Volume 135 No. 13

The Springfield Student Est. 1910

February 18, 2021

Volume 135 No. 13

scstudentmedia.com // @TheSpfldStudent

Celebrating the life of S. Prestley Blake

S. Prestley Blake, co-founder of Friendly’s ice cream and a benefactor of Springfield College, passed away last week at the age of 106.

Photo Courtesy Springfield College Archives

On the Inside Is the Springfield College campus accessible for people with disabilities?

The Counseling Center has remained effective though online sessions during the pandemic.

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COVID-19 Updates

February 18, 2021

PAGE 2

Checking in with Christine Johnston

By Garrett Cote

W

i​ th Springfield College students continuing to settle in and get their feet wet, daily/weekly routines have started to pick back up. One common ground in each student’s routine is certain - that is following the tight COVID-19 protocols and guidelines the school has put into place. ​Similarly to the fall semester, students are urged to practice safe social distancing while wearing masks and washing their hands. A difference from said se-

mester, however, is the rate at which students get tested.

Christine Johnston, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation, Alcohol and Drug Education and Health Promotion at Springfield College, says it has been indeed less stressful to keep track of testing in comparison to the fall. ​“It’s much easier now that everyone is being tested each week,” Johnston stated.

“Last semester, athletes were being tested every week, other folks were being tested bi-weekly, and we didn’t really

have an effective way to track [when people were supposed to be tested].” Johnston added that because of some students missing tests, they had gone almost a month without being tested. ​Considering the loopholes in the testing process from the fall, Johnston and the testing crew added in several changes. ​“For failure to test the first time, there is an automatic sanction,” Johnston said. “You aren’t able to go to any in-person classes or co-curricular activities until you make up your

test and get the results back.”

Johnston continued by mentioning that a fine would also be attached, as well as other potential consequences (the more tests you miss, the more severe the consequence will be) that are listed on the Springfield College website. ​“We don’t want to have to sanction anybody,” Johnston began.

“We just hope everyone goes to get their weekly test and adds it into their weekly schedule.” ​ As far as the number of cases, Johnston believes that the community is

in a good place. ​“I think we are doing a really good job right now, and I commend all of the students for keeping their bubbles small. One thing we have noticed is that there haven’t been large lists of names given when going through the contact tracing process.” ​Johnston emphasized the importance of following each and every guideline that has been positioned by the school, as in doing so the possibility of making it through May would increase greatly.

February 18, 2021

Wellness Days

Wellness Days

PAGE 3

In replacement of a normal Spring Break, Springfield College has implemented three ‘Wellness Days’ – days when no classes will be held.

By Chris Gionta @Chris_Gionta

A

s it has been established for several weeks, there will not be a Spring Break at Springfield College in the spring semester of 2021.

Rather than the traditional week where it is required to stay off campus except in certain circumstances, students and faculty will be getting three different days off throughout the semester.

These days will be Wednesday, Feb. 24; Wednesday, March 10; and Friday, April 2. To ensure that no classes will be disproportionately affected, classes on March 9 will be running on a Wednesday schedule, and Monday, May 3 will run on a Monday schedule.

The change is being put in place

this semester in order to reduce the chance of a COVID outbreak on campus. Theoretically, removing a spring break will reduce the travel that students/faculty do away from campus.

“It definitely makes sense,” said sophomore Daniel Curren.

“Last semester obviously didn’t end the way we wanted it to, and a lot of the cases that caused us to leave early came in the weeks after Columbus Day Weekend, where a lot of students went home and presumably got it at home and brought it back to campus.”

Curren also added, “The school is trying to limit people going home and I totally get that.”

Spring semester of college is known for spring break, so it may take some adjusting for some students.

“If I’m being honest, I think it’s kind of weird how we’re gonna have all these extra days sporadi-

cally throughout the semester,” said sophomore Alex Ricard.

“I honestly think it would benefit more if it was a week off like usual. But, I guess because of COVID and everything they think it’s better for us to have these days sporadically throughout the semester.”

This semester, students and faculty

will not be going on a getaway trip in the middle of March like they usually would be able to. Rather, they will have to make the most out of those Wednesdays and that one Friday.

Speaking about how he planned to use the days off, Ricard said, “I’ll be using it to go to the gym, play some basketball, watch TV

and hang out with some friends.”

Curren explained, “It’ll be like another weekend day.”

The past eleven months have forced many adjustments, and the upcoming semester at Springfield College will be no different.

February 18, 2021

In Memory of S. Prestley Blake

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Remembering ‘Pres’ S. Prestley Blake was the co-founder of Friendly’s Ice Cream and a great friend of Springfield College.

O

By Irene Rotondo @irenerrotondo

ne hundred and six years is the span of multiple lifetimes -- that many years, strung together into just one person’s life, seems almost impossible.

Stewart Prestley Blake, (or as he was more commonly known - S. Prestley Blake) completed his centurion feat in a way that was inspirational to any who knew him, personally or not.

A beloved benefactor of Springfield College, the co-founder of Friendly’s Ice Cream chain, a celebrated entrepreneur, and generous philanthropist, S. Prestley Blake passed away at 106-years old on Feb. 11, 2021, in Stuart, Florida.

Blake had ties to the city of Springfield that ran extremely deep. After attending Trinity College

in Hartford, CT for just one year, he returned home to Springfield. In the summer of 1935, 20-year-old Blake and his then-18-year-old brother Curtis Blake borrowed $547 from their parents to open their first ice cream shop, right on Boston Road.

They called it Friendly Ice Cream, and had high hopes that the lure of competitively priced 5 cent two-scoop ice cream cones would bring lots of customers and lots of profit.

Their first day open was a success-- the Blake brothers made over $27, and the business just took off from there. They opened their second location in West Springfield in 1940, where they expanded the menu from just ice cream to include diner-style meal options.

S. Prestley Blake poses with current Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper.

(Photo Courtesy of Mary-Beth Cooper on Facebook)

By 1950, the chain had begun to offer take-home gallons of ice cream that are now sold in all grocery stores across the U.S. and as of 1974, there were over 500 Friendly Ice Cream locations across the Mid-Atlantic and New England. In 1979, Pres and Curtis Blake famously sold the business to the Hershey company for over $160

million.

Though Pres Blake stepped away from the Friendly business for the majority of the rest of his life, he was able to focus on his other philanthropic interests instead. Blake’s wife, Helen Blake, was a graduate of Springfield College in 1967, and has personally stayed involved with the College since.

She held a seat on the

Board of Trustees and is now recognized as an Emirate Trustee.

While it is unsure exactly what drove Pres Blake to be so enamored with Springfield College, many assume it was because of Helen’s association, coupled with his love for his hometown, and his love for supporting those pursuing their dreams.

In 1980, Blake do-

February 18, 2021

nated $500,000 towards the construction of Springfield College’s PE Complex. In honor of his large donation, Springfield College named Blake Arena, a part of the PE Complex, after him.

Blake’s generous donations to Springfield College did not stop there. In October of 2006, it was announced that Pres Blake and Helen Blake donated $2 million to support the College in its fundraising campaign called “Leadership for the 21st Century: The Campaign for Springfield College.”

This was one of the largest single donations in the College’s history.

In return, the College renamed Wilbraham Hall to Herbert P. Blake Hall in honor of Blake’s father. Herbert P. Blake had worked for several years for the Standard Electric Time Company, which was the company that had previously owned the Herbert P. Blake Hall building before Springfield College purchased it from them in 1990.

Pres Blake was very close with the founder of Springfield College, David Allen Reed. President Mary-Beth Cooper stated that she believed him to be the only other living person that was such a large part of Springfield College who actually knew Reed.

President Cooper

In Memory of S. Prestley Blake

recounted that Blake had talked to her about his former relationship with Reed, amongst other things about the city of Springfield that he held close to his heart.

“The last time I saw [Pres] was when he came to the President’s Gala,” said President Cooper.

“He and Helen came to the Gala, and they were only going to come for cocktails, and they saw all the activity and all the fun and they stayed until 11:30 that night.

“He was a person that loved action, and people, and energy… he took dance lessons in the Springfield area, and every time we were with him there was a new story. He was in the roots of Springfield, so he understood the importance of Springfield College.”

President Cooper says that Blake had a personal favorite Springfield College event: the annual Gymnastics Homeshow.

“He loved the Homeshow; he came every year that I was here (since I’ve been here, and I’m sure that he came before that)... That was probably his favorite thing about Springfield College, the Homeshow.”

Blake liked the event so much so that the College planned a 100th birthday celebration for him during that year’s annual Homeshow.

It was at this 100th

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Left to Right: Helen Blake, Brianna Fattal ‘15 and S. Prestley Blake. (Photo Courtesy of Brianna Fattal)

birthday celebration in 2014 that former Springfield College student Brianna Fattal (G’15), known then as Brianna Hill, met Blake. It began a unique friendship between the two that blossomed into a lifelong connection.

As a Communication/ Sports Journalism major, Fattal was working with the College’s Marketing & Communications department to create videos of events on campus to be posted to the Springfield College website. She was tasked with covering the 100th birthday celebration, and all she initially knew was that it was a birthday celebration and that it was happening during the Homeshow.

“Essentially, this

man was turning 100 years old. They sent a limo to go pick up him and his wife, there was a red carpet, they had the cheerleaders and the dance squad lining the red carpet to welcome them in, they were escorted to sit in Blake Arena front and center, they watched the entire Homeshow with Mary-Beth Cooper, the president…” Fattal recounted.

“My job was just to kind of follow them, and get their experience… [the College] wanted to create a video to gift them for his birthday, so that’s what I did. It was so interesting because when I was following them— I usually didn’t do a lot of interacting with people

at events— but he was very talkative and he just wanted to have conversation.”

Blake talked to Fattal for much of the evening, asking about her skin color and ethnicity. Fattal shared with him that she was Cape Verdean, a rare ethnicity, and Blake told her that he loved the Cape Verde islands and enjoyed personally sailing there to admire their beauty.

Fattal says that she recalls them sharing nothing more than some polite conversation before the event was over, and she hadn’t thought anything serious about their conversation until President Mary-Beth Cooper called See Blake on Page 7

Counseling Center Updates

February 18, 2021

PAGE 6

Counsel

by Zoom With pandemic-influenced mental health declines, the Springfield College Counseling Center has done their best to continue providing services.

Dr. Brian Krylowicz is the Director of the Counseling Center at Springfield College.

(Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)

By Collin Atwood @CollinAtwood17

O

n Jan. 20, 2020, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in America and what people thought would be a short stint has turned out to be a worldwide pandemic that seems to have no end.

This virus has been impacting the lives of millions for over a year now and students have been put to the test.

College students already have an extensive amount of stress that originates from their normal college duties.

Completing internship hours, attending those

dreaded 8 a.m. classes and trying to keep a job to pay for tuition already demands a heavy workload.

Worrying about getting sick, hoping your job doesn’t shut down and living through a screen and camera are now a part of a student’s everyday worries; only adding to an already taxing lifestyle.

It’s no surprise that the coronavirus hitting heavy back in March of 2020 caused an increase of appointments at Springfield College’s Counseling Center. The added responsibilities that comes with the pandemic has been over-

whelming for everyone.

Director of the Counseling Center, Brian Krylowicz stated that “about one-third of people mention that COVID is a major factor...for the other two-thirds it’s a major factor. COVID has impacted everybody’s life in so many weird ways.”

Although the number of appointments have increased, the number of different students has not.

“We really slowed down with people who have never been to us... which is pretty much a nationwide trend,” Krylowicz said. Students that go for counseling regularly started going

more than usual.

A study done by Active Minds, a non-profit organization that raises awareness for mental health among college students, conducted a survey and concluded that one out of every five students say that their mental health has gotten worse since the coronavirus pandemic.

The last few semesters have been tough for everyone and the Counseling Center was needed more than ever.

Luckily, during this semester at Springfield College people have been doing a little better without help from the Counseling Center.

In the first weeks of the current semester a total of 179 people have sought counseling. “Last year during the same time period, 199 had come in for counseling so we’re down a little bit,” Krylowicz said. The amount of sessions has also decreased by 50.

It’s no doubt that COVID-19 has made everybody’s lives substantially more difficult, but people are slowly starting to heal.

The Counseling Center is eager to help and is never too busy. To make an appointment you can email counselingcenter@springfield.edu or call 413-748-3345.

February 18, 2021 Blake continued from Page 5

her a few days later. “[President Cooper] mentioned that the Blakes had called, they’re extremely thankful for the video and the DVD that we put together for them, and he had asked for my information and to reach out,” said Fattal. Fattal gave her permission for President Cooper to send Blake her information.

“So he reached out, and they just invited me over for dinner, and unfortunately I was leaving that semester -- I had an internship in California.

So, we stayed in contact, we wrote each other back and forth a couple times, just kind of getting to know each other, and then I went back for graduation.

“They [again] invited me for dinner. And I thought, ‘OK, I have Senior Week, I have graduation, OK I can do it that night, after graduation?’ And so, yeah, a 100-year-old man picked me up from my last day at school, ever.”

Blake drove Fattal to him and his wife’s home in Somers, CT, for dinner that night. They allowed her to stay with him, and Fattal said that she thinks Pres and Helen Blake are “the most generous people of all time.” The three became very close as they got to know each other,

In Memory of S. Prestley Blake

and the Blakes came to know Fattal’s background and life story.

“They just wanted to, essentially, like love on me, and be a helping hand, when and where they could in my life,” said Fattal. “And honestly just support me, and be friendly.”

Fattal was not the only person the Blakes welcomed with open arms into their lives. She said that there were many other young women in college like her that Blake and his wife supported, be it financially, emotionally, or just wholeheartedly.

Fattal has maintained her relationship with the Blakes through the years.

She has visited the Blakes in both of the homes they own in Florida and in Connecticut. Fattal said she has made it a point to visit them, whenever she is on the East Coast, in whichever home they’re at that moment.

Pres Blake would also call her almost once a month, and even more frequently at different times throughout the years.

Fattal said that she oftentimes would allow him to go to voicemail just so she could have a recording of his voice, knowing that a friendship with a 106-year-old man leaves no room for missed memories. The last time he called her was Jan. 24, just two and a half weeks before his passing.

Pres Blake was a lover

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Graduates from the Class of 2019, the last class to hold a traditional commencement ceremony, with Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper. (Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)

of many worldly things, but Thomas Jefferson and Rolls Royce cars were some of his true passions.

For one of his birthdays, Blake had a replica built of the Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home and the building on the back of the nickel, Thomas Jefferson’s coin) with authentic materials delivered from Virginia, the site of the real Monticello. Blake later auctioned the building off for over $2 million and was able to donate it, along with almost 100 acres of his own land, to Hillsdale College in Michigan.

The school now uses the Somers, CT property as the Blake Center for Faith and Freedom.

Blake’s Rolls Royce car collection was of his most prized possessions.

Fattal recalled his love for the specific company and remembered past times she had rode with him in some of his collection’s pieces.

“He loved collecting Rolls Royce; I think he’s

one of the people that has had the most Rolls Royce cars in the U.S., I believe,” she said. “He gave them to museums, and he had some, still… he shared with me that he appreciated the Rolls Royce so much because it’s a visual representation of hard work.

“His garage was lined with them, just nice cars. He would show me around the property-- he had 112 acres in Somers, CT, something like four lakes… just an absurd amount of property. And he recycled the wood from the trees that they took down on the property and used it in his own Rolls Royce car. It was always small things like that, he was always extremely intentional with everything,” Fattal added.

Of everything S. Prestley Blake accomplished in his life, his age was one of his most incredible triumphs.

President Mary-Beth Cooper joked, “He was

a funny person, he loved coffee ice cream. He had ice cream every night for dessert, so he kind of believed in this product…

If having coffee ice cream every night is the secret, I’m in!”

Whenever Fattal asked Blake what he attributed his age to, she said his answer was always the same: “‘You just keep going.’”

At every point in his life, Blake was generous to those who were deserving and loving to any who were close to him. As Fattal said, “Both Pres and Helen completely embody Springfield College and the humanics philosophy, because they are both 100 percent dedicated to serving others, when and however they can.”

S. Prestley Blake was a testament to Springfield College’s Mind, Body, and Spirit, and his love and energy will be greatly missed by the entire Springfield College community.

February 18, 2021

President Biden’s Cabinet

PAGE 8

Joe Biden is sworn in as the nation’s 46th president on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021, with first lady Dr. Jill Biden holding the Bible.(Alex Wong / Getty Images)

A look at President Biden’s cabinet

President Joe Biden has made an attempt to reflect the demographics of the United States with his cabinet nominees.

By Nora Fitzgerald

It is no question that Joe Biden’s presidency is beginning during one of the most polarizing times in recent American history. Between the pandemic, the insurrection at the Capitol, and tensions rising on either side of the aisle, many Americans need a leader to give them hope. To understand what kind of leader Biden will be, it’s best to see who he chooses to surround himself with.

Any president’s cabinet picks are some of the most anticipated decisions after an election. Since the primaries, President Biden has been adamant that his cabinet

would “look like America”, meaning it would reflect the diversity of our country.

So far, Anthony Blinken, Janet Yellen, Gen. Lloyd Austin, and Pete Buttigieg have been confirmed by the Senate as Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of Transportation, respectively.

It is worth noting that Janet Yellen is now the first woman to serve as Treasury Secretary, Austin will be the first black man to lead the Pentagon, and Buttigieg is the first out LGBT secretary in our country’s history.

With a cabinet that is more representative of what our country

looks like, many Americans are hopeful that the next four years will bring positive and meaningful progress.

Skeptics, though, are concerned about the implications of these cabinet decisions.

Some see Biden’s actions as an indicator that his presidency will bring more left-leaning ideals than we saw during the Obama administration. Biden has already signed dozens of executive orders, 17 of which he signed on his first day. He has also revoked 31 of Trump’s executive orders he issued during his term. This is typical, as many new presidents make significant changes to their

predecessors’ administrative orders. While this isn’t anything groundbreaking, these orders do reveal the president’s intentions regarding issues such as immigration reform, health care, the economy, the pandemic and racial equity.

One of the most pressing issues right now is the pandemic response. Although, the transition from Trump’s administration has not been a smooth one. Vice President Harris made a statement on Sunday explaining that there was virtually no national strategy for vaccine distribution when their administration took over. “In many ways, we are

starting from scratch on an issue that has been raging for almost an entire year,” she said (Axios on HBO).

President Biden is scheduled to meet with the Group of Seven nations (G7) on Friday to discuss the pandemic, China, and other international issues.

It’s hard to predict how these next four years will shape our democracy, although Biden states that his ultimate goal is to bring unity to a much-divided country.

It is my hope that we will see our country begin to heal through acknowledging systemic flaws and actively working towards a better future.

Dance

February 18, 2021

PAGE 9

Inside SC’s Dance Major The Dance program at Springfield College launches students into a unique variety of careers.

(Photo courtesy of Sarah Zhender)

By Cait Kemp @caitlinkemp09

“I also hope to open up my own clinic or studio to provide At first thought, a preventative and degree in dance may rehabilitative services seem limited with to dancers and other what one can go on athletes.” and do as a career.

MacPherson is just Dancing professionalone example of the ly, or teaching dance, unique interests that are probably the two are possible through things most think of the dance program at for the options one has. However, dance is Springfield College.

Other students pair a very powerful prodance with programs gram of study that can result in a variety like recreational management, art therapy, of different careers business, psycholoand focuses.

Of course, some are gy, and occupational therapy. interested in dancing “So, there’s just so professionally and many different ways teaching, but there depending on what are many interesting paths that others want students are interestto take. Senior Alexan- ed in that they could go… it is such a wide dra MacPherson, for range, you know example, is majoring in Dance and Physical something that is important to me when Therapy and wants I meet someone in the to go on to work dance major is to hear with professional or what they’re intercollegiate dancers to “enhance performance ested in,” said Sarah Zehnder, Director of and longevity of the Dance. dancer body.”

Along with the MacPherson said,

many options for courses, there is also a study abroad program. Students who participate are able to go to Florence, Italy for 3-weeks and have the opportunity to take classes from both Italian and American choreographers and perform at a venue at the end of the trip.

“I am so grateful for the diversity of classes and opportunities provided by the program,” said MacPherson. “The program continues to teach me about the world of dance and society in such a holistic way.”

The dance program has partnered with Jacob’s Pillow, an international dance festival held in Becket Mass. that offers internship and networking opportunities to students at Springfield College.

“It’s the longest running dance festival in the United States,

and they bring in over 100 different companies from all over the world,” said Zehnder.

The list goes on of what the dance program offers to students. Zehnder has worked hard since she arrived at Springfield College to build these opportunities for students and create new and diverse courses that allow students to find these passions.

“Part of that is recognizing what I’m able to bring and what’s missing, so what ways can I create a platform or amplify voices outside of myself so students see themselves represented in the people coming to teach,” Zehnder said.

Most recently created was the Dancers Against Racism series that brings in different artists to conduct Zoom sessions with not only dance students but the Springfield College commu-

nity as well.

Zehnder said, “The Dancers Against Racism series felt like something that I could do that was immediate, to bring other voices into the room to work with the students and even the community.”

Sessions address different topics such as race and social justice and bring it into the dance world to offer unique and powerful perspectives on what is going on in the world.

From new courses, traveling opportunities, internships, and even a series dedicated to bringing in professional artists and their experiences, the Springfield College dance program is one that is to be envied for its distinctive features and level of expertise.

February 11, 2021

Accessibility

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Disability (In)Accessibility A deep look into the limitations for people with disabilities around the Springfield College campus.

By Jacques St. Jean @jacsaintj

About fifteen years ago, Dr. Daniel Zukergood, a professor of education at Springfield College, sent groups of students in his Multicultural Education course all over the campus with nothing but wheelchairs. Their task: to see where they could go, and where their “disability” prevented them from going. Before there were building codes, laws, and state legislation, it was not easy for people with a disability (PWD), or a person who uses a wheelchair to navigate all buildings.

With the long history of Springfield College and the age of some of the buildings on campus today, it’s interesting to see how the college has come. Dr. Zukergood speaks about his experience teaching his highly acclaimed Multicultural Education class, and the idea of ableism, or discrimination in favor of able-bodied people.

“There was limited access to a lot of different places on campus,” Zukergood says. He went to Weiser Hall with one group of students, and attempted to get to a classroom in the basement with a student in the wheelchair.

“We had four people holding her wheelchair going down those first steps into the basement, and we couldn’t do it… it was a near catastro-

A ramp behind Weiser Hall allows for some wheelchair accessibility, but not for all floors.

(Photo Courtesy of Jacques St. Jean)

phe,” he explains. The students also discovered multiple dormitory halls and buildings that couldn’t be accessed in a wheelchair.

A few wrote letters to the president at the time, Richard B. Flynn, informing him of the issues on campus. “I’d love to say that we made a big difference. I’m sure that it helped [with] what we did,” Zukergood continues, “but I don’t think that we were the driving force.”

Two years ago, I was a student in EDUC-237

with Dr. Zukergood.

In regards to sexism, classism, racism, ableism, and more, he asked our class to think about ourselves as individuals in relation to these -ism’s. I believe many professors and students at Springfield College are what one could consider “active anti-oppressors” in regards to many -ism’s.

Dr. Zukergood sees himself as an active anti-oppressor when it comes to issues of gender, class and race. Yet in regards to ableism, Dr. Zukergood selflessly admits

that he has been a “passive oppressor”. I think this applies to a lot of people. It’s not intended to make you feel bad, nor is the term “passive oppressor” meant to hurt anyone, but Zukergood makes a point in his class to his students that in many cases, “people aren’t interested in disability until it happens to them or someone in their family. Those who are privileged rarely see or acknowledge their privilege.”

Dr. Zukergood’s class has positively impacted

many students to advocate and push for change on campus and in the world. While his activity on disability accessibility wasn’t necessarily an integral role in creating changes on campus, it is a prime example of his ability to bring attention to some of the issues.

To get a more personal and in-depth experience about accessibility on campus, I talked with Springfield alum and friend, Luie Gomes, who lived on campus for a total of six years in three different dorm buildings. Gomes, born with cerebral palsy, spent the majority of his time navigating the campus via electric wheelchair.

Sometimes he would use a standard wheelchair, but as a person who regularly uses different kinds of wheelchairs on campus, Gomes has a unique experience.

“I have no complaints,” Gomes expresses. “If there wasn’t a perfect situation, Residence Life did a phenomenal job of accommodating as best they could.”

Gomes praises Springfield College for their help over the years. The school did make some things easier, like providing him with an access key for the elevator in the Senior Suites when it was shut off so that he could still have access to laundry and other facilities. But Gomes does want to remind his peers of the bigger picture.

“We all make mis-

February 11, 2021

Accessibility

PAGE 11

Various buildings and areas on campus do not allow for easy accessibility for people in wheelchairs. (Photos courtesy of Jacques St. Jean)

takes, we’re all humans, we’re not perfect,” Gomes declares, “but definitely just take into consideration that just as much as it’s there to make our lives easier… while some people have alternate methods… others do not.”

Gomes doesn’t have a hateful bone in his body, and doesn’t point fingers at anyone who may indirectly limit his access on campus. Surprisingly, Gomes’ living experience had been a very positive one over the six years at Springfield. However, his access around the campus was slightly hindered by some architectural layouts in a few buildings.

“The biggest one is definitely going to be the administration building. That’s where the registrar’s office is, that is where billing and [payroll] is,” Gomes continues, “being in college, being someone who really took initiative and

enjoyed being aware of the financial side of the college experience, that was the toughest building I encountered.”

Fortunately, Gomes is not bound to his wheelchair for life, as he has some ability to walk.

But unlike an able-bodied person, Gomes is not entirely capable of navigating a building on his own two feet. He had to “take that extra stage of planning” and get assistance from some of his friends in order to access certain offices in the admin building.

Gomes also noted that the steepness of some of the stairs in the building and many others played a role in his accessibility on campus, and there was always a chance of no railing that Gomes would need for support.

Gomes praises his professors and faculty for his academic accommodations. He did face some troubles in Weiser, as Zukergood explained

the history of earlier.

Now, there are some ramps that gave access to Gomes to get into the building, but he was limited to only the basement and first floors.

“When it came time to access office hours and things of that nature, I would always have to set up a conference with professors in the conference room,” he exclaims, once again having to take extra steps and precautions.

As many know, Gomes is a huge supporter of Springfield College athletics. Unfortunately, his experience was again hindered, as the Blake Arena bleachers and Stagg Field bleachers have no ramps or railings. Gomes was still able to watch some of his favorite sports teams compete, but he did not have an ideal view of the field, court, or mat when he was spectating.

“You don’t think

about it until you take a few steps back,” Gomes comments, further saying that railings would be “helpful for the whole student body.”

I took everything I heard from Dr. Zukergood and Luie Gomes, and ventured around campuses to the buildings and places that were highlighted in their experiences. Weiser Hall is much more accessible than it was when Dr. Zukergood explored it with his students, but there are still some limitations to the top floor.

Same applies for the Administration building.

There is no ramp into the building. There is a lift mechanism on the Alumni Hall side of the building, but there is a key required to operate it. Blake Arena does not have handicap assistance on the bleachers, and neither does Stagg.

Other dormitory buildings like Gulick and Abbey-Appleton Hall

have a lift mechanism to access other places, but again, extra assistance from facilities is needed, there are floor limitations, and furthermore, Abbey has a step at its front entrance, making it extremely difficult for people who use wheelchairs to enter the building.

Both Zukergood and Gomes expressed that Springfield College has come a very long way, and done a great job at accommodating PWD respectively. But as stated, there is still more that can be done to provide equal accessibility across the entire campus.

Small fixes and updates to some of these places could create a more welcoming environment for potential PWD looking to further their education, or become a member of the Springfield College community.

After all, our philosophy is spirit, mind, and body.

February 18, 2021

Sports

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8th Annual MLK Jr. Lecture After winning the gold and bronze medals in the 1968 Olympics, Tommie Smith and John Carlos famously raised their fists and bowed their heads during the national anthem in protest.

___ By Kris Rhim ___ @krisrhim1

As runners made the turn on the 200-meter final of the 1968 Mexico City Olympic games, American sprinter John Carlos looked like he had a gold medal secured.

But his teammate Tommie Smith had other plans.

The 6-foot-3 San Jose State University student used his almost nine-foot stride to glide past Carlos, raising his fists before the finish line in celebration to win the gold in a world-record time of 19.83 seconds.

Despite the historic finish, it was Smith and Carlos’ fists that would be remembered.

The two sprinters received their medals on the winners’ podium shoeless with black socks on to represent poverty. Smith and Carlos then raised their black-gloved fists with their heads bowed during the playing of the national anthem.

The two sprinters’ gesture at the Olympic games would earn them intense scrutiny and cost them their careers. Still, their courage inspired many around the country to take action in their respective communities, including at Springfield College.

“Sacrifice is a necessity,”

(Photo Courtesy of Tommie Smith)

Smith told The Student.

“Being a Black young athlete, not many people wanted to see your academic prowess. Only how fast you could run and how good you could make them feel. Everyone wants to be a winner — even if they have to win vicari-

ously through you.”

Over fifty years since that day, at a time when America is as divided as it’s ever been, Smith will be the guest lecturer at the eighth annual Martin Luther King Jr. lecture at Springfield College on Feb. 18.

He will focus on the theme, “Power of a Dream. Unity wins.”

Smith is familiar with the Birthplace, as one of his teammates at the ’68 Olympics was Springfield College graduate Tom Waddell.

Waddell finished sixth

in the decathlon and was an activist in his own right. He made significant contributions to the LGBTQ+ community, including founding The Gay Olympic games, now called The Gay Games.

As Black athletes prepared for the 1968 Olympics, America was deeply divided on war, race and politics. Young people took action and demanded change like never before, with student takeovers and protests across the country.

In April of 1968, just months before the Olympics, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, which sparked riots in major cities across the country.

Muhammad Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam war after being drafted in 1967. He was sentenced to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and banned from boxing for three years.

Ali told reporters, “Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go ten thousand miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights?”

In 1967 Carlos, Smith, and many other Black athletes, including Lew Alcin-

February 18, 2021

Sports

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(Photo Courtesy of Springfield College)

dor (later to be known as Kareem Abdul Jabbar), advocated for a boycott of the 1968 Olympic Games as a part of the Olympic Project for Human Rights, unless four conditions were met.

The conditions were: In protest of their white minority rule, South Africa and Rhodesia were uninvited to participate in the games; Muhammad Ali’s boxing title needed to be restored; Avery Brundage needed to step down as president of the International Olympic Committee; More African-American coaches needed to be hired.

While these demands were not met, many Black athletes decided to go to the games and make statements individually.

Shoeless, with their fists in the air at the podium, Carlos and Smith donned the white and green Olympic Project For Human Rights badges.

Peter Norman, an Aus-

tralian sprinter and silver medalist in the 200-meters, also wore the badge on the podium. Norman would receive intense scrutiny in Australia for wearing the button.

As Smith, Carlos, and Norman left the podium to the sound of loud booing, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) threatened that the entire U.S Olympic team would be expelled from the games if swift action wasn’t taken with the two American sprinters.

The following day, the United States Olympic Committee (now known as the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee) sent Smith and Carlos home from the Olympics and banned them from future competition.

Devastated, Smith sat on the just over four-hour plane ride from Mexico City to Los Angeles and wondered what was next.

A double major in military science and sociology,

Smith still had to finish school at San Jose State and had a wife and a sixthmonth-old son without a job to support them.

“It was very painful,” Smith said. “I had to recoup at that time because I was dissed by society, people were saying what I did on the victory stand was a militancy, what I did not represent the flag.

What I did on the victory stand should not have been done, but they were not me.”

The last thing on Smith’s mind was how courageous the act was. He hadn’t realized that his fist inspired young people all over the country and became one of the most iconic photos ever taken.

Donald Brown, a graduate of the Springfield College class of 1969 and the first president of the Springfield College Afro-Am society, said that Smith and Carlos “empowered” Black students.

“We began greeting each

other with a raising of the fist; some of us even had black gloves,” Brown said while laughing. “Tommie Smith and John Carlos empowered us in terms of standing up, being courageous, and doing things for our people. It contributed in a mighty way to the establishment of the Afro-Am society. We wanted to be courageous like Tommie Smith and John Carlos.”

Springfield College students would take action as they presented demands to Springfield administration, followed by a takeover of the Administration building in 1969 and Massasoit Hall in 1970.

As Smith got off the plane at the Los Angeles airport faced by more news reporters than he could count, it marked a new phase in his life.

He finished school, spent some time playing professional football in the AFL, and served as a coach and teacher at Santa Monica

College for 27 years.

Over 50 years after sending Smith and Carlos home, the USOPC inducted the sprinters into their Hall of Fame. The IOC has yet to recognize or apologize to Carlos or Smith.

One thing still bothers Smith about that day in Mexico City and it isn’t what one would expect.

“When I finished that race, the time on the electric clock was 19.72, and later I learned that the time was 19.83,” Smith said with a smile. “I don’t know how a time could go from 19.72, and later it’s 19.83. That still has to be reckoned with, and no one wants to reckon with that.

But I know what I saw.”

Smith still follows track and field and says that he is still his favorite runner.

He predicts that he could finish a 200 in “about a day and a half.”

Just a little slower than in ’68.

February 18, 2021

Sports

Defeating Dr. J

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On February 16, 1971, the Springfield College men’s basketball team took down Hall of Famer Julius Erving and the University of Massachusetts, 63-62 in the Memorial Field House. _______ By Joe Arruda _______ @joearruda9

Some 3,000 students and spectators descended on the Memorial Field House at the East end of the Springfield College campus. A cold Tuesday night with temperatures in the mid 20s, students abandoned their studies and marched across campus, they streamed into the building, bundled up and excited. The word had gotten out that the men’s basketball team would be taking on the University of Massachusetts that evening.

It was February 16, 1971.

The field house was packed for two reasons: First; to cheer on the then-Division II Springfield College Chiefs match up with a Div. I opponent; and the main one; to see the superstar UMass junior – Julius Erving.

“Dr. J” The game took place in the context of an America divided, with the prospect of getting drafted to the war in Vietnam, anti-war rallies embarked across the country and four students were shot and killed by Ohio National Guardsmen at Kent State.

For one winter night – for this particular basketball game at the Birthplace – all of the politics washed away.

Springfield, 20-point

underdogs, had scouted the Massachusetts Redmen (as they were referred to at the time before changing their nickname to the Minutemen in 1972, Springfield College switched from the Chiefs to the Pride in 1997) heavier than any team head coach Ed Bilik had scouted before.

Bilik, a Springfield College legend, did not want any element of surprise to influence the outcome of the game.

Leading up to the historic night, sixth-man Jim Grassi played as Erving in practice.

“What Coach Bilik would do very efficiently was he would always have the practice squad mimic whatever our opponents did on offense and defense,” Grassi said. “You need somebody who’s sixfoot-five that could just throw up anything that was given to him which is what the Doctor always did.”

Bradley Macomber was tasked with defending Erving, who finished his two-year stint in Amherst as one of only six players to average more than 20 points and 20 rebounds per game – in a time when dunking was illegal.

He was held to just 4 points in the first half Bilik’s emphasis on delimiting the contributions

from other players on the floor – letting “Julius be Julius.”

After the first, UMass held a slim 31-30 lead over Springfield. But, with eight minutes left in the second half, the deficit grew to nine, 53-44 in favor of the Redmen.

“It was obvious that the momentum was changing,” Bilik said. “It’s a gamble when you use a zone press – or any press – you’re saying to yourself, ‘Okay the momentum isn’t our way’ – you go after them and hopefully it is going to help bring you back into the game. But the other end of the totem pole is that you can get blown out. So, it was one of those situations: we could either get back into the game or we’d get blown out, and it worked – we got back into the game.”

Springfield got back within one by way of a layup from its captain: Steve Waterman.The crowd erupted in excitement.

With 22 seconds remaining, UMass led, 6261. Tom McLaughlin was set to inbound the ball and the entire building knew where the ball was headed – to Dr. J. Macomber, who held Erving to a season-low 18 points on the game, read McLaughlin’s eyes

Left to Right:Ray Gilbert, Steve Waterman, Ed BIlik.

(Photo courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections)

and jumped in front of the pass. Falling out of bounds, he tossed the ball to Waterman who caught it near the elbow, dribbled once and prepared the shot.

“I just let it go and made the shot,” he said.

The game clock showed just four seconds when the ball went through the net. UMass inbounded it one final time, it was knocked around and collected by Grassi who threw it up in the air for the clock to run out.

Springfield won, 63-62.

The fans rushed onto the portable floor in the former naval training facility turned field house. “(The) wild celebration followed which resembled Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The jubilant Springfield fans carried each Springfield player off the court on their shoulders,” as alum and former Alumni Director Hal Lynch described in his 1999 tribute.

Bilik hugged his asso-

Sports

February 18, 2021

ciate coach Ray Gilbert and, in contrast to the pandemonium amongst the students, met UMass coach Jack Leaman quietly for a hand shake at half court.

After 2,517 men’s basketball games where the sport was created, this is the one that stands above the rest. 50 years later, many will call it the greatest athletics victory in Springfield College’s history.

In the moment, the impact didn’t seem large to Bilik and his team.

Bilik was even unaware of the celebrations that followed.

He was invited to a presentation by the senior class after their end of the year banquet. They showed slides of the UMass-Springfield game and commented, “‘This was our most memorable time at Springfield College.’”

“And I said, ‘Gee, with everything that was going on, you know Kent State, it just shows you the kind of cathartic effect athletics and a game can have on individuals,’” Bilik remembered.

“Ray Gilbert told me 10 years after the game that after the game, the campus was celebrating

it in his own way.

“There was one point during the game where Coach Bilik had called me over and he said, ‘I want you to go in for Bradley, I’ve got to talk to Bradley.’ I went in there and I guarded the Doctor for – I still don’t know how long it was – a couple of minutes, and what transpired from that was that Dr. J didn’t score in that brief period of time,” he said.

And he provided a humorous alternative history in recounts to his friends, and to “the Doctor” himself.

There was a Western Mass. Boy Scout luncheon about 10 years ago that was headlined by a speech from Erving.

After hearing Grassi’s version of those few minutes he spent guarding the Hall of Famer, one of his friends invited him to tag along.

They listened to the speech and approached Erving afterwards. Grassi introduced himself, noting that he went to Springfield College.

“Without skipping a beat he knew, he said, ‘You guys beat us,’” Grassi recalled, laughing. “And then I told him, ‘Yeah, but that’s not the big-

all evening and into the morning,” he said. “I never knew that, I never heard of that until he told me 10 years, maybe five years after the game.

I never realized the kind of impact that game had on the student body at that time. It was meaningful I guess.”

Waterman, one of two players of color on the Chiefs’ roster, added, “After 50 years and knowing that you’re still being remembered by people up at Springfield College and even Coach Bilik himself – I mean, it was a ball game. I didn’t realize it would be such a great win and such a big part of history, but it did feel good. It still feels good.”

The lasting history is very much due to the man wearing “MASSACHUSETTS” across his chest.

“With him on the court, it was ironic in a sense because I think we were the only two people of color on the floor at the time so that was really exciting.”

Waterman scored 30 points and topped Erving as the highest scorer that day.

Grassi wasn’t one to forget how the game shaped out, but he did remember

The 1970-71 Springfield College Chiefs team photo. (Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections)

PAGE 15

Julius Erving returned to the Springfield College campus to deliever the 1991 commencement speech and received an honorary Doctorate of Humanics degree. (Photo courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections)

gest part of that game,’ he looked at me and we were shaking hands at the time, I said, ‘I guarded you and I held you scoreless.’ Without skipping a beat he looked at me and said, ‘Did they give me the ball?’”

Dr. J returned to Springfield in 1993 to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, two years after making his return to The Birthplace.

He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Humanics and gave the 1991 commencement address.

“We were celebrating the 100th anniversary of basketball and we decided to give an honorary degree to Bob Cousy, who was obviously a very prominent player in terms of earlier years of basketball pros, and Dr. J who was symbolic of the modern era of basketball.

I had to pick him up at the airport and his wife.

In our conversation that game never came up, it just never came up,” Bilik said, describing Erving as a very personable and down to earth individual.

After the 1970-71 sea-

son, Erving took advantage of the American Basketball Association (ABA) “hardship” rule that allowed players to leave college early. He played five years in the ABA for the Virginia Squires and the New York Nets before embarking on his legendary 11-year career with the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. In each of his 16 professional seasons, across both leagues, the Doctor never missed the postseason, was an all-star every year (16 times), won three championships, three scoring titles and four Most Valuable Player awards. Combined from both leagues, Erving scored over 30,000 points, grabbed over 10,500 rebounds and dished out over 5,100 assists.

In his two years on the varsity team at UMass, Erving’s teams only lost 11 games. The most important of those – to Springfield, at least – was on that cold February night in 1971.

SPORTS The Springfield Student

VOL. 135 NO. 13

‘The greatest win in Springfield athletic history’

50 years ago, the Springfield men’s basketball team defeated Julius Erving and UMass.

[Page 14]

The 8th annual MLK Jr. lecture at Springfield will feature Olympic gold medalist and activist, Tommie Smith.

[Page 12]

(Photo courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections)

FEBRUARY 18, 2021