April 7, 2022 issue 09 Loquitur

Award-Winning Student Run Newspaper

YOU SPEAK WE LISTEN

Vol. LXIII • Issue 9

Photos by Emily Rowan Design by Sophia Gerner

THELOQUITUR.COM

Thursday April 7, 2022

Editorial

2

Dear Accepted Students: Brace yourselves for a few uncertainties

WE ARE THE

2021-2022

THELOQUITUR.COM

Editorial Staff

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SOPHIA GERNER WRITING MANAGING EDITOR MATTHEW RUTHERFORD MEDIA MANAGING EDITOR SYDNEE REDDY NEWS EDITORS ANNA SCHMADER CIERRA SOUTHARD MAX SILVERMAN SPORTS EDITORS RYAN CHYBINSKI CHRIS SCHALLER LIFESTYLES EDITORS TONIANN GOODEN PRYCE JAMISON PERSPECTIVES EDITORS TJ SCOTT MARK FINLEY LAYOUT AND DESIGN EDITOR SOPHIA GERNER ADVISER MARION CALLAHAN MISSION The Loquitur student newspaper and website are integral parts of the educational mission of the Cabrini communication department, namely, to educate students to take their places in the public media.

Loquitur Media provides a forum of free expression. All members of the university community may submit work to the editors for possible inclusion. Publication is based on the editorial decision of the editors.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Loquitur accepts letters to the editor.

The letter should be less than five hundred words, usually in response to a current issue on Cabrini University’s campus or community area and are printed as space permits. Name, phone number and address should be included with submissions for verification purposes. All letters to the editor must be sent via email to

loquitur@cabrini.edu.

By Sophia Gerner, Matthew Rutherford, Thomas Ryan, Marcus Alvarez Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Assistant Multimedia Editor, Assistant Managing Editor Uncertainty.

These ambiguities bring little comfort to students who would like to know who will steer the ship in the meantime.

That word sums up a recurring theme that should not be at the forefront of Cabrini’s brand as new students start making critical decisions about committing to schools.

It has been over a month since the email was sent out. The students have heard nothing on any interim president or if the search has begun for a new full-time leader.

While incoming freshmen already shoulder uncertain expectations of their first year of college, Cabrini University is not making the solid strides to ease anxieties, especially in the midst of massive change.

Rapidly approaching is June 30, which is scheduled to be Taylor’s last day.

“I will leave Cabrini knowing that the future is bright for the university,” Taylor said.

Ending the school year with the resignation of a president, talks of massive curriculum changes and COVID-19 restrictions being lifted may change the minds of many incoming freshmen.

As a freshmen, you will not be able to test out of certain classes such as writing. What are these specific courses? What other classes will be required?

The curriculum is changing, new classes are being arranged and new ideas are being generated. What does this mean for students, faculty and staff?

COVID-19 restrictions being lifted What does a full academic year look like with lighter COVID-19 restrictions? What is Cabrini doing to alleviate the nerves of anxious parents and students?

COVID-19 restrictions are slowly being lifted by the state and Cabrini University. The potential for a full academic year with no masks is a reassuring feeling. A glimmer of normalcy shines bright; however, we saw the same potential this time last year.

Do these unknown variables show a promising, reassuring future for the university?

Resignation of a President Current students are in the process of picking classes for the upcoming semester, while the Board of Trustees are busy picking a new leader for the school.

Infographic by Sophia Gerner, Thomas Ryan and Marcus Alvarez

With so many questions left unanswered, when is the community going to be updated with new information? May 1, National College Decision Day, is fast approaching and are students going to know the full truth about what Cabrini will look like come fall 2022?

“A transition plan is underway, and details will be announced by Amy Lambert, Board of Trustees Chair, as soon as they are available,” President Taylor said in his resignation email.

Curriculum Changes The university is in the process of unveiling a new curriculum in accordance with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). All incoming freshmen are going to have to take brand new courses.

The issue with these courses is they will not be offered each semester. This means that the students must pass the courses the first time they attempt them, or it can cause them to fall behind fairly easily.

The university has a lot of questions that students would want answered before they decide to commit to Cabrini.

What is the university doing to mitigate declining enrollment numbers and to reassure possible incoming students that Cabrini is the correct choice for them, despite all the uncertainties?

It’s time for our leadership to be more transparent about the university’s direction Decisiveness is what we need - not uncertainty.

Loquitur wins 10 Keystone media awards, most in school history

By Max Silverman News Editor Cabrini’s student journalists have been known to produce award-winning stories, and this year is no different. On March 15, The Loquitur racked up 10 Pennsylvania Keystone media awards for the 2021 spring and fall semesters, the most in school history from the Pennsylvania News Media Association.

Competing in a crowded DII category (fouryear institutions with an enrollment of less than 10,000), Loquitur reporters received awards for newspaper design, a podcast and coverage of topics such as eating disorders and stories about race.

Dr. Jerome Zurek, former journalism professor, expressed great pride in these accomplishments. “I can’t be more proud of the commitment that many Loquitur reporters and editors exhibited last year to key issues in our world,” he said.

These articles covered a range of topics, but a majority of them tackled issues about race on and off campus. Race-related discussions have been in the spotlight of American life since the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, so the Loquitur felt that it was important to cover this topic in-depth.

“Perhaps the most significant story across the country last year was the reckoning America had over race, with the trial of the police officers who killed George Floyd,” Zurek said. “The Loquitur can be especially proud of the fact that six of the 10 awards went to stories that examined race in America and on Cabrini’s campus. Many of these stories were team efforts and examined racism from numerous angles, from the rally held on campus in the spring to the elimination of the

Black Studies minor.” 2021 was a tumultuous year for Cabrini and The Loquitur, especially in the spring. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the journalism class and many interviews took place online, which made it difficult to write stories. The university was thrown further for a loop when it was announced that many majors would be cut and faculty members would be let go.

In the fall, in-person classes returned and many interviews were also conducted faceto-face. However, there were still challenges.

Students who appeared as faceless names on Zoom during the past semester had to learn to work as a team and build chemistry; crucial skills for a newsroom to develop.

Zurek also stepped down from teaching journalism, a position that he had held for decades. He was replaced by Marion Callahan. As a result, students had to adapt to

Callahan’s teaching style.

“I think the hardest thing about The Loquitur last year was the transition between the two professors,” Troy Scott, junior digital communications major and Keystone media award winner, said. “I also learned a lot from both of them as well, and I think that these two teaching styles helped me invision the future of the paper.”

Despite the many challenges facing students, Callahan is proud of the work that her students have produced and their ability to fly high in the face of difficulties.

“I am incredibly proud of the innovative spirit that continues to drive great journalism in this program,” Callahan said. “I am also grateful for those before me who laid the foundation for this student-driven success.”

Photo by Erica Zebrowski

THELOQUITUR.COM

News

3

Cabrini grad uses suppressed traumas to write first novel

By Santino Terranova Assistant Sports Editor Growing up in West Philadelphia, being told that he would have to take up a career as something other than as a writer in order to make it out, author and Cabrini graduate, Charles Bush, was determined to prove everyone wrong.

This year, he did.

Writing his first novel based on personal experiences, Bush told the story, “Every Variable of Us,” through the lens of a young African American female.

“Alexis, the main character, she’s pretty much myself, she’s a basketball player. When I grew up and I was her age, I was always told that if you want to get out of this situation, you want to make it out of West Philadelphia, you gotta play basketball, you gotta be a rapper, you gotta be entertainment,” Bush said.

No one, however, told him he could be an actor or a lawyer or the president, he said.

“But that was never told to me so I wanted to write a story for that kid that was like me,” Bush said.

Writing a story that can relate to readers that will understand his personal experiences helped him publish his first novel.

“Being black and living in that athletic experience, I was also told I couldn’t do that. To compile the fact that I couldn’t be what I wanted to be, I also couldn’t express my sexuality the way I wanted to express it because I was told kids that looked like me, especially men in the basketball world, you can’t do it. So I really wanted to write a book that kind of championed that kind of character so that kid that was me when I was 16 years old, sitting in my bedroom, you know, daydreaming of being something beyond a basketball player, dreaming of a moment where I could come out and be proud of my sexuality and my gender and just champion that. I want that kid that’s in there now to read this book and go, I’m not alone,” he said.

He didn’t notice any book that was similar to his anywhere. Bush wrote the novel to give African American kids that feel they’re less than others because of their gender, race or sexuality, he’s giving them a message that they’re not less than.

Bush had few inspirations when writing his first novel, “I always wanted to write like I knew that was something I wanted to do. When I got to college as an undergrad at Cabrini, you know I really found that voice like man I want to tell stories, you know I really want to write like a book or do something to tell a story. The com dept. and the English dept. they really helped me, they all were there for me,” he said.

No one necessarily inspired him to write his first novel. He had inspirations in regards to his favorite authors that he may have wanted to mimic their styles.

The inspiration came from the person inside him.

Bush didn’t focus too much on the title while he was writing, he said, “There’s a part of the book where Alexis says something about we’re all just variables of us to make us what we are and that really got me thinking, I was like man I really like that.”

He thought about why he wrote the novel. Being a person of color, they’re always seen as athletes, drug dealers or entertainers on the news.

He said they’re never seen as everything else that they are.

Bush said how people of color have careers as scientists, doctors, librarians, teachers, writers, lawyers, etc. He also said they’re brave, passionate, loving and variables of so much stuff because they’re made up of many things that make them who they are.

His goal for his first novel is to put something on the shelf for kids that are afraid of being less than others. He said, “The goal is to put something on the shelf so that kid that was me at that age that’s sitting alone in their room, and they’re afraid to come out because they think if they do, it’ll make them less than. You know they think that they’re alone in all this. I want them to know that, don’t stop dreaming, don’t give up, know that you’re beautiful, that you’re seen, that you’re a supernova. That was the goal to let them know that they are not alone and they can be who they want to be fully, openly and unapologetically.”

When talking about his novel, he talked about how people have one vision of a culture, race,

gender, sexuality, etc. People stereotype those things which is evident in his novel. Characters are stereotyped based on their appearance.

“We’re always portrayed as what we are perceived as. I would like people to read the book and go, wow, just because that person maybe that skin tone or that person maybe, whatever their gender is, they are so much more than what I perceive them to be. They are who they are, they are beautiful. I hope people can open their mind up after they read it to loving everyone fully and champion everyone no matter who they are on the outside,” Bush said.

About 85 to 90 percent of the novel comes from personal experiences, he said. Alexis’ living situation, the house she lives in is similar to Bush’s in West Philadelphia.

Using his own experiences to tell a story, he found it difficult digging deep into his past to write about traumas that he suppressed in the back of his mind. He said, “Like I said about the living situation with Alexis, I had to really go back to those times with my mom, brother, sister in that apartment where some nights we would go without food. You know my mom did whatever she could to feed us and sometimes, a lot of nights of Ramen noodles, sharing a bowl of Ramen noodles between three kids. A lot of nights going to bed hungry, crying myself to sleep, things like that. It was tough and I had to relive those moments.”

Bush was able to set aside emotion while writing his first novel. Telling the story about his own traumas to connect with those that feel alone, isolated and less than others based on their appearance, he’s telling them a message that they’re seen. His message to those that read it, “know that you’re beautiful, know that you’re seen and know that you’re a supernova.”

About 85 to 90 percent of the novel comes from personal experiences, he said. Alexis’ living situation, the house she lives in is similar to Bush’s in West Philadelphia.

Using his own experiences to tell a story, he found it difficult digging deep into his past to write about traumas that he suppressed in the back of his mind. He said, “Like I said about the living

Every Variable of Us cover. Photo by Charles Bush.

situation with Alexis, I had to really go back to those times with my mom, brother, sister in that apartment where some nights we would go without food. You know my mom did whatever she could to feed us and sometimes, a lot of nights of Ramen noodles, sharing a bowl of Ramen noodles between three kids. A lot of nights going to bed hungry, crying myself to sleep, things like that. It was tough and I had to relive those moments.”

Bush was able to set aside emotion while writing his first novel. Telling the story about his own traumas to connect with those that feel alone, isolated and less than others based on their appearance, he’s telling them a message that they’re seen. His message to those that read it, “know that you’re beautiful, know that you’re seen and know that you’re a supernova.”

“Every Variable of Us,” was released on March 1, 2022. The novel is available for purchase at Amazon, Flux, Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and other locations.

News

4

THELOQUITUR.COM

Meet the Valedictorian for the class of 2022

By Cierra Southard News Editor

With the school year quickly coming to an end and graduation right around the corner, seniors are in full swing ready to move their tassel from right to left.

With commencement just over a month away, there was one important role that needed to be filled to lead that transition; the valedictorian.

Photo by Taylor Barker

She has been a member of the Cabrini Dance Team all four years, including being on their executive board. She has held the position of Treasurer for one year and the position of captain for two and a half years.

“I have worked towards providing a positive, safe environment for dancers to thrive and be inspired. I promote new opportunities in terms of the Cabrini dance team being both an athletic club and a student-run organization,” she said.

Barker also has organized events and performances for the dance team, including halftime at Sixers games, Phillies games and Cabrini’s basketball and baseball games. Through the dance team, she has had the opportunity to volunteer at various alumni events, including ‘Christmas at Cabrini’ and ‘Breakfast with the Bunny.’

Furthermore, she has been involved in awareness events, such as a Breast Cancer Support fundraiser, Lupus Support fundraiser and Cabrini’s Cav-a-thon event. Additionally, she serves as a representative for Cabrini’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC).

“I really like that [Cabrini] viewed their chosen valedictorian through a holistic view, focusing on various aspects of the student and their active involvement with Cabrini. It makes me feel accomplished as a well-rounded student,” she said.

Meet this years valedictorian, Taylor Barker.

Barker, Pre-K-4 Elementary Education with Pre-K-12 Special Education major, said that throughout her four years at Cabrini, it has been anything but shy of opportunities.

She has been in the honors program for the last four years, as well as being on the President’s List for eight consecutive semesters.

She is also a member of Cabrini’s Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, the Sigma Rho chapter of the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society and the Delta Xi chapter of the Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society.

Barker has also participated in field experience opportunities in the education field, including the Florida field immersion trip to Naples, Florida.

Barker said that when she got the call so quickly that she had been chosen, she was in complete shock. “I was the happiest, most thrilled I had been in a long time. Prior to my draft speech presentation, I had a rough day filled with a lot of different emotions.

Therefore, when I got the call that I was selected, I was completely filled with joy and pride.”

She expressed how proud of herself she was being selected among the many students deserving of this honor. “This is a great way to summarize the diligence I have displayed in my four years at Cabrini,” she said.

Barker, just like anyone else, had to overcome challenges, her’s being time management.

and outside of school. At one point in my college career, I was juggling a semester of being a full-time student, the captain of the Cabrini dance team, working 20 hours per week, working out, field experience once a week, babysitting every weekend, homework and maintaining a social life all at once. I also work as an assistant teacher at a childcare center, when I am not a full-time student teacher,” she said.

“This is a challenge because it is all things that I love to do and I did not want to give anything up, but I kept finding myself pulled between being overwhelmed and grateful for every opportunity that I had.”

However, Barker always made it a point to realize how grateful she was to be able to participate in so many things that she loves.

This year, the graduation ceremony is even more special, with all of the commencements being held inperson.

“I am incredibly grateful that I am able to speak in front of the Class of 2022 at in-person commencement ceremonies. With so many changes in the past two years, we cannot take things for granted that used to be certain and typical. Getting the chance to speak inperson at all commencement ceremonies is a true honor,” Barker said.

After graduation, Barker will work as a summer Stepping Up teacher in the Phoenixville area school district as well as currently applying for many different Pre-K-4 Elementary teaching positions. She also has the opportunity to study abroad in Florida for a semester with the Disney College Program.

“I would tell future students with the goal of valedictorian, or students in general, to always be themselves. It’s important to find a healthy balance between schoolwork and social life. Know when to prioritize self-care. Know how to develop a strong work ethic and pay attention to all of the remarkable moments that get you to your end goals. Hold onto valuable relationships and create a life that you love in these important years!”

“I have always been involved in many different activities inside

Dasha’s story: woman from Ukraine shares journey and rescue efforts

By Lashay Smith, Isaiah Dickson, Jacob Pegan Assistant Podcast Editor, Assistant Perspectives Editor, Assistant News Editor This is the first of more stories reflecting voices from Ukraine. The Loquitur plans to continue the conversation with Dasha and others working to rescue people from the war.

Nearly a month ago, Dasha Andrienko awoke at 5 a.m. to what sounded like “fireworks.”

She glanced out the window of her apartment in Kharkiv, Ukraine and saw the smokey and fiery aftermath of the first attack on her home city and quickly sent a text message to her family, friends and neighbors.

“Everybody was like, ‘Hey, it’s the war,’ ” Andrienko said. “It started.”

Andrienko, once a resident of Wayne, Pa., is among millions of Ukrainians who fled their homes in the aftermath of the Russian invasion.

As of Friday, March 18, at least 6,000 lives have been lost and 4 million people displaced. Many have left the country. Andrienko had her chance to leave, but she decided to stay and help her people.

In a March 16 Zoom interview with Cabrini University’s student media, The Loquitur, she described her journey and the struggle to leave home. From a base in west Ukraine, she recalled her first reaction when the bombs started to fall, quickly scanning her apartment to decide what to take and what to leave behind. It was a moment that reminded her that “everything is temporary.”

“A challenge was to leave with one backpack, not knowing if you will be able to come home again,” she said.

Andrienko packed documents, an emergency

bag. Then, she turned on the news to see other cities being bombed.

better for them to stay home and only go out for supplies like food and drinking water.

“Like never before, you understand that all material is temporary and what really matters (are the) lives of people,” she said. “I had to learn not to be attached to material things, and not think of my green plants at home for example, that I love a lot…that are so unimportant on the scale of everything,”

“My mom had back problems, so they weren’t sure whether they should go,” she said. “But we stayed in touch all the time, asking ‘how are you?’ and ‘is everything fine?’ At that time, she said, and it was almost impossible to get a Taxi.

You didn’t know where the shooting or the bombing was going to go.”

After her messages between loved ones, Andrienko immediately looked to God. She prayed about the forthcoming hardship her and the citizens of Ukraine would have to face.

In the church, emergency alarms set up by a former member of the military alerted her and others to incoming attacks, and they moved downstairs for safety when they heard the sirens.

Through all of that, the hope in God kept them all together, she said.

“I didn’t panic because I knew I had this deep assurance that my life was in God’s hand, but I needed to do something,” Andrienko said. “…

Emotions become numb in times like these.”

Soon after she left her apartment, she went to her church to help to prepare the building for people taking shelter. Below the church was a “bomb shelter,” where they spread mattresses on a dirt floor, creating a place where she and others stayed for the next seven days. Some were friends and neighbors. Others were strangers who she quickly bonded with.

“I shared a mattress with a girl I had just met,” Andrienko said, mentioning that others thought they were lifelong friends.

About 80 to 100 people stayed in the church, she said.

However, Andrienko’s family wasn’t among them.

Her family lived a half hour away and without a car, and it wasn’t safe to walk. At first, it was

“Praise God that nobody panicked,” Andrienko said. “We sang worship, we prayed and we read the Bible.”

Despite the building shaking as the rockets landed close by, the group huddled on mattresses guided by the Psalms that they read, Andrienko said.

They sang gospel music, as a man with a guitar played. Her faith in God, she said, helped her through the toughest moments and those uncertain hours when the bombs struck near them. “(We were) going up and down when it was getting loud and when the bombing was close,” Andrienko said.

As the attacks intensified, Andrienko and others living in the church decided to journey to west Ukraine to find a better place “because it was not getting better at all.” But the most dangerous

journey, she said, was traveling from homes or bomb shelters to the train station, where thousands packed trains with standing-room only.

She said they stayed calm by reminding themselves that trust in God would get them through it.

The day after they left for the train station to head west, the church was bombed. Since it was evacuated, no one was hurt.

At the station, Andrienko said the platform was filled with families. People packed into the train for a 15 hour ride.

People had to take turns sitting on the floor while the majority stood.

The train arrived at a base in West Ukraine. Volunteers, including Andrienko, work to find ways

THELOQUITUR.COM

Lifestyles

5

Cabrini student uses her disability to inspire others

By Thomas Ryan Assistant Multimedia Editor

It was high school graduation day and when Samantha Sturkey’s name was called, she said: “They had to walk my diploma down to me because they did not think ahead to accommodate for me.”

“I would absolutely love to start a club of some sort to bring the young people like me together to play the sport we love,” Sturkey said.

Sturkey, freshman psychology major born with Spina Bifida, said she doesn’t see limits, but she knows that others do. The graduation experience, she said, serves as a wake-up call for a number of institutions in the United States and around the world. College is not an option for many people living with Spina Bifida, but Starkey does not let her disability stop her from pursuing her dreams.

Sturkey commended Cabrini’s efforts to making their campus more handicap accessible.

Spina Bifida is a condition that affects the spine and is usually apparent at birth. It is a type of neural tube defect.

Sturkey touched on what it was like growing up with Spina Bifida.

Sturkey is currently pursuing a degree in psychology with the goal of becoming a child life specialist and providing others with the same kind of care she received as a child.

“I want the kids who are like me to be given the same opportunity that I was given and not be treated any differently than a normal child,” Sturkey said.

Sturkey grew up loving the same things as any other young child.

She is a huge Philadelphia sports fan and despite her disability, is an avid basketball player.

“I have been playing basketball ever since I was around five or six and every now and then I go to Dixon just to get up some shots,” Sturkey said.

Sturkey is currently the manager of the women’s basketball team and has been pushing for the university to bring about more inclusive sports for young people like her.

“Cabrini was one one of the schools I really enjoyed because of their effort they put in to accommodating for someone like me,” Sturkey said.

Sturkey would not give this life up for anything.

“There was never a moment where I wanted to trade my life for a different one, I’ve been blessed with this life and of course there are going to be tough times, but I always keep pushing and remember why God put me here,” Sturkey said.

Sturkey’s advice to incoming freshmen is, “Be your true self and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.”

“When I was around the age of seven or eight, I would have kids ask me ‘why are you still wearing diapers?’ and that is something that really affected me,” Sturkey said.

Instead of letting those harsh words occupy her mind, she always saw those situations as an opportunity to teach others.

“I’m not a monster, I am just like everyone else,” Sturkey said.

“I want people to come and ask me questions, not be afraid of me, that is how you learn,” Sturkey said.

Sturkey credits her positive attitude and outlook on life to her faith in God. “I never think ‘why me?’ I knew God made me this way to teach others and to inspire other people who are dealing with a similar situation,” Sturkey said.

Despite having 23 procedures done before the age of 20,

Photo by Samantha Sturkey

Do Cabrini students care about politics?

By Victoria Emmitt Assistant Editor- in-Chief

With a societal push for social justice reform and political issues becoming less about politics and more about human rights issues, encouraging active political involvement at a younger age is more important than ever.

The U.S. was built upon democracy which means inclusive fundamental political participation is a right and imperative to promoting real change in society now and in the future.

When young people have all the necessary tools that allow them to be active participants in democracy, then they hold the power to make legislative changes.

“I think it’s important for people at college age to be involved with politics because you are at the age where you are eligible to be able to vote and participate in elections and it’s part of your civil duty,” Hannah Boone, sophomore early childhood education major, said.

“Right now there are so many integral legislative movements that are threatening human rights or are related to different human rights movements and it is important to recognize that we as voters are the people who get individuals into the office and can stop these restrictions from happening,” Kendall Trumbore, vice president of the Spectrum club, said.

If young people have the power to make real change in society for themselves and for generations after them, then why do some students at Cabrini not want to talk about politics?

“I have seen a wide range at Cabrini of people who are involved and those who are impartial and then those who do not even want to talk about politics at all,” Boone said. “I’m not involved probably because I don’t take the time to learn what I need to, but I do vote but not in all of the elections,” Jordan Williams, junior sociology major, said.

Heterodox Academy said in a study, that in recent years more and more college students are hesitant to discuss race, gender, sexuality and politics in the classroom. This self-censorship is due to students fearing being ostracized or canceled for their political beliefs. In some cases, they do not speak up because their views may not be popular opinions among other students.

“I have seen people in my classes who have felt like they have not been able to not really say where they stand politically, and then when they are in a class discussion feel they have to alter their opinions while talking about them in order to pass the class,” Boone said.

Cabrini is a school that places high value on social justice and student engagement, hence various social justice courses are a part of the core curriculum.This allows for a students’ college experience to go far beyond receiving a degree. It also exposes its students to many social justice issues and helps them find their voice, but not all students are happy about that.

“As a liberal arts school that focuses a lot on social justice, I find there are a lot more people who are impartial to politics,” Boone said. “During my social justice classes last year there were some students who were upset that we talked about politics a lot, more people than I thought there would be.”

According to a College Pulse study on political activity among college students done in 2021, 58 percent of the 980 students polled indicated they do not feel represented by either political party.

When young people are disengaged by political parties then they lose their representation as well as their voice on issues that directly affect them, such as LGBTQIA+ rights, gun control, reproductive rights, healthcare, education and many others.

“After the Parkland shooting, I started getting involved with politics because after that happened I realized this is pretty important to me,” Boone said. “Gun control is very important to me as an early childhood education major, and now as someone who can vote I can make an impact on that by voting.”

Although Cabrini focuses on an inclusive social justice environment, not all students who attend Cabrini are involving themselves with these issues outside of classes. It is never too late to become politically aware and advocate for legislative change because even if you do not believe you will be affected, there are countless others who do not have the same privilege.

Joining a club is a terrific method to learn about these topics through first-hand experiences of other students, whether they want to get engaged with politics and activism on campus or just want a safe area to learn and explore all paths.

Cabrini’s Spectrum club is an organization on campus that educates on LGBTQIA+ and gender topics while providing a safe space for students on campus.

This club’s major focus is education and the normalization of conversations about sexuality and gender but also provides a sense of belonging for students.

Even though they are not a self-proclaimed political club, a lot of

their discussions and members are politically active. Due to the current political climate where there is a lot going on with LGBTQIA+ rights across the U.S., Spectrum also holds educational events to bring awareness of issues in the LGBTQIA+ community to students on campus as well as celebratory events. As well as support for that would benefit local LGBTQIA+ groups in the community that provide housing and other necessities to queer youth.

“I deeply believe that getting involved out there in politics through your form of activism is the best way to accomplish what you want to see,” Trumbore said.

Infographic by Victoria Emmitt

Perspectives

6

THELOQUITUR.COM

The dilemma of a student water connoisseur

By Marcus Alvarez Assistant Managing Editor

One million plastic bottles are bought per minute.

I’d like to think of myself as a water connoisseur. Drinking water is one of my favorite pastimes. However, where do I draw the line when it comes to protecting the environment? Honestly, it’s hard to think about the environment when papers and assignments cloud my mind.

Photo by Marcus Alvarez

As an independent adult, I must consider all the purchases I make, the decisions regarding my health and all the responsibilities that come with being an adult.

I admit plastic water bottles are horrible for the environment, especially when they are not recycled. Why do I contribute to this?

Convenience and my delusional water connoisseur dreams.

Water intake falls under those responsibilities. Plastic or reusable?

Tap or filtered? Some prefer tap over bottled. Personally, I don’t love the taste of tap water. College life makes it tough.

One of my goals in the new year is to use my reusable water bottle more often despite the hassle. However, all I feel like doing is drinking my favorite brand of water while watching my favorite television show curled up under my warm blanket.

In my experience, getting water at college has been a hassle. I live on campus, and in my almost two years staying in the dorms at Cabrini, I have yet to see a water fountain inside them. And I’m not talking about the old or unfriendly kind that are germ-ridden. I’m talking about the nice, filtered ones that are rare on campus.

Photo by: Marcus Alvarez Photo by Marcus Alvarez

Maybe I’m lazy, and don’t want a crisis of consciousness every time I reach for a sip of water. Or maybe, I’m spoiled that water is so easily found and packaged.

Coming to Cabrini, I’ve never imagined, in a singular plastic bottle per minute, I would be writing a water story. Although water is not the most exciting piece of journalistic writing, the weight of consequence of using plastic water bottles is greater than holding onto my standards and expectations.

Photo by Marcus Alvarez

I’m paying a lot of money to stay on campus at Cabrini, so why is it so hard to get on-demand water that is environmentally friendly? Faculty members have water coolers, why can’t students? Dorms on campus should have contact-free water filling stations.

Water is important.

Unfortunately, I fall victim to the plastic water bottle phenomenon.

Sure, there are options like Brita or other filtering devices that can be hooked up onto faucets, but why should I filter my water when plastic ones are readily available for the taking?

According to Beyond Plastics, an anti-plastics movement involving environmental policy experts and college students, “15+ million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans every year and there will be one lb of plastic in the oceans for every three lbs of fish by 2025.”

If it’s recommended that I use a reusable water bottle, why do the dorms and stores on campus have vending machines or fridges with plastic water bottles? I’m not going to solely rely on the only two nice fountains located in the Holy Spirit Library and Founders.

Cabrini does offer a variety of safe and clean water options. Every academic and recreational building has at least one water fountain on each level. Anywhere there is food on campus, there is almost always water in the form of plastic bottles or disposable cups. Every dorm has a sink readily available for Brita’s use.

I see people on campus with both reusable and disposable water

Photo by Marcus Alvarez

options. I applaud those protecting the environment with reusable water bottles.

Cabrini, in my opinion, should move towards a plastic bottle-free and water-friendly campus with more accessible and clean water fountains for all students and faculty.

Plus, isn’t it recommended that we have a daily intake of 8 cups of water? So, Cabrini, help us water up – in a way that is safe for us

‘I’m going to win an Emmy one day’

By Isaiah Dickson Assistant Perspectives Editor

Ever since I was a kid I loved television.

Growing up I knew every theme song to my favorite childhood shows and I knew the tv guide like the back of my hand. On vacations, the guides were always different so I’d go and find my favorite channels before we even unpacked. For me, television was a priority, and as I got older film made its way to the forefront of my life.

It’s hard for me to think about my life without these mediums of entertainment being in them. For many people, including myself, the screen was an escape. Allowing myself to get caught up in sci-fi or the incredible worlds of fantasy provides a space to get away from the monotony of life.

Photo by Isaiah Dickson

The feeling I get after finishing a great movie or tv show is almost unmatched. The moment “the end” rolls across my screen I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do. As a kid, I took that feeling to the extreme. I thought I could be just like my favorite superheroes on the big screen, saving the day, fighting off evildoers, flying, and moving things with my mind.

While I knew that most of the feats I saw on the screen weren’t possible, as I grew older I realized that good tv and good movies should make you feel like you could do those impossible things that no human can do.

hero, what I was watching inspired me to make the next big show, movie or comic book. In elementary school, we were given the freedom to create. So in my spare time, I tried to make a graphic novel version of my favorite show in the first grade, Prehistoric Park.

It was a fictional documentary series about Nigel Marvin, a man who would go back in time and bring dinosaurs to his park in the present to save them from extinction. As a fan of dinosaurs in my youth, I watched this series more times than I can count. So from time to time, I would color in dinosaurs on my paper in an attempt to retell one of my favorite stories. Unfortunately, the unfinished book is tucked away somewhere in my house.

Marvel and DC Comics were also inspiring to me. To this day my dad and I watch their shows and movies when they come out. These two superhero hubs were the reason I begged my mom for a cartoonist book. I wanted to learn how to draw so I could start the next Marvel.

So when my mom finally got me what I’d been wishing for, I got to work. I started the infamous Trimary Comics, in hopes of making it big one day.

An artist in any medium should have a feeling that they’re trying to convey. Ultimately, their art is up to the interpretation of the public.

However, great art separates itself from the crowd when it makes audiences feel the emotion the art was trying to portray.

I began with the origin story of my first superhero, The Whip, a college student studying zoology who got his powers on a trip to Africa. Once again, just like my graphic novel, I never finished it. I only created the cover and the first page. But for these films and shows to push a little fourth grader to spend hours drawing and writing to make something special is still incredible to me.

Aside from filling my childhood with dreams of becoming a super-

As I moved through middle school, and high school and eventually

made it to college my love for the screen never faded. A year ago I made a list of movies, shows and anime on my phone that I have to watch. The list expands frequently but I’m proud to say I’ve tackled a lot of what I’ve written down. This list has resulted in me watching what would become my two favorite movies of all time.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Her. From cinematography, to acting, to music and writing these films have it all. With both of these films being in the romance and sci-fi categories, it was hard for me not to like them. But I never expected to be as captivated by them as I was.

After seeing both of these films I told myself, “I want to make something just like this.” When art does that to me it’s a big deal, whether it be a movie or music. The first thing that gave me that feeling was my favorite show of all time, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

After a re-watch of the series as a kid, it cemented its spot as my number one and, for the first time, inspired me to make something just like it one day.

Tweet from Isaiah Dickson

On Sep. 19, 2021 the 73rd Emmy Awards took place. In an event that saw no people of color win in a major category television once again found a way to inspire me. On Sep. 19, 2021 at 10:36 p.m., I took to Twitter and pressed send on a tweet that read, “I wanna win an Emmy one day…”

And years from now I hope to be referencing that tweet and this article when I’m giving my acceptance speech onstage.

THELOQUITUR.COM

Sports

7

It took 10 years in the making. Cabrini wins The Battle for Eagle Road

By Hannah Poggi Assistant Lifestyles Editor For the first time in 10 years, the Cabrini men’s lacrosse team took on Eastern University for the Battle for Eagle Road. The Cavs won 16-12.

Just after the first goal, the momentum stayed up and Vanaman and Vaughan kept the Cavaliers in a 3-0 lead just less than six minutes into the game.

The last time the Cavaliers and Eagles met in the NCAA Tournament was in 2012, with the Cavs winning 19-3.

Vaughan describes his feelings towards the major win for the Cavs and the atmosphere of the game itself. “It felt great to win against Eastern.

The rivalry was all leading up to the big game taking place on Mar. 26. While the pressure was high, Cabrini dominated the game with outstanding performances from the team.

The game had a lot of hype around it during the days leading up to game day and to see a big crowd made all the hype that more true.

Eastern being a cross-road campus made it a lot more special and to have come out on top felt awesome.

“We hadn’t played them in ten years so a win was mandatory,” Vaughan said.

During the second quarter of the game, the Cavs kept their 5-2 lead. There were two back-to-back goals scored by the Eagles in the opening period and left the score at 5-4. During this, Max Drift, sophomore attack, and Austin Bolton, junior attack, boosted the score with their goals, leaving an 8-4 lead with only four minutes left in the period.

In the second quarter, the Eagles only scored one more goal before halftime leaving the score 8-5. The third quarter was exciting for both teams, and they combined for nine goals.

Photo by Hannah Poggi

The team was excited to conquer, especially bouncing back from previous games. “We felt good taking the win over Eastern after a close game with Colorado before,” Jake Cavanaugh, sophomore defender, said.

Seven players shined throughout the game and helped their team score goals. Mikey Vanaman, junior attack/midfielder, had four goals and was the highest scoring player of the game. Dillion McManus, junior attack, and Jake Schneider, freshman attack, each had three goals.

A key contributor in particular that benefited and led Cabrini’s team with its largest lead was Jake Schneider. Schneider’s goal at 6:55 lead the Cavs to a 12-7 lead and he got the game rolling by helping with five goals in the last 90 seconds of the third quarter.

The Cavaliers have been in store preparing for the game against the Eastern Eagles, so there was no doubt there was room for great teamwork.

it was a good game. Being able to play a school right across the road and get the win is always a positive,” Corbin Carraghan, junior defender, said.

Taking a look back at the third quarter, the blue-and-white weren’t the only ones who kept the energy up. The Eagles scored two goals in the fourth quarter.

Vanaman and McManus regained five goals in the fourth with 5:29 to play. There were also a lot of scoring opportunities and 14 turnovers throughout the game.

The game was solid overall in many different ways, but there were improvements that could’ve been done. “As a team, we were satisfied with the win but thought we could have played better both defensively and offensively,” Cavanaugh said.

“I think anytime as a young team, you play in close games that it’ll help you in the long run. We started off strong in the first half but it got closer towards the end. So being able to close the game out and win at home is a step forward for us,” Carraghan said.

For the long-awaited matchup, the Cavaliers took the win against the Eagles and won the Battle for Eagle Road. The strength from the team and players that the blue-and-white showed on the field gained their entry to a remarkable win in Cabrini history.

“It wasn’t a blowout and Eastern put up a good fight so our offense had to be consistent throughout the whole game. I was proud of all of our guys and will always be looking forward to defending Eagle Road,” Vaughan said.

Photo by Hannah Poggi

Two other players that lit it up on the field were Zack Kaut, senior defense, and Tommy Vaughan, sophomore attack. Kaut and Vaughan both scored two goals.

Known for his faceoffs, Jake Huey, senior faceoff, had 10 ground balls and two assists. Matt Nestler, a graduate student goaltender, successfully led the Cavaliers to victory in the second half by posting six of his seven saves.

It took 10 years in the making. Cabrini’s victory in the Battle for Eagle Road was worth the wait.

Cabrini started strong at the start of the game. Kaut was on fire and managed to score the game’s first goal within the first 19 seconds.

“They’ve been getting better over the past few years, and overall

Breaking down Cabrini’s concussion testing

By Chris Schaller Sports Editor

A bruise to the brain usually results in a week of no sports for a player then back onto the field.

Concussions over the last 10 years have been a pressing topic as the population gains more and more knowledge about the severity of the injury over time.

Cabrini and the Atlantic East Conference follow the concussion protocol checklist provided by the NCAA. Currently there is no time table for when a player should return to play. However that athlete has to be cleared by a medical professional.

“For liability reasons we cannot go through the exact details of how we evaluate concussions and to clear a player they have to be cleared by a physician,” Jessica Toth, Cabrini University head athletic trainer, said.

The earliest to fully recover from a concussion is between two to four weeks. That time table is not followed by a majority of sports leagues including the NCAA. A player will usually return to athletic activities in one or two weeks and may not report the symptoms that they may still be sufferinfrom.

There has been a push in recent years for women’s lacrosse to wear helmets like the men’s lacrosse. The argument is since it is a contact sport and that men’s lacrosse plays with a helmet then the women should as well.

“What puts us at the highest risk of a concussion during a game is being checked in the head, which is illegal, but since we don’t have helmets there is no protection against it,” Alyssa Kolasa, junior lacrosse midfielder, said. Before the 2010’s, people did not view concussions as an injury with long-term effects. Usually a player’s head will collide with another player, playing surface or another object, prompting the brain injury.

If the player wasn’t knocked unconscious, they head right back onto the field of play.

The movie Concussion, which came out in 2015, broke down the long-term effects of CTE (chronic trauma encephalopathy), that NFL players had to live with, opened up the public’s eyes to the dangers of not treating concussions.

Now for the most part the player will be pulled from the game and the trainer will evaluate the player, most likely keeping the player out for the rest of the game.

From that point on the recovery and steps for the player to be cleared are not under the supervision of the athletic trainers.

Every athlete before each season that they compete has to take the Impact test. The Impact test is a 30-minute online standardized test that gets a baseline of a player’s cognitive and comprehension skills. The point of the test is for there to be a blueprint for a player that gets concussed to see the impacts of their brain injury.

Cabrini’s athletic department has more advanced protocols for leg injuries, arm injuries and other body maladies than for concussions. This is based on concussions not being heavily evaluated and studied until recently in history.

As time goes on and more and more athletes suffer from concussions. There will be more-and-more information about the longterm effects that occur from mistreated concussions.

Trainers, doctors and independent neurologists are learning new ways to treat concussions based on past examples of failed treatments and scientific studies that are being done.

Photo by Ryan Chybinski

8

Sports

THELOQUITUR.COM

Cabrini graduate shares his transformation from jail time to busines owner

By Ryan Chybinski Sports Editor

The clock struck zero and Timmy Brooks and his teammates exploded onto the field to celebrate after defeating Amherst to win the team’s first national lacrosse title in their own backyard.

It’s a memory he’ll never forget, as it symbolized much more than a national title for Brooks. Beneath the celebratory glow and feeling of success was another source of pride for Brooks, who years earlier sat behind bars. In his journey, he struggled with addiction and committed crimes to feed that addiction.

was even a possibility for him when he started down this path. In the end though, the consequences of his actions caught up with him. Brooks spent seven and a half months in the Montgomery County Correctional Facility.

I was just trying to give school a shot.” Brooks would find success at Cabrini not only on the lacrosse field but in the classroom as well. He graduated from Cabrini, an achievement that did not look possible to him just a few years ago.

“Life in that period was really all about feeding a beast that wanted to be fed and trying to convince the world I was a person that peo

“Most of my learning at Cabrini was about me figuring out how to be a person, how to not get what I want and still be a decent person. Most days I look back and just feel lucky that I was amongst a class of guys who shared a lot of the same values that I try to live by and really cared for each other.”

Brooks grew up in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, where he considered himself an average lacrosse player.

Brooks went from just a normal lacrosse player from the suburbs of Philadelphia to being escorted from a courtroom in handcuffs by a bailiff. Waiting for Brooks was not a charter bus to take him to his next game, but instead a short gray bus with mesh on the windows waiting to take him to his new life.

Brooks was a part of the magical run that Cabrini’s men’s lacrosse team went on going 22-2 on the season and bringing the school its first and only national champio ship. Brooks would not even have imagined that this type of success was possible just a few years ago while he was being escorted from a courtroom. For Brooks, he was given a second chance and was able to build friendships that will last a lifetime. The friendships Brooks made along the way in recovery and during his time at Cabrini would help to keep him on the track to building the life that he wanted post addiction.

Brooks’ story started out normal growing up outside the city living a comfortable life with parents who loved him and every opportunity to succeed. Under the surface, there was an addiction growing that would eventually show its ugly face.

“In high school, I got involved in smoking weed and drinking with my buddies. With most things I do in my life, I go all-in,” Brooks said. “At that time in my life, I was all-in on playing lacrosse, trying to convince the world I was a man of good character and learning how much fun it was to drink with my buddies and smoke weed.”

Quickly though his attempts and showing his good character would fail along with this “fun time” with friends. A bigger problem was emerging with his habits, ending life plans that Brooks had worked hard to achieve, including college and playing lacrosse. The sport had been a major part of his life, but at that moment his addiction took full hold over his life and the choices he would make.

“That quickly grew to me dropping out of college ditching a lacrosse scholarship, coming home which quickly grew into me getting arrested for selling some weed,” he said.

“I wasn’t selling weed for any other reason than I didn’t have money to afford my habits.” At the time of his arrest, Brooks was 18-years-old being charged with criminal conspiracy, possession with the intent to deliver controlled substances and a host of other charges.

He recalls the day he was handcuffed, loaded onto a bus and driven to prison. Brooks had never imagined that going to prison

Photo by CLEM Murray

ple could respect and getting high,” Brooks said. “What comes with active addiction is depression, anxiety, a lot of stress and struggle in other areas of my life and additionally when we’re in those chapters we lack the ability to realize oh this is active addiction.”

After his release from prison, Brooks was intent on getting back on the right track in life and correcting the wrongs that he had done that landed him in prison. Brooks would eventually find himself at Cabrini with a second chance to get his education and a second chance to get on the field for the game he loves. Brooks was able to score a tryout for the men’s lacrosse team at Cabrini.

“I was in jail on release to go to work,” he said. “I was on a workrelease program and I saw an ad for Cabrini on a SEPTA bus and I put in an application.

Cabrini was willing to give me a second chance. I had always thought of school as a prerequisite to play sports and hang out with my friends but at that time being a person committed to recovery

After his time at Cabrini, Brooks would go on to found his own recovery house called Synergy House aimed at hel ing those who struggle with the same vices Brooks himself overcame. Brooks saw this as an opportunity to give back to and help a community that he used to be a part of and that helped him.

“Addiction is an illness and our society doesn’t really see it that way. When a child is diagnosed with leukemia that child gets empathy to the end of the earth,” Brooks said. “Families that have members who are struggling with addiction we need to show up the same way and we don’t; there are a lot of prejudice against someone struggling with addiction.”

Synergy House’s mission is to provide a path to sober living to young males located in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The facility is a long-term recovery house with around 50 beds; 25 of them for their flagship program. This program focuses on helping young men build a life in recovery.

“The way we help young men build a life in recovery is by making this thing look attractive and positioning a lot of really good people who have sound recovery in front of our community members and providing a lot of structure and accountability.”

“Through our program guys get healthy.”

Meet the behind-the-scenes Cabrini employees that make game day possible

By Marcus Alvarez Assistant Managing Editor

A wave of Cavalier spirit. Overwhelming competitiveness fills the air as passion ravages the opposing team on and off the playing venue.

Graphic by Marcus Alvarez

Though they may not shine in the spotlight on the court or get the applause that so often echos from stands on the turf, the small team of employees charged with logistics make Carbini’s sporting events possible.

School pride can only go as far as the logistics of preparation and setting up for a game day can take them. Coordinator of athletics student programming and assistant coach, Brittany Runyen, and assistant director of athletics, Laura Patton, shine a light on the tough preparation of game days at Cabrini.

College athletics is a huge business, especially in larger universities. Cabrini is not one of those larger schools with immense funding. A common fact that some students might not know is that at Cabrini, only a few staff members (two or three) prepare the games, and they must wear multiple hats to make a game day successful.

“There’s a lot more that goes into running a game than just showing up, pressing the start button and letting it go,” Patton said.

“Leading up to for the week, we’re sending emails, we’re prepping the field, we’re doing maintenance.”

The experience of a home game, with roaring fans and determined players, is one of the many perks of attending a college or university. School pride during a home game is a competitive edge for players. Home sporting events are one of the, if not the only environments where students can gather from all different backgrounds in one area, united for victory.

For Cabrini students, the lack of an engaging, spirited and social common area shines on the fact that home games are Cabrini’s social gathering spots for all students.

However, the work that goes into a home game, here at Cabrini, can be invisible to those outside of Cabrini Athletics.

Runyen is an administrator and on-site supervisor for game days.

In addition to sending out emails, Runyen must figure out and answer the practical questions before all games at Cabrini.

What time will the game start, and how much time will the team have to warm up on the field or court? What equipment is available, and what is the availability of trainers?

Popularly anticipated game days are impossible without preparation. Preparing for a game at Cabrini takes a lot of work to create that positive, competitive atmosphere home games have.

Game day at Cabrini is a whole different animal for staff working toward creating the best environment for players and fans. The athletics staff must have the venue set up, prepped and ready to go.

Runyen and Patton help oversee the production and overall flow of game days. While players focus on the game, they make sure everything runs smoothly.

“I’m the on-site supervisor. My job is to kind of just oversee the entire event and make sure that everything is running the way it should,” Runyen said.

“I’m just kind of an extra set of hands that while the game’s running, I’m able to grab some things. I meet and greet all of our officials and our opposing teams,” Runyen said.

The Cabrini Athletics department is proud of the work they do.

Runyen and Patton love their jobs and have incredible skills and talent to create a fun, positive and safe environment.

Appreciation should go to all of the staff that works towards the preparation and management of game days.

“I guess my biggest thing is that I’m here to make sure everybody else succeeds. And I think I speak for all of my co-workers when I say that that’s what we’re all here to do,” Runyen said.

Graphic by Marcus Alvarez