The Hawk (2/11/15)

THE HAWK THE HAWK

Long distance couples share their stories on Pg. 11

February 11, 2015

The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University | Volume XCIII | Est. 1929 | www.hawkhillnews.com

Mayer announces departure

Vice President of Financial Affairs to leave Hawk Hill come early March

CAT COYLE, ‘16 Editor in Chief midst a series of upcoming administrative vacancies, the Saint Joseph’s University Treasurer and Vice President for Financial Affairs, Louis J. Mayer, Ed.D., has announced that he will leave the university in early March.

On Feb. 4, President Nariman Farvardin, Ph.D., of the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, announced that Mayer had been appointed Chief Financial Officer, Vice President for Finance, and Treasurer at Stevens Institute of Technology, and would join the university on March 16, 2015.

Mayer has been an administrative staff member at Saint Joseph’s since 2003, and has worked on projects spanning from the development of the university’s Financial Review Model to standardizing and regularizing the budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting processes, including the creation of a three-year financial plan.

Before his time at Saint Joseph’s, Mayer served as Vice President for Finance and Investments and Treasurer at the William Penn Foundation and as Chief Financial Officer at the University of the Arts.

Mayer released a statement to The Hawk on his decision to depart from the university: “It has been a great privilege to have served my alma mater as CFO for nearly 12 years, especially during a period of such wonderful campus expansion. With the upcoming transition in senior leadership, the timing was right for me to make a change. The Stevens Institute of Technology recruited me join their leadership team to provide many of the strategic financial management practices that we have begun here at SJU.” On Feb. 4, University President C. Kevin Gillespie, ’72, S.J., announced Mayer’s new role at Stevens in an email sent to faculty and staff of the university: “Lou’s contributions to his alma mater have been enormous during a nearly 12-year tenure as vice president for finance and on behalf of the University I would like to thank him. The announcement at Stevens earlier today was extremely complimentary of both Lou and SJU, and I hope you will join me in wishing Lou and his family the very best.

Looking ahead, an interim CFO will be appointed and a national search will be conducted for Lou’s successor.”

This upcoming vacancy has added another search to those already being conducted— searches for a new President, Registrar, and Associate Provost for Enrollment Management are currently underway. Searches for a new university Provost, Dean, and Interim Dean of the CAS will begin in the near future.

Robert Moore, Ph.D., Faculty Senate president and assistant professor of sociology,

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served on the Budget Advisory Committee when Mayer came on as chief financial officer, and has continued working with him for the past 12 years.

Moore said he was somewhat surprised when he heard of Mayer’s plans to leave, but said he understood the move and the timing of the decision.

“It’s obviously part of a significant change in senior leadership,” said Moore. “With the Senior Vice President retiring at the end of the academic year and the CFO being gone, that’s a pretty significant void in the leadership structure… we’re going to be seeing a fair number of new faces around here within the year.”

Moore said he has hopes that Mayer’s replacement will recognize that the position is incredibly important—not only in keeping the university finances in order, but also in advancing and supporting the academic mission.

“The Office of Financial Affairs is extremely important,” said Moore. “I believe that, by and large, its job is to foster the financial well-being of the university and advance its mission, which, at its core, is the academic one.”

Photo courtesy of Melissa Kelly

Art courses tossed

Adjunct classes cut due to lack of incoming revenue KATRYNA PERERA ’16 News Editor

At the end of the 2013-14 academic year, a decision was made in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) to cancel certain courses within the art department. More specifically, the decision was made to limit the number of adjunct course sections taught in the department.

According to Paul Aspan, Ph.D., associate provost, there are currently 18 adjunct courses being run this semester and in fall of 2014, 12 adjunct courses were run, which are both less than the 24 adjunct courses that were active in the spring of 2014.

Dennis McNally, S.J., chair of the art department, expressed that both the department and its students are feeling the effects of the cut. According to McNally, during registration there was a waitlist of approximately 400 students attempting to get into an art course.

Classes taught within the art department are considered to fulfill the variable Art/Lit requirement of the General Education Program (GEP), and therefore, as McNally stressed, it is often the case that students need these courses to graduate.

McNally explained that when the issue of students’ need for art courses was brought up in discussion, the response was that the requirement can be satisfied by courses other than studio art classes.

“The explanation was given

Photo by Matthew J. Haubenstein ’15

that we’re not a signature core department and that the students can graduate without any art courses. They can take music or English or Mandarin…so they don’t really need art,” said McNally. “Well, that felt really like a devaluation of the arts.”

Aspan confirmed McNally’s statement by saying that although the CAS is running fewer art courses, students are still able to fill their GEP requirement elsewhere. “Someone can fulfill their GEP by taking art courses or by taking literature courses…or they can take music, theatre, and film courses…so while there is a list of 400 students who couldn’t get into art courses, that’s not to say that 400 students couldn’t fulfill their GEP,” Aspan said.

Aspan said that it comes down to a budgeting and revenue decision when deciding the number of art courses cut. He explained that although art is a popular elective for many students at Saint Joseph’s University, running more adjunct courses would not bring in any more revenue for the university.

“If we ran 20 more art courses and filled them to capacity, it wouldn’t generate a nickel more of revenue, because all the students are already here, so we’re paying for more adjuncts without generating more revenue,” Aspan said.

Joseph Giuffre, adjunct professor in department of art history, had a different take on the situation. Giuffre said that from his perspective, it seemed as if the decision to cut adjunct courses was not considered impactful. According to Giuffre the view is that, “There’s an adjunct salary we could get rid of and we’re only eliminating 10 or 15 [student] spots… [but] you can’t just sort of count seats in classrooms—there are other factors involved.”

Aspan pointed out that the art department is in line with the central mission of the university as a liberal arts institution and therefore it is very much needed at St. Joe’s, but until more revenue can be generated, running more art courses is simply ineffective.

“At the end of the day, we’re faced with a question concerning the common good,” Aspan said. “We have a fixed amount of revenue and what we have to do is be the best stewards of that revenue so that we can provide our students with all of the educational opportunities and services that they need. So until running more adjunct sections for the variable core generates more revenue, there’s no reason to do it because the mission is [still] being served.”

2 | News

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

Department of Public Safety reports (Jan. 30-Feb. 5) January 30 Public Safety was notified of damaged chairs on the second floor of the LaFarge Residence Center. Facilities Management was notified.

Public Safety was notified by Residence Life of an odor of marijuana coming from a third floor room of Moore Hall. Public Safety Officers responded to the room. A search of the room revealed no signs of drugs or drug paraphernalia. Community Standards was notified.

January 31

Public Safety confiscated alcohol and a beer bong from a St. Joe’s student inside of Lannon Hall. Residence Life was notified.

Public Safety was notified by Residence Life of an odor of marijuana coming from a first floor room of the Lancaster Court Hastings Apartments. Public Safety officers responded to the room. A search of the room revealed no signs of drugs or drug paraphernalia. Community Standards was notified.

February 3 Public Safety was notified of an odor of smoke coming from the Merion Gardens Apartments. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed students cooking on the stove. Facilities Management was notified.

ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

6|1

On Campus

Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm inside the LaFarge Residence Center. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed students cooking on the stove. Facilities Management was notified.

Off Campus

2|0

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

Public Safety was notified of a fire alarm inside the Sourin Residence Center. Public Safety officers responded. Preliminary investigation revealed a burned out motor in a washing machine. Facilities Management was notified.

On Campus

February 1 Public Safety confiscated alcohol from a St. Joe’s student inside the lobby of the Ashwood Apartments. Residence Life was notified.

Off Campus

Call Public Safety:

Public Safety confiscated several trash bags of empty beer bottles in Villiger Hall. Residence Life was notified.

610-660-1111

NEWS BRIEFS Samsung warns customers of ‘listening’ TV

Harper Lee defends sequel to classic novel Harper Lee is “extremely hurt” by claims that she was pressured by her lawyer to release a sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird,” entitled “Go Set a Watchman.” Lee reportedly thought the manuscript, which was written before “To Kill a Mockingbird,” had been lost. The discovery came as a surprise, and the sequel is expected to be published later this year. (BBC)

Samsung has been warning customers who control their Samsung Smart TV using its voice activation feature to be careful when discussing personal information in front of the television. The TV “listens” to some of the things said in front of them, and then may share details with Samsung or third parties.

Samsung denies retaining voice data or selling the audio that was captured. (BBC)

Millersville student pronounced dead after altercation with boyfriend Police found the body of Millersville University student Karlie Hall in her dorm room on Sunday after getting into an argument with her boyfriend, Gregorio Orrostieta. Orrostieta was trying to administer CPR to Hall when police arrived on the scene. The couple started fighting at a party, reconciled, and returned to her dorm room around 1:30 a.m., where the altercation began. Police say Orrestieta admitted to shoving Hall over, which caused her to hit her head on a chair. She became unresponsive, Orrestieta said, after he gave her a “back hand” to the face. (NBC)

Students in Camden graduate through appeals According to recent reports, 48 percent of students at the five public schools in Camden graduated through the appeals process and fewer than onethird of Camden graduates earned diplomas by passing the standard state test. These numbers are reportedly lower than in 2012, when it was 64 percent. (NBC)

Killer takes selfie with victim A western Pennsylvania teen charged with the murder of 16-year-old Ryan Mangan allegedly took a selfie with his victim and sent it to a friend. The killer also allegedly sent text messages to the friend saying “Told you I cleaned up the shells” and “Ryan was not the last one.” (NBC)

3 | News

New background check policy in effect New state laws call for higher background check standards ETHAN FLANAGAN ’18 Speical to The Hawk In October of 2014, the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives and State Senate approved House Bill 435 to strengthen background checks on faculty and staff at all universities, both public and private, in the state of Pennsylvania.

The Governor of Pennsylvania at the time, Tom Corbett, signed these new changes into effect on Oct. 22, 2014. According to the text of the bill, the regulations include “state police-run background checks for any criminal activity, fingerprint runs through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s system, as well as searching the state’s child protective services records to verify whether or not the employee or applicant has ever been accused of child abuse.”

In addition to this, colleges must keep copies of all of background check records; if they fail to do so, the institution can face a third-degree misdemeanor charge. This bill was passed with an overwhelming majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the latter passing the bill unanimously.

Saint Joseph’s University, in compliance with this law, updated its own background check policy and will now follow all of the state-wide regulations outlined. Prior to the passage of the law, the university had a body in place, deemed the Safe Environment Task Force, made up of four faculty members, one staff member, and three administrators.

This task force was implemented to facilitate the process of background checks, and according to Sharon Eisenmann, vice president of Human Resources, “[The task force was] tasked with making recommendations on background check levels for new employees and whether it was necessary to obtain retroactively additional background checks for current faculty and staff.”

Additionally, all of the Safe Environment Task Force’s actions were directly related to the protection of minors.

As opposed to the minor-centric background checks spoken to in

‘[Background checks] are comforting for faculty and staff’ the House Bill 435, Eisenmann says that the university practice since 2005 had been that all new hires were required to clear a criminal background check through an outside firm, Kroll Background Associates. This ensured that all potential employees for the university were vetted.

Joseph Lunardi, ’82, associate vice president of Marketing and Communications, confirmed this statement.

“Whenever [the university] would hire someone, even in an administrative job that has no student contact…they would have to get background checked,” said Lunardi.

Student opinion on the background check enactment is divided.

Bridget Gilmore, ’18, believes that the background checks “are comforting for faculty and staff,” while others, such as Hannah Snyder, ’18, said, “It’s still unnecessary [background checks]…I feel as if very few people do feel unsafe here, and there is very little conflict concerning the topic.”

Lunardi summarized the difference in opinion regarding this issue.

“There’s two ways to look at it,” Lunardi said. “‘You’re invading my privacy,’ some will say, yes...and then you have other people that will say, ‘What do you mean you hired that part time faculty coming from his house to teach me, how do I know what he was doing all day?’”

The new background check policies for St. Joe’s took effect in December and are now in compliance with Pennsylvania state law.

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

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4 | Opinions

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

Editorial EDITOR IN CHIEF Cat Coyle ’16 MANAGING EDITOR Shannon Adams ’16 COPY CHIEF Molly Grab ’17 BUSINESS MANAGER Emily Kelly ’18 ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Matt Bernardo ’17 FACULTY ADVISER Dan Reimold CONTRIBUTING ADVISER Jenny Spinner NEWS EDITOR Katryna Perera ’16 OPINIONS EDITOR Angela Christaldi ’17 LIFESTYLE EDITOR Isabella Mosca ’17 ASSISTANT LIFESTYLE EDITOR Katie White ’17 SPORTS EDITOR Anthony Panvini ’16 LAYOUT EDITOR Sam Lukens ’17 PHOTO EDITOR Matt Haubenstein ’15 DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER Gianna Melendez ’16 DIGITAL MEDIA TEAM Gina Falcone ’16 Kayla Lane ’17 Jessica Cavallaro ’18

For the greater good The importance of a continued dedication to service The students of Saint Joseph’s University proudly proclaim themselves to be “men and women with and for others.” Service is one of the most important aspects of the Jesuit education that we receive as students; the university’s mission statement itself states that students are being prepared for “engaged citizenship.” There are countless opportunities on campus for students to become active in service. Organizations such as Magis and Weekly Service provide regular opportunities for students to perform acts of service, while events such as the Day of Service allow students to dedicate their time with a group of their fellow Hawks.

Students are often fully engaged in these activities toward the beginning of their time at St. Joe’s; however, the number of participants drops as time goes on. People become involved with other things, schoolwork becomes too much, or they just become “too busy” for service. Why is this, though? We are, as students of St. Joe’s, supposed to be engaged in our community, putting the needs of others before ourselves. However, while we start out enthralled with the idea of serving others, we soon become disillusioned when we realize that it is not as glamorous as we had imagined.

Service, however, is not about getting recognition for the deed; it is rather about improving the life of another person who is less fortunate than you.

Some students capitalize on the service opportunities the school affords them simply because it will “look good on a resume.” While that may be true, that should not be your sole motivation for doing service. You should be doing service because you genuinely want to make a difference. If you go to a service site with the mindset that your actions are only going to look good on an application, then you will not truly be open to the opportunity that you are being given. Service is a way to make a difference in

someone else’s life, but in doing so, your life may also be changed.

There is a greater purpose to performing service. We, as students at St. Joe’s, lead extremely privileged lives. The majority of us do not have to be concerned with where our next meal will come from or where we’ll be sleeping tonight. We live our lives without fear of major health problems. However, there are many people who are not as fortunate. They may be poor, or sick, or homeless; these are the people who we should be striving to help.

When second semester rolls around, it may be more tempting to just stay in and watch Netflix rather than continuing our participation in service, but do not forget the importance of what you have been doing. There is a greater purpose to performing service than just something to put on a resume; you are truly making a difference in the lives of others.

Do not fail to take advantage of the opportunities that are offered at St. Joe’s. Jump into service. Reconnect with your Magis group or Weekly Service team. Donate blood or bone marrow— there’s a drive coming up on campus on Feb. 12. You can help to save a life. You can change someone’s life, and maybe even your own. Stay involved, don’t get bored or too busy. Stay inspired, and make a difference.

-The Hawk Staff

The Hawk welcomes letters to the editor (400-600 words). They can emailed to hawk.editorial@gmail.com.

All you need is love Remember the real reason for Valentine’s Day ANGELA CHRISTALDI ’17 Opinions Editor February is dreary, cold, and generally miserable. It only makes matters worse when the whole world becomes covered in pink and people are dashing around trying to one-up each other by getting the best Valentine’s Day gift ever. For a holiday that happens in the middle of the worst month of the year, people make far too big a deal out of it. If you can count yourself as one of the people in a relationship during the biggest “couples holiday” of the year—which I, for the first time this year, can—then it may seem like a lot of pressure for just one day. Who is making the dinner plans? Did you get the right gift for the person you’re dating? What are you going to wear on your date?

It’s too much to worry about for one day that, in the grand scheme of things, doesn’t really matter much more than any other day.

For people not in relationships, this week of February just seems even worse. Sure, there’s no pressure on you to buy gifts or make reservations, but when you’re alone on Valentine’s Day, it seems like the whole world except for you is in love. Trust me, I’ve been there, and it’s not fun when everyone around you has a Valentine, and you’re stuck at home with Netflix for yet another Saturday.

There’s such a stigma about being alone on Valentine’s Day, but it’s time to reevaluate that. So much hinges on one, solitary winter day. Why are we letting what is essentially a greeting card holiday make us so stressed? In the grand scheme of things, Valentine’s Day is practically the least significant holiday. What started out as a day to remember the people you love has devolved into a day filled

‘Spend the day with the people that you love.’ with harrowing pressure to get an amazing gift and impress the person that you’re probably already in a relationship with. Regardless of your relationship status, why are we letting ourselves be miserable about such an insignificant holiday? Why do we place so much importance on what our significant other chooses to give as a gift? The meaning of Valentine’s Day is to appreciate what you have and who you love, not racing to find the most extravagant present or

restaurant reservation.

Society has placed such importance on this one day that it’s too easy to forget what it really means. While everything is garishly decorated in a thousand shades of red and pink, it may seem difficult to remember that this holiday isn’t really about who can give the better gift, but rather the importance of recognizing the people you love, whether it’s romantically or just the people you’re in friend-love with (don’t deny it, you know you love your best friends).

Take a page out of Leslie Knope’s book,and celebrate “Galentine’s Day” with some of your friends—watch some movies, bake cookies, have a dance party. Honestly, your friends make the best valentines, because while that cute guy in your English class might be fun to stalk on Facebook while you eat Ben and Jerry’s, your friends are always going to be the ones that are willing to dance to T-Swift or watch the Notebook for the thousandth time. Spend the day with the people that you love, whether it’s your friends, your family, or your significant other. Don’t let the pressure of society’s ridiculous expectations ruin a day that’s supposed to be about love. Just let the people you love know how much you appreciate them, and you’ll have a much happier Valentine’s Day than everyone stressing over giant teddy bears and boxes of chocolate.

February 11, 2015

Opinions | 5

The Hawk

‘MISREMEMBERING’ THE FACTS America’s favorite news anchor falls from grace ANGELA CHRISTALDI ’17 Opinions Editor When asked to think of your favorite news station, your answer will typically depend on several things, among them your political orientation, your location, and, of course, your favorite news anchor. America’s favorite anchor, Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News, recently came under fire after it was revealed that his go-to story about being a correspondent in Iraq was, in fact, false.

In 2003, while reporting from Iraq, Williams claimed that he had been in a helicopter convoy that had been shot down by rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). It has recently come to light, through servicemen who have come forward, that Williams was not aboard any of the helicopters that had been damaged, but rather had been in a convoy that arrived approximately an hour later.

The public is outraged at the new details of the story.

Williams was fond of retelling the story, and even did so recently on the David Letterman Show. He was able to tell the story in great detail. After the servicemen came forward, Williams issued an apology on his broadcast, stating that he “misremembered” the happenings of the event.

The NBC anchor immediately came under fire after this information came to light, with some people even calling for his resignation. Others, however, haven’t thought so harshly of his actions, defending him and saying that his misremembering the event isn’t as serious as some people think that it is. However, as the face of NBC News—and their managing editor—the fact that he

supposedly “misremembered” such a major event calls into question his credibility as a reporter.

In the wake of the scandal, Williams has since temporarily stepped down from his position. Some believe that the media’s treatment of Williams has been too harsh— but is it? This is the man that the majority of the nation turns to for news. If he cannot be trusted to factually discuss something that he personally experienced, how can he be expected to reliably report on events that he is removed from?

While his misremembering of a personal anecdote may not seem like a big deal to some, his integrity is being brought into question. Williams seamlessly told the false story, without even the slightest hesitation. The event he “recalled” happened over a decade ago. He has had 12 years to practice this lie, but even the first time that he told the story, it was convincing. Whenever Williams recounted the story, he deflected any compliments about his bravery by saying that he was simply a bystander.

However, what other reason would there be to falsify the details other than to bring credit to himself? Williams clearly made up the story to make himself look like a hero.

When he was finally caught in the lie—over a decade later—he has refused to say that he lied, but rather insists that he simply remembered the incident incorrectly.

Incorrectly remembering being in a vehicle hit by an RPG seems rather implausible. I can’t imagine that that’s

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

something that someone could misremember. In giving false details about this story, Williams discredits the true bravery of the men and women serving our country.

These people sacrifice their lives to fight for our freedom on the front lines of war; they deserve better than someone—a mere civilian—taking credit for something that they do on a daily basis for months at a time.

Several aspects of the situation are problematic.

Williams’ belittling of military achievements is astounding in and of itself, but even more problematic is the fact that, for over a decade, he has lied about this story. There is no way to tell what else he has been less than truthful about, or what else he has “misremembered” in reporting the news.

Serving as the head of one of the nation’s most prestigious news organizations comes with great responsibility, and Brian Williams has disregarded this responsibility in the most incredible way possible. He has blatantly betrayed the trust of every single one of the millions of people who trust NBC News. The very core of journalistic integrity is the fact that you will not lie when telling a story. Williams has taken a swift fall from grace, and if truth and justice prevail, will not ascend back to the top tier of newscasts.

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6 | Opinions

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

Cringing among cards and candy

A reflection on Valentine’s Day LINDSAY HUESTON ’16 Hawk Staff I don’t know why, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve become more and more of a Valentine’s Day cynic. When I spot the ubiquitous shades of red and pink emerging in every single store, a chill shudders through my body. I used to enjoy Valentine’s Day as a child; perhaps the rampant commercialization of holidays in this day and age, or just the overwhelming mushiness and PDA that the day brings out have turned me against February 14.

I don’t know why I am so opposed to a holiday dedicated to love if I am a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic. Maybe it’s the fact that with every passing Valentine’s Day, I am yet again reminded that I am—romantically—alone. But am I? When I was younger, each Valentine’s Day I would walk downstairs to eat breakfast and find a bag of candy and a card from my parents waiting for me on the kitchen table, wishing me a happy Valentine’s Day. Each time I ate a piece of the candy, it reminded me yet again that I was loved, and my parents made sure to remind me of it each Valentine’s Day. It made me feel appreciated and cared for, and in dismissing Valentine’s Day as I’ve gotten older, I’m starting to realize that I don’t know why I would take that feeling from anyone else.

I remember making valentines in elementary school; with each year, they became more personalized—handmade or handwritten, the cards were my attempt at a true display of love, of friendship, of kinship. As a child, I put so much effort into these valentines, wanting to make sure every friend knew that I loved them and always would. It startles me how easily I’ve forgotten what a small token of love can do, even on a day when love is seemingly blown out of proportion. As good old St. Ignatius would say, “Love is shown in deeds and not words,” and each day I strive to show love in all that I do. Instead of showing cynicism towards Valentine’s Day, shouldn’t I love even more?

I love telling people I love them. I love showing appreciation for others in the small things—in sitting and listening to their worries, in writing them small notes, in giving hugs and smiles in passing, in putting aside my own tasks to do something for someone else’s well-being.

I like letting others know that I care for them, and I don’t think that these things should be valued only on the 14th of February. They should be valued each and every day. It is never too late to tell someone you love them; after all, Valentine’s Day is

only one day out of an entire year.

Maybe it’s time for a change. Maybe I need to get out of that “forever alone” mentality. Maybe instead of writing off Valentine’s Day, I should embrace the possibility for love in any context. Yes, I think that there should be more days than one out of 365 to tell people you love them, but why resist any opportunity to show love in any form? It doesn’t have to be anything material, though those things can sometimes be wonderful. It can be as small as being there for someone. Isn’t that mainly what love is anyway—simply being there for someone?

Maybe I am cynical because I’m afraid I’ll end up alone. Maybe I’m cynical because for as long as it’s been age-appropriate, I’ve never had a true valentine to share the day with. Maybe I’ve too easily dismissed a holiday that showcases what we really need in our culture: love. We forget that others need love just as much as we do. We forget that the world needs love to survive.

I think it’s time to embrace Valentine’s Day as every day. Though the world would undoubtedly be saturated in hues of vomit-inducing crimson and magenta if that were true, it is not the holiday itself, but the message that matters. We need to love. As the poet Rumi put so eloquently, “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

And so this is my feeble attempt to break down those barriers—the rejection of Valentine’s Day as merely commercial has hindered my ability to feel the true meaning of it: A celebration of love. Love makes the world go round; love empowers all. All we do in life, we do for love. We are enveloped in love as the heartbeat of humanity pulses onward, giving love to us all. Love is, truly, all that matters.

Here’s to love. Here’s to openness and change. Here’s to basking in newfound revelations. Instead of dwelling on how romantically alone I am, it’s time instead to realize all the love in my life in other forms: in the depth of love from my friends, from my family, from the Saint Joseph’s University community, from every experience I’ve had where I’ve been changed for the better. There is love abounding; we are all swimming in love. It’s about time I realized it, even in the midst of a holiday I once readily rejected.

Here’s to love, and loving more fully; here’s to a truly happy Valentine’s Day in 2015.

Graphic created by Shannon Adams, ’16

February 11, 2015

Opinions | 7

The Hawk

e c a r b m r

E you

inner

beauty KATHERINE GRYGO ’16 Hawk Staff

While browsing through the advertisements in a magazine, bronzed women with flawless hair, perfectly sculpted cheekbones, and legs that look like they go on for miles are a common sight. You see movie stars who are deemed People Magazine’s “Most Attractive People in the Universe” who have incredible eyebrows and can somehow pull off the classic red lip look without looking like a clown. Everywhere you look, someone is telling you what “beauty” is, and this pressure can be damaging; if you can’t match your own appearance to those of the models you see every day in advertisements, you’re likely to stop believing in your own beauty. But you’re wrong. You are beautiful.

In our society, there is a certain standard of beauty employed by the media. It requires being a size 0, having glossy,

voluminous hair, and wearing flawless makeup that makes your skin look sun-kissed and glowing. If they fall short of these expectations, women feel as though they are not pretty. We see celebrities and wish that we looked like them—we wish we had Blake Lively’s hair, Sophia Vergara’s body, and Miley Cyrus’s eyes. Newsflash: those women are products of makeup teams, hairstylists, and personal trainers. That is not true beauty.

We are hypercritical of our appearances. We waste time in front of the mirror every day analyzing every single part of our bodies with the intent of finding a flaw.

We point out freckles and blemishes and bemoan any traces of cellulite. We hate the fact that we are too short or too tall. We go on diets, pluck away stray hairs, and paint our faces with makeup in order to fit the stigma of beauty.

This needs to stop.

I am not standing on my soapbox, however, to say that all women need to stop wearing makeup or caring about the way they look. I would be the world’s biggest hypocrite, considering my status as an avid makeup wearer. What I am saying is that women should wear makeup because we like to wear it, not because we feel as though we cannot leave the house without it.

We should wear clothes not because they are trendy, but because they make us feel comfortable. We need to stop comparing ourselves to the rest of the world and realize that while we may not look like the supermodels on the covers of magazines, that does not mean that we are not beautiful.

We need to end this oppressive cycle of hating our bodies and embrace the beautiful, unique individuals that we are. It breaks my heart when I hear someone say, “I’m ugly,” or “I would look so much better if I lost 10 pounds.” People around us see how beautiful we are, but for some reason, we still struggle to actually believe the compliments we receive.

We need to stop trying to hide our imperfections and embrace them instead. The aspects of your personal appearance that you deem “unattractive” are qualities that others see and admire.

They are unique to you and to you alone. We need to stop complaining about our frizzy hair, our round faces, or our bushy eyebrows. You are you, and the person that you are is beautiful in so many ways beyond what you can see.

The next time you look in the mirror, don’t say, “God, I look absolutely awful today.”

Instead, compliment yourself. Stare at the person looking back at you and see the color of her eyes. See her smile and admire the way her entire face lights up. It’s time for us to abandon our obsessive and cynical approaches to our body. It’s time for us to look in the mirror and believe ourselves when we say, “I am beautiful.”

Graphic created by Shannon Adams, ’16

8 | Lifestyle

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

A GROWING GREEK COMMUNITY Spring recruitment reveals increased interest in Greek life MEGAN BURNS ’17 Hawk Staff With spring recruitment for Greek life finally finished and all bids given out, the Greek community grows even bigger— and the divide between men and women has grown as well.

Greek organizations are common among many college campuses throughout the country, and often, sororities and fraternities play a defining role in a student’s four years of college. The words “sorority” and “fraternity” stem from the Latin words “soror” for sister and “frater” for brother, respectively. These institutions, which have existed since the eighteenth century, were created in order to form a smaller, tight-knit community within a university.

Sororities and fraternities are stereotypically thought to play a major role on the campuses of large, Southern universities, where the majority of the student body is a part of Greek life. However, Greek life is prevalent in northern institutions as well—here at Saint Joseph’s University, Greek life is certainly evident.

Often, students sport their letters on shirts, sweatshirts, bags, and the ever-popular “spirit jerseys,” especially in the case of sororities.

With the recent rush season now behind us, the buzz of new members can be heard all around campus.

With five sororities—Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi, Sigma Sigma Sigma, and Phi Sigma Sigma—and the three fraternities—Sigma Pi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Lambda Chi Alpha—Greek life makes up 20 percent of the undergraduate student body, which is one in every five students, according to Stacey Sottung, associate director of Student Leadership and Activities, and Greek life advisor.

Each fraternity and sorority adopts a unique philanthropic cause to support, and every year the sororities and fraternities hold events to support their respective charities. For example, AOII holds a kickball tournament, “Strike Out Arthritis,” for juvenile arthritis, and AGD holds an annual fashion show each fall to support juvenile diabetes research.

When the spring semester began, the process of rushing sororities and fraternities began as well. This semester is the first in which fraternities had a formal round of recruitment. Around 70 men attended the first day of formal recruitment for the fraternities, and the rest of the week the fraternities held informal events. The sororities also held formal recruitment for one week. At the end of recruitment, AOII accepted 70 new members, AGD accepted 44, Alpha Phi accepted 44, Sigma Sigma Sigma accepted 44, and Phi Sigma Sigma accepted 48. Sporting considerably lower numbers, Sig Ep accepted 14 men, Sig Pi accepted 12, and Lambda accepted 24.

This disproportion between the size of sororities and fraternities is one of the biggest areas being worked on regarding Greek life at St. Joe’s.

One step in a positive direction was the fraternities’ successful completion of their first ever formal recruitment this semester—a total of 70 men participated in recruitment.

However, to put this event into perspective, AOII alone took 70 new members.

“I think that it was great, personally, and as a chapter, Sig Ep definitely feels like it was a great turn out, but we know we can do better,” said Griffin Hester, ’16, the vice president of Member Development for Sig Ep. “Especially when sororities get 310 girls to show up for recruitment, and we only have 70 [men]… it is not enough for Greek life.”

The number of men does indicate, however, that interest in rushing fraternities is increasing and therefore suggests that there is a possibility of establishing stronger fraternity presence on Hawk Hill. As the number of students rushing Greek organizations continues to grow, so will the sororities and fraternities on campus.

Hester also hinted at several reasons as to why it is harder to get men to come out for recruitment.

“One thing we always kind of run into with fraternities specifically…people always think of it as a stereotype… not a lot of productive things and just hazing,” said Hester. “This negative stereotype thinking that is all we do. When they are already put off [with fraternity life] to begin with, it makes it tough to get them to come out and get them to learn more about the organization if they think they are going to get hazed.”

Sottung said that she thinks that the growth of Greek life on campus could always be improved. She is striving for Greek unity on campus and for the non-Greek students at St. Joe’s to know the real reasoning behind joining a Greek organization. To her, Greek life is more than formals and date parties; the philanthropic events and community service that the organizations sponsor serve a greater purpose.

Members of existing sororities and fraternities believe that there will continue to be an important part of many students’ time here at Saint Joseph’s. Through Greek life, students build a sense of community with their fellow sisters or brothers. Brooke Trayer, ’17, a member of Alpha Gamma Delta spoke of this bond.

“I love AGD because I know that no matter what, my sisters will have my back. It’s really true when people say it’s not just four years, it’s for life, because I know my sisters will continue to be my support system for the rest of my life,” said Trayer.

For Jen Rice, ’17, a member of Alpha Omicron Pi, one of the highlights thus far was Bid Day this semester.

“It was exciting to welcome girls who share the same passion and values as you, and to see all the sororities come together to welcome new members,” said Rice.

The Greek community seems to be growing at St. Joe’s, particularly in regards to sororities. Time will tell if the men will continue to follow suit causing a greater growth in fraternity numbers.

Contributing interviews conducted by Isabella Mosca, ’17, Lifestyle Editor

Photos by Two Suits & A Dress

February 11, 2015

Lifestyle | 9

The Hawk

What gift is right for your valentine?

KATIE WHITE ’17 & ISABELLA MOSCA ’17 Assistant Lifestyle Editor & Lifestyle Editor

what is your relationship status?

friends

dating

Get your gal pal a box of franzia and a big hug

not sure When all else fails, give a food gift. (ie: chocolate, baked goods)

how long have you been together? less than six months

6-11 months

Spend some time together. but you don’t necessarily need a gift.

Stick to something lowkey, like a casual dinner or movie.

Go for thoughtful gifts like pictures and notes or his/her favorite type of candy.

one year or more It’s appropriate at this point in your relationship for bigger gifts or fancier dates, but it’s all about what you and your S.O. enjoy!

Graphic by Sam Lukens ’17

10 | Lifestyle

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

V

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MARY MARGARET EWENS ‘17 Hawk Staff

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LINDSAY HUESTON ’16 Hawk Staff Photo by Lindsay Hueston ’16

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It’s that time of year—the air is still cold and the ground is still frozen, but love is blooming all around. It might sound a bit cheesy to say the least, but Valentine’s Day is a big day whether you plan on spending it with your significant other or with your besties.

Either way, you’re probably going to have to pick an outfit, get dressed, and show the world how fabulous you are regardless of your relationship status.

With so many different varieties of outfits to choose from, why don’t we start with the quintessential Valentine’s Day outfit: the little red dress. The most perfect thing about the little red dress is that regardless of whether you’re taken, single, or ready to mingle, there’s no stopping you from rocking that red dress on V-Day. So ladies—to look the part, we have to dress the part. I decided to take to the shops in King of Prussia to look for dresses that are not only flattering but fun and flirty as well. One of my favorites was Ralph Lauren’s Cap Sleeve Drape Neck Sheath Dress. In a classic red, the dress is form-fitting to show off your fabulous figure, yet still classy enough to leave a little mystery. I also love the draping at the top of the dress, because it is both classy and sexy at the same time—the perfect combination. Another chic option that I found was DVF’s red Zarita Lace dress.

More on the conservative side, this dress, with a red lace design, quarter sleeves, falls about three inches above the knee, and oozes V-Day potential. Pair it with some nude heels and a pearl necklace, and your inspiration for a “classic” look is complete!

If you’re not willing to shell out the cash for a more expensive dress, The Limited has a great alternative for you. Designed as a simple red sheath dress, this is the perfect canvas-type dress that will show off your personal style. Add a sweet bow belt or a statement necklace, throw on a great pair of heels, and you’re ready for any V-Day outing. Or, just keep it simple and allow your makeup to do the talking with a dramatic red lip or sultry eyeshadow, and you’ve completed a look that’s dictated by your personal flair. My last suggestion is Express’s red Cut-In Cami Dress. This dress reminded me a bit of something Kylie Jenner might wear, and I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her pair it with exactly what I would

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Graphic by Sam Lukens ’17

suggest—a leather jacket. The symmetry of the dress’ cut is perfect for the girl who wants something edgy and trendsetting, yet tasteful. I’d personally pair this dress with a pair of strappy gold heels, a black leather jacket draped over the shoulders, and limited jewelry.

Wearing too many accessories takes away from the uniqueness of the dress itself, so be mindful when choosing any earrings or a clutch!

For those of you ladies who are thinking of less formal attire, I’m going to share with you my two favorite V-Day tops. My first find came from Nordstrom’s, in the form of a simple yet adorable red blouse with a cutout in the front. Designed in red silk with a small slit from the neck to the middle of the chest, this blouse could be appropriate for dates, parties, interviews, or even class. What I love about it is that not only is the top versatile, but the color also makes it stand out among more ordinary blouses. It could be paired with black heels, a black flare skirt, and a cute ponytail, or dressed down with jeans and pair of boots. Like I said, it is totally versatile while still being just dressy enough to pull off the perfect date look. The second top I found is probably one of my favorites so far. Mod Cloth’s Hello! Bow Top in red is the perfect top to complete my ideal V-Day look. I’d pair it with blue jeans, nude—or even red—pumps, a monogramed necklace, and a cute blazer if you’re chilly. With the bow in the front, you might worry this look could border on cutesy, but by utilizing the blazer and heels, “grown woman”-cred is instantly added.

This Valentine’s Day, don’t just think of another cliché holiday full of love, but rather an opportunity to get dressed up and show your fabulous self to the world. Own your look.

And even if you’re not in a relationship, buy yourself those chocolates; you deserve it!

Nestled among the storefronts of Ardmore is Melodies Café, a stalwart tribute to some of the simplest yet most enjoyable things in life: a good cup of coffee and a night of live music.

Almost immediately across from the Ardmore train station on Lancaster Avenue, Melodies serves up coffee, breakfast, lunch, and dessert items from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends. However, these hours are extended when there are shows playing at the café.

Shows, you ask? True to its musical name, Melodies features live music four to six nights a week. Tickets are available on their website, and weeknight shows often have the corner storefront packed. Typical artists include more local, lesser-known performers—perfect for a night of aural and gastronomic discovery, especially if you’re looking to get off campus but are not particularly up for venturing into the city.

Though music is obviously the main component of this earthy coffeehouse, Melodies is also committed to delivering delicious vittles to customers. The café serves a mean gingerbread dirty chai (a blend of chai latte, an espresso shot, and gingerbread spices). I tried this drink on a whim at the recommendation of a friendly barista. When asked what her favorite drink was, she crafted the perfect beverage for a February afternoon. I was in heaven. Melodies serves up the typical coffeehouse fare of coffee drinks, teas, and pastries, but also offers an enticing food menu.

Thankfully for college students, the prices aren’t too astronomical—one can easily manage a drink and meal for under $10-15.

Melodies Café proves to be just as hip as it is accessible for St. Joe’s students. The shop serves coffee from Counter Culture, a company that directly sources its beans from coffee farmers in a sustainable way. Additionally, 80 percent of the café’s food is produced within 20 miles of the coffee shop. Locavores, rejoice!

For a quiet afternoon spent doing homework, Melodies is perfect for spreading out with all of your work; the café has many tables, and some are even on their music stage! For those who like to study in comfort, pillowy chairs and couches deck the front of the store. With a shelf of donated customers’ books on the wall and a good cup of coffee on the table, the vibe in Melodies is one of community and comfort, providing a classic coffee shop feel. With quirks such as a “tip your vote” jar near the register and a chalkboard menu, Melodies Café is sure to provide harmony to your own melody of Main Line exploration.

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

Lifestyle | 11

T W SCHOOLS, N LOVE Chris Lamant and Emily Hicken

KELLY WHITTMAN ’17 The Hawk Staff As college students, it seems that our faith in love has been lost somewhere in the beersoaked carpets of frat houses and forgotten by blurred gestures and slurred speeches. We have all, at some point, fallen victim to our generation’s stereotypical label: the hook-up culture. Hidden on Hawk Hill, however, lies proof that old-school romance is alive. More than ever, young Hawks are finding love away from the nest and dating students from other schools. In a hopelessly romantic attempt to rid college culture of its reputation, three Saint Joseph’s University students share their love stories and demonstrate that, despite the challenges, they are willing to go the distance.

‘P.S. I Love You’ St. Joe’s cheerleader Dave Palmen, ’17, is happily dating Kayla Dalder of Kutztown University. A swipe to the right on Tinder and a few phone calls later, Palmen and Dalder decided to make it official in July despite going to different schools.

“The distance can be hard,” Dalder admits. “I miss him a lot, but communication is what makes us feel like we are together.”

Pinned to a clipboard on Palmen’s wall is a collage of love letters from Dalder, dated anywhere from July to a more recent one sent in December. Why not just text each other?

“The letters are more special. It’s the idea that we took the time to get our feelings out in an intimate way,” said Palmen.

Despite Palmen’s tough exterior, he admits to having started the tradition. “She is my princess,” he says, “so the distance is a small challenge.”

Bringing back the date Saint Joseph’s student Emily Hicken, ’17, and Chris Lamant, ’18, of the University of Delaware prove that birds of a different feather can flock together. The two met through mutual friends in high school and have been dating for nearly two years. Since both are motivated and independent—Lamant is a freshman biology major on Delaware’s crew team and Hicken is a former rower and Phi Sigma Pi brother—the two enjoy the anticipation leading up to their next date. Alternating between visiting at each other’s campuses, they plan exciting dates; exploring the city, new restaurants, or sometimes just going for a long hike.

“We both like to stay active,” Hicken said. “The time and distance between us makes it so much more exciting and new when we see each other. Sometimes communication gets rough—that’s why we like to call each other and Skype so things don’t get misinterpreted.

At the end of the day, he’s my best friend.”

The power couple often let each other know they are thinking of one another throughout the long weeks.

“Sometimes we go weeks without seeing each other, so a spontaneous card or surprise visit makes things interesting,” Lamant said. The two are not, however, your typical Hallmark couple. Their plans for Valentine’s Day include skiing alongside each other on some snowy slopes.

Bobby Latanzi and Danielle Felcione

I just called to say I love you Red Shirt Bobby Latanzi, ’17, and girlfriend Danielle Felicione have known each other since they were in diapers. They have gone from building castles in the sand to building a strong relationship that bridges two different schools. Their secret to making it work despite the distance? The good old fashioned phone call. Not once a week, but several times throughout the day. Whatever happens in Latanzi’s day, Felicione is the first to know.

Latanzi will call Felicione just to say he loves her.

“We tell each other everything. Calling each other makes us feel more present in each other’s everyday lives,” Latanzi said.

There will be no use of cellphones, however, on Valentine’s Day. The couple will be learning how to ballroom dance in the city.

Dave Palmen and Kayla Dalder

12 | Lifestyle

The Hawk

February 11, 2015

Be the match Join the fight against cancer with one quick test ISABELLA MOSCA ’17 Lifestyle Editor The Bone Marrow Registry being held in Campion on Feb.12 is an event that is not on the radar of many at Saint Joseph’s University. Some students may not realize the event is even going on, while others may not realize the importance that this registry holds.

The event, at its core, is simple: those who come to the registry have their cheek swabbed. That’s it. There are certain health requirements and registry guidelines necessary in order to participate, but these are minimal. If the results of your cheek swab reveal a match to someone who is in need, then an opportunity for an actual donation follows—this is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure. The process is by no means binding; a potential donor could be matched and still opt out of donating. “I have been talking to some friends about possibly coming and getting the cheek swab, but they are very uncertain about participating because of how much [of] a commitment it is, but honestly it is not a time commitment at the time of the registry…all it does is get you into the system. You can make the decision later to donate or not to donate,” Simone Howard, ’17, one of the student organizers of the event, explained. However, everyone should know that donating is vital to many who suffer from chronic diseases. Most importantly, this process can save a life.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States, right behind heart disease.

Almost everyone at this university knows someone who has had cancer at some point in his or her life.

A St. Joe’s student, Casey Doolin, ’12, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March of her senior year of college. Early in her treatment, doctors knew she was going to need a bone marrow transplant.

Doolin wanted to do everything she could to get the

Photo by Matthew J. Haubenstein ’15

transplant so that she could continue with her education. She did not give up—Doolin made it to graduation and was able to cross the stage and receive her diploma with the rest of her class. She demonstrated much strength and will during her yearlong battle with cancer. Doolin was in and out of hospitals and after one unsuccessful bone marrow transplant in November 2012, she was able to receive a successful second transplant in the following month. She continued to fight until her body could no longer resist the disease. Doolin passed away peacefully in August of 2013. Her strength and determination has served as motivation for her family and friends every day since.

Cancer affects so many people worldwide that every chance to help someone who suffers from it should be taken. Especially with the opportunities presented on the St. Joe’s campus, getting involved to help this cause does not take much effort, but it helps families who are currently fighting the battle that so many face. Those who are running the Bone Marrow Registry have had loved ones who have or have had cancer and needed bone marrow transplants. Transplants are imperative because bone marrow is the primary organ that stores blood cells. The function of this organ is key to survival and supports the body.

Leigh Anne Tiffany, ’15, and Simone Howard, ’17, are organizing the entire event along with Elizabeth Morgan, Ph.D., assistant professor of music, and Laura Hurst, MSN, CRNP, director of the Student Health Center. The four women have been working diligently in order to make this registry successful because the cause is one that resonates with all of them. “[Tiffany] had someone very close to her diagnosed with Leukemia last semester,” Howard said. “Also, our music professor’s father had cancer, so we were all talking about that and somehow the idea of a bone marrow drive topic came up and we just rolled with it…One of my good friends was diagnosed with cancer over the summer, I watched her go through the process. In early August she told me she needed a possible bone marrow donor, and I told her I would totally donate. But it’s more complicated than that; I was not 18 and you have to be the same ethnic origin, which we aren’t. I was inspired to be a bone marrow donor, so this is my chance.”

Each of the organizers realizes how important blood marrow transplants can be to cancer patients.

The registry is apart of WADE’s Love Your Body week and hits home with many people on Hawk Hill. It will take place in the first floor conference room of Campion Student Center, which is across from the Fishbowl, and runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Joining the registry is as easy as filing out a little bit of paperwork and getting your cheek swabbed with a Q-tip, but participating shows support for a campus-wide event that affects many of our fellow Hawks.

Howard summed up her reason for donating, “It is just the importance of thinking about saving a life that is pushing me to get myself on the registry.”

February 11, 2015

Puzzles | 13

The Hawk

Funny Valentine

Avoid giving these gifts to your valentine if you expect them to stick around!

S F A X M A C H I N E I F X L

R E HO E O J D U X Q L J Z KW H Y G F F D E P U N E D K P

P O T D J G U O L R B C S N D

P T A C G N S P A Z E M I I A

I J O I A F P C D M E M Z W U

L L M O L P Y U E A K C E G H

Cemetary Plot Fun Size bars Toenail Clippers Windex Empty Card

C M P T T T M T H O V C B B T

L K G B P H E O Z U J J A U E

I L D M E R B J C X A R R N J

A M E H Y L V R T H C U S F T

N T Y P D K A J U M S E G N Z

E Q L O I H V C K S N A H R X

O O C I L Q F O S N H W R E I

T K O O B P L E H F L E S T O

Scale Toothbrush Fax Machine Self Help Book Trash Compactor

Crack the code

See if you can decode the secret message below. Tweet your guesses to @sjuhawknews for a chance to be featured in next week’s issue!

Tu. Kpf’t cfdbnf dp-fe jo uif gbmm pg 1970.

Congratulations to last week’s winner!

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

14 | Sports

February 11, 2015

The Hawk

Scraping off the rust Hawks downed by Richmond in season opener ANTHONY PANVINI ’16 Sports Editor This past weekend, the Saint Joseph’s University men’s lacrosse team fell to the University of Richmond by a score of 9-5 in their season opener at Robins Stadium. Richmond drew blood first, netting the game’s first goal with 9:55 remaining in the first period. Despite the quick goal, the Hawks managed to tie the game at one point thanks to a goal by graduate student attack Ryan McGee. Sophomore midfielder Anthony Joaquim recorded the assist on McGee’s goal.

“It was not a great performance by us collectively,” said Head Coach Taylor Wray. “We had some opportunities early to get on the board and to maybe build a bit of a lead, and their goalie made some saves and we didn’t convert some opportunities and we ended up getting down over the course of the first half and into the third quarter…we were not able to do enough at the end to come back. It was a learning experience for our team and a disappointing way to start our season, but that’s what early season games are for—to learn about your team and to figure out your lineup and to figure out what you need to do to continue improving.”

The Hawks came out into the second period hot scoring a goal just 45 seconds in due to a 1:00 penalty by Richmond, giving them a 2-1 lead. However, despite the quick goal, Richmond went on to score five unanswered goals and take a 6-2 lead going into the final period of play.

In the third period, the Hawks and Spiders traded goals back and forth that ended in a 9-5 outcome with Richmond on top.

Wray explained that earlier in the fall and spring of this year, the Hawks scrimmaged against both Villanova Lafayette. Against Villanova they jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and against Lafayette they were up 9-0. While he does not think his squad underestimated the game against Richmond, Wray does see areas that need improvement.

“I need to prepare them a little bit better,” said Wray.

“So when that happens [being successful in both scrimmages] and you haven’t had a real taste of competition coming into your season opener its… sort of a new feeling for you, and it really shouldn’t have been a new feeling because we have a veteran team, but I think that definitely didn’t work in our favor. I wish we had another scrimmage, and a more competitive scrimmage, going into the game.”

However, Wray also noted a couple of positive aspects of play that he would like to see present in the Hawks’ next matchup against High Point University.

“I thought our defensive midfielders played well, I thought Anthony Joaquim was terrific, and I thought our faceoff play was good as well,” explained Wray. “I still believe very strongly this is the best team we’ve had in my time here and the challenge now is figuring out how to put the pieces together and to help the group to reach its potential.”

One key player that returned to the team this year is graduate student defenseman Jack Moran. During last season, Moran suffered an ACL tear that sidelined him for the remainder of last season. Saturday marked his first game back on the field. Last season he was elected as the team’s only captain and was joined by four other co-captains this season.

“It’s pretty easy [being a captain]…this year and last year we’ve had a great group of upperclassmen that make my job a lot easier,” said Moran. “They lead the underclassmen, and we kind of work together to lead the team—I was just fortunate enough to be elected as captain last year. The same goes for this year, myself and the other four captains along with the other seniors and juniors—we all do a great job for setting the example for the freshmen in particular, and we all work together and talk things out—the word

‘captain’ is only really kind of just a figure of speech to us.”

Moran went on to explain that the team was excited coming into the game against Richmond, but knew what they were up against.

“We knew Richmond was a great team, we had a close game with them last year,” said Moran. “They made it to the NCAA tournament last year, so we knew what we were going into so we were all excited and ready to go, and unfortunately the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped; they outplayed us. We didn’t play well and we are going to use this as a little motivation for High Point coming up—we’re not going to dwell on the loss for too long, but we know that we need to play better if we want to win.”

Moran noted that although Richmond deserves credit for their play, he believes that his squad played poorly and did not deserve to win the game at all.

“We played very sloppy; we didn’t execute in the clear on offense and on defense we were sloppy at times … they played better than us, and I can’t take any credit away from them because they are a great team, but we didn’t deserve to win that game by any means,” said Moran. “If we play like that for the rest of the year it’s going to be a long year, but I know we will bounce back. But we did not play well enough to win that game.”

Despite the loss, the Hawks have adopted a one-gameat-a-time mentality, and they are currently not looking at anything past their matchup against High Point. Wray made this clear to the team after the game.

“I told our guys after the game it was never a goal for us to go undefeated, so any time you lose it never feels good, but we’ve got a long season in front of us and we’ll have plenty of opportunities to continue to get better.”

Clouds on Hawk Hill Senior shines despite Hawks’ loss JOE LICIARDELLO ’15 Special to the Hawk This past Sunday was a big day for the Saint Joseph’s University’s Women’s basketball team. The Hawks had a major match up coming toward the close of their schedule, and they wrapped up their conference games against the Fordham University Rams, who are 9-2 in the Atlantic 10 conference. The game was played at Hagan Arena. Senior guard Natasha Cloud—a third year transfer from the University of Maryland—scored her 1,000th career point with 11 minutes remaining in the first half. Despite this milestone, the Hawks dropped this game in the final seconds, losing 48 to 47. The loss put them at 4-6 in the Atlantic 10 and 8-14 overall.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, this seems to be a trend for the team—this was the fifth loss this season that was decided by two or less points.

“I think two things. I think it’s certainly something we continue to address by working on special situations in practice and those type of things,” said Head Coach Cindy Griffin. “I think early in the year it was our defense, and you could say the same for the last two nail biters with Fordham and Saint Louis because we just couldn’t get the stop when we had the lead. So, you know, you could say that, but I thought we did a good job defensively holding both of those teams to 52 and 48 points. So you hold a team to that many points it just comes down to what we are doing on offense. Those are things that we are continuing to try to fine-tune and put people in the right spots and make them successful, and we just haven’t gotten the results that we want, but certainly feel as though the right people are taking the shots.”

That being said, when Griffin references the right people shooting the ball, she is talking about the leader of the team and Big Five player of the week: Cloud. Cloud achieved a milestone in any collegiate basketball career as she counted her 1,000th point in the first half of Sunday’s game. Cloud ended the game with 1,009 points overall for her career with the tail end of the season approaching. She scored 16 points, had 8 assists, grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 3 steals during Sunday’s game. She also scored the first 10 of the Hawks’ first 17 points. Despite starting off hot, Cloud’s shot cooled down; she only had six points for the remainder of the game.

“Yeah, you know we are playing through ’Tash (Cloud), she is a very talented player,” said Griffin. “We are playing through her, and we need her to take these shots. We want her to take these shots but we also need other people to step up from the perimeter and

from the low post. We got into a little bit of foul trouble, so our rotations were a little bit messed up, but certainly she is capable of putting us on her shoulders. But we also need a few more players to take on some of that responsibility, whether it be handling the ball or being the passer so that she can be the scorer that we need her to be.”

Although this is obviously a tough loss for the Hawks, especially in the Atlantic 10 conference, they will look to quickly put this loss behind them and turn their attention to their next game against Rhode Island.

“You have to learn from this,” said Griffin. “You have to focus on all of the positive things that we did during this game to put us in position to win the game. We’ve got to continue working on the things we been working on; we have gotten better defensively since the season started. Now what can we do to finish a game and what can we do to get some more productivity from some other players? So I think there is some room to grow.

I think it’s a tough loss to bounce back from, especially at home, but…we have fighters on this team. I expect them to be ready to practice today and hungry to get back on the floor and work on some things we need to work on.”

Photo by SJU Athletics

February 11, 2015

Sports | 15

The Hawk

‘I’M HERE SO I WON’T GET FINED.’ A larger message to Marshawn Lynch’s actions MATTHEW BEDROSSIAN ’16 Special to The Hawk

Although the Super Bowl may be behind us, the behavior of professional running back Marshawn Lynch of the Seattle Seahawks is still something to talk about. During pre-Super Bowl Media Day, Lynch took it upon himself to reply to any reporters’ questions with the phrase “I’m here so I don’t get fined.” Although Lynch is contractually obligated to attend Super Bowl Media Day, he is not technically obligated to speak to anyone. Both Lynch and his teammates insisted that his attitude during the interview was simply due to Lynch’s focus on the game, nothing else.

It’s very interesting to note that Lynch, a known vocal player on the Seahawks team, and an integral part of their Super Bowl-winning season of 2014, had such an issue with talking to the media. While reporters label Lynch a focused and determined athlete, I beg to differ.

In today’s society, media is everywhere—especially when it comes to professional sports. Some players have specific needs when it comes to their contract, such as not speaking to the media or not being traded to certain teams. Sadly, the only requirement in Lynch’s contract is Skittles to celebrate his touchdowns. To find a loophole in his requirement to speak with media outlets, Lynch reported to Media Day with only one response: “I’m here so I won’t get fined.” Lynch’s surprising response generated many conversations throughout the sports world as well as on social media. Within minutes, memes of Lynch appeared all over the Internet, along with extensive coverage on ESPN. The football star, labeled “Beast Mode,” does have some reason to act cocky, as he’s been a catalyst to two very successful NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, bolstering them to a 25-7 regular season record and a 5-1 playoff record. However, Lynch’s on-field success does not warrant this rude behavior.

It should be noted that after the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl in 2014, Lynch purchased a Lamborghini, one of the most popular sports-luxury vehicles available. Lynch then went on to rope off his car, regardless of where he parked, to prevent people from touching or coming near the car. It’s clear that Lynch cares quite a bit more about money and material items than about his team or the game of football.

After all, even Pete Carrol, head coach of the Seahawks, opted to not give Lynch the ball during the final play of Super Bowl 2015; Russell Wilson instead threw an interception, leading to a Patriots victory. At the age of 28, Lynch is slowly coming to his final years in the NFL. Currently, the Seattle Seahawks are conjuring up a contract for star quarterback Wilson, which may not leave enough financial flexibility to resign the veteran halfback. Hopefully Lynch’s blunders during Media Day do not hurt his chances at returning to Seattle or signing with another NFL team.

This situation, though it may not seem like it, is one that all should pay attention to, whether you are a professional athlete or not. The media is an outlet meant to inform people about what’s going on—even outside of the sports world. In a way, the media can portray the way you’re seen by millions. Keeping an open, cordial line of communication is something all people who interact with media outlets should try to do. This applies especially to social media; be aware of the way in which you present yourself online. In today’s society, anything can be accessed by the click of a button or the swipe of a finger. The media dictates the stories that trend on Facebook, what makes the popular page on Instagram, and what people are most likely to tweet about. Marshawn Lynch should be considered lucky that his coach’s Super Bowl mistake has taken Lynch’s arrogant and immature attitude out of the limelight.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons Marshawn Lynch carring the ball on Oct. 6, 2014 against the Waashington Redskins. As of late, he has been taking criticism for failing to answer to the media.

16 | Sports

The Hawk

February 11, 2015

Defense does it Hawks victorious despite struggling offense Photo by Dawn (Weyi) Cai ’15

ANTHONY PANVINI ’16 Sports Editor

On Saturday, the Saint Joseph’s University men’s basketball team managed to hold off a tough George Mason squad and come away with a 58-54 victory.

Despite an offensive struggle, the Hawks’ defense buckled down in the second half to seal the win for Saint Joseph’s.

Head Coach Phil Martelli was less than pleased with his team’s offensive performance, however. “I thought the game would be decided on the backboards, so to get that kind of deficit on the backboard did not bode well. We had two assists in the second half,” Martelli said. “Grit and defense won the game. But that’s not nearly good enough. Jai Williams answered the bell in the first half, and I thought Shavar [Newkirk] did a nice job. The players deserve a lot of credit. Yesterday’s practice was terrific defensively. It’s just not a very good offense—and we have to be much better offensively in these last eight games of the Atlantic 10.”

Despite these criticisms, Martelli did indicate that he was content that the Hawks were able to keep their lead after halftime and transform it into an eventual win, something the team has struggled with during many other games this season.

“This is a step in the right direction,” Martelli explained. “We won a game that we led at the half. We did what we had to do at the defensive end.”

However, the end of the first half proved to be a scary moment for the Hawks as junior Isaiah Miles suffered an injury to the knee and had to be helped off the floor. He returned to action in the second half and explained after the game that the injury was nothing serious.

“I just hyperextended it, the guy fell and he ran into my knee and it pushed back,” said Miles following the game. “It’s just really sore and throbbing, but just ice and ibuprofen and I’ll be fine.”

Martelli was not the only one who gave credit to Friday’s practice for the win. Sophomore DeAndre’ Bembry recorded a double-double to lead the Hawks in every offensive category posting, 14 points and grabbing 11 boards.

“The past two practices we had—and this certain game we’ve been talking about defense the most—like rotations, our double teams, especially since we were double teaming both bigs,” said Bembry. “…We try to get some energy going for us and get some easy buckets on the defensive end.”

Despite his double-double, Bembry went scoreless through the first eight minutes of the game; however, he certainly helped the team out in other ways during that time. He explained that rather than trying to force a shot, he would rather make plays for his teammates in other ways—and that’s just what he did.

Bembry recorded four assists in the first half of play.

“I try to use that to my advantage when they [George Mason] worry about me so much; I try to get my teammates going, which that definitely helps. Like I said, Jai Williams had his best game since he’s been here, Aaron Brown came in with a good game, and then we try to work off of that,” said Bembry. “I really try to get my teammates involved so they can get some confidence going for themselves.”

Despite his four assists, Bembry also turned the ball over four times, went 4-9 from the foul line, and 0-3 from beyond the arc.

“Sometimes [Bembry is] such a good passer that he gets sloppy—you know you got to get zeroed in, but fumes are part of what he’s running on so we got to get him more energized and get that corrected,” Martelli said after the game.

“That was not a very good game for the most complete player in the league.”

One thing that is true about this year’s team is that they fight, they work, and they have each other’s backs; and at the end of the day, a win is a win.

“We played hard,” said Miles. “We just capitalized off of last night when we had a great team practice—probably one of the best of the year, so winning this game is definitely a team win—we won this all together. We had great help from the bench with Jai. He came in and did his thing, he had a great game—we all worked hard for this.”

Photo by Dawn (Weyi) Cai ’15