Volume 135 No. 8

The Springfield Student Est. 1910

October 22, 2020

scstudentmedia.com // @TheSpfldStudent

Volume 135 No. 8

March for Action See inside for complete coverage of a day that will live in Springfield College history forever.

Photo Courtesy of Jack Margaros/The Student

Photo Courtesy of Joe Arruda/The Student

October 22, 2020

COVID

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October 22, 2020

COVID

Concernavirus

PAGE 3

A rise in COVID cases over the weekend has raised eyebrows on campus.

By Danny Priest @dpriest3

O

ver the weekend of Friday, Oct. 16 to Sunday, Oct. 18 there were four confirmed positive COVID cases on the Springfield College campus.

The uptick in positives was confirmed over an e-mail from Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Love that was sent to the campus community at 7:39 p.m. on Sunday night.

Love wrote in his e-mail: “All the students who tested positive have been moved to supported isolation housing or they chose to go home for the isolation time period. The 25 confirmed contacts of those who tested positive are in quarantine on campus (several others went home to quarantine). Of those in quarantine, six are in Lakeside Hall (on a recently vacated floor).

Residents of Abbey Hall and several athletic teams were tested on Sunday afternoon. They have been instructed to self-quarantine until they receive a negative test result. We thank ev-

eryone involved for their cooperation and compliance in working with the testing, contact tracing teams, and quarantine housing teams.”

The Springfield Student was able to confirm that two additional positive cases were identified in the following days.

One case was identified on Monday night and the other was on Tuesday morning.

Those cases have been handled in the same manner as past positive cases on campus.

“I am increasingly concerned, but I’m also still optimistic that if we continue to follow our process, and people continue to mask up, social distance, and stay in smaller groups; we’ll make it to Nov. 20,” Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper said.

As a result of the positives, The Student confirmed that residents of Abbey-Appleton Hall were required to be tested on Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, depending on their schedule.

Students were kept in a “modified quarantine”

that has since ended.

A “modified quarantine” includes being restricted from attending in-person classes and going to Cheney dining hall to eat. Students may pick up grab-and-go meals, but they cannot eat inside.

Once students receive a negative result, they may go back to normal, on-campus style of living. If a student were flagged to move to quarantine or isolation housing, they must remain there for two weeks and be cleared by the Health Center.

It was also confirmed to The Student that a similar process was implemented for the second floor of International Hall.

A positive COVID case was identified on the second floor and on Monday night, residents of the floor were alerted that they must be tested and enter modified quarantine.

That quarantine will conclude on Wednesday when all results of the tests have been received.

The uptick in cases is an alarming development as the school

Abbey-Appleton Hall was one of the dorms which had to go into “modified quarantine” as a result of the COVID cases. (Photo Courtesy of Cait Kemp/The Student)

closes in on one-month of in-person instruction remaining on the campus.

In an email to The Student, Patrick Love confirmed that these responses were procedural for the school.

“When there is a positive on a floor, we test the whole floor and ask them to quarantine until they get their negative test results back. They do not go into a full 14 day quarantine--just until they get their results back,” he stated.

“I have some concern,

but I’m also encouraged by a number of things.

One being that the initial two cases were found, but the contact tracing produced the next two cases. What we know is that the process works,” Cooper said.

As has been the case all semester, student cooperation is imperative to keeping the virus contained and the campus open.

Should more updates become available, The Student will report and share them.

October 22, 2020

Finally heard

March for Action

PAGE 4

The March for Action represented a sign of real, positive change for the future of equality and inclusion at Springfield College.

By Danny Priest @dpriest3

A

s students and faculty lined Alden Street, echoes of “Black Lives Matter,” “No Justice, No Peace,” “Who do you serve? Who do you protect?” and more rang out from the group marching up the road.

The group, approximately 50 students, wore all black and held up signs of “Black Lives Matter,” “Love Thy Neighbor,” “I Can’t Breathe,” and more.

They shared their passion with everyone who could hear, expressing their desire for equal treatment of Black students on campus that has been lacking for decades.

It has been close to 50 years since Springfield College has seen a protest that followed

Luther Wade was one of the student leaders of the March for Action on Alden. (Photo Courtesy of Joe Arruda/The Student)

demands from student leaders on campus.

In May of 1969, Black students took over the Administration building on campus after President Wilbur E. Locklin denied their demands to improve the quality of experience on campus for Black students.

That protest was followed by another on March 10, 1970. Students occupied Massasoit Hall as a form of protest over the refusal to accept additional services for Blacks on campus.

In the aftermath, 49 students were arrested and charged with civil contempt; 47 of them were forced to serve jail

time.

Many of those students left Springfield College for good, their voices never having been acknowledged or recognized.

This time around, on the 15th of October in the year 2020, members of administration walked with the students in show of support at this protest.

President Mary-Beth Cooper, Vice President of Inclusion and Community Engagement Calvin Hill and more joined the students in their March for Action.

The group went up Alden Street, down Wilbraham Ave. towards International Hall, and looped back into the

center of campus where they settled on the green to hear from Cooper, Hill, and protest organizers Dereck Webb and Luther Wade.

“We go through feeling very unheard, unseen, no one fighting for us, any of that. We’re on our own...so, to be here and establish our own leadership as Black men and then get that support from a whole community of white people, how could you not love that and support that? It’s what we came here to do. It was amazing, once in a lifetime feeling,” Wade said.

For the duration of the march, by-standers shouted in support, cars driving by showered the

group with honks and energy remained high for everyone involved.

“Today is an important day for this Community and I am proud to be a part of it,” President Cooper told the crowd gathered on the green.

“It was intentional that I walked with our students up Alden St. on this march. I stand with them and it was an honor to walk alongside them. This is a time for our community to listen, learn and act. We have much to learn from our Black and brown students (about) how we have not done everything we can to be as inclusive and welcoming as we could be.”

October 22, 2020 The protest, officially titled the “March for action on Alden” was formally organized by four diversity groups on campus. Men of Excellence (MOE), Women of Power, Student Society for Bridging Diversity (SSBD), and the Black Student Union (BSU).

The aforementioned Webb and Wade were the student leaders of the event. The main goal of the event in itself was to support anti-racist efforts on campus, but they did so much more than just that.

It was a sign of work that has been done so far, but also a reminder that there is still much more to do in the future.

Back in September, the diversity groups on campus submitted a list of six demands to President Cooper and her team outlining ways to improve the campus climate for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) students.

The demands were as follows: a mandatory, one-credit Anti-Black racism course; to develop an explicit no tolerance policy around hate speech; the hiring of a Black counselor in the counseling center; more funding for the Office of Multicultural Affairs; a method to honor protestors of the later 1960s and 1970s; and lastly, a high-profile speaker for SEAT at the Table.

Each of these demands were either fulfilled, or legitimate steps to satisfy them have

been made. That type of response from administration is what made Thursday’s march more of a legitimate event that those on campus could get behind.

“I think that it is a big thing, it’s a good sign, it’s a good start... but we know that this isn’t the end all, be all,” said Webb, who is a senior Physical Education major and the Vice President of the Men of Excellence club..

“They finally listened to our voices, they finally understood our stories and know what we’re going through and that to me is the biggest thing that came out of this. They know what we’re going through, and they’re striving for change on campus,” he added.

“We’re not out here with signs, we’re not giving you speeches, we’re not in all these meetings, we’re not conversing as clubs and reaching out to other club members and doing all this other stuff for the change not to be there, which is what the case was before,” said Wade, who is a junior Physical Education major and the CEO of Men of Excellence.

“I think that’s the best part of today. These people do want to instill longevity with these initiatives and that’s the best part to take away from today. We did this today, but it doesn’t end today, it’s going to carry on through this insti-

March for Action tution’s history,” Wade added.

The initial six demands were the first step in a process of change that won’t happen overnight. Institutional change is a process that takes years and commitment from everyone on campus.

“This is an opportunity for campus community members to come together and create change. Change is going to occur when all of us agree that this is an issue and this is a problem,” Hill said following the event.

“Today was an opportunity for us to have that conversation and to have people from various walks of life across campus come together and say I’m ready for

change. Now that people are saying that they’re ready for change and they’re stepping up, we can see the elimination of systemic racism on campus,” Hill said.

In their speeches, everyone made reference to the fact that in the past, change on campus has been ignored.

“Four years ago, we didn’t have the same unity on our campus when Elijah Ryan marched alone and held a sign that said, ‘Springfield College doesn’t care about Black people,’” Webb told the audience.

Thursday perhaps showed that now, the campus is ready for change. Be it through the response from administration or the show of support for the march

PAGE 5 itself, the time for action has arrived.

“It’s days like these where you’ve been waiting for three years, the whole time you’ve been here, for this support to happen. The fact that it came together and happened like that, it’s crazy because you come here and our experience is obviously very different from anyone else’s experience,” Wade said.

Going forward, there are steps both the administration at the school and students on campus can take.

“In terms of hiring practices and cultural changes and sustainability, it’s one thing to move money to the Office of See March for Action on Page 13

Unlike protests of the past, faculty and administration joined students for this March.

(Photo Courtesy of Joe Arruda/The Student)

October 22, 2020

Ibram Kendi

Best of the best

PAGE 6

Author, historian of race and discrimination and professor Ibram X. Kendi will be speaking at Springfield College this coming spring.

By Collin Atwood @collinatwood17

I

t is no secret

that racism exists in the country, states, and more specifically, right here on Alden Street. Whether individuals have experienced it or not, there is no denying the simple fact that change must be made.

It is also undeniable that the Springfield College community has been giving extraordinary efforts towards the fight for racial justice and equality. SEAT at the table, ‘My Story, My Truth’, and most recently, the March for Action on Alden are all events that have been organized by various diversity groups at Springfield College to bring awareness to this topic.

Additionally, in late September there was a list of six demands created by four diversity groups at Springfield College: Men of Excellence, Women of Power, Student Society for Bridging Diversity and Black Student Union.

These demands were

Kendi is a #1 New York Times best-selling author. (Photo Courtesy of ibramxkendi.com)

either met or legitimate steps to satisfy them were made.

Now, Springfield College has made another move towards the fight for social justice. On March 25, 2021, Ibram X. Kendi will be speaking at the annual Arts and Humanities Speaker Series.

“For someone of his footprint and magnitude to be coming to our tiny campus, I think that speaks volumes about the commitment we’re making towards this initiative,” said James O’Brien, the Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

Kendi is a #1 New York Times bestselling author for three sepa-

rate books. His most recent book is called “Be Antiracist: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection, and Action.” His books have been decorated with all sorts of awards.

“The Black Campus Movement” won the W.E.B. Du Bois Book Prize and “Stamped From The Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas In America” won the National Book Award for Nonfiction.

Kendi is also the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities Department at Boston University, along with the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.

The list of accolades for Kendi goes on and on.

Having Kendi on campus has been in the works since May of 2020 and he easily topped the list of candidates for the speaker series. “The Arts and Humanities lecture is typically someone of notoriety, based in the fields in the arts or in humanities,” O’Brien said.

Time magazine named Kendi one of the top 100 most influential people of 2020 for the impact he has made on the world regarding social justice.

The campus community is only going to benefit from hearing

October 22, 2020

Ibram Kendi

Kendi speak in March.

“It is a chance for the college community to engage with the ideas of one of the most important researchers and thinkers on these topics in the nation,” said Ian Delahanty, Assistant Professor of History at Springfield College.

The hope is Kendi can impact the students and faculty and Springfield College just like he has the rest of the world. “I hope this represents an ongoing commitment to have our college community self-reflect on the racial climate on our campus, which has not been welcoming to students of color,” Alice Eaton said.

Eaton is a professor (Photo Courtesy of Boston University) at Springfield College who teaches multiple literature courses, one being African-American literature. She is also a contributor to the African-American National Biography project at Harvard University.

Part of the message that Kendi is trying to get across to people is that saying, “I’m not racist” is not an option anymore. On a TED Talk done in May, Kendi said, “What I’m trying to do with my work is to really get Americans to eliminate the concept of ‘not racist’ from their vocabulary, and realize we’re either being racist or anti-racist.”

That is what his book, “How to Be an Antiracist”, is all about. In the book, Kendi talks about the systemic changes

“

For someone of his footprint and magnitude to be coming to our tiny campus, I think that speaks volumes about the commitment we’re making towards this initiative,” James O’Brien on Ibram Kendi coming to campus

PAGE 7 that need to be made.

In the first chapter of the book he starts off by defining “racist” and “antiracist.”

When talking about human development, Stephanie Logan, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of Education said, “We do not have 18-25 years to reach full maturity when there is physical, mental, emotional, implicit, and explicit violence enacted upon students and employees of color by the institution.”

Bringing Kendi to speak on campus isn’t going to change things overnight. It’s about what happens after the fact that really matters.

“After that self-reflection, concrete actions as suggested by student groups such as Men of Excellence, Women of Power, Student Society for Bridging Diversity, and the Black Student Union, to improve the campus climate need to be taken,” Eaton said.

Although much more needs to be done to get the campus climate where it needs to be in terms of racial equality, having Kendi share his knowledge with Springfield College is a step in the right direction.

“Dr. Kendi’s lecture will probably provide nourishment for the stage the College is at and I hope the information is enough fuel to push the College to the next stage of development,” Logan said.

October 22, 2020

Therapeutic Recreation

PAGE 8

A unqiue way to help

The Therapeutic Recreation major offers Springfield College students a hands-on, unique way to help others who need it most.

Senior Jocelyn Keough spends her summers working with disabled children at the Bridge Center in Bridgewater, Mass. (Photo Courtesy of The Bridge Center)

By Cait Kemp @caitlinkemp09

S

pringfield College is known for its health-related programs, and attracts students from all over the country for majors such as Physical Therapy, Athletic Training, and Health Sciences. But what about the other multitude of majors that can be taken?

There are many other programs that are lesser known, but just as impressive and successful as the bigger ones. One of these programs is Therapeutic Recreation.

It is also known as Recreational Therapy, and it is a program that works hand-in-hand with many of the other

majors that are offered.

“It’s working with people with disabilities in a recreational, leisurely setting to fulfill their needs and give them the best quality of life,” said Jocelyn Keough, a senior in the major. “So, we can work with any disability and population you can think of. From kids, to geriatrics, or amputees, PTSD, honestly anything.”

The major is similar to physical therapy, but offers a different approach that can suit people better.

“If they say they have anxiety, we work with that and plan an activity and program to help them over the [time] they are with us, which is cool. We work a lot

with PTs and OTs, but we are kind of undermined, no one really thinks of us… no one really thinks of TR as a thing,” Keough said.

Therapeutic Recreation is a unique program that offers a variety of settings and options to get involved with and focus on throughout a career.

“A lot of other majors are that you are guaranteed to work in a clinical setting, or your guaranteed to work in a community based setting, what TR gives you is a wide variety of those settings and it allows you to work with people across a lifespan, from infancy all the way to older adulthood,” said TR professor, Rachel

Keyworth.

“We can work in hospital settings, nursing homes, adaptive sports, even jails, correctional facilities,” Keough added.

Therapeutic Recreation uses a lot of the same classes as some of the other programs similar to it, but students in the major will take a very personalized course load in order to develop their interests.

“The classes you take naturally track you based on your interests, so if you’re really thinking about clinical rehabilitation, you’re going to have clinically inclined classes with more of the medical model attached to those classes,” Keyworth said.

“If you’re thinking

you want to specialize further in geriatrics, or older adults, there’s classes for that as well, so we really try to help students track themselves based on their areas of interest,” she added.

The program is rigorous and very handson, allowing students to learn through experience, rather than the typical classroom environment all the time.

With students’ interests in mind, they are able to focus on different areas in the community to gain more knowledge and practice their skills.

“During classes, you’ll have service learning See TR on Page 12

October 22, 2020

March for Action

A good first step

PAGE 9

Student support for the March on Alden street was both important and apparent.

By Irene Rotondo @irenerrotondo

T

he Springfield College community came together to March for Action on Alden Street on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2020 during common hour for students.

Beginning at President Mary-Beth Cooper’s house, the student-led marches branched off in order to literally engulf the campus in the movement.

Chants of, “No justice, no peace!”, “Say her name, Breonna Taylor!”, and “Black Lives Matter!” filled the air as each black-clad group of students, administrators, faculty, and other members of the Springfield College and city community made their way up the street and through the campus greens.

Junior Kyle Glidden, a participant in the march, felt it was a much-needed event for the Springfield community to experience.

“I think it was awesome to see everyone come together a little bit,” said Glidden.

“There’s been change ignored for a couple months now, and to see

initiative and some togetherness with administration and the groups that have been trying to promote this, it’s been pretty awesome. Hopefully we can keep taking steps forward.”

Sophomore Devon Rosier agreed with Glidden, saying, “I think this march is something we’ve needed for a long time, and it’s good to see action start being taken on campus and by the leaders on this campus, and I’m excited to see where this goes.”

Mason Tosch, a sophomore, said, “I thought the event went really well, I was glad to see this many (people) show up, and also join in as we were moving… it was just great to see everybody, this is a very good start, we just got to keep going, more people… I would love to see more people just continue to build on to this movement and keep going.

Many students who participated in the march had never experienced anything like it before and were exhilarated to be a part of something so much bigger than themselves.

“I just never thought that anything like this would ever happen on

this campus,” said senior Lena Morant. “I had, like, chills when I was marching, and this is my first actual protest, so it was really exciting and fun to get involved.”

Aidan Harmer, a sophomore, stated, “I came to support the Men of Excellence club, which I’ve been a part of and joined last year….

It exceeded my expectations, especially with the fifty-cap rule, so it was nice to see everyone on the outside sidewalks join in, and overall it was nice to see everyone speak.”

However, students felt that because of the fifty-person limit, the event was not all that it could have been.

Many compared the participant limitations of the march to the participant limitations of Cheney Dining Hall and other campus groups, recognizing that those organizations are allowed many more attendees in a much more contagious environment than that of the March for Action.

Senior Emory Fairchild said, “I think it went really well, I think all the speakers-- and the student speakers, specifically-- did a really

awesome job. But, I do wish that more students showed up. I think that, obviously, there was the fifty-person cap rule or whatever, but I think, like a lot of people have said, we had events for CAB out on the green and there have been way more people for those events than for this, so I think it’s kind of disappointing.”

Colby Wilson, a sophomore, stated, “As a person of color, I feel like it’s my duty to be here and get the message out.

I would say it went well, we had a lot of people marching, a lot of people on the sidewalks - I feel like that was powerful, but I still feel like we need more people there.

We were seeing people

walk by the whole time, and it’s kind of frustrating that they’re on this campus and not stopping by when they’re walking by.

“It was definitely a great event, a good start, and we’re just going to keep building off of that,” added Wilson.

March for Action on Alden Street was a historic event, and the students who participated were generally excited to be there. To keep up with future events for racial justice, engage with the Student Society for Bridging Diversity, Women Of Power, Men Of Excellence, and Black Student Union clubs.

Protest attendees at the March in all black. (Photo Courtesy of Joe Arruda/The Student)

October 22, 2020

Vote

Vanquishing votes

PAGE 10

Voter suppression is a real problem and it’s trouble for the election.

By Irene Rotondo @irenerrotondo

M

any have hailed the 2020 Presidential Election as the most important election Americans will ever vote in, and for a variety of pressing reasons -- whoever becomes the next president will need to deal with issues such as impending climate catastrophe, coronavirus-fueled economic turmoil and racial tensions (just to name a few).

Now, more than ever, there is an absolute need for Americans to vote for the policies they want to see. However, untold numbers of eligible American voters are stopped from casting their ballots every

election through legal and illegal acts of voter suppression, therefore throwing the legitimacy of the entire 2020 Presidential Election into the balance.

A difficult registration process, strict voter ID laws, felony disenfranchisement, and many more problems within the voting process are all examples of suppression eligible voters face.

How can an election be legitimate if not every eligible person is given the opportunity to exercise their right to vote?

The voting registration process is arduous, confusing, and oftentimes has sections that are overly unnecessary.

Politicians have been known to create laws requiring proof of citizenship or identification

for people to be eligible to register because of falsified reports of voter fraud. Unfortunately, most do not carry their birth certificate or passport on their person, and are therefore prevented from registering.

It actually happened in 2011 in Kansas, according to aclu.org. Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach created a law requiring Kansans to procure “proof of citizenship” documents in order to register to vote, saying there had been people who were not citizens voting in prior elections. As a result, over 30,000 people were unable to register and vote.

Voter ID laws are currently upheld in 36 states. Every state has a separate set of rules for

A multitude of factors, laws and rules combine to cause issues with voter suppression.

(Photo Courtesy of Teaching Tolerance)

their own laws, and the residents of each state must comply every year.

Of those 36, nine of the states are identified as having “strict” laws with both photo and non-photo IDs, according to ncsl. org.

Regardless of the said “strictness” of the laws, the fact that the United States does not have a cohesive plan that is the same for every state on voter ID laws is problematic.

Expectations are unequal. For example, in Mississippi, the voter ID laws only allow a government-issued photo ID to be accepted. All other forms of ID are not considered valid, even though some states only require a paycheck with an address, or even will accept verbal confirmation of birthdate and residence if no other ID was brought (this is so in Hawaii, and similar laws are in Alaska).

Felony disenfranchisement is yet another legal way for eligible voters to be prevented from voting. According to sentencingproject.org, “As of 2016, 6.1 million Americans were prohibited from voting due to laws that disenfranchise citizens convicted of

felony offenses.”

There are only two states (Maine and Vermont) that do not prohibit voters on account of prior offenses, and eleven states that are so strict in their felony disenfranchisement that individuals’ voting rights are restricted “even after they have served their prison sentence and are no longer on probation or parole.” Of the aforementioned 6.1 million Americans prevented from voting, 50 percent are affected within those 11 strict states.

Each of the prior examples of voter suppression serves to exclude minority groups from voting in the election -- because, truly, that is who is affected. People with low incomes, marginalized racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, students, the elderly, and any other group that is vulnerable in the United States’ society are pushed to the side; what they want simply does not matter.

Voter suppression is a valid reason one may question the legitimacy of the 2020 Presidential Election. However, other See Voter Suppression on Page 12

October 22, 2020

By Jack Margaros @JackMargaros

T

he final presidential debate is set to take place on Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tenn.

It will come nearly a month after President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden squared off for the first time at the end of September in the first debate.

After President Trump tested positive for COVID-19, a virtual format was voted on by the debate commission for the second debate.

Mr. Trump said he was not going to waste his time with a debate that was not in person. Each candidate decided to hold a town hall instead and answer voter’s questions -- the main thing the second debate was supposed to accomplish.

Reactions that followed the first debate were overwhelmingly bad: “As someone who has watched for 40 years, that was the worst presidential debate I have ever seen,” said ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

“That was a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck,” commented CNN’s Jake Tapper.

“If hearing that this

Vote

Third time’s a charm?

Trump and Biden will square off one final time ahead of the Presidential Election.

Biden and Trump at the first Presidential debate. (Photo Courtesy of McClatchy DC)

debate is over was music to your ears, you may not be alone … I’m at a bit of a loss for words here to describe what we’ve just witnessed,” said NBC’s Lester Holt.

Point is, both candidates did nothing to improve their campaign as President of the United States.

They have one final chance to do so on Thursday.

The topics of the debate were released by the debate commission last week. They include “Fighting COVID-19,” “American Families,” “Race in America,” “Climate Change,” “National Security” and “Leadership.”

Several of these topics were brought about in the first debate. Biden was adamant in criticizing Trump and his administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Trump kept pointing out Biden’s failed leadership in his 49 years holding political office.

Race was a major topic of discussion, mainly when Trump did not condemn white supremacy. He backtracked a couple days later, however, denouncing “all white supremacists” in a report by NPR News.

Similar to the first debate, these topics will be discussed in segments,

PAGE 11

with each candidate allotted time to speak uninterrupted followed by open discussion. To ensure each candidate gets his time to speak, mics will be muted, contrary to the first election -- where interruptions were constant to a maddening point.

The commission acknowledged that both campaigns were not satisfied with this new rule, but also said “additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues,” in a statement after the first debate.

Speaking to reporters, President Trump said, “I’ll participate, I just think it is very unfair...I will participate, but it’s very unfair that they changed the topics and it is very unfair that again we have an anchor who is totally biased.”

It’s safe to say that the American people are, at the very least, hoping for a discussion that better represents a real debate on Thursday, rather than a feisty shouting match. Each candidate would greatly benefit from an opportunity to truly communicate their platform and stances with just under two weeks before Election Day.

October 22, 2020 TR continued from Page 8

assignments that pair you with community organizations, so you’re planning therapeutic recreation programs for people in our community every semester. You get exposure early and often to the field, and classes aren’t just your traditional lectures,” Keyworth said.

Voter Suppression continued from Page 10

concerns of a completely different caliber have been raised as well. The COVID-19 pandemic has promised 2020 a year of complications with nothing standing in its way, and the election is sure to be the next victim.

One of the more substantial threats is the “rigging” of the polls.

In the 2016 Presidential Election, Russia has admitted to interfering with the process to create political and social divides and boost

Therapeutic Recreation

PAGE 12

“You’re trying out the facilitation techniques, you’re working in group settings and you’re getting out into the community to just practice the skills and get better prepared for the national exam through hands on experiences,” she added.

Another unique feature of the recreational therapy program is that graduate school is not a requirement. The

process of certification comes with experience hours and a national exam.

“We become a CTRS, which is a certified therapeutic recreation specialist, and we do an internship that has to be 560 hours+ to get our certification to become a CTRS, and there is a huge exam we take to get certified. Once we have that title, we can

start working in different fields,” said Keough.

Helping people is a big theme here at Springfield College, and Therapeutic Recreation is another way the students here take action.

The program is small, but members are hardworking and passionate about what they are doing. If you have any interest or questions about Therapeutic Recreation,

reach out to Rachel Keyworth at rkeyworth@ springfieldcollege.edu.

the election campaign of President Donald Trump. Americans are especially concerned this year for the 2020 election, not only because of prior riggings, but because of the heavily-normalized mail-in ballots.

Mail-in voting has become the most popular form of voting for Americans this election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of arriving at the long poll lines in-person with the potential for infection, more than a third of

voters will cast their ballots by mail, according to a study reported by yougov.com.

As stated by President Trump and many of his supporters, mail-in voting has the highest potential for “voter fraud.” According to heritage.org, there have been 1,298 proven instances of voter fraud since 1996. Mail-in ballots are the most susceptible form of voting to be forged by another person, altered by anyone whose hands it may come to, or stolen, never

to arrive to election officials.

Voter suppression is not a new concept; it dates back to the beginning of the United States, and has historically targeted minority groups and, specifically, Black people. The repercussions of the infamous Jim Crow laws are still felt today, and systemic racism has produced redlining and marginalization of Black communities, rendering it difficult or almost impossible for those eligible citizens to vote.

It’s laughable, almost ironic, that a nation as distinguished and respected as the United States has such a problematic voting system.

Everyone eligible to vote owns that as their constitutional right; there is not one person important enough to take that away from another. Change for the better is long, long overdue, and hopefully the future or returning President of the United States can recognize it.

PLEASE NOTE:

Next week’s edition of The Springfield Student newspaper will be entirely dedicated to the 2020 Presidential Election. All stories will be politically driven, with a look at the current election as it relates to Springfield College.

October 22, 2020 March for Action continued from Page 5

Minority Affairs. Do we do it every year? What do the budgets look like? How do we get to a place that in 50 years -- 50 years ago they had a march on this campus and here we are today -- my goal is that there’s not needs for marches like this moving forward.

We don’t come back together in 10-years and say none of those changes were sustainable,” Cooper said of what needs to happen next.

“We can get there, we can make this community better, and it will be these people here and all the faculty, staff and alumni that help us do it. I’m really optimistic and I think that it comes from a place that people care about this community and people want us to be better. I think these students, even with their tension, still love this place and want us to be better. We owe that to them,” she said.

“We’re going to be moving forward in terms of talking about issues that Dr. Cooper spoke about and that she and I have been speaking on for years,” Hill said. “They’re around trainings for our students, our faculty, our staff, around microaggressions, around bias, around our hiring practices -- who we’re bringing in -- because as I’ve said for years since I’ve gotten here, we’re not going back to Mayberry.

March for Action

PAGE 13

“This is a new reality for our students that are coming from homogeneous communities.

We’re coming together and this is what the world looks like. We need to prepare ourselves for a changing face that’s going to look different than Springfield College once we leave here.”

Springfield College is regarded for its commitment to Humanics, and according to Wade Dereck Webb was one of the student leaders and speakers for the March for Action. (Photos and Webb, that simple Courtesy of Jack Margaros/The Student) philosophy or selflessness and treating others right is exactly what the campus needs now.

“Everyone holds doors, everyone says hi, I believe that was a standard here at once, but as of now that’s not standard,” Wade said. “I think if we can get back to that way of getting to know our neighbor, and getting to know the people that we walk by as people, and not just someone that we see on the way to class, then we (Photo Courtesy of Jack Margaros/The Student) can understand ‘okay, I don’t know everything about you, I don’t know We’re very, very, very stories, sure that everyone is inwho you are exactly, but different, but I still love “We’re tired of cluded, it’s an integrated I appreciate that you’re and accept you because telling our stories, you campus, that to me is the here and I care that you’re different.” should know our stobiggest thing.” you’re here.

“The system needs to ries by now. There’s The March for Action “Because my expebe changed, but for the 400 plus years of our on Alden will stand as a rience very well can students, the faculty, the stories. I think it’s just historic event at Springaffect your experience, administration, it’s just the character. Me seeing field College. However, so let’s make sure we’re having that conversation you and me not hating for those involved in the affecting each other in when we’re not around,” you because of the color planning and execution the right way.’ Then we Webb said. “The whole of your skin. Simply of the event, the hope is can uplift the college in time that we’ve been ask- holding the doors, that the day will be rememthat same semi-tone. I ing for help, or can we doesn’t happen on this bered as the turning think it starts with the do this, can we do that, campus for us. It’s those point for when real acstudents baring down this is what we want, small things, that chartion began to take place. and just coming to each the response is - ‘oh first acter building, just that other and understandoff, we need to hear your daily routine of making ing that we’re different.

October 22, 2020

Sports

PAGE 14

COVID

Coach Long. (Jack Margaros/The Student) ___ By Jack Margaros ___ @JackMargaros

Springfield College head football coach Mike Cerasuolo and his staff should be on the recruiting circuit right now.

In a normal season, they’d be in the heat of a packed football schedule -- using any free moments to travel across New England to scout the top high school football talent. They’ve developed an enviable system of discovering and developing players, boasting a 29-13 record over the past four seasons and one of its best seasons in recent memory in 2017 -- when the Pride went undefeated in the regular season.

Although, that system has been nearly expelled in an unprecedented football season.

High school football competition this fall is very limited -- most are not happening, at least through the end of the year. Regardless, Cerasuolo and his staff have balked from attending any in-person competition for safety reasons, understandably.

“Traditionally, we’d be everywhere right now. We just didn’t think it was the best idea to go out,” the fourth-year head coach

Recruiting

said.

The recruiting process usually starts in the spring, followed by camp circuits over the summer, then more scouting during the football season in the fall. Without the luxury of attending games in-person, the Springfield coaching staff has been forced to brainstorm creative ways to properly evaluate players while also selling the Springfield College experience -- becoming part of the “Brotherhood.”

They’ve resorted to intense film study and countless Zoom meetings as a means of evaluation. Athletes send them “everything” according to Cerasuolo, from last year’s film to current practices, weight lifting sessions and 7 v. 7 competitions.

“Regardless of the situation we’re in right now, these kids are still excited about getting recruited,” Cerasuolo said. “For them, we still want to provide that excitement in some capacity, but it’s different.

That doesn’t mean it’s not as good, it’s just different.”

An unforeseen silver lining is the fact that both the high school athletes and college football coaches have extra time on their hands with no season. Getting to know

the recruits on a deeper level -- albeit through virtual events and Zoom calls -- allows coaches to better evaluate the type of character they could potentially bring into their program.

“Our staff is more engaged with the recruits than ever,” Cerasuolo said.

“Now is an opportunity to develop real relationships, rather than just seeing a kid for five minutes at a game afterwards. We’re on the phone with guys, we’re texting guys, we’re sending them more edits and graphics and things like that.”

One dearly missed aspect, however, is the overnight experience for the recruits.

In the past, high school players and their families got to spend a day at the College, take tours and enjoy a football game, with the players spending the night with current Springfield football players to experience the social aspect of the campus community.

“The most challenging thing for us, because we are so people oriented at Springfield, is not being able to get our kids around the recruits as much,” Cerasuolo said.

“Zoom gets old, but the true interaction person-to-person is going to be a challenge.”

Coach Cerasuolo. (Sam Levanthal/The Student)

The same sentiments ring true for Springfield College women’s volleyball head coach Moira Long. This fall season is an especially critical time for recruiting.

“All of our recruits play in a club season which typically goes from November until May or June.

That club season got shut down in March,” she said.

Similar to Cerasuolo, Long is working with current practice film to evaluate. Still, competition in a high school setting is significantly weaker than club, so true evaluation is tough.

“You really have to be critical in skill cues and technique they have, not necessarily what’s happening with the ball,” Long said.

She also explained her reliance on alumni and connections within the volleyball community.

People she’s known for over two decades have become hubs for information regarding potential recruits.

“It’s a lot of referrals and blind trust,” Long said.

Fortunately for Long, she’s already had two athletes commit, and is hoping for a handful more.

There’s always fear of over recruitment, which is compounded this year due

to the fact that fall athletes gained an extra year of eligibility as a result of the cancellation of fall sports.

Several members of the women’s volleyball team are entrenched in academic programs that take six years to complete, so that extra year could be used when they go to graduate school.

“I’m not looking to pressure my kids as sophomores, juniors and freshmen (to make that decision),” Long said. “It is a real balancing act because you want it to be a great experience.”

Cerasuolo said his recruiting classes will likely be smaller over the next couple of years. He currently has over 20 football players on a leave of absence so they can take advantage of their extra year of eligibility.

“We’re never going to load up and over recruit,” he said. “As long as we recruit the right kid, that’s all that matters to us.”

One would like to think fall competition will return to normal in 2021, but it will likely not be like that in terms of recruiting. The effects COVID-19 poses on college recruiting could potentially disrupt incoming classes years down the road.

October 22, 2020

Sports

PAGE 15

Graphic Courtesy of Jack Margaros/The Student

‘Wake up better than the day before’ ___ By Joe Arruda ___ @joearruda9

What a year it has been.

I thought last October that we had experienced the longest week there ever could have been, but boy, how I was wrong.

When we lost Connor Neshe on that Saturday, Oct. 20 of last year, the campus shut down.

I’d never seen anything like it. From the gloomy, eerie weather that highlighted the bald trees and cool air, to the expression on every face you passed, everyone was grieving. The moments of silence that followed, preceding all athletic events, ambigu-

ously drained the mood and sparked a time to reflect on the fragility of life.

Every time I saw an ambulance or a police car or received a series of unexpected text messages, I feared for the worst.

Who knew that we would be in a place, just a year later, where you can’t even see the expression on someone’s face as you cross paths?

Who knew that there wouldn’t be any athletic events to bring the campus community together?

Who knew that a medical condition would claim the life of a young soul, who had spent not

even two months in college, in his sleep?

Connor was a college athlete; he was kind and he was loving and he embodied the Springfield College Humanics philosophy to a T. The misunderstanding in communication that followed his passing sparked what I felt was a revolution on this campus. Everyone was upset, angry and lost – all feelings that come along with grief.

Who knew that less than a year later, cities across the country would be experiencing a revolution of their own?

That unarmed human beings would be on video getting choked out by

police officers because, in part, of the color of their skin?

The “I Wonder Why?” display up in the Union allowed for students to bring campus issues to light, but was swiftly taken down soon after.

It did its job, though.

Man, did it do its job.

That, as a sophomore, was the first time I had seen people speaking up on this campus. I had no idea what to expect.

Who knew that a student-organized march would be taking place a year later?

When the Springfield men’s tennis team was asked the question early last fall, “Why do you do what you do?” Connor’s

response was, “To wake up better than the day before.”

The untimely death of 18 year-old Connor Neshe was a tragic loss for the Springfield College community, for his community in Framingham, Mass. and anywhere he made his presence known with his ambition, his positive and unending support for others, his work ethic and the love and effort that he put into everything he did.

Even with everything that the past year has thrown at us, we cannot forget what motivated Connor Neshe.

To simply strive to be better.

SPORTS The Springfield Student

VOL. 135 NO. 8

Remembering Connor Neshe It has been one year since the Springfield College community tragically lost one of its own.

[See inside]

(Joe Arruda/The Springfield Student)

OCTOBER 22, 2020