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Volume CII, Issue 7
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NEW YORK, OCTOBER 13, 2020
MC Sees 10 New Positive COVID-19 Test Results, Changes to Spring Semester C. Garrett Keidel Social Media Editor
The Clothesline Project Returns The annual display raising awareness about domestic violence retunred to campus last week. GABRIELLA DEPINHO / THE QUADRANGLE
Hands On Lab Instruction Now Requires Remote Creativity Kelly Kennedy & Victor Frano
Asst. Production Editor & Staff Writer Manhattan College has implemented a hybrid mode of teaching this semester due to COVID-19, allowing students to complete classes both online and in-person. For students in STEM classes, remote learners have a new challenge of completing labs online instead of in a traditional hands-on learning experience. Kelly Dagget-Nemesh, the director of general chemistry labs at the college, spoke on the challenges presented with online learning in a class setting meant to be taught in person. “It is definitely different,
Dagget-Nemesh said. “I have challenges because I can’t see the students and so I don’t know what their struggles are. While as when they’re inperson, I can see what they’re struggling with and I can help them and I can talk with them one-on-one in class to let them know where they can improve.” For students who are inperson, Dagget-Nemash finds teaching lab classes is still a challenge. With COVID-19 regulations, students lose much of the social aspect that she believes important. “Part of teaching lab is that it is social,” Dagget-Nemesh said. “Coming to the lab is a social event, and we don’t have that. With a limited number of students in class it is very quiet, and students that are remote aren’t interacting as much either.”
IN FEATURES: Fire Safety Updates Voices on the for Covid-19 Regu- Quad: Thoughts on the Presidenlations on p.4 tial Debate on p.7
IN NEWS:
The connection and social aspect of class is also lost online, as students are unable to work together or chat when watching an online lecture. There is no way for remote students to be there during class in real time, because there are no projectors or technology within the college’s laboratories. “I feel like there’s no connection remotely,” said DaggetNemesh. “I can send an email, but it’s not the same. I miss the interaction with people,” Dagget-Nemesh held a survey for her students to get a feel of how students are adapting to the new way of teaching. She found that many students miss the social interaction, and feel they would learn better inperson. “I did a brief survey, and a lot of the remote students had
In an email to Manhattan College students, employees and parents sent out on Oct. 8, Manhattan College announced that there have been 10 positive cases of COVID-19 recorded from off-campus testing results within the last 14 days. Eight of the 10 cases were related and the last positive result came from a test conducted on Sept. 30. Over 700 tests have been completed on campus through Enzo Clinical Labs and in the last 14 days, 76 tests from offcampus testing facilities were processed through Health Services. At the time of announcement 151 test results were pending. The college also announced a new testing partnership with Imperial Pharmacy, in addition to the existing partnership with Enzo Clinical Labs. This will give students, faculty and staff greater access to COVID-19 testing, now making testing available four days a week, rather than just two days. This new partnership also comes with a new flexibility in testing times. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, when Imperial Pharmacy is conducting the tests, testing will be available from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. in Smith Auditorium. When Enzo Clinical Labs is conducting the testing on Wednesdays and Fridays, community members can get tested between 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Those who are getting their test done through Imperial Pharmacy are required to bring a photo ID and provide
IN A&E:
Jasper Jams Gets Spooky on p. 9
their Manhattan College email address. Those who are getting their test done through Enzo Clinical Labs are required to provide a photo ID and insurance card. As of Oct. 7, the college maintained a positive test rate of 1.4 percent which was below the test rate of New York City at 1.5 percent at the time of the announcement. The college will continue to conduct surveillance testing for students on campus. Students selected to participate have one week after being notified of their selection to get tested. Failure to do so will result in the student receiving an orange pass, and will not be allowed to be on campus other than to take a COVID-19 test. In addition to updating the college community on testing, Manhattan College announced there would be several changes to the Spring 2021 calendar. Announced first was the canceling of spring break for the Spring semester. “Due to the continued uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, there will be no spring break in the spring 2021 semester,” college leadership wrote in the email. “This was not an easy decision, but is a necessary one for the continued health and safety of our community.” To compensate for the now missing week off, the semester will start a week later on Wednesday, Jan. 27. Students will still have off from April 1 to April 5 for the Easter holiday. The schedule for the end of the term will remain unchanged.
IN SPORTS:
Community Service in Manhattan Athletics on p.12
Opinions & Editorials
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the Quadrangle Volume CII, Issue 7 October 13, 2020
The Editorial Board Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief
Maria Thomas News Editor
Nicole Fitzsimmons Anna Woods Asst. News Editors
Alexa Schmidt Arts & Entertainment Editor Managing Editor
Jilleen Barrett Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
Christine Nappi Features Editor Pete Janny Sports Editor Managing Editor C. Garrett Keidel Social Media Editor Brian Asare Photography Editor
Whit Anderson Asst. Sports Editor Samantha Walla Production Manager Emily Hollar Asst. Photography Editor Asst. Production Editor
Kelly Kennedy Nicole Rodriguez Asst. Production Editor Madalyn Johnson Katherine Heneghan Web Editors Nicholas Gilewicz Faculty Advisor About The Quadrangle A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism. The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body.
Join The Quadrangle The Quadrangle’s staff holds weekly open meetings on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. in Kelly Commons Room 412. All are welcome to come and join the club. Connect with The Quadrangle
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LET T ER from The Editor Dear readers, I hope you took a chance to enjoy the long weekend. I personally spent four hours on Saturday wandering around Van Cortlandt Park, enjoying all the trails, especially the Putnam Greenway, which just reopened this past week. I also went to An Beal Bocht to enjoy outdoor dining with some friends and I called my older sister. What I did this weekend seems relatively unimportant, and it might be to you. But this weekend, despite all of the homework, grad school and fellowship applications piling up, I took the time to enjoy the people and places around me. You don’t need another think piece on why the novel coronavirus has reminded us that time is fleeting and we should spend time doing the things we love with the people we love. But I think, in the middle of the semester, right around midterms, it’s so easy to forget that there is more to life than working nonstop. I hope you remember, between your papers to write and your papers to grade, to look up and look around. Speaking of looking up and looking around, a lot of our reporting in this week’s issue did just that. Social Media Editor C. Garrett Keidel gives you the quick updates on COVID-19 cases and its effects on campus life, Julian Tiburico’s feature on CMSA only takes you a few blocks away, and my story on The Clothesline Project brought you out to the quadrangle. Pete Janny, Jocelyn Visnov and Matthew Sweeney’s article on the service athletes are and have been doing is another great example of finding something wonderful just by looking around. This week, I encourage you to look up and look around. You can’t smile at strangers so easily when you’re masked up, but you can stop, take in the world, and find another small way to make it better. Write to me and tell me what you see when you do. Have a great week.
Sincerely,
Gabriella DePinho
Editor-in-Chief Corrections
Last week the news article titled “The Last Stop Welcomes Friendly Fridge to Fight Food Insecurity” was attributed to Caroline McCarthy. Anna Woods also co-wrote this piece.
OCTOBER 13, 2020
Opinions & Editorials
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October is Breast Cancer Aawareness Month: Here’s Why You Should Care Christine Nappi Features Editor
When I first found out my mom had breast cancer I didn’t know how to feel– scared, nervous, worried, all of the above. She had cancer. Cancer. I knew Cancer was a very real disease, but I never thought something like this would happen to her. Cancer was always a world away from me– yet one day I blinked and all of a sudden it became my world. I feel blessed to say that my mom’s battle with cancer wasn’t an arduous one. As her doctors told her, she only had “stage zero” breast cancer. She had to have surgery to remove a small cancerous tumor to prevent it from spreading and growing, followed by weeks of radiation therapy. When my mom first told me about having cancer, she mentioned how lots of women her age undergo a similar process to cure stage zero. She assured me that she would be fine in the end– and she was for a little while until the cancer returned and she was back to stage zero. After repeating the treatment process again, today she is thankfully cancer-free! I thank God every day that my mom’s case of cancer wasn’t that severe and treatable
for the most part. My family truly feels blessed, because we know that most aren’t as lucky and fight to battle cancer in unimaginable ways. Although my mom recovered and is cancer-free, the experience opened my eyes to how dangerous and common of a disease it is. Cancer became very real for me when my mom mentioned she had it, and even though she said she’d be fine, I was still scared of what could happen. Yet this fear motivated me to care more about this disease and I felt inspired to help other women and their families. That is why I want to write this article: to help educate others, raise awareness for breast cancer, and ultimately fight for a cure. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month– a time of year to highlight the importance of breast cancer awareness. Last year, I had the opportunity to participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in Central Park with over 50,000 other survivors and supporters. It was truly beautiful to see so many people come together and fight for this important cause. Although the walk won’t be happening this year because of the pandemic, donations are still encouraged, as COVID-19 is greatly impacting this cause and preventing pa-
tients from receiving the care they need. According to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, a branch of the American Cancer Society, 79 percent of cancer patients receive delayed assistance and care as a result of the pandemic. Additionally, COVID-19 will reduce the organization’s ability to fund research by 50 percent. Fighting for this cause is important now more than ever, and you have the power to make a difference by contributing to this cause. Everyone has been impacted by cancer in some way or another. Whether it’s a friend, family member, friend of a friend, acquaintance– we all are unfortunately impacted by cancer. For some, this impact is more severe, and for others it’s not. Regardless of the degree of impact, we can all conclude that cancer is real, despite how far-removed we may feel from it at times. So, what can you do? Although October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the awareness and battle should continue beyond just this month. We may feel hopeless at times, but know you’re not alone. Whether it’s raising awareness or donating to the cause, always maintain faith and continue to fight for a cure. For more information, please visit the American Cancer Society at cancer.org.
SUBMIT YOUR OWN LET T ER OR OP-ED Letters to the Editor or an op-ed may be submitted to thequad@ manhattan.edu by Saturday at noon to be considered for publication. Profanity, vulgarity and hate will not be published. The Quadrangle reserves the right not to publish a letter.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer is a walk that occurs in Central Park each October to raise awarness for breast cancer. Although the walk was cancelled this year due to COVID-19, it is crucial to continue to raise awareness during national breast cancer awareness month.
CHRISTINE NAPPI / THE QUADRANGLE
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Hands on Lab Instruction Now Requires Remote Creativity __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 said that they wish they were on-campus to do in-person labs,” said Dagget-Nemesh. “It definitely is kind of boring to just watch a video.” It is important to note that the department has made adjustments for students who are remote for the fall semester. Students who are learning from home were shipped their lab manuals with no extra cost for shipping. Students who are in-person also had to pay for their lab goggles, but the remote students did not. Kevin Heredia is a fresh-
man majoring in civil engineering who is currently enrolled in a laboratory style class for chemistry. He found it difficult to adjust to remote labs in replacement of a traditionally physical learning environment. “I feel like I’m really missing out on the college experience, and the chemistry lab experience,” said Heredia. Due to the pandemic, Heredia has to take a chemistry lab remotely through pre-recorded videos. Heredia explained that he is a visual learner who likes to physically be in class. He understands that the lab during COVID-19 is not physically available for every student, but
he described the difficulty of learning in a lab class through videos. “I feel like if I was there learning hands-on, it would be another way of learning, and give me another understanding of chemistry because now remotely it’s really not working out,” Heredia said. Many students have felt the same frustrations as Heredia. Khalil Ibrahim, another freshman civil engineering student, is also taking a chemistry lab remotely and has felt that the lab procedure has been very hectic. “The procedure has been kind of difficult because look-
ing at videos of my lab teacher and doing the labs remotely doesn’t allow me to really take in what the teacher is saying and what is happening,” Ibrahim said. Ibrahim described that learning chemistry without physically being in the laboratory is challenging for him because it’s more difficult to absorb the new information. “You’re not doing the experiment yourself, so you can’t really process anything,” Ibrahim said. Dagget-Nemesh hopes that by the Spring 2021 semester the college will be better adapted to fit hybrid-style labs.
“I’m hoping that next semester will be better,” she said. “I was told we are supposed to be moving into the new Higgins building, so I am hoping that we are able to have more in-person labs. Also, I think in the new labs there are projectors, so it is possible for the remote students to join us during the actual lab. That way we will be able to see and talk with them more.”
Manhattan College Updates Fire Safety Rules For Covid Regulations Lauren Raziano Contributor
On Sept. 28, Public Safety sent an email to the Manhattan College community regarding updated fire safety guidelines in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The email provided updated information regarding how to practice fire safety in accordance to COVID guidelines. The email stated, “ Fire and life safety remain a priority at Manhattan College, even as COVID concerns are being addressed. There is no relaxation of the New York State Fire Code provisions regarding occupant alarm response due to COVID.” Peter DeCaro, the director of Public Safety, worked on updating the policy to reflect COVID-19 safety standards. “COVID has impacted everyone’s life,” DeCaro said. “The College is managing the safety of our students and employees as well as complying with all governmental guidelines that have been put forth.” “This is clearly a huge undertaking,” DeCaro said. “Public Safety’s expanded role during COVID includes education and re-enforcement of College COVID policies, including the requirement that all employees and students complete the daily symptom tracker everyday they’re on campus.”. To update the fire safety
precautions for COVID, the email stated that taking the closest safe exit in the event of a fire emergency “preempts any temporary COVID-related designation of single direction corridors or stairs.” If there is a fire alarm, all persons should wear a face covering and maintain social distancing when evacuating, waiting in assembly areas, and re-entering the building. DeCaro addressed the question of whether people will remember to follow the COVID safety guidelines in the panicked state experienced during a real fire. In theory, if people are faced with heavy breathing from running and inhaling smoke, they will probably take off their masks and cough. “If there were an actual fire and conditions included the presence of fire and or smoke, persons evacuating would have to make a personal judgment call regarding the wearing of a mask in those circumstances, which might actually be helpful in a smoke environment,” DeCaro said. There is also the issue of people crowding the stairwells and cramming through doors, not being able to maintain six feet distance. “During any building evacuation, evacuees should never crowd, keep some distance between each other, and exit quickly but calmly,” DeCaro said. “This would be the same
guideline during COVID.” Pamela Moleri, a freshman who was in Horan Hall for quarantine at the beginning of the semester, explained that the fire dill exposed problems with following COVID regulations. “So the first fire drill I experienced I was in quarantine, in Horan Hall, and I was actually in an online class, and I had to leave because the fire drill was going on,” Moleri said. “This was really odd considering most of the people there were in quarantine and were not supposed to be in contact with other people, so that was not really a safe situation. If an actual fire was going on, I could’ve understood it, but it was just a drill. It was not really a safe situation.” This fire drill occurred prior to Public Safety sending out an updated fire safety policy with COVID-19 in mind. Moleri was also present during the Oct. 7 fire drill in Leo Engineering Hall. “In Leo there was another fire drill and I guess it was safer since they were not subject to quarantine or anything like that so it was ok to be able to go out and be surrounded by other people,” Moleri said. It is important to keep the campus safe during fire drills or in serious emergencies. “Let’s help keep each other safe – please wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines,” DeCaro said.
Students evacuate Lee Hall for a fire drill on Oct. 7.
LAUREN RAZIANO / THE QUADRANGLE
Features
OCTOBER 13, 2020
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“Agitating the Charism: Olga Segura on BLM and the Catholic Church” Kyla Guilfoil Staff Writer
The Black Lives Matter movement has permeated society in a deeper way than it ever has before. There have been countless protests, social media posts, t-shirts made, face masks worn and statements from politicians, organizations and companies all regarding the movement. In America right now it is virtually impossible for an organization to avoid stating an opinion on BLM. And yet, that is what the Catholic Church has appeared to do. Olga Segura, a freelance writer and an Afro-Domincan member of the Catholic community, has written a book called “Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church,” that will be published in January 2021. During the virtual event, titled “Agitating the Charism,” Segura spoke to MC faculty and students about her book, her emotional process through it and the issue of racism within our society and the Catholic church. “Agitating the Charism” is a series of events hosted by the Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center that hopes to expose students to speakers that demonstrate how to speak out within an institution and fight for their truth. “[When the LWGRC was beginning] students were saying that they wished they had a model of how you speak truth to power, how you say this is what is wrong with this institution, from a place of love and believing in it, but wanting it to change,” Jordan Pascoe, professor of critical race studies and co-director of the LWGRC, said. “And so that’s what ‘Agitating the Charism’ is, it is our attempt to bring in people who can help give students a model for what that kind of work within our tradition would look like.” According to Pascoe, Segura filled this role excellently. Segura’s book was originally going to be a history of the BLM
movement for Christians to learn and connect their faith to, in order to help them feel more comfortable talking about racism. However, the events of 2020 completely changed her approach. “My book was due June 30, and on June 1, I completely scrapped everything that I had for this book, because it just didn’t match the state of the world, it didn’t match where I was politically, or where I was spiritually,” Segura said. “It became less ‘let me help white Catholics understand what racism is’ and became more of ‘no, no, no, every person in our church is complicit in racism and here is why you have to acknowledge your privilege, here’s why you have to acknowledge your own white supremacy, and really start to engage, not just with the BLM movement, but with every racial justice movement that is doing the work that the church is unfortunately not doing.” The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has not made any official statement acknowledging the BLM movement. However, in the past year, there have been many protests and statements made from the Catholic community in opposition to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions placed on their worship services. “There’s a willingness to protest that, and not a willingness to protest about [BLM],” Pascoe said. “I have noticed what various institutions have decided to get up in arms about and what they have decided to be silent about. It is not that the Catholic church is not making political statements, it is that it is choosing not to make this political statement.” In 2018, Segura spoke to one of the founders of BLM, Alicia Garza. During that conversation, Garza emphasized that the Catholic church does have a place in the movement, but they have to want it. Segura came away from this conversation with a validated belief that the Catholic church would be welcomed by BLM — only if they joined with open minds and with support for it.
By seeing her church’s silent stance this year, Segura has been forced to evaluate its complicity. “There was this complete devastation that happened after I finished the book, because I spent a month and a half essentially just sitting with these really profound ideas about capitalism, and about racism,” Segura said. “The Catholic church is complicit in all of these things, and I was in a really, really dark place in July, and I was like, ‘I don’t know how my faith is going to take me out of this.’” Lois Harr, a professor of religious studies and the vice president of Campus Ministry and Social Action at MC, spoke out about the importance of the church making a statement about BLM. She cited the sacraments, a series of religious ceremonies that Catholics stand by as critical parts of their faith. Harr believes by withholding a statement the church is not fulfilling the ideals of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. “The first part is you have to be sorry and you have to own up to it,” Harr said. “You have to tell somebody these bad things, out loud. You have to have a firm purpose of amendment. You have to be committed to changing your ways. So you have to be sorry, you have to say it all out loud, you have to promise to be different, and then you have to be different. That’s what Reconciliation is, at the very least.” As Segura demonstrated in her presentation, many Catholics of color have had to acknowledge the complicity of racism in their church. Segura remarked how this complicity is likely due to the church’s hierarchy not wanting to go against a system that gives them power. Both Segura and Harr spoke about the abundance of white male power in the church’s hierarchy and how that makes it natural for a Bishop to adopt white supremacist ways in order to fit the mold. There is actually a very large population of Catholics of color in America despite the stereotype of them mostly being
white. According to research conducted by Georgetown’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, in 2016, 40 percent of the American Catholic population was found to be Hispanic. Considering that in 2016 Hispanics only made up an estimated 18 percent of the US population, this figure is substantial. Despite the presence of Catholics of color in America, Harr and Segura noted that Catholic services led by nonwhite groups may be looked down upon by traditional, white Catholics. Segura argued that internalized colonialism has led to the division of Hispanic and Black people, which directly has affected Segura, who identifies as both Dominican and Black. She sees the conflict in her birth-country, the Dominican Republic, where colonialism by white settlers led to an internalized anti-blackness in the Dominican descendants, despite a large presence of African diaspora in the Latin American countries. Pascoe remarked that it is impossible to reference Latinx or African American people without also acknowledging the processes of colonialism that have given those groups their names. Colonialism is much more present in our lives than we realize. “Colonialism is more than [what we historically consider it],” Pascoe said. “It is a way of knowing the world, and it is a way of placing ourselves in the world and replacing the world around us. The structures of redlining, of gentrification, of segregation, the carceral state, our policies of policing, all of those are just mock considerations of colonialism. It’s the same logic. So we are still repeating colonialism.” Segura’s book tackles all of these topics of systemic racism, capitalism and the Catholic church, and she hopes it will be a way to help more people think about these things and how to start shifting power from the white, traditional Catholic leaders in our country to those communities that have
been disproportionately disadvantaged since the founding of our country. Before the BLM movement, Segura hadn’t seen how obviously the Catholic religion is told through a white lens. “What is the role for someone like me in this church, someone who’s trying to figure out what her identity is, the role that her faith can be, and my book really challenged me to do that, but it was also really hard to just sit with your church’s sins,” Segura said. Harr emphasized this ideal as a woman, as she has experienced exclusion in her church because of her sex. “As a woman, I think God includes me, but I don’t always think the church includes me,” Harr said. “I try not to let it diminish my faith, but the institution gets my doubt.” Pascoe furthered this idea, asserting that white women can use this comparison as a way to begin understanding racism in the church and in the country. “Black lives matter works a little bit like ‘believe women’ in the MeToo movement,” Pascoe said. “In making the claim [that Black Lives Matter], in showing up, you are admitting that in fact black lives often do not matter. When you say believe women, you are articulating the ways that we don’t believe women. There’s some cognitive work that one has to do for BLM to feel urgent and true if you’ve spent your whole life actively not understanding that the American system is organized to devalue black lives.” Segura hopes her book will convince Catholics to stand behind the BLM movement, because she believes that any movement fighting for black life is one that is worthy in itself, regardless of where you stand. “I want to see our church leaders show that they care about my life, the life of the people that I admire, and the life of the people that I love,” Segura said.
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Local Escape to Provide a Peaceful Retreat for Students Amid Pandemic Julian Tiburcio Contributer
Between worries about COVID-19 and upcoming midterms, students at Manhattan College are in need of a break. Fortunately, Campus Ministry and Social Action has organized the Local Escape retreat for students to safely socialize and unwind. Conor Reidy, the campus minister for CMSA, wanted to organize an in-person retreat for students that would provide an enriching experience for students while keeping everyone safe. “I believe we can find ways to connect with our community, find God in the spirit in nature,” he wrote through email. “We decided the local escape retreat would be an excellent way to have a mini-retreat experience in our own backyard.” Due to COVID-19, CMSA has had to organize retreats differently than they did in the past. “We [usually] take students to a beautiful retreat location in upstate New York to reflect, enjoy nature, and connect with your peers,” Reidy wrote. With social distancing guidelines and many students taking classes remotely this semester, an overnight retreat like this isn’t possible, so exploring the local areas around the college’s neighborhood is the next best option. The Local Escape retreat will take place every other Sunday this fall, according to their
A picture from one of last year’s overnight retreats. Although the retreats are local this year, CMSA hopes students will still partake and experience the peace and reflection that retreats bring.
CONNOR REIDY / COURTESY web page, and each day will be at a different location around the neighborhood. “We wanted to have three different dates because there are so many parklands, trails, and nature preserves to explore in walking distance in our neighborhood,” Reidy wrote. “You can expect to have similar experiences on each retreat however it will be unique by the fact that new people will be on each retreat, we will have new leaders, and we will be exploring new parks.” This is the first time that CMSA has organized a retreat like this one. “This semester, we decided to try to be a little creative with
ways in which we can offer these sorts of reflective experiences to our student body.” wrote Reidy. “The local escape retreat was our solution for creating an in-person retreat that could be accessible to the whole student body while maintaining social distancing guidelines.” Daniel Hernandez, a sophomore, thinks the idea of a local retreat will be beneficial to students. “It’s local, so people can find new places to visit around the school,” Hernandez said. “Some new students might not know the area well, so they could get more familiar with it like this. I think it’s also a good
way to meet new people.” Harriet Swager, a senior who is learning remotely this semester, has been very involved in Campus Ministry’s retreats both as a participant and retreat leader. “I love retreats because they offer time away from the busyness of school, work and social lives to sit in quietness, to reflect, and to think deeply about your life and the lives of others,” she said. Although the retreat will be local, she hopes that students will still be able to experience the benefits that retreats have to offer through them. While Reidy is unsure of when he can start organizing
overnight retreats again, he still believes that people should find other ways to connect with each other. “In the meantime, I do not think that physical distancing means that we need to be socially distanced,” he wrote. “I believe we can find ways to connect with our community, find God in the spirit in nature, and have moments of peace and reflection in the quiet that comes in nature.”
Wave Hill, a hidden gem of a park, is just a few blocks north of Manhattan College’s campus and will make for a great COVID-19 safe escape.
Conor Reidy wanted to organize an in-person retreat for students that would provide an enriching and safe experience.
WAVE HILL / COURTESY
MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY
Features
OCTOBER 13, 2020
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Thoughts on the Presidential Debate VOICES ON THE QUAD Interviews compiled by Anna Woods and Kelly Kennedy.
Sofía Ramirez Rivas, Sophomore Exercise Science Major
Liam Sawyer, Sophmore Electrical Engineering Major
Giuliana DeLuca, Senior Communication Major
I am from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
I am from Staten Island, New York.
I’m from Westchester County, New York.
If you are comfortable with sharing, who are you voting for? I am undecided.
If you are comfortable with sharing, who are you voting for? I’m going to vote for President Trump.
What are the three most important issues for you? The issues I care most strongly about are climate change, equality, mental health, and the economy.
What are the three most important issues for you? The most important issues for me are the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and foreign policy.
How did you feel about the first presidential debate (9/ 28)? This debate was not what I expected it to be, it even made me laugh watching it. It seemed like a joke where nothing was being said except for some back and forth bickering and insults. It felt like I was watching a TV show about high school teens and their drama, instead of a presidential political debate.
How did you feel about the first presidential debate (9/ 28)? I felt that the debate was really predictable. I knew that they would disagree with each other, but the interruptions were frustrating. Despite the interruptions, I thought that both candidates did their best to answer questions in the limited time that they had. I also thought Chris Wallace did his best. I feel like he challenged both candidates. He also brought up relevant topics and issues that the nation is facing.
If you are comfortable with sharing, who are you voting for? If I could vote, I would vote for Biden. The reason I cannot vote for the President of the US is because I live in Puerto Rico. Even though I am a US citizen, PR has been a US colony since 1898 and we have always been treated as second class citizens. We can serve in the army but we can’t vote. Also, President Trump came down here after Hurricane Maria and threw paper towels at us and insisted that FEMA did a fantastic job, which they did not. What are the three most important issues for you? The three most important issues for me are climate change, LGBT rights, and women’s rights. How did you feel about the first presidential debate (9/ 28)? I think the debate was chaotic. I honestly don’t think neither of them got their point across because they were always talking over each other and fighting. Did it change your opinion at all? I still would never vote for Trump even if I could because it goes against my morals and values. He is an ignorant, racist, homophobic, xenophobic man who has divided the U.S. even more than what it already is Did you watch the vice presidential debate (10/7)? how did you feel about it? Did it change anything? Yes I did watch the VP debate and I though it was just ridiculous. I feel like Pence avoided answering the questions and only stuck to certain things to talk about like the COVID vaccine for example. He was also very disrespectful to Kamala. I loved how Kamala didn’t tolerate him talking over her or his interrupting. In the end it just reassured me even more than the Trump/Pence administration is a disaster and they shouldn’t be in office in the first place. Biden and Kamala are definitely my choice for the upcoming elections.
Did it change your opinion at all? Honestly, it did not. Hopefully the second debate is better but I don’t have high hopes. I hoped to learn more about the candidates but after watching, it only solidified the ideas I already had of who they were. Did you watch the vice presidential debate (10/7)? How did you feel about it? Did it change anything? I did watch the VP debate and I definitely believe Harris won over Pence. She made some great points on her end while Pence could not stop interrupting her. I don’t think the VP debate changed my feelings but more so what’s going with the Trump and the Supreme Court. Two of the justices made it clear that they will do everything they can to overturn gay marriage rights and the new justice that Trump is appointing made her stance on LGBTQ rights in a negative way. That’s a major issue for me so at this moment I am really undecided who I am going to vote for.
Did it change your opinion at all? The debate didn’t change my mind. I honestly feel like the debates do not change people’s minds. People who like Trump are still going to support him and people who like Biden are still going to support him too. Maybe town halls would be more persuasive. Unfortunately, I do not have a solution to this problem.
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Arts & Entertainment
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THE QUADRANGLE
An Ode to New York City in “Rules of Civility” BOOK NOOK Alexa Schmidt
A&E and Managing Editor
“Rules of Civility” takes place in New York City in 1938. There are three main protagonists: Eve, Katey and Tinker. Katey and Eve are scheming roommates who search for the cheapest way to have fun, and Tinker is the mysterious man who falls into their lives. Author Amor Towles reconstructs our beloved city from scratch and makes plenty of references to the people and places that have since become iconic. Eve is a country girl from Indiana, who throws herself into the fray and the laps of men who just might buy her a drink. Constantly on the hunt for some adrenaline-racing adventures, Eve takes Katey along with her. A little more reserved and quiet, with the ability to step back and reflect on her experiences rather than live in the moment, Katey is the one who brings Eve back down to earth. Told from Katey’s point of view, the readers get a glimpse of what it must have been like to sit in Russian bars at a time when political turmoil and differences were forgotten over a glass of vodka. Yes, a whole glass. Tinker is a wealthy banker who steps into the path of these women at just the right time. Amused at Eve’s flirtation, but taken with
Katey’s nature, it is easy to tell who Tinker prefers. But as he enters a relationship with Eve due to unforeseen circumstances, there still seems to be a lingering “what if?” in the scenes between Tinker and Katey. However this is not a love story, but an ode to a time and era where everything seemed magical. As Katey moves through life, she encounters socialites, artists, writers, drunks, doormen and editors, all in a whirlwind of a series of events over the course of a year, with New York City’s glittering lights as the backdrop. People move in and out of her life as she navigates friendships, relationships and being alone. Katey learns what it means to be born into money, as opposed to earning it yourself. She learns how to build a career, from working as a secretary to finding success with “Gotham” magazine. And she learns what it means to preserve oneself in a world that constantly wants you to change. Throughout “Rules of Civility,” Katey has missed chances, encounters marked by fate and decisions that altered the course of her life. She reflects on what it means to live an international life, and continuously asks herself what is in her control, and what simply is not. Do destinies exist, and if they do, how must one escape? And more importantly, how must we make the most of our
lives? These are the questions that pervade each character in “Rules of Civility,” and either spur them into action or have the opposite effect. There are many parallels between the 1930s and today in New York City. Yes, the city itself has evolved but the intention has remained the same. People from all walks of life have traveled to New York City to chase their dreams, some youthful, and some older, but many who are just trying to lead authentic lives and find their purpose when the world around them seems to be falling apart. “Rules of Civility” makes the readers yearn for a nostalgic time we have never experienced. It leaves us with a sense of longing for people who would have shown us a good party, for the hole-in-wall jazz bars with performers who will play all night and for an era gone. If this book should teach you anything, it is to trust the timing in your life. Just remember, whatever happens, it will be exciting, volatile, disappointing, unpredictable and the best time you’ve ever had. So soak it up, and treat yourself to a cocktail while you’re at it.
“Rules of Civility” was read on a handy Kindle - easy to read in between class times. ALEXA SCHMIDT / THE QUADRANGLE
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OCTOBER 13, 2020
Arts & Entertainment
9
Jasper Jams: It’s Spooky Season JASPER JAMS Gabriella DePinho & Alexa Schmidt
Editor-in-Chief & A&E Editor As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, the spooky vibes are creeping in. Maybe you’ve already carved a jack-o’-lantern, watched your favorite Halloween movie with friends or started decorating with fake spiderwebs and 100 percent fake skulls. If not, you better get started so you don’t miss out on one of the most exciting, haunting and horrifying times of the year. While we may not be able to go to haunted houses and dress up as ghoulish creatures for parties thanks to the pandemic, we can still get our spooky on and celebrate in small ways. We’re kicking the (COVID-19 safe and socially distant) party off for you with this small selection of absolutely spooky songs. Alexa’s Picks (Don’t Fear) the Reaper Blue Oyster Cult First of all, one of the best SNL skits out there. Everyone knows this song, and for good reason. It gives me a good laugh but also sets the tone for reading a little spooky literature and some halloween-themed decorating in your dorm room. Are You Sitting Comfortably? - The Moody Blues The Moody Blues’s groovy sound constructs a world filled with magic. Get ready to “ride along the winds of time and see where we have been,” and just picture “the glorious age of Camelot, when Guinevere was Queen.” Less scary, and more about the supernatural that can fill the air late at night when no one else is awake but you. Black Magic Woman Santana
Known for incorporating a little bit of jazz, rock, and Latininfused sound, Santana warns listeners about the black magic woman, who might just put a spell on you and bring you closer to the devil’s door. Talk about spooky. Witchy Woman - The Eagles There seems to be a theme of incredibly beautiful women who sleep with the devil and lure men to their fates. When writing the song, Don Henley was actually inspired by the many women he had met in his lifetime, and famously, at the time, he was reading Zelda Fitzgerald’s biography, and used her as his muse. Midnight City - M83 Had to include this synthpop song from M83’s album “Hurry Up We’re Dreaming” just because it was one of my favorites in middle school. It has
its bouts of popularity, but only the real know how great it was when it first released. I cannot help but feel ready to run down an empty street at midnight and howl at the top of my lungs when this song comes on. Gabs’ Picks Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood Though not a “spooky” song, I think this song sets the scene quite well. This song screams “October” to me, as I imagine it might for a lot of people. But, I think the combination of the harmonies, the phrases “it’s too cold for you here” and “the goosebumps start to raise” makes it the perfect introduction to spooky vibes. Calling All the Monsters China Anne McClain This song is definitely quite a throwback, if anyone even remembers the Disney
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show “A.N.T. Farm.” I don’t remember the show at all, but I remember absolutely being obsessed with this song as the perfect Halloween song. I would even go as far to say as it gives Bobby Pickett’s “Monster Mash” a run for its money. It hasn’t gone out of style at all, just ask my roommate, we heard this blasting from a car parked outside of Overlook on 238th Street. Nightmare - Halsey Halsey has a surprising number of songs that give off the perfect spooky vibes, from “Haunting” to “Graveyard” to this track, I had a few options. I opted for “Nightmare” because it opens with a slightly creepy spoken version of a child’s lullaby prayer, which sets the stage for the rest of the song. Do You Believe In Magic - The Lovin’ Spoonful I first heard this song as a
cover on the soundtrack for the Disney movie “Now You See It…” which, though about a magic competition, is one I always associated with Halloween, since (spoiler alert!) the magic in the movie was real. While the Aly & AJ version of the song is just fine, I do like the original better. I’d Rather Die Than Let You In - The Hunna The title track for The Hunna’s most recent album that came out on Oct. 2, it’s heavy on the guitar and perfect scream along moments. The title also reminds me of the dilemma horror movie characters experience: whether or not to open the door when there’s something dangerous on the other side. The album’s first song has the lyric “it’s a Hunna horror story,” which alludes to this possibly being a concept album, or at least an album that tells a dark, intense story.
Arts & Entertainment
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THE QUADRANGLE
Clothesline Project Hits Quadra Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief
The coronavirus pandemic shut down Manhattan College’s campus during the same week the college was hosting its Women’s Week events, including what would have been the third annual Clothesline Project. Upon returning to campus, members of the Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center (LWGRC) knew the event would have to be hosted this fall and also reimagined to better reflect the current world environment. The Clothesline Project, a global movement meant to bring attention to violence against men, women and children, was brought to Manhattan College’s campus in 2018 by Sophia Singh’18 who used the Multicultural Center to host the event. “What inspired me to take on this project at Manhattan College was the fact that I have heard many stories of women
and men being abused and even raped by their partners and not even realize it,” Singh was quoted as having said on a flyer that was displayed at this year’s event. “The stories written on the shirts for display not only inspired students the year I did it, but it shed light on situations that people suppressed because they thought they were being ridiculous for thinking its abuse,” Singh added. At the time of the first Clothesline Project at Manhattan College, professors and students were getting ready to propose the creation of the center. “So before the Women and Gender Center opened, it started with the multicultural center and so our first year, we did it as a collaboration with the Multicultural Center and after that, they sort of said, ‘you know this is sort of more your jam, you should take this’ and so we did,” Jordan Pascoe, the LWGRC’s co-director and an associate professor of philoso-
phy, said. This year’s Clothesline Project display was initially canceled as campus began to shut down in March; however, when the center decided to bring it back this fall, they intentionally waited until October. “So this year was different because we took a lot of the shirts that had been made last spring and we decided to move it to October because of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” Pascoe said. “We wanted to make sure that if people made shirts in the spring that those shirts got to be displayed one way or another so that’s why we moved it to the fall.” The Clothesline Project, which began in Massachusetts in 1990, was brought to Manhattan’s campus by a student and has remained student-led since its inception on campus. “I think our students are amazing, and really, really, really capable of shaping change and the world around them, and that a lot of the time, it is
The Clothesline Project, a global movement meant to bring attention to violence against men, women and children, was brought to Manhattan College’s campus in 2018 by Sophia Singh’18 who used the Multicultural Center to host the event. GABRIELLA DEPINHO / THE QUADRANGLE
our job to kind of like, get out of students away and ask, like, what do you need to do what you want to do?” Pascoe said. “And to me, the clothesline project has been a particularly powerful example of that for the center because of the way that, you know, it’s really an all hands on deck event in the center, because we do these additional staff hours, and so everyone that can doubles their staffing hours during those weeks.” In their staff hours, student interns, gender justice advocates, and the center’s graduate assistant provide support and company as students make their shirts. “There are plenty of people who would prefer not to be alone when creating a shirt, so that was the idea of staffed hours virtually and in-person last week and we continued those into Monday,” Rabea Ali, the center’s graduate assistant said. “So you don’t have to sit in a room and create one alone, though people do pick up supplies and take them in their dorm and do it in their own time. There are people that I’ve sat with and talked through as they did them.” Schulyer Alpaugh, a junior English and philosophy major and a gender justice advocate for the center, noted that while the center is there to support students who choose to participate, it is always a participant’s choice to be there. “This is meant to be something that’s empowering and it’s meant to be something that makes people feel heard,” she said. “We never want people to feel like they have to [make a shirt] or like, this should never be a stressful experience for someone. It should be cathartic and it should be therapeutic. So if someone doesn’t feel comfortable or doesn’t feel like they should make a shirt, that’s their choice. We’re just here to support them if they feel ready.” Additionally, Manhattan College student leadership has adapted the display to meet and respond to the needs of students at the college. One way they did this was by introducing an additional shirt color. The five original colors each had a specific meaning: white represents people that have died due to violence, yellow represents battered or assault victims, red represents survivors of rape and sexual assault, blue represents survivors of incest or child sexual assault and purple represents people attacked because of their gender identity or sexuality. “There’s a lot of institutions that take part in it,” Ali said. “It is largely higher ed but there are others. We just sort of adapted it to Manhattan and responded as we see fit. An
example of that is up until now, it was the five colors and now we’ve added teal and we’ll go from there.” This year teal as a color option was introduced to represent survivors of digital harassment. “That really came out of ongoing conversations about what form sexual violation is taking in the pandemic,” Pascoe said. “And so we sort of decided that creating space for people to, to name, express and articulate their own experiences in that domain was really important.” This year the LWGRC also decided to hold the project up to a larger context. “One of the things we added this year that I’m really proud of, and that I worked closely with students on was we really wanted to situate the clothesline project in the longer history of anti rape movements in the United States, and to really center the role of Black women and anti-rape movements to make visible the ways in which Black women’s anti-rape activism has been the seed of almost every major social movement in the United States,” Pascoe said. “And so we really wanted to make sure that that was part of the story that we were telling about, you know, what it means to do the work.” The way in which they did this was by having informational flyers on top of the tables that the t-shirts were hanging from. The available historical context information ranged from the 19th century to the 21st, including information about the Me Too movement, founded by Tanara Burke. One flyer included extensive quotes from Burke, who was cited as saying, “I think that the media doesn’t focus on the trauma that people of color experience. The work that we do in the movement centers on the most marginalized people. And so if you only define the Me Too movement by what you read in the media then no, there is not enough representation or even conversation about how sexual violence affects people of color, queer people, disabled people, anybody who is marginalized.” Another flyer read, “Rosa Parks was a militant race woman, a sharp detective, and an anti-rape activist long before she became the patron saint of the bus boycott.” And yet another read, “The history of the rape crisis movement in the United States is also a history of the struggle of Agrican American women against racism and sexism.” Though this historical context was new, it was one way in which students, under the guidance of Pascoe, continued to adapt the event to meet the college’s needs in a changing
OCTOBER 13, 2020
Arts & Entertainment
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angle After Spring Cancellation
This year’s Clothesline Project display was initially canceled as campus began to shut down in March; however, when the center decided to bring it back this fall, they intentionally waited until October. GABRIELLA DEPINHO / THE QUADRANGLE society. The tables were also covered in relevant statistics about violence and abuse. The tables were covered in facts such as “1 out of 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime,” “Women are battered every 10 to 12 seconds in the United States by their significant others or husbands,” and “About 3 percent of American men - or 1 in 33 - have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.” The display being centrally located on the campus on the quadrangle drew a number of passersby to look at it. Additionally, this display being the
largest one yet hit home for the students who worked on it. “I think the thing that’s really jarring is that we’ve had more submissions this year then ever,” Ali said. “And I think that’s just massively heartbreaking that these levels of abuse are going on, but the flip to that is that people trust us, people trust the center to tell their stories and do it in the right way and I think that says a lot too.” Alpaugh added, “It’s just a very somber display to see, to see over 60 shirts on the quad from people’s real experiences.” Andrea Gorrin Sepulveda, a senior English major, started
her internship with the center just two weeks prior to the Clothesline Project’s display. Despite never having been involved before, Gorrin Sepulveda is glad to be a part of it. “It makes you feel powerful, like you’re helping people, especially throughout these very tough times,” she said. “The fact that you’re giving a voice and a space for people to express themselves, maybe things they’ve already expressed or maybe things that they haven’t, I think it’s really beautiful.” LWGRC intern and senior psychology major Julia Ettere echoed Gorrin Sepulveda’s sentiments.
The five original colors each had a specific meaning: white represents people that have died due to violence, yellow represents battered or assault victims, red represents survivors of rape and sexual assault, blue represents survivors of incest or child sexual assault and purple represents people attacked because of their gender identity or sexuality. This year teal as a color option was introduced to represent survivors of digital harassment. GABRIELLA DEPINHO / THE QUADRANGLE
“Especially on college campuses, that’s not really a place where survivors get a voice, so it’s rewarding to know that we’re doing something to support survivors of sexual assault,” Ettere said. “We might not be able to prevent it, but we can at least support them in the aftermath.” For those involved with the center’s work, hosting this event at the start of the year was a way of honoring last year’s efforts and moving forward at the same time. “We know that there were lots of students who put their heart and soul into things last year and didn’t get to see them to fruition,” Pascoe said. “And
so, the Clothesline Project is part of our ongoing commitment to make sure that you know, that we are taking that work, and we’re holding on to it and we’re bringing it back out. So that’s part of where we’re starting this year is really just trying to honor the work that students did last year and make sure that we’re treating that as like a starting point this year.” The center intends to host the Clothesline Project again this academic year in conjunction with Take Back the Night and Women’s Week in the spring semester.
This shirt is an example of the fact that remote students were able to participate in this semester’s version of The Clothesline Project by creating shirts online that were printed out and displayed on the tables, alongside information about the history of anti-rape movements. GABRIELLA DEPINHO / THE QUADRANGLE.
Sports
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THE QUADRANGLE
Manhattan Athletics Breeds Community Service Stalwarts Pete Janny, Matthew Sweeney & Jocelyn Visnov
Sports Editor & Staff Writers It should come as no surprise that Manhattan College students are active away from campus, given the Lasallian values that are instilled in students from their first day on campus. But what may raise some eyebrows among Jasper Nation is that several of the school’s athletic teams rank in the top 10 nationally for community service hours among division I schools for their respective sports. According to HelperHelper—a volunteering tracking agency—Manhattan College’s athletic teams ranked 33rd nationally among Division 1 schools for total service hours during the 2019-2020 academic year. Men’s lacrosse placed fourth nationally among Division I lacrosse teams with 369 service hours, which also placed them atop their counterparts in the MAAC. Women’s basketball, which recorded 446 hours, were fifth-best nationally, while pacing the MAAC among Division I women’s basketball teams. The other Manhattan teams that earned national distinction were women’s lacrosse, rowing and the men’s cross country and track and field program — all of whom finished in sixth place in the country for their sport. The women’s basketball team spent a lofty 446 service hours working at different types of places such as the Riverdale Young Men’s Hebrew Association, local schools, and nursing homes. These experiences away from the court reinforce to them that playing basketball is far from their only calling in life. “We definitely do a lot in the community, just to get out and show that this is just more than basketball,” Gabby Cajou, a graduate student on the women’s basketball team said. “We’re more than just athletes here. We try to do our best to serve the community and help those around us.” Even during a global pandemic, the Lady Jaspers have made a concerted effort to continue the momentum of their efforts both on and off the court. The team’s camaraderie and close bonds have allowed them to persevere through this period of crisis. “I would have to say I don’t even think it affected it at all,” Cajou said. “Throughout the summer we always keep in contact, we are a very close team. So regardless if we’re talking in our team group chat, we are communicating through social media and we are communicating through text. So it really didn’t affect it as much. We had weekly team meetings and
it’s just something that kept us closer together, like a lot of people didn’t see their friends for a while but I still felt connected with my teammates throughout the whole process.” One of the most memorable moments for the athletics department from this past academic year was born from an act of service. Last fall, the men’s lacrosse team held a press conference with Team Impact which included a very special guest. As a nonprofit that brokers partnerships between sick children and college sports programs, Team Impact forged a special bond between a young Bronx boy named Alex and Manhattan Lacrosse. The big highlight of the partnership came on Alex’s birthday, when the lacrosse team watched him have his own press conference and honorary signing in Draddy Gym before throwing a birthday bash for him. The joy on Alex’s face that day encapsulated the powerful impact community service could have on the lives of others. “Having Alex there gives guys a little more push and gives them more of reality that things happen but you have to battle through them and Alex kind of draws everyone back to that,” former men’s lacrosse player Justin Pape said at the time, according to Go Jaspers. As many ultimately discover, being active in the community isn’t a one-way street in terms of the value it provides. The sacrifices made by studentathletes are integral for their own growth as well, enabling them to continue to make a positive impact in society after graduation. “To be a full well-rounded person, I think there needs to be some type of service to others, to achieve that goal of being a total person,” Manhattan College Athletic Director Marianne Reilly said. “When that person graduates, that’s a part of the fabric of who they are. It makes our society a stronger society, both in our community, and when they graduate and go out into the world and make their community, their new community better.” Joseph Chionchio, a member of the class of 2020 and a former Manhattan baseball player, is an example of someone who wasted no time applying the life skills he learned at Manhattan to assist his own community. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chionchio created a food delivery service called Smart Shop, tailored to meet the eating needs of local families on Long Island who were trapped in their houses out of precaution. The venture has been a roaring success for Chionchio, who was featured in the pages of Newsday, as well on cable channels Fox 5 New York and the Fox
Business Network. “He started delivering food to people who couldn’t come out,” Reilly said of Chionchio’s start-up business. “I doubt he thought of it as a business as quickly as he did thinking about how people could be helped and how it could be utilized in that way.” In the era of COVID-19, the world of athletics has been thrown into disarray just like virtually every other facet of life. But instead of sulking over all the negativity, Reilly believes the student-athletes at Manhattan have gained a better appreciation for their opportunities, thus pushing them to work even harder for the betterment of themselves and for others. “Our student athletes are more grateful for everything they have including the opportunity to practice and train and be together as a team,” Reilly said. “I think that’s what I’ve seen that they’re grateful because they know at any moment for this particular reason, the pandemic, things can be taken away very quickly.” Such a scenario played out back in March when both basketball teams had to experience the shutdown of society as we knew it while at the MAAC Tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Shortly after the men’s basketball team lost to Siena in the quarterfinals on the night of March 11, the sports world paused after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz became the first athlete to test positive for the coronavirus. The news led to swift cancellations and indefinite suspensions of every scheduled sports event. For the women’s basketball team, the end of the road came less than an hour before their quarter-
finals match-up against Quinnipiac the next day, subjecting them to a cruel and unfortunate ending to a successful season highlighted by a third-place finish in the MAAC. Since then, sports leagues in the country have progressively resumed, with professional leagues having more opportunities to do so than college athletics. At Manhattan and many other schools across the country, fall sports have been sidelined this semester, further testing the patience and mental toughness of student-athletes on campus. And in case the cancellation of fall seasons wasn’t bad enough, another special day crossed out on the calendar was the day of the Manhattan College Cross Country Invitational, the largest and oldest one-day high school cross country meet in the country which usually includes somewhere between seven thousand to ten thousand runners. The loss of the actual meet prompted organizers to schedule a series of virtual festivities in a year that has also seen the passing of the legendary Ed Bowes ‘64 — the man who founded the event back in 1973 and remained the main organizer of it for several decades later. While maybe not as tangible as other acts of service, Bowes’ commitment to growing the event into an annual spectacle typified his dedication in helping future generations of runners be successful. It’s powerful sacrifices like that which are manifestations of the college’s Lasallian mission. “I am so proud that we got to honor him last year so that he knew how we felt about not only him as a person, but as a mentor and coach,” Reilly said of Bowes, who went on to serve
Gabby Cajou is a graduate student on the women’s basketball team. A proponent of community service, Cajou plans on becoming a teacher after leaving Manhattan which will allow her to continue to give back to others. GOJASPERS / COURTESY
as the cross country coach at Bishop Loughlin for 39 years after a prolific running career of his own. “For us to put a sign Ed Bowes Way, I’m happy we were able to do it with his untimely death this year. To know that we did it last year and know that he went to his final resting place knowing that Manhattan College truly and sincerely cared about what he produced, it will always be in good hands going forward with him really as the post that keeps it all together.” As enjoyable as their playing days may be, student-athletes must start preparing for the next phase of their lives after school. When interacting with professionals from various backgrounds in the community, it exposes them to different perspectives that may inform their own career discernment. It all goes back to the point that doing things like lending a helping hand to those in need and developing a network of connections off the court are long-term investments of sorts. “What I want to be is a teacher.” Cajou said. “So, being a leader on the court on and off the court is definitely going to help me become a teacher, being able to interact with my teammates knowing who I can talk to, who I can’t is definitely going to help me become a teacher.” This commitment to service found amongst Manhattan College students and alumni is the hallmark of a Jasper, and one that can be identified throughout our storied history. If the rigors of a global pandemic can hardly slow them down, then the future of the school’s athletic teams figure to be in good hands.
Joseph Chionchio’20 was a business major and former member of the Manhattan baseball. At the outset of the pandemic, Chionchio parlayed his business expertise into launching a food service called SmartShop LI. The service served as an example of how to help others with one’s own career interests in mind. GOJASPERS / COURTESY