The SpringHillian_issue 1_spring 2014

THE

SPRINGHILLIAN

February 6, 2014

Volume 98 Issue 1

Ad Majorem Del Gloriam

Here to STAY

By Abby Massengale

WHAT’S INSIDE:

PUB SAFE | PG 3

SHC Professor’s New Book | PG 8

WOMEN’S RUGBY | PG 10

This past Sunday, Feb. 2nd, Spring Hill College welcomed the newest Greek organization, Sigma Kappa, to campus.

The spring semester brings about a vast amount of new resolutions, classes, and in the case of Spring Hill College, a new sorority.

Sigma Kappa hosted their recruitment this past week and officially became the fourth sorority on campus. Since the fall semester, there have been Sigma Kappa recruiters on campus talking to those women who were interested in being a part of the new Greek organization.

Members of Delta Gamma, Phi Mu and Tri Delta came together in the fall to create “Team Sigma Kappa” and promoted the new sorority to those who had not yet gone through recruitment. Panhellenic President Elect Hannah McIntyre had this to say about Sigma Kappa becoming the fourth sorority on campus: “I’m really excited to welcome a new organization to campus! I can’t wait to get them involved in Greek events and help them find their place on the hill!”

Having a new sorority on campus has caused a lot of excitement for not just the three chapters already on campus, but those who would

SEE ON THE COVER ON PG. 2

THE SPRINGHILLIAN

THIS WEEK

2

WEEKLY FORECAST Thursday - 50/37 - Cloudy

Friday - 55/46 - Few Showers

Saturday - 61/48 - Showers

Sunday - 54/31 - Cloudy

HILLIAN STAFF Editors: Matthew LaBorde Chelsea Wallace Advisor: Stuart Babington Photo Editor: Kiva Talty

Lifestyle Editor: Bre Vaugn Reporters: Jacquelyn Suanee Gaillard Teague Abby Massengale Sports: MJ Connell Eric Thomas

HILLIAN CONTACT The Hillian Newswire @HillianNewswire Hillian Newswire hillian _ newswire Letters to the Editors newswire@shc.edu Read the Hillian Newswire online at newswire.shc.edu

ON THE COVER

February 6, 2014 be going through Sigma Kappa’s recruitment.

Melinda Mettler, an extension specialist for Sigma Kappa, remarked on the welcome they received from the other Greek organizations on campus. “Throughout last semester and so far this year, both sorority and fraternity members have been helpful in a variety of ways,” Mettler says. “From Team Sigma Kappa members assisting with colonization preparations to giving us small gifts during formal recruitment, we have felt so welcomed into the SHC Greek community.”

Since Spring Hill is such a small school to begin with, many students wondered why Sigma Kappa chose to start a new chapter here.

Mettler said, “We were immediately attracted to the mission, values and vision of Spring Hill College. We see many parallels between the Jesuit mission and Sigma Kappa’s emphasis on social, intellectual and spiritual development.”

The small size of Spring Hill proved to not be a problem for Sigma Kappa’s first recruitment since the new organization received 46 new members.

Such a successful first recruitment shows that Sigma Kappa will have a strong impact not just within the Greek community, but the Spring Hill community as a whole.

So, what does the rest of the spring semester hold for Sigma Kappa? Well, Mettler gave a sneak preview as what to expect from Sigma Kappa: “We have a great spring semester planned!

Our new members will have weekly Sunday night meetings, an all-day sisterhood retreat in February and an invite party in March. In April, we will elect our first chapter officers and host our Initiation/ Installation weekend.”

After just this short amount of time on campus Sigma Kappa is showing the Spring Hill community that there is definitely a lot more great things to come.

Sigma Kappa was founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Colby

SEE SIGMA KAPPA ON PG. 4

THE SPRINGHILLIAN

NEWS

February 6, 2014

3

Old Shell Gate Replaced

By ChelseaWALLACE Assistant Editor

wanting to stop.”

In answer as to why these rumors may have spread, Warren believes the gate being gone just made students more aware of their own surroundings.

“I think students were more aware of what was going on because of it,” Warren said, referencing the missing gate. “What they were aware of was the non-students in the apartments. However, the gate’s not really going to prevent that because we lock the gate at 10 o’clock, so if they come in at 9:45, they’re still there.”

Moulds said that the gate being gone did not make him feel differently about safety on campus. He said, “Even with the gate there, I feel like it’s kind of easy to get on campus.”

Because a gate will not always keep out people on foot, Warren says a huge factor in keeping the campus safe comes down to the students on campus reporting suspicious activity.

He said, “That’s where we need help from the student body that says if this guy doesn’t belong here and he’s not with anybody and he’s just hanging out, they need to call us so we can get him out.”

The new gate will be operated by remote rather than manually; however, guards will continue to check student IDs after hours.

S

pring Hill College installed a new safety gate at the Old Shell Rd. entrance to campus on Friday, Jan. 31, replacing the gate that had been missing for a whole semester.

With the disappearance of the Old Shell gate before the fall 2013 semester, many rumors started flying around campus about why it had been removed.

A lack of news or announcements may have led to these rumors. “I heard absolutely nothing,” said junior Kendall Moulds, referencing what he had heard about the gate’s disappearance. “I read that article in the paper that said we were getting a new one but that never happened.”

Todd Warren, Director of Public Safety for SHC, hopes to dispel many of those rumors. As to why the gate disappeared, some theorized that a new city ordinance had required the removal, while others believed that it may have simply been damaged. Warren, on the other hand, says the whole thing was simply a misunderstanding within the Spring Hill community.

“It was removed for aesthetic purposes, but the timing was off,” Warren said. “The reason it was removed was because, for one - it was ugly. And two, it really was not userfriendly on the guards.”

Warren also stated that the reason the entrance did not receive a gate sooner was because the plan had not been put into place before its removal. “[The removal] got on the list of things to do without the replacement getting on the list of things to do,” Warren said.

Other rumors that have circulated through the student body concern the

Photos by Chelsea Wallace

safety on campus since the removal of the gate.

Warren, however, says there was no increase in crime in the time that the gate was missing.

According to the SHC Crime Log, available to all students on Badgerweb, there were 27 counts of thefts, vandalisms, and burglaries - vehicular and otherwise - in the spring 2013 semester, when the arm was still installed.

In the fall 2013 semester,

An SHC maintenance crew works on the new security gate.

after the arm had been removed, there were only 18 reports of the same crimes.

Temporary gates were in use while the main gate was missing. Warren states that policy requires Public Safety guards to stop vehicles to check student ID’s after 10 p.m. and to register nonstudents entering campus.

Even with these makeshift secuirty gates, Warren says cars

find ways around it, putting others in serious danger. “There has been an increase of people, students and non-students, since we started using the sliding gates, going around through the exit. Instead of coming in around the right of the gatehouse, they go around through the other side,” Warren reported.

“We almost had a wreck there the other night, so that’s become an issue, and it’s just students not

Want to Keep Up on Campus Crime?

Visit Badgerweb and click on Campus Life, then Public Safety. The “Crime Log” link is updated by the Public Safety office on Spring Hill’s Campus.

Public Safety can be reached at 251-380-4444.

4

THE SPRINGHILLIAN

Obama, Spring Hill on Sexual Assault

By BreVAUGHN Lifestyle Editor

President Barack Obama established a task force on Wednesday, Jan. 29 with the goal of preventing sexual assaults on college campuses and working with federal agencies to hold schools accountable for addressing the issue.

“Our schools need to be places where our young people feel secure and confident as they prepare to go as far as their God-given talents can carry them,” Obama said, according to CNN. The President gave his task force 90 days to recommend the best practices for colleges to prevent or respond to assaults, and to check that they are complying with existing legal obligations. The task force was also asked for proposals to raise awareness of colleges’ records regarding assaults and officials’ responses.

According to CNN, “The president said men and boys have a responsibility to help change a culture where sexual assault is so prevalent.”

The White House Council on Women and Girls released a review of administration actions titled “Rape and Sexual Assault: A Renewed Call to Action.”

This report is updated with reliable data about rape and sexual assault within the United States. The report reveals, “Nearly 1 in 5 women have been raped in their lifetime [and] 1 in 71 men have been raped during their lives.” Both the president and the Council on Women and Girls are committed to ending sexual assault and improving school responses to violence.

Here on Spring Hill’s campus, Director of Public Safety Todd Warren and the Public Safety depart-

ment are dedicated to providing a safe environment for the SHC community.

Mr. Warren said his goal for the safety of Spring Hill is to limit the amount of crimes that are occurring on campus.

Public Safety has plans to improve security by installing sworn police officers on campus. The department is also pushing for education to inform students and faculty of safety tips. There has already been improvement through community service and different programs, such as the RAD defense class.

“We have a good patrol force to keep an eye on who’s here and what is going on.”

-Todd Warren

Over the course of this school year, there have been 75 crimes reported and of those 75 only one incident was labeled assault. Since 2012, only two sexual assaults have been reported.

According to Bureau of Justice Statistics, on average only 12% of student victims report the assault to law enforcement.

In the report released by the White House Council on Women and Girls, it states that “dynamics of college life appear to fuel the problem” of campus assaults – including the prevalent use of drugs and alcohol and “parties are often the site of crime.” Todd Warren agrees with the statement and says, “by far sexual assaults are committed by acquaintance and both parties have usually consumed alcohol.”

Some on Spring Hill’s campus believe that there are other threats to campus safety. Some students feel that it is “too easy” to walk onto Spring Hill’s campus, especially at

night. Meanwhile, others complain about not being properly notified when a crime takes place.

When presented with these concerns, Mr. Warren responded, “It is not uncommon for college campuses to have an open campus.”

A majority of campuses are open to the public and because of this, it presents a challenge for campus law enforcement to prevent crime. “We have a good patrol force to keep an eye on who’s here and what is going on,” said Warren.

The department also relies on students and staff to report suspicion and unwanted trouble. When it comes to notifying students about crimes that occur on campus, Public Safety is only required to report the most serious ones, also known as clery crimes. “I have in the past sent out service announcements about crimes that aren’t required, if I notice a trend,” Warren said. He also said it is a tough decision “because you have to balance out education and giving knowledge without causing panic and hysteria.”

Public Safety hopes to get a strong police front where they can offer the best protection and service for the students. The department is currently working hard to get things where they are supposed to be by being prepared to handle assault situations in the proper way.

Mr. Warren would “love to reach [his] goal of zero crime and get to the point where we can leave our doors open.” Mr. Warren also says, “One is too many, we have the right not to be victimized.”

February 6, 2014

Sigma Kappa Comes to the Hill, cont.

By Abby Massengale College was the first school in New England to admit women on an equal basis to men. Since its founding, Sigma Kappa has spread from New England to across the country and has found a new home here at Spring Hill.

Sigma Kappa is a unique sorority with regards to the fact that they have three philanthropies, while most Greek organizations usually only associate themselves with one philanthropic cause. Sigma Kappa’s three philanthropies are Gerontology, The Maine Sea Coast Mission, and Inherit the Earth. Of the three, Gerontology is their main philanthropic cause. Gerontology is a study of aging, and Sigma Kappa has taken a focus on Alzheimer’s Disease Research.

Since Sigma Kappa became associated with Alzheimer’s disease awareness, research and treatment, they have raised $2 million dollars in research and psychosocial grants in order to find a cure for this debilitating disease. Sigma Kappa is the first Greek organization to gear their philanthropic cause towards Alzheimer’s.

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THE SPRINGHILLIAN

6

LIFESTYLE

February 6, 2014

# S E L F I E N AT I O N

By JacquelynSAUNÉE Reporter “Selfie (noun): a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.”

Out of all the words in the world, the one above was chosen as the 2013 word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries. In case you’re curious, “schmeat,” or synthetic meat, and “twerk” were two other top contenders. Yet, selfie still managed to rise above the rest and claim the title.

Some of us silently rejoiced and claimed this as a personal victory: perhaps by being named word of the year, our incessant amount of selfies might become slightly more appropriate. Others were less than thrilled, viewing this as yet another sign of our society’s intellectual decline and growing obsession with social media.

Regardless of how you felt, the primary question remained in everyone’s mind: “Out of all words, why?” Well, for starters, we all understand this term that was only added to the dictionary in August, and we can immediately picture ourselves or someone else snapping a self-portrait.

This word has rapidly become a part of our daily language. According to CNN. com, usage of the word increased by 17,000% in just one year.

This word has infiltrated not only our language, but

our lives. Almost anywhere you look, there’s a solid chance that you will catch someone taking a casual selfie: walking across campus, sitting in class, in the sandwich line in the cafyou name it. It has become socially acceptable to whip out a smartphone, adjust the camera, and take a picture of yourself.

Those who do take selfies tend to do so in copious amounts. The average snapchat user receives between 20 and 50 snapchats a day, according to buisnessinsider.com. On Instagram, there are almost 75 million photos donned with “#selfie.”

Hence, we are becoming a #selfienation.

If selfies really are taking over, does that mean we are

becoming entirely infatuated with ourselves? Freshman JoJoe Delany elaborates on this idea: “I think it shows how individualistic our society is… We’re very focused on the self. You do see group photos, but I feel like we’re beginning to see more selfies than group photos.”

The entire concept of selfies does seem to align with the idea that our society is self-absorbed. Further, selfies seem to be the epitome of obsessing over image. You can spend hours finding the most flattering angle, the perfect facial expression, and ensuring that not a hair is out of place.

On top of that, the editing options for photos on smart phones are limitless.

However, maybe this issue isn’t quite that black and white. Dr. Jamie FrancoZamudio, assistant professor of psychology, explains, “Perception is reality. Someone’s intention [in posting a selfie] may be to share and reach out to others, such as looking for positive feedback, but this action could be interpreted as narcissism or self-absorption.” Perhaps posting selfies doesn’t correlate with an obsession with one’s self, but with a desire for outside reassurance and affirmation.

The Dove Beauty Campaign recently released a short video entitled “Selfies,” which shows how selfies have the ability to change our perceptions of beauty. The video follows

young girls and their mothers, both groups with respective insecurities, as they learn to accept their natural beauty. Dove is promoting the practice of taking selfies as a way to allow individuals to see themselves as imperfectly perfect. Instead of focusing on their flaws, the motherdaughter duos learn to see themselves in a new light.

Another pro of selfies is that, “Selfies are an opportunity for self-expression, a chance to try on a new identity, and even claim a group identity,” FrancoZumidio explains.

Selfies allow for expression in a myriad of ways.

I’ve attempted to narrow down the ridiculous variations of selfies into three broad categories. First, there’s the “wow, I look good today” selfie. We’ve all seen them. Whether someone is displaying a new outfit or a perfect hair day, this type of selfie is becoming a popular one.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the “here’s the absolute ugliest face I can make” selfie (my personal favorite).

Creating 5,000 chins while simultaneously rolling your eyes into the back of your head is a true art form.

Finally, we’re all guilty of the “I’m doing something awesome and you should be jealous” selfie.

At a party with a bunch of people? Sledding down the golf course? Come on, it’s hard to fight the urge to

SEE SELFIE NATION ON PG. 9 Want to take your own selfie game to the next level? Well, now’s your chance! The Springhillian is hosting our very own “Selfie Olympics.” Send in your “best” selfie to hillian@shc.edu to enter the competition.

So, go ahead... start snapping those selfies, we know you want to!

The top entries will be displayed on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where you can vote for your favorite selfie. The winner will be on the cover of an upcoming issue.

Photo by Kiva TALTY

Photo by Kiva TALTY

#AROUND THE

HILL

Photo by Kiva TALTY

Photo courtesy of Aislinn SHEVLIN

Photo by Kiva TALTY

TOP LEFT: Dominique Howard and Mary Grace Pollet try out the newly fixed soft serve ice cream machine in the cafeteria.

BOTTOM LEFT: Zach Ward and Andrew Prince make snow angels on the Spring Hill Golf Course.

MIDDLE LEFT: Christie Alonso and Katherine Kuhn represent SHC Students for Life Wednesday Jan. 22 at the annual March for Life in Washington D.C.

TOP RIGHT: Students throw what they know at Badger Brawl, where SHC played University of Mobile.

Photo by Kiva TALTY

BOTTOM RIGHT: Gabriela Del Gandio sleds down a golf course hill during SHC’s snow day.

THE SPRINGHILLIAN

FEATURE

8

February 6, 2014

Professor Piafsky Publishes New Book

By AislinnSHEVLIN Contributor

Author and Professor Michael Piafsky.

On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Spring Hill College Bookstore will host a special signing of Michael Piafsky’s debut novel, “All the Happiness You Deserve.”

As director of Spring Hill’s creative writing department and Associate Professor of English Literature, Piafsky discusses books all day, but the opportunity to talk about his own book has been ten years in the making.

The Montreal native accomplishes the brunt of his writing in his third floor office in the Lucey Administrative Center.

Piafsky is disciplined and productive during summer breaks, arriving at his office at 8 a.m. and writing until noon every day.

Surrounded by the books and writers who pervade his classes and continually influence him, like Italo Calvino and Timothy Findley, Piafsky remains scrupulous and detailoriented. He doesn’t listen to music while he writes, but for this book, he would listen to “mostly Springsteen” before he started typing and as he read through drafts. Another helpful idiosyncrasy in his writing process, he said, is typing on the same keyboard.

Despite or in spite of his meticulous methodology, “All the Happiness You Deserve” took years to come to fruition. Already at work on his second novel, Piafsky is aware of the challenges that come with writing and publishing a book. “It’s easy to write a bad novel, but a good

Photo courtesy of Michael PIAFSKY

novel or a publishable novel has its own generic problems like how to sustain plot and character.” Based on early reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist, it’s evident that Piafsky’s debut was worth the wait.

“All the Happiness You Deserve” is a novel told in the second person, over a span of sixty years of a man’s life and is mainly set in New York City and Missouri. A unique feature

of the novel is that its 78 chapters are framed by the 78 cards in a Tarot deck, following the narrator through different stages of his life.

The novel was originally conceived as a series of vignettes conceived about motion, but as it evolved into a book, Piafsky arrived at the Tarot deck as a thematically resonant organizing principle. Piafsky describes the male protagonist as “someone who’s really bad

at reading symbols, but is desperately trying to derive meaning from life,” while the Tarot provides symbolic insight and framing for the protagonist’s interiority.

Readers don’t need to be familiar with Tarot in order to understand the plot, but when Piafsky decided to use the cards to distinguish chapters in the protagonist’s life, he admits to doing some research. “I went to Barnes and Noble and picked up

‘The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tarot’ and every other book I could get my hands on,” he said.

Two of the chapters in the novel take place in a Catholic church and even though Piafsky himself is not Catholic, his tenure at Spring Hill and influence from Catholic colleagues has made his writing even more authentic.

“Most of my favorite writers are Catholic and most of the characters I write tend to be Catholic. In my novel, questions of redemption were especially important,” he said.

Piafsky’s writing is classified as literary fiction, but his classes expand on various genres and concepts.

Teaching new material each semester allows Piafsky to discover alternative craft choices along with his students.

This semester he’s teaching a workshop on young adult fiction, but he claims his favorite workshop to teach was a class entitled Very Strange Things, which focused on unconventional methods of storytelling like “Building Stories” by Chris Ware. Now that his first book is complete and his second book is in the works, Piafsky claims that his examination of texts in classes has become more focused on craft analysis than critical insight.

Though Piafsky has been writing and teaching writing for years, he hasn’t always been comfortable identifying as a writer.

Piafsky said, “It’s sort of weird to tell people you’re a writer, because they inevitably ask if they can buy your book.

Now when someone asks if they can buy my book, I can say yes.”

In addition to the Feb. 13 signing at the campus bookstore, Piafsky is also doing a reading and book signing at Page and Pallet bookstore in Fairhope on Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. and a reading in the Barter Room on March 11 at 5 p.m.

February 6, 2014

THE SPRINGHILLIAN

9

Badgers And Faith On The Hill

By ChelseaWALLACE Assistant Editor Attending a Jesuit college, the fact that approximately two-thirds of our campus is Catholic is not surprising.

With the majority of the student body being Catholic, one may not think about the other faiths represented on campus. However, students of nonCatholic faiths are our classmates, our roommates, our club presidents and our friends.

So, how do they fare on this Catholic campus?

Junior Alexis Esneault, while a confirmed Catholic, has been on a faith journey that has brought her away from and even back to her faith.

“I generally don’t know what I believe,” Esneault says. “First and foremost, I’m probably a skeptic...I just like to be open to other things.”

Esneault went through Catholic Confirmation in her freshman year of high school, and her struggle with her faith began just a few years later.

“My senior year [of high school] I went through a lot of things, and I really didn’t feel good about religion anymore, because I felt like if God existed, why would he do this to me?”

Esneault says.

Through her studies at the Italy center in Bologna, however, Esneault began to really appreciate the value of the Jesuit education here at Spring Hill. “I guess it was kind of a renewed faith experience and there were times I was so overcome with something that I wanted to cry,” Esneault explains.

Esneault recounts how the Jesuit who taught her World Religions class in Italy helped her understand her beliefs more. “On the first day of class, he described ‘faith’ as being a relationship...and at that point in time I decided there was something missing in my life and it was a relationship, and I wasn’t going to discount the fact that it could possibly be a spiritual relationship,” she says.

Ananya Mahajan, a junior who is a practicing Hindu, has also had faithenriching experiences on the Hill.

Though she practices her Hindu faith through private worship and prayer in her room, she also attends Mass on campus.

“I think it’s really cool to learn about different religions,” Mahajan says.

“And there are times I’m listening to a homily and I’m feeling it, and that’s why I go to Mass...I feel myself connecting to God. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s Christ or Krishna.”

Mahajan has been warmly welcomed within the campus community and is often the subject of intrigue because of her faith. She says, “Everybody has a lot of questions, but I

love answering them. That just goes to show that they aren’t being ignorant, that they care and want to know more.”

While most students are open and curious about other faiths, not every experience has been positive.

Esneault says she has experienced some negativity surrounding her skeptic or atheistic tendencies. “It’s hard because people don’t know what you believe, but they automatically assume that you’re the enemy if you believe something different,” Esneault says. “I think people misunderstand atheism....I’m trying to explore everything and learn about everything.”

While some have shown negativity, Esneault still believes that the Jesuit education is invaluable to personal growth. “I know we’re getting more of an education than our public university counterparts,” she says. “We’re required to take classes that really open us up.... Professors encourage us to look at all sides of the story.”

President Father Gregory Lucey believes wholeheartedly in the tolerance and acceptance of Spring Hill College, a mindset that is rooted in the school’s history.

“When Bishop Portier came here in 1830 and started this college, he wrote a letter to the city fathers and he said, ‘While this will be predominantly a school for Catholic youth, people of all faiths will be accepted and there will be no proselytizing,’” Lucey explains.

“In other words, their faiths will be respected.”

In fact, Lucey strongly believes in the value of each individual within the community. He states, “You - whoever you are, whether you’re Jewish or Muslim or not a believer, or Catholic you are held as precious.”

“My senior year [of high school] I went through a lot of things, and I really didn’t feel good about religion anymore, because I felt like if God existed, why would he do this to me?”

- Alexis Esneault

Selfie Nation, contd.

By Jacquelyn Saunee take a selfie.

Since selfies have become such a phenomenon, people have been seeking out ways to take this art to the next level. The most recent advancement of this is Twitter’s “Selfie Olympics,” which is basically an excuse to create the most ridiculous selfies imaginable. The selfies range from people reenacting rock climbing scenarios in bathrooms to the “selfie on selfie on selfie” in which a single selfie is shown on multiple devices.

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SPORTS

10

February 6, 2014

Women’s Rugby:

BUILDING IN STRENGTH Story by Eric Thomas

E

very great sports team starts from the bottom and has to work its way up to the top. The same can be said about SHC’s Women’s Rugby Team, which is in the midst of their inaugural season. The team was started last semester and was met with good interest.

Junior Demi Jordan is confident that this season will be very successful.

Jordan states, “Last semester about 20 young women came together to learn rugby. It wasn’t always pretty, but we struggled together. At the end of the day we went home sore but we couldn’t be more proud of our progress and being a part of such an incredible program.”

This is a testament to how hard the team is working and that they are continuing to grow together. Jordan also talked about the team’s

Photo by Rebeca Marroquin

Lady Badgers celebrate a glorious try.

determination and her views on the future for the club. She says, “This semester is very promising because we are determined to win. With the new faces on the team and our unfailing sisterly bond, I believe Spring Hill’s first ever women’s rugby team will only go up from here!”

As this is the team’s first season, the team has faced a lot of challenges, both mentally and physically. Freshman Dominique Howard, who also played for the team last semester, talked about the learning curve and the demands that come with playing the sport.

Howard had this to say about the experience of playing on the team:“It’s still a learning experience, even for those who played last semester.

We learn things every day and improve. Coach

Mollie is awesome and very supportive and understanding, and that’s what a new team needs.

She’s making us something better.”

The positive and optimistic attitude that the team is retaining seems to be bearing fruit as the team performed well against Tulane University this past Saturday, Feb. 1. The lady badgers prevailed over Tulane 36-0, and the fighting spirit was clear in how hard the team played. They truly believe that there are brighter days ahead.

The team will play its next game on Feb. 8 on Dorn Field against the University of Auburn as they continue to prepare for the Spring Hill’s tournament which will be held in March.

Softball Team Has High Expectations

By Mj CONNELL Sports Reporter After finishing as the runner-up in the NAIA National Championship game, the Spring Hill Badgers look to pick up where they left off in their 2014 campaign.

The Badgers were voted the number two team in nation in the 2014 NAIA Coaches’ Preseason Poll, the highest ranking in their 17-year history. After losing last year’s national championship game to Concordia College, who is ranked number one above the Badgers, Spring Hill is looking to get back to nationals and take a shot at the title.

Head Coach Allison Sellers-Cook has high expecta-

tions for her team. “Well, of course, we would love to be back in that championship game, but you gotta take the steps to get there,” says Cook.

With a core group of players returning from last year and a plethora of new budding talent, Cook, in her tenth year as head coach at Spring Hill, thinks they can be a great team. “The work ethic that they have is going to really make us have a successful season,” says Cook.

After finishing with a 49-17 record last year, the team is looking to improve on a very successful season.

Sophomore and ace pitcher Caroline Sagrera is excited to embark on her second season with the Badgers.

“It’s a lot of pressure [being No. 2] because last season was really awesome…and we made it [to nationals] with a lot of luck and skill at the same time so, it’s a lot of pressure to uphold that to keep going and be even better than last year,” reveals Sagrera.

Sagrera, who threw a perfect game while winning a school record 39 games

last season, has a new role as a leader on this team and feels confident with the girls behind her.

“I actually have even more confidence in this year’s team to be honest,” notes Sagrera. “This year I think we have a lot better defense and the team really clicks a lot better than last year’s team did.” Cook also thinks her girls are very

“Well, of course, we would love to be back in that championship game, but you gotta take the steps to get there.”

- Coach Cook

close and adds, with a smile, that “we don’t have that normal girl drama on this team.”

The Spring Hill softball team will strive to be atop their conference so that they have a chance for the championship, in what looks to be an exciting season. “It definitely feels good to be number two, but that just means we have a target on our back and they’ve got to be ready to play come Friday because everything counts,” says Cook.

Badger softball will be kicking off their season at home on Murray Field Friday, February 7th, at noon, with a doubleheader against Huntingdon College in a non-conference match up.

February 6, 2014

THE SPRINGHILLIAN

11

New Tech for the Diamond

By EricTHOMAS Sports Reporter A new scoreboard is being installed on the Spring Hill College baseball field thanks to generous local sponsors and the efforts of the SHC baseball coaches.

History can be found in abundance on Stan Galle Field, the Spring Hill College baseball field.

Built in 1890, Stan Galle is the oldest collegiate playing field in the United States, as attested to by the fact that both Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth have played on the field.

Father time catches up to everything, and naturally its equipment has been through its fair share of wear and tear over the years.

However, this has not stopped the grounds crew from constantly keeping the field in great shape. According to Spring Hill College Athletics, the most recent renovations to the field include improved dugouts and landscaping which took place last year, and the field is set to receive another addition within the coming days: a new scoreboard.

Junior Jack Howard is one of the players that is ready to get the new scoreboard up and running. “They didn’t have the funding for it for the longest time, so it’s good to see it’s finally going to be put up,” Howard

A Historic Diamond Gets a Modern Makeover says.

Head Coach Frank Sims is also very excited about the new scoreboard being done. “I’m excited. The old scoreboard was put up 17 years ago and it hasn’t really worked correctly for the last five or six,” Sims says. “Jim Hall, SHC’s athletic director, and I helped raised the money for it and the plan is to have it up for this weekend.”

Some of the sponsors for the scoreboard include Quality Valve, The Orthopedic Group, and James B. Donaghey Inc. When asked about whether or not he believes the new scoreboard will help draw more students and fans to the field, coach Sims responded, “I think it’ll help us, especially with going into Division II.” Junior Brandon Krus also talked about the potential of having the new scoreboard up and running, bringing more people to the games.

“I like the scoreboard, it adds to the

feeling of the field. We had the old scoreboard break down on us and this new one gives a new vibe to the field,” he says.

Krus also talked about the importance of the new scoreboard in accordance with Spring Hill making the move from the NAIA athletic conference to the NCAA, which, according to SHC News, is supposed to take place within the next three years. Krus says, “With us making the jump from NAIA to NCAA, I believe that the scoreboard is a good stepping stone for that. It shows we have sponsors.

Hopefully it’ll draw more people to the game.”

According to SHC news, Spring Hill will remain a part of the NAIA and SSAC with access to all of the aforementioned conferences and post-season championships for the 2013-2014 academic year.

The team will play full NCAA Division II schedules beginning

with the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years, and will gain full access to NCAA post-season competition during the 2016-2017 academic year.

The team has already gotten off to a great start this year, compiling a 3-1 record in its first four games.

The Badgers will be tested in their next game against West Florida.

Upcoming Games 4/8 Baseball Doubleheader: Spring Hill vs Point University 1 p.m.

Spring Hill vs Point University 4/14 Baseball: Spring Hill @ William Carey 4 p.m.

4/15 Baseball Doubleheader: Spring Hill @ William Carey 1 p.m.

Spring Hill @ William Carey

HILL YEA!

12

February 6, 2014

ON the SPOT What Was Your Favorite Thing about SNOW DAY on the Hill?

MEET THE STAFF ChelseaWALLACE

MEERI kangas “WATCHING FROZEN WHILE IT’S FROZEN OUTSIDE.”

MattLABORDE

MATTHEWtussa

CASSANDRAmutis

KYLEShannon

“I BECAME THE QUEEN OF ICE.”

“I’M FROM MIAMI, SO NOT USED TO THIS ‘SNOW.’ I LIKED SLEDDING DOWN THE HILLS.”

“LOVED THE SLEDDING AND THE SNOWBALL FIGHTS.”

COSH - Cats of Spring Hill

GaillardTEAGUE

“I’m homeless.”

AbbyMASSENGALE

BreVAUGHN

“What is the hardest part about being homeless?”

“I miss having Fancy Feast every night, but the sidewalk cat food piles are pretty close.”

JacquelynSUANÉE

EricTHOMAS

“What’s your name?”

“Cat” “What’s your best friend’s name?”

“Cat.”

“Do you like living in a community with other cats?”

“Do you like living in a community with other humans?”

KivaTALTY

MjCONNELL

SpringHillian reporters Gaillard Teague and Kiva Talty ask the Cats of Spring Hill pressing questions.

“Is it okay if I take your picture and ask you a few questions?”

“No.”