May 3, 2019

Volume XCVI, Number 16

May 3, 2019

Worcester, Massachusetts

Tracy Kennedy Departs Title IX Amid Increased Scrutiny of Office Caroline Ahearn ‘20 Chief News Editor On the morning Thursday April 25, Holy Cross faculty and staff were notified via email that Tracy Kennedy, Director of Title IX Initiatives, will be leaving the College at the end of this academic year. Kennedy took on the Director role in September 2018, after serving as Interim Director since June 2017 and as Title IX and Non-Discrimination Investigator since September 2016. Students, alumni, and other members of the Holy Cross community who were not included on the initial email from Dorothy Hauver, the College’s Vice President for Administration and Finances, were first notified of the news via social media and word of mouth when Sean Redrow ‘98, one of the former Organ Scholars who informed the College of the alleged sexual misconduct by organist James David Christie, posted a transcript of Hauver’s email in “Standing Up By Sitting In: Continued” a Facebook group created by the organizers of February’s historic sit-in outside of Father Boroughs’ office.

Students were forwarded the original email just over 32 hours later.

According to a spokesperson for the College, the email announcing Kennedy’s departure contains the most up-to-date information on the College’s plan surrounding the Office of Title IX Initiatives. It refer-

ences the administration’s own evaluation of Sexual Misconduct Policy, recommendations from the Sexual Respect and Planning Group, and the United States Department of Education’s pending Title IX regulations as factors that will influence the future structure and role of the Office and the position of the Director. It has been assured that cases in the Office of Title IX will not be compromised due to the change in personnel, and that following Tracy’s departure Assistant Director of Title IX Initiatives and Deputy Title IX Coordinator Cheryl Rogers will be picking up open matters.

“It is my hope that I have made some small positive difference in the life of the community I have served for the last three years,” Kennedy told The Spire. “I also hope that my work has led us to a greater understanding of the essential role of community engagement and collaboration in the prevention of sexual misconduct and the breakdown of harmful social norms.”

The announcement comes after a year of increased focus and scrutiny of the Office of Title IX Initiatives following the sexual misconduct allegations against James David Christie, former Distinguished-Artist-inResidence, and Christopher Dustin, Professor of Philosophy and former Dean of Faculty, as well as the administrative response from Holy Cross. About a month after it was

announced that Kennedy would assume the role of Title IX Director, the student who filed a Title IX complaint against Dustin was offered an informal resolution while the investigation continued. As the investigation occurred, in August 2018 the allegations against Christie were made public via a letter to Father Boroughs detailing a decades-long history of alleged sexual abuse of students. Later in the fall semester Dustin was found responsible after a 20-month long investigation at the same time that he was teaching a first-year Montserrat course. On September 24, Provost Freije announced Dustin’s removal from the position of Dean of Faculty without explanation.

On November 5, 2018, the anonymous, student-run Instagram account @sexualassaultonthehill was launched to detail stories of sexual abuse and assault at Holy Cross. On November 14, senior counsel at Holland & Knight Phil Catanzano released an initial report on campus climate during his cultural review, citing “concerns about lack of institutional oversight or even departmental oversight of certain College employees” as well as a “variety of concerns” about the Title IX office and process.

Two days later, over one thousand community members attended the ENGAGE summit, which @sexualassaultonthehill criticized as being a “catch-all response” in the face of multiple issues of sexual and bigoted

violence. A month later at the end of the semester, Boroughs wrote to the campus community pledging reform to Title IX policies and processes.

At the start of the Spring semester, the College place Dustin on leave as a result of allegations from a previous year, distinct from the allegations made in Worcester Magazine. On February 4, hundreds of Holy Cross students launch an indefinite sitin entitled “Standing Up by Sitting In” in which they demand Dustin’s removal, an acknowledgement of the College’s failure to inform the campus of the allegations against him, an external audit of Title IX, a preliminary report from Catanzano, and a pledge to release that report publicly. The sit-in ends on February 6, after the College agreed to meet or work with students on their demands. Since the sit in, Boroughs and the College administration have taken efforts to address the campus climate while student organizers continue to demand transparency.

At the April 3 Faculty Assembly, Boroughs told faculty to bring concerns of wrongdoing to the Board, to whom he reports, to which the assembly responded by voting to request an independent investigator. On April 5, the ad hoc Committee on Faculty Sexual Misconduct released a statement to The Spire following Boroughs’ decision to

This weekend is a busy one on the Hill! The Campus Activities Board (CAB) will host their annual Spring Weekend festivities, which include the Spring Concert, CAB Carnival, and the Outdoor Edge.

The weekend kicks off at Freshman Field with the Spring Concert, featuring Jay Sean and Loud Luxury, with opening act SCONE, the Holy Cross student band and winner of Battle of the Bands a few weeks ago.

The gates open at 5:00 p.m., and there will be giveaways and food trucks, as well as plenty of opportunities to capture the perfect picture.

A food truck will also be at the Hoval at 9 p.m. after the show.

On Saturday, the day begins with the HCTwist Fair, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Hoval. There will be a petting zoo with baby goats, piglets, bunnies, hens, and ducklings, as well as free fried dough, snow cones, cotton candy, mocktails, face painting, and music. Following this, the Carnival on Kimball Quad will take place from 2 to 6 p.m., where there will be games, free food, giveaways, and a

DJ. In the evening, fireworks start at 8:45 p.m., and they should be visible from most places on campus. To close out the weekend, the Outdoor Edge will be at Kimball Quad from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. In addition, according to CAB’s Instagram page, the DESI Holi Festival will be at 4

and for students over 21, the Res Life Beer Garden will be from 6-8 p.m. at the Figge Lawn.

Spring Weekend is CAB’s biggest event of the year, so the planning process begins months in advance.

“There are many stages to the Spring Weekend planning process,”

Photo by Hui Li.

CAB announces the 2019 Spring Concert lineup.

p.m. in the Stein Quad, the Student Government Association (SGA) will be hosting a Pig Roast from 4 to 7 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Chapel Plaza,

said Tara Deehan ‘19, Co-Chair of CAB. “Our concert committee starts the process of picking an artist at the very beginning of the school year by

News.......................1 Opinions.................4 Features..................7 Eggplant.................9 Sports.....................10

Departing Seniors Deliver “Magis Talks” Page 3

Biden and Sanders 2020: Is Experience Really Everything?

Page 5

See TITLE IX, Page 4

CAB Kicks Off “Spring Fest” Aidan Largey ‘21 Staff Writer

Inside The Spire

sending out a survey to gauge the campus climate and get some ideas of who the students would like to see perform. Once we get the results, we talk to our agents. It takes months to finalize. Once everything is approved (artist, staging, lights, etc.), we try to keep our choice of artist a secret while planning how to promote the event, organize food trucks, and order giveaways. All of our sub-committees have different planning responsibilities. Our publicity committee is in charge of all our advertising on campus and on social media. Our special events committee works on the planning and execution of the carnival and fireworks, and organizes the lobby tables with all of our promotional giveaways for the weekend. Our entertainment, social, and music committees plan for our Outdoor Edge by hiring sound engineers, a DJ, giveaways, and food.

We try to create the best experience possible each year. We have worked hard all year to plan these events, and we just hope the students enjoy all that the weekend has to offer!”

A New Taylor Swift Era Is Upon Us Page 7

Eggplant: The Tornado Ruined My GPA Page 9

Why Tiger’s Comeback Might Be the Greatest Ever Page 11

NEWS

The Spire

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May 3, 2019

Student Government Association Senate Segment WEEK OF 4/19 IN THE SGA SENATE: Bills Sub-Committee Updates A bill that updated the senate clerkship position was approved, making the program available to all class years while giving priority to underclassmen. Another bill ensured that the minutes of the Senate meeting be sent out to senators within 48 hours. The Senate also approved the budget for this year.

Each of the sub-committees gave an update on the work they have been doing. The RSO Spotlight of the week was Asia. The Speaker of the House gave her update on Driver Appreciation Week.

Stop by Hogan 519 on Sunday, April 28 for our next session at 8:15 p.m. and follow @hcsenate on Instagram for updates from the Senate!

Newly Elected Leaders The Senate elected new leaders for the upcoming year. Helena Sabo ’22 will be the Sergeant at Arms, Connor McNerney ‘22 will be the Legislative Secretary, and Olivia Doherty ‘20 will be the Speaker of the House, congratulations!

Maggie Ober ‘22 is the Public Affairs Clerk of the Senate. Check back weekly for more Senate-specific updates and initiatives to make student life easier on the Hill.

CONTACT US: www.facebook.com/HCSenate Instagram: @sga_hcsenate sgasenate@g.holycross.edu

INSTITUTE CHANGE

Public Safety Blotter

Snapshots: Academic Conference Day

~Eggplant Eddition~ Friday, April 26 Campus-Wide: Tornado warning issued to campus, see Eggplant for more details.

Sunday, April 28 Easy Street: Battle of Winterfell related noise complaints reported.

Tuesday, April 30

Photo by Hui Li ’21

Fenwick Scholar Mia Yee ‘19 presents her thesis.

Photo by Hui Li ‘21.

Arts Transcending Borders performs on the Hoval.

Brooks Music Hall: In an effort to increase transparency, Father Boroughs introduces ... windows!

Wednesday, May 1 Dinand Library: Several more students arrested in another round of tree-murderer raids.

Friday, May 3 Freshman Field: Due to the weather forecast, Spring Concert has been moved to the Field House ... oh, crap.

Photo by Kim Fetherston ‘22.

Students participate in a “Trash Parade” around the Hoval.

Photo by Hui Li ‘21.

Students perform in “Wrath,” a play by Liam Prendergast ‘19.

The Spire student newspaper College of the Holy Cross Published weekly since 1925

The Spire is a non-profit, non-partisan student publication of the College of the Holy Cross.

The Spire is distributed free of charge to all students, faculty, staff, and employees of the institution.

Allyson Noenickx, Bobby Tuzzio, Jackie Cannon Editors-in-Chief Caroline Ahearn, Ethan Bachand, Sofia Maietta, Kate McLaughlin News Editors Olivia Pan, Maggie Connolly, Henry Noe, Grace Manning, Ryen Cinski, Tyler Christiansen Opinions Maggie Flaherty, Bianca Miccolis, Kelly Gallagher, Bridget Flaherty Features Editors Annie Hentschel, Mario Micallif Eggplant Editors Billy Fitzpatrick, Maggie Flaherty, Jackie Hart, Patrick Wareham Sports Editors Emily Kulp Senior Copy Editor Hope Goodman, Pamela Kote, Anna Morris, Sarah O’Rourke, Rebecca Tredwell Copy Editors Hui Li Chief Photographer Kim Fetherston, Jake Bucci, Davey Sullivan, Zoe Petit Photographers Bianca Miccolis, Mary Kate Cunningham, Emily Pellegrino Web Editors Professor Steve Vineberg Faculty Advisor Dean Michele Murray Faculty Advisor Dean Brenda Hounsell Sullivan Faculty Advisor

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The Spire

NEWS

May 3, 2019

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Departing Seniors Deliver “Magis Talks” Kate McLaughlin ’21 News Editor On Tuesday, April 30, students, faculty, and staff gathered in Rehm Library for the inaugural Share Your Magis: Senior Exit Talks. The event was co-hosted by the Center for Career Development, the Chaplain’s Office, the Department of Athletics, Student Affairs, the Student Government Association, and Vocare.

“Magis” is a Latin word that means “more” or “greater,” and is related to the phrase ad majorem Dei gloriam, or “for the greater glory of God,” the motto of the Society of Jesus. Magis refers to doing more for Christ and, therefore, doing more for others.

The ten Senior Exit Talks partici-

As he introduced the event, dents think about how [they] can pants, selected from about eighty Seniors who either applied or were Robert Bellin, Professor of Biol- speak to a general audience.” He nominated, had to speak for three ogy, said, “The goal of this event compared “Share Your Magis” to an elevator pitch, saying, minutes about something “You’ve got to be able to that has defined their talk about something that Holy Cross experience you did that was meaningor inspired their work for ful.” the future--without any The panel of judges inprops, notes, or visuals. cluded Che Anderson ‘11, The speakers, Courtney who currently works at Esteves, Juliana Holthe Office of the Worcescomb, Max Kotsopouter City Manager; John los, Elizabeth Lavoie, Cannon, Director of FaMichael Morigi, Emily cilities Operation at the Rivard, David Rodriguez, Holy Cross Physical Jerome Siango, Christopher Whamond, and Photo by Davey Sullivan ‘22. Plant; and Chief Shawn Amanda Wibben, all Senior Exit Talk participants shared their stories in Rehm. De Jong of Holy Cross Public Safety. focused on different The ten talks were engaging, inthemes and represented the diver- is not to say, ‘who can give the best sity of people and experiences at talk to someone in their area of formative, and diverse in nature, study?’ We want to really help stu- ranging from reflections about the Holy Cross.

most transformative classes the seniors have taken at Holy Cross, discussions about their experiences studying abroad/away or working on campus, and reflections about the most important lessons they have learned in the past four years.

Juliana Holcomb won third place, Jerome Siangco won second place, and Christopher Whamond won first place, receiving $50, $100, and $200 as prizes, respectively.

Prior to announcing the winners, Che Anderson remarked, “It’s easy to see that some people go through life just to go through life. But you all give a damn. I am floored and blown away by all of your talks-and I’m so proud to say that you’ll be joining us as alumni in a few weeks.”

LGBTQIAP+ Visibility Project Returns for Third Year Ethan Bachand ‘22 News Editor For the third consecutive year in a row, Holy Cross Pride and the Student Government Association teamed up to run the LGBTIAP+ visibility project. The informational campaign, which aims to share the experiences of LGBTIAP+ students on campus, is currently in development and will be produced shortly.

The project was started by the Student Government Association in 2017, when then-Co-President

Em Breakell ’17 came up with the idea. The following year saw the addition of Pride in the planning process, when Co-Chair Adam Coshal helped coordinate the project.

For the past two years, SGA and Pride have sent out a form for students to tell others about their experiences at Holy Cross as a member of the LGBTIAP+. After all the answers are submitted via a Google Form, the joint committee creates boards that are displayed throughout campus. Through this, both SGA and Pride hope to show

the entire campus community the perspective of some of its members.

Coshal, still serving as a Co-Chair for Pride, spoke about the event this year, saying, “SGA’s Co-Directors of Social Justice, Adeline Gutierrez ’19 and Katherine Lenahan ’19, have worked with myself as one of the Co-Chairs of Pride to bring the project back for its third year. We edited the template from last year and disseminated it to the campus community, collecting answers from anonymous participants.”

HC Capital Tops MIT, Ivys in Stock Competition Joseph Begg ‘21 Staff Writer On March 28, members of Holy Cross Student Investment Fund (formerly HC Capital) traveled to the Isenberg School of Business Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a Stock Pitch Competition.

Holy Cross won first place over Harvard, Yale, MIT, Columbia, Georgetown, Northeastern, Penn State, UConn, Rutgers, and UMass. Being a newer club on campus, this was HCSIF first competition experience, so there was a lot of pressure for the group to do well.

Despite the high level of competition, Hayden Ivatts ’21, says the group wasn’t sure who they’d be up against. “Back in February we heard that we were gonna be doing stock competitions this semester, but we didn’t know how serious it was. We didn’t get the full list of contestants until two weeks beforehand.”

Each team chose a particular stock to pitch to a panel of investors; Holy Cross pitched a buy on CVS based on its recent merger with Insurance company Aetna.

The team sent Jack Boyd ’21, Hayden Ivatts ’21, Hannah Callaghan ‘20, and Jack McConnville ’20 to make their pitch.

“My job was to look at the business model and break down specifically in each sector exactly where the money comes from, and exactly how that business is gonna improve, and how the Aetna merger is going to help

them sustain their business by increasing their market share,” said Ivatts. “Hannah was responsible for the company overview, and presented research on CVS’s competitors, Jack advocated for CVS based on their merger with Aetna, and Boyd did the valuation.”

Babson College also pitched CVS but went in a decidedly different direction, said Boyd, who jokingly referred to himself as the groups “quant,” referring to quantitative analysis. “When we opened up the pitch book, we were relieved in a sense. Though they also advocated a buy on CVS, it was for completely different reasons, and we believed our reasoning was very strong,” he said.

Holy Cross, as a liberal arts school, might not be the place one thinks of when imagining an elite New England stock competition, and might have been at a disadvantage to the Finance Majors in the room. Though Holy Cross doesn’t offer a Finance major, someone eyeing the Finance industry might consider Computer Science, Spanish, Philosophy, or History; the majors of the group representing Holy Cross.

“Finance majors learn a very specific way to do things, and I think the fact that Holy Cross lets us be separate from that allows us to discover things that I don’t think are possible in other programs. It definitely set us apart from the other schools,” said Ivatts. “Everything we said had evidence to back it up and worked together. We had the best flow and explanation, it was more than

some numbers on a page.”

One thing the judges kept repeating when describing the team was that “they told the best story.” In an evolving professional world, Holy Cross students find that being well-rounded is of great benefit. “I genuinely think that in this competition it was one of the things that benefitted us,” Ivatts said. “While our majors weren’t specific to the company we were following, we had specialties in our training that really came together as part of a team.”

“I think most people in the room thought MIT was gonna win,” Ivatts admitted. “They had a great presentation style on obscure material.”

Boyd agreed, sharing: “These clubs at Harvard and MIT have been in existence for years, and enjoy a lot more resources, so it was validating to beat them at our first competition.”

However, when MIT was called for 2nd place, Ivatts says he gave up all hope for a medal. After being called up to accept their $3,000 check (which they donated back into HCSIF) the team was in utter disbelief. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Ivatts. “I was in shock, and it looked like some of the other kids there were in disbelief too.”

Boyd shared that disbelief, saying “All I remember is wanting to take the check before they realized they made a mistake!”

After a successful year, HCSIF is planning on taking part in more opportunities for competition in the future. They will next be accepting applications in the fall.

Lenahan and Gutierrez also spoke to The Spire, stating, “Given last year’s impact and the current climate towards the LGBTQIA+ community, we figured that it is important for students to express how they feel living on the hill given the hate crime and homophobic rhetoric on campus.”

They would continue their statement by saying, “The goal of this project is to increase visibility for members of the LBGTQIA+ community, we hope that this supports members of this community on campus. Its success depends

on how many individuals engage with student responses that can be found around campus.”

While this project is not new to campus, it comes during a year in which multiple incidents have led to the college reviewing the campus climate. Even though the premier event of this increased awareness was the Engage Summit, the third annual rendition of the Visibility Project has the opportunity to continue the discussion around the campus climate.

Boroughs Fails to Meet Self-Imposed Deadlines Allyson Noenickx ‘19 Editor-in-Chief On April 30, Rev. Philip L. Boroughs S.J., president updated the campus community on the ongoing Phil Catanzano Review of Culture, Structure and Processes and the Sexual Misconduct Policy Review in an email. This was the second update from Boroughs within a week, but prior to that there had been no other updates as promised in a March 1 email to the campus community, sent two months ago today.

Despite eight emails over the past seven months detailing the work of various committees, ongoing investigations, and updates concerning sexual misconduct on campus, Boroughs has failed to meet several of the deadlines that he outlines for himself in these correspondence.

Following the conclusion of the student-led February sit-in, Boroughs offered his “apology” to the student body 27 minutes later than promised, missing the original 3:30 PM deadline that he had verbally agreed to the day before.

In his November update on the Catanzano report, Boroughs announced that “The Title IX office will expand its training program to include training to each academic department by March 31, 2019.”

However, in his April 2 address to the faculty assembly, two days after such training was to have been completed, Boroughs announced that these faculty training initiatives would only just be getting underway.

“We will be implementing mandato-

ry grooming prevention training for all faculty and staff and the College is currently working with the firm Praesidium to facilitate that,” said Boroughs.

Boroughs has also been slow to announce an official deadline for the Catanzano Review of Culture, Structure and Processes. On March 1 Boroughs wrote, “I anticipate that Mr. Catanzano’s review will be complete by the end of this semester.”

However, in his most recent email on Tuesday, Boroughs provided an update for this timeline, writing that “I have asked Mr. Catanzano to complete his review by May 31.”

The new May 31 deadline will come over two weeks after the last day of finals and a week after the Class of 2019 Commencement.

On April 23, the Student Government Association (SGA), requested that Boroughs provide the long-awaited, detailed list of progress made on each February sit-in demand and concrete explanation for why some sit-in demands were not met, including any legal reasons.

SGA originally requested a response

by April 28, but ultimately agreed to a two-day extension. In his April 30 email, Boroughs provided several updates, but again failed to provide concrete legal reasoning for why some sit-in demands were rejected.

Additionally, the Sexual Respect and Conduct Planning Group commissioned by Fr. Boroughs was asked to submit their report to the Executive team by April 15. The ultimate date on this report is April 18, three days after the deadline.

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NEWS

May 3, 2019

Uni2Act Performs ‘Cierren Los Ojos’ Clarabel Smith ‘20 Staff Writer On Thursday, April 25, in Seelos Theatre, Uni2Act performed their original play, Cierren Los Ojos (or Close Your Eyes). Uni2Act, Holy Cross’ bilingual theatre troupe, was inspired to create the play by the No Evil project, a nonprofit that seeks to erase bias through its photography project displaying personal facts and good deeds, instead of superficial labels, beside portraits.

Troupe member Maressa Park, ‘22, explained the movement by saying, “The No Evil Project seeks to show that differences are a good thing—that through labeling ourFrom TITLE IX, Page 1 forgo an independent investigator, despite their assertion that “an independent investigation is the best way … for trust to be restored within the community.”

It is amidst this culture of increasing demands for accountability and transparency on Title IX policies and processes that Tracy Kennedy’s exit from Holy Cross was announced.

“This [announcement] does not affect the committee’s call for an independent investigation, which remains in place” said political science Professor Vickie Langohr, chair of the ad hoc committee.

“We met with two members of the audit committee of the Board of Trustees last week to communicate the reasons for this call, and we have been informed that the Board discussed it at their meeting on campus in the last weekend. We will communicate their decision as soon as we have it.”

selves and sharing one of our good deeds, we can show the world that anyone is capable of doing good. I think the project seeks to put stereotypes and prejudice to rest, and it follows that quote by Mary Lou Kownacki, ‘There isn’t anyone you couldn’t love once you’ve heard their story.’”

The play was also inspired by the current events on campus, and was based off of the actual experiences of the members who wrote and performed it. Park described the play as “the brainchild of the troupe,” saying, “it is a combined story that we hope the audience recognized as realistic—because it was based on microaggressions

and situations that each of us has observed or experienced.”

Honesty and authenticity did show through in every aspect of the performance, from one-liners to monologues, and made for a moving and sometimes surprisingly funny or optimistic performance.

The play was unafraid to address not only highly debated problems on campus, like sexual assault and harassment, but those that have largely been ignored or dismissed.

For example, the play featured a poem on the rise of global antisemitism and the increase of hateful vandalism on our own campus, especially swastikas. One of the most powerful monologues was on

the dismissal and frustration experienced by Latina and first-generation students, performed by Gillary Garcia ‘20.

Senior Katie Santoro also performed a monologue on the anger of women who know sexual assault or harassment survivors and the insufficiency of the words, “me too.” Santoro was honored by director and troupe leader Prof. Ellen Lokos for her incredible leadership and accomplishment in the group, an award Lokos hopes will inspire her as she goes on to the Peace Corps after graduation.

Finally, an original song also titled “Close Your Eyes,” composed by senior Teresa Murphy,

was performed by all members of the troupe and by Holy Cross musicians in a final moment of joy and unity.

To those who weren’t able to see the play, or to those who did and were unsure of how to put its message into practice, Park had this to say: “Speak up when you witness injustice—don’t close your eyes to it. Be more cognizant of your judgments of others. And like Alba, the peer mentor in the play, says—’Control the labels that define you and give power to those labels.’”

In addition, response from the student body has been mixed and riddled with confusion, especially given that many first found out about the personnel change via social media. Leaders from the Student Government Association of both the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years stressed that given the shakeup, students should not feel abandoned by Title IX, nor should they give up the culture of #DemandMore.

“I recognize both the work that Tracy has put in during her time at Holy Cross and especially after immersing ourselves in Title IX policy this year and seeking to understand many of the nuances, the way we interpret Title IX is not purely up to the discretion of one individual but the policy and general structure as well,” said former SGA CoPresident Meredith Coolidge ‘19.

“Therefore, I see Tracy’s departure as an opportunity for the College to look at how its Office of Title

IX Initiatives is operating and how it might be improved and expanded going forward.”

Looking into the future of Title IX on campus, newly elected SGA Co-President Caroline Babinski ‘20 told The Spire: “We would like to emphasize to students that no outstanding cases will be compromised due to this change of personnel in the Office of Title IX. SGA will strive to keep students aware about all changes within the Office, and we will educate students on the Office’s policies and procedures. We believe it is important for all students to understand their rights under Title IX and to understand Holy Cross’s specific procedures in handling reports and investigations. We will work with the Holy Cross administration to do anything we can to provide this type of education and transparency to students.”

The efforts of “Standing Up by Sitting In: Continued” will also

work to improve the Title IX office and sexual respect culture on campus after Kennedy’s departure. “In my personal opinion, the problems that arise from the Title IX office are less of a result of the individuals who work in the Title IX office, and more so the overarching structures in place that limit their effectiveness and efficiency,” said Jules Cashman ‘22, one of the student organizers of the sit-in and the continued effort.

“I am grateful for Tracy Kennedy’s continued time and professionalism in working with me on my case over the past year,” said Jake Street ‘10, a former Organ Scholar who has been vocal about the need for reform at Holy Cross. “The Title IX office must be expanded and empowered, made more independent of the administration, and redesigned to focus on advocacy for survivors. I understand that Phil Catanzano’s review is expected to conclude by the end of the month.

It would be absurd, but not surprising, if he were to finish his work without ever speaking to the organ scholars who triggered his hiring, as we continue to be involved in ongoing investigations. I hope the administration will work to listen to all those who are seeking reform.”

As she prepares to conclude her time on the Hill, Kennedy told The Spire: “I believe the work we have done as a community in my time here has improved the office’s ability to do the challenging work it is called to perform every day. I know that work will continue after I leave. I am moving to the next stage of my career, with peace and clarity, and a profound gratitude for the wisdom that my time at the College has brought to my life.”

There has been no word yet on who will replace Kennedy as Director of Title IX Initiatives or on when and how that decision will be made.

Holy Cross Naval ROTC Celebrates and Says Thank You Jack Quinn Guest Writer As the Navy band played and families filled the Hart Center Basketball Arena on the afternoon of Friday, April 12, the midshipmen of the Holy Cross NROTC prepared to march into the basketball court and commence the annual President’s Review ceremony.

While on the surface it may seem to be a ceremony consisting of speeches, awards and a parade, the ceremony represents much more to the midshipmen, the administration, and the local community.

The Holy Cross Naval ROTC (HCNROTC) Unit is not just comprised of students from Holy Cross. Students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Worcester State University (WSU) commute to Holy Cross twice per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays to make up about 40 percent of the HCNROTC Unit. There are also four students from Brown University who endure the 45-minute commute across state lines, each way, every Tuesday and Thursday to learn and train with the unit.

Together, students from all four schools make up what is known as the Crusader Battalion, one of the oldest Naval ROTC units in the nation. The President’s Review

ceremony, held towards the end of schools. Fr. Philip Boroughs, S.J., Students at WPI was in attendance the Spring semester, is a way to cel- the President of Holy Cross, was along with Laura A. Murphy, the ebrate the tremendous accomplish- in attendance with a front row seat Associate Dean for Health and ments of the midshipmen for this alongside Captain (CAPT) Larry Wellness, Counseling Services at past year, and there was much to McCullen, the Commanding Offi- WSU and Ms. Kimberly Millet, the celebrate. The midshipmen of the cer of HCNROTC and Professor Program Director for the Office Crusader Battalion continue to ex- of Naval Science. Boroughs was of Military-Affiliated Students at cel at their Brown. military In adrequiredition to ments, the supservice port from work in the the college commuadminnity, athi s t r a t o r s, letic perthe HCformances, NROTC and most Unit reimporceives an tantly, acaincredible demics. A amount total of 35 of supindividual port from awards the local were givWorcester en out to commuthose who nity. Evshowed ery year, particularly over 15 high percivic and Photo courtesy of ROTC formances ve t e r a n s ’ The Crusader Battalion in formation for the ceremony. in the past groups atyear. tend the The Presidents’ Review also accompanied by fellow administra- Presidents’ Review to show their serves to showcase the Crusader tors from the other three member support. Additionally, a number of Battalion to the top-level admin- schools. Dr. Greg Snoddy, the As- the 35 awards mentioned above are istrators of the four-member sistant Vice President and Dean of sponsored by these organizations.

This year, veterans from wars as far back as World War II and the Korean War were proudly presenting awards to the next generation. The Father Joseph T. O’Callahan, S.J. Society is the alumni association for the HCNROTC Unit. Since 1994, the O’Callahan Society has been at the forefront of support for the Crusader Battalion. Many of the additional opportunities available to the midshipmen, such as attending leadership conferences, are made possible by the generosity of the O’Callahan society.

This year’s Presidents’ Review was well-attended by members of the O’Callahan society once again.

Retired U.S. Navy Captain William Boniface served as the ceremonies’ guest of honor. Captain Boniface is a 33-year career Navy pilot and served as the Commanding Officer of the HCNROTC Unit from 1994-1998. In his remarks, he stressed the importance of the training that the midshipmen receive in the Naval ROTC program and spoke to everyone about the dangers of cutting corners.

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Opinions

OPINIONS

May 3, 2019

See What Other Students Are Thinking Around Campus...

Biden and Sanders 2020: Is Experience Really Everything?

Maggie Connolly ‘21 Opinions Editor

Interestingly enough, this year there are more familiar names than just the incumbent president on the ballot for 2020. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have both officially declared their candidacy for the Democratic primaries, Sanders falling short in the primaries in the 2016 election and Joe Biden a White House veteran, serving as Obama’s vice president for both terms of his presidency.

On the surface level, Biden gained immense amounts of popularity during the end of his time as vice president because of his friendship with Obama by the end of eight years serving together. He is also known for his boisterous personality, sometimes making for hilarious Twitter posts and others becoming quite controversial.

Likewise, Sanders gained popularity from the “Bernie or Bust” squad that followed his campaign almost religiously in the 2016 election. This demographic was composed mostly of individuals who were college-age or slightly older.

Although Sanders could not clinch the nomination, he became much more famous than he was as simply a senator from Vermont.

As of April 24th, according to

RealClearPolitics, Biden was lead- have great ideas for the country in to juxtapose this on more levels ing the polls, with Sanders close be- theory, but America is in desperate than just policy in order to progress hind. This early on in the process, it need of something new. We need as a country. is hard to tell who will be successful someone with a different story to Likewise, although clearly incredand what is based off of name rec- lead our country in order to under- ibly experienced, these two men ognicould tion and take a populesson l a r i t y, or two but the from thought Hilary’s of an camo l d paign name in i n a new 2016. position O n e is unof the settling main for a objecmultitions tude of to Clinreasons. ton was Althe fact though that she it is my was not persona fresh ‘Photo Courtesy of NewYork Magazine al beDemocratic Candidates for the 2020 Presidential Election, Bernie Sanders (left) and Joe face in lief that politics.

Biden (right), are currently leading the polls.

SandS h e , ers and l i k e Biden individually have interesting, stand what even a small portion of Biden, was a White House vet, alrelevant views on certain issues, it is the marginalized communities in though not an elected one. In this less their policy and more their pres- this nation experience. Biden and case, taking a page from Clinton’s ence that is troubling in the current Joe are not the something new that book might not be the most sucpolitical climate. For starters, both Americans need at this juncture. cessful way for the Democratic of them are strictly 70-something, After four years Trump-centered Party to win the presidency. white, straight males. They can each politics, Americans need someone According to the New York

Times, a study in Iowa proved that Trump may not be the GOP candidate to beat in 2020 after all.

Although he remains steadily the favorite, a lot could happen in the next year that could produce and promote a more qualified, more GOP-centric candidate. Out of the registered republicans in Iowa, 63% believe the GOP should welcome new republican candidates.

Although this is only one state, it represents a potential problem with Biden’s argument specifically that he is the most qualified person to run against Trump because he is a two-term vice president.

The big takeaway from these two men’s candidacy is simply they are not what the United States needs in its current state. Politics needs a new face, someone who has experience, but experience outside of the White House or even Washington DC proper. Politics is about experience and qualification, but it is also about meaningful discussion, inclusion, and accurate representation. To achieve all of this and more in 2020, the Democratic Party is in need of a fresh face to prevail over Trump, or any other member of the Republican Party who succeeds in receiving the nomination.

Rebuilding One Cathedral Shouldn’t Mean We Don’t Care about Rebuilding Another Grace Manning ‘21 Opinions Editor “Rebuild This Cathedral,” dares a collage of photos depicting a rainforest, a reef, a beach coated in garbage and a cluster of bees swarming a hive. It has been shared and liked and has circled the world, drawing more and more attention to the controversy surrounding the astonishingly quick raising of 1 billion dollars to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. The general consensus among our generation seems to be: if the world can raise 1 billion dollars in two days to rebuild Notre-Dame, clearly this kind of money is out there in the world and therefore should be offered forward for other worthy causes such as repairing the Great Barrier Reef and clearing the garbage patch in the North Pacific Ocean.

But does money work that way? Is it as easy as we think (and hope)?

We are an informed, worldly generation who genuinely cares deeply about environmental, social and political issues. While this is undeniably a good thing, I

think we, and I include myself, can mous task that requires the coop- tions involves our apparent prefget too caught up in our passion- eration of every country and every erence of culture over real human ate opinions and forget to do the person in order to be carried out and environmental issues. “If you background research required to in a way that ensures long-term could only save a child or the last understand some of these global results. That isn’t to say that we copy of the complete works of problems. Clearing the garbage shouldn’t care about large issues Shakespeare, which would you patch, for exsave?” they ask. ample, sounds To some, the angreat in theory, swer is obvious. but where exactly A collection of is all this garbage writing should going to go? And never be valued how can we enover a human sure that the garlife and to some bage patch won’t extent, I agree. form again? Most My first thought importantly, who was without the are we paying to environment, do the work of we wouldn’t be removing the garable to exist at bage? The reason all, so protecting ‘Photo Courtesy of BostonGlobe it should be our it was relatively Notre Dame Cathedral Ablaze in Paris, France Monday April 15th. easy to raise monfirst, and possibly ey to reconstruct our only, priority.

Notre-Dame But human sociis because there was a definitive or that we can’t create big change ety is so much more complicated way to permanently fix the dam- by encouraging small actions. But than a simple choice. Our culture, age. Construction companies can who are we to be criticizing donors’ art, history and literature are what be hired, their workers paid, the choices on where they want to use make us human. Without these eleequipment and materials all bought their money for a greater good? ments of our lives, what is the point and a budget and a deadline agreed Another argument made by of our existence? We are a creative on. Cleaning the oceans is an enor- certain individuals and organiza- species who characterize ourselves

by the way we relate to each other and to our surroundings through our use of imagination and innovation that makes us unique to other species. Therefore, the architecture, poetry, technology and philosophy that make up such a large part of our lives shouldn’t be abandoned in an effort to save the environment.

I don’t believe that the money raised to rebuild Notre-Dame and the issues of trying to repair our planet should be compared side by side. This implies a certain simplicity that isn’t there. Why should we be confined to caring about one issue or disaster? Those who decided to donate to repairing Notre-Dame Cathedral instead of donating to a charity or another cause shouldn’t be punished for their choice or for their beliefs.

We all have the freedom of opinion and of judgement to donate to causes that we feel strongly about, whether this means saving the traditional kind of cathedral, or saving another ecological kind.

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OPINIONS

Our Plastic Planet Ryen Cinski ‘22 Opinions Editor

age everyone to try to switch over to a metal bottle. For the final part of my project, I calculated the total energy that I saved by not drinking bottled water for ten weeks. I’ll save you all the math and if you want proof you can e-mail me, but the energy I saved came out to about 316,000,000 joules. This

bers include the “energy required to produce bottled water, including the energy required to manuI am currently enrolled in an facture plastic, fabricate the plastic environmental science class here into bottles, process the water, fill at Holy Cross, and over its course and seal the bottles, transport the I’ve learned many things about bottles, and chill the bottles for the environment that we live in. use” (phys.org). You may not reAs someone who has never been alize how many steps there are to science-oriented, it’s been making your water or nice to learn and underhow much energy you stand concepts that apyourself use when you ply to the place that I buy bottled water, but inhabit and impact each hopefully this can open and every day. We reeyes. cently completed a projOur planet is our ect that involved making home, a place that we a lifestyle change for ten live and thrive upon. weeks, then calculating Lately, we’ve been damhow much energy, water aging it immensely and or money you could save. impacting it negatively in For my lifestyle change, I ways that we may not be chose to cut out my use able to undo. Plastic is and purchase of plastic extremely harmful to the water bottles, instead usenvironment and to the ing a Brita, a metal bottle many creatures that live and tap water. among us. Some plastics Admittedly, I can be never fully break down. quite lazy at times, so Some plastics release cleaning the bottle and toxic chemicals into the refilling the bottle was ground and water. Some sometimes annoying. I plastics end up in the stuck with my change for stomachs of animals, the entirety of the ten lodged in their nostrils, weeks though and evenor wrapped around their tually found the minimal throats. By taking simupkeep to be habit. I also ple steps like switching found that it was actually from plastic bottles to Photo courtesy of the College of the Holy Cross Bookstore metal bottles, you could easier to use a Brita as I Using a reusable water bottle is one easy way you didn’t have to go out to contribute greatly to the can help save energy and protect the planet. the store every time I ran environment concerning out of water. Had I not energy, pollution, health been given this project assignment, is just for the ten weeks, and if I and safety. I urge you to try to I probably never would’ve made were to not drink bottled water for make the switch and contribute to the switch. an entire year, I would save about environmental betterment alongI am well aware that when you 1,643,200,000 joules. That is such side me. get stuck in a routine, you can be an immense amount of energy, reluctant to welcome change. I can and is the combination of many attest to the ease that is not using factors that contribute to my plasplastic bottles though, and encour- tic water bottle use. Those num-

On the Intersection of Emotion with Architecture Henry Noe ‘22 Opinions Editor

What feeling rises within you when you walk up the steps to Dinand library? Beauty? Awe? Anxiety? It is undeniable that architecture holds a kind of mystical power over those who reside in a particular community. What is most remarkable about the emotive response to seeing certain buildings is that it is unique for every person. If ten different Holy Cross students were asked to describe Dinand Library, or the towering and powerful O’Kane clocktower, or the Hoval, there would very well be ten different answers.

Although the built environment is designed to be meticulously planned and formulated about the disciplines of mathematics, engineering, and physics-emotions play a large part in how a building will be perceived. By sharing memories with a certain location, the building or built environment nearby is infused with an emotional dimension wherein

the very sight of a certain building, while not designed to display emotion, can elicit a very emotional response from an individual.

Interestingly, the destruction of the built environment can also bring about intense emotions.

The bringing down of buildings which represent hate or animosity can not only elicit jubilation, but also, a wave of positivity which can be broadcasted and radiated, Similarly, the crumbling of a beloved structure, one revered in its environment and beloved by all, can mark the end of a certain golden age and symbolize the unstoppable march of time.

Structures can also be built in order to serve as a commemorative memorial. When seen, this style of architecture can bring about intense emotions from those who saw firsthand the very event the site is trying to commemorate. Additionally, the site can also conjure for the observer an idea of the magnitude of the event. This sect of architecture can bring about feelings of in-

tense sadness, remembrance, or thoughtfulness on the past.

Domestic architecture also possesses this incredible emotive power. Over years of living in the same home, young adults leaving for college or moving out may find difficulty in separating themselves from the only abode they have ever known. On the other hand, parents may find that the the sight of their home may bring about feelings of safety, security, and love. Conversely, images of other domestic homes may conjure feelings of jealousy in homes they wish to reside in.

The built environment is something which is omnipresent in our daily lives. However, very rarely do individuals examine how the built environment may have an influence on themselves. Architecture stands as a permanent onlooker to our lives and daily interactions.

Structures which were designed to possess form become formless in our mind and transformed to a private, distinct, and beautiful emotion that only you can know.

May 3, 2019

7 Favorite Films of the 21st Century Tyler Christiansen ‘21 Opinions Editor Whenever I tell people that I love movies, I am always asked the same, impossible question: “What is your favorite movie?” I could say ten different ones on any given day. The “Star Wars” and “Toy Story” films are always brought up, so, to avoid franchise clutter, I am just going to ignore films that have sequels; in other words, only original films with no other baggage.

To limit the pool even more, I am only going to talk about my favorite films from 2000- present day.

It’s also in alphabetical order, since ranking these would be like ranking family members. Here we go.

“Get Out” Honestly, the first time I heard that Jordan Peele was going to make a horror film, I vastly underrated him. I could not have been more wrong. Peele created an instant classic with his directorial debut on a shoestring budget with only a handful of actors. The “Sunken Place” imagery is already iconic, as well as the twist at the end: “You know I can’t give you the keys, right babe?”

Please keep making films, Mr. Peele.

“Inside Out” Who knew Pixar could make a movie about depression and sadness while still making it fun and enjoyable? Not only is this top-tier Pixar, but it’s arguably one of the most original and insightful films in recent years. If the “Toy Story” films did not exist, this would be #1 for Pixar.

“Juno” No one on Earth speaks like the characters in Juno do. Diablo Cody wrote the great character Juno, played perfectly by Ellen Page, who is a pregnant high schooler who decides to put the baby up for adoption. Both hilarious and smart, “Juno” tells us not to rush into adulthood, bur rather to savor the moments of our innocence.

“La La Land” My personal favorite on this list, Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” follows two characters trying to fulfill their dreams in LA. One wants to be a movie star and the other wants to own a jazz club. The many dance sequences and music playing are delightful (Justin Hurwitz’s score is my favorite) and the last 15 minutes of the film are heartbreaking, but ultimately right. In order to achieve your dreams, you have to sacrifice something. Also, Ryan Gosling’s piano playing make the film that much better. “It’s conflict, it’s compromise, and it’s new every time. It’s very, very exciting!”

“Little Miss Sunshine” While “The Departed” is a good film made by a great director, “Little Miss Sunshine” really should have taken that top prize back in ‘06. Written by “Toy Story 3” writer Michael Ardnt, the film follows a dysfunctional family on a severalday road trip to get to a beauty pageant. The film’s message surfaces when the grandfather, played by the excellent Alan Arkin, says to his granddaughter, “You know what a real loser is? A real loser is someone who is so afraid of losing, they don’t even try! You’re trying, right? Then you’re not a loser!” While depressing at times, it is an ultimately uplifting film that deserves to be in the conversation more.

“The Social Network” The opening scene of David Fincher’s “Social Network” sets the tone for what is to come: fast-paced dialogue, quick editing, and a character that we kind of have sympathy for, but also really dislike. It’s a fine line, but Fincher walked it perfectly and created a fascinating story about the creation of Facebook (which should have been a snooze fest) and how even though Zuckerberg made a platform where millions of people could connect, he was left a lonely millionaire. Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield give their best performances here and even Justin Timberlake is great. The scene where Eduardo finds out he only owns 0.03 percent of Facebook after Mark sold millions of shares of stock is emotional and frustrating, making it the best scene in the film.

“Whiplash” After seeing “Whiplash” for the first time, I immediately put it in my top ten films of all time. My only regret with this film is that I did not see it on the big screen.

The film’s 10-minute drum solo finale is one of the great endings and proved that Chazelle knew what he was doing. He addresses the conflict between success and sacrifice, and how far people are willing to push themselves in order to achieve their dream or goal. I felt exhausted by the end of it, but in the best way possible.

Honorable Mentions: “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” “Y Tu Mama Tambien” “Moonlight” “Superbad” “Midnight in Paris” “Interstellar” “Toy Story 3” “No Country for Old Men”

FEATURES

The Spire

Features

Meghan Shaffer ‘20 Staff Writer

Worst Article You’ve Ever Written: Any and every “That’s News to Me” column Favorite memory at HC: Appa!

Especially leading a trip to McKee this year Favorite dessert: Cheesecake Best dorm: Wheeler Last person you texted: Izzy Cappabianca On thing you’d change about HC: I’d hire an independent investigator Your mantra: I live with a bully Pet peeve: Slow walkers and people who respond with just “haha” Favorite off-camAllyson Noenickx ‘19 pus restaurant: The Boynton Song that you have completely memorized: Mr. Brightside Embarrassing HC Moment: Tripping down the hill by the Chapel during the mad rush to Spring Weekend fireworks Bragging Rights: I’m a pub rat and my mother is very proud Words to live by: Let’s get this keg Favorite Kimball meal: Thanksgiving dinner Favorite Freshman: Alexa Michon Favorite Sophomore: Hui Li Favorite Junior: Jackie Cannon Favorite Senior: Katie Piro Advice for Fellow Crusaders: Study abroad in Cork!!

Guilty Pleasure: Jeopardy marathons Rock Bar or Whiskey: Whiskey

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May 3, 2019

7

This Women-Run Company is Changing the College Jewelry Game

Crusader of the Week: Allyson Noenickx ’19

Hometown: South Boston, MA Major: Computer Science Activities involved in on campus: The Spire, Spring Break Immersion, Club Ice Hockey Favorite TV show: Frasier Favorite movie: Goodwill Hunting TV or movie that you refuse to watch: The Office Favorite singer/group: Maggie Rogers Favorite color: Purple Favorite country you’ve been to: Iceland Favorite sport: Hockey Favorite Book: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Favorite song: Vienna by Billy Joel Favorite Photo courtesy of font: Garamond 10 Favorite sports team: Boston Bruins Dream job: NYT app developer Favorite class taken at Holy Cross: The Irish American Experience with Prof. Ed O’Donnell Favorite professor: Professor Nancy Andrews Favorite spot on campus: Smith Bridge Favorite word: Brouhaha Favorite Eggplant Article of All Time: Annie’s unpublished leaked spring concert setlist Pick for Editor-in-Chief Next Year: Mario Worst Edition of the Spire: The Fenwick Review Your life as an Eggplant Headline: “Professor Sweeney finds 16th way to pronounce Noenickx”

Elizabeth Garcia and Elizabeth Shirley. Featuring feminine and classic designs for a variety of schools (including Holy Cross!), the company only continues to grow in new and exciting ways.

Since their official launch they’ve nearly doubled the number of

she says. “Our goal from day one has always been to be more than just a college jewelry brand but When you think about college to help young women achieve in jewelry, the first thing that comes life, and we will do anything we to mind is bound to be the typican to support and mentor them cal college class ring. Big, a little along the way.” Kyle Cavan has old fashioned, with a large coltaken on several interns over the ored stone on top, likely past few years, many of the same kind that your them Holy Cross stuparents and even granddents, and remains dediparents have tucked cated to championing away somewhere in the women both through back of a drawer. And their jewelry designs and while there are certainly their experience at the some who are excited to office. “What I’m most get their classic college excited about these days rings, a lot of upperis the next generation of classmen likely don’t see women,” says Elizabeth. themselves as wearing “You guys are badass! something so flashy. We Smart, open-minded, all want to show off our hard-working, no BS, school spirit and love of stylish, undefinable. It’s Holy Cross after graduabeen amazing working tion, but the classic class with our interns and ring doesn’t always feel Courtesy of kylecavan.com hearing from students The Fenwick Bar Necklace shows off Spires in a like the best way to do all over the country.” fashionable way! that.

Holy Cross is lucky Enter Kyle Cavan, a enough to be included recent New-York based in the designs of Kyle startup that is changing the way school collections they offer and Cavan. Founder Kyle Garcia’s women celebrate their love of are continuing to work to de- best friend is a former Crusader, their alma mater. When founder velop designs for new schools. and so Holy Cross has always Kyle Garcia attended her five They launch their Greek collec- held a special place in Kyle’s year college reunion, she real- tion soon, and are working on an heart after visiting her friend on ized that there was a huge gap in exciting collaboration with Rent the hill. One of their favorite the college jewelry industry. “My the Runway. “Our goal is to be pieces is the Fenwick Bar Neckfriends and I were having the best change and keep evolving as a lace, a unique piece that features time reliving school together, and company,” says Kyle. “But our the iconic Fenwick spires. Aside I thought it’s such a shame that designs will always remain time- from that, the Holy Cross colwe don’t have something stylish less.” lection has six other necklace and cool to wear post-college Founding a startup with a small options, four of them featuring that represents such an important number of employees comes the Holy Cross crest in a variety time in our lives,” Kyle says. After with its fair share of difficulties. of styles. One necklace features doing a little research, Kyle dis- “Getting our doot in the door the classic HC logo, and then ancovered that the original college with new schools and tackling other unique piece is a pendant ring design was created in 1835 the licensing approval process modeled off of the Holy Cross for men graduating from West [has been difficult],” says co- gates. This design also comes in a Point–and it really hasn’t changed founder Elizabeth Shirley. “It’s cuff-link option. since then. “It’s the 21st century, long, arduous, and expensive.” Whether or not Kyle Cavan is more women than men are go- But she credits the Kyle Cavan your style, it’s so exciting to see ing to college now, and there is team’s passion and dedication to a group of young women forgnothing better than this? Kyle their recent success. “We’re real ing a new path into an industry says. “That was the beginning of people behind the product, web- that has yet to be explored. Kyle it all.” site, Instagram, and we care so Cavan is only just getting started.

And thus Kyle Cavan was much about our community of born along with co-founders young women who support us,”

A New Taylor Swift Era is Upon Us Kennedy Corrado ‘21 Staff Writer And in an instant, the snake explodes into butterflies. Taylor Swift’s new pop single “ME!” with Panic! At the Disco’s Brendon Urie signals a new era and another drastic reinvention of her career.

Swift made it out of the Reputation era looking better than the people who put her there. Her tremendous come-from-behind victory was fascinating, but playing the villain can clearly be draining and only last so long. “ME!” is more like Reputation’s predecessor, 1989, in that it is more cheerful and good-natured. On April 25th in Nashville, Swift told Robin Roberts, “With a pop song, we have an ability to get a melody stuck in people’s heads, and I just want it to be one that makes them feel bet-

ter about themselves, not worse.”

I appreciate her desire to get back to her old roots. But with Swift teasing new music in Nashville and a series of home-like instagrams, I was disheartened when I didn’t hear a country song.

The electro-pop duet has a sesame-street feel, making me believe it should be the anthem of an animated children’s movie. The music video is fun, with happy colors and scenes, making nothing about it subtle. There are winks to “Blank Space” and “Welcome to New York,” both songs from the 1989 record. There are also nods to Mary Poppins and the Dixie Chicks. The old Taylor has been resurrected, jump

starting a new era of rainbows and unicorns.

nowhere near Swift’s best. We are talking about the woman who wrote “All Too Well” and “Getaway Car.” Her lyrics never seize to amaze me by their creativity and ability to capture every range of emotion. I was disappointed when the first taste of new music from Swift since 2017 did not strike a chord in me. “I’m the only one of me / Baby, that’s the fun of me,” might be her worst ever. This song is missing Swift’s usual charm and smarts, and is especially disappointing due to her new interest Courtesy of laineygossip.com in politics. She has stayed silent on the matter in the TSwift Released ME! last week. past, but announced her support for two DemoAs far as the lyrics go, ME! is cratic candidates for Congress in

Tennessee last year. Swift vowed to be politically active and speak out against “disgusting rhetoric.”

Unfortunately, nothing about this song advances my thoughts about her like taking that stand did.

If you’re feeling as let down as I am, history suggests that Swift reveals her crummiest songs first before she releases an album. For example, “Shake it Off,” on 1989 and “Look What You Made Me Do,” on Reputation were both the first taste received from the albums. As a Swiftie from the very start, I am definitely not losing hope. The new era seems to be the sound of moving forward and for that I am proud of her, I just hope the new album showcases her true brilliance.

8 The Spire FEATURES

May 3, 2019

Avengers: Endgame Lives Up to the Hype (Spoiler Free) Kelly Gallagher ‘22 Features Editor It’s the moment fans have spent a year waiting for. Following the jawdropping cliffhanger of “Infinity War” and one of the most secretive marketing campaigns ever, “Avengers: Endgame” has arrived in theaters. Lovingly made with the fans in mind, full of inside jokes and meaningful character moments, “Endgame” is a fantastic finale.

The film features many nods to previous MCU films, but it’s self-referential without feeling like it’s simply riding on former glory.

“Endgame” takes a fresh, thoughtful look at the MCU, resulting in both bittersweet and funny moments, which brings me to the quips. “Endgame” has some of the best one-liners in the MCU, as well as some of its most hilarious scenes (my personal favorite being what I shall refer to here as The Taco Scene). Not saying you should go to the film just for the

memes, but honestly, it’s required movie explores the most meaning- their personality strengths and flaws. viewing if you want to get in the spirit of Personally, “Endthis spring’s internet game” was the most culture. exhilarating viewing But “Endgame” experience I’ve ever is much more than had. Energy was high snappy dialogue and at the theater I went CGI battles. The to, with the audience heart of the film is breaking into wild its characters. The cheering at some moments and audible MCU has been in a gasps at others. Peosteady state of rapid ple were on their feet expansion since “The during the end credits Avengers” came out (I was too busy sobin 2012, but here it bing like a lunatic). scales back to focus Yet “Endgame” was on the six original also a bittersweet exmembers. The MCU perience for me. The has spent years careAvengers had a sigfully developing these nificant presence durcharacters, and “Endgame” treats this ining my teenage years, courtesy of wikipedia and this film signals heritance respectfully.

No Spoilers, Or Else Thanos Will Dust Half Your GPA It knows why people the end of that era. love these characters, It’s sad to see that go, and it’s not just because of the cos- ful elements of each hero - what but in the words of Natasha Rotumes or superpowers. Rather, the they want, how they’ve changed, manoff, “Nothing lasts forever.”

Expectations were astronomically high as a decade’s worth of films culminated in “Endgame,” but it did a great job of living up to the hype. There were certainly things I wish “Endgame” did differently, but for the most part, it was a satisfyingly thrilling and emotional conclusion to the arcs of my favorite superheroes.

“Avengers: Endgame” can be seen at any self-respecting theater near you. Clocking in at about 3 hours (a runtime that has sparked countless online discussions about the best time to take a bathroom break), it’s directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner reprise their roles as the original Avengers.

Opening of Student Show “Ennead” and Embracing Pressure Margaret Goddard ‘19 Staff Writer This past week, the senior Studio Art majors opened their exhibition, titled “Ennead,” at the Cantor Art Gallery on campus. “Ennead” is a word that means a group of nine and reflects the ancient sanctity of that number. The nine senior majors have spent the year in the Studio Art Concentration Seminar, finding their medium and subject independently, keeping their own studio space in the Millard Art Center, and creating a cohesive body of work. During the Academic Conference, the artists each gave an artist talk about how they arrived at the work installed now in the gallery. At the opening reception for the show on Thursday night, students, faculty, mentors, family, friends, and the community mingled among the pieces and celebrated the outcome of a year of work.

As one of the nine artists, I was stunned not only by the feeling of concluding a huge endeavor, but also by the surprising realization of how far each of us had come this year. Attending friends’ talks in other disciplines at the Academic Conference, chatting with fellow seniors celebrating ends and beginnings, and noticing my seminar classmates’ joy all made me feel proud. All of a sudden, the tentative first-years we once were had converted into excited adults with a sharp focus. Of course, this didn’t happen “all of a sudden.” Rather, this is the culmination of many long nights, difficult decisions and consistent work. Seniors in every department know this, but here I will speak about how consistent work contributes to studying art as an undergrad.

It took me awhile to embrace the

value of consistent work. All year top of their studio practice, coming serving leaves didn’t work for the at my work-study at the Cantor, up with their own ideas, and show- banana leaves, so she came up with I would look around at the high- ing up in the fall with a passion to her own intuitive recipe to preserve ceilinged, elegant and professional work on something. The Studio them. She says, “it came down to space, the place where I knew my Arts faculty are there to guide, in- trusting my own instincts because work would soon inhabit. I would spire, and direct, but the pressure no one else knew how to work with recall my little studio in Millard in lies on the students to present their the material better than I did.” the state it was at that Anna Lenney wresmoment, with all its tled between making unfinished projects art that viewers could and stray ideas lying relate to and making around. I was always art that reflected her feeling the pressure experience as an indito make something vidual. She was afraid grand and deserving of alienating anyof such a spotlight. one with the strong Now that the spotspiritual beliefs and light is shining on my struggles she wanted work, I don’t think I to show. However, could have avoided without a personal feeling this presand specific focus, sure. Only through Anna felt paralyzed. trial and error did I With the boundaries a find ways to sit comsmall focus provides, fortably in it. What she could dive deep helped me manage and explore. After the paralyzed feeling getting personal with Photo courtesy of Margaret Goddard. her ideas, she could was to repeat to myself a couple things: The senior Studio Art Majors display their work in the Cantor figure out how to exArt Gallery this is my opportunity ecute them in an open to experiment and see way for the diverse what feedback I get; I public to view. am the only one who can make this ideas physically for feedback, not Alexandra Yoeckel found startidea come across successfully; and just theoretically. ing a print intimidating, but after if I show up for myself, in the stuI asked a few of my concentra- experimenting by pressing layers dio, willing to work, several times a tion seminar classmates: did they of random colors and materials, week, that can be enough. What’s feel the pressure was a huge obsta- she found the roots of a good idea. even more effective than any of cle? Did they feel it at all? If they From those initial prints, she knew these theories on how to work did, how did they handle it? where to begin for her complex hard, why growth hurts so much, Sara Vo used her instincts and and intentional pieces. and why I felt paralyzed is just … knowledge passed down through Elisaveta Mavrodieva only finds to act. generations to create pieces that starting a painting intimidating. For It seems obvious that to “act” is succeeded conceptually and physi- her, gaining momentum is easy bethe key to making art, but for me cally. She wanted to laser-cut ba- cause when she is in the middle of at least, there are moments when nana leaves, which are traditionally a piece, she “can’t think about anyto act seems like the most intimi- used for cooking, with letters writ- thing but finishing what she startdating thing to do. The structure ten by women in her family about ed.” Elisaveta’s paintings are often of the Studio Art Concentration their Vietnamese and North Amer- large and layered with complex and Seminar relies on action as the key ican identities. Her leaves kept dry- unusual materials. Her process is to evolving as an artist. Senior ma- ing out or yellowing within a few very physical, and one could witjors are responsible for staying on days. Generic instructions for pre- ness that at any point this year by

walking by her full, chaotic, and colorful studio.

The answers from this survey are hardly surprising, and you could find advice like this practically anywhere from all kinds of creators, but the fact that these lessons were discovered in just a year, amidst other studies and commitments, continues to impress me. With all the disparate concepts, mediums, and methods in our group, individual mechanisms for dealing with pressure arose. Conversing in the studios at night, critiquing with professors, and sheer hard work helped us get to that point. For having this community all year we are grateful.

“Ennead” at the College of the Holy Cross Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery is open to the public until May 24th. I strongly recommend passing through, reading each artist statement as you go to learn about the journey behind the pieces that are up.

Thank you to Professor Michael Beatty and Professor Cristi Rinklin for guiding us each semester this year and to all the Visual Arts faculty for your constant input and investment. I would like to thank Roger Hankins, Paula Rosenblum and Tim Johnson for organizing the show and its installation. Thank you to John Carney for helping us construct and problem-solve at the most frazzled moments. Thank you to Kerstin Bean for coordinating supplies and trips to New England art institutions. And of course, thank you to all the senior majors in the show for the camaraderie this year: Katherine Badenhausen, Sarah Behrens, Abigail Kostecki, Anna Lenney, Elisaveta Mavrodieva, Mae-Chu O’Connell, Sara Vo, and Alexandra Yoeckel.

EGGPLANT

The Spire

May 3, 2019

9

The Aubergine Studied Abroad

From the Editor’s Desk: The only thing more rewarding than seeing my not funny articles in print was to publish the actually funny articles written by actually funny people. Thank you to everyone who wrote, to Jackie and Allyson for everything, no thanks to InDesign, and to the Administration for giving us plenty to write about this year. HAGS! --The Aubergine Queen, ACH ‘19

A Look Back at the Tornado in Worcester Dennis Liu ‘22 Local Meterologist On Friday, April 26th, at 3:09 P.M. EST, a tornado warning was issued to Worcester, MA. Holy Cross’ Public Safety Department immediately leapt onto the scene.

Students were plowed with texts, email alerts and phone calls in regards to the tornado. They were instructed to stay in-place and to stay away from windows. Library workers were instructed to shut all windows.

The entire campus were frantic over the whole ordeal. There was much concern as to how long people would have to stay inside.

Many Tapingo orders were unclaimed. And Purple Pride Day festivities were cut short. Public safety officers instructed students to leave the premises and head inside, leaving many students frightened and disappointed they couldn’t get their hot dog from the Dogfather food truck. The tornado warning was promptly canceled at 3:14 P.M.

Those were the most frightening 5 minutes of my f*cking life. Holy shit, I was so f*cking scared. I didn’t know what to do. I might’ve peed my pants in fear, or the wind and rain from the tornado swept itself into the building and got onto me. I don’t know. But I’ll never forget the chaos that ensued that day. It truly was pandemonium.

Props to all those people working who were instructed to close all the windows and stuff.

You all really put your lives on

the line there. Also a big S.O. to Public Safety. God knows where the campus would be if those get phone calls, texts and email alerts weren’t sent out. It was really kind of them to individually and manually contact every single person on campus.

No lives were lost amidst the chaos. But that day will live in everyone’s minds for at least another week.

Follow @hc_tornadochasers regarding all tornado warnings and sightings on The Hill.

4/26/2019, 3:12 p.m. Source unknown.

The Tornado Ruined My GPA :-( Hannah Johnson ‘21 2.16 Of all the times for a stinkin’ tornado to rip through Worcester, it HAD to be at the end of the school year--*the* busiest time, when we’re all trying desperately to secure decent grades for ourselves in our courses. I’ll tell you about what the Friday tornado took from me: not only my sense of security, but also my passable grade point average.

So there I was, on the 26th of April, sitting in a comfy chair at the Cool Beans lounge. I was brainstorming for this really important essay for my Russian class and looking out one of the windows.

This was where it all started going downhill: based on what I could see, the moderate wind and slight drizzling, I knew for absolute certainty that there was a terrible storm brewing, maybe even a full on hurricane. My heart pounded; my mind raced. This Russian essay was literally due in 40 minutes, and my grade--including my requirement--rested on it. But it almost looked like it might rain again, and I knew I had to move away from the window for my own safety.

Before I could choose between my well-being and my grades (potentially 70k down the drain, literally), a faithful call and text combo from Holy Cross confirmed my fears. “Holy Cross - Tornado

Tossed Mario Micallef ‘22 A Poet I find myself so distant from the coastlines of bliss.

I find myself intertwined within the peels of a gangly soft yellow shell.

What little respect you possess.

Blame, blame, shame, shame; your bottom won’t remain.

There are more of my kind in here, away from over where you negligent roaming mouths preside.

Amongst the sorrowful crushed red and blue “Pepsi” cup, slimed coated tissue just to name a few.

We are the persecuted.

Tossed out, it sounds cute when you put it that way.

It sure doesn’t feel cute.

And I should know what feeling cute entails.

I once was displayed magnificently, adjacent to the register Paula sweetly caresses.

Outdated you called me as you slammed my fragile pages into this death capsule.

Reprisal shall spawn from poisoning your soil.

I tip my ink soaked white tattered page to you.

Plausible, indeed, that I might have done the same misdeed.

Help Wanted!

Director of Title IX: Preferably available for more than 10 months Philosophy Professor: Preferably female President of the College: Must answer to “Daddy” Independent Investigator: Must not answer to Daddy Director of Weather Advisory Committee : Must <3 ‘nados Eggplant Chief: </3 </3 </3

Warning in area. Take shelter now.”

I sprung into immediate action. Luckily, having been born and raised in Iowa, I was wellversed in general school protocol for taking shelter from a tornado.

I grabbed one of my textbooks and ran downstairs to Crossroads.

Along the way, I made sure to advise other people to also take shelter, but I think they were saying their goodbyes first, so I was the first one to move. When I made it downstairs, I looked for a secure wall away from windows, and decided on the Pub. I found a table near a wall and dove under it, resting on my knees with my textbook over my head. With my head towards the floor and cov-

ered for protection, I couldn’t see what was going on, but it seemed like groups of people started crowding around behind me, perhaps observing my technique for their own use. I also heard the clicks of people taking pictures-was the tornado already causing such impressive damage that people felt the need to document it?!

Eventually things got fairly quiet--I’m sure we were all anxiously waiting for what would happen next. And roughly 39 minutes after all this began, I was finally able to relax a little: “The tornado warning has expired,” came the text. I was glad to be alive, but with horror I double-checked the time and realized

my vital Russian essay was due in approximately 31 seconds. Losing any remaining will I had, I decided to just stay under the Pub table and quietly cry into my textbook.

Later that afternoon, at our concert band rehearsal (and subsequently at the sound check for our concert on Sunday), there was a lot of “meme”-ing about the tornado warning (I’m looking at you, Dennis) (quotes around “meme”-ing because I’m not actually sure what a meme is.) But I’m writing to the Spire to inform everyone this is NO laughing matter.

Please be serious about anything that authority figures say, *especially* the authority figures at our school.

Student Writes For Eggplant Instead of Reading, Studying for Exams Hannah Johnson ‘21 Absolte Madman

“What an awful time of year,” said a distressed student in Kimball. “I was trying to down two Claritins for my allergies while I was carrying my essay, as well as four study guides I’d just printed out in Dinand, and suddenly the wind picked up and sent my papers soaring off the hill. It only reminded me of my awful printing ranking, and I’ve been depressed ever since.”

Such is only one of many horror stories from Holy Cross students in this bleak time of year.

Spring refuses to come and fully overtake winter, leaving cold, bitter, College Hill winds as our only solace from the academic hell we face indoors.

“I have three papers, two exams, a presentation, AND I’m supposed to read 30 chapters by

Monday,” said another student.

“And on top of that, I feel like I’m physically deteriorating. My allergies turned into The Plague somehow, and I haven’t slept in three days.”

Hoping to drink away their fatigue and sorrow in coffee, students are clinging to their dwindling supply of dining dollars. “Is this for the newspaper? In that case… I can’t really tell you what I’ve done for dining dollars from my friends for coffee. Look… I have eleven dollars left, and I’m desperate,” said a student wishing to remain anonymous.

“I’ve had literally zero free time for about two weeks now,” said a student studying in the music library. “Except for last night, which I used to go see Once In A Lifetime. But that play was seriously almost three hours. Four, if you count the time I spent hanging out afterwards, hoping that

cute theater boys would come over and talk to me. ...I only got like two and a half hours of sleep last night.”

“Oh god, what have I done?”

-- overheard from a first year, praying for mercy in St. Joseph’s-he had decided to take five classes this semester and also participate in three music ensembles and two clubs. (He promptly fell asleep afterwards.)

Even faculty are feeling the strain. One professor reportedly had 14 advising meetings in a row followed by three office hours.

“No one is safe,” said the professor, while simultaneously scarfing down a sandwich and advising a student on their paper topic.

I’ll leave it up to you to guess what percentage of this article is actually autobiographical. Hint… it’s a lot.

10

The Spire

Sports Billy Fitzpatrick ’20 Chief Sports Editor

SPORTS May 3, 2019

Crusader Sports Roundup Through 4/30 son, culminating in a sixth place finish in the Patriot League Championship held on Easter Weekend at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian, Virginia. A trio of Crusaders (junior Maddy Belden, sophomore Emily Rodricks, and sophomore Kit Mullen) placed 31st, 32nd, and 33rd, respectively to lead HC.

Let’s take a look at how Holy Cross teams have been faring as they wind down their seasons.

Women’s Lacrosse The Holy Cross women’s lacrosse team (4-12 overall, 2-7 Patriot League) concluded its season last Friday with a loss to #9 Loyola (Md.). Two seniors (Molly Pfaff and Baker Earl) scored for the Crusaders on their Senior Night, while junior Bryn Carroll added the third HC goal, her 26th of the season.

Senior attacker Keely Connors was named second team All-Patriot League, the second All-Patriot League selection of her career after earning first team honors as a junior. This year, Connors recorded 31 points on 26 goals and five assists, bringing her career totals to 95 points on 80 goals and 15 assists.

Softball The Holy Cross softball team (1032 overall, 2-11 Patriot League) concludes its season this weekend with a three-game series at home against Lafayette. Season highlights include splitting a two-game series against Boston College and sweeping a two-game set against Rhode Island in recent weeks. Senior outfielder Jackie Brewster was named the 2018-2019 Crusader of the Year by the Holy Cross Varsity Club. The prestigious annual award goes to a senior who has made great contributions athletically, academically, and in the HC community. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor, Jackie!

Women’s Tennis

Photo courtesy of goholycross.com

Senior Jackie Brewster of the softball team was named Crusader of the Year by the Holy Cross Varsity Club.

Women’s Track and Field

ment over his/her college career.

Before the Crusaders host the Patriot League Championships this weekend in Worcester, let’s recognize some great performances by HC track and field athletes so far this outdoor season. Last Saturday, Holy Cross placed second out of 12 teams at Stonehill College’s Skyhawk Invite behind several firstplace finishes and Eastern College Athletic Conference(ECAC)-qualifying times. At the Holy Cross Invitational, senior Lauren Rasmus set a school record in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:00.48.

Senior sprinter Alexandra Curtin was recently named the recipient of the 2018-2019 Holy Cross Varsity Club’s John A. Meegan Athletic Achievement Award, given to any athlete in a sport other than football, baseball, and basketball who has exhibited outstanding achieve-

Men’s Track and Field Like the women’s team, the Holy Cross men’s track and field team has produced many great accomplishments this outdoor season.

Senior hurdler Brandon Thornhill lowered his own school record in the 110 meter high hurdles with a time of 14.42 seconds, which qualifies him for the prestigious IC4A Championship in Princeton, New Jersey, later this month.

Sophomore Michael Pichay broke his own outdoor school record in the triple jump at the Tiger Class at Auburn University with a leap of 48 feet and four inches.

past weekend in the Patriot League Championship at Seven Oaks Golf Club in Hamilton, New York. In his last collegiate competition, senior Joe Egan finished tied for ninth to lead the Crusaders, shooting four-over-par over three rounds. His final round score of 70 (two-under-par) tied for the third-best round of the Championship. His efforts earned him second team All-Patriot League honors. Earlier in April, Egan won ckSmithSuperior Crusader of the Week honors for his performance at the Rhode Island Invitational, where he shot a six-under-par 66, the lowest score by a Crusader in over 15 years. Congratulations to Egan on an accomplished career!

Men’s Golf

Women’s Golf

The HC men’s golf team placed seventh out of eight teams this

The Crusaders have competed in four tournaments this spring sea-

The Holy Cross women’s tennis team’s season came to an end last week with a loss to Lafayette in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament. The Crusaders responded to a season-opening seven-game losing streak by rattling off four straight victories in April to gain some momentum heading into the postseason. However, the Leopards won the contest quickly by claiming two of three doubles matches and getting three wins in the singles competitions. Congratulations to sophomore Jenna Tubby on being named a 2019 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar by Diversity: Issues in Higher Education magazine.

Men’s Tennis Much like the women’s team, the HC men’s tennis team got off to a slow start this spring, but rebounded with a handful of wins in April. However, they also lost in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament to Lafayette. Senior Henry Harrs won his singles match to earn the lone Holy Cross point in the contest.

Men’s Rugby Shines at Jesuit Cup 7s

Maggie Flaherty ‘20 Sports Editor The Holy Cross men’s rugby club traveled to California last weekend for the Jesuit Cup 7s, a tournament of the best Jesuit school rugby programs in the country. Last year, the Crusaders shocked D1 powerhouse Boston College with a victory on the opening day of the tournament.

Last weekend, Holy Cross wasted no time making sure last year’s win wasn’t a fluke. HCRFC came back to Worcester with hardware, taking 3rd place, earning the “Father Coz” Plate Trophy and proving it can compete with nationally recognized Division 1 programs.

Holy Cross beat Boston College again, 14-10, on the first day of the tournament. The Crusaders blanked the Eagles in the first half, and kept their 7-0 lead off of a try by senior Justin Lee and a conversion kick. Boston College came back with a try in the second half to cut the lead to 7-5, but Holy Cross answered with another try and conversion to extend the lead to 14-5. Boston College attempted some late heroics to fight back, but the Holy Cross defense held its

Photo courtesy of Ryan Grant

The Holy Cross Men’s Rugby Club finished third at Santa Clara’s Jesuit Cup last weekend.

own and repeated last year’s victory. Later that day, Holy Cross fell to Notre Dame 36-12 and tied Scranton 36-36. The next morning, the Crusaders lost to eventual tournament winner St. Joe’s, but their rout of Boston College placed them in contention for the semi-final game against D1 host Santa Clara.

Holy Cross defeated Santa

Clara 28-19 to earn its spot as the third place finalists of the tournament. Seniors Billy Connors and Billy Coughlin said that the Crusaders played a great all-around game. The team knew they were facing elite competition in Santa Clara, but Connors and Coughlin said each and every member of the team stepped up to the chal-

lenge. “Everyone dug deep and played their best rugby in that match. It was a very hard-fought and well-earned victory that I am more than happy to have ended my Holy Cross rugby career on,” said Coughlin, who scored 52 of the team’s 87 total points of the weekend. “We played our system well and capitalized on some of their

mistakes, and I just had fun playing a game I love,” said Connors.

The Crusaders’ rugby club has proven itself a force to be reckoned with in the past few years.

This past fall, the team won all but one game in its regular season and lost in the conference semifinals.

The year prior, the team went undefeated in the regular season and lost in the conference championships. Connors says that the growth of the program is a testament to the hard work the team puts in throughout the year. “It is really amazing how much the club has grown since my first year on campus. I would have never imagined going to California to play rugby.

It really is a testament to all the guys on the team and how much more committed we have become.”

“Earlier in our 7s season we played Brown several times. Even though we did not win, Coach Grant received compliments on our play,” Connors said about Holy Cross’ growing recognition in the rugby world. “The rugby community is very tight-knit and word spreads quick. For the Jesuit Cup next year, I believe the boys will have some shoes to fill.”

The Spire SPORTS May 3, 2019 11

Why Tiger’s Comeback May Be the Greatest Ever Bobby Tuzzio ‘20 Co-Editor-in-Chief Some comebacks - Michael Jordan returning to the NBA to win three more championships with the Bulls, or the Red Sox coming back to win the 2004 ALCS after being down 3-0 come to mind - can affect the viewer so emotionally, that they capture the imagination of fans everywhere. Comebacks like these are what make sports so great. Tiger Woods’ return to the top of golf is part of a long list of all-time great sports comebacks. However, it may be the greatest of its kind.

Over the last few weeks since his 2019 Masters victory, we have continuously heard statements such as “Who could have thought...?” or “He never could have imagined that he’d be able to play at this level again.” The crazy thing is, both of these statements are true. Tiger started as a child prodigy, rose to the top of the game at the turn of the millennium, and had become the most famous and marketable athlete in the world.

From 1997 to 2008, he won 14 major championships. During that same period, he rose to second all-time in most PGA Tour event wins, just one win behind the great Sam Snead. He also be-

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

With his 15th major victory under his belt, it certainly appears that Tiger Woods is back - all the way back.

came one of the wealthiest athletes on the planet through his winnings in golf as well as his lucrative endorsement deals from companies like Nike and Gatorade.

However, for all the great accomplishments of Tiger Woods on the course, his personal life had plagued his success. The extramarital affairs, coupled with the falling out of his marriage, as well as his

2017 DUI arrest, cannot be ignored. Tiger has had his problems, and he has had to address those problems and move past them.

His mistakes off the course had affected his ability to compete on the course. In the early 2010s, when his marriage was falling apart, he took a self-imposed hiatus from golf. He struggled to return to the top until 2013,

when he reached the number one spot on the World Golf Rankings.

However, in 2014, his deteriorating back started to represent arguably his greatest challenge on the course. He went through four back surgeries in 2014, and only competed in one PGA Tour event from August 2015 to January 2018. Tiger made a slow and steady comeback in 2018 - he played increas-

ingly well in each of the majors, culminating in a 2nd place finish at the 2018 PGA Championship.

What no one saw coming was Tiger’s greatest achievement of all: winning the 2019 Masters. He had started off the tournament well the first two rounds, finishing one behind the leaders entering the weekend at Augusta. He had a slow start in the third round, but rallied to shoot 5-under-par for the round. Entering Sunday two shots behind leader Francesco Molinari, Tiger had one of the most memorable back-nines of his career.

Woods pulled away with the win. It was his first major since 2008 and his first green jacket since 2005.

With this all said, it looks as though Tiger is officially back. The chase for the ultimate accomplishment - surpassing Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major titles - is back on.

His 2019 Masters victory was one of the greatest sports moments in history. A man who has been through this much has proven that he can win again. He beat the men that he, himself, inspired to play golf. He has strong odds going into the upcoming PGA Championship at Bethpage Black, where he won the 2002 U.S. Open. Let’s see if Tiger can outdo himself again.

Men’s Lacrosse Season Ends In Patriot League Quarterfinals to #18 Army Jackie Hart ‘19 Sports Editor The Holy Cross men’s lacrosse team finished its 2019 season Tuesday evening at West Point, New York, with a fall to the #18 Army West Point Black Knights, 14-5 in the Patriot League quarterfinals. The Crusaders’ tournament appearance was only their third in program history after finishing the regular season at 7-6.

The Crusaders jumped to a 2-0 lead early, with senior Drew Babiak capturing his 18th of the season at 13:40 off a pass from first-year Will Spangenberg. Spangenberg cradled around the net before pulling out and making a short pass to Babiak up top. Babiak wound up and fired a low shot right past Army goalie AJ Barretto.

At 10:35, Army’s Johnny Surdick took a 30 second penalty for pushing, giving Holy Cross the manup advantage. With one second remaining in the penalty, Holy Cross junior captain Sean Mullaney threaded a shot between two defensemen, sinking a goal to the bottom corner. After Mullaney put the Crusaders up 2-0, the Black Knights responded with three straight to jump ahead and snag the lead at 3-2.

After Army’s third goal, junior faceoff Dan O’Connell scrapped the ball to the Holy Cross zone,

Photo courtesy of goholycross.com

Senior Matt Farrell (first team) and juniors Kevin Kodzis, Sean Mullaney, and Dan O’Connell (second) all made All-Patriot League Teams.

picked up by senior Will Murphy who set the Crusaders up in their offensive end. Scouting the scene, the Crusaders passed around just inside their zone. Finally, junior attack Justin Lynskey ran straight from the faceoff circle past several Army defenders and lobbed a shot just outside the crease to even up the game. With 32 seconds left in the quarter, Army struck again to end the first quarter up 4-3.

Opening up the second quarter, Army jumped to a 5-3 lead, with Nicholas Garofano posting his first

of three on the afternoon. 30 seconds later, Mullaney answered with his second of the game, assisted by junior attack Connor Waldron. After passing around outside, Lynskey looked to drive but was blocked and forced to pass laterally to Waldron. Waldron also eyed the goal, but quickly passed laterally again to Mullaney who fired in the goal.

Mullaney’s goal would be the last for a while for the Crusaders, as the Black Knights went on to score nine straight through the second half. Holy Cross got the last word

though, as Babiak scored his 19th and final goal of the season, unassisted, with 1:48 left in the game.

Babiak fought his way through defenders before diving and earning the last mark of the game.

Holy Cross graduates seven seniors and three managers who have made invaluable contributions in their four years with the program.

Defensive midfielder Jack McKenna played in 41 games throughout his career, earning 13 caused turnovers while fellow defensive midfielder Kevin Hannan played in

27 games with 16 caused turnovers.

Long-stick midfielder Will Murphy, who played his freshman season at Skidmore, played in 39 games in his three years as a Crusader, and finishes his career with 103 ground balls and 44 caused turnovers. Ben Marchand, also a LSM, appeared in 26 games in his career, ending with 14 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. Defenseman Matt Farrell saw action in 43 games, with career totals of 76 caused turnovers and 168 ground balls, as fellow defensemen Liam Ryan saw action in 15 games with eight caused turnovers and six ground balls.

The sole senior attacker, Drew Babiak, completed 34 contests, finishing with 35 goals and 11 assists for a career total of 46 points.

The seniors also include Evan Kachris and Alec Oropall, permanently sidelined by injuries, and Teddy Pacheco who served as manager for three years. These three remained an integral part of the program both on and off the field.

This season, the Crusaders saw four players receive Patriot League Honors, the most ever for the team.

Farrell was named to the First Team, the first time for any Holy Cross player in the history of the program. Additionally, Mullaney, O’Connell and junior Kevin Kodzis were given second-team accolades.

12

The Spire

SPORTS

May 3, 2019

HC Baseball Rides Hot Streak in Closing Weeks of Season Billy Fitzpatrick ‘20 Chief Sports Editor After a difficult nonconference schedule, the Holy Cross baseball team (19-27 overall, 13-8 Patriot League) has hit its stride heading into the final weekend of the regular season. The Crusaders find themselves in second place in the Patriot League standings, a game ahead of Army and with a five-game cushion to make the four-team conference tournament.

While first-place Navy has the top seed locked up, Holy Cross can secure the two-seed and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a few wins this weekend and help from other teams.

Holy Cross kicked off April with a 16-10 win over Dartmouth in a midweek nonconference affair.

Five Crusaders picked up multiple RBIs on the day, led by four from junior centerfielder Austin Masel. A five-run second inning gave HC the lead for good and, firstyear right-hander C.J. McKennitt picked up the win for Holy Cross.

The following weekend, HC dropped two of three on the road against conference-leading Navy.

In Game One of the Saturday doubleheader, a 3-1 victory for the Midshipmen, a solid outing from senior Pat McGowan (three runs over six innings) kept the Crusaders in the contest, but the offense could only muster one run on four hits. Junior catcher Riley Livingston drove in the lone run with a sacrifice fly. In Game Two, Navy again narrowly topped HC, 4-3.

Holy Cross held the a 2-1 lead entering the fourth thanks to two RBIs from Masel, but Navy rallied for three runs to take the lead.

The Crusaders got one run across in the eighth and had the tying run aboard in the ninth, but the Crusaders were unable to tie the game.

On Sunday, HC got one game back with a 4-1 win. Sophomore DH Evan Blum (3-3 on the day) and junior shortstop Chris Rinaldi recorded two RBIs apiece while sophomore hurler Liam Dvorak threw 7.1 innings of one-run ball to shut down the Midshipmen. Sophomore Eric Lopes got five outs in relief to seal the deal for HC. The Crusaders then picked up another midweek nonconference victory over Rhode Island, 7-3. Rinaldi led the charge, going 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs, while first-year outfielder Ben Malgeri went 2-for-4 and picked up an RBI. The following weekend of April 13-14 saw Holy Cross travel to Lewisburg, Penn., and pick up a three-game sweep of Bucknell. In Saturday’s Game One, a 13-6 victory for HC, the Crusaders got five runs across in the first inning and never trailed, although the Bison kept within striking distance throughout. Senior infielder Alex Gionis and sophomore infielder Andrew Selima each notched four RBIs (career-highs for both) to lead the Crusader offense. Game Two, a

Photo ccourtesy of goholycross.com

Senior infielder Alex Gionis was named ckSmithSuperior Crusader of the Week for his streaky hitting last week.

6-3 win for Holy Cross, saw Rinaldi and Masel continue their hot streaks with two RBIs each. Masel’s sacrifice bunt in the seventh gave HC a 4-3 lead and Rinaldi tacked on another with a two-out triple to extend the lead. Lopes pitched three scoreless innings in relief to earn his fourth save of the season.

In Sunday’s game, HC never trailed as the team notched another 6-3 win. Masel paced the offense with two triples, while Gionis picked up two RBIs. Meanwhile, sophomore catcher Evan Blum went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored to extend his bases-reached streak to 19 games.

The Crusaders had their fivegame winning streak snapped with a midweek loss at Army on April 17, 8-5. HC held a 4-3 lead after three innings, but the Black Knights battled back in the fourth with three extra-base hits that gave them a 6-4 lead. After Army added two more runs to take a 8-4 lead, Masel did all he could to lead the HC comeback by robbing a homerun in the bottom of the sixth and homering himself to lead off the seventh. However, that would be all the Crusaders could muster as Army picked up an important win.

Over Easter Weekend, Holy Cross took two games of three in an important home series against Lafayette. The two teams split Sunday’s doubleheader. Lafayette took Game One by a score of 9-6 in a back-and-forth affair. Both teams traded home runs over the course of first five innings, stealing the lead from one another.

Junior third baseman Alex Volpi hit a solo shot to tie the game at 3-3 in the third, and later sophomore left fielder David Kale hit a two-run home run to give HC a 5-4 lead in the fifth. However, the Leopards responded with five

runs in the sixth to take the lead for good. HC bounced back with a 10-5 win in Sunday’s Game Two, led by a huge game from Masel (4for-4, two doubles, one home run, 4 RBIs). Lafayette took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but Holy Cross responded immediately with four runs of its own in the bottom half of the frame. Masel’s homer came in the fourth, after a solo shot from Gionis to extend the HC lead to 7-3. Sophomore Luke Dawson pitched three scoreless innings in relief to pick up the save.

In Monday’s rubber game, Holy Cross took the series with a 5-1 victory behind another dominant outing from Dvorak (6 IP, two hits, one run, 10 Ks). After a Lafayette solo homer in the second, Volpi issued the HC response with a tworun double in the bottom half of the inning to take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth, the Crusaders tacked on a run via an RBI double from Rinaldi. In the sixth, Volpi capped off his big day with a two-run home run to extend the HC lead to 5-1.

After a midweek 12-6 home win over Hartford, the Crusaders took three out of four games at home over Army last weekend in a series that will have a big impact on seeding for the PL Tournament.

HC took both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. In Game One, Volpi powered the Crusaders to a 4-2 victory with three RBIs. The game was tied at two in the fifth when Volpi smacked a two-run double to give HC the lead for good, as the bullpen held on to close out the affair. In Game Two, stellar pitching, opportunistic baserunning, and timely hitting contributed to a 4-3 win for the Crusaders. After eight innings, HC held a 3-2 lead, all three of the runs coming off Army errors. However, the Black Knights rallied in the ninth to tie the game.

Sophomore catcher Zach Buck singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth and was replaced on the basepaths by sophomore Kyle

Johnson, who advanced to second on a well-placed sacrifice bunt from Rinaldi. Masel then played hero when he sent a ball into deep center that easily scored Johnson and gave Holy Cross the win.

Army responded in Game One of Sunday’s doubleheader with a 3-0 shutout. West Point took the lead in the first inning with a two-run homer, and the Crusaders could only muster three hits as Black Knights starter Sam Messina dominated. In Game Two, HC secured another narrow 4-3 win behind seven strong innings from McGowan. On his Senior Day, Gionis recorded two RBIs to help HC push past a resilient Army team that got all three of its runs across in the eighth inning with a late comeback effort. Army threatened again in the ninth, but first-year reliever Frank Spano protected the 4-3 HC advantage and delivered the Crusaders a series win and possession of second place in the conference standings.

The Crusaders travel to Pennsylvania this weekend for a doubleheader against fourthplace Lafayette on Saturday, and another two-game set against fifth-place Lehigh on Sunday.