN BREEN ’19 Copy Editor After this summer’s changes in staffing, the Student Health Center is without a director or anyone with women’s health care experience.

Kiersten White, assistant vice president of Student Life, has been overseeing the Student Health Center since June and is spearheading the search process to fill the role of director.

The former director, Laura Hurst, left in June to take a position at Episcopal

Academy. Hurst had women’s health care experience, White said.

“There was a point in time when we had consistency in women’s health-care medical experience, but then someone took another job,” White said.

Another former employee also provided gynecological care in addition to Hurst, but they are also no longer at the university.

When asked if the women’s health care specialist would also be replaced, White declined to comment.

“It is the university’s practice not to comment on personnel issues,” White said.

Hurst confirmed that during her ten-

ure as director, the Student Health Center provided sexual health services, including referrals to off-campus resources.

“It is my understanding that there has been no change in the university’s commitment to providing sexual health services,” Hurst said in an email.

White said the university hopes to hire a director with experience in providing gynecological services.

“We’re in the midst of a search process and we’re committed to finding someone with women’s health care experience,” White said.

White said the position of the Direc-

tor of the Student Health Center requires a candidate who has a master’s degree in Science and Nursing, is a certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (R.N.P.), has prescriptive authority, has three to five years of phlebotomy, is C.P.R. certified and is competent in urgent care procedures.

For the time being, White and the rest of the center’s staff are advising students to utilize off-campus resources for services not currently offered in the Student Health Center, which is located in Sourin Residence Hall.

CONTINUED ON PG. 3

News

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Oct. 10, 2018

Department of Public Safety reports (Sept. 28– Oct. 4) Sept. 28

Oct. 2

Public Safety confiscated a quantity of alcohol from a St. Joe’s student inside the lobby of Rashford Hall. Residence Life notified. Community Standards notified.

ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

Public Safety confiscated a quantity of alcohol from two St. Joe’s student’s rooms inside of Rashford Hall. Community Standards notified.

Oct. 3

Sept. 29 Public Safety responded to a fire alarm at McShain Hall. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by a student who was cooking.

On campus

Public Safety was notified regarding person(s) unknown (juveniles) removing candy from a machine inside Mandeville Hall. Public Safety Officers along with Philadelphia Police responded. Incident under investigation.

Sept. 30

Public Safety was notified by Residence Life regarding a confiscation of drug paraphernalia from a student’s room inside Ashwood Hall. Community Standards notified.

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Off campus

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

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On campus

Oct. 4

Public Safety responded to a fire alarm at the LaFarge Student Residence. Public Safety Officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed the alarm was activated by a student who was smoking.

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Off campus

Call Public Safety:

610-660-1111

ELECTION 2018 Voters concerned about election interference VILMA FERMIN ’20 Hawk Staff The 2018 midterm election is just under a month away. Accurate information is critical for informed voting choices. Misleading, inaccurate or deliberate disinformation weakens the foundations of the democratic process. What have we learned from the 2016 voting interference efforts?

Who is interfering with American Elections?

In the 2016 presidential election, Russia used cyberattacks to influence and manipulate voting. After the hacking threats from Russia, government officials are still worried that Russia will interfere during the 2018 midterm elections.

How is the 2018 election different from the 2016 election?

On Ulrich Schnauss’ podcast, “Nothing Happens in June,” NPR’s Greg Myre stated that the threats were the same but noted one major difference. “The U.S. as a whole just really wasn't paying attention, was extremely vulnerable,” Myre said. “The White House, even when they learned of the potential threats, didn't want to say too much.”

In the 2018 midterm election, there are 435 house races, 35 Senate races and no presidential race.

What threats is the United States facing?

Russia has used social media to spread propaganda about socio political divisions in the nation. Facebook has reported shutting down 650 accounts associated with

Iran and Russia. Twitter reported suspending 284 accounts for manipulation. U.S. officials are worried that the 2016 cyber hacks will resurface during the midterm elections. In August, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coates stated that Russia was only “one keyboard click away” from interfering in the elections.

What is the government doing to protect voting?

The Department of Homeland Security formed an election security task force and a foreign influence task force to help state and local election boards protect voting.

The DHS is working specifically to protect the election machinery by offering security scans, equipment and other services nationwide. The Justice Department is work-

ing to alert the public when they find evidence of threats. They are working to sow divisions on issues that are divisive, such as immigration and guns, to prevent manipulation from outside influences.

What can voters do?

Myre urged voters to be informed about the issues that are occurring in government. “But at the end of the day, it's up to the voters to be alert and have a good judgment about what they're seeing,” Myre said. The government is working to make sure they do a better job at protecting the election, so it is important for voters to do their part.

Young voters role in the midterm elections CARA SMITH ’21 Special to the Hawk Only a third of voters age 18-29 said that voting in the midterm elections was extremely important according to a July 2018 George-Mason University Post Schar poll.

Laura Bucci Ph.D., assistant professor of political science, said her expectation is that more people will turn out for the 2018 midterm election, especially since there have been big pushes on college campuses to get young people to vote.

“We should see some uptick in younger voters,” Bucci said. “But it’s not guaranteed. Voter turnout from 18-24 year olds in the last midterm elections in 2014 was about 18 percent.”

There was a significant increase in the amount of young voters who believe their vote matters when compared to previous years, according to

a study conducted by Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics.

This voting demographic is unlikely to be a swing factor in 2018 midterm elections said Susan Liebell Ph.D, associate professor of political science.

“I am not sure that [young adults] are more tuned out, but [they] don’t vote at the same levels as [older citizens],” Liebell said.

Although young voters are not as engaged in politics, some do realize the importance of voting Liebell said. Young people do realize that there is a lot at stake and that their vote makes a difference.

“I think [voting] is important,” Gabby Gutierrez ’21 said. “Not necessarily because of the direct impact [my vote] has, because it is just one vote, but because when I vote it encourages other people to vote, which can make a bigger impact.”

While the student vote is important, students who do not vote also have an impact, Bucci said.

“You want to do as much as you can to reinforce that [students] care about the health of the United States,” Bucci said. “[Students] are going to be in it longer than a lot of other voters, so it’s important to kind of get your feet on the ground.”

Although St. Joe’s students recognize the importance of voting, another factor concerning young voters is not just that they are not voting in large enough numbers, but that they are not engaged enough in the political system.

“Since I’ve been here, there haven’t been political protests and people don’t get upset about things,” Liebell said. “But it’s not fair to demonize students for acting the way that most Americans do.”

Bucci said for years she has told students

in her American government class that even though they may feel as if they don’t know a lot about politics, many other voters feel the same way.

“If you want to feel as though you need to be more informed, that’s fine, read a couple of articles, do your best,” Bucci said. “But also keep in mind that a lot of people vote without information. So, with a little bit of information, you will be ahead of the game.”

First-time voters seem not only to be informed but also aware of the importance of their votes.

“I feel like voting is your voice in a way when it comes to elections,” Shannon Kelly ’21 said. “So if you want to make a difference, you have to use your voice.”

News

Oct. 10, 2018

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McShain Bridge repairs continue CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 The bridge was built in 1988 as part of the construction of McShain Hall. O'Donnell & Naccarato designed and provided structural engineering services for the original creation of the pedestrian bridge.

Driscoll Construction Company is in charge of the repairs and restoration.

“I think they chose form over function,” Kane said. “They designed something that was really beautiful and was strong and awesome, but it couldn’t be maintained properly.”

Inclement weather has also slowed down the process. Philadelphia has experienced one of the wettest years on record.

“The rain really held us up over the summer,” Kane said, “and now it’s a meticulous process of assessing, repairing and checking.”

The main repairs to the bridge involve cleaning and replacing the steel bearings that were found to be rusting and deteriorating. New drainage and waterproofing are also being put in place to prevent water from sitting within the structure.

In addition to the structural improvements to the bridge, new lighting will be installed along with outlets to allow for the possible use of heated mats in the winter, Kane said.

“I don’t think it’s unexpected to think that the bridge would be down or out of service for some period of time to perform this type of maintenance,” Kane said.

The bridge also serves as a pathway

Workers shut down a lane of City Avenue for bridge repairs (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).

for network cabling and a high-voltage electric system.

Former St. Joe’s President Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J., who was instrumental in getting the bridge project approved and built, said in an interview with The Hawk last year that it was his idea to use the bridge to run electricity from one side of campus to another.

“When we were putting up the bridge, I said we should put in a huge cable that enables us to transmit electricity from one side of the street to the other,” Rashford said.

“We put in generators and would switch to whatever side was cheaper.”

Connor Tudja ’22, a resident in McShain Hall, said McShain residents have not received any updates since an initial email noting the bridge’s closure at the beginning of the semester.

“A lot of people are wondering about it,” Tudja said. “The running joke is no one’s ever working on it even though it’s under construction.”

Tudja said the bridge closure has been an

inconvenience for him especially when he is trying to get to his 8 a.m. classes because of the long wait for the light at City Avenue.

The bridge served as a safe way for students, faculty, staff and visitors to cross City Avenue above traffic. This semester, since the bridge has been out of service, Public Safety has stationed officers at Cardinal Avenue and Lapsley Lane to help pedestrians cross safety.

“We place officers during periods of pedestrian volume,” Art Grover, director of Public Safety, said in an email to The Hawk.

“The officers’ presence and assistance for safe crossing when needed aims to improve the safety profile at these critical intersections.”

The bridge closure has lead to large groups of students trying to cross at the crosswalks in between classes – or others jaywalking.

Safety is a concern for David Dessberg ’22, another resident of McShain.

“Once the weather grows worse, I’m concerned that using City Avenue could become an actual safety concern as slick road conditions combined with the reckless driving we all witness on the daily is a recipe for disaster,” Dessberg said.

Kane said the university is pushing contractors to finish as quickly as possible.

“Right now we’re looking for sometime in November and we’re beating up the contractor daily to expedite and give us a better date,” Kane said.

Honors Program introduces new requirement CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 College Honors is awarded to those students who have completed the two semesters of independent reading or research project, under the supervision of a faculty mentor.

Nicholas Panetta ’20, a biology major, said although he is worried about the amount of work it will require, he’s excited to work on something he is passionate about with the help of a mentor.

“I think it’s very scary in terms of workload and time management,” Panetta said.

“I’ll definitely have to be more on top of my work, but I’m looking forward to working with a mentor.”

Maria Marsilio, Ph.D., professor of

modern and classical language and the former director of the Honors Program, said that the new requirement was pitched in 2013, but was not implemented until 2018.

“There was a bit of resistance and concerns from faculty within certain departments about a required thesis or capstone for honors students,” Marsilio said. “There were questions about demands on faculty resources and time and questions about what precisely constituted a senior College Honors experience.”

After several revisions, the program proposal was approved for implementation beginning with the class of 2019.

Classical studies major, Mary Mackie ’19,

said her professors in the Honors Program challenge her and expect more from her.

“I have a mentor working alongside me while I am doing research for a thesis in the field of Classics,” Mackie said. “I think this is a really amazing opportunity to get to really dive into research on something that I am inspired by, using tools and methods that interest me.”

Marsilio, who is Mackie’s mentor, said she has seen how students benefit from the opportunity to work independently on a research project of their own design.

“This mentoring has been among the greatest professional joys of my career,” Marsilio said. “I get to see them read, think, en-

gage in conversation, write, revise and finally produce a work that they can be proud of.”

According to the academic catalogue, individual departments and interdisciplinary programs may determine their own College Honors experience by requiring either a two semester thesis or a two semester capstone experience, or in some cases offering students a choice of thesis or alternative capstone.

Honors students completing College Honors should consult their major departments or programs to determine the College Honors requirements.

Female healthcare limited on campus CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 According to the Student Health Center website, the following services are offered there: sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, pregnancy testing, confidential HIV testing, problem focused gynecological exams and Trans Care – support services including administration of hormone therapy.

White said that sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, pregnancy testing and confidential HIV testing are still being offered at the Student Health Center.

Problem-focused gynecological exams are currently referred out.

In terms of support services for trans individuals, including the administration of hormone therapy, White said in response via email “The [Student Health Center] does not prescribe birth control.”

White is confident the location of St. Joe’s allows for students to find whatever services they need off campus.

“What I have found in working with the Student Health Center recently is that when

you take a step back, you realize just how fortunate we are at St. Joe’s to be in an area that is so well resourced outside of the university,” White said. “Some of the best medical associations, urgent cares and hospitals, are in Philadelphia.”

In terms of women’s health services in particular, White said the university has “enhanced our relationship” with Lankenau Medical Center’s OBGYN care center. A member of the nursing staff at Lankenau’s OBGYN office, however, said they did not know much about that relationship.

“We don’t know a lot about it formally, but we are happy to provide services to members of our community and St. Joe’s is part of that community,” said the nurse, who asked that her name not be used.

Seeking medical care outside the Student Health Center comes at a cost, however, even for routine care. Gynecology exams, which had been offered at the Health Center until this year, were free to undergraduate students. This year, students on the univer-

sity’s United Healthcare plans can expect to pay an average cost of $64 to $111 for a visit to a gynecologist who is in-network, according to United Healthcare’s website.

The cost of co-pays involved with off-campus doctor visits have led many female students in the past to receive yearly exams and reproductive health services in the Student Health Center instead.

“A lot of people went to her [Student Health Center’s gynecologist] for their yearly checkups and STI related concerns because it was easier and more accessible,” Theresa Ta ’18 said. “When I found out we had someone at our health center specifically for women’s health, I felt good knowing that. It felt nice knowing my school cared enough to provide that service.”

Other Philadelphia-area institutions, including LaSalle and Villanova universities, offer women’s health care services, like STI testing and treatment and problem-focused gynecological exams, in their campus’ health centers.

For Abbey Piro ’19, changes to what the Student Health Center offers means waiting until Christmas break to see her gynecologist at home.

“The first time I went to the gynecologist at the Health Center was freshman year and I’ve been going at least once a year,” Piro said. “I’m from Virginia and so it’s hard for me to go home and see my gynecologist whenever I have an issue. Now, I guess I am not going to be able to go until January, which is a long time to wait when you are having an issue.”

Piro said she is unhappy that this waiting can have negative effects on a female student’s body as well as her relationship with the university.

“I think it makes female students feel less welcome and supported here,” Piro said.

“If a guy can go to a doctor on campus to get their concerns addressed, why can’t I?”

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News

Oct. 10, 2018

A new approach

CAPS aims to focus on short-term treatment MAGGIE MCGILL ’20 Special to The Hawk St. Joe’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is changing its approach to counseling services in order to accommodate high demand and prevent a waitlist for services from forming.

The number of students seeking counseling services at CAPS continues to grow each year, said CAPS Director Gregory Nicholls, Ph.D. Last year, CAPS staff met with over 600 students.

The new approach will involve shortterm counseling that is more problem-focused with an emphasis on transitioning out of weekly visits.

“The idea is rounds of therapy, courses of counseling, in a sense,” Nicholls said. “So, address the issue, have a student come in, four sessions, six sessions, eight sessions, maybe 10 sessions in a row, maybe take a bit of a time out, come back for another course of counseling.”

The goal is to help students feel as though they do not need to come in for a weekly meeting with a counselor, but rather to have students utilize group-therapy sessions or other CAPS resources in the space between rounds of therapy, Nicholls said. CAPS has added new group therapy sessions as well as meditation to the list of services it offers.

Nicholls said this new policy does not mean students cannot receive weekly counseling if that is what they need to feel their best. Rather, providing both counselors and students an alternative to weekly sessions helps CAPS accommo-

KERRI GRECO ’21 Special to The Hawk

The waiting area in the CAPS office in Merion Gardens (Photo by Rose Barrett ’ 20).

date the large number of students seeking its resources and the number of counselors who can assist them.

Josephine Shih, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, said from her perspective, the change is good.

“I especially appreciate the increased number of group therapy options and the issue-focused approach,” Shih said.

“Group therapy can work just as well, if not be better, than individual therapy in some instances. For example, the group therapy format can help students feel less alone when they recognize that others are experiencing the same difficulty as them.”

One student who requested not to be named, said she uses counseling services at CAPS but worries this new policy will put a timeline on people’s mental health care.

“The alarming part of therapy is recognizing that you have an issue that needs addressing and that’s without putting an

abstract timeline on the situation,” the student said.

The hardest part about seeking help is reaching out, the student said.

“Knowing this policy as a student, it can put you in danger of ranking your needs over another’s or dismissing the mental issues you have before you have time to develop healthy outlets of coping,” she said.

Nicholls said that students will receive the care they need. CAPS is not reinstating the session limit that it removed during the summer of 2017 and students still have unlimited access to support through the program.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to be deterred from coming,” Nicholls said. “We are dedicated to providing every student with the support that they need.”

10-year contract with PepsiCo New contract sparks debate

EMILY BENDOCK ’21 Special to The Hawk St. Joe’s named PepsiCo the school’s new beverage distributor after the university’s contract with Coca-cola expired earlier this year.

Last fall, representatives from Coca-Cola and PepsiCo each made formal presentations to a committee made up of students, staff and faculty members who ultimately recommended the university make the switch, said Tim McGuriman, associate vice president of Administrative Services.

“It was a collaborative effort,” McGuriman said.

McGuriman said he could not disclose specific details about the university’s new 10-year contract with Pepsi. Coke’s contract ended after five years. Prior to that, the university had a contract with Pepsi.

John Stanton, Ph.D., professor of food marketing, did not serve on the committee that made the decision but he said switches like these are common in the food industry.

“Coke and Pepsi are two competitors and what they do is they decide how much they think an account is worth," Stanton said. "Then they both go at it tooth and nail to get the contract. Each company comes in and says ‘If you take us, here is what we will do for you.’ The client, in

Master Plan limits housing options

this case the university, looks at all of the things they will do for you and then they pick the one with the best choice.”

The benefits the company might offer can vary, Stanton said.

“Options include things like ‘We will replace all the machines for you, we will replace all the signing in the gym, we will do all these things,’” Stanton said. “Then they usually just give money to the school, cash payment.”

McGuriman confirmed that Pepsi provided new fountain equipment, two new ice machines in Campion Student Center and new vending machines throughout campus.

Like many students, Angela Nunno ’21 said she is not a fan of the switch.

“Coke is more widely known and more widely liked,” Nunno said.

Ken Nwele ’21 also said he wishes St. Joe's would have renewed the contract with Coke.

"Now they don’t even have Sprite,” Nwele said. “The replacement is Sierra Mist. Sprite and Sierra Mist aren’t the same thing.”

In general, though, a 2015 study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that teens are drinking less soda.

In fact, Joe Dougherty ’21 said he does not mind the switch to Pepsi because he does not drink much soda anyway.

“They provide us with other options that I can choose from,” Dougherty said.

In addition to Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Sierra Mist and Mountain Dew, the vending machines on campus offer Ocean Spray juices and Lipton iced tea.

The switch has also brought the addition of fair-trade items to campus.

Whether it is a soda or an alternative beverage, the price of a drink from a vending machine on campus has gone up since the switch to Pepsi.

Prices range from $2 for a 20-ounce bottle of soda to $2.50 for a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade. A 13.7-ounce bottle of chilled Starbucks Frappuccino costs $3.

McGuriman said the price increase is because some of the beverage bottles sizes are larger than the previous bottles sold in the machines. The Coke machines sold both 16-ounce and 20-ounce bottles, he said.

The costs of the products were reviewed by the committee, McGuriman said.

Stanton said the reaction to a switch like this one is typical.

“It’s not like they went from Coke to Dr. Pepper,” Stanton said. “They went from Coke to another giant that offers choices.

Whenever that happens, someone will be unhappy.”

The removal of Lancaster Court, Saint Mary’s Hall and Tara Hall as housing options this year is only the first step in the coming changes for St. Joe’s students who choose to live on campus.

As part of the university’s new master plan, Think Anew, Act Anew, which is set to be unveiled later this month, more of the houses on campus that are current residence options will be taken offline in the next few years.

“There has been feedback and review from consultants that those are not a good long-term solution to continue for housing options, especially as we continue to look at changing things from a big campus picture,” said Kelly Bersett, associate director for housing operations in the Office of Residence Life.

Lancaster Court closed last year after the university decided not to renew its master lease, Bersett said. Saint Mary’s Hall and Tara Hall were also taken offline, in part because other residences could absorb the number of students who lived in them.

Jordan Hall will no longer be a housing option after this school year, perhaps to make room for a new Jesuit housing community, said Jessica Moran-Buckridge, director of the Office of Residence Life.

Moran-Buckridge said student feedback suggests that students prefer apartment-style living and, specifically, access to their own kitchens.

“We hear anecdotally from students that our apartment-style locations replicate adult living a little bit more than the campus houses do,” Moran-Buckridge said.

There is still the possibility that some of the houses will undergo renovations and remain as options, Moran-Buckridge said. Air conditioning was added to Xavier Hall two years ago and the kitchen in Saint Mary’s Hall was fully renovated about five years before the house was closed at the end of the last academic year.

“When we have the ability to renovate those locations we will do that and we seek to work with students to identify what some of their requests and needs are through some of those renovation projects,” Moran-Buckridge said.

The new master plan also includes the potential for new residence halls on campus.

“We will likely have some buildings coming online pretty quickly, in the next five years, I would say,” Moran-Buckridge said. “There will likely be some construction for residence halls as part of the master plan as one of the first things that are part of the improvements that are coming down the pike.”

With the Office of Admissions decision to cap enrollment of first-year undergraduate students at 1,150, it has been easier to make decisions about housing needs, said Karen Pellegrino, vice president of Enrollment Management. Previously, class sizes fluctuated from year to year.

“We’re always in conversation with [The Office of Residence Life] to make sure that we are not over-enrolling students,” Pellegrino said.

“We’re always collaborating with all different parts of the university community to make sure the number of students is the right size for us all.”

Opinions

Oct. 10, 2018

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Supporting faculty and staff Reflecting on Campus Climate Study results Editor in Chief Ana Faguy ’19 Managing Editor Luke Malanga ’20 Copy Chief Paige Santiago ’19 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner Copy Editor Erin Breen ’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 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 ’19 Assistant Social Media Manager Alyssa Lamont ’20 Business Manager Jordan Grossbaum ’21 Distribution Manager Addie Guyer ’19 Assistant Distribution Manager Gavin O'Reilly ’20

The university-wide Campus Climate Study commissioned by St. Joe’s at the end of last academic year intended to gauge current levels of inclusion and equity on campus and determine if students, faculty and staff feel that the administration supports these issues.

The response rate among students was relatively low. The undergraduate response rate was 24.5 percent and the graduate response rate was only five percent.

More than half (52.7 percent) of staff/administrators responded and 53.4 percent of tenured/tenure-track faculty took the survey. The responses yielded some concerning findings.

An executive summary of the study results released to the St. Joe’s community in an email last Thursday revealed that 45 percent of faculty respondents and 56 percent of staff respondents had seriously considered leaving St. Joe’s within the last year.

Reasons supplied by faculty included lack of access to resources and low pay, while staff who responded to the survey felt that they were not paid commensurate with their workloads and that there was a lack of advancement opportunities within their departments.

Our school would not be what it is without many of the incredible faculty members who go out of their way to ensure student success and the staff who keep St. Joe’s running day to day. The fact that nearly half of faculty and more than half of staff have recently considered leaving St. Joe’s should concern all of us.

St. Joe’s, as a private university, has a budget that fluctuates as new initiatives are introduced. Academic resources, as well as the salaries of faculty and staff, ought to be prioritized when deciding where to increase funding.

While it is encouraging that a sizable ma-

jority of faculty respondents–88 percent–feel valued by their students, if faculty ultimately do not feel that the St. Joe’s administration validates their hard work with sufficient pay and academic resources, they could begin to look for work at other universities.

Our primary purpose on campus is to get an education, and any disruption or turnover within academic departments would impact us as much as it would faculty. They deserve to feel validated in the work that they do and we as students deserve an education from faculty who are fully engaged as a result of that validation.

Students are able to provide feedback to professors in the form of course evaluations and the University Student Senate (USS) regularly holds open meetings with different administrative departments where students are invited to voice concerns.

All faculty–tenured, tenure-track and adjunct–should have similar opportunities to provide honest feedback and to engage directly with university leadership, offered on just as regular a basis.

Faculty Senate provides an opportunity for St. Joe’s faculty to gather, share ideas and present them to university leadership.

However, their power to negotiate is limited, as St. Joe’s faculty do not participate in labor unions such as the American University of College Professors.

Additionally, Faculty Senate is currently only open to full-time, tenured or tenure-track professors, according to the St. Joe’s Faculty Handbook. Adjunct professors effectively do not have any structured, facilitated opportunities to raise concerns with university leaders.

Simply providing discussion forums would not be enough. University leadership must be prepared to listen and take action in response to the concerns raised by faculty.

Staff are also integral to the function-

ing of our university. They do everything from prepare and serve food at Campion, treat students in the Health Center and organize voluminous amounts of information involving student records and financial aid.

The percentage of staff who recently considered leaving St. Joe’s is 11 points higher than the percentage of faculty who considered leaving, which should concern not only students, but university administrators who rely on the hard work of St. Joe’s staff to keep the school running.

University leadership should promptly address the concerns of staff respondents in a way that is mindful of the unique concerns they raised in the survey; specifically, the issues of perceived departmental hierarchies and “hostile supervisors” that staff highlighted as some of the most pressing challenges they face.

As students, we need to recognize the important work that staff do on a daily basis. That means not being rude or critical when service takes longer than we would prefer, or when we are given answers according to policies that staff are powerless to change.

Insufficient pay and difficult work environments are antithetical to the social justice values inherent in the St. Joe’s mission statement. The fact that the university commissioned the Campus Climate Study in the first place shows that they value the voices of all who make St. Joe’s what it is.

We have the results.

Now let’s make a change.

-The Hawk Staff

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

Correction: In the Oct. 3 issue of The Hawk, the Lifestyle article "Meet the Greeks" did not include the incorporated designation on first mention of the organizations. It should have stated Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated.

Correction: In the Oct. 3 issue of The Hawk, the News article “Preventive measures” stated that Kiersten White is the assistant vice president of Student Affairs. She is the assistant vice president of Student Life.

THANKS, PUBLIC SAFETY

KNOWLEDGE SHATTERED

Public Safety officers have been especially generous with providing escorts to and from campus, as well as other areas in the surrounding community. Free rides in university vans are definitely an upgrade from flakey SEPTA buses and costly Ubers. So thank you Public Safety, we appreciate the lifts.

One of the library doors finally broke. Will we ever be able to prevent this, or is the problem beyond human control? Only time will tell.

JACKSON KATZ IS COMINIG TO ST. JOE’S

RANDOM PARKING SPACES ARE BLOCKED OFF

The speaker and educator Jackson Katz will be giving a presentation on “Taking it Personally: Why Gender Violence is an Issue for Men” from 7 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 11 in the Foley Center. The presentation is sponsored by the It’s On Us federal grant awarded to St. Joe’s last year by the Office of Violence Against Women.

Anyone who drives to campus has likely noticed an inexplicable blocking off of random parking spaces outside the Science Center, Merion Hall and other buildings across campus. Is it for visitors? New employees? Aliens? We may never know.

6

Opinions

Oct. 10, 2018

Not just he said, she said Why I believe Christine Blasey Ford

ANNIE CLARK ’19 Editorial Page Editor Christine Blasey Ford’s only public appearance so far has been her testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Sept. 27.

During that appearance she was forthcoming, self-critical and consistent, in stark contrast to now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who spent the majority of that hearing perjuring himself and avoiding the Committee’s questions.

Kavanaugh is unfit to preside over a court of law. His weak defense against an allegation of sexual assault relied almost entirely on self-characterizations of who he was as a teenager.

According to Kavanaugh, his teenage self was devout, personable and diligent; all of which may be true and none of which means he did not sexually assault Ford in a second-floor bedroom when he was 17 years old.

A lot has been said about Kavanaugh’s temperament at the hearing that he was rude, prone to lashing out and quick to anger. All of those things are true.

Kavanaugh was exceptionally rude to several, notably female, senators who were asking him straightforward questions pertinent to why he was appearing before them.

In a particularly jaw-dropping moment, Kavanaugh responded to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s

question about whether he had ever consumed alcohol to the point of blacking out with “I don’t know, have you?”

While temperament should be a consideration when evaluating a candidate for any job, it is Kavanaugh’s propensity for lying repeatedly, unflinchingly and under oath that should be of greater concern.

Kavanaugh’s first line of defense during the Sept. 27 hearing was a talking point about how each of the four witnesses Ford identi-

hearing, Kavanaugh appeared not to know the difference between a legal witness not recalling an event and stating that the event didn’t happen.

What is more likely is that he did in fact know the difference and willingly misrepresented the facts.

Kavanaugh’s drinking habits were one of the main focuses of the hearing due to Ford’s description of both Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge as “visibly drunk” during the al-

While temperament should be a consideration when evaluating a candidate for any job, it is Kavanaugh’s propensity for lying--repeatedly, unflinchingly and under oath--that should be of greater concern. fied in her testimony denied that the gathering she described ever took place. This would be pretty damning evidence against Ford, except for the fact that it is not true.

What each of the witnesses actually testified to was that they had no memory of one specific night 36 years ago.

While Leland Keyser, a friend of Ford, did testify that she did not remember the gathering Ford described, she went on record with The Washington Post saying that she believes Ford’s allegation.

Despite repeatedly touting his Yale Law School credentials during the course of the

leged assault.

Kavanaugh testified that while he did drink in high school, he was not a heavy drinker and did not drink to the point of blacking out.

When senators asked him about things written in his high school yearbook which blatantly refer to excess alcohol consumption–Kavanaugh was apparently treasurer of the “Keg City Club”–he refused to answer their questions directly, instead talking about his high school service work and academic record.

Kavanaugh’s refusal to be straightfor-

ward about his high school drinking habits is one of the most telling recurrences in his hearing.

To me, it speaks to a fear that Kavanaugh and his advisors have regarding Ford’s potential boost in credibility if he admitted to excess drinking in high school.

Maybe he did assault Ford, senators and pundits alike would suggest, but he just doesn’t remember it. It seems Kavanaugh is very aware of what specifically he should admit and wishes to draw attention away from a potential landmine that would severely damage his credibility.

Ford, by contrast, was straightforward in her testimony. She admitted the faults in her original letter to Sen. Diane Feinstein, amending that letter in the interest of providing accurate testimony and knowing that she would be inevitably characterized as an inconsistent and unreliable witness in doing so.

Beyond that, Ford had nothing to gain from coming forward. If her allegation is true, which I believe it is, she has just relived the most traumatic moment of her life in front of the entire world only to be called a liar.

A candidate for the highest court in the United States lied under oath in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was confirmed anyway. If that isn’t motivation to vote this November, I don’t know what is.

Par for the Court

Kavanaugh confirms the time old unbiased nature of the Court DOMINIQUE JOE ’19 Opinions Editor Among the many concerns that were expressed about Kavanaugh’s qualifications leading up to and during his Senate hearings, his obvious partisanship was one of great worries.

Many people quarreled with Kavanaugh’s nomination initially because of his supposed incompatibility with the espoused idea that the Supreme Court is unbiased.

This is a complete fallacy on the part of the American public to believe the U.S. Supreme Court promotes any kind of standard of unbiased and impartial adjudicating.

The American public has spent so much time protecting the integrity of the U.S. Supreme Court before and during Kavanaugh’s hearings but the U.S. Supreme Court has never protected itself.

The reason a person like Kavanaugh, who is carrying all of this baggage and an obvious partisan leaning, is ascending to the bench is because he will easily feel at home there.

Justice Elena Kagan, during a recent talk at her alma-mater Princeton University, said that the Supreme Court should uphold its reputation as fair, neutral and impartial. With all due respect to Justice Kagan, that has never been the Court.

It has been tainted by partisan sentiment, racist sentiment and misogynist sentiment since its inception. It is simply par for the course. These are aspiration-

al and somewhat delusional standards to hold the Court to with its history.

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen as this vaunted and august body that is occupied by the best legal minds who exhibit the best character. History proves this is not and has never been the case.

We have judges like Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who are brilliant legal minds and have

meeting and then how he talks about his remarks in his book.

There is clear conservative and partisan sentiment which Thomas promotes wholeheartedly and without any kind prudence. This is a man that has been on the bench since 1991.

The fact that we have a two-party system makes every part of the federal government partisan by nature. We’ve been

Kavanaugh will simply be another partisan justice, a further confirmation of the overall partisan nature of a Court that should be supposedly impartial and fair. wonderful character, but those are only two Justices out of the long history of the Supreme Court.

Some of the most notorious Supreme Court justices have been openly expressive about partisan support.

The clearest Justice that comes to mind in recent history is Clarence Thomas.

In his 2007 book “My Grandfather’s Son,” he claimed that his fears came to pass “in Washington, D.C. where [he] was pursued not by bigots in white robes but by left-wing zealots in flowing sanctimony.”

In this, Thomas was addressing his comments from his own Senate hearing where he claimed the Democratic committee hearing was a “high-tech lynching for uppity blacks.”

You simply have to read what Thomas said in his Senate Judiciary Committee

using the Supreme Court as a way of corroborating political sentiment through court cases for years.

We talk about the Court as it pertains to left-leaning or right-leaning sentiment.

There is nothing within that discussion that gives off the idea that the American people simply care about the fairness and the stringent legal discernment that each and every Justice should supposedly practice and promote.

So Kavanaugh’s appointment, despite his very clear conservative leanings, shouldn’t have been a surprise nor a real issue to be concerned about in the first place.

And the self-serving Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal that was written to supposedly assuage any convictions that Kavanaugh wouldn’t be impartial only corroborated them.

All Kavanaugh had to do to dissuade us was to write a self-serving letter to the Wall Street Journal claiming that his testimony should not be interpreted in a way that would have the American public think he would be swayed by partisan sentiment.

Yet the Wall Street Journal article only had the word “impartial” in it three times, including its title.

Kavanaugh spent most of the article reasserting his claims that the allegations of sexual assault were unfounded.

Kavanaugh’s article doesn’t necessarily inspire any kind of belief, at least not in me, that he is in any way an “umpire–a neutral and impartial arbiter who favors no political party.”

Kavanaugh will simply be another partisan justice, a further confirmation of the overall partisan nature of a Court that should be supposedly impartial and fair.

In the end, we shouldn’t throw out the idea of an unbiased and legally judicious Court. I just think that as it is now, the Court hasn’t been the politically unmotivated entity that we’d like to espouse it as being.

We can’t delude ourselves and try to promote an idea of the Court that we know isn’t historically true.

Until we move away from using the Supreme Court bench as a political mechanism to promote either liberal or conservative political agendas, an unbiased, fair and impartial Court can never actually come to fruition.

Opinions

Oct. 10, 2018

7

The impact of words What the Kavanaugh hearing taught me KAILA MUNDELL-HILL ’20 Columnist To preface this article, I want to say that I will be focusing on a woman’s perspective. In particular, I will be highlighting the thoughts and feelings of women that I have observed in the past few weeks.

I am aware that being a victim of sexual assault is not exclusive to women, but my thoughts in this article focus on women, with Christine Blasey Ford at the center of this discussion, because our patriarchal society mainly places blame and shame on women who are victims of sexual assault.

So what has the Kavanaugh hearing and the media storm it left in its wake taught us?

The hearing has reminded me that many people lack empathy, especially in political conversations.

Following the Senate’s decision to advance Kavanaugh’s nomination for appointment to the Supreme Court, I have been continuously reminded of the relearning and reconditioning our society must endure in order to make actual change.

I have also been reminded of the power of framing—how framing affects our opinions and feelings around certain events within the context of how those events affects us versus the people around us.

The events of last week were trying for so many women, including myself and my friends.

My friends discussed how the hearing and investigation, or lack thereof, forced them to confront encounters they have had in the past and begin to process what happened to them.

My friends discussed their feelings of anxiety and anger, not only at how Ford was

claim that accusations like these have the same harmful effect on the accused as they do on the victim.

During conversations about sensitive subjects like sexual assault, it’s important to understand that opinions are not just opinions—they don’t exist inside a vacuum.

They have meaning and they can positively or negatively affect another person.

Just because you feel like you have the right to express your opinion does not meant that you should.

Use your words wisely forced to share the most traumatic thing that has ever happened to her, but also that they were forced to listen to people who dismissed Ford. Dismissal of her testimony felt like a dismissal of their feelings and what happened to them.

I witnessed discussions that suggested our country wasn’t already divided; as if women aren’t consistently silenced and shamed just for being women. As if 53 percent of white women didn’t vote for a president accused of doing the same thing as Kavanaugh.

As if Ford would falsely accuse Kavanaugh and choose to relive her trauma publically. As if the percentage of people falsely accused of sexual assault is a large number.

Worst of all are those who consistently

Just because you feel like you have the right to express your opinion does not mean that you should. Use your words wisely.

Kavanaugh’s confirmation has reminded me of this country’s inability to discuss “controversial” topics without discrediting people’s hardships or commenting on issues without showing that you only care about things that affect you.

This country’s selective amnesia surrounding past events, those which may not have directly affected all Americans and framing of this decision as the only awful event to happen here, are harmful to those who have been immediately affected by past events.

On Oct. 4 actress Bette Midler tweeted,

“Women, are the n-word of the world….

They are the most disrespected creatures on earth.” This glaringly ignorant comment she most likely believed was profound is the perfect example of the frustration I feel right now.

Midler’s tweet references the infamous Yoko Ono quote, but neglects to acknowledge black women. There are women, like me, who occupy both spaces at once and have always dealt with marginalization on two fronts.

But what have I ultimately learned after all of this? I have learned that change will not and cannot come quietly.

Ford refused to remain silent and for that we should all be thankful. Much of the backlash she received is because she made her voice and her story heard, not in spite of Kavanaugh’s reputation, but because of it.

She had the courage to knowingly withstand abuse and hate from strangers all over the country to protect us from putting a man like Kavanaugh in charge. But she shouldn’t have had to. Her testimony should have been enough, but it wasn’t.

Not because she isn’t credible, but because some people just don’t care. Until women’s experiences are enough and women are prioritized in our white male established patriarchal society, this incident will just become one of many. Ford used her words wisely and so should we.

A crown passed down by our ancestors

The prevailing beauty standards against women of color

TAICHA MORIN ’20 Assitant Opinions Editor Recently, Netflix released a movie called “Nappily Ever After,” starring Sanaa Lathan as main character Violet Jones.

Violet is a young black woman with a perfect life and perfect hair. Since she was a child, her mother was adamant that her hair should be straight and “perfect.”

When I watched this film, it was like watching a documentary of my life. The movie hit home for me and I’m sure it did for many women of color as well.

Last semester, I had a 2007 Britney Spears moment. I skipped my classes and work to take an impulsive trip to any barber I could find in West Philadelphia.

When I arrived and sat down in the chair, the barber asked me what look I wanted as I took off my headscarf to reveal my neglected hair. I told him to surprise me because that morning, all I remembered was feeling stuck and burdened by the impenetrable fro that I had begun to give up on.

My heart pounded as the buzzing sound of the clippers grew louder and my hair fell to the ground like confetti. Then, it was finished. He turned the chair to reveal my round, pudgy face. I could no longer hide behind my now little-to-no hair.

I closed my eyes and thought of my childhood, a series of memories of broken combs, harsh tugging and pulling. My hair was very kinky and coarse. Its coils were so tight that when in combat with a comb, it always won.

My mom, a busy woman juggling the challenges of motherhood and life in a country foreign to her, had neither the time nor the talent to do my hair. Hair treatments

by an insult from a little white boy who tells her that she looks like a “Chia Pet.” Violet’s mother then aggressively grabs her from the pool and reprimands her.

As women of color, our hair goes on a very complex journey throughout our lives.

It is subject to scrutiny and prevailing Eurocentric beauty standards by society. That affects and trouble the way we present and view ourselves.

As women of color, our hair goes on a very complex journey throughout our lives set the rhythm of my life. Wash and set every two weeks, perm touch-ups every six to eight weeks. I stayed true to what my Haitian grandmother always said, "Pou belle mande sacrifice," (beauty requires sacrifice).

The solution was to chemically straighten my hair. It was a decision that would later impact my relationship with myself and my hair in ways I could not fathom for many years.

In an early scene in "Nappily Ever After," Violet is depicted as a young girl. She and her mom go to the pool. Her mother yells at her to not jump in the pool so that her hair doesn't revert back to a kinky textured afro. Violet defies her mother and jumps in anyway. This act of defiance and childlike whimsy is immediately followed

We learn from a young age that our hair, our complexion and our being isn’t ideal.

Growing up, television bombarded me with images of slim, fair-skinned women with shiny straight hair.

The Barbie aisle in the toy store was filled with dolls, including the few black ones, which had long straight hair and impossibly perfect hourglass figures. Barbie personified perfection and I, like many other little black girls, wanted to look just like her.

In our society, it is hard to be a woman and even harder to be a black woman. My impulsive trip to the barber was a cry for liberation from perfection and expectations.

“Nappily Ever After” made me realize that I didn't have a Britney Spears moment, last semester. I had a Violet Jones moment.

A black woman, tired of her hair being the topic of conversation, the thing to touch and not to cherish.

Our beauty is from our soul within. It graces each coil on our heads. Our hair is a crown passed down by our ancestors that we allow to be dimmed and diminished by criticism and pressure of society, at times.

After watching the film, I was reminded of a poem from Nayyirah Waheed’s collection of poetry, “Salt,” in which she speaks about emotional nutrition. She says, “I will tell you, my daughter/of your worth/not your beauty, every day. (your beauty is a given. every being is born beautiful)/knowing your worth/can save your life./raising you on beauty alone/you will be starved./ you will be raw./you will be weak./an easy stomach./always in need of someone/telling you how/beautiful you are.”

I once needed the validation from society, family and the people around me to tell me I am beautiful. I relied on the length and density of my hair and the size of my body to feel beautiful, wanted, and enough. I lost my mind–to the point that I cut off the thing I valued the most, my hair.

It was in this moment that I understood that beauty does require sacrifice, just not in the way grandma and the people around me taught me. It requires letting go of the expectations and criticisms of everyone else to embrace your true beauty, all of you.

8

Opinions

Oct. 10, 2018

The importance of caring conversations DMAX club combats mental health stigma on campus KARLEIGH LOPEZ ’20 Columnist Though we are creative, ambitious and driven, our generations’ biggest limitation is our propensity to privatize our emotions.

We find it more natural and common to share our bodies, minds and passions on platforms for the world to see, but find it difficult to share even with our loved ones when we feel lost, in pain or alone.

In 2013, Dan “DMAX” Maxwell took his own life at 18 years old. Dan had struggled with psychological and emotional pain for over a year with little relief from medication and therapy.

Dan and his parents, Laurie and Lee Maxwell, felt it was too difficult to confide in friends and family about what he was going through. Dan suffered in silence until he could no longer bear the weight of his anxiety and depression.

After Dan’s passing, the Maxwells vowed to help young people like their son who are also suffering in silence. The DMAX Foundation was founded to eliminate stigma and encourage safe and caring conversations about psychological and emotional issues among young adults.

In the past two years, the DMAX Foundation has started DMAX clubs, student-run safe spaces for open conversation about mental health, on five college campuses: Elon University, University of Maryland, Temple University, Penn State and Drexel University.

Currently, the DMAX Foundation is starting a club started at St. Joe’s.

As an intern for the DMAX Foundation, I have the privilege of working alongside Laurie and Lee as they strive to build safe spaces

ears and their eyes scanning laptop screens, I’ll let my sight wander away from the task I’m working on to a picture frame with Dan’s school photos—one for each grade.

Spending a few seconds on each picture, like a youthful flipbook full of missing teeth and varied haircuts, I feel as if I know him, a sense of familiarity and warmth extended from a home in which I am a stranger.

During one of my first weeks working with the Maxwells, Lee showed me a quiet

In the past two years, the DMAX Foundation has started DMAX clubs, student-run safe spaces for open conversation about mental health on different campuses–all while running a nonprofit out of their home.

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning when other St. Joe’s interns and I walk in, we take our seats at the kitchen table and are greeted by a familiar sight; the walls are decorated with photos of Dan, DMAX Foundation flyers and club posters scattered on the floor. I am reminded of the fragility of life and of the ease which we may succumb to our most insidious emotions.

Often while working quietly on a project, beside other interns with headphones in their

room in their house they had dedicated to Dan. Tucked in the corner is a baby grand piano ornamented with photos, poster boards and cards. Lee kept his eyes on a specific photo of Dan outfitted in his high school uniform holding a lacrosse stick over his shoulder, stoic and assured. He spoke highly of his son, praising his agility, athleticism and intelligence.

He suddenly broke from his praise and said to me, “You know some days are harder than others. Some days, I just come in here

and cry.”

Together in that room, in front of the many memories of Dan, I fully understood the mission of the DMAX Foundation. I realized what the Maxwells wanted was to spare others. I saw their exceptional strength and grace, building from the ground up a foundation in memory of their son.

One of the things the Maxwell’s emphasize when they initiate DMAX clubs on college campuses is that Dan felt he had no one with whom he could share his inner battles.

The goal of the club is not to replace CAPS or therapy with a professional, but instead to create a safe environment for peers to be open about their emotions and their struggles. Depression or anxiety seem pervasive and alternatives to suicide are unknown or distant, students need to know that they are not alone in their battles.

Though it is still in preliminary stages of approval and installation, David Hudak ’21 has already been named president and the DMAX club was at this year’s Activities Fair.

This added support system for students could not come at a better time.

With such a comprehensive and inclusive approach to a public health crisis, students can discover that they, as Hemingway put it, “are strong at the broken places” and that they do not have to manage their pain in seclusion.

Where are the intramural sports

St. Joe’s needs a renewed interest in recreational sports ADAM MULLIN ’20 Guest Columnist When asked what sets St. Joe’s apart from other colleges, many students on campus are quick to point to our sense of community.

We are grounded firmly in our Jesuit heritage that calls for care of all people on an individual level. We not only seek to work for others, but also with others.

At their best, team sports achieve this very purpose. They rally unique individuals together in the pursuit of common goals.

Friendship is deepened and critical leadership skills are developed. I recognized these profound effects while playing football my freshmen year of high school.

While I am far from the most athletic person in the room, I have a passion for working with others and forming connections.

My team may not have produced amazing results on the gridiron, but I met some of my best high school friends on that team.

I was challenged to become more of a vocal leader and make consistent attempts to praise others for their successes. Six years later, I continue to lean on the wisdom gleaned that season.

I haven't played sports at St. Joe's because the offerings have not been there.

According to the National Federa-

tion of State High School Associations, the number of participants in high school sports in 2017-18 reached record high of 7,980,886.

This is a promising sign. Quite a few of these athletes are likely to have had experiences similar to mine. Sports hone students’ talents, athletic skills and life skills alike. Sports have a way of developing the whole person.

Yet for many former high school ath-

the collegiate, or even the club, level. This makes intramural sports crucial. They can offer a competitive outlet for sports enthusiasts or be a stress reliever for those who prefer recreational games.

This is what spurred my friends and I to compete in a sand volleyball league for the last few summers. We missed our days on the pitch, the gridiron and the courts.

Over the course of the last few years, these summer Sunday nights were the high-

Intramural sports must be retooled immediately if the university wants to care for students holistically. letes, the challenging transition to college can be exacerbated by the sudden lack of team-sport opportunities. After the stress of a long school day, these former student athletes turned to sports for relief.

Despite being physically drained after practices, they were mentally renewed to head home and get work done.

Further, these athletes learned how to manage their time around an extensive game and practice schedule.

There are undoubtedly plenty of opportunities to connect with peers in college, yet the camaraderie of sports cannot be replicated. They allow you to get to know others in a deeper, more connective manner.

Few have the chance to compete at

lights of our weeks because they brought us together in an exciting, competitive way. St. Joe’s, for all it does well, falls pathetically flat on this front. The intramural program has such profound potential, yet it's promotion is lackluster at best.

Students from all grade-levels, but freshmen especially, ask each fall about how to get involved with intramurals.

As a Resident Assistant, this year my residents were especially interested with getting together teams for a few of the sports.

They looked to me for guidance in signing up. Even as a junior who has a solid sense of campus life, I was at a loss for words. This frustrated me.

There is clearly a demand for a robust

intramural program and many students are willing to pay to play, so the roadblocks to its execution are unclear. While Student Recreation, similar to other departments, saw their funding decrease this year, the issue has been present since at least my freshman year.

Signs in the front of O’Pake and the intramurals website promote a diverse range of offerings including flag football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, softball and more, yet there is hardly any communication about sign-ups and the current web page to sign up for a team only flags football and basketball.

While other groups on campus, like SUB and Campus Ministry, make concerted efforts to push flyers out and promote their events on the digital monitors, those in charge of intramurals are content to let the seasons pass by.

It seems as if only those students who are diligent enough to dig through the online mess and reach out to potential contacts deserve to play. This is simply not how it should be.

I have seen time and time again how strong the St. Joe’s community truly is. The Division I and club teams on campus have formed intentional communities within the broader campus climate.

Still, intramural sports must be retooled immediately if the university is to care for students holistically. The ball is in the university’s court. When will they finally take action?

Lifestyle

Oct. 10, 2018

9

Photo stories in the city

Members of the crowd wave Puerto Rican flags of all sizes (Photo by Samantha Santomauro ’19).

SAMANTHA SANTOMAURO ’19 Special to The Hawk The Puerto Rican Day Parade was held in Center City Philadelphia on Sept. 30.

The Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations of Philadelphia, Concilio, organized the the parade, which has been the city’s oldest outdoor event in honor of Puerto Rican and Latino Heritage.

The theme "Renacer de Puerto Rico," meaning the Rebirth of Puerto Rico, was chosen because of the damage Hurricane Maria caused throughout Puerto Rico on Sept. 16, 2017.

The parade highlighted the resilience of those living in and descending from Puerto Rico and the motivation for the revival of their homeland. Donations for the victims were collected from the crowd.

“It is a reaffirmation of our culture and today shows that we are here and we will sur-

vive,” said Angel L. Ortiz, former Philadelphia City Councilwoman.

Performers included youth groups, community and school organizations, corporate sponsors and more. Each group showed their pride by wearing Puerto Rico’s colors, waving flags and playing traditional music.

“This is supposed to be a country where everyone is welcome no matter their color, background, whatever,” said Julio Santiago, a performer who is part of the Puerto Rico Classic. “Today shows that we are all brothers and sisters here together,” Veronica Lamerio brought her son to the parade with her to show him that his culture is something to celebrate.

“We have to be proud of where we come from and it’s my job to expose my son to our culture, the music and traditions,” Lamerio said. “He’s only half Puerto Rican, but it is important to me that he is proud of that side of him and knows what it means to be Puerto Rican.”

Amanda Spitfire, co-organizer of the March and Kempis Songster, speaker (Photo by Annie Clark ’19).

ANNIE CLARK ’19 Editorial Page Editor The eighth annual March to End Rape Culture (MTERC) in Philadelphia brought out sexual assault survivors and allies together for a protest event featuring speakers from local survivor advocacy and social justice groups on Sept. 29.

Demonstrators filled the Thomas Paine Plaza yielding bright, handmade signs with messages like “stop victim blaming” and “break the silence, end sexual violence.”

Amanda Spitfire, a trauma counselor with Project SAFE and one of MTERC’s co-organizers, believes that the march’s growing impact is evident by the departure of counter-protesters during the event for the first time in its history.

“When people come together in commu-

nity to rise against violence, things physically, literally, politically change,” Spitfire said. “We need community-building and power-building to resist the kind of violence that we all have to put up with on a daily basis.”

Among the event’s keynote speakers was Kempis “Ghani” Songster, who was released from the Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution at Graterford in December 2017 and is now a paralegal at the Amistad Law Project.

During his incarceration at Graterford, Songster was made aware of instances of sexual assault perpetrated by both guards and other inmates.

Songster’s speech emphasized inclusion for survivors of prison sexual assault in larger conversations about rape culture. He also called on men to become allies to women in the movement against rape culture, a sentiment that earned an extended round of applause across the plaza.

Jennifer Lengyel gives a demonstration to faculty members (Photo by Alyssa Trybus ’19).

ALYSSA TRYBUS ’19 Special to The Hawk A small crowd of St. Joe’s students and faculty gathered for a healthy eating discussion and recipe demonstration performed by a representative from Family Food LLC on Sept. 27.

Staffed with registered dietitians, Family Food provides individuals, families and large organizations with reliable nutritional counseling.

Jennifer Lengyel RDN gave the demonstration on behalf of Family Food, sharing her food preparation expertise, healthy tips and an autumn recipe.

Family Food provides affordable dietary services for St. Joe’s faculty, extending the cura personalis, or care for the whole person mantra to all staff members of the community.

Every St. Joe’s employee is covered under the university’s insurance program, which

includes six complimentary dietary consultations with Family Food dietitians per year.

Lengyel said the purpose of the model of Family Food is to inform individuals and organizations so that they can make healthy choices and improve their quality of life.

“We want it to be affordable or free to clients, so we source our clients through insurance,” Lengyel said. “We come to their site so it’s easy for employees, or we go to the home.

It makes a service that is covered by insurance more accessible.”

Family Food works with many schools in Philadelphia and surrounding areas, including the University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College, Swarthmore College, Villanova University and Temple University, along with organizations such as AmeriHealth, QVC and Septa.

In addition, they hold personal consultations, helping cater to the unique dietary needs of individuals and families.

Residents of Strawberry Mansion neighborhood converse about bird watching at the newly opened Discovery Center (Photo by Ryan Mulligan ’21).

RYAN MULLIGAN ’21 Assistant Sports Editor The National Audubon Society and Philadelphia’s Outward Bound School joined forces for the grand opening of the Discovery Center, a wildlife sanctuary and educational hub located in East Fairmount Park on Sept. 28.

The Discovery Center was built around what used to be known as the East Park Reservoir, but because of its central location to the neighborhood, the lake is in the process of being renamed the Strawberry Mansion Reservoir.

The Discovery Center aims to become an institution within the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood which borders Fairmount Park to the east. It took the first step by hosting its inaugural community meeting on Oct. 2.

“We like to think of it as three legs,” said Damien Ruffner, the educational manager at the site. “Audubon is one, Philadelphia Outward Bound is another. But that third leg is the Strawberry Mansion community. This site has belonged to the Strawberry Mansion community for so long and what we don’t want to do is take the community component out. We want them to really be engaged so they can take a sense of ownership over it. ” The Discovery Center will be operated

by Greg Goldman, the Pa. executive director of the National Audubon Society, while Ruffner will play a major role in the day to day operations of the center. The Outward Bound School, which will have its home base at the Discovery Center, will be lead by Executive Director Meg Wise.

Lifestyle

Oct. 10, 2018

10

Up and coming artists

Students kick off pop-up art exhibit in Manayunk

Dylan Eddinger ’19 debuted his personal project “Crunchy Canz” (Photos by Rebecca Barus ’19).

REBECCA BARUS ’19 Hawk Staff Five St. Joe’s students gathered at Manayunk Brewing Company for the first ever pop-up art exhibit hosted by St. Joe’s titled “Up & Coming Arts” on Oct. 3.

The exhibit gave the students a chance to display original photography and to potentially sell their artwork to viewers.

This event was arranged by Jeanne Bracy, gallery curator and art department coordinator and Marta Sanchez-Dallam, adjunct professor in the art department.

Bracy said that Sanchez-Dallam reached out to her at the end of the summer to start selecting students for this pop-up exhibit.

“Marta is friends with Mike Rose, one of

Julia Donahue ’19 stands with “Blue Sky on Kelly Drive.”

the owners of Manayunk Brewing Company,” Bracy said. “For a while he [Rose] has had this idea to invite college students to exhibit and sell work at the restaurant. They hope to bring in new business and we hope for exposure and sales for our students. It’s a win-win.”

When it came to deciding which students would be selected to participate, it was a no-brainer for Bracy.

“I have worked with these five students in the past,” Bracy said. “They are all technically and aesthetically advanced. I had no doubt that their work would be top-notch and look professional for the event.”

The five senior students who participated in the event were Bethany Zaccaria, Alexis Yurgin, Dylan Eddinger, Kristen Lian and Julia Donahue.

Lian, who has had a passion for photography for many years, said she jumped at the chance to display her art.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to get my name out there, sell some pictures and just have a good time,” Lian said.

The students faced the difficult decision process of picking among their favorites, their best work or the photos that would sell commercially.

“I wanted to pick things that I knew were really sharp, crisp and clear,” Zaccaria said. “Not only ones that I like but also ones that I thought a greater audience would like.

I even picked some personal favorites to see if maybe some people resonated with them the same way I did.”

Other students like Eddinger, took the opportunity to showcase a personal project he has in the works titled “Crunchy Canz” and get feedback.

“This project features three cans of PBR crushed up under studio light revealing all of the visually pleasing colors and bent aluminum,” Eddinger said. “This is the first display of Crunchy Canz and I am excited to see and hear guests’ reactions.”

Kristen Lian ’19 displays her sold piece, a scan of a pair of her old dance shoes.

Bethany Zaccaria ’19 holds one of her photos.

Bracy said that she was proud of the success that both the students and the premiere exhibit had.

“We sold four pieces which was a great starting point for us,” Bracy said. “It is good experience for students to publicly show their work and be present to see and hear people’s reactions to their work.”

At the end of the night, the individual students were able to walk away with commission and to contribute to a greater cause.

When a piece of artwork was sold, 15 to 20 percent of the commission went to a charity of the art department’s choosing.

Sanchez said what sets this event apart from other exhibits is that typically a percentage of commission goes to the institution that is providing the space.

However, Manayunk Brewing Company did not receive any percent of the profit.

“Manayunk Brewing Company decided that they were not interested in gaining commission,” Sanchez said. “Instead, they gave the commission to any charity that the school would like. So for this exhibit, a percentage of the commission will go to the Corpus Christi Scholarship Fund.”

The Corpus Christi Fund was started by Dennis McNally S.J., when Rolando Corpus ’91, a student studying art, was unable to continue at St. Joe’s due to financial problems.

“It has helped so many art students over the years and it is nice for current art students to be able to help future artists,” Bracy said.

As for the students who sold a piece of artwork, they were able to walk away knowing that a piece of their original photography was going to be in someone’s home.

“I was pretty surprised to sell some work,” Eddinger said. “I think it was nice to talk to the buyer and see why he was drawn to the photo.”

Donahue said that although she was nervous about the exhibit at first, she is happy that she was able to participate in such a beneficial experience for which she has a

great passion.

“I think people can learn a lot from seeing other people’s artwork,” Donahue said.

“It doesn’t matter the medium people use, art is everywhere in this world and it is a beautiful thing.”

Zaccaria said that she went into the exhibit just looking to enjoy herself and had no idea where the night would take her.

“I told myself even if someone was looking at my art and just thought it was cool, that would be an honor for me,” Zaccaria said. “It’s a really good feeling knowing that someone has one of my favorite pieces of my artwork in their house.”

This pop-up art exhibit will be a monthly occurrence, featuring new students and a different type of art each month.

“November’s theme will most likely be drawing,” Bracy said. “Marta is hoping to feature ceramics and paintings at future events and to also get other local art universities involved by exhibiting their student work.”

Yurgin said she wished she could have done something like this earlier in her college career.

“I definitely encourage the younger art students to stay in the know about what’s going on in the artist community and to take these opportunities,” Yurgin said. “You never know who’s going to see your photo or painting or sculpture and say that they love it and need it in their home.”

Sanchez said that she has great hope for the future of this art exhibit and she hopes the art department can continue to have these events to invite people to appreciate art for a night.

“There will always be people who are interested in looking at art and seeing a different perspective of what’s going on right now in the life that we lead,” Sanchez said.

“Art is beautiful and it will enrich your life. It is something that is meant to be celebrated.”

Alexis Yurgin ’19 has always enjoyed taking pictures of beaches and water, including this piece sold at the event.

Lifestyle

Oct. 10, 2018

11

Live from CBS3

AMA names alumna Chandler Lutz “Marketer of the Year” CARTER TODD ’19 Hawk Staff

side where we try to bring you the good in the world, what amazing things are happening, what funny stories are out there.

The St. Joe’s chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA) awarded their 2018 Marketer of the Year award to Chandler Lutz ’16 on Oct. 5.

The award capped off Marketing Week for the AMA, which is comprised of different events and speakers each day.

Lutz, an entrepreneurial business and communication studies major from Moorestown, New Jersey, has been a traffic reporter at CBS3 since August.

Why do you think it is important to market yourself?

I think social media is so important now. In my opinion, it’s an aspect of your resume. When you are searching for jobs, that’s what they are looking for. I think that it’s something you need to watch what you do in college because this is going to be your life. How do you want to portray yourself, not just to your friends, but to professionals? It’s something that a few years ago you wouldn’t really think about.

Why did you choose St. Joe’s?

St. Joe’s was one of the only universities that had the entrepreneurship program and I loved that business mentality. I actually went in as just entrepreneurial business and then somewhere along the way I found communications. I found a way to take what I loved and apply it in a different platform. I loved the pairing because I figured I’d always know the business side of the industry and always have that mindset, but also find my passion in communications.

What were your favorite courses or professors at St. Joe’s and why?

I loved how versatile the communication studies program is. You do so many different things. I loved being a part of Beautiful Social and use my charitable

Chandler Lutz ’16 with her AMA award (Photo by Carter Todd ’19).

skills and apply it to what we were learning in class.

What was your first job after graduation?

I started actually learning the sales side of this industry and I started as an intern and built my way up. I eventually found my way in front of the camera this past August; I joined the CBS family.

What is your best on air moment?

I have to applaud St. Joe’s because their welcome when I first started here at CBS was amazing. They sent in the Hawk and

it was just such a warm welcome. That was definitely a highlight moment for me in my career, just having the worlds collide.

How has the current political climate or movements affected your career?

One of our core values [at CBS], is that we obviously want to bring you the news and tell you what is happening, but we want to put a lighter feel to everything that is happening in the world. I love how in the mornings we bring you what you want.

We have these amazing anchors telling you these stories, but you also have a lighter

What is the hardest part about being on television and in the public eye?

I get up really early. We go live at 4:30 in the morning, so I’m up in the middle of the night. It’s a blessing and a curse. I always come in here with a big smile on my face. I will say that sometimes I’m tired and need that extra cup of coffee, but it’s all worth it absolutely.

What is something you miss about St. Joe’s?

I lived in Lannon my sophomore year and I miss living next door to your friends.

That is something when you graduate you are really going to miss because you don’t really get to do that in the real world.

Laugh, cry, repeat “A Man Called Ove” will touch your heart EMILY GRAHAM ’20 Lifestyle Editor “A Man Called Ove” is both the saddest and most heartwarming book you will ever read.

The 2012 New York Times Best Seller was originally written in Swedish by Fredrik Backman, a columnist, blogger and novelist.

Seven of his eight books have been translated into English and have gained popularity outside his home country.

“A Man Called Ove” is among his most well-known and was adapted into a film of the same title in 2015.

The title “A Man Called Ove” is self-explanatory, as the novel does, in fact, recount the story of a man called Ove. The novel opens with a description of Ove, the common image of a grumpy old man who wants nothing to do with modern society.

Ove comically argues with a salesperson over what kind of electronic device he should buy. Naturally, Ove asserts his authority despite revealing his significant lack of knowledge in the area of technology.

While this introduction to Ove is comical, the reader may wonder whether the whole book will be a stereotypical mockery of the elderly.

However, it quickly becomes clear that the novel is more of an origin story, not simply the trope of an old man against new times.

Backman masterfully switches between past and present, revealing slivers of Ove’s

life one at a time. Interestingly, Backman does not follow a clear chronological order at first.

His scattered storytelling instead creates an unexpected sense of mystery. Each tidbit from Ove’s past—a passing reference to his wife, an unexplained tension with his neighbor, a seemingly long history with the local government—add a piece to the puzzle.

The overarching question that Backman explores is, “Why is Ove the way he is?”

With each flashback, we learn a little more of the answer.

However, the novel is not just a story of the past. Ove’s daily life in the present is equally important.

The current-day plot focuses on Ove’s ordinary encounters with his neighbors, especially a new family of young girls and millennial parents. While at first they seem to provide solely comic relief, their greater purpose develops quickly.

From the beginning, Backman makes it clear that Ove intends to commit suicide, though the reason is unknown. Somehow, Backman makes Ove’s series of failed attempts humorous through the inopportune appearances of his nosy neighbors.

In dealing with an emotionally heavy topic, Backman successfully finds a way to balance the serious with the quirks of everyday life.

Backman’s masterful storytelling combines past and present to follow Ove’s constantly developing character. He blurs the lines between flashbacks and modern time to show how Ove grows from the entirety of

Emily Graham ’20 pictured reading “A Man Called Ove” (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).

his life’s experiences all at once.

Each character is carefully crafted to teach Ove a new lesson. The most moving instance of this device is the parallelism between Ove’s wife, Sonja and his new neighbor, Parvaneh.

Although Ove never says it explicitly, these two characters are the most influential people in his life, one from his younger years and one in his old age.

Sonja and Parvaneh are the most likable characters in the story and they teach both Ove and the reader how to love life.

The end of the novel creates a stark contrast with the beginning as Ove’s personal growth comes to a culmination. Saving any

spoilers, the last few chapters will bring any reader to tears from both sadness and joy.

“A Man Called Ove” has something for any reader, from romance, to unlikely friendships, to the journey of a self-made man.

What is most appealing, however, is its insight into real human emotions and the impact that bonding with others can have in the face of hardship.

Backman’s creative narrative and deep look at what it means to be human will make “A Man Called Ove” a powerful reading experience.

Lifestyle

Oct. 10, 2018

12

The art of pizza from $12 to $34.

Want greens with that? Try an Italian Caesar Salad or an Arugula Salad. Dessert options include cannolis and affogato.

In addition to carrying non-alcoholic beverages, Pizzeria Vetri offers an extensive beer list, specialty cocktails and wine on tap and by the bottle.

The atmosphere at Pizzeria Vetri is both laid back and chic, with an aesthetic that’s a marriage of industrial and repurposed functionality.

In good weather, wrought-iron sidewalk tables allow for people-watching with the Philadelphia skyline as a backdrop.

The nucleus of Pizzeria Vetri is the chef ’s counter. Behind it is a wood-fired oven that staff keep at a constant 700 to 800 degrees, hot enough to cook a pie in about three minutes.

If you’re lucky enough to score a stool at the chef ’s counter, you can see how it all goes down.

“You’re able to see the chefs in action from any angle,” said Salvatore Mannino, the assistant manager.

So what inspires Sidoti?

“People,” he said.

That works for Tony Coplin of Philadelphia, who wandered into Pizzeria Vetri for the first time earlier this year.

“I loved it,” Coplin said. “Even the wait staff was on point. I’d definitely come back.”

Pizzeria Vetri has three locations in the Philadelphia area and one in Washington, D.C. The Art Museum restaurant is located at 1939 Callowhill St. and is open Sunday, Monday and Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Pizzeria Vetri cooks its signature pizzas in a wood-fire oven (Photos by DeShawna Briscoe ’19).

Philadelphia-themed art decorates the restaurant.

DESHAWNA BRISCOE ’19 Hawk Staff Nestled in the Art Museum section of Philadelphia, Pizzeria Vetri has turned the process of making pizza into an art form.

It takes four days for John Sidoti, Pizzeria Vetri’s executive chef, to make the dough for each pie and get it just right.

“We use a percentage of fresh milled whole wheat flour from Castle Valley Mills, milled every two or three days before we receive it,” Sidoti said. “There’s room for creativity, but it’s also technique driven.”

The menu changes seasonally and is mainly farm-to-table.

“We don’t have a freezer,” Sidoti said.

“There’s no fridge in the house.”

Pizzeria Vetri offers signature pies such as the Margherita and the Melanzana, priced

Crossword: Synonym Edition Across 3. to influence, encourage or excite.

4. jubilant, joyful or elated.

6. appreciative, indebted or contented.

7. an anecdote, tale or report.

9. to replay, recite or reiterate.

10. to chuckle, snort or guffaw.

Down 1. dependable, devoted or faithful.

2. to inhale, exhale or respire.

5. respectful, courteous or mannerly.

6. an idea, notion or theory.

7. frightening, chilling or spooky.

8. hideous, grotesque or unsightly.

Sudoku

Venmo introduces debit cards SAMANTHA SANTOMAURO ’19 Special to The Hawk

The popular cashless payment app company Venmo released a new debit card enabling users to make transactions with any merchant that accepts MasterCard.

Users can now pay by using an existing balance in their account and can use the card without a fee at participating ATMs. “Our vision for Venmo is [to be] a ubiquitous digital wallet that helps consumers spend wherever and however they want to pay with their Venmo account,” said Erin Mackey, a Venmo spokesperson.

The new Venmo debit card has no signup fee and is similar to a regular debit card, which allows money to be taken from the user’s account to pay for purchases.

Money can also be transferred from users’ bank accounts instantly to their Venmo card.

The card also enables users to withdraw up to $400 a day from their bank account if they use participating ATMs, but withdrawing from any other ATM will cost $2.50 per transaction.

The new Venmo card now allows split purchases, making it easier to share expenses among several peoples.

“Beyond splitting Venmo card purchases, we’ve also integrated with top brands like Grubhub, Seamless, Uber and Uber Eats,” Mackey said.

A new safety feature for lost or stolen cards allows users to disable the card through their Venmo app. If the card is found, it can be re-enabled.

While the Venmo card works like a debit card, it has no way for users to deposit cash into the system, making the card only useful for withdrawals.

There is also no bill pay functionality.

Venmo would not disclose the number of cards distributed, nor how many of those cards are used by college students.

Although seemingly popular among colleges students, not everyone feels the need to get a Venmo card.

“It’s like a debit card, but I have a debit card,” Katie Babinsky ’20 said. “I only use Venmo for when I owe people money and I don’t have cash.”

Sports

Oct. 10, 2018

13

Newly found potential

Women’s club soccer acquires young talent DAN MATRANGA ’21 Hawk Staff The St. Joe’s women’s club soccer team, led by senior co-captain and coach Bella Tierce, welcomed 15 new additions to the team.

Tierce has been with the Hawks throughout her time on Hawk Hill and knows what it's like to be in a team atmosphere.

“Essentially, the goal is to stick together and grow as a team,” Tierce said. “As a team, the biggest challenge is learning how to play and work together while only practicing two days a week.”

According to Tierce, they are already

bonding as a team, as the new recruits have become part of the family. Tierce took time to get to know each new player.

“It is important to learn about each player as a person,” Tierce said.

One way Tierce does this is by gathering the squad together for team dinners in preparation for upcoming games. Tierce’s philosophy has worked as the veteran leader and her co-captains are beginning to mesh with the strong incoming class.

“This year we are a really young team because a lot of our upperclassmen went abroad,” Tierce said. “My other captains and I have been working diligently to do a lot of teaching to the younger girls, but at the same time, learn something from them.

Bella Patterne ’22 celebrates with Teagan McCarthy ’22 (Photos by Mitchell Shields ’22).

Patterne chases down the ball while being trailed by a Temple defender.

Everyone has different skills and techniques for success.”

One of Tierce’s co-captains, junior Shana Hildreth agreed, saying that the freshman class is already making a name for themselves and will be able to contribute on the field.

“These new freshmen came ready to get on the field and play,” Hildreth said.

While the freshmen brought talent to the team, they are inexperienced. Tierce is aware of her need to lead the team.

“I am big on doing and not saying,” Tierce said. “It is important to be a leader all of the time on and off the field in everything that you do. It is easy to say one thing and do another. How I act ultimately reflects how we are as a team and how we

grow together.”

Tierce said respect for the game and the team are incredibly important. She is keen on cheering on her teammates during practice and always picking up the pace when things are slow.

Hildreth pointed to practice as the key to the Hawks’ success this year. She likes to focus on fitness, a structured workout and solid drills during practice. She works at building the team physically and mentally.

The Hawks hope that their time spent on the practice field will pay off, as they hope for a successful season.

“We work on being more loose and on our feet and we have a lot of energy on and off the field,” Hildreth said. “It should be a good year for the Hawks.”

A respected runner Estes sets personal record

RYAN FLOOD ’21 Special to The Hawk St. Joe’s women’s cross country senior captain Elaine Estes ran a personal record of 21:59.5 for her 6k race at Lehigh University’s Murray H. Goodman Campus. Estes set her collegiate-best time despite the unfavorable muddy course conditions.

Estes said a lot of preparation led up to her performance.

“Cross country is a sport where you have to just lay months and months of foundation ahead of where you want to perform your best, so for me this whole summer, starting after our spring track season, I have been running everyday,” Estes said.

Estes said one of her goals is to have the best performance of her career at the conference championship.

“This is our fourth year with our head coach [Melody O’Reilly],” Estes said. “This group of seniors has been with her from the beginning and it’s the first time in the program that there has been a group with her for all four years so now we’re deeper than we’ve been.”

Estes’ work ethic has not gone un-

Senior Elaine Estes poses (Photo courtesy of SJU Athletics).

noticed by fellow senior captain Britton Gagliardi and Head Coach Melody O’Reilly.

“She’s a very determined and relaxed leader on the team and it is seen by the whole team,” Gagliardi said. “She definitely makes sure the whole team stays up to a high standard and that our training pays off.”

O’Reilly said Estes’ work ethic prepared her for the course’s poor conditions

at Lehigh University.

“Estes is one of my higher mileage athletes who trains pretty long distances and pretty consistently, so she was prepared,” O’Reilly said. “We haven’t started our speed workouts yet, but she was already prepared strength-wise, which was what I think allowed her to do well in muddy conditions.”

Gagliardi said Estes is a respected leader on the team.

“She has a team-minded outlook going into a race,” Gagliardi said. “She is definitely one of the leading voices on the team and she always leads by example first.”

O’Reilly said that Estes’ regimented training has helped her become a great leader.

“I think this leadership stems from her Army Reservist background,” O’Reilly said.

“Her first semester of college she actually went to basic training and I actually did not end up meeting her until the second semester, so she’s come a long way since then.”

Estes said all the captains bring a unique leadership style.

“We had four captains this year because of how big our team is,” Estes said.

“Each of us brings something different to the team and in terms of what I bring, I think I bring an example of what to do day to day that equals performance.”

Throughout her career on the women’s cross country team, Estes said she has been influenced by former teammates.

“I had a friend reach out to me last week because she had heard about how the race went, so it’s cool to still have those relationships with past teammates and then also surreal being one of the older people on the team now and being able to be that

Sports

Oct. 10, 2018

14

Making the team Journey of a men's basketball walk-on player SAM BRITT ’20 Assistant Sports Editor Prior to their season, the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team held open tryouts for walkon players.

These tryouts are meant to find players within the student body who weren’t approached for an athletic scholarship but potentially have the talent to play Division I basketball. This year’s tryout gave way to new face on the roster, junior guard Greg Smith.

When searching for these players, Head Coach Phil Martelli has a very specific personality in mind.

“They need a competitive spirit,” Martelli said. “They need a high level of conditioning and a love of the game. There also has to be a lack of ego, because most of these kids have played a lot of basketball in high school. Now, here it’s different.”

It is not uncommon for walk-ons and practice players to never make it onto the floor in a game. However, they are expected to practice with gameday intensity to imitate the team's upcoming opponents “They all play a role,” Martelli said. “We expect them, when running scout team, to compete at a high level so that the team is ready.”

Despite the thankless aspect of the job, senior guard Mike Muggeo wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I love it,” Muggeo said. “I’ve been

Walk-on players junior Toliver Freeman, junior Greg Smith, and senior Mike Muggeo in Hagan Arena (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).

with the guys for three years and have gotten to travel a little bit. Just being at practice every single day, I have learned so much from my teammates and the coaches. I get to see what it takes to prepare to win a game.”

Muggeo’s path to the St. Joe’s roster had many twist and turns. Muggeo tried out as a freshman and did not make the team. He then left St. Joe's to search for basketball opportunities elsewhere, before returning

and making the team as a practice player his sophomore year.

“I left for the spring semester but couldn’t find any good fits," Muggeo said.

"So I made the decision to come back. Since then I have just worked my way up.”

Junior guard Toliver Freeman made the team as a walk-on player his freshman year.

Freeman was a talented player out of Louisiana and had offers to play Division I bas-

ketball in his home state. However, Freeman wanted to prove himself outside of Louisiana and decided to take a spot on St. Joe’s roster as a preferred walk-on.

“I could have went DI in Louisiana,” Freeman said. “I wanted to get out there though. My whole goal was to be a DI basketball player outside of Louisiana. St. Joe’s was able to do that for me, even though it isn’t on scholarship. I am still able to get the DI experience.”

Though a walk-on player's path differs greatly from that of a scholarship player, there isn’t any evidence of alienation within the locker room.

“They kind of aren’t walk-ons,” senior guard Lamarr Kimble said. “They are part of the team so nobody looks at them different. Nobody has a label, once you are on the team you are a part of it. They are with us in the locker room, in the classroom, they live the same way as we do.”

Freeman and Muggeo are able to offer some advice about the process for other potential walk-on players.

“Continue to have that drive and that push,” Freeman said. “Without that you aren’t going to be able to get where you want to go. Sometimes it will work out and sometimes it won’t but you always have to give your maximum effort.”

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sju.edu/printservices

Sports

Oct. 10, 2018

15

Hawk Hill talks Gritty

Reactions to the Flyers new mascot SAM BRITT ’20 Assistant Sports Editor The Philadelphia Flyers recently unveiled their new mascot, Gritty, a blob of orange hair with googly eyes. It is their first mascot since 1976.

According to the Flyers, Gritty lived beneath the Wells Fargo Center for many years until recent construction on the arena forced him from his hideout.

Gritty’s initial unveiling video stirred up strong emotions from Flyers fans.

“It scared the hell out of me,” Ethan Grugan ’19 said. “The googly eyes made it very creepy and the shadowing around its face just made it disturbing.”

This sentiment was clear throughout social media. Even among his fellow mascot brethren, Gritty’s appearance wasn’t well received.

“The first time I saw him I was like, ‘yikes’,” said Dom Godshall, the 39th St. Joe’s Hawk said. “It is scary-looking to be honest. It is not going to win any awards for most glamorous costume or anything like that.”

According to Godshall, there is a set of clear goals that mascots should strive for.

“In general, for mascots, the first and foremost purpose they serve is to represent the team in the most positive, fun light that they can,” Godshall said. “Being able to interact with the fans and put a smile on their face while being fun and goofy. Getting people excited about their team and

The Philadelphia Flyers Mascot (Gritty) pictured with the Hawk (Photo courtesy of SJU Athletics).

sport is huge.”

Gritty seemingly does none of these things. Within an hour of his creation, he was on social media threatening the Penguins organization.

During his first preseason game, he shot

one of his handlers in the back with a t-shirt gun. He poured popcorn on fans, posted evocative pictures on Twitter (and has struck fear into the hearts of many young children.)

“His stuff on social media really surprised me,” Grugan said. “I am surprised the

NHL hasn’t cracked down on it. I know it is all fun and games but he is very threatening and disturbing.”

According to Godshall, Gritty is still an extremely successful mascot despite his dark and violent nature. This is mainly due to the city he represents.

“Just the name alone ‘Gritty’ represents who the Flyers want to be,” Godshall said.

“They were known as the ‘Broad Street Bullies.’ They played a very aggressive, gritty style. It really fits Philadelphia sports fans in general. Eagles fans, Phillies fans, they are known as in-your-face intense fans. Gritty does a really good job representing that.”

Grugan said Gritty’s lack of ability on the ice is one of the main factors that made him endearing.

“That first night when he just wiped out on the ice multiple times, that was when something just changed,” Grugan said. “It was endearing in a way. He still made me extremely uncomfortable but he is somehow loveable too.”

From a marketing perspective Gritty has also been a huge success.

“Gritty has, like, 120,000 followers on Twitter,” Godshall said. “Everyone is talking about it, even people who don’t follow hockey. You’ve got hockey fans, non-hockey fans and even non-sports fans talking about Gritty. It is ingenious marketing, the free advertising they got from a mascot, not a star player or new arena, a mascot, is just insane.”

An enhanced experience

Bodensteiner makes changes to Hagan NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Sports Editor The St. Joe’s Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner J.D., recently made changes to the fan experience in Hagan Arena.

During men’s and women’s basketball games, anyone, including students, will be able to purchase alcoholic beverages. Alcohol will not be permitted in the student section and will only be on sale until the end of halftime.

Bodensteiner also made changes to seat pricing for season ticket holders, making the cost vary depending on the seat location. There will no longer be a mandatory seat donation, something that went away as a result of a recent tax bill.

According to Bodensteiner, the response has been positive. She hopes changes involving alcohol sales will attract more of an alumni presence at the games.

“This isn’t about revenue, this about different ways to create community,” Bodensteiner said.

John Lord, Ph.D., a visiting instructor of marketing and longtime men’s basketball season-ticket holder, said the addition of alcohol sales makes sense for the program.

“Alcohol is a large part of the campus experience at sporting events,” Lord said. “As long as it stays under control, it’s a good idea to enhance the experience during games.”

Joseph Lunardi, director of marketing

and broadcast services for the Athletics department, said that selling alcohol is a natural extension of what St. Joe’s already does rather than a revolutionary initiative.

“It’s almost a sin of omission to not have alcohol and presume that your fans won’t be responsible,” Lunardi said. “We think our fans are and will be responsible.”

In contrast to her motivations for alcohol sales, Bodensteiner said the change in seat pricing is an effort to increase revenue.

“Across all sports in the country, ticket sales are on the decline,” Bodensteiner said. “It seems to be a win-win to have variable prices based on seat location. In most cases, the new price is reduced. The exception might be court-side.”

Those who want to sit in optimum seats know varied pricing is common in modern sports business, according to Lord.

“Most of the people who are really avid St. Joe’s fans don’t have a problem with spending a little more money, especially if it’s a good experience,” Lord said.

“Since they’re changing the pricing structure, it does give people who aren’t willing or able to pay that much money access to the games.”

Lunardi said the way people view live sports is changing and fans are not inclined to commit themselves to 15 home games a season.

“We believed that we needed lower price points particularly for families and kids,” Lunardi said. “We wanted to be progressive about meeting the marketplace.”

Jill Bodensteiner J.D., pictured with student athletes in Hagan Arena (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).

Along with the change to ticket sales and alcohol, Bodensteiner also made a variety of other changes to Hagan. A new wifi network was installed just for Hagan Arena as well as a new lighting system.

“There are a few elements that should strike students as new and improved,” Bodensteiner said. As the men’s and women’s basketball seasons approach, Lunar-

di said the biggest push will be for student-ticket sales.

“We’re trying to be more proactive with promotions,” Lunardi said. “We need to be more engaging with this generation and hopefully the men’s and women’s team performance will match that engagement so kids come back.”

Sports

Oct. 10, 2018

16

Creating a foundation Behind the scenes in the equipment room

RYAN MULLIGAN ’21 Assistant Sports Editor Each time St. Joe’s athletes take the field, they do so donning their sleek crimson and grey uniforms. What fans don’t see are the student equipment managers who put in hours of work behind the scenes to set the Hawks up for success.

Athletic Equipment Manager, Xaviar Dantzler, employs a staff of 12 students, who work between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 9 p.m. in one of the two equipment rooms, located in Hagan Arena and O’Pake Recreation Center.

“My primary responsibility moving forward is to make everything seem effortless,” Dantzler said. “We all work together to make sure our teams can get out there and win games.”

Dantzler’s staff takes care of all 18 Division I varsity teams as well as select club teams such as men’s and women’s rugby. The managers make sure each athlete is prepared for every game and practice.

Dantzler is the head of the operation.

“He’s vital,” said Assistant Athletic Director Joseph DeLacy. “He serves our student athletes, the teams and the coaches. He’s really elevated the service to them.

The position has grown over the years and has expanded.”

Alexander Bell ’19, one of the students who works in the equipment room, agreed, pointing to Dantzler’s communication skills as a characteristic that makes him a leader in the equipment room.

“He’s very important,” Bell said. “He’s easy to talk to and if any of us have any questions, he’s there to answer them. He wants what is best for the athletic teams and wants people to understand that we’re not working, we’re helping the athletic teams.”

Dantzler and the equipment staff ’s responsibilities are not limited to just the student athletes. They also take care of the coaches, the strength and conditioning staff, as well as the sports medicine staff.

The first thing fans see at a sporting event are the teams’ uniforms.

“Athletics is essentially a marketing

Athletic Equipment Manager Xavier Dantzler poses by a rack of varsity jerseys (Photos by Luke Malanga ’20).

arm of this university,” DeLacy said. “It’s how people get to know St. Joe’s and it’s our job to make sure we present our teams, our facilities and ourselves in the best possible light. It’s all encompassing really.”

For an important responsibility like this, Dantzler relies on his team of students to help him run the day-to-day operations in the equipment rooms. Whether it be washing loads of laundry, hanging each jersey in numerical order or receiving and organizing packages, the students are crucial to the equipment room.

“They’re an integral part of getting things organized,” Dantzler said. “I’m only one person. They are the lifeline of making sure that everything is done and done accordingly.”

Bell said he realizes the importance of

Kellie O’Brien ’19, one of the students on the equipment staff, working in the laundry room.

his job working under Dantzler and understands the punctuality in this business.

“The most important thing is to get it done,” Bell said. “A lot of nights we’ll be working late because the teams have practice in the morning. It’s on us to make sure that everything runs smoothly.”

The key to making sure each uniform is done in time for practice is organization in the equipment room. With so many teams and hundreds of athletes, the equipment room staff is systematic in keeping everything in the right order.

“Being organized and being meticulous about the job that I do helps me a lot,” Dantzler said.

DeLacy pointed out that Dantzler’s leadership in the equipment room is key to organizing what could feel like an over-

whelming amount of equipment.

“It’s really up to Xaviar,” DeLacy said.

Each athlete has up to a couple dozen pieces of team gear and practice gear, to travel gear. And Xaviar is on top of all of that.”

With dozens of pieces of gear for each athlete and hundreds of student athletes who compete and practice year-round, Dantzler has a tall task in front of him everyday.

Each time the Hawks take the field, they’re not only representing the university, but they’re also representing the long hours Dantzler and the rest of the equipment staff put in to prepare them to look and play their best.

"Those are our marks," DeLacy said about St. Joe's uniforms. "They're billboards for the university and it's Xaviar's job to police that."

Men’s soccer jerseys hanging in the equipment room.