Ed Column

by Sarah McCall ’26 on March 19, 2026

Editor's Column

Hi Friars! I hope you all had a great spring break! I just got back from San Juan, Puerto Rico with eight of my friends. We spent our trip going to El Yunque National Forest, exploring Old San Juan, and enjoying time by the beach. It was a nice distraction from the real world.. However, just because I was able to sit on the beach for a few days does not mean the world stops. This concept is something that I have been struggling with for awhile. How can a person appropriately respond to global, national, and local tragedies while maintaining their own mental wellbeing and success in this world?

Last semester, after the shooting at Brown University, students at Providence College were distraught for a few days, yet the completion of a semester and the joy of holidays easily overtook these feelings and students moved on. I too went home, celebrated birthdays, holidays, and spent time with my family. Yet, some families had a completely different experience. They were in mourning of family members lost, still reeling from the pain caused by gun violence. This shooting was such a deep tragedy, yet members of the same community were able to move on after a few days.

I don’t fault those who moved on. Instead, I just aim to understand why that is. I believe a lot of it has to do with the consistency of events like this. I am not only referring to gun violence, but also actions taken by the federal government, global inequality, environmental tragedy, and global conflict. There is constant hardship in our communities, and it can be difficult to focus on every event and dedicate time and energy into mourning. For example, the morning after the shooting at Brown, I opened my phone to receive any updates that may have come overnight. However, instead of immediately seeing information about the shooting at Brown, all I saw was information about a shooting in Bondi Beach, Australia. There was no time to process one shooting before another became the top story, hours later. Not to mention how many other tragedies happened that night that couldn’t make the top story on the New York Times app.

It is deeply exhausting to engage with these tragedies due to their emotional toll and the consistency in which they occur. Therefore, I think it is important to recognize the need to maintain mental wellbeing. It is so easy to feel burnout and helplessness towards a situation. It can create complacency, always feeling worn down by the world. A consistent state of mourning does not allow for the time or ability to get up and make change. That is why I feel it is important to find this balance. Humans are tied together through community and happiness. Finding that for yourself will help you assist in ensuring its existence elsewhere.

Because I was able to feel authentic happiness exploring a new place with my friends, I want everyone else to experience that happiness. That, then, becomes my motivation for inciting change and working with my community to create a better world. Finding balance is hard, and I am still working on it, but I know it is mandatory for humanity’s sake.

Ed Column

by Olivia Gleason '26 on February 27, 2026

Opinion

Hi Cowl readers! I hope everyone got through this week’s blizzard safely and without too much trouble. With how it looks outside my window right now, it’s near impossible to believe that spring break is only a little over a week away, but here we are.

For the past several years of my time as a Providence College student, spring break has always meant an opportunity for escape. Every year, I’ve viewed it as a chance to go off the grid for a week—to tune out my school and work notifications, to tap out of the news headlines, to generally take a step back from my reality. This escape is always paired with a sense of guilt for me, though. If I’m tuning out the world entirely, taking this time for myself, am I being a responsible citizen? Is ignoring the news in such a politically charged world a choice I have the right to make?

I think that there’s an unspoken pressure, especially among college students, to be constantly informed and engaged, to always have a take. Upon further consideration, though, I, for myself, have decided that there is a balance that can be struck between staying in-the-know and avoiding utter burnout.

Political engagement was never meant to be a 24/7 commitment, but our technologically-defined world has made it so. Democracy depends on participation, on engagement with what is happening around us, but this participation is only valuable when it is sustainable. When we consume information in a constant, unfiltered stream, we don’t become more effective citizens; we become anxious ones.

With this in mind, spring break to me offers a rare opportunity to practice a quick dose of intentional disengagement. Logging off for a week does not erase our values or undo our commitments. Instead, I think that stepping back from the chaos of everyday life once in a while allows us to return to our personal lives and the world around us with a sense of clarity and refreshment. As spring break approaches, I challenge you to escape the algorithm. Read a book simply for pleasure. Have a conversation that doesn’t end in debate. Sit somewhere without refreshing a news feed. When we return to campus, we can reenter both campus life and civic life with a renewed vigor for knowledge and engagement with the world around us.

Ed Column

by Sarah McCall ’26 on February 12, 2026

Opinion

Happy February, Friars, and congratulations to the Patriots for losing the Super Bowl! I really enjoy watching the Super Bowl every year because it offers a high-intensity game (usually), an intricate musical performance, and interesting commercials. I also enjoy the Super Bowl because it brings people together. Friends and family gather in living rooms, bars, and basements all around the country for four hours, watching two of the best teams in the National Football League, making friendly bets ranging from who the Super Bowl winner will be to what color the Gatorade poured on the head coach will be. The Super Bowl brings out genuine and authentic community.

The Olympics bring out this community as well. People come together with intense pride and spirit for their country, watching the best athletes compete in the widest array of sporting events. Especially in a time where everything is divided, an authentic feeling of community is found less and less often. Both the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics happened this past weekend. In theory, it was a wonderful opportunity to feel pride for our country and its athletes. However, the tradition of community surrounding these two events has been overshadowed by the unrest happening in the United States. The selection of Bad Bunny as the halftime performer led to a counter-performance organized by Turning Point USA. A once unifying performance became divisive, limiting the positive impact of the Super Bowl on our community.

Additionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents were sent to Milan along with Team USA. Tension has grown exponentially in the U.S. surrounding ICE’s presence in cities domestically. Therefore, sending these agents abroad has only heightened this tension. It also makes it impossible for many Americans to enjoy the Olympics.

While I do find issue with blind pride in anything, including the U.S., I also find it dangerous to be extremely dismissive of America and American identity. There are countless aspects of American politics and culture that I find to be harmful. That does not mean that I do not find pride in living in America. The best way to appreciate this country, or any community you are in, is to recognize the flaws and determine how to remedy them. Under normal conditions, I appreciate this aspect of the Olympics and the Super Bowl. I can spend most of the year focused on what needs to change to make this country better, but while I am rooting for Team USA or the Philadelphia Eagles, I am able to be proud of the country I live in. That is the balance that I want again. The divisive and polarizing world we live in now is not a suitable environment for positive change. I am scared for the future, but I hope we will continue to find things that unite us over party lines, even if those things change.

Ed Column

by Olivia Gleason '26 on February 5, 2026

Opinion

Hello Cowl readers, happy February! I hope everyone is staying warm despite the biting cold days we’ve been having and the copious amount of snow that seems as if it will never go away. As a student living in off-campus housing this year, I’ve been witnessing the city of Providence’s snow cleanup job firsthand for the past week, and I have my frustrations. For several days after the storm, I was unable to drive my car safely out of my driveway as my street still had several inches of compacted snow on it. Even as I am writing this ed column, my two-lane street is still more or less a one-way street because of how much snow still persists past the sidewalks, and each time I drive my car on it, my wheels become impacted with slushy snow. I completely understand that this was the biggest storm Providence has faced in years, and I am so grateful to the workers who go out to clean up the streets. However, I believe that the city could have done a much better job at organizing its resources to get this done more quickly, and for that, I am left feeling frustrated with the city’s mayor and other political officials.

This got me thinking about how healthy it is to have qualms with your representatives. This storm left me questioning if more could have been done to keep residents safe and get them back to their usual routines. In today’s incredibly polarized political climate, I think it has become a widespread norm for individuals to turn a blind eye when a political figure they support does something they might disagree with or that frustrates them. We see it daily with Republican members of Congress who refuse to speak even the smallest ill of the President, we see it on the news and in interviews, and we see it in our daily political conversations. In short, much political discourse has been reduced to either supporting a politician completely or not at all.

I think that such an approach to politics is incredibly unproductive. Our democratic system was built to include several checks on its representatives, to make them at the will of the voice of the people. Instead, today, many individuals cannot think to admit it when a politician of their party messes up or promotes a policy that they disagree with. To do this is perceived to be a betrayal of their entire party and system of beliefs, when in reality, it is nothing of the sort. Disagreeing occasionally with a politician you generally support is necessary to democracy, and it is necessary to bring about positive political change. Without such disagreement, without such pressure from the citizenry, politicians have nothing to hold them accountable—no matter what they do, they know that their base will offer them blind support.

In short, I was frustrated with Providence this past week, but this doesn’t mean I have betrayed them or my own political affiliations. Taking issue with your representatives once in a while—or even all the time—just means that you care enough to demand better from them for a better society. Holding them accountable, especially when you generally support them, is an act of civic responsibility. We must be willing to participate in thoughtful criticism, to voice frustration along with praise, if we want to get the most from politics.

Ed Column

by Sarah McCall ’26 on January 28, 2026

Opinion

Happy spring semester! I hope everyone had a restful break and a good start to the semester. I know that I usually keep my ed columns pretty silly and focus on whatever my current random thoughts are, but unfortunately, due to the state of the world, I have had less time to think about these trivial things. As a white college student, I hold a significant amount of privilege in this country, which protects me from having to face most of the cruelty happening around us. However, that does not mean that this cruelty does not exist. Every day, we hear more and more stories of children being ripped apart from their parents, children being used as bait by law enforcement, people being shot and killed for disagreeing with the government, and people being racially profiled and detained. The world we are living in is not normal, and it is completely inhumane.

I graduate in May, and at this point, I should be concerned about where I will get a job, but instead, I am worried about the state of our country. The federal government has completely locked the state of Minnesota out of the investigation into the murder of Alex Pretti. The Trump Administration is pushing a narrative that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who murdered Reneé Good and Pretti were acting out of self defense, which is actively disputed by both the governor of Minnesota and the mayor of Minneapolis, as well as by countless witnesses. The administration of President Donald Trump is consolidating the authority of government to the federal level, discouraging independent thought and media, using brute force against citizens, and tearing apart communities. I feel immense outrage at what the administration has done and most likely will continue to do. There have been countless anti-ICE protests throughout the country, including many in Providence and Rhode Island. There is a protest at the Rhode Island State House on Friday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m., and I encourage everyone to attend and make their voices heard.

America is a nation of immigrants, and our country, just like any other, is unable to function without immigration. Our country is also not able to function when thousands of hardworking members of American society are inhumanely ripped from their communities. Or if the federal government continues to undermine the legal and judicial systems that form the basis of our democratic society. Or if government officials attempt to radicalize the population into hatred of different demographics. Or if people are murdered in broad daylight by a militarized police force. I can only imagine where our country is headed and what else is happening behind closed doors.

As I approach the end of my college career, I am hopeful for the opportunities I may encounter, but I am also reflecting on the treatment of members of my community. With that, I wish everyone a good rest of the semester and a better world for all.

Ed Column

by Olivia Gleason '26 on January 22, 2026

Opinion

Welcome back to The Cowl and to the spring semester! After a restful break, the return to college is often thought of as a return to normalcy. Oftentimes, though, this return can feel incredibly unfamiliar and disjointed: new classes, new daily routines, and even new living situations for some are all a part of this transition back to school. As a senior now entering my fourth spring semester, I have felt the stress and discomfort associated with this so-called return to normalcy every year, even with the genuine excitement I always feel coming back to academics and time with friends. As this is the last time I am coming back for the spring semester, I hope that I can alleviate some of this stress for others, even if on a small scale.

Getting into a new routine at the start of the semester can be incredibly daunting. In many ways, it feels as if we spent an entire semester getting used to our schedules, becoming comfortable with our day to day life, just for the familiarity to be upended. Particularly as a freshman, I remember how rattling this was. Suddenly I found myself having to navigate an entirely new set of courses, in new academic buildings, with new classmates I barely knew. Even as a senior, this transition can feel like freshman orientation at times.

What I’ve learned over the years, however, is that this change can actually be a source of excitement. Once I taught myself to lean into the discomfort, to embrace the change that was inevitable before me, I found myself viewing the uncertainties that come with the new semester as fresh opportunities for growth and new experiences. Instead of dreading the growing pains that come with entering a new classroom for the first time and getting to know new classmates, I shifted my mindset to see this as a chance to meet new people. Instead of feeling intense anxiety about the thought of having to start over with classes, I decided to view it as an opportunity to exercise skills I have gained so far while learning something new. As simple as these things sound, they have been monumental for me in adjusting to a new semester.

This is not to say that this mindset shift eliminates all struggles associated with a new semester. The transition can still be hard, and it is important to give yourself grace as you lean into the adjustment. Maybe you’re feeling homesick, maybe you’re uneasy about a course you have to take, or maybe you’re just feeling scatterbrained from all of the changes you are experiencing. Whatever your emotions may be, remember that it is more than likely that most people on campus are experiencing something very similar. So as we enter the spring semester, open yourself up to lean on others, embrace discomfort, and get excited to learn and meet new people—speaking from experience, I promise this will make a difference in your life here at PC.

Ed Column

by Olivia Gleason '26 on December 11, 2025

Opinion

Hi Cowl readers! It’s hard to believe that Christmas is only two weeks away and that we have reached our final issue of the semester. The past three months were full of exciting learning experiences with The Cowl as Sarah and I navigated coming into this role together, and how quickly they flew by has gotten me into a very reflective mood.

To me, reflecting on your life feels especially natural in the wintertime, particularly in December as the calendar year comes to a close. This is probably why, ever since I downloaded the Spotify music app, I have always enjoyed the arrival of Spotify Wrapped in December, and it’s almost too perfect timing. For those who have not heard of this before, Spotify Wrapped is a marketing tool used by the music app that provides each user with a summary of their top artists, albums, and songs throughout the calendar year. Every year, as the days get shorter, the campus quiets down, and we prepare ourselves for the new year, Spotify users (and Apple Music users, I suppose) receive this little present on our phones, serving as a miniature time capsule of who we were and who we have become throughout the year.

The music we gravitate to is more often than not a reflection of our emotions, wants, and needs at any given moment. We reach for specific songs, genres, and artists for a plethora of reasons—comfort, motivation, nostalgia, or simple joy, to name a few. Maybe this comfort is found in a Beatles song your dad used to play in the car growing up, or the soundtrack to your favorite Broadway show. Maybe you queue an artist you’ve never listened to when you’re feeling like your life needs a change. Whatever the reason may be, it becomes clear that the music we gravitate towards, and the playlists we build in our Spotify apps, serve as emotional time capsules of ourselves.

One of my favorite parts about the Spotify Wrapped release is getting to share and compare results with friends. In many conversations I’ve had with them, we’ve discussed our frustration with how we might not exactly relate to the results now. For example, one of my listed top five artists is someone I barely listen to now, but was playing nonstop at the beginning of this calendar year. The more I thought about this, though, the more I realized that this disconnect is actually something to embrace and hold close. Something as simple as Spotify Wrapped, by capturing these previous versions of ourselves, can remind us that we are constantly evolving, and that is an exciting thing. I don’t remember exactly when I stopped listening to this particular artist and started gravitating toward others, but this shift is a subtle reminder that I have grown over the course of the year; I have coped, celebrated, learned, and let go through a variety of different songs.

All of this is to say, I think it is worth taking the time to reflect on your life and experiences in 2025 as it comes to a close, and your Spotify Wrapped is the perfect place to start.

Ed Column

by Sarah McCall ’26 on November 20, 2025

Opinion

Hey Cowl readers! I get the wonderful honor of wishing everyone a happy 90 year anniversary to everyone’s favorite part of Providence College: The Cowl! I know how beloved The Cowl is on campus (according to YikYak), so I am sure the PC community will be just as excited as we are for this anniversary. We were able to go to the archives and read some of the old editions this past week. My favorite was an article that criticized every person who was on The Cowl that year by name. The best part was about the two Editors-in-Chief. “Both illiterate,” with one being “of dubious tastes” and the other a “shifty individual with a shifty smile” who is responsible for the “misspelled words and misnamed photographs.” I am truly honored that Olivia and I still maintain that same dynamic from the 1947 co-EICs, Joe Shanley ’49 and Paul Kelley ’48.

It is also the last edition before Thanksgiving! So I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving break! Personally, I don’t like most, if not all, Thanksgiving foods, but I am so excited to have a break and see my family. I am a little bit stressed though because that means senior year is one step closer to ending. I also have two big research assignments due the day before break, so I am not excited for that at all. Just like everything else this year, things are feeling super bittersweet.

Okay, now it is time for my favorite part!!! The random things that have been consuming my brain. I just went thrifting and got two new sweaters! Super excited about that. I also found a framed photograph of Richard Nixon at Savers, so I obviously got that as well. At this point, we have a fairly well-established Nixon Nook in our third-floor living room. I just visited my sister at Fordham University. I started a second crochet project. I am excited for Christmas shopping. And finally, I have been really liking the color orange lately, which objectively is an ugly color, so I am not sure what that is about.

The With Mutual Respect panel occurred last week. Two of my friends and Cowl members were on the panel. All of the panelists did a really good job. My only complaint was that I didn’t have a microphone as well. I thought a lot of the questions were very well thought out, and I really wanted to answer them. So in the spring, I would either enjoy being a panelist or I would want to be given the opportunity to interrupt whenever I see fit to give my two cents. Because obviously my every-other-week 500-word brain dump isn’t enough.

Go into Thanksgiving break grateful for everything. Be grateful that course registration is over, be grateful that it is almost time for snow, and most of all, be grateful for everyone’s favorite organization on campus. I will see you all in the Spring. TTYL!

Ed Column

by Sarah McCall ’26 on November 6, 2025

Opinion

Hey Cowl readers! I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween this past weekend. I am a huge fan of dressing up, so I went all out this weekend. For anyone who saw me, they knew I was in some sort of a wig all weekend. I was Mary Todd Lincoln, Harold and the Purple Crayon, and Ellen Degeneres. I have a disease that requires me to wear an original costume that no one else has ever thought of and involves either a wig or bald cap. Needless to say, I had a very fun Halloweekend.

My ed columns are currently acting as a time capsule so I can come back and see what I was up to throughout my senior year, so I would like to maintain that trend. I just learned how to crochet a week ago and I am working on my first project, a blanket. It is no exaggeration when I say that the best part of my day is finishing all of my work so I can start crocheting. We are watching all of the Star Wars movies in my house right now, and most of my roommates have never seen them before, so we are doing a viewing every night this week. I have dedicated three hours every night to crochet and watch Star Wars, so I am loving life right now.

Crochet has been consuming most of my thoughts lately, but I have a few other things I have been thinking about. I want to get into Legos again, I am not a fan of the wind recently, I love my boots, I miss Barcelona SO MUCH, I am visiting my sister soon, and I am getting accustomed to the new ring placement I have going on since I added a ninth ring to my stack.

I just went to a lecture at Brown University to hear Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speak. I really enjoyed listening to her anecdotes about her previous role as Secretary of State and her reflection on the current political climate. It was a very informative and powerful dialogue that emphasized the importance of involving myself in local events and knowing what is happening around me. One of the issues that Clinton repeatedly mentioned is social media and both misinformation and disinformation. Especially right now, it is so important to know what is happening in our world. Time away from phones and engaging with critical thought is so important in preserving our country. I hope to continue going to more lectures and talks both on our own campus and in the Providence area.

This ed column was all over the place, but it’s authentic to where my thoughts have been recently. Thanks for being a reader and as always, join the Cowl! Ciao bella!

Ed Column

by Olivia Gleason '26 on October 30, 2025

Opinion

Hi Cowl readers! This week I’ve been reflecting a lot on how quickly it feels that time is passing—the age-old college senior existential crisis. This was brought on, I think, by Senior Ring Weekend (SRW) occurring this past weekend. Ever since I was a freshman, the event has been something I’ve looked forward to yet also dreaded at the same time, as in many ways, it marks the beginning of the end of my time at Providence College.

For the longest time, SRW felt light-years away, and in all honesty, it still did even at the start of this semester. Even though I was prepared in the material sense, having ordered my dresses and shoes weeks in advance, I had not processed the fact that my first milestone as a PC senior had arrived. When the realization finally hit me, I was hit with a sense of anxiety as I felt that my time to make meaningful memories at PC was slipping away.

All of this came into deeper perspective at the ring blessing mass on Sunday, when Father Jordan Zajac, O.P., gave a homily discussing memories and their meaning as time passes. What stood out to me most was when he explained that the process of time fading memories from one’s mind actually reveals what is most important, as the memories that remain are those that, whether it occurred to you or not in the moment you made them, are the ones that matter most. These memories that stick around are not always the ones you would think they would be, either—they aren’t always from days that you reached a milestone in your life, or found out some great news, or celebrated a big event with family or friends. More often than not, they are the in-between moments, those that felt utterly insignificant at the time. They come from the moments when you felt free and completely present.

I think that is what I’m slowly starting to accept as a senior, as I continue to approach milestone moments: you don’t need to pressure yourself to hold onto every moment or to make every event a monumentally memorable one, because the times that matter are the ones that will stay with you anyway. This takes the pressure off moments like SRW, when you might be feeling the incessant need to capture every moment and make the most of it, because in reality, all you have to do is be present. This is something I’m going to have to continue grappling with throughout my senior year and beyond, but it’s helping me to recognize that there is beauty to be found in the passing of time and the fading of memories. We don’t get to decide what we remember most, but what we do remember are moments that reveal something meaningful about ourselves, our surroundings, and the people we have shared our lives with.