Tangents & Tirades

by The Cowl Editor on March 15, 2018


Opinion


The Importance of Keeping Cool(ey)

If there is one image that exhibits the stress Friar fans experienced watching the Big East Championship game last Saturday, it is Providence College Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley ripping his pants. Whether you were watching in the world’s “most famous” arena or from your couch, there is no doubt that everyone was on the edge of their seats the entire time.

After the big win on Valentine’s Day, many felt confident that the Villanova University Wildcats would see the Providence College Friars as a major threat at Madison Square Garden. While it took some time for the Friars to catch up, we managed to surpass Villanova’s score towards the end of the second half.

In a stressful last couple of minutes, Cooley’s pants ripped. Despite this considerable wardrobe malfunction, Cooley was able to keep his cool. Before everyone even had time to process what just happened he had a towel tucked into his pants. He still paced up and down the court, focusing on the game as if there was no problem at all.

In light of this event, we should try to keep Cooley’s attitude in mind. If you feel disappointed in PC’s defeat, remember that the coach of our men’s basketball team managed to persevere in spite of unfortunate circumstances. We should focus on what is truly important—that we did not let Villanova win so easily, and that the Friars will be in the NCAA Tournament.

-Hannah Paxton ’19

 

Oh Snow! No Day Off?

Winter time in New England enchants students with the possibility of snow days. Even college students, weathered by years of disappointment with would-be blizzards that turned out to be light dustings, still get excited by the chance that rogue meteorologists can scare school administrators into cancelling classes.

Yet it would be much more beneficial for students if they just completely removed all expectations for snow days. Ever. As in: put away the snow-day calculator, stop checking the Weather app every three and a half minutes, do not wear your pajamas inside-out. It might seem fun or cute to obsess over just maybe having a snow day two Fridays from now, but you are really only setting yourself up for disappointment and misery each day you actually have school.

Think about it. You are just going to be sad and unhappy that you have to sit through classes each time school does not get called. But the opposite is true as well. If you never even consider the possibility of classes being cancelled, and one day, it suddenly is, imagine the joy and bliss that you will get to experience as you turn off the alarm on your phone, close your eyes, and drift slowly back to sleep. It feels like heaven.

Yet none of that good stuff is possible if you expect a foot of snow every third school day. So don’t worry about the weather. Just expect to be in class, and when you do not have to be, enjoy those extra of hours of bliss like they are a gift from the skies.

-Kevin Copp ’18

 

More Crosswalks On Campus

As struggling college students who scrape up change to buy another pack of microwavable ramen noodles, we have all made that joke about jumping in front of a car on PC’s campus to get our tuition paid for. However, this could become a real possibility if Providence College does not put in crosswalks and speed bumps on the roads near Raymond Dining Hall and the Ray and Aquinas housing dormitories.

Both the drivers and the pedestrians tend to stray from the rules of the road in this area of campus. Students walk everywhere on a college campus, especially on the streets that run through campus, despite traffic from cars. However, as there are few designated crosswalks in this specified area, students walk wherever and whenever they’d like, regardless of automobile traffic. This actually turns into a vicious cycle, as cars driving through campus often go much faster than they should. This combination can prove to be threatening to both sides.

Although no one has been severely injured as a result of the current set-up, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Therefore, more crosswalks would make students more likely to use them as they would not be going too far out of their way to reach them. In addition, speed bumps would force drivers to slow down. Placing these near each other would be especially helpful in making Providence College an even safer campus.

-McKenzie Tavella ’18