3 December Issue 2015 – Online Edition
Transcription
3 December Issue 2015 – Online Edition
Climate change is finally getting the attention it deserves. La Salle’s Wi-Fi has been spotty lately, but don’t worry, you don’t have to click a link to reach this article! pg. 2 VOL. LXXXVIII, NO. X pg. 7 PHILADELPHIA, PA 19141 la salle THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015 collegian CLUBS.LASALLE.EDU/COLLEGIAN est. 1931 Remembering Brother and former La Salle President Daniel Burke By Gavin Lichtenstein Collegian Editor Brother Daniel Burke was president of La Salle College from 1969-1976, a defining period for the university and the country. While Brother Burke was president, the Vietnam War was wrapping up, gas was $0.35 cents and Joseph Clark was mayor of Philadelphia. On Nov. 14, Brother Burke passed away at the age of 89 from cardiac problems at De La Salle Hall, a nursing home for Christian Brothers in Lincroft N.J. Brother Gerry Molyneaux first met Brother Burke when he was 14 years old at West Catholic High School; Molyneaux had Brother Burke for both homeroom and religion that year. “He was always very pleasant and caring,” Molyneaux said. “I was a mess when I was a freshman. With patience and discipline, it got good. I remember him telling me in our homeroom I was the best student. That was the beginning of a long friendship and relationship.” In the classroom, Molyneaux said he was a very good but hard teacher. Years later, when Molyneaux took his place in the front of the classroom, Brother Burke was there with him, supporting and guiding Brother Gerry from afar. “When I started teaching, he would send me books,” Molyneaux said. “He was a mentor all along.” Many of Brother Gerry’s students assume that he just knows it all, but as a student taking graduate courses at Catholic University, Brother Gerry was taking a course in literary criticism, Brother Burke’s field of expertise. Right before the final exam for that course, Brother Gerry reached out to Brother Burke hoping for a last minute “cram session” as he called it. “I learned more literary criticism in that hour and a half then I did that whole course,” Molyneaux said. “He really had a creative way of getting ideas across.” When Brother Burke retired from his role as president, Brother Molyneaux says he was very hesitant toward the idea of a retirement party because he was so modest. Brother Gerry was a leader in organizing his celebration that year and instead of honoring him with a large fancy event, they decided to roast him, centered around the theme ‘find the president a new job.” “We had different people coming up with different ideas. We had a representative from the Mayor’s office that year and some other folks like that, so it was a lot of fun,” Molyneaux said. During his tenure as president, Brother Burke built and opened the Haymon Center and Olney Hall, but his greatest accomplishment wasn’t what he built, it but what he brought. Under Burke, the university became co-ed in addition to increasing the female staff on campus from 3 to 25. Photo courtesy of klare Scarborough Portrait of Brother Daniel Burke by James Hanes, 1992, oil on canvas, La Salle University Art Museum. To BROTHER BURKE on 4 La Salle Enactus chapter wins $4,500 in grants By Brendan Rigney Collegian Editor La Salle’s Enactus chapter earned grants totaling in $4,500 for their development and implementation of projects for three individual competitions posed by Johnson & Johnson and the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Enactus is an international nonprofit that works with student, academic and business leaders on community empowerment projects globally. The program is in 36 countries, with over 1,700 chapters at universities and colleges, according to Enactus’ website. La Salle’s team, hard at work the past few years, has struck gold recently with these three separate accolades. “I’m so thrilled and honored that we have received these grants,” said Kenneth Brewer, President and CEO of LSE. “Project managers Alexis [Parks] and Vincent [Mowad] have worked extremely hard in order to get these grants. I can’t wait to see what we can do with this opportunity.” Of these three grants, the largest amounts to a sum of $2,500 from medical and pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson for La Salle Enactus’ (LSE) Green Expansion Project. LSE project manager Alexis Parks and fellow La Salle Explorers helped transform multiple vacant lots into community gardens, advised community members on how to plant fruits and vegetables and conducted multiple healthy eating workshops in order to teach proper and nutritious eating habits. Overall, the project impacted more than 100 individuals, produced more than 500 pounds of fresh produce and created two jobs. For Lasallian involvement in the Unilever Bright Future Project, Johnson & Johnson awarded Parks’ Green Expansion and LSE again, this time for an additional $1,500. The Unilever Project allows Enactus to address the source of hunger among food insecure families in select U.S. communities. After an assessment, the organization then fosters area-specific strategies that empower these families. An additional $500 was presented to LSE for its fundraising for the Gestures from the Heart program on the International Lasallian Days for Peace. Gestures from the Heart is a Lebanese organization that connects middle-aged widowed women with job opportunities in Zgharta, Lebanon. In addition to the fundraising that earned LSE an extra $500, Vice President and project manager Vincent Mowad plans to continue marketing the program in Philadelphia to continue finding monetary donations. The Brothers of the Christian Schools’ District of Eastern North America presented this grant. “We will spend these Photo courtesy of Brendan Rigney grants on our specific La Salle’s Enactus chapter won $4,500 from three seperate development implementation projects,” Brewer said. competitions. “The goal of [a] grant is to enable progress within our Enactus and La Salle brands. perspective community. Therefore, we will utilize these “These grants are sponsored by international companies,” grants to serve each community to the best of our ability.” explained Brewer. “This gives us leverage to connect with Moreover, the grants offer benefits in more than financial them and create opportunities for each community. Because ways. In their bid for the $2,500 grant from Johnson & of this exposure, La Salle Enactus has a unique opportunity Johnson, LSE finished in third place in the nation. Without to show investors the importance of our initiatives.” missing a beat, Brewer and LSE recognize this as a unique [email protected] opportunity for networking in order to further market the news 2 la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 There is no Planet B: world leaders discuss climate change Slance’s Stance By Sarah Lance Collegian Staff Monday marked the start of COP21, the Sustainable Innovation Forum in Paris, France. Representatives from 195 countries are in Paris right now working to reach the goal of reducing carbon emissions and limiting global warming to 2C or 3.6F. World leaders and activists have made climate change one of the biggest issues of the past summer and the recent months. Pope Francis’ encyclical urges the world to recognize climate change and to work together to find a solution. Pope Francis stresses recognizing the human impact of climate change, what we are doing to cause it and those suffering every day from the consequences of it. This summer, Greenpeace and its supporters held protests against Shell’s intention of drilling in the arctic and managed to stop the drilling vessel by blocking it in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. Canada’s new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, is a big supporter of finding solutions for climate change and making Canada and the rest of the world more sustainable. This all built momentum for the talks in Paris this week and next week. I am glad to see the rhetoric in the media and from our leader change from debating if climate change is happening to discussing real solutions. So, although I am sure that everyone reading this knows that climate change is real, sometimes we do not always realize the impact that it has on our community. Yes, we all know the ice caps are melting and the polar bears are in danger, and I do not want to take away from this serious issue, but I think that it is time we start talking about some of the other effects climate change has in our world. One of my favorite phrases about climate change is “Climate change is an Environmental Issue AND a Human Rights Issue”. It says something about our society that we are often more emotionally effected by an image of an emaciated polar bear floating on a single piece of ice than we are by the image and idea of farmers in rural areas unable to support their families because of floods and droughts. Pests and diseases are increasing which threatens crop production and the health of the farmers who grow the crops. Rainfall patterns are shifting, leaving farmers unsure when to plant, and rising temperatures are shortening crop lifecycles and lowering the amount of crops produced. In a society where someone’s livelihood is dependent on their crop production, climate change can have devastating effects. People in the developing world have contributed little to climate change, but they are paying the biggest price. This is just one example of the effects climate change is having on communities around the world. If we, as a global community, do not step in and work to stop continued emissions of greenhouse gases, the temperature will continue to rise, more drastic changes in weather patterns and we will see an increased risk of severe irreversible impacts on our ecosystems and on people around the world. COP21 in Paris is a pivotal moment for the fight against climate change. In my opinion, we have waited too long and have wasted most of our time trying to convince people to believe in climate change. I mean, if the Pope can acknowledge it, it is time to come around, people. I am thankful that we have world leaders like; President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis and many others, that are willing to take an active role in finding a solution to climate change. My hope is that in the next week and a half of COP21, the world leaders can come to an agreement and a plan to reduce carbon emissions and limit global warming to 2C or 3.6F. Like the title of this column, there is no Planet B. We cannot wait to take action. If you are wondering what you can do, go online to, http://bit.ly/1NmeShq, to sign the petition to support The Green Climate Fund. The Green Climate Fund was started by the United Nations as a means for developed nations to provide developing countries assistance in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. This petition sends a letter to your member of Congress asking them to support the Green Climate Fund by providing a first down payment of $500 million toward the U.S. pledge of $3 billion. Always be on the lookout for things that you can do to be more sustainable and kind to the environment. It might not always be convenient, but it is also not “convenient” for rural farmers in southern Bangladesh to endure cyclones and seasonal floods that destroy their homes. [email protected] collegian the la salle collegian is a newspaper run by the students of la salle university in philadelphia serving the entire university community. editor in chief managing editor head copy editor assistant copy editors business manager news editor features editor commentary editors entertainment editors philly-phile editor kicks editor CAKE editor sports editors social media editor faculty advisor james aumack brendan sample william repetto fernando rios bailee henderson annie grabenstein isobel mccreavy anne brewer bobby cooney dan maloney gavin lichtenstein meg liebsch alex miller alicia miller brendan rigney alex crosby tom england tyler harper tom mcintyre steve graham chuck booth robert o’brien COLLEGIAN STAFF buck amend selena bemak chuck booth mike catalino mike cooney andrew durkin anthony fleet anna gomez sarah lance silvio miranda moira murphy aiyana pellegrino thomas powers meghann taft-lockard VISIT US ONLINE AT CLUBS.LASALLE.EDU/COLLEGIAN CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE Do you want to write for the News section and have your stories printed for the La Salle community to read? If the answer is yes, please contact: Bobby Cooney News Editor (LA SALLE COLLEGIAN) AND NEW TWITTER (@LSUCOLLEGIAN)! news la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 AIDS Outreach spreads awareness during World Aids Week By Casey Schu Collegian Reporter This week, La Salle celebrated its annual World AIDS Week with the purpose of raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. Student coordinators of AIDS Outreach, a community service group on campus, organize the event each year in order to raise money, which is then donated to Calcutta House and AIDS Fund Philly. Each week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, coordinators and volunteers from La Salle visit Calcutta House at 16th and Girard to spend time with residents there. Calcutta House is a group home for people who live with HIV/AIDS. Living at Calcutta enables residents to live in a welcoming community and be given their necessary medications. During their visits, La Salle students converse with residents, play games and help the residents out when needed. The visits provide company for the residents as well as some much needed laughter, and the feeling is certainly mutual. According to freshman volunteer Kaylynn Alicea, “Going to Calcutta and spending time with the residents always calms me down especially if I’m having a stressful day because they are always able to cheer me up and see the bright side of things.” While many of the residents are able to come and go freely, some are wheelchair bound or have other disabilities, making La Salle’s visits even more appreciated. Because of this, AIDS Outreach also provides “buddy trips” for the Calcutta House residents. Buddy trips are events outside of Calcutta in which volunteers and residents get to spend time together in a different atmosphere. Past buddy trips have included the Camden Aquarium, a buffet dinner and the Franklin Institute. While much of what AIDS Outreach does is direct community outreach, there is another component to the service group. On Mondays, volunteers head down to Philly AIDS Thrift on South Street. Work there can vary each week: sometimes volunteers tag clothing, while other times they may need to move large bags into storage. “Going to AIDS Thrift is great because it attempts to bring about long- term change like getting funding for research and treatment, while going to Calcutta and interacting with someone affected by AIDS provides more immediate, therapeutic relief,” says sophomore coordinator Joanna Szyszkiewicz. Philly AIDS Thrift is part of the consortium of businesses and organizations that AIDS Fund Philly works with. World AIDS Week is AIDS Outreach’s biggest endeavor during the school year. The week is held during the week of Dec. 1, which is internationally recognized as World AIDS Day. The coordinators brainstorm a theme for the week, which is promoted through activities. T-shirts are designed and sold everyday for $5. All proceeds are distributed between Calcutta House and AIDS Fund Philly. This year’s theme is “Getting to Zero: Zero Ignorance, Zero Stigmas, Zero Diagnoses.” The mission of World AIDS Week and AIDS Outreach is to bring awareness of the disease and its ongoing prevalence in the world and to attempt to erase the stigmas attached to the illness. In addition, the raising of money directly impacts the people of Philadelphia who live with HIV/AIDS. This theme is pervading campus through the sale of the T-shirts that AIDS Outreach designed, whose design revolves around “Getting to Zero.” On Tuesday, AIDS Outreach hosted a “Red Out,” in which students were encouraged to wear red or World AIDS Week shirts from previous years. On Dec. 2, AIDS Outreach hosted a speaker. Robb Reichard, Director of AIDS Fund Philly, came to La Salle to inform students about HIV/AIDS in Philadelphia and what AIDS Fund Philly does to help. Freshman Paul Rotzal, who attended the talk, said, “It was very informative. I learned a ton about AIDS that I didn’t know before.” World AIDS Week continues to be a movement at La Salle that creates awareness about an important issue and also helps the Philadelphia community by donating all the proceeds from shirt sales. Volunteers from AIDS Outreach will be in the Union from 12 to 2 Thursday and Friday of this week selling shirts. [email protected] SECURITY REPORT bv around la salle Thursday, December 3 Climate Change Event 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Union Music Room Dart Club Listening Party 8:00-11:00 p.m. Holroyd center atrium Deepher Dude 9:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. Dan Rodden Theatre Saturday, December 5 Men’s Basketball 2:00-4:00 p.m. Tom Gola Arena Coach Bag Bingo 6:30 p.m.-2:00 a.m. Union Ballroom Monday, November 23, 2015 12:23 A.M. – At the request of Community Development staff, Security responded to the second floor of St. Katherine Hall to conduct a room search for suspected drug usage. A grinder, a glass bowl and a bag containing a green leafy substance were confiscated to be placed in the safe in Security Headquarters pending disposal by the Philadelphia Police. A bottle of vodka was found and poured out in a nearby sink Sunday, December 6 Sunday, November 29, 2015 Alumni Brunch with Santa 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 8:30 A.M. – Philadelphia Police have notified the University of a shooting incident reported to them with no injuries sustained that occurred at the intersection of 21st and Conlyn Streets at about 8:30 a.m. on November 28, 2015. The complainant, a male not affiliated with the University, was walking alone at the above location when two African American males unknown to him asked him if the location was 21st and Conlyn. The complainant did not answer. One of the males then reached into his waist band and produced a handgun and fired several shots at the complainant. The complainant fled the area, was not struck and is uninjured. A Safety Alert was posted on the portal. Alumni Family Christmas Liturgy 10:00-11:00 a.m. De La Salle Chapel Union Ballroom Tuesday, December 8 Spanish Mass 5:00-5:30 p.m. De La Salle Chapel 3 4 la salle collegian news thursday, december 3, 2015 Brothers remember influence of Br. Daniel Burke from BROTHER BURKE on 1 Brother Burke was more then just a president at the university for a handful of years. He was also more then just a professor and educator. In addition to all those life achievements, he was also the founder and director of the La Salle art museum. Klare Scarborough, Ph.D, is the director and curator of the La Salle art museum and says Brother Burke understood how important it was for students to see art. “He believed that La Salle students should be able to see, not just read about, works of art,” Scarborough said. In 1965, Burke started out with roughly $3,000 and began acquiring some artwork from the area and region. Today the art museum contains more then 4,000 pieces of artwork, including pieces by Durer, Eakins, Picasso and Degas. “I think its safe to say, without Dan, no art collection,” said La Salle University former president Brother Mike McGinnis. “He had a vision that was connected in his mind to the curriculum and the type of school La Salle is.” The collection on campus has certainly grown from a collection that was once spread out around campus, to one of the top art museum collections in the city, comparable to the museum collections at Princeton, Duke, Harvard and Yale, the museum claims. “He did wonders with the collection,” Scarborough said. “What we have on campus is comparable to any major university collection with the quality of artwork we have.” While Brother Dan was raised in an Irish family Photo courtesy of Gavin Lichtenstein in urban Pittsburgh, Brother Burke from an early age Brother Burke founded the La Salle art museum in 1965, turning a $3,000 found love with poetry and art. investment into one of the most reputable museums in the city. “The gentleness and the listening was his ability to appreciate beauty wherever he found it,” McGinnis Are you someone who wants to make a difference through public service? Build your resume and career with the Master of Arts in Policy Studies at Delaware Valley University: • Develop leadership and analytical skills to work in public, private or non-profit policy sectors. • Customize your degree and choose from an internship or thesis to lead you to the next step in your career. Request more information today. Visit delval.edu/grad. said. “I think he brought to his friendships, to the people he knew, to the brothers, to his students, that sort of appreciative capacity that he would bring to a painting, you have to let the painting show itself and that’s how people are.” Brother Burke was once quoted as saying “If you think of God as being all true, all good and all beautiful, then paintings are little hints of God that expand the soul.” McGinnis first met Brother Burke when he was a young brother when he first came to La Salle around 1966. Brother Dan was the academic vice president when young Brother McGinnis was a freshman. It wasn’t until Brother McGinnis’ junior year that he had Brother Burke as a teacher in a literary criticism class. When Brother Burke became president in 1969, he continued teaching, as Brother Mike that year had him for an English seminar. “He was the same in the classroom as he was out,” Brother McGinnis said. “Dan was a very quite, gentle guy, who really listened more then he talked. He was a gentle lecturer in class, you really had to pay attention and you had to sit close because he was very hard to hear without a forceful voice.” Brother McGinnis was president of La Salle University from 1999 until 2014 and said all the brothers, including Brother Dan were very encouraging and helpful when needed. “He was always available, never pushed his views,” he said. “That is really the brothers way, we kind of have a unspoken rule on how to handle ourselves and Dan was really good at that.” A funeral Mass was held on Wednesday Nov. 18 and he was buried in his final resting place on Nov. 20 in the brother’s cemetery at La Salle Hall in Maryland. [email protected] “This program gave me a holistic look at policy studies, giving me an edge in my job. I was taught to analyze each situation on numerous factors from monetary to intrinsic value. I can move beyond breaking everything down to numbers and get a real 360-degree view on situations.” - Autumn Canfield ’15 Master of Arts in Policy Studies 5 la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 My Brain in Harm’s Way:A Blue Mountain State Story By Brendan Rigney Collegian Editor The current day and age for television features a wide range of deep, thoughtprovoking programs. HBO’s True Detective — or at least season one — dives deep into the mind of two crazy nihilists; it also featured Woody Harrelson, who decided a deceased hamster would serve as a hairpiece. AMC’s Mad Men comments on the notion that the American Dream can empower or destroy a person’s livelihood. Comedies such as BoJack Horseman and Master of None make you laugh while asking you to look at your life differently. Actually, a lot of other comedies may not demand a change in perspective, but they can still be well-written and clever; Arrested Development may be the best example of a rich and smart comedy about embarrassingly stupid people. Today’s shows are typically capable of making you a better person, one way or another. Blue Mountain State is not any of these things. I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s turn back the clock a few weeks. It’s a Wednesday in early November. I sit in The Collegian’s subterranean office, a pit that de La Salle himself probably dug. The men and women that serve the paper as editors eschew from their work (naturally). Sports editor and resident Chip Kelly cult member Stephan Graham, Jr. walks the office beat, as he is wont to do between his edits. “I feel like people that watch Blue Mountain State are just…just terrible people,” he croaks. My interest is piqued immediately. You see, Spike’s BMS is one of the raunchiest comedies to air in recent memory. Following the story of one backup college quarterback’s life and times at the titular school, the show’s primary source of humor relied heavily on two things: Jokes about a man’s ding-a-ling and storylines that involve strippers, prostitutes or STDs (but typically both of these). Fellow sports editor Thomas McIntyre described it beautifully: “It’s basically American Pie on TV, but it’s the one that took place at band camp.” In the office, my brain is abuzz. Some of the best pieces in the history of journalism have involved some amount of danger for the writer — Blue Mountain State would be this courtesy of concertblogger.com Brendan Rigney is a changed person after a Blue Mountain State marathon over Thanksgiving Break. danger. I decide to place my brain in harm’s way. But how would I properly marinate in this tragic case of bro-comedy? Surely three episodes would capture the essence adequately. But no. Instead I would go deeper — I would try to watch the entire series. In one sitting. Obviously I hate myself. Flash forward to Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015. I awake with a hangover that would make Odin proud and my mother severely disappointed. My family has vacated the Rigney Manor to go shopping for the impending apocalypse that is a Philadelphia holiday season. Only my brother Andrew remains home with me — I needed a witness to my research. God bless him. I put on an entire pot of coffee; eggs are made and final wills and testaments are compiled. After putting it off for an extra hour, I decide it’s time. I begin to type in “blue mountain state” into Netflix’s search feature, but — as if the streaming site knows I mega-loathe myself — BMS pops up after only the first two letters. Bravo, Netflix. We begin the first episode unceremoniously and are greeted instantly with the show’s theme, a song entitled “Hell Yeah” because obviously. From here, the seminal (get it?) episode proceeds to throw the following things at us: •A look at the first day at BMS for the aforementioned backup quarterback, who is graced with the company of the football team’s “booster” girls — they just suddenly engage in coitus. • Insight into how sleazy and creepy his roommate is, as the soon-to-be team mascot watches the quarterback have sex. •The utterly insane monologue from the team’s coach, who asks the team “Where do men come from?” (The answer is, “From their fathers’ balls.”) •The running “joke” that the team’s captain is “kind of gay” because he hazes the freshmen in various ways, first by forcing them to shave each other’s backsides and later by requiring them to carry around notebooks that contain dirty secrets of each member of the football and its cheer teams. •The backup quarterback waking up from a party in his bed with someone’s mother, with the sheets of his bed drenched in his roommate’s urine. •The roommate usurping the current mascot by threatening to expose his “tradition” of masturbating in the team’s trophy room. •A race by the team captain, the two roommates and the freshman running back in which they wear only jock straps, and must journey across the football field whilst holding a cookie between their clenched butt cheeks. That’s just the first episode. Subsequent episodes are no better, and I begin to laugh more and more frequently as each portion of my brain shrinks. The running back loses his promise ring; it’s found …inside a stripper. (Seriously.) The team shares a sex toy and each player gets syphilis. A transsexual prostitute is introduced and is sexually depraved, a misrepresenting generalization that is expected of a show like BMS. The team’s pet goat is killed, hanged from a railing in a stairwell. Suddenly, the universe heard my subconscious’ cry for help — Jane and Jim Rigney, parents of what was formerly their son Brendan of Collegian fame, return from their day in the post-Black Friday wastes. The hollow husk of a human being in which my tainted soul resides manages a grunt to acknowledge their presence. I turn Netflix off, and I realize that I had been sweating this entire time. I also realize my brother Andrew has not been in the room with me for about 40 minutes. I check my notes to see how many of the show’s 39 episodes I managed to watch: five and a half. This was the real-life equivalent of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from beloved anime Dragon Ball Z — I had wasted what felt like an entire year of my life watching this show, only to see that I had only lost 90 minutes. Part of me wished I had actually lost a year. Maybe then I would have learned my lesson. But alas, that’s the spell of Blue Mountain State: those who taste its well are curseld to find humor in its witless, utterly stupid stories. I am a changed man for the worse. [email protected] A Very Murray Christmas to premiere on Netflix By Moira Murphy Collegian Reporter As finals week quickly descends upon the student population, warring and draining one’s mental and physical state, many seek motivation in what is in store for them at home. Typical things that come to mind are family, friends, food and catching up, or more realistically, overextending on sleep. One of the most vital components of the Christmas season is the time to let yourself just relax, get into the holiday spirit, and give your brain a break. A fun and easy way to do all three is to take part in what has inevitably already become a holiday movie takeover. courtesy of flickeringmyth.com Netflix, HBO and theaters near you are George Clooney, Bill Murray, and Miley Cyrus spread their holiday cheer in A Very bringing the mirth and cheer of the season. Murray Christmas airing Dec. 4 On Dec. 4, Netflix is premiering A Very the famous and revered Sofia Coppola, this subscribers. For those of us who tend toward Murray Christmas, a musical variety special special could be a potential holiday classic. an excessive amount of pining during the loaded with well-known stars, such as Bill HBO is hefting up its streaming service holiday season, HBO has the fix. On Dec 1, Murray, George Clooney, Miley Cyrus, Amy with what is arguably one of the best double HBO released 10 Things I Hate About You, Poehler and more. This hour-long event will features every year: Home Alone and Home Brokeback Mountain and She’s All That. This feature popular Christmas tunes sung by your Alone 2: Lost in New York. Presumably, sappy list includes heartthrobs Heath Ledger, very own favorites. Watch as Murray and we’re all well-acquainted with Kevin Jake Gyllenhaal and Freddie Prince Jr (sigh). Chris Rock smooth through “Do You Hear McCallister, his blonde head of hair, crazy Even if you have no one to kiss under the What I Hear?” Miley Cyrus belts out “Silent family and knack for devious criminal mistletoe, these men will be just a screen Night” and George Clooney charms and takedowns. Just in case we feel like re- away for your convenience. looks dashingly handsome singing “Santa watching for the seventh billion time, HBO If you don’t feel like staying in, or if your Clause Wants Some Lovin.” Directed by made the movies available on Dec. 1 to all family is driving you nuts, a trip to the movies is a great alternative. It’s become apparent that Jennifer Lawrence is this year’s holiday honey. According to realtytoday.com, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, released on Nov 20, topped the box office with an estimated gross sales of $200 million in the U.S. and $450 million worldwide. Don’t miss as Katniss, Peeta and Gale battle it out against President Snow and the capital in the epic last installment of the book trilogy. On Christmas day, Lawrence’s new film, Joy, will hit theaters. According to nylon.com, Lawrence plays Joy Mangano, a “housewifeturned-business-mogul who must navigate her way through the betrayal, treachery, loss of innocence and the scars of love that pave the road to success.” The film also features Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, two of Lawrence’s companions in the widely acclaimed movie Silver Linings Playbook. This new release is expected to deliver just as well. Whether you’re surfing Netflix, streaming HBO or taking a trip to the movies, be sure to catch these holiday specials. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is watching movies ‘till the New Year. [email protected] Write for A&E next semester! Contact Alicia Miller [email protected] la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 Bryan Cranston impresses viewers in Trumbo courtesy of ipmaawards.com Cranston delivers another hit performance in this non-fiction hit. By Fernando Rios Collegian Editor Jay Roach’s Trumbo is very much an exercise in nostalgia; it’s a movie that expects you to have general knowledge of names and places that existed 50 or 60 years ago. In 1947, Congress blacklists Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston), then one of Hollywood’s highest-paid screenwriters, for being a member of the Communist Party. Unable to find work in Hollywood, Trumbo begins working covertly for the King Brothers, a production company that produces as character Frank King (John Goodman) calls it “b-movie trash.” He begins turning out a series of cheap scripts in an effort to support his family. This forms the narrative backdrop for the movie, which occasionally makes subtle references to the larger political conflict but primarily focuses on the more personal story of Trumbo and his family. The story attempts to make Trumbo into a flawed patriarch who prioritizes his artistic pursuits over spending time with his family. This clichéd relationship ultimately devolves certain portions of the movie into a daytime soap opera, where the father is a stern patriarch and the children rebel merely out of some misguided attempt to disrupt the establishment. This is present especially through Trumbo’s relationship with his eldest daughter Nikola (Elle Fanning), who begins to break out of the metaphysical cage that Trumbo has imposed over his household by becoming an active member of student protests during the Civil Rights movement. This is starkly contrasted with his relationship with his wife Cleo (Diane Lane), which is bland and repetitive as she fails to shake Trumbo out of the patriarchal hold he has over their household she is loving and loyal to a fault, but is a static character whose role ultimately falls into the category of window dressing. While the movie expects viewers to have general background knowledge of the film’s historical context it also does a terrible job of making up for that fact by babying the audience through subtle explanations of key concepts. For example, communism is explained in a scene where Trumbo is guiding his five-year-old daughter Mitzi around their ranch on a pony when she turns to Trumbo and asks “Daddy, are you a communist?” What follows is a basic explanation about the central tenets of communism that is so watered down that it leaves the viewer rather insulted than fulfilled. However, Cranston’s performance as larger-than-life screenwriter Dalton Trumbo does impress, as he portrays the eccentric screenwriter who did his best work in the bathtub, writing with a lit cigarette in his holder and a tumbler of scotch. His brilliance is only supplemented by equally eccentric performances by his employer portrayed by John Goodman (who 6 continues his trend of absurdity such as was demonstrated in Argo and The Hangover Part III) who smashes his office with a club when one of Trumbo’s detractors threatens to shut down his movie studio for employing the blacklisted writer. Another strong performance appears from Helen Mirren, who plays gossip columnist Hedda Hopper who battles Trumbo as a representative of the conservative right that is fervently dedicated to removing all communist elements from Hollywood. We arrive now at our final and most deliberate question: Should you see this movie? For the most part, yes. While the narrative buckles under the intense strain of attempting to deliver a movie that is both politically relevant and heartwarming, it ultimately delivers despite a few misses. It’s a charming biopic that reminds us of an oftneglected period of American history where individuals were politically and socially crucified for their beliefs, and Trumbo reminds us as he defiantly states in the film: “Nobody has the right to tell you how to write, act, pray speak, vote, protest, create and, most importantly, think.” [email protected] What I’m Listening To: Leon Bridges’ “Coming Home” By Eddie Dunn Collegian Reporter The music industry is filled with many “rising stars,” but right now there may be, quite possibly, no rising star with more potential than Leon Bridges. If you haven’t heard of him yet, that’s understandable. However, shame on you. The 26-year-old from Fort Worth, Texas brings to the table a unique sound among the crowded room full of hip-hop and pop artists that have dominated the airwaves of 2015. Bridges’ style is a combination of R&B and retro-soul. Upon first listening, you may think that you’re hearing a song that was recorded in the mid to late-1960s, which has prompted many to compare Bridges to the likes of R&B legends Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. But Bridges is a man for the future. In Feb, he released his first official single with Columbia Records, “Coming Home,” which went on to become a Top 10 Most Viral Track on Spotify later in the month. In Mar. of this year, Bridges started to gain attention following his set at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas before continuing on his international tour, selling out shows both abroad and in the United States. As 2015 comes to an end, Bridges is continuing to build his résumé. courtesy of npr.org Leon Bridges record “Coming Home” is available now through Colombia Records. On Nov. 22, Bridges joined pop music powerhouse Macklemore and Ryan Lewis in a performance at the American Music Awards, debuting their new single, “Kevin,” where Bridges takes care of the soulful hook to the emotional piece. This Saturday, Dec. 5, Bridges will be the musical guest on Saturday Night Live (hosted by Ryan Gosling), a major spotlight performance and a potential launch-pad for an artist still to be fully recognized by the music-loving world. Becoming a fan of Bridges isn’t hard for one to do. Even though his style is of an age of music that has come and gone, music lovers can embrace his fresh presentation, and enjoy the music that their parents and grandparents enjoyed, this time through a contemporary artist. Bridges’ debut album Coming Home, released in June of this year, contains a solid mix of slower love songs and upbeat swingdance jams. The title track, “Coming Home,” is a timeless love song, reminiscent of a time when dating was much simpler in a world without internet, that makes you feel as though you’re back in the 1950’s or ‘60s at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Other tracks, like “Flowers” and “Smooth Sailin’” encourage you to grab your date and hit the dance floor (of course while donning your best vintage attire, a trademark style of Bridges both on and off of the stage), thanks to smooth vocals accompanied by a funky background groove and an even funkier tenor sax. Bridges keeps the album personal as well, though. “Lisa Sawyer,” a heavily soulful song, is inspired by his mother and her life story, while another southern-flavored tune, “Twistin’ & Groovin’” brightly details how his grandparents met one another. Although the album is only 10 tracks spanning roughly 35 minutes, it’s one worth listening to again and again. Bridges visited Philadelphia on Oct. 17 at Union Transfer for a sold out event, and will return to the city on Sunday, Mar. 6 at the brand new Fillmore concert venue. For a musical trip back in time, look no further than future sensation Leon Bridges. [email protected] Looking Into the Badlands, a new AMC series By Thomas Powers Collegian Staff AMC has premiered many new shows in 2015, including Better Call Saul, Humans, and Fear the Walking Dead. All have proved successful and have been renewed for a second season. Now comes Into the Badlands, AMC’s fourth show to premiere this year. Can it keep the streak alive? Into the Badlands is set in a postwar land in which people flock to barons for protection. These people eventually became servants to these seven barons, who banish guns and rule over the lands as dictators. One of these barons in particular is Quinn, the baron on which they focus the most amount of time. The men who protect Quinn and his men are called Clippers, and the Head Clipper is Sunny, played by Daniel Wu. He has remained a loyal follower of Quinn, but just may a secret desire to leave the Badlands. Sunny comes across a boy named MK, who just wants to get home. He takes MK under his wing and promises MK that he will get home. I come to expect great television from AMC with shows such as Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Better Call Saul, and the brief moments of Mad Men I have seen. However, Into the Badlands, however, is not a great show, but there is still fun to be had. First off, this is some of the best action I have seen on television in recent memory. The fights are choreographed beautifully, and they can also get pretty violent. AMC is not a station that tends to shy away from blood and gore on their shows, as clearly exhibited in The Walking Dead. I also really like the character of Sunny. He’s not your typical soldier; he does what he’s told to do, but his actions weigh heavily on his conscience. He is also in danger of Quinn finding out that he got a woman, named Veil pregnant, because Clippers are not allowed to have children. At first, he is ashamed of fathering a child, but his mind changes after getting to know MK, who he becomes sort of a father figure to. Sunny will have to soon make a decision: take Veil and his child and leave the Badlands, or stay and serve Quinn for the rest of his days. Some of the show’s flaws have to do with its writing and acting. The dialogue can sometimes be wooden, and I can guess what a person is going to say because the words come out of his mouth. For a show like this with a premise I have never seen before, I was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. Also, the acting can be a little stiff at times, such as the case with the actor who plays MK, although his acting has improved a little bit with each episode. Overall, Into the Badlands is an enjoyable show with fantastic action scenes, some of the best I have seen in recent memory. However, well-done action is not enough for a show to be renewed for more seasons. I cannot say for sure if Into the Badlands will be around for years to come, but I am courtesy of thenerdsofcolor.org AMC hopes Into the Badlands will be as successful like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. enjoying it now. If you are a fan of martial arts, definitely give this show a watch. [email protected] la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 The impoverished demographic is turning red in 2016 By Meg Liebsch Collegian Editor Impoverished areas are increasingly voting Republican, according to ProPublica and the New York Times. Parts of the country that depend on welfare supported by Democrats are actually beginning to favor Republican candidates who vow to unravel welfare. While at first glance it may appear that these people are voting against their own interests and the very programs that provide their livelihood, deeper research has found that the people in economically troubled areas such as Kentucky and Western Maine who truly rely on government assistance have stopped voting altogether. Impoverished communities have become dispossessed and disenfranchised by a government and political system that is constantly gridlocked and unwilling to make lasting changes that support economic growth for all Americans. Instead, many poor people are choosing not to vote at all. The people from these areas who do vote inhabit a slightly higher socioeconomic status. People in these communities who have steady salaried jobs such as teachers, police officers, gas station owners and even coal miners are inclined to vote Republican. These people who do not rely on minimum wage jobs tend to see those poorer than them as too reliant on the government. As a result of working-class dominated voters, Republican leaders are gaining footholds in impoverished areas. Kentucky senator Rand Paul ran his 2010 campaign on destroying welfare that creates a “culture of dependency on government.” He won with overwhelming support, even from the areas of Kentucky that heavily depend on welfare. Newly-elected Kentucky governor Steve Beshear won the race on his platform to undo Medicaid expansion in the state. Medicaid expansion in Kentucky gave the state the largest boost in insurance coverage the state had ever seen; roughly one in ten citizens gained access to health care. These politicians are not being voted in by Medicaid and other welfare dependents. They are being voted in by middle class Republicans, who are increasingly frustrated with what they perceive as the laziness of the poor. Understandably, these people see the economic system of welfare as benefiting the poor while taking away their own wealth through increased taxes. As inequality in America worsens, support for redistribution of wealth declines and fiscal conservatisim increases. Older Americans increasingly vote against welfare measures in order to protect their own Social Security and Medicare benefits that they have paid into their entire working lives. Simultaneously, working-class Americans seek to distance themselves from the poor. They take pride in their employment and look down on anyone who is not employed or needs welfare to supplement low wages. Voter participation is shockingly low in poor areas, allowing working-class individuals to dominate the political scene and vote for Republican candidates that will protect their interests. In 2012, West Virginia ranked lowest in voter turnout. Among other low turnout areas such as Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee, Republican candidates are increasingly being voted into office. Obviously this lack of voting participation from an entire demographic has dire effects on elections. Those who do not vote are more likely to favor spending on the poor and other government services. Hundreds of thousands of poor people in America are continually left with their opinions unheard, unmet and largely ignored. This ignorance of the poor is not only a result of their disinterest in voting, but also voters’ disinterest in understanding the needs of the poor. In Maine, a state that in 2013 was the third-highest in food stamp usage, governor Paul LePage has drastically cut welfare. He cut welfare distribution in half and imposed a five-year limit on receiving it. He also placed a work requirement in order to receive food stamps and is now hoping to refuse food stamps to anyone who has $5,000 in assets. He has also refused to expand health care coverage to 60,000 people. LePage defended his actions, saying, “I am not going to help anybody just for the sake of helping. I am not that compassionate.” I find this quote and this overall trend in the increasing political disenfranchisement of the poor very disturbing. As a powerful leader holding the lives of 1.3 million people in his hands, LePage should have compassion for his people. Although I can understand the standpoints of a burdened working class, I also think they should have compassion for the poor. I think the idea of the American Dream biases many Americans against the poor and welfare dependents. People who have jobs and a relative amount of financial stability feel that because they have worked hard they can look down on those who do not seem to be doing the same. People do not see poverty as an external symptom of a broken economic, political and social system but rather as an internal individual issue. If the working-class and more economically privileged Americans attribute poverty to personal mistakes, especially laziness or lack of ambition, then it is easy to blame the poor for their poverty and ignore them. We must see the poor as equal humans who are trapped in a violent cycle that is largely out of their control. It is nearly impossible for people born into poverty to rise out of poverty due to increased mortality rates, poor education systems, lack of secure housing and food sources and a myriad of other issues. We cannot cut welfare benefits from those who desperately need them. We cannot let the poor sink into anonymity and political disenfranchisement. We must support the poor and encourage them to speak about their needs and the issues they face. In this way, we will begin to solve the issues of cyclical poverty beyond increased welfare. Working with economically impoverished areas to face their problems head-on will spur economic growth and lead to more economic, social and political equality for all. La Salle Wi-Fi: a lost connection By Silvio Miranda Collegian Staff In the 21st century, having a reliable and fast internet connection is not a luxury, but rather a requirement for college students to complete research assignments. It has become very difficult for students to complete their school work lately on campus because they have recently had to deal with three campus-wide internet outages. La Salle’s Wi-Fi has had problems since the day I stepped foot on this campus. Last year, the primary issue was with the newly implemented SafeConnect system that would always require you to sign in and constantly throw students off the network. The prior year’s system, Cisco, SafeConnect’s predecessor, was even worse because students had to log in with their credentials several times a day. This year, they have to deal with internet outages periodically. La Salle changed its ISP (Internet Service Provider) last year to Sunesys, LLC. This change did not go unnoticed because last year on the night the provider changed, there was an Internet outage that lasted the entire night. This occurred on the same night in which a person who had reportedly stabbed someone was on the loose, and security sent out an emergency alert text notifying us to check the portal for more details. This was not possible for many students because we did not have Internet access until the following morning. According to their website, Sunesys is also the ISP for the Philadelphia School District and Villanova University, both of which have comparable Internet speeds to that of La Salle. Why is it then that La Salle experiences the many Internet issues that it does? It seems to be that actual network infrastructure is at fault. This past Sunday, students were welcomed back from Thanksgiving break with no Wi-Fi. It was later reported by the IT staff that the issue was that the DNS Server (Domain Name System) had failed. DNS is what allows the user to type in www.lasalle.edu on a web browser, which is then translated to 139.84.10.210, an IP Address of the website. Without DNS, you will not get anywhere in the Internet without knowing the IP address of every website you visit. Tuition at La Salle is very expensive, and it is incredibly frustrating that we do not have a stable Internet connection. Having to deal with unreliable Wi-Fi affects us as students because we are not able perform Internet research, use Canvas to upload and view assignments and download PDF files, among other things. As modern students, the Internet is a very important tool to us, and it needs to be something that we can depend on having all the time in order to complete our assignments. Students deserve to know why three campus-wide outages have occurred over the past month and what the IT department is doing to fix the problem in the future. [email protected] 7 collegian editorial the opinion of la salle university’s student newspaper La Salle needs network upgrades The college experience has become Internet-based. Adapting to the tools that the Internet provides for both professors and students, grades and assignments are accessed through sites like Blackboard and Canvas, files for group assignments are shared through emails and file sharing services like Google Drive and Dropbox and down time is spent streaming video through Netflix, music through Spotify and video games through Xbox or PlayStation. The La Salle Parent’s FAQ states that about 70% of the 3,600 full-time undergraduate students live on campus. It is safe to assume that most of these 2,240 students come to college equipped with both a laptop and smartphone. Some also bring a smart TV with an Internet connection, Internet-connected game console or tablet. This is potentially 4,480 devices connected to the network across campus without counting the desktop PCs present in Wister Lab and the library, computers in classrooms and laptops or tablets brought to class by both residents and commuters. Thinking on these statistics, the sheer amount of connections through La Salle’s network at one time must be overwhelming for the servers to process at once. Peak hours of usage exist around dinner time, before registration and the hours between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. At these peak times, students often experience instability of Wi-Fi connection in dorms, slow speeds when actually connected or no connection at all through either Wi-Fi or Ethernet. Running a speed test of La Salle’s network shows that we are provided Internet from a company called Sunesys, a company that provides high-speed fiber optic Internet to 31 metropolitan areas in the U.S. The results of the speed test show that La Salle’s Internet is capable of downloading 94 megabytes per second, which is 31 MP3 songs in just one second. Have you ever been able to download that quickly? Probably not. In order for a student to be successful in college, the Internet connection needs to cooperate at an instant. In a time crunch, if the network environment does not provide a student the means to send the file a group member needs to continue working, or submit their assignment online that is due at 8 a.m. that they spent all night working on but find that the connection is unreachable and miss the deadline, this can be detrimental to their grades. La Salle also requires students to install their own proprietary “Safe Connect” software and the newest version of MacAfee Virus software in order for students who live in the residence halls to access the Internet. Most senior students have older versions of computers they received when first coming to college, and running new software is not something for which both the computers and programs are fully optimized. On a Macbook Pro 2011 running the newest OSX El Capitan, Safe Connect runs two processes: one that is connected, and another that is unresponsive, making the computer’s memory management inefficient. La Salle needs to recognize these problems and allocate funding to provide students with a stable and efficient Internet connection through both Wi-Fi and Ethernet. Network and technology services are not something a college can try to save a buck on in 2015, and the University needs to keep this aspect of the modern college up to date in order to compete. Letters, guest columns and opinion pieces will be considered for publication provided that they meet with the editorial standards and can be allotted space. All letters must be signed, including the address and telephone number of the sender. The Collegian reserves the right to condense and/or edit as needed. Editorials reflect a consensus of the editorial staff and are not necessarily the views of the university. Signed columns or cartoons represent the opinions of their respective writers and artists. 8 la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 Eagles suffer another disappointing loss Courtesy of elharttruth.com The Lions won their Thanksgiving Day game against the Eagles with a final score of 45 -14. By Buck Amend Collegian Staff It wasn’t a happy Thanksgiving for the Philadelphia Eagles this year. It was a dreadful one. No amount of delicious turkey and mashed potatoes could eliminate the sour taste that was in the mouths of Eagles fans across the city. I wish I could say the same about the players, but the effort they showed on Thursday made it seem as though they could care less, and that they would enjoy their turkey anyway. It seems at this point that if owner Jeffrey Lurie was cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and Chip Kelly was the turkey, then Chip Kelly was left in the oven too long and is now burnt and useless. The one thing every Eagles fan will tell you is that the most important aspect of the game is effort. A blue collar city deserves a blue collar team — a team that is going to fight tooth and nail all the way throughout the game. They deserve a team that, at the very least, will be physical and tough for 60 minutes once a week. On Thursday, the Eagles couldn’t even muster up 60 seconds of tough football, as they lost to the now 4-7 Lions by a score of 45-14. Coming off a home loss to the Buccaneers in which the Eagles also gave up 45 points in a losing effort, some hoped for a rebound game. Playing a football game on Thanksgiving is a privilege, and to do so in front of a national audience in the NFL is the highest of honors. These types of games will be remembered forever. They are the types of games that will be told to our grandchildren one day when teaching them about the great game of football. Unfortunately, this game should never be spoken about again, unless the topic of discussion is one of the truly heartbreaking tragedies that lives within the Philadelphia Eagles organization. I can see it, many years from now, with youngsters gathered around and myself being the wily veteran. I will be able to say the following: “I remember when I was young and the Eagles had a coach named Chip Kelly. Mark Sanchez was filling in for Sam Bradford. They lost 45-14 one Thanksgiving Day. It was terrible. You kids are lucky you don’t have to watch those kinds of games.” I can also envision that when I say the name Chip Kelly in the future, the response will be, “who?!” I will have to respond by saying, “He was the man who came to Philadelphia and ruined the culture and core of a once good football team.” It will be a sad state of affairs. It’s hard not to blame Chip Kelly at this point. He calls the offensive plays and the team can’t score. He is the head coach and plays a big role in motivating his players to play hard, but the team looks like they’d rather be out to lunch then on a football field. Kelly brought all of these new players in as the general manager, and many of them have not produced anything worth admiring in 11 games. It all comes back to Chip. Yes, Chip, the turkey who is still in that oven, burning, smoking and on fire. Please, Jeffrey Lurie, grab the nearest fire extinguisher and put the fire out. [email protected] Courtesy of elharttruth.com The Eagles’ defeat calls into question coach Chip Kelly’s competency. Harassment of abortion providers unjustifiable Courtesy of bpr.berkeley.edu Anti-abortion protestors often go too far by harassing abortion providers. By Meg Liebsch Collegian Editor Last week’s targeted shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood Clinic killed three people. The perpetrator, Robert Dear, cited anti-abortion beliefs as his motive for violently attacking the clinic. Since 1993, 11 people have been killed because of abortion-related attacks, including doctors, staff and the victims of Colorado’s shooting: a police officer and two patients. However, these violent displays, though horrific and unjust, are not normal. Instead, most abortion providers suffer from more covert and sinister harassment and stalking. Drexel University law professor David Cohen has recently come out with a book detailing the distressing experiences of abortion workers called Living in the Crosshairs: The Untold Stories of Anti-Abortion Terrorism. In an interview with Propublica, Cohen spoke of how the book details the harassment that people involved in women’s reproductive health, particularly abortion clinics, receive on a daily basis. Cohen interviewed the director of Allentown Women’s Center, who had suffered extreme and targeted harassment because of her relation to abortion. Protestors picketed her house and followed her to work. They wrote letters to her mother condemning her occupation. She actually began wearing a bulletproof vest at work. Abortion providers have suffered other attacks and harassment such as death threats, physical assaults, arson and vandalism. Cohen said that the majority of abortion providers also are faced with home picketing, which they find most invasive as their home is their safe escape from their work lives. Protestors will still come to their houses on weekends with signs saying things like “A Murderer Lives Here.” Some will pass pictures of the targeted provider around the neighborhood urging the neighbors to oust this murderer from their midst. According to Cohen, “It sends a not-so-subtle message: We know where you live, we know where to find your family, and maybe we’ll do something more.” He says these workers are traumatized. Their professions, homes and personal lives have been violated by people who zealously believe that targeting these professionals will somehow change abortion laws. These workers feel like targets for violence, and many of them are forced to take precautions just because they are medical professionals working for a particular health care provider. Some abortion providers are forced to take different routes to work every day. They send all their mail to P.O. Boxes or put it in someone else’s name entirely. Some doctors own bulletproof vests and guns as protection. A study recently found that there is a correlation between abortion regulations and violence acts on abortion providers and clinics. In fact, states with stricter legislation on abortion regulations actually see more violence against abortion clinics. Most of these regulations are specifically targeted at doctors and clinicians. Although there have been some legislative protections for abortion providers in recent years, providers are left to suffer with their harassers for the most part. Cohen defends the idea that anti-abortion violence and harassment is a form of terrorism. He says that anti-abortion protestors and proponents intentionally target people’s homes and family lives to get family members to turn against providers so that the providers will be forced to give up working in abortion clinics. It is a form of terrorism that leaves people doing something lawful to live in constant fear and anguish. Regardless of your stance on abortion, I think it is obvious that the actions of Robert Dear and the protestors that harass other abortion clinic workers are unjustifiable. If you want to protest abortion, you should write to your legislators or hold peaceful marches. There is no reason to terrorize the lives of individuals who are just doing their job, which is currently legal. The attack on Colorado’s Planned Parenthood shows a complete lack of sympathy for existing human lives. Many of these conservative people who protest abortion show complete hypocrisy. Violence perpetrated by anti-abortion proponents against abortion providers is not justifiable, regardless of moral beliefs. These people claim to abhor the violence perpetrated against fetuses, but how is perpetrating violence against freely living people any better? [email protected] Obama has called for tighter gun restrictions President Barack Obama told CBS News, “The one thing we do know is that we have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world, and there’s some steps we could take, not to eliminate every one of these mass shootings, but to improve the odds that they don’t happen as frequently. For those who are concerned about terrorism, some may be aware of the fact that we have a no fly list where people can’t get on planes, but those same people who we don’t allow to fly could go into a store right now in the United States and buy a firearm and there’s nothing that we can do to stop them. That’s a law that needs to be changed. What we do know is, is that there are steps we can take to make Americans safer and that we should come together in a bipartisan basis at every level of government to make these rare as opposed to normal. We should never think that this is something that just happens in the ordinary course of events, because it doesn’t happen with the same frequency in other la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 Keepin’ it PG with PC Holiday Edition What is your favorite Christmas song? “I like the song ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ ” Alyssa Sanders Marketing Sophomore “I like that song ‘Dominic the Donkey’…the Italian Christmas donkey.” Nicia Chiavacci Psychology Junior “I enjoy the Christmas song ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside.’ I like that it’s a duet.” Kaylynn Alicea Psychology Freshman “That Josh Groban one… ‘Believe.’ I just really like Josh Groban.” Casey Schu Spanish Junior “I love Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You,’ but the extra festive version. I also like ‘Sleigh Ride’ by the Boston Pops. I would say my top favorite is ‘Cold December Night’ by Michael Buble.” 9 UMAS educates volunteers on justice and harmful charity By Dan Maloney Collegian Editor On Sunday, Nov. 20, nearly 100 students filled the Union Ballroom to participate in a discussion about the differences between social justice and charity. While the students would undoubtedly love to spend their weekend talking about this vital social topic, this discussion was a required education hosted by Tara Carr-Lemke to raise social awareness specifically for the students participating in the Lasallian Immersion and Volunteer Experience trips this year. In line with La Salle University’s mission, nine Lasallian Immersion and Volunteer Experience (L.I.V.E.) trips will be serving communities around the country this spring and summer. Last year, over 150 students participated in the trips. This year, University Ministry and Services (UMAS) is committed to ensuring that all participants are extremely aware of the social situations they are entering when they volunteer and the potential harm their actions could cause. Some of these dangers occur when students confuse the charity they perform as social justice, a difference which Sunday’s education hoped to explicate. “Social justice efforts include long-term work focused on the root causes of poverty and marginalization. Charity focuses on direct responses to immediate needs which may be caused by poverty or marginalization,” explained CarrLemke, the director of the Explorer Connection. “Social justice work typically happens through advocacy, awareness-building and education, public protest and witness. Charitable work might occur through the provision of social services or the donation of goods, labor or services.” Nicole Salfi, a junior biology major, who serves as UMAS’ educational coordinator for the L.I.V.E. trips, noted how La Salle follows society’s trend to do more charity without ever really addressing the deeper social problems. “La Salle does a lot of charity,” said Salfi. “This is not a bad thing, and is a learning experience. Sometimes doing charity is indirectly social justice, because it changes attitudes surrounding root problems.” As part of their commitment to social justice, UMAS is making concentrated efforts to educate La Salle’s service community. This summer, part of training for all FOCUS coordinators included a discussion on the roots of social injustice moderated by Dr. Maureen O’Connell, chair of the religion department. In addition, in November, Salfi also led an educational session for all L.I.V.E. coordinators about arguments against forms of charity, which are sometimes derived from cultural arrogance opposed to genuine service. During her educational session on Sunday, Carr-Lemke noted that one reason people are prone to participate in charity is because it is much easier than enacting social change. “In my experience, many of us from middleincome backgrounds gravitate toward charity. Doing charity can feel good, can meet a perceived need and can feel like we are at least ‘doing something,’” explained Carr-Lemke. She explained that sometimes the time commitment and lack of instant results is discouraging to those engaging in social justice. Salfi added that college students seem more educated about issues, which is very important for change. “I think as a society, we are becoming more educated on the difference between the two, and how social justice should get more attention than Courtesy of Katie Lavin Molly Mahon (center) walks the “path of service” as her group sets up the two “feet” of social justice and charity. charity,” she said. This awareness was displayed on Sunday when students were asked to work through an exercise addressing problems with social justice or charitable solutions. Carr-Lemke borrowed the exercise, which used cut-out feet to symbolize charity and justice (the two “feet” of service), from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All the groups managed to thoughtfully think of many different examples of both, and in doing so, gained a deeper understanding the problem. They were also asked to consider the problems their trips will attempt to address and if their means of addressing the problems are problematic or just. Carr-Lemke later added that she feels that the L.I.V.E. trips can do much to help achieve social justice because the participants have the unique opportunity to have personal experiences that could potentially become sustained relationships. “I think that the desire for social change comes from many different directions; it can come from an individual’s personal experience of poverty, from an individual’s relationship with another person who is experiencing poverty or from an intellectual or ethical outrage over poverty or injustice,” she said. “I think, though, that the interpersonal dimensions of the first two I mention are important because they are sustained over time through human interaction.” Salfi also noted that social justice and charity are also not exclusives. “I think there must be both, because without charity, people are suffering, and without social justice, nothing is being done to stop the source of the suffering,” she explained. “However, I also think it is extremely important that there is a key factor in both charity and social justice — empowerment. True social change allows societies to rebuild themselves with their own assets. It is our job to allow others to help themselves.” Salfi said she believes that through educational experiences and discussions, such as the one hosted by Carr-Lemke, students on the trips can work to be more aware of their actions and continue attempting to achieve social justice when the trips return to La Salle. “We are headed in that direction, but we are not there,” Salfi concluded. “We need to look at our true impacts on societies and ensure no damage is being done and that we make a difference.” [email protected] Matthew Mailloux Marketing Sophomore Questions composed and compiled by Patrick Coulter Courtesy of Katie Lavin Nearly 100 students gathered on Sunday, Nov. 20 to address issues of charity and social justice. 10 la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 La Salle Dining addresses rumors regarding Treetops hours By Silvio Miranda Collegian Staff Last week, I sat down with Kristina Coble, district manager of La Salle Dining, to address issues that students have been complaining about and to see what we should expect for the spring semester. Coble started by addressing a false rumor circulating around campus that Treetops may be cutting back hours. There will not be any changes in hours at any dining location, because they are all set for the whole school year. There are other changes planned for Treetops. The speakers in the dining room are in the process of being fixed so that there will be music again while students eat. In addition to the speakers, money is being spent to fix or replace equipment and to ensure that food is either as hot or cold as it can be depending on the food item. Students have noticed that B&G tends to have more variety and more food than Treetops, but Coble insists that this perception is not the case, because La Salle Dining tries to keep an equal balance between the two dining halls. Many of the suggestions that students gave to La Salle Dining this past spring have been implemented in Treetops and the rest of the locations as well. Blue and Gold is also making some Legacy student interns with truck services By Alyssa McFadden Collegian Reporter Courtesy of La Salle PRSSA Dr. Hanycz and students enjoy a meal at Treetops, which will not be closing any time soon according to the La Salle Dining district manager. changes in response to student comments. Something that has been a problem for weeks now is the cups at B&G, which have been cracked or disfigured. To resolve the problem, the manager just got the approval to order new cups that will be in circulation in the coming weeks. The dishwasher has also been adjusted to make sure it is not hot enough to the point of melting these new cups. A lot of students were disappointed that Starbucks is no longer open until 12 a.m. La Salle Dining’s problem was that they were losing money staying open 10 p.m.- 12 p.m. Making the transition from a carefree teenager to an adult with important responsibilities can be one that many college students struggle to accomplish. However, in the case of Andrew Sneed, he has quickly learned that opportunity is everywhere; Courtesy of Andrew Sneed sometimes you just have to go looking for Sneed’s grandfather was a classmate of Tom it. As a sophomore double communication Gola, and he hopes to continue the legacy and business major, Sneed found himself in a great position to create a path for a successful marketing, however, Sneed has learned that the best thing a company can do for its brand career. “In high school, I had to research different is stay up to date for its customers. Sneed is also an active member of many careers that I thought would interest me,” Sneed said. “I came across a job as a Public organizations on La Salle’s campus. He Relations specialist. From that point on, credits his professional skills to La Salle’s I have been set on my career choice, and I Public Relations Student Society of America have chosen my major and activities to help Chapter, where he learned how to perfect his presence on LinkedIn, as well as how to me achieve that goal.” Sneed recognized his ability to make the perfect elevator pitch. Recently, he communicate well with others and took this became a brother in Delta Sigma Pi, which is skill to a whole new level. Many students find a social business fraternity. The connections he makes in this group will that business and communication degrees prove to be invaluable as he moves forward can go hand-in-hand when paired together in his business career. He hopes to continue correctly. Sneed chose to focus specifically to improve his professional demeanor, while in public relations and marketing because the skills needed in each area intertwine. drawing on the skills that led him to major Professionals in either field are expected to in business and communication in the first understand both what the consumer wants place. When asked why La Salle is the right place and how to deliver and receive messages from for him, Sneed created a list that did not have publics of the organization. He says that the an end. His main emphasis was on creating lessons he has learned in the classroom have greatly impacted his route in his professional his own unique experience of what it means to be Lasallian. life. “My grandfather attended La Salle Upon starting this year, Sneed knew he wanted to get real-life experience as early as University, was best friends with Tom possible. At the Career Expo, which La Salle Gola, teammates with Hank DeVincent and hosted in October, he was lucky enough to the student of Dr. Holroyd. If that isn’t a meet a manager from Bentley Truck Services legacy to live up to, I don’t know what is,” who was looking for an intern. This semester, Sneed said. “I followed in my grandfather’s he began his internship with Bentley as their footsteps, not only hoping to make him and Marketing Coordinator. His main duties my family proud, but also to create my own include tracking updates to their website, legacy of success in a city that I love.” Sneed, who also works for the Admissions collaborating with offices in four different Offi ce and volunteers for Big Brothers Big states and ensuring that all information and Sisters of America seems poised to create advertisements are accurate and currently up such a legacy. to date. “When I finish my four years at La Salle, This entry level internship gives him experience in the day-to-day activities of a I want to look back and have great pride in marketing team member at Bentley and allows what my colleagues and I have done to better him to get a better look into the planning that ourselves and the community around us,” he goes into every part of the company. While concluded. “I believe that La Salle provides tasks like registering trucks and maintaining me with the best opportunity to do that.” [email protected] current information may seem unrelated to Starbucks was being used as a study hall during that period, and there were not enough sales during that time to justify keeping it open an extra two hours. There are other options being explored so that a new study hall area can be used by students. Possibilities include a section of the food court or an area in the new business school. Another common student suggestion is the need for to-go containers. This is something that is being looked into and may be implemented in the spring semester, though it all depends on the cost of the program. Other universities have programs in which the student pays $5 for a recyclable container that is replaced over time with a new one due to sanitary issues. There will be some new things to expect from La Salle Dining in the spring. For one, they will be opening their 14th location on campus with Java City in the new business school. Java City is similar to Starbucks with espresso and barista drinks along with food options. Java City will be open 7 a.m.9 p.m. Monday-Friday. There will be a grand opening in January with lots of free giveaways. Another possible location will be the L-Stop in Treetops, which is still in the works. There will be more news to come on that location later on. For the food court, expect new smoothies at Smoothie Spot and more weekly specials and offerings at both Béne and Zoca. Coble admits that she knows that students love to criticize La Salle Dining. She reminds all students that if they want change to happen, they should fill out the survey at yourdiningvoice.com. La Salle Dining will use this information to improve customer service and quality of food. If you have any ideas, La Salle Dining always wants to hear from the students. [email protected] Religion major telemarkets By Andrew Durkin Collegian Reporter As everyone will tell you, the current job market is exceptionally difficult. Some parents might tell their children stories about how they got a full-benefits, stable, average salary job a week out of school by looking in the job postings section of the paper and keeping their grades up. That experience is largely nonexistent in today’s society. Instead, students are expected to juggle their time between academics, extracurricular activities and the all but necessary task of interning in a related field. The need to differentiate oneself through experience is make-or-break for prospective employees. While the most popular option for getting hands-on experience is giving up summers of relaxation for desk work and business casual attire, students such as Jacques Linder, a sophomore religion and information technology major, intern during the school year. Linder might be the exemplar of what the modern internship experience entails. Instead of going through the wanted ads or job postings, Linder, like many interns, received his position through his networking experience. “A friend of mine gave me a referral to Market Resource Partners, a telemarketing company for computer companies in Center City,” Linder explains, adding that his programming background and Microsoft Excel training helped to establish him as a viable candidate. The personal connections, coupled with his résumé and impressive interviewing skills, were vital to getting the position. Getting used to the corporate atmosphere can be just as difficult as getting a foot in the door. Finding the right mix of people and helpful co-workers can differentiate the positive experiences from the negative. “There was some business background Courtesy of Andrew Durkin Linder with Mayor Nutter this September. that I did not understand,” Linder said. “But my boss was happy to teach and explain to me, and it’s an open environment where everyone can communicate easy with each other.” Workplaces, just like social circles or classroom environments, depend largely on the individuals who inhabit the system. Linder’s experience demonstrates this rule, as he feels his co-workers are “all friends together; everyone tries to help and get to know each other.” However, Linder stresses that the balancing act of interning during the semester does add a layer of complication. His internship requires him to send leads, or information about companies interested in purchasing telecommunications services, to Market Resource Partners’ clients. Linder typically works between ten to twenty hours every week, depending on the amount of orders at the office. His internship includes not only a lengthy commute to Center City, but also telecommunicating daily for at least an hour during the business week. “At some points, because work may pile at the same time as school, it forces me to choose between the two options,” explaining that he has learned to “prioritize my work and hope it works out.” Linder does reflect that his experience has given him invaluable resources in pursuing a job. “Working with SQL [Structured Query Language], a database language, daily and understanding how that skill interacts with the business world is a huge plus with employers,” providing “hard skills” that employers hope to see. Linder also highlights the soft skills that he has gained on the job, including needing to engage in problem solving, utilize logic in decision making and interacting with coworkers. “This internship has definitely helped me put the things I learned in class in context, and given me a bunch of lessons I would have never learned otherwise,” he explained. When prompted, Linder was also keen to share his tips for landing a great internship with other students. “Never stop exploring. Literally,” emphasizing that it’s important to “keep trying to learn from professionals that can teach you.” Perseverance, expanding networks of contacts and reaching out to people in the business community are absolutely vital in Linder’s eyes. “The biggest lessons I’ve learned during this semester are responsibility and diligence. I learned how to be responsible for my work, my life and pursuing the opportunities that are presented to me,” Linder concluded. [email protected] la salle collegian thursday, december 3 2015 Growler’s gets Mexican makeover Courtesy of philly.com Formerly Growler’s, La Casa de tu Madre features a bright, colorful interior decor. By Aiyana Pellegrino Collegian Staff There has always been a special place in my heart solely devoted to my neighborhood’s bars. The Bella Vista neighborhood in South Philadelphia that I call home holds several Zagat reviewed bars, each holding their own unique character. One of my favorite spots to go to in the Bella Vista neighborhood used to be Growler’s, a vintage-style local bar that, aside from the normal bar and menu offerings, sold growlers of the different brews served on tap. Unfortunately, this convenient stop on my bar trail has been completely transformed and redesigned by its owner. At first, I was unsure what to think about its makeover, transitioning from classic American bar fare to a traditional Mexican selection. But hey, don’t hate it until you try it, right? Thankfully, I took this advice, and I have no regrets. What better way to celebrate the holiday season and the near end to the semester than by throwing back a few margaritas? Naturally, I would want to do this with my parents (who also happen to be huge margarita fans). We were all new to the revamping of the restaurant, so none of us knew exactly what to expect. Personally, I expected the interior of the venue to look like any standard Mexican restaurant, but to my surprise, the décor was far from typical. Aside from the fresh coat of paint and new lighting, the atmosphere was completely transformed. New shelves on the wall supported tall candles and Virgin Mary statues. My favorite addition to the main dining area, however, was the aged brick wall with intricately painted skulls hung amongst it. For an added effect, red lights dimly light the details of each skull. Aside from the newly decorated walls, the lounge area now includes new seating and a brand new fireplace. Although the bar offers five distinct margarita recipes, my parents and I chose to try the traditional. Aside from the traditional margarita, their selection includes the El Tigre, the White Peach, the Mango, and Rotating Frozen Margaritas. The bar also offers eight selections of original cocktails alongside other classic mixed drinks as well. Last, the bar also integrates a small but diverse wine, bottle, and draft list for those who opt for something simpler. Who would want to go to a Mexican bar and not drink a native cocktail? The traditional homemade margaritas were exactly what they should be: a higher quantity of triple sec and tequila and just the right amount of limeade. Although you have the option of coating your glass rim with sugar or salt, I would suggest going with the salt, especially with their particular mix. It adds the right amount of salty to the sourness of the drink. If you’re a Mexican cuisine connoisseur and want to try an up-and-coming restaurant in one of Philly’s rising neighborhoods, make sure to check out La Casa de tu Madre at 800 Fitzwater Street. Aside from grabbing your favorite drink, think about taking a look at their delectable menu, especially the signature nachos. La Casa de tu Madre has proven that change, like margaritas, is bittersweet. [email protected] 11 Thirstday: Square one offers pleasant atomosphere By Scarlett Herbert Collegian Reporter Each week, Philly-Phile writers Alicia Miller and Scarlett Herbert hope to introduce readers to the city’s coffee shops in the ongoing segment, “Thirstday.” Alicia and I decided to settle on a familiar location and one within reasonable walking distance from the Walnut-Locust stop. Located in the “Gayborhood” of Philadelphia down South 13th Street, this fairly new café, called Square One Coffee, offers customers with a cozy atmosphere to get work completed or relax with friends. Square One recently opened in June of 2015, after their previous success in Lancaster, Pa. This small, family-owned business prides themselves, in providing premium, handcrafted specialty coffee for their customers. Not only do they find fulfillment in themselves for their wide variety of over sixteen different coffee roasts; they also offer flavorful teas and specialty espresso beverages. Although Square One is a small business, it’s evident they’re finding ways to expand their horizons to greater entities. Besides being able to purchase individual bags of their roasts online, they also offer the option of wholesale purchase for other establishments. However, not any company can simply buy a vast amount of coffee without first completing an application to assure they will provide high quality customer service and appropriate distribution to their customers. Though I don’t expect a college student to be purchasing wholesale coffee during this time, I found this information exemplify their view of a business perfectly. As for individual benefits, Square One has numerous coffee accessories available for purchase at their location such as pourovers, kettles, scales, filters, and grinders. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous and willing to pay for it, they even offer training for aspiring baristas or coffee lovers open to the public for tips and tricks to achieve the perfect cup of coffee within your home. Aside from all the vast amount of resources and benefits you can obtain from Square One Coffee, my favorite aspect of the company is their café. There’s something very comfortable and homey about this coffee shop. Upon entering, there are multiple tables, which are always filled with people eagerly typing away on their laptops. The center of the shop is a bar in the shape of a square (hence the name of the shop), where the baristas take orders and prepare the beverages behind. The far back of the café is lined with comfortable and cushioned seating, providing the perfect space to chat for hours. White Christmas lights dangle all across the walls, creating an intimate and welcoming experience for all. As for the coffee and service of the baristas, I haven’t once been disappointed. My drink of choice for the past three visits has been the caramel latte. It’s not too sweet, yet it’s tasty enough that I find myself savoring every sip I take. Perhaps one of the most valuable perks of this café is the old school music such as Michael Jackson that plays soothingly in the background as you enjoy a warm beverage and the company of your friends. If you find yourself looking to escape the stress of final projects and presentations, treat yourself to a relaxing night at Square One Coffee. [email protected] Coffee starts at Square One and so does our Thirstday column. Courtesy of phillymag.com Swing and a miss: The Gaslight By James Aumack Collegian Editor Following a fun-filled day of tailgating and screaming obscenities at the Eagles-Saints game a few months ago, my roommates and I decided to keep the party going on Market St. right off of Penn’s Landing, The Gaslight is located at 120 Market St. Although this venue is surrounded by several restaurants, bars and ice cream parlors, The Gaslight didn’t quite fit the bill for the young adult night life scene that many of the 2nd St. bars and restaurants provide. We entered into the dimly-lit restaurant and looked around to see a lot of seating spread out over a relatively large space for a one-story restaurant. The bar was to our right and was spread out along the length of the wall. For a Sunday evening, the place was pretty deserted, but we didn’t think much of it as we anticipated quick service. That was not the case. The Gaslight had a huge selection of domestic and local craft beers, so I thought I was in for a treat. I had done a bit of drinking throughout the game, so I really just wanted to stick with one domestic beer to go with my meal. I ordered a Miller Light. They didn’t have it. Okay, maybe the keg was just tapped; after all it is late on the weekend. I ordered a Stella Artois. They didn’t have it. “Seriously,” I asked? “Just grab me whatever Dogfish Head you have.” I must say it was good, but I wasn’t expecting an ABV north of seven percent, but I digress. The food menu was extremely small, so my roommate and I stuck with what I assumed was a safe bet and just got a burger with fries. My girlfriend got the oysters, while my gluten-free roommate got a salad. This is where we started to realize that The Gaslight probably wasn’t known for its food. The burgers were extremely salty – Seriously, it’s liked they were cooked in sea water. My girlfriend’s oysters were also salty, but to her enjoyment. Where we really ran into some trouble was through the entire ordering process for my gluten-free roommate. They didn’t have any gluten-free options and overall lacked understanding about the allergy in general. My roommate explained the entire problem, and settled on an over-priced salad. The wait was also an issue – some 45 minutes or so went by before we even received our food. Mind you, there were hardly any people seated to eat. We finished up, and they were kind enough to split our bills, but we were more than ready to leave at that point. We concluded that The Gaslight is most likely more wellknown as a bar around town than for their cusine. They do have a large selection of wines, cocktails, scotches and craft beers however just keep in mind that if you go there on a Sunday night they might be out … I guess. If you are looking for a great night out to eat and drink, The Gaslight is not the best place to try. There are several fun bars and restaurants with a casual atmosphere right around the corner. It’s safe to say that we certainly struck out swinging with this choice. [email protected] The Gaslight is deceiving to the eye. Courtesy of yelp.com 12 la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 kicks KICKSGIVING It’s time to celebrate one of the most loved holidays this world has ever known: Kicksgiving. Kicksgiving has some fantastic traditions that I think you all should know about so you can celebrate properly. The Annual “Kicking of the Giant Shin” While kicking your friends this Kicksgiving, don’t forget to participate in this old ritual. Ever since the 1840’s, neighborhoods would erect a 15-foot pair of legs in the town square. Residents would then line up in front of the shins and take turns kicking it repeatedly as a way to release stress from the body, as the legs were symbolic of their emotional problems. After this, people are nothing but smiles and celebrate their happiness with a giant feast. The Burning of the Cake If you think you should have dessert after dinner, you’re dead wrong. No sweets are eaten on Kicksgiving. Instead, a cake is brought to all who are celebrating. This cake is a symbol for everything we hate. This cake symbolizes newspaper pages that aren’t funny and pages who think they’re better than Kicks. The cake is stale, just like the jokes they represent. Instead of eating this stale, awful, cake, we simply set fire to it and repeatedly chant, “Down with CAKE!” Kicksgiving Kazoo Carols “Hey, I’m gluten free; I’m very anti-pasta.” –Bill Repetto This Day in Canadian History 2012, Canada: Health the Canada license suspends of Pharmaceutical Inc. Chemi for falsifying test results. When All the really big holidays have music attatched to them, and Kicksgiving is no exception. Unlike most holidays, however, Kicks likes to celebrate music from one of the most popular decades in the 20th century-the 1980’s, while also celebrating the greatest instrument known to man: the kazoo. Kazoo players go door-to-door playing instrumental versions of popular 1980’s songs, all with kazoos. Imagine hearing Holding Out For A Hero being hummed sweetly on seven kazoos. Wonderful, isn’t it? asked for a comment, the CEO The Evening Cool Down had to cheat!” The CEO’s After a long day of laughter and merriment, you need to cool down. Before you go to sleep, it is a Kicksgiving tradition to grab a bottle of flavored water and splash it all over yourself. This represents you washing away all of your sins and flaws so that you can wipe your slate clean. After all, you need a clean slate so that you can make even more mistakes before Kicksgiving. of the company said, “It was the only way [we] could pass the semester! [We] weren’t going to pass the test, so [we] Courtesy of pehub.com teachers claimed to be “very disappointed” with these actions. I’ve recently found stock photos to be very entertaining. So here is a stock photo of a business man in a Santa hat holding a knife. Makes sense, right? This image comes from imgur.com. Maze! There’s not much to say today, folks. There’s a maze and you’ve gotta solve it. Get working! Comics! Today’s comic is based off of something that happened in the Collegian office today. Thanks Bill Repetto for this knee-slapper. H�p�� Ki�ks����n�, �e�� �ea��r� Well, dear readers, December is finally here. Yes, we’re in that horrible period before finals where all of your professors decide they want to get just one more assignment out of you, so now you have about five assignments all due within a two-day period. I know this time is stressful and terrible, but hopefully you can relax with Kicksgiving! That’s right, it’s time to celebrate a fantastic holiday where we engage in a host of wonderful traditions. I know some of you are considering celebrating CAKEmas, but I’m here to tell you that’s a bad idea. That’s right, CAKEmas won’t make you happy. It’s just another headache in this already awful period in time. Relax and be happy with Kicksgiving! Remember to give all your loved ones a nice kick to the shins to celebrate! ~Alex “Holly Jolly” C. Here is the solution to last week’s atbash cipher. I’m really hoping this joke is still funny. CAKE la salle collegian thursday, december 3 , 2015 13 Welcome back, Nation! I know you all are so happy to be back! I like to think that the rain that has fallen all week is a collective result of the tears that are being shed due to finals approaching. But just remember that the rapidly approaching nervous breakdown and crying to the point of laughing is just a reminder of how alive you are! However, I have fantastic news, Nation! The holidays are here! Goodwill is being felt, chestnuts are roasting and everyone is already spending more than $10 on secret Santa! We live in a world with many different cultures with amazing groups of people that make them up. There is another thing that they also make up: holidays. That’s right, it seems that everyone has a holiday this time of year, and quite frankly, I don’t like the options that I have to participate in. You have Christmas (born in a barn? Really, Jesus? That’s just tacky), Hanukkah (the only holiday I want to have involving singing with candles is my birthday) Festivus (the airing of grievances gets too violent), and Kwanzaa (if someone could seriously explain to me what Kwanza is and why it took so long to figure out how to spell it that would be great). So, Nation, I have decided to take action and create my own holiday! It will be a holiday for the masses, for the strong and everyone not in Kicks! For I have created CAKEsmas! How do you celebrate CAKEsmas? Good question! Let me explain: Step 1 – Get a Tree Every good holiday celebration needs a tree! It is a cornerstone of the holiday season! Trees remind us of tranquility, togetherness and how horrible nature smells. During CAKEsmas, only the strongest, finest tree must be used. I am talking about a tree that towers above the earth like a guardian against the gods. I am talking about a tree that has seen the planet evolve from single-celled monkeys to multi-celled monkeys asking their parents for money to go get Starbucks. I am talking about, of course, the mighty Redwood Tree. Oh, a Redwood takes too long to chop down? Get a bigger saw. Oh, you have to go all the way to California and then transport it back to your house? Rent a military jet. Oh, when you put the Redwood up in your home it destroys the third and fourth stories? Build a bigger house. There is no place for excuses on CAKEsmas. Step 2 – Gifts All people enjoy gifts! They are monetary representations of how much people love you. They are a symbol of even how little your aunt you talk to once a year doesn’t love you (Really Aunt Jill? A $10 gift card to GameStop? What could I possibly buy with that?!). Anyway, on CAKEsmas only significant gifts that show your care for other people’s well-being are allowed. And what is the best way to ensure another person’s well-being? Ensuring a healthy immune system for them, of course! What is a better present than health? No money is meant to be spent because we are all on a budget, so all that is required to give people the gift of a healthy immune system is to sneeze on them. Sure, the next few weeks are miserable with the 103 degree fevers and constant shaking, but if a cold kills you, could you really offer anything beneficial to the world moving forward? Happy CAKEsmas from humanity. Step 3 – Food I know what you all are thinking, on CAKEsmas you eat cake right?! Wrong. You eat pie. Cake dries out quickly and no one wants a slice that isn’t the corner pieces with all the icing. We all have pie because it is circular and there is equal proportion of goodness inside. Sure it’s a little communist, but so is everything else (I’m looking at you Kicks). Cake on CAKEsmas…get the f$#@ out of here. Step 4 – Traditions Holidays showcase the great traditions of the world! CAKEsmas is no exception! We start our day by reading our children long-winded stories that tend to not make sense, but makes them smile literally three times in the 45 minutes it took to finish reading the damn thing. We then spend the afternoon smoking vapes trying to look cool. Sure it still hurts our lungs, but damnit, we sure look like a douche doing it! We then end our night by going to the nearest aluminum tin can where we deposit every issue of Kicks we can find. We all pass a bottle of lighter fluid around, but before we squeeze some into the trash, we tell our favorite memory of Crosby’s life that resulted in him crying (my favorite is how his mom gave him the silent treatment from ages 3-19). After all the memories have been said, we throw a fruit cake on top, as Kicks is the fruit cake of comedy. We then throw lit matches in at the same time and warm our souls to the knowledge that the world has been saved from pieces of paper that just phone it in, as the half-thought-out jokes are now the sky’s problem. Merry CAKEsmas, sky. Step 5 – Holiday Dress 14 la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 this week in La Salle athletics men’s basketball vs. Drexel December 5 @ 2 p.m. at Villanova December 13 @ 5 p.m. women’s basketball at UMBC December 6 @ 1 p.m. vs. North Texas December 16 @ 7 p.m. men’s track & field at Jack Pyrah Villanova Invitational December 5 @ All Day women’s swimming & diving vs. Winter National Championships December 2-5 All Day at Ithaca December 4 @ All Day men’s swimming & diving vs. Winter National Championships December 2-5 All Day at Ithaca December 4 @ All Day women’s track & field at Jack Pyrah Villanova Invitational December 5 @ All Day sports Women’s basketball can’t shake slump By Anthony Fleet Collegian Staff La Salle women’s basketball team spent Thanksgiving weekend down in Coral Gables, Florida, where they participated in the Miami Thanksgiving Classic. Unfortunately for the Explorers, they dropped both games they played. The first game was on Nov. 28, which was a 69-53 loss to the Milwaukee Panthers. La Salle’s Adreana Miller finished with nine points and four rebounds, while Micahya Owens scored a team-high 15 points. Ashanti Freeland also chipped in eight points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds. The following day, the Explorers faced off with hosting Miami. La Salle kept it tight after the first quarter, but the Hurricanes quickly took control of the game and cruised to an 86-58 victory. Freeland had a career-high 14 points, including 10 points in the 4th quarter, going 7-for-12 from the floor and grabbing four rebounds. Owens led them team in scoring again, as she had 16 of her season-high 23 points in the second half. Jasmine Alston also tied her career-high with nine assists while Miller finished with eight points and three rebounds. The two defeats were La Salle’s fifth and sixth consecutive losses to begin the season. Four of their six losses have been by double-digits, three of which where by 28 or more. “We’ve been in a bit of a slump,” Sophomore Jordan Williams told The Collegian. “But we are making baby steps to dig ourselves out of this hole. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we will progress.” The Explorers have lost their games by an average of 72 to 53. When the margin of defeat is this big, it is hard to single out one issue the team is struggling with. However, Williams told us what some of the problems could be on both sides of the ball: “On offense, it’s really hard to get movement in a set offense… but we’re a solid team in transition… as for defense, we’re a much better team in zone. We show the ability to be great on-ball defenders, but it’s in spurts, rather than for the full duration of the game.” La Salle has a lot of work to do both on and off the court in order to turn things around. Losing consistently by large margins can take the air out of a team quickly. Williams told us, “Losing in this fashion is not associated with one or two issues, but the bigger problem is deeper than basketball. We all just have to do some soul-searching as individuals to find out how we can come together as sisters and teammates, in order to make this 360 turn.” The losses have certainly led to a lot of doubt and criticism around La Salle’s campus, but Williams said the team is ignoring critics and is focusing on what is ahead, forgetting about the past. “Critics don’t affect us. We know that we are far more capable of what we’ve shown thus far, and it is up to us to change the negative perspectives… we all know that there’s great potential, but we just have to find a way to make the pieces of the puzzle become a finished product.” The Explorers won’t have another home game for a couple of weeks, when they host North Texas on Dec. 16. fl[email protected] Courtesy of Sideline Photos, LLC. Freshman Adreana Miller had nine points and four rebounds against Milwaukee. Men’s swimming and diving looks strong at Bucknell By Buck Amend Collegian Staff The La Salle men’s swimming and diving team is coming off a promising effort in the Bucknell invitational two weeks ago. Out of nine competing teams, La Salle finished fifth, accumulating 687.5 points in the three day event. On day one, nine Explorers qualified for the finals. Sophomore Dylan Yurasits had the best placement of the day for the Explorers, as he finished second overall in the one meter diving event with a score of 318.2 in his final round. Senior CJ Gimpel also finished in the top ten in the prelims, collecting 17 team points. Five Explorers qualified for the finals in the 200-yard-IM. Fabian Bergman had the best La Salle finish for the A-finals in 8th place, earning 22 points and a time of 1:53.79. In the B-finals, the top man of the day was our very own Strahin Stankovic. Two other swimmers made their name known by reaching the 500 yard freestyle finals. Mattias Glenesk and Jakub Bartosiewicz. Glanesk had the fastest time in the C-finals. On day two, four La Salle swimmers achieved top five finishes. Johan Roth and Dimitrije Mladenovic both did so in the 100 yard backstroke. They combined for 51 team points. In the 100 yard butterfly competition, Jakub Bartosiewicz finished in fourth place, earning 26 points. Stankovic and Cameron Fadley also reached the finals in this event, both representing their team in the C-finals. Freshman Aleksander Nikolic reached the finals in the 200 yard freestyle race, and finished 14th in his finals race. During the final day of the Bucknell invitational, two more Explorers turned in top five times. Fabian Bergman came in fourth in the 200 yard backstroke A-finals race; Jerry Gravel touched in at seventh. The other top five finisher was Johan Roth in the 200 yard breaststroke. He was just over a second behind the top place finisher. In the same event, Stankovic reached the B-finals and finished in second just .03 seconds behind the winner. In the 400 yard freestyle relay, the team of Stankovic, Cabral, Roth, and Nikolic finished in fifth place with a time of 3:06.67. Identical to this placement, La Salle finished fifth overall after all events in the three day invitational. This weekend, the La Salle team will be split up into two separate meets. From Dec. 3rd to the 5th, some members will be in Washington for the winter national championships. The championship is a three day event, ending on Saturday. The other event will be in Ithaca New York. This will also be a three day event, starting on Friday and Ending Sunday. The fifth place finish in Bucknell was a good starting point, and the Explorers will focus on even better times in the upcoming weekend, fresh and ready to go. Each member of the team will continue to work on their form to get to where they all want to be by the time the Atlantic 10 championships come along in Feb. The next home meet will be Saturday, Jan. 23rd. Fordham and Richmond will come into town as they look to dive into some A-10 action. [email protected] Courtesy of Sideline Photos, LLC Fabian Bergman earned 22 points in the 200-yard-IM. sports la salle collegian thursday, december 3, 2015 15 Men’s basketball cruises over Thanksgiving break By Tyler Harper Collegian Editor It was a busy Thanksgiving week for the men’s basketball team. The Turkey Day week started on Monday, Nov. 23, as La Salle battled Lafayette in the Tom Gola Arena. Offensive chemistry powered the Explorers to an 83-75 victory over the Leopards. As per usual, redshirt junior Jordan Price, who has become one of the top scorers in the nation in the early part of the season, led the charge for the Explorers on offense with 33 points, one point short of his career high. In fact, Price is currently the nation’s third leading scorer, averaging 25 points per contest. The Decatur, Ga. native cruised, going 11 for 14 from the floor, including hitting six of eight shots from beyond the arc. “He was always highly recruited, highly thought of and highly talented,” head coach John Giannini said of Price. “He has matured, grown and become a better overall player. He has kept himself in great shape. He deserves credit for being in the shape he is in and becoming the all-around player he is.” Another Explorer who made a big impact was redshirt sophomore Tony Washington, who made his season debut after missing the first two games with a concussion. The 6’10” center made his presence felt on the floor, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine boards. Following their win over the Leopards, the Explorers took a short road trip to the historic Palestra to take on the Penn Quakers in their Big 5 opener on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Both teams had started their season off hot. However, the Quakers got the better of the Explorers, winning by a score of 80 to 64. Darien Nelson-Henry was the star of the show, providing close to half of the Quakers points with 31. The senior also snagged 14 rebounds to secure a double-double and help guide his team. After the contest, Giannini realized that he should have had his defense adjust to the Quakers’ leading scorer. “We should have doubled Nelson-Henry,” Giannini said. “But give credit to him, he was awesome.” Cleon Roberts led La Salle with 20 points, while Price followed suit with 18. The Explorers looked to move on from their first loss of the 2015-16 season against the Rowan Profs on Saturday, Nov. 28 as both teams celebrated the 20th anniversary of Giannini leading the Profs to a Division III National Championship. Despite a first half filled with struggles, the Explorers found their groove and defeated the Profs, 81 to 51. Price energized La Salle with his great all-around play, scoring 19 points to go along with six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Helping Price out on the scoreboard were redshirt senior Rohan Brown and sophomores Johnnie Shuler and Amar Stukes. Brown had 14 points, Shuler and Stukes each scored 11. [email protected] Courtesy of goexplorers.com Roberts scored 20 points in the Explorers loss to Penn. Men’s basketball vs. Hofstra Courtesy of Sideline Photos, LLC Jordan Price scored a career high, 37 points against Hofstra. By Tyler Harper Collegian Editor On Wednesday, Dec. 2, the men’s basketball team played host to Hofstra in a battle between two teams with only one loss. The Pride came out strong in the first half, shooting 17 for 33 from the field. Junior guard Brian Bernardi led Hofstra with 22 points. Bernardi shot .500 (5 for 10) on the night, including going 4 for 8 from three point land and a perfect 8 for 8 from the foul line. Including Bernardi, the Pride had six shooters score in double digits against the Explorers. Despite being down 44-31 at halftime, the Explorers did not roll over. La Salle’s offense came alive in the second half for 49 points behind Jordan Price. Despite this, the Explorers fell to the Pride, 84 to 80. The redshirt junior totalled 37 points, most of which coming off of three pointers in the second half. In total, Price went 7 for 13 from three point range, going 15 for 22 from the field in total. Cleon Roberts and Tony Washington were the only other Explorers to reach double digits on the night. Roberts had 13 points while Washington had 10. [email protected] Women’s swim and dive team grinds out big finishes By Selena Bemak Collegian Staff The women’s swimming and diving team traveled to Lewisburg, Pa. from Nov. 20 to the 22 to compete in the Bucknell Invitational. The Explorers completed against Bucknell, Buffalo, Binghamton, Connecticut, Fordham, Georgetown and William and Mary in the weekend-long competition. The ladies’ team finished 7th out of 9, racking up 446 points in the process. On the first day of the invitational, La Salle scored in five events. Sophomore Emma Smith performed excellently in the pool. In the C-Finals, she seized the top spot in the 500 yard freestyle race with a time of 4:55.53, earning La Salle nine points. The Canadian student swam the sixth fastest overall for the day. Olivia DiStefano also performed well for the Explorers, placing seventh in the A-Final 50-yard freestyle race. The freshman swimmer earned 23 points for La Salle by finishing with a time of 23.80. Freshman Mary Harrington swam for La Salle in the 200-yard IM along with teammates Maddy Koelsch, Hannah Elliott and Danielle Thomas. Harrington commented on her team’s accomplishments in the invitational saying, “I think as a team we performed very well and had our best meet yet. We had one school record broken by Eva in the 200 butterfly. I think I also performed pretty well just being right off my best times in my best events which is really good for this time of year. I think we’re in a good spot for our upcoming meets.” In diving, sophomore Sydney Szopo snagged the twelfth spot in the three meter event, earning a score of 202.20 in the event and gaining 15 more points for the Explorers. The La Salle ladies teamed up to place in two relays. In the 200-yard freestyle relay, DiStefano, sophomore Natalie Simunek and juniors Tanawan Sukonthapanich and Kate Hay combined for a time of 1:36.49 points that earned them seventh place and 36 points. In the 400-yard medley relay, DiStefano combined with Hay, Koelsch and junior Eva Marie Østerhus for a time of 3:52.00 that merited them eleventh place and 32 points. The second day of the contest, Østerhus placed fourth in the fourth in the 400-yard IM, with an impressive time of 4:26.38. Emma Smith was not far behind her in the race, finishing in the seventh spot. DiStefano posted up another solid performance on day two, capturing sixth place in the 100 yard backstroke race and collecting 24 points for her team. The women’s squad of Østerhus, Smith, Hay and sophomore Rory Kearns tackled the 800-yard freestyle relay in 7:33.58 to secure the fifth place spot and round up another 38 points for the Explorers. Freshman Dominque DiRienio participated in the one meter diving event for La Salle, finishing fourteenth. The third and final day of the competition, Østerhus dove into the pool and conquered. In the 200 yard butterfly race, the Norway native grabbed ninth place in 2:03.47, breaking a La Salle record for her event and securing 20 points. Her teammate and fellow junior Kate Hay came in nineteenth in the 200-yard freestyle race. With a time of 2:27.32, sophomore Danielle Thomas earned the 24th spot in the 200-yard breaststroke final. Distefano, Hay, Smith and Østerhus returned to the pool for the 400-yard freestyle relay, snagging themselves the eighth spot in 3:29.16. After the completion of the Bucknell Invitational, the women’s swimming and diving team sat at the 7th spot with a final total score of 446. As for the future of their team, Harrington remarked, “We still have a lot of good training with our Puerto Rico trip coming up in January and then we have a big A-10 dual meet with Richmond and Fordham, then a meet at Penn. Those two meets will be very tough but we will fight hard to hopefully get some good times. Then we rest for A-10’s so we have a lot of good things coming before the end of the season.” The Explorers return to the pool this weekend, when they travel to Ithaca, N.Y. for the Ithaca College Bomber Invite. [email protected] Østerhus breaks school secord on final day of Bucknell Invite. Courtesy of goexplorers.com Women’s basketball heads down to Miami. 14 pg. pg. 15 Men’s basketball plays well over Thanksgiving Break sports THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2015 Your #1 source for La Salle sports Szekely has best program finish at NCAA’s By Chuck Booth Collegian Staff The Explorers closed out their cross country season on a strong note prior to Thanksgiving break. Sophomore Morgan Szekely went to Louisville, Ky. to represent the Explorers with an at large bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park. The Explorer men also sent a squad to Brooklyn, N.Y. for the IC4A Championships at Van Cortland Park. Courtesy of goexplorers.com Heuer leads Explorers at IC4A Championships. Szekely capped off her historic season with a 45th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Szekely ran a time of 20:29.8 on the 6k course. Her time placed her just 2.1 seconds out of the top 40 runners in a field of 254. The sophomore was in 32nd place after the 2000m mark after running a time of 6:41.8, but she fell back 13 places over the course of the race. Her 45th place finish was the highest ever by an Explorer woman at the NCAA Championships. The NCAA championships individual title was won by senior Molly Seidel of Notre Dame with a time of 19:28.6. The New Mexico University women took home the team title by finishing with 49 points to best second place finisher, Colorado by 80 points. Szekely was the third-highest finisher among runners in the Mid-Atlantic Region behind senior Bianca Fernandez of Temple and freshman Tessa Barrett of Penn State University. She also improved on her finish from last year, when she finished 169th.. Szekely’s accolades did not end there. She was also named to the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Academic All-Conference team. The Explorer men turned in a 4th place finish at the IC4A Championships. They had three runners finish in the top 20 and were led by junior Bradley Heuer. Heuer finished in 6th place with a time of 25:38.5 on the fivemile course. Finishing behind Heuer was the duo of junior Steven Lewandowski and senior Ian Barnhill. Lewandowski finished in 16th place with a time of 25:54.4. Close behind was Barnhill in 18th place with a time 25:57.0. Junior Francis Ferruzzi finished in 26th place with a time of 26:19.7, earning 20 points to the score. Junior Chris Berry crossed in 26:56.0, finishing in 40th place to close out the scorers for the Explorers. Displacing other runners were junior David Ozarowski and senior Brendan Robertson by crossing 5th and 6th on the team. Ozarowski finished in 45th place with a time of 27:06.2. Robertson crossed in 27:10.7 for a 48th place finish. Also running on the day were sophomore Dylan Titon, junior Nick Lefavor, senior Tim Flanagan, junior Ryan Magnus and junior John Pujols. These races officially close the book on a successful season for the Explorers. Everyone took a step forward from where they were at this point last year to put the team within the upper echelon of the A-10 as well as the Mid- Atlantic as a whole. With the success of the underclassmen, especially on the women’s side, there is a lot to build on during indoor track and planning for next season in cross country. The Explorers will be off until Dec. 5, when they will be taking part in the Jack Pyrah Villanova Invitational to begin the indoor track season. [email protected] Courtesy of goexplorers.com Szekely finishes 45th at NCAAs. Giannini celebrates 20th anniversary of D-III Championship at Rowan By Tyler Harper Collegian Editor Men’s basketball head coach, John Giannini likes to stress that he is the same guy, and prepares the same way for every game the same way, no matter the opponent. The game this past Saturday at Rowan University’s Ebsy Gym, however was not just another game. After all, the Division I La Salle Explorers took on the Division III Rowan Profs, the team Giannini previously coached. This was also the first time that a Division I team visited a Division III team in 12 years. The icing on the cake of this already unique matchup was the cause, which was to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Giannini coaching the Profs to a Division III National Championship. Before the game, Giannini was introduced to a standing ovation from the packed gym by Rowan PA announcer, Dan Baker, who is famous for being the PA announcer at Phillies games. Despite the fact that it had been 20 years since Giannini coached a game in the gym, he said that nothing about the atmosphere could phase him. “There’s nothing in that gym I wouldn’t be used to — if you handed me the mop, I’d be used to it,” Giannini said. “There’s nothing in that gym that’s going to take me by surprise.” Courtesy of Sideline Photos, LLC Giannini made his return to Rowan University on Saturday, Nov. 28. The big event, besides the game itself of course, was a ceremony at halftime honoring the 1996 team that Giannini coached to championship glory. One by one, the former coaches and players were introduced by the booming voice of Baker as they each took a curtain call at halfcourt. However, there was one key absence from the halftime ceremony — Giannini himself. Many assumed that the coach’s absence was due to the fact that he was yelling at his team for a first half that was not up to their standards. However, Giannini claims that this was not the case. “I just didn’t know I was supposed to be out there,” Giannini said. Nevertheless, current Rowan head coach Joe Cassidy, who was an assistant under Giannini during his entire Rowan tenure, said he wouldn’t have been surprised if he had spent the half trying to refocus his team instead of posing for a picture with the 1996 champions. “I’ve been in some halftime locker rooms with coach Giannini when his team’s not playing particularly well, so I’m sure he had some choice words for the young men,” Cassidy said. “Obviously they responded in the second half.” Whatever people choose to believe, one thing is not up for debate — Giannini’s love and respect for the program that gave him his first head coaching job, even if he claims that he scheduled this game for “selfish reasons.” “My daughter used to dance with the Owl at halftime here,” Giannini said. “The Owl was the star at her first three birthday parties. This school is in our blood. To see the multitude of former faculty, alumni, former players and townspeople that used to come to the games, meant more to me than I could possibly say. The people were second to none.” “I thought it was going to be a very special day, this ended up being even better than I anticipated,” said Cassidy. “An hour before the game, usually in Division III basketball, there’s nobody here and there’s nothing going on. Today, an hour before the game this place was hopping.” The players on both sides knew how big this game was, due to the unique nature of the situation. On the Rowan side, the Profs played with lots of energy, aiming to do what many considered unthinkable. “We all wanted to be on SportsCenter the next day for knocking off a D-I team,” said Rob DePersia, one of Rowan’s starting guards. “Games like this show local kids that Rowan is the place to be.” As for the visiting side, the Explorers knew just how important this game was for their head coach. “Our main focus as a team was to get this win for Coach G,” said redshirt junior Jordan Price. “It was an honor to come here and play here for Coach G. It was an experience I’ll remember the rest of my life.” No matter what side they were rooting for, everybody in attendance at Ebsy Gym enjoyed a unique and special experience. [email protected]