May 1, 2019

May 1, 2019

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Volume XCIX

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COMMUNITY STANDARDS PROCESS UNDER REVIEW ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Managing Editor The St. Joe’s Community Standards process is currently under review by a third-party consultant hired by University President Mark C. Reed, Ed.D. Reed announced the consultant would review the community standards process after the reported “racial bias incident” that occured in the fall 2018 semester.

“The review is focused on the Community Standards process primarily as it related to bias, discrimination, and harassment—thus, the case from the fall semester is a focus,” Reed said in an email to The Hawk. “In doing so, I welcome the reviewer’s observations on the Community Standards process overall, including procedures and/or policies.”

The third party reviewer is Thomas C. Pellegrino, J.D., Ph.D, who was employed at Fairfield University from 2004 to 2018. He served at Fairfield as dean of students and vice president for Student Affairs before becoming the president-elect of Holy Cross High School in Connecticut.

During the years 2004 to 2015, Pellegrino overlapped at Fairfield with Reed, who served in multiple upper-level administrative roles during that time. “[I] Wanted someone who has a broad and deep understanding of Student Life, including policies and student conduct matters; has worked on diversity and inclusion issues in the past; and has a reputation and track record of trust, confidence, and respect of colleagues,” Reed wrote. “Having a law background and substantial experience as a former attorney was an added bonus. As a practical matter, the person also needed to be interested and available.”

Pellegrino, who is also a cousin of Karen Pellegrino, vice president of enrollment management, did not respond to a request for information.

Thomas Pellegrino is reviewing the current community standards process for when a bias incident is reported.

Natalie Walker Brown confirmed Pellegrino had reached out to her in her capacity as director for Student Inclusion and Diversity. Walker Brown said she is often one of the first people students talk to about racial bias incidents.

“I don’t know what the ins and outs are, but that process has commenced,” Walker Brown said. “I don’t know what the outcome is going to be. I don’t know what that looks like.”

SEE PG. 3

The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University

News

2

May 1, 2019

Faculty Senate considers changes to diversity curriculum ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief EMILY GRAHAM ’20 Copy Chief Four faculty-led working groups have been meeting all semester to discuss ways to address climate diversity issues on campus.

Faculty Senate President Ron Dufresne, Ph.D., associate professor of management, said these discussions were prompted by the results of the Climate Study and the reported incidents of racism in the fall 2018 semester.

Part of this faculty conversation has involved the current structure of diversity requirements at St. Joe’s.

All undergraduate students are required to complete three courses called “overlays.” The three overlays—writing-intensive, ethics-intensive and diversity/globalization/non-western area studies (DGNW)—can be satisfied by major courses, elective courses or General Education Program (GEP) courses. Courses receive overlay status after going through a faculty committee certification process.

“Questioning how might our curriculum better contribute to a more just, diverse and inclusive climate is something that is important for us as faculty to really take the lead in considering,” Dufresne said.

At a January special meeting of the faculty senate, where the four working groups were created, faculty discussed the effectiveness of the DGNW overlay for students and looked at possible recommendations for changes to the existing requirement.

“It’s important that students learn diversity on its own, but what happens with the present cycle is that students have a choice,” said Brian Yates, Ph.D., secretary of the faculty senate and assistant professor of history, who participated in one of the working groups. “To me, I believe it’s something that should be a part of every student’s experience. We need to prepare our students for what they’re going to get once they leave St. Joe’s, and I feel when you bundle all three together you’re not adequately preparing students for the world they live in.”

Another issue faculty considered is that students are not required to take a course in all three components of the DGNW. So, for example, a student might take a course in non-western area studies but not one in diversity or globalization.

Elaine Shenk, Ph.D., vice president of the faculty senate and associate professor of modern and classical languages, said students need to take courses specifically about diversity. Shenk’s working group has been discussing the develop-

ment of a separate diversity course in addition to the DGNW overlay.

“A lot of students are never taking a diversity course,” Shenk said. “Globalization is very different than diversity. Those fit into the same overlay, but they don’t meet the same goals, the same objectives of getting students to recognize how to appreciate diverse perspectives.”

Although there are three separate components in the overlay, James Boettcher, chair of the philosophy department who was involved in the original implementation of the GEP, said he wanted to provide a variety of course options for students to take to fulfill the DGNW. “More important than the total number of courses would be the extent to which students are taking multiple courses,” Boettcher said.

“One of the hopes that was expressed in the early part of GEP implementation was that we could have so many diversity courses, or a sufficient number of them, that students will always take more than one.”

Shenk and Susan Clampet-Lundquist, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, both stressed the importance of educating students early in their college careers. The overlay, as it presently exists, allows students the option to wait until their senior year to complete the requirement. This worries both Shenk and Clampet-Lundquist.

“Many students are coming into St. Joe’s already thinking about these things, but some of them aren’t,” Clampet-Lundquist said. “How do we make it so that students have this foundation their very first year? The first year seminar seems like a pretty good vehicle to do that in.”

Faith Kenville ’19, a finance major, said she waited until her senior year to take a course to fulfill the requirement so she could focus on courses for her major.

“A lot of people in CAS might be more excited to take classes like that, but most people in the business school are annoyed that they have to take classes like that,” Kenville said.

“Why do I have to do this? What does this have to do with my major?”

The small working groups have been discussing a variety of options all semester for proceeding with changes to the diversity curriculum.

Clampet-Lundquist’s faculty senate working group is developing a mandate to propose the creation of a four-credit First Year Seminar program. The group’s idea is to have students take a diversity-based course with an additional hour each week, similar to a lab.

Currently, students complete the First Year Seminar requirement through any pre-approved three-credit course in disciplines across the university. There is no mandated diversity component attached to these courses.

Dufresne said any proposed mandates must go through the full governance process before any updates can be made to the curriculum. That process involves several layers of review before going to the faculty senate for a vote.

While Dufresne said he hopes for changes to be complete in the next academic year, he cautions against rushing into the process.

“I would never want to rush anything through the governance process for the sake of getting it done, because that would run a real risk of potentially not making the best decision, so with the dual intentions to be as robust and high quality decision makers as possible and as quickly as possible,” Dufresne said.

Funding for any proposed changes also remains an unknown.

“Do we prioritize money towards purchasing property, or do we prioritize money going towards developing students that are with and for others?” Clampet-Lundquist said.

Yates argued that deciding and subsequently funding diversity curriculum changes will make a larger statement about the institution’s attitude towards diversity.

“We are going to find out where the administration’s values are,” Yates said. “If you’re committed to diversity, you’re going to fund it. If you’re not committed, then you’re not going to fund it.”

Yates said regardless of the funding questions, the university needs to prioritize the teaching of diversity.

“There’s obviously a problem on campus, and these racist incidents aren’t isolated, they’re symptoms of a disease of St. Joe’s culture,” Yates said. “We’re trying our best on our side, on the faculty side and curriculum side to say at the very least you will know what you’re doing when you do something racist.”

17/69 non-western area

DGNW totals over the past four years 63 64

56

63

55/69 CAS 14/69 HSB 34/69 diversity 18/69 globalization

24 departments offer DGNWs

professors:

67

65

69 34 women

Spring 2019

Fall 2018

Spring 2018

Fall 2017

Spring 2017

Fall 2016

Spring 2016

Fall 2015

GRAPHICS BY KELLY SMITH ’19/THE HAWK

63

Spring 2019 DGNW breakdown

35 men

News 3 May 1, 2019

The traveling exhibit from the Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery came to St. Joe's in Feb. 2016, when discussions of Jesuit slaveholding were prominent. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY

Research inactive for two years

St. Joe's task force on Jesuit slaveholding on hiatus ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief It has been two years since an informal task force on St. Joe’s and its connections to Jesuit slaveholding last met, and there have been no updates from the Office of the Provost or the Office of the President.

The initial task force consisted of four faculty members: Paul Aspan Ph.D., professor of theology and then associate provost for academic and faculty support; Randall Miller Ph.D., professor of history; Jenny Spinner, Ph.D., associate professor of English; and Tia Pratt, Ph.D., a former visiting professor of sociology at St. Joe’s, who left the university at the end of the spring 2017 semester after completing a fourth and final contract year as a visiting professor.

“From a moral perspective, I felt strongly that the university needed to investigate the question,” Pratt said. “If the answer was yes, the university had to figure out as a community what to do about it.”

The group approached administrators in fall 2016, just a few months after reports that Georgetown University had benefited financially from the sale of 272 Jesuit-owned slaves in 1838.

Georgetown established a Working Group on Slavery in fall 2015 with the goal of making recommendations on how to address the university’s history with slavery. The group issued a 104-page report in the summer of 2016.

As reported in The Hawk in 2016, in the wake of the Georgetown report, other univer-

sities, including Jesuit schools like John Carroll University and Saint Louis University, started to explore their own possible ties to slavery.

Miller said even if St. Joe’s benefit from slavery was indirect, rather than direct, as was the case at Georgetown University, it should still be investigated.

“The idea of this is discovery and honesty, self-awareness, and then it’s not just to know that history,” Miller said. “It’s to say, okay, knowing this history, whatever it is, not only what does it mean, but what are we going to do with it? We’re a Jesuit Catholic university and all that would play into who we profess to be, and so it would be a logical thing to do for that reason, if no other. It’s the right thing to do on its own account.”

Miller has been attending conferences and meetings at other schools in the two years since the founding of the St. Joe’s task force in order to learn about how to do this kind of institutional research. He sees the University of Virginia as a model school for doing such research on slavery.

In April 2013, UVA Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equity Marcus Martin, MD, proposed an exploration of the school’s ties to slavery to the President’s Cabinet. One initiative that formed as a result of this proposal was the President’s Commission on Slavery and the University, which aims to research and report on UVA’s history of slavery.

“One of the things we know from other schools doing these things is complicity and even benefit is not necessarily because you were a slave owner yourself,” Miller said. “It

could simply be that you profited in some way from businesses that had dealings with slave holding.”

Pratt also said she felt strongly that the university needed to investigate the question of whether there were financial ties between the university and the slave sale. If the answer was yes, Pratt said the community needed to decide what to do about those ties.

“We need to know that one, it’s part of our history and two, it’s important when we look at the lack of diversity within the present campus,” Pratt said. “These things don’t happen in a vacuum. Is this part of a culture that upholds the discrepancy that we see?”

Provost Jeanne Brady, Ph.D., confirmed Miller and Spinner approached her about forming a group to investigate any ties St. Joe’s had to the institution of slavery. Brady, Aspan, Miller, Spinner and Monica Nixon, Ed.D, former assistant provost for Inclusion and Diversity, met in January 2017.

“I encouraged them to work with Dr. Monica Nixon to determine next steps,” Brady said. “However, planning for the MLK 50th Anniversary Commemoration took priority that year, and then Dr. Monica Nixon left Saint Joseph’s to pursue other opportunities.

Since then, responding in appropriate and collaborative ways to the campus climate survey, while also working to hire our next Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, has been our principal concern.”

Miller also said the MLK Anniversary put the potential work of the group on a side rail.

Aspan cautioned that a working group could face challenges moving forward. One

of those challenges is resourcing. Another is finding faculty willing to devote time to pursue the project.

“In order to have faculty, students and staff create partnerships on researching our history with the slave trade, we would have to resource the necessary travel and other materials needed to perform the research,” Aspan said. “Secondly, there’s the pragmatic problem that every faculty member has her or his own established research program. Thus in order for this to succeed, the question would have to be raised, how much time could the different scholars at Saint Joseph’s devote to this, or would they be willing to devore to this in order to do the archival research and subsequent writing.”

Still, Aspan said it is important for the university to move forward, and such research should be a priority at St. Joe’s.

“I think the working group should be brought up again,” Aspan said.

Miller also said he hopes the new provost, Cheryl McConnell, Ph.D., will support the group’s initial work.

“It will be interesting to see what the new provost does with this, if anything,” Miller said. “But we can always just go back to Dr. Reed and say this thing has been sitting on the back burner for [the] equivalent of two years.

We actually know a lot more about how to do this sort of thing, so this is an opportunity to restart it.”

Alex Mark ’20 contributed to this story.

Community Standards process under review FROM PG. 1 New this semester already is a three-person Community Standards Board as opposed to the single hearing officer as has been the case in the past. Those serving on the board are chosen from the Community Standards Board (CSB), an 11-person board made up of four students chosen by their peers, four faculty members chosen by Faculty Senate and three administrators, selected by the vice president for Student Life.

“The three-person panel provides for multiple perspectives when determining whether or not there was a violation of the University’s

Community Standards, and if there was a violation, the appropriate sanction(s),” wrote Bill Bordak, director of Community Standards, and Cary Anderson, Ph.D., vice president for Student Life, in a joint statement to The Hawk.

As The Hawk reported in the April 17 issue, two more “racial bias incidents” were reported to the Office of Public Safety this semester. In the one incident, the white respondent withdrew from St. Joe’s before a formal hearing. In the other incident, on April 4, students were reported saying the N-word in a song when David Andrews ’22, in the adjacent suite, banged on the wall and requested they stop. The students proceeded to call him the

N-word.

Andrews’ Community Standards case went before the new three-person board on April 23. He noted there was one black person on the panel in addition to a graduate student and an administrator.

“I told them the story again,” Andrews said. “I’ve been telling the story to so many individuals. Sometimes it was like they were on my side, and sometimes it was like they weren’t.”

Andrews was told the process would conclude early this week.

Reed said he hoped the larger review of the Community Standards process would

conclude in the next couple of weeks, but he was not sure how he would share information from the report.

“It is my intention to share a summary of his observations and any pertinent recommendations with the campus community after the process has concluded,” Reed wrote.

“I must note, however, that if there is information shared which is protected by law, regulations, or policy (for example, personnel matters, student privacy rights, etc.) then I would not be able to share that information with specific detail.”

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May 1, 2019

News

The Hawk Newspaper

Q&A with new Health Studies and Education Dean ERIN BREEN ’19 News Editor Angela Rowe McDonald, Ph.D., was announced as the inaugural dean of the School of Health Studies and Education on April 24.

McDonald currently holds the position of interim dean of the College of Health Studies at University of North Carolina Pembroke.

With a background in both education and mental health counseling, McDonald will officially join Hawk Hill on July 1. The new school will open for the fall 2019 semester.

The Hawk spoke with McDonald about her plans for the new school.

Why did you choose to apply for the position of dean at St. Joe’s?

I really was drawn to the fact that the new school is being created combining health studies and education together. In my experience, those have been separate, but there is a natural partnership for them to be together.

The more I started to learn about the university, I also liked the values that came through in a lot of the materials that I was able to read, the emphasis on service and caring for the whole person. All of that is important to me as an academic but also in the professions that the school will train and prepare stu-

McDonald will come to Hawk Hill on July 1. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANGELA ROWE MCDONALD

dents to be a part of.

What will be among your initial priorities when you get to Hawk Hill?

I really want to get to know everybody. Behind that, I know there has been a lot of work done over the last year in particular but probably a little bit farther back than that in thinking through adding a new school. With it being the first new school in such a long time, I want to get a much richer appreciation for the work that’s already been started, so I can use that to inform the direction that we take over the year in terms of doing more formal strategic planning where we look at the mission vision and create some action steps together. But I see that as something that will all be very collaborative, so I’ll need to get a lot of input on the ground from the faculty, the students, the staff members.

How do you see the relationship between health studies and education?

One of the things that really stands out to me is that while access to clinical care healthcare providers is really important, it’s the overall inputs that make someone healthy, or make a community healthy, tend to be more heavily influenced by social drivers of health and within that broader category of social drivers of health. Education is a part of that. I think there needs to be a real partnership between education providers, educators and health providers. The fact that they will be located administratively together in this new unit helps to facilitate the types of interprofessional learning opportunities, collaborative research projects and service activities between the faculty and the students. That work can happen when people aren’t together under the same administrative unit, but when they are it helps grease the wheels for that to happen more smoothly.

How do you plan to develop and nurture a relationship with students particularly in

an upper level administrative position?

It’s been my experience in administrative positions so far that you are a little bit more cut off from students than when I was a faculty member and an advisor. Administrators really have to seek out those opportunities to engage with students through participating in meetings, the student government process, being visible at lots of events so that there are these natural opportunities to interact with students. But I also see students as being important stakeholders in the strategic planning process. So when we have listening forums to help guide shaping what the school will be, students need to be invited and encouraged to attend those so that they can be contributing what their hopes are too. Same with alumni as well.

In the fall semester, there were campus-wide protests after a racist incident was reported in a student residence. Social justice and institutional racism have become part of the national conversation and at St. Joe’s. How do these conversations impact the school of Health Studies and Education?

Addressing the social determinants of health and health equity and institutional racism, the systemic structures that inhibit people from living their full potential, are critically important to the programs that are within the new school. Part of the training and preparation for students in the new school will be to learn about how that impacts the campus culture, but also to learn about how that impacts the professions that they are entering.

Being able to look at, address, advocate and be a part of conversations around that as a student is incredibly important and informative to continue to be a part of conversations when they go and work in health systems and education systems.

Q&A with appointed Chief Human Resources Officer ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief Zenobia Hargust, Ph.D., has been appointed as the new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). Hargust spent the last seven years at Swarthmore College as the Director of Equal Opportunity & Employee Engagement and Deputy Title IX Coordinator.

In an April 5 email to students, faculty and staff, David Beaupré, Vice President for Finance and Administration & Treasurer, announced that Hargust would officially join Hawk Hill on June 3.

The Hawk spoke with Hargust to learn more about her and to hear about her vision for St. Joe’s.

What do you see as the role of a Chief Human Resources Officer at an institution of higher learning, specifically a Jesuit institution?

In working in higher education, I think it’s important that we remember that we are learning organizations, not only for our students, but also for the faculty, staff and administrators that are working within that institution. We are constantly learning and evolving ourselves as well as developing the students who are going to go out to the world and make significant contributions. We are continuing to grow in our disciplines and also engage in this learning laboratory environment where we’re learning from the students who are bringing a very different perspective.

What aspect of your experience as director of Equal Opportunity & Employee Engagement and Deputy Title IX Coordinator has helped you prepare to be a CHRO? What has really prepared me for this role, specifically at St. Joe’s, and understanding some

of the desires for open communication and transparency, my experience in open and collaborative communication with various and diverse campus and constituency groups has really prepared me to have some of these critical conversations that are necessary for the campus right now. Helping people to understand their role, collaborating in the decision making process that’s going to get us there.

What strategies will you implement as CHRO in order to address issues of diversity, representation and equity in personnel?

I spent a majority of my career in human resources thinking about the ways in which HR can champion equity, access, inclusivity, and that also translates over to recruitment and retention efforts. I’d hope to be able to spend some time examining that closely at St. Joe’s and thinking, in partnership with the provost’s office and with the HR team, thinking through the ways in which we can make opportunities at the university more accessible to underrepresented communities and support those communities through being able to access opportunities at the university. A lot of times that is the issue. The talent is out there, there are ways in which we can diversify, but you have to put some energy and intentionality around that and make sure that the support is there, so that people not only have access to the opportunities and are able to go through whatever the search and selection process might be, but also once they enter into the institution they have the support, the mentorship to be able to thrive and be successful in the community.

In the fall semester, there were campus-wide protests after a racist incident was reported in a student residence. Social justice and institutional racism have become part of the national conversation, and now,

at St. Joe’s. How do these conversations impact the Human Resources office?

When a campus community is facing these types of issues, whether it be things that are based on race or gender or any other social identity, and students are impacted, it doesn’t exclude the other constituency groups of a community from being impacted. Faculty, staff members, administrators are also impacted by the events that happen on campus.

There is a voice in the conversation about how we are going address these types of issues, how we’re going to move to a place of resolution and how we’re going to prevent further issues from occurring in the future.

There’s a voice in that conversation for all members of the community.

How do college campuses have productive and substantive conversations about race and racism?

That’s an ongoing conversation that needs to happen. We need to continue to challenge ourselves to do our own work that we need to do to understand our own bias, our own challenges and come to that conversation. Come to that conversation with a level of openness and courage that allows us to continue to learn from one another. Because we’re coming to these conversations with our own experiences, our own challenges that we’re working through, our own bias that can be unconscious or implicit, we need to come to those conversations in a way that allows us to be vulnerable enough to address that and to be able to learn from one another.

Hargust will begin her role at CHRO June 3. PHOTO COURTESY OF ZENOBIA HARGUST

The Hawk Newspaper

News

May 1, 2019

5

Violations include mold on the soda and milk nozzles and storing food at temperatures higher than the 41 degree requirement. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Campion Dining Hall not in satisfactory compliance Seven new health code violations require corrective action ERIN BREEN ’19 News Editor A food inspection of Campion Dining Hall by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health on March 27 reported seven violations that require corrective action and further inspections.

Violations include the food slicer not washed, rinsed and sanitized at least every four hours with an accumulation of food residue on it, mold on the base of the soda and milk nozzles and food stored above the 41 degree temperature requirement.

Mark Giardini, food service director of higher education at Aramark, a global facilities, uniforms and food services corporation that also provides services to hospitals, K-12 schools, higher education institutions and prisons across the U.S., said SJU Dining is working diligently to correct the violations.

“SJU has a stringent food safety program in place where staff are trained regularly to ensure we keep our students and staff safe,” Giardini said. “We want the students to know that while we have zero tolerance for the violations cited, a health inspection is a snapshot in time and is not necessarily reflective of our day-to-day operations.”

The report also noted “mice droppings” were observed under the shelves of the linens and equipments rooms. A Department of Public Health inspection conducted just over two years on April 21, 2017 also reported visible physical evidence of rodent activity and “fresh mice feces” in multiple

areas of the dining hall and food being held at 45-50 degrees.

“We have an immediate action plan in place to correct all issues quickly and to ensure these issues do not occur again,” Giardini said. “Dining services coordinates pest control through the company that provides the greater campus pest management program. We are currently coordinating additional pest treatments through this group.

Beyond this measure, in all dining locations, additional resources are being leveraged to include a second independent pest control evaluation and treatment.”

An inspection at a dining hall includes checking the temperatures of the food and equipment, searching for signs of pest activity and reviewing the behavior of the staff, according to Giardini.

Theresa Crossan, adjunct professor of food chemistry, said that in order to avoid foodborne illnesses, food needs to be cleaned, raw separated from cooked, cooked to proper temperatures and chilled at the proper temperatures.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health inspection reported pepperoni was being stored at 48.2 degrees and beef was being held at 52.5 degrees.

“Food should be stored in a refrigerator with a temperature lower than 40 degrees,” Crossan said. “This lower temperature slows bacterial growth on or in the food product.

The food safety danger zone is a temperature of 40-140 degrees. These temperatures are where harmful bacteria can multiply.”

Crossan also said mold can cause al-

lergic reactions, from mild irritation of the eyes and nose to more dramatic reactions in people who suffer from allergies.

“Mold looks for a moist, oxygenated area to grow on,” Crossan said. “Mold can be a strong allergen whether you breathe it in or ingest. It can trigger respiratory issues, especially in someone with asthma.”

Tim McGuriman, associate vice president of Administrative Services, said additional resources are being leveraged to include independent pest control evaluations through Ecolab.

“Evaluations through this service and requirements for additional services outside of the standard monthly treatments for pest elimination will continue to be coordinated through dining services,” McGuriman said.

“Dining services has provided action plans behind all incidents including revising the master cleaning schedule and increasing daily inspections of critical control points.”

McGuriman also said his office regularly reviews the performance of its food vendor through feedback from customer surveys done through Aramark, informally from students and from University Student Senate representatives.

James Garrow, director of communications for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, said individuals who have concerns about the cleanliness of a facility are encouraged to contact the city’s Office of Food Protection.

“Whenever anyone eats at any facility inspected by the health department, including university dining halls, they should keep

an eye out for things that don’t feel or look right or clean,” Garrow said.

University Student Senate members became aware of the violations on April 23 and reached out to Giardini for a comment.

They then drafted a statement, which was released on April 24, according to USS President Adam Mullin ’20.

“Students needed to know that the dining hall was acting with their best interests in mind,” Mullin said. “Food safety, then, was the top priority. Second, we emphasized the need to be direct and communicative with students.”

Mullin said he and USS Vice President Julia McQuade ’20 will be meeting with the Aramark district manager for higher education in Philadelphia and Aramark global food safety and risk control partner on May 3 to discuss how the food provider plans to move forward in addressing the violations.

Mullin and McQuade said they set up a meeting with Giardini for next week.

“The Senate will make sure that the key takeaways from the meetings are communicated outward,” Mullin said. “We as a Senate will push to ensure that there is a routine process to discuss results when inspections occur for the coming years. Right now, we will be in contact with Mr. Giardini to know when the follow-up inspection from the March 27 report has occurred.”

Alysa Bainbridge ’21 contributed to this article.

Department of Public Safety reports (April 19- April 25) April 22 Public Safety was notified in regards to unknown person(s) removing the emergency phone from the fifth floor of the Villiger Residence Center. Residence Life notified. Incident under investigation.

April 23 Public Safety was notified by an area resident of a large party in the 2400 block of North 53rd Street. Public Safety officers and Philadelphia Police were notified and responded.

Community Standards was notified.

April 24 Public Safety was notified by an area resident of a large party in the 2300 block of North 54th Street. Public Safety officers and Philadelphia Police were notified and responded.

Community Standards was notified.

ALCOHOL RELATED INCIDENTS

1

On campus

1

Off campus

DRUG RELATED INCIDENTS

1

On campus

0

Off campus

Call Public Safety:

610-660-1111

6

May 1, 2019

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

We have a right to the facts Withholding information serves no one Editor in Chief Ana Faguy ’19 Managing Editor Charley Rekstis ’20 Copy Chief Emily Graham ’20 Faculty Adviser Shenid Bhayroo Contributing Adviser Jenny Spinner Consulting Editor Dominique Joe ’19 Copy Editor Paige Santiago ’19 Copy Editor Kaila Mundell-Hill ’20 News Editor Erin Breen ’19 Assistant News Editor Alex Mark ’20 Assistant News Editor Alysa Bainbridge ’21 Editorial Page Editor Annie Clark ’19

Much of The Hawk’s reporting this year has centered on controversial administrative decision-making: the poor handling of last semester’s "racial bias incident," the abrupt firing of former men’s basketball head coach Phil Martelli, the lengthy search for a new chief diversity officer (previously an assistant provost for inclusion and diversity).

As with all news reporting, researching these events has required interviewing administrators who can speak to details of each individual situation. Yet time and time again this year, senior administrators have been difficult to reach during the reporting process or have withheld information in a way that has made it difficult for The Hawk to do its job.

The Hawk’s duty is to report, even if that information is something administrators would prefer to keep quiet.

When asked for information on a range of topics, from a follow-up on promised changes to policy, to an update on the search for a chief diversity officer, administrators have, in most cases, not been forthcoming with details.

This lack of participation on the part of university leadership has impacted the level of in-depth reporting that The Hawk has been able to do this year.

The reality of news reporting on a college campus is that there is information that only senior administrators can disclose. When they do not provide that information, there are limits to what newspapers are able to publish—which is likely the exact outcome administrators have in mind when they evade requests for quotes.

Anyone has the right to decline participation in a news story, and administrators

have a right to disclose whatever information they wish about their decisions. However, students, faculty and staff also have a right to know what is happening on campus, even if it is does not favor the university’s public image.

This safeguarding of information from the top down at St. Joe’s means that a majority of the school’s population will consistently have to function unaware of how or why decisions are being made. An open exchange of information increases transparency and allows for increased feedback on what the university could be doing better, making St. Joe’s a more equitable place built by everyone who has stake in how it is run.

Administrators’ reluctance to provide information to The Hawk does not serve the best interests of those who live, study and work here. Rather, it aims only to protect the university’s decision-making from scrutiny.

Of course, The Hawk is fortunate that there are individuals who regularly participate in the news reporting process. for example the Faculty Senate president, the Director of Athletics and the Director of Student Leadership & Activities. We also frequently have support from the faculty and students here, for which we are very grateful.

But, according to the Student Press Law Center, there is a growing trend at universities of forwarding all student media requests for comment to a school’s communications office, allowing for an even more one-sided distribution of information from university leadership.

Last semester, reporters for The Hawk saw an increase in Office of Marketing and Communications personnel in interviews with senior administrators. On multiple oc-

casions reporters were unaware that these individuals would be in the room.

We will not stop asking for more transparency. We will continue to ask for clear, unvarnished information from administrators so we can continue to serve our function as a news source for the St. Joe’s community.

The relationship between college newspapers and administrations should not be complicated by feelings of mistrust. Administrators make difficult decisions to ensure the upkeep and longevity of a school—newspapers report the details and consequences of those decisions.

The St. Joe’s community cannot shape the university if they are not adequately and fully informed. The St. Joe's community will never be fully informed if university decision-makers are not open and transparent.

As the Washington Post's motto goes, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” When the truth is obfuscated, information is censorerd and facts are hidden, a community cannot grow. More importantly, a community definitely cannot look within and understand when actionable change is necessary. This does not just apply to the Post, it applies to The Hawk just the same, and we will not stop doing our job.

—The Editorial Board This week’s Editorial Board is comprised of the Editor in Chief, Managing Editor, Copy Chief, Copy Editor, Opinions Editor, Assistant Opinions Editor, Editorial Page Editor, News Editor, Lifestyle Editor and Photo Editor. This editorial reflects the views of the Board and not the entire Hawk Staff.

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

Assistant Opinions Editor Devin Yingling ’22 Lifestyle Editor Alex Hargrave ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor Natalie Drum ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor Cara Smith ’21 Sports Editor Nick Karpinski ’21 Assistant Sports Editor Sam Britt ’20 Assistant Sports Editor Ryan Mulligan ’21 Creative Director Kelly Smith ’19 Photo Editor Mitchell Shields ’22 Social Media Manager Erin Castellano ’20 Assistant Social Media Manager Angela DiMarco ’22 Business Manager Tom Trullinger ’21 Distribution Manager Addie Guyer ’19 Assistant Distribution Manager Gavin O’Reilly ’20

A MORE DIVERSE ADMINISTRATION Last week, the university announced that Angela Rowe McDonald, Ph.D., had been selected as the first dean of the new School of Health Studies and Education. McDonald is the second woman to be named to a senior administrative position after the hiring of Zenobia Hargust as Chief Human Resources Officer. We hope this commitment to diverse hiring continues with the appointment of the new Chief Diversity Officer, expected to be announced in late spring or early summer this year.

AN UNWELCOME EMAIL Each and every member of the senior class was bombarded with a series of more than 30 emails, started by a student sending out an email complaining about receiving an “incorrect neck piece” for their graduation ensemble. Things quickly devolved from there, with students taking the opportunity to give (fake) spoilers for the new Avengers movie and ask for spare graduation tickets. Next time, save it for the group chat.

AN AUSPICIOUS COINCIDENCE Former Vice President Joe Biden announced his 2020 presidential run almost exactly a year after he spoke to an audience of around 3,000 in the Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena on April 24, 2018. We’re not saying St. Joe's alone inspired this now three-time presidential candidate to run again, but...

CAMPION VIOLATIONS As if you needed another reason to avoid it, Campion Dining Hall was recently cited by the Philadelphia Department of Health for seven health code violations. We don’t know about you, but we’ll be cooking at home and hitting up events for free food as much as possible to avoid eating in a place cited for having “mold at the base of the the nozzles of soda, soy milk, and milk machine.”

EASTER BREAK The four-day break was a nice opportunity to get away from campus, spend time with family and forget about the massive piles of work awaiting us in the coming weeks. We hope everyone came back to campus ready to finish the semester on a high note.

WHAT DAY IS IT AGAIN? Students came back from a rejuvenating Easter break only to be thrown off by having their Tuesday routines switched out for a Monday schedule. Students with work or other commitments built into their Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedules just had to explain that this particular Tuesday was, for all intents and purposes, a Monday.

Opinions 7

May 1, 2019

Assessing black tokenism at St. Joe’s What it’s like to be a poster child for diversity MALCOLM ODUM ’20 Guest Columnist My name is Malcolm Odum. I am a junior food marketing major and sociology minor, and I’m from Lansdowne, Pennsylvania. I am member a of the 54th and City All Male A Cappella group, a brother of Delta Sigma Pi, a past senator of the University Student Senate and an Orientation Leader.

I like exploring Philadelphia for new eateries and finding new clothing options in different thrift shops.

This is typically how I start all of my tours since I became a Hawk Host in spring 2017.

But before I can tell people all of these passions and interests of mine, the things that make me who I am, they write me off as the “guy who got his red envelope handed to him” or “that guy on the website.”

Even before I was student here, I was made into a poster child for the university, which I believe has to do with my blackness.

It all started in the fall of 2016 when I was chosen to be a part of the red envelope campaign, which highlighted and promoted students who were receiving their St. Joe’s acceptance letters from college counselors, students and the Hawk mascot.

When I got my red envelope, I was overjoyed and excited that I had the honor of receiving it in person and could not wait to attend St. Joe’s in the fall. Then after being on campus as a first year student in the fall, students and faculty tended to recognize me from the video.

The notoriety was comforting at first, but it got noticeably prevalent that I would be used for marketing more frequently as I began mov-

ing into my position as a Hawk Host. Since doing photoshoots around campus during my first year, my photos have been used on brochures and on the website for random upcoming events on campus.

My experience in high school made me understand that the best way for me to navigate a predominately white institution was to make myself visible. By not having my identity belittled or hidden from this com-

ILLUSTRATION: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Using me as an example of a black face on campus is something I understood the feeling of but could not put into words, because my whole life I was educated in predominantly white institutions.

My middle school and high school experiences prepared me for navigating through St. Joe’s and helped me to learn how to make the most out of being a person of color in a predominantly white space.

In middle school, I distinctly remember feeling “othered,” like I didn’t belong in the small, all boys private school I attended.

With the support of my parents though, I stayed at the school until high school, when I ended up attending yet another predominately white institution.

munity, I gained the respect of my peers and used my leadership to encourage difficult conversations surrounding racial microaggressions at school.

Being tokenized and used in photos and promotions is something that I was so used to that I didn’t consciously think about it until it was brought to my attention by my friends at school.

After seeing my photos around campus and on St. Joe’s advertisements, many of my friends would joke that they just needed to show a splash of color to even out the picture, or that I was only picked because “I was black and had a nice smile.”

While part of me fights back and understands that I have more to offer than the color

of my skin, I know that from a picture standpoint there is definitely truth in their joking.

This is something that I’ve made a note of and have used in fighting for more inclusion of black faces in advertisements.

Using me to promote St. Joe’s can only go so far though. My face and my experiences can only reach a certain amount of people. My face isn’t everyone’s story. If more people of color, specifically black people, are used in St. Joe's media, viewers can see there is more than just one black man who attends this university.

I’m sure people are tired of seeing just me on St. Joe’s ads, and it’s definitely something I’m tired of seeing.

As a second semester junior, I can see that I am being phased out of being a poster child for diversity on campus, and I hope that other students of color fight against being the only one in the university’s ads to promote diversity when it is not actually celebrated on this campus.

Looking back on my involvement as a poster child for St. Joe’s, I try not to dwell on the negative but try to see my position as way to appeal to other students who might have a similar background as me.

I want future black students to know that it is possible to succeed at St. Joe’s, no matter the struggles and injustices faced on this campus.

Conversations start with representation of the diversity on campus, but it isn’t just me who people should see. The university should push for an honest depiction of the students on campus in order to make everyone feel welcomed and to create a platform for discussions about diversity.

Poster child or not, I will continue to support black students and help them succeed on this campus using my position in the most influential way as possible.

We are all human An Asian American’s experience of racism at St. Joe’s SABRINA CHEN ’19 Guest Columnist I recently received an email asking me to pose for pictures that would show an “authentic” image of St. Joe’s. However, when I walk around on campus, I don’t see 10 people that look like me.

I was on the fence about writing this experience. What’s the point of me writing about a painful experience that affected me because of my Asian American identity, especially when it seems that the university isn’t going to do anything about it?

I remember this event like it was yesterday. It was my first year, Labor Day weekend. I was walking to my Uber when I passed a white St. Joe’s student wearing a sorority shirt. I had headphones in, and when I saw her look at me and move her mouth I thought she was going to ask me something.

I wasn’t prepared for what came out of her mouth.

She said, “All you Asians are everywhere,” “f---ing chink and ching-chong.”

I was so surprised that I didn’t know how to respond.

The girl proceeded to laugh in my face, push me and walk off. I stood there shocked

until my Uber honked at me, snapping me out of my stupor. Only select people on this campus knew about what had happened to me, and many people ask me, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

But let’s be realistic. It was my word against a white student’s word. On a campus where it’s almost 80% white people, who were they going to believe? The white girl or the Chinese girl from Brooklyn? I believe this is the case because it’s the majority of the university against the minority and numbers wise, I was at disadvantage.

Being Asian American and having someone call me “chink/ching-chong,” a racial slur,

Don’t believe me? Look at the recent events of white students throwing the N-word around because they think it’s cool and nothing will happen to them. They’ve never had to grow up in the way a person of color or minority person had to.

From an early age, we had it drilled into our heads that our actions and words have consequences if they go unchecked. We could end up hurt or worse, dead.

I remember being 8 or 9 years old and being at home with my parents when I told them that I had gotten into an argument with another kid in my class because he went around saying that Chinese people ate rats and we were

Being Asian American and having someone call me “chink/ching-chong,” a racial slur, demeaned my existence as a person. demeaned my existence as a person. The student who called me that slur must have felt great about herself because she laughed it off as if it was nothing, and my thoughts and feelings didn’t matter.

I believe certain people on this campus think and act this way because they’ve grown up in an environment where their actions weren’t met with consequences. They were never called out for the things they’ve said.

dirty. I had told him if he didn’t stop saying that then I would beat him up and that he was stupid and a piece of trash.

My dad replied saying I couldn’t be shooting my mouth off like that, because essentially I wasn’t white and I couldn’t get away with it.

Whereas, if a white kid were to say something like that they could get away with it because the majority of the staff is white and

the kid could go home and tell their parents.

Their parents could in turn come after me.

After my dad had told me that, I thought it was unfair because to me, we were both human and he had said something that was messed up. I simply responded to his statement.

But please correct me and call me out if you think I’m wrong and that St. Joe’s truly does care. Because the university does such a good job on marketing itself to the public even more so to students of color and saying that they value us, but once we get onto campus, it’s almost like we’re forgotten.

When it comes time to accept the new class of students and they need good promotional content to attract new students, then students of color will be bombarded with emails for photo requests to give an “authentic” image of St. Joe’s. Show us, prove it to us that students of color are just as important as the white students on this campus.

When it comes time to accept students, make it very clear that acts of bias won’t be tolerated. There needs to be systemic change because just changing the student isn’t going to do anything; there also needs to be more diversity amongst the faculty and staff on campus. Believe me and my experiences on Hawk Hill.

After all, we’re human too.

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May 1, 2019

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

Challenging prior ideas about socialism Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her Green New Deal DEVIN YINGLING ’22 Assistant Opinions Editor Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC as she is commonly known) stands out to me as I’m sure she does for everyone following today’s politics. In the slew of news dealing with the 2020 election, the Mueller report and Trump’s taxes, AOC finds herself among the headlines just the same.

To start, just in case you haven’t heard of AOC, here are some quick get-to-knowyour-congresswoman facts. She’s the congresswoman for New York’s 14th congressional district, she’s a 2011 Boston University graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences with majors in international relations and economics, she’s a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and she was recently named one of “Time’s 2019 100 Most Influential People.”

Did I mention she’s the youngest congresswoman in U.S. history? No? Well she is, and let me tell you she doing a pretty kick-ass job for being not only the youngest member of Congress ever, but the youngest female member of Congress ever at 29 years old.

As I see it, she’s defying all the norms set for women in politics. And as a woman with a passion for the law and government, I can’t think of a better role model that proves anyone can be a political leader, regardless of intersections that could possibly hinder your success in the public eye.

Anyway, beyond just straight praising the queen of the Bronx, I find her strategies both provocative and strategic. For example, the Green New Deal, which was proposed and led by AOC and Sen. Ed Markey (DMA) was shot down with vehement opposition from far-right politicians, as well as some democrats.

The Green New Deal “seeks to solve the climate crisis by combining quick action to

get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% renewable energy by 2030 along with an ‘Economic Bill of Rights’ — the right to single-payer healthcare, a guaranteed job at a living wage, affordable housing and free college education.”

In essence, it’s a “WWII like mobilization” of the economy in order to combat the rapid climate change that the planet is facing.

Trust me, I see the qualms people have with this proposal and rhetoric surrounding it, because it would cost quite a bit of money and it is inherently tied to the word “socialist.”

As made evident by both red scares and the entire Cold War era, you should recognize that the U.S. has some serious problems with what we imagine to be socialism. In the U.S., socialism tends to equal communism, and communism at its core equals a bleak, flat society with one party rule and complete government intervention on economic policy.

Yes, there is a valid historical basis for this assumption. But current democratic-socialism is radically different than what we imagine of the ideology that pertains to the 1950s Soviet Union.

The goal of the Democratic Socialists of America in essence is to promote “as much decentralization as possible” while creating economic opportunities that benefit the whole of society. While this plan will include government intervention at some level, the goal is not to create a single party ruled state with no free market.

In fact, the market is meant to work hand in hand with both democracy and some level of government intervention. So by no means is this new ideology meant to create an America modeled after pure Marxists principles.

But the Green New Deal and its biggest supporter, AOC, take quite a bit of slack because both the proposition and the woman behind the plan are considered “socialists” and thus take the heat for the connotations of the word.

However, as I explicitly stated before,

ILLUSTRATION: KELLY SMITH ’19/THE HAWK

AOC is unconventional and paving the way for new, authentic and powerful political leaders that are not white, upper class men.

And her Green New Deal is a radical push for something beyond the present, and encourages U.S. constituents to make a drastic leap to a position in the forefront of the battle against climate change.

The goal is to better the lives of those suffering most from climate change and ultimately create a better world for those who are not in the uppermost levels of society both now and far into the future. AOC and her proposition are not worried about profit for tomorrow, but rather sustainability for years to come in all realms of living.

AOC deserves more credit than she is getting, and she’s much more than an “angry democrat” as frequently tweeted by Trump. She has a true vision for the future of this country, and her authenticity has immense power.

It’s time we stop associating her and her ideas with a deceased image of socialism. It’s time we stop characterizing AOC by some millennial stereotypes or stereotypes meant to demean women or specifically women of color.

It’s time we support groundbreaking leaders like AOC and progressive agendas like hers if we want to accomplish real change not only in the U.S., but across the globe.

Social media blackout in Sri Lanka The influence social media platforms have on democracy KHALID ALZUBI ’22 Guest Columnist One of the holiest days of the Christian calendar, a day that is supposed to be filled with worship and celebration, soon turned to chaos in Sri Lanka. The terrorist attacks that Islamic State has now claimed responsibility for resulted in over 200 people dead across the country after the terrorists’ targeted churches during Easter mass.

Not even an hour after the attacks, people took to social media to spread information about what was happening, most of the information being false. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe then addressed the country by imposing a nationwide ban on social media in an effort to censor the viral spread of false information about the attacks.

Social media platforms serve as a tool in which governments can relay crucial information to the vast majority of its citizens, especially in the context of tragedy and other important news.

Platforms like Twitter give people the voice that allows them to reach large numbers of people at a time, serving as a tool that

can unite people with similar goals to come together and fight unjust situations.

A well known example of this is the fall of Hosni Mubarak as a result of the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. Mubarak’s policies on internet censorship backfired, causing the citizens to take to social media in order to remove the autocratic dictator out of government.

Another, but rather negative, example of the use of social media in times of turmoil is

Today, the same social media platforms used in 2011 have proven to be as much of a disservice as it has shown itself to be a tool.

As more and more people take to social media in times of crisis, the value of information has proven to decrease. The spread of misinformation during trying times is both vast and hard to filter out.

The spread of misinformation online could seem harmless and ultimately unimportant in theory. But in reality, this kind of

We often underestimate the role social media can play in times of crisis. We use platforms like Facebook and Instagram everyday without considering the power these tools may have when put them into a different context. shown in Myanmar. Posts on Facebook made

by Myanmar military personnel enraged people so much that it eventually led to even more violence in the midst of an ongoing civil war. The country’s government officials then put the blame on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accusing him and his platform of not intervening in a time of need.

communication has proven to be more powerful than just internet trolls making poor use of their time.

These situations pose the ethical dilemma as to what extent free speech should be allowed on social media sites, as it could potentially incite violence.

Sri Lanka is vulnerable in this sense be-

cause their political and religious differences could easily be taken to extremes in times of crisis. Their use of social media in these times have the possibility to only make matters worse.

Sri Lanka is primarily made up of Buddhists, however, Christians, Hindus and Muslims also make up a large portion of the population and there is often a cultural and religious clash in certain parts of the country.

Given the demographics of Sri Lanka, it makes sense why Wickremesinghe would quickly try to censor social media after the attacks. Having seen the effects the platforms serve in these times for an already divided state makes many weary of how citizens and governments use these sites.

We often underestimate the role social media can play in times of crisis. We use platforms like Facebook and Instagram everyday without considering the power these tools may have when put them into a different context.

In times of political division, it is important to stay mindful of the polarization social media can cause, especially in times of crisis, and that our perception of reality could be highly biased on what we learn from these sites.

Opinions

The Hawk Newspaper

May 1, 2019

9

Assessing Trump's Yemen resolution veto Trump’s attempt to reassert power has done much worse ERIN FENZEL ’22 Columnist President Donald Trump vetoed a resolution that would remove U.S. support for the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the Yemen Civil War on April 16.

The resolution was fairly bipartisan with seven Republican senators voting for it, but Trump’s veto was not unexpected. Trump’s reasoning for vetoing the resolution comes from his obsession with power and his undying support for Saudi Arabia and his distrust in Iran.

Soon after his veto, Trump tweeted his reasoning for his response: “This resolution is an unnecessary, dangerous attempt to weaken my constitutional authorities...”

Trump’s “weakened constitutional authority” comes from the 1973 War Powers Resolution which gives Congress the authority to remove U.S. military that has been deployed abroad without a formal declaration of war.

To understand why our involvement in Yemen can actually be ended by Congress, it is important to know what exactly is happening in Yemen.

The civil war in Yemen began in 2015 with the minority Shi’ite Houthi forces aligning with the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was forced to resign after protests within Yemen during the Arab Spring. The Houthi forces stormed Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and forced the government at the time to resign.

The current president, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, while receiving medical treatment out of the country, asked for the Gulf Cooperation Council to intervene and remove the Houthi

government. Saudi Arabia (where a majority of citizens are Sunni) stepped in and assembled a coalition against the Houthi forces.

As an ally of Saudi Arabia, the U.S. helped the coalition with intelligence and surveillance support, advising the coalition and trading arms. This support for the Saudi coalition was not an official declaration of war against Yemen, which means it falls under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.

Since there has been no official declaration of war with Yemen, it falls within

Even after the CIA’s conclusion that the journalist Jamal Khashoggi was ordered to be executed by the Crown Prince, Trump has continued to embrace the Muhammad.

In addition to the execution of Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia has been very problematic during Yemen’s civil war. The Saudi-led coalition that the U.S. has helped is responsible for most of the atrocities within Yemen.

Dubbed the greatest humanitarian catastrophe by the United Nations due to the high number of civilian deaths, famine and

The problem with Trump and his administration’s fear of Iran influencing Yemen is that Iran really isn’t culpable. Iran is not responsible for the humanitarian crisis, Saudi Arabia is, and, by association, we are too.

Congress’ authority to remove support from Yemen—not Trump’s.

What Trump fails to understand in this situation is that our country and our democracy were founded on the principle of checks and balances, which prohibits the centralization of power within one branch and most importantly, within one person.

In addition to protecting his power, Trump is also fiercely protective of his relationship with Saudi Arabia.

One of our biggest allies, Saudi Arabia has been vital to our presence in the Middle East, and their leader, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, is one of Trump’s greatest partners.

diseases, the Saudi government is responsible for 4,585 out of the 7,025 civilian deaths and has repeatedly blocked and bombed ports that would allow for aid and supplies for more than 14 million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera.

This resolution was meant to be a way to punish the Saudi coalition for their atrocities, as a Washington Post editorial noted that “Without U.S. support, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would likely be forced to end the war.”

However, now that Trump has vetoed the resolution, we are providing Saudi Arabia with the resources to continue the humanitarian crisis as we continue to sell them

weapons that allow them to target civilian facilities through airstrikes.

Trump is also wary of doing too much to hurt our relationship with Saudi Arabia because of our relationship with Iran. In order to understand the fragility of Yemen’s war in relation to Iran, it is important to understand which actors fall under which sect of Islam.

As stated earlier, the Houthi population that is currently in control of Yemen is Shi’ite, while Saudi Arabia is majority Sunni (as is the royal family). Iran is majority Shi’ite as well. The conflict between the two sects has not been a nonviolent one since the beginning of Islam, but it still greatly affects who citizens think should hold political power as well as how states interact with each other.

The worry that the Trump administration has with the Houthi population in control of Yemen is that they will align too closely with Iran, one of our greatest enemies. As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in March, “if you truly care about Yemeni lives, you’d support the Saudi-led effort to prevent Yemen from turning into a puppet state” of Iran.

The problem with Trump and his administration’s fear of Iran influencing Yemen is that Iran really isn't culpable. Iran is not responsible for the humanitarian crisis, Saudi Arabia is, and, by association, we are too.

Trump’s veto was not just reasserting his power and authority, nor was it meant to strengthen our relations with Saudi Arabia and lessen Iran’s authority. It allowed for 14 million people to continue to starve, be sick and live in a state of hell.

It's bigger than plastic straws Small eco-friendly efforts are good, but not enough FAITH COWELL ’22 Columnist Efforts to reduce plastic waste have been on the rise in the last few years, especially since this past July when Starbucks announced that they would remove all plastic straws from their stores by 2020.

Following that announcement, Disney, Hyatt, American Airlines and a host of other major companies have made similar commitments to stop using single-use straws or to stop using plastic straws altogether.

However, pollution from plastic straws only makes up a tiny fraction of the plastic in our oceans. A large amount comes from plastic bottles, approximately 1.6 billion of which are produced every day. Hardly any of those bottles are recycled after usage.

Of all the plastic produced since the 1950s, only 9.5% was recycled, with the rest either incinerated or piled up in landfills or the natural environment.

I’m sure everyone has seen the heartbreaking videos of sea turtles with straws in their noses and pelicans with plastic soda rings like nooses around their necks; these are just some of the horrifying images of pollution being carelessly put into the environment.

It’s images like these that caused people to act. The no straw campaign was one of the most prevalent ecological activist campaigns of 2018, backed by celebrities like Tom Brady and Mick Jagger. The hashtag #StopSucking was all over Twitter and Instagram, championing the cause of using less plastic and get-

ting rid of plastic straws entirely.

It’s easy to get behind these campaigns, and it’s good to support them. But it’s not necessarily the solution. Starbucks is abandoning plastic straws, but the new lids they’re introducing use more plastic. In response to accusations about the new lids, Starbucks responded, “recycling systems can capture the lid versus the straw which is too light and escapes into the waste stream.”

Yes, recycling systems can capture these plastic lids. It doesn’t mean that they will. It also doesn’t mean that consumers will recycle all of this plastic in the first place. In addition, a large amount of the plastic bottles and other plastic products in the ocean come from companies like Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Nestle.

We can ban plastic straws, but that won’t help when mega-companies like Coke, Pepsi and Starbucks continue to make plastic bottles and cups which will most likely end up directly in the ocean.

For the last few decades, most of America’s recycling was sent to China to be made into new products. However, in 2017, China raised the transfer prices, making it increasingly more expensive for the U.S. to send its plastic waste overseas to actually be recycled.

Many municipalities are choosing to send the recyclables to landfills rather than pay the higher prices, meaning that the plastics are ending up in the ocean rather than actually being recycled.

I’m all for getting rid of plastic straws: I carry a reusable straw in my backpack at all times. But our small efforts should also focus on the big picture: lobbying for huge corporations to stop producing so much plastic.

Being eco-friendly and making individ-

ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA HEISTERKAMP ’19/THE HAWK

ual efforts to reduce plastic on a small-scale is important. But these same grassroots efforts should be directed into pushing huge companies and corporations to being more eco-friendly in the same manner.

These corporations contribute more pollution to Earth than any individual ever could. For example, a study in 2017 found that 100 companies alone contribute to 70% of global emissions.

The eco-friendly movement needs to

direct efforts towards making corporations more accountable for pollution they’re creating. If the U.S. has given up on recycling efforts, it’s important to put pressure on big businesses to shrink their plastic production to make up the difference.

For now, we can start with plastic straws.

But soon we’ll have to start holding corporations accountable for their plastic production and emissions in order to accomplish real change for our environment.

Lifestyle

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May 1, 2019

Creating a community on campus and beyond

NPHC city-wide chapters provide support for black students ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Lifestyle Editor CARA SMITH ’21 Assistant Lifestyle Editor Four of the nine historically black National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) citywide chapters provide a community for black students on St. Joe’s predominantly white campus.

Also referred to as the Divine Nine, these black Greek organizations provide a citywide network for students in Philadelphia founded on scholarship and service. The four organizations that have chapters at St. Joe’s are Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Destiny Green ’18, the former secretary for the Epsilon Phi city charter of Delta Sigma Theta during her junior and senior years at St. Joe’s, said that her experiences in her sorority helped her adjust to a predominantly white campus.

“Whenever I went to an event my chapter was holding, I felt comfortable,” Green said. “It was good to be around students who look like me.”

Green said that the lack of diversity in other Greek organizations at St. Joe’s discouraged her from rushing one of the five social sororities specific to campus.

“I would have been the only black girl to do that,” Green said. “I feel like I am always the black girl. In class I am the black girl. To

Alpha Phi Alpha is one of the seven Divine Nine chapters at the University of Pennsylvania. PHOTO COURTESY OF MONTELL BROWN.

be in an organization for life, I would want somebody who looks like me.”

Montell Brown, senior at the University of Pennsylvania and president of the Psi city charter of Alpha Phi Alpha, said the Divine nine were founded at a time when black students did not have social organizations on campuses that would allow for bonding. The first of the Divine Nine, Alpha Phi Alpha, an

Jasmine Jones (right) stands with her linesister, Desiny Green ’18 (left).

PHOTO COURTESY OF DESTINY GREEN.

African American fraternity, was founded in 1906. According to a Cornell University history timeline, most black students were not included in traditional white student organizations during this time and had to form their own.

“We were founded at Cornell University, which is a predominately white institution,” Brown said. “There were no outlets for black men at that point, so we were founded by our seven founders with a need to support each other financially, socially, academically, spiritually and fraternally.”

Natalie Walker Brown, director for student inclusion and diversity, said organizations specific to students of color can improve their college experience, especially on predominantly white campuses like St. Joe’s.

“Any time our students can be involved in something that was created just for them, to empower them, to uplift them, so they can turn around and give back to a community that looks like them,” Walker Brown said. “[These organizations] can be culture-changing at any location.”

Jasmine Jones, a sophomore at Drexel University and current president of the Epsilon Phi city charter of Delta Sigma Theta, said the sorority and its members are focused on being community service oriented as well as internationally aware and involved.

“We are at the forefront of being active in bringing people together, not just for the sake of sisterhood or brotherhood, but we have the community in mind,” Jones said.

According to Alexis Wilson ’19, former president of Black Student Union, there are currently no St. Joe’s students involved in any of the four city-wide NPHC chapters.

Walker Brown said St. Joe’s should constantly advertise black Greek organizations so the community can start a chain reaction of involvement, especially for incoming students.

“We have a thriving community of people that are participating in historically black greek letter organizations, so it’s important that all of our students see themselves represented in fraternity and sorority life,” Walker Brown said.

When asked for numbers regarding the

racial breakdown of the university’s on campus social sororities and fraternities, Alpha Phi, Sigma Sigma Sigma, Phi Sigma Sigma, Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Pi provided a statement to The Hawk.

“Collectively we feel that we should not be defined by numbers,” the statement said.

“We are accepting of all individuals and for that reason we do not ask potential new members to disclose their race during the application process. We also open not only recruitment but all of our events to the entire campus community to encourage the inclusion of all members of this campus. We are looking forward to continuing to address the diversity issue with the community in the upcoming school year.”

Alaina Boccino ’20, president of St. Joe’s Panhellenic Council, said the council has been making efforts to have more students of color in social Greek life on campus. According to the Student Leadership and Activities website, approximately 22% of the St. Joe’s undergraduate student population is a member of a social fraternity or sorority.

“We did a diversity training for our recruitment counselors,” Boccino said. “Over the past few years, [diversity has] been a little better, but obviously we still struggle with it.”

The diversity training was led by Imani Briscoe ’17, program coordinator for the Center of Inclusion and Diversity. Briscoe said the training gave advice on how to recruit students of color to predominantly white Greek organizations. “[Greek organizations] have the foundation pieces, but their ability to do that depends on the intention behind it,” Briscoe said. “Making sure that they are building authentic relationships, in everything that they do, making sure that they are embodying this not just around recruitment but in general.”

Jones said she along with the presidents of each Greek life organization on Drexel’s campus meet periodically to promote unity among all of them. “[There was] a gap because we never had these opportunities,” Jones said. “We would try to [find ways] everyone can mesh together and learn a little bit about each other.”

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

May 1, 2019

11

‘A beacon of light’

Morris family’s gallery brings art to West Philadelphia

ALEX HARGRAVE ’20 Lifestyle Editor Just over six years ago, Milan Morris ’19 and her family brought the arts to West Philadelphia when they established Urban Art Gallery, located on 52nd Street, just four miles from St. Joe’s.

The gallery that recently celebrated its anniversary on April 6 hosts art shows once per month, along with an annual community day and a variety of free youth programs.

According to Milan, her father, Kalphonse Morris, was questioned when he first wanted to open the art gallery on 52nd Street, because the surrounding area is mostly characterized by delis, barber shops and other storefronts.

“To hear that an art gallery was going to open up on 52nd Street, being from Philly, people would look at him and be like, ‘Are you kidding me?’” Milan said. “It was bringing something different to the community and his love for art."

Kalphonse said he had the property for a while before deciding to turn it into an art gallery.

The first person to have her work exhibited in the space was a local artist, Shawn Rae Feimster, whose art had never been featured in a gallery before.

Kalphonse said he continues to exhibit the work of local artists, which was his reason for making the space a gallery in the first place.

“After talking to [artists] and listening to the different ideas, because I was just going to rent the space out as a commercial space, it triggered something in my mind like that would be pretty cool to do,” Kalphonse said.

According to Kalphonse, there are no art galleries in the immediate area. The closest is located near Drexel University. As a supporter of the arts, Kalphonse wanted to give the community access to it that they

The Morris family’s art gallery showcases local artists and provides programs for local youth. PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

did not previously have.

“We want to give the people out here a chance to visualize the arts, because no one ventured down to the art museum,” Kalphonse said. “Once we opened up, we wanted to open that stigma up and stop having people feel a fear of going into the art galleries. We want them to be comfortable and to enjoy and appreciate the arts.”

Both Milan and Kalphonse said their favorite memories from their time owning Urban Art Gallery come from the community days that are held in June and Au-

Before creating the gallery, Kalphonse Morris thought about creating a coffee shop or water ice stand in the space.

Sudoku

gust. In June, the Morris family celebrates their Caribbean heritage with Caribbean artists, musicians and food.

“It shows that we’re giving back,” Milan said. “You see so many people walking down the street, happy to come to get a bite to eat if maybe they weren’t able to get something to eat, being in that urban area.

Also just seeing everyone come together as one for a great event rather than for a memorial service or something like that.”

Milan and her family live in Wynnefield now, but she said she grew up five blocks from where the gallery is located, and her grandfather had a photography studio a few doors down as well, which is how her mother and father met.

The gallery hosts a new artist the first Saturday of each month where people are free to look at the art and purchase it.

Many of their initiatives to give back involve the young people in the community, according to Milan.

“You see a lot of times nowadays, our youth is out of control,” Milan said. “If the schools aren’t providing programs for them, they’re stuck and they have nothing to turn to but violence.”

Currently, Urban Art Gallery has weekly art programs for children, a mentoring program for young women to teach them etiquette and a mentoring program based around chess. Milan said in the past, they have had music programs, drawing, language classes and more.

Each Sunday for the past four years

at Urban Art Gallery, West Philadelphia resident Stephen Gardner and his brother, Kalieck, have taught children how to play chess while mentoring them.

“We teach chess as a life skill, more or less teaching them to navigate life through the art of chess, because chess is an art discipline too,” Gardner said. “A lot of people think it’s just a game, but it’s more than a game. It can be applied to so many different things.”

Gardner described Urban Art Gallery as a “beacon of light” in the community.

“So many people come to this gallery, they appreciate the things that are going on here, and they get to experience different arts and different programs,” Gardner said. “It’s a really good place to have, especially in a community that’s been dilapidated for so long. They don’t always get these types of opportunities.”

Kalphonse said his ambition for the future of Urban Art Gallery is to expand their youth programming, and to make the gallery a household name.

“To do that is to create more and bring exciting things to the gallery, to figure out how we can make it more creative," Kalphonse said. Once we become more creative, we can actually get our name out there a little further.”

Urban Art Gallery will be hosting an art show on May 4 at 6 p.m. featuring Orande Kairi, followed by a Taste of the Caribbean art show on June 1 at 6 p.m.; featuring Caribbean live music, artists and food.

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May 1, 2019

Lifestyle

The Hawk Newspaper

The Royal Drag Show breaks gender norms NATALIE DRUM ’20 Assistant Lifestyle Editor CARA SMITH ’21 Assistant Lifestyle Editor The third annual Royal Drag Show hosted by SJU Pride offered both entertainment and education during the event on April 26.

Erika Klash, a professional drag queen and a former contestant from The Boulet Brothers’ DRAGULA, performed at the show and explained that drag has always been about questioning identity.

“Drag really can help you come to terms with parts of yourself that you never really had been able to engage with before,” Klash said to the audience. “I have always been a feminine person and enjoyed that side of things, but it wasn’t until drag that I really had an outlet to express that safely.”

The Student Union Board (SUB) and the Office of Inclusion and Diversity (OID) helped SJU Pride bring professional drag queens for the show. In addition to Klash, there were four St. Joe’s student performers and Jujubee, another professional drag queen and former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race.

John Aydin ’20, vice president of SJU Pride and head of the drag show committee, said that brining in professionals would attract a larger audience from the St. Joe’s community.

“Bringing someone like [Jujubee] here made the event something that anyone would go see, regardless if they knew about drag or not,” Aydin said. “Also [the professionals] inspire the student performers with a live representation of what they would like to achieve if they continue with drag.”

In addition to the entertainment, members of SJU Pride took the time to raise aware-

Jujubee said her father always told her to love herself, which pushed her to perform Drag. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

ness about the struggles of youth who identify as transgender by raising money for the Mazzoni Center.

Maggie Nealon ’20, Secretary for SJU Pride, said that the Mazzoni Center is an organization that’s very important to SJU Pride.

“The center is a Philadelphia foundation that helps to provide aid for trans youth [and] trans young adults within the community helping them get the resources they need,” Nealon said. “They were so gracious to accept our donations.”

Along with raising money for a charity that supports youth who identify as trans, SJU Pride used the drag performances to educate the community about the gender

spectrum. Educational pamphlets, student speakers and slide shows on the monitors in The Perch provided the audience with information about different ways people can identify their gender.

Aydin said the drag show is an ideal place to educate the St. Joe’s community, because it brings a visibility to the gender spectrum that most people don’t experience unless they seek it out. “[The performances] show how gender is a spectrum that is more blurred than concrete as people might typically believe,” Aydin said. “It gives the St. Joe’s community the opportunity to see how gender manifests for others.”

In addition to being a way to educate others about the gender spectrum, Jujubee said that drag also breaks society’s stereotypical gender norms.

“Sometimes society pushes this womanhood aside, and drag breaks that barrier,” Jujubee said. “It kind of blurs the line between man and woman, masculinity and femininity.”

Aydin said during his first year, the drag show was something that made him feel more welcome in the St. Joe’s community.

“It continues to make people of our community feel welcome here, especially because of how big and successful it has been so far,” Aydin said.

Navigating Hawk Hill with a twin by their side HALEY FUSARO ’21 Special to The Hawk Being a twin on a college campus can make life a little complicated. However, for three sets of twins on Hawk Hill, having their sibling with them has made the college experience special.

For the Henrys ’19, the Gerbers ’20, and the Dalys ’21, sharing classes, friend groups and extracurricular activities on campus are part of their St. Joe’s experience.

Corinne Gerber said that she and her twin, Courtney Gerber, have always had a lot in common.

“We have the same interests, we like the same foods, the same style, and the same kind of people,” Corinne Gerber said. “We share clothing, so I didn’t have to leave half of my wardrobe when I came to college.”

Kiki Daly and Erin Daly shared a room for the all their lives, so it was an adjustment living with other girls on a floor. They said they feared they would have trouble making friends on campus, because they already had one another.

“It’s easy to just stay in your room, but we kind of forced ourselves to go out and meet new people” Erin Daly said. “It’s comforting having [Kiki]. You don’t need to go out of your comfort zone.”

Danielle and Devon Henry decided to live separately for the first time ever.

“We lived together for 18 years,” Devon Henry said. “We equally wanted a change.

We knew seeing each other was not a problem, and we have the same major so we have some of the same classes.”

In addition to living together, it is common for twins to take classes together. The Gerbers currently have two classes together

and both study elementary education and special education.

“This year we have science class together along with a social studies class so we help each other out with schoolwork,” Corrine Gerber said.

Kiki and Erin Daly also take classes together, which they said often confuses their professors.

“One of my professors calls me Erin half the time, and I just let it go,” Kiki Daly said. “I just answer it. They normally realize halfway through the semester anyways.”

The Henrys, Dalys and Gerbers have all said they have experienced what is commonly called “twin telepathy,” or an increased mental connection between twins.

However, the Henrys said they don’t consider it telepathy. “[We] will look at each other and say the same things,” Devon Henry said. “Since

we are around each other so much we know what each other is thinking.”

Similarly, Erin and Kiki Daly said they finish each other’s sentences.

“We do finish each other’s sentences [and] we say the same thing at the same time, but we don’t have that telepathy,” Erin Daly said. “We don’t know what the other person is thinking, we just [say the same things].”

Although The Gerbers don’t necessarily finish each other’s sentences, they have the unique ability to predict what the other one one is going to say.

“I can tell in what she is about to say, or if she is going to bring up a story,” Courtney Gerber said.

Kiki Daly said going to school with her sister has shaped her time at St. Joe’s.

“I don’t know what I would do without a twin honestly,” Kiki Daly said. “I can’t imagine life on campus. It’s an amazing experience.”

PHOTOS COURTESY (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): COURTNEY GERBER ’20, KIKI DALY ’21 AND DANIELLE HENRY ’19.

Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

May 1, 2019

13

Men’s Rowing turns attention to biggest races of the year RYAN MULLIGAN ’21 Assistant Sports Editor The St. Joe’s men’s rowing team went undefeated at their meet at the College of the Holy Cross, winning each of their three eight-man races against a field of five on April 28.They will now shift their focus to the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia on May 10 and 11.

If the Hawks qualifyy for the IRA Regatta in California they will compete from May 31 to June 2.

The Collegiate Rowing Polls on row2k. com ranks St. Joe’s number 19 in the country as of April 24. Their ranking is based on a methodology that combines the teams’ past race times to estimate how many seconds back they would be of the winning boat in a “standardized race,” or what that equates to in an about six minute race, according to the site.

The Hawks have not yet qualified for the IRA Regatta, but St. Joe's Dad Vails results will contribute to determining their standing.

A victory in the First Varsity eights at Dad Vails would result in an automatic bid to the IRAs. “Even if we don’t win the 1 V event, I feel confident in our resume that we’ll be able to make it regardless, but we want to do well at Dad Vails,” senior Mike Geoghegan said.

If the team does not win the First Varsity event, they would have to hope for an atlarge bid, chosen by a committee. This path is not necessarily unfamiliar to the team, especially the seniors, who have received an at-large bid each of the last two years.They finished second in the First Varsity eights

St. Joe’s finished 17th in last year’s IRA Regatta. PHOTO COURTESY OF CAROL LESLIE

both years and for senior Josh Bostrom, that serves as motivation.

“The expectation and goal is always to get the gold and qualify for nationals,” Bostrom said. “Getting silver the past two years and not qualifying automatically by getting first is definitely our motivation for this year.”

The team has not only competed on the water, but they have also had to battle factors outside of their control like poor weather, injuries and sickness throughout the year.

“Being able to push through all that stuff has made us the team we are now,” Geoghegan said. “I’m impressed with how the team is handling all that, and I’m very happy with the results. So far we’re doing really well.”

Fellow senior Justin Aikens agreed,

saying that all of the obstacles the team has had to overcome this spring has made them more cohesive and motivated as a unit.

“We are hungry for the opportunity," Aikens said. “Each individual person has had to deal with adversity and now everyone is hungry to come together and to take Dad Vail after so much time. We have gotten so close over the past few years, and I think that can drive everyone over the edge.”

For the group of eight seniors, this year’s Dad Vails will be the last they participate in.

“We know it’s our last chance, so that puts some pressure on us, but knowing this group of guys, that’s only going to make us put in that extra work,” Geoghegan said.

“It just puts us a little more on edge, but

it’s not a bad kind of nervous. We want to line up against any crew, and we’re the ones that will get us [to IRAs].”

For Aikens, these last two races are a culmination of his career at St. Joe’s, and he wants to end his time among the top teams in the nation, a goal he thinks is realistic for this group.

“The first thing is we’ve established a culture over the last three years,” Aikens said. “Now that we’ve been in this together for four years, we see the importance of staying focused, and making smart choices on and off the water to put ourselves in the best position to succeed. Hopefully we get into the top 15 in the country this year.

With the volume of work we have put in I think we have the power to do it.”

Sports 14

May 1, 2019

Team mascots and names still depict racist stereotypes NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Sports Editor The Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Yankees, two major American Sports teams, announced on April 22 that they will no longer play Kate Smith’s rendition of “God Bless America” during games.

This decision was made after the teams became aware of two of Smith’s racist songs recorded in the 1930s. The songs were entitled “That’s Why Darkies Were Born” and “Pickaninny Heaven.” Pickaninny is a demeaning term for a black child.

The Flyers proceeded to remove Smith’s statue, which has been outside the Wells Fargo Center since 1987. Flyers President Paul Holmgren released a statement on April 22 explaining the decision “The NHL principle ‘Hockey is for Everyone’ is at the heart of everything the Flyers stand for,” Holmgren wrote in the statement. “As a result, we cannot stand idle while material from another era gets in the way of who we are today.”

The racism in Smith’s songs is also present in different forms of high school, college and professional sports teams across the U.S., according to Kalen Goodluck, a journalist and photographer who is part of the Diné (Navajo), Mandan, Hidatsa and Tsimshian tribes. “[Mascots] are widely accepted across the United States and haven’t been totally viewed as something that’s inherently racist or offensive to Native Americans,” Goodluck said. “People don’t see or realize that natives are being bullied and harassed all across America.”

Goodluck said that while racism in sports is often directed toward the African American community, offensive and racist mascots are most prominent in the appropriation of Native American names, likenesses and imagery by sports team across the country.

The NFL’s Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs and the MLB’s Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves are major organizations who represent a form of bullying and harassment of Native Americans because of their team names, according to Goodluck.

“We’re seeing a slow change,” Goodluck said. “High schools are starting to make changes, professional teams are finally having to face those kind of demons.”

The Cleveland Indians stopped using their Chief Wahoo logo in 2018. PHOTO COURTESY OF ARTURO PARDAVILA III THROUGH CREATIVE COMMONS

According to Stephanie Fryberg, Ph.D., associate professor of American Indian Studies and Psychology at the University of Washington, and a member of the Tulalip tribe, Native American people are rendered invisible by the racialized bullying of mascotry.

“The modern form of discrimination against native people is not recognizing Native contribution to the contemporary life,” Fryberg said. “The bullying, the psychological harm, is yet one more way of saying, ‘No you be quiet over there, we’ve allowed you to live, we’ve colonized you, and you’re here because we’ve allowed you to be here.’”

Jacqueline Keeler, the co-founder of Eradicating Offensive Native Mascotry and member of the Navajo/Yankton Dakota Sioux, said that sports organizations aren’t changing their racist team names because team owners think there will be pushback.

Keeler said academic research from a 2013 Emory University study shows that teams, specifically in the MLB and NFL, have a lot to gain by changing their names from a profitability standpoint.

“Having a Native American mascot was actually off-putting to a lot of their fanbase,” Keeler said. “After they got rid of it, there was actually more participation. It makes you wonder, is there a silent majority that

The Atlanta Braves fans use tomohawk chants to cheer on team. PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

has other feelings but aren’t really able to articulate what those feelings are?”

Fryberg said people minimize the issues surrounding derogatory mascots. “[People] say that natives have more important issues to deal with than Indian mascots,” Fryberg said. “In actuality, the Indian mascot is all about our identity. We’re undermining native people in a variety of ways and pretending like there are more important issues.”

According to Goodluck, sports are framed by patriotism in American society, and that being in opposition toward Native Americans is deeply rooted in an “us versus them” American identity.

“By having these mascots, it becomes a war with no casualties,” Goodluck said. “Being able to say that you conquered a team like the Redskins perpetuates that idea of American identity.”

Keeler said Native Americans are heavily stereotyped, and people have to realize that it is unnatural that they are not depicted in the many ways that white people are depicted, especially in Hollywood movies. “[White] People have always had their own stories,” Keeler said. “Native Americans are marginalized from those stories through the [dominant] experiences of white men and women.”

Fryberg said that there is a romanticized warrior image in these mascots, a “cowboys versus Indians” narrative.

“People don’t think about how when they put Native identity in this competitive platform, what it also means is that the other team is coming up with rhetoric to kill

them, to scalp them,” Fryberg said. “At the heart of it, we’re talking about someone’s identity, in this case a group that has experienced oppression and discrimination in this country.”

According to Goodluck, names are historically important to Native Americans, and the military’s use of names such as “Tomahawk,” “Blackhawk” or “Operation Geronimo” tends to normalize racism.

“Valorizing how Native American land was taken away or competing against teams with Native American mascots is something that is extremely important to owners, athletes and fans,” Goodluck said. “It’s something that they don’t want changed.”

According to Fryberg, the fans and owners say they are honoring Native American communities through their mascots and coming from a place of respect.

“But the data of over 11,000 people shows that those are the same people who are not supporting measures that would increase the prosperity or material equity of native tribes,” Fryberg said. “The issues that really matter for tribal people, they don’t support.”

Goodluck said Native Americans are tired of the notion that teams are honoring Native American culture through mascotry and that changing Native-sounding team names would have a more meaningful impact.

“Native American activists have been fighting this for a very long time ever since the Civil Rights era,” Goodluck said. “[If team names changed], activist would see that as finally being heard.”

Chiefs fans often wear Native American headresses in support of the team.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WASHINGTON POST

The Hawk Newspaper

Sports

May 1, 2019

15

MEN’S BASKETBALL 2019-20 TEAM STATUS NICK KARPINSKI ’21 Sports Editor

HEAD COACH BILLY LANGE

REDSHIRT JUNIOR GUARD LAMARR KIMBLE

Career prior to St. Joe’s: Lange has coached the following teams: La Salle University assistant coach (1998-99),U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1999-2001), Villanova University assistant coach (2001-04), United States Naval Academy head coach (2004-11), Villanova University associate head coach (2011-13), Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach (2013-19).

Career at St. Joe’s: Lange was officially named head coach for the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team on March 28.

ASSISTANT COACH JOHN GRIFFIN III

Career prior to St. Joe’s: Griffin served as assistant coach for Bucknell University, his alma mater, from 2015-2019.

Career at St. Joe’s: Griffin was named assistant coach for the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team on April 10. He has ties to St. Joe’s, as his father, John Griffin Jr., served as head coach for the Hawk men’s basketball team from 1990-1995.

ASSISTANT COACH BRENDEN STRAUGHN

Career prior to St. Joe’s: Straughn spent the 2018-19 season as assistant coach for Loyola University Maryland.

Career at St. Joe’s: Straughn coached newly acquired Hawk forward Myles Douglas during his time with Team Takeover.

TRANSFER JUNIOR FORWARD MYLES DOUGLAS

Career prior to St. Joe’s: As a freshman for UCF, Douglas played in 31 of 32 games in the 2017-18 season. He averaged two points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

Career at St. Joe’s: Miles verbally committed to St. Joe’s on April 20. Unless the NCAA approves a waiver due to his injury in the 2018-19 season, Miles will not be eligible to play in the 2019-20 season.

FRESHMAN FORWARD CHAREEF KNOX

Career prior to St. Joe’s: Knox has played the past four years at Imhotep Institute Charter High School.

Career at St. Joe’s: Knox verbally committed to St. Joe’s on April 25. He will be eligible to play for the Hawks upon his arrival to campus.

Lamarr Kimble drives against a University of Rhode Island defender.

Career at St. Joe’s: Kimble served as a captain for three straight seasons, the only player in school history to do so. He was the team’s second leading scorer (15.6 points per game) in the 2018-19 season.

Career after St. Joe’s: Kimble announced on April 11 that he will be transferring from St. Joe’s to play for the University of Louisville.

GRADUATE TRANSFER GUARD TROY HOLSTON

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE FORWARD CHARLIE BROWN

Career at St. Joe’s: Brown earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team selection in the 2018-19 season.

Graduate transfer guard Troy Holston during a game in Michael J. Hagan ‘85 Arena.

Career at St. Joe’s: Holston played 27 games for the Hawks in the 2018-19 season, serving in a limited role. He scored a season-high 13 points against La Salle University on Feb. 5.

Career after St. Joe’s: Holston announced on April 4 that he will be transferring from St. Joe’s. Holston has not yet signed with another school.

Redshirt sophomore guard Charlie Brown Jr. lines up defender in in Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena.

PHOTOS: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

Career after St. Joe’s: Brown officially entered his name into the 2019 NBA Draft. If Brown hires an NCAA-certified agent, he does not lose eligibility and is permitted to return to St. Joe’s. Due to NCAA rules, Brown has until 5 p.m. on June 24, the Monday after the draft, to inform Jill Bodensteiner, J.D., director of athletics, of his decision.

FRESHMAN GUARD JARED BYNUM

JUNIOR GUARD RYAN DALY

Career at St. Joe’s: Daly announced on April 8, 2018, his decision to transfer to St. Joe’s. Daly has two years of eligibility with the Hawks.

Career after St. Joe’s: Daly has not showed public interest in transferring from St. Joe’s to play for another program.

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE FORWARD LORENZO EDWARDS

Career at St. Joe’s: In the 2018-19 season, Edwards was named the Hawks’ Most Improved Player, starting in 13 games.

Career after St. Joe’s: Edwards has not showed public interest in transferring from St. Joe’s to play for another program.

SOPHOMORE FORWARD TAYLOR FUNK

Career at St. Joe’s: Funk scored 84 three-pointers in the 2017-18 season, setting a Hawk freshman record. He started in 24 games in the 2018-19 season, averaging 8.4 points per game.

Career after St. Joe’s: Funk has not showed public interest in transferring from St. Joe’s to play for another program.

SOPHOMORE FORWARD ANTHONY LONGPRE

Career at St. Joe’s: Longpre started 18 game sin the 2018-19 season.

Career after St. Joe’s: Longpre has not showed public interest in transferring from St. Joe’s to play for another program.

JUNIOR GUARD TOLIVER FREEMAN

Jared Bynum prepares to pass the ball to a Hawk teammate in Michael J. Hagan ‘85 Arena.

Career at St. Joe’s: Bynum started every game for St. Joe’s in the 2018-19 season. He led the team in minutes, averaging 36.6 per game. He played all 40 minutes in 10 games.

Career after St. Joe’s: Bynum announced on April 24 that he will be transferring from St. Joe’s to play for Providence College.

Career at St. Joe’s: Freeman joined St. Joe’s as a walk-on in 2016. He was a awarded a scholarship for the 2019 spring semester. He received the George Senesky Academic Award in 2019.

Career after St. Joe’s: Freeman has not showed public interest in transferring from St. Joe’s to play for another program.

JUNIOR GUARD GREG SMITH

Career at St. Joe’s: Smith joined St. Joe’s as a walk-on in 2018.

Career after St. Joe’s: Smith has not showed public interest in from of St. Joe’s to play for another program.

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Sports

The Hawk Newspaper

Goalkeeper leads dialogue on LGBTQ experience

Bendon has a record 16 shutouts. PHOTO: MITCHELL SHIELDS ’22/THE HAWK

ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief Grace Bendon was a 16-year-old sophomore in high school and a stand-out soccer player when she and her former girlfriend went public with their relationship.

“I was nervous about what the upperclassmen on the team would think,” said Bendon, who identifies as a lesbian. “That was the thing that got me the most nervous. If they had feelings about it, they never told me.”

In college, Bendon, a goalkeeper for the St. Joe’s women’s soccer team, had to start the process over with a new set of teammates. The fact that St. Joe’s is a Catholic university added to her worries.

“I was definitely very nervous,” Bendon said. “I was more nervous coming into a Catholic university, Jesuit university. What am I going to be experiencing here? Are people going to be cool with it? I was worried about how it was going to go over in general, even with people outside of athletics.”

Bendon said she is the only member of the team who openly identifies as part of the LGBTQ community.

“In my entire four years I’ve been the only gay person on the team,” Bendon said.

“It was pretty shocking.”

Bendon holds the school wins record with 33 wins and the single season wins record with 14, both records set last season.

She also served as a team captain her junior and senior years.

Throughout her time at St. Joe’s, though, Bendon said she has leaned on friends and teammates for support. Without them, Bendon said her experience would not have been the same. She said she found comfort in familiar places alongside her teammates and in the support of Head Coach Jess Mannella.

After former assistant men’s basketball coach Geoff Arnold ’85 spoke to the team about his experiences as a black man this season, Mannella asked Bendon if she could

tell her story of being a lesbian.

“We started doing this thing after the incidents in the fall, [asking] what can we do to promote diversity on our small scale?”

Mannella said. “The more we have these open dialogues, the more we can learn about each other.”

Bendon spent about 30 minutes talking to her teammates telling the story of how she came out and other stories about her experience.

“I just wanted to make sure the team knew what it was like to live in her shoes,” Mannella said.

Cameron Perrott, a junior Hawk goalkeeper, attended Bendon’s talk. Perrott said the experience was eye-opening, as she learned that even though Bendon is confident around her teammates, she can still feel self-conscious.

“She is so confident in herself that I never even thought that [feeling self-conscious] was a possibility,” Perrott said.

“But I guess when you have people that look at you differently every single day, it can really get to you.”

Amanda Reiser, Bendon’s girlfriend, said the experience made Bendon feel as though there was room at the table for her.

“We often go through life and we assume people know things because if it’s in our field of vision, we feel like it’s in everyone’s,” Reiser said. “If you just are operating and letting people think, you hear it once and never talk about it again. It feels like you are hiding part of yourself away.”

Although Bendon said her experience of coming out and attending college had been generally good, she thinks it is important to remember the exclusion many people who identify as LGBTQ feel.

“Something that I think goes forgotten and is really misunderstood is that feeling of the other,” Bendon said. “Being someone who has a certain quality that makes you feel like the other around people and in society.

I think that is a huge part to understanding what it is like to be gay.”

Reiser said the lack of conversation around LGBTQ experiences makes it harder for those within the community to feel validated in their own lives.

“One of the most crippling things that people don’t realize is the silence,” Reiser said. “Being straight is the norm. That’s what’s comfortable.”

At one point during the team discussion, players posed questions to Bendon: “How are you not so angry?” “How do you fix that for people?” “How do you not feel that way?”

Bendon said her main goal of the discussion was to help her team understand what she knew was outside the norm for them.

“I wanted to make sure it was clear that this was my experience, and not everyone’s is the same,” Bendon said. “I made it more general because I was uncomfortable with being maybe the first person they have heard talk about this. There was a lot of pressure but I did feel that it went exactly

how I had hoped. They got a lot out of it and I got a lot of out of it.”

Mannella said she plans to hold further dialogues with the team in future semesters to continue educating them on other social issues.

Even with her team’s support, Bendon explained it is difficult for people outside of the LGBTQ community to understand those issues.

“That’s the one thing I will say,” Bendon said. “They don’t really understand what it’s like to be gay, and they don’t understand how decision-making affects me because it doesn’t really affect them. [I’m] not saying they don’t have struggles of their own, but they had a hard time understanding my struggle.”

Alex Mark ’20 contributed to this story.

Bendon played every minute for the Hawks during 2018. PHOTO COURTESY OF SJU ATHLETICS