April 30, 2021

Volume XCVIII, Number 8

April 30, 2021

Worcester, Massachusetts

Workers and Human Resources Reach Communication Impasse

Inside The Spire

News.......................1 Opinions.................4 Features..................7 Eggplant.................10 Sports.....................11

Ethan Bachand ‘22 Chief News Editor Over the past few months, a group of workers at the College of the Holy Cross have been at an impasse with the Human Resources department.

Members of the Holy Cross Hourly Employees Alliance (HCHEA), an unofficial organization comprised of a variety of facilities staff, have felt their complaints have gone unheard due to a misunderstanding of their intentions. In O’Kane, however, the Human Resources department maintains that they cannot negotiate with any group that does not go through the channels with the National Labor Relations Board.

The situation came to light three weeks ago, after Holy Cross employee Bob Kovacs submitted a letter to The Spire. Mr. Kovacs, who says he has worked on the hill for nearly fifty years, claims that Human Resources did not address complaints brought up by him on behalf of fellow members of the alliance. He told the story of a meeting on March 10, when he met with Human Resources leadership. In the letter, Mr. Kovacs wrote “They didn’t care about us, not even a little bit.” Mr. Kovacs substantiated this statement by claiming that Human Resources threatened to shred any HCHEA literature left after the meeting.

Two weeks later, Interim Chief Human Resources Officer Judith Dorsey responded to Mr. Kovacs. In the letter, which was reviewed by The

Sanctae Crucis Winners Announced Page 2

Photo by Madeleine Beaton ‘23

Spire, Mrs. Dorsey wrote that “the College is unwilling to engage in voluntary recognition of the group you described.” Mrs. Dorsey went on to explain that “the College appreciates and respects its employees’ rights to engage in concerted protected activities and would respond lawfully and appropriately concerning any petition that might be filed.”

Mr. Kovacs, however, took issue with the department’s return of two letters that he left at the initial meeting. These letters, as described by Mr.

Kovacs, contained information about the alliance and what goals they were hoping to achieve. In response to Mr. Kovacs, Mrs. Dorsey wrote that their decision to not open the literature stemmed from their analysis of the alliance as an informal group.

Mr. Kovacs questioned this line of logic in his letter. “I don’t know how you can formulate an opinion about material that they have never read,” he said. Mr. Kovacs reiterated in his letter that the HCHEA has no intention to be legally recognized. He

wrote, “Had they taken the time to read our literature they would have seen that we are not a ‘legally recognized’ organization nor do we want to be. We have never had an election to validate our legal status. During our membership drive some people stated their desire to join and become members. Those who didn’t want to join merely didn’t join.”

Despite Mr. Kovacs and the organization’s desire to remain a nonlegally recognized alliance, the College... CONT. ON PG. 2

Exclusive Interview with Newly-Elected SGA Co-Presidents Ober and McNerney Jocelyn Buggy ’22 News Editor On the evening of April 26, the Student Government Association (SGA) emailed the Holy Cross community with the results of their 2021 elections. After three years of service in the SGA, Maggie Ober ‘22 and Connor McNerney ‘22 were elected as Co-Presidents for the 2021-2022 academic year.

They sat down (virtually) with The Spire to discuss plans for their copresidency, including how they hope to support the Holy Cross community as students face a series of upcoming transitions in the Fall 2021 semester.

When asked what their first

Graphic by Hui Li ‘21

course of action will be as Co-Presidents, Maggie and Connor both referred to their First 10 Days campaign initiative. Maggie said: “As part of our campaign we outlined our First 10 Days policy, which was a list of things that we plan to accomplish during our first 10 days in office. We’re getting a head start on some of those plans right now by adding a Director of ENGAGE, which will be a new Cabinet position that will work exclusively to ensure that the ENGAGE Summit can happen next year. We’re also adding a Director of Dining Services to better connect the student body to decisions surrounding dining, as well as a...

CONTINUED ON PG. 3

Censorship in the Wake of Tragedy Page 4

A Look at MID’s Hackathon 2021 Page 7

Job Posting - All Students Eligible!

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Cryptocurrency: The Future of Sports Finance?

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The Spire

“WORKERS” FROM PG. 1 asserts that such a position does not change their decision. John Hill, Director of Communications for the College of the Holy Cross, clarified the reasoning for this stance. Since Mr. Kovacs spoke for multiple other members of the staff, Mr. Hill said “…the College has a legal responsibility to take a different approach when someone requests to be recognized as an official representative of a group repre-

senting other employees (regardless of whether that group calls itself a union, association, or alliance).

That is what happened in this instance. In such circumstances, the College is obligated to first determine whether that individual and that group have, in fact, been freely selected by a majority of an appropriate group of employees. Federal labor laws prohibit any employer from unilaterally recognizing and negotiating with a representative

NEWS of a group unless there is a definitive determination that the person represents a clear majority of an appropriate bargaining unit.”

At the same time, Mr. Hill reaffirmed the College’s commitment to its workers. In his email, Mr. Hill wrote, “The College appreciates and respects the right of employees to engage in concerted protective activities, and to decide for themselves whether or not they wish to be represented by a par-

April 30, 2021 ticular organization or association.

The College refers these types of inquiries to what we believe is the best method to determine whether employees wish to be represented, which is a fair election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board in accordance with federal labor law.”

With Mr. Kovacs trying to open a line of communication for the group and Human Resources unable to recognize the organization

informally, both sides seem unable to meet in the middle. While individual workers are more than able to bring their concerns to Human Resources, as communicated by the College, the possibility for unofficial group communications seems bleak.

Holy Cross Announcres Sanctae Crucis Award Winners Brendan Bonner ‘23 News Editor As one of the most challenging years in Holy Cross history comes to a close, we continue to honor one of the college’s longest running traditions, the Sanctae Crucis Awards. Given yearly since 1998, the Sanctae Crucis Award is granted to alumni who are celebrated both in their careers and for the service of their communities.

In this past year during the pandemic, alumni have been at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 and this year’s award ceremony serves to honor their pivotal roles in combating the virus.Without further deliberation, here are this year’s recipients and a bit of information about their contributions to their communities and furthermore, their contributions to the overall battle against the pandemic.

Dr. Helen W. Boucher, Class of 1986, is a renowned member of the medical community. Serving as the chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center. Along with this role, Dr. Boucher also stands as the director of the Tufts Center for Integrated Management of Antimicrobial Resistance, director of the Heart Transplant Ventricular Assist Device Infectious Diseases Program, and a professor at Tufts University School of Medicine.

Dr. John F. Brown, class of 1978, is another greatly respected

member of the medical community and has dedicated his career to the aid of the San Francisco community. Serving as the Medical Director of the San Francisco Emergency Medical Services Agency, along with the Associate clinical professor of emergency medicine at the University of California, San Francisco Medical School. Lastly, Dr. Brown is an attending physician at the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

Dr. Christopher A. Crean, class of 1997, is a celebrated emergency physician who received his doctorate from Georgetown Medical School. For his residency Dr. Crean worked with the Caroli-

nas Medical Center in Charlotte NC, and earned the Outstanding Resident Research Achievement Award. From his residency program he became an assistant professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Currently Dr. Crean serves as the associate director and department chairman for the Emergency Department at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Theresa A. Crean, class of 1997, is a registered nurse and certified sign language interpreter also at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerset New Jersey. After over a decade of service as a sign

COVID-19. Lastly, Christine works part time as a senior nurse in the Cardio-Thoracic ICU, also at the New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Ronald R. Lawson, class of 1975, is the chief operating official of CFH, Care for the Homeless. CFH is a nonprofit organization which fights homelessness in New York City and across the entire state. CFH provides shelter and human services, along with advocating for policies throughout New York that support preventing and ultimately ending homelessness.

Through his work, starting in 2016, Ronald and CFH have established 26 sites across New York City and hope to have over 32 sites by 2024.

The final recipient of this years Sanctae Crucis awards if Erin C. McAleer, class of 2002. Erin is the president of Graphic by Hui Li ‘21 Project Bread, an anti-hunger organization in Massachulanguage interpreter, earning the setts.

As the leading anti-hunger National Certificate of Interpretaorganization in the state, Erin has tion and the National Certificate been integral to the establishment of Transliteration, she became a of Project Bread’s legacy as an organurse in 2019. Combining these nization at the forefront of develtwo fields, Theresa has aided in opment of new anti-hunger stratthe communication between those egies and their implementation. placed on ventilators, and thus unErin makes impactful decisions of able to communicate.

Christine Carroll Krisch, class where change is necessary and how of 2006, is a senior nurse at the said change can be enacted.

All seven of these alumni will be Cardio-Thoracic ICU at New York receiving their awards virtually on Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical May 4th at 7:30 pm. All members Center. While being a figurehead of the Holy Cross Community are in the field of nursing education, encouraged to watch the presentaChristine also is the chief nursing tion. officer at Daybreak Health, which is a startup company in New York City that provides rapid testing for The Spire student newspaper College of the Holy Cross Published weekly since 1925

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

Please address correspondence to: The Spire Kelly Gallagher, Matthew Anderson Editors-in-Chief P.O. Box 32A Ethan Bachand, Jocelyn Buggy, Davey Sullivan, Devyn Forcina, Sarah Carter, Brendan Bonner News Editors College of the Holy Cross Maggie Connolly, Julia Maher, Grace Manning, Joseph Barbieri, Catherine Yackira Opinions Editors 1 College Street Grace Bromage, Bridget Flaherty, Nicole Letendre, Stacey Kaliabakos, Caroline Wallace Features Editors Worcester, MA 01610-2395

Hannah Johnson, Mario Micallef, Michael Vail, Julianna Mariani Eggplant Editors Mike O’Brien, Jimmy Casey Sports Editors Hope Goodman, Kennedy Corrado, Brigie English, Anna Morris, Sarah O’Rourke, Sophia Carmenati, Jannette Kazlauskas Copy Editors Hui Li, Valentina Moran, Claudia Hajjer, Kate Nedorostek Visuals Bianca Miccolis, Emma Cerrato, Sydney Santosuosso Web Editors Caroline Manganaro, Cassie Smith Social Media Managers Professor Steve Vineberg Faculty Advisor Dean Brenda Hounsell Sullivan, Sandra Burke Staff Advisors

The Spire welcomes letters and op-eds from its readers. Please include your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. No submissions will be printed anonymously. All submissions may be edited for content, and must be received by the Sunday prior to publication. The Spire reserves the right not to publish any letter or content deemed objectionable or which does Email: spire@g.holycross.edu not meet the editorial standards of the newspaper. Letters Website: hcspire.com may be mailed, e-mailed, or brought to The Spire office in Hogan 235.

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The Spire

NEWS

April 30, 2021

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Student Government Association Senate Segment THIS WEEK IN THE SGA SENATE: Legislation S-1609 Glossary Update: This bill clarifies “SGA Experience” to include Class Councils and adds other definitions from the by-laws.

S-1610 Co-President Experience: This bill evaluates the qualifications for SGA Co-Presidents and clarifies what kinds of “experience” are crucial” for the Co-Presidential role.

Vote of Confidence Common Requirements Proposal: Establishes SGA’s support of the Common Requirements Proposal, mainly in the name of helping prevent any stalemates in approving any proposals from the requirements committee. This vote of confidence aims to provide an endorsement of students and the SGA. Position Statement Protecting Asian Lives: The statement was tabled to make minor adjustments, will be sent out over email in the coming days.

Speaker Update

Congratulations to all newly elected members of the Senate! The newly elected Senate met on 4/25 via Zoom and chose Helena Sabo for Speaker of the Senate, Sophia Fiordalice for Parliamentarian, and Sagar Patel for Sergeant-at-Arms. The RSO Lobbying Association meeting met on 4/22. RSOs for 2021-2022 were approved under the condition that any RSOs missing their paperwork will be submitted by 4/25. The 2021-2022 SGA Budget was approved on 4/18. The SGA-sponsored Student Leadership Awards were 4/26, and a few Senate members were nominated. As the current Senate session ends and the new one begins, a lot was accomplished this year. There were two Ad-Hoc Committees, the BrooksMulledy Legacy Committee, and the Presidential Search Committee. Many initiatives were started that will carry into next year. The Senate was also restructured to best serve the student body.

Committee Updates

4/25/2021 Minutes

Spot-a-Senator and RSO spotlights went well, and Public Affairs began discussing transitional items for next year. RSO Re-Recognition is now complete. Student Outreach is still in the process of setting up the Instagram for their Humans of Holy Cross initiative, and posts will be set up going into the summer.

“SGA” FROM PG.1 ...Title IX Liaison to create more communication between students and the Title IX Office.”

Connor continued: “We also saw that mental health was a big focus across both campaigns over the past few weeks. Something that we plan to do to keep this conversation happening within our own Cabinet is to expand the current role of the Director of Public Health and Safety to address more mental health resources on campus. This position will attend COPE meetings on a regular basis and go to the Counseling Center in order to determine how the SGA can better advertise what they offer to the student body.” Maggie added: “Mental health remains a big priority of ours. We saw during our campaign that students are really passionate about this topic, and with the transition back to fully in-person learning next Fall, we’re excited to connect with the student body about this.”

The College sent an email on April 27 stating that students will be required to get the Covid-19 vaccine before they return to campus for the Fall semester. The Spire asked Maggie and Connor how they plan to enforce this mandatory vaccine policy as Co-Presidents.

Connor said: “Throughout our campaign, we said that we want to

provide a free shuttle service to the nearest Covid vaccination clinic for any students who are unable to get their vaccines over the summer months. We want to make it possible and accessible for everyone to get the vaccine that they need to be back on campus in the Fall…

We also plan to work closely with President Rougeau on this topic.

We want to ensure that the policies he establishes are supported by the SGA, and that the safety of students is a top priority in this conversation.”

Maggie also responded, saying: “We don’t yet know the full extent of specific plans related to the mandatory vaccine policy, but we are planning to meet with members of the Covid Core Team to learn from them and offer a student perspective on how this will work. We know that many students have different circumstances based on their home environments, health conditions, and other factors that affect their ability to access vaccines. We also know that students have questions, and we are open to creating a Google Form to gather student responses. This will help us connect them to people like Dean Murray and those on the Covid Core Team who can address their concerns.”

Connor added: “We also plan to summarize the big emails from the Administration about what

needs to happen in order for [students] to return safely in the Fall.

We’ve seen what SGA has done on social media in previous years, particularly on Instagram, and plan to continue putting out important information to the student body in a way that works for them.” Maggie shared that she worked with current Co-President Victoria Tara ‘21 last year on the SGA Instagram account, saying “The main goal of our work was to meet students where they are with the information that they need. Last year, that was Instagram.”

Over the past year, the rise of Black Lives Matter and recent examples of police brutality continue to highlight systemic and racial injustice in America. The Spire asked the future Co-Presidents how they plan to respond sensitively to the current historical moment, especially if a group of students wants to bring a controversial speaker to campus, like when The Fenwick Review hosted author Heather MacDonald in 2019. Connor responded, saying: “We recognize that as SGA Co-Presidents, our primary concern is always for the interest and safety of the entire student body. It is important for us to put aside our personal ideologies to make sure that we truly work for every student at the College.

At the same time, we also need to

Join us for our next meeting on 2/21 at 8 pm EST on Zoom!

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

recognize that there are major issues occurring in our society, and it is important for us to take a stand when marginalized communities are hurting. Over the past year, we were able to see how Victoria [Tara ‘21] and Noah [Sisk ‘21] responded when George Floyd was murdered.

They put together a position statement to show the SGA’s support, and the school’s support, for students of color in the midst of those events. That is an approach that we definitely want to keep up.”

Connor continued: “If a group of students wanted to bring on a speaker like Heather MacDonald [during our time in office], those students are also protected at Holy Cross and should not receive threats, or feel unseen or uncomfortable in this space. This being said, students who are against those kinds of speakers also have the right to peaceful protest as well. Maggie and I both participated in the walkout demonstration during the 2019 Heather MacDonald event, and that was our right. It was a peaceful protest that did not cause physical conflict on campus.”

Maggie added: “We are trying to meet this moment and acknowledge what is going on in the world right now… People are having tough conversations about the threats [facing people of color] and instances [of police brutality]

that are occurring all of the time.

As leaders, we want to facilitate environments where those important conversations can happen… We are prioritizing the ENGAGE Summit as an environment where [campus] can talk about these things. Also, we have the idea to apply for a TEDx license to have conversations about a variety of topics, but especially including those related to social justice.”

Maggie and Connor both emphasized the importance of transparency in their coming copresidency. “I worked on the SGA Instagram [during the College’s Presidential Search process],” Maggie said, “And when we asked students what they thought the most important quality was to have in a new College president, the most popular response was transparency.” Connor echoed this, saying: “One of the top concerns [that current students have] about Holy Cross are the transparency issues with the Administration. I think that by [our administration] being as transparent as possible, it will help students feel like they can come to SGA. I want to be as approachable as possible. If there’s a concern or initiative that students want to address on campus, I want them to see our administration and the entirety of SGA as an approachable part of campus.”

Make sure to pick up next week’s issue of The Spire for our final copy of 2020-2021!

4 The Spire

Opinions

OPINIONS

April 30, 2021

See What Other Students Are Thinking Around Campus...

Censorship in the Wake of Tragedy Grace Manning ‘21 Opinions Editor

In the year after Breonna Taylor’s tragic death at the hands of Louisville police officers, rage and indignation resurface as one of these policemen, Jonathan Mattingly, prepares to release a book telling his side of the story that rocked the U.S. and the world. Publishers and distributors across the states now face a dilemma: if they agree to ship the book, are they implying to the public that they stand behind the officer in question? And equally, if they don’t, are they complicit in censorship?

A New York Times article on the issue suggests that since the major publishing company Simon & Schuster refused to distribute the book, they are “acknowledging that a distributor bears some ethical responsibility for the books it ships”. This is new territory for the company, as well as for many American publishing houses that would previously have argued for books with varied perspectives and standpoints. So, are publishing companies to blame for the books they choose to distribute? I argue no. I believe that these corporations have the responsibility to continue America’s approach to free speech and to recognize that their personal stance on issues is irrelevant when

it comes to the books they choose to distribute.

Actively promoting these books is, of course, another story.

I don’t argue that publishing houses should push Matt i n g l y’s book, “The Fight for Truth: The Inside Story Behind the Breonna Taylor Tragedy” on the public, but their distributing of it shouldn’t be interpreted as support.

Their job is to allow American society to read books that people can then form their own opinions on.

If publishing houses start deciding which books to publish based on their personal views and opinions, all the American public is going to get is books reflecting these singular

Phto courtesy of NBC News points of view. As I learned during Trump’s presidency, it is equally as important to listen to and read about views you don’t agree with, as it is to be secure in your own.

Hearing from those whose stance I opposed when it came to Trump, allowed me to truly form my own viewpoints and to better understand those around me. Many publishing companies pride themselves on the

diversity of their books, however, after Trump’s presidency, the divide between the left and the right has intensified. This led to cancelled book deals, such as was the case for Senator Josh Hawley, and criticism from both sides when books offering the opposite side’s perspectives were published. In order to say that we support and promote free speech and that we condemn cen-

sorship, publishing houses have to be able to separate themselves from the books they publish.

Sources available at hcspire.com

“Isolationist, Protectionist and to a Certain Extent Nativist”: An Appropriate Description of Today’s Republican Party Joe Barbieri ‘23 Opinions Editor

In a recent interview with the TODAY Show, Former President George W. Bush made what some considered controversial remarks on the current state of the Republican Party. While on the show, President Bush characterized the GOP as being, “isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent nativist.”

While the former president has since stated that he regrets making such comments as they were “painted with too broad a brush”, the comments are correct in describing the Republican Party in the age of Trumpism.

In terms of isolationist policies, it is very true that under the Trump administration, the United States turned inward and pulled out of many international institutions and agreements. For example, the United States pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership,

Photo courtesy of Today Show and the UN Human Rights Council.

In my opinion, pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council is one of President Trump’s greatest mistakes. In the wake of an emerging and powerful China, it is even more necessary for the United States to commit and fight human rights abuses around the world. For example, the continuing human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims in China are not only ongoing

but can not be solved with a United States that is isolationist.

For these international institutions to be at their most powerful, the presence of a strong and committed United States is as urgent as ever.

The Republican Party under President Trump can also be characterized as radically protectionist, as the current trade war with China was started under the Trump administration. These ad-

ministrative actions have led to a back and forth battle of rising tariffs with no end in sight.

Unfortunately, the Republican Party in many forms can also be described as nativist, as the rhetoric surrounding the party is seemingly against immigration.

It seems that many are familiar with the cliched phrase that this nation was built by immigrants.

Despite its triteness, this statement is very much correct. And it is important as ever to remember this as debates surrounding immigration continue to heat up among Democrats and Republicans.

It is also important to liberalize trade as a result of the ongoing tensions between the United States and China. As immigration to China is next to impossible, the US should focus on expanding immigration as doing so would lead to an increase in skilled immigrants who can help the economy.

The creation of the America First Caucus is not only disturbing but it should be condemned in

every way possible. In its founding document, the caucus stated that it is united around a “common respect for uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions” and that “history has shown that societal trust and political unity are threatened when foreign citizens are imported en-masse into a country.”

As shocking as it is that a caucus based on these beliefs is being created, it serves only as a reflection of the current politics of Trump’s Republican Party.

The framework and beliefs surrounding this caucus are truly un-American. We have to dispel this fictitious belief that the United States is better off without immigrants of differing cultures, beliefs, and religions.

Unfortunately, George W. Bush’s comments are reflective of the current Republican Party. If the GOP wants to gain power again, it must step away from these policies of isolationism, protectionism, and nativism. Failure to do so will result in a bleak future for the GOP.

The Spire

OPINIONS

April 30, 2021

5

Birds of Prey: Emancipating More than Harley Quinn Catherine Yaskira ‘23 Opinions Editor

Just the title alone -Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn- caught my eye; I’m a sucker for long titles.

The one thing that held me back from watching it was Harley Quinn herself because I hated how she was portrayed in Suicide Squad. Margot Robbie’s acting was amazing, but there was just something that made me feel uncomfortable when watching it, though I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But, I decided to watch Birds of Prey since the title had already piqued my interest. Much to my shock, I loved it.

I didn’t get that icky feeling I did when watching Suicide Squad. Instead, it was funny. The women had autonomy; they were their own character, not an addendum to the men. It really was a “fantabulous emancipation”: a superhero (more like antihero) movie that didn’t exploit the women in it. Rather they drove the plot, made the jokes, and won in the end. So I, like many people, started wondering, why is it that Birds of Prey looks and feels so different from Suicide Squad? Both films have the same actor playing the same character in the same superhero universe. But the key difference- and what I would argue is the causal factor- is that the two movies have different writers, directors, and producers, and in Birds of Prey, they are all women. These two movies can act as a case study to examine the “male gaze theory,” and I argue they prove having more women at the writer’s desk, in the director’s chair, and starring as lead roles can break down the “male gaze” in film and benefit the entire industry.

I’m very much a layperson when it comes to film theory. I’ve never taken a film class, and quite frankly, I’m not the best at analyzing them, so rather than spout a bunch of nonsense, I have turned to an expert. My good friend Sophia Rubino is currently studying at the Chapman University Dodge film college and is the most passionate and thoughtful film expert I know. So, she will explain all of the nuances on and off the screen that go over my head.

Sophia: “First I think it’s important to really understand what “male-gaze” means. That term is so often used without fully even understanding the term. I would use Laura Mulvey’s definition, who first wrote that there are three gazes in cinema- number one being the camera looking at the actors, the second being characters looking at one another, and the final being the audience looking at the film. Those three gazes will always be aligned, which means that the viewer will ultimately look through a camera to see what a man sees- this is very evident in David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016).”

Photo courtesy of Forbes

Mulvey is a renowned film theorist whose essays have been sighted as the founding work of feminist film theory. In her essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, she coined the “male gaze theory” that brought to light the misogyny that is entrenched in movies for our viewing pleasure.

Sophia explained that the male gaze is: “in short, the notion that women are to be looked at, putting a man in an active position over a passive female. With Suicide Squad, it’s pretty prevalent just considering how Margot Robbie is directed to act in it- it’s very overtly sexual, and while the character of Harley Quinn is quite fascinating, she’s almost completely reduced to be an object. The idea of Robbie’s character in Suicide Squad is at its core highly voyeuristic, giving in to the notion of scopophilia, which is ‘the pleasure in looking’- meaning that movies can inherently be erotic.”

I forced myself to watch Suicide Squad again after Birds of Prey to see if my untrained eye could pick up on the prevalence of the male gaze, and it’s not hard to spot. Margot Robbie’s positioning in the frame is almost always angled so that the viewer can see the back of her incredibly short shorts.

Some of the coherence of the shot is often sacrificed so that the camera can angle at Harley Quinn’s backside. For example, when she breaks a window to steal a purse, the purse is out of focus, while the shot of Harley Quinn bending over is front and center. The most blatant example of this male gaze in Suicide Squad is when Harley

Quinn is given her outfit to change into. She seductively strips off her top as the camera pans from her fishnet stockings to bare stomach to her red push up bra. The music literally stops- and then it pans out to everyone in the prison yard (primarily men) standing still, completely silent, staring at her. The voyeurism is palpable. This scene doesn’t push the plot forward; it is merely a way to highlight Margot Robbie’s body. The camera slowly pans to let everyone in the scene and in the theater stop for a minute and observe.

Sophia: “With Birds of Prey, this idea is 100% subverted, the main reason for that likely being through the lens of a female director, Cathy Yan. The script was also written by a woman, Christina Hodson. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Margot Robbie was a contributing producer. When women are in charge of films about women, the result tends to be more faithful to the female experience devoid of content catered only to the heterosexual male.”

In an interview, Margot Robbie said, “I don’t get to see action films with a female ensemble ever.” Not only does Birds of Prey feature a female ensemble, but the women are also free from the male gaze. With Margot Robbie as a contributing producer, Christina Hodson as the screenwriter, and Cathay Yan as the director, they worked to make a movie centered on realistic women rather than sexualized ones. In an Insider interview, Jason Guerrasio asked Yan about one of the many moments in the film that exemplifies the relat-

ability that a women-centered writing and directing process can bring.

Guerrasio: “And I think many women will appreciate the moment in one fight sequence where there’s a pause in the action so a hair tie can pull back someone’s hair.”

Yan: “That came from a conversation that Christina and I had. I think she brought up how crazy it is that all these women have perfect blown-out hair in all these other action films, and I was like, ‘You’re right.’ I put my hair up for anything. I put my hair up to wash my face; I’m certainly going to do it to fight some bad guys.”

Sophia: “If you look at the narrative in Birds of Prey, a lot of it is centered around Harley Quinn building a life for herself without the presence of The Joker.

When he was in her life, The Joker was a dominating force- and ultimately, this made Harley a sex toy, an object for him to play around with. You can see this clearly with her costumes in Suicide Squad, and in Birds of Prey, we can see that they’re way less sexual than in the prior male-directed film.”

There is a notable difference in Harley Quinn’s outfits in Birds of Prey compared to Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn’s skin-tight shirt that says “Daddy’s Lil Monster” on it in Suicide Squad is replaced for a more comfortable and practical one that is covered in her own name. Rather than wearing her red push-up bra (highlighted in the changing scene), Harley Quinn subs it for a practical and comfortable sports bra in Birds of Prey.

The differences between the movies are clear- the women

are less sexualized, more autonomous, and more realistic in Birds of Prey. But, it’s important to note that male directors are not the only ones capable of making films that employ the male gaze; female directors do this as well.

That’s why change needs to happen on all levels. Directors need to actively avoid the male gaze, and consumers need to recognize and call it out when they see it. Birds of Prey is an example of the positive change that female directors, writers, and producers can have in the portrayal of women, ensuring that women aren’t passive objects who are exploited but are active participants who drive the plot forward.

Changing the voyeuristic portrayal of women in film will not be solved just by having female directors behind the camera- but it sure is a good place to start.

Sources available at hcspire.com

6

The Spire

OPINIONS

April 30, 2021

Police Accountability After the George Floyd Trial girl, especially in the foster care system, must be extremely difficult.

This situation was much more complicated than simply a Black girl having a knife in her hand. In order to prevent these murders from happening in the future, we need to have an increased sense of accountability in police officers, including implicit bias training, a more just foster care system, and a more centralized police system in the US. The foster care system has rampant abusive parenting issues, and the police lack enough centralized force that can keep officers accountable. The fact that the police unjustly murdered Ma’Khia Bryant during the George Floyd trial reveals just how broken our justice system is, and until we can fix that, there will be no true preventative justice for our Black Americans.

Julia Maher ‘23 Opinions Editor Since Derek Chauvin was charged with manslaughter, second-degree murder, and third-degree murder, there have been several Black lives lost at the hands of police brutality. Their names are Andrew Brown Jr., Isaiah Brown, and Ma’Khia Bryant, undoubtedly and sadly among others.

The most horrifyingly shocking of these murders is that of Ma’Khia Bryant. Columbus police shot and killed 16-yearold Ma’Khia Bryant after a fight was occurring outside of Bryant’s foster home. Bryant had a knife in her hand and was actively moving toward other people at the scene. Immediately, the police officer shot Bryant four times and killed her instantly.

Although some people believe that the use of deadly force was justified, I truly believe that it wasn’t. The police officers could have restrained her in a manner that kept her alive and taken the weapon away from her. Furthermore, the murder occurred right when Derek Chauvin’s verdict was being read, which reveals a huge amount of

Photo courtesy of Aldia News hypocrisy and a completely broken justice and law enforcement system in the US. If police officers are truly that barbaric and disconnected from their own profession, then why should they be allowed to be police officers at all?

This incident also reveals a false stereotype that many people

hold toward Black girls—children are often subjected to unjust adultification, which leads to many Black lives being lost every year.

People tend to view Black girls as more threatening and aggressive than their white counterparts, based solely on their race (https:// genderjusticeandopportunity.

georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/girlhood-interrupted.pdf ). The way that Ma’Khia Bryant has been represented by people who oppose the BLM movement strips her of her humanity and does not consider how she could be a victim in her situation. I can only imagine that being a Black

Upcoming Events COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic. Friday, April 30, and Saturday, May 1, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Register on MyHC. Bring your ID card, health insurance information, and completed vaccination registration sheet.

Budi and the Hornbill. Streaming free now until May 10. Presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance.

ExplorASIAn. Saturday, May 1, from 1-3 p.m. on Stein Quad.

Hosted by A.S.I.A. RSVP on MyHC. CASA Kompa Night. Saturday, May 1, from 2-5 p.m. in the Jo. Hosted by CASA. RSVP on MyHC.

The Spire

FEATURES

Features

April 30, 2021

7

A Look at MID’s Hackathon 2021

Crusader of the Week: Giovanna Ragusa ‘23 Name: Giovanna (Gio) Ragusa Favorite Kimball meal: Breakfast Class Year: 2023 for Dinner Hometown: Boston, MA Favorite Cool Beans Drink: Iced Major: Psychology Caramel Latte (Large) Campus Activities: Kimball Captain Favorite spot on campus: The Favorite Movie: walkway in front of Paul Blart: Mall Fenwick Cop Favorite offFavorite song: campus restaurant: The ChainBirchTree Bread Fleetwood Mac Co. Favorite singer/ Guilty Pleasure: group: Harry The Vampire Diaries Styles Some small things Favorite color: that make your Black day better: Seeing Favorite sports friends, calling my team: Boston mom, and Red Sox sitting outside in Favorite class the sun. taken at Holy First thing you do Cross: Educawhen you wake up: tional PsycholDrink Water ogy Last thing you do Item on HC before going to Bucket List: Go bed: Scroll through to the Spring my phone.

Photo from Gio Ragusa ‘23 Weekend ConFavorite place you cert have traveled to: Embarrassing HC Moment: SleepRome ing through the Fire Alarm in Something you look forward to Brooks. when you go home: Seeing my dog, Bragging Rights: My cooking.

Stella!

Words to live by: “Never half-ass Post-Graduation Plans: Grad two things, whole-ass one thing.”

School and become an elementary -Ron Swanson school teacher.

One thing you would change at Favorite memory at HC: Making HC: More variety for dorm configu- pancakes in the Brooks’ Common rations.

Room at 2am last year.

Favorite TV Show: The Handmaid’s Tale Favorite Book: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Stacey Kaliabakos ‘23 Features Editor Every year, the Holy Cross Classics Department’s Manuscripts, Inscriptions, and Documents Club (MID) hosts the Hackathon, an all-day event designed to allow high school and college students to come together to analyze, read, and transcribe ancient manuscripts. Typically (at least not during global pandemics), high schools close to Holy Cross are invited to come to the Levis Browsing room in Dinand Library for the day to learn how to code Latin manuscripts. The high school students, along with a number of Holy cross volunteers (who are also members of MID), look at digital images of Latin manuscripts in groups on computers. Upon reading the text (which is handwritten i n Latin), students transcribe and upload the manuscript’s content from a computer program to a repository. The goal is that the transcribed text can eventually be published globally, allowing wide and free access of ancient texts to people all over the world.

The Hackathon requires a lot of organization and planning, and, therefore, requires not just the oversight of the department, but that of a student who is familiar with the transcription process enough to help coordinate the event. This year, MID’s Hackathon “Czar” is Rose Kaczmarek ‘23. When asked why she wanted to be this year’s Hackathon Czar, Rose said “I had a lot of fun as

Graphic by Hui Li ‘21, photos from Aratus Latinus from homermultitext.org

a first-year student volunteer at the 2020 Hackathon and I knew that as a sophomore I wanted to be more involved. Also, MID is a passion of mine and I want to show younger students how interesting the club is.”

Last year, the text we looked at during the Hackathon was called the Leiden Aratea (or, more formally, the Universiteitsbibliotheek, VLQ 79) by Germanicus.

The manuscript is an illustrated copy of an astronomical treatise based upon Aratus’ Phaenomena. It is said that the manuscript dates back to the 9th century, and many translations and copies of this text have been circulated widely though the Middle East and Europe. This year, students will be working on the Aratus latinus from the manuscript St. Gallen Stiftsbibliothek 250, which has many striking similarities in its text to the Aratea.

Of course, there have been benefits and drawbacks to the online nature of this year’s Hackathon. Rose said “It has been more difficult to plan the Hackathon because of COVID - I can’t have in person meetings with the faculty members I work with to organize the event. However, the Hackathon itself works better in an online environment because we all have to use our computers to transcribe anyway.” Of course, it will be disappointing to not be able to meet the enthusiastic high schoolers in person, but it will undoubtedly still be fun to look at the fascinating manuscripts at our disposal and to get to know one another, albeit over Zoom.

If you are interested in learning more about the 2021 Hackathon, taking place on May 1st, please visit our website at https://hcmid. github.io/ms-hackathon-2021/.

The Return of Sports Broadcasting with Aidan Ruppert ‘22 Caroline Wallace ‘23 Features Editor Because of the ongoing pandemic, sports were put on a pause for a period of time. This had repercussions for other student organizations as well as athletics, such as student radios and podcasts that provided commentary on games. I had the opportunity to interview Aidan Ruppert ‘22 about how the pause affected his radio shows as well as how they have adjusted as a result of the pandemic.

Ruppert has been involved with WCHC sports where he has been “broadcasting men’s and women’s basketball with WCHC Sports since the Fall of 2018 and began serving as Co-Chair of the organization during the 2020-2021 academic year.” Through WCHC Sports, students from every class year provide live coverage of ath-

letics on campus. Broadcasts can include play-by-plays or commentary, and students can also serve as producers of the show who work in the studio at Hogan. Ruppert included that while WCHC has always provided coverage for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s hockey, and baseball, they have recently “had the opportunity to expand our broadcasts to Holy Cross football and softball.”

As a result of the pandemic, and Patriot League putting a pause on some of the sports season, all of this was put on hold. Ruppert explained his disappointment of “missing out on many opportunities to broadcast.” However, Ruppert explained that “we were still able to broadcast basketball and hockey games earlier this semester, even before fans were allowed to attend.”

Despite the interruption to sports that the pandemic caused,

passionate about what he does and wants WCHC radio to continue for the years to come. He explained that he fears the decline of radio shows because of the fact that “radio listenership is on the decline in our country.” Still, Ruppert hopes that his broadcasts are “fun, professional, and keep people tuning in each and every time.”

Graphic Design by Kate Nedorostek ‘23, Photo from Aidan Ruppert ‘22

Ruppert and his friend Rob Murray ‘22 were able to make the most of the situation and even began a podcast this past summer called “The WCHC Sports Podcast” where twice a week they discuss

not only Holy Cross athletics, but also professional sports. Students can access these podcasts through platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Anchor.

Ruppert explained that he is so

8

The Spire

FEATURES

April 30, 2021

The Power of Positivity: Guest Speaker Ivy Watts on Mental Health in Athletics Nicole Letendre ‘23 Features Editor Holy Cross Athletics and COPE (Counseling Outreach Peer Educators) welcomed guest speaker Ivy Watts, a former track and field athlete who holds a Master’s in Public Health and who is the founder of the mental health self-love blog “Beautifully Simply You”, to discuss her personal struggles with mental health as an athlete, to challenge the stigma, and to provide students with hand-on strategies to manage negative self-talk. Ms. Watts opened up about the extremely high goals she set for herself during her time competing in collegiate track and field, reflecting that “To me, doing my best meant being the best.” This mentality was unsustainable, and she struggled with her mental health before eventually finding therapy services. She explained that athletic success is 85% mental and 15% additional factors, such as natural talent or practice. Through her journey, she realized that she needed to care for both aspects in order to meet the high goals she had set for herself.

Now, Ms. Watts has directed her passion for mental health towards outreach, helping others to recog-

nize their own voice and feel comfortable speaking up about their struggles.

Throughout the presentation, she offered helpful ways to be a friend to someone who is struggling, starting with the most simple, yet exceptionally powerful way— listening. Ms. Watts encouraged these conversations, saying, “Listening can be really, really powerful…

When you listen, you say the words I hear you and I see you without actually saying the words.” Additionally, validating each other’s feelings and asking open-ended questions can help facilitate an effective conversation regarding mental health. Especially during these unconventional times, where we are often disconnected from one another, it is important to remember her next beautiful point—”And finally, just be kind.” Everybody has their own story, which needs

Graphic Design by Nicole Letendre ‘23

to be heard and validated. Though there were plenty of words of wisdom in Ms. Watts discussion, one of the most powerful perspectives was referencing the individuality of our stories—”Nobody experienced it quite like you did…Your story matters, because you matter.”

Prioritizing your own mental health by doing things you enjoy, and even just taking a break, can be so beneficial in the long run. Journaling one good thing about your day, positive affirmations, responses to prompts, or even just free-flow writing can help to gather your

thoughts in a healthy and mindful way. Ms. Watts also encouraged forms of meditation, beyond the traditional mode of silence and stillness. She discussed that meditation is all about living with uncertainty, and remaining in the present. Going for a walk, dancing, being in nature, or exercising are all forms of meditation that emphasize gratitude and living in the moment.

If you, or anyone you know, is struggling with their mental health, there are so many resources available. In addition to the Holy Cross Counseling Center and Health Services, the following resources can provide support related to various mental health struggles: the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Crisis Text Line, My3 App, Therapy for Black Men, Therapy for Black Girls, and the Trevor Project. Your mental health is important, and there are resources to walk you through all the ups and downs. Ms. Watts concluded by acknowledging, “There is so much power in positivity.”

An Interview with Academic Conference Presenter, Christine McLaughlin ‘21 Bridget Flaherty ‘21 Features Editor Last year, Christine McLaughlin ‘21 adapted a short story into a play for a course. Her resulting work, “The Toast,” was going to be presented at the Academic Conference last year. However, her presentation ended up being postponed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing campus shutdown.

Fortunately, Christine was able to present the play at this year’s conference. I spoke to her about the adaptation process, the effects of a remote environment on the presentation, and how this project reflects her academic interests and overall experience as a Holy Cross student.

“The Toast” was adapted from a short story for an assignment that required students to transform a poem or a short story into a play.

Christine chose to work with a short story, due to its narrative structure.

However, despite her directing experience and the narrative inherent in the story, writing the play wasn’t without its challenges. Christine explained how she transformed the free indirect discourse style of the story into scenes and characters for the play. As an English major and theatre nerd, I found this all fascinating. I was particularly struck by

Graphic Design by Hui Li ‘21

the transformation of the narrator of the story into a character in the play, as well as the complications of figuring out transitions and stage directions.

Christine spoke to me about the different kinds of creativity that go into adapting an existent work.

Some of the dialogue in the play is basically lifted right from the

source material. However, some aspects of the story were nearly entirely created by Christine. For example, one poignant scene depicts an emotionally fraught memory for the protagonist and her sister and provides another layer of understanding of these characters and their relationship. The original sto-

ry quickly references this moment, however Christine decided that this moment was necessary in her adaptation, therefore choosing to flesh out this memory and turn it into a scene in the play. This example showcases the relationship between the adapter and the source material, and the balance that one must strike between remaining faithful

to the original material and bringing your own creative identity and style to the piece.

I asked Christine how she feels about presenting this play a year later, this time on the cusp of graduation. I wanted to know how this assignment relates to her larger academic experience and interests after four years at Holy Cross. It turns out that “The Toast” accurately represents Christine’s time here, as it allowed her to focus on her two major interests: theatre and creative writing. Despite engaging in both theatre productions and creative writing endeavors throughout her academic career, this adaptation marks the first time that she was able to combine these two interests into one piece. It’s heartwarming to see how much Christine has accomplished over her four years at Holy Cross and how she has been able to harness her own interests and unique perspective through her different experiences here. Her story is just one of many success stories that will be on display at the Academic Conference.

The Spire

FEATURES

April 30, 2021

9

Story of a Poet: Interview with Emma Robinson ‘24 Grace Bromage ‘23 Chief Features Editor Each year, the Academy of American Poets collaborates with colleges around the United States to sponsor poetry competitions amongst the participating schools’ students. At Holy Cross, this year’s prize-winner is first-year Emma Robinson ‘24. I had a chance to interview Robinson about her poem, experience as a writer, and experience entering this contest: Could you tell me a bit about your poem, Naucum?

Stylistically, Naucum is written in alliterative verse. I’m familiar with the form because of my interest in Tolkien, so I was curious to see what it’d be like to write in, and the fact that it lends itself well to myths and epics suited me fine! I ended up pleased with my choice; I think the alliteration makes the atmosphere quieter and more reflective than rhyme would’ve.

I hesitate to define what Naucum is about thematically, since the great thing about art is that it often reaches beyond the creator’s conscious understanding. I will say, however, that one of the inspirations for Naucum is The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, whose 1992 adap-

tation I’d highly recommend if you like Naucum. It’s a beautiful film.

What does your creative writing process look like?

My writing always starts with a simple seed, which is whatever first inspired me. Sometimes it’s an emotion I want to convey, sometimes it’s an unusual premise, sometimes it’s just a single phrase or image. Once I have it, though, I can start fleshing out the larger work by asking various questions.

What gave me that emotion, and how could my story have the same effect on the reader? If that premise were real, what would its implications be? What might be that image’s backstory? Much of the story/ poem is already embedded in the original spark; it’s just a matter of coaxing it out.

If I can’t develop a finished idea immediately, that’s okay. I’ll just brainstorm things I could add to complete it, like putting puzzle pieces alongside each other and seeing what fits. I’ll know it’s not right if I start to lose the original idea’s atmosphere. Then I just take out whatever’s changing it and keep trying until I’m content.

When did you first start writing or know you wanted to write?

I’ve been telling myself stories since I was little. I loved to cre-

ate adventures and to mentally combine my favorite elements of my favorite books into big ultranarratives I could imagine. I don’t remember exactly how this evolved from a simple diversion to an actual interest, but I have a vague recollection of my mother telling me one day that I had so many ideas, I should consider writing them down sometime. I’d never before thought of an author as something I could actually be, but once I did, I stuck to the idea.

What inspired you to submit a poem to the Academy of American Poets? What was that process like?

Photo from Emma Robinson ‘24

I found out about the Academy from an email HC sent out.

It seemed like a great opportunity because when I write on my own time, I sometimes have a hard time getting anything down because I’m so afraid of not getting it perfect.

The deadline meant I had to complete the poem by a certain date, and I didn’t have to worry so much about it being my ultimate cre-

ation. The poem’s better for that.

I’m so honored that it was selected!

It means the world to get that positive feedback from a professional artist.

Is there anything else you want the Holy Cross community to know about your work or you as a poet? Any advice for other poets/writers?

For advice: It’s easy to look at what kind of writing is currently getting praise, from critics or sales, and think that you have to write exactly like that to be an artist. You don’t. It doesn’t matter what genres/topics you choose as long as you strive for excellence in them. No story, no medium, is too inconsequential — or too lofty — to convey truth and beauty. And if you write what you want to write, you’ll be happier for it.

For myself, I’m still such a new writer that I don’t have any further definitive statements to make about my work. I just hope some of the people at HC will consider reading my poem with an open mind for analyzing it. And I hope I’ll be able to produce many more works in the coming years!

“Classics in the Classroom” by Fenwick Scholar, Maia Lee-Chin ‘21

Grace Bromage ‘23 Chief Features Editor

The Fenwick Scholar Program at Holy Cross is described as “the highest academic honor the College bestows on a student. The scholar designs and participates in a rigorous academic project over the course of the senior year.”

This year’s Fenwick Scholar’s project took her out of the confines of Holy Cross and into elementary school classrooms in Worcester.

On Tuesday, April 27th, Maia LeeChin ‘21 presented her Fenwick Scholar project, “Classics in the Classroom: Retelling the Iliad in Worcester,” and gave attendees a glimpse at how elementary school students can manage a Classicsbased curriculum.

In her talk, Lee-Chin first brought up racism in the Classics and how that influenced her project. She cited that, in the past, Classics has been used as a gatekeeping method. Primarily white and wealthy families could afford Latin and Greek studies that would then get their children into prominent colleges. In the later Q&A portion of her talk, Lee-Chin mentioned that her experience

as a black woman in Classics has been isolating and that this led to her wanting to build her research project around creating greater accessibility of Classic literature to marginalized students.

Lee-Chin said that the exclusion of marginalized voices in Classics is often seen as a problem that is unique to undergraduate and graduate programs. However, she sees this as a bottom-up problem, leading her project to focus on elementary education. She looked at the racial disparities in elementary education such as deficit-based mindsets (professionals looking at the deficits of minority students rather than their assets), achievement gaps amongst different demographics, and the relationship between a teacher’s race and their students. To address both the lack of marginalized voices in Classics and disparities in education, Lee-Chin created a curriculum to introduce elementary school students to Classics. This would serve to foster critical thinking skills as well as get marginalized students involved in a primarily white field.

Lee-Chin partnered with Recreation Worcester and gained 20 participants between ages 7-11.

Seven of these participants were

consistent attendees to her meetings and 85.7% of these attendees were racial minorities. Lee-Chin covered several learning goals over 6 units in her curriculum. She also enlisted the help of her roommates in creating activity kits with arts and crafts supplies that the participants could use both for her study and any other projects they desired.

Originally, Lee-Chin planned to make this a quantitative study.

However, she realized that when she viewed this project as an “intervention” in schooling, she was approaching it with deficit-based and “white savior” mindsets. She found this to be problematic and switched to looking at this from a qualitative perspective. She interviewed students and did groupwork with them with the goal of getting student input. Lee-Chin wanted to learn from her students in addition to teaching them.

And teach her they did: Lee-Chin recounted how one elementary school student brought up a point about the Iliad that she and her professor would go on to discuss for an hour.

Lee-Chin found that her students were able to think deeply about these texts and that the

conversations they engaged in rose above the core standards for their grades.

She thinks that part of this was because she built relationships with her students, starting classes with daily check-ins.

She also believes that even just giving students the opportunity to study the Iliad Graphic taken from the Academic Conference Email and trusting that they would have the capabilities based thinking and urges people in to participate in complex discus- Classics departments not to think sions helped these students. While that marginalized voices can “take she recognizes the limitations to away Classics’ prestige” but conher research, she believes that more sider how the inclusion of these diwork and case studies should be verse voices can empower Classics. done on this topic.

Classics should not be viewed as Lee-Chin ended with a call to inherently valuable, but rather one action from other people within way to introduce interdisciplinthe Classics. She claimed that ary studies into curriculums. Leefinishing her project shouldn’t be Chin’s parting sentiments were a stopping point and that Holy that she does not want to see her Cross should work to draw mar- work go uncontinued. ginalized voices into Classics. LeeChin again touched upon deficit-

10

The Spire

The Eggplant

April 30, 2021

The Eggplant

Killing the (Academic) Game Sermon on the Ground Mario Micallef ‘22 Painfully Relatable

Hello (I am sitting on the ground, no, I’m laying on the hardwood floor. I don’t know why I lied right there. Maybe it was internal shame. Yes, in fact, it was. But I have to speak now.

The ants coming off my windowsill have brought speech to my lips. I should be writing 4 essays, uploading 8 discussion posts, researching academic resources, studying for 7 tests, eating, packing, cleaning, but I am on the ground, on my floor. I am on a Zoom call; I am zooming. I was two paragraphs into something I should be reading, and then I looked at the Pine Sol bottle sitting on the radiator and so I looked up where Pine Sol was invented and where it is produced now, not because I wanted the fact on hand for the next time I am interrogated on the ins and outs of Pine Sol but because somehow my brain shut off mid-sentence and needed some out, and it’s not like I had any say in the matter, so I went along. Now I am thirsty. I’ll drink this water and think, “I’ll get back to the reading but first I should get something to eat; I should treat myself because I got that one thing done earlier, or yesterday, but I should treat myself with something good because I deserve it.” My father texts me asking, “How are classes coming along? How’s the weath-

er out there?”. I think about how long that reading is and quickly lose my appetite for the moment and lay down on the floor again and go on my phone and go on Linkedin and scroll through people posting motivational messages (I’ve cut out Instagram and only use Facebook for apartment and marketplace searches) and then I go to Craigslist and see if there are any Jazzmaster or Jaguar guitars in my price range of $350-400. I click away because why should I get an electric guitar if I can barely play an acoustic? So I practice chords for 30 minutes and look up a guitar tutorial videos I’ve already seen, and then I see ‘Derrick Rose 19 pts 7 asts 2 stls vs Raptors’ and it’s only a minute and fifty seven seconds so I click on it and watch it. But now I am hungry for real.

So I grab keys, wallet, earbuds, mask, and slip into already tied shoes and buy two slices of pizza for $7.58 even though I have an unopened jar of pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles. I listen to music I’ve listen to before on the walk back, but then I play something I haven’t heard before and think I ought to get a good walk in and then I will go and read and finish at least one of those essays because I surely need to get at least one done before the end of the night. I emerge and drink 10 gulps of water and lay down on the ground and well, I am here now.) how are you?

Nasty Nineteen Julianna Mariani ‘24

Birthday Eggplant!

So, fun fact, my nineteenth birthday was last Friday. Taurus season baby! The only thing I know about astrology is that that means I’m stubborn and trustworthy. Actually, that’s not even true because I had to look those up. Anyway…

I had a pretty fantastic birthday so I thought I’d tell you all about a few of the highlights.

First of all, I had to wake up at the crack of dawn for enrollment. By the crack of dawn I mean 6:59. This was genuinely the only pit of the day, that and being nauseous in every Uber I took. The enrollment process is really something else at Holy Cross, and not in a good way.

This is pretty common knowledge so I don’t feel too guilty exposing our school when I say that it’s miserable. I literally clicked enroll when the clock struck 7:00 on Friday morning and didn’t get into either of those classes. From there I went through the 20 others in my backpack and every one was full. By the time it was 7:15 I had ended up enrolling in a four hour painting class and a random history course about the beginning of time (or something like that).

This all has nothing to do with my point that I had a great birthday though. I refused to let enrollment put a damper on my day, so after I had finished my roommate and I went down to the common room where the Brooks RAs had left out doughnuts for everybody to celebrate my birthday. Yes, my birthday, definitely not the end of enrollment or anything like that.

My roommate, who is just about the sweetest person ever, also decorated the room for me

while I was asleep. You may be wondering how this is possible since we live in a 2x4, but I could sleep through an earthquake. Although, according to her, I had a full-fledged conversation with her at four in the morning but she might just be messing with me. Or at least I hope she is, because it’s slightly concerning I don’t remember that. Maybe I’m already losing my mind, I mean I am nineteen now, I’d say that’s pretty old. No offense Mom and Dad. Classes went by easy breezy and we got lunch at D’Agostino’s which was a treat because everybody knows it’s the best place for food on campus. Then I got to take a phat nap which was much needed. Also got to talk to a bunch of my relatives, even my Aunt who I share a birthday with (pretty special bday present for her nineteen years ago am I right).

For the final chapter of the day, my friends and I went to hibachi for dinner. They made me wear a birthday sash that I attempted to take off whenever I could but not before our waitress noticed and you know what that means at hibachi.

Everybody sings for you and there’s a super loud drum and you feel like you could die of embarrassment but it’s also the best feeling.

We ended the night with a cake that I completely butchered in cutting up, and screaming NASTY NINETEEN one more time before the clock struck midnight (I was only allowed to use that phrase unironically on my birthday, for obvious reasons I’m sure). Overall, ten out of ten birth-day, definitely better than last year’s car parade. Lol remember when that was a thing?

Job Posting — All Students Eligible!

Michael Vail ‘24 Trustworthy Employer

Cats enjoy laying on the ground, but usually not due to existential dread. (Hang in there!)

Image courtesy of pixabay.com

Position Title: Professional college essay writer Start Date: ASAP Hours: Depends on your typing speed.

Pay rate: I can give you like $80 in dining dollars.

Background check?: I don’t care how many felonies you’ve committed, as long as you can write.

Number of positions open: Just one, so apply fast. I don’t like having too many loose ends.

Required qualifications: • Fairly literate • Familiar with ancient Greek mythology, 1800’s England, and whatever an integral is • Unafraid of potential expulsion Expectations: C’s get degrees!

Job description: I’ll be blunt with you; I have three essays due tomorrow and I completely forgot that I won tickets to a Lady Gaga concert. I’m a reasonable guy with reasonable priorities. And I don’t miss out on Gaga.

Contact me at strugglingstudent@pleasehelpme.com or fax me at- what is fax?

The Spire SPORTS April 30, 2021

Sports Mike O’Brien ‘23 Chief Sports Editor

As cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and more have sent the Internet and financial sector into a frenzy recently, cryptos have started to form an intersection with the world of sports.

Recently, cryptocurrency trading platform Blockfolio announced a partnership with NFL superstar prospect Trevor Lawrence. As Lawrence will shoot promos with and endorse the platform, in return, Lawrence’s signing bonus is entirely in crypto which has been deposited into his account. This is something that is truly new to the world of sports and money’s relationship, but Lawrence isn’t the only athlete to make headlines in the crypto realm.

While many NFL fans, including myself, may have not heard of tight end Sean Culkin before, he’s at the forefront of this crypto-sports rush. Culkin became the first known NFL player to take his entire salary for the upcoming season and invest it into Bitcoin.

At the time of this article, Bitcoin is currently trading right around $55,000, so Culkin’s salary of $920,000 is good enough to purchase about 16.7 Bitcoin.

While this may be hard for many people to wrap their heads around, Lawrence and Culkin rep-

11

Cryptocurrency: The Future of Sports Finance?

resent a potential shift away from traditional sports endorsements and contracts. Although its future in the financial sector remains to be seen as steady or not, Lawrence’s deal with Blockfolio presents other investment sites with a chance to make a splash in the world of sports. Surely, if the best quarterback in this NFL draft class believes in the future of crypto, I should too, right?

But the crypto sports craze doesn’t just stop with investing in Bitcoin. There have been numerous productions of sportsthemed NFTs, or non-fungible tokens. Essentially, without taking up the entire article to explain, an NFT is a digital asset, whether it be a piece of art, or in our case a moment in sports, that is entirely unique to the owner, who usually acquires it through auction. While the entire nature of NFTs is more nuanced than Bitcoin, it hasn’t stopped the sports world from getting skin in the game.

Recently, the Golden State Warriors became the first professional sports franchise to launch an NFT collection that included items such as championship rings, courtside tickets, and other memorabilia. This concept, while more abstract than cryptocoins, is perhaps more accessible to fans of sports. Although investing in Bitcoin through the endorsement of a player may seem risky, there’s almost no fan that wouldn’t

Photo Courtesy of Blockfolio

want a unique, one-of-one piece of memorabilia from their favorite team, digital or not.

The NBA itself has also cashed in on the digital collection buzz with the launch of NBA Top Shot, a marketplace that contains digital moments from NBA games.

Top Shot has raked in a whopping $500 million dollars in sales, with some moments selling for as high

as over $200,000. While some may find it pointless to spend that kind of money for a highlight they can simply find on YouTube, the NBA has wisely cashed in on what’s hot in the crypto market and raked in cash because of it.

While still in its infancy, the intersectionality between cryptocurrency & NFTs and pro sports is something to keep an eye on.

Will we one day see every player in the NFL and NBA taking their salary in Bitcoin? Only time will tell.

Celtics Should Have Sold, Not Bought at Deadline Logan Gooley ‘24 Staff Writer

Celtics fans, I understand how outraged you are by the title of this article, but please, hear me out. Looking back on March 25th, 2021, the Celtics traded Jeff Teague alongside two secondround picks for Orlando Magic shooting guard Evan Fournier. The trade also essentially forced Ainge’s hand to move away from Daniel Theis, as Fournier’s salary cost the Celtics $17 million of their $28.5 million trade exception. Ainge subsequently traded fan-favorite Theis as well as Javonte Green for Mo Wagner and Luke Kornet from the Chicago Bulls. While these moves appeared to lead the Celtics to a six game win streak after the deadline, the team has once again slumped back to sub-par status, fighting to stay above the play-in tournament.

The moves Ainge made did not address the team’s 13th ranked defensive efficiency and 14th ranked rebounding. It is impossible for the Celtics to garner any playoff victories with such statistics, even in today’s offensive minded NBA. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Evan Fournier, Luke Kornet, and Mo

Wagner (who they waived) aren’t going to fill that defensive and rebounding hole. While the latest addition of Jabari Parker helps, he still mostly adds another wing de-

buyout. The Celtics crucially needed their defensive and rebounding skills, and by missing out on them, the Celtics have a low chance of going far in the playoffs, which is the

the first round.

While the Celtics may be the sixth-youngest team in the NBA at an average age of 24.7, these Celtics can not compete for

Photo Courtesy of USA Today

fender and not a paint protector. If the Celtics wanted to make a team to win in the playoffs, they either had to trade for Myles Turner or sign Andre Drummond after his

entire goal of the game. I can guarantee that the Celtics will not be playing in the Eastern Conference Finals, and if they slip below the five seed, they will be eliminated in

a championship and should have blown the roster except for Tatum, Brown, Williams, and Smart. I would have traded Kemba Walker to teams with large amounts of cap

space such as Chicago or Houston in exchange for assets and picks. I then would have traded Thompson and Theis for a young center or power forward and picks, allowing the Celtics to give Robert Williams the minutes he deserves. Finally, I would have traded for point guard Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans, as his elite passing skills and court IQ would have been a perfect fit for Tatum and Brown, as they need a facilitator to get them the ball in their spots to give them better opportunities. These moves would have created cap space and draft picks to surround Tatum and Brown as they continue to develop while also creating a team that could do just as well, if not better than the current Celtics.

12

The Spire SPORTS

April 30, 2021

Breakdown of the NBA MVP Race the MVP.

Jimmy Casey ‘22 Sports Editor MVP Candidates Nikola Jokic The first and most popular choice to become the league’s most valuable player is the Nuggets’ do-it-all center Nikola Jokic. He’s averaging an insane stat-line, especially for a big man. 26.2 points, 11 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game is unheard of for a player of his size.

He’s also doing it at an efficient rate, with a field goal percentage of 56.7%, a three-point percentage of 40.9%, and a free throw percentage of 85.8%. He hasn’t missed a game either, which is exceptionally impressive in a year when seemingly every star player has been sidelined for some period of time. He won’t blow people away with his athleticism or rim protection, but he more than makes up for it on the offensive end. He’s led the Nuggets to a 40-21, 4th best in the conference.

If he could keep his squad as high as the 4th seed for the remainder of the season, he’ll have as good of a chance as anyone to bring home the big prize.

Joel Embiid Following a down year by his standards, Embiid has been incredible for the Sixers this season. His 29.8 points per game is nearly seven points better than his average last year, and he’s also grabbing 11.1 boards, 3 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. He’s hitting shots at a more efficient clip as well, shoot-

ing 51.6% from the field, 37.9% from three, and 85.5% from the free throw line, all of which are career highs. Embiid’s an elite defender too. He’s widely known as one of the league’s best rim protectors, and he guards smaller players better than most people at his size. Embiid’s biggest problem, as has often been the case during his career, is durability. When he’s

My Prediction Like many people, I’m relatively torn on who I think should win the award. While I’d personally like to see a third guy fight their way back into contention, my belief is that it’ll come down to Jokic and Embiid. These two have been the most dominant all season long, with no real hiccups in performance besides Embiid’s aforementioned injury troubles.

I believe that, in the end, Jokic will ultimately take home the MVP. Embiid has had an amazing season, but the missed games are simply insurmountable to argue against – especially when the other guy hasn’t missed a single one. And that isn’t to say that Jokic doesn’t deserve it, because Image Courtesy of ClutchPoints he definitely does. What he’s done on the offensive end of the floor is unprecedented for the played, Embiid has been the most dominant paint force in the NBA. center position, and he should be The Embiid-led Sixers are 2nd in acknowledged for that. So, unlike the Eastern Conference with a in the Batman movies, the Joker will finally win! record of 40-21. Yet, as some say, “the best ability is availability,” and Embiid has missed a significant number of games. If he can stay on the floor and secure the 1st seed for Philadelphia, however, he might be able to sneak away with

Takeaways from Holy Cross’ Loss to South Dakota Patrick Grudberg ‘24 Staff Writer

The Holy Cross football team’s season came to an end on Saturday, April 24th, suffering a crushing loss to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the first round of the FCS playoffs by a score of 31-3.

While it’s tough to find any positives with such a lopsided scoreline, Coach Chesney’s squad did show signs of life early. After a promising three and out stop by the defense, the Crusaders offense marched down the field from their own seventeen yard line into Jackrabbit territory.

An overthrown pass by freshman quarterback Matthew Sluka on third down that would have likely been a walk-in touchdown brought out the kicking team on fourth. Unfortunately, South Dakota’s special teams blocked Derek Ng’s field goal attempt, immediately setting the tone for the rest of the game. Even after SD State’s true freshman QB Mark Gronowski’s pass to Jaxon Janke gave the number one seed an early 7-0 lead, the Crusaders came out with a well designed trick play.

On their own forty-two yard line, Sluka fired it out to fellow freshman receiver Jalen Coker, who narrowly missed a wide open Tyler Purdy for another walk-in touchdown. Missing these two key scoring opportunities virtually

sealed the Crusaders’ fate for the remainder of the contest. Once defensive back John Smith muffed a punt early in the second half that

for 76 yards on 10/21 passing attempts. His electric rushing attack we saw against Fordham and Bucknell was stifled by the Jackrabbit de-

set up the Jackrabbits deep in Crusader territory, the game was all but finished.

By the end of the game, Gronowski had racked up three passing touchdowns and 153 yards on 21 attempts. Isaiah Davis and Pierre Strong Jr. led the South Dakota running game, finishing with 156 and 76 yards respectively. For the Crusaders, Matt Sluka threw

fense, held to only 22 rushing yards on 13 attempts.

Junior wideout Spencer Gilliam hauled in 55 of Sluka’s 76 passing yards, one of the only bright spots in a demoralizing game. Junior running back Peter Oliver added 52 yards on the ground, while kicker Derek Ng’s 47 yarder represented the only points on the board for Holy Cross.

In all honesty, it’s difficult to expect much else considering that this game is the equivalent of a one versus sixteen game in March

criticism of the Crusaders season; the squad overcame a nightmare of COVID cancellations and rescheduled games and came out triumphant as back-to-back Patriot League champions. The fact that they even had a season to begin with is an accomplishment in itself.

At the same time, it’s unrealistic for players and fans to leave Brookings, South Dakota feeling satisfied.

I am absolutely certain that Coach Chesney, who has taken this program from Patriot League mediocracy to utter dominance, will immediately look forward to the fall in search of better. Next season, the Crusaders have upcoming non-conference games against the likes of UConn and Monmouth.

The latter actually defeated the Crusaders in the first round of the 2019 FCS playoffs, so a revenge game down in Long Branch, New Jersey might be a place to start.

Couple this with a possible victory over the Huskies, perennial bottom dwellers in FBS footPhoto Courtesy of Worcester Telegram ball, and you’ve got plenty of games to get excited about. If all goes well, students and fans alike will hopeMadness. Sure, we remember teams fully be packing Fitton Field to see like UMBC shocking the world if the Crusaders can complete their and even the likes of Hartford who three-peat of Patriot League domikept within five points for most nance. of the first half against the eventual champion Baylor Bears. But for every UMBC, there are dozens of Drexels, Texas Southerns and Nichols States that get manhandled from the first whistle.

By no means is this a