Issue 3_The SpringHillian_Spring2021

The SpringHillian

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Women Continue To Fight For Equal Pay

Summer Poole Reporter

March is National Women’s History Month.

National Women’s History Month was created in order to bring awareness to all women and to acknowledge the importance of their contributions from the past into the present. Dr. Alexandria Ruble said, “Even though this may be the first time some people are really hearing about Women’s History Month, whether that’s through social media or through Spring Hill College’s events, it’s important to remember that Women’s History Month has a long history dating back to the first International Women’s Day

in 1911.”

Since 1995, presidents have issued proclamations designating March as “Women’s History Month.” Dr. Ruble also said, “I think it is also important to recognize that Women’s History is (or should be) an inclusive history, meaning that it should be intersectional in its inclusion of race, ethnicity, indigeneity, religion, sexuality, and class.”

One issue that has made news recently is the gender wage gap between men and women in the same workforce. It has been proven that women working the same job as men, every dollar that a man makes, a woman makes eighty-two cents. For women of color, the gap is even greater at only seven-

ty-nine cents. Dr. Ruble said that she, as a feminist and anti-racist, supports equal pay for equal work.

Dr. Ruble said that in order for equal treatment of genders, she feels as though we should have an “Equal Rights Amendment”. Dr. Ruble said, “Socialist women a century ago pressured the provisional German government to include some version of an equality clause. When they rewrote the East and West German constitutions in 1949, women urged the constitutional conventions to expand the earlier clause to read “Men and women have equal rights.” Women’s History Month will end on Wednesday, March 31.

Students Follow in Parents’ Footsteps as Badgers

Maddie Kurcab Reporter

Many students on campus are carrying on a family tradition of attending Spring Hill College after many generations before them. These families hold strong ties to the College.

Second generation students are students whose parents or legal guardians have attended the same college or university as them. Two families that have had parents attend Spring Hill are the Leonard’s and the Martin’s. Frannie Leonard and Ellen Martin’s mothers graduated here in 1988 and have been close friends ever since their freshman year of college.

After their mothers graduated from the Hill, they continued to stay close. Their

children grew up together and eventually decided to follow in their mother’s footsteps. In 2017, Frannie Leonard and Ellen Martin came to Spring Hill together as roommates. They then decided to live together again in an apartment for their final year on the Hill. Three short years later in 2020, Liam Leonard and Michael Martin also decided to attend Spring Hill.

Due to Covid-19 restrictions Liam and Michael were not able to room together unlike their older sisters. Even though they were unable to receive the roommate experience, Liam and Michael did not let it affect their time as freshman at Spring Hill.

These students were able to share many of the same experiences as their mothers did. Throughout

their time here, they have shared some of the same professors. Frannie, Ellen and Liam all had Father Viscardi as their theology professor just like their mothers did. Father Viscardi remembered their mothers as soon as they told him their names.

Ellen Martin stated, “I love talking to my mom about how our experiences are similar at Spring Hill because she did

a lot of the same things that I have done. She had also been able to give me advice about Spring Hill that I would not have gotten if she had not attendend Spring Hill.”

Not only were these students able to receive the same Jesuit learning experience as their mothers, but some were also able to receive the same social experiences. Frannie followed in her mother’s footsteps by joining Tri Delta. Frannie has been able to experience the same sorority atmosphere as her mother did.

While these students were able to share some of the same experiences as their mothers did, they also are making their own memories here on the Hill.

Eleanor Grindinger. Photo by Laura Delgado

Michael Martin, Ellen Martin, Frannie Leonard, & Liam Leonard. Photo by Maddie Kurcab.

Jane Ford-Leonard, Cecilia Ackles Martin, & Tracy Driscoll-Abbott.

Campus Ministry to Hold Easter Vigil Mass

Summer Poole Reporter

With Easter approaching in just a few weeks, students on Spring Hill College’s campus are participating in the Lenten season.

Chris Daffin, a workstudy student for Campus Ministry, said, “Lent is a season of reflection and of prayer for the forty days before Easter.” Daffin explains that over the next couple of weeks, Campus Ministry will be hosting some events for students to get involved in the Lenten season. He stat-

ed that Campus Ministry will be holding time for confession and multiple Masses, including an Easter Vigil Mass. According to Daffin, Campus Ministry has not held an Easter Vigil Mass in quite a long time. To attend Easter Mass, students are required to re-

serve their spot by filling out a form in the back of St. Joseph’s Chapel or by contacting Campus Ministry.

Jesuit priest, Father Christopher Viscardi, stated that even if students do not want to let go of something for forty days, they can still

participate in Lent. He said, “Catholics might decide to go to the daily Mass at noon time once or twice a week. Those who are not Catholic might just do a little bit more scripture reading.”

Senior Cecelia Dupepe thinks it is important for everyone to know that they do not have to be Catholic or even Christian to participate in Lent. Cecelia said, “I know people who grew up Christian and didn’t give anything up for Lent, but they do it now because it’s like a reset for their lives.” Spring Hill’s campus holds a daily Mass at 12:15 p.m., if you would like to attend during this Lenten season.

Lady Badgers Run the Hill Since1952

Caroline Landaiche Reporter

While Spring Hill is over 60% women in 2021, this was not always the case. It was not until the 1950s that women were admitted both to enroll and also to teach.

In the early 1950s, Bishop Thomas Toolen requested that women be admitted full-time. Prior to this, women (and also Black students) were admitted to night classes and part-time classes. The 1952-52 school year was the first to admit a large class of women with 42 spanning across multiple classes.

Followed by a headline of “New Cigarette Reps Chosen for Campus,” the 1952 edition of the SpringHillian features two articles pertaining to the news. Many of the women were transferred and the first woman to graduate was in 1953, Betty Jo Stringer.

Shortly after Stringer graduated, Fannie E. Motley became the first Black graduate of Spring Hill in 1956. Motley attended Selma Baptist University for two years where she met her husband. After her family moved to the Mobile area, she considered going to Spring Hill and was encouraged to do so by her husband. Her courses from Selma Baptist were unaccredited and the dean

at the time, George Bergen, S.J., told Motely she would need to enter as a freshman. She pushed against this decision and requested that her credits would transfer, and

Bergen eventually agreed. This decision allowed Motely to enter SHC as a junior and put her on the path to become the first Black student to graduate from Spring Hill

College.

While Stringer and Motley were among the first women to attend and graduate from Spring Hill, they were not the only ones. Helen Muscat became the first woman to be elevated to Student Council, the same year that women were first admitted full-time. The next year, Ella Morris became the first full-time female faculty member, lecturing in Biology until the early 1970s.

It is no coincidence that a college created to form servant leaders would now have a majority of women engaged in education for others.

Reporters: Andrew Jones, Caroline Landaiche, Maddie Kurcab, Summer Poole, Sacha Ducreux

The SpringHillian Editor: Olivia McNorton Art Director: Laura Delgado

Editor: Tara Summers Advertising Manager: Eleanor Grindinger

BTV Producer: Jose Chavarria

BTV Director: Carlos Salmoran

Advisors: Stuart Babington and Gary Wolverton

Sodality Chapel in Peace Garden. Photo by Olivia McNorton

Inside Sodality Chapel. Photo by Olivia McNorton

Eloise Day, Samantha Merritt,Liz White, Kenna Howard, Natalie Grimes. Photo by Summer Poole.

Women Athletes Deserve Proper Compensation

Andrew Jones Columnist

This past year, women have made several steps of progress towards equality, the glaring aspect of inequality in the salary of female athletes in comparison to male athletes still looms over. Over the past years, several female athletes have spoken against the large disparity in pay between them and their male counterparts.

Most recently United States Women’s National Team’s discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. The U.S. Women’s Team argued against the fact that despite the intense amount of work that they put on the field to compete at a high level against the world, their pay is less than that of the males who put in the same amount of work. In the lawsuit members of the U.S.

Women’s National Soccer Team stated that in a typical year the team could earn a maximum salary of $99,000 if they played and won 20 games. In comparison the Men’s Team could earn a maximum salary of $263,320 if they played and won the same number of games. The case did not end in favor of the U.S. Women’s Nation-

al Team, the sentiments of those athletes is echoed in other female sports such as the WNBA.

The common sentiment for those against the pay raise is that it is not a financially sound move. The argument is that the WNBA and U.S. Women’s Soccer Team does not generate enough revenue to see a

large increase in pay to rival that of their male counterparts.

The way I see it, America’s money plays a huge part in the decisions that are made. While it is true that revenue is greater in the NBA than the WNBA, the ticket sales for the US Women’s National Soccer team was greater than that of the US Men’s National Soccer Team. Although I understand that it is true that it is hard to pay people when there is no money to give, I believe that the hard work that professional female athletes go through should be compensated justly. I also do not believe in the validity of the argument of comparing the male athletes versus female athletes and who would win.

The argument is not over who would be better, but it is over the physical toll

that it takes on the body and anybody who has played a sport would agree that it is stressful on the body. The question has to be asked about how much can be contributed to exposure to professional women’s sports.

I can’t help but believe that if we increase the exposure and advertisement of professional women’s sports that there would be an increase in revenue. One thing is for certain, that is the hard work of these women cannot and should not be underestimated. They should receive way more compensation than what they currently have because the work that they put in is on another level.

Will All Masks Come Off On April 9th?

Olivia Morrison Columnist

As Mississippi and Texas lifted their mandates completely, for the reason of ‘personal freedom’, many citizens of Alabama believed their state was next. Kay Ivey however, quickly announced the mandate will continue for another month.

Kay Ivey has declared the public mask mandate in Alabama will be lifted April 9th at her briefing on March 4th.

Kay Ivey is a strong southern governor, and numerous people were surprised at her response to Texas and Mississippi governors, believing that Ivey would be next to lift the mask requirements. She elaborates, “We need to get past Easter and hopefully allow more Alabamians to get their first shot before we take a step some other states have taken to remove the mask order altogether and lift other restrictions.”

Her practicality and realism surrounding the pandemic is attributed to having a suppressed immune system due to her personal battle with lung cancer. Her attitude on the matter has appealed to both sides. In July, when President Donald Trump openly disapproved of the mask mandate, Kay Ivey implemented both the mandate and the shut down in Alabama.

At first glance, Kay Ivey looks like an old fashion republican, but when diving into her speeches, one can see she makes a genuine effort to please all people of Alabama. This may be influential during the governor reelection next year.

It is very hard to imagine the decisions poli-

SUBMISSIONS:

ticians have to make during this difficult time. Personally, I understand the consequences of wearing masks. I like many, am also genuinely annoyed with wearing them at this point.

The lift on the mask mandate is controversial, however, according to Rice University’s Center for Research Computing’s Spatial Studies Lab, which logs all of Texas’s new Covid-19 cases, open hospital beds, and vaccines administered says that the state’s cases have more than doubled in the past 14 days.

This makes me anxious for the reopening of Alabama, but the decision to wear a mask will be now on the public’s conscience. Being lukewarm on this an-

nouncement is normal. I feel as though in today’s bipartisan political climate, it’s commonplace to pick a side. This is a complex issue and has many emotions, as well as scientific data attached to it. Many people need to understand that it is typical to have these conflicting opinions.

Despite all this: Spring Hill College will continue to enforce the mask mandate and social distancing on campus and in classrooms past April 9th, saying “As a small, private, Jesuit Catholic College, we feel a continuation of our COVID19 health and safety policies are for the good of all.”

EDITORIAL POLICY:

The SpringHillian is published five times each semester from January to April. 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.

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. Submissions may also be sent as emailed attachments to: shcmedia@email.shc.edu.

4 AROUND THE HILL

The SpringHillian Providence Foundation Celebrate Festival of Flowers Downtown

Above: Festival of Flowers 2021 for the first time in Downtown Mobile.

Top right: People’s Choice Winner, A beautiful Living Sculpture by A Bloom Garden Center.

Above: The Exhibition had moren than 8 majestic living sculptures.

Above: The Festival of Flowers took place in Cathedral Square.

Above: The Living Sculpture was created with the main purpose to create awareness about the importance of marine life.

AROUND THE HILL

Big Little Reveals, Events, & More

Above: Michelle Ly and Isa Lampitoc.

Above: Hanna Fox and Victoria Spivey

Above: Mary Grace Sullivan (Junior) and Layne Carlson (Junior) running for Student Government Association- Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates.

Above: Easton Hollis (Junior) and Victoria Milian (Freshman) having a great time at the Lamba Pi Eta documentary viewing.

Bottom to top: Fae Fox, Jodi Tidwell, Kyra Walls , Madeleine Braham, Emily Alonzo, Morgan Jemison,

Above: Kenna Howard, Abby Lollar, Jazmin Munoz, Grace Weil, Becca Howard.

Badgers Celebrate at Greek Fest on the Hill

Caroline Landaiche Reporter

Greek Fest, a collaboration between Spring Hill’s Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council, occurred on Friday, March 5th from 7-10 pm.

This event featured a DJ and dancing tent on the soccer field, a bar inside of Byrne Hall, and Greek food from Two Greek Gals food truck.

Interfraternity Council (IFC) president Blake Flood said, “Over the sum-

mer Kristyn Russel reached out to Tatum Ginn [panhellenic president] and I, and she wanted to create an event because at that time we were not going to be able to have invites or formals”.

Greek Fest was open to students across campus, both involved with Greek life and unaffiliated. Around 200 people attended the event.

Flood said, “Tatum and I had the idea to open it to the whole campus to have non-Greek people and Greek people engage at an event where they can all have fun. The goal was to give Greeks, as well as ev-

eryone off-campus, an event to regain the sense of Greek life on campus.”

Prior to the event at night, there was a sand volleyball tournament in which different organizations were able to make teams and play against each other. Spectators were encouraged to attend while wearing masks.

For more information about Greek Life at Spring Hill College, follow @ifc_shc and @shcpanhellenic on Instagram or email blake.m.flood@email.shc.edu and tatum.ginn@email.shc. edu.

Students Around The Hill Suffer from Senioritis

Ethan Parker Guest Writer

With graduation in just a few short months, some seniors on Spring Hill College’s campus are experiencing a different type of sickness: senioritis.

The pseudo sickness targets seniors as they endure the last stretch of a grueling four-year-long battle to achieve their degree. As graduation inches closer and closer, many students are in dire need of a break and are looking forward to finally leaving behind their academic careers and instead transfer into the real-world environment.

Christopher Daffin, a senior at Spring Hill claimed that he found it very difficult sometimes to go to class. When questioned why he felt this way he responded, “For me, I find it hard to go to class because for a whole semester and a half, I didn’t have to. I didn’t realize how little time it took to build up a habit. Also, I think in general, seniors are more likely to slack off during the last semester of senior year. Most of us have gotten accepted to graduate school or have jobs already, so there’s a sense of just coasting until

graduation.”

When asked if he is looking forward to life after college, Daffin noted that he loved it here, “but I feel like it’s time to move on with the knowledge and growth I’ve gained here. I’m ready to show the world why Jesuit education is so valued.”

Many professors have also noticed the uptick in senior absences. Dr. Stephanie Callan, a professor in the English department stated that although she does not teach any seniors this year, she has heard from other professors that “seniors in their classes are experiencing senioritis in a 200-level class, which is a core sub-

ject.” This could definitely raise concerns for many of the professors teaching core classes, as they are requirements for graduation.

However Dr. Callan has noticed that in upper-level classes, which she usually teaches, students do not suffer too much from senioritis. Rather, she has noted that “They (seniors) aren’t always performing up to their potential, but it’s more on the level of getting a B on an assignment when I know they are capable of getting an A if they put more into it.” She also adds that one of the best ways to combat seniors missing class is to “regularly

take attendance, and have writing assignments and quizzes in class so my students know they can’t miss a bunch of class and still get a good grade.”

Spring Hill is not an anomaly in regards to senioritis, as schools across the nation work to help those who are experiencing the decline in their school work as they near graduation. Thus, many academic advisors have created some valuable tools that allow seniors who struggle to find the motivation to stay on track and finish the year strong.

“Senioritis is most often characterized by a loss

of motivation,” said Hillary Smith, an academic advisor with SNHU. “Symptoms of senioritis students should watch out for include a drop in grades, not completing assignments, procrastination, and loss of interest in studies. You might even start skipping class or turning in work that is subpar.”

Smith also said senioritis may strike “when you know you’re going to pass a class, and if you’ve lost all motivation, you may not care if you pass with an A or with a D.”

She also describes some of the best ways to combat senioritis. “One of the most important tools is to set both short and longterm goals ahead of time and believe it or not, taking a break to recharge may also help you remain focused for longer periods of time. It also helps to change your study location every once and a while to feel recharged by new surroundings.

All in all, it is important for seniors to realize that in just a few short months, they will be lifted from the burden of school work, and advance on to a new period of their life. So it is imperative for them to work hard and finish strong.

Students enjoy watching Greek teams play volleyball

SHC Rugby Beats Tuscaloosa Collegiate Selects

Colette Conners Guest Writer

Spring Hill’s Rugby team defeated the Tuscaloosa Collegiate Selects on March 6th with a score of 45-19. Not only did the hard work of the Spring Hill men’s rugby team lead them to victory, but the support of the fans kept the team motivated. Covid-19 pushed the Rugby team’s season back until the spring semester, so this was the first game of the season.

The men on the rugby team put in a lot of effort to make this season happen. President of the rugby team, Brandon Barreiro, explains “We call the match secretary of other schools and see what dates they are available to have a game. If they have one open, we schedule it then and each school follows their own Covid-19 protocols. We get tested before and after every game in order to play.” The team has scheduled two more home games for March 20th and

27th and might travel to New Orleans on April 10th. After qualifying for the NSCRO championship last year, the men were disappointed the fall 2020 season was cancelled. This setback did not stop the rugby team from doing what they love.

The Tuscaloosa Collegiate Selects rugby team has been known to be tough competition for the Badgers. In the past, Spring Hill’s team has crushed many teams by 40+ points, so the crowd was anxious to see the outcome.

During the first half of the game, John Putnam, Mikey Reilly and Danny Conners scored for Spring Hill. Senior John Putnam began his rugby career this spring after his senior soccer season was cancelled. Putnam said, “Since I am new to the team and new to the sport, I felt like I was finally making a big impact in the game. It was the first try in the game which really helped to swing the game’s momentum in our favor. It made me feel like I was officially a rugby player.”

The players became noticeably tired, but Bran-

don Barreiro scored three times and Ben Kazayoux scored once during the second half. After the last play, several men from both teams fell to the ground from exhaustion.

Unlike the other sports teams at Spring Hill, the rugby team is not part of the NCAA but is considered a club team. As a club, the rugby team has its own Covid-19 protocols that dif-

fer from the NCAA regulations and are able to have fans attend games. Many teams will agree that a fan section keeps the player motivated throughout a game, and the Covid-19 protocols allow SHC rugby to have fans socially distanced at their games. The support from the crowd does not go unrecognized. Senior Rob Vought states: “We’ve always

been very lucky to have such a strong presence from our student body at our games. Seeing them having fun and cheering us on up close and personal is very motivating to us, and we always stick around and socialize with them afterward.” Spring Hill is known for its tightly knit community, and the rugby team is lucky to have fans attend the games and support them to a victory.

Intramurals Offically Returns after Hiatus

Andrew Jones Reporter

Intramurals have made a return to Spring Hill College for all students to be able to participate in the spring semester of 2021.

Intramurals resumed activity on March 3 after taking a semester long hiatus in the fall semester due to Covid-19 protocols. After several long discussions, the Student Government Association took on the initiative to bring back intramurals to the student population. Waldo Toyos, head of intramurals through SGA, stated, “It hasn’t been easy, but it was definitely something that the student body needed.”

The first intramural sport to return was beach volleyball. This sport allows

students to enjoy the competitive spirit of intramurals while also maintaining a safe distance from each other. Toyos said, “It is important that we do our best to make sure that everybody is safe, and beach volleyball is a great sport that allows us to be able to do that without

having to change the game too much.”

The return of intramurals has received a positive response from the student body. A total of nineteen teams signed up for beach volleyball. The teams range from Greek organiza-

tions to friend groups that want an outlet from their schoolwork. Junior Ben Cazayoux stated, “Intramurals are a great break away from studying, and they allow me to relieve the stress that sometimes comes with being a college student.”

Soccer is the next intramural sport to make a comeback. Soccer will begin once the beach volleyball playoffs have concluded. Due to Covid-19, the number of players on the field for each team are being limited to minimize the possibility of spreading the virus.

This year has still provided many obstacles for intramurals. Toyos stated, “Intramurals is normally a work study job, but since SGA took it over as an initiative, everything is being done for free. So, all refs for the games are doing it for free because they want to help the student body.”

Despite the obstacles, the Spring Hill student body continues to find alternative ways to make this school year enjoyable.

Rugby Players Take on Tuscaloosa Collegiate Selects on Dorn Field- Photo by: Grace Thelen

Luly Tu n̄ ó n Serving for her Intramural Volleyball Team- Photo by: Andrew Jones

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