10/09/2020

It’s nothing new that Holy Cross students immerse themselves in meaningful work, but you’ll still be amazed by these incredible student stories! To learn about a student’s experience researching flu and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, read “HC Intern at New York Medical College works on COVID-19/Flu Vaccine Hesitancy Research,” by Nicole Letendre ‘23, Features Editor. A group of students are launching a program encouraging their peers and faculty to find a moment of mindfulness during the week and take time to care for their mental health, as detailed in “The Pause Project: An Upcoming Student-Led Mindfulness Initiative,” by Stacey Kaliabakos ‘23, Features Editor. As the 2020 Presidential Elections approach, the HC Election Forum has organized events to promote thoughtful discussion about political issues. Read about a student’s experience coordinating and participating in virtual events in “The HC Election Forum: An Interview with Committee Member Marisa George,” by Grace Bromage ‘23, Chief Features Editor. A first-year with a passion for poetry shares an example of her thrilling work in “Student Art: ‘Birds of a Feather’ by Sophie Cassarino ‘24.”

Several of our team members are reflecting on activism and the Black Lives Matter movement this week. In “Ending Complacency Among Activists,” Staff Writer Jaime Perez ‘23 encourages activists to stay the course and resist growing complacent in the face of pressure to return to the status quo. “BLM: Basic Human Rights, Not Politics,” by Julia Maher ‘23, Opinions Editor, affirms that in fighting to protect Black People from violence, the Black Lives Matter movement fights for basic human rights, and as such the phrase “Black lives matter” should not be politicized. 

Life and practice have been different and often challenging for the Holy Cross varsity teams which have been on campus this fall to prepare for their seasons. Yet teams, grateful to be together, are making their ways through the semester with high spirits. Read about student athletes from Men’s Basketball and Women’s Ice Hockey in “Weekly HC Student Athlete Spotlight – Austin Butler ‘21, Men’s Basketball,” by Mike O’Brien ‘23, Chief Sports Editor, and “Remarkable Positivity from the Women’s Ice Hockey Team,” by Caroline Wallace ‘23, Staff Writer.

Students, if you’re looking for a light-hearted study break (or if you’re just looking for new ways to procrastinate that nagging midterm worth 30% of your grade), search no further than our satire section, The Eggplant. This week’s offerings include “If Campion House Cookie Emails and Ever-fi Course Reminder Emails Traded Their Respective Tones: A Survey,” by Hannah Johnson ‘21, Chief Eggplant Editor, a.k.a. Decorated Researcher; “All Ears,” by Mario Micallef ‘22, Eggplant Editor; and “Smash Ultimate DLC Predictions: Mario,” by Dennis Liu ‘22, Staff Writer, a.k.a. STEPDAD. 

Finally, the McFarland Center hosted their highly-anticipated student forum with Dr. Anthony Fauci ‘62 on Tuesday, October 6. For the highlights of this extraordinary event, read “Dr. Anthony Fauci ‘62 Makes Special Appearance for Holy Cross Community,” by Ethan Bachand ‘22, Chief News Editor.

The Spire will be taking a break next Friday, but until we return on 10/23, we have a robust issue to tide you over! 

The Spire 

10/09/2020

News

“Dr. Anthony Fauci ‘62 Makes Special Appearance for Holy Cross Community,” by Ethan Bachand ’22, Chief News Editor.

“Civitas Initiative Launches ‘Pay It Forward,’” by Jocelyn Buggy ‘22, News Editor.

“1620/2020 Speaker Series Begins with ‘Politics of Memory and Commemoration,’” by Devyn Forcina ‘22, News Editor.

“The Good Trouble Series: Race and Racism on Mount Saint James,” contributed by BSU, History on the Hill, OME, and SGA. 

“SGA Senate Minutes,” contributed by SGA. 

Opinions

“When Plexiglass Becomes a Debate,” by Maggie Connolly ‘21, Chief Opinions Editor. 

“Want to be Patriotic? Wear a Mask,” by Joe Barbieri ‘23, Opinions Editor. 

“BLM: Basic Human Rights, Not Politics,” by Julia Maher ‘23, Opinions Editor. 

“A Country, Divided,” by Grace Manning ‘21, Opinions Editor.

“Ending Complacency Among Activists,” by Jaime Perez ‘23, Staff Writer.

“Response to Spire Article About Virtual RA’s,” by Christopher Herndon ‘22, Guest Writer.

Features

“‘Imposter Syndrome on a College Campus’ – Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin’s Keynote Address to the Holy Cross Community,” by Hui Li ‘21, Co-Chief Graphic Designer. 

“HC Intern at New York Medical College works on COVID-19/Flu Vaccine Hesitancy Research,” by Nicole Letendre ‘23, Features Editor. 

“Arts Transcending Borders Hosts Arts Festival,” by Kelly Gallagher ‘22, Editor-in-Chief.

“The HC Election Forum: An Interview with Committee Member Marisa George,” by Grace Bromage ‘23, Chief Features Editor. 

“The Pause Project: An Upcoming Student-Led Mindfulness Initiative,” by Stacey Kaliabakos ‘23, Features Editor. 

“Student Art: ‘Birds of a Feather’ by Sophie Cassarino ‘24.”

“Crusader of the Week: Julia Maher ‘23.”

Eggplant (Satire)

“If Campion House Cookie Emails and Ever-fi Course Reminder Emails Traded Their Respective Tones: A Survey,” by Hannah Johnson ‘21, Chief Eggplant Editor, a.k.a. Decorated Researcher.

“Smash Ultimate DLC Predictions: Mario,” by Dennis Liu ‘22, Staff Writer, a.k.a. STEPDAD.

“All Ears,” by Mario Micallef ‘22, Eggplant Editor. 

Sports

“Weekly HC Student Athlete Spotlight – Austin Butler ‘21, Men’s Basketball,” by Mike O’Brien ‘23, Chief Sports Editor. 

“MLB Division Series Previews and Predictions,” by Jimmy Casey ‘23, Staff Writer.

“Remarkable Positivity from the Women’s Ice Hockey Team,” by Caroline Wallace ‘23, Staff Writer.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of The Spire! If you would like to receive future weekly newsletters, please submit your email in this Google Form. Otherwise, you can peruse newsletters in our Issues tab on our website. We’ll see you on 10/23!