Volume 135 No. 5

The Springfield Student Est. 1910

October 1, 2020

scstudentmedia.com // @TheSpfldStudent

Volume 135 No. 5

ALONE TIME The latest updates and reactions on the quarantine of Alumni Hall due to Covid.

Page 3 Residents of Alumni Hall will be in quarantine until Tuesday, Oct. 13 after three positive cases of Coronavirus came from residents within the building.

(Photo Courtesy of Jack Margaros/The Student)

On the Inside A full recap of the first Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Meant to be: Brian and Deleney Magoffin’s journey to husband and wife started on Alden Street.

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October 1, 2020

COVID

The Springfield Student mourns the sudden and tragic death of Javier Venturi, an adjunct Professor of Spanish, who had been teaching at the college this semester.

The campus community was notified via e-mail on Friday, Sept. 25.

Professor Venturi had been with Springfield College since the spring of 2020. *Should more details become available, we will report on them as soon as possible.

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Alumni Quarantine

October 1, 2020

PAGE 3

Quarantine in Alumni Hall President Cooper speaks on the decision to quarantine the residence hall, plus reaction from residents of the dorm.

By Danny Priest @dpriest3

O

n Tuesday, Sept. 29, Springfield College announced that Alumni Hall will be going into a quarantine after three positive cases of COVID-19 were identified for residents in the hall.

News broke via an emergency Zoom call with residents of the hall 10 p.m. Tuesday evening, as well as an e-mail from President Mary-Beth Cooper that was sent to the campus community.

Students will be quarantined for 14 days through Tuesday, Oct. 13.

If students choose to do so, they are allowed to go home for the duration of the quarantine.

From the e-mail, which was sent out at 11:16 p.m. on Tuesday: Based on the recommendation of the Rapid Response Team and out of an abundance of caution, the President’s Leadership Team made the decision to quarantine all residents of Alumni Hall for 14 days.

The residents of Alum-

ni Hall were notified of this decision earlier this evening.

In accordance with our response plan, the following actions are being taken: The Harvest Table Dining Group, the College’s dining services provider, will deliver meals to Alumni Hall, starting with breakfast tomorrow morning which will be available at 6:30 a.m.

Student residents of Alumni Hall will continue their classes remotely.

Our Facilities staff will begin increased sanitization in Alumni Hall.

Our mandatory surveillance testing program for students will continue, along with immediate testing of all Alumni Hall residents and at the end of the 14-day quarantine period.

Professors and coaches on campus have been notified to accommodate students/student-athletes who are unable to attend class and practice.

Understandably, there was much immediate reaction from residents of the

hall and many questions that were instantly raised.

The first and foremost theme from those involved in the decision was that it was made out of an abundance of caution for the campus community.

“We’ve got three active cases. Three active cases out of a 93 percent residential population is not bad. It is not ideal, but it is workable and manageable,” said President Mary-Beth Cooper.

“I’m going to walk up to Alumni Hall when they get dinner, I feel safe and I wouldn’t put them in an unsafe environment. If at any point I feel like it is unsafe for people to be here, we will make that decision,” she added.

Cooper made a point to emphasize that if there were one building on campus equipped to handle this type of decision, it’s Alumni Hall.

“Of all the residence halls, it is one of the halls that we’re able to work with because they’ve got a very large lobby area with tables already in play

One resident of Alumni took it upon themselves to post some signage on their window. (Photo Courtesy of Jack Margaros/The Student) and lots of electricity for setting up dinner with hot tables or whatever we need to do there,” Cooper said.

“They’ve got the beautiful terrace behind them, so there’s recreational space, it’s our building that has the most single rooms.”

The MacLean Terrace behind the building will be bordered off to serve as a space for residents of Alumni to relax outside and get some fresh air amidst the quarantine.

Tables will be brought over so students can enjoy meals and sit out on the terrace if they choose.

The bottom line remains that the decision is about controlling Covid now so it won’t get out of control later.

“We think that this is, in many ways, a preemptive strike that if we can contain this, and I know it’s not ideal for those students, I felt their frustration and fear and anger, and even some gratitude. Some people at the end of the call were saying thank you for looking out for us.

“We’re going to see

that whole range of emotion for the next 14 days.

If we can contain this and people continue to wear their masks, which I think people are doing, at least from what I’m observing as I walk around campus, we’ll have a chance to make it to Nov. 20,” Cooper said.

The situation remains fluid and changes are happening constantly, but as of now the school is trusting residents of Alumni to abide by quarantine rules.

There is nothing in place to monitor or force students to abide by the rules, but the school is putting its trust in the residents so the entire campus can remain here.

Some initial points that were made on the Zoom included that students should not enter rooms of other residents in Alumni Hall, and that they may go outside individually for walks/exercise, so long as they wear a mask and maintain social distancing See ALUMNI on Page 12

October 1, 2020

Presidential Debate

Not so Presidential

PAGE 4

A full recap of what went down during Tuesday night’s first Presidential Debate.

By Hayden Choate @ChoateHayden

T

uesday Night was the first of three Presidential debates between the Republican nominee, President Donald Trump, and the Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden.

The debate was 90 minutes with no breaks and covered six topics decided by moderator Chris Wallace.

The first topic was regarding the Supreme Court. Trump began by backing his nomination for a new Supreme Court justice. Biden responded by talking about how the election has already begun and the new justice would take away the affordable care act.

The debate then went into open discussion on the subject of healthcare in America. Biden brought up Roe v. Wade, while Trump defended his nomination for the Supreme Court.

Chris Wallace then asked Trump what his plans were for health care and Trump explained how he is cutting drug prices.

The second subject was related to the Coronavirus and where the country is headed moving forward into 2021.

Biden began with stats about the virus including highlighting how 40,000 people are contracting Covid-19 each day. Trump responded by saying millions of people would have died if Joe Biden were

President and defended the way he handled the pandemic.

Chris Wallace then asked the President if his scientists are wrong about the vaccine timeline. He then asked Biden if the American people should trust the scientists.

The open discussion then proceeded to what each candidate would do in the future regarding the pandemic, where neither gave a solid plan for the Coronavirus with the election and major holidays approaching.

Wallace then asked Trump about his rallies that have had thousands of people at it without masks.

Trump stated that there have been no negative effects at his rallies.

The third topic was the economy and how it is doing better than it expected after the pandemic hit.

Trump began by saying that there has been record business in the economy since it was reopened and talked about how every state should reopen.

Biden responded by talking about how all that has happened is the rich have gotten richer since the economy has opened and mentioned the healthcare workers around the country.

The open discussion was then about schools reopening over the past month.

Chris Wallace then asked Trump directly about the New York Times article saying Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017.

Trump claimed he paid millions in taxes in those

years.

The debate then went back and forth about cutting taxes. Trump said he has already cut taxes and the economy has gotten bigger.

The two candidates then argued about how the economy was good or bad when Trump came into office. This included arguing about big corporations leaving and coming to the United States and how it has affected our economy.

A tangent concluded the topic about Joe Biden’s son earning three and a half million dollars from Moscow. Throughout the debate Trump would directly ask Biden questions while Biden spoke directly into the camera to the “American people.”

The next subject was about the race issues in America with the election in a little over a month.

Biden talked about why he got into the Presidential race and then talked about Trump’s response to George Floyd’s murder when he held up a Bible in a picture. Trump responded about a crime bill that he overturned and how Biden has called African-Americans “super predators,” he continued by saying he has the support of law enforcement around the country.

The next question was regarding the grand jury’s decision not to charge the police officers that killed Breonna Taylor. Biden responded by saying the “bad apples” of law enforcement need to be held accountable.

Trump was then asked why he ended racial sensi-

tivity training and he said it was racist. He claimed they were teaching people to hate our country and that our country was a horrible place.

The next subject was about protesting going on around the nation. Biden began by saying that the national guard should not intervene with hundreds of days of protesting. Trump said that he would send in the National Guard.

Chris Wallace tried to get Trump to condemn white supremacists, but instead he refused to condem them and turned the attention to ANTIFA. The next topic was why should voters elect you over your opponent?

Trump talked about how he has helped the economy and rebuilt the military.

Trump said Obama left him over a hundred judges to replace.

Biden responded by saying that he helped the recession when he and Obama were first elected and he had stood up to

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.

Chris Wallace then regrouped by bringing up the topic of climate change and the wildfires in the west. Trump responded by talking about having high air and water quality, and that he will plant a billion trees.

The final segment was about election integrity, and whether or not it will be a fair election in five weeks. Biden responded by saying people need to go to iwillvote.com and stressed the importance of mail-in ballots.

Trump responded by saying that mail-in votes are causing fraud across the country, saying mail-in ballots will screw up the election in November.

The first debate was 90 minutes filled with shouting, arguing, and interruption. The next debate is on October 7 at 9 p.m. between the Vice President nominees Kamala Harris and Mike Pence.

Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles Magazine.

October 1, 2020

BLM

PAGE 5

Sparking Change Springfield College’s Luther Wade took Black Lives Matter protests into his own hands this past summer.

By Irene Rotondo @irenerrotondo

T

he everlasting Black Lives Matter Movement had an epic, sudden outpouring of support in the form of protests, initially sparked by the murder of George Floyd, that spread to every single state in America this past summer.

It has been hailed by The New York Times as the “largest movement in U.S. history” with statistics proving more than half a million people present at 550 different protests across the country in a single day on June 6, 2020.

It would be safe to say that every student at Springfield College has at least heard of the Black Lives Matter Movement, if not some attending in their own towns.

Luther Wade (holding megaphone) led the charge at several protests in the summer.

(Photo Courtesy of Luther Wade)

During the summer months, the movement swept across all social media platforms in one capacity or another, mainly in photographs -the hauntingly beautiful images of protests filled the feeds.

Luther Wade, a junior, was one of many students who took part in protests. One protest Wade attended that stuck out in his mind, for a variety of reasons, was located in New London, Conn. He stated this march had a purpose that demanded immediate action, with a physical route activists took across the town.

“At that march, they actually spray-painted a Columbus statue. There were probably about a thousand people at that march, and we marched a good six miles,” said

Wade. “The whole group marched the whole time, they stopped at Seats of Power Houses like the mayor’s house, people that are on The Board of Education, people that can make the change they’re hoping for.

“It was really cool to see all of that, I didn’t know protesting could be in such a direct way. I thought it was just more of a general way of saying, ‘Everything that’s happening, we don’t agree with and we want it to change,’ but the fact that it could be aimed specifically at stuff like that I thought was cool,” he added.

In addition, Wade said that the aforementioned Christopher Columbus statue was removed by the town of New London and put

into storage because of the repeated vandalization.

Activists in the New London community had reportedly made it known the statue was disrespectful to the history of indigenous groups. This is not necessarily a new notion -countless statues across the country have been removed from their positions, due to the fact Columbus statues are seen as a symbol of genocide and hatefulness towards minority groups.

Instead of a generalized mass gathering of activists, Wade said that this New London march had strong direction with real petitions for change in the areas the activists desired. The positivity he experienced there inspired Wade to plan his own

protest.

On June 14, 2020, Wade headed a mass Black Lives Matter protest in his hometown of Waterford, Connecticut. As a resident of the town from grade-school until now, Wade recognized that he was the one of the only Black students in his school.

He said that actually seeing the support from his white peers that they’ve professed for so long at his own protest was an amazing feeling.

“I remember I thought it was going to flop,” laughed Wade. “‘Cause, I mean, I am pretty well-known in my community, I played sports my whole time I was there… I helped out with coaching and See BLM on Page 10

October 1, 2020

Debate Reactions

PAGE 6

Maisto: An embarrassment to democracy Nichole Maisto argues that Tuesday was an embarassing night all around.

Nichole Maisto. (Photo Courtesy of Nichole Maisto)

By Nichole Maisto @NicholeMaistoTV

F

ollowing the year of 2020’s lead, the first Presidential debate left the country speechless, disheartened, and frankly, terrified. Before we cover what really happened, let’s take a look at what the night was supposed to look like, on paper: Republican nominee, President Donald Trump, and Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, faced off Tuesday night at the Health Education Campus of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace took the place of moderator, compiling six, fifteen-minute segments, hoping to cover everything from COVID-19 and race relations to the supreme court.

Now here’s what the night really looked like: though the pre-game antic-

ipation was nerve wracking, it was nothing compared to the main event.

This was no debate, but an embarrassment for our country, democracy, and those that came before us.

Biden said what we all wanted to say from home on our couches, “Will you shut up man?” and rightfully so. It was clear from the first question that Trump had no plan on engaging in a civil discourse, but rather made it a priority to not only interrupt Biden thoroughly and consistently but deflect from his own wrongful doings.

Due to this, the “debate” quickly became more of a match in the ring, rather than two presidential candidates sharing ideas.

Though the Trump administration publicly stated prior to the debate that they were not conducting pre-debate practice, I don’t believe anyone including his team expected the

outbursts and continual disrespect for the process, opposing candidate, and the moderator that were to come.

Biden attempted to hold his own with many years of civilized debate in his back pocket, but he eventually did fall guilty to participating in the chaos, sneaking in a word here or there and not respecting the rules of the debate.

However, no amount of practice could have prepared Biden, or the American people, for what hard hits came out of the current President’s mouth.

Amid high tensions concerning police brutality and race relations around the country, Wallace asked Trump whether he would condemn white supremacists and militia groups and say that they need to stand down and not add to the

violence we’ve seen in cities like Kenosha and Portland.

Trump responded stating the violence he’s seen has been from the left, then directing a question back to Wallace, asking him what he wanted him to call them, after Biden chimed in noting a notorious ring wing group “proud boys.”

Trump’s following statement, though not surprising, was the most alarming of the night, “Proud Boys, Stand back and stand by.”

Unfortunately this was only one of many alarming footnotes from last night, including personal attacks on Biden’s deceased son Beau, as well as his son Hunter, a recovering addict and veteran.

Topics quickly became skewed and buried as the candidates continuously got sidetracked, in what

was much more of an argument between two grown men than a presidential debate.

With that being said, Wallace has gotten the hammer throughout post debate coverage regarding his lack of control and favoritism despite working for a predominantly right wing news outlet.

It is hard to say at this point in time whether we will see the next two debates scheduled for October 15th and 22nd will take place, given the turnout of the first event resulted in nothing but turmoil, and the largest amount of donations to date for the Biden campaign.

Regardless, the start of the race has begun like never before, and in proper 2020 fashion, we can expect the unexpected.

Debate Reactions

October 1, 2020

PAGE 7

Fitzgerald: A whole

lot in between

Nora Fitzgerald gives her take on Tuesday night’s debate between Trump and Biden.

Nora Fitzgerald. (Photo Courtesy of Nora Fitzgerald)

By Nora Fitzgerald Contributor

P

resident Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden took the stage tonight for the first presidential debate of the 2020 election with just 35 days until the election.

Tensions were running high in Cleveland, and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace struggled to manage the conduct of both candidates.

While Tuesday’s debate may have been a bit chaotic, Wallace kept the candidates to discussing six major issues. The first segment of the debate was focused on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump adamantly defended his actions and his push to reopen states, despite rising case numbers. He then went on to say that Biden would “close down this country and destroy this country if he were president.” Biden, on the other hand, shifted his focus to Trump’s unwillingness to take the virus seriously from the start.

“You should get out of your bunker and get out of

the sand trap and your golf course and go in your Oval Office and bring together the Democrats and Republicans and fund what needs to be done now to save lives,” said Biden.

Wallace followed up by asking the candidates to talk about the economic fallout from the pandemic, and how they expect the economy to recover. President Trump claimed that prior to the “China plague,” he had built the best economy in history. He reiterated the importance of opening states back up, because people “know what to do” and it is unfair to keep them closed.

Biden argued that millionaires and billionaires have done very well in the midst of this pandemic, and the American people have suffered. He then criticized the decision for schools to reopen, to which Trump responded, “I’m the one who brought back football.”

The candidates were specifically asked to explain if the economy would take a U-shaped recovery or a K-shaped recovery, however neither candidate seemed to give a complete answer on that matter.

Trump was also asked

to explicitly state how much money he paid in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 in response to the New York Times article that stated he only paid $750.

“Millions of dollars,” President Trump asserts, “And you’ll get to see it.”

With the recent passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Wallace asked President Trump to clarify his decision to appoint Amy Coney Barrett as the Supreme Court nominee. “We won the election,” Trump said.

“Elections have consequences.” He insisted that Barrett is respected by all and even has support from the left.

Biden believes that the nomination of a new Supreme Court Justice should be handled after the election, because it’s inappropriate to do so while people have already begun voting in some states. Biden also voiced his concerns about Barrett’s opposition to the Affordable Care Act and women’s reproductive rights.

Between bickering and catty remarks, Wallace prompted the candidates to defend their stances on certain racial issues. Wallace

specifically asked President Trump to explain why he made an executive order to ban racial sensitivity training for federal workers and contractors.

President Trump claimed that these trainings are part of “a radical revolution that was taking place in our military, in our schools, all over the place.”

However, when asked to denounce white supremacy and violent militia groups, Trump refused.

In fact, he told the Proud Boys, who are classified as a far-right hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to “stand by.”

On the matter of police reform, Biden declared that he does not support defunding the police, instead he believes that the police need more assistance and favors the idea of “community policing.” He did add that he condemns violence of any sort in the fight for racial justice.

The final segment of the debate was centered around election integrity.

Biden reinforced the importance of voting in this election, and explained that Trump’s own Homeland Security director and FBI director both attest to the

legitimacy of mail-in voting. Biden also promised to support the outcome of the election once all the ballots are counted.

President Trump, on the other hand, alleged that the ballots are a “disaster.”

When asked if he would wait to declare a winner until the election is independently certified, Trump evaded the question and continued to deny the legitimacy of mail-in ballots.

Tuesday’s debate is just the first of three debates between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden before the election. On Oct. 7, we will hear from Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris as they engage in the first and only Vice-Presidential debate of 2020.

These debates are an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates. As frustrating as they may be to watch, it is just as important as ever to stay informed on the most pressing issues in our country. And if you are eligible and haven’t already done so, I urge you to register to vote.

October 1, 2020

Meant to be

PAGE 8

Springfield’s sweethearts Brian and Deleney Magoffin met in their NSO group in 2001. All these years later, they’re married and as committed to Springfield College as ever before.

By Collin Atwood @collinatwood17

W

hen strolling down Alden Street, one would cross paths with all sorts of interesting people, personalities and stories.

Each individual on this campus, whether it is a student, staff or faculty has had their own unique journey in life. The one thing they all share is that they landed at Springfield College. Normally, there is a reason for that.

For Brian and Deleney Magoffin, there was a reason. They have both had their own specific journeys that led them to Springfield College, and also to each other.

Deleney, the Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Campus Visits, grew up outside of New England in Pennsylvania and New York, while Brian, the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications, grew up in Cheshire, Conn. They started life hundreds of miles apart from each other and ended up being drawn to the same college.

Brian already had a connection to Springfield College. His grandfather, Robert Pearson, went to Springfield College and graduated in 1949. That

transformative experience that served as the foundation for his family was something that Brian wanted to also have and served as a catalyst for him to end up on Alden Street.

Springfield College attracts a particular type of person. It’s hard to pick that person out of a crowd, but when people come to Springfield College, it’s easy to tell that these people were made for the place.

No two people were made for this place more than the Magoffin’s.

On Sept. 21, President Mary-Beth Cooper held the annual All College Meeting. A tradition that occurs at the meeting is the announcement of the recipient of the Cheney Award.

This was the first year that there were two winners and they were Brian and Deleney Magoffin.

“There is no raise or title change that could compare to the community and people within it recognizing you for just doing what you think is the right thing to do,” Deleney said.

The Cheney Award is given to an individual, in this case individuals, who show their commitment to the Humanics philosophy at Springfield College. The award is very prestigious and well known on campus.

“More than anything, I

think it’s humbling,” Brian said.

The Magoffin’s were very blessed and humbled to have won this award.

They know just how important it is to Springfield College.

“There are so many people I would think are as or more deserving,” Deleney said.

It only takes one conversation with the Magoffin’s to know that they bleed Springfield College Pride and that they are genuine, kind-hearted people. They bring joy and energy into every room they enter (or to every zoom meeting they’re in).

“They are overflowing with passion for Springfield,” said Brandon Eckles ‘18, who served as the Coordinator of Athletic Media Relations at the College last year.

If it wasn’t for the famous New Student Orientation (NSO) Weekend, none of this would be possible. In 2001, Brian and Deleney were first year students and luckily for them, they were placed in the same NSO group.

That is the first time they had met each other.

“He had a crush on me,” Deleney said.

Don’t jump to conclusions yet, though. Brian and Deleney never dated

in college. They simply exchanged a rose and a cigar, which used to be a tradition on the final day of NSO, and nothing more.

For the next four years, they remained friends.

After a successful four years, they each went on their own paths and explored different careers.

Deleney majored in Recreation Management and wanted to jump right into her career and not settle for less. She worked at a resort in Lancaster, Pa. for two years before moving

to Manassas, Va. to be the Recreation Coordinator for the city.

During this time, Brian was using his degree in Sport Management to get a job at Stony Brook University where he was able to learn while being a part of an athletic department at a Division I institution.

Somehow, someway, Brian and Deleney were coincidentally sucked back into Springfield College at the same time.

“When you get a taste of Springfield College and

(Photo Courtesy of Brian Magoffin)

Meant to be

October 1, 2020 you look at a lot of our faculty and staff members, you get drawn back,” Brian said.

In 2007, Brian accepted a position as the Assistant Sports Communications Director, and two years later, Deleney enrolled in a graduate program at Springfield College in Therapeutic Recreation Management.

“It was not even a question that I’d be coming back to Springfield,” Deleney said.

Brian reached out to Deleney not knowing she would be coming back to Alden Street. “Brian happened to reach out to me, completely out of the blue, and called to see how I was doing and I had already applied to Springfield for graduate school,” Deleney said.

After graduate school and working for the YMCA of Greater Springfield, Deleney accepted a position in Alumni Relations and is now the Senior Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Coordinator of Campus Visits at Springfield College.

Eventually, Brian and Deleney got married in 2012, with a fitting location for the engagement.

Right outside of Judd Gymnasia, the meeting place for their NSO group, in the pouring rain with their freshman beanies on, Brian popped the question.

Undoubtedly, the answer from Deleney was yes.

As has always been the case, the Magoffin’s are extremely committed to Springfield College.

They are both talented and driven beyond belief to make this school a better place. The energy that sur-

rounds Springfield College and the characteristics that the Magoffin’s have makes this trio inseparable.

It is clear how much the two care about Springfield College by how seriously they take their jobs. They both care deeply about the students that are trying to find themselves here because they were both in that position years ago.

There is no doubt that Brian is dedicated to his role in the students’ lives.

“We have a special kind of student here on this campus and if there’s anything that I can do when I come to work that can aid in their development, then that’s something that is really fulfilling for me and really gratifying,” Brian said.

Deleney has an interesting role with students on campus because she gets to see all of the new students coming in. It is important for the students to see someone who they think is welcoming, friendly and as someone that they could go to in a time of need. Deleney is all of these things.

“You pick up on her genuineness and her warmth from the first time you meet her,” said Mary DeAngelo, Dean of Admissions at Springfield College. “She is highly engaging.”

Deleney loves seeing the growth of the new students over the years. She gets to watch them become the person she knew they could be and there is nothing better than for her than being a part of that.

“We’re so excited that they leave because it means they’re going on to that next chapter, but there’s so many students that we’ve had such special relation-

PAGE 9

The Magoffin family. Deleney and Brian with daughters Jules (left) and Kensley (right).

(Photo Courtesy of Brian Magoffin) ships with because they’ve taken the time to get to know us as people and to get to know us as family,” Deleney said.

The Magoffin’s have made Springfield College a big part of their family.

Brian and Deleney have two daughters who have been welcomed, with open

arms, into the Springfield College community.

They go to sporting events, look up to and love the student-athletes, and more importantly, they get to grow up around the amazing people at Springfield College.

Brian and Deleney have given Springfield College

their all. They embody the schools Humanics philosophy and have instilled it in their family.

“Sometimes one decision can change everything, for us, Springfield College was the game changer,” Deleney said.

October 1, 2020 BLM continued from Page 5

I met a lot of kids and parents and the younger generations... I was very involved, so I knew I had support, but I knew that those people who supported me understood this issue already, and that they were going to do what they needed to do and all I had to do was ask them.

It sucks that I shouldn’t have to, but the fact that they were willing to was enough for me at least in the setting we were in.

“I had left to go put out water stations, like, ten minutes before the march started, and there were probably twenty-five people there.

And I got back, and I couldn’t even park. I was beeping, telling people to move out of the way… When we started marching, and I’m actually like yelling these things and people are repeating it and I’m speaking to this large audience and they’re just all ears, really seeming like they care, and they’re understanding… that, there’s not much more happier moments in my life than I’ve had there,” Wade enthusiastically stated.

Wade spoke at other protests in Connecticut, including ones in Groton, Ledyard, and more, and even ended up leading another march as well. While speaking at a march in East Lyme, he was handed a

megaphone and told to lead the crowd down the street.

Wade said he felt it was because the crowd was listening the most intently to him out of all of the other speaker’s present.

“To be seen by the community you wanted to be seen by, and to feel that love that they projected, and to have been through what you’ve been through in that community and to see that and to feel that love… nothing will ever top that… Black Lives Matter, you’re not treating them as so, and these are steps we need to take and do to move forward to make sure they do matter and all lives can matter,” said Wade.

Though it seems the planning of mass-scale protests has come to a slow, Springfield College is ignoring that sentiment.

Wade, alongside senior Derek Webb, Dr. Calvin Hill, and President Mary-Beth Cooper, have planned for a protest to be hosted on campus on October 15.

This protest will be consistent with other Black Lives Matter protests, and is happening now in order to ensure the Movement is still electrified at Springfield College. An upcoming email containing details about the event will be sent out to the student body from Springfield College administration.

BLM

PAGE 10

Photos from the protests Wade participated in over the summer. (Photos Courtesy of Luther Wade)

October 1, 2020

On-Campus Rules

PAGE 11

August 31, 2020

News

PAGE 12

Alumni continued from Page 3 guidelines.

Arrangements are being made to continue compensating students for work study. In the case of off-campus jobs, students are liable for getting in touch with their supervisors/bosses to update them on the situation.

Student reaction to the decision by the college was mixed.

“Obviously it sucks and (it’s) not what anyone wanted, but this is the world we live in now and the risk we took in coming back to school,” said senior resident Danny Getchell-Lacey.

“It’s probably not a huge reach to say that someone else will inevitably get it, but I sincerely hope they don’t and want to thank the school for taking the protective measures in order to keep the positive cases as low as possible,” he added.

Other students felt the same way as Getchell-Lacey regarding the decision.

“As inconvenient as it is, I understand why it’s necessary,” said junior Nora Fitzgerald. “A lot of the rules were hard to follow when they were explaining on the zoom, so I’m not sure exactly how they’re planning on holding everyone accountable. I’m just hoping that everyone does their part so we can stay here safely.”

On the other side of things, certain individuals felt blind-sided by the decision and disagreed with it.

“After the first couple weeks with only two positive cases I thought we would be in the clear.

I understand the board

Alumni Hall. (Photo Courtesy of Jack Margaros/The Student)

directors wanting to be cautious but the two-week quarantine period, especially out of [the] blue, is very unfortunate and disheartening,” said senior Josh Alvarado.

“I’m fortunate enough to be able to go home during this time, because feeling locked in that room for two whole weeks can drive anyone insane,” he added.

Junior Samantha Birks felt angry with the decision. “It’s frustrating that a small number of cases in a residence hall that houses hundreds of students

is (causing students who tested negative) being denied access to necessary campus resources including the library, the campus union, the wellness center, and quality food even after repetitive negative results in the majority,” she said.

Perhaps the most trying aspect for the students has been how quickly this entire plan unfolded and was implemented.

“I’m left confused why the plan for Alumni seems so disorganized. I assumed, which might’ve been wrong of me, that the school would’ve had a blanket plan

set in place for what to do in dorms if this happened,” said junior Hannah Day. “I’m trying to be understanding since no one has gone through this before, but am left feeling like the school has been putting on a false persona of being prepared,” she said.

Despite the concerns of students, Cooper wants to assure everyone that they will do their best to keep students in a comfortable position.

“We’re going to make sure they have food, we’re going to make sure they’ve got mentors, academic

advising is all over this, the faculty are connected to make sure they get any makeup that they need and they don’t miss classes.

It’s hard, I think it’s really hard,” Cooper said.

Her main priority remains student healtH. “I read all the news media in the morning as well. A student died at Appalachian State University from Covid and that weighs really heavy on my mind.

Whatever I can do to keep these students safe, that’s what we’re going to do.

That quarantine is the next step,” Cooper said.

October 1, 2020

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One more chance With the cancellation of college sports last spring, athletes were granted an extra year of eligibilty. ____________ By Chris Gionta ____________ @Chris_Gionta

When sports were cancelled for the spring of 2020, many people’s thoughts first turned towards the seniors and how terribly they felt for them. Any athlete that has played before this could not imagine their senior year being taken from them that way.

However, luckily for college athletes, the NCAA extended eligibility for all spring athletes, giving the Class of 2020 another chance to complete their last season of college athletics, and also give the classes of 2021, 2022, and 2023 a chance to play all four years of their sport.

This made athletes from the Class of 2020 weigh their options for the spring season of 2021.

Some athletes’ post-college plans got in the way of a potential return into spring athletics. Cara Freadman, a former tennis player at Springfield, and a 2020 graduate at the college, explained why she

did not use her extra year of eligibility.

“I’m in nursing school at Elms College,” said Freadman. “I would have if I could have, but [Springfield] didn’t have a grad program that financially and career-wise made sense for me. But, I did look into it.”

If not for the school conflict post-graduation, Freadman would have loved to have played her last year of tennis.

“I wanted, obviously, my senior season,” Freadman said. “That’s what you work up to your entire college career. And that’s where you’re supposed to peak.”

Even for athletes who came back, their educational and financial situation was almost not suitable enough for them to return.

“I actually didn’t know if I was coming back,” said Johjan Mussa Robles, 2020 graduate and member of the men’s volleyball team.

Mussa-Robles and the rest of the men’s volleyball team are still hopeful that they will have the opportunity to play this winter. (Jack Margaros/Springfield College Athletics)

“Because I graduated as an athletic trainer - and I did graduate last year - and I couldn’t just go and get an MBA for a year and that would be all. If I wanted to come back, I needed to start a master’s degree for two years.”

One would surely understand Mussa Robles not wanting to come back because he would be putting in an extra two years of school for one extra year of volleyball. Yet, Mussa Robles felt the closure of his volleyball career was so necessary that he was willing to get a master’s degree for it.

“We as a team, we culminate our year in April, April is the biggest month for us,” said Mussa Robles.

“And I couldn’t get that

and we couldn’t get that.

And I feel like I didn’t get the closure that I’ve been wanting for over the past four years, so I had it in the back of my mind.”

For others, the decision was not very difficult. Another former tennis player and 2020 graduate, Rachel Ahlmeyer, had already made a commitment to the women’s tennis team for post-playing career, and she stuck to that commitment despite the pandemic.

“I didn’t really think too long and hard about it, since last fall I committed to being the women’s assistant coach for tennis,” Ahlmeyer said. “So I knew I wanted to pursue coaching, and once our season got cut, I kind of just fig-

ured I’d pick up next fall which is now - and just go from there and take on my coaching responsibilities, and get into my life after sports.”

Everyone has a different situation. Especially with Division III athletes, there are confounding variables that could push them in either direction. On one hand, they are likely not going to play professionally, and this is probably the last level they will play their sport competitively.

But on the other hand, educational and financial plans can not support an extra year of playing their sport. But with it all, it seems that no matter their decision, every athlete is grateful that they got their one last opportunity.

October 1, 2020

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Running with a heavy heart After losing two friends to a tragic car accident and one to suicide, Heather Fontaine has developed an increasing passion for running and leadership.

______

By Hayden Choate ______ @ChoateHayden

As she runs, pumping her arms up and down, one after another, through the air, a pair of angel wings and a halo come in and out of her sight.

It is a tattoo, a permanent source of motivation.

The angel wings stem from a heart which contains the initials “JD.” Heather Fontaine, a junior at Springfield College and a member of the cross country and track and field teams, carries her motivation on her wrist.

As Fontaine wrapped up her high school career at Quaboag Regional High School and her final high school cross-country season, tragedy struck.

A car accident claimed the lives of three teenagers who were all students at Quaboag. Two were Jaclyn Desrosiers and Lena Noonan – Heather Fontaine’s best friends.

She played basketball

with Noonan and ran cross country with Desrosiers. Their teammate in high school, Brianna Niedzialkoski, said Heather and Jaclyn were referred to as the “dynamic duo” on the cross-country team.

Fontaine decided to keep running in memory of her two friends who passed away.

“After the car accident, the rest of my senior year I really dedicated that to my two friends that had died,” Fontaine said. “I really wanted to run for them and make them proud.”

“She ran to keep the memory of them alive and to remind herself that life is short and that you have to make the best of it,” Niedzialkoski added.

Losing two of her very close friends at the same time was very hard on Fontaine, and she struggled with her mental health as a result of it. However, she was ready for a new

(Photo Courtesy of Heather Fontaine)

start at Springfield as she walked on to the cross-country and track teams.

November 2018.

A year later, Fontaine again received tragic news.

The first-year college student had lost another one of her best friends to suicide.

She met Tyler when she was a freshman in high school and they be-

came close friends over the four years.

“I had woken up that morning and one of my friends had called me and gave me the news and it was just so heartbreaking,” Fontaine said. “You almost feel guilt like you could have done something else, it’s no one’s fault but you always sit there wondering could I have done something more?

Could I have reached out more?”

Fontaine had already gone through two unexpected losses and a short year later, she went through another one.

“It took a heavy emotional toll on her, but with the level of trauma she had experienced it would with any individual,” said Tess Chilcott, a teammate at Spring-

October 1, 2020 field College.

Now in a twelve-month span, Fontaine had lost three people she was very close to. She needed to find a way to deal with the loss of her three friends and was able to find that in her one passion: running.

“I definitely used running as an outlet,” Fontaine said. “It definitely gives me a place to let those emotions clear out of my mind, it gives me a way to have a fresh slate if it’s been a really hard or heavy day.”

“A lot of other teammates, (running is) an outlet for stress or anxiety, but eventually you end up just hating it... if she’s having a tough morning and she goes for a run, I know she’s going to come back feeling better,” Chilcott added.

Even when Fontaine is

(Springfield College Athletics)

in the midst of a hard race she thinks about the losses she has gone through to find motivation to keep going.

“When it gets to that really hard part during the race, when you’re around the halfway point, you might get those thoughts in your head like, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore, like is this even worth it,’ and you’re wondering if you should just give up... then I think of them and I look at the tattoo that I have on my wrist for my friend Jaclyn, I think about my other two friends and I know that they wouldn’t want me to give up because they were all really supportive of me,” Fontaine said.

Two years later, Fontaine has used the losses she has gone through as motivation to become a

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better runner.

“I think it’s obvious that Heather runs for something bigger than just herself, and everything that she does isn’t just for herself, it’s for a bigger purpose and just to be able to kind of have an outlet for the things she’s experienced in her life,” said Springfield College head cross-country coach Anna Steinman.

Not only did the experiences she went through help her to become a better runner – but a better teammate, friend and person as well.

“She’s a very quiet, confident leader in a way but when she has something to say, she always has something really important to say,” Steinman said.

Chilcott added, “From her freshman year not

being able to discuss these hard feelings, to last year slowly starting to open up and this year I’ve seen a full bloom where she’s a fullblown amazing leader.”

After losing someone so close to her, Fontaine has become more involved in spreading suicide awarness.

“You never want to see someone struggling, you never want to see someone struggling with those thoughts,” Fontaine said.

She has also been a big advocate for suicide awarness on social media, especially Instagram by posting not only in memory of her friend, Tyler, but other content to raise awareness.

“Posting about resources and posting mental health posts and being honest and telling people about her story and letting people see that it’s real, especially coming from a junior, a leader and a dominant athletic force on the country cross team,” Chilcott said.

Fontaine wants to raise awareness about how unexpected suicide can be and the importance of checking in on your friends.

“I really want to make

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sure that people understand that not everybody shows the same signs, people might be a lot more preserved with those thoughts they don’t want to put on someone else,” Fontaine said.

According to the Center for Disease Control suicide is responsible for more than 47,000 lives a year in the United States alone.

September is Suicide Awareness Month, but Fontaine knows that it’s an important issue no matter what time of year it is.

“People should be making sure they are checking up on their friends.

It shouldn’t only be during this one month, I think it’s really important to spread awareness about it all throughout the year,” stated Fontaine.

SPORTS The Springfield Student

VOL. 135 NO. 5

CHECK IN

Junior runner Heather Fontaine urges that you check in on your friends and advocate for suicide awareness.

[See inside]

(Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)

OCTOBER 1, 2020