Category: Editor’s Column

The Cowl: The Paper for Communication

Dear Cowl reader,  My name is Emma Strempfer. I am a senior History and English double major with a minor in Catholic humanities. This year, I am working alongside Emily Baldo as the co-Editor-in-Chief for The Cowl. Oh boy, that is a laborious title to read and to say. We’ve got to come up with […]

Emma Strempfer '24

Providence College: It Never Gets Old

Moving into college housing and knowing it’s the last time I’d ever drive up Huxley Avenue with a car full of storage drawers and Providence College sweatshirts was a bizarre feeling. If you had told me four years ago that I wouldn’t be able to imagine leaving this place, I probably would have laughed in […]

Emily Baldo '24

Fitting in and Finding Yourself

I’ll Miss (Most of) You, PC I think Providence College is a difficult place to feel like you fit in. The first week of freshman year, I felt like I was drowning—not in Honors Civ homework (yet), but in a sea of unknowing. Not knowing any person or place (I asked an orientation leader to […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23

Practicing Communication and Trust On Campus

A key part of what makes a community is building a bond of trust and communication. In general, the Providence College student body would agree that these things are important for fostering a healthy “Friar Family.” Many students have expressed concerns regarding the communication we receive regarding incidents that occur on campus. When students hear […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23

Why Celebrate Women’s History Month at PC?

March marks Women’s History Month, which can trace its roots back to Women’s History Week, first celebrated in 1978, and the original International Women’s Day, which was first celebrated in 1908 when thousands of New York City women garment workers went on strike due to poor working conditions and low wages. Women’s History Month was […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23

How Campus Clubs and Organizations Still Feel the Effects of COVID-19

Every member of the Class of 2023 remembers what they were doing on March 6, 2020. I remember saying goodbye to my friends and roommates before my back-to-back class and Civ seminar, in which we ironically discussed how next week’s topic would be the bubonic plague. We left campus excited for break but with an […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23

“What’s the Best Age to Be?”

Don’t Grow Up Too Fast When I was five years old, I filled out a journal that asked the writer questions about herself, her likes and dislikes, and her dreams for the future. One of the questions was, “What age do you want to be most?” I remember writing down 22. My mom asked me […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23

Keeping Our Community Clean

Pick Up After Yourselves, PC “Darty” season is once again upon us, and for those who remain blissfully unaware of what this entails, don’t expect it to be pretty. Each weekend, the Providence College student body never fails to demonstrate blatant lack of respect for their neighborhood, the environment, and their fellow Friars’ off-campus homes […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23

Are Robots Taking Over?

What AI Means for the Future of Writing What if we never had to write another essay in our lives? What if someone—or something—could do it for us?  Recently, artificial intelligence (AI) has become  capable of exactly that and much more. This summer, the OpenAI research group released Playground, which is free to use for […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23

Finding Beauty in Uncertainty

Heading into winter break, I considered writing a column titled something along the lines of “Five Ways Seniors Can Make the Most of Their Winter Breaks.” I was going to write about applying for jobs, getting ahead on independent study work, and taking a break to read a novel you’ve been wanting to pick up […]

Sarah McLaughlin '23