Tag: Breaking News
Men’s Soccer Beats NJIT 2-0 in First Round of NCAA Tournament
by The Cowl Editor on November 22, 2019
Friar Sports
Friars Defense Locks Down Highlanders
By Jack Belanger ’21
Sports Co-Editor
Despite it being their first NCAA Tournament game since 2016, the Providence College Men’s Soccer Team looked like a team that was no stranger to playing on the big stage. With only five players remaining from the 2016 team, the entire Friars’ roster gave incredible performances on both ends of the field. In their first ever match-up against the New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders, PC took an early lead and dominated the game for the full 90 minutes, winning 2-0 in their final game at Anderson Stadium for the season.
The Friars were on the attack from the get go. Less than 10 minutes into the first half, Trevor Davock ’20RS put one into the back of the net on a crossing pass from Christopher Roman ’22. The Friars would keep NJIT busy throughout the first half with seven shots on goal.
The Friars’ defense also had a great first half, allowing only three shots total with none on goal. NJIT did not test goaltender Austin Aviza ’20RS until 68 minutes into the game.
Despite several great scoring opportunities, PC would go into halftime with a 1-0 lead. While the game remained tight, captain Joao Serrano ’20RS knew the team would cash in on their opportunities eventually.
“We knew that we were going to keep getting chances,” said Serrano. “We just had to keep sharing the ball with each other and find the open man.”
With 37 minutes left in the second half, it looked like the Friars would score their second goal as Davock got another shot past the Highlander goalie, but it was called off due to an offside call.
Later, Esben Wolf ’23 put the Friars up 2-0 when he got the ball on the left side of the box and was able to get a close shot in just to the right of NJIT’s goalie. A few minutes earlier, he had a similar shot but missed just wide of the goal.
With 13 minutes left in the game, Gil Santos ’22 almost gave the Friars their third goal of the night. After running up the right side of the field, he made a sharp move to get free from his defender and got the open shot. Unfortunately his shot was directly at the goalie.
NJIT got their best chance to get on the board with eight minutes left. The Highlanders got a pass inside the box to give Joao Costa a chance for a header. His shot would just miss and hit off the left post. The Highlanders stepped up in the second half as they out-shot PC 8-5 in the final 45 minutes.
“They came on top of us in the second half,” said Aviza. “They were really prepared, but we did well with it. It really shows our commitment to play defense.”
The defense in front of Aviza locked down NJIT all night, as he only had to make two saves the entire game. The Friars made sure to stop Highlander Rene White, who scored 17 goals on the season and was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year. They limited him to only one shot.
After the game Serrano, one of the few remaining players from the 2016 season, made it clear the team is still hungry for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. “We got to make sure the guys keep pushing on and are on the same page. When guys show up on the field, they got to bring their best selves.”
The Friars now advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and will head to Pennsylvania State University on Sunday to play against the No. 15 seed Nittany Lions at 5 p.m.
Dr. Bernice A. King Addresses PC Community for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation
by The Cowl Editor on January 19, 2018
Campus
King Discusses Nonviolent Protest and Creating the “Beloved Community”
by Ernie Andreoli ’18
News Staff
Dr. Bernice A. King, a distinguished minister and the youngest daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, presented the keynote address at the inaugural Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation at Providence College on Thursday, January 18. Over 600 students, faculty, and members of the Providence community packed into the Peterson Recreation Center to hear Dr. King’s lecture on her father’s legacy, as well as the importance of sustained civil rights activism.
In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of her father’s assassination, King stressed that “together we win with love for humanity.” After an introduction by Dr. Hugh F. Lena, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Father Brian Shanley, O.P., greeted the crowd by touching upon the late Dr. King’s vision of the “beloved community.” Fr. Shanley reiterated that an interconnected community and a “just social order” could only be accomplished through “faith, hope, and love.” As a part of the MLK Convocation week on campus, Fr. Shanley honored Dr. Francis P. MacKay, Dr. René E. Fortin (posthumous), Dr. Mark N. Rerick (posthumous), and Rev. Robert A. Morris, O.P. (posthumous) for creating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship at Providence College.
Fifty years ago, Rev. Morris, a champion of diversity and inclusion, encouraged the College’s administrators to create a scholarship for incoming students that commemorated the civil rights achievements of the late Rev. Dr. King Jr. During the fall semester of 1968, a cohort of students received this notable award. Today, 100 students have received this scholarship from the inspiring works of these four honorees and their commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
Following the inaugural presentation of the MLK Vision Award, Ralph E. Tavares, director of multicultural student success and assistant dean of undergraduate studies, spoke of the continuous importance of selflessness, dedication, and love throughout our lives and communities. While Tavares acknowledged that polarized political ideologies and instances of hatred have divided the College’s community to a certain extent, he asserted that “love will keep us planted.”
Following Tavares’s remarks, Phionna-Cayola Claude ’18, president of Student Congress, emphasized the “power of conversation” to combat bigotry. Claude contended that while all individuals hold different beliefs, equality and justice are essential for communal development and self-actualization. Prior to introducing Dr. King as the keynote speaker, Claude stated that Dr. King is the living example of her father’s purpose.
In commemoration of her father’s life, Dr. King encouraged all in attendance to perform 50 acts of kindness and service to individuals of another race between now and April 4, the day her father was assassinated in Memphis, in an effort to mitigate the current racial climate. Furthermore, Dr. King invited all attendees to take part in the March for Humanity in Atlanta on April 9 in an attempt to connect with one another, impede racial discrimination, and enact positive change in people and institutions.
According to Dr. King, nonviolent resistance, a practice her father tirelessly encouraged, is the most necessary tactic to be used in social movements, as well as throughout our lives. Specifically, in a time of technological connectedness and social unrest, Dr. King proclaimed that “when it comes to humanity, we cannot have losers.” Ultimately, in order to “create a beloved community,” Dr. King exclaimed that nonviolent resistance will lead to our spiritual and moral development.
Dr. King examined her father’s studies in theology and civil activism, and how these teachings fare in 2018. As her father declared in the mid-1950s, she reiterated that the Montgomery Bus Boycott “was not a victory over white people.” Rather, Dr. King emphasized that the political and social protest was a “victory over injustice.” In order to expose the ugliness of violence and injustice in this day and age, Dr. King encouraged all in attendance to face prejudice through love.
Following Dr. King’s address, Tavares moderated a Q&A session between Dr. King and those in attendance. Adriel Antoine ’18, president of PC’s chapter of the NAACP, asked Dr. King for her thoughts on how to keep the momentum going with current social and political resistance movements. “People are responding, but they are not organizing,” stated Dr. King. While she acknowledged that protests are an important component of nonviolent resistance, Dr. King insisted that “the goal is change.”
Dr. King encouraged all in attendance to make justice, freedom, and righteousness a reality. In January 2012, Dr. King was appointed chief executive officer of The King Center, a nonprofit organization founded by Coretta Scott King in 1968. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this resource institution is committed to nonviolent social change in honor of the late Rev. Dr. King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Rosa Parks, among other influential social activists. Dr. King graduated from Spelman College with a B.A. in psychology in 1985 and obtained her J.D. and Master of Divinity from Emory University in 1990. Reflecting on the convocation, Jayson Sanderson ‘21 noted “It was breathtaking.” Sanderson went on to state that Dr. King’s lecture provided “a lot of encouragement to people of color, as well as the entire PC Community.”
Relief for Houston: PC Fundraises to Help Hurricane Harvey Victims
by The Cowl Editor on September 9, 2017
Campus
Texas Storm Hits Close for Some PC Students, Faculty, and Staff
By Liza Sisk ’19
Breaking News Staff
Continue reading “Relief for Houston: PC Fundraises to Help Hurricane Harvey Victims”
Silence for Solidarity
by The Cowl Editor on September 4, 2017
Campus
PC Community Walks Together for Social Change
By Sabrina Guilbeault ’18
News Editor
Only one day into the academic year, members of the Providence College community received an email from the BMSA Executive Board, inviting all to a Solidarity Walk, which took place this past Thursday, August 31. The walk allowed the community to reflect on the events that occurred this summer in Barcelona and Charlottesville, Virginia, and challenge one another to foster social change.
In the email, the student leaders said, “The events that took place in Charlottesville and Barcelona are inexcusable actions and it is through these times that we should come together as a community and engage in dialogue (not debate) despite our differences.”
Thursday night at 8:30 p.m., students, faculty, and staff gathered outside the glass doors of the Slavin Atrium, and listened intently as Chalayna Smart ’18, treasurer of BMSA, stood before the group and said, “Tonight we stand in solidarity for victims of violence.” Smart recognized Kayla Luciano ’18, president of OLAS for organizing the event, and explained that this walk would be a silent one.
“Take this time to live in one’s shared experience,” Fartun Abdulle ’19, vice president of BMSA, said as she addressed the group. “Take the time to get to know how those around you are feeling, and then talk about how you feel.” She emphasized that there is power in numbers, and that there were in fact numbers there.
The walk stretched throughout all of campus. The group moved through Slavin and Alumni (members holding doors for one another as the group entered) then walked across Slavin Lawn, across Aquinas Lawn and past Saint Dominic Chapel, then cut in front of Raymond Dining Hall and ended outside of the doors to the business school. Friends greeted friends as they passed; as Smart later reflected, “This is the first time no one screamed at us as we walked by, that’s progress.”
“This is a good time for reflection on those things we were not physically there to experience,” said Ivan Vukusic ’18. “College is supposed to change the way you think for the better, and I’m glad I had the chance to participate in a walk like this during my time here.”
Once at the business school, the group circled around the stone benches found by the front door, and organizers of the event welcomed participants to stand and speak their reflections. All the while, Onassis Valerio ’18 held up a sign that displayed the words, “Spread Love Not Hate.”
Prior to the reflections, a group of women sang a rendition to classic gospel hymns including “Oh Freedom” and “Wade in the Water.” Their voices echoed as far to the back of the crowd where administrators such as Father Brian Shanley, O.P., Father Kenneth Sicard, O.P., Kristine Goodwin, Steven Sears, and Tiffany Gaffney stood amidst the group of students and staff.
“PC has grown so much since I’ve been here,” said Sara Jean Francois ’19. “This is a student led march of solidarity and that means something.”
Students then took turns standing on the stone benches and addressing the crowd. Sean Richardson ’20 started the trend, emphasizing that silence is violence. “This is serious,” he said. “It is so nice to see students here that are not of color. Thank you for supporting us.”
Later, Gabe Alvarez ’20 stood, and explained that he has learned a lot from his grandmother, especially the significance of the blue in the Colombian flag. “The blue in the middle represents the people and the water that connects us,” he said. “Water runs through everyone. We don’t make progress through hatred, but by seeing the blue in each other.”
Keeping with the theme of water, Chaplain Father Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P., later explained that the spiritual “Wade in the Water” is normally associated with the Underground Railroad and has strong connections with the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but the version the students sang reminded him of the image of Jesus healing the sick man at the Pool of Bethsaida. “God stirred up even more powerful waters, and it shows that the healing that is needed comes from Christ,” he said. “Imagine what our campus would be like if Jesus could touch all our hearts like that.”
Two freshmen spoke, and were encouraged and applauded by their peers for their bravery. “I can feel the love,” one said. The other emphasized that racism does exist at PC, and shared an experience she has already encountered this past week, “But it means so much to me to see all this support here tonight,” she said.
Students were welcomed to voice their frustrations; one expressed her distress that solidarity walks still need to happen and said, “I hate feeling like I don’t belong.”
Another student shared her story about a time when someone told her that she only got accepted to PC due to affirmative action. “Good grades can make it,” she said, and went on to explain that marches of solidarity like this one allow her to know that this is the place she wants to be. “Yeah we got problems, but shit, who else doesn’t?” she asked the crowd.
Mostly students spoke, but two staff members from the Office of Admissions did stand and thank the students for what they were doing. Both highlighted the fact that that PC does love all its students, and that everyone is an equal member of our campus community. “It is so beautiful to see this representation,” said Karen Vargas, associate dean of admission and coordinator of multicultural recruitment.
The event ended with pizza as a gift from the Dean’s Office, which was brought out by members of the Office of Safety and Security who were at the event. Students embraced and interacted with one another and the faculty and staff who were present.
It was emphasized, however, that although the walk was successful, work still needs to be done.
“This is easy. This was a silent walk, you didn’t even have to speak,” Adriel Antoine ’18 said. He explained that this same kind of energy should be found in the classroom, in the hallway, even on Eaton Street. “When you’re on your own and you hear something said that isn’t right, that’s what’s difficult. I challenge everyone here to speak up when you are alone just as we are all speaking up here,” he said.