Tag: Andrea Traietti ’21
The Cowl Launches Cross-Campus Listening Tour
by The Cowl Editor on October 29, 2020
Editor's Column
The Cowl Launches Cross-Campus Listening Tour
By Andrea Traietti ’21
Editor-in-Chief
This week’s issue marks the official start to The Cowl’s listening tour across campus, as we publish the first in a series of articles on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Providence College.
As part of our listening tour series, The Cowl will be publishing an article relating to DEI in each issue of the paper for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. With our listening tour, our intention is to learn more about the experiences of BIPOC members of our community; bring attention to the efforts of different clubs, organizations, and departments that are working on social justice initiatives; and promote strategies for active anti-racism at PC and beyond.
The listening tour series is one of the ways we are working to follow through on the commitments we made to the PC community over the summer.
In July, The Cowl appeared on the @BlackatPC Instagram page in a post that highlighted a 2017 incident in which The Cowl published an article which used racist terminology and subsequently failed to apologize appropriately. The incident conveyed clearly to us that when it comes to DEI work and anti-racism, The Cowl has a long way to go.
In our response to that post, and in a statement on anti-racism that we had issued earlier in the summer following the murder of George Floyd, we committed to making improvements in our organization and to being active participants in anti-racism at the College.
When we turned to Quincy Bevely and Nick Sailor ’17 of the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for their insight and advice on following through on those commitments, they generously lent their time and suggestions—one of which was a listening tour. We owe credit for this idea to them.
We are so excited to put this plan into action because it fits perfectly with another point that Quincy and Nick made when we met with them: too often, we treat DEI work as something separate from the other parts of our life, when in reality, DEI should be a lens through which we see each and every part of our lives and the world around us.
That is why articles that we publish as part of our listening tour will appear in different sections of the newspaper each week, in News one week, but in Arts & Entertainment or Sports the next.
Each week, a different member of The Cowl will conduct an interview with another student, administrator, faculty member, or staff member to cover a specific DEI-related topic.
Our goals in connecting and conversing with these members of our community are two-fold, internal and external: first, we hope that as a staff, this initiative will enable us to listen and learn more about the initiatives taking place on our campus and the experiences of our BIPOC community members.
Second, we hope that by publishing what we learn from these conversations, we can help to amplify the voices of members of our community that have been marginalized for far too long and bring attention to causes across campus that need our action and support.
Our listening tour is only one step that we are taking in a movement for social justice that we know requires consistent and continuous action on our part. As we continue to build on this initiative and develop others, we invite the PC community to join us on our tour by reading each week, and we look forward to connecting with our readership and the community at large on our mission to listen, learn, and take action.
Coping with Burnout and Building Resilience: Taking Time to Recharge Is a Sign of Strength
by The Cowl Editor on October 16, 2020
Editor's Column
by Andrea Traietti ’21
Editor-in-Chief
Academic burnout is something many of us college students are familiar with by now. It seems to build up slowly every semester until it catches up to us all at once, oftentimes right at the height of stress during midterms and finals week.
This semester has been no exception when it comes to burnout—in fact, burnout this year feels like it has hit sooner, with more intensity, and in new ways for so many students.
The outbreak last month and the pandemic in general add more stressors and put new demands on students, exacerbating the effects of burnout: we have all been juggling busy schedules in a virtual format and spending hours in front of a screen, attending classes and meetings, keeping up-to-date on information in the College’s emails, and getting homework done.
The timing of reopening right around midterms was somewhat unlucky: coming off of roughly three weeks of online classes, students have had little time to fight off “Zoom fatigue” before jumping straight into midterm assignments, which contribute to feelings of academic burnout even in a regular semester.
Add in the responsibility of keeping up with an ever-changing, overwhelming news cycle during an election that is taking place mid-pandemic, and all of these factors seem like the perfect storm for burnout.
Therefore, we should not look at burnout, regardless of what causes it, as a sign of weakness. Burnout is likely to happen to all of us at some point. Humans are not infallible, and needing to take a break does not mean we are not resilient. Rather, reflecting on the state of our mental health, recognizing when we feel burnt out, hitting pause, and making choices to improve how we are feeling are all signs of strength.
Trying to power through by ignoring when we feel burnt out is counterproductive; we need to take a step back when we start seeing some of the telltale symptoms of burnout—exhaustion, lack of motivation, and inability to focus. Taking some time to engage in simple acts of self-care, such as going for a walk, baking with friends, carving out some no-screen time, or participating in one of the many events being offered by the College and Board of Programmers (BOP), is even more important now because it can interrupt burnout and help us reset.
Flexibility, adaptability, and patience are the qualities that have enabled us to cope with the pandemic thus far, and we should take care to exercise those same traits with ourselves, as well. If you are feeling burnt out or simply stretched too thin, do not be discouraged—we have all been there before.
Remember that far from showing weakness or vulnerability, checking in on ourselves and being willing to take a break is actually a sign of strength: ultimately, it builds our resilience, helps us recharge, and gets us to a place where we can jump back into the work we are doing and the things we are passionate about with enthusiasm and a positive outlook.
Calling for Unity amidst COVID Outbreak: A Look at the Recent Actions of PC Students, the College, and the State of RI
by The Cowl Editor on October 1, 2020
Campus
Calling for Unity amidst COVID Outbreak
A Look at the Recent Actions of PC Students, the College, and the State of RI
by Andrea Traietti ’21
Editor-in-Chief
For two weeks now, many of us in the Providence College community have been holding our breath, waiting for the next email update and anxiously checking the COVID-19 data dashboard every night.
Many are angry about the recent actions of some irresponsible students and the reactions of both the College and the State of Rhode Island. But the one feeling that has pervaded this entire period of time for all of us is uncertainty, as we wait now for an update regarding the College’s plan for the rest of the semester and wonder whether we will be able to avoid another outbreak should the College resume in-person classes.
Within the past week, public commentary by media outlets, the State of Rhode Island, and even some students has only served to heighten the anxiety, fear, and anger already felt by so many. At this time, it is critical that we work to appropriately cope with and channel our emotions, not so that we ignore them or their effect on our mental health, but so that they do not detract from our unity as a campus and from our mission as a collective community.
I write as a Providence College senior, living off-campus, and as merely one member of this community. I have no pretensions to any kind of expertise on the spread of COVID-19, the experience of being a college administrator, or the challenges of trying to protect my constituents as an elected official. Thus, I lend my voice not to criticize, but rather to put forth a call to action for all of us in this community—at PC first and foremost, but also in the city of Providence—to make improvements and work together cooperatively and with positivity to address this outbreak and the larger problems it has revealed.
PC STUDENTS
Unquestionably, the PC students who broke COVID-19 protocols are to blame for this outbreak. Their failure to comply with the rules demonstrated selfishness and disregard for both the efforts of faculty and administration to open campus this fall and the safety of the community at large.
Perhaps the best way those students can take responsibility and make up for the pain they have caused is by changing their behavior.
It is no secret that PC students for years now have acted in ways that are too often unneighborly and disrespectful towards our Elmhurst neighbors. The class of 2021, especially, must work to restore that relationship. In our current circumstances, abiding by COVID-19 protocols is where we must start. Following protocols sends a message not just to the local Providence community that we care about their wellbeing, but also to College administrators that their efforts to reopen this fall were not in vain.
We owe it to these people especially to do better, but in general, we owe it to each individual member in this community: student, faculty, neighbor, or otherwise. It is not just our senior year or our semester on the line—it is people’s lives.
Students’ attitudes and actions therefore must change. Each of us needs to take the COVID-19 pandemic seriously and view it as the serious health crisis that it is. We need to recognize our presence in this community as students who, for the most part, are only here temporarily during our time at the College. We must recognize that it is a privilege in and of itself to be living and going to school here, and that many of us have safe, comfortable places to return to should we get sick or have to quarantine. Many people do not have that same privilege and would face serious hardship if they were to be sent home. We must be aware that our surrounding neighborhood is a predominantly low-income, majority Black and Latinx community that would pay a much higher price in an outbreak than we would.
This attitude adjustment must be accompanied by a change in action. We must obey the directives of the College and State when they tell us to stay home. We must wear masks and comply with all testing requirements. There must be a complete stop to all social gatherings during the stay-at-home order. Should the order end soon, there can be no gatherings of more than 15 people—“darties” where massive groups of students congregate outside are absolutely out of the question. Lastly, we must limit our social networks: it is not enough to keep our groups to under 15 people. We need to do our best to stick to the same 15 people or less—a “pod,” so to speak—so that we limit our close contacts. According to both the College and the governor, this failure to limit our social circles to the same group of people was a major cause of the outbreak in the first place.
To put it simply, we must recognize our privilege, adjust our attitudes, and change our actions. It is not too late to do the right thing.
THE COLLEGE
While student compliance is the main improvement to be made, as we move forward, we should also consider any improvements the College could make.
The College has shown diligence in its response to this outbreak in its thorough testing program, in its compliance with State officials and directives, and in its acknowledgement of and apology for the way that the actions of some PC students have affected the State.
In his email to students on Friday, Sept. 25, Father Kenneth Sicard, O.P., said, “We have reminded students and their parents of the College’s zero-tolerance policy again, and that failure to comply with all mandates issued by the College and public health authorities may ultimately result in permanent separation from the College.”
Continued reminders of this policy are important, but will be more effective if they are followed by disciplinary action that is strict, swift, and equally applied. The College must hold those responsible for the outbreak accountable, as it has always maintained that disciplinary action will indeed take place for students who break the rules.
Given privacy laws, details regarding any specific incidents or students cannot be released to the general public; therefore, the community should not expect the College to publicly release information on all of its disciplinary investigations or proceedings.
Nonetheless, students have expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the College’s enforcement of the COVID-19 policies added to the student handbook this past summer. The fact that students are concerned merits attention, and suggests that perhaps at least in its transparency and communication about disciplinary measures, the College can improve.
Even if the College shared more generalized information about the measures it has taken recently to investigate incidents and discipline those found in violation of COVID-19 protocol, the community might feel more reassured.
The College should continue the transparency it exhibited at the beginning of the year with the announcement that 17 students had been suspended. This kind of communication, even of a non-specific, generalized nature that still protects privacy, not only reassures students that safety precautions are being taken seriously, but it also sends a warning message, which unfortunately feels necessary at this time, that their actions will have serious consequences.
The College could also improve the way it communicates and emphasizes the specifics of certain guidelines. Of course, students should have been aware by now that they need to limit their social networks; however, the College can do more to explain to students that limiting the size of social gatherings does not mean simply keeping any gathering to under 15 people. It means keeping social networks to the same, consistent group of 15 or fewer as best as possible. Since this was cited by both the College and the Governor as a main reason the outbreak spread so fast, the College should encourage students to form “pods” with their same groups of friends, and administration needs to communicate this guideline with much more frequency and force.
THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
Last Wednesday, Governor Gina Raimondo held a press conference in which she provided information on the outbreak at PC and explained that because of the spike in cases at the College, Rhode Island had been placed on no-travel lists for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Frustration at the College is justified. Calls to hold the PC students who broke the rules accountable are justified, necessary, and productive.
However, any suggestion, even any indirect implication, that the College should have instituted different policies regarding COVID-19 from any state official is not fair. This summer, the College worked with the State to put together a comprehensive, State-approved reopening plan—that the governor herself signed off on. Criticism of the College’s plan after an outbreak is unfair, and simply put, it is too little, too late.
The fact of the matter is that some PC students made selfish choices that hurt everyone. However, PC was transparent in the apology it issued last week, and it took responsibility for the deplorable actions of some of its students. It is cooperating fully with the State, working diligently to get the outbreak under control, and case numbers are decreasing.
Holding those students and the College accountable for that mistake was completely necessary, but continued blame after responsibility has been accepted and action taken is counterproductive—especially during a crisis that requires unity and cooperation on individual, local, state, and national levels to solve.
Teamwork and commitment to the common good should mark the relationship between the State and the College, in public and private communications. Anything otherwise only exacerbates an already painful situation.
MOVING FORWARD
Our ability to contain the outbreak first and foremost, but also to tackle some of the deeper issues it has revealed—issues concerning privilege, race, and PC’s relationships and interactions with the local community and the State of Rhode Island—is dependent on our ability to move forward together: students, College, and State, in cooperation and unity with one another.
We often cite Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “Beloved Community” as our vision for our campus community. That spirit of justice and commitment to care for one another as equals must guide our efforts as we strive to contain the outbreak and begin addressing the issues it has brought to light.
While there are improvements to be made across the board, we students by and large, as we have since the beginning, hold the future in our hands. If there were ever a time to exemplify that spirit of “Beloved Community,” or ever a group who could best make changes to really live by its teachings, it is all of us students, and the time is now.
Appreciating the Many Ways We Can Lend a Helping Hand
by The Cowl Editor on October 1, 2020
Editor's Column
Appreciating the Many Ways We Can Lend a Helping Hand
by Andrea Traietti ’21
Editor-in-Chief
Shortly before moving back to Providence this summer, I was having a conversation with my dad and he mentioned something he saw on Facebook that had really stuck with him. It was a quote that read, “Remember whenever you’re in a position to help someone, be glad and always do it because that’s God answering someone else’s prayers through you.”
I really liked the sentiment the quote conveyed and I found it especially relevant given the difficulties that so many individuals and families are facing right now, so I wrote it down in the notes app on my phone.
I forgot I had written it down until it came to mind as I was reading through mental health awareness posts on social media a few weeks ago during National Suicide Prevention Week.
Regardless of whether you are religious or not, I think the sentiment behind the quote is all the same: it can be difficult to identify what struggles a person might be silently contending with, and we do not always know what help someone else might be privately praying or hoping for.
However, offering help can sometimes be as easy as just checking in, sending a text to a friend to let them know you are thinking of them, or making time to meet up for a coffee. Understanding that help can take the form even of these small gestures makes it much easier to realize just how often many of us are in positions where we can help someone else.
There are many of us here at Providence College who are privileged in different ways, but there are also many students on this campus who do not have those same privileges. When it comes to mental health, there are more still who are struggling silently, especially in these uncertain times. Right now, we need to ensure that mental health awareness is something we prioritize and advocate for year round—not just for a designated week or month—and we must continue supporting and showing up for one another.
We should remember, therefore, that any time we are privileged enough to be able to offer help, we should offer it freely and gladly, as we never know when even the smallest act of kindness or support might be exactly what someone needs to keep moving forward.
As Cases Spike, COVID Concerns Grip PC Community Putting Off-Campus Students on Lockdown, PC Aims to Stop the Spread
by Kyle Burgess on September 17, 2020
Campus
by Andrea Traietti ’21
Editor in Chief
Slowly but steadily, unease crept across campus early on Tuesday as rumors began to spread that a number of off-campus students had received positive COVID-19 test results. Over the course of the day, concern grew into near-panic for many as students began to communicate with one another about what they had heard and as more details emerged.
Late Tuesday night, around 10 p.m., students received their first concrete piece of information of the day, though maybe not what they were hoping for: effective immediately, students living off-campus were to quarantine for an unspecified period of time.
The late-night email from Dean Steven Sears on Sept. 15, effectively putting off-campus students in lockdown, sent shockwaves across campus.
Early last week, the College saw its first real increase in confirmed COVID-19 cases with three positive test results on Monday, Sept. 7. Five more positive results followed the next day, putting students and faculty on edge, as it was unknown whether or not this was evidence of a growing trend, soon to explode into an outbreak or merely a blip of isolated cases.
When cases dropped down to two on Sept. 9 and then stayed at zero for the next several days, it seemed as though PC had escaped what many thought had the potential to become an outbreak. But within 24 hours on Tuesday, it was clear that any sense of security offered by the low number of cases on the dashboard was not going to last.
News of positive cases prompted many off-campus students to seek rapid testing options at sites off campus, separate from the on-campus testing facility that PC has been using for its surveillance testing of students and faculty.
By the afternoon, news that some of these off-campus tests had returned positive added to the already heightened sense of anxiety on campus. In an afternoon meeting with several students on different club executive boards, Dean Sears indicated that he had received reports of confirmed cases both on and off campus, and that at least one of those cases had been reported to the College from an off-campus testing location.
With no official statement made to the entire PC community, and no updates to the testing data, students were left wondering what course of action the College might take—and if they themselves might have been exposed. That night, however, these questions were answered with the email sent by Sears mandating the immediate isolation and quarantine of all off-campus students.
The first line of Dean Sears’ email referenced the off-campus tests: “We have received reports of students who have tested for COVID-19 tests on their own, at off-campus facilities. He continued, “Some of these results have been reported to the College by the Rhode Island Department of Health; others have been self-reported.” Sears asked students who had received a positive test from any off-campus location to contact Kathy Kelleher in the Student Health Center.
The email contained another directive for mandatory testing the following morning as well. The only instruction given by Sears was that all off-campus students were to report to the Peterson Recreation Center between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sept. 16. This caused widespread panic amongst off-campus students, who all rushed to the testing site that morning, resulting in extremely long waiting times beginning as early as 7:30 a.m. and lines that wrapped all the way around the parking garage below Lennon Field.
Many seniors expressed anger at the lack of organization of the mass testing process. Waiting in an enclosed parking garage for an hour or longer with other students who could potentially test positive was a widespread concern among students.
“I definitely felt anxious waiting in line,” said Katrina Aucello ’21, who visited the testing site around 10:30 Wednesday morning. “The people behind us were close to us, which made me feel uncomfortable given that it felt like anyone off-campus could be positive right now and not even know it.”
Students expressed that there seemed to be many other ways the College could have organized the testing to make the procedure safer not only for the students waiting in the garage, but also for those working in the testing site. Suggestions included creating time slots based on alphabetical order or by the street on which students reside. “If the College had come up with a more efficient and organized plan for testing today, I think that the long lines could have been avoided, which would have made everyone feel safer,” said Aucello.
One member of the senior class said, “Although I recognize the school’s efforts in trying to prevent further spreading of the virus, this was the completely wrong way to go about this. Having all the students collect in one area over a five-hour period of time (not to mention with non-thorough cleaning and not enough enforcement of social distancing) is just another opportunity for exposure to the virus.”
In response to the long lines today, Dean Sears said, “The long lines were just a snapshot in time of everyone showing up at one time for testing. My hope is that we have all negative results from our testing today.” While these are optimistic hopes, one student reported that another student standing behind them in line received a call notifying them of a positive test result while in the garage. It is incidents like this that have made students feel uneasy about how testing went yesterday, and where events and procedures might go in the coming days.
Many students have begun to express concerns about the College’s level of communication and transparency with students, given that the only positive cases on the dashboard since the start of the week were five on Monday, Sept. 14. “I would like to see an increased level of communication and transparency from the school going forward,” said Aucello, “especially because students are hearing a lot of conflicting information from their friends, peers, and professors at any given moment.”
Another concern amongst students is with the lack of discipline from some students who have been ordered to quarantine. Dean Sears addressed these concerns in another email to all off-campus students on Wednesday night. Explaining that he had received photos of parties off campus, complaints about roommates not following COVID-19 regulations, and reports that off-campus students did not return immediately to their homes as advised following testing today, Sears said, “I appreciate how difficult this is and I really do sympathize, but let’s be the community we are meant to be, make good decisions, and keep our Friar family together. This is not a request, or a plea. It is an expectation and our community deserves it.”
Dean Sears concluded his email with a reminder about quarantine protocol, and offered students support, saying, “The College will continue to provide support as you navigate the coming days, and we are here for you if there are things you need. We are at a critical juncture, and it will take all of us to get through it successfully, working together.”
As the College continues to test more students, contact trace, and track down the results of any tests performed off-campus, students, especially those off-campus, await the results from Wednesday’s mass testing, news about when quarantine will end, and any updates to the College’s coronavirus data dashboard. Now, the fate of the semester remains as unclear as ever, and the coming days will prove a test of students’ willpower, the administration’s ability to respond to an outbreak, and the resilience of the PC community as a whole.
Looking Back and Moving Forward
by Andrea Traietti on September 3, 2020
Editor's Column
by Andrea Traietti ’21
Editor-in-Chief
The last time The Cowl was published was on March 5, 2020. When those of us on The Cowl staff left the office the night before, none of us thought that we had just wrapped up our last “Cowl Wednesday” and published our last issue of the 2019-2020 school year.
That March 5 issue of The Cowl sat on stands across campus for almost six months before this issue finally came to replace it. Seeing it still on stands as we moved back to campus to begin the 2020-2021 school year was an eerie reminder of the abrupt end to last year, and of just how different our campus and the world are today than they were just six months ago.
For those of us on The Cowl’s Editorial Board this year, seeing that issue also served as a reminder of our Cowl predecessors, whose time with The Cowl and at Providence College was cut short.
I would be remiss, therefore, to begin my first Editor’s Column without first reflecting on the legacy of last year’s Cowl seniors who did not get the ending they deserved. For so many of us on the Editorial Board, those seniors were not just coworkers, they were role models and friends. We have them to thank not just for the time and effort they put into producing The Cowl each week but also for the lessons in leadership they provided us with their example, and for their friendship and support along the way.
In particular, I personally must thank Kerry Torpey ’20 and Katherine Torok ’20, two incredible and inspiring women who gave their all to The Cowl and to each of us who works for it every single week. Though their time at The Cowl concluded without the recognition they deserved, this entire summer Kerry and Katie have selflessly volunteered their time to continue working with The Cowl in order to support me and Hannah Langley ’21 as we step into the positions they held last year. We would not be here without them, and we certainly have big shoes to fill.
To Kerry and Katie, and all of the 2020 Cowl grads, we say a sincere thank you.
Now, the 2020-2021 Editorial Board is tasked with carrying on the legacy of our predecessors as we find ways to offer perspective and insight on these “unprecedented times,” as everybody likes to say, on our campus and in our country.
Indeed, these times are unprecedented: we are witnessing a deadly and uncontrolled pandemic alongside one of the largest civil rights movements in recent years, all while heading into one of the most consequential elections in American history.
But the phrase “unprecedented times” has been thrown around so much and so easily that I wonder whether most of us have actually paused to consider the true gravity of that phrase, and what it means to be living through times that really are unprecedented.
Right now, we are being called to embrace a great deal of uncertainty about a number of things. On top of this uncertainty, and exacerbating our feelings of anxiety stemming from it, is the fact that we are also all coping with loss, to varying degrees. Loss of a senior year, of memories and time with friends, loss of a job or of a home, and most devastating of all, loss of a loved one. It is unimaginably difficult to find perspective in times of grief, and to see a greater purpose in our losses.
These past months, I have thought a lot about what it means to have perspective right now, and I have struggled with the realization that it can be very difficult to find. But I also believe that perspective can sometimes be found in the unlikeliest of places; in my case, sitting in my childhood bedroom in the middle of a deadly pandemic, scrolling through digitized issues of The Cowl in the library’s online archives.
There was nothing completely earth-shattering hiding in those archived pages, no epiphany just waiting to be uncovered all these years later. The real perspective came not from what I was reading, but simply from the process of looking back. Studying history can sometimes have a funny way of making you ask questions not only about the past but also about the future. This was the case as I scrolled through years of Providence College history preserved on pages of The Cowl that spanned from 1935 to 2020.
As I clicked through and downloaded issue after issue, I imagined future editors of The Cowl, 15 years from now when The Cowl turns 100, or even 65 years from now when it turns 150, sitting down to look through old issues of our paper just like I did. I wonder now, of course, what this next year holds for us and what those future editors might find in the pages we publish the next two semesters.
Inevitably, those looking back on this year’s issues of The Cowl are bound to uncover accounts of failure, disappointment, and disagreement across our campus. As a student newspaper, we have a responsibility to report the truth even when it is difficult to hear, and it is an unfortunate reality that this semester in particular is bound to present us with difficult and disappointing news.
But I do not doubt that those looking back will find something else, too. I trust that just as I did as I looked through old issues, those future editors will find stories of resilience, of teamwork, of victories big and small, of long-awaited change, and of ways Friars supported one another.
The main takeaway, then, the great perspective I gained in old pages of The Cowl, was this: we still have stories to write and pages to fill. I hope that those pages will be full of proof that in the face of these “unprecedented times,” we showed up for each other and for our community in unprecedented ways, and discovered unprecedented courage and hope in the process.
Tangents & Tirades
by Andrea Traietti on March 5, 2020
Opinion
Addressing Period Poverty
Recently, Scotland’s Parliament passed the first stage of the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill. First proposed in 2017 by Scottish Parliament member Monica Lennon, the bill would require the government to ensure that free period products, such as tampons and pads, are available for any woman who needs them. The Scottish government estimates executing such a bill would require about £24 million annually to help women who have a hard time affording period products.
“Period poverty” is a term used, in part, to describe women who do not have the financial means to afford menstrual products. According to a study published by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, over 500 million people across the globe cope with period poverty. In addressing this issue head on, Scotland’s Parliament had a two-hour candid debate about women’s health and the stigmatization of menstruation.
The stigma surrounding periods makes the topic one that is frequently abandoned between men and women. With society constructing this natural process as embarrassing or “unclean,” women are selective about who they discuss their menstrual cycles with and can often be found hiding their menstrual products up their sleeves or inside boots to avoid humiliation.
The need for more open conversation and education about menstruation could potentially lead to more legislation that may help the millions of women around the world who live in period poverty. Although multiple states in the U.S. (excluding Rhode Island), have outlawed taxes on menstrual products, Scotland’s first step towards free period products is a hopeful step for the future here.
—Kerry Torpey ’20
Voting Absentee for Primaries
With the 2020 primary season in full swing, now is the time to apply for your absentee ballot as soon as possible.
In order to begin improving the health of our democracy, voter turnout proves imperative. To that end, participation in your state primary need not be sacrificed merely because you may be out of state during the time of the election.
An application for an absentee ballot can be completed within a matter of minutes at Vote.org—you will simply input your home address and a ballot can be mailed to you here at Providence College or to the location of your preference.
Although Super Tuesday has come to pass, the majority of states have still yet to vote in this highly contested race, with the Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania primaries right around the corner on April 28.
In the meantime, it remains critical to the welfare of our nation that as many college students as possible research the politics of the remaining candidates in the race to fully participate as informed voters in the electoral process.
In turn, within our present electoral structure, casting a ballot in the primary election as an educated voter proves our best means of influencing whether the candidate that promises the brightest future for both the American and global public may be elected as president so that she or he may enact the change we hope to see in the world.
—Alyssa Cohen ’21
Eat Less Meat for the Environment
Students on Providence College’s campus are quite familiar with the idea of skipping meat once a week, since during the Lenten season PC offers no meat options in its dining halls on Fridays. However, there might be another lesser-known and non-religious reason why we should all consider skipping meat for a day: to decrease our impact on the environment.
According to the New York Times, 14.5 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions per year come from the meat and dairy industry—roughly the same amount emitted by the various transportation industries.
This is a massive amount of emissions. However, it actually would not require massive lifestyle changes in order to improve this number. Making a difference does not actually require going vegan or vegetarian, or cutting out meat and animal products entirely. Simply eating less meat and dairy can significantly improve the toll that our eating habits are taking on the environment.
Small and simple diet adjustments can make all the difference, while still leaving room for the occasional cheeseburger. New York Times food writer Melissa Clark suggests an 80-20 strategy: following a diet composed 80 percent of plant-based foods, and 20 percent of meat and dairy.
Achieving this ratio could involve any number of changes, but a good place to start is with protein replacement: including more beans, chickpeas, and high-protein nuts (such as almonds) in your diet. New plant-based meats, like those offered by Beyond Meat—which is now featured at Dunkin’—are another great option if you find tofu unappealing.
Overall, while eating a more plant-based diet might boost your own physical health, it can definitely also help to improve the planet’s health in the process.
—Andrea Traietti ’21
Tangents & Tirades
by Andrea Traietti on February 27, 2020
Opinion
Mandatory out-of-Class Events
It is not unusual to find courses that incorporate immersive learning experiences corresponding to course material here at Providence College.
However, requiring students to attend these events outside of their regular course hours oversteps boundaries and creates unnecessary burdens for students, especially if the dates of these events are not announced until the first day of class.
The interim periods between semesters are times where families make plans and solidify dates when students may return home or be attending a family function, which means it is the professor’s responsibility to notify students of any external obligations as soon as they are determined.
The second issue with these requirements comes from the fact that students already dedicate at least two and a half hours per class each week, and piling additional hours of mandatory-attendance events detracts from a student’s quality of work for other courses.
Whether it is a film screening or attendance at a museum tour, professors should be taking into account how long these obligations are and reducing course sessions as appropriately to demonstrate a basic recognition that their course is not the only one students are taking.
There is nothing wrong with having students in a film class take time to go and attend a screening, or having students studying a certain style of painting to visit a museum. But visits and requirements can quickly accumulate, and if they are to be used effectively, they must accompany some form of a reduction in course meeting times for that week.
—Joshua Chlebowski ’21
Mid-Semester Course Evaluations
Students at Providence College are well-acquainted with the concept of exams at midterms, but perhaps PC should consider another kind of evaluation at the mid-point of the semester: teacher evaluations.
At the end of each semester, students are required to fill out an evaluation for each class they take, which requires them to provide feedback about teaching style, class content, use of technology in the classroom, and other individualized aspects of each course.
Last semester, PC made a change to the way course evaluations are collected, switching over from a Scantron-style form on paper to an online version. As the College continues to improve its collection of student feedback, it should consider encouraging professors to gather student perspectives at the middle of the semester, not just the end.
Student feedback is a critical component of making improvements to curricula and courses, and it is a positive thing that PC takes the collection of this information so seriously.
However, collecting feedback only at the end of each semester means that changes and improvements can only be made the next time that professor teaches that specific class. In some cases, that might not be for another six months or another year.
Furthermore, while it is helpful that feedback at the end of the semester might make the course a more enjoyable experience for future students, it does nothing to help the students who are actually in the class currently.
By asking for student feedback in the middle of the semester, either verbally or written out, professors can open a line of communication with their students, and in some cases, make much-needed changes to make the second half of the semester more effective and enjoyable for students and professors alike.
—Andrea Traietti ’21
No More PC Cash
Do you remember the days when you could purchase tickets for Providence College sponsored events without going through the hassle of adding PC Cash to your account? I sure do.
The College in recent years has switched to a system of only allowing students to pay for tickets using PC Cash, for reasons unbeknownst to the students.
The school provides kiosks in some locations for adding PC Cash, although these only take cash—which in and of itself is becoming an outdated concept. The school also offers the option of using a credit card online to add sums of money, but such a transaction includes a one dollar fine.
What is this dollar going towards? Is it really necessary considering the school allows students to use cash in other locations and does not charge them for doing so? Do students not give enough money to this institution as it is?
Not only is the act of having to put PC Cash on one’s account before purchasing a ticket inconvenient, but it is also altogether unnecessary given that students used to simply be able to go up to the ticket window and purchase whatever they pleased.
In sum, PC should return to the method of purchasing tickets only through the ticket window, with no caveats.
—Savannah Plaisted ’21
True Compassion Calls for Political Awareness: Recognizing that Being “Uninterested” in Politics is Privilege
by Andrea Traietti on January 16, 2020
Opinion
when the College hosts them, is a great way to stay informed. Laura Chadbourne ’20/The Cowl.
by Andrea Traietti ’21
Opinion Co-Editor
If you are in a position where you can truthfully say “politics just don’t interest me,” or “I just don’t really care about politics,” then you are lucky.
You are lucky because you have the privilege of not having to worry about how decisions made in Washington, D.C., sometimes behind closed doors, will affect the most major parts of your life: your job security, your ability to remain living in your home, and your health, just to name a few.
If you are in this privileged position where, for the most part, the decisions made by the federal government will not affect your basic well-being, you might have found yourself at one point or another completely disinterested in politics. You feel no urgency to read or watch the news, the incessant New York Times updates on your phone really just kind of annoy you, and the minute politics come up at the dinner table, you mutter that you just cannot be bothered anymore.
In today’s political climate especially, it can be easy to fall into this trap of disengagement and disinterest. Indeed, it seems as though politicians are more interested in bickering than passing any actual legislation or getting anything done, so what is the point in paying attention?
But we need to identify this mindset for what it really is: a trap, and a dangerous one at that. To just not care about politics is, on a basic level, choosing ignorance, and that is an obvious problem when considering the fact that we, as voters, are supposed to make informed decisions.
But on another, more serious level, not caring about politics is choosing selfishness. It is choosing the path of least compassion.
This is because, while you have the privilege of being able to disengage from politics, many people in this country and on this campus—in fact, more people than we might realize—do not have that privilege. Many people have no choice but to care, and to care deeply, because the decisions made by bickering politicians will determine their access to healthcare, their ability to earn citizenship or stay in this country, their employment rights.
So, to say that we “don’t care” or “aren’t interested” in politics is to say we do not care what happens to the people who are affected by the decisions politicians make—the people who have to care.
As a country, we should not be accepting of this mindset. A country that espouses the belief that all people are created equal should also believe in caring about, and for, all people equally.
Moreover, as a campus and as a student-body, we have a special perspective, and a special responsibility, to promote this kind of compassion. Father Brian Shanley, O.P.’s, message to students and faculty on December 11, 2019 embodied the kind of awareness and response we ought to share as a campus.
In this email, Fr. Shanley emphasized Providence College’s continued support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and those on this campus who are recipients of the program. He outlined the Catholic Church’s position on immigration and concluded his email with the sentiment that “compassion and care for the most vulnerable and marginalized is a moral imperative at the heart of our faith.”
Fr. Shanley’s message was powerful in that it served as a reminder not just that there are people on this campus who are being directly affected by the decisions of the current administration, but that the rest of us have a responsibility to support those in need.
This responsibility stretches beyond just DACA or the issue of immigration, as Catholic teaching tells us broadly to love our neighbor. Not just our neighbor who looks like us or lives like us, or the neighbor who shares our same interests and our same struggles. We have a responsibility to show this compassion to each and every neighbor: to our neighbor who is a DACA recipient, who cannot afford healthcare, who is a victim of the opioid crisis, or who is facing any kind of obstacle that is being driven by public policy—by decisions largely beyond their control.
The best way to do this is simply to care about the people facing these kinds of problems, about their well-being and their futures. But we can only care about others when we understand the extent of what they are going through—when we pay attention to the issues and the things at stake, and at least try to put ourselves in other peoples’ shoes.
In the end, this is our responsibility. When so much of what so many people are dealing with is being determined in Washington, D.C., we must make a concerted effort to care about politics if we want to be able to care about other people.
Though staying engaged with and interested in politics seems to grow more challenging each day, when it comes down to it, loving our neighbor is not a choice—and, therefore, neither is paying attention to the world around you.
Writer vs. Writer: Is the Recent Petition to Fix Ray’s Food Effective?
by The Cowl Editor on December 5, 2019
Campus
YES
Kelly Wheeler ’21
Opinion Co-Editor
In light of the recent insect and glass-related incidents at Raymond Dining Hall, an online petition has been created to boycott Ray. Although specific demands are not listed, the petition is putting pressure on Providence College for “better food and a healthier environment.”
The petition has amassed over 2,200 supporters within several hours. Given the fact that 4,139 undergraduate students attend Providence College, this number is significant, and it may just be large enough to motivate the College to take action. Granted, this petition is not restricted to PC students, as some parents and alumni have expressed support via their signatures. However, the petition has only been circulating for a few days, so it is likely that this number will continue to grow during the upcoming weeks.
Petitions are often scoffed at for being ineffective. However, change is never accomplished by staying quiet. The supporters of this position are using their voices to urge the College to take action. Aside from Alumni Hall Food Court and Eaton Street Café, Ray is the only dining option that students have on campus. It is unacceptable that students are scared that they will find bugs or other objects in their food when eating a meal at the College’s main dining hall. Students are paying an exorbitant amount of money for their meal plans, so they should not have to inspect their food constantly before they begin eating. If students do nothing and passively allow this unacceptable pattern to continue, what would motivate the College to reevaluate their dining services?
If nothing else, the petition provides a platform for discussion about the dining services provided at PC. Both students, alumni, and parents have made comments on the petition website discussing their experiences at Ray. Conversations need to be had about what is going on at Ray. If people do not make their grievances known or share their feedback, PC will never know what they are experiencing.
Although it may seem small-scale in comparison to other forms of activism, participating in a petition is a good way to advocate for change regarding the recent dining incidents at Ray. When it comes down to it, it is always better to advocate for change and fail in the attempt than to do nothing at all.
NO
Andrea Traietti ’21
Opinion Co-Editor
Without a doubt, Raymond Dining Hall has improvements to make. Between undercooked chicken, bugs, mice, and now glass and parasitic worms, students have detected and reported a number of serious quality control problems. These issues are a threat to students’ health, and they need to be addressed. However, the recent petition circulating amongst students, parents, and alumni is not the most effective way to bring about change.
The first problem with the petition is its lack of clarity. The description listed on the petition site explains that Providence College is currently on a low-level plan with Sodexo. Citing how PC’s level is only slightly above the level used in prisons, the petition seems to be calling for PC to buy into a higher quality plan with Sodexo—but nowhere in the petition does it actually say this is the goal.
Is the goal to force PC to switch to a different food supplier entirely? To introduce new quality-control measures at our existing level? There is no explicit goal cited in the description.
Then, at the end of the petition, it asks respondents to boycott Raymond Dining Hall. A boycott of Ray, however, would unfortunately not work for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, Ray is the only dining hall on campus that is swipe-based and does not require FriarBucks. In general, but especially at this point in the semester, students do not have enough FriarBucks to boycott Ray completely.
Aside from the monetary issues, a boycott seems ineffective if the goal is to bring attention to Sodexo’s food quality. The other dining halls on campus, Alumni Hall and Eaton Street Café, are also run by Sodexo. Eating only at these places does not send the message to PC’s administration that Sodexo is the problem.
Lastly, it would be far more effective if efforts at reform, which are desperately needed and long overdue, were framed in a constructive, rather than overly critical manner. PC and Sodexo alike will be more responsive to specific feedback and ideas from students and parents about how to make improvements than to continued discussion about the problems the school is facing.
Furthermore, PC is already well aware of the issues at Raymond Dining Hall, as their response to recent issues has indicated. Simply continuing to list out examples of low-quality or unsafe food will not help this situation. However, specific feedback and suggestions can help give the College ideas about what students really want and how to move forward.