The
Springhillian April 7, 2016
Volume 102 Issue 4 ∙ Ad Majorem Del Gloriam
IT’S ALIVE! A SNEAK PEAK OF THE THRILLING THEATRICS OF
FRANKENSTEIN By: Daniela Perez Contributing Writer
The Spring Hill College department of Fine and Performing Arts has been working diligently for several weeks to put on their spring production of “Frankenstein”. The theater department here at Spring Hill College has been working since the end of January to put on the play. Director of the play, Fr. Stephen Campbell stated in an interview that he chose the play Frankenstein because, “ I love the novel Frankenstein, and I’ve been thinking about doing it for a long time.” He continued by talking about an art class that he co-taught with Mr. Favier last year where all the art projects had to do with themes directly taken from the novel “Frankenstein”. He added that he really enjoys “doing adaptations of novels, and I think it’s a good way to understand what is going on in the novel.” In reference to the play, Campbell said that everything said in the play comes strictly from the novel, and that he kept it faithful to the novel. When asked how long a play like this takes to put on Campbell said, “it takes almost an entire semester.” He added that rehearsals are organized based on the different characters and scenes. The play’s lead characters are Lane Brunson, as the Crea-
ture and Seth Polansky as Dr. Victor Frankenstein. Campbell said that selecting these two as the leads was easy because they are both very good actors, and he felt confident that their delivery of the roles would be perfect. The lead, Brunson, is feeling excited yet nervous to be playing the Creature. He feels like it is going to be challenging but is ready to accept the most challenging part of his role, portraying the emotions of his character. “I have to be bland a lot and angry and sad he’s [the Creature] all over the place because he was just born and doesn’t know how to control the emotions just yet; so it’s difficult to capture that.” He is most excited to be a part of another play here at Spring Hill and has been participating in the plays here since his freshman year. He is looking forward to showcasing all the hard work he and the rest of the cast has put into the production of the play and can’t wait to see who comes out to support them all. The other lead in the play, Seth Polansky, Doctor Victor Frankenstein. His favorite scene is the last scene where he gets to die. He said, “I’ve always died in most of the plays here, so it’s fun.” The most challenging part of Frankenstein is the lines he has to memorize because some of it gets confusing and mixed up. He has been involved in the theater program
Photo by Laura Fosberg here since his freshman year and has played all sorts of parts from minor roles to lead roles like he is about to do with the role of Frankenstein. The play Frankenstein will run from April 14th through the 17th at eight o’clock each evening. Come out and support your fellow badgers at the Arlene Mitchell Theater on one of these days for only five dollars a ticket.
Photo by Daniela Perez
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NEWS
The
Springhillian
Homecoming on the Hill
SHC MEDIA TEAM
SPRINGHILLIAN EDITOR: MJ Connell
SCRIPT WRITER/ ANCHOR: Kerri Ebanks
WEB EDITOR: Gaillard Teague
AUTOMATION MANAGER: Phillip Travis
ADVISOR: Stuart Babington
VIDEO EDITOR: Trevor Warren
ADVERTISING/ SOCIAL MEDIA: REPORTERS: Hannah McIntyre Mariah Weinand Griffin Miller Darian Miller GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Abbie Bacilla Kelly Dolph Will Ward Desire Phillips TV PRODUCER: Travis Cummings Sarah Bolotte Daniela Perez
HILLIAN CONTACT
SHC Student Media
@SHC_MEDIA shcmedia@shc.edu
April 7, 2016
By: Kelly Dolph Contributing Writer This weekend, April 8-10, Spring Hill College is hosting their annual Homecoming on the Hill, in which events will be offered throughout the weekend and will spotlight the graduating classes with years ending in ‘1’ and ‘6.’ Check-In and registration will be from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Friday in Byrne Memorial Hall. The weekend will kick off with the Silver Anniversary Social at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center, which will be the 25 year reunion honoring the class of 1991. Following that, from 6:00
– 8:00 p.m., the Badger Bay Boil will take place and is offered to all alumni. There will be a seafood boil, beer, wine and live music. On Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. late check-in or registration will be available in Byrne. The Badger Carnival will take place on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. on the Stan Galle Field. This is open to all; food trucks and carnival games will be offered. At 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, there will be an Alumni Memorial Place in St. Joseph’s Chapel. Following mass, at 6:15 p.m. on the Rydex Commons there will be a champagne toast from the class of 1961, in which they will present SHC with a scholarship gift. Then from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. the Golden Badger Dinner will take place on the second floor of Byrne. This will be the 50 year reunion party for the class of 1966, including the reunions for the classes of 1956 and 1961. That same night in the Student Center, there will be a Badger Ball from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., in which beer, wine and live music will be offered. Then on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. outside of Java City, there will coffee and Krispy Crème doughnuts, giving students a chance to
talk with the Jesuits. Finally, to close off alumni weekend, there will be an 11:00 a.m. mass offered in St. Joseph’s Chapel. There will also be campus tours offered on Friday and Saturday along with many other activities, such as sporting events, so make sure to pick up a pamphlet of events. Ashley Rains, the Assistant Director of Alumni and Development, said, “This is my first experience in organizing such an amazing event with so many moving parts. I am thrilled to have so many of our athletics teams on campus and active during the Saturday carnival. Baseball, softball, basketball, soccer and rugby will all be playing plus the spirit teams will be on hand. Bringing the alumni together is exciting but having them see the student activity is even better.” Rains stressed that student involvement is always welcomed and that they are eager to get current Badgers more acquainted with our alumni Badgers. Make sure to check out some of these awesome events, you don’t want to miss out!
Photo: The Class of 1985 at a past Homecoming on the Hill
Service Work as Post-grad Option By: Desire Houston Contributing Writer
With graduation less than a month away, Spring Hill seniors are making plans for their post-grad life. For most, this means going into their intended career path or securing an internship. But for others, this means choosing to devote a year or two to service work. According to Colleen Lee, campus minister for service and retreats, the service organizations most popular among SHC graduates are Jesuit Volunteer Corps and Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest. The programs’ core values are “simplicity, spirituality, social justice, and community”. Lee said there are currently six students who have finalized their post-grad service plans. Lee said the office of campus ministry strives to help students who are interested in joining service organizations. When asked about how they assist students, Lee said, “We [campus ministry] are here to students. We can look at their service resumes. These programs want a different type of resume that’s more focused on service work. We’ll also help
students. According with prepping for to TeachForAmerithe interviews. ca.org, one in three We also partof over 16 milner with Jeremy lion impoverished [Moore] in career children will not development for graduate from high resources, such as school, and their help building the members work resumes and into change those terview questions statistics. TFA’s prep.” mission to help JesuitVolunteers. under-privileged org, the website children aligns with for JVC, states Hudson’s mission they place volunin life. Hudson teers domestically said, “When I was or internationally a junior, I became in over 25 differinvolved in service ent ministries organizations. I such as children enjoyed the teaching and youth services, Senior Asia Hudson programs. I like helping lowimmigration advocacy/refuge services, women’s’ issues, income communities and communities that are historically underhealth care service, and more. represented. And I think that I kind There are other organizations that of have a calling there because I graduates can join as well. Senior share values and a socio-economic Asia Hudson will be joining the organization Teach For America for background with them.” Hudson is a sociology major with the minimum commitment of two a concentration in criminology. years. Graduates are placed in lowWhen asked about what she hopes income classrooms and aim to ento gain from the experience, Hudrich the potential of impoverished
son said, “I hope to gain building a relationship with the kids that I will be serving and with the community that I’ll be serving in. I think it’s a vital component in life to build relationships with these people and to help people help themselves.” When asked about her plans for after the service, Hudson said she’ll consider becoming a permanent staff member. To join TFA, you do not have to be an education major. To apply, the requirements are that you receive your bachelor’s degree before training starts, earned a minimum cumulative 2.50 GPA, and are a United States citizen or permanent resident. The other requirement is that you are aligned with their core values of “transformational change, team, leadership, respect and humility, and diversity”. Graduates in this organization will work fulltime at a school and will receive a salary and health benefits. If you are a senior who has not finalized any post-grad plans and desire to do service work, you should visit with campus ministry for help searching for a position.
Volume 102 Issue 4
OPINION
The
Springhillian
So Long & Farewell, Dr. Baugh
By: Gaillard Teague Web Editor
We can probably all identify with the bittersweet ending to a really good book. Sweet because of the satisfaction of completing something that perhaps once seemed a bit daunting; sweet because of the anticipation of being able to pick up a new book and hopefully experience new joys and challenges. Bitter because of basically everything else: saying goodbye to something you’ve probably come to identify so intimately with; saying goodbye to the characters, to the feelings, and the person you became when you read it all. For these past few weeks I have been experiencing that familiar bittersweet feeling as I resistively crawl toward graduation. However, we seniors aren’t the only ones in the midst of completing the final pages of our Spring Hill College novella. Or, better yet, we seniors aren’t the only ones Spring Hill College has to say goodbye to. Jesuit novice Dr. Matthew Baugh, will bid his adieus to the Hill come May, and I think I speak for most people who have had the pleasure of meeting him that he will be dearly missed. I first met Dr. Baugh as a wayward sophomore with barely five friends and a deep desire for anyone I could identify with. My father had somehow met him before me, and for weeks at the beginning of the school year, he called me everyday asking me if I had introduced myself to the new Jesuit. I didn’t even know what
the man looked like yet, so the prospect seemed fairly unlikely. But, after hearing him introduce himself to another person one day after Mass, I seized the opportunity to acquaint myself with the guy. That moment I will never forget - primarily because I was abundantly embarrassed when he corrected me for calling him Fr. Baugh. “I’m actually not a priest yet,” he chuckled. “You can just call me Matthew”. After letting go of my frustration toward the Catholic Church for setting up such a confusing circumstance and allowing nonpriests to wear collars, I developed a deep admiration and respect for this little dark-haired man with the kindest eyes and most humble demeanor I had ever encountered. Since then I have developed a mentor, a spiritual leader and a friend in Matthew Baugh. I have seen the way he loves this school, and more importantly, I have seen the way he loves the people at this school –it s unlike anyone else I have encountered here. He gave me courage in some of my darkest moments, and encouragement each of the 60 times I considered transferring. A pure example of selfless devotion, I saw the way he expended himself day in and day out to service of the college, and the students, and the community around. I saw the way it weighed on him, never manifested in his behavior, but simply by the steady increase of gray on his once complete head of black. His impact, I know - has been great. His spirit - contagious. This is not because of any superior intellectual
ability - although the dude has got some brains - or a loud, infectious personality - although his Donald Trump impersonations are impressive. But because of his ability to love. His ability to be present and available and joyful. His ability to be a friend. These seemingly simple, yet immensely valuable, characteristics are something indistinguishable from the way many people have come to identify him. Sophomore Alex Scalco speaks on the subject emphatically: “He was our friend. He just really made himself accessible to us, to the point where most of what I learned from him wasn’t coming from what I learned from him in the classroom even though I learned a lot from him in the classroom- it was coming from my friendship with him. Like what he taught me about being a person.” Senior Conner Bueche shares similar sentiments saying, “Dr. Baugh’s dedication to students is unparalleled - anyone who has gotten to know Dr. Baugh is aware of his genuine and heartfelt dedication to the betterment of students. He has and always will make time to meet with any student whether such purpose is spiritual direction or politics, it makes no difference.” A man with a superior ability to make those around him feel the love he himself claims to experience through Christ. In other words, a man with an aptitude for Christ-like love. In his perfectly organized third floor
Quinlan office, modestly decorated with natural light and images of long departed saints, I asked my friend if he had any final words to say to the Spring Hill College community. Taking a deep breath, he took a few moments inside his own head before delivering a response - a quintessential Baugh-like practice - and then replied: “Let yourself be changed by an encounter with Jesus Christ. We come to college not principally to prepare for a career, or to study something we like, we come to be changed by what we encounter, the people we encounter, the ideas we encounter. It is just the firm conviction of the Jesuits that is the most important encounter that you can have intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, etc. is the encounter with Jesus Christ. I think people are a little bit afraid of that. If you get through college and you have not had a conversation about the meaning of life, then you have not been to college. I mean, I thoroughly believe that. So don’t be afraid of it. Don’t be afraid to encounter even the difficult things about Christianity because the difficult things are themselves beautiful, and they are meant to change you. Let yourself be changed. He concluded, “And I should say thank you. I am super grateful. That is the principle experience I have had here. Is just gratitude.” And I’ll just go ahead and once again speak on the behalf of the people when I say: No, but actually, thank you.
Hey SHC, Intramurals Need Your Help
By: MJ Connell Editor-in-Chief
All around the country universities and colleges provide various intramural sports for their students to get active in. Spring Hill College is one of those institutions, but chooses to the leave the fate of those intramurals in the hands of the students. It wasn’t always like that, however. When I first stepped foot on this campus and participated in my first intramural league, Angel Gray was the supervisor and had a group of students working under her to make sure they ran smoothly. Once Gray and SHC parted ways, a former pupil of hers took the reign of coordinator of the intramurals. While the leagues may have ran smoothly under that student, who was working with Gray for a couple of years, things took a dip in terms of how well they ran. This past school year many students participating in intramurals have been frustrated with the way schedules of the games have been constantly switched around. Intramural football started late, and although weather may have ruined some of the evenings for games, there is no reason the league was separated into two semesters. Having an almost complete season take place and then waiting another month over winter
break to finish it is ridiculous. The next conflict came when the intramural basketball season started. During the first couple of weeks, several games had to be pushed back or moved to another date because the men’s and women’s basketball seasons weren’t over and would delay the start of the intramural games. Not only were scheduling conflicts occurring, but finding a referee for a game or someone to run the scoreboard was a struggle week in and week out. The most recent intramural debacle has to be the overlapping of the conclusion of the basketball league and the beginning of the soccer league. Students who play in one league may not have been able to participate in their game in the next league due to time changes and even fatigue, because let’s be honest, most of us are using this as our only form of getting active. Not everybody can go from running a basketball game and then hustle over to the soccer field to play their next game. How can you allow the same people to run one league go ahead and run the next, but without finishing the previous one? I understand that you have to make sure you get them all in, but where’s the support when it comes to getting this all together? The fact that games from two different sports were running into one another is unacceptable. Students should not have to be
constantly worrying about their game getting changed last minute because of organizational errors. Things that are out of their hands, like the weather or another team not being able to get enough people should be the only things to worry about. This is a service schools all around the country provide for their students and even have positions for in order to prevent this type of chaos from happening. Where was the communication between the intramural organizer and whoever is in charge of scheduling times at the gym? Why did the school abandon their intramural program to leave it in the hands of the students? Yes, I understand that professionals have other things to worry about besides running intramurals, especially if it’s not their main job. But students also have their own worries as well, from internships, to part (or full) time jobs, to studying all night for a couple of big tests later on in the week. This is why there needs to be come synergy with someone who is in charge of the athletic facilities and the student organizer. I have some things I would suggest to bring more organization to this whole intramurals mess. First, I think if the school were to continue to leave it in the hands of the students, that there should be a board that gets together and puts everything into place. I’m sure there are people who would love to help out, but don’t know how to get
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involved and this could be a great way to do so. Another thing that came to mind was maybe a new branch of the SGA can be annexed on that focuses strictly on intramurals. That way it can actually be concentrated on and not something someone is trying to throw together. From what I understand, there used to be a work-study incentive to working and operating the intramurals. If this has ceased, I suggest bringing it back. I say this because it can be very hard to get dedicated members of something if there are no incentives. This can really help prevent referees and scoreboard operators from blowing off their obligations. Having a faculty member there to supervise the events and actually enforce the rules of the leagues (I’m looking at you, JV basketball players who hop into intramurals) is essential, and I know it works because I witnessed it first hand when Gray was in charge. I wrote this piece because I have been involved in SHC intramurals all my four years here, and I love to play sports. To see the direction of where they are going since I was a freshman is a sad sight. Intramurals are supposed to be fun and a great way to get out of the dorms at night. This can’t die out and it may very well meet its demise if the program doesn’t get some help.
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The
Springhillian
Above: Marie Gardner and Katie Drez hanging out with prospective students at “Welcome to the Hill.”
AROUND THE HILL
Above: Ashleigh Townsend, Jamal Encalade, Arielle Joseph take a selfie break at “Welcome to the Hill.”
April 7, 2016
Above: Lucy Lee and Iriel Evans posing for the gram during “Welcome to the Hill.”
THE HILL
Below: Royce Martin, Cole Enmon, Hannah McIntyre, Arianne Stallings, Hunter Dupepe and Mark Mullen snap a photo on the golf course before the Lambda Chi formal. Below: The Phi Mu team “Dodge n’ Dab”, winners of TKE Dodgeball Tournament , pose after beating out 5 other teams.
Volume 102 Issue 4
AROUND THE HILL
The
Springhillian
5
Fresh off the boat, Jake Favier and Chrissy Madison pose after deep sea fishing.
Above: Top: Clare Wojda, Hunter D’Armond, Emily Wellmeier, Gabrielle Smith, Laura Hadgraft, Nick Smith Bottom row: Sarah Bolotte, Susanna Whitman, Paige Guillory, Alex Mestre, Jacquelyn Saunee These badgers were taking advantage of the great weekend weather while hiking in Oak Mountain State Park.
Above: Mr. Tony and Tonisha Houston pose for a lovely father-daughter photo after conquering deep sea fishing. Below: Alex Hunt, Victoria Tanner, Tiffany Fairchild, Brigit Reynolds and Georgy Gat hanging out with a baby alligator at Alligator Alley.
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LIFESTYLE
The
Springhillian
April 7, 2016
Hangout The Ins and Outs of Jazz Fest Music Festival By: Sarah Bolotte Contributing Writer
By: Will Ward Contributing Writer
The beaches won’t be the only reason thousands of people will be in Gulf Shores this upcoming May. A music filled weekend late in the month will draw in thousands of tourists as the summer begins. Local restaurant, The Hangout, puts on a music festival every year to begin the season of fun. The Hangout Music Festival, or more commonly called, Hangout Fest will be May 20-22 this year. The festival brings in many top name musical talents that showcase the event. The big names this year include, but are not limited to, The Weeknd, Ellie Goulding, Calvin Harris, and Alabama Shakes. Many other rock and hip hop artists will be there as well. If you cannot attend the full weekend show there is a Thursday Night Kickoff Party on the 19th. Artists like Lil Dicky and Matt and Kim will be performing. The Hangout restaurant has been around for decades but when it was rebuilt in 2008 the new owners decided music was just as important to Gulf Shores as the white sandy beaches. Ultimately they decided to start Hangout Fest in 2010. Ever since its birth, Hangout Fest has been a blessing to the community bringing in business even after the festival ends. The music festival is unlike any others being that the performances are directly next to the water. The stages are set up right behind the Hangout restaurant on the white sandy beach that way participants can enjoy the beach while enjoying the music. The restaurant is located at the southern end of Highway 59 where it intersects Highway 182. Many lesser known artists will be performing as well as a few local artist that win Reach For The Beach by 92ZEW. This is a contest put on by a local radio station for bands in the area to get their name out there and get on the same stage as many bigname artists. One band will get a full performance while a few others will be opening acts for larger artists. Over the years many artists have performed at Hangout Fest like Outkast, Zach Brown Band, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon. Classic bands such as these have a multitude of shows to do but choose to take a weekend off at the beach and relax. Hangout Fest is always after high school and college graduation which prompts the beginning of summer. This year the sand will be hot and the music will be loud in Gulf Shores.
Spring Hill College students patiently anticipate the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as the spring semester comes to a close and the festival inches closer. Also known as Jazz Fest, the 10-day cultural feast starts Friday, April 22, then ending Sunday, May 1, located at the New Orleans’ Fair Grounds Race Course. Jazz Fest is a gumbo pot of all things Louisiana, where thousands of musicians, cooks and craftspeople welcome all visitors to their unique and tasteful life. According to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival website, there are around 400,000 visitors each year. If you have never attended Jazz Fest, it is a quick 2-hour drive from SHC to the heart of the festival. There you can witness around 11 stages of the most unforgettable music, the best Louisiana cuisine you could ever imagine and the most creative crafts you will ever see. Speaking of Louisiana cuisine, senior, Louie Treuting, has been working one of the festival’s food booths since his sophomore year in high school. He works for Panaroma Foods where he cooks the much sought after crawfish bread. It is so delicious that it will make you want to slap ya’ momma. Food critic Tom Fitzmorris claimed that the crawfish bread is “an essential Jazz Fest dish that should not be missed.” Treuting explained that his older brothers started working for the family friend’s catering company back in 2003, “it really became a family tradition to go work for John Ed [Panaroma’s owner], a rite of passage if you will.” In addition, Panaroma Foods, makes shrimp bread along with sausage and jalapeño bread for the fest. Treuting said, “The live music dominates the day, which ranges over all types of genres, from a good variety of the popular hits of today to the classic brass bands of sweet New Orleans Jazz.” Some of the headliners this year include: Stevie Wonder, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young + Promise of the Real, Snoop Dogg, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Paul Simon, Beck, Nick Jonas, J.Cole, Maxwell, Flo
Rida, Irma Thomas and Ms. Lauryn Hill. The thing that keeps bringing Treuting back to the festival is the “fun-loving and free” atmosphere. He said, “I never see a frown at Jazz Fest, everyone is a family for those two weekends. It is a great testimony to the spirit of New Orleans and her people.” Jazz Fest is really a family event, there are things to do for all ages, from a Kid’s tent to a craft area, there is fun for everyone. SHC senior, Arianne Stallings, should know; she has been attending the event since she was born. “My parents would always bring me and my brother with them when they would go, it’s really entertainment for all ages,” explained Stallings. Along with the wonderful am-
bience, Stallings expressed her thoughts on the food, “It’s almost better than the music. My favorite is the crawfish bread, mango freeze and cochon de lait po boy...Hint, get everyone in your group to get something different and sample them all.” Speaking of ambience, this happens to be Stallings’ favorite part of the festival. She explained that the music festival is a mix of everything New Orleans and it expresses the fun, welcoming festive spirit. “It isn’t the rowdy vibe of Voodoo or Bonnaroo. Its people of all ages coming together and just enjoying the weather, the city, the music and the food. You’ll make new friends. You’ll see old friends. It’s just a good, carefree time,” described Stallings. Growing up and attending Jazz Fest, it’s hard to keep yourself away from it, for Stallings it has even sparked her career dream path.
She hopes to one day work for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation. The foundation works in New Orleans as a non-profit to fund cultural preservation projects, local music projects and education. “It’s a non-profit focused on everything that I love and want to protect about New Orleans,” said Stallings. For all Jazz Fest newbies, Treuting and Stalling gave a little advice. “Water is your best friend, drink lots of it because it gets hot. Parking and leaving the Fest is a traffic nightmare, so make a plan beforehand to get to the fest and leave. You don’t want to get stranded,” said Treuting. For students that do not want to drive to the festival, Gray Line Tours will operate round-trip transportation - the Jazz Fest Express - from City Park, the Sheraton Hotel and the Steamboat Natchez Dock. According to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival website, the Jazz Fest Express will run from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Stallings’ advice to all first timers is, “Wander. The festival has so much to offer. There’s various stages all with different kinds of music, like Zydeco and Congo Square. Wander and experience as much as you can.” To learn more of what the festival has to offer you can visit www. nojazzfest.com. A short list of what fest-goers are allowed to bring include, small bags or backpacks, collapsible chairs, ground tarps, water bottles and umbrellas. Some things not to pack include, hard-sided coolers, tables, skateboards and ropes. If you are interested in attending Jazz Fest you are able to purchase your tickets from Ticketmaster, the festival website, or at the gate. Weekend single day tickets are $65 online and $75 at the gate, the first weekend single day tickets include April 22, 23, 25 and the second weekend single day tickets include April 28,29,30 and May 1. Beginning in 1970 with only about 350 people attending, the festival has grown to a whopping 460,000 in 2015. The festival-goers come out to celebrate the culture of Louisiana with the combination of gospel hymns, the soul of jazz and the twang of Cajun. The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival has grown into an array of all things wonderful.
Photo by Hannah McIntyre Jazz Fest 2012
SPORTS
Volume 102 Issue 4
The
Springhillian
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Tennis Searching For a Conference Title
By: Darian Miller Contributing Writer With the end of the Spring Hill College tennis season closing in, both the men’s and women’s teams are seeking conference titles after their last home game of the season. The season openers took place on January 30, 2016 with home matches in which the men competed against BirminghamSouthern College and the women faced the University of Montevallo. While both teams lost their first matches of the season, head coach John Dotson, believes both teams have made tremendous strides of improvement. Dotson stated, “I feel we are making progress. We are very young with only two seniors, one man and one woman. The on-court performance was up and down, mostly up. All the players are working hard at improving and have improved.” While in season, the players practice five days a week for two hours on the court along with voluntary workouts in the gym. During off season, players are in the gym four days a week for an hour along with a two hour practice once a week. The men’s team has an overall record of 11-11, and
the women’s team has an overall record of 9-15. During their practice sessions throughout the week, each player works on improving both individual strengths and weaknesses. Dotson said, “Most of the players have their basic skills, so I do try to refine them or remind them that they changed to forehand and why. We work on match strategies and doubles team work. Doubles can be difficult because tennis is an individual sport, but in doubles you have to have a team mentality.” Each game is comprised of singles and doubles matches, and players rotate doubles partners throughout the season. With only three matches left, Dotson has a specific goal in mind. Dotson stated, “My immediate goal would be to win our conference by the time we can play in the championships.” Currently, the men are tied for second and the women are fourth.” Both the men and women will travel to Clinton, Mississippi, on April 8, 2016 for two exhibition matches. Throughout the season, there are two SIAC Round-Ups that consist of multiple, back-to-back matches in a period of two or three days between teams within the
same conference. Dotson said, “The number of matches per week varies. We just finished our conference Round-Up which consists of eight matches in three days. It is important to rotate my players to keep them fresh. Typically we have two matches per week.” The SIAC Round-Ups are used to assess standings within each conference. Last year, the men’s team earned a winning 12-9 record, and the women claimed an overall record of 8-13. Most members of both teams are rising upper classmen with only two seniors graduating this year. The last match of the season will take place in Ocean Springs, Mississippi on April 16, 2016. For more information on the tennis team, visit shcbadgers.com or contact John Dotson at jdotson@shc.edu.
Photo by Sarah Bolotte
Fishing the Deep Sea with SHC
By: Griffin Miller Contributing Writer Campus Programming Board hosted an all-day deep-sea fishing trip for a group of Spring Hill College students last Saturday. On Saturday April 2, 2016, CPB took a group of 46 students to Orange Beach, Ala. to go deep-sea fishing. The assistant director of student involvement and CPB’s event planner Joy Morris was in charge of the event and said that the trip has been successful in years past. “This trip is a great way for those not from the Gulf Coast areas to experience our waters in a different way and for our locals to participate in an excursion that is quite familiar to them,” said Morris. Every CPB voyage down to Orange Beach for their annual deep-sea fishing trip has been on the “Zeke’s Lady,” a 58-foot rebuilt party boat that now specializes in saltwater fishing excursions and is one of the largest companies along the Gulf Coast. Morris stated, “The staff at Zeke’s is easy to work with and really enjoys meeting our students and providing this experience for them. ” The staff will also gut and clean the fish you choose to keep for $0.50 per pound. “Zeke’s Lady” was fully stocked with plenty of fishing rods, hooks, and weights. The ship hands helped teach anyone on the boat who didn’t know how to properly cast their hooks into the water how to do it. Our very own Mr. Tony passed out gloves for anyone who didn’t want to get their hands dirty while fishing. The bait grossed out many of the people and they needed help hiding the hook with the bait. Overall, fishing was not that successful due to the weather,
but it was still a great atmosphere and experience for the students to get away from the stressful school environment. This was CPB’s fourth year going on a deep-sea fishing trip and they hope to continue providing the trip, assuming the budget allows it, for the students because it is such a unique experience. The past couple years, the CPB group have reached max capacity of both students on the trip and fish on the boat. This year, the trip was a little shakier than in years past. Due to the recent storms, the water was rougher than what is optimal for deep-sea fishing. With the rougher water, many of the students got motion sickness or elected not to fish. Those who did fish struggled to catch anything that was large enough to keep. The morning started for students at 5:45 a.m. loading the bus to leave for the 6 hour fishing extravaganza. Due to the sickness, cold and lack of success, CPB called an audible and we went to Pirates Cove for some food and relaxation. Once we returned to the dock, at around 2:00 p.m. if you had wanted the fish that you had caught you could go have it cleaned and gutted while the rest of the group walked back and got pizza. The bus ride back was quiet as students slept from their exhausting day with brand new memories.
Photo by Griffin Miller
8
The
Springhillian
HILL YEAH!
April 7, 2016
ON THE SPOT
What do you like to do on a nice, Spring day?
Kameron Powell
Raquel Galiano
Henry Pine
Alexandra Sinkus
“I would play basketball.”
“Stop by the caf, get a sandwich, and have a picnic outside on the Rydex.”
“Play in the snow!”
“Go on a drive with the windows down and the music up.”
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Our Brothers’ Keepers
By: Jacquelyn Saunee and Cree Pettaway Contributing writers
For Fr. Mario Serrano, SJ, his work is simple: “You don’t need an entire path ahead of you. Just take a step. If you see a need, meet it.” Fr. Mario, National Director for the Social Apostolate of the Dominican Jesuits, is a man of his word. He saw a need, and began to meet it. In doing so, he set out to accomplish, step by step, the ultimate goal of Jesuit communities: providing service and security to those in need of a helping hand. His helping hands are currently outreached to young Haitian migrants living in the streets of Dajabón, a border town in the Dominican Republic. In an effort to protect and care for these children, he runs a boys home, Hogar de Cristo (Home of Christ), where his main goal, he explains, is to “protect those kids who live by themselves in the streets on Dajabón, and to help them to get a permanent place and have the opportunity to attend school.” Hogar de Cristo is a continual work in progress. The shelter is simple: a kitchen, a large room with school desks and a chalkboard, bunk beds, and an outdoor area. The shelter’s policy is also simple: stay as long as you want, leave whenever you feel inclined to. The boys are not forced to stay at the home, and are not reprimanded or punished for leaving and then later coming back. The young boys who stay at Hogar de Cristo, and boys in similar situations, constitute a significant proportion of
Haitian migrants living in the Dominican Republic with the hope of finding a better life. Fr. Mario attributes this to the traditional responsibility placed on the males within a community to not only fend for themselves, but for their families as well. He states that when observing the streets of Dajabón, girls are less likely to be found roaming the streets. This reality, Fr. Mario says, develops from the fact that boys are seen as more capable of going out on the streets and earning money. Earning money, finding work, and receiving an education are all tasks that are deemed more feasible in the Dominican Republic as opposed to Haiti. As a result, many young boys are either sent across the border or even choose to cross the border in an attempt to escape a rough home life or simply find a better life. Achieving this sought after “better life,” however, is not an easy task. Once in the Dominican Republic, these children must find a way to earn money. As a result, boys as young as six-years-old often carry around their own handmade wooden shoe shining kits filled with toothbrushes, small bottles of cleaning solution, torn dish rags, and spare pesos from any willing patron on the street. This is one of the menial tasks that the young boys complete in an attempt to earn money, which they often send to their families, many of which still live in Haiti. At night, however, these boys, many of whom are orphans, did not have anywhere to sleep. That’s where Fr. Mario stepped in. He initially began helping the boys by feeding them in
the church’s courtyard. He was, however, met with some resistance from the community. One local radio criticized Mario for his efforts to help the children because they are Haitians. Fr. Mario’s response, not surprisingly, was simple, logical, and poignant. An article on JRUSA. org explains how Fr. Mario handled the situation: “Mario gave the station a gift, a nativity scene made by the boys. On the program Mario spoke about the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt in Matthew’s Gospel. He reminded the audience that Jesus was a migrant just like the children living on the streets of Dajabón.” The community gradually changed their mindset and began to support his work. Financial support, however, is still a constant battle. Currently, Hogar de Cristo receives financial support from Jesuit Refugee Service, Caritas, an international program that assist in aiding the poor, and a family who is assisting in opening a permanent boys home in Wanamint, Haiti. Financial support, Fr. Mario explains, is just the beginning: “These kids need an opportunity in their life. They cross the border because they are lacking love and opportunity. Let’s give them a chance to experience love and opportunity. To have a home, food, sports and an education.” He hopes to change the lives of the boys of Hogar de Cristo by providing them with these experiences to ultimately show them that there are, in fact, people that care about them. Another part of showing the boys of Hogar de Cristo that they are cared
about, Fr. Mario shares, comes with helping them deal with the current psychological issues they face. Fr. Mario says that financial support for the program will aid in hiring a psychologist for the boys, so that they can “deal with deep injuries that [they] carry.” Fr. Mario explains their current financial status: “With the cooperation of people of good will we’ve been operating for a year and a half. We are opening a house in Wanamint, on the other side of the border so that the kids can have an opportunity to go to school. I am sure that God will send people that will help us support the whole program.” Members of Spring Hill College’s International Service Immersion Program (ISIP) are trying to be the people of good will Hogar de Cristo so desperately needs. This past Sunday, our group (Yes, it’s time for a full disclaimer: we were both on this year’s ISIP trip to the Dominican Republic where we visited Hogar de Cristo and met both Fr. Mario and many of the boys at the shelter) hosted an event “DR Comes to Spring Hill” in an attempt to share our experience with the Spring Hill College community, and to raise money to send to Hogar de Cristo. If you are interested in learning more about our experience or fundraising efforts, please visit our website, Our Brothers’ Keepers at http:// brotherskeepersshc.weebly.com.