by Anonymous on April 16, 2026

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Letters to the Editor

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Dear Editors of the Cowl,

A staggering 97 percent of aspiring law students say they are concerned about the cost of law school, according to a survey by Juris Education, a national law school admissions consulting firm. Further, nearly 43 percent expect to graduate with $100,000 or more in debt. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s proposed limits on graduate student loan borrowing have only intensified that anxiety—turning law school into a luxury good, and the consequences extend far beyond a college campus.

The question isn’t only whether students can afford law school. The deeper concern is whether crushing debt could drive talented graduates away from meaningful but lower-paying legal work, such as public interest law, legal aid, and advocacy. When the cost of education dictates career choices, the profession can lose the people it needs most.

Providence College’s Pre-Law Advising Program provides individual advising, career counseling, and guidance throughout the application process. The program organizes alumni panels where students and lawyers who graduated from PC offer insight into law school and legal practice, law school panels with admissions representatives, and personal statement workshops for juniors and seniors. Professor Paul Herron, who holds both a Juris Doctorate and a Doctorate of Philosophy, and brings experience from a federal judgeship, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and a large Boston law firm, counsels students on whether and when to attend law school. That advising foundation is excellent. But preparing students for the application process is only half the job. PC must also prepare them for the financial consequences of the career path they’re choosing.

PC can start by building financial literacy into pre-law advising. If students are going to graduate with six-figure law school debt, they need to understand their financial priorities before entering the legal profession. Advising sessions should cover career growth patterns, earning projections by legal specialty, loan repayment timelines, and best-case and worst-case financial scenarios. 

PC’s founding mission, rooted in the Catholic and Dominican tradition, centers on expanding access to higher education. The Providence Opportunity Program’s signature scholarships, including the Cristo Rey, Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship, and Posse programs, provide full-tuition awards and financial aid to students who might not otherwise consider PC. That commitment to access should extend to how the college prepares students for what comes after graduation. Pre-law students who benefit from PC’s financial aid and scholarship culture deserve honest guidance about whether and how they can afford the next step.

Furthermore, law schools also need to rethink the length of their programs. According to the survey, 65 percent of prospective students said they would consider a two-year law program if given the choice. This can include accelerated Juris Doctorate programs and hybrid pathways. PC must educate students on the possibilities of such programs. 

The increasing cost of a law degree isn’t just about whether it’s worth it. It is a question of access, fairness, and who gets to shape the future of the legal profession. PC already invests in making undergraduate education accessible. Now it needs to extend that same effort to ensuring pre-law students enter the next phase of their education with complete transparency and an actionable plan.

Arush Chadna

Co-founder of Juris Education

by Emily Paratore on March 19, 2026

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Letters to the Editor

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Dear Editors of The Cowl,

We are writing to you as students of Beyond the Closet: The LGBTQIA+ Experience, a class offered by Providence College. We are writing to provide an alternate perspective regarding the concerns raised in the letter to the editor in the Feb. 27 issue. To jog your memory, this letter condemned the use of an image from “a highly explicit homosexual TV show” (Heated Rivalry) as an image of love in the Valentine’s Day issue. Our class discussed this letter extensively, and we wish to respond.

First, the author of the letter places Heated Rivalry in the arena of counterculture and takes issue with the reference to it in The Cowl, suggesting that the show misrepresents Catholic notions of love. The only claim made by The Cowl was that the show represents a large “pop culture reference to love.” It does not endorse the show nor claim that it represents Catholic love. Rather, it explicitly states that it is a pop culture reference. Two years ago, a similar Valentine’s issue contained a reference to the couple from Netflix’s You, which depicts stalking, murder, and relationship violence. No one spoke up when this non-Catholic view of love was published. Heated Rivalry is arguably the biggest show of the year, making it a relevant pop culture reference to the readers of the student newspaper, and the opposite of countercultural.

Our biggest concerns regarding the letter are the ways in which microaggressions against the LGBTQ+ community are incorporated in the letter, drawing parallels to “outcasts, the scorned, the unwanted,” but indicating that LGBTQ+ individuals (or representations of that love) should not be “welcomed in,” because they represent sin. Per PC’s mission statement, “Providence College seeks to reflect the rich diversity of the human family. Following the example of St. Dominic, who extended a loving embrace to all, it welcomes qualified men and women of every background and affirms the God-given dignity, freedom, and equality of each person. Providence College promotes the common good, the human flourishing of each member of the campus community, and service of neighbors near and far.” LGBTQIA+ people are part of that human family that we attempt to create on this campus. We think that it is troubling that the letter’s author calls for respect when he is openly disrespecting a group of these brothers and sisters. The late Pope Francis called for Catholics not to judge those who have the Lord’s goodwill. It seems important that goodwill be extended here.

Jesus taught us to love each other. In John 8, he refuses to stone a woman for her sin. This example proves that Jesus preaches not to judge and condemn others, unlike what the Feb. 27 letter does to the LGBTQIA+ community. Times are inevitably changing; it was a mere 50 years ago that women could not enroll at PC. A central pillar of this college is respecting human dignity, and that dignity includes allowing different types of love to represent the love in the world and our Friar community. 

Sincerely, 

Students of Beyond the Closet: The LGBTQIA+ Experience. 

Gracie Batsie ’28, Sophia Cremona ’28, Olivia Taveira ’26

by The Cowl Editor on March 22, 2018

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Letters to the Editor

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Dear Editor,

We are faculty at Providence College. We would like to make the following statement in response to events at the College since March 1, when Michael Smalanskas, a senior and a Resident Assistant, posted a bulletin board in support of marriage between one man and one woman.

• The bulletin board posted by Michael Smalanskas faithfully and thoughtfully represents the teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage.
• We reject the notion that the Catholic Church’s teaching on marriage, or its teaching on homosexuality, is bigoted or homophobic, or that these teachings present a threat to the wellbeing of homosexual persons. Rather, those teachings, which some of us address in our courses, are rooted in two millennia of reflection on the Gospel and on human nature, and aim at the flourishing of all persons.
• An academic institution must foster authentic academic freedom. This includes the freedom to present the view that marriage between one man and one woman is natural, and divinely instituted. A Catholic College in particular has the responsibility to create an environment in which the teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage and sexuality can be openly presented, debated, and defended.

We call upon Providence College to state clearly and publicly that both the content of the bulletin board that Michael Smalanskas posted, and his posting of it, are consistent with the Catholic mission of the College. We further call upon the College to state clearly and publicly that faithful, thoughtful expressions of Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality are welcome on campus and are integral to a mission-animated approach to diversity and inclusion. The words of Pope John Paul II are fitting: “If need be, a Catholic University must have the courage to speak uncomfortable truths which do not please public opinion, but which are necessary to safeguard the authentic good of society” (Ex corde ecclesiae).

Robert Barry, Theology

Giuseppe Butera, Philosophy

Joseph Cosgrove, Philosophy

Matthew Cuddeback, Philosophy

Gary Culpepper, Theology

Philip Devine, Philosophy (emeritus)

Paul Gondreau, Theology

Raymond Hain, Philosophy

James Keating, Theology

Sandra Keating, Theology

Patrick Macfarlane, Philosophy

Paul Maloney, Finance

Jay Pike, Chemistry and Biochemistry