Oct. 7, 2020

Oct. 7, 2020

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Volume CI

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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

‘FISTS UP! FIGHT BACK!’

Approximately 300 people gathered in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Oct. 3 to protest racial injustice, police violence and to remember Breonna Taylor. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Approximately 300 people gathered on Oct. 3 at the bottom of the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art to protest racial injustice and police violence after the murder of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman killed by police in her bed.

The protest offered attendees the chance to stand in solidarity with Black citizens and protesters in Louisville, Kentucky, after a grand jury’s decision not to indict three of the city’s police officers involved in Taylor’s March 13 murder.

The protest was part rally, part teachin, hosted by Black Lives Matter Philly in collaboration with other organizations in Philadelphia advocating for racial justice.

Krystal Strong, an organizer for Black Lives Matter Philly and the Black Philly Radical Collective, stood on the steps of the Art Museum, calling for “freedom fighters” in Philadelphia to continue to fight against the oppressive and systemic racism in the U.S. “This is a system that is willing to kill us in our sleep,” Strong said to the crowd.

“This is not a system that we can appeal to.”

Jasmine Harvey is a member of Protect the Protectors, a group that has been working to provide protesters with food, water and proper Personal Protective Equipment while they take to the streets or participate in acts of protesting.

In an interview with The Hawk, Harvey said she hoped people walk away from

the protest with a sense of hope for the movement at large, despite the emotional and physical demands of protesting.

“It does get stressful when we’re all coming out here and we’re mourning and we’re talking about the loss,” Harvey said.

“But also we want to recognize the folks that are out here and we want to represent the future as well.”

After the initial rally at the Art Museum, organizers led protesters down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway towards City Hall, ultimately stopping at Logan Square to split protesters into three workshop groups.

Approximately 100 remaining participants sat in the middle of the street surrounding Logan Square as organizers facilitated discussions on the ABCs of organizing a protest, health and safety 101 during a protest and gun knowledge and safety.

Maya Lipscomb, a social work major at Rutgers University-Camden, attended the protest on Saturday. Lipscomb said this movement is overdue and she intends to keep fighting for a better and more just future.

“We’re tired of waiting,” Lipscomb said.

“It’s been years and years and years of no change, and at this point we have to be the generation to change it. So I’m going to come out. Always.”

Marissa Chapman of Philadelphia, who said she has been active in the streets throughout the summer, recalled being on the highway the day the Philadelphia Police Department cornered protesters using tear gas. She said she has been and will continue to protest against racial injustice.

“It’s really important as an American citizen to get out here and fight as much as we can,” Chapman said. “Protecting my brothers and sisters is of utmost importance to me, and this is one of the ways I can do that.”

Chapman, whose grandparents protested during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, said she hopes a strong base of people will continue to stand up for equality and justice.

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Sehar Macan-Markar ‘22 discusses students’ mental health amidst COVID-19

“I think that when you come together and have a unified front, you can really shake the rafters and make change,” Chapman said. “It’s really up to us. We don’t have a choice.”

Cara Smith ’21, Tayler Washington ’22 and Nick Karpinski ’21 contributed to this story.

Krystal Strong (right) leads protestors down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway towards Logan Square on Oct. 3.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

08

Read about St. Joe’s POWER University’s #WhyIVote campaign

SPORTS

11

Q&A with former St. Joe’s soccer player Bobby Edwards

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Oct. 7, 2020

The Hawk Newspaper

News

FOLLOW THESE STEPS

TO VOTE BY MAIL PENNSYLVANIA 1. Register to vote by Oct. 19.

2. Request your mail-in ballot by Oct. 27.

3. Complete your ballot according to the instructions.

4. Seal your ballot in the secrecy envelope, then place it in the larger return envelope.

5. Sign and complete the voter declaration on the larger envelope.

6. Mail your ballot on or before Nov. 3, or take your ballot to a designated location by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

7. More info here:

NEW YORK

1. Register to vote by Oct. 9.

2. Request your vote by mail ballot by Oct. 27.

3. Complete your ballot according to the instructions.

4. Mail your ballot by Nov. 3, or take your ballot to a poll site by 9 p.m. on Nov. 3.

5. More info here:

NEW JERSEY 1. Register to vote by Oct. 13.

2. All registered voters in New Jersey will receive a mail-in ballot.

3. Complete your ballot according to the instructions.

4. Mail your ballot on or before Nov. 3, or take your ballot to a designated location by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

5. More info here:

MARYLAND

1. Register to vote by Oct. 13.

2. Requests for mail-in ballots must be received

by Oct. 20.

3. Complete your ballot according to the instructions.

4. Mail your ballot on or before Nov. 3, or take your ballot to a designated location by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3.

5. More info here:

GRAPHIC: CASEY WOOD ’23/THE HAWK

News

The Hawk Newspaper

Oct. 7, 2020

3

St. Joe’s women threatened on social media DEVIN YINGLING ’22 News Editor Names of the women interviewed for this story are omitted out of concern for their safety.

At least nine St. Joe’s women, primarily students of color, received violent sexual messages and death threats from an anonymous Instagram account since early September.

According to Arthur Grover, director of the Office of Public Safety & Security, Public Safety received the first of nine official complaints on Sept. 15.

The Instagram account is no longer active, and the owner has not yet been identified, according to Grover.

“The investigation continues,” Grover wrote in an email to The Hawk. “There have been no further reports of this kind since the investigation has commenced.”

The ongoing investigation is being conducted in collaboration with the Philadelphia Police Southwest Detective Division, St. Joe’s Information Technology Chief Security Officer, Philip Ichinaga and Lexi Morrison, director of the Office of Title IX and Equity Compliance and chair of the university’s Bias Activity Response Team, according to Grover.

Ichinaga did not respond to requests for information, but Morrison said while the university can’t issue warrants to search for the perpetrator, they can work internally with The Office of Information and Technology to identify certain activity on the St. Joe’s server.

“Essentially what we’ve done is interviewed all of the people who made reports and then followed up on any information they were able to provide,” Morrison said.

The Hawk interviewed four women who received threats. One woman said she received multiple threatening messages from the anonymous account but has not received any since the account was removed from Instagram.

She said she has since been very cautious about what she posts on social media and where she goes out in public.

“The first week was really tough,” the woman said. “I was very paranoid.”

The Hawk confirmed at least seven of the nine women involved in the Public Safety reports were women of color.

As chair of the Bias Activity Response Team, Morrison took the lead on addressing the harassment of the women affected.

“I didn’t ask for the race and ethnicity of all the students to confirm, so I don’t want to give an exact number because I truly don’t know,” Morrison said. “But I will say that there were a number of women of color who were contacted. In terms of being targeted for race, I’m not sure that conclusion has been reached, but it’s certainly not ruled out.”

Morrison said athletes were targeted as well.

“Since there were multiple women on the track team who received the messages, that’s why we reached out practically to the entire group of women’s track and field,” Morrison said.

Morrison said she met with members of the St. Joe’s women’s track and field team on Sept. 18 to address the situation.

Athletes from other teams were invited to attend as well.

“Jill asked us to come and offer support and services to other people in case they were being impacted and had not made a report yet, or just if they were hearing about it and were understandably upset and scared,” said Morrison, referring to Jill Bodensteiner, J.D., director of athletics. “We were there to offer our support and give some context as to what’s going on.”

Other women The Hawk talked to said they received little to no communication from the university after they made reports.

Public Safety posted a Campus Safety Advisory on The Nest and the university posted a 24-hour Instagram story about the threats on Sept. 17.

The woman who was harassed said she missed the university’s advisories but saw something about the harassment on Barstool St. Joe’s, a popular Instagram account for St. Joe’s students. She said it would have been a good idea for the university to spread the word with a more widespread announcement.

“It might have been in part not wanting to scare people,” the woman said. “But this is the way that everyone gets information now. If you can use [university emergency notices] for snow days, I feel like you could use it for someone threatening women on this campus.”

Another woman who received threatening messages from the account told The Hawk she first heard about the harassment through a friend’s Instagram story, then received a threat herself two days later.

“I literally wouldn’t have known what to do if I got that [threat] and hadn’t seen the Instagram post,” the woman said. “I just wouldn’t have known what to do.”

Morrison said she has continued to reach out to the women affected in the process of trying to identify the sender of the threatening messages.

“At this point, since there haven’t been developments since the last time we were connected, I’ve been mostly offering resources and checking in to see if people are okay if anything new has happened, or if there’s anything we can do to increase security or safety,” Morrison said.

Some of the women The Hawk interviewed, though, describe spotty follow-up communication from the university.

One woman said she has not heard anything from Public Safety after initially filing a report of death threats with a university investigator. She said her calls to Public Safety went unanswered, so she filed a report with the Philadelphia Police, who directed her to the District Attorney’s office. She said that somebody at the office told her they were unable to help because there was no funding for investigating social media harassment.

The Hawk was unable to reach anyone at the Philadelphia precinct where the woman filed reports.

Nicole R. Stokes, Ph.D., associate provost for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, said

she learned about the incidents from the Bias Activity Response committee, which she serves on. She said Public Safety and Title IX have taken the lead on the case.

Students should continue to report incidents of bias or harassment in order to keep the community safe, Stokes said.

“One instance is too many instances,” Stokes said. “We want to really build community trust to report these incidents to the university.”

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SOURCE: Office of Title IX and Equity Compliance GRAPHIC: CASEY WOOD ’23/THE HAWK

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Oct. 7, 2020

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Who is protecting our Black women?

We have to do better Editor in Chief

Jackie Collins ’21 Managing Editor Ryan Mulligan ’21 Copy Chief Cara Smith ’21 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner

Copy Editor Celia Hegarty ’21 Copy Editor Carly Calhoun ’21 Copy Editor Olivia Giannetta ’22 Multimedia Editor Nick Karpinski ’21 News Editor Devin Yingling ’22 Assistant News Editor Eddie Daou ’22 Assistant News Editor Christine DiSanti ’21

In a speech he made in Los Angeles in 1962, Malcolm X, a prominent human rights activist, said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman.”

In the subsequent six decades, civil rights activists have drawn attention to the many ways in which Black women are subjugated.

On the Oct. 3 season premiere of Saturday Night Live, rapper and songwriter Megan Thee Stallion drew attention to the continued oppression of Black women in America in her performance of her hit song, “Savage.” In the performance, she highlighted the grand jury’s decision not to charge any of the officers who shot and killed Breonna Taylor. Stallion’s message during the song: protect Black women.

Black women are continually murdered without consequence, as we pointed out in our Sept. 30 editorial. Taylor’s murder and the grand jury’s bizarre, but not surprising, decision continues to confirm that Black women’s lives don’t matter. Even when Black women are not killed, their lives are at risk or threatened, even on our campus. An example of this is the threats made against mainly Black and brown women on our campus by the owner(s) of an anonymous Instagram account.

The account made death threats and threats of sexual violence against multiple women through direct messages. The women reported these threats to the Office of Public Safety & Security and to the Philadelphia Police Department. Just reporting these threats did not make these women feel

any safer, in part because of a lackluster response by the university.

This response, and poor follow-up communication with the women involved, is cause for concern. A number of the women who reported the threats did not hear back from the university after their initial reports. This is telling, given that most of the women who reported the threats are Black and brown. Would the university have responded differently had the group of women been mainly white? Patterns

“St. Joe’s has a duty to protect all of its students, especially Black and brown women who are not protected by the American justice system and society at large.”

with athletes and the Title IX Coordinator.

Nonathlete students, who should have had a proactive advocate at least in the associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as the Title IX Coordinator, had to seek out their own resources.

If Black and brown women on campus are threatened with sexual violence and death, they shouldn’t have to fight so hard for communication, care and protection from a university that promises “cura personalis.” Their phone calls should be returned. Investigators should follow up with the status of the investigation. Their plight shouldn’t appear on a university Instagram story that disappears in 24 hours.

St. Joe’s has a duty to protect all of its students, especially Black and brown women who are not protected by the American justice system and society at large. Otherwise, the university is simply replicating, reinforcing and perpetuating that oppression. And that is simply unacceptable.

—The Editorial Board

of systematic oppression in the criminal justice system say ‘yes.’ Members of Public Safety and the Office of Title IX and Equity Compliance who are investigating these threats would have responded differently to white students.

The university also seemed particularly focused on the student-athletes involved, leaving students who are not athletes without an advocate. Athletes had Jill Bodensteiner, J.D., director of athletics, who organized a meeting

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

Opinions Editor Tayler Washington ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor Sehar Macan-Markar ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor Maggie Brennen ’22 Features Editor Giana Longo ’22 Assistant Features Editor Nenagh Sheehan ’21 Assistant Features Editor Elaina Wall ’21 Sports Editor Riley Frain ’21 Assistant Sports Editor Tyler Nice ’23 Graphics/Illustrations Editor Casey Wood ’23 Photo Editor Mitchell Shields ’22 Social Media Manager Sam Jenkins ’21 Business Manager Angela DiMarco ’22 Assistant Business Manager Colin Messenger ’22 Assistant Business Manager Danny Remishevsky ’23 Distribution Manager Alec Mettin ’24 Distribution Manager Deborah Duong ’24

SPICY MCNUGGETS AT MCDONALD’S McDonald’s is making our list yet again with their latest addition to the menu, spicy chicken nuggets. As if we needed another reason to spend money on takeout food, but here we are.

PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Simply no words. We didn’t catch one word of what either candidate said during the debate, and it was a bit too chaotic to try and follow for even a few minutes. That’s it, that’s all we have to say.

SEASONAL PILLSBURY COOKIES (SPOOKY ONES) You know the cookies we’re talking about. The thin box of Pillsbury cookies filled with fun ghosts and pumpkins that “hit differently” every fall. They are truly perfect right out of the oven, or straight out of the box (just make sure to look for the “safe to eat raw” seal on the box!). You do you, we won’t judge.

CANCELING SPRING BREAK We understand why there is no spring break. Of course it’s a safety concern and we know it’s for the best. But trying to replace the iconic college spring break next semester is going to be disheartening.

HALLOWEEN CANDY Nothing makes us happier than seeing the aisles of CVS lined with bags of Halloween candy. We may not be able to have a normal Halloween this year, but honestly, getting to eat large bags of individually wrapped Twix bars all by ourselves while watching scary movies (only with our socially distant bubbles of course) might not be so bad.

ZOOM BREAKOUT ROOMS P.O.V: nobody did the reading for class. Your professor says, “we will now go into breakout rooms to discuss the assignment.” Everyone freezes. It’s pure chaos. Needless to say, we do not love breakout rooms.

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Oct. 7, 2020

5

Voter suppression

The long history of silencing citizens’ voices in the U.S. JOHN SLUSSER ’21 Special to The Hawk

When most people hear the term voter suppression, they think of authoritarian countries where voters are pressured by the threat of violence on the part of the sitting regime to vote one way or another. Rarely do we consider that this suppression has been happening in the U.S. for over two centuries.

Voter suppression is a legal or illegal effort that prevents individuals from voting or registering to vote. This practice can take many forms, from brute violence to carefully orchestrated redistricting, both of which, and every strategy in between, have occurred in the U.S. If left unchallenged, voter suppression can result in a democracy that functions contrary to the will of its people, in which case, it is no democracy at all.

At the conception of the country, only white male landowners were able to vote, which was perhaps the most blatant form of voter suppression. Interestingly, the right to vote is not guaranteed in the Constitution.

Black men were also allowed the right to vote, only if they were freed from slavery and owned property, and only in a few states.

Women and most non-Christian religious groups were entirely barred from casting ballots. It was only after the Civil War that Black men were granted the right to vote in all 50 states through the 15th Amendment.

The addition of Jim Crow voting laws made it nearly impossible for Black Americans to vote. Such tactics included a literacy test,

poll taxes and “whites only” primary elections, which were in opposition to federal law.

If Black Americans were to oppose such rules, they would often be met with beatings, jailings and killings. A study by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that these intimidation efforts were so successful that by 1940, only 3% of eligible Black American voters in the South were registered to vote, greatly

to society. This greatly impacts the turnout of voters of color given that people of color, particularly Black men, are arrested disproportionately to white men. It seems to me that if an individual has paid their debt to society by serving a prison sentence, they should not have their rights taken away after they are released.

Gerrymandering is perhaps the most devious voter suppression tactic, because

ILLUSTRATION: CASEY WOOD ’23/THE HAWK

impacting the results of decades of elections.

Today, voting centers are often not located in low-income communities or communities of color. If they are, they are regularly relocated, forcing people to travel far distances to cast a ballot. This is difficult, especially for low-income voters, as they may not have access to a vehicle.

Further, felons are often unable to vote by law, even though they have paid their “debt”

even if you are able to cast a ballot, your vote may be insignificant as a result of redistricting done by party officials.

Every several years, electoral districts are redrawn to reflect population shifts discovered

by Census survey data. Based on voter data, the sitting party can move district boundaries in absurd ways to garner the most votes possible in future elections.

Of course, the voting results of gerrymandered districts does not reflect the true opinions of the voters and often leaves them without any true government representation.

Currently, the most prevalent example of voter suppression is the Trump administration’s attempt to purposefully defund the U.S. Postal Service to make it impossible for them to handle the influx of mail caused by mail-in ballots, and therefore ensure that many of them will not be counted.

Millions of Americans are unjustly turned away from casting a ballot in every major election in the U.S. Sadly, in a nation that claims to honor freedom and participation in government, voting is purposefully made difficult to deny the voice of the people from being heard. Those with the most to say in our country, namely minorities, young folk and those facing poverty are continually being silenced by our government.

These actions culminate in a democracy that does not reflect the will of its governed, but perhaps that was the plan all along. Thankfully, there are many nonpartisan groups litigating and using activism to change this limiting and dishonest form of governance. If the state of the electoral system bothers you, try volunteering time or resources to some of these causes: Common Cause, FairVote, Election Protection, American Civil Liberties Union, and Fair Fight.

Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis and a whirlwind debate MAGGIE BRENNEN ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor With the first 2020 presidential debate on Sept. 29, last week was anticipated to be a significant point in the election. What was not anticipated was U.S. President Donald Trump contracting COVID-19, which he announced on Oct. 2, just three days after the debate. This news could impact voters’ opinions even more than the debate.

The first question moderator Chris Wallace posed to President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden was their opinion on President Trump nominating a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, so close to the election. He also asked when Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee, would take the court.

President Trump argued that as sitting president, he is entitled to fill the Supreme Court seat, and praised Barrett as an academic endorsed and well liked by liberals. Biden rebutted by saying that the election has already started, with people voting early and mailing in their ballots, and the American people should choose who the Supreme Court nominee is through this election.

While he acknowledged Barrett’s accomplishments, Biden asserted that women’s rights could be fundamentally changed by Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court.

This proves that when you vote for a president, you do not just choose who sits in the Oval Office. You also choose who the president appoints, whether it be a Supreme Court seat or a cabinet position.

If you have been on social media in the

past week, you have probably heard the quote “bad things happen in Philadelphia.” While, in true Philly fashion, the phrase has become a self-deprecating joke, it has not been spread on the Internet what “bad things” the president was referring to.

President Trump accused officials of blocking poll watchers for recently opened satellite election sites in the city.

He said, “[poll watchers] were thrown out, they weren’t allowed to watch. You know why? [Because] bad things happen in Philadelphia, bad things.” Essentially,

to receive services from a satellite office are not permitted to be there for other purposes.”

It is unfortunate that this effort by the city to increase voter turnout among marginalized communities is under attack. It is yet another example of the president accusing any effort to make voting more accessible as fraudulent, similar to his claims about mail-in voting.

Perhaps the moment of the debate that garnered the most attention was the president’s refusal to condemn white supremacy. Wallace asked, “Are you willing, tonight, to condemn white supremacist and militia groups, and to say

ILLUSTRATION: CASEY WOOD ’23/THE HAWK

he was insinuating that the city is allowing voter fraud.

Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt proved this claim to be false, clarifying, “The satellite offices are Board of Elections Offices that provide voter services to the residents of Philadelphia for mail-in ballots. Satellite offices are not polling places and poll watcher certificates have not been issued for any individuals for anything other than poll watching activities on Election Day at Polling Places. So individuals seeking

that they need to stand down and not add to the violence?” President Trump asked for a name of a specific group, and when Biden suggested the Proud Boys, instead of telling them to stand down, President Trump said, “Proud Boys stand back and stand by.”

The Proud Boys describe themselves as “a pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world; aka Western Chauvinists.” They are tied to violent protests, many of which were in support of the president.

While it is easy to think that everyone in the country has already decided who they are voting for, this statement could show undecided voters that it is not just liberal propaganda making it seem like President Trump supports white supremacist groups —he said it himself.

Just a little over 48 hours after the debate ended, President Trump announced via Twitter that he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19. While the coronavirus pandemic is often referred to as unprecedented, this situation is especially so. This diagnosis is the most serious known health threat to a sitting president since former U.S. President Ronald Reagan was non-fatally shot in 1981.

In what is arguably the most important month of the presidential election, President Trump has already had to cancel events, including a fundraiser in Washington and a campaign rally in Florida. At past campaign rallies, President Trump defied COVID-19 guidelines by filling arenas and denying the severity of the pandemic in his speeches.

It is clear that for the remainder of his campaign, President Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the coronavirus pandemic will have to change, as it is impossible for him to continue saying the virus affects “virtually nobody,” without referring to himself as a nobody.

This has been a whirlwind week for the election, with both the expected sound bites of the debate, and the unexpected announcement that President Trump himself is susceptible to this virus. Get ready for an unpredictable next month.

6

Oct. 7, 2020

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Ranked-choice voting

A solution to the ‘lesser of two evils’ dilemma MAX GIULIANA ’24 Special to The Hawk As the presidential debate between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wrapped up, many Americans went to bed feeling disgruntled and disheartened.

The absolute shamble of a “debate” on Sept. 29 only confirmed what Americans already knew; it is yet another election year in which far too many Americans are voting for the candidate they see as the “lesser of two evils.” This phrase has been used constantly these past two election cycles, and it is not the fault of the American people, it is the fault of our ineffective and limited way of voting.

When we tune in every four years to decide who we believe should be the next U.S. president the American people are technically given more than two choices for president. However, due to our two party dominant system, we end up choosing between a Democrat and a Republican. With a field so narrow, most of the voting populace already knows who they are voting for just based on party lines.

I think the American people would agree with me when I say we should be given more than two candidates to choose from.

We should be able to vote for the candidate we are passionate about, not the one we don’t hate as much, and we should see a debate with a multitude of diverse candidates with a variety of ideas.

A way to fix the issue of partisan voting

and a way to legitimize third-party voting is through a system called “ranked-choice voting.” Ranked-choice voting is a system where voters don’t just vote for one candidate. Instead, voters rank all the candidates from their first preferred choice to their least preferred choice.

“We should be able to vote for the candidate we are passionate about, not the one we don’t hate as much.”

As the ballots are collected, all of the first place votes are tallied. If, after the first round of voting, a candidate has received more than 50% of the vote, they are declared the winner. If no candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the candidate who has the least amount of first-preference votes is removed from the ballot. Now, the votes that were counted for the eliminated candidate are given to the candidate listed as second-preference on those ballots. This process continues until one of the candidates receives a majority of the votes.

This system would allow voters to vote for the candidate they feel most confident in without feeling like they have wasted their vote. This gives greater chances to third parties, such as the Green Party of the U.S. and the Libertarian Party, and gives voters a better variety.

Voters would be able to truly express their voice and feel they are being heard at the ballot box no matter who they vote for.

This type of election system would help close the partisan divide that is poisoning politics in the U.S. It would allow for more voices to be heard and would be a real wake-up call to the two major parties in this country.

The days of people reluctantly casting their vote for a candidate they don’t fully support would be gone.

Ranked-choice voting also holds politicians more accountable. They would not be able to gain a majority of the vote simply because they are a Democrat or a Republican.

A debacle similar to the most recent presidential debate would never occur under such a system. Each candidate would know that if they continually let down the American people with their petty bickering, immature actions and substanceless arguments, they could be hurt at the ballot box without voters having to throw their vote away.

Under a system of ranked-choice voting, the entire mood and tone of politics in this country would be uplifted. People would passionately support their candidate because they truly believe in their platform. Voters would never start a “Settle for ____” candidate movement under this type of system.

Instead, I believe there would be a more politically tolerant America. An America where every supporter votes out of the trust they have in a candidate rather than the hate they have for the other. Any system that can promote a positive outlook on society and in people is better than one that has the potential to spur hate. Ranked-choice voting would be one more step in the right direction for the never-ending work in progress that is the U.S.

Mental health in the age of COVID-19 Students struggle to cope with pandemic stress SEHAR MACAN-MARKAR ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor In 2020, the only thing that has been constant is change. Our world, lives and plans seem to be changing faster than we can keep up.

We long for the past, while the present is being stolen from us and the future looks increasingly bleak.

Anxiety, depression and even suicide rates are at an all-time high for young people. As terrible as it is, it makes sense.

The pandemic has affected all of us, some more than others. People are dealing with the grief of losing loved ones to the coronavirus. Students who have chosen to return to campus have to worry about contracting COVID-19; many are also worried about widespread infections and being sent home.

Students cannot control what their fellow classmates do, even when their classmates’ actions could put others at risk. On top of that, they are juggling new rules, multiple course modalities and trying to stay as safe and healthy as possible.

Students taking courses online have a different set of challenges, especially without a real connection to the campus community. Learning online isn’t what many students preferred, but what felt safest for them. Sitting in Zoom for the whole day away from friends and campus can become lonely and tiring.

College is hard enough as it is, without a pandemic. But now, it seems that the work is never ending with no clear breaks in sight.

An intensified workload and diminishing motivation is a dangerous combination.

On top of these problems, many students are struggling to come to terms with reality. College is the last transition from youth to adulthood; it is a limited amount of time that many people treasure and look back upon fondly.

For current college students, it feels like COVID-19 has tainted this experience.

Many of the fun things students used to do to let off steam are no longer safe. The social distancing policies and restrictions on visitors, while completely understandable, create a feeling of isolation. Students feel drained and exhausted, yearning for the world that was our reality less than a year ago.

“Especially in times of isolation, it is important to remind each other that we aren’t alone.”

Students are facing these feelings of fear and sadness differently. For first-year students, their entrance to college is strange.

Coming into a new world and adjusting to college life is already a substantial change; to do so under COVID-19 restrictions makes it more difficult to make friends and adapt to this new lifestyle.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, seniors are getting ready to leave a place that has been their home for four years, without a proper goodbye. They are also facing uncertainty about what life holds after graduation. Job prospects seem difficult to come by, and even then, they are transi-

tioning into more uncertainty.

With the pandemic already being a leading cause in declining mental health, after adding in all these other factors, it makes sense that students are really struggling. According to a recent study about the pandemic’s effect on mental health conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there was a disproportionate number of 18-24 year olds who have “seriously considered suicide” over the course of the last month.

It is clear that although everyone is affected by the pandemic, students are especially struggling. While colleges are focused on trying to test people, quarantine students and keep the campus open and safe, mental health resources have been put on the back burner.

Mental health issues are rising, and we need to continue to talk about and normalize this issue. Especially in times of isolation, it is important to remind each other that we aren’t alone and that our problems, even the ones with varying levels of severity, are valid.

The one positive is that people are beginning to be more comfortable and open with these issues, so it is more apparent that people are struggling.

I believe that universities should take action; whether that is giving students more breaks or professors being more accommodating or promoting mental health resources, a little understanding and compassion towards overwhelmed students could go a long way. The stress, anxiety and sadness that many students are facing is real, and needs to be addressed and dealt with.

TODD ERKIS Columnist I don’t have a lot of money and I want to buy stocks. I heard about fractional shares where I can buy less than one share of stock in a company. Professor Erkis, what do you think? Garrett F. ’24, College of Arts and Sciences.

Fractional shares have exploded in popularity lately. Some of the most popular stocks are expensive on a single per share price. Amazon has recently been trading above $3,000 per share and Alphabet (Google) has a price near $1,500 per share.

Apple and Tesla, both popular stocks, were also expensive on a per share basis before they recently “split” their stock. A stock split is when each existing shareholder receives multiple shares of new stock for each share they own. This lowers the price. For example, a two for one stock split would cut the price of the stock on a per share basis by one-half.

The high cost of a single share has led to most every brokerage offering the ability to purchase less than one share of stock, which is called fractional shares or stock slices. Fractional shares are helpful if a person wants to purchase a high-priced stock.

For example, an investor could purchase one-tenth of a share of Amazon for $300 and still be able to participate in owning the stock.

One of the things I, and many others, recommend for stock investors is owning many stocks. This is called diversification.

Owning many stocks helps limit large gains and losses that can happen when owning a single stock. I advise investors to buy stocks to gain long-term wealth, not for shortterm speculation purposes. Having many stocks helps limit risk since, as we all know, some companies we buy will do well and some will not. This is why I generally suggest beginning investors purchase a stock index mutual fund like the S&P 500, which gives investors the ability to own part of 500 large companies at one time.

For those who don’t want to purchase an index fund and want to own company stocks directly, fractional shares can be used to diversify. Say an investor has $1,000 to invest and doesn’t want to buy a stock index mutual fund. That person could purchase $100 of fractional shares in 10 separate companies. This would provide diversification and help lower the ups and downs when stock prices change. This strategy is superior to just putting all of the $1,000 in a single stock and hoping its price goes up.

My goal when investing is reasonable, long-term gains. Your portfolio will grow nicely with 5-8% returns each year. There is no reason to put all of your money in a single stock searching for huge short-term gains, but taking the risk of huge shortterm losses. Learning how to responsibly invest for the long haul is a nice skill to learn in college when you have many, many years of investing ahead of you.

Anna Lubomirski ’21: I think the most important thing to remember about investing is that it is supposed to be long-term, not short-term.

Short-term speculating is not investing, it’s like playing the lottery where you have high risk and a small probability of success.

Similarly, investing in a particular stock is extremely risky. It seems like a lot of work to buy a number of fractional shares in enough stocks to diversify. Therefore, I am more interested in the index funds, like the S&P 500, than individual stocks.

Features

Oct. 7, 2020 7

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CineHawk Review: “Ava” action predictable snooze JAYLEN DOTSON ’21 Columnist “Ava” is a by-the-numbers spy thriller that follows the titular character as she finds herself in a desperate, and predictable, struggle for survival after being betrayed by the organization she served for 10 years.

Directed by Tate Taylor from a screenplay by Matthew Newton, “Ava” stars Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Common, Geena Davis, Colin Farrell, Ioan Gruffudd and Joan Chen. The movie is available on Subscription Video on Demand due to COVID-19 movie theater closures.

The film opens with Ava Faulkner, played by Chastain, carrying out a typical

hit on a criminal financier. It turns out to be a very appropriate scene, as it sets the stage for the mediocre, boilerplate offerings that the viewer is in store for throughout the next hour and a half.

As if to cement this point, the opening scene is immediately followed by a two minute expository montage that has been done a hundred times before. It dumps most of Ava’s backstory in a sequence that can be considered mildly entertaining at best, if only for its fast editing.

As for the plot, the assasination organization that Ava works for has grown increasingly fed up with the eponymous femme fatale’s tendency to speak with her targets prior to “closing” them. After a botched operation in Saudi Arabia, the organization decides what almost every assassin guild in almost every movie decides: to dispose of

ILLUSTRATION: CASEY WOOD ’ 23/THE HAWK

the highly skilled protagonist through comically disposable waves of henchmen.

Actually, that last part is a lie, for a highly trained mercenary, who has shown she can cut through a dozen soldiers while barely taking a scratch, Ava’s former superiors surprisingly commit very few assets to taking her out. For a conspiracy thriller with this level of star power, there are also few twists and turns, with a mere viewing of the first trailer telegraphing 90% of the film’s plot to a potential audience.

First and foremost, this is an action film.

By that standard, it certainly passes the bar.

The fight scenes are serviceable; they are not particularly bad, but none are particularly memorable, either.

Like so many modern action movies, they rely heavily on the tried and tested “shaky cam.” This method involves rapidly moving the camera to make the action seem more chaotic and kinetic than it actually is.

This also has the rather convenient benefit of masking the fact that most action stars are not the highly trained, immaculately choreographed martial artists they portray themselves to be.

Speaking of choreography, it suits the film in its bare minimum competency. Very rarely does it show any particular creativity or ingenuity in leveraging Ava’s considerable skillset to solve the problems she faces. Combined with the cliché plot and story progression, this leads to fairly predictable and forgettable fights that the audience already knows the nigh-invulnerable protagonist will win.

Perhaps the film’s only saving grace

is its star-studded cast, especially its lead Chastain, who brings Ava to life with a performance that clearly deserves a far superior script. Aside from Chastain, the rest of the cast have varying degrees of success in their roles. Malkovich is never dull to watch, with his unmistakable delivery providing a slight elevation to an otherwise shallow role.

Farrell is likewise enjoyable, but turns in nothing better than what is in his other projects. The weak link of the cast is Common, whose performance as Ava’s ex fiance, Michael, turned impending brother-in-law is wooden and unconvincing.

Overall, “Ava” is just another cookie-cutter action flick with only the faintest sparks of enjoyability. Even a mostly competent and quite well known cast cannot overcome the script’s boring predictability and the direction’s unimaginative choreography.

Rating: 2/10 Hawks

Hawktoberfest features fall-themed games, treats On Oct. 2, Hawk Hill Productions (HHP) held its annual Hawktoberfest on Maguire Wolfington Lawn, featuring music, food, giveaways and fun fall activities for the St. Joe’s community.

In contrast to previous years, HHP expanded Hawktoberfest to include other student organizations that wanted to have a table at the event.

Throughout the lawn were Agape Christian Fellowship’s table with nine square, AFROTC with corn hole, Hip Hop Hawks with candy corn bowling, Greek Council with a candy count, SJUPride with DIY pumpkin stress balls, Black Student Union with pumpkin smashing, HerCampus with “spooky” rock painting and College Democrats with fall coloring.

HHP sponsored a pumpkin patch, fall photobooth, pumpkin painting and apple cider donut stations.

Hawktoberfest featured many DIY activities.

Hand sanitizer was provided at every table and students were required to wear masks during the event.

Students paint “spooky” rocks at HerCampus’ station. PHOTO: LESLIE QUAN ’22/THE HAWK

Students smash pumpkins at Black Student Union’s station.

PHOTOS: ANASTASIA KORBAL ’22/THE HAWK

8 Oct. 7, 2020

#WhyIVote aims to educate young voters GIANA LONGO ’22 Features Editor In preparation for the rapidly approaching Election Day on Nov. 3, student leaders of POWER University (POWERU) started the #WhyIVote campaign to educate St. Joe’s students on voting.

“Our emphasis is helping increase young voter turnout because that is one of the growing demographics,” said Veronika Nemeth ’21, POWERU student leader and #WhyIVote founder.

POWERU is a student organization on campus dedicated to facilitating social change. Nemeth said she started the #WhyIVote campaign this year because she wanted St. Joe’s students to recognize how voting can be a very personal act in the upcoming election.

“I think [to] a lot of people, when they turn 18, [voting is] kind of a chore that they feel obligated to do,” Nemeth said. “We want to change that mindset.”

Nemeth said the #WhyIVote campaign is a collaboration between POWERU and Campus Ministry. The two organizations are working together to reach a larger group of students.

Keely Nilan ’22, a communications peer minister in Campus Ministry, said that the partnership aligns well with the Jesuit mission.

“We’re a Jesuit campus and one of the beliefs [is] justice,” Nilan said. “Part of justice is voting, so it’s not just believing in things, it’s doing something with that belief.”

The campaign mainly reaches students through POWERU’s and Campus Ministry’s Instagram pages, with posts emphasizing the importance of voting and information on how to register to vote, Nemeth said.

“Social media stood out as one of the obvious ways [of reaching people] because that’s really been a powerful tool over the past couple months in terms of sharing information and testimonies,” Nemeth said.

Elizabeth Sweeney ’21, a member of POWERU and participant in the #WhyIVote

The world around us is changing. Not only are the hot days of summer being replaced by the chilly nights of fall, we are entering a time of extreme social and political change. While change is a big adjustment, this playlist will help make the transition a little bit smoother.

Veronika Nemeth ’21 founded the #WhyIVote campaign. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

campaign, said the main goal is to simplify the voting process for college-aged voters.

“College students are busy and it’s all confusing, so I think POWERU is trying to be that voice on campus that helps students with their ballots, answers questions and helps connect them to their polling places if they’re local,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney said that she votes because of all those in history who fought for suffrage in the U.S. “I do it as a homage to them,” Sweeney said. “I think of the marches on Selma, and I think of the passing of the Voting Rights Act and how people really committed their entire lives, and risked their lives, for this.”

Sweeney said she wants the campaign to remind students that voting is the most basic way to keep our democracy thriving. She hopes that in seeing why their peers vote through this campaign, it will “make voting cool again.”

The campaign also strives to promote informed voting, Nemeth said. These social media posts are meant to inspire individuals to educate themselves about the presidential candidates as well.

“I think we have to recognize that we should not expect people to be able to have all the knowledge in the world about voting, so I hope that we can make voting easy,”

Sweeney said. “Overall [we want to] make students see how it does have a significant impact and it is our civic responsibility.”

To promote #WhyIVote, Campus Ministry leaders are talking about the campaign within their programs and groups, according to Nilan.

“We’ve been having conversations with peer ministers who do a lot with freshmen and do a lot with retreats, so spreading the word within ourselves,” Nilan said. “And then from there, sharing it with everybody else that we interact with.”

While the campaign is still in its infancy, Nemeth said she hopes to expand #WhyIVote by tabling for registration or giving presentations to student organizations on essential voting information. Overall, Nemeth said she and POWERU want young people to realize the significance of their right to vote.

Sweeney said she’s proud to be a part of the campaign because she said voting is a way to facilitate social change, especially now.

“I would say that any social change does come from an individual,” Sweeney said.

“It’s easy to feel small and insignificant, and yes in some respects one singular vote isn’t going to change everything, but if everyone has that mindset, then that creates a chain of effect where no change happens.”

NENAGH SHEEHAN ’21 Assistant Features Editor

As the weather gets cooler, the only way to get ready for Sunday football is by wearing comfy joggers and your favorite team jersey and making some delicious comfort food. Whether you’re watching games with your roommates or watching alone, football finger foods are just as important as the game itself. Get in the Sunday football mood with these two vegan recipes.

But don’t let the word vegan fool you, these dishes are like the Vince Lombardi Trophy: a fan-favorite for every Sunday.

Directions: Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix. If you want to get a texture more similar to chicken, leave the mixture a little chunky. Transfer to an oven-safe 1 quart baking dish, and bake for 25-30 minutes.

This vegan dip pairs perfectly with celery, corn chips and carrots.

Changing of the seasons playlist GIANA LONGO ’22 Features Editor

Sunday football recipes: vegan style

VEGAN BUFFALO “CHICKEN” DIP Time: Start to finish: 40 minutes (10 minutes active) Servings: 10 Ingredients: 2 cups shredded vegan cheese 1 cup vegan cream cheese 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons garlic powder 2 teaspoons onion powder 1 cup buffalo sauce 1 14-ounce can of artichoke hearts

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VEGAN CAULIFLOWER WINGS Time: Start to finish: 55 minutes (10 minutes active) Servings: 4 Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower 1 cup water 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or almond flour for a gluten-free option) 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup hot sauce 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter 1 tablespoon honey, if desired Directions: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash and cut your cauliflower into bite-size pieces. Add the water, flour, salt, garlic and onion powder to a large bowl and stir until combined.

GRAPHIC: CASEY WOOD ’23/THE HAWK

It is ready when you achieve a batter-like consistency. Add the pieces of cauliflower to the batter and toss them until all pieces are coated. Remove your “wings” and place them on a prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops of the cauliflower with oil to make sure they get extra crispy. Add breadcrumbs on top if you want more texture. Bake for 20 minutes on one side, then flip them over and bake for 15 more minutes on the other side or until golden brown.

While the cauliflower bakes, prepare the hot sauce by melting butter on the stove in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the hot sauce, and honey if you want a sweeter flavor, to the melted butter.

Place cooked cauliflower into a large bowl with the hot sauce and toss until coated.

These cauliflower wings pair well with a side of vegan ranch or blue cheese and are the perfect game day snack.

“Changing of the Seasons” by Two Door Cinema Club This song perfectly captures all of the feelings of entering a new time of year.

These are the same feelings that come with entering a new era of change. It might be scary, and part of you might want to hold on to the past. This song makes you realize all the reasons why it’s important to keep moving forward despite the pain you might go through to get there. The mix of electric beats and lyrics help you to realize why change in all forms is good.

“Campus” by Vampire Weekend All the feelings you have about being at school this year are captured in this song. It goes through the feelings of repetition and how limiting it can feel, especially if there is something a little unsettling about being on campus. By listening to it, you will realize you are not alone in any of the uncertainty of going to class each day.

“Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood Recently, this song has come to be an anthem for the bisexual community. It is a smooth and somewhat chilling song that will make you want to pull out your thickest and coziest sweater. While you listen, remember all of those in the LGBTQIA+ community as we move through October, which is LGBT History Month.

“Time To Pretend” by MGMT A lot of us can relate to this song because waking up “feeling rough” and “feeling raw” is all too real. This can make us want to pretend: pretend summer is not over, pretend school is not overwhelming, pretend the world does not need change.

However, by listening to it, you will realize “We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun.” Pretending will only get us so far. We have to put our ideas into action and focus on what we can do.

“Something New” by Axwell /\ Ingrosso This electric beat will make you want to get out the door and start your day. It emphasizes how all of us “belong to something new.” We are meant to go and make a difference in the world. It is a song that will fill you with excitement for the future. After listening, go about your day and listen for “the streets of tomorrow calling.”

“Golden Hour” by Kacey Musgraves While fall means the inevitable onset of winter, we must recognize the beauty that comes with the transition. One of the best parts of fall is watching the leaves change colors. Even though the leaves will eventually fall, it is important to pay attention to the beauty that is there now, appreciating the present and leaving worry for the future elsewhere. This song reminds us that even on the darkest of days, there will be light at the end of the tunnel.

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Oct. 7, 2020

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SJU Theatre Company goes virtual for fall production ELAINA WALL ’21 Assistant Features Editor The SJU Theatre Company will present a streamed performance of “It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Play” by Joe Landry on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

The play is based on the Frank Capra film, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and will be performed as a 1940s radio broadcast, according to Renee Dobson, M.F.A., associate professor of performing arts and artistic director of Bluett Theatre.

“The [setting] is a radio station,” Dobson said. “[The students] are playing actors who are then playing these roles in 1940s period costumes.”

During the production, each actor or actress will stand on stage with a microphone, six feet from one another. Viewers will be able to see the actors and actresses on stage through the recording. The performance will be available to the public for free through a platform provided by Playscripts Royalty Company, according to Dobson.

Robert Whitney ’23, who plays Henry F. Potter, the old villainous banker, Joseph, the angel supervisor and Pete, George Bailey’s son, said the radio play is a unique experience because it relies more on auditory changes.

“It’s just a whole different style of theater,” Whitney said. “Normally, it’s all about having yourself fully engaged, physically, but now, I have to put on different voices for different characters.”

Dobson said it is very similar to how radio plays would be performed before there were televisions, and the actors are able to develop their characters’ voices on their own and during rehearsals.

“In the 1940s, there would be four or five actors in the radio studio, and they

Nicole Butch ’21 is cast as Mary Bailey in the production of “It’s a Wonderful Life Radio Play.” PHOTO: KELLY SHANNON ’24/THE HAWK

would have to voice several roles,” Dobson said. “We have quite talented students doing this, and they’re working to be really aware of creating the distinction between each.”

Dobson said the SJU Theatre Company originally planned to perform another, much larger, production this semester but decided on a smaller production with no live audience and a six person cast.

“In a discussion with the dean and the department chair of Music, Theatre and Film, we thought it’d be best if we don’t have a live audience in the theater due to COVID-19,” Dobson said. “We wanted to keep the cast small so that we could follow social distancing protocols.”

Nicole Butch ’21, who plays Mary Bailey, the wife of George Bailey who helps him through his hardships and lifts the spirits of

everyone, said this experience taught her to be more confident on stage and trust her own abilities as an actress.

“When you have an audience, you are dependent on them and you get a sense about how well you’re doing based on their reactions, but with this format, no one is there,” Butch said.

One benefit is that a streamed performance allows the actors to connect to a much larger audience, and provide some positive action for people.

“I’m excited to be able to perform it for people who are out-of-town or in quarantine at home and can’t go out,” Butch said.

“I’m glad that we can bring a safer alternative for people to still enjoy theater at home.”

Dobson said this is a great experience for students to learn a new type of

performance. She is hopeful that live and in-person performances will return when it is safe to do so.

“This is the best way to continue to move forward with theater, but this is a temporary situation.” Dobson said. “Streams will never replace an event with a live audience because it’s a very specialized experience.”

Ultimately Butch was thankful and excited when she heard the SJU Theatre Company was still able to hold a production during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re doing this in the safest way possible, and I’m still able to do what I love,” Butch said. “Even though it’s my senior year, I’m just so glad that we do not have to close the curtain.”

10 Oct. 7, 2020

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Training in the age of COVID-19: SJU Dance Team RILEY FRAIN ’21 Sports Editor Members of the St. Joe’s nationally ranked dance team have been waiting for months to dance together again.

While it has been a long awaited return as the last time they danced together was a March 7 halftime show during a basketball game, senior captain Krystina Vafiadis said the opportunity to be back with her teammates is gratifying.

“Being together as a team is honestly such a good feeling,” Vafiadis said. “I know a lot of schools’ dance seasons were canceled. I’m grateful St. Joe’s has allowed all of the athletic teams to continue to participate within [COVID-19] guidelines.”

The team currently awaits a full return to practice, which hinges on each member receiving a physical and concussion test, mandated by SJU Athletics for each team member before they can make the return to practice. While this is a normal process for all student-athletes on campus, it has hindered the team’s opportunities to practice as much as they’d like.

According to Coach Rachel Reese ’15, the team has only had one practice session this semester.

“Of course the one night we went to practice it started pouring down rain, but none of our athletes wanted to leave,” Reese said.

While the team’s practice sessions are now paused as they await the physical and concussion clearances, many members have taken it

upon themselves to work out individually, according to junior captain Lauren Dellbrugge.

“With everything going on we’ve gained more motivation,” Dellbrugge said. “We need to be more self-accountable, and so we’ve all used that motivation to be in shape and more fit.”

Under normal circumstances the team would practice in O’Pake Recreation Center. Now, they’re outdoors on Sweeney Field.

Vafiadis said practicing outside posed new challenges for the team.

“It’s been difficult practicing on a field without any mirrors or markers because as dancers we’re so used to looking at our bodies in a mirror,” Vafiadis said.

Dellbrugge said that because dancers can spread out so much on Sweeney Field, the team of 19 athletes has not been limited to “pods” like many other athletic teams, but are still required to make some changes.

“We’re split up into groups of nine and 10,” Dellbrugge said. “For a nationally ranked team like us, we focus mainly on precision and cleanliness and we can’t do that [when we are split up].”

Dellbrugge said that coordination among every team member is key for successful dance numbers, and that having to branch off into two separate groups created some difficulties with instilling new routines.

“We are a dance team, so we can’t practice like most sports do where each position goes off and does different drills,” Dellbrugge said. “We like to all dance together and that needs to be our full team of 19. It’s been really difficult.”

Unlike most other athletic teams on campus, the dance team was allowed to include their new recruits within their initial practice, according to Vafiadis. A major goal for the team was to help the first-year students acclimate to campus as best they could.

“We have a majority of veterans and then seven freshmen,” Vafiadis said. “We know it’s hard for everybody, but we’re trying to include the freshmen as much as possible, always reaching out asking if they need any help.”

Despite these new challenges, Reese highlighted her dancers’ gracefulness as well as their eagerness to start preparing for potential competitions.

“These are girls and guys that really take this sport seriously,” Reese said. “They truly dedicate 200% of themselves to it. But they’ve handled it like champs and we’re just remaining hopeful.”

Vafiadis (left) and Dellbrugge (right) compete at 2019 Nationals. PHOTO COURTESY OF KRYSTINA VAFIADIS

Men’s soccer adds new assistant coach CHRISTOPHER KLINE ’23 Hawk Staff Rich Ongaro, an experienced soccer coach and player, comes to St. Joe’s as an assistant men’s soccer coach with hopes of coaching the Hawks to a successful 2021 spring season.

Ongaro comes to St. Joe’s after a year on the Fordham Rams’ coaching staff as an assistant. He will replace Pat Morris, a 10 year veteran assistant coach, who left St. Joe’s to be the head coach of the men’s soccer team at Penn State Abington.

St. Joe’s stood out to Ongaro because he would have the chance to improve his coaching skills.

“I’ve known [Head] Coach [Don] D’Ambra for a number of years, and to work with and under him is a great honor,” Ongaro said.

“Hopefully I can add some value to this program that really is up and coming.”

D’Ambra said he admires Ongaro, pointing out how beneficial he could be to the coaching staff.

“I’ve known Rich [Ongaro] long before he came here to St. Joe’s,” D’Ambra said. “He has a great balance of professionalism and personality. He can hold kids accountable and can talk to them.”

The call to hire Onagro was an easy one, according to D’Ambra. The team needed someone to work on player development and work with the goalies, which Ongaro’s abilities fit perfectly.

“For me, I see a lot of versatility,” D’Ambra said. “He didn’t need any training and got right to it.”

Ongaro, a New Jersey native, attended Virginia Commonwealth University for a year before transferring closer to home at Holy Family University. Ongaro was a starter on the Division II men’s soccer team all three years he attended Holy Family, proving his worth with 191 career saves and nine shutouts in net.

Ongaro began his coaching career in 2015 with the women’s soccer team at the University of Northwestern Ohio and then at Rutgers University-Camden the following season. After those schools, Ongaro moved on to Old Dominion University, where he coached goalie Mertcan Akar, who earned third team all-conference USA honors.

Ongaro said he did not have coaching aspirations while in college, but his plans changed.

“I wasn’t really sure [about coaching], I always thought about it,” Ongaro said.

“Right after graduation, I got a call to become an assistant at Northwestern Ohio, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Ongaro then moved to the Atlantic 10, with Fordham, where he worked with Konstantin Weis, who acquired all-tournament team honors last year. Now on Hawk Hill, Ongaro is working with two goalkeepers, junior Kyle Allan and freshman Luis Ludosan.

“My goal is to put the goalkeepers in the best possible position,” Ongaro said.

“Kyle [Allan] is an excellent player, with a lot of experience and Luis [Ludosan] reminds me a lot of Konstantin [Weis], because they both tote a unique [style] and both are excellent players.”

After not having a rostered goalie coach for years, the team is showing noticeable

improvements under Ongaro. Allan said that since Ongaro came, he has enhanced as a goalkeeper every day.

“I’ve been improving on the little things just with him in my presence,” Allan said.

“I’m making saves today and this week that I would never be making without him.”

Ongaro said he is excited to work with the two players, having plenty of experience working with different goalies throughout his career.

“Both [Allan and Ludosan] are going to be competing for that starting role,” Ongaro

said. “They both have the skill and the hunger for it. My job is essentially bringing out the best in both of them.”

Already two weeks into the job, Ongaro said he feels right at home on Hawk Hill.

“I grew up in this area and love Philadelphia,” Ongaro said. “Somehow I always come back.”

Ongaro arrived on Hawk Hill in late September. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

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Oct. 7, 2020

11

Q&A with Hawk turned pro goalkeeper RILEY FRAIN ’21 Sports Editor Bobby Edwards, a St. Joe’s men’s soccer alumnus currently fights for minutes as a goalkeeper for FC Cincinnati of Major League Soccer (MLS).

After three successful seasons on Hawk Hill, in which he made the 2014 Philadelphia Soccer Six All-Rookie Team, followed by two years at Monmouth University and Mount St. Mary’s University respectively, Edwards eventually went on to win a league championship with Portadown FC in Northern Ireland.

The Hawk spoke with Edwards regarding his time at St. Joe’s, what it was like playing in Ireland and what it meant to him to be able to sign with a professional club here in the U.S. What was your time like at St. Joe’s playing under men’s soccer Head Coach Don D’Ambra from 2014-16?

It was a great experience. St. Joe’s is a beautiful school and I think it was perfect for what I needed at that stage of my life. I loved my time there in terms of on the field and off. I remember [St. Joe’s] having that tough-nosed Philadelphia mentality of rolling up the sleeves and putting in the work. It always had that little bit of grit and passion that [D’Ambra] would show on a daily basis.

I have positive memories, made some really great connections and friends, and it was a fantastic experience.

When did you realize you might have the chance to play professionally?

It’s crazy how these things work out. Obviously, it’s always been my dream to be a pro soccer player since I was a kid. After I had finished my fifth year at Mount St. Mary’s [University], I ended up going on from there to Northern Ireland [to play professionally].

It was definitely the perfect situation for me as a young goalkeeper to get experience at the pro level. From there, it was just about

What was your experience like playing for Portadown Football Club in Northern Ireland during the 2019 Season?

Hands down, it was one of the best experiences of my life. The jump of going to the pro level is tough in terms of what I wanted to do with my career. I didn’t really know about the process, but more than anything outside of soccer, I really wanted to be able to go somewhere and experience a brand new culture.

Edwards ranks third all time-in career goals against average at St. Joe’s.

PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

steady improvement, which has always been a part of who I am. It’s always been about that slow and steady progress. I made a lot of that progress while I was at St. Joe’s.

I had connections through a coach who knew somebody over there that linked me with Portadown. It was an amazing club. I went over there with the intent to win the

league and we ended up winning it. It was one of the most special moments of my career thus far. You don’t get to redo your rookie year and not a lot of people get to go and win a league, so to have those memories is remarkable.

What did it mean to you to be able to sign a professional deal with FC Cincinnati in January 2020?

It was surreal, I kind of felt like I was in dream land. [Major League Soccer] is the league I grew up watching, so it was surreal.

[FC Cincinnati] is a fantastic organization with really good people, the sports staff, coaches and up, are tremendous. I’ve seen such incredible growth in myself as a person and a goalkeeper this past year. I came in thinking I was at the top of my game, and looking back on then to now, I just feel like a completely different person.

What are some of your career aspirations for the future?

It’s tough to set explicitly certain goals because I’ve learned quickly throughout my career they rarely ever go how you planned.

I kind of just have a general goal and that’s to continue to improve and make myself better as a player each day.

Overall, I want to say I’d like to have a long career with continued success, but that stems from continued improvement. This year has been fantastic in moving to FC [Cincinnati], but [also] going forward to be on [a] steady climb of improvement.

Fall club sports cancellation brings disappointment STEPHANIE WENGLER ’23 Special to The Hawk Fall club sports were canceled due to Philadelphia County and St. Joe’s COVID-19 guidelines on July 31. All of St. Joe’s 26 intercollegiate club sports teams compete in the fall.

Student team leaders received an email from Angie Nagle, assistant athletic director for campus recreation, on July 31 that all club athletes will not be able to participate in any form of in-person practices or games.

“Right now everything’s up in the air,” said Kayla Coan ’21, a player on the St. Joe’s women’s rugby team. “I can understand why we had to cancel, I’m just disappointed.”

According to Nagle, the cancellation of fall club sports is due to two main reasons.

“In-person activity has been paused for the fall,” Nagle said. “And the majority of the club governing bodies and leagues which our teams are members of canceled their competitive seasons.”

Coan said being part of a team and competing is something that she will miss this semester.

“You know that someone will always

have your back, our team especially is just a very welcoming group,” Coan said.

Sam Gingerich ’23, a member of the St. Joe’s men’s club volleyball team, said the team’s environment has always provided consistency and structure throughout his time at St. Joe’s.

“It’s honestly just getting to meet a bunch of new guys [when you join the team],” Gingerich said. “It’s cool to have a team to be part of. That’s a big thing I missed from high school.”

Club sports teams are unable to recruit in person this semester. However, Coan said the St. Joe’s women’s rugby team is trying to recruit new members virtually.

“We’re kind of having a problem because we don’t really know how to engage the new members when we can’t really meet them.” Coan said. “We’re trying to plan something through Zoom.”

Nagle said she acknowledges the challenges that club athletes face in recruiting new members and staying connected with one another.

“I empathize with our club athletes who are so passionate about competing for SJU,” Nagle said.

John Whitaker ’23, a member of the St. Joe’s men’s club lacrosse team, said club sports usually occupy a significant portion of his time, so he will be using the new free time to his advantage this semester.

“While I would love to be playing,” Whitaker said, “I am using this semester to

focus on my education and hope for the best with the club in the spring.”

According to Nagle, there is currently no set date for club sports to return in the spring.

The women’s club rugby team usually plays a five game fall schedule.

PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER KLINE ’23/THE HAWK

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Oct. 7, 2020

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

A moment in SJU Athletics: Jamie Moyer TYLER NICE ’23 Assistant Sports Editor Since The Hawk is unable to bring our readers typical sports coverage due to the coronavirus pandemic, we want to reflect on sports highlights from years past. This week’s edition highlights important moments from the career of World Series champion and St. Joe’s alumnus, Jamie Moyer.

No former St. Joe’s baseball player has gone on to have a better major league career than Jamie Moyer. A native of Souderton, Pennsylvania, the 6-foot left-handed pitcher played for 25 years in the MLB for eight different teams, recording 269 career wins. He earned a win against every MLB team, and is one of three pitchers ever to earn 100 wins after the age of 40.

Moyer was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies team that won the 2008 World Series, and started game three of the series at 45-years-old. He earned a spot on the 2018 voters ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Moyer’s college career on Hawk Hill places him near the top of the list in many statistical categories in the St. Joe’s baseball record book. He ranks fourth in wins (16) and seventh in strikeouts (170), despite the seasons being only 33 games as opposed to the roughly 50 game schedule that is now the standard for the St. Joe’s baseball team. Moyer’s 1.99 ERA ranks third all-time at St. Joe’s.

In 2018, Moyer had his jersey number retired by the St. Joe’s baseball program, which was commemorated by a picture of his jersey on the left field wall at John W. Smithson Field. His number, 10, remains the only number retired by the St. Joe’s baseball program.

Moyer is the only St. Joe’s baseball player to ever have their number retired by the university. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SJU ATHLETICS

Moyer, in a 2018 interview with Ryan Mulligan ’21, assistant sports editor, said: “I’ll always be appreciative of that opportunity that I had at St. Joe’s. Not only to be an athlete, but also to be a student, to allow me to further my education and eventually get my degree and move on to a professional baseball career.”

Here are highlights of Moyer’s career at St. Joe’s and professionally: On March 2, 1982, Moyer won his college debut against Adrian College, striking out seven batters in four innings. Three days later, Moyer and senior pitcher Tom Gallagher combined for a one hitter in a 1-0 win versus Heidelberg College. Moyer would

Moyer’s 1984 season still remains one of the most successful in St. Joe’s baseball history.

finish his first season with a 1.21 ERA, which ranks third all-time for a St. Joe’s pitcher in a single season. The 1982 team finished the season 20-6-1, which still ranks as the highest winning percentage for a St. Joe’s baseball team. The team’s pitching staff owns the record for most recorded shutouts in a season with five in total.

In Moyer’s junior season as team captain in 1984, he finished the season with 90 strikeouts, which is still the St. Joe’s record.

His 1.82 ERA was ranked 12th nationally that year. Moyer pitched seven complete games on a team that tied for second in the Atlantic 10. He was named a Best Supporting Athlete at the 1983-84 Hawk Awards, and in an article from The Hawk was described as “striking out batters left and right.”

After his junior season, Moyer decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to play professionally. The Chicago Cubs selected Moyer in the sixth round of the 1984 amateur draft. A scouting report from Chicago Cubs scout Billy Blitzer describes what he saw in the left-hander from a game early in Moyer’s senior season.

“Moyer, with a tough curveball, changing of speeds, mixing pitches up, and good control, can be a tough combination to beat,” Blitzer wrote.

In 1997, Moyer was one of the first three inductees to the SJU Baseball Hall of Fame, alongside outfielder and coach Harry Booth ’62 and outfielder Dave Landers ’71. Moyer was also inducted into the SJU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.

On April 30, 2009, Moyer received an honorary degree from St. Joe’s for his work with The Moyer Foundation, now called Eluna Network, which, at the time, raised over $17 million to support children enduring a time of physical, emotional or financial stress.

Tom Hagan ’11, assistant sports editor, wrote for The Hawk: “Joseph DiAngelo, Ed.D., dean of the Haub School of Business, gave a speech outlining the achievements of both Jamie and Karen Moyer, making sure to emphasize the Moyers’ embodiment of the phrase ‘men and women for and with others.”