T.F. Green Airport Gets Green Light: Planned Renovations Enter Final Stages

by The Cowl Editor on February 27, 2020

National and Global News

by Brian Garvey ’20

News Staff

T.F. Green Airport has taken the final step towards major renovations and changes, finalizing a master plan for extensive updates and expansion of their main terminal. The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) has developed this plan over the past 18 months, taking ideas from multiple open houses and forums aimed at figuring out where people really wanted to see improvements.

Last October, the RIAC introduced some of the new potential stores and restaurants, including Wahlburgers, Hope & Main, and Federal Hill Brick Oven Pizza. John Goodman, the director of public relations for RIAC, emphasized Rhode Island pride and heart when describing the updates, saying, “We want to make sure the airport is something every Rhode Islander is proud of and it puts our best step forward.”

T.F. Green Airport has seen steady growth and expansion in the last decade, with these expansions coming nearly three years after the airport completed extensive runway expansion. These expansions have made T.F. Green a full international airport with the needed runway capacity to operate efficiently. Goodman also stated, “In the last three years we have seen 12 percent growth.”

According to official airport records, T.F. Green has seen a consistent rise in travelers since 2015. T.F. Green has also been consistently recognized as one of the best airports in the country, with USA Today ranking it as the second best small airport in the country, and Travel + Leisure consistently ranking it within the top 10 airports in the country.

Joe McDonald ’20 said, “I would gladly fly in and out of T.F. Green airport over Boston Logan. It is so much easier to get in and out of T.F. Green, and I love the surrounding Warwick area. Flying into Boston is just such a hassle and way more bogged down with traffic.”

T.F. Green is a local favorite for many Providence College students, as the quick 20-minute drive is much more efficient than either an hour-train ride from South Station or the even longer drive from Boston down I-95.

Tom McMahon ’20 is a Warwick native and takes great pride in “his” airport. “I went to one of the open house meetings for the potential updates, and it seemed like they were really putting a lot of thought and care into what local people had to say,” said McMahon. “The airport is many people’s gateway into the great state of Rhode Island, and it is very important that it is a strong representation.”

T.F. Green also recently announced that it is getting a $4.7 million grant to modernize the terminal, acquire land, and study effective noise reduction strategies. Announced by Senator Jack Reed and titled the Airport Improvement Program, this grant for the RIAC will be going towards all of the proposed changes and updates to the airport. Goodman stated that the construction of new restaurants and shops, as well as improvements to the terminal’s public facilities, will begin this summer.

T.F. Green Airport has continued to expand over the last decade.
photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Reason(s) for the Season: Exploring the Many Traditions of Christmastime

by The Cowl Editor on December 5, 2019

Features

Boston’s Christmas celebrations pay homage to the famous Rockefeller Center tree lighting. Photo courtesy of Flickr.com

by Brian Garvey ’20

News Staff

Christmas on the East Coast is a time of family, revelry, and tradition. With the majority of Providence College students heading home for the holidays, many join in traditions ranging from Christmas tree shopping to listening to silver bells in New York City.

New York City, while already iconic, ups the ante during Christmastime. Once a year, in November, a massive Christmas tree is chosen to dazzle all of New York, lighting up the famous Rockefeller Center. For some students who call New York or New Jersey home, this is a must-see event. Brendan Cooney ’20, said, “My family and I love going into New York during the Christmas season. We have been going into the city ever since I was little, and I love shopping in all the stores and seeing all the lights. But my absolute favorite part is skating at the Rockefeller rink.” The world-famous rink, below street level with thousands of onlookers, is steeped in history and an icon of Christmastime in the city.

Boston, not to be outdone, also puts on a fantastic show for Christmas. There is a beautiful tree lighting in Boston Common, and Faneuil Hall Marketplace is always incredibly festive. Some students use the rich sports culture of Boston as a tradition. Chris Olivieri ’20, said, “ My brother, dad, and I have always gone to TD Garden for a Bruins game over Christmastime. I love Original Six hockey, and I can’t wait to see them hopefully get a win.”

Others prefer a more casual Christmas tradition but by no means quieter. Across New England, the young and old alike sling their skates over their shoulders and head to their local pond or rink, ready to relive glory days of hockey, from pee-wee to college. Christian Bernard ’20 said, “I have never been much of a finesse player, but I love playing hockey with the people of Leominster. I like to make my presence felt early, then distribute to my younger siblings and cousins later in the game. Me and my family play on Christmas day every year, and it is a blast.”

Competition seems to be a very important part of family traditions to many students. “Every year, on Christmas day, my mom’s friend always buys my sister and I a new board game as a gift. The whole family plays, and everyone gets really into it. It’s always super competitive, and it brings everyone closer together,” says Bernard.

Gift-giving is obviously a large part of many family’s Christmas traditions. The McMahon family takes this to a whole new level, as Tom McMahon ‘20 is the second oldest of 11 siblings participating in a massive gift exchange that spans over 50 extended family members. “One year, all I got was a pair of socks. The next year, I got a brand-new saxophone, something I cherish dearly,” said McMahon. “It really depends on who you get matched up with. My favorite gift that I have ever gotten was easily my Supreme hoodie, and I look forward to this exchange every year.” The chaos brought on by a gift exchange featuring everyone from toddlers to grandparents is a sight to see, and McMahon says he would not trade it for the world.

Christmastime means many things to different people, and the traditions that come with it are treasured. Whether it be chaos on the hockey rink or a moonlit walk through Central Park, the traditions of the holidays bring friends and family together, and that is what the holiday celebrations are all about.

Friars Partake in Sales Showcase

by The Cowl Editor on November 14, 2019

Campus

by Brian Garvey ’20

News Staff

This Wednesday, the Ryan Center for Business Studies hosted the Friars Sales Showcase. Featuring 12 of the leading business-to-business sales companies in the country, students were given the opportunity to network, gain information, and apply for jobs and internships.

The showcase provided something for everyone: major or non-major, freshmen or upperclassmen, job seekers or those looking for internships—this event was designed to give students a chance to learn more about business-to-business selling and build their network of business contacts. Joe McDonald ‘20, a member of the American Marketing Association Board, said, “This is a really important opportunity for marketing majors. I feel like accounting and finance jobs dominate the career fair, and this showcase gives more people the opportunity to take the next step towards their future career.”

Many students took advantage of this fantastic opportunity and felt that the showcase was a really important guiding opportunity for them. Peter Chin ‘20 said, “I attended this showcase to really gain more insight into the sales field. It has definitely made me more interested in pursuing a career in this area, particularly with the company Toast.”

One aspect of the showcase that people were most excited for was the discussion panel with other PC alumni. Students were able to pick the brains of those who once walked in their shoes and learned more about how to transition from college to the workforce. McDonald said, “This part of the showcase is what I found to be most valuable. It was very cool to see freshmen and sophomores learning from graduates, and I think that this advice is more valuable than anything from a textbook.”

The visiting companies were impressed with the turnout of students. PC students spent their afternoon filtering in and out of different company tables, and showed a real enthusiasm for the showcase. There were many non-business majors as well, eager to learn more about a potentially exciting field. Dylan Holmes ‘20, a political science major, said, “I’ve never really been interested in a finance or accounting degree, but I found that I love the relationships that drive sales. This showcase definitely makes me think more positively about this field, and is definitely something I’ll consider while I start my job search.”

The success of this event has opened the door to more career-specific events in the future. McDonald said, “We love being able to promote these fantastic events. Anything that can help out students during such a stressful process is something that is very important to the student body.” The event provided networking opportunities and valuable career information for students.

Students mingled with alumni and potential employers.
Nora johnson ’20/the cowl

Bursting the PC Bubble: Troops Withdrawn from Syria

by The Cowl Editor on October 10, 2019

Campus

U.S. troop withdrawal will lead to uncertainty in Syria.
photo courtesy ofArmy.mil

by Brian Garvey ’20

News Staff

The United States began the abrupt withdrawal of American troops from the Syrian-Turkey border this past Monday, a direct response to the impending Turkish offensive into their war-torn neighbor.

In a series of tweets, President Trump claimed that the United States was unfairly burdened with both the responsibility and cost of fighting ISIS. Trump stated, “It is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home. WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN.”

The withdrawal followed a Sunday night statement by the White House, announcing that the U.S. forces in the region would not interfere with a Turkish offensive. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech to Turkey on Monday that the withdrawal began soon after an extensive phone call with President Trump, bringing a quick close to extensive discussions about this hotly contested region.

According to the The Washington Post, a U.S. official confirmed that American troops left their observation posts in the border villages of Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ayn at 6:30 a.m. local time.

The main source of the tension between Turkey and the United States has been the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds, who have established an autonomous zone in Northern Syria in the past eight years of war.

The Turkish government has been increasingly outspoken against this Kurdish presence, as they assert that there is close ties between U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish fighters (the SDF) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a militant group that has fought a long insurgency against Turkey.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said that the Turkish military would “soon be moving forward” with dispatching troops to battle the SDF. Grisham went on to say, “The United States armed forces will not support or be involved in the operation, and United States forces, having defeated the ISIS territorial ‘caliphate,’ will no longer be in the immediate area.”

President Erdogan and the Turkish Government have labeled the SDF as a terrorist-linked organization. Yet the SDF has fought closely alongside the U.S. military as a primary partner against the Islamic State throughout Syria. President Erdogan has been threatening an offensive against the Kurds for months, and the Trump administration has been working to find a compromise that would appease Turkish demands for border security while also protecting the U.S.-allied Syrian-Kurdish force.

The SDF quickly released a statement condemning the withdrawal. “The United States forces have not fulfilled their obligations and withdrew their forces from the border area with Turkey,” the statement said. “This Turkish military operation in north and east Syria will have a big negative impact on our war against Daesh [Arabic acronym for ISIS] and will destroy all stability that was reached in the last few years.”

SDF also clearly stated that the group reserves the right to defend itself against Turkish aggression, hinting at potential conflict in the region.

President Erdogan has argued that a Turkish incursion is necessary to protect Turkey’s borders. Erdogan has also spoken in support of resettling millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey in a “safe zone” in northern Syria. This plan has been widely criticized by refugee advocates, as well as local Syrian Kurds currently living in Northern Syria.

Panos Moumtzis, U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria, said, “We want our message to all governments and actors on the ground to be to make sure that this latest development does not have an impact first of all on a new displacement of people.”

The U.N. already provides services to approximately 700,000 people every month in Northern Syria. Moumtzis stressed that any movement of Syrians must be done voluntarily and with safety and dignity.

In Washington, lawmakers from both parties criticized this move, saying it represented a betrayal to Kurdish forces and gives ISIS the opportunity to regroup and rebuild.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a noted Trump supporter, tweeted on Monday morning that he and Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland plan to introduce bipartisan sanctions against Turkey if it invades Syria. He said the senators would call for Turkey’s suspension from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization if its forces attack on the Kurds.

Brett McGurk, who resigned in December as the Trump administration’s special envoy on ISIS, said, “This appears to be another decision without any consultation, deliberation or process. This particular decision will significantly increase the risk for our personnel who depend on the SDF for sustainment.”

It is still unclear how extensive this Turkish invasion will be. The Turkish military has not informed the Trump administration the details and strategy of their invasion, with speculation being everything from a symbolic, small incursion to a major offensive push deep into the territory.

Ultimately, this withdrawal has increased the uncertainty and tension in a region already strife with war, and has a high potential to increase violence in the region.

Fiestaval: A Celebration of Beauty and Background

by The Cowl Editor on October 3, 2019

Campus

Fiestaval featured food from local Providence restaurants. graphic design by Hannah Langley ’21.

by Brian Garvey

News Staff

On Friday, September 27, the Board of Programmers (BOP) and the Board of Multicultural Student Affairs (BMSA) hosted Fiestaval on the Slavin Lawn.

Born from the idea of mixing a fiesta with a carnival, Fiestaval is a celebration of the uniqueness and beauty of different world cultures.

The party started with the beautiful Footprints Gospel Choir, celebrating the rich religious and musical tradition at Providence College. Dylan Holmes ’20 was blown away by PC’s Footprints, saying, “Their voices were unbelievable to listen to. I didn’t really know anything about Footprints, but now I really want to see them perform again.”

Following Footprints, the supremely talented Irish Step team took the stage, paying homage to the strong Irish heritage of many PC students. Showcasing their mastery at the age-old traditional dances of Ireland, many students were blown away by the skill required to pull off the performance.

After Irish Step, the Fiestaval quickly changed to a more modern performance, Blue Wave Poetics. They are described as “an up-and-coming Hip-Hop collective that combines the linguistic elements of poetry with the artistic medium of sound to create a long-lasting and memorable experience for every listener.”

This local group was a crowd favorite, particularly to JP Collins ’21, who said, “I really got into the rhythm of their music. It was really cool to hear live. I had heard mentions of them before, but I really think they could get big.”

One of the most popular performers, the Motherland Dance Group, also knocked it out of the park. Motherland is a celebration of the history and significance of African dance forms, and their performance was incredibly enjoyable to watch. The choreography and moves looked professional and left the crowd extremely impressed.

The concluding act was the PC Jazz band. Their upbeat sound and smooth music was a fantastic ending note, and many students found themselves not wanting their performance to end.

Tom McMahon ’20 said, “I always leap at the opportunity to hear the Jazz band play. I grew up playing the saxophone, and I really appreciate the talent and skill needed to play really good jazz music.”

Amazing musical and dance performances were not the only part of the Fiestaval. Food from all over Providence, representing different cultures around the world, were a huge hit.

East Side Pockets provided a taste of the Middle East, with falafel, gyros, and hummus with Syrian bread. Local hotspot Baja’s Taqueria provided chicken quesadilla platters, a crowd favorite. Rasoi’s provided the famous flavors of India, with a diverse selection of tofu saag, chicken biryani, and vegetable mango curry. The Thai food also went extremely quickly, with Heng Thai providing crispy spring rolls and chicken satay.

One of Providence’s best kept secrets, Los Andes, also provided some of their delicious Peruvian and Bolivian food, offering empanadas and cuñape. For only three dollars, students certainly got their money’s worth!

Fiestaval is an important highlight of how diverse and beautiful the different cultures on our campus are. The happiness and enjoyment of all the students who stopped by, whether it was for 10 minutes or two hours, was very apparent.

Gabrielle Montoya ’20 said, “I think it was a really, really cool event. So many different places and cultures were represented, and I think that is really important for people to see. Seeing people learn more about other cultures made me really happy.”

Events celebrating the heritage of PC’s students are a big hit, so be on the lookout for future events from BOP and BMSA.

Bursting the PC Bubble: Attack on Saudi Arabian Oil Production Affects U.S. Relations

by The Cowl Editor on September 19, 2019

National and Global News

Oil rigs in Saudi Arabia present massive threat.

by Brian Garvey ’20

News Staff

Early Saturday morning, a major attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil production sent ripples through the global economy. Coordinated drone strikes targeted two crude processing facilities, one of which, operated by Aramco, is the world’s largest processing plant.

The attacks created a devastating chain of fires that severely damaged or destroyed nearly half of Saudi’s oil production— 5 percent of the global daily output. The attack sent crude oil prices skyrocketing by 15 percent on Monday, the largest gain recorded in 30 years.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, announcing that they conducted the strikes using 10 drones to retaliate against Saudi Arabia’s military in Yemen. However, the U.S. cast serious doubt on the Houthi declaration, with U.S. intelligence strongly indicating that Iran was the staging ground.

The U.S. shared their assessment of the attack with Saudi Arabia, stating that Iran launched a combination of more than 20 drones and cruise missles, according to CBS. The Wall Street Journal now says Saudi Arabia is “increasingly confident” that Iran launched the attack.

The Saudi military presented its own assessment of the attack on Monday, stating that the weapons used in the attack were definitively Iranian made. However, despite dismissing the claims of responsibility by the Houthis, the report failed to name anyone responsible. Unless Saudi Arabia is presented with enough evidence to prove the Iranians responsible, the U.S. will have trouble garnering support for a response to these attacks.

Iran has vehemently denied involvement in the attack, instead calling this an act of “self-defense” by the rebels in Yemen.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted, “Having failed at ‘max pressure’, @SecPompeo’s turning to ‘max deceit.’ The U.S. & its clients are stuck in Yemen because of illusion that weapon superiority will lead to military victory. Blaming Iran won’t end [this] disaster. Accepting our April ’15 proposal to end war & begin talks may.”

On Monday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, “Every day, Yemen is being bombed and peaceful civilians are dying. When security is restored in Yemen, then it will be possible again to produce oil safely in [Saudi Arabia].”

President Trump is currently weighing his options for retaliation, as it has been made clear that both Saudi Arabia and the U.S. do not want war with Iran. Robert Malley, president of the International Crisis Group and former White House coordinator for the Middle East under President Obama, said, “Both President Trump and [Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman feel the need to respond but neither wants war. The question is how they achieve the former without provoking the latter.”

NBC reports that a congressional source says Democrats familiar with the details of this attack do not dispute that Iran was the perpetrator. “This attack had a level of sophistication we have not seen before,” the congressional source said. “You will not see Democrats pushing back on the idea that Iran was behind it.”

The Wall Street Journal has reported the strikes knocked out 5.7 million barrels of daily production. Saudi officials have said that they should resume one-third of normal output by Monday, but many experts say that it will take “weeks, not days” to reach full capacity.

“This could take a longer time than the authorities initially are claiming. Despite lower exports this year, Saudi Arabia has also depleted its crude oil stocks to the lowest levels in 10 years, so the country alone does not have the same robustness to Middle East interruptions as it used to have,” wrote Bjørnar Tonhaugen, head of oil market analysis at Rystad Energy.

Additionally, Tonhaugen said he doubts that the U.S. will be able to completely prevent a price surge. “Also, the U.S. cannot quickly replace this volume, as it takes time to relocate oil tankers, and the U.S. still has limited export capacity by Very Large Crude Carriers, (known as VLCCs).”

While U.S. oil production has risen significantly in the past decade (now the second largest producer of oil in the world), many experts have expressed serious concern that this will not be enough in the long term.

President Trump, as well as other officials within the government, see this attack as an effort to manipulate the markets and economy of the U.S. in retaliation for the strict sanctions placed on Iran last year.

With the United Nations General Assembly taking place in New York this week, the timing of these attacks has opened up a serious space for debate over sanctions, repercussions, and retaliation.

Although the Iranians have refused to meet directly with President Trump while sanctions are still in place, these recent attacks will undoubtedly bethe center of global debate.

Featured Friar: Dan Clark ’20

by The Cowl Editor on August 29, 2019

Features

Clark loves making new friends around PC.

Brian Garvey ’20

News Staff

Dan Clark ’20 is making the most of everything the Providence College campus has to offer.

Originally from Central New York, Clark always thought he would be heading up to SUNY Buffalo after high school. In fact, the only other school that he applied to was PC. After one visit to PC, however, that all changed.

“When I first stepped onto campus I got a good feeling,” said Clark. “When push came to shove I ended up wanting to go to college out of New York state.”

Now a senior, Clark spent the summer doing research on campus with the biology department. Clark said, “I worked in Dr. Arévalo’s lab and studied how mysid shrimp in Southern Rhode Island were being affected by warming waters. I wanted to do research to test and see what working in a lab is about.”

While Clark enjoyed his time working in a research lab, his true goal and passion is dentistry.

Clark loves the personal connection that is built between patients and dentists, saying “I wanted to become a dentist because smiles are pretty contagious, and I want to help people smile.”

Being a people person, Clark sees this field as a place he can really thrive in. “The dental profession has a real personal aspect to it, and you really get to know your patients.”

Clark plans on jumpstarting his dream career by applying for a Navy Dental scholarship, and after that to dental school. “I would work for the Navy as a dentist on a base. In the end, it seems like a fun job with a chance to improve someone’s life every day.”

Clark is also a big fan of the outdoors, quickly getting involved in some of Providence College’s most active clubs. He is the President of the Outdoor Adventure Club, leading hiking and skiing trips all around New England.

He is also the Captain and VP of the Club Ultimate Frisbee team, who regularly place highly in inter school tournaments.

Clark encourages anyone interested in these exciting clubs to reach out and join the fun!

Catholic Churches Attacked in Sri Lanka: Christian Community Comes Together in Solidarity

by The Cowl Editor on May 2, 2019

National and Global News

The attacks on Sri Lankan churches were denounced across the world.

by Brian Garvey ’20

News Staff

On what should have been a day of rest and worship, a devastating wave of attacks in Sri Lanka left more than 250 people dead and hundreds more injured on Easter Sunday.

By Sunday afternoon, there were a total of eight explosions that tore through churches and hotels across the country. “These are certainly acts of terror,” the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to the UK Manisha Gunasekera told the media late Sunday.

“This is an attack against the whole of Sri Lanka because Sri Lanka is very multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural country, and the whole country comes together in celebration of Easter Sunday.”

The first three attacks occurred nearly simultaneously at 8:45 a.m. at three different churches: St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, St. Sebastian’s Church more than 22 miles north in Negombo, and the evangelical Zion Church in Batticaloa, 196 miles away from Colombo on Sri Lanka’s east coast.

Follow-up explosions occurred on Sunday morning at three high-end hotels in Colombo: the Cinnamon Grand, Shangri-La Hotel, and The Kingsbury.

By the afternoon, an additional two blasts occurred at a hotel in front of the Dehiwala Zoo in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and at a private house in Mahawila Gardens, in Dematagoda, while police officers were conducting a house raid.

Sri Lanka’s Christian community appeared to be the main target of these coordinated attacks. Christianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka, with fewer than 8% of their 21.4 million people identifying as Christian.

Sri Lankan intelligence services believe the Easter Sunday suicide bombers had “very clear” links to ISIS, according to President Maithripala Sirisena. He went on to say that ISIS had provided training to the attackers and that links between ISIS and Sri Lanka could be traced back 15 years.

The government of Sri Lanka has come under serious scrutiny due to egregious oversight in the weeks leading up to the attacks.

At least two weeks ago, intelligence officials from both India and the United States warned Sri Lankan government agencies about a plot threatening the country’s churches and tourist sites.

A week later, the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry advised the inspector general of police of the potential attack, including a complete list of names and addresses of suspects. Several of these suspects actually did carry out these attacks.

Furthermore, the deputy inspector general of police released a memo to several government directors-the heads of the Ministerial Security Division, Judicial Security Division, and Diplomatic Security Division-laying out the threat and a list of suspects.

Sri Lankan officials had also received previous warnings about the terrorist cell from the Sri Lankan Muslim community, and the vice president of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka claimed that he had warned the Sri Lankan military about the group as far back as three years ago.

This massive disconnect is due to the fact that the Sri Lankan government remains bitterly divided, with the president and prime minister at war with each other.

Sri Lanka went through a constitutional crisis last year, when President Maithripala Sirisena attempted to remove Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe from office and replace him with an authoritarian leader. Sri Lanka had also been immersed in Civil War since 2009.

Support to Sri Lanka has poured in from throughout the world. Pope Francis, during Easter Mass, denounced the attacks, and appealed to the rest of the world to find a way to end such senseless violence. “I want to express my loving closeness to the Christian community, targeted while they were gathered in prayer, and all the victims of such cruel violence,” Francis said. “I entrust to the Lord all those who were tragically killed and pray for the injured and all those who are suffering as a result of this dramatic event.”

Closer to home, Father Brian Shanley, O.P., in an open letter to Providence College, stated, “Providence College joins the people of Sri Lanka and people around the world in mourning the tragic loss of life, and in condemning this senseless violence. We grieve with the members of the Sri Lankan Catholic community, and we pray for all those who were injured or killed in the bombings. We will be remembering all of the victims during upcoming Masses at St. Dominic Chapel.”

For those who would like to support the recovery and rebuilding of Sri Lanka, please use the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society or research a reputable GoFundMe page.