April 15, 2026
Providence College's Student-Run Newspaper Since 1935
The month of February celebrates Black History Month, which recognizes the lived realities, progress, and resilience of African Americans. Its…
The United States holds primary elections every four years to determine which candidates from each political party will run in…
On Sunday, Feb. 8, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, colloquially known as Bad Bunny, performed during halftime of the 60th Super…
by Shannon Kelly ’26 on March 19, 2026
On Wednesday, March 4, founder and president of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute, Dr. Karen Korematsu, gave a talk in the Ruane Center for the Humanities room LL05 titled, “Of Civil Rights and Wrongs: The Fred Korematsu Story.” The Fred T. Korematsu Institute “promotes civic participation and education that advances racial equality, social justice, and human rights for all.” The talk centered the life of late civil rights icon Fred Korematsu, explored concepts of freedom, and questioned how our nation’s understanding of who has been deemed American throughout history has changed. Fred Korematsu’s legacy was built upon his refusal to go to government-created Japanese American internment camps during World War II, his arrest, Supreme Court case, and continued activism throughout the remainder of his life. Korematsu prefaced the talk by asking the audience to consider the current societal atmosphere that we are living in and stated that she has “worry that people do not understand our history.”
Korematsu explained her father to have been deemed “the odd man out” in society, which largely set the tone for the remainder of the talk. She explained that her father was born in Oakland, CA and thought of himself as an American. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor at the hands of Imperial Japan in 1941, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, which ordered Japanese Americans to leave the West Coast, pulled Japanese American children out of hospitals, and spared no one from the inhumane conditions that defined the experience of interned individuals. Korematsu highlighted the resistance shown during this time and specifically talked about the efforts of Ernest Besig and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, who sought to challenge the unconstitutionality of the executive order. While Fred Korematsu was in jail, Besig visited him and offered the support of the ACLU in his fight. Korematsu stated that our collective trust in the constitution rests “not just on a piece of paper,” expressing that “this is about us.”
When discussing society today, Korematsu talked a lot about the fear that permeates our country. She stated that “people are afraid of teaching certain parts of history across the United States.” She also mentioned that she believes public schools have failed to adequately teach our nation’s history and said that history is currently being repeated in society, largely at the hands of the current administration.
Korematsu v. United States is one of the most well-known Supreme Court cases. In 1944, the ruling upheld the exclusion of people of Japanese descent from the West Coast military area during World War II, which led to the internment of Japanese Americans. On the basis of coram nobis, Fred Korematsu’s criminal conviction was vacated in 1984. Fred Korematsu’s efforts highlight the significance of fighting the good fight, the need to share stories that reflect one’s experiences in our world, and the power that rests in both advocacy and activism. In her talk, Korematsu reflected on the point that history encourages solidarity and that it is on us to know what is going on in our world. Fred Korematsu was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988 by President Bill Clinton. Fred Korematsu Day is recognized in states including Hawaii, California, Michigan, New Jersey, Florida, Arizona, and Virginia, as well as New York City.
Throughout her talk, Korematsu emphasized that her father’s story is “one of moral principle” and emphasized the need, as quoted by her dad, that told people, “Don’t be afraid to speak up and stand up for what is right.” Korematsu ended the talk by stating that she is looking to students like those at Providence College “to be pebbles in a pond and share your personal stories.” She included that, “We all have the ability to speak up and if we don’t, we’re in trouble.”
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 Andrew Auclair ’29 on March 19, 2026
When people talk about Pierce the Veil’s best work, the album Collide with the Sky (2012) tends to dominate the conversation. Between that career-defining release and their recent comeback album, The Jaws of Life (2023), sits Misadventures (2016), an album that is often overlooked and misunderstood. While it may not reach the dramatic highs of their most iconic record, Misadventures showcases a band experimenting with melody, structure, and emotional tone in ways that make it more cohesive and compelling than it may first appear.
My introduction to Pierce the Veil came through The Jaws of Life, which Apple Music recommended to me shortly after its release. Though I had never listened to the band before, I gave it a chance and quickly found myself replaying a few tracks, including, “Emergency Contact” and “Pass the Nirvana.” While the album didn’t immediately strike me as groundbreaking, it sparked enough interest for me to explore their earlier work. Eventually, my curiosity led me through their discography, where Collide with the Sky stood out to me as their most essential album. Instead of revisiting the obvious fan favorite in this article, I found myself drawn to Misadventures, an album that feels like a bridge between their raw beginnings and their more polished present-day releases.
Released as the band’s fourth studio album, Misadventures leans heavily into fast-paced instrumentals and emotionally charged songwriting. Lyrically, it often circles familiar themes such as yearning, heartbreak, and fractured relationships, which, at least for me, can blur together when listening straight through. As a full album experience, this repetition occasionally weakens its critical impact. However, when the songs are judged individually, their strengths become much clearer. The record is less about lyrical variety and more about mood, energy, and dynamic contrast. The album opens with the track “Dive In,” which immediately sets the tone with a controlled, almost restrained energy before building into a more explosive instrumental break, blending melody and aggression in a way that feels quintessentially Pierce the Veil. As an opener, it establishes both the emotional stakes and the sonic palette of the album. At the other end of the album, “Song for Isabelle” closes the record with a reflective and slightly more hopeful atmosphere. While it follows the band’s established emotional stakes, its final moments feel intentionally mellow, offering a melancholic but satisfying conclusion. Together, these two tracks bookend the album effectively, giving it a sense of purpose from opening to conclusion.
Two of the most divisive tracks among fans—“Floral & Fading” and “Circles”—are among the album’s strongest. Both lean into the band’s emo-pop inspirations, favoring catchy hooks and brighter melodies over relentless heaviness. Their choruses are insanely memorable, and their more accessible sound highlights an important truth about Pierce the Veil. PTV has never been exclusively a heavy metal or screamo band; melody has always been central to their identity. The playful, sometimes juvenile lyrics in these tracks feel purposeful rather than careless. By embracing their pop structure without abandoning emotional intensity, these songs strengthen the band’s range rather than streamline it. On the other end, tracks like “Gold Medal Ribbon” bring back the darker, more aggressive tones long-time fans might expect, while other songs experiment with tempo and tone. The album succeeds in capturing a specific emotional atmosphere about vulnerability, yearning, and youthful emotion. Overall, Misadventures may not be Pierce the Veil’s most iconic release, but it is far from a bad release. It stands as something of a transitional record, one that plays it pretty safe, but subtly also pushes in new directions. Its occasional lyrical redundancy is balanced by strong structural bookends, memorable hooks, and moments of genuine experimentation. For listeners willing to look beyond the big-name albums like Collide with the Sky, Misadventures reveals itself as a solid and often underrated entry in the band’s catalog; an album that deserves more credit than it usually receives.
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