The SpringHillian Volume 111, Issue 3
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Recycling Grant in Jeopardy at SHC Reporter | Jessica Winter Spring Hill College’s recycling process is at stake due to lack of diligent recycling by students. About four years ago, The Greenkeepers, a student club on campus, received a grant and reached out to Easter Seals Gulf Coast, an organization incorporated with Goodwill, began picking up the recycling on campus. With that grant, they bought containers, which you see in every
academic building and outside of each residence hall, each color-coded so students know which item to recycle correctly. “In order for Easter Seals to continue to pick up our recycling, and to do so without charging us, they need our recycling to be free of any trash and to be separated into its different components,” said Dr. Bordas. This is where the color-coded containers come into play.
Younger women generally never consider themselves to be at risk for breast cancer. However, breast cancer can occur at any age, even those in college. With all the demands that come with being in college, maintaining good health is not always a top priority for college students and many often forget to complete regular self-exams. Additionally, when it comes to women who are in college a long distance from their home, regular exams may not be an option. According the Young Survival Coalition, a national organization that raises money to promote breast cancer awareness, nearly 80% of young women diagnosed with breast cancer find their abnormality themselves. Not having the option of having a specialist accessible nearby that they know and trust can put a large amount of stress on the
already existent stressful life of a college student. The Young Survival Coalition says, “in young women, breast cancer tends to be diagnosed in its later stages and be more aggressive. Young women also have a higher mortality rate and a higher risk of metastatic recurrence return of breast cancer in areas beyond the breast.” Not being able to have regular breast exams due to the fact that school is hours away from your doctor can be a hard concept for many to grasp. Brigid Brewer, a Senior from Dallas says “my anxiety would go through the roof if I were to find a lump on my chest and not be able to have it checked by my doctor right away.” Never knowing the alarming statistics of breast cancer among young adults her age, Riley McGreal, a sophomore from Chicago says, “I never really thought about it but that is an extremely scary and real concern to think about. Definitely making an appointment for when I get home.”
Which has a designated color specific to what items can go in them; green for glass, yellow for plastic, blue for aluminum and red for paper and cardboard. However, recently the labor that goes into separating the glass recycled items has become too high for Easter Seals to continue on. Within the next few months, students will notice one bin is missing. The ability to recycle glass items will no longer be an option on
campus. Dr. Bordas and the Greenkeepers encourage students to limit the usage of glass products and switch to paper, plastic or aluminum, as they are overall easier to recycle. A way for students to become more engaged in their recycling habits is to make sure the items they are placing in the recycling bins are clear of all food and liquid remnants. Many students aren’t aware that if an item they
are recycling has any leftover food or liquid on it, the item is no longer viable to recycle. The whole recycling bin may even be affected by these leftover remnants. Dr. Bordas mentioned that “part of the problem is that we want to recycle so much that we are starting to recycle things that are not recyclable.” To keep the recycling system in place on campus, students have to be aware of what they are recycling.
Promoting Self-Exams For College Students
Being far from your normal doctor is something a lot of students can relate to on Spring Hills campus. Morgan Hafer, a senior from Philadelphia says “if I had any concerns regarding my breast, I would probably go to a nearby doctor around Mobile, however, I would
still want the reassurance of knowing what my OB-GYN at homes opinion is and would visit her next time I go home.” Breast cancer is one of the most commonly known cancers, however, when it comes to the age groups who it affects, many are clueless. Young adults
and breast cancer are an unfortunate combination, but thankfully support is available. With it being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to continue encouraging awareness among all men and women.
The SpringHillian October 17, 2019 NEWS 2 Social Media Affecting Mental Health Reporter| Lucy Martinez
In honor of World Mental Health Day last week on Oct. 10, this story serves as a reminder to check in with yourself and invest in your own mental well-being. As technology evolves, the need to “keep up” and know what everyone else is doing has become an important part of peoples’ daily lives. According to Sarah Fader, author of “Social Media Obsession and Anxiety,” about 20 percent of social media users cannot go more than three hours without checking their accounts. Social media, although great for staying connected with loved ones, has come with plenty of cons.The downfalls include anxiety, depression, ADHD, and social
media anxiety disorder (SMAD). Shivani Bhakta, Director of Counseling Services, shared her insights as to how social media affects us and what we can do to avoid its negative effects. Bhakta stated, “We’re constantly seeing on social media the perfect images. We’re seeing the perfect supermodel. We’re seeing the perfect couple, the “goals” but in reality, it’s not about all that.” Other than feeling happy for these individuals, the portrayals folks see can evoke feelings of jealousy, depression, and suicidal thoughts as reported/ written by Fader. Most times people see the highlights of
people’s lives like their big house, their cars, their perfect relationship and so on but very rarely do viewers get to see the realistic background which may be overrun credit cards, an unstable relationship or even eating disorders as made a point by Bhakta. Social media appears to set up unrealistic expectations for the general population. Bhakta disclosed that we are constantly comparing ourselves to others and social media tends to make this worse which is why it sets up an increase in anxiety and depression. A few symptoms of SMAD to look out for are: An overwhelming need to share things with others on social
Students share what anxiety looks like in back of cafeteria. | Lucy Martinez
newswire.shc.edu
SHC MEDIA TEAM:
@shcstudentmedia
@SHC_Media
The SpringHillian Editor: Grace Crapps
Web Editor: Amelia Hoffeld
BTV Producer: Cassidi Sterrett
Art Director: Joanna Dembowski
Advertising Manager: Caroline Weishaar
BTV Director: Chase Brouillette
media sites, neglecting work or school to comment on Facebook or Twitter account and severe nervousness or anxiety when you are not able to check your notifications. When asked for her advice, Bhakta suggested to limit your social media use, to control what you see by unfollowing accounts that seem like they are bragging and comparing and, by following accounts that talk about things in healthy positive ways. Senior Joanna Dembowski, designed the above graphic. It was for a project for one of her Graphic Design classes. Dembowski shared, “A lot of my friends struggle with mental illness and watching the effects it had on them compelled me to create this graphic.” She started with the theme that “it’s okay to not be okay ,” and then added additional information like, information about depression and steps of self care.
She shared her favorite accounts for positivity and self-help which are @the.holistic.psychologist and @goodquotes._ Bhakta shared, “These accounts remind people that it’s okay to have depression. It’s okay to have anxiety but, let’s do something about it. Let’s talk about it. How are some healthy ways that we can deal with this?” f you or someone you know is in need of help, contact the Wellness Center at wellnesscenter@shc.edu or 251380-2271.
SHC Student Media
shcmedia@shc.edu
Reporters: Caroline Hunt, Jose Chavarria, Tara Summers, Gabriella Tucker, and Blake Flood
Advisors:
Stuart Babington and Toi Thornton
Volume 111, Issue 3
OPINION
Sports Gaming Can You Cash Out?
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Reporter| Carlos Salmoran
lion units of the PlayStation 4. Even with such high numbers, America had still denied the thought of playing video games competitively. It wasn’t until parents were seeing their young children watch one particular streamer – and finding out how much money he Until recently, Esports makes from it – that they have never been taken seriously despite video games began to consider letting being massively popular. their kids start playing these According to Variety, at games more often. That least 67% of Americans play streamer is Tyler Blevins, video games. That’s rough- also known as Ninja. Forbes ly 220 million people. Sony reports that before switchhas sold more than 92 mil- ing to Mixer, Ninja would make $700,000 a month
from Twitch subscriptions alone. After hearing this, parents allowed their children to be lost in a sea of young streamers hoping to be the next Ninja. But the young man that truly sent esports skyrocketing since July of this year was 16-year-old Kyle Griesdorf, better known as Bugha. Bugha won the Fortnite World Cup, a tournament with a prize pool of 30 million dollars, making it the esports event with the largest prize pool ever. The teenager took home the first-place trophy and three million dollars with it. I had never seen so many young kids at a LAN, Local
area network, tournament after that. I myself have competed in tournaments during seasons 3-5 of Fortnite, and despite making a decent amount of money from it, my parents were not very happy at first. My little brother is 15 and he is already earning his own money playing the game competitively as well. Due to his sucess my parents have been more open about gaming. I have noticed that a lot of people are seeing esports as an investment, especially celebrities. Sports legend Michael Jordan invested 26 million dollars into Team Liquid. Offset of the Migos has invested into FaZe Clan,
even going as far as to call himself FaZe Set and hoisting an iced-out chain with the team’s logo. Steph Curry and Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors provided an investment of 37 million dollars into Team Solo Mid, saying that these gamers should also be considered athletes. I believe that if you possess the talent of being a top tier gamer, you should pursue that passion for being competitive and climbing the ranks. If you’re a competitive gamer on campus, come join the new SHC Esports club! Email me for info on this club at carlos.f.salmoran@email.shc.edu.
Congress Let Down: Shocked, but Not Surprised
Editor| Grace Crapps
into perspective, as of 2019 the average debt for undergraduate students is $29,800. Which feels a whole lot worse when the starting salary for a preschool teacher is $33,590 according to U.S. News. This is completely unfair considering that jobs Student loans weigh heav- like nurses and teachers are ily on the minds of many, needed the most. It could be argued that but especially on those that know their expected sala- public service workers prories are not going to cover vide the foundation for life. the massive debt that will be So, why is it so expensive to placed on them after gradu- become one when in return ation. Public service work- they receive close to nothers like teachers and nurses ing? Over ten years ago, Conare in that group. To put it gress passed the College EDITORIAL POLICY:
Cost Reduction and Access Act which created the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The program was designed to help alleviate debt from public service workers. The terms seemed simple, the Department of Education would forgive federal student loans of people, if they made payments for ten years and worked in public service. Seemed like a bargain? In a news piece done by NPR, they followed the story of a woman named Debbie Baker who thought the loan program was a good idea. Baker is a public school teacher in Oklahoma. She made payments for ten years all to find out
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.
that her loans wouldn’t be forgiven. In addition to that, she received a response that technically she was in the “wrong loan program. DOE reported that over a million people applied to this program and only about one percent were granted forgiveness. In other words, Baker is only one of hundreds of thousands that are upset, which is why The American Federation of Teachers, a well known teachers union, is taking her case to court. PSLF was designed to encourage more people to go into public service, but with this current fiasco it’s doing the opposite. This whole situation is not only
SUBMISSIONS:
leaving people angry, but also confused. Did Congress not think this many people would apply for loan forgiveness? Did they hope student debt would be magically covered? A promise was made to over a million people and it wasn’t discovered until 10 years later that they realized they wouldn’t be able to keep that promise to those who need it the most. While, I’m sure we’ll see arguments form to why the program can’t afford to forgive all these loans, I’m still of the firm belief that Congress should have kept their word and the loans should have been forgiven.
The SpringHillian publishes guest submissions at the discretion of the student-editor and section editors. Submissions should be less than 300 words, and editors reserve the right to edit the submissions for length and content. Original writings should be mailed or delivered to: Student-editor, The SpringHillian, Communication Arts, Spring Hill College, 4000 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36608. Submissions may also be sent as emailed attachments to: shcmedia@email.shc.edu.
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The SpringHillian
AROUND THE HILL
October 17, 2019
Students gather at Arthur Outlaw Recreation Center for some fun activities at Midnight Madness.| Photo: Gabriella Tucker
Mascot Beaumont at Midnight Madness| Photo: Gabriella Tucker A group of students celebrate the diversity of greek week. | Photos: Carlos Salmoran & Joanna Dembowski
A group of students engaged in a presentation in the Student Center. | Photo: Carlos Salmoran
Volume 111, Issue 3
AROUND THE HILL
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Students let loose at another Greek Week event.| Photo: Carlos Salmoran
Dani Amador, Nora Brooks, Kathleen Estill and Annie Bojan staying out of the rain on a stormy Tuesday evening. | Photo: Joanna Dembowski
Name brands right across the street!
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The SpringHillian
LIFESTYLE
October 17, 2019
What the Hill is a VSCO Girl?
Reporter | Lauren Byrd
If you’re on any social media platform, you know that VSCO girls are taking over. Navigating Instagram or Twitter is impossible without seeing 3X t-shirt clad young girl with a Hydroflask in hand preaching “save the turtles!” So where did VSCO girls come from? Senior Kayley Robinson recalls her first VSCO girl
encounter by saying, “They weren’t a thing one day and the next, you couldn’t get away from them.” Kayley is right. The photo editing app, VSCO, has been around since 2012. According to their website, VSCO is an app for creators, by creators. The stereotype with VSCO is that the only people that care about editing photos and making them look good, are teenage girls. This is where the term “VSCO girl” comes
VSCO Girl Student | Lauren Byrd
from. Go back in time to about 2013, when every white female that wore knee high riding boots, colorful scarves, and toted a Starbucks drink was “basic.” The “basic girls” of 2019, are VSCO girls. VSCO girls can be characterized by oversized t-shirts, Birkenstock sandals or Crocs, shell choker necklaces, scrunchies worn in the hair or several around the wrist, and typically carrying around a Hydroflask water bottle, according to Vox.com. VSCO girls really came to fame with the rise of Tik Tok, a short form video app similar to Vine. Young girls made videos essentially mocking themselves by rambling about eco-friendly acts like using aluminum straws and reusable water bottles while preaching “save the turtles.” According to Vox. com, this was something for teenagers to call each other despite the fact that they themselves might share the same signifiers.
VSCO Girl Student | Lauren Byrd People have been wearing oversized shirts and scrunchies for decades. When Aryn Otero, junior, was asked how she felt about the trend, she said, “I’ve been wearing oversized shirts with running shorts and Vans for years and it’s just now becoming a fad. I wear them because they’re comfy and easy. I use a Hydroflask because it’s cheaper to buy a Brita filter every few months than to buy a case of water every week. So what is it’s a stereotype? I’m not going to
Hydroflask | Caroline Weishaar change who I am because people make jokes out of this trend that will die out in the next few months.”
Fall Events are Finally Coming to SHC
Reporter | Tara Summers
It’s officially spooky season here on the Hill, and students are celebrating! Spring Hill will be hosting various events to help the Badgers get into the fall spirit. The Campus Programming Board will host a pumpkin carving contest on Oct. 29 in the student center dining area. Students can gather in groups of four on the cafeteria’s stage from 12pm-1:45pm to participate. Faculty and students then have the opportunity to vote on their favorite pumpkin-carved creation from the 29th to the 30th, and the winners will be announced 8PM at the Mckinney’s Costume Mixer on the 31st. Be sure to wear your favorite Halloween costume at this event for the chance to win awards for best costume! October Fest is another fun Halloween event that happens here on the Hill. Students wearing costumes will get together on Nov. 2 at the
Fairways to celebrate the end of the Halloween season with friends. There will even be a live band performing for students! Junior Sanaja Andre says she can’t wait to celebrate with her friends at October Fest because “it brings the community together, and we all dress up and have a good time while
still being safe on campus.” The Spanish Club is also celebrating the Día de los Muertos from Nov. 4-8. José Chavarria, president of Spanish Club, says this is a huge deal for the campus because “SHC hasn’t celebrated this holiday before, and the mission of the club is to show the community what Spanish
culture is like. I hope this becomes a new tradition on the Hill.” They will host a picnic and watch Disney’s critically acclaimed Coco during their movie night on Rydex. The club is also preparing an altar to honor lost Badgers and loved ones. Students will have the opportunity to place momentos and letters to those they have lost at the altar. The club will also have t-shirts for sale. Students are embracing the season within their dorms also. Students are decorating their rooms and halls with Halloween decorations and preparing seasonal treats like candied apples, pumpkin bread, and Pillsbury’s Halloween cookies. Students like freshman Olivia Morrison even share candy with their friends. Senior Curt Lilley says he gets into the fall spirit by “watching Halloween
movies like Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown with family,” while Senior Emmarose Neibert says her favorite part of the Halloween season is “planning a group Halloween costume with my friends!”
SPORTS
Volume 111, Issue 3
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Midnight Madness Ignites Badger Pride Gabriella Tucker | Reporter Badgers came together to support the men’s and women’s basketball teams and show school pride at the notorious and Spring Hill College’s unique event, Midnight Madness, on Oct. 12. The purpose of this event is to introduce the men’s and women’s basketball teams through a series of games and challenges. Junior Aundrey Washington shared that Midnight Madness has been her favorite SHC event since her freshman year. Washington said, “Overall the event does a great job of pulling students from all corners of campus for an amazing fun filled night”. Several students eagerly awaited to be chosen as volunteers. The events varied from game to game. Students
could play in events such as the hamsterball fights, aiming a rubber chicken into a basket for accuracy, and emptying ping pongs out of a tissue box without using one’s hands. In addition to these events, SHC’s Dance and Cheer teams performed
with basketball players passing out t-shirts to eager fans in the bleachers. The spirit and enthusiasm shown amongst the students in the bleachers and the support for the basketball teams displayed ultimate Badger pride. Junior basketball play-
Students cheer on Conner Moore | Gabriella Tucker
er Angel Benson spoke on behalf of the team. Benson said, “When our team sees all this support, it makes us want to make our school proud by winning and working hard”. During the three-point shootout, there were many comebacks. Both the men’s and women’s teams worked together to score. For the dunk shootout, some of the men’s team players participated. Senior basketball player Chase Shellman won dunk contest against three of his other teammates in both rounds. Overall, the students’ pride to be badgers and excitement for the men’s and women’s basketball teams brought the entire campus together. Make sure to lookout for the SHC men’s and women’s basketball teams’ upcoming home games!
Greysn Rogers dunking | Gabriella Tucker
Ultimate Frisbee Welcomes New Members Lucia Martinez | Reporter Spring Hill Colleges’ Ultimate Frisbee team is preparing for the upcoming season. The team lost many seniors last year and has gained eight new players since then. Team captain Taylor Empson says that the team will, “Gladly accept any new players. All are welcome.” The team Ultimate Frisbee uniform | brings together a collection Lucia Martinez of students that share the common interest of being bee are similar to those of football except each point outside and staying active. The rules of ultimate fris- is one point and there is no
Ultimate Frisbee team members | Lucia Martinez
tackling. Players start at one end of the field and work their way down it by passing the frisbee to their teammates. Once a person catches it, they have to stay in place and throw it to the next person. President Gabby Sumrall shares that she began playing ultimate frisbee after seeing a table at Badger Expo which is the university’s annual exhibit for all clubs and organizations. Sumrall lit up as she recalled joining the team her Freshman year, “After going to a few of the practices and hanging out with players on the team I decided that I really enjoyed it and here I am, four years later, president of the team!” Playing the sport allows students to
Ultimate Frisbee team practice | Lucia Martinez step away from the books and to bond as a team. Both Sumrall and Empson highlighted similar aspects about the sport which were that it allows you to meet new people and to stay active. Empson shared that he enjoys working as a team and getting to know other people on campus through the sport. He stated, “It’s a great way to stay active, run around, be ridiculous, and have some fun playing a sport.” Ultimate frisbee offers a
laid back environment as well as a chance to stay active. New members to not need any prior experience. The team practices Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on the Rugby field. If you’re looking to be active, involved, and get outside, ultimate frisbee may be the game for you. Be sure to contact team President Gabby Sumrall if you are interested by emailing her at Faran.G.Sumrall@ email.shc.edu.
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The SpringHillian
HILL YEAH!
October 17, 2019
ON THE SPOT
What is the Spookiest Spot on Campus?
Jake Germek | Sophomore Viragh
Santiago Belalcazar | Junior LAC Attic
Patty Blood | Senior New Hall/ Gym Parking Lot
Hannah Brandon | Senior Stewart Field Basement
Badger Assassins Roaming the Hill Reporter | Carlie Jamison In September, 19 teams assembled to participate in an epic water gun battle. After five weeks of competition, only seven teams remain. The game is called “Assassin” and the rules are simple. Sabrina Cruz, junior, explained that the main objective of the game “is to hit your target and be the first one to hit your target. If you get hit before you hit your target, you die, and your partner has to try to revive you by hitting both of your targets.” A team consists of two players. Cruz added that emails containing the weekly targets are sent out on Sunday nights and the game begins at 8 a.m. on Mondays. Sabrina Cruz and Sydney Abbott are the two students responsible for introduc-
ing “Assassin” to Spring Hill College’s campus. Cruz explained that she “thought it would be a fun idea” since this semester she and her teammates are “just focused on sports and school.” She thought it would be “a good outlet and something fun to do together.” The participants are mainly soccer players, but there are a couple of teams that include basketball and baseball players. Once a “kill” is made, video evidence must be submitted to Sydney Abbott for the “kill” to count. Abbott explained that she adds a filter and the assassin’s choice of music to the video before the video is posted to the game’s Instagram account. Vassil Kokali, junior, claimed that he was unfairly eliminated from the competition due to the technicality of not submitting his
Badger Assassin Group Picture | Carlie Jamison
video evidence, but offered that “it’s the first time we are playing this game, rules are not defined clearly and nothing is actually fair.” With only seven teams left, the game is getting more competitive. “People live for this,” remarked Abbott. Cruz laughingly added that “Monday mornings are the absolute worst. Your friends are Matt Moreno | Carlie Jamison not your friends and friendships are being tested… We formed early in the game. try to manipulate each oth- One alliance, The Cartel, er- it’s funny.” Alliances were has held particularly strong.
Abbott, with a smile on her face, explained that The Cartel “has been at it since day one and they need to be handled.” Cruz and Abbot explained that they hope to crown a winner in the next couple of weeks. The winning team gets a cash prize. The participants agreed that, even though it tests friendships, the game has been fun. Junior Matt Moreno said that he “looks forward to maybe doing it again next year.”