Sept. 18, 2019

Sept. 18, 2019

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Volume C

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Est. 1929

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www.sjuhawknews.com

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The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

EXTERNAL REVIEW TO EXAMINE

CARA SMITH ’21 News Editor As part of the ongoing assessment of St. Joe’s Greek Life, the Office of Student Life is organizing an external review of all social fraternities and sororities this fall.

The external review will include three professionals, who have ideally worked with Greek Life programs similar to St. Joe’s, to conduct an analysis of the current climate of the Greek community, according to Beth Hagovsky, Ed.D., director of Student Leadership and Activities. As part of this process the three-member panel will meet with all of Greek Life leadership and relevant departments on campus.

“We need to make some changes, we need a stronger culture, we need student culture and organizational culture,” Hagovsky said. “That is going to take some time.”

St. Joe’s is one of about 50% of Jesuit schools to recognize Greek Life organizations on campus, with about 22% of its undergraduate population belonging to a social fraternity or sorority.

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There are five social sororities on St. Joe’s campus: Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Phi Sigma Sigma and Sigma Sigma Sigma. There are three social fraternities on St. Joe’s campus: Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Pi. Hagovsky said Sigma Pi was asked to leave campus for four years this summer as a result of a hazing incident, and three sororities had hearings.

Mike Zocco ’20, president of the St. Joe’s chapter of Interfraternity Council (IFC), a national organization that promotes the advancements of fraternities on college campuses, said the external review has been long overdue.

“I always wanted to join a greek organization, but I found that there was a little bit of an unorganized feel to it,” Zocco said.

“I’ve expressed these opinions before to a lot of people in the Greek world, especially the fraternity world.”

Alaina Boccino ’20, president of Panhellenic Council, which is the governing body of the five sororities on campus, said the external review is necessary to better

sororities’ reputations on campus.

“We’re doing this to improve our view with administration and with St. Joe’s as a whole,” Boccino said. “We’re seen as social organizations that drink and that’s all we do. We’re so much more than that.”

In addition to issues within Greek Life organizations, the university also let go of the assistant director of Student Life and Activities, the main contact for Greek Life organizations on campus, a year after she was hired.

Hagovsky said Student Life and Activities was not able to find a strong pool of candidates to hire over the summer, but plans to hire someone to fill the position after the external review.

Hagovsky is taking over the responsibilities of advising Greek Life.

Boccino said she is grateful for Hagovsky’s help with the Greek Life programs.

“We lost our Greek Life advisor going into this year, so we are all so amazed with how much effort she is putting in for us,” Boccino said.

Christopher King ’20, former IFC secretary and member of Lambda Chi Alpha, said he is concerned about the school’s perception of Greek Life.

“They are not giving enough attention to Greek Life, but I don’t think the suspension changed anything for me,” King said.

“Because I think that maybe the school doesn’t give us enough attention.”

According to Hagovsky, Student Life and Activities has been considering an external review of Greek Life for a while.

“I just think it’s been a long time since we have really stopped and said, ‘What are we doing in Greek Life? What are we doing within the Greek Life community? Why are we doing it? How are we doing it? And are we doing the best for our students?’ Hagovsky said.

At the conclusion of the review process Hagovsky said she hopes there will be enough time for an open forum for all members of the St. Joe’s community to hear the findings of the review.

SEE INSERT FOR SOUTH AFRICA STORIES Nonprofit provides housing for grandmothers

Emergence of coffee farms in South Africa contributes to coffee trend

Joburg Ballet Satellite Schools allow young girls to pursue dance

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Sept. 18, 2019

News

The Hawk Newspaper

Q&A with new Faculty Senate president DAJA WALKER ’22 Special to the Hawk Aisha Damali Lockridge, Ph.D., was elected Faculty Senate president at the end of the spring 2019 semester.

Lockridge is currently an associate professor of English with a specialty in African-American Literature, Black Women’s Studies and Black Popular Culture.

The Hawk spoke with Lockridge about her plans for Faculty Senate.

What do you hope to accomplish as the new Faculty Senate President?

Picking up from the good work of Ron Dufresne [Ph.D., associate professor of management], I hope to guide the faculty to collectively consider our curriculum while being proactive and intentional in increasing diversity and access.

What has been your experience as a female African American professor at a predominantly white institution (PWI)?

Well, we have to go back a little. I earned my Ph.D. at my PWI. I was the only Black person in my cohort, and one of three in my program. My first academic position was at a PWI. There I was the only Black woman faculty member during my five

year tenure; I’m not sure there was one before me. St. Joe’s is not my first time at this particular rodeo. At this institution primarily, I would say I have, most often, been the recipient of a benevolent sort of racism. This has been a place where it is not uncommon: for students to express surprise at my depth of knowledge in my field of study; for faculty and staff, after six years, to confuse me for other Black women on campus; for any debate that I participate in to be deemed overly passionate or angry. Because reading, writing, and teaching literature is what I most want to do, I take these, and similar instances, in stride.

As the first person of color—if my research is correct—to serve as head of the Faculty Senate, what, if any, challenges do you anticipate?

One of the ways institutions last as long as they do is that they do not change, or they change very, very slowly. This will be my biggest challenge: an institutional resistance to change and to difference.

Do you think St. Joe’s is adequately addressing instances of racism on campus?

Explain.

No. I do not think St. Joe’s has fully reck-

oned with the day-to-day racism that occurs on campus, particularly in on-campus housing. The institution takes note during crisis, but vigor and interest in long-term solutions dissipates in the aftermath.

What is the role of the Faculty Senate in helping to bring about those changes?

Rethinking our pedagogical practices and goals can help foster change. Are we teaching the same exact things in the same exact ways as we were taught as students? Are our pedagogical strategies the best practices for our current students? A culture of intention can make a significant difference coupled with a willingness to revise, rewrite, and when necessary, abandon policy. To this end, there are a few mandates working through governance that may hopefully foster meaningful change.

In what ways will you push your colleagues to address racism and bias on campus? Even in Faculty Senate?

Collectively, we must both rethink, and where necessary, alter current practices and curriculum. We must put the needs of the students first, determining, ultimately, if the present structures are helping our students become good citizens. And most significantly, I will ask us to be brave enough to make the changes that are needed.

Lockridge was elected as the Faculty Senate President at the end of Spring 2019. PHOTO COURTESY OF AISHA DAMALI LOCKRIDGE, Ph. D.

Q&A with new Student Senate president ing with events that are going to challenge people to ask questions. It’s not the goal of any of our initiatives or efforts to change the way people see the world. If they do, that’s great, but can we think critically about the way we engage others, label others and see others in a certain light?

LUCY HIGGINS ’20 Hawk Staff Adam Mullin ’20, president of the University Student Senate, is from Omaha, Neb. Mullin, a history and theology major, also currently serves as an RA, a Hawk Host and an Orientation Leader on campus. He spent the summer in Nebraska working as a camp counselor.

The Hawk spoke with Mullin about his plans for Student Senate.

When did you first consider yourself to be a leader?

Freshman year of high school, playing football. Recognizing that I didn’t necessarily have the athletic skills and capabilities others had, I was going to have to make up for that and push harder in different ways. My coach would always joke, “It’s like having a coach on the field!” When a bunch of guys were coming off the field after something had gone really well, it was me purely running up, high five-ing, congratulating and jumping up in the air with people. I can simply lead by my example, and that gave me a lot more confidence.

What interested you most about the St. Joe's community?

A pull for me was the Jesuit Catholic identity. In high school, I started appreciating the way in which I felt like I could develop myself holistically and then be pushed to critically think about things that have real world applications. I’ve seen it confirmed in college; asking those bigger questions of “what importance does this have?” or “where are there systemic issues that there may be solutions to?” College in a lot of

Senate president Adam Mullin ’20 was elected at the end of the spring 2019 semester.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

places, but especially here, pushes you to expand your worldview beyond your own lived experiences. For me, that was a hallmark of the education here.

What does the word “inclusion” mean to you?

Inclusion really boils down to ensuring that everyone feels comfortable being their fullest self. Not forcing someone to express themselves, but creating space so that people feel they can if they should choose to. A key tenet of that inclusion is making sure that we are forging connec-

tions between individuals, not just who we connect with.

How do you plan on fostering inclusion on our growingly diverse campus through your work with the Student Senate?

It was productive when we had the forum last fall after the bias incident on campus.

That was a good spot for dialogue, but you were [only] getting the people who cared really passionately about it. You weren’t engaging other people. That’s where we have work to do. Fostering dialogue and work-

What is one senate initiative that you are excited to work on this year?

One thing that Gabby Stevenson ’21 started last semester, that now Taylor Stokes ’22, myself, and others are picking up, is this Be Civil campaign. There’s power to just saying “be civil” because that's a lot of what we need to do. If I’m going to disagree with the person across from me at the table, that’s fine, if we can do it in a civil way that forces us to grapple with the issues at hand and focus on what we’re saying rather than who we are. I think that goes a long way. Stokes is currently crafting a pledge that we hope students across the board will sign onto and be conscientious of, essentially saying we are going to acknowledge and respect differences between individuals.

What can any student do to make sure others feel included on campus?

If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say it. In a constructive way, say those things that may disagree with opinions.

There simply is no place for hate or malicious activity towards an individual. You can hate or disagree with the things that people do, but don’t direct things towards people. Be as uplifting and supportive as you can of people whilst pushing them to be better and to do more as an individual.

News

The Hawk Newspaper

Sept. 18, 2019

3

Construction aims to improve accessibility ZACH DOBINSON ’22 Assistant Features Editor The construction near Sweeney Field that began after commencement in May is expected to be completed sometime in mid September.

The construction includes a newly designed walkway stretching from the side of Sweeney Field near Mandeville Hall towards Bellarmine Hall. The area previously had more stairs, making it difficult to access for some people with physical disabilities.

Tim McGuriman, associate vice president of Administrative Services, said the pathway meets the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

“This pathway eliminates stairs, making it easier for all members of the SJU community to move through this area of campus,” McGuriman said in an email to The Hawk.

According to the ADA Title III Regulations, “An alteration that affects or could affect the usability of or access to an area of a facility that contains a primary function shall be made so to ensure that … [facilities] … are readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.”

In addition to making campus more accessible, the new pathway also utilizes reclaimed materials from the demolition of Jordan Hall, which also took place after commencement in May. The sidewalks

Stone from Jordan Hall was used to create the pathway wall. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

along City Avenue between Cardinal Avenue and 54th Street were also partially repaved with new concrete.

Annelise Peterson ’22, a member of the soccer team, currently has a hip injury, which requires her to use crutches. Peterson said the new pathway will allow her to access the entirety of campus.

“I haven’t really been to all of campus yet because I purposely avoid the areas on the back side of Mandeville towards Sweeney Field,” Peterson said. “I know a lot of those areas have a lot of steep inclines. With my particular injury of a hip labrum issue I [won’t] really be able to crutch up those inclines.”

McGuriman said the campus master

plan, which was announced this past March, has directly affected the planning processes behind accessibility construction at St. Joe’s. “[Accessibility] is a part of any project we initiate if there’s an order to meet current building code,” McGuriman said. “So as we’ve continued to look at other renovations of other facilities on campus as part of the master plan, we’re certainly looking at accessibility in order to meet requirements that are code required and so forth.”

Christine Mecke, Ph.D., director of Student Disability Services is a member of the Accessibility Committee, a mix of staff, administration, faculty and students that meets twice a year to discuss ways to improve ac-

cessibility at St. Joe’s. Mecke said the construction near Sweeney Field has been a topic of discussion at group meetings.

“We talk about elevators and pathways that might be under construction, parking situations and anything that might be an issue in the physical environment of the campus,” Mecke emailed in response to questions from The Hawk.

Jennifer Tudor, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology and a member of the Accessibility Committee, said she brings a unique perspective to the group because she uses a wheelchair.

“I think the construction will be a huge asset for overall improved accessibility,” Tudor said. “Before if I wanted to go down from the Science Center to Mandeville, I would have to go out to City Avenue and come down, or I would take the back ramp

by Gompers.”

Despite looking forward to the new pathway, Tudor said accessibility is something not often addressed enough in society as a whole. Tudor said when she is the only person advocating for increased accessibility it could come off as self serving.

“Now, if someone else, let’s say a colleague of mine or a bunch of colleagues of mine or students, if other people advocate and say, ‘We need to figure out a way to get an elevator in Barbelin,’ it’s a much better case in some ways because they’re making the argument for me,” Tudor said.

James W. Moore, S.J. dies at 92 CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Editor in Chief James W. Moore, S.J., a Jesuit and active member of the St. Joe’s community for more than 45 years, died on Sept. 13.

Moore came to St. Joe’s in 1963 when he started as the director of Undergraduate Admissions, and stayed for 15 years.

He then became the director of the freshman program, and in 1981 became the associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, a position he held for almost 30 years.

“Fr. Moore will always stand out in my mind as a passionate advocate for student success,” Brice Wachterhauser, Ph.D., professor of philosophy emailed in response to questions from The Hawk. “He spent countless hours as associate dean advising and counseling students.”

Wachterhauser was provost when Moore was the associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Moore joined the Jesuit community in 1946 after serving in the Navy during World War II. He became an ordained priest in 1959.

“Jim always practiced an excellence in dedication to students and understanding their academic needs,” Dan Joyce, S.J., executive director of Mission Programs emailed in response to questions from The Hawk.

In 2008, what was then known as Overbrook Hall was renamed Moore Hall to recognize Moore and his contributions to the university.

“He was always capable of walking that fine line of maintaining the integrity of the curriculum but also seeing and exhausting every option the student might have to move her or his curriculum along in the right direction,” said Paul Aspan, Ph.D., associate

professor of theology and religious studies.

Moore was an active member of the St. Joe’s community, attending many Law Alumni Chapter events and engaging in the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Moore also participated in faculty and staff gatherings, according to University President Mark C. Reed, Ed.D. “His patience and approachable nature made him a favored counselor and advisor to thousands of students in both academic and personal matters,” Reed wrote in an email to faculty, staff and alumni.

A prayer vigil service will be held on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. in remembrance of Moore, followed by a viewing until 8:30 p.m. in the Chapel of St. Joseph. Additional services will be held on Sept. 19, with a viewing at 9:15 a.m. followed by Mass at 10:30 a.m. in St. Matthias Church in Bala Cynwyd, where Moore previously served mass.

James W. Moore, S.J. served as director of Undergraduate Admissions from 1963 to 1978.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SJU ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

Department of Public Safety reports (Sept. 6 - Sept. 12) Sept 6 Public Safety was contacted in regards to an alcohol confiscation in the lobby of Pennbrook Apartments. Public Safety responded and confiscated the alcohol. Community Standards was notified.

Public Safety was contacted in regards to an alcohol confiscation in the lobby of Pennbrook Apartments. Public Safety responded and confiscated the alcohol. Community Standards was notified.

Public Safety was contacted in regards to an alcohol confiscation in the lobby of Pennbrook Apartments. Public Safety responded and confiscated the alcohol. Community Standards was notified.

Sept 8 Public Safety was contacted in regards to an alcohol confiscation in the lobby of Rash-

ford Hall. Public Safety responded and confiscated the alcohol. Community Standards was notified.

Public Safety was contacted in regards to an alcohol confiscation in the lobby of Villiger Residence Center. Public Safety responded and confiscated the alcohol. Community Standards was notified.

Public Safety was notified by an area resident regarding students being loud in the 5700 block of Woodbine Avenue. Public Safety officers, along with the Philadelphia Police were notified and responded into the area.

Community Standards was notified.

Sept 10 Public Safety was notified by Facilities Management in regards to person(s) unknown vandalizing one of the elevators in the LaFarge Residence Center. Residence Life was notified. Community Standards

was notified. Incident under investigation.

Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student regarding person(s) unknown removing items from their personal vehicle which was parked in the Manayunk area.

Philadelphia Police were notified and responded. Incident under investigation.

ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

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On campus

Off campus

Sept 12 Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student regarding person(s) unknown removing their laundry basket from the basement of Villiger Residence Center. Incident under investigation.

Public Safety was notified by a St. Joe’s student regarding being approached while near the area of Wynnefield Avenue and Bryn Mawr Avenue and being punched in the face by several male suspects. The suspects fled in an unknown direction. Student did not wish medical attention or a police report.

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

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0

On campus

Off campus

Call Public Safety:

610-660-1111

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Sept. 18, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Opinions

A solution from the bottom up

Responding to the proposed Greek Life review Editor in Chief Charley Rekstis ’20 Managing Editor Emily Graham ’20 Copy Chief Kaila Mundell-Hill ’20 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner Senior Editor Luke Malanga ’20 Digital Managing Editor Alex Hargrave ’20 Copy Editor Angelique Frazier ’20 Copy Editor Jackie Collins ’21 News Editor Cara Smith ’21 Assistant News Editor Carly Calhoun ’21 Opinions Editor Devin Yingling ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor Hadassah Colbert ’20 Assistant Features Editor Kaitlyn Patterson ’20 Assistant Features Editor Zach Dobinson ’22 Sports Editor Sam Britt ’20 Assistant Sports Editor Ryan Mulligan ’21

Beth Hagovsky, Ed.D., director of Student Leadership and Activities has proposed an external review on St. Joe’s Greek Life.

The goal of such review is to evaluate the current climate surrounding Greek Life at St. Joe’s and take input from outside sources in order to improve the social groups.

The review board will ideally be composed of three evaluators from other Jesuit institutions with a Greek Life presence, and they will speak with various other leaders within the St. Joe’s community in order to make a holistic evaluation of our Greek Life community.

These evaluators will then be a part of a proposed open forum in November following their review, in which they will make recommendations on how to improve the overall climate of Greek Life on campus and foster an open dialogue with the students who partake in these social groups.

However, the forum is not guaranteed yet.

While this evaluation is not in direct response to hazing incidents on campus, and it is supposed to take into account other aspects of Greek Life culture like the overall lack in diversity, hazing is no doubt an important part of why this will be taking place.

But how much do bureaucratic responses actually help the issue of hazing within Greek Life?

Last semester, Director of Community Standards Bill Bordak sent out an email to all St. Joe’s students detailing hazing incidents on campus, and this public notification and documentation was, “in compliance with enacted Pennsylvania state law” (The Timothy J. Piazza Anti Hazing Law).

This public detailing is a component in the revised anti-hazing policy on campus in response to said legislation.

And yet, an external review will still likely take place this semester in order to address hazing once again. Students across America still deal with hazing incidents, including students on our own campus, even though the rules against hazing are quite clear. There is no doubt plenty of legislation and policy in place in order to try and combat the problem.

These codified standards and regulations are of course a great start to com-

bating the issue of hazing, and the plan to conduct an external review within St. Joe’s Greek Life is no exception to this claim.

Nonetheless, it is not addressing hazing at the root of the issue. There is a stigma that surrounds Greek Life, and it comes from all angles. Students have their own perception of Greek Life, whether it be holding the groups on a pedestal for their philanthropic efforts or seeing them as a place to go on the weekends.

There are perceptions of Greek Life at the administrative level as well, whether it be support of Greek Life because it attracts more potential students to the university, or lower levels of support because issues like hazing exist and create an environment difficult to navigate.

And then within each fraternity and sorority, there are their own set of perceptions about tradition and family. Hazing comes from within a social group, and it is not limited to just Greek Life. There are various instances of hazing in other groups like sports teams or other clubs on college campuses. And needless to say, not all chapters of Greek Life partake in hazing.

But regardless, hazing incidents pull from the mindset of initiation and tradition. No matter how hard administration tries to enforce policy, the problem will still exist, if not grow worse.

It works in a cyclical way: “Well, we got hazed as pledges, so now it’s your turn,” is the assumed logic. It continues through the generations of new students as they filter in and out of the university, and it is thus a difficult challenge to try and solve.

It is going to take quite a bit to eliminate hazing fully, unless you decide to remove a social group from the environment in question. But in all honesty, that is by far more impractical than enacting more cautionary procedures.

So we applaud the proposal to host an external review evaluating Greek Life, because hazing remains an issue that needs to be addressed, especially since the death of a student back in 2017 at Pennsylvania State University.

But there also needs to be open dialogue between the administration and Greek Life, as well as between the students

in and outside of Greek Life. It is thus up to the students who support these social groups, as well as the students that are members of the social groups to maintain an open dialogue about the dangers that come with hazing.

This means we must take a bottom-up approach that starts with the students, fraternity brothers and sorority sisters, rather than putting emphasis on the administration to fix the problem.

Social groups such as fraternities and sororities have a multitude of benefits, and they should be environments in which people who would like to join can do so in a comfortable and safe way, while still having a good time.

Initiation and tradition should not be considered synonymous with uncomfortable actions and frightening circumstances, especially when safety starts to become an issue. So it’s up to us as students to change our perceptions surrounding Greek Life, because if we continue to perceive hazing as an inescapable fate when joining Greek Life, the problem will never dissipate.

As long as we sustain an open dialogue from the student end, and encourage a topdown approach to the problem along with bottom-up support, we will come much closer to creating a Greek Life environment on campus that is able to thrive and keep all members away from the dangers of hazing.

—The Editorial Board

This week’s Editorial Board is comprised of the Editor in Chief, Managing Editor, Copy Editor, Digital Managing Editor, Senior Editor, Photo Editor, Assistant News Editor, Assistant Features Editor, Online Editor, Opinions Editor and Assistant Opinions Editor. This editorial reflects the views of the Board and not the entire Hawk staff.

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

Assistant Sports Editor Matt DeLeo ’20 Special Projects Editor Nick Karpinski ’21 Photo Editor Mitchell Shields ’22 Online Editor Alex Mark ’20 Social Media Manager Natalie Drum ’20 Assistant Social Media Manager Julia Koerwer ’23 Business Manager Angela DiMarco ’22 Assistant Business Manager Collin Messenger ’22 Distribution Manager Gavin O'Reilly ’20

BRING IN THE LATTES Despite the weird bursts of heat every few days, it is almost fall.

So in order to properly start bringing in the spooky season, grab a newly released pumpkin spiced drink at Saxby’s on your way to class this week. We know we will.

THE STRANGEST THING "Stranger Things" star, Joe Keery, has recently received quite the new hairdo. Although his haircut isn’t the most pressing of issues, it is quite bad and we just have to talk about it. We miss the mullet on our favorite Scoops Ahoy worker and supernatural monster hunter.

RESTAURANT WEEK Happy restaurant week! If you haven’t already taken a trip to Center City Philly for some “three-course, prix-fixe meals at discounted prices,” we highly recommend you do before the event ends Sept. 27. Take a break from the Hawk Wraps and treat yourself.

"HOMECOMING" TAKES THE BACKSEAT How did Beyonce’s "Homecoming" not win an Emmy Sunday night?

Her Coachella performance documentary is easily better than James Cordon’s "Carpool Karaoke," and we are upset to see Queen B lose out during this awards ceremony.

AYE PANINI Apparently you can’t trust anybody, including yourself in Lil Nas X’s case. His hit song “Panini” rose “over 50 spots to #1 on the US YouTube songs chart. It dethrones ‘Old Town Road’ after 23 weeks at #1, becoming the first song to do so.” We have no choice but to stan Lil Nas as he continues to rise as a pop culture icon.

ATTACK OF THE ACORNS If you haven’t been hit with a fallen acorn from the trees across campus, are the seasons really starting to change? As much as we can’t wait to carve pumpkins, eat Halloween candy and drink pumpkin spice things until we’re sick of it, we can probably deal without getting mildly concussed when walking under the trees around here.

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Sept. 18, 2019

5

It’s no longer his narrative

Anticipating Chanel Miller’s new book DEVIN YINGLING ’22 Opinions Editor In 2015, a case came before the Santa Clara County Superior Court in which the defendant in the matter was eventually found guilty for “three felonies: assault with intent to rape an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object.”

One who is found guilty on three counts of sexual assault typically sees a maximum sentence of 14 years, but this defendant was ordered to six months in county jail. He was then let out three months early by judgement of Aaron Persky, former judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Unfortunately, the fact that this defendent was let off the hook after committing a heinous crime of sexual assault is not an isolated incident. But what’s worse is I’m sure most of us have already heard this story.

We’ve all seen and heard about the Stanford swimmer who lost his career after one night’s “mistake.” We’ve heard his narrative over and over again to the point where if you say his name, the infamous case will resonate with anyone.

People hear his name and feel sympathy for the poor student who made one mistake.

He lost everything from one silly night of drinking. And that’s how the story goes.

All we had from the survivor, Chanel Miller, was her powerful statement to the court that she primarily directed right to

the defendant himself.

Miller stated to the defendant: “Your life is not over, you have decades of years to rewrite your story” and highlighted that

lieved. We know this. Survivors of sexual assault are unfairly scrutinized by the courts and the public. This is not new. And in Miller’s case, nothing is different.

ILLUSTRATION: ANISSA WILSON ’20/THE HAWK

her “statements have been slimmed down to distortion and taken out of context.”

She even recalls that during the incredibly skewed and violating questioning regarding the evening in question, the officers would say, “Do you remember any more from that night? No? Okay, we’ll let [him] fill it in,” thus giving the defendant the power to write the story.

Survivors of sexual assault are not be-

The perpetrator was given the final voice on the matter, even though he was the attacker. He even had the judge fooled just enough to shorten his already menial sentence.

But now, on Sept. 24, 2019, Miller is releasing her new memoir, “Know My Name.”

The book summary reads that “her victim impact statement was posted on Buzzfeed, where it instantly went viral — viewed by eleven million people within four days...it

inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.”

And now with this book “she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words.”

I have not said the perpetrator’s name once in this piece, because it is not his narrative to define anymore. It never should have been his narrative to write in the first place.

He is a vile human being, and I feel no sympathy for him, what he has done, or how this case impacted his life.

He got enough sympathy from the public and from the courts. He doesn’t deserve any more recognition and any attention he recieves should be scathing.

But Chanel Miller, on the other hand, wields immense power with her writing and her courage to speak out against what she has endured. She is continuing the conversation of sexual assault four years after her incident, and I am beyond excited to read her new book.

As if her court statement wasn’t powerful enough, we now get to see her reclaim her name and her identity and fully share her perspective.

We need a continued conversation in order to encourage justice for those who have survived trauma perpetrated by their assailants and within the courts which back those assailants. We need to hear the narrative from the party that matters most: the survivor.

So on Sept. 24, I encourage you to go to your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of Miller’s memoir. Because it’s no longer the

The impact of vaping on teenagers Critiquing the marketing techniques of Juul FAITH COWELL ’22 Columnist It’s hard to say if Juul Labs Inc.’s advertising techniques have been a stroke of marketing genius or an unethical ploy to bring a Big Tobacco-like substitute back by introducing an alternative addictive substance it to a new market.

In all honesty, it’s both. But right now the brand is in trouble.

Juul Labs Inc. is under fire for marketing their e-cigarettes as “safer than” traditional cigarettes because the Juul device does not comply with regulations to prove that’s true.

Unfortunately, people believed them and bought the product.

The company is also receiving criticism for marketing the vaping device to teens; marketing ads which can easily be seen by searching Google for the phrase “Juul ad.” A majority of the images that come up are of “casually dressed 20-year-old models being cool, smiling, joyously jumping, and kissing while vaping their Juul,” said a recently published study from Stanford.

This study further noted that, during the launch of Juul, most of their promotional events were geared towards youths, and that the events had “a definite youthful and rock music theme.” Pictures from these events

show a youthful audience dancing, laughing, and sampling Juuls and pod flavors, “in poses reminiscent of teen behavior.”

The Juul also gained popularity via consumer marketing on social media. In its initial wave of popularity, Juul memes among youths were popular, often depicting a reaction to when one finds their pod empty or their Juul dead.

Additionally, Juuls were posted on apps like VSCO and Instagram that are widely used by youths. Many celebrity influencers

mango, mint, creme brulee, Virginia tobacco, cucumber, and fruit medley. Off-brand companies also jumped in on the Juul pod craze and began manufacturing flavors like watermelon, strawberry and cotton candy.

Is anyone surprised that thse Big Tobacco substitutes targeted youths in order to become relevant again? Because I’m not.

Industries like Big Tobacco and Big Pharma moved past the proverbial “grey area” long ago, as they clearly have no qualms about immoral marketing and ethics. The

Big industries like Tobacco and Big Pharma moved past the proverbial “grey area” long ago, as they clearly have no qualms about immoral marketing and ethics. The vape and e-cig industry is no different. have also been photographed using a Juul.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco use among teens had been at a historic low until 2015 when the Juul device was introduced.

Consequently, the Juul and other e-cigarettes started gaining popularity.

Critics are calling Juul Labs Inc. out for marketing heavily to teenagers, classifying their ads and flavors as the biggest culprits.

Originally, there were five Juul flavors:

vape and e-cig industry is no different.

Objectively, Juul Labs Inc.’s marketing campaign was genius: tobacco sales were at an all-time low among teens, so they focused on bringing it back to that market. They used sweet flavors and targeted advertisements to draw teens in with the promise of a “nicotine buzz” that was “safer than cigarettes.”

And now they’ve got a huge population of the generation hooked; raking in cash from the previously fallen Big Tobacco at

unprecedented rates. It’s impossible to even walk across St. Joe’s campus without seeing at least one person using a Juul or a vape. In fact, I’ve met several people who have begun “casually smoking” cigarettes after they got hooked on using a Juul .

Recently, President Donald Trump announced he was planning to ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes in the U.S. The announcement came after the sixth recorded death that was possibly linked to vaping.

(Interesting how they’ll ban vapes after six vape-related deaths and not ban assault rifles after thousands of murders. But that’s for another article).

Moreover, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan placed an emergency ban on all flavored e-cigarettes in the state of Michigan, and recently the states of New York and New Jersey raised the tobacco/e-cig purchasing age to 21.

It’s hard to tell if these anti-vape legislative efforts will actually work, since Juul Labs Inc. did such a great job at saturating the teenage market so quickly. However, it can be said that Juul Labs Inc.’s marketing team did their job exceedingly well.

Unfortunately, too well. It’s not the anti-vape campaigns we need. What we need are the companies that sell products like these to stop valuing their profit margins over the health of their consumers. But this is America, so we’ll see how that goes.

6

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Sept. 18, 2019

From Lil’ Kim to Megan Thee Stallion Assessing sexism and double standards in the rap industry HADASSAH COLBERT ’20 Assistant Opionions Editor Rap music since its inception has either ignored women as a whole or spoken about them, for the most part, as sexual objects for the taking.

To be clear, this is not an article bashing rap music or rappers. I grew up on rap. To remix Renée Descartes, I rap therefore I am. This piece is instead a rebuttal to the recurring argument that women only rap about their bodies and sexuality in order to address the rampant sexism and double standards within the industry.

Most recently during an interview with “People Now,“rapper and So So Def label boss, Jermaine Dupri had a few things to say about the current lady rappers. “I feel like they’re all rapping about the same thing,” Dupri said. “I don’t think they’re showing us who’s the best rapper. For me, it’s like strippers rapping.”

This garnered more than a few responses from some ladies in the rap game such as Doja Cat and Cardi B. Both pointed out in Instagram videos that there are plenty of female rappers who don’t in fact rap about sex all the time, citing women like Philadelphia native Tierra Whack, Rapsody, Kamaiyah and Chika.

But unfortunately, Durpi is not alone in this thinking. If you search “female rapper” on Twitter, you will be barraged with plenty of tweets calling female rappers prostitutes, strippers, whores and hoes because of what they choose to rap about.

Moreover, rap veteran, Snoop Dogg said in an August 2019 interview with the “Breakfast Club,” that he is tired of seeing

half naked women and provocative dancing.

Stating “You can be something different. Use your mind, cover your body up.” This is ironic coming from a man who has appeared in episodes of “Girls Gone Wild” and admitted in a May 2013 issue of “Rolling Stone” that he himself used to be a pimp. Here is another example of the double standards rappers believe. How can you criticize the very peo-

ILLUSTRATION: ANISSA WILSON '20/THE HAWK

ple you are profiting off of exploiting?

Men rap about sex all the time and no one is calling them gigolos except for those like Snoop Dogg who self-idenitfy as pimps.

My question is why are men allowed to be sexual in their music, but women cannot?

Historically, when female rappers talk about sex it’s often as a form of empowerment or a form of liberation. When men talk about sex it’s usally having power over someone or using it to degrade someone else.

For example, Tupac Shakur attacks the Notorious B.I.G. in “Hit ‘Em Up” when he

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states, “That’s why I f----- your b----” and, You claim to be a player but I f----- your wife.” Shakur uses these degrading lyrics to embarrass and lessen Biggie’s street credibility by minimizing women to objects for the sexual taking.

It is also necessary to point out the history of female rappers themselves. When female rappers like MC Lyte, Queen Latifah,

Da Brat and Monie Love started getting into the rap industry in the ’80s, women were constricted not only in what they could rap about but also how they could dress in order for the male led agencies to take them seriously.

MC Lyte began her career wearing sweat suits and sneakers so that she came off more masculine in order for people to take her seriously. After she garnered that initial respect, she started dressing more feminine and showing more skin.

Women still were never really in a place culturally or socially where they could talk

about sex. Until the ’90s that is.

In the ’90s, groups and people like SaltN-Pepa, TLC, Lil’ Kim, Kelis, Foxy Brown, Missy Elliot and Khia exploded onto the rap scene with sexually explicit lyrics. Salt-N-Pepa released “Let’s Talk About Sex” in 1991 and it reached No. 13 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Lil Kim, one of the queens of rap, came onto the scene in 1995 and was overtly sexual from the beginning.

In a 1997 interview with bell hooks for Paper magazine, Lil’ Kim states “We have people like Too Short, Luke Skyywalker, Biggie, Elvis Presley, Prince, who are very, very, very sexual, and they don’t get trashed because they like to do it. But all of a sudden, we have a female who happens to be a rapper, like me, and my doin’ it is wrong. And ’cause I like doin’ it, it's even more wrong because we’ve fought for years as women to do the same things that men are doing.”

Lil‘ Kim made an extremely valid point: rap highlights the “Madonna-whore” complex. Women are okay when they are quiet, pretty, clean, submissive and complying to the man’s sexual desire—a.k.a. the “Madonna.” However, they immediately are labeled as “prostitutes,” or whores when they enjoy sex and openly express it.

Furthermore, men who think female rappers are rapping like prostitutes only prefer for women to be seen as sexual objects, yet disrespect women who express their sexuality.

These women are expressing their sexuality and making it into an art form that empowers other women to be sexy and feel sexy.

These fragile male rappers are upset about it because they no longer hold a monopoly over sex talk in rap.

In the words of Missy Elliot “Girls girls get that cash, if it’s a nine to five or shaking your…”

PART II

Ewmanuel Mofokeng stirs paint before putting a coat on Project Nkgono’s latest project. PHOTO: THE HAWK

Nonprofit assists grandmothers with housing CARLY CALHOUN ’21 Assistant News Editor NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Special Projects Editor MAUTSE, SOUTH AFRICA — When heavy rains came down on Mautse in the winter of 2018, water poured through cracks and holes of many of the houses that were constructed from wood and sheets of corrugated iron.

Many of the elderly residents of the black township, which is located in the Free State, across the road from the white farming and arts community of Rosendal, could not afford to fix the damages to their zinc shacks.

Lerato Mosala, a Mautse native and community leader, witnessed the destruction as he walked around parts of the township that have informal structures. Locals still refer to these homes and settlements as “squatter camps.”

“I checked to see which [shacks] aren’t in good condition,” Mosala said. “I approached the people living in them and asked about the condition and the difficulties. From there I asked their permission to help.”

Across the road in Rosendal, Frik de Jager, owner of Benjamin’s restaurant, learned of the destroyed homes from his manager, Mmakatleho Maseko. She told him that her neighbor’s house, inhabited by six people, including a grandmother, had been flooded. “[Maseko] came to me last winter in tears and she said the nkgono (granny), opposite her lives in this shack, and the shack is flooded,” de Jager said. “So I went to have

a look that very day, and I decided we need to do something.”

Maseko said she told de Jager about her neighbors because every time it rained, their house flooded.

“I always feel sorry for them,” Maseko said.

“I decided to say something with the hope that [de Jager] was going to do something.”

In October of that year, de Jager started Project Nkgono, which means “grandmother” in Sotho, the language of the indigenous people of the area. The mission of the project is to help grandmothers in Mautse who cannot afford to repair damage to their homes.

De Jager sought out community leaders in Mautse to work with and said Mosala stood out to him as someone who could run the project.

“He’s got integrity, and he cares about the community,” de Jager said. “He really cares about people, so that’s what stood out about Lerato.”

After attending primary and secondary school in Mautse, Mosala left in 1999 to attend university on the Western Cape.

After 17 years away, he decided to move back home permanently in 2016. Upon his return, he realized that townships like Mautse, created by the apartheid government decades ago, still struggle to recover from the policies of racial segregation, including poor housing conditions and a lack of government assistance.

“Much has changed, but still much has to change,” Mosala said. “We are getting there slowly. We are far from big cities like Johannesburg, so things are taking a long time to change.”

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Township

Racially segregated residential areas created by the apartheid government for black South Africans. Many townships still lack basic services, infrastructure and other amenities enjoyed by residents of former white suburbs.

Rosendal

Rosendal was a small farming town in the Free State province inhabited by white South Africans. It is now home to many artists who moved from cities to this rural area.

Mautse

Mautse is a township located across the main road from Rosendal. It is still home to South Africans who apartheid laws classified as Black. Unemployment levels are high in Mautse.

PARTICIPANTS

Rose Barrett ’20 Carly Calhoun ’21 Jackie Collins ’21 Ana Faguy ’19 Gabby Gutierrez ’21 Alex Hargrave ’20 Sarah Harwick ’21 Nick Karpinski ’21 Ryan Mulligan ’21 Kaila Mundell-Hill ’20 Cara Smith ’21 Alex Vadaketh ’22 FACULTY

Shenid Bhayroo Jenny Spinner

Sept. 18, 2019

Project Nkgono addresses housing shortage

Lerato Mosala stands inside a new room built by Project Nkgono for a Mautse grandmother. PHOTOS: ALEX VADAKETH ’22/THE HAWK

FROM PREVIOUS PAGE Looking for a way to make a difference, Mosala decided Project Nkgono was one way he could impact his community.

“I got involved with the project so I could help with the elderly,” Mosala said.

“When I went to investigate I found that there wasn’t much of a foundation to build the shacks.”

De Jager’s ongoing role in the project is to help collect donations and materials to rebuild the damaged homes. In order to ensure Project Nkgono’s ability to create change in living conditions, donations are necessary. De Jager said he reaches out to community members, and even his own friends, to raise funds. Once the funding is acquired, de Jager said it is important to ask what kind of help people want, rather than assume their needs.

“It’s very important for me to preserve the dignity and ask first,” de Jager said. “Going through a dialogue of saying,

‘What are your needs?’ and ‘Let’s see how we can meet your needs.’”

For his part, Mosala walks around the informal settlement parts of Mautse looking for potential families to assist. Asking to provide assistance is a philosophy that de Jager and Mosala share.

“We want to find a family and say what we can do, and then ask if it would be okay to help,” Mosala said.

Project Nkgono currently has five volunteers who construct and paint the shacks.

The project can’t afford to pay workers, and without these volunteers there would be no one to repair or rebuild houses.

Ewmanuel Mofokeng, a Mautse native and project volunteer on break from university, said he plans to use the knowledge that he acquires at school to develop the community that he calls home.

“When I finish my course I still want to create something that will help the people of this community, or these community members would benefit from it,” Mofokeng said.

Mautse grandmother, Vuyiswa Adoons in front of her home, which received a new room and a fresh coat of paint from Project Ngkono.

Members of the community are grateful for the work that Project Nkgono is doing for the elderly, Mosala said. The most recently constructed shack belongs to Vuyiswa Adoons, a grandmother living in Mautse.

On a brisk winter day in late June, Adoons walked outside her reconstructed shack, freshly painted in a light yellow. Project Nkgono had added a third room onto

the shack, where six people lived, including Vuyiswa, her two daughters and three young grandchildren.

“I am very, very happy,” Adoons said through a translator.

With her hands clasped against her chest, Adoons nodded her head in thanks and smiled. Mosala looked at the nkgono and reciprocated with a broad smile.

Frik de Jager, owner of Benjamin’s restaurant in Rosendal, founded Project Nkgono in 2018.

Sept. 18, 2019

Township ballet schools nurture girls’ dreams to be ballerinas

Children at the Joburg Ballet Satellite School in Soweto learn ballet, an activity their mothers said was unimaginable for themselves as black girls growing up in South Africa. PHOTOS: ALEX HARGRAVE '20/THE HAWK

KAILA MUNDELL-HILL ’20 Copy Chief SOWETO, South Africa — In a small dance studio in a community center in the township of Soweto, six young black girls decked out in pink stood in first position at the barre.

This small troupe of girls learning ballet at Uncle Tom’s Community Center are students in one of the Joburg Ballet’s three Satellite Schools, located in the townships of Soweto and Alexandra, and in the central Johannesburg suburb of Braamfontein.

The Joburg Ballet is a professional ballet company based in Johannesburg that operates a Ballet School and Academy for pre-professional students.

As of June 2019, about 100 students are enrolled in the Satellite Schools, according to Jo-Anne Wyngaard and Tshego Masoabi, co-directors of the Satellite Schools since 2014.

The Satellite Schools offer dance classes three times a week for children ages 6-12 taught by dance professionals for a subsidized fee of R100 ($7) per month.

“It’s far less money than anything that you would pay if you were going to dance at a private school,” said Masoabi, who is also a dance teacher for the Satellite Schools.

Many parents stressed their children are not only learning ballet, a foundation for many other dance forms, but also the discipline that is central to ballet.

“I think the one thing I really love about ballet is the discipline it instills, and the etiquette that she will have,” said

Thandolwamahlase Sibsi, whose 7-yearold daughter, Alwande-Uthanda, is a student at the school in Soweto. “She’s very disciplined, especially with the time. She knows, ‘I don’t want to be late for ballet.’

lies that are just recently out of apartheid.”

For Nobuntu Mpahlaza, whose 8-yearold daughter, Umhle, is a student at the Soweto Satellite School, ballet was something she said felt far removed from her own childhood.

A Joburg Ballet dance instructor leads a class of girls learning ballet at Uncle Tom’s Community Center in Soweto.

She’s always cautious about those things.”

Sibsi said it’s important for her daughter to know she can pursue dance if it’s what she is passionate about. In apartheid South Africa, ballet was the preserve of the dominant white culture and society, inaccessible to people of color.

“Our history in this country is very sad in a way because there were so many things that black people were not necessarily able to dream of doing growing up,” Sibsi said. “Even with myself growing up, I wanted to do ballet at some point, but you’re coming from fami-

“So for me, I would have said to my mom sending us to ballet, ‘Oh, no that’s for white people,” Mpahlaza said. “I’d never seen a black ballerina on stage.”

Another parent, Nonhlanhla Nkosi, said she now regards ballet as tangible for young black children like her 6-year old daughter, Okuhle.

“It’s important for them to be exposed to other things, to explore in other things,” Nkosi said. “We never thought there’d be Joburg Ballet in Soweto, do you understand? We blacks thought, ‘Oh this is for

whites,’ but no, it’s here with us.”

Keke Chele, who works in PR and publicity for the Joburg Ballet as well as teaches in the Satellite Schools, said the Satellite Schools were established for that very purpose: to expose children in the townships to more creative artforms like dance and to help them see themselves as future artists.

“As a young black man myself from the townships, I knew that a lot of these things that I saw either on TV, movies or anywhere, were very far removed from our immediate life, especially within the arts,” Chele said. “There weren’t many channels that one could follow.

The company itself realized the need for unearthing raw talent in the townships.”

Ultimately, one of the main goals of the schools is to produce black dancers, said Wyngaard and Masoab.

“The point of the matter is there are black ballet dancers of South Africa that do exceptionally well overseas, but they don’t come from the academy,” Wyngaard said.

Although not all students who begin taking classes in the Satellite Schools go on to become professional dancers, Wyngaard said ballet classes gives students more than just dance skills.

“I don’t see it just for the end result of wearing a tutu,” Wyngaard said.

Wyngaard offered one former student who did not pursue dance professional as an example.

“It’s changed how she is as a person, the confidence it gave her,” Wyngard said. “If you give her tasks and duties and say you need to oversee xyz people, dancing allowed her to be that person.”

Sept. 18, 2019

Farmer helps brew change in coffee culture in South Africa JACKIE COLLINS ’21 Copy Editor DURBAN, South Africa — The seven-acre estate in Harrison Valley that Rick James purchased nearly 30 years ago came with neglected coffee trees scattered about its slopes. Its prior owner had injured his back and couldn’t manage climbing up and down the slopes to take care of the trees.

James wasn’t interested in the coffee trees anyway. When he moved to this scenic outer west suburb of Durban with his wife, Lesley, his intention was to push-start his career as a poultry farmer.

“I had a partner who had agriculture experience, so the deal was, I bought the property, he came with agriculture knowledge,” James said. “We started to do chickens, live chickens, which I didn’t like. And I started to look at the coffee because it was starting to bean. Then the partnership fell apart. He went, the chickens went, and we climbed into the coffee.”

James founded Assagay Coffee Farm in 1991, and the next year was fulfilling the company’s first order to Heidi’s Farmstall, a famous pit-stop along the national road to KwaZulu-Natal in the Durban area.

When James started Assagay Coffee Farm, there was only a single coffee farm in South Africa, Beaver Creek Coffee Es-

In 2002, James moved his company to a 100-acre farm in Harrison Valley, a mountainous halfway point between Pietermaritzburg and Durban. He now grows and picks from around 30,000 coffee trees.

“Coffee culture is catching on,” James said. “People know that to grind it every day is better than buying and storing it. The flavors are better, things like that. It’s been a huge growth in the coffee industry, massive. There’s a lot of coffeeholics around.”

For Erina Nigrini, founder of AfricaBlack Roastery and Espresso Bar in Johannesburg, the South African penchant for instant coffee also made her company an outlier when she started it in 2003.

“There was hardly any specialty coffee available then in South Africa,” Nigrini said. “You literally had to try to get somebody to change from instant coffee to filter coffee.”

Even Debbie Main, a barista trainer and roaster at AfricaBlack, said she was once convinced that instant coffee was top quality.

“Before I started working here, I thought I drank good coffee because I drank Jenkins,” Main said. “It’s a green label instant coffee which is one of the slightly more expensive coffees. So I thought I drank good coffee because of that.”

Nigrini said she has noticed a shift from instant coffee to filter coffee in the last decade. Filtered coffee, popular in the United

Rick James, coffee farmer and owner of Assagay Coffee Farm, checks the beans on one of the farm's 30,000 trees.

tate, located in Port Edward, a small resort town on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal. Most South African farmers considered that to be more than enough attention on the tropical coffee plant in their sub-tropical country, James said.

“Nobody grew coffee in South Africa, or very few people, so there was very little knowledge around it,” James said.

The early years were a struggle for James, who taught himself how to farm the coffee trees.

“We sold our first crop of green coffee, which took about two years for us to get paid for, and it was very little money,” James said.

“We said, ‘No, no, no, this is not going to work.’ So we bought a roaster, and we started to roast ourselves. And then sell it out.”

Part of the challenge was convincing South Africans to forego their love of instant coffee, prepared by stirring dried coffee extract with hot water or milk, for fresh coffee beans. Some of the most popular instant coffee brands in South Africa are made by Nescafe, Frisco and Jacobs Douwe Egberts.

“When we started, we battled to sell coffee, filter coffee, because people still believed that instant coffee was the way to go,” James said. “We’ve just had to hang in, and hang in, and hang in. But now we are selling like crazy.”

States, is made by pouring hot water onto ground coffee beans.

Why the sudden breakaway from instant coffee? Now more than ever, there are accessible outlets for education on coffee in South Africa, Nigrini said. That was not the case just a couple of years ago. In fact, when Nigrini was starting out in the business, she said her only option for professional training was in Atlanta, G., where she attended an annual expo sponsored by the Special Coffee Association of America (SCAA).

“In South Africa, there was not one barista school,” Nigrini said. “There was not one roastery that would allow you to go into their restaurant to see. I went to SCAA and learned everything I could. I did my first coffee course, I did my first barista course, and I did my first roasting course because it was not available in this country.”

Mindful of her own difficulties, Nigrini now offers barista classes in the AfricaBlack facility.

“I think if we want to grow our industry, we have to educate our industry,” said Nigrini. “For us, every time we teach a new person how to make coffee and we get them passionate about it, they are going to put their passion onto somebody else. It’s tweaking people’s ways of making coffee that can better their coffee.”

James also is working to educate people

Assagay Coffee Farm, a 100-acre farm in Harrison Valley, in the KwaZulu-Natal province, is one of only two established coffee farms in South Africa. PHOTOS: ROSE BARRETT '20/THE HAWK

about coffee at the Assagay Coffee Farm. He offers educational school tours, guiding students through the coffee growing, milling and roasting process at the farm.

“I figured if I could do school tours, I could maybe turn some of those kids that didn’t know what they wanted to do to become [coffee] farmers,” said James.

Emmanuel Chimkoko, coffee specialist and owner of Java Shots Coffee, a coffee stand in the bustling Rosebank Sunday Market on the roof of the RoseBank Mall in Johannesburg, said he has noticed the growth of the coffee market in the past few years.

Customers seem to appreciate the specialty coffees he offers at his stand, Chimoko said, and take the time to sit down and enjoy a caffè mocha, latte, Americano, espresso, or, the most popular drink at the stand, a cappuccino.

“The coffee culture is changing because a lot of people now are starting to understand coffee,” Chimkoko said. “The younger generation is getting more knowledge on it.”

Nigrini and Main have also found that younger coffee drinkers are driving the market for fresh coffee. But these drinkers also are practicing what Main describes as “coffee with a conscience,” wanting to know where the coffee beans are sourced.

“To know you are drinking coffee from Rwanda, from a coffee estate from a woman who only has female employees, I think that makes it special,” said Nigrini, referring to the growth of women coffee producers in that African country. “It’s nice to know you are supporting somebody and you can help uplift their lives.”

Still, with the only two established coffee farms in the country, the South African coffee bean is not easily accessible to be brewed in the country’s independent coffee shops, according to Nigrini. “[The estates] are extremely limited with the amount of coffee they produce,” Nigrini said.

Nigrini herself does not roast or sell South African coffee beans. Instead, she produces an African blend, a dark roast with Uganda and Rwanda origins with rich berry acidity, a dark chocolate finish and notes of caramel and stone fruit. Her roastery’s most popular blend is the Vintage Blend, a medium to dark roast that mixes Central American and African beans.

That reflects the popularity of African coffee in general, Nigrini said.

“In terms of African coffees, worldwide it is very popular, and it’s a huge trend to drink African coffees,” Nigrini said.

For now, farmers like James are doing their best to feed the market with native beans. Global warming may be helping.

James said his beans now survive the winter season in South Africa, from June to Aug., rivaling coffee countries like Brazil and Vietnam where, because of tropical climates, coffee can be grown year-round.

“Back then South Africa was considered sub-tropical, and we were told that coffee wouldn’t grow here,” James said on a warm winter day in late June. “Global warming is changing the seasons. These beans shouldn’t be growing right now. We’ve been told that we are getting tropical.”

Erina Nigrini, founder of AfricaBlack Roastery and Espresso Bar in Johannesburg, said coffee culture in South Africa is slowly shifting away from instant coffee to freshly ground beans.

Features

The Hawk Newspaper

Sept. 18, 2019

7

Student runs 100 days of 5Ks for Alzheimer's awareness ZACH DOBINSON ’22 Assistant Features Editor Running a 5K can seem like a daunting task to many people, but for Ethan Widrig ’20 it has become part of a daily routine.

Widrig created his 100 Days of 5Ks campaign to raise support and awareness for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA). He started the campaign on Aug. 26 and is scheduled to go until Dec. 3, spanning the whole fall semester. As of press time, Widrig has completed 24 days of 5Ks, almost a quarter of his campaign.

Olivia O’Reilly ’20, a friend and supporter of Widrig, said the campaign is merely Widrig practicing what he preaches.

“One of his favorite phrases is ‘buy into the things you want to participate in’,” O’Reilly said.

Widrig’s goal for the campaign is to raise $2,000. As of press time, he has raised $350.

The cause for the campaign hits close to home for Widrig. His grandmother, who he called Grandma June, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease for most of Widrig’s life and passed away when he was a junior in high school. Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that destroys memory and thinking skills, eventually making simple tasks impossible, according to the National Institute on Aging.

“The hardest part with Alzheimer’s is normally with people, when people pass away, they’re here and they’re gone,” Widrig said. “With Alzheimer’s you have to kind of watch them erode away, just forget stuff, and have a hard time functioning.”

In the beginning, there were moments where Widrig and his family could make

light of Grandma June’s diagnosis. Every week, the family would take her out to the same restaurant. Grandma June would look over the menu and think about what she would get every week and ask everyone else what they were getting.

“Then she’d be like, ‘You know what I’m in the mood for? A big ‘ole juicy hamburger,’” Widrig said. “She’d say that every time so it was kind of funny,” Widrig said.

There were also times when, even in a setting like a hospital, Widrig said, little bits of Grandma June’s memory would shine through to let the family know she was still with them, physically and mentally. While in the hospital and despite her trouble with forming sentences, Grandma June managed to talk about her late husband with her son, Widrig’s father. She hadn’t mentioned him in, at that time, six to seven years.

“That was kind of incredible that she just talked about him a little bit with my dad,” Widrig said.

By the end of the campaign, Widrig is expected to run 500 kilometers, or 310 miles. Just thinking about a 5K is enough to tire some, but Widrig said he is hoping to use that to his advantage.

“I figured that would show my dedication to the cause and maybe it would give enough time to get people involved in it,” Widrig said.

The idea for Alzheimer’s awareness has been something Widrig has wanted to bring to life since last semester. Originally, Widrig said he wanted to have an organized 5K whose proceeds would be donated to Alzheimer’s research. While the organized 5K is still a goal for Widrig, his 100 day campaign was something he could organize for just him and his friends.

Day or night, Widrig maintains his de-

Ethan Widrig ’20 runs his 5Ks on the Kevin Quinn ’62 track. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

termination to complete his daily 5K. Even if that means running in the middle of the night, his friends are right there with him.

“It’s really inspiring because I was out there one time at 12 in the morning and he was running,” said Bea Tomale ’21, a friend and supporter of Widrig.

Mike Soucy ’20, who has known Widrig since high school, has participated in some of the daily 5Ks. Soucy said he feels that while a lot of people know what Alzheimer’s is, Widrig’s campaign is making people think about it more.

“I just think it’s really cool that he’s doing it and it’s bringing awareness to something that we all know about, but may look past,” Soucy said.

O’Reilly, who is currently working on being able to run a 5K with Widrig, said she feels that her work towards a 5K reminds her just how hard Widrig’s campaign is.

“A normal person shouldn’t be able to do that, but his passion for the project just pushes him to keep going every single day,” O’Reilly said.

Widrig said he also has plans to organize community walks so that those who are intimidated by or unable to run a 5K can still take part in the campaign. Additionally, Widrig said he has been contacted

by Sigma Phi Epsilon and Phi Sigma Pi to schedule runs.

To Tomale, Widrig’s campaign is something to be amazed at, both for its mission and it’s inspiration.

“I’m just really impressed and amazed at his dedication because he’s so passionate about raising awareness and support for Alzhiemer’s,” Tomale said. “I know it comes from a very special place in his heart.”

For updates on Widrig’s campaign, follow @100days_of_5ks on Instagram.

Early move-in centers around topic of immigration KAITLYN PATTERSON ’20 Assistant Features Editor Before classes started on Hawk Hill, a group of 20 underclassmen, alongside student leaders and faculty, explored the issue of migration in the United States.

SJU Reads is a two-day early move-in program that invites incoming first year students and sophomores to participate in experiential learning grounded in reading and reflection to learn about the Ignatian value of social justice.

“I wanted to get people from all over campus involved in something mission re-

lated,” said Nancy Fox, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, who spearheaded the creation of the program.

SJU Reads used to serve as a part of orientation but was taken out of the itinerary because there was a lack of students who actually read the selected books, according to Fox. The program was absent from the St. Joe’s community until Fox read a book titled “Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas. The book depicts the story of Vargas, who is an undocumented immigrant from the Philippines.

Students participate in service work in a community garden. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAM RICKLE, S.J.

“I read the book in three days [and thought] we have to get this into the hands of the community,” Fox said.

This sparked the resurrection of SJU Reads.

Fox said she, along with several faculty members and students, meticulously worked to turn SJU Reads into an independent early move-in program.

The program was spread out over two days and students participated in discussions and reflections about immigration, community building and a visit to immigrant neighborhoods in South Philadelphia.

Within these communities, students got the chance to do service in a community garden and interact with immigrant business owners in the area. In addition, students and faculty ate diverse meals as a way of immersing themselves into the program further, according to Fox. “The activity in the community garden was particularly great because it gave the students a chance to bond with each other,” said William Rickle, S.J. campus minister of Athletics and Student Life who accompanied the students on their visit in the communities.

Genna Kindelberger ’22 was a participant in the SJU Reads program this summer.

She explained that the students got the opportunity to talk with two individuals who grow crops in the garden as well.

“They gave us lots of information about how important food is to their culture and learning to cook with American ingredients,” Kindelberger said.

Through discussions and reflections, students get a broader understanding and appreciation for the complexity of immigra-

tion history, Rickle explained.

“It puts fresh eyes and a fresh perspective on the current situation we have,” Rickle said.

Kindelberger added that there are so many different groups of immigrants in the Philadelphia area, which is why it is so important to have programs like this.

“There are so many other groups that are not seen. and I thought it was really interesting to work with those groups,” Kindelberger said. “Going to St. Joe’s and living in the area we live in, which is a predominantly white area, I think learning about immigration and other cultures is so important to have an understanding of people in general.”

Paul Ammons ’20, student leader for the program, said that SJU Reads also provides learning spaces for students to put this knowledge into the context of their own lives and experiences.

“For me it was a validation of my experiences," Ammons said. “I’m from San Diego and I live right on the border, so I was able to discuss my identity, living that experience and also being a Latino on campus.”

Ammons added that grounding dialogue through the context of the assigned reading allowed students to create a space to open a discussion on identity and belonging in the St. Joe’s community.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for students to have these conversations about belonging through the lens of who they are and the identity through which they live,” Ammons said. “Whether that be their migration status, their race, their gender, social class, or faith tradition.”

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Sept. 18, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Features

"A Survey" showcases lifelong work of Susan Fenton ZACH DOBINSON ’22 Assistant Features Editor The St. Joe's community remembered Susan Fenton at an event on Sept. 13 where people were brought through four decades of her work. Fenton served as the chair of the art department at St. Joe’s until 2018.

“A Survey” is a photo exhibition showcasing Fenton’s work from the beginning of her photo career in 1979 up until 2016. currently on display in the Merion Hall Atrium until Sept. 23. The exhibition featureswork from Fenton’s decades-long photography career.

The exhibition opened on Aug. 19, one year and one day after Fenton suffered a seizure that would lead to a diagnosis of glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Fenton died on Nov. 23, 2018 at the age of 69.

The night was narrated by Fenton’s husband, Larry Spaid, who told the story of Fenton’s work at a talk held in the Merion Atrium. Spaid explained that the dates of the exhibition were chosen for their timeliness with Fenton’s illness.

“We began the installation of this exhibit 12 months to the day of her seizure,” Spaid said. “Today [Sept. 13], is the 13th month since her seizure. It’s Friday the 13th. Susan left us 103 days after her seizure. It was a full moon. Today is a full moon.”

Spaid explained that full moons were important to Fenton because those were the only times she would add to her one of her projects.

Spaid and Fenton were together for more than 40 years. He got to see Fenton and her work more than anyone else ever would.

Spaid described Fenton as “focused beyond belief ” with diligence and organization.

Fenton’s passion for photography was sparked during her time enrolled in an M.F.A program at the Mason Gross School of Art at Rutgers University New Brunswick. In 1978, she took a leave of absence from her job as a middle school art teacher because she wanted something more, something that was missing.

Fenton’s mentor at Rutgers recommended using photography as a medium for an assignment. What happened next would snowball from a graduate school portfolio into “A Survey,” with 40 years of work and relationships in between.

The oldest pieces of the exhibition were some of Fenton’s earliest photographs taken on her first professional camera. Spaid said she used a “simple” 35 mm and turned one of the closets of their Bucks County home into a makeshift darkroom. What followed was reminiscent of a Barbie playhouse with unusual houseguests.

“A Survery” is on display in the Merion Hall Atrium from Aug. 19 until Sept. 23. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

“She took her collection of Ken, Barbie, [and] Batman dolls and combined them with a wind up dinosaur and went to town,” Spaid said.

It was during a trip to Scandinavia in the ’80s that Fenton really advanced with the camera. There, Fenton bought a Hasselblad camera, a distinguished European camera company, and her photographic world changed.

“She took to the camera,” Spaid said. “It was much more efficient. It was faster.”

During his speech, Spaid shared a memory of Fenton on the Swiss Alps, one where he said not even the blistering cold shook Fenton’s love of photography. With every bit of clothing she had on, Fenton, along with Spaid and their dog, Oreo, sat huddled in a makeshift tent on the side of the Swiss Alps.

She was thinking about an investigative story in an international newspaper.

In addition to art, Fenton loved researching. She loved being a problem solver.

Unsurprisingly, Fenton had figured out the outcome of the investigation before she had even read the conclusion.

“I said, ‘Susan you’ve got on the wrong boat,” Spaid said. You could be the next Sherlock, the female-Sherlock.”

He said Fenton looked at him, still excited from solving the investigation, and said, “‘Yeah maybe you’re right, but I wouldn’t be having as much fun.”

Larry Spaid delivers a speech about his wife’s work.

Alongside dozens of family friends, St. Joe’s staff and faculty were in attendance on Sept. 13, as well as former students of Fenton.

“Not only was she a natural, dynamic mother, she was a natural teacher,” Spaid said. “She brought that natural maternal instinct into her classroom.”

Olivia Martino ’15 said she only took one class with Fenton but immediately felt the effects of Fenton’s nurturing personality.

“In Susan’s mind anyone could be a photographer,” Martino said. “She just saw so much potential in everyone that you kind of came out thinking you were a photographer.”

Other students like Michael Lepore ’17 and Kristine Wood ’17 both spent extensive time in Fenton’s classroom. Lepore was a teaching assistant for multiple of Fenton’s classes and Wood enrolled in her classes multiple times.

As a teaching assistant, Lepore got to see first hand the way Fenton taught, striving to make her students feel comfortable and confident in what they were doing.

“We would argue about certain [things] just so that a student would feel comfortable coming up to her and speaking to her without worry of her criticizing or ridiculing them,” Lepore said.

Wood had played around with the camera on her phone and was originally a science major. After enrolling in Fenton’s class-

es, Wood changed her major to English and art with a focus on photography.

“She was the first person that talked to me and gave me the hope to keep going,” Wood said. “She’s just stuck with me throughout the entire time. She taught me how to do everything I know.”

Although Sophia Dell’Acriprete ’22 never took a class with Fenton, she said that she wanted to come to the exhibition because she knew Fenton was a professor specializing in photography. With photography being her medium, Dell’Arciprete said she had a different appreciation for Fenton’s work at the showcase.

“It’s a different setting of how ‘Oh you’re waiting for class’ and your mind’s different when you’re looking at these photos,” Dell’Acriprete said. “Now we’re in a gallery setting and we’re looking at them sort of memorializing her and her work.”

Looking back on Fenton’s career, Spaid said that she left behind an enormous amount of work. It wasn’t the quantity of Fenton’s work that Spaid said made her memorable, it was the quality.

“My definition of an artist is someone that contributes to the language of their medium,” Spaid said. “I think Susan did that.”

Students, faculty and staff explored the exhibit on Sept. 13.

Features

The Hawk Newspaper

‘Queer Eye’ picks Philly as next location ZACH DOBINSON '22 Assistant Features Editor For some St. Joe’s students, their favorite celebrities are right in their backyard. The Netflix original, “Queer Eye”, recently finished filming in parts of Philadelphia for its upcoming fifth season.

Antoni Porowski, Bobby Berk, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown and Tan France, collectively known as the Fab Five, began filming on June 24 in the City of Brotherly Love.

“Queer Eye” debuted on Netflix in Feb. ruary 2018 as a reality show where five openly LGBTQIA+ men makeover the personality and life of someone nominated to be on the show.

The seven-time Emmy award winning series captured the hearts of viewers. What some viewers love about the show is its ability to change people’s perspectives.

According to Jimi McCusker ’22, the show’s ability to change attitudes and perspectives towards the LGBT community is eye opening, especially when the show is set in places where being a part of that community isn’t as easily accepted.

“It’s really interesting how they change the perspective of people,” McCusker said.

“It’s honestly really heart warming as well.”

Maggie Nealon ’20, president of SJU Pride, said she feels that the show’s power to change perspectives can be found in the representation the show provides.

“The episodes where the Fab Five assist someone in the LGBTQ+ community resonate especially with me, being a member of LGBTQ+ community myself,” Nealon said.

“I’ve really connected with these episodes, particularly the ones that discuss the intersections of sexuality and religion, as I find this to be a topic that should be emphasized more.”

With previous locations for the show being Kansas City, Mo. and Atlanta, Ga., Philadelphia brings a new perspective that some feel is perfect for the show.

Sept. 18, 2019

9

K-Pop Crash Course ALEX MARK ’20 Online Editor

GRAPHIC BY: KAITLYN PATTERSON ’20 / THE HAWK

Nick Vadala, a reporter for the Philadlephia Inquirer who has covered “Queer Eye”, said he feels the city was an ideal location.

“I think it’s definitely a good city,” Vadala said. “It’s got a good bit of attitude and looks good for TV. That always seems to be good.”

For some members of the Fab Five, this isn’t their first time in Philadelphia. Karamo Brown, the group lifestyle guru, has previously spent time in Philly filming MTV’s “The Real World: Philadelphia” in 2004.

Having no prior experience with previous settings Atlanta and Kansas City, Brown told the Philadephia Inquirer that Philadelphia was different. He feels that his prior experience in Philly allows him to have a deeper connection with the city.

McCusker also has strong roots in Philadelphia. Having grown up in and around the city, McCusker, much like Brown, said he has a different sense of appreciation for the city.

“There’s so many different types of people,” McCusker said. “Going to a Philly school I’ve realized that everyone is really accepting.”

The Fab Five, a group of different races, backgrounds and gender identities, often make over people who have little to no knowledge of or experiences with LGBT people.

Word about Queer Eye coming to Philly spread quickly in April when the Shazza Shop, a small accessory shop right off of South Street, posted casting flyers announcing casting would take place in Philadelphia for season five.

“The show’s casting directors came into my shop in April,” Sharon Sulecki, Shazza Shop’s owner, said. “They were in Philadelphia for a few days visiting neighbors and businesses to spread the word about the show casting here.”

Since the show’s debut, Netflix has released four seasons of the reality makeover show, usually dropping two seasons across a short amount of time. If the show follows its production patterns, Philly could see itself as the setting of the next two seasons.

For people like Nealon, two more seasons of “Queer Eye” means more than just hours spent watching Netflix, but rather time spent connecting with those closest to her.

“I’ve even gotten my family to watch it, and it’s become one of mom’s favorite shows,” said Nealon. “I think all of the stories from the different people they help have the ability to resonate with everyone in some sense, as they tap into something deeply vulnerable.”

Crossword: Summer 2019

It’s official: South Korean pop music, or K-pop, is taking the world by storm.

According to a study done by the Korea Foundation, a non-profit which aims to promote a better international understanding of Korea, about 30 million people worldwide have been swept up by Hallyu, or the “Korean Wave” in Chinese, in the past three years alone.

Interested in learning more? Here are some of the current top tracks (and a few throwbacks) to get you started: “KILL THIS LOVE” by BLACKPINK The hit single off girl group BLACKPINK’s latest mini album, “Kill This Love” is an intense power anthem about cutting ties with toxic people. Rappers Jennie and Lisa deliver cutting verses which singers Jisoo and Rosé balance perfectly with their crisp vocals.

“IDOL” by BTS ft. Nicki Minaj Featuring a rap verse by Nicki Minaj, BTS’ “IDOL” is a loud, in-your-face dance jam about loving yourself while under pressure.

It’s a wild ride from start to finish, written so every member gets a moment to shine. Not to mention, the music video is a swirling fever dream of brightly colored visual effects and iconic K-pop fashion.

“FANCY” by TWICE Energetic and cheerful, TWICE’s “FANCY” is a must-listen for anyone looking to get into K-pop. The song captures perfectly what it’s like to have a crush: exciting and sugary-sweet with just the right amount of pep in your step. “days gone by” by Day6 Combining ’80s-style synths with polished K-pop vocals, “days gone by” is an excellent track to stare off into the late summer sunset and reminisce to. Laidback and melancholic, the song showcases boy group Day6’s outstanding talent and emotionality.

“Everybody” by SHINee “Everybody” is an older song, but it’s also an absolute classic. SHINee, a boy group active since 2008, has always had a bright sound to them, and this foray into EDM-slash-dubstep is a real bop.

“I Got a Boy” by Girls’ Generation Released in 2013, “I Got a Boy” combines what, upon first listen, seems like several different songs into a fun, danceable mashup of sound. The high energy and quick tempo makes this song an excellent background track for working out or cleaning your dorm room.

It’s definitely worth at least one listen.

“Nan Arayo (I Know)” by Seo Taiji and Boys “Nan Arayo (I Know)” is utterly ’90s. Giving off extreme Backstreet Boys vibes, the track combines American pop and Korean words to create something quintessentially K-pop.

It’s a funky-fresh, old-school bop with a beat that’s easy to dance along to. Seo Taiji and Boys retired from music in 1996, but they are still massive pop culture icons in South Korea.

Across 2. With rap/country hit “Old Town Road” and the recent hit “Panini,” this new artist dominated the charts this summer.

4. Although her current hit song “Truth Hurts” was orignially released in 2017, this singer blew up in 2019.

8. 17-year-old Bilie Eillish rose high in the summer charts with this popular song.

9. This popular HBO show came to an end early this summer with a controversial eighth season.

11. These brothers made a comeback in spring 2019 and went on tour this summer, allowing many to relive their childhoods.

Down 1. Continuing the trend of Disney remakes, this favorite returned with a cast featuring Beyoncé and Donald Glover.

3. Just under two years after the previous season was released, season three of Netflix’s “___ Things” came out on July 4.

5. The latest Marvel film starring Tom Holland and Zendaya hit theatres on June 26.

6. The fourth film in this Pixar franchise came to theatres in June.

7. The fourth season of this reality show aired on Netflix in July, bringing the Fab Five to the Midwest.

10. Taylor Swift released this album in August, making it her seventh studio album.

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Sept. 18, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

Isis Gill-Reid transitions from tennis to track and field RYAN MULLIGAN ’21 Assistant Sports Editor Isis Gill-Reid has traded in her tennis racket for track spikes and will compete for the St. Joe’s track and field team this winter and spring.

The former St. Joe’s tennis standout began her career in the spring of 2016 at Longwood University and by 2019, after three seasons at St. Joe’s, had exercised all of her NCAA mandated four years of eligibility on

the tennis court. However, as an academic junior, she has decided to try her hand at track in her final year on Hawk Hill.

Gill-Reid said that the transition has done more than affect what kind of athlete she is.

“Moving from one team to another has shaped my character development,” Gill-Reid said. “I feel like I have something to prove, so I’m going all out. I need to show that I’m hungry.”

Outside the track, or court, Gill-Reid knows what it takes to develop character. She

Gill-Reid lead the women's tennis team with 16 doubles wins last season. PHOTO: LUKE MALANGA '20/ THE HAWK

was the St. Joe’s representative for the Atlantic 10 Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) which “strives to be active in communities on campus and across the nation serving those communities through campaigns and initiatives built to benefit NCAA athletes and their peers.”

As part of the SAAC, Gill-Reid was a member of a group of representatives that introduced the A-10 SAAC Mental Health Week in the fall of 2018. She said her position on the committee was admittedly part of her decision to continue being a student-athlete. “[Being an A-10 rep] played a huge role,” Gill-Reid said. “I was in the running for a possible NCAA rep this year, but they weren’t sure if I was going to be an athlete or not.

That was something I really wanted.”

However, Gill-Reid said she has embraced the challenge of switching sports head on. Instead of hitting tennis balls for hours on end during the summer, she adapted a crossfit regimen focused on core strength and increased her cardio. Throughout the summer, she was training with one, relatively modest goal for the preseason in mind.

“At the beginning I was scared that I would be the last one at every single practice but that hasn’t happened yet,” Gill-Reid said.

She ran track when she was younger but more recently has swam competitively and sees similarities in the mentality that she needs to have. Despite track and field being an individual sport, Gill-Reid said she has drawn on her teammates.

“I wanted to try something different,” Gill-Reid said. “To me track is like swimming, it’s just you against the clock. It’s very individualized, but I’m on a team with girls that are very supportive and just pushing me to be better."

Gill-Reid said her new track and field

teammates, who she knew prior to joining the team but never competed with, were extremely important in easing her transition between the two sports. One teammate specifically is senior Aliyah Stokes, who will run short sprints alongside Gill-Reid, and said her energy at practice is always positive, despite the difficulties of learning a new sport at such a high level.

“Transitioning to Division I track is really hard regardless of past experiences,” Stokes said. “It’s tough but she shows up ready to practice and be apart of the team every day and it’s awesome energy.”

Senior Tamar Bordeau, who Gill-Reid said has also helped her assimilate to the team, said the atmosphere around the track and field team is encouraging.

"Our team is very supportive of one another so we make it our priority to ensure our new members are doing okay," Bordeau said.

"Coming from another sport, I'm confident that she will work just as hard on the track as she did on the tennis court."

Despite the support from her new teammates, Gill-Reid can’t help but miss playing a sport that was once such a large part of her life.

“I’m feeling kind of nostalgic and I miss [tennis] more than I thought I would so I’m trying to play like once a week,” Gill-Reid said.

Tennis has become a hobby and now that track is her main focus. Gill-Reid said she hopes to make as much of an impact on the track as she did on the tennis court. She said her goal is to medal at the A-10 Championships, and Stokes says she is on the right track.

“She’s showing powerful potential so I’m super excited to see her compete this season," Stokes said.

Fornaro, Watkins look to lead as new captains MICHAEL DROOGAN ’20 Hawk Staff With co-captains senior defenseman Mike Fornaro and junior midfielder Aidan Watkins leading the way, the St. Joe’s men’s soccer team is poised to make a run at the Atlantic 10 Tournament this year.

The captains said they are looking to build momentum off last season where they finished 8-7-3 and just missed out on the tournament. The captain duo was chosen by the coaches to help lead them back to the postseason.

“We get a lot of feedback from the team when we do our individual meetings,” Head Coach Don D’Ambra said. “I think a leader is when coaches aren’t around who’s leading by example, who’s doing the right things.

And so a lot of guys just kept mentioning their names.”

Fornaro returns to his position as co-captain after holding the title last season, while this is Watkins’ first year wearing the captain's armband.

“Aidan’s a guy who deserved it,” Fornaro said. “I kind of knew when I got here that he was gonna be a captain. Not much has changed for him but he’s more vocal now, especially on the field.”

Watkins said his experience as a captain at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, Ind. prepared him for the role he now holds for the Hawks. He said he doesn’t see himself as superior to anyone else on the team, he just acts as a voice that’s just a little

louder than the others.

“I’m not gonna call him the bad cop, but Mike is the vocal one off the field,” Watkins said. “I try to keep a little bit of the positivity going for the team for the most part. Just keep guys up. Try to communicate things on the field.”

For the younger players, having someone like Watkins with them on the field both during games and at practice provides them with some support according to sophomore midfielder Garrett Lyons.

“I play the same position as Aidan,” Lyons said. “I ask him a lot of questions and he’ll pull me aside and show me what I was doing wrong and how I can be better. It’s never in a mean or yelling way. He’s always calm and helpful.”

Since transferring from Rutgers University his sophomore year, Fornaro has been captain for a majority of his career here at Hawk Hill. It is a role he said he has become comfortable in.

“For me the biggest thing is working with a new group of guys, younger guys,” Fornaro said. “I have to show them the right way to do things and what the program is all about.”

D’Ambra said part of the captains’ duties is to implement what’s expected and keep positive order.

“Michael is like that authoritative guy that’s not afraid to speak up,” D’Ambra said.

“If someone's out of line, he’ll call them out on it. He makes sure everything is in order and in place off the field. He is an organizer

Watkins (left) and Fornaro (right) both started 18 games last season. PHOTO: CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20/ THE HAWK

and an enforcer.”

While Fornaro and Watkins have learned to balance each other and work together, they have also had to do the same with the rest of the team.

“I think they know we have a lot of strong personalities on the team this year and that reflects in their leadership,” Lyons said. “They trust other guys to do things.

They relay responsibility. They’re not the captains who do everything.”

D’Ambra said he emphasizes this build-

ing of culture within the team. The team is focused on getting better throughout the season and building a foundation of hard work and respect. He believes if they get that, the wins will follow.

“When you look around at the talent we have on this team, we have a chance to make a real run at the A-10 championship,” Fornaro said. “I think everyone in the locker room would say the A-10 championship is our goal and everyone’s focused towards that right now.”

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

Sept. 18, 2019

11

Field hockey freshman becomes key player MATT DELEO ’20 Assistant Sports Editor St. Joe’s field hockey has come out strong in the early season with help from freshman midfielder Kacie Patton.

Patton is tied for second in goals with two and has four points in her first five games on Hawk Hill. She also racked up an Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week honor for her performance in the team's victory over No. 19 Rutgers University.

Junior forward Jordan Olenginski thinks the team's winning culture makes it easier for a freshman like Patton to excel.

“I think our team culture in general makes people be their best,” Olenginski said.

“That is what Kacie has done all season and everytime she has stepped on the field she has given 100% effort.”

Prior to coming to St. Joe’s, Patton won two U19 National Hockey Festival championships. Patton said she believes her smooth transition is due to the atmosphere surrounding St. Joe’s program.

“It is definitely the team’s culture, our Hawk habits,” Patton said. “It is about pushing everyone, being there for one another. I could not have had those goals without the team."

Freshman midfielder Katy Benton said Patton has good skill out on the field and a relentless drive.

“On the field she is always looking for the goalie rebound to tip the ball in,” Benton said. “She is always open at the top of the circle and has a beautiful hit to score goals.”

Patton has played internationally as well, representing the U.S. on the U16 Junior National Indoor Team in 2013 and in the National Futures Championship in 2015. Despite the accolades, Patton’s passion for field hockey comes simply from

Patton has played an integral role in the team’s 4-1 start and No. 14 national ranking. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SJU ATHLETICS

being a part of a team.

“What motivates me to play field hockey is the team aspect,” Patton said. “It is competitive and I am a very competitive person.

I love how the team is one big family and I love playing the game.”

Olenginski said Patton’s work ethic has contributed to her success on the field this season.

“Usually freshman come in and are tim-

id on the field and afraid to make mistakes,” Olenginski said. “She is not afraid of the field. She can play to her strengths and help us out as a team. That has contributed to her success so far.”

Patton said that it is important to keep the right frame of mind as a freshman student athlete.

“It is a lot different than high school,” Patton said. “It is important to be on top

of things and doing things ahead of time,” Patton said. “I have to make sure my head is in the right mentality between school and field hockey.”

Patton said her goals include gaining success for herself and for her team.

“To bring the best qualities that can help the team every single day, the best I can all the time,” Patton said. “[The team] just needs to play like how we play.”

12

Sept. 18, 2019

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

Elaine Estes juggles teaching and racing during her final year at St. Joe's SAM BRITT ’20 Sports Editor When graduate student Elaine Estes ’19 lined up before her race at the 2019 Monmouth Kick-Off Invitational, her goal was to start fast and get in front. Two weeks later she still hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.

Estes went on to win the individual title at the Monmouth Kick-Off on Sept.

7 and was recognized as the Atlantic 10 Performance of the Week. Estes followed that on Sept. 13 at the George Mason Invitational by finishing second by only 3.6 seconds. For Estes, it makes sense that the success is pouring in now.

“I’ve definitely had a ‘from behind trajectory’ my whole career,” Estes said. “I had never won a collegiate race before in track or cross country. It is cool to start off my senior year that way and get some recognition.”

According to women’s cross country Head Coach Melody O’Reilly, this is just an example of the type of runner Estes is.

“She is patient and has persevered through the training and the transition of becoming a better runner,” O’Reilly said.

“It is very obvious, literally from the gun, that she has gone to the next level. It is her time now. She sets the right example for the freshman and sophomores.”

Being a role model for those younger than her is nothing new for Estes. On week days she spends her time student teaching at Antonia Pantoja Community Charter School, a bilingual school in northern Philadelphia.

“The student teaching experience in itself has been awesome,” Estes said. “I love the school that I am in. It is an interesting experience teaching Spanish to Hispanic people. I think language is a really important part of our society and can open people’s eyes to a lot.

By day, Estes assists three sections of 18 seventh graders in day-to-day activities, observing their lessons and getting them from classroom to classroom. After a full school day, Estes then must find time to train alone, a situation that her teammate senior Morgan Camerlo says has its own challenges.

“You have to be a responsible mature person,” Camerlo said. “I know personally that running workouts by yourself is much harder. Elaine is someone who can just get them done though and run those workouts strong.”

What first drew Estes to cross country in high school was the desire to get out of the house more. Estes said once she started in high school it was the team atmosphere that drew her in. Training with the team was her time to catch up with friends and socialize.

“It is an adjustment,” Estes said. “I had to shift my training to the afternoons and am doing everything by myself. I’m living in Center City now so I am just finding new places to run and the terrain that is best for different types of workouts.”

Camerlo has kept in touch with Estes.

The two were training partners last year, and Camerlo said she misses having her guidance at practice.

“Elaine is great because you just get the feeling she wants whatever is best for you,” Camerlo said. “Running is hard because it is not like a basketball team where you all win. In general running is a sport where you can try to compete against your teammates.

However, she always just wants you to be the best runner you can be.”

As the semester continues, Estes’

mind will be set on two goals: to continue to garner better times at each race and to secure a teaching job in December. Estes said she plans on just sticking to the lessons she has learned over her seven years

of cross country.

“Going to the long road and trudging through stuff until you get it done is the attitude you need to have,” Estes said. “In something like teaching, besides being in the

classroom, there are loads of other stuff you have to deal with and making sure you’re getting everything done and doing your best will ensure the results you want.”

Estes is the only graduate student on the women’s cross country team. PHOTO COURTESY OF SJU ATHLETICS

Estes improved from coming in fifth place at the 2017 Geroge Mason Invitational to second in 2019. PHOTO COURTESY OF TOM CONNELLY