The Hawks' Herald 9/26

What do Rhode Islanders need right now?

Communities of Hope Community Journalists

CENTRAL FALLS, PAWTUCKET, PROVIDENCE, WASHINGTON

PARK, WARREN, R.I.﹘Every election cycle, we see time and time again that, in spite of candidates’ never-ending campaigning, there are particular communities whose issues have gone unnoticed or ignored by the mainstream media. The main goal of this series is to reach out to members of these communities in Rhode Island with the intention of cultivating an ongoing relationship with them and giving them the opportunity to share their stories. We also want to ask them what issues they are facing, and how they want the politicians who are supposed to represent them to do about it.

We have multiple teams working for us, each covering a different disenfranchised community, such as houseless people, incarcerated individuals, the Hispanic and Latino community as well as the LGBTQIA+ community. We are also covering those that are or will soon be victims of the effects of climate change. These teams have spread their coverage out across the state of Rhode Island, including Providence, Newport, Warren, Central Falls and Pawtucket. What makes this effort unique is that we are using a transformative journalism approach that includes community-drivenand solutions journalism, in which we center the story around solutions to the problems raised by the local residents rather than just the problem itself. You might be asking yourself, “why does it matter now?” The answer comes in the form of Democracy Day, an internationally celebrated holiday that is meant to promote and support democracy across the world. We are celebrating this holiday by giving those who are routinely ignored by mainstream media, as well as the politicians who are supposed to listen to them, the opportunity to let their voices be heard. We hope that these stories will make the candidates aware of the fact that they have let these communities down, and now they have the platform to speak about what it is they want from them.

However, this is by no means a short-term project. This first story is only our first step in a process that takes place over the next several

months. We have started by introducing ourselves to the communities and making them feel comfortable sharing their stories with us. Once we have published our first story, we will be going back to those communities with a better understanding of the problems they are facing. With local and state elections drawing near, we will be asking residents what they want from the candidates, and at the same time, we will make the candidates themselves aware of the fact that these communities are being overlooked. Then, once the elections have come and gone and we possibly have newly elected officials, we will be able to hold them accountable to those communities we serve while bringing more and better information to the communities so they can make more informed choices about their priorities and their representatives.

Labor rights in the Hispanic and Latino communities

One community that needs help is the Latino population in Central Falls, especially those who are undocumented. Census data from last year said Hispanics and Latinos are one of the most represented ethnicities in the city at 69.3%, one of the biggest populations in Rhode Island.

Within the Hispanic and Latino populations of Central Falls, the issue

of concern is workers’ rights.

The Community Coordinator for Fuerza Laboral, David Molina-Hernandez, said that labor exploitation and wage theft are the most prominent issues.

Undocumented immigrants tend to be the most vulnerable to wage theft and exploitation because they don’t feel they have a full scope of rights here. A large issue would be working over 80 hours and being paid for 40 hours.

In nearby Pawtucket, which also has a sizeable Hispanic or Latino population of 25%, David and Fuerza attended a Teamsters Local 251 Union strike at DHL Express ServicePoint.

There, labor issues affected not specifically just Latinos, but a number of different populations that make up the union.

At the strike, courier and union member Rasche A. Brown said he is fighting for higher wages and healthcare to be provided for these workers. There are people who cannot afford the surgeries they need with what they are being paid at the moment. Brown needs open heart surgery but cannot afford it.

“If you ask anybody, they’d say I was supposed to have open heart surgery last Thanksgiving. I can’t afford it and if I don’t get the surgery, I’m going to die,” said Brown.

These problems have arisen

because of corporate greed which is why Governor Dan McKee is fighting for income.

“Our number one goal in the state of Rhode Island right now is to increase people’s incomes and that’s why you’re standing here today. Benefits and incomes,” said McKee. “So I stand with you. There’s no reason you’re not getting to the table. Negotiations are part of contracts and if I can help get you to the table I will.”

Brown said simply asking politicians for help could be beneficial.

“Ask them if they’ll help us out,” said Brown. “Step in and help us out. That’s all we’re asking.”

Incarceration in Rhode Island

People who are members of the incarcerated community once released from jail sometimes have issues with starting anew. One organization has stepped up to help out those people.

Open Doors is an organization in Providence that serves those who have been or who currently are incarcerated and need help getting back on their feet. Brandon Robinson, Community Director of the Stop Torture RI Coalition at Open Doors, was once incarcerated himself and explained the situation firsthand. Robinson recalled his days in the bathroom-sized jail cell and recalled his back and spine being injured from sleeping on a hard cement bed.

Many of these prisons do not allow the incarcerated to step outside of their cells other than for about forty minutes a day, leaving them to spend just over 23 hours in their cells per day. There is no cleaning allowed nor are any cleaning supplies provided for the inmates.

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Jimmy Sadowski Governor Dan McKee speaks at Teamsters Local 251 Union strike at DHL Express ServicePoint in Pawtucket. “Our number one goal in the state of Rhode Is land right now is to increase people’s incomes and that’s why you’re standing here today. Benefits and incomes,” said McKee.

Diversity, equity and inclusion at RWU

Jimmy Sadowski News Editor

During the last school year, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) was a major priority for Roger Williams University with several initiatives launched and policy changes made. This school year, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Stephanie Akunvabey said many of those initiatives will continue and new ones will be implemented as well.

“We have a lot of great things in the works,” said Akunvabey. “One of the major things we’ve heard from students and that I also think is really important is the way in which we think about accessibility as part of diversity so we have been working to strengthen our partnerships with Student Accessibility Services (SAS).”

Working closer with faculty on DEI matters is another priority for the university.

“We’re really starting to have the opportunity to work more intentionally with faculty to really think about what it means to make equitable classroom spaces and what diversity in RWU curriculum will look like,” said Akunvabey.

Vice President for Student Life John King said admissions has also undertaken some DEI initiatives.

“Admissions has expanded outreach to diverse students and Advancement is actively working with RWU alumni who can provide networking and mentoring opportunities,” said King. “In addition, there is intentional commitment across the University to recruit talented students with diverse lived experiences for leader ship training and mentoring positions on campus.” The communications department has been working with Akunvabey to develop what’s called the Roger Pledge that’s inspired by the Birmingham pledge.

“That pledge will essentially be an opportunity for every member of the RWU community to think about and reflect on their pledges to make sure our campus is an inclusive and respectful place, especially for black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) members of our community,”

said Akunvabey.

An initiative from last year that will continue is the anti-racism campaign. Akunvabey said the focal point of the campaign right now is how RWU engages students with the campaign.

Over the summer RWU made an effort to introduce the Class of 2026 to the campaign and Akunvabey hopes to continue that momentum with the full student body this year. King said part of the campaign helps to address bias incidents as well.

“Our Orientation programs address DEI with entering students and every community member has a responsibility to both prevent and report bias incidents.”

Last year, RWU had its inaugural First Generation Day celebration and it will happen again on Nov. 8.

A piece of data from DEI initiatives taken last school year King shared was that for the EVERFI module juniors had to take called Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging Tools for Allyship there was a 97% completion rate.

Next month on Oct 19 at 3 p.m. Akunvabey said she will be sharing data from the DEI initiatives the university has undertaken and provide an update on the anti-racism campaign at an event with students and the campus community.

Akunvabey said she wants to hear from students on DEI at RWU.

“I’m encouraging students to continue to engage and continue to provide feedback because it really is a communal effort,” said Akunvabey. “I’m excited about the progress we made and the year ahead.”

RWU Faculty Association trying to reach final contract agreement

Jimmy Sadowski News Editor

After about a year and a half of contract negotiations, the Roger Williams University Faculty Association (RWU FA) have reached the final stages of deciding on a new agreement.

“We [RWU FA bargaining team] have finished negotiating and are now finalizing the agreement which we will put before the faculty for a vote sometime this semester and the administration will put it before the board,” said RWU FA bargaining team head and professor June Speakman.

The RWU FA has what is called a conceptual agreement. Speakman said that means they are one stage before a tentative agreement and have agreed in concept what each side will present to its constituency.

“Whether the board or whether the membership approves, it remains to be seen,” said Speakman.

This comes after the four year contract that was in effect from 2017 to June 30, 2021 was extended a year.

A year and a half of trying to finalize a new agreement is a relatively normal amount of time procedurally according to Speakman.

Finding time to work on union matters amongst busy teaching schedules between the seven members of the bargaining team, Speakman said is one of the main reasons working on the new contract was not quicker up to this point.

As head of the bargaining team, Speakman could not give specific details related to what happened in negotiation or the current process of trying to finalize the agreement, but she said, “As with all negotiations in any sort of labor union situation, the employer and employee tend to disagree on things like compensation and workload. Employees tend to want higher pay and employers and employers may argue they cannot provide higher pay. That’s very common.”

She also cited the balance between the number of classes versus the amount of time for their research agenda faculty get as a possible issue some professors may have had.

Some faculty members have been wearing pins that read “RWU FA” and Speakman said the union provided them to members to show solidarity with the bargaining team.

Speakman said she expects a final agreement to be reached sometime this semester.

Courtesy of RWU DEI initiatves are being put into place across RWU, including admissions and SAS.

FEATURESKristen Hearrold

Porchfest returns to Bristol

set up lawn chairs and camped out in front of one front porch to take in their favorite performer. Locals and people from away come to enjoy the music for free. The shuttle service offers free transportation to this event as well. The festival began in 2018 when a group of volunteers, the core committee, wanted to start the tradition of PorchFest. Nancy Kellner, who is one of the cofounders for the event, talked about difficulties to get people involved the first year. She specifically spoke about how time consuming recruiting the porch owners was as well as the time spent strategically deciding which p erformers to bring in. Now that it is their fourth year planning the event Kellner and the rest of the core committee have found that they are getting returning porch owners, and now that the community has seen the festival in action, if asked about the use of a High Street porch most are happy to volunteer theirs. The committee also had some returning musicians from the previous years such as Trinity, Los Duderinos and Catnip Junkies. Kellner felt strongly that music has a powerful effect on people.

Kassidy Hart Herald Reporter

High Street with its red, white and blue stripe down the middle was transformed into a venue for a town festival on Sunday, September 18th.

This festival, known as the Bristol Porchfest, had nine decorated porches with a total of 18 different bands that played. People were walking from house to house to get a taste of all the different genres of music such as rock, folk, bluegrass and more. Others

“While I am not a musician, I believe music, as a universal language, is very powerful,”said PorchFest co-founder Nancy Kellner. “Not only does it affect one’s mood individually but it brings people together. Music is a non-denominational way to

celebrate and build community which is very important to me.”

All of the recruiting and advertising has been very successful since Kellner estimated the attendance at PorchFest this year was over 5,000 people. Kellners favorite part of the whole event was the people’s reaction.

“I love seeing smiling neighbors chatting it up and people of all ages dancing in the streets,” said Kellner.

The last front porch, at the end of High street, that you come to holds the largest crowd of listeners gathered to hear the bands Trinity and Catnip Junkies. Roger Williams University Professor of Biology Paul Webb and his wife bought this house about three years ago and learned that the previous owners had the porch as a venue in the year 2018. Webb and his wife loved the event therefore decided to have their porch continue to be part of it. This is now their second year in the tradition.

“My favorite part is seeing everyone out, seeing the whole town and running into people, seeing a lot of friends from Bristol,” Webb explained. After hours of dancing in the street to the bands on the porches everyone travels as a group over to the PorchFest after party, at Unity Park, for more music, food and drinks. PorchFest is an event to bring everyone together to enjoy the music, it is a tradition that seems to be very unique to this town.

University undergoes rebranding

Lily Neves

Herald Reporter

With a new semester comes new possibilities, and the Roger Williams administration and marketing teams are trying to innovate the Roger Williams brand. Chief of Staff Brian Williams and Associate Vice President of Marketing Lynne Mello are heading an internal marketing team which will work to refresh the face of RWU.

This brand initiative will take place in phases and is a multi year endeavor, with much of the visual identity work occurring this year between September 2022 through May 2023, and the marketing work beginning in July 2023, according to Williams and Mello.

Williams said the goal of the branding process is to find ways to tell the university’s story, improve RWU’s reputation, grow student enrollment, and have an opportunity for more campus pride. Additionally, the team will search for common themes that resonate with RWU to create a more solid sense of community.

The team is seeking to appeal to all aspects of the university including prospective undergraduate, graduate, law and University College students as well as alumni by creating a unified and authentic university voice.

However, Williams, Mello and the marketing team do not have the goal to throw out everything people love about RWU, rather just to refresh it. Mello said the thing that will change most will be a new sense of unity. “I’m excited even for the internal community,” said Mello. “I think it really provides something that is concise and that we can really rally around.”

Students will be able to have their voices heard in many of the phases that are included in this initiative Williams said. Currently the discovery phase is underway, beginning with focus groups and surveys during the fall to ensure student voices are heard.

In late October or early November, the marketing team will release a survey to students asking for their opinions of Roger Williams and how they see the university.

“The process we’re going through with discovery sessions, and focus groups and surveys through the course of the fall are to make sure we’re hearing about the stories and experiences of everyone at the university,” said Williams. “This is the story of Roger Williams. It has to be authentic and something that everyone at the university can see themself in,”

As the project continues into the spring semester, Williams said he wants to give graphic design, marketing, communications and computer science students the chance to intern with the internal team on aspects such as redesigning the RWU website as well as other aspects of the innovating process.

In regards to how the branding efforts are going to benefit the university, Williams said he wants to create a story that, “captures the essence of over 40 different majors and minors and all the pieces of the institution instead of needing to explain them and tell each piece of the Roger Williams story.”

From a marketing perspective, Williams explained that this initiative will help distinguish RWU from the other eleven private colleges and universities in Rhode Island, and hopefully make the institution more memorable to prospective students.

Mello said that she wanted to focus on creating a more unified brand for the university and she believes there will be, “changes in some of the talking points when you’re here, that there would be more consistency, and I think that Roger Williams will become more well known and more memorable.”

Students and faculty will be able to see the majority of the effects of the branding efforts by the end of the year as the new visual identity is rolled out internally. In July 2023, the external marketing campaign will begin, including a newly redesigned website.

Overall, reflecting on the branding efforts as a whole, Williams said, “We want to take our time with this and not rush exactly that point; that there’s so many special things about this place.”

Courtesy of Rhode Island Monthly The crowd from last year’s PorchFest.

ARTS & CULTURE

Animal of the Week: Red-Tailed Hawk

Grant Soedler Arts & Culture Editor

The red-tailed hawk is a member of the birds of prey, various species of large birds that hunt other animals for food. The most common species of hawk in all of North America, the red-tailed hawk is named for its signature reddish-brown tail feathers, but the rest of its plumage can vary quite widely, with colors usually ranging from various shades of black, brown and white. Thanks to our campus mascot, it should not be too surprising to readers that we have red-tailed hawks around Roger. The birds will occupy just about any type of open habitat, including deserts, scrublands, grasslands, roadsides, fields and pastures, and parks. One should not expect to see many of the birds at once, however. Like most other birds of prey, red-tailed hawks are solitary animals, meaning they spend most of their time alone. The only exceptions to this are during breeding season (typically March to May) and migration. However, as

red-tailed hawks are monogamous, if one finds a suitable mate during breeding season the two will mate for life. The typical diet of a red-tailed hawk consists of various small mammals, reptiles and other birds. Favored victims include voles, mice, rabbits, ground squirrels, pheasants, starlings and blackbirds as well as snakes. Hawks typically hunt by swooping down from a high perch to then capture and kill their prey within their sharp talons, but they can also hunt by flying over open fields. Said prey can weigh from less than an ounce to more than 5 pounds, with the hawk typically carrying off smaller prey to eat on a perch while eating larger prey on the ground.

While red-tailed hawks can be beautiful, fascinating animals, it is usually not a great idea to approach one out in the wild. The birds can be aggressive when defending nests or territories, and while that aggression is typically focused towards fending off other birds of prey, you would not want those razor-sharp talons and beak to be pointed at you, would you?

“Primal” Review:

Grant Soedler & Culture Editor

“A caveman at the dawn of evolution and a dinosaur on the brink of extinction are bonded by tragedy. This unlikely friendship becomes the only hope of survival in a violent, primordial world.” So reads the logline for Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Primal”

on HBO Max, an adult animated action-adventure horror series whose second season finished airing on Friday, September 16th. “Primal” debuted on Cartoon Network’s late-night programming block, Adult Swim, back in October 2019 with the rest of its initial season being released a year later in October of 2020. Created and directed by Genndy

Tartakovsky, the man behind the creation of shows like “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Samurai Jack,” “Primal” follows the brutal and violent misadventures of a caveman named Spear and a Tyrannosaurus Rex named Fang who become unlikely companions after their families are killed by the same pack of carnivorous dinosaurs. Though it never reached huge levels of popularity, “Primal” quickly gained significant praise and a dedicated cult following due to one simple fact: it’s a recent adult cartoon that’s actually unique. Season 1 of “Primal” is very similar in vein to Tartakovksy’s previous work “Samurai Jack;” after a first episode that establishes the premise, the rest of the show is fairly episodic, with few recurring elements beyond its central characters. Every episode after the first establishes a new obstacle to overcome, before we see our protagonists overcome that obstacle by wits, strength, or just complete brute force. Season 2, however, tells much more of a continuous story. Following on from the 1st season’s closing stinger, where Spear and Fang had discovered that their new companion, Mira, had been recaptured by the slavers that she had escaped from, the two quickly follow after her on a rescue mission. Each episode furthers them along their journey to save her, whether it be crossing an ocean, contending with unfamiliar monsters and people, or being forced to fight for a megalomaniacal queen. Where “Primal” differs significantly from its

predecessor, however, is in several key elements of its presentation. For one, the show is incredibly violent and gory. Our central duo and their opponents/victims get stabbed, crushed, scratched, clawed, torn apart, and more in many horrific and yet awesomely gruesome ways. Though this might seem like a hard sell for some, the show’s violence is key to its appeal in a world where nearly every mainstream show is fairly light in tone. One important difference that makes “Primal” stand out, however, is that the show contains basically zero dialogue. Beyond Spear’s grunts and growls, provided by voice actor Aaron LaPlante, and some isolated parts of season 2, every element of the show is told through pure visual storytelling, be it moments of intense action, somber melancholy, or even simple interactions between characters. This focus leads to some frankly gorgeous shots and scene compositions, proving that Genndy Tartakovsky has still got that magic that makes his shows so special. “Primal” really has only one significant flaw: like some of Tartakovsky’s other work, it has a very messy ending. It feels a lot like the second season needed just one or two more episodes to flesh its ideas out, as the very last one has to quickly introduce new important character and story details just before a rushed finale that left me as a viewer feeling very confused and dissatisfied. Despite the ending the rest of “Primal” is incredibly strong, and is easy to recommend to anyone: there is nothing else quite like it.

Grant Soedler/Hawks’ Herald The red-tailed hawk pirched by the bridge next to Stonewall.

The Highs and Lows of Prehistory

Courtesy of Adult Swim “Primal” tells a gripping and violent visual story of two be ings bonded by tragedy.

SECTION EDITOR Jocelyn

DESIGNER Kristen Hearrold khearrold920@g.rwu.edu

Is Saturdy Night Live even funny anymore?

Amanda Walsh Herald Contributor

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is the longest-running sketch comedy show in the country. But is it actually comedic? It seems that in recent years, the NBC late night program has been on the decline, with lower quality writing and plummeting ratings. The show has gone through rough patches in its 47 years on the air, but it seems as though they have been suffering for much longer than usual. To make matters worse, stars like Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson and Aidy Bryant are not returning for the upcoming season 48. They arguably carried the show with their hilarious impersonations and impeccable comedic timing, and their absence will no doubt be felt when the show returns this Saturday, October 1st at 11:30 pm. Other favorites not returning are Alex Moffat, Kyle Mooney and Melissa Villaseñor.

I am sure I am not alone in saying that the sketches from the eras of Tina Fey, Horatio Sanz, Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader have a far higher success rate compared to the ones featured today. Or do they? Former Vine star and

current Youtuber Drew Gooden had a similar query and decided to test his hypothesis. Gooden watched one episode from each season of the sketch comedy show, and recorded how many times he laughed or found the sketch funny. His result? SNL is just as funny now as it was back in the day. So why does it seem as if the opposite is true?

Gooden, who posted his results in a Youtube video last year, believes it is due to the prevalence of social media. He claims that if a bit was so horribly cringey in, say, season 13, everybody could forget about it by the next morning. But in more recent seasons, Instagram reels and Youtube videos have made it nearly impossible to forget about the awful bits that the program aired.

So whether or not you think Saturday Night Live is funny or not, one thing is for certain: the show is not any less funny now than it used to be. It is simply the accessibility of the terrible sketches that make it seem as though the show has grown into an unfunny, tired program. The season premiere is set to air live from New York City this Saturday, October 1st, at 11:30 pm EST.

Why the people mad at “The Little Mermaid” are missing the point

Luke Brennan Editor-in-Chief

Since the trailer for the 2023 live-action remake of Disney’s 1989 animated film “The Little Mermaid” was released, the decision to cast Halle Bailey as Ariel has sparked an intense backlash, primarily because Bailey is Black and Ariel was drawn white in the original animated film. While some feel that this is a “betrayal” of the original film, I honestly could not care less. Oh, and one other thing to note: MERMAIDS ARE NOT REAL! I have seen so many ignorant takes on casting a Black woman as Ariel not being “faithful to the source material” or “it does not make sense.” How are you actually going to sit there and tell me something does not make sense when we are talking about mermaids? The biggest flaw in their logic is when they make some strawman argument like “what if they remade “The Princess & The Frog and cast Tiana as white?”” First of all, being white is in no way part of Ariel’s character or identity, while being Black is apart of Tiana’s character and journey throughout the movie. Second, Tiana is the first Black Disney princess, whose film was only released in 2009, 20 years after “The Little Mermaid.”

You cannot say that the two are equal when it took over 50 years to have the first Black Disney princess. Third and most importantly, the people who are so up in arms about this do not understand what it is like to grow up watching Disney movies and not seeing anyone that looks like you on screen. I, along with every other white person that grew up with Disney have seen a plethora of white characters on our TVs and been able to identify with them. This is why representation matters, especially when it comes to film and television. Since the trailer was released, there have been numerous videos of parents filming their Black daughters’ reaction to the trailer and being both surprised and overjoyed. One girl in particular smiled and looked at her mom and said “she looks like me.”

That is something that these trolls will never understand, and although I do not want to paint with too broad a brush, if you are telling me that the reason you are so enraged at a Black woman pretending to be a mermaid is because of a 13th century Danish fairy tale (which itself is also wildly different from the animated film,) I think you need to have a frank conversation with yourself.

Courtesy of NBC Many longtime fans believe SNL has declined in recent years in terms of quality.

Courtesy of NPR/Walt Disney Studios Disney unveils first look at live-action ‘Little Mermaid.’

SECTION Jocelyn

DESIGNER Kristen Hearrold khearrold920@g.rwu.edu

OPINIONS

The Superior Winter Sport: Snowboarding

Jack Aviles Herald Contributor

Have you ever debated trying a winter sport? However, you cannot choose between snowboarding or skiing. Well, let me tell you that snowboarding is far superior. First of all, snowboarding just looks cooler. I cannot remember a single time I looked at a skier and said to myself “Man, that looks cool”. I mean, hey, to each their own, but this is an opinion piece and I am sure the snowboarders will approve. However, I am not just going to sit here and tell you that snowboarding looks cooler, instead I will explain how it is logically superior.

For one it is so much easier to stop while snowboarding. You can be flying down a slope but hey want to stop short, just slam on your heel side and you are fine. Not to mention it looks really cool as well and is so much fun to do, spraying snow everywhere. Have you ever seen a skier try to stop? They do that weird looking pizza stop thing, which does not work and then end up slamming into a lift line. Better yet, they look ridiculous doing it. Ok fine, you can do a “hockey stop” when skiing. It does not look too easy on the knees though. I cannot speak for anyone else but I like my knees in their sockets, just saying.

Additionally, snowboarders all around just have better style. The way they dress and look on the mountain is a lot more stylish then many skiers I see. Skiers have these weird tight looking coats, how do

Courtesy of Visit Almaty via Unsplash Skiing and Snowboarding are two very popular winter sports but one is clearly cooler than the other.

you move around in that? I do not know about you but to me it looks like they have no mobility. Meanwhile snowboarders have baggy stylish jackets and snow pants, allowing much more mobility and a way more stylish look. Furthermore, have you ever seen a skier wipe out? It looks insanely unpleasant, they go in thirty different directions. One ski pole is in the woods, their knee is behind their head and

the other ski is about three miles down the slope. Now I know that cannot be fun especially in their restrictive snowgear giving them zero mobility. Talking about all their gear going everywhere, who wants to have to carry two ski poles? Snowboarders definitely do not have to do that. If I am trying to focus going down a slope why would I want to be holding and worrying about two long ski poles

disrupting my run. Fine, maybe I am just jealous because they can use them to push themselves out of flat areas on the mountain. It does not change the fact that they are a nuisance in every other scenario. Snowboarders can always just unstrap from one of their bindings and push through flat spots anyway.

Ok, so last and very much so least the comfortability of snowboard boots versus ski boots. I am sure most skiers reading this are hating me right about now but I know they can all agree their boots are so uncomfortable.

Wearing ski boots is like walking around with two bricks taped to your feet. Snowboard boots on the other hand are so much more comfortable to walk around in. Snowboard boots are not too far from the comfortability of regular snow boots which definitely beats the comfortability of bricks. All in all, this should help decide the debate if you want to snowboard or ski. Snowboarding looks cooler, is more stylish and absolutely more comfortable. If that does not sell you I am not sure what will. Oh, maybe the fact that snowboarding looks way cooler in terrain parks.

Anyway, whichever you decide to do the goal is to have fun and the season is coming soon, happy shredding everyone, do not forget to have fun out there

The British royals need to leave these jewels alone

Sam Elwell Managing Editor

It has been over two weeks since the death of Queen Elizabeth II with her son soon to be crowned as King Charles III. While many have taken the time to mourn such a shocking yet expected loss, many others see this as a time to celebrate. To them, the death of the Queen represents a blow to the institution that colonized so many countries and regions in the past, even if the Queen herself was not directly involved in it. While there are so many artifacts in the possession of the British, there is one that stands out above the rest, the famous Crown Jewels. Perhaps the most well known of the crown jewels is the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. This gemstone was first acquired by the Mughal dynasty sometime during the early years of their 330-year reign over northern India. The diamond was first

used to decorate the throne of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan then changed owners when Persia, led by Nader Shah, invaded the region in 1739. Eventually, by 1813, the diamond returned to India under the rule of Sikh emperor, Ranjit Singh, though not for long as the British East India Company (EIC) had their sights set on India. After Singh’s passing in 1839 and a slew of changes to the sitting ruler, the British took over the region in 1849 and the Koh-i-Noor Diamond along with it. Since then, the gemstone has gone through several uses. First, it was used as a brooch for Queen Victoria (the process of turning the diamond into jewelry reduced its size by half). It eventually became part of the crown jewels in the crown of Queen Alexandra then of Queen Mary. Its present use is in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother which was made in 1937 for the Queen’s coronation. After being on

public display in the Tower of London for many years, Queen Consort Camilla is expected to wear it at her coronation ceremony.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding not only the Koh-i-Noor diamond, but the vast treasury of artifacts and relics currently residing in Britain and the fact that the continued ownership and display of these items is, in a way, continuing the power structure of the United Kingdom being a colonizing nation. It is not just Britain that is guilty of this, either. So many other countries are in possession of ancient artifacts of great cultural import with demands to return them, and some of them are. For example, you see Germany returning artwork stolen from countries during their occupation by the Nazis. Another is Austria’s possession of Aztec Emperor Montezuma II headdress. In this case, however, demands to return the

artifact to Mexico were listened to, however, the item was deemed too fragile to move overseas. To me, the answer is simple. Just return these items to their places of origin. If people genuinely care about learning the history behind them, they can and should do it in the same places they were created. There is no reason to hold on to these artifacts as if they were your own. They hold such cultural significance to their home lands that you cannot deny they would be taken care of more in their place of origin.

Courtesy of aiva on Creative Com mons. The famous crown jewel Koh-iNoor Diamond.

Luke Brennan Editor-in-Chief

This past week was Bisexual Awareness Week, capping it off with Bi Visibility Day last Friday. Despite being a part of the LGBTQ+ community, many bisexual people still do not feel like they are accepted by other members of the community. Despite it being 2022, there is still a lot of confusion surrounding bisexuality, as well as what is referred to as “bi erasure,” the idea that bisexuality is not real, and bi people are simply confused gay people that have not realized they are gay yet. Another equally problematic belief about bi people is the belief that they are more likely to cheat on their partner, another belief that has no basis in reality. Your sexual orientation is in no way related to whether or not they will cheat on their partner.addition, when it comes to bi erasure, both bi men and women are attacked for different reasons. Bi men are often seen as closeted gay men, while Bi women who are in relationships with men are often viewed as less than within the LGBTQ+ community. With all of this in mind, it can be very difficult for bi people to feel accepted, which is why Bi Visibility Day is so important. Everyone who identifies as bisexual deserves to be seen, deserves to be acknowledged, and deserves to be accepted. include celebrities that have come out as bisexual (or have become celebrities while already being bisexual ) in 2022. Each of these celebrities have made their mark in different ways, and they all prove that the bi community is a diverse commu nity with people from all backgrounds and walks of life.

Courtesy of CBS Since his first appearance on “Survivor,” Lusth has become one of the most iconic contestants to ever play the game.

Ozzy Lusth- Although Lusth only recently came out as bisexual in April of 2022, he has been a consistent presence on the CBS reality tv show “Survivor” ever since his first appearance 16 years ago in their 13th season “Cook Islands” where he made it to the end of the game and only lost by one vote. Throughout Lusth’s time on the show, he became known for being a provider for his tribe, proving to be an expert fisherman and being able to hold his breath underwater for up to five minutes. Since then, he has competed on “Survivor: Micronesia,” “South Pacific” and “Game Changers.” In his four seasons, Lusth has set a record for most individual challenge wins as well as most combined days in the game without winning (as well as third overall,) with an impressive 128 combined days playing “Survivor.”

Courtesy of CBS If he were to win, Turner would become the first bisexual winner of “Big Brother” in its over 20 year history

Matthew Turner- A fellow CBS reality tv star, Matthew Turner (only referred to by his last name) is a houseguest on the current season of Big Brother, andis considered a favorite to win if he makes it to the final two due to his challenge wins and social skills. Though he had already come out to his family as bisexual, Turner recently was seen having a conversation with fellow houseguest Monte Taylor in which he talked about how he realized he was bisexual at a young age, when he was interested in both men and women. Turner also noted that, although his family supported his coming out, he still felt ostracized. “It took me years to realize that I didn’t have to pick one label that didn’t fit, or another label that didn’t fit. I could honestly just be myself,” said Turner in a confessional aired on the show.

Courtesy of Shutterstock Ellis was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the 2021 film “King Richard.”

Aunjanue Harris- Harris rose to prominence through her role as Oracine Price, the mother and coach of tennis players Serena and Venus Williams. Harris had already been out to her friends and family, but she first made her sexuality public by wearing a suit jacket with the word “Queer” on the arm written in rhinestones to the “Essence” Black Women in Hollywood Awards. In an interview with Variety Magazine, Harris said “the way that I live my life, around the people that I live my life around, I am public about it.” She also said that those close to her have made comments that have hurt her. Harris addressed these comments in a mass text in which she said “when you say things, when you have felt your most intimate with me, that are queerphobic, you are talking about me.. And it hurts.”

Despite tough loss, the Hawks stay eager

Four Goal-Scorers Bring RWU Field Hockey to Fourth Win

Emily Rosen Herald Contributor

Roger Williams University’s Field Hockey team is off to one of the best starts in program history. The Hawks secured their fourth straight win of the season on Wednesday when they defeated the Westfield State University Owls, 5-0. Two of the five goals were scored by freshman forward Hannah Timbrouck, which doubled her goals scored so far this season.

“It just felt really good to get those goals,” she said. “It was a big game for us.” The two other goals in the first half were scored by freshman forward Chelsea King, senior forward/midfielder and captain Carolyn Bauman. Junior forward/ midfielder Kelly Doherty closed out the game by scoring the Hawks’ fifth goal with less than five minutes left.

“I thought it was great that we had so many different goal-scorers,” said Head Coach Jill Reeve after the game. “We’re just playing together, really well.”

The Hawks were not only a powerhouse when it came to scoring. Passing and movement were a big part of the team’s strategy.

“We worked a lot on our skeletal

passing, on transferring around the field,” Timbrouck said. “We were just connecting all our passes, and it looked so good on the field.”

That connection did not exclude the defense and goalkeepers. The team successfully defended multiple corner plays from the Owls, along with other breakaway attempts.

“Our defensive unit and our goalies played really well today,” Coach Reeve added as well.

In the first half, sophomore goalkeeper Jill Haudenshield did not even touch the ball to make a save, due to the skill of the defense.

Freshman goalkeeper Hannah Brazil took over in the second half and made three saves, leading the Hawks to a shutout.

Fans rallied around the team for this well-earned win - and before it, when they joined the players in an a-cappella rendition of the National Anthem after the stadium speakers stopped working.

Since the win against WSU, the Hawks played Endicott College - their first conference game - and took their first loss of the season, and Eastern Connecticut State University, at which they won 2-1.

Mia Pantano Herald Contributor

Roger Williams University’s Men’s Soccer was held scoreless in a tough non-conference matchup against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). However, head coach, James Greenslit, is looking forward to his team’s fiery response to the rest of the season.

The Hawks battled hard in a physical game against the Goats of WPI. They were unable to hold practice in preparation for the matchup due to a rescheduled game being played this past Sunday. With the Goats scoring their first goal within the first 6 minutes, the Hawks knew they had their work cut out for them - and were fired up. Despite many opportunities on offense, with the Hawks outshooting the Goats 20 to 14, it seems as though the Hawks just came out unlucky. The Goats would go on to score two more times before the half, but the Hawks never lost their spirit.

The Hawks came into the second half ready for redemption; the offense was focused and the defense remained locked in. Unfortunately, the Hawks would ultimately fall to WPI with a 5-0 loss, which Coach Greenslit noted

was the same outcome as their game against the Goats last season.

“They had an incredible first goal and we let it snowball. It’s one of those where you just have to tip your hat and say ‘congratulations’,” Greenslit said. Despite the loss, Coach Greenslit is looking forward to facing their next challenging opponent. “Our guys know where Gordon finished last year - as our conference champions. We cannot fall apart as a team and we must respond in a positive way before our practice on Thursday. This will give us the competitive edge we need to face Gordon on Saturday”.

“We have to stick together as a team, come into practice focused, and prepare as best we can”, sophomore midfielder John Fogarty said.

Greenslit added, “I’m really excited about where we are as a team. We have a great group of guys that are coachable, that work hard, that came in fit, and are hungry. We’re not letting one performance define our season. It is something we can learn from”.

The Hawks may have fallen in a 5-0 loss, but they maintain a 5-1-2 season record. They will travel to Bridgewater State University on Tuesday, September 27 to face the Bears at 3:30 P.M.

Emily Rosen/Hawks Herald Sophomore defender Abigail Stevens and sophomore goalkeeper Jill Haudenshield share their excitement for the game as they step onto the field to start Wednesday’s game against Westfield State.

Emily Rosen/Hawks Herald Field Hockey Captains Carolyn Bauman (left), Brooklyn Cenatiempo (middle), and Hunter Phillips (right) ringing the bell to signify their victory.