The
Springhillian September 29, 2016
Puto’s Plan
By: Austill Harris Contributing Writer Dr. Christopher Puto, with the help of a steering committee, has instituted 10 Strategic Goals that will be a means for strengthening the Spring Hill community. Last year, Dr. Puto began putting together a Strategic Planning Steering Committee, which included faculty, staff and some students. “Their goals was to organize what business planners call a situational analysis,” says Puto. He says that the purpose of a situational analysis is to identify where the college is right now- what we are doing that is good, and what we are doing that isn’t. Within the Strategic Planning Steering Committee, there were 50 units that conducted this analysis for their specific area. “Once we assembled all of this information, we formulated 10 Strategic Goals,” says Puto. As each of the goals affect us as students, we naturally have a desire to see their outcome. However, as Puto states, “it is important to understand that strategy is a multi-year effort.” Puto notes that there are goals that affect the students more than others. For example, Puto says, “One of our Strategic Goals is to establish a flow of income that will allow us to
Volume 103 Issue 6 ∙ Ad Majorem Del Gloriam
offer a Spring Hill education at a reasonable price for all our students, and to maintain our costs within the normal rate of inflation.” The accomplishment of this goal will aid students by limiting tuition increase, and allow tuition to be predictable as it matches inflation. “The end of this goal is to meet every financial need of every admitted student. If you apply here, and we admit you, we will help you find a way to cover your costs,” says Puto. Another goal is to goal to pursue the highest quality academic programs. Puto says that these academic programs, which reflect the values of a Jesuit, Catholic, liberal arts college, will also work to “match the needs of 21st century students.” Matching the needs of 21st century students, specifically, includes looking at how new technologies can enhance the learning experience, and also opening majors and courses catered to more modern interests and careers. The goal of modernizing academic program comes with the knowledge that these modernizations, especially in terms of technologies, must be used responsibly. Despite the addition of more contemporary areas of study and future technological improvements, the goal of Spring Hill will continue to be to provide a liberal arts undergraduate education. “Regardless of your major, every student here learns how to effectively communicate, learns critical thinking and reasoning, and how to be an effective contributor to society. All of these are the foundation of what a liberal arts degree is all about,” says Puto. Puto acknowledges that this makes Spring Hill a unique college in that it provides the opportunity to major in something rather digital or computer-based, and still be expected to productively read and write. “This allows our graduates to leave here with a great sense of their potential for success,” says Puto. In addition to improving the quality of academics, Puto says that another goal that greatly affects students is Spring Hill’s desire to achieve a first-year retention rate that places the college in the top 10% of similar, private colleges in the country. Having a high retention rate is a positive indication that the college is doing its best to admit graduates, and not merely students. “With this goal, we want to create processes to find students who might be experiencing challenges during their first year, and help them to overcome those challenges so those students stay here, and ultimately become seniors.” Therefore, this goal, when accomplished, will prompt the college to work to admit students who will be the most successful, but also allow for the creation of efforts to help struggling students.
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Whose Lives Matter? By: Brandon Myers Contributing Writer
On September 22, 2016, the SHC community gathered together for the first event in “E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One,” which is a series of small group discussions created to explore and facilitate the sharing of diverse opinions centered on various topics. Titled, “Whose Lives Matter?” the focus was placed on race relations in the United States. After the viewing of a brief video by Ryan Noble on recent racial tensions and violence in America, discussions from faculty, staff and students of all backgrounds participated in civil discourse. Dr. Christopher Puto, President of Spring Hill College, moderated the event, and table discussions were led by various members of the Spring Hill community. Dr. Puto pointed out, “No single viewpoint will be correct, but the hope is we can all come to an understanding.” Key aspects of the discussions consisted of listening with an open heart, seeking a better understanding of all viewpoints, identifying common concerns, and treating each other with mutual respect. Students and faculty in attendance voiced their thoughts of the events initiative, as they gave insight in order to shed light and bring understanding to relevant issues in our country. “I think these sessions will allow our campus community to work through and discuss these and other issues responsibly by learning from one another and trying to come to a common solution,” said sophomore, Erica Powell, who is a political science major and history minor. “Hopefully we can do more than just
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The
Springhillian
SHC MEDIA TEAM
SPRINGHILLIAN EDITOR: Darian Miller
SCRIPT WRITER/ ANCHOR: Rebeca Marroquin
WEB EDITOR: Jack Culotta Jr.
VIDEO DIRECTOR & EDITOR: Lane Brunson
ADVISOR: Stuart Babington
REPORTERS: Tom Burcham Conner Fincher ADVERTISING/ SOCIAL MEDIA: Austill Harris Isabella Martinez Riley Johnson Tamiera Nash GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Jake Favier TV PRODUCER: Laura Fosberg
HILLIAN CONTACT
SHC Student Media
@SHC_MEDIA shcmedia@shc.edu Whose Lives Matter continued... ...discuss and put some of our ideas into action here on campus and in the community, to set an example. Overall, we need more of this, more of understanding and especially more of love and compassion for one another.” The gathering played host to a number of Spring Hill campus leaders, as they represented their respective organizations in a show of support for seeking resolutions to the issues in America. Amongst those leaders in attendance was Spring Hill’s SGA President, Joesph Crapanzano, who spoke on the events importance saying, “The best way to solve the problems we have in this country is to actually discuss them and I think those start here at Spring Hill.” Another organization that attended the discourse was the Men of Color Council Inc. Legacy Chapter. Co-Chairman, Derrick Robbins, expressed what he felt those in attendance would take away from the event. “I think the event was a success. There was definitely a lot of emotion and passion involved. For some it was about learning as much as you could in order to be allies for an important.” The next event in the series, which will be held sometime in October, will aim to focus on immigration issues occurring in the nation.
NEWS
September 29, 2016
Diversity and Inclusion Task Force By: Tamiera Nash Contributing Writer Spring Hill College is a known leader in the fight for social justice, working to improve its effort by finding new ways to stay ahead. The Diversity and Inclusion Task Force is an initiative that has been created to see to it that the college remains focused on social justice. While in a meeting with faculty and staff, President Christopher Puto was able to see what planning units Spring Hill College already had. The college had about 49 planning units and none of them were centered towards diversity and inclusion. Mrs. Rosalie Carpenter suggested that there should be a unit that was responsible for assessing diversity and inclusion on the campus. This group would write a situational analysis which presented the strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities at hand. When asked about what the group listed as strengths and weaknesses. Mrs. Carpenter said that she herself had actually noted them as “key opportunities and challenges”. She proceeded to say that, “ The key opportunities would be the creation of an equity officer position, a center for social justice , policies for gender neutral housing, gender neutral bathrooms, and the recruitment and hiring efforts to include more professors of color and other backgrounds, as well as administer a climate survey to better understand what experiences faculty, staff and students are having on the college’s campus.” Ultimately the situation analysis revealed that the college needed to collect more information, and the Diversity and Inclusion Task Force was created. Mrs. Carpenter agreed to be the head over that unit and opened the task force to anyone who wanted to volunteer at opening day. Currently, the task force is aiming to make Spring Hill College a more comfortable place to be for anyone who sets foot on this campus. Social justice is heavily rooted in the college’s history, as well as its mission. The creation of this task force is the first of many steps students can expect to see this academic year. Task force members immediately realized that information gathering would be a crucial step before putting new ideas into action. According to Mrs. Carpenter, President Puto said, “We really need to analyze our situation, to see where we are as a college in order to present recommendations that could improve our campus community”. The task force split into two groups and one is compiling the programs, services, resources and policies currently at the college and the other team is responsible for gathering information regarding students, faculty and staff experiences at Spring Hill College. What became really important to them was defining the terms diversity and inclusion. As a group they are unable to do so because each individual has their own idea of what those words mean. Mrs. Carpenter and the task force are striving to find a collective definition that also fits into the college’s participation towards social justice. Carpenter goes on to mention that the Men of Color Council led the unity demonstration in the cafeteria in the Spring of 2016. It was a very emotional time for her watching the students come together, but it also made her realize that this is Spring Hill. She says,” I do not want to wait till people are angry to begin these conversations”. She said she would rather lead the conversation. She continues her amazement in support of a dialogue that President Puto will be leading in the upcoming weeks, entitled “Whose Lives Matter”, and looks forward to listening in on the points, opinions and thoughts of both students and faculty on this campus. Spring Hill College understands that though the topic is controversial, there is an opportunity to break social barriers and open the community that is Spring Hill to all. When asked if the task force would be reaching out to students and using their voices, Carpenter responded with a smile and said, “Of course, there was one student who was planning on attending but had not, but we will continue to have students involved in the conversation, and the plan in capturing the experience through focus groups and surveys”. It was suggested that one way to diversify the activities on campus would be to team up with Campus Programming Board (CPB) and try to find those things that students are interested in that do not always make it through the cracks of the board. The Diversity and Inclusion Task Force is here to make our campus both safe, comfortable and enjoyable for all who inhabit it. Whether you are a student, faculty and staff, or an operations worker, everyone on this campus is important and deserves the opportunity to feel as such. Students can look forward to more information as well as surveys and questionnaires in the coming weeks of the fall semester.
OPINION
Volume 103 Issue 6
The
Springhillian
How to Make Dieting Work
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By: Jacob Campos Contributing Writer
Time and time again, especially for New Year’s resolutions, people make commitments to start eating healthy and getting fit; sadly, the majority of the time these commitments are short-lived. Why? How come so many people succumb to reverting back into their old habits? Well, here are some pointers that could have the answers you are looking for. For starters, to make a diet last long-term one must have the appropriate mindset. When people hear the word “diet,” they normally hear it with a negative connotation. Instead of thinking positive thoughts when dieting, people mostly think about being restricted to certain foods and forcing themselves to run and/or workout. Rather, the word “diet” should be seen in a more positive light—one that implies a particular kind of freedom. A healthy diet liberates one from an old unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one. A positive mindset is crucial to living a healthy lifestyle. Next, it is more likely for people to continue exercising when they set specific, measurable, realistic, and attainable goals. For example, a bad goal would be “walk today” while a good goal would be “walk 2 miles when I finish the day’s classes.” Unlike the bad example, the good example sets how far he/
By: Darian Miller Editor-in-Chief
she is going to walk and when he/ she is going to do so. These are good specific and achievable goals. When dieting, people tend to cut back on how much they eat. This may be the wrong way to go about it for many reasons. For starters, forcing oneself to be hungry is like a form of punishment to the body. Hunger is what tells someone that their body needs food; one should not neglect their body’s needs. The second reason not to cut back on food is because one’s metabolism slows down; so, when one has not eaten in a while, his/her body does not digest the food as quick as it should. This can cause him/her to gain weight. Instead of eating less than usual, one should try to simply just eat healthier foods. It’s ok to eat when you are hungry; the body is telling itself that it needs food! All one needs to do is give his/her body the nutrients it needs to be healthy. So, there it is—having a positive mindset, setting good goals for one’s exercise regimen, and eating healthy food may be a good way to help jumpstart one’s diet and help them reach their health goals.
Fall Fails In the South
It’s the beginning of fall and you can feel the crisp air and hear the sound of browning leaves crunching as you are walking to class. Except, it’s not. It is still a balmy 93 degrees full of suffocating humidity and the feel of sweat dripping down your forehead as soon as you step outside. The first day of fall arrived last Thursday, September 22, only to leave the badgers of Spring Hill College confused. Fall means that it should start getting colder, right? In Mobile, fall takes on a whole other meaning. Incoming freshmen from states such as Illinois, Maryland or New York are probably wondering if they somehow travelled to the fiery world below. They are probably wondering how could it possibly still be this hot when it is already the end of September. Welcome to the south, my fellow classmates. Fall does not begin in September in the south. More often than not, you will be well into October before you notice a slight, chilly breeze that causes you to wear that jacket you typically only use in Burke library. In addition, fall does not last a full three months. It is either rudely cut off by a short spell of “freezing”
cold weather that is a teasing taste of winter, or winter is, essentially, nonexistent and fall lasts about six months instead of three. Seriously,
the seasons do not always change in the south, so why do we still wind up drowning in tissues and cough drops every September? Either the
have a similar holiday for the transition of summer into fall. Do not fret badgers, for the scarves and beanies will be upon us again soon. Just keep ingesting DayQuil per the instructions, and I know y’all will make it through this fall semester! Editorial Policy The SpringHillian is published five times each semester from September to May. The views expressed herein do not represent the views of Spring Hill College and are not the views of the faculty, administration, staff or students, but are the views of the individual columnists. Submissions
I’ve worn shorts for quite a few Christmases. Currently, numerous students have been heard coughing and sneezing around our beautiful campus. Usually, a simple explanation of the seasons changing should suffice in justifying the miserable illness travelling around. However,
bodies of northerners are going into shock and rejecting the pollen and humidity, or the homebodies of the south are still trying to figure out if it will finally get cold enough for summer to disappear. You know how Groundhog Day is in February to distinguish if we will have six more weeks of winter? We should
The SpringHillian publishes guest submissions at the discretion of the student-editor and section editors. Submissions should be less than 300 words, and editors reserve the right to edit the submissions for length and content. Original writings should be mailed or delivered to: Student-editor, The SpringHillian, Communication Arts, Spring Hill College, 4000 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36608. Submissions may also be sent as emailed attachments to: shcmedia@ email.shc.edu.
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The
Springhillian
AROUND THE HILL
September 29, 2016
Badger Block crew work on their first production of the school year. Photo courtesy: Abbie Bacilla
Students participate at the Coastal Cleanup. Photo courtesy: Karrie Quirin
THE HILL
Potential students visit Spring Hill for the first Badger Day of the school year. Photo courtesy: Spring Hill Admissions
Volume 103 Issue 6
AROUND THE HILL
The
Springhillian
5
Our own reporter, Riley Johnson, poses with Marie Rooks before the Lambda Chi Alpha “Why is this in my closet?� party. Photo courtesy: Riley Johnson
Sigma Kappa sorority sisters pose at the Coastal Cleanup. Photo courtesy: Mary Grace Pollet
Students pose with Dr. Puto and Dr. Orange at the first Whose Lives Matter event. Photo courtesy: Cecilia Von Mann
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The
Springhillian
LIFESTYLE
Spring Hill’s That ‘70s Sprill Spoon University
September 29, 2016
By: Riley Johnson Contributing Writer
By: Riley Johnson Contributing Writer
Do you find it difficult to eat healthy as a college student? Spoon University, an online food resource geared towards our generation, can help you break those typical college eating habits. Angeline Morris, a Spring Hill College senior, recently brought a chapter of Spoon University to Spring Hill College. “Spoon is a food and lifestyle blog that’s written by students for students,” Morris says.. Spoon University began at Northwestern University by two students with a desire to prove to college students that it’s possible to eat healthy, even when you are in college. Spoon University offers recipes, food news, lifestyle inspirations, how to’s, and recommendations for places to eat. Spoon University is spreading not only throughout the United States, but throughout Europe as well. Morris worked hard in order for Spring Hill College to enjoy and have access to these resources. “I feel like Spring Hill really needs something to get us out of the bubble,” Morris says. Spoon University connects college students with their community in order for them to effectively utilize the resources around them. “On the website it says find your chapter. If you don’t have one, you can start one, so I did,” Morris says. It’s not too late to get involved with Spring Hill College’s Spoon University. Applications for leadership and general positions are due October 3. You can access the Spring Hill College page by visiting shc.spoonuniversity.com. “For me, what I really liked about Spoon was that it was a great platform to write. They are very casual and they are really informative at the same time,” Morris says. This online resource makes it simple for college students to quickly access recipes and be inspired about what other college students are eating. According to Morris, “It’s a fun way to learn and it’s a great way to spread love of food.” FOLLOW SPOON Instagram: @spoon_springhill Facebook: Facebook.com/spoonspringhill
It might be 2016, but if you take a look at the runway you might feel as if you are in 1970. These trends have made their way to Spring Hill College. Those of us who didn’t have the privilege of living in this incredibly fashionable era can now get a feel of what it’s like to wear those bell bottom jeans and chokers. The 70’s fashion trends began by making appearances on the runway and now have made their way to almost every clothing store. As you look around the streets of any city, small or large, you can get a glimpse of this groovy trend. It only takes a few key wardrobe pieces to add a 70’s flair to your closet. One of the most popular 70’s staple is flared denim jeans. You can pair these jeans with heels in order for them not to drag the floor, or even some ballet flats if you don’t mind your jeans getting a little ragged. It’s always fun to pair these with a turtleneck knit top and a blazer. One of the most popular tops is the peasant blouse, a loose fitting, long sleeved top that ties in the front. Off the shoulder tops are also fitting for Mobile’s hot temperatures. Vests are also making a comeback. You can throw a vest on over a t-shirt, or even over a dress to change your look completely. Another fun ‘70s throwback is ironing on some patches to an old pair of jeans or a jean jack-
et. To top it all off, grab that choker you saved from the ‘90s and wear it shamelessly. Who knew that black plastic necklaces would make their way back years later? Spring Hill’s campus is full of these fashionable trends. College
students are incorporating the ‘70s into their own style, making it unique for each and every person. Inspired by fashion, let’s make 2016 as groovy as the 1970’s were here on the Hill.
Pictured in all: Katie LaCour Pictured above: Angeline Morris
Photo Credit: Riley Johnson
Volume 103 Issue 6
By: Tom Burcham Contributing Writer
SPORTS
The
Springhillian
NCAA: Provisional Year
Spring Hill College is nearing completion of the three-year transition process that will change the institution’s athletic platform from NAIA to NCAA. The final year of transition, the “Provisional” year, will take place throughout the 2016-2017 academic years, and will test Spring Hill College’s implementation of certain policies necessary for NCAA schools to complete. This Provisional year comes after a do over of the second year of the process. The redo, which took place during the 2015-2016 academic year, allowed for the development of Spring Hill College’s own policy and procedure manual. Athletes voiced their aggravation with the extra year of transition, and were sent an email describing the situation and outlining the process that stood in front of athletics from that point on. The most visible downside to the extra year of transition is that Spring Hill College athletics are currently excluded from NCAA postseason and tournament play. Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Compliance, Chad Leblanc said the largest reason for the extra year was that “There was just a lot of turnover throughout the school in key compliance positions”. The turnovers took place in the offices of: President of Spring Hill, Director of Compliance, Faculty Athletic Representative, Senior Woman Administrator,
and the Registrar. These high profile and important positions were vacated and filled with new members who were new to spring hill, and “that is why the NCAA thought Spring Hill College should repeat that second year” said LeBlanc. The second year was to be used to get the new faculty a firm foundation within the institution, and give them the ability to see how Spring Hill College functioned. The next step in the process is the NCAA Blueprint Review. LeBlanc described the review as when “NCAA representatives will come to campus, and for two days, essentially audit everything [in my office] and will audit everything in the registrar’s office as well as financial aid and other offices”. The NCAA representatives will also take a look at the academic and medical paperwork of all the student athletes, and look over various things such as institutional and outside scholarships, as well as the expenditures throughout the athletics department. The most notable takeaway from the transition to NCAA Division II is that once completed, Spring Hill College will be eligible for postseason play and eligible to compete in NCAA tournaments. Other benefits of being a NCAA qualified institution include being eligible for the Student Athlete Assistance Fund. The fund offers schools a pool of money that can be used for student athletes in need. For example, if a student-athlete has a family emergency and cannot personally afford a plane ticket home, the school could
reach into the fund and purchase the ticket for the athlete. The same can be done if a studentathlete cannot afford to repair his vehicle if it breaks down. The ability to use small programs that impact student athletes is on the list of positive opportunities once the transition is complete. The school will be finished with the process of being evaluated after the Blueprint Review in October, and will have until the board reviews in July to make any improvements deemed necessary by the NCAA. The board review takes place in mid July, and reviews various schools that are also transitioning to the NCAA platform. The board evaluates the school’s progress and makes a decision based on the Blueprint review from the year before, and determines whether or not a school is ready to be fully NCAA qualified. This transition marks a new era for Spring Hill College, and students and faculty are anxious and ready to be finished with the process.
SHC Runners Keep Improving
By: Conner Fincher Contributing Writer
for at least 40 minutes, going up the Avenue of the Oaks, along Old Shell Road, and around campus. After the run, the team performs strides on the rugby field. While the team can be found running In the middle of their competition season, in rain or shine, on particularly rainy days, teamSpring Hill men’s and women’s cross country teams continue to train daily in hopes of maintain- mates can choose to do their conditioning in the ing the success that they have had thus far. gym. Spring Hill’s 2016 cross country teams have competed in three meets so far. They’ve travelled to Clinton, Miss, Metairie, LA, and Pensacola, FL so far. At each meet, the teams placed in the top three, and both the men and women have placed in first this year. The teams have started off the season strong, and are working to continue their success in the upcoming meets. Craig McVey explains the plans for his team after their previous competition. When referring to the freshmen and their progress, he said, ““For most of them, it was their first college 8k race. They now know how college While winning is at the forefront of the teams’ cross country differs from high school and that efforts, the concept of community is a central focus extra 3,000 meters was a hard reality check.” He for them. Gabby Hantak, a junior on the women’s explains the challenges the teams are now facteam, explains, “We’re really tryino build up the ing, saying “We’re now in the toughest part of the team element this year. A lot of people think that season with three races in three weeks. We need cross country is an individual sport, but it really to keep making progress next week at Jacksonville is about pushing each other and getting each other State to be at our best when we race at the Disney through the race.” Hantak notes that teams in Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in two the past have been smaller, but this year they’ve weeks.” grown with an influx of freshmen. The teams are In order to maintain a successful season, the made up by majority of freshmen and juniors; and teams train every day. Practice typically begins at while each individual works for their personal the Arthur B. Outlaw Recreation Center, where best time, each runner has the team’s interest at the teams stretch and run drills. They then run heart.
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Men’s Roster: David Toups Spencer Albright Kent Cheramie Joe Butler Cade Dernlan Brenton Jennings Robby Letson Julian Sparks
Women’s Roster: Gabrielle Hantak Nicole Kotval Meghan Sullivan Amelia Hoffeld Lauren Fischer Kara McKinney Anastasia Walloga Kori Lackey Head Coach Craig McVey
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The
Springhillian
HILL YEAH!
September 29, 2016
ON THE SPOT
What is your favorite Snapchat filter and why?
Jarvis Williams
Peyton Givan
Kiana Bryant
“I love this. It’s my favorite because “Cabbages, Cabbages, barely even tasty, Cabbages, Cabbages, leafy to the core, They’re different from fruit, which means they can’t be yummy, We must sound the forks of war!”
The sunglasses filter is one of my favorites because they give me a “don’t talk to me attitude.”
“I like the flower crown be- “I like this one because it makes cause It makes me feel like a me look like a turtle.” flower princess.”
Sophmore
Freshman
Senior
Jacob Campos Senior
Puto’s Plan Continued... A goal that is of particular importance to the students is the goal to revamp aspects of the campus to ensure the success and comfort of the students. “The goal is to maintain a physical campus that reflects the quality of the educational experience that we want our students to have,” says Puto- that is, the college’s infrastructure is as important as the academics, as one does not work 100% effectively without the other. The physical campus includes grounds, academic and other buildings, residence halls, and athletic fields. Keeping each of these acceptable and contemporary is in the best interest of the students. In addition to simply living spaces and classrooms, Puto also wants to make additions to the campus, like the addition of the new disc golf course, which will work to enhance the student experience. The disc golf course is an example of an addition that coincides with another Strategic Goal, which is “to provide a co-curricular experience for all of the students that complements the academics,” says Puto. Co-curricular means that the activities are linked to the academic experience, by enhancing our connections within our academic communities. The goal, therefore, is to improve and increase co-curricular activities and enhance student-community connection. As it is stated in the Spring Hill College
Magazine, “the overarching goals of the process are to identify needs, discover opportunities, and create a sustainable plan to support and advance Spring Hill College’s vision, mission, and values.” The ability to think forward and move forward is one that is essential to having the highest quality college experience, one that pushes for and provides opportunities for success. Dr. Puto has provided a plan that will certainly cause Spring Hill to make necessary and beneficial improvements, gives an example of the importance of asking the question, “what can we do better?”
Work by Abbie Bacilla
the weather now
mobile, alabama
91˚F
feels like 910˚F
precipitation 100% all day at the same time 0% all day humidity wave your hand around a couple times and your hand will be wet%