Volume 135 No. 22

The Springfield Student Est. 1910

April 22, 2021

Volume 135 No. 22

scstudentmedia.com // @TheSpfldStudent

Winners/Finalist for five Society of Professional Journalist (SPJ) awards in 2021

Love is love

Springfield College holds first-ever Pride Parade to support the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

See page 2 Photo Courtesy of Danielle Schmelling/The Student

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On the Inside

Communications/Sports Journalism Professor Laura Dubowski reflects ahead of impending retirement this semester.

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CampusNews

Courageous Conversations series kicks off with important lessons from journalist Ernest Owens.

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April 22, 2021

Pride Parade

Love wins

PAGE 2

First-ever Pride Parade kicks off “RainbowFest” and showcases major support for the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

By Irene Rotondo @irenerrotondo

An explosion of love and rainbows made its way up Alden Street on April 19, 2021. Springfield College hosted its first ever Pride Parade, the kickoff event to the weeklong “RainbowFest” planned by the Student Gender and Sexuality Alliance, the Y Club and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

The parade began at President Mary-Beth Cooper’s house. Students dressed in multicolored clothing crowded her front gates holding hand painted banners and various flags representing their sexualities. Each person present at the parade was given a rainbow striped mask to wear during the march.

President Cooper then led the crowd up Alden Street, past Gulick Hall and beyond the Learning Commons. Students donning pride flags as capes blasted music in support of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, including Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” and Lil Nas X’s “Montero.”

They shouted, “We are here, we are queer, and we have no fear!”

The massive group then circled around to the sidewalk by Cheney Dining Hall, and gathered at the newly-created stage on Naismith Beach. There, leaders of the aforementioned organizations who helped plan the parade gave short speeches and an overall warm welcome to RainbowFest 2021.

GSA secretary Kayden DeFriesse was extremely excited for the parade. He stated, “It’s nice to be able to showcase who I am. I know for me and for a lot of people, growing up in the heteronormative world, you look at the media and you see straight couples and straight people. You don’t really see two men, two women, transgender, or non-binary [people]; not until very recently, that wasn’t shown in the media.

“So, a lot of our identity was never shown: people used to think we’re weird, we’re different. People are still attacked to this day just for loving people, so to me, it’s finally being able to be who I am. I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m trans, that I’m asexual, I want to showcase it. This is going to help spread the love to anyone who might need it,” he said.

RainbowFest will continue this week with multiple different events and activities to help the Springfield College community celebrate love and equality, no matter a person’s gender or sexuality. GSA hopes that people who identify as straight will attend to better educate themselves on how to open their hearts as allies to the LGBTQIA2S+ community.

NOTE: Check out the best photos from the Pride Parade on Page 3. Photos courtesy of Danielle Schmelling/The Student and Springfield College Marketing & Comm.

April 22, 2021

Pride Parade

PAGE 3

April 22, 2021

Campus News

A wealth of knowledge After a long, successful career in the television industry and a four-year stint with Springfield College, Communications/Sports Journalism Professor Laura Dubowski will retire at the end of this semester.

Dubowski in the control room at the Nagano Olympics in 1998 producing the morning show. (Photo Courtesy of Laura Dubowski)

Dubowski again at the Olympics and to her right is Director Don Roy King. The photo was taken during opening ceromonies. (Photo Courtesy of Laura Dubowski)

PAGE 4

By Collin Atwood @collinatwood17

In 2017, a highly credentialed, charismatic, confident and wonderful person joined Springfield College with a goal to encourage curiosity within students and assist them in achieving their full potential. Over her last four years, Laura Dubowski achieved that and so much more.

Dubowski is an Assistant Professor of Communications at Springfield College, but her time on Alden Street is coming to an end at the conclusion of the semester. It was on December 14, 2020 when she informed the Communications and Sports Journalism program of her plan to retire.

Her invaluable experience in the journalism field was felt as soon as she took her first step on campus.

“She brought what the committee at the time saw as the perfect fit to our program...She’s the perfect combination of a journalist with the greatest credentials and someone who loves bringing along the next generation of journalists,” said Kyle Belanger, Assistant Professor of Communications at Springfield College.

Before she decided to come to Springfield, Dubowski worked for many major networks. She was the Senior Producer for CBS News for 16 years, which involved doing work in its New York Broadcast Center and its London Bureau.

She also produced pieces for New England Cable News and ABC World News Weekend. She’s been recognized for her work by being a three-time Emmy-award nominee and an Associated Press award winner.

After her long and successful career in production, Dubowski decided it was time to share her knowledge and educate young journalists. “I didn’t want to go to my grave with the knowledge that I had gained over 37 years in television,” Dubowski said.

Before Springfield, she had been an Assistant Professor of Journalism at the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University. “Go, Cougs!” is a refrain Dubowski often enjoys saying to her classes.

Her impressive resume and accolades are the least important thing about Dubowski. Over her four years, she has made a lasting impression on her students and colleagues as a professor and a friend.

“I also think of her as a friend and not just a professor,” said Taylor Sanzo, President of SCTV3, who is a senior at Springfield College in the COSJ major.

The aspiring journalists at Springfield have a lot to thank Dubowski for. Her professionalism, dedica-

Campus News

April 22, 2021 tion and passion cannot and will not go unnoticed. No other professor is more excited to have a class full of students who are ready to learn about the world of television journalism than Dubowski.

Every year when it’s time for registration, she’s the first professor to start advertising her classes. You can see the eagerness and joy in her eyes and her smile when a bunch of students sign up to learn about the TV industry.

“I thought I could tell my experience, teach what I know about producing shows and reporting news,” Dubowski said.

Dubowski’s professionalism was the main reason for the Springfield College Student TV station’s success and improvement. “She has undoubtedly transformed our television program by miles in the past four years,” said Nichole Maisto, Vice President of SCTV3 and a senior in the COSJ major.

She brought all of the knowledge she had on how to produce an organized and professional broadcast to SCTV3 and elevated it to a new level. Dubowski taught the students how to properly report, interview and write for a television broadcast.

So, when they aired on Thursday nights, people would know that SCTV3 was the real deal.

“Through all that

knowledge, she really got everyone excited to turn the program around in the process,” Sanzo said.

It’s no coincidence that over the past four years there has been a tremendous increase in the number of students going straight into TV journalism after graduation.

“Laura’s definitely overseen a period of growth and increased professionalism,” said Martin Dobrow, Professor of Communications at Springfield College.

Not only has she done so much for the students, but she also holds a special place in her colleague’s hearts as a journalist and more importantly, a friend.

“Laura has definitely elevated the stature of our program and she’s been a really good friend and just a lively, funny personality to be around.

I’ve enjoyed her company a great deal,” Dobrow said.

Her energy is like no other and it can be seen right when students walk into her classroom or see her around campus. She always has a story to tell and a lesson to teach.

“I just knew right away that I wanted to be around her more...I was excited about having her as a neighbor in Weiser, I was excited about being able to have a coffee with her in the conference room or go to lunch with her or sit next to

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Dubowski playing with monkey’s on a Presidential Trip in Entebbe, Uganda. (Photo Courtesy of Laura Dubowski)

Dubowski in between two GI’s in Kuwait prior to the invasion of Iraq. (Photo Courtesy of Laura Dubowski)

her during commencement and exchange stories,” Belanger said.

The end of the 2021 spring semester is creeping up, which means so is Dubowski’s retirement. After she retires, she plans on traveling and seeing the world. “I want to be able to call my time my own at this

point,” Dubowski said.

Who can blame her?

She has given so much to not only Springfield College, but also every other station she has produced for and all the people she has met along the way.

She deserves nothing less than to use her time for herself for once.

As Springfield Col-

lege says goodbye to an excellent professor, respected journalist, great friend and all-around marvelous person, Laura Dubowski will always be regarded for her delightful demeanor and her impact on the journalists of the present and future.

April 22, 2021

Courageous Conversations

Cultivatnig tangible change

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Ernest Owens leads initial “Courageous Conversation” and focuses on how small change leads to larger impact later on down the line.

Ernest Owens. (Photo Courtesy of Noriefy)

By Cait Kemp @caitlinkemp09

O

n April 14 at 6:30 pm, the Springfield College Division of Inclusion and Community Engagement and title sponsor Berkshire Bank presented the debut of a new series, Courageous Conversations.

The feature speaker for the event was award-winning journalist and CEO of Ernest Media Empire, LCC, Ernest Owens. Owens was introduced by Student Trustee Kris Rhim, who has been a catalyst himself for pushing conversations like this for students and the Springfield College community.

Owens emphasized the importance of understanding the news that is being received.

Often times, there are

news stations showing opinion segments that are made for entertainment, rather than simply giving the truth.

This is because news broadcasting is a business and strong personalities that argue with each other about big topics are going to get higher viewership than someone reading off facts.

“I think a lot of people just simply, you know, watch what they like. Or, they say, ‘I like Angela Rye,’ well is Angela Rye an academic or expert who can really talk about race, or is she just a personality?”

Owens said.

It is okay to watch these types of programs, but it is important to recognize that they are sometimes exaggerating or even communicating

false information. Owens urges people to get back into reading, where they will find much more credible information that will help them to understand what is going on in the world and what needs to be done.

Owens also discussed the idea of taking action.

Oftentimes, people want to ensue change at the highest level, thinking that is the only way real progress can occur.

However, there is plenty of work to be done at the local level, places that are much more impressionable for anyone and everyone; smaller scale change will help to create that larger progress within the country.

“The issues that we see nationally are so much closer to us than we can imagine,” said Owens. “You have people

right in front of you that you should be challenging.”

Beginning to challenge things that have become norms in society will help to create that small change that will hopefully help the nation and state of minds of generations to come.

Things like having textbooks written by more diverse people, embedding race issues in curriculum rather than just having one or two specified courses on the topic, and recognizing funding disparities between programs, clubs and departments. These are things that anyone can challenge to help make a better environment on their campuses.

Having this conversation at school with the community is an important step. Owens ac-

knowledges that it needs to start at home and in classrooms in order for people to empathize and become allies that want to help improve the climate in their communities.

“The real movement work with college students, the real things you can do at this moment, is in your own backyard,” said Owens.

The first installment of the Courageous Conversations series was an important lecture to hear for the Springfield College community.

Owens preached the idea that students can begin to make changes in their own environments, and it was inspiring and important to understand that action is needed to be taken.

April 22, 2021

Liberty, Justice and Ball

PAGE 7

Liberty, Justice and Ball pairs with the Hall

Liberty, Justice and Ball, a podcast hosted by Springfield College student Kris Rhim and Professor Marty Dobrow, is parterning with the Basketball Hall of Fame.

By Danny Priest @dpriest3

A

lmost a year since the tragic and brutal murder of George Floyd in the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, social justice remains at the forefront of the nation.

On April 11, 2021, tragedy again struck in Minnesota. This time, it was the shooting of 20-year-old Daunte Wright. AP News reported the Wright was pulled over for having air fresheners hanging in his rearview mirror.

He was shot by Officer Kim Potter and it was reported that Potter meant to grab her taser, but instead grabbed her firearm and “accidentally” shot and killed Wright.

These sorts of incidents have been a recurring problem for far too long and America has spent the better part of the past year grappling with issues of racism, social justice and police

reform.

Sports leagues and athletes have been active in using their resources and platforms to take an active role in cultivating change during these times. There have been a number of examples, but perhaps no league has been more active than the NBA. Back in November, the league established a social justice coalition between the NBA and the NBA Players association to advance efforts towards equality and social justice. Additionally, players such as LeBron James, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell and many more have not been shy about discussing these topics with the media in the midst of their seasons and through the off season.

Progress is being made, but so much work remains to be done. In Springfield, the Basketball Hall of Fame was doing their part to help

support the cause the league was fighting for.

The Hall has their own social justice committee and following the brutal and public murder of Floyd, they too were searching for ways they could help change the course of how Black people were being unjustly treated and killed in America.

Shortly after their meetings an idea for a podcast involving basketball and social justice came to life and the Hall did not need to look far for a pair of hosts.

Less than 2 miles from the Hall at Springfield College, the duo of Kris Rhim and Marty Dobrow had created the podcast Liberty, Justice and Ball back in 2019 to explore the intersection of basketball and social justice.

Rhim, a senior communications/sports journalism major and Student Trustee, along with Dobrow, a professor

Liberty, Justice and Ball is available on all platforms.

of communications and social justice expert, had already hosted a successful first season of their podcast and were getting ready to get underway with season two.

That’s when the partnership between the pair and the Hall of Fame came together and it was a natural fit from all sides.

“There was a lot of discussion about how the Hall of Fame could, or should, at least explore what we should be doing

as an organization. A number of board members jumped on this committee to study that and the outcome of those numerous discussions and meetings was the endorsement of this podcast,” said Scott Zuffelato, the Hall’s Vice President of Philanthropy.

The driving idea behind the inception of the podcast was to allow Continue Reading on Page 8

April 22, 2021

Liberty, Justice and Ball

PAGE 8

Follow the Liberty, Justice and Ball podcast on social media to stay up to date on all of the latest episodes and content.

@libertyjusticeandball

Bob Cousy (bottom) is among the many basketball legends the podcast will have on in the coming months. (Photo Courtesy of Liberty, Justice and Ball)

@Libjusticeball

Continued from Page 7

Hall of Famers, many of whom are of an older age, to reckon with and reflect on their life experiences with social justice issues as they moved through their careers.

“One of the key elements was that we were going to build a platform through a podcast interviewing and utilizing our Hall of Famers both about when they were coming up, because there was a lot of strife for our older Hall of Famers and a lot of obstacles, and (we also wanted) their view point on today,” said John Doleva, President and CEO of the Hall.

Now, just two episodes in, the podcast is already on the right track. Episode one featured Grant Hill and episode two was with Bob Cousy and the star power guests will continue for the foreseeable

future on the podcast.

The episodes are a chance to hear conversations that otherwise may never be heard publicly with the legends of the game. It’s not about the trophies, accolades or on-court actions, it’s the more meaningful social justice related topics off the court that the podcast digs into.

“Usually you go to a podcast to talk about basketball, like, ‘Who are your top five guys who you played against or played with,’ stuff like that is cool, but who is asking them about the Cosby show’s impact on their childhood and people calling their mothers Mrs. Huxtable?” Rhim said.

“It brings back cool memories for them. I think they enjoy hearing questions that they are not typically asked. People want to talk about

this stuff outside the white lines,” he added.

“I think the timing, we’re ripe for this right now. It is the story of our times. It’s the issue of our times. I believe that while basketball is only a small piece of the larger equation, it’s an important piece,” Dobrow said of the impact Liberty, Justice and Ball can have.

“Basketball has been an arena where race has been a part of the equation for so long and has been unspoken about for much of that time.

I think now is the time for it to be spoken about, thought about, dealt with, learned from, all those things,” Dobrow said.

Rhim and Dobrow could not be more different. As they said in their podcast trailer, they are student and professor, Black and

white, 22-years old and 60-years old, but the same objective for this podcast is shared by them and everyone else at the Hall.

They want to unite young people towards achieving tangible social equality and better treatment for Black people and marginalized groups in America.

“I think the point of the whole thing is no matter what your age and what your background is, everybody has a concern for social justice -- the wide range of what they (Kris and Marty) represent is we all kind of want to come to center. They do come from very different backgrounds, but they have the same passion and fulfill the same results in terms of sharing those messages for us,” Doleva said.

“The purpose of the

podcast is educational, to educate young people about these Hall of Famers and the best way to get to people like us is through Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok and that’s really how we’re pushing it,” Rhim said.

Liberty, Justice and Ball presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame is available on all podcast platforms for individuals to download and listen. New episodes will publish every other Wednesday at 12 p.m.

Follow @Libjusticeball on Twitter and @ libertyjusticeandball on Instagram to stay up to date on all of the latest episodes and content.

Episodes will also be posted on the Basketball Hall of Fame accounts @Hoophall on Twitter and @hoophall on Instagram.

April 22, 2021

Sports

PAGE 9

Congratulations to men’s lacrosse coach Keith Bugbee, who was named next year’s Distinguished Professor of Humanics

Arruda: Racism has not been detained __ By Joe Arruda __ @joearruda9

As I watched Mary Ann Coughlin’s Humanics lecture, where she spoke about two pandemics – one, the global health emergency and two, racism and social injustice, I received President Cooper’s email.

That was where I received the news that the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer that violently forced his knee into the neck of George Floyd for a gruesome eight minutes and 46 seconds, was in.

When we look back on the summer of 2020, what Coughlin addressed in her speech will be exactly

what we think of. Though there were several deaths of innocent people of color at the hands of the police since the beginning of the pandemic, the viral video of this instance was the major catalyst that reinvigorated the movement for social justice.

This case was unique in the fact that it was broadcasted from the very beginning, and that did not change when the trial was also broadcast and televised in totality. A transparent display of our criminal justice system at work – one that has consistently failed people of color, over and over again.

As Amanda Gorman, an extraordinary young poet, put on Twitter, “The fact that we know what the verdict SHOULD be but remain unsure of what it WILL be speaks volumes about our nation. We have work to do.”

Finally, just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, the judge read the verdict.

Guilty of second-degree murder.

Guilty of third-degree murder.

Guilty of second-degree manslaughter.

Convicted of all charges.

Up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for

Derek Chauvin was found guilty on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter on Tuesday evening. (Photo Courtesy of OPB.org)

third-degree murder, and up to 10 for second-degree manslaughter – up to 75 years in all.

Chauvin will be sentenced in eight weeks, and bail has been revoked. The ex-cop was led away from the courtroom in handcuffs.

A feeling of relief leveled the nation.

We have been raised in a world where the criminal justice system has failed people of color, time and time again. Even when there is significant evidence in a police officer shooting, the officer is still acquitted – a show of the systemic racism that

permeates the institutions of our country.

But now, we may be approaching a turning point in our country’s history.

It is important, however, to understand that though this case has become the face of the reinvigorated fight for social justice, Derek Chauvin is not the face of racism. Just because he was convicted, the fight is not over. We are going to see several additional similar cases, and some where the evidence may not be so clear.

Justice was served on April 20, 2021, but racism itself has not been detained.

April 22, 2021

Sports

PAGE 10

On the front lines Working in the intensive care unit, Springfield softball’s Natalie Stoner has played a vital role throughout the pandemic.

Natalie Stoner is an outfielder for the Springfield College softball team who has been on the front lines working to help COVID patients. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield Athletics)

___ By Chris Gionta ___ @Chris_Gionta

In May of 2019, Natalie Stoner, an outfielder for the Springfield College softball team, took up a job as a per diem intensive care unit (ICU) technician for a requirement for her major. Little did she know, she would be playing a critical role in a global pandemic just 12 months later.

“I was a little bit scared,” said the junior.

“But I knew that I was able to help out, so I thought that I should go and play my part in that if I was able to help in some way.”

Stoner plans on work-

ing in the healthcare industry beyond her years at Springfield College, which is why she took up the job in the first place.

“I am in the pre-PA (Physician’s Assistant) program here, so I had to get a job in some kind of healthcare field,” she said. “So I started that after my freshman year here — before we had any kind of pandemic — I was already in that position to work when I was home on breaks.”

When it came time for her to go back to the job during the pandemic, it was very clear that

the environment would be different this time around.

“I started back after finals ended in mid-May, which was when it was getting really bad in ICU” said Stoner. “So I just kind of picked up there. I just picked up some hours, showed up, and it was a really crazy day. They had me working with the COVID patients the first day I got back. There’s kind of two sides of the ICU; there’s like a clean side and a dirty side. So, on the dirty side, you would have to put the full gear on when you

went into the rooms. It was like an N-95, another surgical mask, and then a face shield, a little shower cap/hair cap kind of thing, and then a gown and gloves.”

The required equipment was not the only change at the hospital she worked at. As one would imagine, the energy differed greatly from when she was previously there.

“It was a much heavier feeling once the pandemic hit; people were more scared” said Stoner. “This was before there was any talk of any vaccines, so a lot

of these providers just kind of had to go — we didn’t really know a lot about it at the time as a country, so it was a little bit scarier. And a lot of the nurses and other providers who had issues or health issues were scared.”

Stoner has been playing some vital roles in her time working at the hospital. She was very important in supporting patients who were not capable of supporting themselves.

“I was a patient care tech, and so in the ICU, that was where the people were mostly on

April 22, 2021

Sports

PAGE 11

Natalie Stoner has been working at the hospital since her freshman year, but has taken on a bigger role since the pandemic hit. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College Athletics).

ventilators, and really just unable to take care of themselves in a lot of ways,” said Stoner.

“So a lot of my job was repositioning patients, cleaning them up, changing their sheets, bathing them.”

She not only provided physical aid, but served as an emotional backing for those in the ICU. “During this time, too, there weren’t any visitors allowed,” she said. “So this also played a huge role in just how the hospital worked as a whole. Usually, the family plays a huge support role and is there to keep them motivated. But, without that, sometimes I would spend a little

extra time chatting with the patients. Sometimes,

“

The same way it was for most, the pandemic

tion a lot more,” Stoner said. “It made me kind

There’s kind of two sides of the ICU; there’s like a clean side and a dirty side. So, on the dirty side, you would have to put the full gear on when you went into the rooms.

- Natalie Stoner -

they would just need a hand to hold. Even if they seemed like they were out of it, they would just grasp onto your hand, and it really put into perspective how alone these people were at this time.”

was a learning experience for Stoner. She experienced a change in perspective on her field as well as her approach to her aspiring field.

“I definitely saw that emotional component and emotional connec-

of think of how spending a little bit of extra time chatting with the patients — just getting a feel for who they are as a person — that really changes their trust in you, and that can really impact how they want

to care for themselves, too. They’ll want to motivate themselves to maybe get better or something if they see that this provider has faith in them, and that connection with them as well.”

Stoner is one of many of the people to be celebrated for their work during this tragic time.

And when final exams are over in the spring semester of 2021, she will be back at it, being a helping hand for ICU patients once again.

April 22, 2021

Sports

PAGE 12

Student Leadership Awards announced Six Springfield College student-athletes and one graduate assistant were honored with Student Leadership Awards on April 12. __ By Garrett Cote__ @garrett_cote Last Monday, April 12, the Student Leadership Awards were presented to six student athletes along with one graduate assistant coach. Each of the winners have contributed to a more positive and welcoming environment at Springfield College in a variety of ways, showing exactly why they were truly deserving of the awards they received.

Following the introduction

by Vice President of Student Affairs, Patrick Love, the event kicked off with the Student Class Presidents and Student Trustee Swearing-In Ceremony. As the five-minute segment wrapped up, the presentation of the Student Leadership Awards began.

The first two student-athletes to be recognized were senior Abby Murdock and junior Alyson Coyle, both members of the track and field team for the Pride. Murdock and Coyle were recipients of the Innovation and Creativity Award for their formation of the club Minds in Motion. This club was brought forth during the summer with a plan of building awareness to mental health and creating a community of support for students.

“It means a lot [to win such a terrific award,” began Murdock. There are so many student leaders who have accomplished tremendous things this past year. It has been amazing to watch, and I am proud to have even been considered one of them with Aly.” Coyle iterated Murdock’s point, and added that their hard work and dedication to starting up a club to promote

All of the student-athletes who won Leadership Awards last Monday. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield Athletics). mental health and the stigma behind it has paid off with the acknowledgement it has been receiving around campus.

Next, there were three student athletes to be recognized for the positivity award. Junior Justin Brosnan (volleyball), senior Isaiah Cashwell-Doe (football), and sophomore Brenna Lachapelle (cross-country, track) took home this year’s honors.

Brosnan was described by his nominators as someone with a positive outlook, someone who consistently communicated

with his peers about doing the right thing, who always led by example, and who leaned into every opportunity to spread their positivity by both taking on more responsibilities as a student ambassador and by taking on more leadership within their role on the Student Athlete Leadership Team.

Cashwell-Doe has embodied the spirit, mind, and body on and off the field and has approached everything he has done thus far with an abundance of enthusiasm and determination. His persever-

ance and grit has been shown through his ability to consistently overcome adverse situations in his life, and his desire to improve himself as not only a teammate and player, but an overall person has been nothing short of remarkable.

As for Lachapelle, her capability of maintaining a positive attitude throughout hardships and difficult situations while remaining calm in a constantly changing environment is what propelled her to this prestigious award. Her constant reminders to her peers about

finding the good in challenging situations is inspiring and encouraging as well.

“I feel like I’ve been able to contribute as an athlete and as a [resident assistant],” Lachapelle offered. “As an athlete I run cross-country and track, so I try to support my teammates the best I can and they support me right back.

And in terms of being an RA, I’ve been in several different dorms and have had so many different residents so I just try to be comforting and give them someone to talk to.”

The Community Connection Award was given out to Max Pape, who is a junior and member of the Pride baseball team. Pape has worked tirelessly with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and adapted to the dissimilar circumstances the coronavirus pandemic has provided by transitioning quickly to a virtual mode to continue to strengthen his community.

One graduate assistant coach also took home an award.

James Kaishian, who helps coach the Pride wrestling team, was announced the winner of the Campus Voice Award. Kaishian has become a distinguished graduate student leader, advocate, and adjunct professor, all while being a doctoral candidate here on Alden Street. He started the process of updating the graduate assistant contracts, was appointed the president of the graduate student organization, and has done a phenomenal job of voicing student concerns.

These seven individuals continue to impact the community and lives of those around them both on and off the field.

April 22, 2021

Sports

“Being that support system for them...I love being that person.”

Exploring the similiarities and differences of the Athletic Counseling and Sports Psychology Master’s programs.

Georgia Miller is an Athletic Counselor in the first year of her Master’s of Education program.

(Photo Courtesy of Georgia Miller)

PAGE 13

___ By Jac St. Jean ___ @jacsaintj

With such an abundance of focus on athletics, it’s no surprise that Springfield College offers master’s degree programs in athletic counseling and Sports and Exercise Psychology. Springfield is one of the few colleges in the nation that separates the two programs. Both offer master’s of education and science, and the sports psychology program even offers a PhD after a masters is attained.

Athletic counseling and sports psychology are similar in their goals to help student-athletes, but what they focus on is what differentiates them. Sports psychologists specialize in performance enhancement, and use psychological aspects to create peak performance for athletes.

Athletic counselors look at the student-athlete as a whole and help them with other non-athletic aspects of their life, like social, academic, and personal aspects, along with performance.

Georgia Miller, a firstyear graduate student in the Athletic Counseling program, has been putting her studies to work as a counselor and a graduate assistant coach for the women’s volleyball team. Miller graduated from Alma College with a degree in psychology, and after coming to Springfield for the athletic coun-

seling program, she was dropped right in. Within the first two weeks she was working with athletes.

While she is a coach for volleyball, she also serves as an athletic counselor for other athletes on other teams.

“Part of my role is to help the athletes and teams here on campus,” Miller explains, “work through any thoughts or concerns they’re having regarding sports, school, relationships” and many more topics in student-athletes’ lives.

Along with her fellow athletic counselors, Miller also works with teams as a whole, giving them mental performance techniques that are transferable between sports and daily life.

While there haven’t been many competitions this year, Miller sees her role as an extremely important one amidst the pandemic.

“It’s very special to have someone that can relate to their student athlete life,” Miller says, “so it’s nice to just allow the athletes to come into a positive, open, confidential space, work through their thoughts, break it down, [and] give them tools to use to help with any of their concerns… and with teams it’s just giving them tools to add to their toolbox See Athletic Counseling on Page 14

April 22, 2021

Athletic Counseling continued from Page 13

to use” for an array of things, including mental performance, goal setting, life, and team cohesion.

Miller and other athletic counselors are in a thankless role on the campus, but it’s the “little comments” that she holds onto that bring her work to fruition.

“Going off of what they tell me, I think they’re in a much healthier place.”

Miller describes herself as “ a huge advocate for athletic counseling” and hopes it becomes more common in a high school setting. While they may not focus entirely on performance-based tactics, athletic counselors play a role in forming positive relationships with their student-athletes.

“Being that support system for them, and something that they can confide in, I love being that person,” Miller exclaims.

Similar to Miller, sports psychology graduate student Robert Mendoza has spent his past four years here working with student athletes to better and sharpen the performance aspect of their sports.

Specifically, Mendoza has worked with the wrestling team in the last two years of his PhD program.

From being at practice daily, hosting his “Mendoza Mondays”, and traveling with the team on the weekends to competitions, Mendoza has been able to “help improve on [athlet-

Sports

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“

I hope I’ve been able to make a positive [impact]. I’d like to think that what I did and the time I spent was able to help the guys in preparing for a competition.”

- Robert Mendoza -

ic] performance” which is the sole purpose of sports psychology.

“I hope I’ve been able to make a positive [impact],” Mendoza continues, “I’d like to think that what I did and the time I spent was able to help the guys in preparing for a competition.”

Originally from Los Angeles, California, Mendoza has gained a new perspective living in western Massachusetts, and learning on another level in the doctorate program in sports psychology.

“I was basically taught how to be a teacher, and that was really helpful,” Mendoza says.

Although he strives to

pursue a career in applied work, the lessons Mendoza learned in the classroom has helped him in his experience with the wrestling team. Mendoza was a key part in the success at last year’s NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament, with nine out of ten wrestlers placing, and four of them qualifying for nationals. Mendoza recalls a specific time at the regional tournament where he was there for one of the wrestlers.

“At the regional tournament… he was one who took a loss quite hard, and I was with him in those moments following his loss…and I didn’t say a word to him.”

Mendoza adds, “I wanted him to understand that he wasn’t alone even though he had just suffered a big loss in this tournament.”

Mendoza pinpoints this as a defining moment in his job. He doesn’t “want athletes that [he works] with to ever feel alone.”

His passion for athletics, and sports psychology, really make Mendoza a standout and an example of what his program can do.

“I’m not sure that everyone understands the emotional toll it may take on you to work with a team or an athlete...there is a part of me that hurts when I see my athletes lose, and I don’t think I

could do a good job at this if I didn’t have that about me. I think you have to be able to give a piece of yourself to these athletes.”

Mendoza, Miller, and all other sports psychologists and athletic counselors strive to make Springfield student-athletes better in every aspect. These are just a few examples of how both programs play a pivotal role in athletics.. The programs help students learn how to help student-athletes, not only in competition, but outside of it as well. For more information on both programs, head to springfield.edu.

April 22, 2021

Sports

Last ditch effort

PAGE 15

Springfield Athletics is attempting to schedule at least one athletic competition for every varsity sport on campus. __ By Brady Cote __ bcote2@springfieldcollege.edu

With only three short weeks left on Alden Street, student-athletes have been competing in their long-awaited spring sports seasons.

Similarly, student-athletes who play fall sports have also been patiently waiting for their next chance to compete. Brian Magoffin, Director of Athletic Communications, says that athletes who play fall sports will have a chance to play a couple of games this spring semester.

“I think that all along as an institution we have been trying to find ways to create opportunities for our student-athletes to compete. Certainly, when the decision was made in the summertime that fall sports wouldn’t have the opportunity to compete, we shifted our focus understanding that it was not going to be possible in their traditional seasons,” Magoffin said. “But if there was a way for the student-athletes to get an opportunity to wear “the jersey” at some point in the year, we were really focused on that. We are really hopeful that in the next couple of weeks, our

fall sports teams will have the opportunity to compete.”

Not only has Springfield College adapted to the pandemic, but the NCAA Division III has made changes for all of the sports this unexpected year in sports.

Magoffin continued, “This year all athletic programs across the NCAA Div. III landscape have 114 days to train regardless of when their season starts. All of our programs have had similar opportunities to train under that 114-day umbrella.

Although there have been stops and starts relative to quarantine and covid protocols, our coaches for our fall programs will have our student-athletes to compete when they are ready.”

Some fall sports have already started their games this spring as they get the chance to wear “the jersey” yet again.

“A great example is our men’s soccer team that competed last Friday.

Coach Crabill and his guys were ready to go and pulled out a 3-2 win at Wheaton, which coincidentally enough was the last team they played two years ago on Nov. 2, 2019, when their season came to

Men’s soccer played its only game of the season last Friday, where it defeated Wheaton, 3-2.

(Photo Courtesy of Jack Margaros)

a close,” Magoffin said.

Student-athletes that partake in fall sports are simply just itching to get back into the competitive nature of their respective games. Joe Maurer, a cornerback on the Springfield College football team, expressed his gratitude toward those who made their few games possible this spring.

“I think that it’s great that they were able to have some games,” he said. “I know some teams were just having their normal season as we can with COVID. Usually, we would have one game

against another team, but instead, we’re going to have a scrimmage against each other. I think that it is good that fall sports are getting some sort of competition to get back in the swing of things.”

Regarding the rest of the football team, Maurer has confidence that their training in anticipation of their gameday has them well prepared for their upcoming scrimmage.

“We’re ready to go. The team is just waiting on its covid results so hopefully, everything comes back negative so we’ll be good to go. We just need to get

through this week and then we’ll have our scrimmage on Friday against each other.”

Living on Alden Street, sports are an essential part of campus life. Although it is long overdue, the pandemic is finally rounding the corner with the finish line in sight.

Now that the vaccine is available to most college students, it should bring some normalcy to the Springfield College community, allowing all sports seasons to continue with great success moving forward.

SPORTS The Springfield Student

VOL. 135 NO. 22

(Photo Courtesy of Natalie Stoner)

APRIL 22, 2021

Inside Natalie Stoner’s job working with COVID-19 patients in the intensive care unit See page 10