Arches Spring 2021

Arches

Mount Mary University Spring 2021

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STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Giselle Martin Gomez

ART DIRECTOR Denisse Hernandez

WEB EDITORS Leslie Chavez Allyson Gebauer

BUSINESS MANAGER Emily Cabaltera

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oming into this semester as the new editor-inchief, it was difficult not to feel intimidated. I knew I was taking over from someone truly remarkable and I want to make sure that Arches continues to be as strong as it was with her and in the years before her.

This spring semester has had its COVID-19 challenges.

With part of the Arches staff having to Zoom in, we still managed to publish a magazine. Arches has been a signature part of the Mount Mary community, and we pour our heart into every single publication, just as our predecessors have been doing for years. A.J. Perkins’ story, Arches Welcomes New Staff to Continue Award-Winning Traditions, dives into Arches’ history as a student publication.

Here at Mount Mary, however, we are left with a community that has been transformed for the better. Emily Cabaltera’s story, One Year into the Pandemic: A Look Back on Mount Mary’s Triumphs and Hopes for the Future, takes a look at everything the Mount Mary staff has done to make our campus capable of functioning during the pandemic, and even the technological innovation and remote learning practices that were embraced and that will continue into the new era of normalcy that we are approaching.

This entire year has involved a lot of change for everyone, and Mount Mary students have embraced different ways of getting through the pandemic. Allyson Gebauer’s story on the Dance Association gives us a look into how these students have coped through dance and through community. Mount Mary might be practicing social distancing, but the presence of community has remained.

It baffles my mind that I have the privilege of serving Arches as editor-in-chief and of serving our Mount Mary community by playing a role in getting these stories published for our readers to enjoy. My hope is that every reader finds a story that entertains or inspires them within this magazine.

Thank you for picking up a copy of Arches.

EDITORS Emily Cabaltera Shanita Rowsey WRITERS

Emily Cabaltera Allyson Gebauer Giselle Martin Gomez

A.J. Perkins Shanita Rowsey

DESIGNERS

Emily Cabaltera Leslie Chavez Allyson Gebauer

Denisse Hernandez Ann Tran

PHOTOGRAPHERS Denisse Hernandez ILLUSTRATORS

Leslie Chavez Allyson Gebauer

Denisse Hernandez Ann Tran

FACULTY ADVISERS Linda Barrington Rachel Rauch Arches is written and edited by the students of Mount Mary University, who are solely responsible for its editorial content.

Arches is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.

Contact Arches at Arches, Mount Mary University 2900 N. Menomonee River Pkwy.

Milwaukee, WI 53222 414-930-3027 Email: mmu-arches@mtmary.edu

Stay updated at www.archesnews.com

Editor-in-Chief marting@mtmary.edu

FOLLOW US! @ArchesNews

LIKE US! Arches

Cover Design by Denisse Hernandez

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Mount Mary Staff Adapts to COVID-19 One Year Into the Pandemic Dance Association Welcomes All

Creative Works 13

Student poetry, photography, art

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Features

Empowering Voices Gets Out the Vote

Perspectives

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Arches Welcomes New Staff to Continue Award-Winning Traditions

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f f a t S y r a M t n u o M Adapts to COVID-19 CAMPUS

Meet the staff who help keep campus running during the pandemic

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Words Shanita Rowsey | Photo & Design Denisse Hernandez When the COVID-19 pandemic took over, Mount Mary took on the pandemic and made necessary adaptations, but who were the people behind the scenes and what did they do to keep Mount Mary running?

Gabriela Barbosa, Visitor Services Gabriela Barbosa, director of visitor services, is passionate about creating strong relationships with her team. They provide the first impression experience of the Mount Mary campus. Barbosa takes pride in her work and is committed to doing her best.

“I enjoy working with my amazing team that includes the welcome center and campus tour guides,” Barbosa said.

As the pandemic began to rise in spring of 2020, visitor services shifted to virtual appointments only. In order to keep everyone safe, they insured hightouch points were sanitized and staff was put on a rotating schedule to minimize in-person contact.

“We had to accommodate every team member by providing a rotating schedule for staff to come in to work on campus and work from home,” Barbosa said.

During the summer, the team came back together, but could no longer do things they would typically do, such as serve beverages to visitors. To limit inperson contact, visitor services began offering virtual tours. They created short videos that covered different areas of the campus, such as the library and café.

The self-guided, virtual tours allowed potential students to experience Mount Mary during uncertain times.

“The biggest challenge during this time was the uncertainty,” Barbosa said.

Barbosa expressed the expectation of being fully present on campus, mentally and physically, and to continue to interact with the public. Visitor services struggled with the uncertainty of not knowing if students would return inperson, and how to service them in this transition. They felt a constant pressure to pivot and plan ahead to make sure that COVID-19 standards continue to be met.

Since the fall, Barbosa’s team has been able to offer on campus and online services, such as scheduling a time to meet with a coach based on specific needs, shadow a class or schedule a virtual tour. By providing these services, students are still able to stay connected and get their questions answered.

Barbosa can often be identified by the cup of coffee she carries around with her throughout the day.

She appreciates a cup of coffee as she continues her commitment to the challenges of the day within her roles.

Sarah Kippel, Librarian Sarah Kippel, librarian at Mount Mary, loves to assist students with searching and checking out resources. With the decreased traffic in the library, she misses the connections she once had with students.

“I miss providing students with computer help without worrying about being too close,” Kippel said.

The library made several adjustments to make students feel safe. Tables and chairs were removed to create a socially distanced environment, cleaning stations were created and returned materials were quarantined.

“We provided cleaning supplies for students to clean stations once they are finished working,” Kippel said. “Behind the scenes, we quarantine all returned materials for three days spaced out before we put them back on the shelf. The private student study rooms were reduced to only two people in a room at a time.”

Although things are beginning to return to normal, the librarians continue to enforce the safety procedures to ensure students and staff remain safe.

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CAMPUS When Smalley took a medical leave, two front desk workers gifted her a bear wearing a shirt saying, “stuffed with love.” Smalley feels this quote accurately represents her feelings about the MMU community. “We are surrounded by a deeply caring and compassionate group of students,” Smalley said.

Michelle Smalley, Director of Learning Services “What I love about my job is being able to feel the impact that you are making with the students and being able to receive so much in return,” Michelle Smalley, director of learning services, said.

Smalley’s role is to support students by providing a space in the Student Success Center that accommodates testing and tutoring needs.

“During this transition due to COVID, we had to create the option of online appointments,” Smalley said.

Before COVID-19, learning services were already providing writing services virtually. This helped ease the transition to virtual tutoring.They created a platform that allowed students to schedule, receive e-tutoring and upload assignments for feedback.

Within the Student Success Center, learning services had to rearrange furniture and create signage to transform the space into somewhere students and staff felt comfortable going to for in-person appointments.

“Most challenging about the pivot due to COVID-19 is to express and communicate to students, in the cyber world that we genuinely missed them and we are here for them,” Smalley said. “We don’t want students to feel like they can only come to us when they are failing a class or feel totally lost before they decide to schedule an appointment. It is important for students to know that they are always welcomed, in person and online.”

Michelle Stromme & Katie Doughterty, Career Services Michelle Stromme, career counselor, and Katie Dougherty, career development specialist, help students prepare for a successful future. Their job is to ensure that students have access to resources that prepare them for their careers such as interview and resume assistance.

“It is so refreshing to see students succeed and come back and tell us about it,” Stromme said.

Dougherty said that she missed being able to collaborate with students in their journey towards success in person.

“When the world began to shut down, all appointments went virtual, allowing us to support students only through Zoom,” Dougherty said.

During this time, a new platform was introduced for scheduling appointments called Handshake. Handshake allows students to connect with Career Services and offers tools to help support their job search.

“The biggest obstacle for us was cancelling events,” Dougherty said.

Career services had to pivot and come up with creative ideas to engage students virtually. Now that things are beginning to get back to normal, it is still difficult to get students to sign up for events. Career services recently hosted Boss-Up Pop-Up, an event that helped prepare students for interviews by providing resources, clothing and resume feedback.

Career services continues to adapt to changes due to Covid-19 to ensure that each student is ready to enter the workforce.

“Overall, we must say that with changing to virtual appointments, things worked out,” Stromme said.

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Karen Friedlen, Vice President for Academic Affairs “Growing up in the Jewish community, I thought that I didn’t belong at Mount Mary, but after experiencing the sisters, I knew this is where I belong,” Karen Friedlen, Vice President for Academic Affairs, said.

Karen Friedlen, oversees faculty, the academic area, library, registration and Grace and Caroline Scholars. She also assists with strategic planning, higher learning accreditation and academic partnerships.

“After the pandemic hit, the academic affairs team had to immediately adjust our processes to ensure that we could continue educating our students. We were responsible for how classes were to be delivered, working with buildings and grounds to go to each classroom and figure out how many students could safely be positioned in one classroom. We had to determine how many classes could be online or could be a hybrid class. We provided the course change option for those who may have to be off campus for a while but still attend class,” Friedlen said.

Friedlen acknowledges that all the work that went on behind the scenes took more than just her to accomplish.

“I just want to say it was a team effort,” Friedlen said.

It took a lot of time and effort to ensure that everyone would be safe on campus. To accommodate each student, they sought funding to be able to provide laptops for students that needed them. By working with the IT department, Mount Mary was able to provide internet assistance and earbuds. Funding also helped Mount Mary purchase custodial supplies to ensure that each space is sanitized often.

Not only did Mount Mary have to find ways to accommodate technological needs, they also have to find an effective and safe approach to student dining.

“When thinking about students that live on campus, we had to figure out how we would feed the students without breaking any regulations,” Friedlen said.

Besides figuring out how to provide dining for students, Friedlen and her team had more duties that involved keeping the Mount Mary community safe.

“During this time of the pandemic, we had to track students who needed to be quarantined while keeping things safe for others,” Friedlen said.

Friedlen said that Mount Mary is heading into a new chapter of normalcy.

“Now that spring semester has started, it is starting to feel like normal again,” Friedlen said.“The number of people quarantined has decreased and people are more calm, I believe. The past year has left people feeling exhausted and I am hopeful that things will continue to get better. We continue to maintain the same processes in place until it is safe to make new changes.”

Hanging next to her doorway, Stromme keeps a “good luck” embroidery and it is the last thing that students see as they walk out of the office. “I like to think they take that message of luck with them. It also serves as a reminder to me of my own good fortune to have this role working with MMU students.”

Dr. Friedlen has collected historical items from the campus throughout her years at Mount Mary. These meaningful items assist her in grounding and remind her of her commitment to the school and to the students.

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One Year into the Pandemic: A Look Back on Mount Mary’s Triumphs and Hopes for the Future

Words Emily Cabaltera | Design Ann Tran, Emily Cabaltera

For many, COVID-19 was a time of firsts: the first time being unemployed, the first time attending school remotely and the first time spending holidays over Zoom. Keri Alioto, vice president for student affairs, began her first year at Mount Mary in the midst of COVID-19. Alioto was tasked with implementing policies and processes that would keep students, staff, faculty and administrators safe during the pandemic.

“I often say to people, this is my first pandemic,” Alioto said. “One of the amazing parts about our community is that we really are community-driven and we come together, and people look for ways to support each other and our efforts.”

One year into the pandemic, Mount Mary is still working to provide the best and safest experience for students.

While many changes are short-term, some changes are here to stay.

Campus Life during COVID-19

In fall of 2019, the undergraduate enrollment at Mount Mary was 659. One year later, enrollment has dropped to 636. In Caroline Hall, the number of residents typically hovers around 200 but is now down to about 120. Despite falling numbers, Residence Life did their best to maintain a sense of normalcy for residents.

“We never closed Caroline,” Julie Schneiter, director of student engagement and residential living, said. “Through the craziness of March and April, we allowed people to still live here. I had staff still here. We were trying to figure things out as we went… So that’s something I’m kind of proud of because we were able to kind of keep a little normalcy for people.”

Student organizations were hit especially hard by COVID-19. The usual number of active organizations has halved from 30 to 15.

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“The foot traffic on campus has decreased dramatically,” Schneiter said. “I think just trying to keep people engaged and recruiting people has been really challenging.”

When the semester started, students had to learn how to safely run organizations. By the time they got things together, November hit and no groups were allowed to meet in person again.

“I think what’s disappointing for a lot of groups is some of the higher profile groups, or more active groups, have big annual traditional events that they can’t do,” Schneiter said. “I think that’s really hard, especially for students that are in their last year here, not being able to do that, on top of having them canceled last year. We are now hitting the one year mark, and we’re now canceling things twice.”

Implementation of Virtual Learning

Bob O’Keefe, vice president for finance and administrative services and CFO, said that making more online and hybrid courses was a long-term goal for Mount Mary.

“We anticipated that the transition could take several years, in that it would need to be embraced by students and by faculty, and to put the infrastructure in place to make all that happen, we contemplated would potentially be fairly costly,” O’Keefe said. “In fact, what happened was COVID-19 hit in March of 2020 and everybody accelerated the timeline for embracing. We had no choice but to embrace new technology.”

Embracing new technology extended beyond academics.

Schneiter, who organizes New Student Orientation, had to think of new and creative ways to deliver the same content virtually.

“I’m pretty far from the academic side… so I had to learn Canvas pretty quickly,” Schneiter said. “It just made the most sense as a platform to deliver all the content material for orientation. That, to me, was a huge benefit because now we have students that, even before COVID-19, couldn’t come to orientation for a variety of reasons. Now that’s kind of a new thing that I’ve learned that I can use when things get a little bit more normal..”

Lasting Effects

While many hope that things will spring back to normal post-COVID-19, some changes are here to stay.

“I think COVID-19, in at least some ways, was transformative,” O’Keefe said. “I’ve heard Bob Schwartz, one of our deans, use the metaphor of stretching a rubber band, and that it’s been stretched so far, it’s never going to come back to its original shape. I think that’s an apt metaphor. I think in a couple of ways, there are some long-term effects.”

COVID-19 has forced employers to rethink what it means

to be present at work. At Mount Mary, administration has come to realize that many people can do their jobs without being physically on campus. This new thought process makes it possible for people like long-distance commuters and parents to stay connected and do their jobs.

“I think that at the administration level at Mount Mary, and in every business enterprise, we’ve learned how effectively we can operate, at least in many respects, via remote working,” O’Keefe said. “You see it in commercial office space, that a fraction of the employees are actually working on-site and a vast majority of people are working remotely, and life goes on and business goes on.”

Mount Mary’s student population is 75% commuter. Offering hybrid and virtual learning is a valuable asset for the classroom and student engagement, but is not a replacement for in-person interactions and experiences.

“In my opinion, I think it’s (virtual learning) here to stay,” O’Keefe said. “I think there’s also a degree to which this was instructive for our university and others as to the value of inperson experiences as well, that being entirely online is not a super pleasant alternative.”

One challenge residential living will face in the upcoming semesters is trying to reignite interest in living on campus.

Many students have chosen to commute during the peak of COVID-19 and the Caroline Hall numbers have continued to go down.

“I think for the res[idence] life side, people may have figured out, ‘I can commute and save on room and board,” Schneiter said. “We’ll have some work to do to try and get students back into a residential community.”

Similarly, Schneiter expects that student organizations will take a while to rebound from the losses related to COVID-19.

When things become safer again, student engagement will have to reflect on how they functioned during the pandemic and decide which aspects will stick around.

“It sort of made us rethink programming,” Schneiter said.

“What works, what doesn’t work, has any of the virtual, socially distant stuff worked better than things worked before?

It is sort of an interesting reflection that we’ll do kind of when things start to get better.”

Tuition is always a concern for many students. O’Keefe does not anticipate a tuition increase based on the effects of COVID-19, such as decreased enrollment. Tuition increases would only happen based on changes in the market.

“I think the leadership team at Mount Mary recognizes that tuition is a big ticket item and we have to be cautious about tuition increase,” O’Keefe said. “I think we need to make sure that our tuition is in line with the market.”

In line with CDC recommendations, Alioto expects to be

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CAMPUS wearing masks on campus for a while.

“You’ll hear Dr. Fauci talk about, even with vaccinations, people are probably going to have to wear masks for a long time,” Alioto said. “I think people are going to be impacted about touch and germs and closeness for a long time and it’s hard to tell what that will feel like.”

COVID-19 has worked its way into every aspect of our lives. The new perspectives and challenges it brought up have shifted the conversations about many things happening on campus. Even when COVID-19 is gone, the impacts will still be seen in the decision-making process.

“COVID is sort of in the fabric of everyone’s lives now, including in the strategic plan,” Alioto said. “It is a part of our conversations about Trinity Woods, it’s a part of our conversations about retention, it’s a part of our conversations about expanding programs and academic delivery, both from a content delivery way, as well as what are academic areas that are growing and booming now.”

Hopes for the Future

Despite the challenges brought on by COVID-19, faculty and administration have stayed optimistic about what Mount Mary will look like in the future.

“I think that Dr. Pharr has brought an energy and drive to explore new horizons, including new academic programs,” O’Keefe said. “I think there are many of us on the leadership team that are sincerely interested in enhancing

the student experience at Mount Mary.”

O’Keefe expects that the number of residents will increase again post-COVID-19. Similarly, Schneiter hopes that new academic programs and the changes on campus will spark an interest in living on campus.

“We’re hoping with the new programs rolling out that that’ll just matriculate into some interest in Residence Life,” said Schneiter. “We’re hopeful things will get better, but we’ll obviously continue to keep evolving if things don’t.”

COVID-19 has not only changed the campus but also the people on it.

“I think we have all found in ourselves, and each other, a resiliency that maybe some people didn’t realize existed within each of ourselves,” Alioto said. “I think that COVID-19, for lots and lots and lots of reasons, has been very hard for students, faculty, staff, administrators, society, you name it.”

The newfound resilience of people is only one example of positives found during the pandemic. Alioto said that Mount Mary will need to continue to overcome and adapt to the changes that occurred due to the pandemic.

“We need to continue having those conversations about how we take some of the things that were silver linings of COVID-19 that might be smart to bring into future semesters and future school years,” Alioto said.

Active Campus Organizations Before and During COVID-19

30 Organizations

15 Organizations

Mount Mary University Student Engagement & Residential Living

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Mount Mary Undergraduate Enrollment Changes Before and During COVID-19 702

2017-2018

692

2018-2019

659

2019-2020

636

2020-2021

Mount Mary University Institutional Research Office

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Dance Association welcomes all Transitioning to virtual rehearsals Words , Illustration, Design | Allyson Gebauer

Ever since she was two, Kirstin Hardwick loved to dance. Over the years, she has used it as a form of expression. Through good times and bad, Hardwick recalls turning to dance.

Now a senior, Hardwick is the vice president of Mount Mary’s Dance Association (DA), a student-run organization centered on dance. For four years, Hardwick has been able to showcase her talents on campus and form bonds with women who share a similar passion.

“I would define the Dance Association as a family. The board members, as well as our teammates, are all very much close,” Hardwick said. “We all work together in different ways and it is always amazing to see someone with no dance experience at first blossom into a beautiful dancer in the end.”

Hardwick encourages all students to join the Dance Association, regardless of skill level.

“A lot of people tend to be afraid of joining Dance Association due to the fact that ‘they are not a good dancer,’ or that they don’t ‘have the experience,’ but our team is very much non-competitive as well as accepting all levels for entry,” Hardwick said. “We believe that if you have no experience or experience, you still have skill to express yourself through dance.”

Dance Association hosts several group bonding events throughout the year. This year, they were able to host a secret Valentine’s and Halloween gathering.

“I loved doing secret Valentines this year. It was new and it was super fun and I loved how we made it work with COVID. I also loved how we went ghost hunting for our Halloween gathering,” Adia Kolell, a senior and the president of the Dance Association, said.

Hardwick believes that the Dance Association brings the Mount Mary community together.

“The Dance Association brings so much to MMU,” Hardwick said. We offer virtual events, host fundraisers and we work together to try to get the MMU community involved as much as we can. We always love seeing new faces.”

Katie Coffey, the advisor of the Dance Association, has seen how the organization continues to grow and the

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Brianna Tabat, Emony Tate, Margaret Dishaw, Julia Heim, Kristen Kaat, Adia Kolell, Kristin Hardwick, Suzie Skalmoski, Stephanie Osei, Grace Jentsch and Cynthia Montero celebrate time together getting ready to practice for the recital.

(back row) Kira Langkau, Kristin Hardwick, Adia Kolell, Allyson Gebauer (middle row) Jaqui Reyes, Stephanie Osei and Nahari Attira Duncan take a picture with Santa after the late night breakfast performance.

Adia Kolell, Kristin Hardwick, Stephanie Osei, Nahari Attira Duncan and Allyson Gebauer spend a night going out bonding while watching Frozen 2.

Photos provided by Adia Kolell

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CAMPUS value it brings to campus.

“The Dance Association is an accepting place where anyone, whether they’ve danced for 20 years or have never danced before, can dance,” Coffey said. “Everybody can dance and it’s such a wonderful stress-reliever. A lot of dancers are surprised by how much they can learn in a relatively short period and it’s a great group exercise. I believe the Dance Association brings creativity, inclusivity and positivity onto campus.”

Dance Association takes pride in their annual dance recital. The anticipation of what is to come excites them. Coffey has seen and assisted with the recital processes.

“In non-COVID times, recital is an exciting period,” Coffey said. “Dance Association members are choreographing pieces, there’s a great sense of teamwork and creativity is flowing. Of course, there is some stress to pull off a show on a relatively low budget (sometimes no budget!) but those moments dissolve once the show gets going.”

Despite challenges brought on by COVID-19, the Dance Association still plans on hosting a recital this April; however, it will look different.

“COVID has affected the Dance Association in a big way,” Hardwick said. “Instead of performing in person to an audience, we came up with the amazing idea to put together video performances which can be shared on campus as well as social media.

This has really helped us as a whole with still being involved with the community and MMU.” Along with COVID-19, the Dance Association also had to adjust to losing their studio due to the construction in the lower level of Caroline Hall.

Mount Mary implemented a new nursing program that will be utilizing that space. This forced the Dance Association to find other places to rehearse.

Dance Association rehearsed outside on warmer days and transitioned to Helfaer Hall during the winter. When in-person meetings were no longer permitted, the Dance Association transitioned to virtual rehearsals.

“Like most student orgs, the Dance Association has faced difficulty pivoting to an online format,” Coffey said. “Not only did we ‘go virtual’ but we also lost our on-campus practice space. So much of the Dance Association is about spending time together, dancing and laughing throughout practice that it’s really hard to reproduce that environment online. I know the DA leaders have worked hard to keep practices going, offer some virtual program offerings and to build a community even with the new protocols.”

The Dance Association meets every Thursday from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Currently, they are practicing in small groups and on their own to develop the recital videos.

“We want to make this a fun experience for everyone and anyone and we would love to have more members join our DA family as time goes on,” Hardwick said.

For more information about the Dance Association, contact President Adia Kolell at kolella@ mtmary.edu.

Kira Langkau, Adia Kolell, Jaqui Reyes, Tasha Kalafatis, Aisha Dikeman, Grace Jentsch, Kristin Hardwick and Kirsten Kaat enjoy getting together to promote the Dance Association.

Photo provided by Adia Kolell

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Creative Works Design | Allyson Gebauer

Creative Works provides a place for students to showcase their work. We accept all types of artwork, photography, poetry and flash fiction. For full submission guidelines, visit archesnews.com.

Free Life tastes bitter Like lightning through the sky Scorches and burns Like a morning melting sun Dark and unwanted Like the unforgiven sinner Upturns and destroys Like hate in mothers’ eyes Life also is sweet Like Sunday morning candy Rare and unnerving Like love at first sight Stunning and glorious Like a star falling in the sky Strong and powerful Like crashing waves on the shore Life can pull and drag you Through the ground And into the air Whether you crumble Or dance on the earth Whether you cry Or fly in the sky Is your choice not life’s Be your own fate Live your life By your own Design

Illusion My mind sees What I want it to see Dark looming shadows Covering my insecurities Hazy drowning thoughts Blurring the remaining light Stunning flourished beauty Corroded away by pain Soul not worth saving Better off forgotten I want my mind to rest Get away from me for one day To find someone worth living for Instead of rotting in my grave

Rose (Isabella) McCann Rose (Isabella) McCann is a Mount Mary freshman majoring in criminal justice. McCann’s career endeavors involve being a medical examiner, but she writes poetry on the side. She desires to some day publish her poetry, which is her life’s one true passion that helps her get through the day.

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CREATIVE WORKS

Cloud 9 A unique collection that is so delicate it will take your breath away. These garments feature soft original designs inspired by various forms of movement which was inspired by the designer’s love for dance.

Kristin Hardwick Kristin Hardwick is a Mount Mary senior majoring in fashion design. At a young age, she fell in love with fashion through modeling, theater and dance.

This love later developed into a hobby that Hardwick adores very much... creating! She has been able to learn from others throughout her process and career.

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Broken Hourglass

by Cassidy Stutz Growing up with a 911 dispatcher for a father, I understood what it meant to run out of time. So, when the door cried a warning at 7 AM to drag me from sleep, I saw hourglasses shattering.

My father said my name in a calm undertone. Fear speared into my soul.

“Schuylar was in an accident.”

“Is she okay?”

“No, she’s not.”

Time slipped away, replaced with tears. My being shredded, like paper confetti. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t do anything. I just fell apart and pictured her terror as she flew out the window.

In Wyoming they told us that she broke her back twice — once in her neck, once below the rods straightening her spine.

My family became a collapsed building. Schuylar’s beam of humor and joy smashed into my aunt first, the impact chipping away her frame. My uncle tried to hold her up, but he kept crumbling, the pieces settling skewed. Ski’s sisters became plexiglass, clear, unseen. I ignored my pain. I didn’t cry. I was just a cousin one-thousand miles away. I’d only seen her twice a year.

Twice a year was enough to kill me. I had anticipated summers for the rest of our lives. I was looking forward to graduating (her from high school and me from college) together. I was hoping for another family vacation together.

I had visualized weddings, baby showers, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera together — a whole lifetime of etceteras. And now she’s gone. She’s gone.

The future, the weight of future time, could kill a person.

It could drown a person at 12:30 in the middle of the night, choking on salt and water on a closet floor. Grief and time were chains weighted to the ground. They pulled me down every time I tried to stand.

The world dissolved. Days slid, as if it was the day after the funeral or twenty years later. My brain tried to deny reality while I tried to choke it down. It couldn’t accept what it knows to be true. I couldn’t. Yet the nightmare never ended.

There’s a story of sisters with the same heart: one sick and one healthy. At the end, they walk toward death. The sick one lives and the healthy one dies.

I read it and cried for me, for Ski, for the unfairness of not being sisters with twin hearts. I kept theorizing that scenario, over, and over, and over.

Cassidy Stutz

Cassidy Stutz is a Mount Mary senior majoring in fashion design and English literature. She works at the Caroline Hall front desk and the Haggerty Library. Stutz graduated from a high school near Green Bay. As a writer that never felt refined enough for print, she would be ecstatic to be published.

I rifled through every moment; when I tried to change lanes twice only to notice there was a car in the lane I was heading. I overcorrected. I should have flipped.

I think about the eighty billion times I’ve squeezed between people’s bumpers, going 70, 75, 80, 85. I should have been crushed.

It should have been me mid-July when a deer was suddenly in front of my car. I never saw it. I never had the chance to stop. I should have crashed.

I should have died for all the stupid and idiotic things I did behind the wheel. I should have been another statistic, another obituary in the morning paper, another grave six feet in the ground.

It should have been me.

My boyfriend called it survivor’s guilt. Others said bargaining with God was part of the grieving process. But I wasn’t bargaining, because I knew: He’s not a genie, He’s not Santa, He’s not a bargainer. Still, I was holding out for the chance of being sisters with twin hearts.

I had a conversation with Ski. I kept saying I didn’t care if wishing her from heaven was cruel. I kept saying I didn’t care if that was selfish of me.

Selfish.

If Ski were here, in all her angelic glory, I’d tell her that I don’t care if it’s cruel to her. I’d say that I’m selfish and I want her here.

She’d shake her head at me vehemently. Selfish, Cassie, she’d say. Look at my back she’d smile, delighted, no curve. My back doesn’t hurt anymore! She can run without pain now. She can eat all the pretzels she wants.

Selfish. I’m so selfish… but I can’t be selfish about this.

For the first time I wasn’t thinking of Ski in the past tense, or the future events she should have attended. I saw who she is now: happy, pain free, running, joyous. I saw her as someone to look forward to catching up with again.

So this is grief, this is what grieving for the young looks like, grieving for those that live fast and die young.

Ski did die young, my Schuylar, our Schuylar.

On the 9th of August around midnight, on Blue Sky Road in Wyoming, a hazel-eyed, brown-haired, gorgeous, 17-year old girl hit the gravel, over-corrected, rolled her car twice, and was thrown from the vehicle.

She had no seat belt on.

Now, a piece of her car hangs around my neck in the shape of a heart. I need it to hold my own together.

The truth is, I still can’t see life without Ski. Most days, I can’t swallow this new reality. Some days, I think of her pain free in heaven. Some days are like the first month anniversary, lying on the closet floor, heaving, unable to get up.

Grief is nearly unbearable. I think my brain will continue, for a long time, to throw Ski’s absence out the window, otherwise I’d be on my closet floor all the time.

I won’t lie.

I can’t deal with Ski’s death.

But I can’t be selfish.

I won’t be selfish.

Even though there are a lot of years of missing her left to go.

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empowering voices club gets out the vote Words Giselle Martin Gomez | Design and Illustration Leslie Chavez

Voters held their breath as they awaited results for the 2020 presidential election. Biden’s triumph meant the beginning of a new era, where he promised to achieve unity in the nation. But upon entering this era, two Mount Mary students reflect on the road to the election and their investment in getting out the vote.

Getting Out the Vote Our nation had the presidential election during the middle of a global pandemic and the Mount Mary community got involved to avoid voter turnout being hindered by this. Evita Evers, a senior double majoring in Communications and Justice, is the president of Empowering Voices, Mount Mary’s communication club. Evers knew going into this election that she wanted to get involved and play a crucial role in getting the Mount Mary community to vote.

“I knew I really wanted to be involved in the last election and in helping people register to vote,” Evers said.

Evers was very vocal about getting our campus to participate in voting, so she spoke about it to the

Mount Mary community during a virtual forum over the summer.

“There was a forum over the summer that Dr. Pharr, Mount Mary’s president, held… and so, I spoke at that forum and put out my want for the school to be involved in registering people to vote and for my personal want to be a part of that,” Evers said.

It was during the Campus Activities Fair that Evers’ chance to make campus more civically active came knocking at her booth. It was her mask that caught someone’s eye.

“At that activities fair, I was wearing a ‘Vote’ mask,” Evers said. “Catherine Johnson (Common Ground campaign organizer) struck up a conversation with me about my mask and my desire to get involved and they wanted to partner with our club to get a campaign going.”

Empowering Voices, partnered with Common Ground, started the Get Out the Vote campaign, which aligned with the club’s goals of social engagement through service.

Diavian Lyons, a senior majoring in Communications and the vice president of Empowering Voices,

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explained the different roles the club took on during their campaign.

“What we implemented for our club was giving all of our team members a lanyard with a barcode to get anybody eligible to vote registered,” Lyons said. “It was very successful and we actually exceeded our goal of 600 people. We got over 740 people registered to vote.”

Taking on this opportunity was a positive experience for Lyons.

“Internally, it felt like a good thing, like I am making a change out in the world and I am doing something positive that is really meaningful for our future,” Lyons said.

Why Voting Matters Lyons and Evers both expressed the importance of taking an active role in one’s civic duty and voting.

“If you have an opinion about how much you pay for school, or how much you pay for taxes, or for gas, or anything that the government affects then you need to vote,”

-Evita Evers

“At that moment when we are able to make a change, we have to do our job as citizens to, you know, do what we have to do,” Lyons said. “It’s kind of like, to me, this is not a game because this is our future… this (voting) is something that is important and we can’t let it just fly by.”

Despite her dislike for politics, Evers attempts to stay aware of it.

“Besides it being our civic duty, it is in our own self-interest to be aware of what is going on in our government and in our local governments because it affects us,” Evers said.

Evers gets frustrated when inactive voters complain about our nation’s political decisions when they do not vote.

“If you have an opinion about how much you pay for school, or how much you pay for taxes, or for gas, or anything that the government affects then you need to vote,” Evers said.

Evers has also come to realize that sometimes it takes more involvement than voting to play a role in an election.

“I started at Mount Mary during the 2016 election, and I was adamant about the election then, but I didn’t really get involved. All I did was vote, you know, and I realized that wasn’t enough,” Evers said.

“So I knew, for the 2020 election, that if I really cared I needed to get personally involved. I think people’s level of care needs to match their actions.”

Empowering Voices’ Hopes for the presidency

“The one thing I wanted to express to the world (through my mask) was to encourage people to vote,” says Evita Evers, president of Empowering Voices.

Photo courtesy of Mount Mary Department of Marketing and Communications

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Now that we are transitioning into this new presidential era, citizens have hopes for what they want to see enacted by his administration. Lyons and Evers have some hopes of their own.

“What I expect for him to do is actually take action and actually make a change for his people,” Lyons said. “I just want him to actually take action and make a difference… I want a real leader...I want him to be for everybody.”

There are some specific hopes that Lyons would like Biden to address.

“I do probably have one (specific hope), that he’ll address student loans,” Lyons said. “If he can reduce my student loans that would be very helpful, but, like

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I said, that would just be for myself, and I know other people have other specific needs, like health insurance. I haven’t had health insurance for years, so I hope he can help us (Americans) in that type of way.”

Evers finds many, if not all, of the platforms that Biden ran on to be very important to her. Despite this, she believes that we need to be realistic regarding how much can be done in the first few years of a presidential term.

“I feel like, first and foremost, we need to be really realistic… not to be negative, but the last presidency left a lot of areas of focus that Biden has a ton on his plate to address,” Evers said. “I think that almost every single platform he ran on, from immigration to social justice reform... and everything that he ran on is super important to me, but I think it will take a full eight years to see real progress in these areas.”

Evers wants people to be aware of this when it comes to reflecting on how much they see getting done during this administration’s term.

“Don’t get three years in and say, ‘hmm, I haven’t seen enough, I’m not going to vote,’ or ‘I’m going to vote the other way.’ Most presidents need four years to enact their policies,” Evers said.

In the end, Evers feels quite hopeful regarding the Biden administration and believes that our nation will experience great change during it.

“I am endlessly optimistic about what the BidenHarris administration can do in the next four years and absolutely hopeful that it’s a full eight years,” Evers said.

Mount Mary and the Presidential Election

Arches surveyed the Mount Mary community and asked them about personal thoughts and hopes for the US as of 2021

Pessimistic 35.7% Neutral 14.3%

Optimistic 50%

Feelings about Biden’s presidency Neutral 30.7%

Negative 23.1%

Positive 46.2%

Expecting positive or negative change with the presidency?

According to the 2021 survey, here are the most impotant issues that the Mount Mary community hopes to see the Biden Administration tackle Equality

Climate change

Immigration

COVID-19

Student Loans

Diavian Lyons is a senior majoring in communications and vice president of Empowering Voices.

Photo courtesy of Diavian Lyons

Minimum wage

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PERSPECTIVES

Arches welcom to continue aw

Words A.J. Perkins | Photo Denisse Hern If you are a member of the Mount Mary community, you have noticed Arches magazine in classrooms, on tables in the cyber cafe, or in the library. A few times a year, the issues change and new ones appear.

Arches is the student-run news magazine at Mount Mary University. Student writers at Arches select the story topics based on students’ interests.

Students published their first newspaper, The Mount Mary Herald, 91 years ago. Over the years the name of the publication has changed and the name Arches was adopted in the 1970s. The online edition of archesnews.com premiered in the fall of 2009.

Arches has provided more than just student-interest stories. Many are important and groundbreaking, with some of them even causing change at Mount Mary for the benefit of students and staff.

All the following stories were award winners.

• In 2014, an armed ex-boyfriend of a student held her hostage in her residence room. Arches broke this story.

Many members of the Mount Mary community were stunned by this event, including faculty and staff. This led to sweeping changes at Mount Mary’s security and vast improvements in the campus Rave notification system, which had proved ineffective throughout the event.

• The tampon story focused on the lack of feminine hygiene products on campus and those students who didn’t attend classes due to a lack of supplies, which hampered their academic success. A Mount Mary alum read the story and donated supplies and products to the university to provide for the students’ needs.

Besides creating change, the stories that have been written in Arches have raised awareness about unique student experiences that haven’t been spoken about in the past, often removing the stigma of the subject for students: • Undocumented students at Mount Mary and their fear of deportation • Plus-size students and the lack of spirit wear in the bookstore • Academic anxiety and how it harms students’ success • Students’ mental health concerns, including their treatment through inpatient mental health facilities and art therapy Arches’ Accomplishments

Despite Mount Mary being a relatively small school, Arches has competed with large institutions, receiving national and regional praise. Arches and its writers win dozens of awards each year from The Milwaukee Press Club, Wisconsin Newspaper Association and other regional and national organizations. (see p. 23)

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elcomes new staff ue award-winning traditions

oto Denisse Hernandez | Design Denisse Hernandez, Leslie Chavez, Allyson Gebauer Trying to get a decent shot, Arches photographer Denisse Hernandez gets in close to Allyson Gebauer as she looks through old copies of the Arches. The staff needs more reporters, photographers, designers, bloggers and social media managers. Stop in to meet the staff on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in room 84 on the lower level of Bergstrom Hall.

Unlike in collegiate sports, where universities are grouped in divisions based on the schools’ enrollment size, there are no divisions with collegiate press awards. All schools compete with each other no matter the enrollment. Arches has beat out larger schools routinely. Last year, Arches won the highest national award, the Pacemaker, considered the “Pulitzer Prize” of collegiate journalism. Arches outperformed the student publications at the University of Georgia and California State Sacramento, which each had more than 30,000 students.(see p.23) Arches has persevered and excelled but, currently, Arches is experiencing changes that may affect its future.

Former adviser, Laura Otto, who won the national College Media Advisers Magazine Adviser of the Year award in 2020, left last summer to take a new position closer to her home in Illinois after 16 years of advising Arches.

Currently, Linda Barrington, co-adviser, is retiring after 13 years of service to Arches and even more years of dedication to Mount Mary. As a student here in the late 1960s, she wrote for The Times, a predecessor to Arches.

Arches is now struggling to maintain sufficient student enrollment. This past semester, the registrar’s office at Mount Mary almost canceled Arches.

Just three years ago, writers, designers and other staff packed the newsroom Arches. This semester only a skeleton crew remains and the decline in numbers is not COVID-19 related. Some writers work on Arches at home and attend staff meetings via

Zoom, but regardless of that, the number of students involved is small. The elimination of the English graduate program acted as a catalyst that resulted in fewer writers for Arches.

Although Arches’ future appears uncertain, Paula Reiter, associate professor and chair of the English department, said that changes in the curriculum, which will be announced this fall, will put Arches in the “center of all three major concentrations--literature, creative writing and writing for new media.”

Reiter remains “very positive” about Arches’ future.

The English department understands the importance of Arches to the students and the university.

“When we talk to alums,” Reiter said, “Arches is frequently mentioned as the MMU experience that helped them most in their professional work....I am enthusiastic about how a re-envisioned Arches can continue to serve our campus and our students.”

As Mount Mary’s English department remains hopeful regarding Arches’ continued prosperity, there is one big thing Mount Mary students can do to ensure a prosperous future for Arches and even for themselves, regardless of what major the student is pursuing. Students can help Arches by joining the staff. They can take the class for credit or volunteer to help. No prior experience in journalism is necessary because Arches will train all volunteers. Many award winners on staff lacked any previous experience in their area before joining Arches. Students in all areas and majors can review or write about food, technology, social media, fashion, entertainment, sports and social issues, just to name a few.

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Q

FWhat were your roles?

A

I started out as a web reporter and a blogger. The next semester I wrote for the print publication and continued my blog. It wasn’t until sophomore year that I applied to be the editor in chief, when Laura took a chance on me and gave me the job.

Q

FHow did working for Arches prepare you to write for other publications?

A

Quinn Clark was editor-In-chief of Arches from 20182020. In her commencement speech at graduation in December, she explained how important Arches had been in her college experience and her plans for the future. Her stories, “Living in Fear” and “I Didn’t Know If I Was a U.S. Citizen,” earned first place in collegiate competitions.

She has written dozens of articles for the Shepherd Express and the Waukesha Freeman. Several graduate schools offered her scholarships and she accepted one at Northwestern University.

Q

A

FWhen did you start with Arches?

I started on Arches during my very first semester of freshman year. I think it’s important to note that I decided to go to Mount Mary over other universities in Wisconsin because of the publication and the adviser, Laura Otto.

Laura took the time to personally meet one-on-one with my mom and me when I was a senior in high school. She showed me Arches publications and explained the hard work and dedication that was put into the magazine, and I was hooked. I was nervous to begin my first semester -- I sat in the back of the newsroom and let upperclassmen take over in meetings, intimidated by their experience. I quickly learned that there was no reason for me to be intimidated. All students in the newsroom and the advisers, were quick to help me with every question I had, and were eager to make me feel welcomed. During my first semester, I started a blog called Thrifty Thursdays that went on to be recognized by the Milwaukee Press Club, and I wrote various web stories about my interests.

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Pretty much everything I know about reporting is from my experience on Arches. If not from my experience in the newsroom and on my assignments, then it was from the various journalism conferences that the Arches staff attended in Minneapolis and Washington, D.C. When I started my first internship during my junior year at the Waukesha Freeman, the managing editor said I was the best intern they had had, even out of interns that were from larger schools that provided specific journalism majors. (Mount Mary does not; I was an English: Writing for New Media major). It was all Arches that gave me the personalized attention and support that showed me I could be the best reporter I could be.

Then, interning for the Shepherd Express, I was given a lot of news assignments. My narrative leads and my storytelling approach to news helped me stand out from other interns. Arches taught me that the news doesn’t have to be boring to read; it’s like writing a creative piece. The publisher of the Shepherd Express met with me and said I was the first intern he had met one-on-one with because my writing style really impressed him.

I had learned to write like that from my experience on Arches, where we are pushed to be our best and we never settle.

Q

FHow did your experience with Arches help you earn the scholarship?

A

Well, first, I never thought I’d even have a chance at getting into Medill’s investigative lab. Only 10 people could get in, and their website even warned that it was a very competitive program. I wouldn’t have even tried if it weren’t for Laura telling me that I really did have a chance. With her support, I took the leap and applied for Medill’s most competitive program.

Arches helped me stand out as a reporter, teaching me to write with my own specific writing style, with obvious passion and attention to detail. All the editors I had written for were eager to help me get into Medill. They wrote shining letters of recommendation and supported me through my application process. My resume has a list of impressive awards from the College Media Association, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and more. If you join Arches, you will more than likely be nominated for these kinds of awards that will help you stand out to employers and editors. Most people who have joined Arches can tell you

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that they’ve won at least one award because we produce high quality work. Along with my awards and letters of recommendation, I believe that’s what set me apart from the rest of those applying, which is why I was awarded a $30,000 merit-based scholarship to the investigative lab.

I want to add: Even if you don’t want to be a reporter specifically, there are so many careers in which graphic design, photography, multimedia, writing, leadership skills and more are imperative to the role. So many students on Arches have grown in their skills, and many of them are not Writing for New Media majors. You will grow your portfolio and learn how to be an advocate for yourself, as this class is student-run and your success lies in your hands. You will not regret joining and your future employers will be impressed with your work!

“Arches provides an excellent opportunity for Mount

Mary students to engage in investigative and journalistic work regardless of their major in college. The magazine has won many regional, state and even national awards for their quality and I strongly encourage those with an interest to consider writing for Arches.”

-Christine Pharr, Ph.D., President Spring 2021 | Arches

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Really, how?

She doesn’t graduate until May.

Hey did you hear?

Sally joined the MMU Alumnae Association!

To get connected, follow the MMU Alumnae Association on Facebook, LinkedIn or email us at mmu-alumnae@mtmary.edu for more info today!

Yeah, I heard they have a huge network of alums with great

Gee whiz, I better get in touch with them now!

information about our future careers!

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Contact Rachel Rauch rauchr@mtmary.edu

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