Tangents & Tirades

by Andrea Traietti on February 6, 2020


Opinion


Cherishing Our Grandparents

Over break, many students spent most of their time with family.  After all, what is break for, if not that?  While this may not ring true for all, many were able to connect with their grandparents over holiday meals or perhaps meet with an elderly relative or friend.   

Whether family or not, one thing these amazing people hold is experience and sage advice.  In college, we often think we know everything or are invincible. Reality strikes, and we realize, we are far from that. We have not yet lived.   

For this reason, grandparents and the elderly in general can be a fountain of knowledge, advice, and pure love. If one thinks about it, they might have gone through school, perhaps raised a family, overcome an illness, lost a loved one, or fought in a war. Maybe they have lived a seemingly simple life!  One thing they all have in common is the fact that they made mistakes.  They learned. 

While we meditate in our time of maturation and learning, we can glean so much from these amazing people. If anything, give them a call this semester, if they know how to use their cell phones, and ask them about their lives. Listen.  Learn. Show a little love.

—Olivia Bretzman ’22

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

 

Embracing Diversity in Education

Regardless of major, every student at Providence College has to fulfill certain core requirements. Oftentimes, students would rather take another class for their major or something fun and easy, but fulfilling the core proficiencies can make us more well-rounded human beings.

The diversity proficiency is especially important. Courses that fulfill this requirement can be found across a multitude of departments, including English, women and gender studies, and American studies, to name a few. 

The diversity proficiency is much more than a throwaway requirement; it teaches us topics that we are familiar with through a focused and unique point of view. Classes that fulfill this requirement celebrate our differences and highlight them thoroughly.

PC is a Catholic institution that is not considered especially diverse, andthis proficiency is certainly a step toward understanding the significance of different cultures in the history of humankind. 

The diversity requirement can attempt to connect our learning from classes like Development of Western Civilization to the rest of the world.

Recently, DWC as a whole has been making strides towards including lectures and texts from cultures that are not considered traditionally western. This evolution of the course and an appreciation for embracing the diversity requirement can make the College a more welcoming and accepting environment.

—Julia McCoy ’22

 

Plants in Dorms

When decorating dorm rooms, students try to make them as homey as possible by adding family pictures and items with special meanings. But lately, plants have become a common item in many dorm rooms. 

A frequent issue with many plants, however, is that they tend to attract insects. This can cause problems for students where insects might take over their whole room or even the building. Because of this, we need to be mindful about which plants we bring into our dorm buildings. 

Succulents are a popular trend because they are very low maintenance, but students should start to consider other low maintenance plants that have many positive health benefits, for example, the ZZ plant. 

A ZZ plant can hold water in its stems for weeks at a time and can thrive in any lighting that you place it under. This plant also releases oxygen into the air which can help improve sleep. 

This is the perfect plant for students who do not have much time to care for a plant but like the aesthetic appeal of a plant in their room. Plants are important to have in a college dorm because they boost morale and help increase productivity, but with the issue of insects, doing some research might be useful to help lower that possibility.

—Erin Garvey ’22

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.