Mid-Pandemic, PC Has Reopened: What Happens Next Is up to Us

by The Cowl Editor on September 3, 2020

Editorials

PC students cope with the changes and guidelines around campus.

by The Cowl Editorial Board, 2020-2021

Friars hold doors is a refrain commonly heard on the Providence College campus. Obviously, and as so many of us know from experience, it refers to the way that members of the PC community always seem so eager to hold the door for one another, even if it means standing there for an awkward amount of time while the person behind runs up to grab the door.

As cliché as it sometimes sounds, in a more serious sense, Friars hold doors speaks to the way that members of this community are always ready to lend a helping hand in a time of need. It speaks to the doors that this institution opens for its students and the doors that students are always opening for one another. At its core, Friars hold doors speaks to the spirit of community here at PC—to the love we have for one another and the obligation we feel towards each other as members of the Friar Family.

Now more than ever, we students must recommit ourselves to this community and this family.

For the past six months, teams of administrators, professors, staff members, and a number of students have worked tirelessly to put together a reopening plan for the College. On Aug. 31, after months of deliberation on if, when, and how we could operate in-person, PC reopened mid-pandemic and officially began a school year unlike any other in the College’s 103-year history.

With this opening, the baton has been passed. Now, the fate of the school year rests almost entirely in students’ hands. The actions that we as a student body take—or choose not to take—in the coming weeks will determine what lies ahead not just for this academic year, but also for the College as a whole and for the Providence community at large, perhaps even for years to come.

With this extraordinary responsibility placed in our hands, we now must all work together in pursuit of one common goal: keep Providence College open. We have the ability to rise to the occasion, meet this challenge, and accomplish this goal. But it is going to take all of us, and it is going to take sacrifice.

The enormity of this task is hard to grasp, especially because it is such an emotionally-charged one. Each person in our community is experiencing some kind of anxiety or grief right now, whether it be over the loss of a senior year, the isolation of being quarantined as a freshman in a new place, the loss of a job or family home, or, worst of all, the loss of a friend or family member. Regardless of individual circumstance, each of us in the student body is missing out on the college experience we expected and hoped to have this semester. It is not easy to come to terms with that disappointment or with the accompanying uncertainty.

While we need to come together first and foremost to ensure the physical health of everyone in our community, it is equally important that we unite to support one another in a mental health and emotional wellbeing capacity, as well. We must continue to show up for one another.

But if we were to separate ourselves for just one moment from the emotional complexity of these times, our charge comes down to this: we have a series of decisions to make in the coming weeks about what actions and activities we will engage in. And with every decision to be made, there is an accompanying list of pros and cons.

In the end, it is abundantly clear that what we stand to gain by following guidelines is so much greater than what we could gain from two weekends of partying. Even more so, what we stand to lose if we do not follow guidelines is far, far greater than what we lose by choosing not to go to that Eaton Street party.

The negative consequences are clear: there have already been 17 suspensions of students, and there is a looming threat not just of individual punishments, but of the entire campus potentially having to revert once again to completely remote learning. But far and away, the most devastating and dangerous negative consequence that could result from our failure as students would be to our collective physical health. Here, the consequences reach far beyond just the student body.

We must think not just of all the students living in close quarters who are likely to get sick. We must also keep in mind the staff and faculty members on our campus who go home to their families at the end of the day—people who might be bringing the virus home to young children, elderly parents, or immunocompromised family members. We must be mindful of our surrounding community: our local Providence neighbors, the people we live next to, who shop at the same grocery stores or ride the same buses as us.

The most dangerous outcome—an outbreak—would have far-reaching and devastating effects. We must remember that as a campus, we are part of a wider community, and we need to act accordingly.

But fear of the negative consequences should not be the only driving force behind our actions. We should also be motivated by the positive outcomes if we work together and follow the rules: the health and safety of our community, the chance to stay on campus this semester, the potential of a more ‘normal’-looking spring, a slow but steady reopening that enables us to get back to the College we know and love. If we can just stick it out, if we can make short-term sacrifices for long-term success, the potential for these positive outcomes could become a reality.

The questions we must ask ourselves, then, are not just the practical ones, like what is next for us, or what actions we need to take in the coming weeks. As PC students, we have been trained to ask the tough questions, too. We must ask ourselves: what do we owe our fellow students? What do we owe our teachers, our administrators? What do we owe the members of our community off-campus?

Now, we are called not just to ask these questions, but to answer them through our actions and choices in the coming weeks.

Rising to meet this challenge—one unlike any the College has ever seen—is not just our responsibility as students. It is an opportunity for us to prove to those around us now and those who will look back on our generation in the years to come that in the face of uncertainty and fear, our commitment to each other as members of the Friar Family is what kept us safe, saw us through, and gave us hope.

The Rise of the Bubble

by The Cowl Editor on September 3, 2020

Professional Sports

Professional Sports During COVID-19

by Cam Smith ’21

Sports Co-Editor

Late in the evening of March 11, 2020, life in the United States changed forever. In the span of 45 minutes, President Donald Trump announced a travel ban on European countries, actor Tom Hanks declared he was infected with COVID-19, and the National Basketball Association suspended its season indefinitely. The pandemic became real for Americans in these 45 minutes. No longer a mystery disease confined to a far-off continent, it was now an invading virus.

Though all three of these events woke America up to the impending threat, it seemed almost as if the NBA’s cancellation shook the nation the most. Sports have been a constant throughout the lives of every American in the modern day. They have been there through tragedies ranging from 9/11 to the Boston Marathon bombings. Sports are a unifying force, a way to disconnect from the hardships of life and a way to come together despite individual differences. So, when they abruptly disappeared, the country finally realized the scale of the problem at hand.

Jumbotron from Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz game, announcing the game's cancellation. — Photo courtesy of Alonzo Adams/USA TODAY SPORTS

Almost immediately after the major leagues were indefinitely suspended, people started to think about what they would look like upon their return. Many hoped the seasons could just resume a month later, once the virus had been contained. Unfortunately, that containment never came.

Instead, it became clear that fans would not be allowed at games when the leagues did restart. Some even started floating the ideas of possible “bubbles,” where the entire league would be confined to one complex. No one would be allowed to leave the designated area, and testing would occur almost daily. The hope was that if there was no contact with the outside world, COVID-19 would never be able to make it in.

Major League Baseball seemed to discuss this idea first, with a possible “Arizona League” in Phoenix, Arizona. The idea was quickly shot down by players, however, as they lamented having to stay away from their families for months.

The bubble idea caught on elsewhere, however, and in late June, the National Women’s Soccer League became the first American professional sports league to resume play. The NWSL hosted the 2020 Challenge Cup, a tournament featuring eight teams and 23 games. The tournament was a remarkable success, both on and off the field. Once in the Utah-based bubble, over 2,000 tests were doled out to both players and staff members alike. Not a single one came back positive.

The NBA and NHL soon followed suit, and by the end of July both had resumed their seasons in bubbles of their own. Basketball resumed at the Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida while the NHL fled north of the border to Canada. Luckily, a few cases were caught upon arrival to the bubbles and as of now, not a single case has been detected in either leagues’ bubbles since the start of play. Both leagues have also shown surprisingly high-quality products on the court and on the ice, as the athletes have seemingly not missed a beat even after the long layoff.

The Houston Dash celebrate their championship. — Photo courtesy of Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Indeed, the bubbles have shown to be remarkable success stories, blueprints for sports during a pandemic. Meanwhile, the MLB has embarrassingly stumbled along without one even after being the first league to raise the possibility of a bubble. Their decision not to enfore a bubble has been nothing but an abject failure.

Just a mere week into the start of the season, COVID-19 outbreaks had already hit several different teams, forcing them to cancel entire series of games. Reports began to leak about players visiting clubs and casinos. With no bubble to speak of, teams continued to fly across the country, exposing themselves and others to the virus every time they were forced to travel.

Sport Illustrated’s Stephanie Apstein summed it up perfectly by saying, “the protocols are woefully inadequate, so the weak spot could be anywhere. It will be almost impossible for the league to identify it definitively—which is one of the challenges of playing baseball outside of a bubble during a pandemic in the country with one of the world’s worst responses.”

The league has continued to saunter on, however, seeing very few changes to its protocols at all. The delays continue, as just last weekend the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics game was postponed after a positive test in the A’s organization. Instead of admitting failure and cancelling the season, Commissioner Rob Manfred and the rest of the MLB have dug their heels in. And by doing so, they have put the communities they play in at risk.

On the horizon now looms the start of both the NFL and college sports. Even after witnessing the failures of the MLB, the NFL has decided not to use a bubble. That decision could spell disaster for a sport that features the largest rosters of any of the professional sports and is likely the one with the most physical contact. Perhaps the NFL simply does not care about the spread of COVID-19, as the MLB has shown not to.

College sports face even more complex challenges and risks, as bubbles are much harder to pull off for student-athletes who still need to attend class. At the same time, no bubbles mean that student-athletes will be forced to travel around to other campuses and communities. They would then return to their own campuses, potentially breaking the tight seals that colleges across the country are working so hard to keep.

Indeed, the sports world and the rest of the world at large have come a long way since that fateful March 11 night. But, one thing is abundantly clear: if you want to safely play sports during a pandemic, the bubble is king.

PCI:Should There Be College Football This Fall?

by The Cowl Editor on September 3, 2020

PCI

Yes, It Will Be Safe!

by Jack Belanger ’21

Sports Co-Editor

After colleges across the country canceled the end of their winter and spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many senior athletes missed out on what would have been their final season of collegiate competitive sports. Basketball players who were on their way to play in March Madness lost their last chance to win a national title; spring athletes lost the chance to celebrate their final home game. It was difficult for many athletes to face the cancellation of their season after putting in countless hours of work. The NCAA should not put the same burden on football players and allow them to play this fall.

College football is the most profitable sport at many universities and many schools need the revenue in order to pay for athletic scholarships. Even though stadiums would not be able to sell out their seating to fans, schools could still make money from broadcasting their games and fulfilling their TV deals. The pandemic has already tightened athletic department budgets across the country and many schools have had to cut sports that do not generate any revenue. By having football games this fall, universities would be able to help fund other sports that may have had their season canceled and support other athletes.

While there may be safety concerns about having players travel and face teams from other schools, teams have been testing their players on a consistent basis and the NCAA has laid out a plan for teams to follow in order to proceed with the season. If the athletes are truly committed to playing out their final collegiate season, then they would have to follow the rules laid out for them to avoid any unnecessary risks that could ruin the season. By participating in regular practices and games, players would create a bubble for themselves since they would essentially be interacting with the same people on a daily basis.

Playing out the season is just as important for underclassmen as it is for seniors. For the players who are eligible for the next NFL draft, playing games is really the only way for them to get noticed by NFL teams and have a chance to continue their careers at the next level. Without a season, NFL teams could only judge players based on their performances from last season and the draft combine, neither of which can solely represent a player’s abilities accurately.

There are multiple parties who would benefit from having a college football season for a variety of reasons. Not only do players want to compete in the sport they put so much work into, especially the seniors who may be playing their final season, but the athletics directors want to bring in any revenue they can to make up for the lost profits from the cancellation of March Madness and spring sports. Yes, there may be some risk involved, but with the proper rules put in place, college football teams should be able to play out their seasons safely.

No, It Is Irresponsible.

by Liam Tormey ’22

Sports Staff

In times such as these, it seems almost insensitive to believe the upcoming college football season should occur. The threat of COVID-19 is real, both to college campuses and the surrounding communities. College football should not happen this year for the safety of all.

To begin, one should look at the fact that many other college sports will not be competing for the remainder of the calendar year. Universities are going to be missing out on the likes of soccer, volleyball, cross country, and field hockey this semester. To give football the chance to play while other sports will not be given that same chance seems rather unfair.

Many of the other canceled sports are hoping to play in the spring semester, which begs the question: why are some schools in such a rush to be playing football at this moment? Athletic directors will say that postponing this football season to the spring, just a couple of months before next season’s restart, will not work. That may be true, but we find ourselves in a time when no one should be taking massive risks that can put people in danger, no matter how inconvenient it is.

College football, with a few exceptions, is currently set to be played across the country in one way or another this fall. The two major exceptions to this trend are the Big Ten and the Pac-12 conferences. Despite holding some of the most well-known college football teams in the country, these conferences have decided to suspend their seasons. Although they have received backlash, it is the right decision. The country has come a long way since the beginning of the pandemic, and any further setbacks should be avoided at all costs. The sheer number of players on a given football team should be reason enough for no college football this year.

A lot has been sacrificed to maintain some semblance of pre-pandemic normalcy. Some universities have already shifted to online learning. owever, these same schools want to be playing football soon. This is not only selfish, but a clear money grab. Essential workers have worked so hard to keep this country afloat. Can we really say that young college football players are essential workers right now? Maybe they could be considered as such for the universities where these players are generating millions of dollars, but not for a country that needs everyone to continue to make smart and safe choices.