February 12, 2026
Providence College's Student-Run Newspaper Since 1935
An Interview with Catholic Scholar, Gloria Purvis On Wednesday, Dec. 3, I interviewed Gloria Purvis, special advisor for Integral Human…
For most people, Providence College is home for four years. For Graciete Morales, it has been home for 34 years—not…
The Community Lens Exhibition took place in the Smith Hill Annex on Tuesday, Nov. 30. Community Lens is an interdisciplinary,…
by Riley Londraville ’27 and Chase Quigley ’26 on December 11, 2025
Welcome to NERLab, we’re happy you’re here. I understand that what we do—and even our acronym—isn’t exactly easy to grasp at first, so allow me to further explain our initiative.
The Neighborly Engagement Research Lab (NERLab) originated from a need to examine and better understand the relationship between Providence College, the place we call home, and the broader 02908 communities in which the college resides: Elmhurst, Smith Hill, and Wanskuck. The NERLab does not have a definitive end goal; instead, it sees our work’s purpose as the dedication to these neighborly connections themselves. We follow a relational process, focused on the building of relationships and the sustained efforts it takes to maintain them. In our most recent publication, Kat LaDuke ’27 of the NERLab said it best: “The NERLab at PC is built on a simple but powerful idea: colleges and universities should see themselves as neighbors to the communities that host them for their engaged work.”
Under the guidance of Dr. Carmine Perrotti ’11, members of the NERLab attend and participate in local ward meetings throughout the 02908 neighborhood to gain insight into community-driven ideas, concerns, opinions, and more. Additionally, by being a part of these meetings and other community events, you get to know some friendly faces, and we’ve found that relationships and connections can blossom from these small instances: just showing up truly makes a difference.
All of our work would not be possible without the community, and so, for both the insight and the connections we’ve made and will continue to nurture, we are forever grateful.
Through 17 in-depth interviews with 20 local residents and over 100 hours of participant observation at community meetings and events, NERLab identified six foundational principles of “neighborliness.” These principles begin to create a framework for how college campuses and communities might collaborate as neighbors. They include defining institutional commitment and strategy; practicing shared leadership; recognizing and valuing community context and knowledge; reframing how we leverage both community and campus assets to support access; and maintaining continued reflection on assessment. Our aim is to illuminate what neighborly engagement looks like from the perspectives of those most directly affected by it, using these principles to develop community-identified practices toward college-community engagement.
We hope our website can be used as a landing page for our work and all things community-campus related, and more. I encourage you to play around, explore our About Us section for more details surrounding the lab, and also get to know each of our members under the Team section. Our interactive Small Business Map shows you all of the local businesses in the 02908 neighborhoods, and you’ll probably find your new favorite cafe or restaurant is right around the corner. You can find community-wide events, along with campus events open to the public, on our Community-Campus Calendar. If you scroll down, you’ll also see the athletics schedule and additional public resources. In our conversations with community members, we consistently heard a desire for a clear platform to show which areas of campus are open and accessible to the public. These sections of our website were created in direct response to that need, providing straightforward information to strengthen connection and accessibility.
We have exciting plans for the future of our site, including a blog I’ve been working on! In the future, I plan to write portraits of community members that I had the pleasure of speaking to and learning from over the past year, in hopes of highlighting what it means to be a good neighbor and also community-identified priorities. We would love to invite guest writers to post on this blog as well, so if you’re interested, please find our contact page and send us a message. Again, thank you for being here. We look forward to what the future has in store for NERLab, the community, campus, and the meaningful connections we’ll continue to foster together. Contact Us at Nerlab@providence.edu or Visit Our Website at www.nerlabpc.com
by Emilia Farrell ‘28 on February 5, 2026
It is not a secret to anyone on the Providence College campus that the men’s ice hockey team has been on a roll this year. The Friars have swept opponents the past three consecutive weekends, which pushed them to a dominant seven-game win streak. The team’s overall performance has resulted in them rising to the top rank of Hockey East with a conference record of 11–3–1. The first pair of wins came against the University of Maine, then rival Boston College, and quickly Boston University as well. Each weekend has tested the team in different ways, but every time they have risen to the occasion while under immense pressure.
The standout player across all of these recent games is alternate captain Aleksi Kivioja ’28. A native of Espoo, Finland, Kivioja is in the midst of his second strong season at PC. Before suiting up for the Friars, Kivioja played for two years with the Omaha Lancers, where he served as an alternate captain and appeared in 103 games, which allowed him to gain valuable hockey and leadership experience. No. 14’s most recent success has come through his impressive work on both ends of the ice. On the defensive side, Kivioja blocked a shot or more in all of the six swept games. On offense, he is equally as effective, scoring goals in three of the six games and recording assists two. One special goal for Kivioja was the game-winner in a close game against Boston University on Jan. 23, after which was awarded Hockey East Play of the Week. To start this play, Kivioja passed the puck to No. 22 Clint Levens ’27, who then passed it right back to Kivioja for a quick goal with 2:41 left in regulation. This important recognition by the Hockey East Conference reinforces how skillfully he has been playing as of late. Three out of Kivioja’s four goals on the season have been in the past five games alone, demonstrating how far he has progressed recently. His ability to transition seamlessly between offense and defense makes him a critical presence on the ice for the Friars. Overall, Kivioja demonstrates what it means to be a team player on both ends of the ice. His performance has played a catalytic role in Providence’s recent success. As the regular season is coming to an end, Kivioja will no doubt also be playing a key role in the team’s aspirations for postseason play.
by Alex Pittelli ‘26 on December 11, 2025
Among Thanksgiving television traditions, one stands out as particularly endearing. It’s not the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, as I rarely get up in time to watch it, nor football, as it often overlaps with dinnertime. In between, however, is the pinnacle of television: the American Kennel Club’s National Dog Show.
For those unfamiliar, the National Dog Show judges dogs based on how closely they match the idealized description of their breed. One dog is selected from each of its seven categories: hound, herding, sporting, non-sporting, terrier, toy, and working. The winners from each of these categories then meet in a final judgement to determine which dog is the perfect specimen of its breed.
Excited to see this year’s show, I sat on the couch with my own dog next to me and watched the last few minutes of the parade. The ridiculousness of the show might just be my favorite part. Alongside majestic dogs are bizarre breeds that I can only imagine must be inconvenient to care for, such as the shaggy Bergamasco and Puli, or the pretentious-looking Shih Tzu.
The show felt like a breath of fresh air compared to the commercialization of most television today. Although it was sponsored by Purina, it kept blatant advertisements minimal and instead focused on the show itself, as well as other fun segments. Some were educational, showing the backstage grooming process it takes to get a dog ready, while others focused more on popular culture and entertainment, such as having NBA Star Tyrese Maxey guide dogs through an obstacle course.
I found myself rooting for what I considered to be the underdogs of the competition. In the final round, I was glad to see the Belgian Sheepdog and the American Foxhound triumph over the aforementioned Shih Tzu, two Schnauzers, an English Setter, and a Bichon Frise by taking No.1 and No. 2, respectively.
The best part? Throughout it all, my dog lay next to me on the couch, sound asleep.
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