Issue 2_The SpringHillian_Spring2022

SHC Announces Upcoming Changes to the Core Curriculum

Kira Babiarz Reporter

A reduction in core curricula and a newlycreated introduction class are two changes that will impact many Spring Hill students beginning this fall.   Spring Hill’s Curriculum Development Committee announced changes will be made to the amount of credits and classes required for students to take before graduation.

The change consolidates the four core curriculum into one common core. Students will still need to meet the credit hours required to graduate, but less of those hours are dedicated to core courses, allowing for students to have an opportunity to take electives or exploratory courses.

According to philosophy professor and chair of the Curriculum Development Committee Dr. Victor DiFate,  “We think that the core curriculum has been simplified and streamlined…our plan is to have all students on the new core…this is going to make graduation easier,” he added.

Spring Hill currently uses four different curricula: Bachelor’s of Arts, Bachelor’s of Science, Bachelor’s of Education, and Bachelor’s of Nursing. These four curricula maintain their own standards and requirements. “When students change majors, they potentially change cores,” said DiFate. “What satisfies one core doesn’t necessarily satisfy another… Having one core curriculum for everybody makes navigating the curriculum a

Hill Bulletin of Information from 2017-2018.

lot simpler and easier.,”

According to the new requirements, the new core is 45-51 credits, much lower than the current 55-61 credits. The new core also eliminates explorations and overlay credits required in the old cores.

Another change is replacing the freshman introduction class, LEAP, with Pathways. Dr. Matthew Barnes, Math Professor and member of the

Curriculum Development Committee, stated, “under the new Pathways program [students] will still have an opportunity for service trips and interact with the community.”

With this new change, students will not need to worry about taking more credit hours or classes than they would have on the current curriculum. A student’s bulletin of record will not automatically

change, and remain within the Bulletin of Information at the time of a student’s enrollment into Spring Hill.

Students are encouraged to reach out to their academic advisors if they have questions about the new curriculum. They can also reach out to Dr. Victor Difate, chair of the Core Development Committee, or Lindsey Byrd, the Coordinator of Academic Advising.

Update on Spring Hill College’s Mandatory Mask Mandate

Madeline Ortego

Editor

Spring Hill College lifted their mandatory mask policy on Feb. 18, students and faculty are no longer required to wear a mask while entering buildings on campus.

An email sent out to the Spring Hill community on Friday afternoon announced that masks are now optional on campus. Masks are no longer required in the Caf, McKinney’s or Einstein’s. Additionally, those attending mass in St. Joseph Chapel, or the Sodality Chapel are no longer required to wear masks.

While masks are no longer

required in classrooms, faculty members are allowed to require students to continue to wear masks in their particular classes. Students should still be prepared with masks and follow the instructor’s request.

Additionally, some offices may continue to require masks in order to enter. Those who wish to have people continue to wear masks were asked to create a sign and display the masking information on their office door.

Senior Christina Larson said, “I’m really excited that things are getting back to normal for my last semester at Spring Hill. Things have been so crazy since

sophomore year, so it is nice to have a normal last few months.”

The College continues to encourage those who are not yet fully vaccinated to continue to wear a mask and to follow CDC guidelines in order protect the health and safety of themselves and others. For all meetings and indoor activities, people are encouraged to continue wearing masks if it makes them feel more comfortable.

The College has also stated that if COVID-19 cases reach a level where masks and other more stringent containment protocols are required, they will communicate that information to the SHC community as soon

as possible.

In regard to COVID-19 vaccinations, the College continues to encourage all students, faculty, and staff to be fully vaccinated and boosted as protection against COVID-19. However, the College cannot require

vaccinations.

The College encourages members of the community to continue to monitor their personal health and follow the COVID-19 policies in regard to reporting positive cases and exposure.

Majorem Dei Gloriam

Spring

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

Student, BessMorgan Baluyut, in a classroom.

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

Coffee Lovers Rejoice! Starbucks is Coming to McKinney’s

Benjamin Gerety Reporter

Starbucks Coffee will soon be coming to the Hill. Expected to open in midMarch, Cafe 1830, a nod to the founding year of Spring Hill College, will be open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and every day from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Joining both McKinney’s and Einstein’s as destinations for students to relax and unwind, Cafe 1830 will be located within McKinney’s, but will offer separate services.

Cafe 1830 will be located from the left side of the McKinney’s grill to the farleft wall. Students will not order from the paper sheets

like McKinney’s, but instead they will order directly with a barista and then pay at the register using their badger bucks.

According to Alex Tholl, General Manager of Aramark at Spring Hill College, the addition will be called “Cafe 1830,” but it will be “Starbucks” branded, and will offer a variety of menu items. These items will include but are not limited to, cold brew, frappuccinos, coffee and more.

Items such as food, pastries and merchandise will not be offered due to the fact that Cafe 1830 will not be a fully licensed Starbucks. Teas and “refreshers” will not be available when the doors open but may be added at a

later date depending on its success.

The excitement surrounding the new addition will soon be a reality. Tholl projects its opening to be sometime in March, barring any unforeseen issues. Two student workers have been hired and training has already begun. Junior DiMya Evans, “loves Starbucks’’ and is very excited for this new on campus option for coffee lovers.

SGA Secretary of Campus Life, Aaron Foster has worked closely with Aramark on this project. “This is just one of the many improvements Aramark has worked into dining services on the Hill,” says Foster.

When asked about how Cafe 1830’s presence on

campus will affect business for Einstein’s, Tholl said that he, “does not see it cannibalizing’’ any business due to the fact that it will have differing hours. Cafe 1830 will fill the void that

Einstein’s and Carpe Diem leave when they close, providing students with a place to grab a refreshing beverage while gathering with friends or doing schoolwork.

SHC Commemorates Letter From Birmingham Jail

DiMya Evans Reporter

Spring Hill College unveiled a special video of the reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” to kick off its “Black History on The Hill” series.

The video features Spring Hill College President E. Joseph Lee, Ph.D., several faculty and staff members, and students reciting passages from Dr. King’s letter, orignally written on April 16, 1963. The video also includes historical audio and video recordings of Dr. King.

Dr. Lee stated, “We are very proud of our Civil Rights heritage here at Spring Hill. We are grateful for the leadership of the Jesuits and

the church in upholding the dignity of all human beings while condemning immoral and unjust practices. Our Jesuit tradition of “cura personalis,” compels us to have respect for all that makes up each individual. This shows in how we care for our students, families, and our community.”

King’s letter was an indictment against the white southern church, in which he expressed his disappointment in the leadership. However, Spring Hill’s integration efforts earned King’s respect. In the letter, King singled out Spring Hill College for its leadership in the civil rights movement. In paragraph 33 of the letter, he wrote, “I commend the Catholic leaders of this state for integrating Spring Hill

College several years ago.”

In September of 1954, Spring Hill was the first College in the state of Alabama to integrate when eight African Americans joined the student body and changed the campus forever. Included among

them was Mrs. Fannie Motley, who entered in the spring of 1955. In 1956, Motley received her degree, making history as the first African American to graduate from an institution of higher learning in the state.

You can watch the entire video on Spring Hill College’s YouTube channel.

To learn more about other “Black History on the Hill” events, contact the Center of Student Involvement at csi@shc.edu.

@shcstudentmedia newswire.shc.edu shcmedia@shc.edu

SHC MEDIA TEAM:

The SpringHillian Editor: Madeline Ortego

Art Director: Madeline Hampson

Advertising Manager: BessMorgan Baluyut

BTV Producer: Conner Moore

BTV Director: India Hall

SHC Student Media

Reporters: DiMya Evans, Kassandra Fairly, Alexandria Fonseca, Codi Clemmons, Benjamin Gerety, Olivia Odimegwu

Advisors: Stuart Babington and Gary Wolverton

Graphic Courtesy of Addi Bauer

Campus Safety: Why Stops Signs are Important

Fr. Mike Williams, SJ Opinion

sign posting the campus speed limit. (I think it is 20 mph, but who could know this?). The result is students, and others speeding along campus roads. This is especially dangerous given the number of locals who use our campus as the local public park-walking, jogging, blocking roads for photo calls.

front of Toolen towards the Avenue of the Oaks, has the right of way.

and by the drive going to Operations are also routinely ignored.

dangerous situation. It’s up to SHC to solve it before something bad happens.

The SHC campus is unsafe and actually dangerous. I am referring to road safety. On this whole campus there is not one

But the greater danger is the wholesale ignoring of the stop signs throughout the campus. Cars – especially students – regularly blast through the stop signs with no slowing down at all. This is especially true and very dangerous at the main entrance to campus in front of Toolen Hall. Cars entering the campus have a stop sign. Cross traffic crossing in

In the past six months, I have had four near-misses at that point as a car –usually a student – blasts through the stop sign without ever even slowing down, and we have come within inches of a collision, with me having to slam on my brakes to avoid a serious accident.

The second most dangerous place is the top of the golf course road. It ends in a T-junction with a stop sign. Traffic crossing that junction in both directions has no stop sign and has the right-ofway. Cars coming up the golf course road routinely ignore the stop sign. Other stop signs near Walsh Hall

This situation is an accident – and maybe a lawsuit – waiting to happen.

The only way to stop this wholesale ignoring of campus stop sign is for Public Safety to begin enforcing the traffic rules –especially about stop signs and should start issuing tickets for violators. If a police car was stationed near the main entrance near Toolen Hall for just a couple of hours, the Officer would be shocked by what he observes. The only way to change this entrenched behavior is to warn the SHC community and then begin issuing tickets and fines.

I’m just calling your attention to this serious and

Battle of the On-Campus Apartments: Fairways vs. Portier

Kassandra Fairly Columnist

Around the Spring Hill campus, there are two apartment complexes: The Fairways and Portier Place. Both apartments have a lot to offer to students such as a kitchen, large living rooms and plenty of space to host guests but what apartment complex is better? In my opinion, the Fairways are superior.

I think the Fairways offer more social opportunities than Portier because each apartment has its own balcony students can hang out on and it is located on the golf course where students can relax in the sun on a nice day.

The Fairways contain three consecutive buildings all identical. Each apartment building houses 48 students with 12 apartments in each building. Each apartment has four bedrooms, two

EDITORIAL POLICY:

bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry facility and a large living/dining room.

Portier Place on the other hand offers three different apartment styles. Students have the choice of a single, double or three-person apartment.

The double apartments have one large bedroom that two students share with one bathroom. The three-person apartments have a double room that two students can share and one single bedroom, with two bathrooms in the

apartment.

Although both apartment complexes are similar in some ways and have lots to offer, one is the clear winner in my mind. I have had the opportunity to live in both complexes and in my opinion, the Fairways are a better choice. There are multiple advantages to living in the Fairways including location, convenience, space and social opportunities.

The Fairways are conveniently located in the middle of campus and within easy walking distance

The SpringHillian is published four times each semester from January to May. The views expressed herein do not represent the views of Spring Hill College and are not the views of the faculty, administration, staff or students. They are the views of the individual columnists.

from all the classrooms and the student center.

Living in the Fairways each student has their own bedroom, a large kitchen/ living area and a laundry room in each apartment. Portier also offers the opportunity to have a single room but getting a single apartment is hard to obtain since there are very few.

There are single bedrooms in three-person apartments but the rooms are very small compared to that of the Fairways. Portier also has the disadvantage of

being farther from academic buildings making the walking commute longer.

Although I would pick the Fairways over Portier, Portier has its advantages over the Fairways such as the ability to live in the apartments as a sophomore or junior. Portier also has better furnishings and more storage space in the apartment. Both complexes have lots to offer, but in my opinion, the Fairways benefits outweigh Portiers benefits.

View from the Fairway Apartments.

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

SUBMISSIONS:

The SpringHillian publishes guest submissions at the discretion of the student-editor and section editors. Submissions should be less than 300 words, and editors reserve the right to edit the submissions for length and content. Original writings should be mailed or delivered to: Student-editor, The SpringHillian, Communication Arts, Spring Hill College, 4000 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36608. Submissions may also be sent as emailed attachments to: shcmedia@email. shc.edu.

Stop sign by Operations on SHC campus.

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

AROUND THE HILL

Above: Sigma Chi member, Santi Day, riding through the Mardi Gras parade.

Picture By: Kira Babiarz

Right: Nicolette D’Ambrosio excited about a fun filled day of events on campus last Saturday!

Picture By: BessMorgan Baluyut

Eli Lenihan with a big block against The Lane College Dragons.

Picture By: Codi Clemmons

Ben Cazayoux rides in Mardi Gras parade.

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

Tess Doyle and Addi Bauer at Mardi Gras Parade.

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

Micah Morgan gets a hit in the game against University of Mobile.

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

AROUND THE HILL

Ben Cazayoux and DiMya Evans sharing a laugh as they throw beads to the crowd. Photo by: Kira Babiarz

Spring Hill College baseball player makes an incredible tag.

Picture By: Kira Babiarz

Sigma Chi members enjoying the fun during the Mardi Gras parade.

Picture By: BessMorgan Baluyut

Emma Putnum and Andrew Castle at Phi Mu’s Tacky Homecoming.

Picture By: Gabe Weaver

Landon Cocom watching the baseball game.

Picture By: Madeline Ortego

Student Leadership Development Program Coming in April

Codi Clemmons Reporter

Badgers LEAD is a new student leadership development program coming to the Hill at the beginning of April. Badgers LEAD Leadership Program is designed to develop and shape the leadership values and styles of our current student leaders and aspiring student leaders. During the program, students will reflect on leadership models and engage in training activities over the course of six weeks. This includes an overnight retreat.

All student leaders involved in Student Government Association, Residence Life, Badger Connection and Campus Programming Board are required to attend Badgers LEAD. The assistant director of the Center for Student

Involvement, Kaylen Hawkins, said that the program begins this April. However, the program will later open to all Spring Hill students who are in pursuit of student leadership opportunities.

According to Kristyn Russell, the Director for the Center for Student Involvement, the program is starting with the “highest level of student leaders.” Then it will be hosted for all other student organization

leaders toward the end of the semester with potential virtual follow ups in the summer.

This early training will allow more time for conversations and collaborations to begin with the hope to better impact the campus community in the future. The Badgers LEAD Leadership Program is intended to support all students on their journey to leadership development and enhance their current skill set.

Russell added, “For the Fall 2020 semester, we had multiple areas of student leaders return early to campus for a very similar program. While this program went very well, we decided to have the conversations prior to the start of the position to allow student leaders time to get to know each other on a more personal level before having to work together in a

broader scope.”

“We have created a more intentional version for our incoming 22-23 New Student Leaders. All Resident Advisors, Badger Connection Guides, SGA, and CPB members will go through a retreat and workshop style leadership program. Many of these student leaders work closely together and we feel it’s important that they are knowledgeable of their own leadership styles, campus resources, and training that will support them to be more inclusive leaders on campus,” Russell said.

To learn more about Badgers LEAD contact the Center for Student Involvement, located on the second floor of the Barter Student Center and stay up to date by following their Instagram @shccsi.

Mardi Gras Returns to Mobile After 2 Year Hiatus

Kassandra Fairly Reporter

Mardi Gras weekend festivities will kick off on Feb. 26 in downtown Mobile at 11 a.m. Parades will run all throughout the Mobile area Saturday-Tuesday.

Mardi Gras returns to the streets of downtown Mobile for the first time since February 2020. In March of 2020, the world came to a screeching halt because of the COVID-19 virus. Mobile Mardi Gras is a historic event Mardi Gras has been rolling through the streets of Mobile since 1703.

The cancellation of the 2021 Mardi Gras celebration was the first time Mobile missed out on their Mardi Gras carnival since World War II. After a two-year hiatus, Mobile Mardi Gras officially kicked off in downtown Mobile on Feb.

11, with the Conde Cavaliers parade. This Mardi Gras includes over 40 parades that will make their way through downtown Mobile throughout the month of February and into early March.

The return of regular Mardi Gras activities, does not only include parades but Mardi Gras balls as well. Spring Hill College’s annual Mardi Gras Ball returned to the Hill on February 19 hosted in Byrne Hall. The Mardi Gras Ball was put together by the Campus Programming Board, a student-run organization dedicated to the planning, promoting, and facilitating of events on campus. The ball that featured food, dancing, a photobooth, and fun times was attended by over 400 students and guests.

Students were given the chance to vote for their

Mardi Gras Court. The students named Mardi Gras Dukes and Duchesses were Blake Flood, Roger Baudry, Easton Hollis, Nic Johnson, Layne Carlson, Anna Aguilar, Caroline Weisinger, and Madeline Ortego.

How do students feel about Mardi Gras starting back up and what do they plan to do? New Orleans native senior Hailee Richard stated “I’m excited to have Mardi Gras back, I plan on going to as many parades as I’m able to with my friends and just enjoying our last Mardi Gras together. Mardi Gras has always been a big deal. Because it was canceled last year I think this year will be bigger and better than normal.” Senior Kendall Gaffney stated, “I went to the Mardi Gras ball on campus and I plan on going to Fat Tuesday.

For more information on the Mobile Mardi Gras parade schedule and route

visit https://www.al.com/ life/2022/01/heres-your2022-mardi-gras-paradeschedule-for-the-mobilearea.html.

I want to go enjoy the parades and a day of fun with some friends.”

Mardi Gras parade in downtown Mobile Picture by Kassandra Fairly

BadgersLEAD official logo

Picture provided by Center for Student Involvement

Head Baseball Coach Announces Upcoming Retirement

Madeline Ortego Editor

Spring Hill College baseball head coach Frank Sims announced that after 37 seasons at the head of the baseball program, he is retiring at the end of the 2022 season.

“How do you put 37 years into a few sentences?” Sims said. “But it’s just time. My wife Dana and I have thought about this decision for both our careers for quite a while now and it’s just time. I will miss it greatly. I’ll miss the players greatly. I’ll miss all of the coaches that I’ve known and made friends with over the years.”

Sims holds the record for most career victories at Spring Hill. During his tenure with SHC, he has won five conference championships. In addition to his accomplishments at SHC,

he was inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2017 in recognition of his lifetime of outstanding achievement in baseball.

“It’s been a good ride with some good teams,” Sims continued. “Our players graduate and that’s the main thing. We’ve had Major League players, sure, but I’m most proud of the good kids we’ve produced. I see them when they return for visits, and they are successful with families of their own and it’s great to see how they’ve turned out.”

Sims has been a collegiate head coach for the last 38 years and has won 974 games. He began his career as head coach at Spring Hill during the last three weeks of the 1985 season and since then he has won 938 games with the Badgers.

He and his wife, Dana, have four children, who are all SHC graduates, and six

grandchildren. Before joining the Badgers in 1985, Sims was the head coach at Milton College (WI.) Sims also coached at high schools and colleges in Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin.

He earned his B.S. in Health, Physical Education

and Recreation in 1977 at Eastern Illinois University where he later became an assistant baseball coach. He later completed his M.A. in HPER at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater where he served as a graduate assistant coach.

In 1973, he was a

member of the Hawkeye’s co-Big Ten Championship team. Sims, born and raised in Charleston, IL, grew up on a farm with seven brothers and sisters. He graduated high school in 1970 and attended Lake Land Junior College before pitching for the University of Iowa.

Basketball, Cheer and Dance Teams Honor Seniors

Breanna Hamlin Reporter

The Spring Hill College men’s and women’s basketball teams, along with the cheer and dance team, honored their senior athletes after the home games against Lane College on Saturday evening.

The SHC senior student athletes were recognized for their hard work and dedication throughout this season and the past four years. The last two years were particularly challenging due to changing COVID rules and regulations. This year eighteen seniors were honored from both the basketball team and the cheer and dance teams.

The men’s basketball team kicked off Senior Night by creating a tunnel for the seniors and their families to walk through as

the members cheered and congratulated each senior. A few seniors even danced their way through the tunnel.

The parents of each senior handed a bouquet of flowers and balloons to their child before they posed for a photo with the women’s basketball Coach Karen McConico. Coach McConico gifted a personalized framed photo collage to her players. After receiving their photo, a group photo was taken.

The men’s basketball coach, Craig Kennedy, also handed his players a framed photo of themselves and hugged them. Coach Kennedy loses two seniors: Christian Brandt, who is the men’s basketball student coach, and forward David Daniels.

Last year, the Spring Hill basketball team’s 2020-2021 season was halted due to COVID-19 and throughout this year players have faced

many challenges.

SHC’s Athletic Director, Joe Niland, knows firsthand the struggles that these senior athletes have gone through because of COVID. He says, “They have been through a lot, I mean just the requirements of testing and vaccinations..” The season was unpredictable, and it took a toll on some players.

The dance and cheer teams will say goodbye to graduating seniors Nate Manning, Reese Lebbing, Summer Poole, Emily Hoven, Kiersten Turpeau, India Hall, and Celena McLaren.

Coach McConico will lose almost half of her squad: Zariea Ector, Katie Krout, Brandy Lee, Carrington Matias, Cassidy McDaniels, Aallya Nascimento, Mathilde Nicolas, Paige Taylor, and Shanteria Witherspoon.

SHC’s mascot, Beaumont the Badger, greeted each player with a high-five or a

hug. Fans stomped their feet on the bleachers as each senior passed through and some fans had cardboard cutouts of senior players on the court.

Senior point guard Zareia Ector noted how hard this season had been. “This year it affects me, and it becomes

aggravating because I have to constantly move my schedule around to accommodate the basketball schedule,” said Ector.

For more information about the men’s and women’s basketball teams visit https://shcbadgers. com/.

SHC cheer team performing a stunt at Senior Night.

Picture By: Codi Clemmons

Picture courtesy of SHC Sports

JalonScott Going to the beach

BeauReed Hanging out with friends

BriahHoliman Practising my new hobby: rollerskating

JudePallicer Visiting my brother

FrancisPurcell Taking it easy