February 16, 2026
Providence College's Student-Run Newspaper Since 1935
On Friday, Feb. 6, I interviewed chief of public safety Chad Carnegie. We discussed the new renovations to the Public…
On Thursday, Jan. 29, the political science department hosted an event titled “Change or Rupture: The U.S. and the World!”…
The Future of Dialogue at Providence College On Wednesday, Jan. 28, Dialogue, Inclusion, and Democracy Lab Fellows Isabelle Camoin ’26…
by Shannon Kelly ’26 on February 12, 2026
On Sunday, Feb. 8, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, colloquially known as Bad Bunny, performed during halftime of the 60th Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. He made history as the first Latin artist to headline the consistently most watched event on television each year in the United States. His performance included guests such as Ricky Martin, Cardi B, Karol G, Jessica Alba, Pedro Pascal, Lady Gaga, and others. For Americans, the Super Bowl halftime show emblematizes the vast social and cultural identities that exist within our country. It is currently estimated that 135 million people watched the halftime performance on Sunday, which was described as a “cultural game changer” in which Bad Bunny “delivered an interactive celebration of Latino culture at one of the most contentious times for the community in the United States.”
The show has garnered praise, controversy, and tension, including on our own campus. Many individuals on this campus utilized YikYak, an anonymous application that allows you to communicate with others in your respective communities, to resort to racist speech and ideology when discussing the halftime performance. For example, many people posted about not understanding the music due to Bad Bunny solely singing in Spanish, wrongly assuming Bad Bunny is an immigrant despite being from Puerto Rico (a U.S. territory), and many made comments sexualizing the dancers. Comments that were made by Providence College students in a group chat include a sarcastic, “I loved all the English” and, “I don’t speak Spanish. I’m not American enough.” Other comments that were made on YikYak include, “Get ICE up and moving around,” “Love me the all inclusive DEI Halftime Show,” and, “English please damn.” This demonstrates the tendency to interpret a performance solely through one’s own cultural identity and a lack of desire to understand both cultural and linguistic experiences that differ from your own. The possibility of YikYak being banned on PC’s wifi is currently being talked about in the Faculty Senate.
Bad Bunny’s performance highlighted many parts of the Puerto Rican experience in terms of politics, sociality, history, and culture. He even said that he sought to “bring what people can always expect from me and a lot of my culture.” Specific examples include demonstrating Puerto Rico’s agricultural roots in the sugarcane fields, casitas where people live, individuals playing dominoes, and a general focus on Puerto Rican resilience, especially in recognition of their colonialist past, which includes involvement from the U.S. After Bad Bunny won his Grammy for Album of the Year, Ricky Martin addressedBad Bunny, saying he had “won without changing the color of your voice. You won without erasing your roots. You won by staying true to Puerto Rico.” Additionally, Bad Bunny’s performance occurred just months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that declared English as the national language, despite an estimated 42–45 million people speaking Spanish at home in America and a wide array of languages being spoken throughout the U.S.
The President made statements about Bad Bunny’s performance on Truth Social, calling it a “slap in the face to our country,” “an affront to the Greatness of America,” and emphasizing that it “doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.” Turning Point USA hosted their own “All American Halftime Show,” which was presented as an alternative to watching Bad Bunny. Their halftime show was explained to be “an opportunity for all Americans to enjoy a halftime show with no agenda other than to celebrate faith, family, and freedom.” It is estimated that around six million people watched it, although the official total is under speculation.
An anonymous PC student advised “everyone to rewatch the performance and really sit down with yourself” in order to “empathize that we are not against each other but against the system that is bringing us down.” Bad Bunny powerfully ended his performance by saying, “God Bless America” and listing countries from South America, Central America, North America, and the Caribbean. Behind him stood a billboard that read, “The only thing more powerful than hate is love,” which is a necessary reminder both on this campus and in our world as a whole.
by Chris Sama ’27 on February 12, 2026
The athlete of the week is Jason Edwards ’G26, who made his return against DePaul University on Saturday, Feb. 8. The Friars desperately needed a true point guard to run the offense and struggled without Edwards’ presence. It was unclear whether he would return at all for the rest of the Friars’ season, but fortunately, he is back and playing extremely well. He scored 25 points on efficient shooting, going five for eight from three and eight for13 from the field overall. He also had two assists and four rebounds, which is especially impressive considering his role as a guard.
On the season, Edwards is averaging 17.6 points, three rebounds and 3.2 assists on 43.9 field goal percentage, showing his efficiency. He has an extremely quick release that, despite his size, allows him to get shots up from anywhere, even with defenders closing him out. He is also extremely quick and drives to the basket well. The Friars need him if they want any chance at winning the Big East Tournament, let alone making it to March Madness, as he is their only true point guard. Before joining the Friars in the Big East, Edwards played at Vanderbilt University, where he averaged 17.0 points, 1.3 assists, and two rebounds. He made the All-SEC Third team and scored in double figures in 29 of 31 games. He has shown significant improvement in his passing game from his time at North Texas University to Providence College, going from a 1.4 assist average to 3.2.
Without Edwards’ impact, PCwas playing noticeably worse; it felt like something was missing. While the Friars have a great back court consisting of talented players like Stefan Vaaks ’29, Jaylin Sellers ’26G, and Jamier Jones ’29, none of them fit the point guard role; they function better as shooting guards or small forwards. It’s clear from the games where he was present that Edwards was recruited by coach Kim English to run the offense and be a leader on the court.
by Thomas Marinelli ’26 on February 12, 2026
Whether you’re in love or alone, The Police are your Valentine’s band. Why? Well, even if you haven’t been the biggest music listener in your lifetime, it is impossible that you have not heard some of The Police’s songs over the radio, in public, or just out and about. For a while, the band was as big as it gets, and their music only becomes more relevant by the day.
Let’s go back to the ’70s. The classic love songs were always there. You had your Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Wonder-type popular artists, always playing to the beat of their respective genres. Disco love songs, pop love songs, and R&B love songs reigned supreme, even in the shadow of punk, which started to rage. In comes The Police, the English-and-one-American trio band. This time, a new wave, reggae-rock, and jazz-influenced band that was the perfect prescription to bring in the new decade—and they killed it. Millions of records sold, arena tours were packed, and they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gordon Sumner, known as Sting, Stuart Copeland, and Andy Summers cultivated a sound so unique and powerful that they literally defined a generation of music and a legacy of unforgettable music.
Let’s be exact. “Every Breath You Take,” from their album Synchronicity in 1983, is one of the most popular songs of the ’80s, and of all time. Their songs would pack a punch musically, but they were also always emotional while being restrained, and often about waiting, wanting, or holding back. “Roxanne” is a song about desire, but riddled with guilt and frustration. “Message in a Bottle”—my personal favorite—is a song about loneliness, reaching out, and never having a guarantee of a response. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” a song about unspoken love, and “So Lonely,” a song that backs up loneliness without being dramatic, helped the band get on the map. What they have in common: they are instant vibes, love songs, while not being explicitly so, and most of all, human. They are unapologetically authentic in whatever song they have recorded or sung, and for a reason.
It was their success that led to their eventual breakup, officially in 1986, just two years after their initial split in 1984. The same intensity in the songs that they displayed and the instability that followed mirrored their own band. Even at their peak, Sting always clashed with Summers and Copeland, and soon enough, the band would have inevitably run its course. That being said, the band’s legacy continued. Sting had an amazing solo career and is still going, even reuniting with the other band members in 2007–2008 for a world tour celebrating 30 years since the band started, and it was a monumental success. When it was all said and done, they followed a stereotypical band breakup—they hated each other, but still left an undeniable impact on music.
For this Valentine’s Day, remember this: many times love is seen as a final destination, but The Police see it as a moment or a force—something essential to life, and never without pain. It is not always clean, but when it is, those times are worth celebrating. Being emotionally invested is a reward in itself, a sign that you are right where you are meant to be. When The Police broke up, it was not a failure or a tarnished memory, but rather a story that lived its course. And with that, I hope everyone has a good Valentine’s Day, and puts on The Police—it’s worth it.
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