Volume 135 No. 16

The Springfield Student Est. 1910

March 11, 2021

Volume 135 No. 16

scstudentmedia.com // @TheSpfldStudent

A true role model As women’s history month continues, read about Mary-Beth Cooper’s journey to becoming the first female President in Springfield College history.

-- See Page 3 -President Cooper and husband Dave. (Photo Courtesy of Mary-Beth Cooper)

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

CampusNews

On the Inside

The creation, growth and goals of the Women of Business club - Page

4

Part two of Springfield College’s connection with the Peace Corps - Page Check out some of best photos from Giving Day 2021 - Page

9

6

March 11, 2021

COVID-19

PAGE 2

Nationally, COVID numbers continue downswing

By Danny Priest @dpriest3

N

ationally, COVID-19 numbers are continuing to

decline as the nation gets past winter spikes and all time high levels of positive cases.

According to the New York Times, as of March 7 there has been an average of 58,745 cases per day, a decrease of 12 percent from the average two weeks earlier. This is an encouraging trend for the U.S. as a whole.

As it pertains to Springfield College, the school continues to

do well this semester.

Christine Johnston, the Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, Alcohol and Drug Education and Health Promotion stressed that even compared to the national picture, colleges are doing very well.

“I know that we’ve had a little bit of a spike in the numbers in the past week, but in general, college campuses’ positivity rate is extraordinarily lower than the general population positivity rate,” she said.

“Even though the numbers look higher than in the fall semester, we’re

really doing a phenomenal job.”

Johnston noted that as the spring weather approaches and more outdoor activities can begin to take place, that should only mean positive things for the campus.

She also highlighted that the school is seeing far more students vaccinated than they had originally believed would be the case coming into the semester.

As one would assume, this is very positive in regards to mitigating risks and decreasing the chance of widespread

outbreaks on campus.

“We have a lot more students vaccinated on this campus than I think we anticipated and that’s going to have a really positive impact on our campus community,” she added.

A large part of the success so far this semester has been due to the effort to get students tested weekly, rather than the fall method of bi-weekly testing.

“Testing everybody, every week has helped keep the positivity rate low because it allows us to catch any positives early,” Johnston said.

“If you’re tested every week and you have a positive test, we know you weren’t positive last week, so it really allows us to catch early and potentially quarantine close contacts if necessary.”

Johnston also added that as has become the norm, it is critical for students to report to their weekly testing and maintain small social groups on campus.

Diligence in following those guidelines will help keep students on campus through May.

March 11, 2021

Women’s History Month

PAGE 3

Setting a new standard Mary-Beth Cooper sets a high bar for what women are capable of doing in ledership roles.

By Nora Fitzgerald nfitzgerald2@springfield.edu

I

n 2013, there were 140 candidates for the position of President of Springfield College.

After a robust hiring process, Mary-Beth Cooper was selected to fill the role.

She would be the 13th president in the college’s history, and the first female president.

“I wanted to be the president that I hoped my son had at his college,” said Cooper.

As a leader, President Cooper makes a point to lead with compassion and concern. She entered this position

PresidentCooper during New Student Convocation in 2020 . (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Marketing & Comm.)

with the intention of being student-centered and approachable As she has settled into her role, Cooper reflected back on her earlier years. “I would say my upbringing certainly developed who I am as a leader and as a female leader,” she said.

Growing up with five older brothers in Rockville, Md. she quickly learned how to hold her own.

This independence is readily apparent in Cooper’s early adulthood.

After earning her B.A. from the University of Delaware in

1983, she would go on to receive a Master’s of Education in 1985 from the University of Georgia; a Doctorate of Education in 1997 from Michigan State University; a Master’s in Business Administration in 2001 from University of Rochester; and a Doctorate in Management in 2009 from Case Western Reserve University.

Clearly, President Cooper is no stranger to hard work. When asked how she balanced her career and education during these years, Cooper credits a lot of it to her husband, Dave.

“You’ve got to find the right partner that has the same goals and aspirations,” she said.

Cooper feels grateful to have found her partner in ’86 while living in New York. “We’ve been a really good team,” she added, with a smile.

Dave Cooper, along with their chocolate lab, Jack, lives with Dr. Cooper on Alden Street. His role with the college thus far has mainly been one of support, while he continues to work in New York.

Cooper explained that her husband loves supporting the

students in any way he can. Whether it be watching performances in Fuller Arts Center or cheering on our student athletes, Dave Cooper is a dedicated member of the Springfield College community.

Cooper’s personal history with Springfield College actually began with her service to the YMCA. As a volunteer for 20-years, Cooper fell in love with the YMCA’s mission and the Humanics philosophy.

The Y continues to be a part of her career See Cooper on Page 8

March 11, 2021

Women of Business

By Garrett Cote gcote@springfield.edu

T

he Springfield College Women of Business Club is in the midst of its second year at Springfield College. The club has grown since its inception, with its main purpose wanting to focus on building career opportunities both professionally and personally for aspiring young women.

The mission statement reads: The Women of Business Club is a student oriented academic group at Springfield College with the purpose to accredit diverse young women rising for work in the business occupation. This group will allow for greater learning opportunities to grow personally and professionally through leadership, inspiration, and networking ethicacy.

Enhancing public speaking, constructing strong resumes, and improving body language during interviews are some of the several learned professional skills that this club teaches its members.

There are currently 15 members of the club, however they are encouraging others to join and will welcome any new member with open arms, according to club leader Paige Shaughnessy.

“Our club is open to

Women of Business

Follow Women of Business on Instagram @SCwomeninbusiness

Still relatively new, the Women of Business club aims to better prepare and ready women for a career in the business field. any female student who wants to join,” Shaughnessy said. “It is primarily business related, but anyone can learn from any of the workshops we do. I send out emails to business majors and minors, so everyone on that list receives emails whether they are in the club or not. We really want anyone who even has a slight interest in joining to really consider it.”

One aspect of the club that Shaughnessy continued to point out is that as a club, these young women want to learn and grow collectively, while improving their personal and professional lives through different types of leadership activities.

Considering Shaughnessy had not only never led a club, but never been a part of one either, she admitted things have not always been smooth and easygoing.

For a first time club member, being the leader brought a handful of challenges in her first year. However, just like anything else, the more practice Shaughnessy had, the better she was.

“I started this with two other board members, with the approval of our advi-

PAGE 4 sor. We started extremely small, and I will admit we had no idea what we were doing at first.

Once I got the hang of it, we became a lot more organized and were able to incorporate guest speakers as well as tons of different workshops.”

Overall, the Women of Business Club has evolved to be an exceptional organization. It may be small for the time being, but there are plans in place to continue to grow and expand.

“This year we have been trying to recruit underclassmen,” Shaughnessy began. “The e-board and myself are all seniors, so we will be graduating this year. It’s important for us to keep this club running for as long as we can, because this is the only business club on campus right now.”

Shaughnessy will carry on with reaching out to as many students as possible, as taking over the e-board is a top priority for the future of the club.

She and the other current board members of the club run an Instagram account - @ SCwomeninbusiness that highlights all of the meetings, activities and other important information related to the club.

Students interested in joining the club can check out the Instagram account and get in touch with the e-board members.

March 11, 2021

Health and Fitness

Concerned with leading others

PAGE 5

Alec Noé’s drive for athletics and competition has evolved into a passion for coaching and helping those around him improve.

By Brady Cote @brady.cote

I

n an athlete’s life, there is always an influential figure that stands beside them as they grow and develop. Whether it be a coach, trainer, or teacher, that individual is there to make their athlete better. This individual solely focuses on their athlete and intends to make them the best that they can be.

Alec Noé – sophomore on campus and president of Iron Sports – has the same goal for his athletes within the club.

Iron Sports is a club where everyone has the same goal in sight.

Those who join want to learn how to grow stronger, both mentally and physically.

In a normal week, Noé has a set up for these athletes consisting of the team warming up in the field house, followed up by lifting twice a week in the varsity

weight room.

As the current president and leader of the Springfield College Iron Sports club, Noé’s main purpose is to help those who join the club improve their overall fitness.

“Everyone that is there is already great at what they do, and I’m just helping them get a little bit further.”

Noé expressed how he differed from most kids when it came to watching sports at a young age.

“Ever since I was a kid I was always much more interested in the managers. When I watched soccer, I loved the managers and the coaches much more than the players and just resonated with them a lot.”

Growing up, Noé’s influential figure was one of his coaches who ultimately planted the idea in his mind that he would one day be able to have a job regarding

strength and conditioning.

“I built a really great relationship with him, and that whole mentor, mentee relationship was a huge reason for me basically going down the career path that I’m in now of strength and conditioning.”

Although Noé admits that the fire that he once had for competing

is now extinguished, a new flame has been lit: a passion for coaching.

Noé created a fitness page on Instagram under @alecnoestrength.

His page is not one that is meant to display his journey, or how far he’s come since the start.

“My page isn’t really about my own personal journey as an athlete, it’s more about coaching

at this point.”

For Noé, it is not about the publicity. He wants to go down his own path while being able to display his coaching abilities.

“I don’t care about how many followers I have, I would much rather be original and less See Fitness on Page 11

Noé (center) is President of the Springfield Iron Sports club. (Photo Courtesy of Alec Noé)

March 11, 2021

Peace Corps

The experience of a lifetime

PAGE 6

Getting involved with the Peace Corps is a decision that can lead to lifelong memories and unique opporunties to help others.

By Irene Rotondo @irenerrotondo

P

eace Corps Volunteers range from virtually every background imaginable -- the one constant, however, is their shared love of community and service to others.

The stories of each individual who made the decision to volunteer are all unique, given there is no one path a person can take on their way to service or affiliation with the organization.

There are many ways to become involved; one particularly intriguing way, for students especially, is to become a campus ambassador.

Randi Dermo served in Ecuador from 20172019, and is the Regional Recruiter for Vermont and Massachusetts.

Dermo is looking for a student to represent the Peace Corps on the College’s campus.

“Campus ambassadors work closely with the recruiters in the area, to develop and foster relationships between the Peace Corps

and new and diverse student organizations on Springfield’s campus,” said Dermo.

“The application goes live on March 1, and I would love to work closely with Springfield students and spread the word of Peace Corps.

It’s a great opportunity for an undergraduate to have connections with federal government agencies, work to promote an organization’s mission, act as a liaison, so it’s also a really great opportunity for the student,” said Dermo.

Other than becoming a campus ambassador, another obvious way to get involved with the Peace Corps is becoming an in-country volunteer.

It is unsurprising that there are even a few alumnus of Springfield College that have gone on to serve with the Peace Corps, and many volunteers who now associate themselves with the College after their service has ended.

During Dermo’s service, she worked with English teachers

Randi Dermo with students in Ecuador. (Photo Courtesy of Randi Dermo)

at a K-12 public school.

One of her initiatives involved creating a curriculum for a cheerleading summer camp whose goal was to teach English through cheerleading. Students from fourth-through-sixth grade were invited to attend, with 50 students partaking overall.

“It was just really a great experience, I collaborated on carrying out this project with several of the English teachers at the school, and a couple of other volunteers in the area

came to help me out, and the students learned cheers in English,” said Dermo.

“They also learned a choreographed dance to Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off,’ and they participated in gender equality sessions along with team building exercises. It was just a really great way to bond with the students,” she said.

Other volunteers from the Peace Corps have a variety of missions, similar to Dermo’s, of youth development programs.

Tammen Nicholson (G’10) is a graduate of Springfield College’s Sports Management program. Nicholson served with his wife, Bridgit, from 2015-2017 in Lesotho, South Africa, working on youth development projects. Nicholson said that he and his wife made the decision to join a few years after already graduating from college, making them a sort of anomaly amongst their peers.

“I think for most people, they wind up doing Peace Corps immediately

Peace Corps

March 11, 2021 after graduation, so we were outliers in the fact that we weren’t just graduates,” said Nicholson.

“But we weren’t also a couple who was in their sixties that had just retired and wanted to do Peace Corps, so it was kind of unique to have that professional experience before we went overseas.”

Nicholson said that he faced some difficulties upon telling people of their decision, especially given that he and Bridgit had already been in the workforce for some time.

“One thing that people would say to me was, ‘Oh, you’re taking two years off from life to join Peace Corps,’ because by that time I had been working professionally,” said Nicholson.

“I kind of had to correct people often and be like, ‘I’m not taking time off, because I studied Sport Management, and this is maybe the first time I’m getting a chance to use my degree,’ because I’m teaching sport development classes, and how we can use soccer in HIV prevention techniques... that would raise awareness to public health campaigns.

“My favorite experience was that you can really tie in what your personal interests are to whatever your project is and put your own mark on that,” added Nicholson.

Nicholson recalled working as an intern during his time as an undergraduate at Springfield in a nonprofit office in New York. There, he learned firsthand how his Sport Management

Tammen Nicholson during his time in Lesotho. (Photo Courtesy of Tammen Nicholson)

degree could be used in outreach programs for the community, rather than in just formal business settings.

During his service in Lesotho, Nicholson worked to raise awareness of sexual reproductive health education.

He taught children the importance of healthy living and HIV awareness, an educational opportunity the children received because their community asked the Peace Corps for a volunteer to come and teach that exact topic.

“The thing that I’ve always liked about Peace Corps is that when the host community applies for a volunteer, the host community says, ‘I want a volunteer to come in to teach HIV medication practices, or teach sexual reproductive health courses,’ and that still needs to be approved by the Peace Corps, and they still need to agree and to offer to provide a volunteer,” said Nicholson.

“It’s totally different

than an NGO coming in and saying, ‘We’re going to give you sexual reproductive health, whether or not the community thinks that’s a priority,’” he added.

Lauren Bishop, though not a graduate of Springfield College (she actually graduated from UMass with a Bachelor’s in Biology), was another volunteer who focused on youth development during her time in-country. She served in Bulgaria from 2013-2015 at a small orphanage.

“I was a youth development volunteer for Youth at Risk, and I was placed in an orphanage in the center for social support-- it was a small town, maybe like 5,000 people, and an hour outside of the capitol,” said Bishop.

“I worked with primarily Roma-- they’re the minority population in eastern Europe. I worked with some social workers, a psychologist, ran activities at a small orphanage. [The chil-

dren were] 4-18 years old, about 15 or 16 kids, and I spent two years there, 27 months,” she added.

Bishop says that she initially had difficulty learning a second language, but the intensive three-month training volunteers endured was enough for her to pick up Bulgarian. One of her favorite experiences was learning that second language and subsequently building relationships while using the country’s native tongue.

“You’re thrown in-site after three months, and I didn’t have anyone on my site that spoke English, until I found out in like the last two months that my neighbor’s daughter spoke English,” laughed Bishop.

“I don’t know if it would be an experience, necessarily, but just like a collective experience really developing a familiarity with a second language. You can talk to just about anyone and after two years you surprise yourself,” she

PAGE 7 added.

When her service ended in 2015, Bishop decided that her next step would be to gain her Master’s degree from a Peace Corps fellowship program. After searching various programs and schools to complete them with, Bishop landed on Springfield College’s Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship. She was able to graduate from the program in 2018, opening up a spot for the next Peace Corps volunteer to come through.

That next volunteer was Erin Sarris. Sarris had served in Romania from 1995-1997 teaching English. After completing her undergraduate degree from University of New Hampshire, Sarris left just days after graduation for Romania.

She had first heard about the Peace Corps from her campus recruiter, who was then able to help her set an academic track in college that would aid her in her mission to serve.

Sarris took classes on teaching English as a foreign language and as a second language, and did some tutoring on the subject as well. This was just enough to prepare her for the experience of her lifetime.

Sarris recalled staying with her host family in the beginning of her service as a time where she was first introduced to Bulgarian culture.

The family had a nineyear-old son, and Sarris said that the family “bent over backwards” to make her feel comfortable, See Peace Corps on Page 10

March 11, 2021

Women’s History Month

PAGE 8

Cooper continued from Page 3

today. After a long break from teaching, Cooper is now teaching the YMCA Leadership course this semester at Springfield.

“They’ve had a really tough hit during the pandemic,” Cooper explained. “The course I’m teaching is designing the Y of 2025.” In this course, students are looking at how to engage members post-pandemic.

Cooper is hopeful that the future will bring positive change for women in male-dominated industries. “We are more than capable of leading an institution.

We just bring our own gifts to the table.”

Going forward, Cooper hopes that some of the barriers women face in the workplace will start to diminish. She encourages men to realize and appreciate that women will be leaders, and that they will excel in these roles.

As for her career, Cooper does not plan on slowing down anytime soon. When she started at University of Delaware, she was originally on a pre-law track. This goal was disrupted once she

decided to pursue a career in higher education.

“I feel like you’re never too old to get another degree to advance to the next step,” she said. With online programs available, Mary Beth Cooper hopes to earn her JD and use it to help women and families with contracts and housing assignments.

“I don’t want it to impact my job here,” Cooper said. She fully intends to continue serving the Springfield College community, and is eager to make more connections in the future once the campus is totally back in person with no restrictions.

“I feel really, really lucky to be the president here,” Cooper said. There may be much uncertainty with the world going forward, but for now, Dr. Cooper plans on continuing her role here at Springfield with the student body’s best interest in mind.

President Cooper at a past National Girls and Women in Sports Day event on campus.

(Photo Courtesy of Mary-Beth Cooper)

“

We are more than capable of leading an institution. We just bring our own gifts to the table.”

Mary-Beth Cooper

March 11, 2021

Giving Day 2021

Giving Day 2021

This year on Giving Day, 2,055 donors funded $347,712 in just 24-hours. #MaroonGives (Photos Courtesy of Springfield College Marketing & Comm.)

PAGE 9

Peace Corps

March 11, 2021

PAGE 10

Peace Corps continued from Page 7

despite their financial situation.

One of her favorite memories was of the very first McDonald’s opening in Romania.

“The first McDonald’s in Romania actually opened while I was there, and so it was a big day. [The family was] like, ‘We’re going to McDonald’s today!’’ said Sarris.

“So, we all ventured out, and the little boy was all excited. It was like this shining beacon, if you can imagine ‘America’ in the middle of this newly emerging country that wasn’t sure what it was going to be as a democracy, but they’re really trying to embrace and figure out the identity between the West and who they are.

“It was the most spotless, beautiful McDonald’s I had ever seen-you had to wait in line to get in, and there’s people washing all the windows and they opened the door for you and everyone was walking down the middle like, ‘Whoa!’

It was just a great experience for me to really tie that together and realize what I was a part of, and how this is pretty remarkable,” she said.

Another favorite memory of Sarris’ was her helping hand in one of the programs that Peace Corps Volunteers had set up prior to her arrival. The group that was before Sarris had created Camp GLOW, a summer camp for young girls whose mission was, “Girls Leading Our

World.” This camp was established to address the self-esteem issues Peace Corps English teachers had noticed in the classroom amongst the girls. It was extremely successful in its infancy, and one of the volunteers that had created this program decided to stay for the following summer and to bring it to other interested teachers.

“So we did Camp GLOW again, and we created some materials, and we had Romanian teachers there, and we were thinking, ‘This would be really cool if this stayed, if Camp GLOW was a thing in Romania when we left,’” said Sarris.

“Well, now if you look up ‘Camp GLOW’ it’s in 60 countries all over the world, and it’s been adapted for boys and girls. It’s really amazing the power of what a network like the Peace Corps can do. You want to leave something with the teachers you’d been working with too,” she added.

As mentioned before, Sarris is now a current graduate student in the Springfield College Coverdell Fellowship.

Through the fellowship, Sarris was even able to partake in a studyabroad program, which brought her right back to where she had begun: Romania.

“One of the organizations I worked with in Romania when I was there [initially] was Outward Bound, which

Randi Dermo with students at her cheer camp in Ecuador. (Photo Courtesy of Randi Dermo)

is an experiential education program… they were really just starting out and they got some seed money. So I helped them write grants, and they were trying to buy a little piece of land,” recalled Sarris.

“So we took this group... to Outward Bound Romania, 25 years after I had been there, and they have an International Youth Center. It was really amazing, and I feel like for me this tie-in of the Peace Corps, Springfield College, and the way the Springfield College Social Work program works, and being able to go back to Romania-- it was kind of like this magical opportunity for me,” said Sarris.

If there is one thing

that is constant through many volunteer’s experiences, it’s the fact that they recognize they are able to see a side of the country they serve in that regular tourists and vacationers do not.

Bishop said, “I think you’re there for so long, it’s not just like superficial travel-- you get to go to all the small towns, and see other volunteers and their communities, and you really get to marinate more in the culture than most travel experiences.”

Nicholson was in agreement, stating, “There’s no way to really understand a country, or visit a country, and be as in-depth. I’ve studied abroad, I’ve traveled pretty extensively, but now I feel like whenever

I go someplace, I know I’m just scratching the surface.

“There’s really no way, without spending a significant amount of time, to really see past that initial cultural-- you know, like, ‘The food’s different, the language is different,’ there’s way more aspects to culture that you understand and you learn as a Peace Corps volunteer,” he added.

If you are interested in becoming Springfield College’s Peace Corps Campus Ambassador or a Volunteer, please reach out to Randi Dermo by email at rdermo@peacecorps.gov to get started.

Housing

March 11, 2021

PAGE 11

Gender inclusive housing Springfield College continues to shift towards making the campus a more welcoming and comfortable environment for all.

By Collin Atwood @collinatwood17

S

tudents at Springfield College are gearing up for housing selections for the 2021-2022 school year. In years past, students would have to pick other students of the same gender to live with.

This academic year was the first year that gender inclusive housing was an option for students and will remain an option in the coming years.

Starting last year, gender inclusive housing was an option for students living in the townhouses, senior suites and living center. Allison Gagne, the Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life said,

“The biggest reason is definitely to support our LGBTQ community members and make sure they feel safe and have housing options that are affirmative of their identity.”

Springfield College felt that students should be allowed to make their own decisions in regards to who they live with.

In the 2021 fall semester the college will be expanding its number of gender inclusive buildings. “We’re extending that to traditional mid-year halls for this year,” Gagne said.

International, Alumni, Lakeside and Abbey Hall will all be gender inclusive in the upcoming fall

semester.

This is a step in the right direction for the college, which plans to have gender inclusive housing in every hall.

This plan has been in motion for two years and it all started with graduate housing.

“Two years ago, we started with graduate housing and then we started with the suites last year. This coming year will be traditional mid-year and then the following academic year we’ll roll this into first year halls and then the whole campus will have gender inclusive housing options,” Gagne said.

The goal is for everyone in the LGBTQ com-

munity to feel completely safe on the Springfield College campus.

In the traditional mid-year halls, about half of the wings will be gender inclusive. The college recognizes that not all students are comfortable sharing a wing with the opposite gender, so they will still have the option to be in a single gender wing.

If a student chooses to live in the gender inclusive wing, but does not feel comfortable sharing a bathroom with a student of the opposite gender, that student is more than welcome to use the bathroom in the single gender wing.

Having gender inclu-

sive housing will be a learning experience for the campus community.

Knowledge on the topic is vital to making this work.

“It’s certainly going to mean a lot of education for our community about living in a gender inclusive environment and that it remains safe for everyone, what the behavioral expectations are and things like that,” Gagne said.

For any questions regarding housing options visit the Housing and Residence Life Office or email reslife@springfieldcollege.edu.

Fitness continued from Page 5

known versus less original and much more known.”

Noé has always known that he much rather preferred the lifting and conditioning aspect of sports. He expressed how weightlifting has had a lasting impact on him as a person.

“Weightlifting is a part of my identity and the fiber of who I am.”

Noé wants to be the individual that stands beside his athletes and watches them grow stronger. He knows that it is no longer about him in the weight room, it is about the athletes that he coaches and leads in Iron Sports.

Being a leader is an important role in anyone’s life. Without a mentor, teacher, or coach, how would athletes advance mentally and physically with no guidance? Athletes need these individuals in order to grow and flourish into the best version of themselves.

March 11, 2021

Sports

Back for more

PAGE 12

The men’s volleyball team was the last Springfield team to play an in-person competition when they swept Lasell on the road on March 12, 2020. They will be the first in 2021. ____ By Joe Arruda ____ @joearruda9

On March 12, 2020, the collegiate sports world came to a screeching halt. Student-athletes were just being released from their afternoon classes, some leaving the dining hall after a mid-afternoon meal, others may have been taking a nap or hanging out with friends in their dorms.

Then came 3:00 p.m.

The NEWMAC conference suspended spring sports play. It was before anyone really knew the extent that the Coronavirus would affect the country – before the death toll climbed over an astronomical half million. There was still an inkling of hope for the men’s volleyball team, as they are not affiliated with a conference.

Student-athletes reported to team meetings where they were made aware of the news – some of them realizing they had already played in their final collegiate game.

Then, just after 4 p.m., the NCAA squandered that idea with a press release which cancelled all spring seasons.

Men’s volleyball head coach, Charlie Sulli-

Johjan Mussa Robles encourages the 2020 men’s volleyball team from the sideline.

(Joe Arruda/The Student)

van, was driving home after his team meeting, still with the thought in mind that his team would return to competition. That was until one of his players called him.

“Coach, ESPN just announced that all spring sports are cancelled.”

Campus was somber, the most depressing atmosphere Alden Street had likely ever seen with students on campus – a feeling that became normal once students were sent home just a few days later for the remainder of the semes-

ter.

Springfield men’s volleyball, ranked No. 1 in the nation, was 19-2 with only six matches to go before the NCAA tournament. They were favorites to return the national championship trophy to the Blake Arena showcases for the 12th time in program history.

Now, over a year since their last match, the Springfield men’s volleyball team will prepare to raise the net in Blake Arena on Saturday, March 13. They were the last Springfield

team to compete in an in-person environment in 2020, and they will be the first in 2021.

The process which preceded the 10-game schedule that was produced was a long, challenging one. Beginning at some point around December, the team had been exploring opportunities which led to this point.

“It’s been challenging for sure. It’s just human nature to want to know what’s going on and not having any idea what was going to happen was very uncomfortable,

but we just kind of try to own every moment as best we can,” Sullivan said.

Practices began in small pods for four weeks once students returned to campus at the end of January and eventually were able to become more competitive, including ‘6v6’ – a sort of intersquad game.

With nine new names on the roster – six firstyears and three transfers – the lack of team gatherings has threatened one of the Pride’s invaluable strengths.

In any normal year, the team would travel to California for a few matches and a bonding experience over the school break in January.

“The most difficult thing is that without being able to socially gather, any social cohesion hasn’t really formed. We usually start out by going to California and the most important thing is they get to know each other really well and get a lot of time to bond as a family,” Sullivan said.

“That policy driven separation with our team has affected our team in terms of our cohesiveness.”

The team enters the 2021 season ranked first in the nation in the Di-

March 11, 2021

Sports

Brennen Brandow winds up for a kill against SUNY New Paltz in the 2020 season.

(Joe Arruda/The Student)

vision III NCAA/AVCA coaches poll. This marks the fifth time in the last six seasons where the Pride have entered the year as the top-ranked team in the country and the 70th straight poll in the top two.

Players to Watch Bolstered by their legendary head coach in Sullivan who is entering his 23rd season, the team has only gotten stronger since its impressive run in 2020.

Johjan Mussa Robles was the lone senior on the 2020 roster and when the season was cancelled the libero from Caguas, Puerto Rico posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram.

“As reality sinks in, I have to face the fact that my journey on Alden St. and in Blake Arena

is over. My last year couldn’t have ended any worse,” the caption read.

“Thank you Springfield for giving me some of my best friends and for giving me memories I will cherish forever. (....)

Last week I played my last game wearing THE jersey and I didn’t even know it. Although the future is unknown, I really hope it’s not the last time I get to play the sport that gave me purpose.”

That was on March 17.

On July 24, it turned out that his final sentiment would come true.

He posted, “I guess my journey on Alden ST. is NOT over!”

Mussa Robles was among the many with their future up in the air after receiving his diploma in the mail.

“My original plan was to get out of school,

work for a year or two and then go back to school. Then, obviously Covid happened – I already said bye, I already said bye to the coaches, the team was not expecting me to come back. A couple weeks later, I’m like, ‘What am I doing?’ I didn’t have plans, no job lined up, Covid kind of froze everything down. I’m like, ‘There’s nothing stopping me from going back to school now,’” he said.

“All summer it was a big roller coaster. I’m good where I am now,” he said with a wide smile stretched across his face.

Mussa Robles, who was a Second Team All-American in 2019, holds a role on the team as a leader not just on the court, but on the sidelines and beyond.

This year’s team has

piled up its collective share of accolades.

Most notable are the hitting tandem in Brennen Brandow and Jarrett Anderson.

Brandow, a junior, was named the 2020 TeamSnap/AVCA Men’s Volleyball Division III National Player of the Year and was an AVCA Division III All-America First Team honoree in his sophomore campaign. As a freshman, Brandow earned AVCA Newcomer of the Year recognition and was a Second Team All-American.

Anderson, his sophomore counterpart, was named a First Team All-American and the AVCA Newcomer of the Year in 2020.

Mussa Robles, Brandow and Anderson are just a few of the shining stars on the Springfield roster which includes a senior All-American transfer from Stevenson University in Nate Reynolds.

Outlook The fire power is there, but the shot at another national championship is still to be determined.

Springfield is waiting on the NCAA survey of Div. III schools that sponsor NCAA men’s volleyball to learn if there will be a national championship tournament, or not. 70 percent of schools that have a program must be participating in a season.

Through the year of uncertainty, the goals of the men’s volleyball program have stood strong. For a program

PAGE 13

that wins so often, the goal isn’t so.

“Our goal is not to win, our goal is to always play at championship level. If we do win, that’s basically a cherry on top,” Mussa Robles said. “That’s why it hurt so much last year because we were close to getting to that potential – we were seeing it, we were going to get there, we knew we were going to get there.”

Sullivan added, “We’re not on a mission for wins and losses this year, we’re on a mission to do it right. To do it right by the guys and just give them an opportunity.”

Though Blake Arena will be holding true to its 50-person Covid capacity, the energy from a team that hasn’t played in over a year will certainly be there.

Saturday, March 13 will be the first in-person athletic competition on the campus since the men’s basketball team hosted the beginnings of its national tournament that went unfinished.

“We just appreciate and we are thankful that we are back on the court, that we just want to play good volleyball and have fun, but also hoping that there is a national championship to finish unfinished business,” Mussa Robles said.

“We’re ready to go, we’re just hungry – hungry to keep going.”

March 11, 2021

Sports

PAGE 14

Painting her story Heidi Schuman, a junior on the women’s tennis team, has found her passion in the art form and developed an incredible talent. ___ By Lucas Van Deventer ___ @Lucasvd_26

A way to stay aware of oneself and reduce the many stressors that come along in life is by taking into perspective the amazing art influences that are around us every day. A junior artist at Springfield College stands by this notion through her burning passion for art.

Heidi Schuman is a junior in the studio art program with minors in web design, art therapy and marketing.

During her time on Alden Street, she has had a lasting impression on people with her art tendencies.

She has lended a hand to assist with The Springfield Student’s design of a logo for a story on the ‘True Colors’ series which promoted a platform for the LGBTQ+

athletic community on the Springfield athletics social media outlets. She also designed a revamped ‘For the Record’ logo, a series from The Student which highlights the LGBTQ+ experience on campus.

Artwork can uncover a sense of creativity that someone might not have thought they had.

In addition, art can be displayed in many ways and forms.

Schuman, a member of the women’s tennis team, is a true believer that everyone has a creative mind when you really think about it. Whatever hobby or passion a person has, it can be expressed in an art form. Even playing a sport can be looked at as an art influence with the emotions that

(Photo Courtesy of Heidi Schuman)

go into it. It can be conveyed by what you see and how you feel as well.

“I feel like art is kind of underappreciated and especially now, it’s not really a big digitized thing. It’s something that you touch and hold and so I think it’s cool. I think we need more of that,” she said.

Schuman has been selling her art and has been doing commissions since high school.

She began to find a passion for it a few years ago when she opened herself to a new interest she held in art and design.

“I have always loved doing art ever since I was little. I think I started to take it seriously in high school.

My junior year I did

advanced placement studio art so I had to make a portfolio that was 24 pieces in the year, that’s when I started making a lot of art and building my own style,” she said.

Schuman soon found her place in art and design. At one point, art was all she used and depended on for a while when she was grappling with the difficulties of mental health.

She used art to help her cope and the more she worked with art, the more she hit her stride with the skills and developments needed to push her talents further.

“I had to be hospitalized for mental health issues and in the hospital I stayed at, I stayed there for seven weeks and they had an art

therapy group. We would spend an hour doing whatever art we wanted and that was the best part of my day.

I did a few individual sessions too. It really helped with what I was struggling with,” She said.

Even though it was a fight to get through the strain of mental health, Schuman was able to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, she is finding her success doing media design and graphic design art through Adobe programming. As of now, she does not want to give up this demanding engrossment she has found for herself.

Schuman wants to keep at it as much as she can.

“Last semester I got into design. I started taking design classes

March 11, 2021

with Ruth West, the head of the media and digital design services, and I love her. She is such a great professor and I have started taking as many classes as I can with her and I’m getting into the Adobe suite and doing digital art,” Schuman added.

Professor West speaks highly of Schuman as she was creating a piece of artwork every day in the month of February.

The work is continuously reflected to show her hard work and creative spirit.

“Heidi is a very talented artist, who is a consistent, hard-working team player in my classes. I know this is not very thought-provoking, but what else do you say about such a nice person. I have enjoyed having her in my classes,” West said.

Previously, Schuman has only been a painter or drawer; the more traditional art style and the style she was most comfortable with; however, with her newly found interest in digital design, she has begun to blend the two to make an amazing masterpiece. What she creates builds character and reflects her devotion to the effort she puts into it.

With her incredible sense of art, comes the confidence she gets from her peers, her friends and her family.

Schuman acknowledges that without the amazing support from them, then what she does now could be hard to accomplish with the same end

result in her work.

The source of support she finds starts with her family. Her parents and her brother constantly look to encourage her to keep working at it. Her younger brother, Eric, is proud of the way she is invested with art and acknowledges what it means to her. He sees incredible results in the artwork she does for him also.

“She is always working on a project whether it’s painting someone’s shoes, the walls on our house, a phone case, or pretty much anything else you can think of. I have a pair of her shoes and get compliments for them all the time.

She is very talented and the end product is always amazing,” her brother said.

Not only does her family show support for all the accomplishments and projects Schuman has done, but also her closest friends at Springfield College get a look at how talented she is. She finds a way to use art that she makes to help others feel better too.

Caitlin Ryan, a student at Springfield exclaimed, “I consider Heidi my best friend and I truly support her work so much as an artist. I even had her paint the door to my room in a flower mural and I have a painting of hers hanging up on my wall. It’s so amazing to see how passionate she is about her art and how she really can express herself

Sports

PAGE 15

Heidi Schuman’s art. (Photos Courtesy of Heidi Schuman)

through it.”

Schuman’s teammate on the Springfield Pride tennis team, Veronica Fulgieri, also realizes that the work Schuman puts into her artwork displays a wonderful picture of who she is as a person. The artwork is done with precision and close attention to detail.

“I don’t see modern art in the way that most people do, but Heidi changed that opinion for me. When I look at her art, I can see the beauty in it. She seems to put a piece of herself in the artwork in very subtle ways. It could be the subject matter or even the colors. It could be that I just know Heidi, so I automatically see her in it. Her art tells her story,” Fulgieri said.

Using these words of encouragement and taking advantage of the abundance of support,

Schuman continues to do her work of art. She is very aware of the attention to detail in her artwork and works hard at what gives her passion in her life.

“Definitely my peers and my friends. That’s kind of where I get confidence from also.

Like if no one wants your art, I’d still do it for me, but it’s nicer when you get good feedback and people that reposts your stuff and recommend you to other people, so that’s definitely a big motivation to keep doing what I’m doing,” Schuman admitted.

Looking into the future, Schuman hopes that any career she finds, she can try to utilize her art skills to implement them to her job. Art is what makes her and she wouldn’t change that for the world.

“Right now, I’m going

toward marketing and once I get into that, I really want to try to find a way to incorporate art to my job or do graphic design.

But even if I don’t end up doing a job that’s necessarily art related, I think I’ll always have that as my hobby,” Schuman said.

There comes a time when a sudden interest helps to fill the void and gives students a way to keep moving forward. Art is one element that can help people in many different ways and can even change a person’s life for the better.

SPORTS The Springfield Student

VOL. 135 NO. 16

Unfinished Business After having its season cut short last spring, the Springfield College men’s volleyball team enters the 2021 season ranked No. 1 in the country.

[Page 12]

(Photo Courtesy of Jack Margaros)

MARCH 11, 2021