Tag: Kyle Burgess ’21
Addressing Father Shanley’s Announcement: Presidential Term for Shanley Comes to an End in 2020
by The Cowl Editor on April 11, 2019
Campus
by Kyle Burgess ’21
News Co-Editor
In an email addressed to the Providence College community on March 29, President Fr. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., announced that he will not be returning to serve as college president following the conclusion of his current tenure on June 30, 2020.
This decision came following a February Board of Trustees meeting in which the Board Affairs Committee recommended that Fr. Shanley be given a fourth consecutive five-year term as president of the College.
However, Fr. Shanley’s Provincial, the Very Reverend Kenneth Letoile, O.P., decided against such a proposition this past Monday, informing Fr. Shanley that he would not be eligible to return as president following his current tenure.
In response, the Board of Trustees issued its own statement on the matter, explaining that they were “deeply disappointed in this decision.” The Board stated Father Shanley’s time in office was transformational, with many new buildings being built on campus and the enjoyment of immense success in the College’s capital campaigns since he took the position in 2005.
In addition, the Board made it known that they “had been counting” on Fr. Shanley’s fourth term to materialize so that PC may continue to see extraordinary advances in the world of higher education.
“Father Shanley has enjoyed unwavering, and nearly unanimous support of the Board of Trustees, and, as such, the Board was deeply disappointed in the Provincial’s decision,” explained Ann Manchester-Molak, vice president for external affairs, marketing, and board relations. “However, the Provincial is Fr. Shanley’s religious superior, and he has the authority to decide whether or not to make Fr. Shanley available for another term. As a Dominican Friar, Fr. Shanley has sworn a vow of obedience, which he is bound to accept. When an institution is affiliated with a religious order, changes like this are often inevitable.”
The Board of Trustees was not alone in recognizing the impact that Fr. Shanley made on the College during his three terms of office. Fr. Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P., chaplain of PC, praised his fellow Dominican for his contributions to the College and student body at large.
“Father Shanley’s work with athletics and refashioning the Big East, his expansion of the network of buildings on campus, and his efforts to continue to develop the prestige of the school have all led to increased support from donors, which in turn have helped create a beautiful campus which is more appealing to prospective and current students,” Yungwirth explained. “These are things for which the Providence College community can truly be grateful.”
More information regarding the succession process is expected to be shared by the Board of Trustees in the coming weeks.
Letting the Good Times Roll: Friar Ball is a Hit Amongst Class of 2021
by The Cowl Editor on April 4, 2019
Campus
By Kyle Burgess ’21
News Co-Editor
This past Friday, March 29, saw the Class of 2021 take over the Peterson Recreation Center for a night of music and memory-making at the annual sophomore Friar Ball.
Over 600 students quickly took to the dance floor as Michael Splann ’19 provided the hottest tracks and party anthems from the turntables.
Friar Ball is a collaborative project between sophomore members of Student Congress and members of PC’s Board of Programmers (BOP).
These two organizations have teamed up year after year to provide each sophomore class with an opportunity to enjoy a night with their classmates and peers in a smaller, more exclusive environment than the school-wide Black & White Ball.
In addition to providing tunes, BOP members stood on standby with fan-favorite Ronzio’s party pies and beverages for party-goers to enjoy and refresh themselves with before taking to the floor again.
“I think Friar Ball was a major success this year,” remarked Korey Lord ’21, president of the Class of 2021. “Congress and BOP worked really hard on this event together to give the sophomores a memorable night; I think this event was so successful because of the amount of energy the Class of 2021 has in store!”
The success of this year’s Friar Ball has inspired sophomore Student Congress members to plan similar events in the future for the Class of 2021 next year as juniors.
Additionally, a potential study break for the sophomore class is in the cards with final exams and projects rapidly appearing on the horizon.
Featured Friar: Jerod Magazine ’19
by The Cowl Editor on March 21, 2019
Features
Kyle Burgess ’21
Assistant News Editor
College is often considered a fresh start for prospective students looking to get their feet wet in a wide array of activities and meet new people in their four years on campus. After reflecting on his four-year tenure in Friartown, Jerod Magazine ’19 has found that Providence College is no exception to this rule.
“I came to Providence College because I wanted to branch out of California and see something new,” the Coto de Caza native explained. “I knew I wanted a school that would challenge me academically and athletically, so when I finally toured PC it felt like the perfect home for me because it felt like a big school with the Division I athletics, but the small class sizes made me feel like I could be more than just another student in a lecture hall.”
Magazine has strived for success both in the classroom and in the pool during his career as a member of the Men’s Division I Swim Team.
He credits his disdain of having to wear “rec specs,” protective eyewear designed to prevent sports-related injuries for land sports, as the catalyst in his swimming career, one which culminated in his fondest Friartown memory this February.
“After my last race, I walked back to my team greeting me with open arms. It was really the definition of the Friar Family. Being a part of that family for four years was such an unforgettable experience and one I wouldn’t trade for the world.”
Despite dedicating much of his time to his studies and his teammates, Magazine was still able to fit in a plethora of other on-campus activities and organizations into his already-busy schedule.
His desire to try new things led him to become involved on the Student Athlete Advisory Council Executive Board, the Admissions Ambassadors Executive Board, and work as both a New Student Orientation Leader and Coordinator.
“I wanted to be able to give back,” Magazine elaborated. “Things like Orientation and Admissions Ambassadors have given me the opportunity to go beyond my sports background and interact with new students, students I may not have met through just athletics.”
Now, with the finish line in sight and another new world of opportunities before him, Magazine hopes that future Friar generations will follow in his footsteps by stepping outside of their comfort zones while at PC. “The biggest takeaway from my college experience is to challenge yourself in areas you didn’t know you could. PC is the place to try new things, so don’t be afraid to take that leap.”
Going Green One Step at a Time: PC Begins Energy Conservation Initiative
by The Cowl Editor on March 7, 2019
Campus
Kyle Burgess ’21
Assistant News Editor
In a letter addressed to the Providence College community last month, Father Brian J. Shanley, O.P., detailed several strides the College has made in keeping with its social responsibility to reduce energy consumption on campus.
In particular, he highlighted the College’s participation in energy conservation projects taken up with the National Grid over the past two years, totaling up to $1 million in spending for more efficient lighting. This investment will see a reduction in electricity usage from five to eight percent, saving the College hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.
Additionally, PC’s participation in a different program allows energy to be drawn from “remotely located” solar farms. This second program will eventually provide renewable power that will cover 80 percent of the College’s energy usage starting next year.
These developments were combined with the formation of a campus-wide Sustainability Committee as part of the College’s new Strategic Plan. The committee itself is the result of an ongoing effort made by students and faculty members to establish a body to deal with matters such as energy consumption at PC.
Previous efforts made by the College in curtailing its impact on the environment include water run-off management, recycling combined with the reduction in trash accumulation, and improvements on mechanicals and building systems as well as the natural environment on campus.
PC has been acknowledged for its dedication to these fields with awards such as the Save the Bay Institutional Award for its advancements in run-off management, and its program has been modeled by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.
Other changes made to help reduce our impact on the environment include the replacing of PC’s energy boilers and air exchange traps on campus, as well as using cleaner primary and backup fuels.
Senior Vice President for Finance and Business and Chief Financial Officer John Sweeney has claimed that these efforts will lower the cost of school operations and lessen the impact that the College has on the local environment.
“We all need to think about our own personal impact on the world around us,” Sweeney explained. He invited PC community members to ask questions about how we can improve this aspect of our lives, such as “How can I use less energy? Can I shop local? Is there a way I can reduce the impact of my packaging of online orders?”
To Sweeney, everyone is capable of doing their part regardless of how small it may seem in comparison to the College’s newest efforts.
Rediscovering the Past Through Print: Dr. Steven Smith Discusses Recent Publication
by The Cowl Editor on February 28, 2019
Campus
By Kyle Burgess ’21
Students and faculty of Providence College gathered in the Ruane Center for the Humanities this past Tuesday to help celebrate the publication of Dr. Steven Carl Smith’s book entitled An Empire of Print: The New York Publishing Trade in the Early American Republic.
In addition to hosting a small reception with a cake baked in the book’s likeness, PC’s Department of History and Classics’ very own Dr. Adrian Weimer sat down with Dr. Smith to get an inside look into the story behind the writing process.
Dr. Smith traced the origins of his work back to the summer in between his junior and senior years of college. While gathering research from New York City newspapers on the infamous duel between former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton and then Vice President Aaron Burr, Smith made an intriguing observation. He discovered that there were no studies on papers in the Big Apple prior to 1830. This was a void that, in Smith’s opinion, needed to be filled.
Upon enrolling in graduate school at the University of Missouri, Smith set out with a focus on New York printing culture at the turn of the 19th century. His findings inevitably led him to shift towards the business side of printing, allowing him to uncover fascinating stories such as brawls between rivaling publishers in the city streets.
In researching how booksellers and publishers engaged in business, Smith realized that he would have to uncover how these small businesses expanded on a national level and thereby put NYC on the map as the publishing capital of the early American republic.
This quest put him on the road for three consecutive summers, traveling to prestigious centers for learning, such as the library archives of Columbia University, and the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts.
During this laborious process, Smith learned that patience truly is a virtue when deciphering frustrating fragments of data. “As historians, it is our job to tease out interesting stories from our findings,” Smith explained, “I would get goosebumps at each new library thinking about what potential stories I would uncover.”
Sean Gray ’21 shared what it meant to see a former professor in print. “The history department here is lucky to have so many awesome professors and accomplished scholars in its ranks. Dr. Smith and his latest book are a testament to their capabilities.”
Smith also revealed his future plans of covering the life of Peter Force, part-time mayor of Washington, D.C. in the 1800s and full-time American Revolutionary War historian. Force’s collection was donated to the federal government, establishing him as a founding father of the Library of Congress.
Bursting the PC Bubble: President Trump Gives Controversial State of the Union Address
by The Cowl Editor on February 14, 2019
National and Global News
by Kyle Burgess ’21
News Staff
On Tuesday, February 5, President Donald Trump spoke before Congress and the viewing American public in his annual State of the Union Address on Capitol Hill.
The address was originally intended to be delivered a week prior during the time of the federal government shutdown, but Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, requested that President Trump postpone the event until the shutdown had concluded.
According to the president, Pelosi elected to delay his address because she “doesn’t want to hear the truth,” adding that the Democratic Party at large had become “radicalized” and “very dangerous.” Cooler heads prevailed, however, and President Trump conceded to her plea.
With the backdrop of tense political antagonism and right off the heels of the longest government shutdown in the nation’s history, many Americans had high expectations for President Trump’s message.
The evening began in the same maverick fashion which helped Trump to gain a large nonconformist following, with the president immediately diving into his speech without pausing for an introduction by Speaker Pelosi to the joint session of Congress.
Pelosi has since maintained that she did, in fact, introduce Trump and that no political slight occurred.
In ditching formalities, Trump attempted to begin his speech by reaching across the aisle to tap into the “unlimited potential” which could help to advance a nonpartisan agenda. He reminded those present that “millions of our fellow citizens are watching us now, gathered in this great chamber, hoping that we will govern not as two parties but as one nation.”
His attempts at political unity were met with applause as he paid tribute to the courage and life of Joshua Kaufman, a Holocaust survivor and former Israel Defense Force member who embraced American ideals of equality and diversity when he moved to the United States.
Trump received praise in highlighting the record number of women representatives serving in Congress, many of whom attended his address donning white clothes in commemoration of women’s suffrage won nearly a century ago.
Over the course of his hour and 22-minute long speech, President Trump shared the legislations he hopes to enact over the remainder of his first term in office: the elephant in the room being the construction of a wall on the United States’ southern border. While the president maintained that a wall would be raised with or without congressional approval, he amended his original promise of a concrete wall to a more effective see-through one.
President Trump also called for an end to the investigations led by special counsel Robert Mueller into possible Russian collusion within his presidential campaign launched back in May 2017, claiming, “If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation. It just doesn’t work that way!”
Perhaps one of the more controversial topics President Trump addressed was a potential law which would ban late-term abortions.
While very Republican in nature, these words seemingly contradict the opinions of a once “very pro-choice” New York businessman before bursting into the spotlight as the Republican presidential nominee.
While a Democrat-controlled House would ensure such a law is not enacted for the foreseeable future, President Trump’s stance served as a direct attack on the Reproductive Health Act in his home state which guarantees a woman’s right to abort a child after 24 weeks of pregnancy if her life or health is at risk.
Other topics of discussion during President Trump’s address included the passing of a bipartisan infrastructure bill, another scheduled meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea in late February, the necessity to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs, and the protection of patients with pre-existing conditions.
Despite the president’s attempts at promoting unity amongst Democrats and Republicans, his opposition was not very impressed, taking major issues with his remarks on abortion and insistence on a border wall in particular.
It would appear that President Trump’s America continues to struggle in a state of disunity, one which he hopes to remedy during his remaining two years in the Oval Office.
The Future of Sports: Digital Gaming: Slavin Center Renovates New eSports Lounge
by The Cowl Editor on February 7, 2019
Campus
by Kyle Burgess ’21
Assistant News Editor
Providence College is known for offering a wide variety of extra-curricular organizations and clubs, with something that appeals to every member of the College’s student body.
Recent school years have seen several additions made to an already extensive list of options for students to partake in, chief among these being the College’s eSports team.
The team is actually a larger club, which any student can join, that is then divided into teams, each focused on a different game.
League of Legends and Rocket League are the two games sponsored by PC and officially licensed for players to play in the Big East, but the team is also registered in other leagues for non-PC sponsored games as well, according to Michael Fanelli ’20.
“A lot of teams are student-run,” said member Noah DeRossi-Goldberg ’22, “they organize practices [and] organize matches.”
PC’s leap into the competitive gaming sphere has seen these Friars take on familiar Big East foes such as Villanova University and Xavier University, as well as new opponents like Columbia University and the University of Ontario as they battle with 300 schools in four major conferences.
With the prospect of facing long-established programs in conference play, it quickly became evident that the team would need a permanent place to call home and cutting-edge equipment to keep pace with the competition.
Under the direction of the Dean of Students Steven Sears, renovations to the Balfour Unity Center began in 2019 with the purpose of rededicating the space as an eSports lounge.
Sponsorships helped to secure upgrades in all departments, from gaming chairs to state-of-the-art computers and even jerseys.
These funds will also ensure that the 80-member roster will travel to participate in all major competitions and tournaments, squaring off against competition in the Big East, AVGL, ECAC, and TESPA conferences, with each league culminating with a national championship.
“The transformation of the Unity Center to the new eSports and Gaming Center will be completed in the very near future,” Sears explained. “This is a very exciting time for our student body and a great addition to our co-curricular activities.”
Dean Sears also revealed that viewing parties during major eSports events will take place in McPhail’s, allowing classmates and peers to cheer on their fellow Friars as they face off on a new, digital stage.
Dominicans Dedicate Feast Day Mass in Dormitory’s Namesake: Aquinas Hall Celebrates St. Thomas Aquinas’ Legacy
by The Cowl Editor on January 31, 2019
Campus
by Kyle Burgess ’21
News Staff
This Monday, January 28, saw residents of Aquinas Hall come together to celebrate the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas with a special mass in Aquinas Lounge. The main celebrant for the occasion was Providence College’s Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry, Reverend Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P.
As any first-year Development of Western Civilization student could tell you, St. Thomas Aquinas was born in 1225 in modern-day Sicily as the youngest member of a well-off merchant family. His family sent him away to the monastery of Monte Cassino just outside of Rome at five-years-old in keeping with the traditional Italian custom of designating one’s youngest child to the religious life.
Eventually, Aquinas transferred to a university in Naples where he would first encounter the Dominican order. Despite attempts by his family to prevent him from joining the sect, Aquinas persisted and was soon ordained a priest and full-fledged Dominican friar.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ chief claim to fame is his vast collection of proofs and writings in the study of theology, most notably his Summa Theologiae. His dedication to the field quickly made him a beloved member of the Dominican religious community, as is proven by the plethora of references found in the name of the dorm Aquinas Hall and statues across the College’s campus.
Despite the efforts of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Dominican order to make progress in understanding man’s relationship with God, their discoveries have been viewed as irrelevant to the demands of modern society.
The atmosphere at PC is no exception to this trend, with many students placing MPAc exams and coveted intramural t-shirts over any of the Summa’s revelations.
However, Rev. Peter Martyr reminded attendees that although theology textbooks don’t appeal to everybody, the messages within them point towards a far greater truth than any other class or intramural game can teach. “It is the work of St. Thomas,” he explained, “which aims to help us understand the love of God and how he is present in our daily lives.”
St. Thomas Aquinas is also a fan-favorite of many faithful Catholics because of his personability in pondering life’s greater questions. “St. Thomas is really admirable because of the way he dedicated his whole life to finding truth,” remarked Brooke Douglass ’21. “My first theology class revolved around his works and I loved it so much that I even added theology as a major!”
A “culinary tour” of St. Thomas Aquinas’ life immediately followed Mass, which incorporated Italian, French, and German cuisine to represent the countries in which he taught and lived, providing Aquinas Hall residents with the opportunity to socialize and partake in the day’s festivities with a feast of their own.
Friars Join in the Fight for Life: PC Students and Faculty Travel to D.C. for the March for Life
by The Cowl Editor on January 24, 2019
Campus
by Kyle Burgess ’21
News Staff
This past Friday, January 18 members of the Providence College community marched the streets of Washington, D.C. to join fellow members of the pro-life movement in the 46th annual March for Life demonstration.
PC students and faculty made the roughly six-and-a-half-hour trek from Rhode Island to join a procession of nearly 300,000 other participants in open opposition to abortion.
The abortion controversy has continued to divide the nation since 1973 with the landmark Supreme Court Case Roe v. Wade. In the case, Norma McCorvey, better known by her legal alias “Jane Roe,” claimed victory over a Texas law that made it a crime to assist in performing an abortion procedure.
The Court’s ruling ignited instant backlash amongst pro-life activists who viewed it as a direct attack against the rights of the unborn, prompting them to take the initiative.
On January 22, 1974, thousands of pro-lifers braved the cold and participated in the first ever “March for Life” through Washington, accompanied by members of Congress who promised to push pro-life legislation through the House and Senate in an act of support for the rapidly-growing movement.
Forty-five years following the inaugural march, the March’s format has not changed.
Politicians such as current Vice President Mike Pence, as well as other leading members of the pro-life movement like Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Wire Ben Shapiro and Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Pro-life Activities Committee, gave speeches of support and affirmation to the gathered masses.
To the Friars present, the demonstration was an empowering experience due in large part to the strong showing of the pro-life movement.
“It’s a great atmosphere because people from all over the world with all different backgrounds and beliefs are united in fighting for life and that is really powerful,” remarked Cameron McCauley ’21. “This was the fourth march I’ve been to, and I’m still blown away by numbers that come out to support life.”
Fellow Friar Lizzie Hall ’21 discussed the unifying force that brought so many individuals from all walks of life together for a day of protest. “Every human life has dignity and value, no matter what stage of life they are in,” Hall explained. “To be alive is an ongoing process of growth and change, a process that abortion terminates. I believe it is important that we continue to fight for these innocent lives.”
As both attendance at and awareness of the March for Life continue to rise, it is plausible that the passionate outcry for change by members of the pro-life movement may soon be translated into action and even legislation within the halls of Congress.
Fighting in the Federal Government Continues: An Overview of the Government Shutdown
by The Cowl Editor on January 17, 2019
National and Global News
by Kyle Burgess ’21
News Staff
This past Saturday, January 11, marked the third week since President Trump’s refusal to sign a spending bill negotiated by Republicans and Democrats that would continue current border-security funding without the construction of a border wall on the United State’s southern border.Currently, this is the longest-lasting government shutdown in United States history.
The necessity for a border wall to strengthen domestic security and crack down on illegal immigration became a staple issue during Trump’s presidential campaign.
Now that he is in office, Trump has directed his attention towards making this promise a reality, one which would set the government back a proposed $5.7 billion.
Despite stating initial claims that the Mexican government “would make a one-time payment of $5 to $10 billion” to pay for the wall’s construction, Trump has since gone back on these words, stating, “Obviously, I never said this, and I never meant that they’re gonna write out a check, I said they’re going to pay for it.”
Exactly just how Mexico would pay for the wall without an upfront payment seemed like a contradiction until President Trump elaborated on his explanation, detailing how the U.S. government would receive funding through the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA). The agreement itself is a signed free-trade agreement amongst the three nations, however it has yet to be ratified by them.
Despite this nebulous solution to possible financial roadblocks that would arise, President Trump remained unsatisfied with Congress’ apparent indifference to “large scale criminal and drug inflow” across the border, prompting him to declare that the task of constructing his barrier would fall upon the United States military.
To Trump’s displeasure, the proposed funding plans for such an undertaking encountered fierce resistance by House Democrats who were desperate to stall any progress to the wall’s construction. They did, however, reach across the aisle to negotiate on several key budgeting issues that would help to prevent a government shutdown.
Instead, Trump chose to stick to his guns by reiterating his ability to shut down the government should Congress not comply with his demands of $5.7 billion for the wall. Efforts by leaders in both the Senate and House of Representatives attempted to write up a new spending bill, but had no success.
The shutdown of the United States government has directly impacted the lives of some 400,000 non-critical employees belonging to nine federal agencies.
Notable departments that are affected by the shutdown include the Department of Education, the Department of the Interior (including national parks), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Trump has publicly stated that he will keep the government shutdown until his demands have been met, going so far as to threaten calling a state of national emergency should the shutdown exceed several months or even years.
Until a compromise between the two combatants can be reached, the men and women employed in these agencies will continue to patiently sit on the sidelines without pay as the winter of 2019 ushers in a new “cold war” between the executive and legislative branches in Washington, D.C.