Red & Black

Th e s u d e n n e w s pa p e r o f wa s h i n g o n a n d j e f f e r s o n c o l l e g e F r e e w j r e da n d b l ac k . c o m W a s h i n g o n , P e n n s y lva n i a F e b ru a ry 7, 2020

WHAT’S IN THIS WEEK’S PAPER...

DIVERSITY “We are all human. We all have dreams. We all have struggles. But to what degree are we given authority to judge and persecute others for their dreams?” -P.8

Seinor Student Spotlight: Kailee Havrda PAGE 5

CULTURE OPINIONS “The New York Times and International Bestselling author, Jennifer Niven, tells us a heart-wrenching story of two teenagers who face the biggest inner conflicts anyone can ever really face in her popular and emotional young adult fiction novel.” -P.11 “Last night, the Iowa caucuses occurred and they did not immediately present their results. This has been blamed on inaccuracies in the results and the failure of a phone app.” -P.16

SPORTS “On Sunday, Jan. 26. Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, GiGi, did not survive a helicopter crash on a hillside in Calabasas, CA. The father, daughter duo were on their way to a basketball game and were accompanied by 7 other victims.” -P.19

WJREDANDBLACK.COM

Courtesy Erin Herock

Red & Black 8 Diversity Diversity

Arizona Trip: Feeling the Impact at the Border

Kiley Miller Red & Black Staff

We are all human.

We all have dreams. We all have struggles. But to what degree are we given authority to judge and persecute others for their dreams? The struggles we have may dictate the dreams that we dream, but dreams are far beyond our circumstances. That is the reason we dream. We even make sacrifices to get closer to the dreams we have. What sacrifices would you make if your family’s lives depended on it? In the eyes of an immigrant, they make a sacrifice to leave their family in order to find a place to make a greater income to provide for their children and husband or wife. They dream of a life greater than their circumstances. To what degree do we look wrongly at this dream? We all have dreams of a better life if we are not comfortable with the life we have. A pregnant woman crossed the border near Nogales, Mexico, hoping to provide her child with a better life. She gave birth to a still born child, and unfortunately, they both passed away. Faith guides these heroes to have courage to find their broken dreams in a broken world. Until you see things firsthand, it may be difficult to truly understand the border crisis as a violation of human rights and international law in the perspective of a human facing the issue.

In most cases, these migrants and refugees embark on a journey in search of security and protection, away from violence and hunger. A 16-year-old boy, José Antonio Elena Rodríguez, was shot by Lonnie Swartz, a border patrol agent, 10 times and collapsed on the sidewalk across from the border. The exact location is shown in the image taken from my perspective. The border agents defense was that he opened fire in response to people, including José, who were throwing rocks at the border wall. Are we protecting the wall or are we protecting human lives? This is only one story of millions that few people know about. Stories were told from all perspectives. From remarks of border patrol agents, they assured us that aid always goes before law enforcement. They work hard and diligently to keep our borders safe from terrorism and crime. With this statement, it is easy to wonder why border patrol is not first helping these victims instead of searching for them crossing the border. If the country administered its funds to the root of the cause, the border wall would become irrelevant. [Continued on Next Page]

Courtesy Kiley Miller

Steel fence covered in barbed wire: Nogales, Mexico | Nogales, Arizona

Editorial Policy

The Red & Black is the official, registered student-produced newspaper of Washington & Jefferson College. It is published Fridays with the exception of exams and break periods.

Editorials are based upon the opinion of the respective writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper, the College or its students, faculty, or administration. The Red & Black welcomes all reader contributions, but reserves the right to reject letters of pure promotional nature, as well as letters which do not meet its standard of integrity, accuracy and decency. The Red & Black also reserves the right to edit submissions. Letters are due on the Monday before publication and may not exceed 600 words. All letters must include the author’s name, campus box and telephone number. Names may be withheld upon request under certain conditions on rare occasions. All letters may be submitted to redandblackstaff@jay. washjeff.edu.

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9 Diversity Red & Black 7 February 2020 Feeling the Impact at the Border (Continued)

Kiley Miller Red & Black Staff

Families are starving for food, income and security to live in their own country.

Instead of allocating more funds to the border wall, the money could be used to slow immigration. How much money would the United States have saved if they first tried to solve this issue instead of beginning a new one with reinforcing to the border wall, including the endless streams of barbed wire?

As these questions filter through, spread through the mind, I viewed life on the other side of the border. Music was playing, cars were passing by and the sounds and activities of life continued on both sides. Children were joyously playing soccer outside at recess. I wondered what they thought about the wall – a wall that was there long before they were born.

This issue is not only a human crisis, but an environmental crisis. The walls prevent migration and mating of animals like coyotes, foxes, and deer. It separates the gene flow of organisms. Insects can barely cross the wall, through the tiny holes of the border. There used to gaps large enough to fit a hand through the border, as loved ones could greet and hold hands, yet that soon changed.

Today, there are sheets of steel over beams that once allowed the holding of hands. Now there is nothing left to hold, besides the tears of precious lives separated by a wall. Regardless of the border wall, it is important to decide what we are actually trying to solve in this chaotic and broken world. Are we trying to prevent innocent people from seeking asylum in our country or are we trying to ban illegal drugs from entering? There are two different issues to the border wall, yet our laws are treating crime and innocence as one.

When asked what they think is the main reason migrants come to the United States over the southern border, Sam Stangl 20’ said, “To have the opportunity for a better life.” When asked the same question, Maria Albert 21’ said, “In search for a better life.” I asked these questions separately, yet both students provided the same answer. It is interesting that we know what migrants want, yet direct aid is not provided by the government, and instead, we continue to construct a large steel border wall armed in barbed wire.

Courtesy Kiley Miller “You truly have to see it first-hand to understand it.” - Kailee Havrda ‘20

W&J Battles Chatham

Nick Krugh Red & Black Contributor

On Feb. 1, the Washington & Jefferson College men’s and women’s basketball team travelled on the road to Chatham University for a double header. Unfortunately, the men’s team fell short, but the women’s team was able to pull off the victory. The men’s team battled back and forth throughout the beginning of the game.

In the second half, they were able to score 15 points in roughly 5 minutes to pull ahead to 53-42. A few more points by the Presidents expanded their lead to 60-48 with about 5 minutes left in the game. W&J had a comfortable lead, however, the Chatham Cougars responded with grit.

The Cougars scored the next 13 points, overcoming the score gap and taking the lead, 61-60. W&J bounced back with a layup, taking the lead again. Unfortunately, Chatham scored the final 7 points and the game concluded at 68-64.

Primo Zini ‘22 and Alexander Skowron ‘22 led the team with 11 points each. Jonathon Devito ‘20 and Zach Queen ‘21 also contributed 8 points each to the Presidents’ score.

“This game was a tough loss. The season as a whole has been a wild ride but a fun ride. We all have one goal and that’s to win a PAC championship and we are going to give our all in an attempt to get it,”Queen reflected about the game and their season.

During the double header, the Lady Presidents were able to push past the Cougars to secure the PAC win. Two of Chatham’s players are the top scorers in the PAC. Even still, the Presidents were able to prevent them from doing too much damage.

Lauren Gilbert ‘21 put forth 20 points, Alie Seto ‘21 14 points, Maria Lawhorne ‘21 14 points, and Piper Morningstar 6 points. Seto also recorded her third straight double-double. This win promotes the women’s team to a 7-4 record in the PAC.

“We knew coming into Chatham that it was a very important game for us. We really focused a lot in practice on how to defend their posts and the

“We all have one goal, and that’s to win a PAC Championship...” -Zach Queen ‘21

shooters on their team, as well. We executed well on offense, especially Alie Seto who had 21 offensive rebounds, which helped us get up more shots. This game has definitely made us feel more confident about our team dynamic and hopefully create more team chemistry in the next following games. We have come a long way since we have played them earlier in the season and it’s definitely something to be proud about and to continue to keep working hard each day,” Gilbert described the Presidents’ win.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams will participate in another double header against Westminster College on Wednesday, Feb. 5. The girls play first and tip-off is at 6pm.

Last Week’s Scores

Jan. 29: Women’s Basketball at Geneva College: 80-65 W Men’s Basketball at Geneva College: 62-63 L

Feb. 1: Wrestling at Penn College: 37-11 W Wrestling vs Oswego State Univesity: 16-33 L Wrestling vs Lackawanna College: 52-6 W Women’s Swim at Grove City Invitational: Pre-PAC Men’s Swim at Grove City Invitational: Pre-PAC Women’s Basketball at Chatham University: 66-53 W Men’s Basketball at Chatham University: 64-68 L

Next Week’s Games

Feb. 5: Women’s Basketball vs Westminster College: 6:00 PM Men’s Basketball vs Westminster College: 8:00 PM

Feb. 8: Men’s Track and Field at Bob Shannon Invitational Women’s Track and Field at Bob Shannon Invitational Women’s Basketball at Thiel College: 1:00 PM Men’s Basketball at Thiel College: 3:00 PM