Tangents & Tirades

by The Cowl Editor on October 10, 2019


Opinion


A Creative Approach to Oral Communication

Being a proficient public speaker is a necessary skill for a college student, which is why Providence College has an oral communication requirement. Although PC offers many different classes that cover oral communication, more students should consider taking an acting or theatre class. 

The acting and theatre classes offered at PC not only teach students how to speak publicly, but also give students a lot more confidence to communicate in front of other people and to feel more comfortable doing so. 

Furthermore, theatre classes offered at PC are actually very fun and are a nice way to add something different to your normal class load. These classes can really get people out of their comfort zone and help them to become more well-rounded students and future employees. 

Some students may be wary of taking these classes because they do not want to embarrass themselves or feel uncomfortable. However, the professors who teach these classes are understanding of the fact that many don’t have any background in theatre and will make it a very fun and welcoming environment. 

Catherine Flugel ’20 states, “I did not expect to like my acting class at all but right now it’s actually one of my favorite classes this semester… it’s so much fun and very different than all of my other classes.” 

As registration comes around the corner, more students should consider taking a theatre class to experience some great laughs, fun exercises, and overall valuable lessons on communication. 

—Marie Sweeney ’20

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

 


 

Don’t Overlook These “Thank Yous”

The dining and custodial staff on campus works long, laborious hours to make Providence College a comfortable home for us as the student body to reside. 

The dining staff cooks innumerable stir fries tailored to each student’s preferences, with smiles upon their faces. The custodial staff perpetually cleans up the wreckages from each weekend’s chaos in the dormitories every Monday morning. 

Both of these teams of staff work tirelessly to maintain innumerable aspects of campus that we—too often—as the student body take for granted. 

To that end, the instances in which students allow the doors to their residence halls to shut behind them—right in the faces of members of the custodial staff—or grab food from Ray or Alumni without even acknowledging the dining staff that served them is irrefutably appalling.

As college students, we endure innumerable stressors on the daily that may preoccupy our minds. However, this is no excuse to neglect to treat employees of the College with the courtesy and respect they deserve. 

Thank the woman or man who serves you in Alumni or who swipes you in Ray. Wish the dining staff a good day on your way out the door. 

Hold the elevator for the custodial staff in your dormity. Offer to help a staff member carry supplies if their hands are full. Clean up after yourself on weekend outings.  Communicate to the custodial and dining staff that you are appreciative of their hard work—anything less is frankly inexcusable.

—Alyssa Cohen ’21

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

 


 

PC’s Sprinklers are Spent

Walking back from the library at 10:30 p.m., one’s last concern is getting soaked. But lately for Providence College students, this has been an unfortunate reality. 

The sprinkler system on campus is nothing short of a chaotic mess. Some sprinklers are broken and spray water out like a fountain, others face directly onto pathways students need to cross, and all of them are on at the most inconvenient times. 

The sprinklers right near the library are not working properly, so water pours out and drenches the pathway most students need to cross. PC can alleviate this problem by fixing the sprinklers so that they do not allow water to build up on paths on campus. 

Another issue is that some sprinklers face towards paths that students walk on to get to their dorm buildings, the library, or the dining hall. 

“I was walking back from studying at about 11 p.m., listening to music and looking down at my phone, so I wasn’t paying attention,” Keri Vecchiariello ’22 said. “Then I was screaming because the sprinkler facing the path was drenching me.” 

The times that the sprinklers go off is inconvenient, as they go off at nighttime when students are out and about. 

“I feel like the sprinklers are on when most students are walking around campus at night,” Lauryn Anthony ’22 said. “Like walking back from the library, going to Ray, coming from Ray. They’re just a bit of a nuisance.” 

The sprinkler system would be the last thing that would cross most students’ minds as something that could cause problems on campus; nevertheless, unless proper steps are taken, getting soaked by the sprinklers seems to be a real and present issue on campus.

—Emily Ball ’22

Photo courtesy of FreePix.com