Tangents and Tirades

by The Cowl Editor on September 13, 2018


Opinion


Image of class ring.
The class of 2019 purchased rings last year in preparation for Senior Ring Weekend. Photo courtesy of Balfour.

 

Give Students More PC Prints

Any alternative to buying over $200 worth of textbooks per semester seems worth it. This includes printing out packets of reading for every class.

Initially, $40 worth of PC Prints appears to be more than enough to cover five classes. But before you know it, you find yourself adding money by the third week of the semester.

While it is a tremendous help to students to be given money to cover printing costs, it is unfair for those who might take four or more classes that contain a hefty amount of reading.

Many students prefer to have physical copies of their assignments so that they are able to mark the paper and make notes. However, this becomes impossible when they use up their $40 within the first couple of weeks.

Students who major in subjects such as English, history, or political science often have extra readings on top of textbooks, and with two or three classes a week, the cost becomes significant.

In order to better assist students with this predicament, it would be helpful if they were given more PC Prints at the beginning of each semester.

This would help to alleviate any stress that comes along with having to mentally budget the amount of money students can spend for each class or week. The $0.08 cents per page does not seem like a lot, but over time it adds up.

-Hannah Paxton ’19

 

Don’t Stress About Senior Events

Senior year of college is notorious for being the most fun and laid-back year. However, at times, the stress and chaos can be overwhelming.

Whether you are trying to find a balance between studying for the LSATs and spending quality time with your friends, or choosing between doing homework and picking out the insane amount of outfits that are needed for Senior Ring Weekend, it is a lot for any Providence College student to handle.

Senior year is full of exciting events, however, it is almost too easy to get caught up in the stress of preparing for it all that these events can become difficult to actually enjoy.

It is hard not to get caught up in the little moments of stress when homework is piling on and the countdown to SRW is getting shorter and shorter, but this is when self-care is crucial.

Sometimes we all just need to take a break. This is true at any point in the semester, but especially so in the beginning when you are so excited to be back that you just want to dive in and say yes to every opportunity.

In order to really enjoy every moment of college, we all need to be the best, least-stressed versions of ourselves.

Try not to panic when it starts to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day for you to get everything done.

Take a step back and treat yourself to something that helps you relax. The world would not stop spinning because you took a break to watch your favorite show for an hour or two.     

-Bridget Blain ’19

 

Serena Williams Speaks Out

“I have never cheated in my life,” she said. “You owe me an apology.”

Serena Williams spoke these words to the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, while competing in the 2018 U.S. Open Women’s Championship final this past weekend.

Her comments, delivered directly to the umpire while she was on the court, earned her a warning and set off a series of other penalties for the tennis star—including a point penalty and a game penalty. In total, Williams was fined $17,000.

Her comments are raising critical questions about the fairness of the rules of tennis, and moreover about the discrepancies in how women—especially women of color—and their male counterparts are treated.

If Williams were a white man, like tennis player Novak Djokovic, would her actions have incurred the same penalty, or any penalty at all?

It is critical that we continue to ask questions like these, because they apply not just on the tennis court, but in real life as well. Now is not the time to ask whether Williams’s so-called “outburst” occurred in the appropriate forum or if her comments were delivered in the wrong place and the wrong time.

Where and how she delivered her comments should not distract from the real social problem at hand, nor should it detract from the valuable lesson this incident offers.

In the end, Williams was just a woman in her own workplace, and she spoke up against what she rightly viewed as an injustice. In that way, her bravery and boldness are things we can all learn from.

-Andrea Traietti ’21