Tag: Max Waite ’21
London Calling: “Civ in London” an Alternative Abroad Experience
by The Cowl Editor on October 3, 2019
Campus
by Max Waite ’21
News Staff
Starting next school year, sophomore students at Providence College will be given the opportunity to study abroad in London, England, as part of the Development of Western Civilization Program.
The Providence College Center for Global Education has been working on this program for about a year, and it will provide a select group of 30-40 non-honors sophomore students an experience of a lifetime. Until now, sophomores did not have the opportunity to study abroad due to the fact that they had to take DWC 201 and 202.
Grace Cleary, assistant dean of global education and the architect for the “Civ in London” program, explains, “The idea was to offer those subjects (DWC) abroad, taught by Providence College faculty members.” Freshmen who are interested in the “Civ in London” program must apply by Dec. 1. Once accepted into the program, those students will study in London for the spring of 2021.
The two faculty members accompanying the students will be Professor Margaret Manchester of the history department and Associate Professor Stephanie Boeninger of the English department. The pair will be teaching the “Battlefields and Home Fronts: The Making of War & Peace in Western Civilization” colloquium. The course examines four different military conflicts over the course of European history and how those conflicts relate to the development of western civilization. The professors will also independently teach “ENG372: Contemporary Drama in London” and “HIS360: Special Topics: From World War to Cold War: England, 1939 -1989.”
The remaining courses that students will be taking will be part of the IES academic center, located in Bloomsbury, London near the British Museum. Joseph Stanley, Dean of Global Education, explained that students can also take courses at two of the University of London campuses, City University and Queen Mary University. As part of the program, students will live in a nice residential unit located near King’s Cross station.
The itinerary for the students is still in the works, but the CGE Deans and faculty leaders are trying to incorporate visits to historical places and landmarks that correlate with the students’ studies.
Stanley explains, “Even though this program is anchored in London, there are many interesting co-curricular activities for students to experience. I think it’ll be a really great program.”
Students will potentially have the opportunity to visit the beaches of Normandy as part of their history class, or attend theater performances, and possibly visit Oxford, Stratford-Upon-Avon, and Hampton Court Palace. Also, students will spend a week in Athens, Greece, a place that seems to resonate with all parts of Western Civilization.
Peter Palumbo, dean of academic advising, feels that the difference between “Civ in London” and any other study abroad program is the cultural immersion that students will experience. “I know that the professors are very excited to tie in London and the United Kingdom experience into Western Civilization. I really feel like that aspect enriches the process, by visiting these sites and actually experiencing the culture.”
Cleary explained that all costs for these excursions will cost no more than a traditional semester abroad will cost. Cleary further adds, “We are hoping that this program will mimic other study abroad programs in terms of a wide variety of courses for students of many different majors. A lot of the core courses and proficiencies will be available.”
Cleary and Stanley believe that the program will be incredibly competitive, but still encourage freshmen to apply before the Dec. 1 deadline. Students will be able to apply for scholarships as part of this program as well.
This past Monday night, Sept. 23, the Center of Global Education held a fair for students interested in this and other programs. The event went very well, as there was great student traffic flowing in and out of the fair. An additional information session was held at 4 p.m. on Oct. 3 in Ruane 105.
When asking the question of what made the College choose London to start off the program, Cleary and Stanley explained that the DWC abroad committee, which is made up of DWC faculty and members of the Center for Global Education, was looking at Granada, Spain, Athens, Greece, and London, England as potential locations for the program. Ultimately, the committee chose London because of its rich history that seems to resonate with the DWC colloquium.
In order to advertise this exciting program, students in the class of 2023 were notified of this opportunity during their orientation. Stanley adds, “It is crucial that a wide enough net is cast so that we have enough interested students in order for the program to run.”
On top of the London program, the Center for Global Education office is providing a week-long DWC colloquium over spring break of 2020 in Havana, Cuba in addition to a regular, semester-long class. Titled “Cuba Libre: Global Commodities in Caribbean and Latin American History,” students will be accompanied by professors Maia Bailey and Fr. David Orique. The application deadline for this program is Oct. 15.
Palumbo, along with the rest of the CGE, highly recommends that students study abroad, but must keep in close contact with their academic advisor. “Studying abroad is an outstanding educational experience. It is a high impact process that students really receive a lot from, contributing to both academic and personal development.”
Stanley and Cleary encourage students who are interested in any of the programs or have any questions to stop by the Center for Global Education office in Harkins 215. Walk-in hours are held Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Featured Friar: Jack Murphy ’20
by The Cowl Editor on September 19, 2019
Features
by Max Waite ’21
News Staff
Every student took their own unique road to PC, and Jack Murphy ’20 is no different. Murphy grew up and attended high school in Brunswick, Maine just north of Portland. During high school, he was involved in the school band and chorus, as well as committed to four years of cross country and indoor and outdoor track.
Upon graduating high school, Murphy applied to different colleges and universities, but overall was not too thrilled about his list—nothing stood out. So, he decided to take a gap year in Paraguay. As fascinating as that sounds, it is the place that ultimately led Murphy to PC.
As he was going over his new options, everything seemed to point toward Friartown. Murphy arrived on the PC campus for the first time when he was reporting for his new student orientation in June of 2016.
“I really loved it. The atmosphere was great, and I thought that it was a really, really good community to be a part of. That’s the main thing that I always say — I love the people here.”
Since his freshman year, Murphy has made the most out of the opportunities at PC. Murphy applied to be in the community service housing cohort as part of his freshman housing application. The cohort was rather small, but it put him in contact with different community organizations that provided him with community service opportunities around Providence.
As part of the special cohort, Murphy became involved with the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and “the walking school bus.”
While in the ESL program, Murphy was able to teach at an elementary school off campus. Meanwhile, Murphy also dedicated his time to the “walking school bus” initiative, where he volunteered to walk with local children to their nearby elementary school. The children lived too close to the school for the bus to pick them up, and their parents were already at work. Additionally, Murphy was involved in Peer Ministry during his sophomore and junior years.
During the spring semester of his junior year, Murphy was studying abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico. As a Spanish and social work double major, Murphy’s favorite class was comparative social policy.
“We’d look at the welfare, economic, and political policy of Mexico and compare it to the United States. I was getting credit for social work classes I take at PC, and it was really cool to have a dialogue between what different things Mexico values than what we value in the U.S.,” said Murphy.
While abroad, Murphy would visit Mexico City and get to see all the art museums that the city had to offer. “These museums all featured artwork from artists like Diego Rivera that I have been studying for years in my Spanish art classes, which was a really cool experience for me getting to see their work in person.”
This year, Murphy became a first-year resident assistant for DiTraglia Hall. He has a couple of weeks under his belt, and so far says he really enjoys it.
As he enters his final year at PC, Murphy looks forward to Senior Ring Weekend, as well as his social work internship. Murphy will be working at a Latin American community center in Central Falls, helping out with the food pantry and the various events held at the center.
“It’s really cool to be out in the community while being like a liaison for PC. I gotta say it’s one of my favorite things, to draw a connection between outside work and stuff with the college.”
Looking back on his time at PC, one of Murphy’s favorite memories came on a cold winter night in 2018 when the College’s Men’s Basketball Team upset the Villanova University Wildcats in the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
He was in the Phillip’s Memorial Library studying when he spontaneously decided to attend the game. He took the last student bus to the game, and was the only student on the bus. The V.I.P. treatment ended as he entered into an electric crowd of friar fanatics, and he began to watch the madness unfold. Murphy describes the experience as “absolutely unreal,” and it is something that he will remember forever.
Flashback in Friartown: A History of PC’s Housing Over the Years
by The Cowl Editor on September 12, 2019
Campus
by Max Waite ’21
News Staff
Since its doors opened in 1917, Providence College has undergone incredible changes across the board, which has made it stand out as one of the top colleges in the competitive northeast region.
In particular, Friartown’s residence halls have all undergone changes, as more buildings have either been upgraded or constructed as a result of the College’s substantial growth over the years.
Perhaps one of the most well-known residence halls among the community is Aquinas Hall. This residence hall has undergone drastic changes in its long history.
On the first floor of Aquinas Hall, or “AQ” for short, resided the College’s first dining hall. On top of that, there was some classroom space toward the end of the hall on one side of the building, with another side featuring the chapel, which has since been converted into the Center for Catholic and Dominican Studies.
Imagine being a PC student back then, leaving class in AQ, grabbing some food in the dining hall, then attending a service in the chapel, all without leaving the building!
Though AQ looks different now, the building’s importance in campus life has not changed.
The other residence halls that share Aquinas Lawn are Meagher Hall and McDermott Hall. Both residence halls used to have classroom space for students. Though these buildings lack the significant changes that Aquinas Hall possesses, they also underwent some small projects in recent years.
Jana Valentine, director of residence life and housing, has been at the college for seven years. Since her time on campus, she has seen changes such as the renovation of the bathrooms in McDermott and Meagher which offer a new and vibrant charm to the building. Additionally, Meagher got new locks for all the dorm room doors.
Another dorm building that more recently experienced change was the old home of the Office of Residence Life, St. Joseph’s Hall.
Valentine explained, “This past summer, we worked with the Physical Plant in getting Joe’s bathrooms repainted, going for a Friar pride school spirit color theme with the black, white, and grey. It really looks amazing!” Additionally, St. Joe’s now has a new community kitchen, as well as new furniture in the dorm rooms.
Student-athlete Sean Meehan ’22 is living in St. Joseph’s Hall this year and voiced his approval of the new changes. “I absolutely love the new bathrooms. They provide a fresh new look to the building, and don’t get me started on the new mattresses, they’re wonderful. Being a student-athlete is definitely a challenge, but it’s the little things like relaxing on my new mattress at the end of a long day that make it all worth it.”
Next to St. Joseph’s Hall is the Feinstein Academic Center. Many students may have a class or two in this building, but probably do not know that Feinstein used to be called Stephen Hall. Stephen Hall was a residence hall until it was converted into the Feinstein Academic Center in the mid-1990s.
Not all of Stephen Hall, however, used to be dormitories. The top floor with the balcony was actually a health center, where students would go if they were feeling under the weather.
Perhaps the biggest change undergone on the Providence College campus was the construction of the Arthur F. and Patricia Ryan Center for Business Studies in replacement of Dore Hall. This dramatic change has proved to be extremely beneficial to the PC community, as the modern building has been very well received and made PC’s pinpoint on the map a little larger.
Dore Hall used to be an all-female dorm with single dorm rooms while Fennell was all-male. Before becoming a dormitory, Fennell Hall was known as Charles V. Chapin Hospital. Once the school bought Chapin and the Ryan Center was built years later, Fennell combined men and women into one building, with a similar living concept to Aquinas Hall.
Despite the success resulting from all of these changes, what the College has found most difficult to work around was “retrofitting” the buildings despite their age. A great majority of the buildings on the PC campus have been retrofitted despite the odds in ways such as adding cable and internet to buildings that predate those advancements.
No matter where one lives on campus, all of the residence halls have undergone many changes with the vision in mind to maximize the living conditions and overall satisfaction of residents.
Walk Helps Raise Awareness for Alzheimer’s
by The Cowl Editor on May 2, 2019
Campus
by Max Waite ’21
News Staff
The poor weather this past Friday, April 26, did not prevent the hardworking and dedicated Providence College Health Care Club from holding their annual “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” fundraiser.
Originally supposed to be held on Aquinas Lawn, the event was moved inside the Aquinas Hall lounge from 2-5 p.m. due to the rain. The event was lively as ever, and the Health Care Club provided great snacks like Providence Bagels, as well as great music.
This year was the sixth annual fundraiser for Alzheimer’s awareness. The event started with a PC student who wanted to make a difference in the College community. She wanted to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s, which unfortunately emotionally cripples families all too often.
Since then, it has been the Health Care Club’s primary networking service project and has been extremely successful.
The event originally began with the College community all walking a lap around the Ray Treacy track. This time, however, the walk took place in Providence this past October.
This year, in an effort to boost the event’s attendance, the Providence College Health Care Club decided to take a different approach for putting on the event.
The artificial flowers in the ground outside the entrance to Aquinas Hall provided students with a warm welcome to the event, while the energetic and friendly personalities of the club members made the event a pleasant experience to attend. All donations were welcome through either Venmo or cash, no matter the amount.
When speaking with Arriana Arroyo ’20, President of the Health Care Club, she was excited with the outcome of the event. In addition to the fundraiser, the Health Care Club is also involved in an initiative called “Pen Pal for a Purpose” with a partnership through a local nursing home.
A Better Understanding of International Diplomacy: MOAS Class Travels to Washington D.C.
by The Cowl Editor on April 11, 2019
Campus
by Max Waite ’21
News Staff
This past week, 10 Providence College students in the Model Organization of American States (MOAS) political science class travelled to Washington, D.C. for their headline simulation.
Accompanied by Dr. Casey Stevens, the 10 students who represented the College were Peter Rindfuss ’20, Emili Castro Rodriquez ’21, Madison Clark ’19, Cierra Duclos ’20, Christopher Iadeluca ’21, Megan McGunigle ’19, Rachael Minassian ’19, Maya Neski ’21, Tara Noble ’20, Caroline Olsen ’19, and John Riccio ’19. This delegation of 10 students, which is composed of five committees with two representatives each, was assigned to represent St. Lucia at this year’s conference.
Throughout the semester, these hard working students spent their time in class researching St. Lucia, a small, developing state impacted by problems such as sustainable development, climate change, and security with limited resources from its tourist economy.
The MOAS simulation provides students with an idea of how diplomacy works and how to find creative resolutions to problems in the world today.
To prepare for the conference, the delegation wrote draft resolutions similar to bills that you would see at the real Organization of American States, the organization which the students were simulating.
Riccio stated, “These resolutions are designed to identify key challenges related to certain topics and propose creative and pragmatic solutions which all member states in the region can apply. The goal is to get your resolution passed, which requires a simple majority of votes from member states after it is formally debated in the committee.”
Specifically, the delegation focused on topics related to St. Lucia’s foreign policy goals, particularly freedom of press, food security, climate change, and political minority rights.
The delegation did more than just debate the proposed solution. Clark said, “In the general committee, where I was working as a secretary, we had to respond to a randomized crisis scenario brought before our committee and we had to work together in order to provide a successful solution to the problem.”
PC was accompanied by 26 other schools at the MOAS spanning across the country, and into foreign countries such as Argentina, Venezuela, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, and Mexico.
The atmosphere of the simulation tended to be lively and intense at times, with lots of different ideas being tossed around at the Crystal City Marriott. Riccio said, “Personally, I think maintaining good diplomacy and a consistent attitude was the biggest challenge of the conference as it was easy to become rattled in the face of opposition and procedural limitations.”
Though the MOAS simulation is not a competition, the Friars passed three out of five resolutions relating to journalistic freedom, clean energy, and protecting political minorities. Despite the action-packed days spent at the simulation, the delegation of PC students was able to find some time to enjoy the local food of Washington D.C, explore the monuments, and even got to meet the St. Lucian Minister Counselor to the OAS, Mrs. E. Juliet Mallet Phillip, at the St. Lucian Embassy.
As part of the week’s itinerary, the students attended a delegate dance where they had a chance to interact with fellow students from other schools attending the simulation, and got to learn a few new moves on the dance floor from Latin American students.
In all the excitement of the week, Clark expressed her favorite moment: “Everybody there is so open and excited to talk to you that it is very easy to make connections and friends. I have friends that I have met at the model who I speak to on a regular basis that I find myself very close to, so the connections that can be made at the model are amazing.”
Riccio stated, “Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of the trip was being able to spend time with my classmates at dinners, excursions, and the delegate dance, and really get to know them all. My co-delegates are some of the most talented, creative, passionate, and personable people I’ve met during my four years at PC, and they are the reason that I will always smile when I look back on this trip.”
Nutrition 101: Raymond Dining Hall Hosts Upcoming Nutrition Classes
by The Cowl Editor on March 7, 2019
Campus
Max Waite ’21
News Staff
After spring break, Providence College students can look forward to new health and nutrition classes being taught in Raymond Dining Hall.
Samantha Therrien, a manager and dietician at Ray with a master’s degree in nutrition, has always wanted to provide an informative opportunity for students to learn about tasty nutritious options that they can incorporate into their diets. So, when an old professor from Framingham State University reached out to her with an idea for someone to come teach nutrition classes at the College, Therrien was immediately intrigued. Therrien stated that the PC student body would serve as the “audience for our own unique lesson plan.”
The instructor of the upcoming classes is Tanisha Amaral, a graduate student studying nutrition and education at Framingham State University.
Recently, Therrien and Amaral have collaborated in order to create lesson plans that are unique and fit well within our community. According to Therrien, these nutrition classes will be provided part-time, for they are serving as a “trial-run” in the development process.
There are three upcoming classes for students to attend within the next month. Students will be allowed to attend these classes without using a meal swipe, and healthy snacks will be provided for the attendees.
The first class will be held on Tuesday, March 19 at 3:30 p.m. The main topics to be covered are how to replace high fat or high calorie foods with more nutritious options, a discussion on healthy versus unhealthy fats, and how to properly read food labels.
The second class will be held on Friday, March 29 at 3:30 p.m. This session will discuss the process of choosing nutritious foods whether you are in the dining hall or enjoying a nice meal from any of the amazing restaurants throughout Providence.
This class will also go into detail on how to incorporate fruits, vegetables, protein, and other ingredients into a delicious, yet healthy meal. Ultimately, this class will be all about general healthy eating and making good, nutritious choices wherever you are.
The third class will be next month on Tuesday, April 2 at 3:30 p.m. Though the specifics of this class have not been planned out just yet, it will go over how to prepare healthy options on your own, whether you are home or in your dorm room.
These events are particularly great for students with kitchens, as it will provide them with new ideas for meals to prepare. They will also certainly aid students who enjoy fitness, but do not necessarily know how to properly incorporate nutrition into their daily lives.
Michael Havens ’21 is excited for the upcoming classes, as he believes that he will learn a lot about how to improve his diet. “I’ve been trying to go to the fitness center whenever I can, but at the end of the day, I feel like I’m not making any progress because of my eating habits. Hopefully after attending these classes, I can learn how to restrain my urges to eat junk food and lean more towards healthy options.”
Therrien hopes to have these classes continue into the fall semester. In addition to the classes, Therrien is interested in possibly setting up tables at the dining hall with different healthy snacks displayed for students to try. This way, students can learn about the benefits of the ingredients which they are eating, and perhaps incorporate these nutritious ingredients into their own diet.
Posters promoting these new nutrition classes will be put up throughout the dining hall in the near future, and students are encouraged to sign up for these classes by contacting Samantha Therrien at samantha.therrien@sodexo.com.
Unleash Your Inner Culinary Capabilities and Creativity: Raymond Dining Hall Sets Up New U -Cook Station
by The Cowl Editor on February 28, 2019
Campus
by Max Waite ’21
News Staff
Earlier this month, Raymond Dining Hall premiered its brand-new “U-Cook” station to the Providence College community.
This new station provides an opportunity for students to have a more unique dining experience, as students can personally prepare their own food.
The station currently features mainly breakfast items such as eggs and vegetables, but students are free to roam the food court and toss into their sauté pan whatever ingredients are necessary to make their dining experience unique.
It is new, fun opportunities like this that Stuart Gerhardt, manager of Raymond Dining Hall, is always looking to implement into the College’s dining hall. Gerhardt stated, “A lot of students say that they wish that they could cook for themselves, so the opportunity was there to try to create a station where we could put different items on it, and then kids could go up to it and cook what they want.”
As part of the development process of the U-Cook station, Gerhardt consulted the Student Congress Food Committee. This committee represents every class, and is a place where ideas on how to add things or make things different in the dining hall are discussed.
The idea of a self-cook type station in Ray was “always in discussion,” said Gerhardt. Finally, a set of equipment was provided in order to experiment with how students would utilize the station.
Gerhardt is pleased with the results of the station so far and looks forward to further improving the station in the near future with some more permanent equipment.
The main idea behind the U-Cook station is creativity, as the station thrives on the creativity of young minds.
Sean Breuche ’21 expressed his strong approval of the up-and-coming food station. “I really enjoy cooking food for my family when I am home, and I take pride in my ability to successfully experiment with different foods to see what I come up with. Now, with the new self-cooking station, I can cook up whatever I’m hungry for that will help me get along with my day.”
Even students without a culinary background manage to find a way to enjoy a wholesome meal, while at the same time acquiring a new skill set at the new self-cook station.
Peter Abbe ’21 said, “I really enjoy the new U-Cook station. As a cooking novice, I feel a great sense of accomplishment after I prepare a meal for myself. The next time I’m home, I definitely want to put my skills to the test in my own kitchen!”
Other changes to the dining experience at Ray include a Tuesday night protein carving on the comfort line for students to enjoy. Now that the U-Cook station has emerged onto the scene, many students have been wondering if there are any other cool additions to the dining hall that could potentially come to fruition in the near future.
Ultimately, Gerhardt and his team at Ray, along with the Student Congress Food Committee are always looking for some new ideas to bring to the table. These ideas can come from trade magazines, websites, and even other schools’ dining halls.
But what really matters is our opinion as a Friar Family. Thus, students are encouraged to offer their own insights and recommendations to the Student Congress Food Committee, whether positive or negative.
From there, these ideas can be discussed so that our overall dining experience can fulfill our expectations.