The Hawks' Herald 9/12 Issue

What you need to know at RWU Fall 2022

Jimmy Sadowski News Editor

Dining

Upper Commons will have complete ly in-person dining with no take-out. King said this is due to “many reasons including building community and sustainability. It’s also more expensive for the university and hurts the food budget.” Online ordering will con tinue through the GET app, but meal swipes can only be used from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. “We were hurting the food budget by doing all that meal equivalency,” said King. “Lower Commons is really designed for retail and at the same time it’s a drain on labor and cost.”

Masking

Masking will be optional in indoor and outdoor settings with the ex ception of Health Services and the Counseling Center, shared university transportation, and when required to participate in activities, training, or employment with prior approval from designated university officials. At fac ulty members’ discretion, they can still require masking in their classrooms as well. Additionally, King said COVID Operating Levels will be used like last Spring, but are currently in the process of being revised.

Staff Changes

Amanda Downey who previously worked at the University of Rhode Is land is now the Director of Residence Life and Housing. “She is a highly experienced professional who has a lot of energy and a great perspective,” said King. “I think students will enjoy getting to know her.”

Vaccination Requirements

All students with the exception of those with a medical or religious exemption are required to get a primary series of the COVID vaccine. First and second boosters are recom mended for those eligible to help with immunity to different COVID variants.

Testing and Isolation

Weekly testing and a testing center will not be in place to begin the school year, but could change if necessary due to conditions on campus and in the greater community. Health S ervices Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. will provide testing to those who have COVID symptoms. Students are required to self-report a positive test through an online Etrive

form or with the QR code posted on all residence hall room doors. Close contacts also have to be notified by the student.

RWU has reduced its rooms and beds for isolation. Students testing positive who live within 200 miles of the university are required to isolate at home for five days and mask in all indoor settings for five more days upon return to campus. Those who live greater than 200 miles away get priority for university isolation housing. Close contacts at RWU who have a vaccine exemption or aren’t up to date with their vaccinations (primary series and booster) will need to quarantine five days from last contact and wear a mask in indoor settings for five more days. Contacts up-to-date will not have to quarantine, but will have to monitor symptoms, wear a mask for 10 days and test on day five.

Monkeypox

King said he and Director of Health Services Anne Mitchell have been attending monkeypox briefings from the Rhode Island Department of Health and are using information from those briefings to inform the communications they sent out. For more on how RWU is handling monkeypox read this article.

FEATURES | Highlight goes here | PAGE #3

ARTS & CULTURE | Highlight goes here | PAGE #4

OPINIONS | Highlight goes here | PAGE #5-6

SPORTS | Highlight goes here | PAGE #8

RWU’S response to monkeypox

Jimmy Sadowski News Editor

A virus has started to become more prevalent in the U.S., and its name is Monkeypox. In Rhode Island alone, there are 41 cases as of Aug. 25 according to the CDC. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared monkeypox a public health emergency on Aug. 4.

“It is a rather slow moving disease compared to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Vice President for Student Life John King. No member of the RWU community, to King’s knowledge, contracted Monkeypox.

“Anyone, regardless of race, gender identity or sexual orientation can become infected and spread the Monkeypox virus,” said Director of Health Services Anne Mitchell.

King said he and Mitchell are “closely following” the actions taken by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and advising RIDOH is giving them in briefings. One piece of advice RIDOH told RWU King said was they want RWU to conduct contact tracing on any individual who develops monkeypox.

As RWU receives more information from RIDOH, King said they will update communications.

“The risk of Monkeypox to the general public is low unless an individual engages in higher risk behaviors,” said Mitchell. “Having sex with multiple sex partners can increase a person’s risk of becoming infected.”

The primary way in which the virus transmits itself, according to Mitchell, is through prolonged skin-to-skin contact with a person with Monkeypox rash, scabs and sores. Other ways of transmission are

As to what to do to protect oneself from monkeypox and limit exposure, Mitchell suggested “minimizing direct skin-to-skin contact during crowded social gatherings; avoid sharing bedding, towels, or clothing with others; limiting the number of sex partners; communicating with partners about health, including any recent symptoms, before having intimate contact, and being mindful when traveling to other countries with active Monkeypox outbreaks.”

The symptoms the RIDOH says to

Courtesy of Unsplash RWU is working on providing resources and information regarding the spread of monkeypox, including information about those eligible for the vaccine.

look for are fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appears on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus.

There is a monkeypox vaccine, but it is only available in limited supply for high risk individuals over the age of 18. A list of individuals considered high risk is located on the RIDOH’s website. In an Aug. 22 email from King and Mitchell they said they encourage individuals eligible to get the vaccine. Mitchell said if the RIDOH makes the vaccine available to Institutions of Higher Education, RWU will pass that information along to students.

King and Mitchell also said students with symptoms and access to Health Services on the Bristol campus should contact 401-254-3156 for an appointment in the Center for Student Development. Students at University College in Providence should contact their personal healthcare provider.

For more information on monkeypox in Rhode Island check out the Monkeypox section of the CDC’s website.

Courtesy of Autumn Mott Rode heaver on Unsplash Vice President for Student Life Dr. John King has updated students on the status of student life for the 2022 fall semester.

A Q & A with QTRAC’s new Assistant Director of Queer and Trans Initiatives Jamie Wire

Jimmy Sadowski News Editor

Q: What is your official title with the Queer and Trans Resource and Advocacy Center (QTRAC) and when did you start working for the university?

A: My official title is the Assistant Director of Queer and Trans Initiatives and my office is located in the QTRAC, physically, and I started June first.

Q: Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

A: I am 29 years old, from North Caro lina and I just graduated with my master’s degree in higher education, which I was seeking out a job at a university. I’m married, my wife’s name is Isabel, we have two cats Jupiter and Comet who keep our lives very interesting. I am new to the Northeast, I have never really been farther north than say Maryland so this has definitely been a new experience, but a fun one.

Q: What do you do in your role, what are some of your duties and what do you do on a daily basis?

A: All sorts of stuff, but I think it boils down to three main categories. First thing, it’s important to have student engagement. Getting connected with students, specifically students with LGBTQIA + plus identities and making sure they feel welcome on campus, that they have a resource and someone that they can talk to, that there’s people thinking about them in terms of events. What we can do for the rest of the semester has a lot to do with campus wide training. Our safe zone training program, one of my first projects when I started here, was revamping the training and updating the terminology and concepts. We’re already well underway in presenting it to

students, staff and faculty. I’d say the last part of my responsibilities is working for institutional change. That includes working closely with the In tercultural Center, with Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Stephanie Akunvabey and with all sorts of different campus partners to see if there’s anything we can do at a university level to make things more welcoming for students. Thinking about the residence life experience for

say, a nonbinary student, or building more all gender restrooms, things like that.

Q: What are you looking to contribute from your role to the RWU community?

A: I definitely want to bring more visibility to QTRAC and not just show LGBTQIA + students that we’re here, but showing everyone that we are here and a re source. Unfortunately, because the po sition I’m now occupying was vacant for so long, I think there is a bit of a vacuum that is there and I don’t think a lot of folks know about the QTRAC and what it does. I definitely want to get the word out there more by putting on signature events, just taking up space on campus and showing people we are here to support you and, if you want, educate you.

Q: For those who do not know, what does QTRAC do?

A: A couple different things. The big thing would be our signature events. We’re looking to have a whole new set of programming working particularly close with (SAGA) on that on those big awareness and visibility days like Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 or Trans gender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20, that sort of thing. We have a couple different programs like the Queer and Trans Living Learning Community, so I’m also the advisor for that. It can be really helpful for queer and trans folks to have that space, particularly a residence format be cause residence halls are usually segregated heavily by gender and it can be really awkward to navigate that. We also do different things with the safe zone training and for educating folks about gender identi ties, sexuality and how to be a good ally. There are things we do with poli cy including gender inclusive housing, all gender restrooms and updating the name change policy.

Q: Since you began at the start of June, what’s been going on at QTRAC?

A: It has definitely been quiet since students haven’t been on campus. We have been completely revamping the entire safe zone training so we’ve updated presentations to be more interactive and engaging. I have also been working on a campus pride in dex. That’s an individual third party

assessment from an organization called Campus Pride. That’s an as sessment institutions can take to help them guide on how inclusive their campus is and it does it based on different metrics like whether it is residence life policies or student con duct policies or even resources with faculty. This can help guide us moving forward.

Q: Are there any significant changes that have happened with QTRAC and are there any on the way?

A: I think the most significant is just the physical space. I did a bit of redec orating and I made an effort to put a lot of artwork on the walls that is from queer and trans artists to really bring a lot of different color and different perspectives to that space. I hope to implement is a type of queer prom or formal in the spring to have an event that centers around trans identities and getting to do something fun and interactive. We’re also working to develop a more cohesive relationship with the IC since we’re closely connected in the program and in our missions.

Q: What would you say are your goals this year in your role with QTRAC and what do you plan to accomplish?

A: My first and foremost goal is to make sure students feel welcome, safe and secure here. In order for that to happen there needs to be a lot of intentional work and teach ing people about each other’s different identities, how to interact with people with differences and making sure people are seeing the programming and policies. There’s definitely a lot of work to get to that goal, but I think there’s a lot of poten tial here at Roger in terms of what’s already been laid from those who have come before me.

Q: What is something you would like to say to students going into the new school year?

A: Come say hi! My door is always open and I want to let students know I’m a resource and I’m here for them.

I take the open door policy idea very seriously and pretty much never have it closed.

Headshot courtesy of Jamie Wire Jamie Wire, the new Assistant Director of Queer and Trans Initiatives at Roger Williams University.

FEATURESLuke Kristen Hearrold

Changes underway in dining this fall

Jimmy Sadowski News Editor

As RWU has slowly removed COVID-19 restrictions with pandemic conditions in the state improving, dining also changed going into the fall 2022 semester.

One of the more significant changes is students can only use meal swipes at Lower Commons from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday where in the past couple of semesters the amount of time to use meal swipes was until 8 p.m. on weekdays.

Sophomore Daniel Fontana said he did not like the meal swipe hour de crease.

“I’m not a fan,” said Fontana. “I really liked it last year how you were able to go down at most times in the week and use a meal swipe because hawk dollars are very limited. You don’t get too many and you go through them pretty quickly.”

Senior Jackson Lower said he thought financial reasons were the primary motivation for the meal swipe time alteration.

“I think they did it because they [the university] don’t like spending money,” said Lower.

RWU Dining General Manager James Gubata recognized students may not like reduced time for meal swipes at Lower Commons. “I knew I was going to get some feedback. It’s not going to be a very popular decision,” said Gubata.

There were a multitude of reasons why the decision to reduce meal swipe hours at Lower Commons had been made however.

One of which was what dining has had an ongoing commitment to for the last few years. Sustainability. Gubata said for safety reasons meal swipes were allowed at Lower Commons at the start of the pandemic to spread students out as much as the university could. Students would not have to be around people at Upper Commons to try and prevent spreading COVID and

they could quickly grab takeout from Lower Commons ordered on the GET App.

This led to an increase in food and takeout consumption at Lower Commons. “People were loading up a whole bag of food and consumed twice as much food as we [Lower Commons] go through,” said Gubata. Resultantly, more disposable take-out containers were used which was not good for both financial and sustainability reasons.

“With all of the takeout orders, it increased our cost of single use disposable plastics and paper by hundreds of thousands of dollars. I believe it was close to a half a million dollars worth of takeout containers in one year,” said Gubata. “That was all a very unsustainable practice. We’re hoping to reduce single use plastics significantly from what we had to use the last two years.”

Students took advantage of takeout at times for the convenience factor of being able to grab and go and Gubata said he recognized students liked the ability to have takeout and use meal swipes at Lower so he wanted to meet them halfway.

“We still allow a meal transfer at lunchtime because we’re thinking students at that time are really busy with their academic schedule.”

Upper Commons has fully in-person dining and is now free from single use disposables as well.

A positive from reducing meal swipe times at Lower Commons and having fully in-person dining Gubata said is that it encourages students to “break bread” with their fellow classmates in the dining halls more than during the height of the pandemic where students a lot of the time would eat in their room alone for different reasons.

In the future Gubata said he hopes dining could incorporate a more efficient takeout system at a dining location potentially with high quality reusable containers students could take and then drop off to be cleaned.

Animal of the week

Luke Brennan Editor-in-Chief

The white-tailed deer is a mam mal that gets its name from the color of the underside fur on its tail. Also known as a Virginia deer, white-tailed deer can be found in North Ameri ca, Europe, and Central and South America.

If you are new to Roger, you may not be aware that deer sightings on cam pus are fairly common, especially late at night, but they have been spotted in the daytime on many occasions. Their diet mostly consists of plants, grass, acorns and even fruits. White-tailed deer can also eat poison ivy with no is sue. They also have a four-chambered stomach, which means they need much more time to digest food than humans. This is also why you should not feed deer food not found in the wild, as it can seriously harm their di gestive system. Although most people believe deer to be strictly herbivores, on rare occasions they do eat small animals like mice and birds.

The most obvious difference between male and female deer is that males have antlers and females do not. Male deer are called “bucks” and females are called “does,” and their breeding

Courtesy of Emily Dvareckas

White-tailed deer can run up to 40 mph.

season begins in either October or No vember. They mature at around one and a half years, and can have a life expectancy of up to 14 years.

If you do come across a white-tailed deer at Roger, do not startle it. While most deer are passive and timid, they will attack if provoked, especially if they are a mother protecting her fawns. Be especially careful if you come across a male deer during breed ing season, as this means they will be incredibly aggressive and territorial. Walk slowly away from them and they should not bother you. Remember, they are more scared of you than you are of them.

ICC kicks off the yearwith a new event

Luke Brennan Editor-in-Chief

RWU’s Inter-Class Council (ICC) kicked off the year with a social event last week exclusively for the soon to be graduating class of 2023. The Kick Off gave seniors a chance to purchase alcoholic beverages such as Bud Light and Truly Hard Seltzers, while also receiving a voucher for one of two food trucks, having the choice of either chicken or mac and cheese. The event proved to be a fun experience for the senior class to relax and unwind after the first day of fall classes and is only the first of many fun events ICC has planned for the year.

ICC 2023 Vice President Natalie Campanella said ICC was “pleasantly surprised” with the turnout for the Kick Off, with over 350 seniors attending the event. “We loved seeing so many people having a great time with their friends enjoying the food trucks, drinks, games and music,” said Campanella. “It was a great way to start off our senior year and get the class excited for everything coming up.” Campanella added that ICC hopes this is something seniors can continue to do in the future.

If you are a senior and you were una ble or uninterested in attending, have no fear. ICC has several more senior

events planned for the semester, including a Red Sox getaway, a Crumbl Cookies fundraiser, a Brewery getaway and even a boat cruise. Seniors can also look forward to more traditional events in the spring such as Commencement Ball and Tapout.

Campanella also said that “all students should get involved in campus events,” and that “The officers plan some really fun events that are great opportunities to meet people and hang out with your friends.” In addition, Campanella said that, for seniors, “it’s a great way to have some awesome experiences in [their] last year at RWU.”

Luke Brennan/Hawks’Herald

The Kick Off hosted over 350 seniors who attended.

Emily Dvareckas/The Hawks’ Herald Luke Ragaglia picks up a metal reusable spoon from Upper Commons. Dining has stopped using single-use plastics since COVID regulations have loosened.

“Prey:”Breaking Sequelilitis at the top of the food chain

Grant Soedler Arts & Culture Editor

It is widely accepted by anyone even remotely familiar with the film industry that a sequel is never as good as the film that spawned it. Some can come close, sure, but due to a number of factors sequels usually end up failing to capture what made that original film so special. Despite this well-known reputation, new sequels to popular franchises are basically guaranteed to continue getting greenlit as long as people believe there’s money to be made. There is no genre more guilty of this than horror, whose franchises tend to completely lose sight of what worked with the original film as they slowly morph more and more into parodies of themselves with every new install ment. That is why it is refreshing to see that 2022’s “Prey” was able to break free of that curse.

“Prey” is the newest installment in the “Predator” franchise, and the fifth entry overall. A prequel taking place in the 18th century, hundreds of years before the events of the first “Predator” film, “Prey” sees what happens the first time one of the Pred ators visits Earth. The film follows Naru, a skilled Comanche warrior, finding herself having to contend with an all-new, extremely vicious creature roaming the mountains that her tribe calls home. Following an encounter with the beast where she witnesses it slaughter a bear, she decides that she must kill it in order to complete her rite of passage as a hunter. One thing that “Prey” has over its other contemporary sequels is that it understands the importance of a good premise. The main thing that made the original “Predator” film so great was that it was a genre subversion: the film starts out in the style of films like “Commando”, as a group of highly-muscular, gun-toting, one liner-spewing soldiers are tasked with rescuing hostages in a guerilla-controlled rainforest. But halfway through the film shifts into more of a horror-slasher, as the char acters realize that they are being slow ly hunted and picked off by a being that outclasses them in power, skill, and technology. Unfortunately none of the sequels built off of this, instead becoming excuses to drop the titular monster into different environments where it could kill a bunch of unsuspecting victims, be it “Predator 2”’s Los Angeles streets, “Predators”’s alien planet, or the Xenomorph-infested arctic caverns

of “Alien vs. Predator”. Unlike those films though, “Prey” utilizes its premise to great effect, drawing incredibly interesting parallels between the hunting cultures of our protagonist and the Predator itself. Being set in a different century also allows the filmmakers to mix up the Predator’s arsenal, enabling them to create some very unique new setpieces as the monster does what it does best.

One area where “Prey” may even sur pass the original film, however, is in its central characters. While the cast of the original film is very memorable, especially with actors like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers at the helm, most of them are fairly one-note as actual charac ters, receiving very little development before being killed off. “Prey”, however, is very much a character-

focused story. Naru’s desire to prove herself as a capable hunter to a tribe where women typically take on more caregiver-focused roles makes for a very compelling central conflict. The way this conflict affects her relationship with her brother Taabe is also very compelling, as you can tell that while they clearly care about one another, his greater experience often leaves Naru feeling trapped in his shadow.

“Prey” too stands in the shadow of the original “Predator” film, but thanks to some very interesting character conflict and a spectacular execution, it proves, like its protagonist, that it can step out of that shadow and stand on its own. Those interested in watching “Prey” can cur rently stream it on Hulu.

CAMPUS HAPPENINGS

Upcoming events:

Sept. 12

Student Senate-General Assembly 6 p.m. Sept. 13

Student Senate Finance Committee 2 p.m.

Roger After Dark Meeting 5 p.m. Sept. 14

HAWE Weekly Meeting 2 p.m.

Honors Program Welcome Back Social

4 p.m.

SECCM Resume Night 7 p.m. Sept. 16

Kinship Collective Mentor & Mentee Meet and Greet 3 p.m. Sept. 18

Tutor Training Meeting 4 p.m. Sept. 19

Student Senate-General Assembly 6 p.m.

Sept. 20

Roger After Dark Meeting 5 p.m.

MSU General Meeting 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21

HAWE Weekly Meeting 2 p.m.

Writer’s Anonymous 4 p.m. Sept. 22

Exploring Your Options-Public Sector 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25

Writing Tutor Meeting 5 p.m.

Hawks Leadership AcademyHumble Hawks 11 a.m. Sept. 26

Student Senate-General Assembly 6 p.m. Sept. 27

Major Ambassador Panel 5 p.m.

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios The film has received critical acclaim since its release, with many deeming it the best installment since the original “Predator” film.

SECTION Sam Elwell selwell531@g.rwu.edu

DESIGNER Kristen Hearrold khearrold920@g.rwu.edu

First dates: the Dos and the Don’ts

Welcome back Hawks!

Dorms are full, classes are in full swing and it is time to get out there and meet new people. Whether you meet someone in one of your classes or on a dating app, the nerves of a first date are bound to go happen. Here are some of my tips on the Dos and Donts of a first date!

Do:

- Have a positive approach.

You may have had bad first dates in the past but don’t let that get you down. First dates are all about new beginnings so don’t go into it with a negative attitude.

- Remember your date is probably just as nervous as you are.

Your date may come off completely confident which could be intimidating but don’t forget that they are in the same position that you are. Have fun together and the nerves will

quickly diminish.

- Be yourself.

If you are weird, be weird on the first date. If they don’t like you for you then they are not worth your time. You don’t want to create a fake personality that panders to your date’s interests. The best way to start a new a relationship is by being yourself and l etting your date know the real you.

Don’t:

- Compare your date to a past date or an ex.

Like I mentioned above, this is about new beginnings so leave the past in the past. You definitely do not want to talk about your ex to your date. This makes it seem like you are not past the relationship or will be comparing everything your date does to your ex.

- Focus the whole date on yourself.

A first date is all about getting to know the other person and seeing if

Liberals and conservatives are not as evil as they may think

Nick Mackoul Herald Reporter

On the surface, no matter which country you go to, it seems like there is always something to argue about between the typically left wing liber als and the typically right wing conservatives. While this is general ly true, it really should not be. Both sides seem to want to achieve what is best for their country, they just do not see it’s what the other side is doing.

The liberal/conservative divide has existed since ancient times with some notable examples. For one, in Ancient Greece, famed philosopher Socrates was tried in court for teach ing boys to think for themselves and about foreign Gods. This is a good example of the status quo being pre served by conservatives and progress being brought about by progressives.

For an example much closer to the present day, the liberal French Revo lution, inspired by other progressive figures such as Thomas Jefferson, fought against the conservative Bourbon monarchy to achieve their three goals, those being Liberty, Equality and Fraternity, ide als held by liberals to this day. That being said, just because you align yourself with more liberal or more conservative policies does not and should not mean you are wrong, unless it is something that is based on fact and not opinion of course. I know this deeply, for a while, I used

to align myself with plenty of liberal ideas, both socially and economically. Come the murder of George Floyd, and I find myself on the exact op posite of the spectrum. Nowadays, I think of myself as a healthy mix of both, and as a result, I can see where both sides are coming from. Take the abortion argument for example. Tensions were definitely noticeable already, but turned up to 11 on June 24 of this year when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which was already one of the most famous SCOTUS decisions in history. Liberals and conservatives immediately began taking potshots at each other, liberals calling it a step backward for women’s rights and conservatives calling it a step forward for life. Both of these, however, remain true, at least to both of them. We all have our own opinions, but neither side is particularly right, for both are driven by a sense of morality. Liberals are not rabid baby killers that get abor tions for fun. Meanwhile, conserva tives are not heartless monsters that want to take women’s rights away. Both sides want to legalize or crim inalize the practice respectively, be cause they want to protect women’s rights and babies respectively. With instances like these, it can be difficult to be more rational and open to what the other side truly thinks is good for this country.

you two are a good match. You do not want to keep talking about yourself for the majority of the date. Ask them questions and if you are not good at thinking of questions on the spot, prepare for the date by looking up some interesting questions to ask.

- Expect sex.

You do not want to go into a first date expecting to end the night in bed. Don’t get me wrong, it is totally acceptable to sleep together on the first date if it is what you both want but it will get very awkward very fast if you make an unwanted move on the first date.

Do have opinions?

XOXO

SECTION EDITOR Samuel Elwell selwell531@g.rwu.edu

DESIGNER Kristen Hearrold khearrold920@g.rwu.edu

Quiet quitting is not a controversial trend. It is doing your job.

Sam Elwell Managing Editor

If you have been on social media with in the last month, you have probably come across the concept of “quiet quit ting.” The basic idea is that instead of going above and beyond for your em ployer in anticipation for a promotion or raise that you have no guarantee of receiving, you simply do the tasks as signed to you as they relate to your job description and leave your workspace at the end of the workday.

The one issue with this is that the term is meaningless. No one is quitting anything. “Quiet quitting” is just doing your job.

For a lot of people, finding the right balance between their work lives and personal lives can be a struggle, but is still something they want to achieve. No one wants to spend the majority of their time working, especially when there is no guarantee of proportional compensation. However, these people are often described as “lazy” or that “they just don’t want to work any more” which is just a plain lie.

The cost of living right now is so high that most people cannot afford to cut back out on working as much as possi ble. A lot of people do work longer and they do pick up those extra hours to go above and beyond, yet for many of them, particularly women and people of color, their compensation, both monetarily and professionally, does not reflect that.

Perhaps the best example of quiet quitting being used as a buzzword to describe people as “lazy” is in the case of Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary. O’Leary went viral on social media for

posting a controversial video to Tik Tok.

“Quiet quitting is a really bad idea” said O’Leary. “If you’re a quiet quitter, you’re a loser.”

Soon after, he posted several fol low-up videos to expand on his point. While some of his points sound genu ine with explaining that people should work as a team and that they should not have disjointed hours for that reason, he completely lost me when he said that he hopes those who want the work-life balance do not work for him, but rather his competitors. Maybe I am missing something, but to me, it just seems like some rich guy who is so out of touch with the working class and just how difficult it is for a lot of people to get by.

I think this is why those are not putting in those extra hours anymore (at least those can afford to do so). It is because, if they are not getting compensated properly for going above their job description and cutting out their free time, they may as well just take the free time instead since it is very difficult to achieve financial freedom on your own, but it is even more so when it comes to working for someone else.

Nobody should have to cut out their personal lives to work those extra hours with nothing to show for it. Nobody should be labeled as “lazy” for wanting to find that balance or for not wanting to go above and beyond just because there is a very unlikely chance they will get that promotion or raise. For a lot of people, this idea of work ing harder will get you noticed is just not a reality.

OPINIONS

The importance of a good night’s sleep

Luke Brennan Cheif in Editor

If you have heard it once, you have heard it a million times; getting a good night’s sleep is tremendously important for your health. As college students, we probably have the worst collective sleep schedule of any group of people in the world. Whether we are studying for a test, partying with friends or just laying in bed unable to fall asleep, college students rou tinely experience what is referred to as “sleep debt,” or lack of a decent amount of sleep. While it may not seem like it at first, sleep debt will catch up to you, and can affect you in many important aspects of your life. Lack of sleep can and will cause both mental and physical exhaustion. When you wake up not only do you feel tired, your body feels drained, and on top of that now you have a whole day of classes to get through. It would be like if someone woke you up at 3 a.m. to go on a two mile hike. Even if you go to class and make it through the day,

you are still capable of putting your best effort forward. One of the most famous physical ramifications of sleep debt is blurred vision. The most obvi ous way to tell if someone is tired is if they keep rubbing their eyes. Simply put, this is your eyes telling you to get some sleep.

Here are some tips to ensure you get a good night’s sleep when you need it. First, avoid anything with a screen at least half an hour before you go to bed. Staring at a screen for too long only adds to the amount of time it will take you to fall asleep. Second, avoid any drinks that are high in caffeine, such as coffee or energy drinks. Lastly, if you need help slowing yourself down, do some deep breathing exercises which, after a while, should help you control your breathing and slow your heart rate down enough so you can get some rest. All in all, while I under stand that there are times that warrant staying up late, getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis will make your body and your mind feel much more clear and ready for the day.

Courtesy of Brett Jordan on Unsplash Sleep debt has both negative physical and mental consequences.

Courtesy of Unsplash “Quiet quitting” is nothing more than finding that healthy work-life balance

Luke Brennan Editor-in-Chief

Well, this is it. Our last year. As a senior, I have had this thought enter my head so many times over the last two weeks, and as much as I try to focus on what I am doing right now, I still come

back to “what am I going to do when I graduate?” I feel like I just got here and it is already almost over.

I cannot ignore the fact that a large part of why I feel this way is proba bly because of the fact that I only had one semester of normal college life before the world fell apart in 2020. I have often wondered how the rest of my time at RWU would have played out were it not for the coronavirus, and I am certain I am not the only one.

My time at RWU has changed me in ways I could have never imagined. I have experienced unbelievable highs and unimaginable lows, all of which have made me into the person I am today, and although I have my regrets, I do believe that ultimately things worked out for the best. If I have any advice for first year stu

dents, it would be do not take any thing or anyone for granted. Appreci ate the little moments, because while they may not feel that important at the time, they might end up being what you hold onto the most.

As cliche as the phrase “live every day like it is your last” is I believe, in your senior year, it is extremely important to make the most out of each day you have left, because with every day that passes, you get closer and closer to true adulthood and a mountain of new responsibilities.

Think of it like the series finale of a TV show. Most series finales are, frankly, disappointing. “Seinfeld,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Dexter” and “Game of Thrones” are just a few of the many that have failed to live up to expectations. Do not let your series finale end like that. Make your senior year everything you wanted it to be. Talk to that person you are afraid to talk to, go to the restaurant you never got to try, whatever it is, do it before you have to worry about finding a job, a place to live, having good credit, paying bills and all the other stressors that come with living in the real world.

Chloe Noyes

Emily Dvareckas Luke Brennan

Courtesy of Leon Wu on Unsplash Make your senior year what you want it to be.

Athletic Calendar for the month of September

Luke Brennan Cheif in Editor

Tue Sept. 13

Women’s Volleyball vs. New England Col lege-Bristol, R.I. 6 p.m.

Wed Sept. 14

Women’s Tennis at Curry College-Milton, Mass. 3:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs. Massachusetts In stitute of Technolo gy-Bristol, R.I. 4 p.m.

Field Hockey vs. Westfield State University-Bristol, R.I. 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer at Mas sachusetts Institute of Technology-Cam bridge, Mass. 7 p.m.

Thu Sept. 15

Women’s Tennis vs. Bridgewater State Uni versity-Bristol, R.I. 4 p.m.

Fri Sept. 16

Men’s Tennis vs. Salve Regina-Bristol, R.I. 4 p.m.

Sat Sept. 17

Men’s Rugby vs. Bridgewater State Uni versity-Bristol, R.I. 11 a.m.

Women’s Volleyball vs.

SUNY Potsdam-11 a.m.

Women’s Tennis vs. Gordon College-Bris tol, R.I. 12 p.m.

Women’s Soccer at University of New Eng land-Biddeford, Maine 12 p.m.

Field Hockey vs. En dicott College-Bristol, R.I. 1 p.m.

Women’s Rugby vs. Keene State-Bristol, R.I. 2 p.m.

Men’s Soccer at Uni versity of New Eng land-Biddeford, Maine 2:30 p.m.

Women’s Volley ball vs. UMass Dart mouth-Bristol, R.I. 3 p.m.

Sun Sept. 18

Men’s Soccer vs. UMass Dartmouth-Bristol, R.I. 1 p.m.

Tue Sept. 20

Women’s Tennis vs. Nichols College-Bris tol, R.I. 4 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball vs. Curry College-Bristol, R.I. 6 p.m.

Women’s Soccer at Worcester Polytechnic

Institute-Worcester, Mass. 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer at Worcester Polytechnic Institute-Worcester, Mass. 7 p.m.

Wed Sept. 21

Field Hockey at East ern Connecticut State-Willimantic, Conn. 4:30 p.m.

Thu Sept. 22

Men’s Tennis vs. UMass Boston-Bristol, R.I. 4 p.m.

Women’s Tennis vs. UMass Boston-Bristol, R.I. 4 p.m.

Women’s Soccer at Brandeis Universi ty-Waltham, Mass. 7 p.m.

Sat Sept. 24

Women’s Tennis at Salve Regina-Newport, R.I. 12 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. Gor don College-Bristol, R.I. 12 p.m.

Men’s Rugby at Wheaton College (Mass.)-Norton, Mass. 1:30 p.m.

Women’s Rugby vs. Middlebury Col lege-Bristol, R.I. 2 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs. Gordon College-Bristol, R.I. 3 p.m.

Field Hockey at West ern New England Uni versity-Springfield, Mass. 6 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball at University of New Eng land-Biddeford, Maine 6 p.m.

Tue Sept. 27

Men’s Soccer at Bridgewater State University-Bridgewater, Mass. 3:30 p.m.

Field Hockey vs. John son & Wales Universi ty-Bristol, R.I. 4 p.m.

Wed Sept. 28

Women’s Tennis at Suffolk University-Bos ton, Mass. 6:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs. Bridgewater State University-Bristol, R.I. 7 p.m.

Thu Sept. 29

Women’s Volleyball at Endicott College-Bev erly, Mass. 7 p.m.

Fri Sept. 30

Field Hockey at Nich ols College-Dudley, Mass. 7 p.m.