Tangents & Tirades

by The Cowl Editor on November 18, 2021


Opinion


Veteran’s Day Should Not Be Business as Usual

Christina Charie ’25

Enjoying a day of relaxation is not a tragedy. After multiple five-day weeks in a row, Providence College students are exhausted and feeling anxious about finishing homework and studying for exams. Since Veterans Day is a federal holiday, many people in the Providence area do not report to work. A one-day vacation from classes would not result in a learning deficiency. In fact, having Veterans Day off could have the opposite effect. Additionally, by ignoring the federal holiday, PC prevents students from honoring and serving veterans in the community.  

After midterms, students often need time to find their homework routine again. A day during the week without classes gives students the chance to complete assignments while taking time for self-care. Cutting down on instructional time seems counterintuitive; however, if students feel overwhelmed, they will not learn effectively. Time spent in classes is more productive once students are relaxed. In addition, professors could utilize the extra time on Veterans Day to grade exams, alleviating much of the anxiety that lingers after midterms. Having the College close on Veterans Day would encourage and support learning, despite giving up time in class.  

By taking off Veterans Day, students at the College would have the opportunity to organize Veterans Day events, service projects, and memorials. Events on campus could help students learn about the sacrifices veterans make for the community. The College could invite alumni who served in the military back to campus as a sign of gratitude. Veterans in the Providence area would certainly appreciate Providence students reaching out to them.  

Clearly, changing the academic calendar offers benefits to all members of the PC family, including students, staff, and alumni. 

 

Astro-Nomical Tragedy

by Sydney Gayton ’23

The last thing people could have imagined at Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert in Houston, TX on Friday, Nov. 5 was the death of nine people and the hospitalization of hundreds more. Injuries resulted after concert goers at the 50,000-person music festival stormed towards the stage when Scott came on. People were pushed and trampled while others sustained more serious injuries, some treated for cardiac arrest. 

The tragedy is attributed to a systematic breakdown. In the 59-page operations plan for the event, only the concert and executive producers had the ability to stop the concert. It also did not have an emergency plan in place to deal with such a situation despite something similar occurring at Astroworld in 2019. The plan only contained a warning about avoiding a potential “civil disturbance/riot.” The safety measures at the event are currently under investigation to determine who is at fault. Hundreds of concertgoers have already hired attorneys in lawsuits against Scott and Live Nation for their bodily injuries that occurred as a direct result of the encouraged violence and lack of safety precautions at the venue.

While Scott may have been unaware of the situation while performing, his prior safety violations, as well as his and Drake’s actions after the tragedy, that resulted in the death of nine people between the ages of fourteen to twenty-seven are reprehensible. The “concern” both performers show on social media seems to be only to protect their images and minimize lawsuits. It was their actions that night, at Dave & Busters and a strip club, that say more about their care for their fans than the obligatory Instagram apologies try to express. No one should die at a concert. Scott should cancel the rest of his Astroworld Tour and spend time figuring out how he can ensure his team’s and his own failures never result in the loss of another fan’s life. In the meantime, stop listening to Travis on Spotify and listen to Taylor Swift’s new releases.

 

Business Majors are Not the Only Students at PC

Olivia Bretzman 22

There is no doubt that Providence College has an extremely successful business school. Most PC students are business majors, so obviously, they need support from the Career Center, networking events, etc.

However, there are a lot of other majors at PC that deserve the same support considering all undergraduate students pay tuition to attend PC and utilize their resources. This is a major point of discrepancy in PC’s student support system, particularly when it comes to mentorship in applying for internships, jobs, and higher education.

When looking for internships using PC’s Slavin 108 network, the “past internship list” includes about 30 possible places to intern for each business major and only five-10 for other majors. The Slavin 108 system is entirely geared towards becoming a corporate businessperson, so much so that when an undergraduate, non-business major asks for guidance, the system fails to foster.

There is a real lack of knowledge within the network of what humanities majors can accomplish and how to assist them, which seems incredibly convoluted considering PC prides itself on its liberal arts education and was founded on a strong belief in the humanities.

Thankfully, many professors in these non-business major departments are incredibly helpful in job searches, internships, etc. However, that is out of their expectation as a professor. While most are happy to connect students to their connections, other faculty, and more, it often feels like putting more work on an already extremely busy plate.

Overall, PC simply needs to do more and better support its non-business majors. Not only should they have mentors in Slavin 108 for all majors, but they should also provide career expos with more than just business-focused jobs and graduate work. While there are some, it truly is not enough.