Issue 4_The SpringHillian_Spring2021

The SpringHillian

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Badgers Rally Over Sexual Assault Negligence

Olivia McNorton Editor

Spring Hill College

President Dr. Joseph Lee II announced new initiatives against sexual assault after a student reported being sexually assaulted on campus by another student on March 12.

On March 24, the student publicly announced the incident on Facebook. She wrote that she was raped by another student in her residence hall on the morning of March 12. In the same post she stated that in response to sharing her story, she had received copious messages from Spring Hill College alumni who detailed similar experiences of sexual assault on campus. The Facebook post garnered attention across social media platforms, resulting in students and alumni drafting two petitions accusing the

college of neglecting sexual assault victims that were sent to Dr. Lee the same day. One of the petitions states that alumni “are woefully disappointed and angered by the administration’s lack of commitment and support of sexual assault victims.” According to RAINN, “13% of all students experi-

ence rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.” According to the SHC Department of Public Safety’s most recent security report, five forcible sex offenses were reported on the campus in 2019, and none were reported in 2018. Six were reported in 2017. The petition ac-

knowledges these numbers, but asserts that the number of students who have experienced sexual assault on campus is far higher.

Dr. Lee sent out a response to both petitions on March 26. He states that both petitions “are elevating key areas that we all agree have to be taken se-

riously and have to move into action.” He writes that the Spring Hill College community members “live by a mandate of zero tolerance for violence” on campus. The actions Dr. Lee details in this letter are as follows:

“Activate a Spring Hill College coordinated community response team (CCRT). This is a student-focused initiative to help eliminate sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. This team will include members of the College’s Counseling Center staff, Students, Student Affairs, Faculty, Athletics, Spring Hill College Public Safety, representatives from Lifelines Counseling Services and representatives from the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.

(Story continued on page 8)

Meet Your New SGA President & Vice President

Maddie Kurcab Reporter

On March 22nd, the Student Government Association announced the new President and Vice President. The President elect is Mary Grace Sullivan ’22 and the Vice President elect is Layne Carlson ‘22.

Both Mary Grace and Layne are very eager to make some changes on the Hill. Some of the initiatives they have are improved transparency, safety, health and community. President Mary Grace states how they want more transparency between the administration and the students. “We plan on con-

tinuing cafeteria chats, sending out emails and reminding students about our open forum meetings to let them come and hear about our ideas. We want students to come to hear about our ideas, cater to their needs and know they can contribute to conversations,” Sullivan explained.

Both Mary Grace and Layne want students to be involved in campus life. Vice President Layne stated how she wants to improve safety on campus. “We would really like to focus on safety such as sexual assault awareness, lighting on campus and whatever else the students feel are issues on campus.” The new presidential elects would also like to host

self-defense classes and provide whistles or pepper spray for students to feel safer.

They would also like to focus on health during their term by creating a website for making appointments at the wellness center and bringing back an on-campus nurse for students. Mary Grace and Layne both feel like this year has been hard to feel a sense of community here on campus since COVID-19. In order to return this sense of community back to students, they would like to reactivate the badger bus, hold more activities and programming and have a more efficient schedule for campus life.

The new elects have been working very hard to

solve the problems here on the Hill. So far, they have already gotten a start at making the campus brighter at night.

They are both very excited and honored they were elected for these positions. Both Mary Grace and Layne stated that they want the students to feel safe, healthy and happy. For more information contact sga@ shc.edu.

Mary Grace Sullivan (L) and Layne Carlson (R). Picture by: Eleanor Grindinger

Take by the Night Event on Campus, March 27, 2021. Picture by: Olivia McNorton

Students Receive Money for Pandemic Hardships

Summer Poole Reporter

Spring Hill College has recently been awarded the HEERF II Grant in order to help students who are going through financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic.

An email was sent out to Spring Hill students on March 24 letting them know that all qualifying students could expect to receive a base amount of $400. Spring Hill student Tessia Nicossia said, “I think it will be beneficial for students because any extra money helps with expenses.” All students that are enrolled at Spring Hill and are U.S. citizens are eligible to receive this award. “I re-

member an email the school sent about a month ago about grant money we could possibly receive, so it’s great to see the school is able to distribute that money to students” said Nicossia.

This is an excerpt from the email that was sent to students:

“Dear

Students,

Spring Hill College has been allocated $686,341 in Federal HEERF II grant funds from the Department of Education for our qualifying students. “Qualifying” means you must be a US Citizen and currently enrolled at Spring Hill College. (includes any traditional undergraduate, non-traditional as well as graduate student)

We are working to get all of the grants disbursed to our eligible stu-

dents no later than Thursday, April 2nd.

The award will be a “base amount” (same amount for every student)

plus additional funds to students who received a Pell grant in this academic year relative to the amount of their Pell grant award.

At this time, we anticipate the base amount to be at least $300 per student.

There will only be one disbursement/award of the 2021 HEERF II funds.

For the students who will be receiving a check, we will setup a “day, time and place” for you to come pickup your check. If you do not pickup your check, it will be mailed to the address that we have on file with the Registrar’s office. Further instructions will be communicated in the next few days on this process.

Thank you for your patience, and we hope this will help ease some of your financial stress you maybe incurring at this time.”

Burke Center Celebrates First Graduates

SHC Student Media

An idea discussed between two Spring Hill College alumni will fully blossom in May when the first three graduates of the John J. Burke Jr. Center for the Study and Advancement of Free Enterprise are awarded their certificates.

Dr. Chris Puto, president emeritus at SHC and the director of the Burke Center, said the certificate program was launched in the fall of 2019. It began when John Burke Jr., a classmate of Puto’s at SHC in the 1960s, and Puto were serv-

ing together on the college’s Board of Trustees. Burke and Puto discussed a certificate program that would bring a

Jesuit perspective to entrepreneurship -- that is, business serving the purpose of recognizing a meaningful

problem, developing a strategy to address it, and then being rewarded for it with profi ts (or societal benefi ts).

As a result of this conversation between the two Board of Trustee members, Burke and his wife, Kathryn Burke, committed to a $2 million endowment to SHC to fund the center and create a certificate program in free enterprise.

These first three soon-to-be graduates of the program include international studies major Isabella Albert, management/marketing major Lucia Reyes, and business administration major Robert Baricev. Three other students are set to be Class of 2022 graduates, Puto said.

In the future, Puto hopes to see this program have a steady group of incoming students from all academic disciplines at SHC.

“What I see is that it will never dominate the college; that’s not the point,” he said. “My goal was to have between 15 and 30 students per year going through. The idea is to give each student a competitive advantage in a very competitive marketplace where they live.”

For more information about the Burke Center, visit shc.edu/academics/freshmen-transfer/ center-free-enterprise/.

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

Advisors: Stuart Babington and Gary Wolverton

From Left: Isabella Albert, Robert Baricev, Lucia Reyes

America Needs Comprehensive Sex Education

Olivia McNorton Editor

According to Planned Parenthood, Americans want more sex education; poll results show that 93 percent of parents support having sex education taught in middle school.

Sex education is also supported by a number of medical organizations, such as the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Natalie Blanton from the University of Utah wrote in an article for scholars.org that “The best way to help adolescents make responsible decisions about their sexual activity and health is to give them comprehensive sex education.”

Yet Planned Parenthood also records that only 24 states and the District of Columbia mandate sex and HIV education, noting that a 2014 CDC School Health Profiles found that “fewer than half of high schools and only a fifth of middle schools teach all 16 topics recommended by the DC as essential component of sex education.”

Planned Parenthood alarmingly states that through 2011-2013, 43 percent of adolescent females and 57 percent of adolescent males did not receive information about birth control before they had sex for the first time. There is clearly a huge difference between what Americans want in their sexual education and what Americans receive in school.

I myself have never taken a sex education course. I graduated from a

private Christian school in Mobile, Ala., and when my anatomy professor-who was also our baseball coach-came across the chapter in our book about the reproductive system, we skipped it entirely.

My experience may seem unique due to attending a private rather than public school, but every public school graduate I’ve ever met has called their sex education a joke. Some have told me that the class wasn’t a requirement, and the class itself consisted of sports coaches directing them to complete work on an interactive website. There were no class discussions, class demonstrations, field trips, or a comprehensive curriculum.

Comprehensive sex education must be a priority of legislators and policy makers. Sexual assault and violence will persist so long

as adolescents and young adults are left to their own devices when approaching sexual activity. Adolescents must be taught to know the signs of sexual predators and how to report a sexual assault once it has occured. They must be made aware of the resources available to them regarding sexual health and sexual assault.

Ignorance promotes confusion and harm towards our fellow human beings. Education promotes understanding and respect towards each other. We must advocate for comprehensive sex education for the mental and physical wellbeing of future Americans.

Who is to Blame for Rising Gas Prices?

Olivia Morrison Columnist

Everytime I drive past a gas station with my friends, at least one person exclaims, “Gas prices are too high!” or “The gas is so high. It’s Biden’s fault.”

This is followed by a discussion that questions who to blame for the quickly rising price of gas. It is annoying, but who exactly is at fault?

When looking for the answer, many sources have different explanations, but one is common throughout the contradicting opinions. Supply and Demand. Covid- 19 restrictions have been lifted in most

EDITORIAL POLICY:

states and more people are traveling. Whether by plane or car, the need for gas is rising. As the demand rises, prices increase. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, says “Really the blame for this is economic improvementAmericans getting out, having places to go. The economy’s reopening, and Americans are responding

vigorously, driving up demand.”, in an National Public Radio segment conducted by Camila Domonoske.

In understanding that demand has risen over the last few months, is it coincidental for a new president to get elected and then the gas prices increase accordingly? The answer is no.

As Joe Biden took office, one of the Day 1 executive orders included canceling then the cross- border permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. This was his effort to make renewable energy more competitive for Americans by raising the cost of more traditional methods of energy.

Now as gas prices rise, society has to understand the limits of nonre-

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.

newable resources. The efforts to become majorly reliant on clean energy comes from the struggle of this awkward ‘in between period’. Gas is more expensive, and probably will only

increase as summer comes around, but electric cars are becoming more affordable. There absolutely must be a push for gas prices to rise in order for people to realize there are better energy sources.

In a situation such as this, we have to look at the bigger picture. The overall good for the environment and people relies on society switching to renewable energy, and Biden’s policies are geared towards making America a nation in which clean energy is prioritized.

Even without the policies of Biden being active, the economy is opening for the first time in a year. The increase in gas prices was inevitable.

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

4 AROUND THE HILL

Above: Abie Hebert and Norah Lee (Kevin Lee in the background), knocking Easter Eggs.

Above: On March 27th The Event Take Back The Night held on Rydex Commons.

Above: Delta Gamma will be host a philanthropy event on April 17th

Above: Caroline Landaiche, Norah and Ella Lee, dying Easter Eggs.

Student Introduces Non-Profit on the Hill

Sacha Ducreux Reporter

Spring Hill College senior Asserehou Denis Agayi founded Elefangan, a non-profit association aiming to better the education of children in Ivory Coast, his native country, a few weeks ago.

Asserehou Denis Agayi and his sister Angélique decided to create a non-profit organization to “help as many children as possible” in their motherland of Africa and to “bring them hope and ambition,” he stated.

After immigrating to France at a young age, Agayi soon realized the privileges he had compared to his family members who stayed in Ivory Coast: “I always wondered: what did I do to deserve this?” he says.

For him, the biggest area that needs to be worked

on in order to reduce poverty is education. He adds, “We think education is the key. If we can improve this area in each country this will allow the continent to develop.”

He always had this idea in mind to give back to his people and help them, but what motivated him to turn this project into a reality is Dr. Eads, a professor at SHC and president of Light of the Village, a non-profit located in Prichard, AL. “He showed me the way.”

“It’s amazing that I’m able not to just tell the student about business strategies and business skills. Now I can also share this vision that you can be a social entrepreneur and make a difference in this world,” says Dr. Eads.

According to Elefangan.org, 1.6 million children do not go to school in Ivory Coast and 2/3 of those who attend school do not make it to high school.

The organization currently works actively with the school of EPP Bat Dokui in Abidjan. The first step of this collaboration is to fix the roof which is falling apart.

For Elefangan, “allowing children to receive an education in a decent and safe environment turned out

to be the priority in this first project.”

So far, the non-profit collected about half the 1,000€ (about $1,200) necessary to make those renovations with donations made through their website Elefangan. org.

In Agayi’s view, the next steps are to spread the influence of Elefangan across Ivory Coast and then throughout the whole continent: “we were born in Ivory Coast and if we do not take care of helping our continent, we cannot expect others to do it,” he stated.

SHC Announces Commencement Update

Maddie Kurcab Reporter

Spring Hill College 2020 and 2021 Commencements will be held on May 8th on Library Field. Class of 2020 Commencement starts at 8:30 A.M on May 9th. Graduating seniors from class of 2021 have the option to choose from 11 A.M. or 1:30 P.M. for Commencement on May 8th.

In keeping with the college’s long-standing tradition, the Baccalaureate Mass and the Commencement Ceremony will be held, weather permitting, outdoors and will include a procession along the Avenue of the Oaks. Below is important information regarding the weekend’s events and plans such as the Baccalaureate Mass, Commencement Ceremony and Virtual Ceremony. All plans are, of course, subject to change based on public health recommenda-

tions and regulations.

The Baccalaureate Mass will be held on Friday, May 7, at 4:30 p.m. on Library Field near Byrne Hall. There will be no formal procession. Seating is open and the college encourages graduating seniors to sit with their family members. Chairs will be

set up for social distancing based on guidelines set by the Archdiocese. Like Commencement the graduates are limited to two guests at the Mass.

The in-person ceremony will focus on the procession of graduates and the conferral of degrees. In order

to protect the safety of all involved, each student may only bring 2 guests. Information on the SHC Commencement, including a link to a live stream of the ceremony to allow friends and family to view this celebration. Masks are required for graduates and their guests.

The in-person ceremony will be shortened, but it will be augmented with a virtual component that will include the class orator, the announcement of awards, and the individual announcement of names. Graduating students will be contacted in the near future by the vendor for the virtual event who will provide more details about the virtual component, including instructions for how to upload photos and how to access social media components of the virtual ceremony. Students will be able to download and share the virtual component with family and friends.

This year’s commencement has taken much more planning and time than in previous years and the administration appreciates everyone’s patience.

Senior Asserehou Denis Agayi, founder of Elefangan. Picture by: Sacha Ducreux

Badger Baseball: Season Update & A Look Ahead

Sacha Ducreux Reporter

Spring Hill College’s baseball head coach Frank Sims and pitcher A.J. Fell shared an update on the first half of the season and what is to expect for the remainder of the semester.

Despite the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s Feb. 24 decision to cancel “all conference scheduling and championship events’’ this spring, SHC’s baseball team had a decent amount of games scheduled this semester. According to shcbadgers. com, the team shows an 1110 record and has another 14 games scheduled until April 28. This is not the type of record the team was expecting at the start of the season: “We have a chance to make something special,” declared designated hitter Max Mattione before their opening game this semester.

For coach Sims, the recurrent lack of consisten-

cy has been the team’s main issue this season: “we have played up and down so far this season. If we can become a little more consistent team we could win a lot more games,” he said. Frank Sims also points out the “frustrating” aspect of the game of baseball: “one day we will pitch well and not hit, then the next day hit well and not pitch well. It’s frustrating to the coaches and to the players,” he stated.

For pitcher A.J. Fell, the biggest challenges the team had to deal with this semester were the “tedious” COVID-19 protocols and the cancellation of the postseason. He is “extremely disappointed” by the SIAC’s decision to cancel all postseason activity which was taken by “higher ups who pay no attention to the heart and soul that their athletes dedicate to their sport,” he said.

Fell also points out the lack of motivation and purpose this decision creates: “each school has worked tirelessly to ensure that they meet the COVID-19 requirements and

that their athletes are safe, but now, for what?” he stated.

Those COVID-19 protocols involve a massive testing of the athletes before and after each one of their games. The athletes are also subjected to random testing once a week. In addition to that, they are also required to wear a mask and practice social distancing in the dugouts.

SHC Track Closing in on End of 2021 Season

Information provided by SHC Sports Information

Spring Hill College’s track and field teams are nearing the conclusion of a pandemic-altered 2021 season.

The men’s and women’s teams will conclude its

season with a pair of meets in April -- the University of Mobile Invitational on April 17 in Gulf Shores; and the Mississippi College Twilight Meet on April 23 in Clinton, Mississippi.

This track season was compressed following the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association decision to eliminate post-sea-

son tournaments and meets because of the continuing threat of COVID-19. SHC track, coached by Craig McVey, began competition in the spring of 2013.

The Badger men last competed April 2 and 3 at the Southern Mississippi (USM) Invitational. Freshman John Abate of Orange Park, Florida, set a new school record

in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 15.59 to surpass Maurice Abdur-Rahim’s 2013 mark of 15.92.

Results from the event are as follows:

Men’s Individual Results:

100 Meter Dash: (40 runners) 38) Jonathon Estrada: 12.33 39) Andrew Jones: 12.78 40) Thomas Sidley: 12.95

200 Meter Dash: (41 runners) 35)Abate: 24.59 38) Estrada: 25.32

800 Meter Run: (34 runners) 17) TJ Gennari: 2:02.53 31) Aaron Foster: 2:10.70 33) Kyle Capo: 2:20.96

1500 Meter Run: (30 runners) 28) Ridge Chautin: 4:55.66 5000 Meter Run: (17 runners) 7) Will Tate: 16:24.09 110 Meter Hurdles: (18 runners) 10) John Abate: 15.59

400 Meter Hurdles (25 runners) 11) Abate: 56.13

3000 Meter Steeplechase: (4 runners) 3) Brian Pempel: 11:25.21 4) Myles Cook: 11:45.87

High Jump: (of 12) 10) Abate: 1.92m

Long Jump: (of 23) 22) Mallory Struggs: 4.45m

Triple Jump: (of 14) 9) David Daniels: 13.77m

Javelin (of 20): 6) Pempel: 47.98m 8) Austin Blakley: 45.12m 10) Jakob Hodges: 40.45m 14) William Kent: 34.65m

Baseball Gloves Sit on the Baseball Field

Badgers Rally Over Sexual Assault Negligence

(Story continued from pg. 1)

Reestablish the Spring Hill College Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), focused on victim advocacy. Conduct an audit of the locking systems in the residence halls, with action taken as needed.

Increase and elevate training focused on sexual assault awareness and intervention across the campus.

Submit an annual report to Faculty Executive Assembly, Staff Assembly and Student Government on campus-wide training efforts, numbers of cases and results from an annual Campus Climate Survey.

Hire a dedicated Program Director to lead these

actions.”

On March 27, Spring Hill College along with multiple other agencies hosted “Take Back the Night” on Rydex Commons at 4 p.m. Students, alumni, faculty and staff held candles in solidarity as sexual assault survivors spoke about their experiences and demanded that everyone stand against sexual assault and violence.

Dr. Lee’s email directed students who have experienced a sexual assault to the SHC Wellness Center (wellnesscenter@shc.edu) or Mobile-area resource Lifelines Counseling at: https:// www.lifelinesmobile.org/ crisis-services/rape-crisis-center/.

Letter From The Editor : Honoring Our Survivors

Olivia McNorton Editor

Since 2001, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) has upheld April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).

SAAM was created as a time to honor those who have been a victim to sexual assault, and to vigorously work to raise awareness and prevention of sexual assault. According to Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), every 73 seconds an American experiences sexual assault.

Recently, a Spring Hill College student publicly declared on Facebook that she had been sexually assaulted in her dorm hall. As a result of her forwardness, hundreds of fellow students and alumni spoke up about their own experiences of sexual assault on Spring Hill’s campus.

A vigil titled “Take Back the Night” was held on Rydex Commons on March 27 that featured students,

alumni, faculty, and staff members standing together in support of Spring Hill’s sexual assault survivors and demanding administration’s negligence and mistreatment of sexual assault survivors end.

The college community has made it abundantly clear that action in regards to sexual assault awareness and prevention must commence immediately. As the editor of The SpringHillian, I feel that it is our duty to the college community to be a voice and advocate for them.

The SpringHillian stands in solidarity with each and every person who has

suffered from sexual assault on Spring Hill’s campus. You are not victims; you are survivors.

We dedicate this issue of The SpringHillian to Spring Hill’s sexual assault survivors, though we know that this pales in comparison to the efforts survivors have made themselves to prevent sexual assault. Our support of sexual assault survivors will persist long after the month of April, as we hope that Spring Hill’s efforts to further sexual assault awareness and prevention on campus never end as well.