Volume XC, Number 15 April 4, 2014 Worcester, Massachusetts

www.thehccrusader.com www.facebook.com/thehccrusader @thehhcccrusader

Inside The CrusaderNews.......................1Opinions.................5Features..................9Eggplant................12Sports.....................13

Read about the latest TV show buzz on

campusStudents express their opinions on today’s top

TV shows.

Page 5

Obama visits Worcester

College Repub-licans rally for re-recognition

Page 3

Holy Cross hosts Northeast

Regional for college hockey

at the DCU Center

Page 13

Worcester Technical High School gets a

surprise visit from the President.

Student organization garners support from

Holy Cross com-munity, regardless of political orientation.

Page 4

SGA Co-Presidents Winners Announced Shortly After Debate

Elizabeth O’BrienCo-Editor-in-Chief

SGA announced this past Wednes-day that the new SGA Co-Presidents for next year are John Milner, ‘15, and Payton Shubrick, ‘15, defeat-ing Eddie Cameron, ‘15 and Rob-bie Tiro, ‘15. Milner and Shubrick begin their term on May 1. One of the main events leading up to the election was the Co-Presiden-tial debate on Tuesday, March 30 in the Hogan 1 Art Lounge. The candidates debated in an intense discussion covering important top-ics relating to their potential roles as SGA Co-Presidents. Cameron’s running partner, Robbie Tiro, ‘15, was unfortunately unable to make the debate because he was in Wash-ington, D.C. Candidates felt that the debate was an effective way to get their points across. Milner and Shubrick felt that the students were very re-sponsive to their ideas. “Overall, the debate had a good turnout and gave us a good chance to further explain our platform,” said Milner and Shubrick in a joint statement. “We hope that the debate helped students in their decision-making process for the upcoming election and enabled them to see

our passion and desire to represent them.” On the contrary, Cameron felt that WKH� UHODWLYHO\� ORZ� WXUQRXW� UHÁHFWHG�the larger problems that SGA is

struggling with, and which he wants to address. While the debate was an enjoyable way to converse with the other pair of candidates, Cameron stressed that there should have been more students who wanted to see

the debate, to the point that a bigger venue would have been needed. The debate started off with a ques-tion regarding how the candidates’ past leadership roles have prepared

them for the role of SGA Co-Pres-ident. All the candidates brought up their experiences with SGA and the different initiatives they have worked on. Milner was Executive Secretary as a freshman, which is the only

freshman position on the Executive Cabinet of around 22 people, and worked on initiatives with the shuttle system. He is now Chief of Staff of SGA, and also works as a liturgical

coordinator and SPUD member. Shubrick was a freshman intern with athletics in SGA, and has worked diligently on the “Game of the Week” initiative in her cur-rent role as Co-Director of Student Athletics. She is also on the track DQG�ÀHOG�WHDP�� LV�&R�&KDLU�RI � WKH�Black Student Union (BSU), and is a member of the Moot Court team. Cameron has been Class President of the class of 2015 the past two years and raised over $3,000 for his class. He is also a member of the lacrosse team. Cameron also men-tioned that Tiro has been a class of-ÀFHU� IRU� WZR�\HDUV� DQG�KDV� DOZD\V�been willing to take on a new proj-ects. While past accomplishments are important to highlight, students

also want to know what the candi-dates hope to achieve in the future. When a question was posed about the greatest initiative the candidates hope to achieve, they all responded with a detailed account of how they hope to improve student life at Holy

See CO-PRESIDENTS, page 3

Photo by C. PaddockJohn Milner, ‘15, and Payton Shubrick, ‘15, debate Eddie Cameron, ‘15, shortly

before voting began.

.HOVH\�/LWWOHÀHOGNews Co-Editor

�7KLV� SDVW�ZHHN�� ÀYH�+RO\�&URVV�faculty members were promoted to the rank of associate professor with tenure. In order to receive tenure, a professor must be employed by the College for at least four years as an assistant professor. Also, individual departments and the Committee on Tenure and Promotion “take into ac-count exceptional accomplishment in one or more of the statutory areas of teaching, scholarship or service,” according to Statutes of the Fac-ulty, when deciding which individu-als receive tenure. The professors receiving tenure are Renee Beard, Barbara Craig, Caner Dagli, Bryan Engelhardt, Brian Linton, and John Manoussakis. Renee Beard is a professor in the sociology and anthropology depart-ment. She has her Ph.D. in medical sociology and previously was Na-tional Institute of Health Postdoc-toral Research Fellow at the Univer-sity of Illinois at Chicago. Professor Beard specializes in the sociology of health and agedness, illness narra-tive, and social policy. Most of her

published work has been featured in Social Science & Medicine and the Sociology of Health and Illness and has centered on Alzheimer’s disease. Her next endeavor is a book on the experiences of living with Alzheim-er’s disease. She has worked closely

with numerous research students in KHU�ÀHOG�DQG�WHDFKHV�FRXUVHV�LQ�VRFL-ology and ageing and society here at the college. Barbara Craig is a professor in the theatre department. She received her

M.F.A. in design and technical theatre and currently designs sets, lighting, costumes, and properties in various capacities in academic, professional, and community theatres. Professor Craig designs set for most Theatre Department productions and works

closely with students who participate in Alternate College Theatre. Her role as a mentor on campus does not simply stop at professor; she has advised students in multidisciplinary majors through the CIS, participated

as a department representative for Academic Affairs council, and ad-vised Gateways Orientation. Caner Dagli is a professor in the religious studies department. He received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies. He previously served as an interfaith affairs consultant at the Royal Hashemite Court in Jordan, where he communicated interfaith understanding and cooperation for the country. He has also promoted interfaith dialogue among Muslims and Christians through the Common Word. Professor Dagli was a Ful-bright and Mellon Fellowship recipi-ent. He has numerous publications, including two forthcoming books related to the study of Islamic faith. Bryan Engelhardt is a professor in the economics department. His re-search and teaching interests include labor economics, macroeconomics, and economics of crime. His most UHVHDUFK� DIÀOLDWLRQV� IRFXV� RQ� KRZ�ORQJ�LW�WDNHV�UHOHDVHG�LQPDWHV�WR�ÀQGjobs and the effect of varied labor market and crime policies. Professor Engelhardt has been published in the Journal of Public Economics and Journal of Labor Economics. He has

See TENURE, page 3

Holy Cross Professors Receive Tenure

Courtesy of D. VaillancourtFrom left: Caner K. Dagli, Renee Lynn Beard, Bryan Engelhardt, Barbara Craig, and John Panteleimon Manoussakis. Not pictured: Brian Linton.

Charlotte Errity, Elizabeth O’Brien Co-Editors-in-Chief.HYLQ�'HHKDQ��(YDQ�*URJDQ��0HJDQ�,]]R��.HOVH\�/LWWOHÀ�HOG�News EditorsVictoria Fritz, Garrett Bych, Johnathan Thompson, Julie Booth Opinions EditorsMaggie Walsh, Hannah Shaw, Stefanie Schefter, Natalie Correa Features EditorsJohn Morton, Patrick Buscone, Emily Iannoconi Sports EditorsBrendan Higgins Eggplant Editor Jonah Choe, Kyle Hughes Web EditorsColleen Paddock Photography EditorMegan Izzo, Trey Altieri Copy EditorsRachel Franchella, Julia Levesque, Emily Watson, Paige Tortorelli Publicity ManagersLucas Keefer Business ManagerLauren Biolsi Advertising ManagerProfessor Steve Vineberg Faculty AdvisorDean Jacqueline Peterson Faculty Advisor

2 Th e Crusader NEWS April 4, 2014

The Crusader student newspaper College of the Holy Cross Published weekly since 1925

Please address correspondence to: The Crusader P.O Box 32A College of the Holy Cross 1 College Street Worcester, MA 01610-2395

The Crusader�LV�D�QRQ�SURÀ�W��QRQ�SDUWLVDQ��VWXGHQW�publication of the College of the Holy Cross.

The Crusader is distributed free of charge to all students, faculty, staff, and employees of the institution.

The Crusader welcomes letters and op-eds from its readers. Please include your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. No submissions will be printed anonymously. All submissions may be edited for content, and must be received by the Sunday prior to publication. The Crusader reserves the right not to pub-lish any letter or content deemed objectionable or which does not meet the editorial standards of the newspaper. Letters may be mailed, e-mailed, or brought to The Cru-VDGHU�RIÀ�FH�LQ�+RJDQ�����

The opinions expressed within the newspaper are not necessarily those of the College of the Holy Cross. This newspaper is printed by Community Newspaper Com-pany. Reproduction of any part of this paper is by per-mission of The Crusader only.

Email: crusader@g.holycross.edu

Web: www.thehccrusader.com

To advertise in The Crusader: Email: crusaderadvertising@gmail.com

Phone: (508) 293-1283

Student Government Association CornerProviding You With Your Weekly SGA Updates

Check back weekly for updates on what your SGA is doing, as they listen to the students’ voices and work to create a

stronger campus community.

SGA UpdateCommunication. Research. Support. Practicality.

A New Student Voice

Be sure to make time in your schedule this semester to stop E\�WKH�6*$�2IÀ�FH�LQ�+RJDQ�����WR�YRLFH�\RXU�FRQFHUQV�DQG�

chat with SGA members!

A potential new initiative in the works is having RSO’s hold bar nights in Worcester. Though still in the planning stages,

look out for an SGA Bar Night at Bar FX later this semester!

Congratulations to all those who won their elections!

Upcoming Events

The Amazing Race—April 6 Chris Matthews Speech—April 7

Purple Pride Day & Cornhole Tournament—April 11 WSGA Conference at WPI—April 12 SGA Leadership Banquet—April 14

Party over Hair Event—April 24 Second Semester Coffee Shop— April 24

Inter-Departmental Kickball Tournament—April 27 Easy Street Fair—May 3

Senior Night with the Jesuits—May 5-6Puppy Room (with some Cats)—May 6

Public Safety Blotter

Thursday, March 27Linden Lane: Student barefoot and wearing VKRUWV�ZDONHG�WR�3XEOLF�6DIHW\�RIÀ�FH�DQG�UH�quested a safety escort to Alumni.

Friday, March 28Off-campus: Neighbor called in with complaint of several students partying--party dispersed

New Garage Level 1:�2IÀ�FHU�UHSRUWHG�VWXGHQW�needed a jumpstart in the garage

Off-campus: Professor needed ride back from St. Vincent’s Emergency Room Saturday, March 29Hogan Lot #1: Alumnus needed help--locked keys in her car

Hogan Access Gate: Staff reported continuously getting calls from the Hogan gate but could not understand anyone talking into the phone

Sunday, March 30Wheeler Hall: 2IÀ�FHU�+XQW�DGYLVHG�WKDW�ZLQ�dow was punched--it is not shattered but it is broken

Front Pages From Back in the Ages

This archived edition from April Fools’ Day forty years ago is taken from The Crusader’s predecessor, The Tomahawk. Similar to last week’s Eggplant Edition, The Tomahawk staff of 1974 embraced the fun nature of the holiday and came out with this April Fools’

Edition. The front page story announces a law school being opened on campus as well as other humorous headlines—such as “Fahey Eliminates As and Bs to Raise Academic Standards” and “Short People Gather on Campus for Mini-Convention.”

The Crusader NEWS April 4, 2014 3

THAT’S NEWS TO MENews Stories from Around the World Washington, D.C.—Jonathan Pollard, the former U.S. intelli-gence agent who was convicted of spying for Israel, could be released before the Jewish holiday of Pass-over as part of efforts to save Israeli-Palestinian peace negotia-WLRQV��DQ�,VUDHOL�RIÀFLDO�UHSRUWHG�

Tokyo, Japan—The Internation-al Court of Justice ruled Monday that Japan can no longer continue its annual whale hunt, rejecting the country’s argument that it was IRU�VFLHQWLÀF�SXUSRVHV�

Iquique, Chile—A mighty 8.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile late Tuesday, triggering small land-slides, cutting power and generat-ing a tsunami.

Seoul, South Korea—An un-manned drone crashed on a South Korean island near its disputed maritime border with the North, the country’s defense ministry said Tuesday. The drone crashed on the Baekryeong Island on Mon-day afternoon soon after North and South Korean artillery batter-ies exchanged hundreds of shells across their western sea border.

Tehran, Iran—Iran has named a member of the radical student group that seized the U.S. embas-sy in Tehran and held Americans hostage for more than a year to be its next ambassador to the United Nations.

Brussels, Belgium—NATO will suspend “all practical civilian and military cooperation” with Rus-sia because of its annexation of Crimea, saying it has seen no sign that Moscow was withdrawing troops from the Ukrainian border.

Snohomish County, Washing-ton—The death toll rose to 29 on Wednesday in the landslide more than a week ago that buried a Washington community as search-ers continued the grim task of looking through the tangled muck for more victims.

Boston, Massachusetts— An HVWLPDWHG��������ÀUHÀJKWHUV�IURP�across the country and as far away as Australia are pouring into the region to take part in two days of PRXUQLQJ� IRU� WZR� %RVWRQ� ÀUH-ÀJKWHUV�NLOOHG�ODVW�ZHHN�

From CO-PRESIDENTS, page 1

Cross in different ways. Cameron focused on the abundant number of emails students receive daily, and he hopes to create an SGA app to help minimize the need for emails. “I want to create some system to ÀOWHU�WKH�QXPEHU�RI �HPDLOV�VWXGHQWV�get, as well as develop an SGA app that would inform students on important information related to SGA,” said Cameron. “I also hope to ease up the off-campus hous-LQJ� SURFHVV� DQG� FOHDQ� XS� WKH� ÀHOG�house.” Milner and Shubrick concentrated on student safety as one of their top priorities. There are many practices and aspects of campus that need to be improved. “One example of how student safety can be improved is updating some of equipment at the Hart gym that is not safe for students to use,” said Milner. “Students should not have to worry about getting ring-worm and infections when they go to the gym. Another practice that should be changed is Crossroads workers putting cutting knives in a communal water container. Students who have allergies are at risk of hav-ing a reaction if the knives aren’t cleaned properly between uses.” All the candidates emphasized the importance of SGA in student life and how there should be more

accessible and open discussions be-tween the student body and SGA. Milner and Shubrick want to accu-rately represent students through use of campus labs to accumulate data about students’ opinions, and well as offer monthly dinners where students are free to voice their con-cerns to SGA. Cameron pushed for more transparency in the relation-ship between students and SGA. He even wanted to have the debate videotaped and later be accessible to students. More transparency would allow students to become more in-volved in SGA. When the debate turned to an open forum Natasha Giftos, ’14, current Co-President of SGA, asked WKH�ÀUVW�TXHVWLRQ��6KH�VWUHVVHG�WKDW�because candidates are working with a partner, it can be hard dividing up the work and coming to resolutions when each partner has their own opinions. She asked the participants what leadership strategies they plan on using to work with their partners. Cameron believes that he and Tiro will be able to balance ideas effec-tively despite ideological differences. “I’ve worked with Robbie for two years, and even though our politi-cal beliefs are on opposite sides of the spectrum we share a common goal of trying to help students,” said Cameron. “We have grown together in SGA and can develop effective leadership styles together.” Milner and Shubrick have also

known each other since freshman year in SGA, and both share the call to serve students. Both admire each other’s accomplishments over the years. Other questions the audience asked related to current problems regarding MSOs and the adminis-tration. Payton drew on her personal experience with MSOs as Co-Chair of BSU and hopes to create more organizational procedures and col-laboration between clubs. Although Cameron has not participated in a MSO, he looks forward to work-ing with them and praised BSU as one of the best-run organizations on campus. As for the topic of the administration, both pairs of can-didates understand that the admin-istration could improve its relation-ship with SGA, and the candidates PDGH�LW�FOHDU�WKDW�WKH\�ZLOO�ÀJKW�IRU�the issues that are most concerning for students. Another pressing issue at the de-bate was resident life. Cameron ex-plained his objectives to work more with Resident Assistants (RAs) and improve the off-campus housing sit-uation. “I’m still friends with people who lived down the hall from me my freshman year, and having great RAs contributed to those relation-ships,” said Cameron. “We felt a sense of community. Also, another aspect of resident life that I want to focus on is improving the off-campus housing situation, especially

because I plan on living off campus next year.” Milner and Shubrick hope to give RAs a bigger budget so they can do more hall bonding events. They also ZDQW�WR�FUHDWH�D�PRUH�HIÀFLHQW�KRXV-ing selection process and campus alert system. Social media was another topic, which candidates wanted to utilize to get students more involved and connected with SGA. Cameron re-iterated his SGA app proposal, and mentioned that he has already talked with computer science majors about developing the app. Milner and Shubrick have plans to organize a social media madness week where students are offered incentives for signing onto various social media outlets. As for improving the relationship with the greater Worcester area, Milner recognized the Worcester Student Government Association (WSGA), which brings representa-tives from nearby colleges to talk about promoting student engage-ment in the local community. It has had its accomplishments but has room for improvement. Cameron responded that not enough people NQRZ�:6*$�H[LVWV�DQG�KRSHV�WR�À[�that. Overall, the candidates saw the SGA Co-Presidency as the most effective way of improving student life at Holy Cross.

Obama Visits Worcester H.S. From TENURE, page 1

also served on the Academic Af-fairs Council, the Faculty Compen-sation Committee, and has directed the Honors Program in the Eco-nomics Department. Brian Linton is a professor in the chemistry department. He teaches courses in organic chemistry and molecular pharmacology. Profes-sor Linton’s research focuses on hydrogen bonding in protein struc-ture and function. He has been published in numerous academic VFLHQWLÀF� MRXUQDOV�� LQFOXGLQJ� WKH�Journal of the American Chemical Society and the Journal of Organic Chemistry. John Manoussakis is a professor in the philosophy department. He was born in Athens, Greece. He primarily teaches courses in medi-eval philosophy, phenomenology, and Montserrat seminars. He was ordained into the diaconate and then into priesthood as an archi-mandrite. Professor Manoussakis’s research focuses on the philosophy of religion, phenomenology, Plato and Neo-Platonic tradition, and Patristics. He has published more than 30 articles in numerous lan-guages, is the author of two books, DQG�DQ�HGLWRU�RI �ÀYH�YROXPHV�

Evan GroganNews Co-Editor

Students at Worcester Techni-cal High School received a huge surprise Thursday, March 20. In a school-wide assembly, Princi-pal Sheila Harrity announced that President Obama will be the com-mencement speaker for the gradu-ating senior class this year. This an-nouncement comes after a year of success for the vocational school. While in the past Worcester Tech-nical High School was ranked as the lowest performing school in the city and one of the lowest perform-ing vocational schools in the state, this year it received a Blue Ribbon nomination by the U.S. Depart-ment of Education. In addition, as a result of this success, Principal Harrity was named national princi-pal of the year in 2013. Harrity said, “We are honored that President Obama has cho-sen to address the graduates of Worcester Technical High School. As a preeminent leader and advo-cate for career and technical educa-tion, the president’s work and com-mitment to promoting equality of

opportunity for all, will inspire the class of 2014.” Obama’s administration said that because of the school’s accom-plishments, Obama deemed the class worthy of a reward and want-ed to celebrate both the school as a ZKROH�DQG�WKH�VHQLRU�FODVV��VSHFLÀ-cally. Keith Maley, a White House spokesman, said, “Worcester Tech has made outstanding headway in boosting its graduation rate, imple-menting cutting-edge vocational programs, and ensuring that all of its students have the opportunity to succeed.” This decision plays into the Presi-dent’s recent focus on vocational and technical schools that allows students hands-on experience be-fore they enter the work force. In KLV�ÀIWK�6WDWH�RI �WKH�8QLRQ�DGGUHVV��Obama said, “We’re working to re-design high schools and partner them with colleges and employers that offer the real-world education and hands-on training that can lead to a job and career.” Since the announcement, both Harrity and the school have been working on solidifying all the ele-ments of the visit with the White

House. As of now, all that has been announced is that the graduation will take place at the DCU Center on June 11 at 4 P.M. Due to the importance of such a visit, many details have to be worked out with the city in regards to public safety and other issues. However, regard-less of the responsibilities that are associated with such a momentous decision, students know that after not speaking at a commencement last year, the president has chosen them out of every educational in-stitution in the country. President Obama is not the only LPSUHVVLYH�SXEOLF�ÀJXUH�WR�YLVLW�WKH�school. In the past, the school has welcomed New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft. They also have an upcoming motivational speech from Colin Powell at Hanover The-atre to look forward to. Worcester Tech is the largest of the city’s seven public high schools with 1,400 students in 24 tech-nical programs. The vocational school moved into a $90 million, 400,000-square-foot campus in 2006.

Catherine MikulaStaff Writer

On Tuesday, March 25, two stu-dents’ laptops were reported miss-ing in the Science Library. The in-cidents occurred approximately at 10 p.m. when two students stepped away from their desks. Upon re-turning after a few minutes, the stu-dents found that their laptops were gone. After discovering this, they immediately reported the incidents to Public Safety. The laptops have

not been recovered as of late and are under the presumption of theft. Barbara Merolli, the Science Li-brarian in the O’Callahan Science Library, urges students “not to leave valuables unattended at all. It only takes seconds for someone to walk by and slip a phone or wal-let into a coat pocket. The thieves often dress like students and carry a back pack so they blend in, and we don’t realize they don’t belong here.” Merolli shared some of the mea-

sures she and her staff take when incidents like this occur, which Karen Reilly, Interim Director of Library Services, stated, “is proto-col in all of the library spaces on campus.” Student employees are encouraged to be alert to those coming and going. It is unrealis-tic to stop everyone who leaves the library to verify their belong-ings, but even if someone did look suspicious, student employees are discouraged from stopping the individual. However, they are in-

structed, “to get a description and report what they saw or suspect to Public Safety,” said Merolli. “A helpful description in-cludes gender, height, weight, build and coloring (skin, hair, and eyes) because these attributes are less likely to be changed quickly or fre-quently,” shared Merolli. The library staff reminds all stu-dents to remember to be proac-tive about their belongings and be aware of their surroundings.

Thieves Strike in Science Library

4 The Crusader NEWS April 4, 2014

Do you want to start writing for The Crusader?Have any interesting stories you want covered?

Let us know! Email us at crusader@g.holycross.edu

Kelly McDonaldStaff Writer

On March 25th, the Holy Cross campus experienced a widespread internet failure that endured for several hours. The source of the problem was a power outage which occurred in Holy Cross’s data center. Although Holy Cross’s Information Technology Services (ITS) explained these occurrences to students via e-mail, most did not UHFHLYH� WKH�QRWLÀFDWLRQV�XQWLO� ORQJ�after power had been restored. Frustration and confusion pervaded campus as students attempted to access Moodle or complete homework assignments. At least one campus organization, the Purple Patcher, was forced to adjourn a weekly meeting due to

the dearth of internet connectivity. When questioned about the HYHQW��D�ÁXVWHUHG�0HJKDQ�.HDUQH\��’17 reported that she had been inconvenienced; “I had a six-page paper due the next day!” The power failure that caused it was anything but predictable. Ellen Keohane, a spokesperson for the ITS department, described the GLIÀFXOWLHV�SUHVHQWHG�E\�WKH�SRZHU�outage in a statement prepared for The Crusader. It reads in part: “On Tuesday evening, March 25, 2014, a safety device turned the power off to the College’s Network Operations Center (NOC) in Fenwick basement resulting in an outage of all IT systems, including connectivity to the internet. College staff were performing quarterly ÀUH�VSULQNOHU�WHVWLQJ�DV�UHTXLUHG�E\�

the Massachusetts Building Code.” Ms. Keohane went on to clarify that a mechanical failure caused an electronic control system to send a signal to the NOC that a set of HPHUJHQF\�ÀUH�VSULQNOHUV�KDG�EHHQ�activated. Because Holy Cross’s routers and other important internet connectivity devices are programmed to shut down when WKH� ÀUH� VSULQNOHUV� DUH� DFWLYH� �VR�that they are not damaged by water), nearly everything in the data center was shut off, resulting in a loss of internet connection. The technological explanation for the power failure is complex, but it is readily apparent that our ITS department worked carefully and sensibly to repair the problem. According to Ms. Keohane: “In house staff also brought in

RXU�ÀUH�V\VWHPV�VHUYLFH�FRQWUDFWRU�to assist with the investigation and verify that all systems were ready to go back online. Also, steps were taken to prevent this type of event from happening in this manner again. Our NOC is equipped with a backup power generator so that IT systems remain operational in the case of a routine power outage on campus. That way, connectivity to the Internet and other IT systems is immediately available when campus power is restored. +RZHYHU�� VLQFH� WKH� ÀUH� V\VWHP�was triggered, even the generated power was cut off, causing all systems to shut down. Bringing all of the servers and disk up to full operation requires several hours. A power outage such as this has not happened in many years and we

hope this does not happen again any time in the coming years but it is important to have these safety systems and procedures in place in the event of a real emergency.” Although the internet crash that occurred on March 25th was H[DVSHUDWLQJ��LW�LV�GHÀQLWH�WKDW�+RO\�Cross’s Information Technology Services is a well-equipped department that makes safety a priority. Many students found it reassuring that the department is prepared to handle a disaster and that a generator is available to keep the internet working in the case of a power failure. Furthermore, it appears that a similar incident is likely to occur in the near future, meaning that Crusaders can be secure in their internet connections for the time being.

Power Outage Leads to Internet Failure

Charlotte ErrityCo-Editor-in-Chief

On Saturday, March 22nd, the College Republicans, Holy Cross’ conservative club on campus, received an email from the SGA Senate informing them that the club had not been re-recognized for next year. Equally dev-astated and outraged, three-year club co-chair Alannah Heffernan, ’14, emailed the Senate member in an attempt to reverse this decision, claiming that, “The Senate’s decision not to re-recognize the College Republicans is ill-advised and should be recon-sidered.” Charlie Jakubik, ‘14, an-other current co-chair of the College Republicans, told The Crusader, “There were a couple of things wrong with the paperwork, but the errors were very minimal. We had enough signatures [to show club participation], but they wanted to cross-reference their validity.” The following day, the Col-lege Republicans and fellow politicos on campus gath-HUHG� LQ� &RRO� %HDQV�� ÀIWHHQ�minutes before the Senate

hearing. Energy amongst the group had surfaced, and it seemed hopeful that the College Republicans had a chance to show their pro-longed interest in remaining a recognized student organi-zation for the next year. When a group of twenty from Cool Beans entered the Hogan Campus Center room where the Senate meet-ing was being held, they were greeted with another group of supporters who had set-tled in the room before them. “I think we demonstrated, by just the amount of people, that we had enough partici-pants,” Jakubik said. “I’d say WKHUH�ZHUH�DERXW�ÀIW\�WR�VL[W\�people there in support of us, and people kept on com-ing in. Some people were al-ready in the room, which was crazy.” Among the group of peo-ple who came in support of the College Republicans were co-chairs from the College Democrats, Jake Love, ‘14 and Jack Green, ‘16. Hef-fernan described the people in the room as “an eclectic crew” of students. During the hearing, both Love and Green would com-

ment, lending support to their fellow political orga-nization on campus. “The &ROOHJH� 'HPRFUDWV� EHQHÀW�greatly from the College Re-publicans,” Green said at the SGA Senate hearing. Love added, “Especially in the partisan climate in Wash-ington [D.C.] right now, it UHÁHFWV� YHU\� SRRUO\� RQ� WKH�school if we were to get rid of the College Republicans, and only have the College Democrats.” The College Republicans gained recognition and ac-cess to funds in 2012, after a labor of love to get the club up and running. Per-haps at its peak during the presidential election season, the club would see some-times over twenty members per bi-weekly meeting dur-ing the election. The meet-ings would consist primarily of energized debates, as each meeting fostered a different topic for discussion. When presidential debates between Republican Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama be-came a regular occurrence during the fall of 2012, the College Republicans and the College Democrats teamed

up to host debate-watching parties in Hogan, where they would live stream the debates via projector. To have the College Democrat’s support time and time again, Heffer-nan says, “The College Dem-ocrats were great supporters, and we are so thankful for that. We would do the same for them.” “We’re a club that’s on re-served funds, but we never request funding,” Heffernan told The Crusader. “All we wanted out of this was an email address and an abil-ity to make rooms. We didn’t need to be re-recognized be-cause we obviously have the support, but we need the email address. Without SGA Senate approval, you don’t get the email address, the van access—which we use for phone banking—and the ability to book rooms.” At the conclusion of the meeting, the SGA Senate de-liberated the vote in a closed room setting. After the large group of College Repub-lican supporters gathered back into the Hogan room, the Senate voted to overturn their original decision, and to indeed re-recognize the

College Republicans as a stu-dent organization. The room erupted in impromptu ap-plause and cheers. “[This event] showed how politically charged our cam-pus is,” Heffernan said, after the fact. “I know people say that Holy Cross is not really politically charged, [but] there is a good core of people who care about this stuff—who care about bipartisanship on campus.” “You have the right to ap-peal these decisions,” Jabubik said. “People were so charged about the issue. They didn’t want to see the school lose the College Republicans.” As for the future, the Col-lege Republicans will con-tinue with bi-weekly meet-ings and events, including a VFUHHQLQJ�RI �WKH�1HWÁL[�RQO\�documentary on Mitt Rom-ney, Mitt. For this year’s Vet-eran’s Day, the College Re-publicans hopes to surpass last year’s 150 letters written to the troops. In the fall, the club plans to assist in the gubernatorial race by phone banking and campaigning for the GOP’s candidate, Charlie Baker.

College Republicans Rally for Re-recognition

Opinions The Crusader OPINIONS April 4, 2014 5

“The Pulse of Events”: a page dedicated to the debates of our times. This week’s topic: All Things TV!

The Pulse of Events

Julie BoothOpinions Co-Editor

Growing up watching television was a privilege reserved for the end of a very long day or for a job well done. Instead of watching car-toons when I got off the bus from school, my mother would send me outside with my rollerblades until dinnertime. Don’t get me wrong, I watched television, but it wasn’t a mindless time-vacuum like many people treat it. Watching television was a family activity; once my father came home from work and we all ate dinner, my parents, my two sis-ters, and I would sit together and watch CBS’s “Survivor” together. I don’t quite know why we chose “Survivor” as our show. Maybe we

were marveled by the adventure dis-played on our television screen in our safe, suburban house. Or maybe it was the competition; we all loved to pick a different contestant to root for, and it was like the competition on screen was right there in our liv-ing room – family member against family member. Still, whatever the reason was, every Thursday night since season one, “Survivor: Bor-neo,” in 2000, we would all come together and watch our favorite show, and, twenty-eight seasons later, we haven’t missed one single episode since the day the show pre-miered. And every season, there is an episode where the contestants’ family members come and com-pete with them on the show for a day; it has always been a dream of

mine to compete on “Survivor” myself so that my family can com-pete with me on our favorite show. So, often when we watch the show, we debate over who will come on the show with me, cracking jokes and jest at each other. That time together with my family, sometimes loving to hate the “villains” on the show together and competing with each other, was an amazing bond-ing time for us all after an entire day apart. “Survivor” is my favorite tele-vision show because of my family. However, once my two older sisters left for college, it became just my parents and I watching on Thursdays; and sometimes, my sis-ters would call us to talk about the contestants after they had watched the episode online at their schools,

but it was never the same. Then, once my eldest sister moved ten hours away from home and started her own life in New Jersey, it got harder for us all to keep together. Now that I have left for school at Holy Cross, seven hours from home, I don’t get to watch “Survi-vor” with my family anymore, and honestly, it’s one of the things I miss the most about home because it was something we all took time out of our busy days to do together for thirteen years. Still, to retain our to-getherness, my family doesn’t watch the show either. Instead, my father will now record the entire season on DVR while my sisters and I are away, never watching an episode, avoiding all social media that might reveal insight into the happenings of the

show, so that we can watch the show all together when we come home. My house was always full of busy people with very different after school activities, my mom’s volunteering, and my dad’s travel-ling. I have always been thankful for our never-missed time together on Thursday nights and for “Survi-vor” for giving us a time to be to-gether as a family. The reputation of television watching is indisput-ably bad. It is seen as a waste of time, ruining our brains, and mak-ing us dumber. Yet, I believe that that is not always true. Some people overuse the television or “binge-watch” on Netflix, but watching television can be good, reward-ing, and connecting. It can bring people together in amazing ways.

Coming Together

Garrett BychOpinions Co-Editor

Over the past decade, televi-sion has trended in an unprec-edented direction. No longer does more money and more power equal more viewers. This is best personified by the success of the cable station AMC, which traditionally has done what most small networks do: air low bud-get shows aimed at niche audi-ences and attempt to strike it rich. In AMC’s case, they have succeeded not once, not twice, but many media critics would argue that AMC has produced four hit dramas over the past de-cade. From Breaking Bad to The Killing, The Walking Dead and Mad Men, AMC has quickly sky-rocketed both in viewer ratings and in its ability to gain sponsors and advertisements. According to Nielsen Ratings, the Season 4 finale of The Walking Dead this past Sunday night garnered 15.7 million viewers, which is up 27% from the Season 3 finale last year. Thus, AMC should no longer be labeled as just a cult network. Sure, Breaking Bad quickly tran-sitioned from television hipsters proclaiming its brilliance to a huge, national following, but the ability to produce multiple shows with different directors and actors at the same high level proves that AMC knows exactly what they are doing. Unfortu-nately for the top of the food chain, copying such success has been difficult, if not impossible. One only has to turn to FOX

in order to realize that mega-networks are taking notice of the little guys. Many critics have argued that the 12 episode re-turn of Jack Bauer and 24 in May is in direct response to the fact that ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS have very few hour-long dramas that can keep pace with other networks. While I person-ally love AMC and applaud them for their ability to create quality and breathtaking television, they are not the only stations utiliz-ing the “little guy” formula. FX (ironically owned by FOX) has flourished with Sons of Anar-chy and Justified, both of which should be described as cult hits. Neither of these productions are on the same scale as Mad Men or Breaking Bad, but they are cer-tainly growing, and must be ap-plauded for their successes. Most of all, over the past de-cade, viewers in the new age of technology have decided that they will watch the best televi-sion, not the most hyped or most mainstream. Possibly the best examples of this phenomenon are the increasingly prosperous networks Showtime and HBO. Dexter, which just wrapped up its 8th and final season, enjoyed ratings of 3.3 million views for its series finale, although it was aired at the same time as the Em-mys. Homeland likewise brought home views in the millions. For HBO, the season finale of the hit crime drama True Detec-tive not only caused the website HBOGO to crash, but addition-ally bagged 3.5 million viewers, up 50% from the show’s pre-

miere. Of course, few shows on television are bigger than Game of Thrones, which returns for its 4th season this Sunday night. The finale of the 3rd season grabbed 5.4 million viewers, and with the success of HBOGO, which allows HBO customers to stream any of their shows at anytime, these ratings only seem to be trending upwards. So, now that I have exhausted you with ratings statistics and predictions for upcoming sea-sons, what is the whole point of this? The bottom line is simple: better television equals bet-ter views. Networks like HBO, Showtime and AMC have suc-ceeded not only because their shows have been directed beau-tifully but additionally because they have less stringent guide-lines for what they can put in front of an audience and they are not managed as tightly as the big guys. If “hit” shows on ABC, NBC and the like seem monoto-nous and repetitive to you, it is probably because the same ideas have been recycled and slightly transformed to eat up hours and hopefully grab some view-ers. From a financial standpoint, these stations are fine. From popular sentiment, however, they should not be so assured. As long as AMC, Showtime, HBO and stations like FX and TNT produce “cult classics,” the big boys in Hollywood and Bur-bank better look out, because the public has certainly shown that quality, not monetarily-in-duced quantity, is what they are looking for.

AMC: Coming Up Big For the Little Guys David Perretta

Opinions Alum

Right now, we are living in the golden era of television. Our biggest dilemma is not trying to find a show of considerable quality, but which one to invest our limited time into as we follow characters through episodic plot lines that ultimately al-low us to experience life through an-other (fictional) human being. With options like Mad Men, Archer, Game of Thrones, Community, White Col-lar, and Castle (amongst many, many more) to choose from, it can often be hard to decide what to watch. Be-tween heroes and anti-heroes, gravitas and levity, drama and comedy, there are plenty of options in every genre for you to enjoy. Here is a distillation of some of my favorite shows, in case you are thinking about watching any of them or are looking to start a new one. Boardwalk Empire: It’s on HBO and has all of the gritty elements that a prohibition-era period piece should contain. The show follows Nucky Thompson, the treasurer for Atlantic City, New Jersey, as he operates one of the largest bootlegging operations in the country. This work of historio-graphic metafiction welcomes you into the world of gangsters as you encoun-ter infamous characters such as Al Ca-pone. This show definitely is not for the squeamish amongst us, as there is a considerable amount of violence. Game of Thrones: Another HBO show. It’s a great light-fantasy show filled with dire wolves, betrayal, and in-cest. A fan of politics? You’ll like it. A fan of violence? This is for you. A fan of heroes and anti-heroes? Watch Game of Thrones! The only warning is that you shouldn’t fall in love with any of the characters: Nobody is safe. VEEP: Can you tell I have an HBO-

GO account yet? This comedy fol-lows the (fictional, non-partisan) Vice President around as she bounces from error to error and her staff helps cover for her. It’s a wacky political satire that leaves you wondering how anybody could make it in Washington. House of Cards: Speaking of Wash-ington, this Netflix drama is simply amazing. If you aren’t watching it, watch it. Archer: One of the most clever shows out there. Each episode has multiple layers of humor; first you are struck by the low-brow and crass jokes, but each time you re-watch an episode, you’ll discover something you didn’t think existed beforehand. It’s about spies, until you get to the fifth season, at which point it is about (bad) drug dealers. Community: Like meta things? Com-munity is one of the most self-aware shows on television, with jokes so in-tricate that, in some cases, you need to watch the background of other shows to witness the full might of its humor (literally: there’s a joke about a charac-ter appearing as an extra on Cougar Town. That same night, on Cougar Town, you can see the character from Community in the background (I saw this on YouTube - I do not watch Cou-gar Town)). Castle: Nathan Fillion? Check. Homages to Firefly? Check. Awe-some murder mystery plots in every episode? Check, check, check. Mad Men: If you aren’t watching Mad Men at this point, you are seri-ously missing out.Firefly: Literally the best show ever..Happy viewing!

The Golden Era

6 The Crusader OPINIONS April 4, 2014

Alexandria CatherallStaff Writer

For nine seasons, the hit televi-sion show How I Met Your Mother has captivated audiences across America. Though I did not follow the show from the first episode, I will admit to binge watching 7 whole seasons of the show on Netflix in a matter of two short months. When it comes to televi-sion, I am not easily convinced to set aside long periods of time to watch seasons upon seasons of shows, especially one that has a seemingly cliche title, but after a few short episodes I was hooked. Perhaps it was the clever jokes and writing that captured initially captured my attention, but it was the long lasting friendships and life lessons that truly sparked my interest in the series. Although the premise of the show is the main character Ted Mosby’s tale of telling his chil-dren how he met their mother, the

show becomes much more than that. Ted and his best friends, Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Robin progress through their twenties into their thirties in New York City, and while they all have their own story line, they ultimately are woven together to show that the big moments matter, but what re-ally matters is the small moments spent with friends. For nine sea-sons, the set of the show rarely changed from the apartment to the bar, and this continuity is something that rarely occurs any-more in television. What is even more shocking for a television series running nine seasons is that the original cast remained to-gether through over 200 episodes, from the first until the very last moment in the series. Throughout the duration of the show, viewership remained con-sistent, hovering between 9-9.5 million viewers per season. It is amazing that one series main-tained such a massive following

for almost a decade. So I ques-tion, what held the attention of millions of viewers for so many years? I would argue that the chemistry among the characters, the jokes that carried over from season to season, and the invalu-able life lessons contributed peo-ple’s genuine love for the show. Catch phrases like “Have you met Ted?” and stories of Robin Spar-kles never grew old, and loyal fans never grew tired of quoting them again and again. Even for inconsistent viewers though, the life lessons were true to the lives of people both young and old. One of these valuable lesson was if things don’t go as planned, always remember the small moments with the people that matter. That message is the one I believe to be at the heart of the show. Despite the fact that things never seemed to go as planned for any of the characters, the future Ted, who narrated the show, ultimately told the story in

a way that illustrated the way in which the characters grew and changed over time despite certain let downs. Although messages like “Noth-ing good happens after 2 a.m.” appeal to the younger audience of the show, there seems to be a bigger take away for viewers of all ages. Especially after watching the ending of the show, the story seems less about the Mother and more about the friendships that tied the show together. While Ted journeyed to find the love of his life, the other characters jour-neyed, too. Though these charac-ters were well beyond their college years, they never stopped grow-ing, changing, or discovering new parts of what made them unique individuals. They remembered the journey as they recounted various stories and the people who jour-neyed with them through good and bad times. The emphasis on the journey is an important part of life because if you miss the

small moments throughout life, then the bigger moments may not matter as much. Especially as a senior with fifty days left on the hill, this message seems relevant to my life today. So, no matter how the show ended, I am glad that I can always watch re-runs of a show that has so much humor and heart and that sends the message that being present in the moment with those you care about is an important aspect of life. This message is particularly strong in an episode in which fu-ture Ted reflects on a Super Bowl. He recalls that, “I don’t remem-ber who won...What I do remem-ber is that we drank beer, we ate wings, and we watched the Super Bowl together.” Simply being to-gether and being present to those you care about is something that I learned from How I Met Your Mother, a lesson that remains important not only through your twenties, but throughout your life.

One Last HurrahBeloved How I Met Your Mother Draws to a Close

Andrew CookStaff Writer

Note: FULL spoilers for multiple seasons of Game of Thrones (obvi-ously) follow, so if you’re behind or are planning one day to start the show, skip this and find some happier reading.

There are a handful of “Holy S—” moments you remember through your TV-watching life. The finale of Lost (it was purgatory all along, I knew it!), Sherlock Holmes leaping off a rooftop, Silvio Dante taking one to the chest are all just a few, to name some. This week, fans who’ve followed the exploits of Barney Stinson probably experienced such a moment as How I Met Your Mother closed its nine-year stint on CBS. Fans of HBO’s revolutionary Game of Thrones series have experienced not one these moments during the show’s three-season run, but two! For that small percentage of peo-ple who don’t know about the show, and have probably been spend-ing the last few years in some kind of Siberian exile, it’s based on the enormously successful fantasy se-ries A Song of Ice and Fire, by nerd guru George R. R. Martin. Basically, picture Lord of the Rings with an increased cast of characters, cut-throat political intrigue, and shades upon shades of moral ambiguity. And sex. Lots, lots, lots of sex. Did I mention these are popular books? That popularity has translated into the most popular show in HBO’s not-insignificant treasure trove of them. It was doing very well in its first season, led by Lord of the Rings veteran Sean Bean in the star-

ring role of Ned Stark; you’ve most definitely seen the promo poster of him sitting with an enormous broadsword in the show’s most im-portant piece of furniture, the Iron Throne. It seemed like the show was on pace for success – until the penultimate episode of the first sea-son, when Ned was graphically ex-ecuted onscreen. Fans of the book had known for years, but the twist caught the rest of the world totally off-guard. How could a show kill off its main flipping character (even one played by Sean Bean, who is no-toriously killed off in every role he plays)??? With ease, we soon found! Remember how I said the show was on pace for success? Ned Stark lost his head, and the show wasn’t on pace anymore… it was there. That was the show’s first O-M-G moment. The second came just last season, in an episode titled “The Rains of Castamere” at an event now infamously known as the Red Wedding. After Ned’s death, a recur-ring plotline (only one of many) in the show detailed the efforts of his family, led by his son Robb and wife Catelyn, to wage bloody warfare against his executioners, the Lan-nisters. The families each lay at the center of the show, and audiences rooted equally for members on both sides. This is a huge oversimplifica-tion of how epic the show is, and quite frankly I deserve some kind of Pulitzer for condensing it into a few short sentences here. If you’ll notice though, I’ve been referring to many of the events in the past tense. The Red Wedding is why. It was in the very first weeks of summer vacation last year when

“The Rains of Castamere” pre-miered. I was sitting in the living room with my mom and sister, who knew as much about the cataclysm that was about to occur as I did (aka nothing whatsoever). My dad, who’s read all the books, was off to one side, trying to conceal his excitement at the surprise we were all about to get. Robb, Catelyn, and Robb’s pregnant wife were attend-ing a wedding ceremony in perhaps one of the show’s only happy mo-ments, when all of a sudden the troubadour band began playing the Rains of Castamere – basically, the Lannister theme song, or as my mom asked, “Wait, what is that, Taps or something?” – and we knew something was about to go down. What happened next essentially broke Twitter and the Internet as a whole, and is now ranked by ex-perts (whoever they are) as the single most talked about event in television history. Some of the fun-niest videos to hit Youtube in the past year are courtesy of sadistic book readers taping their oblivious friends’ real-time reactions to one of the most unflinchingly graphic, simply brutal displays of violence ever shown on TV. Robb’s wife is stabbed repeatedly in her pregnant stomach (with a baby named af-ter a Sean Bean character, I guess we could’ve seen it coming), Robb himself is shot down in a hail of ar-rows before being delivered the fatal blow to the words, “The Lannisters send their regards,” and Catelyn is forced to watch on in horror before her throat is slit. Good, wholesome family entertainment, to be sure. At the end of this carnage, I was

suddenly aware my jaw was down on the floor. As the silent credits rolled, my mom was the one who made the obligatory, “Well, I’m done with this show now. This is just stupid” declara-tion. The equivalent I can offer to non-show watchers would be if, say, an episode of Sponge-bob debuted where Spongebob, Patrick, Sandy, and Mr. Krabs were unexpectedly skewered on a fishing hook, and we followed them all the way through to a lunch plate. It was that shock-

ing, that brutal, and it made for some DANG good television. Season 4 debuts this Sunday, and the tagline for it is “Valar Morghulis.” It’s from a fictional language in the show, and it translates into King’s English as “All men must die.” As Game of Thrones has proved, all men MUST die. With these guys, any-thing goes, and it makes for some of the most downright enjoyable, surprising, unforgettable TV I’ve ever watched. I genuinely can’t wait to see what happens next.

All Men Must Die: Why Game of Thrones is One of TV’s Most Unforgettable

Shows

Th e Crusader OPINIONS April 4, 2014 7

Sarah FreeStaff Writer

Most would say that the mark of a successful tenure of anything—sport, school, job, etc. is to be able to look back and say that he or she would not have done any-thing differently, and that he or she would gladly take the wrongs they did and mistakes they made in or-der to get to where they are now. There is a difference between saying that, if given the chance, you would change nothing about past experiences, and saying that, with the knowledge you have now, you would advise your past self to do things differently. The former accepts that mistakes and

wrongs often lead us to success and rights, and the latter is an ad-mission of humility. Both have their time and place if we are to learn anything. However, perhaps the single greatest and most hum-bling thing that we can learn in life is that we do, in fact, have things to learn and that with the knowl-edge that we gained from times of challenge and times of weakness, we have fi gured out that correc-tion or adjustment on our part was in order, and should be in order for similar situations in the future. Some of the greatest moments in life—greatest, here, defi ned as profound, lesson, and knowledge-inspiring events—do not come in times of strength, but in times of

weakness. Learning often presup-poses failure; it is the acquisition of skills and knowledge through experience, and many times it is through this experience that we fi gure out exactly what not to do, or how not to approach a situation. By attaining unfavorable outcomes, we effectively avoid them in the fu-ture. Becoming better as a person over time does not involve success after success, but rather success af-ter failure, with the hope that if we get up enough times, all of our falls will lead us to something beautiful. Events that we experience un-doubtedly tint the way we look at the world, and sometimes even the way the world looks at us. A tint is a shade or a variety of color, often

used to mitigate otherwise unbear-able brightness. In this sense, it is a coping mechanism used to deal with a situation that is too great for us to deal with on our own. The tint of our experiences works in similar ways; it is a learning mechanism that enables us to see the world in a way that would be unavailable with-out certain experiences, and allows us to see future situations in ways that are benefi cial to us. Having tint means that we have learned. It means that our past has prepared us, albeit not fully, for our future. The key to allowing oneself to be colored by life is to understand that dark tints—negative events that change our outlook—are not al-ways bad, and light tints—positive

events that do the same—are not always good. We live in a world of composites; the darks do not cover the lights, but make them more vis-ible. The lights do not mask the darks, but rather establish their ne-cessity. We cannot and should not selectively choose which shades will color our experience, but rather train ourselves in the art of seeing every shade, as well as its relation to others, and the necessity of each color’s existence. Learning is about recognizing this interdependency, and that we very well may not have materials to build with, were it not for the stones cast at our feet.

Free Thinking: The Art of Learning

For Those of Us That Like to Put Off Work

Victoria FritzChief Opinions Editor

Something I’ve become mildly obsessed with while working through my semes-ter (by working I mean procrastinating): Buzzfeed quizzes. Honestly, once becom-ing addicted to Buzzfeed quizzes, this has even come to mean any quiz in general. I love being able to take 5 minutes out of my day to take one and coming away being able to defi nitively say I was NOT Miranda from Sex and the City. In fact, after the past few months of basically taking every quiz that popped up on my Buzzfeed home page, since I actually have one of those now, I know alot more about myself than I thought was possible. The ice cream fl a-vor that best describes me is Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie; I am appar-ently already married; I should really have been born in the 1930’s; and I also will one day live in Nebraska (really the only accu-rate result, since I already do live there). What does this incessant quiz-taking say about me? It says that I am intrigued about what country I should honeymoon in when I get older! Just kidding, this information really doesn’t say anything defi nitive about my character at all. What I’m really trying to get across is that online quizzes are com-

pletely underrated. They’re awesome. And not just Buzzfeed quizzes- I recently took one that you can fi nd on the New York Times website that can pinpoint the exact place you grew up, to the town, based on your answers to dialect questions. It even shows you the areas that match your an-swer in the country once you’ve submitted each answer, which is super cool. Serious-ly, this is a tangent, but go take that quiz. Anyway, this article is mostly my opinion about something that I love doing. It’s a great way to procrastinate, as long as you don’t let the shiny lists Buzzfeed is really known for get in your way. No, really, if you ever go on that website unwarned you will eventually fi nd yourself looking at the list of the top 32 things you miss about the 80s, leaving out the small detail that you weren’t even born yet. I love tak-ing quizzes about information that has no direct meaning in my life; sure, this quiz could tell me that my perfect hon-eymoon should be in Italy (score!), but in real life I won’t even know until it hap-pens. Which is kind of why I take alot of these quizzes- to fantasize about knowing about something that hasn’t happened yet. Wouldn’t we all like to be told what our perfect house will look like? Any-way, go take some quizzes, they’re fun.

8 The Crusader OPINIONS April 4, 2014

,

The Roving Reporter

Compiled by Michelle Moreno-Silva

“I think Michigan State and Michi-gan will be facing each other in the championship.”

-Ryan Elliott ‘16

“I think it’s going to be Michigan

versus Virginia.”-John Milner ‘15

It’s March Madness! Which two teams do you think will face each other in the champi-

onship?

“Florida and Lousiville, but I totally want

UConn to take it all.”

-Micala Smith ‘16

“I’d love to see a Big 10 rematch

between Michigan State and Wiscon-

son.”-Cassy Deng ‘16

“Tea leaves read Stanford and

UConn.”-Murielle Ryan ‘16

“Well, my bracket has already been

busted, but I think Florida and Louis-ville will make it to the championship.”

-John Gentile ‘14

Henry CallegaryStaff Writer

In just fifty short days, the Class of 2014 will graduate from the College of the Holy Cross. Our time as Crusaders will come to an end after four great years atop Mt. Saint James. It’s easy to be sad that the end is near. After all, society and popular culture make college out to be the best four years of a person’s life. The fact that we’re at the tail end of our “prime” seems pretty neg-ative, and it’s hard to argue that the past four years haven’t been an incredible thrill ride. Nonethe-less, the hard reality is that it’s al-most time to leave and move on with the next stage of our lives, whether that means a job, grad school, or service as a volunteer. As seniors, we are now closer to being full-grown adults than being children or teenagers living

without a care in the world. Re-ality and responsibility are here. Coincidentally, as the Class of 2014’s time at Holy Cross comes to an end, so does one of the most popular and poignant sitcoms of our time. How I Met Your Mother (or HIMYM, for short) started nine years ago, in the fall of 2005, and now comes to a close. The story of Ted Mosby and his search for a wife has managed to keep the at-tention of millions of viewers, in-cluding this author. There’s some-thing particularly engaging about HIMYM. Maybe it’s the colorful characters that each has their own believable and surprising quirks. Or maybe it’s the writing, replete with inside and self-referential humor which rewards regular viewers. It could just be the excel-lent cast and their natural chem-istry with one another. But for me, what makes How I Met Your Mother special is the message.

Most television shows, par-ticularly comedies, lack any sort of takeaway for the audience. That’s not the case with HI-MYM. While there are many messages which can be inferred from this nine season-long odys-sey, the one which speaks to me the most is quite simple: we have to constantly remain focused on the future, and remain optimis-tic that it will be better than the present. Embodied by the char-acter of Ted Mosby, that mes-sage particularly resonates with me as a second semester senior. While it might seem silly to compare our last days of college with a TV show, Ted Mosby’s philosophy of determined (and sometimes naïve) optimism is of particular importance as we look back to our time spent at Holy Cross, and look forward to the experiences to come. The overarching theme of Ted’s jour-

ney in HIMYM is his search for “the one.” He is constantly look-ing for the right woman who he can settle down with, marry, and raise a family. In the pro-cess, Ted dates a seemingly end-less line of women, many of whom seem like they could be “the one” for a fleeting moment. But in the end, none of his flings led to anything besides disap-pointment or heartbreak. None-theless, Ted keeps on pushing forward, and knows that at some point he will find the person he is meant for. While he remembers his past, his eye is always on the future with the belief that better things are just beyond the horizon. As a soon-to-be former college student, this philosophy resonates deeply with the hope that my next experiences will be better than the past; while at the same time knowing that the memories I was a part of will remain a part of me.

As we, the Class of 2014, march forward towards the inevitable reality of post-college life, we must embrace Ted Mosby’s eter-nal optimism. We must follow Ted’s lead this season (spoiler alert) when he finally let go of his love for Robin (end of spoil-er) and cast away any last fears and doubts about the future. As How I Met Your Mother comes to an end, so does our time at Holy Cross. It’s cliché to say that all good things must come to an end, but that is the case. All we can do is look for-ward with a confidence that the future will be better than our past, yet retain our wonderful memories about the people and experiences we had as students at the College of the Holy Cross.

Ted Mosby and the Search for Perfection:

The End of an Era

Features The Crusader FEATURES April 4, 2014 9

Crusader of the Week:Thomas Fagoni, ‘14

Faculty SpotlightProfessor Nadine Knight

Natalie A. CorreaFeatures Co-Editor

Hometown: Staten Island, NYMajor: Political ScienceBest Dorm: LoyolaFavorite Animal: LionFavorite Book: Leadership by Rudy Gi-ulianiFavorite Color: MaroonFavorite Movie: The GodfatherFavorite Song: My WayFavorite TV Show: Game of ThronesFavorite Holy Cross Class: Capitalism in CrisisFavorite Meal On Campus: Steak & Cheese from CrossroadsFavorite Professor: I love them all.Favorite Off-Campus Restaurant: VolturnoCampus Activities: College RepublicansAdvice for fellow Crusaders: Work hard and never give up.Guilty Pleasure: Smoking a cigarEmbarrassing Story: I accidently walked into a girl’s bathroom one timeHobbies: Cooking, reading, working outPet Peeve: People being lateDunkin Donuts Drink: Regular CoffeeNumber One Thing On Your HC Bucket List: I don’t have one.Your Mantra: Carpe Diem.Twitter or Instagram: I don’t have eitherCrossroads or Kimball: Crossroads

Where Do You See Yourself In Ten Years?: I see myself hopefully moving up the ladder at Goldman SachsGoals for Second Semester: To do the best that I can and enjoy my friends.

Hannah ShawFeatres Co-Editor

For those of you who haven’t met Holy Cross’s English professor, Pro-fessor Knight, here’s your chance. First off, I must say that Professor Knight is awesome. In addition to teaching English to Holy Cross students, she is a black belt in Tae Kwan Do. Tae Kwan Do, Profes-sor Knight said, “is some-thing I started in college.” Knight reflected on her hobby as “a great stress reliever.” Beyond just her sparring talents, Professor Knight is also a life-long horseback rider. While her hobbies are im-pressive, Knight continues to shine at Holy Cross as an English professor. Knight advises that all students try to read at least one book a semester just for fun. Knight, herself, is currently reading the Anderson nov-el, “Feed,” and has just fin-ished reading the Elizabeth Wein novel, “Code Name Verity.” Professor Knight ar-rived at Holy Cross about two years ago, in 2011, af-ter previously teaching at Whitman College in Wash-ington state. The Baltimore native was thrilled at the

opportunity to return to the east coast to teach at our small liberal arts college. Knight says that her favor-

ite part about teaching at Holy Cross is the students. The students, Knight finds, especially in the Eng-lish major, are likely to take more than one of her class-es, which adds to the sense of community that exists on our little campus. Now in her third year teaching at Holy Cross, Knight said, “I like that I can watch my stu-dents grow… The students I had as freshmen are now juniors.” Knight is particularly fond of her time in class with her students. “My stu-dents have a good sense of humor,” said Knight. “There’s always bargaining

about when class should end on Friday afternoons.” Knight recounted one in-stance in particular, “one

of my students had never seen snow before,” Knight began. While the rest of the New-Englanders were groaning over the storm, this one student was so excited. Knight gave in to this one particular conces-sion and just had to end class early. While Knight enjoys all of the classes she teaches, the class she most particu-larly loves teaching is her Black Urban Experience class. This class is where Knight is able to bring in

influences from her home-town, Baltimore, 20th- and 21st-century literature, and even a few episodes from HBO’s series “The Wire.” Professor Knight encour-ages her classes to “take more risks.” The typical Holy Cross student is, ad-mittedly, a little shy. Knight said that any comment in class that starts with the phrases, “I might be going out on a limb here but…” or “this might sound a little crazy but…” are usually the most interesting comments said in class that day. So, do as Knight recommends: never be afraid to pitch a crazy idea in class.

Speaking of Student AffairsGoing Abroad Next Year? Pack your

Internship Gear!Julie Draczynski Associate Director

Summer Internship Program It’s that time of year when many students are finalizing their study abroad and/or Washington Semester plans for next year. The Summer Internship Program and Ca-reer Planning recognize how rewarding your experiences will be. We encourage you to immerse yourself in the cul-ture and take advantage of every opportunity to travel, meet people and experience new things. We also know that the thought of spending a semester or year in another city, country, and culture can be both exciting and nerve-racking! Let Career Planning and the Summer Internship Program take some of the pressure off by helping you pack your “internship gear”. The summer after your ju-nior year is a prime time to secure an internship. A sum-mer internship allows you to test the waters in a par-ticular field or industry and position yourself as a strong

candidate for full time em-ployment after graduation. So, as you prepare to embark on your journey off campus next year, plan ahead! It’s im-portant to think about how you will successfully navigate the internship search process while away from Holy Cross. We are here to help! Stop in to the Career Planning office in Hogan 203 to meet with a counselor now while you are still on campus. We can help you get your resume in order, discuss cover letters, explore the basics of phone/Skype interviews, and formulate an internship search strategy. If you are not in SIP, work on your resume and cover letter now so you are ready to ap-ply in the fall. The fall 2014 SIP deadline is October 2nd. The Summer Internship Program and the Career Planning Office are hosting a program to discuss the in-ternship search process from abroad and how to market your experience to prospec-tive employers. You will meet and hear from seniors who were abroad junior year and

successfully landed an in-ternship. Choose one of the program dates and times that work for you and join us!

Tuesday, April 8th from 2-3 p.m. in Hogan 406Thursday, April 10th from 6-7 p.m. in Hogan 320Monday, April 14th from 1-2 p.m. in Hogan 406 In addition to attending the program, we urge you to visit our office before you leave and meet with a coun-selor to talk about your plans for the future. Please call x3880, email careers@holy-cross.edu, or visit Hogan 203 to make an appointment. While you are away, the Ca-reer Planning and Summer Internship Program staff are just an email, Skype or phone call away! Don’t be a strang-er. We can still help and sup-port you in your internship search. Have a fabulous time in DC or abroad! Take it all in, reflect on your experienc-es and utilize your “intern-ship gear”!

The Writer’s ExerciseEmma Collins

Staff Writer

The liberal arts education attracts a vast spectrum of academic minds. But if you are of the more creative inclina-tion, you may find yourself indulging in some sort of artistic outlet hours on end, be it painting, sketching, singing, playing, mixing, or writing. Yes, writ-ing, that singular art that seems to be both exquisitely unattainable and yet wholly useless all at once. Some peo-ple don’t understand it. They couldn’t possibly fathom why anyone would wish to write for fun when there are essays to be suffered through. So, then why do people do it? Perhaps it’s like an illness, some sort of affliction that takes possession of the mind and hand and you’re simply doomed from the moment of infection. It certainly, at times, can feel that way. After all, what writer has not had the crippling, exis-tential crisis of writer’s block? An even better question: how on Earth does anyone overcome something so utterly debilitating? Then, of course, comes the inevitable taunting answer of “just write something” from those free of the disease. Just write something? Just write something? It would be easier to thread a camel through a needle’s eye. And yet, you must. So you sit, and stare, and stare at the blank white square of paper or

digital projection, whatever your poi-son is, willing it to blink first. You feel as though your entire being is wrapped up in those words that simply refuse to come. You’ve failed your mother, your poor, sweet mother who had such high hopes for you! Oh, the crippling defeat…Well, maybe not to that ex-treme, but certainly something. Per-haps you’ve failed your second-cousin twice removed, the weird one ynever really knew whether they were born or hatched. And then, it happens. Suddenly, you’re writing. It’s like some sort of miracle, but it’s happening and you’re not about to miss out on the opportu-nity to biography the chronicles of Jim-Jim, the boy who was hatched. It may not be Chaucer, but it’s something, and eventually, as you follow those words down the page to the answer you’ve been begging for, you find a singular nugget of gold that makes it all worth-while. Maybe it’s a word, a phrase, or a ghost of a character. Whatever it may be, it is more precious to you in that moment than any ring forged in the fires of Mordor. Now it’s just a mat-ter of remembering not to get caught hunched over your notebook/laptop in a dark room, muttering to yourself and forgetting to shower. Ah, the joys of being a writer.

Courtesy of John Buckingham

10 The Crusader FEATURES April 4, 2014

Astrologer Weely: Aries

Hannah ShawFeatures Co-Editor

An Aries, for all birthdays be-tween March 21st and April 20th, is the first sign of the astrological cal-endar. Where Pisces are the aged-old souls, Aries, being the first on the calendar, are more like the infants. Don’t for a second think that’s a bad thing though. An Aries can be impatient and even childish at times, but they are also filled to the brim with energy, always look-ing for adventure, and making new friends at every turn. More com-monly, Aries is also usually known as “The Ram.” The Ram is not the most obvious of symbols, but a ram is a statement, with it’s lovely arcing horns. The Ram is bold. Ar-ies, of all signs, is definitely bold. Aries falls into The House of Self, the first house. This house is fixat-ed on simply “the self,” personality, ego, whatever you want to call it. While immediately, it might make you think this reflects poorly of the self-indulgent Aries, (and Aries can be self-indulgent, self-centered, inconsiderate) The House of the Self also has a very positive side to it as well. Focused on the self, Aries can walk with confidence, knowing who he is to his fullest extent, and embracing his personality. An Aries might have regrets, but that’s okay,

because he knows himself well enough to grapple with these is-sues. With that said, no one is ever just born “knowing themselves,” so an Aries is super prone to iden-tity issues until he figures it out. Because “the self ” is so central to Aries, an identity crisis might take awhile to sort out. When it comes to friendship, an Aries is a great friend to have. Aries may not be the most “dependable” of pals, known for his extreme spontaneity and all, but you most definitely will have a story to tell after spending a few hours with him. Aries tend to be over-sharers in conversation, which may or may not be a good thing. If you’ll lis-ten, an Aries could easily tell you his whole life story (a good thing) but the other side to that is that Ar-ies will also say whatever is on his mind (not always a good thing). An Aries will be one to lead an adven-ture – the first to suggest trying a new restaurant or plan a last minute trip. Aries charisma is infectious. If he invited you on a trip to Japan tomorrow, you might think twice about taking it. An Aries is a fire sign, so Ar-ies carries a few of the traits that you’ll see within all fire signs (Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius). First, Aries is an extrovert. She is super sociable and loves meeting new people

all the time. Aries is less likely to have two or three close friends and more likely to have about thirty or so good pals at their fingertips. Sec-ond, just as all fire signs, Aries is a natural leader. I know that Leo is “king” of the zodiac signs but Ari-es is like his third cousin. Aries isn’t king, but more like “rebel leader.” Aries is aggressive and kind of a hot-head, get her angry and she’ll come after you with an angry mob. This same aggression though, can be a good thing. It just shows Aries is passionate. The kind of careers that best suit an Aries personality tend to stray far, far away from the 9 to 5 desk jobs. The excitable Aries will die of boredom under a monoto-nous job. Aries thrive in fields such as Medicine, getting their thrill-fix as a surgeon or an ER doctor. Ar-ies also work well in Law Enforce-ment, running around as cops or even firemen. Aries Strengths: Confident, Open, Spontaneous, Passionate, DrivenAries Weaknesses: Easily-Bored, Vain, Self-Centered, Inconsistent, SelfishFamous Aries: Emma Watson, James Patterson, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Lady GagaCompatibilities: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Natalie A. CorreaCampus Fashionista

Can you believe it? We have only one more month until the end of the school year. But as we wait for summer break to commence, we all have to deal with the teasing season of spring. Along with this mockery comes gloomy, yet beautiful rain fall. As they say, “April showers bring May flowers.” Although these irreg-ular drizzles can have an impact on our moods, it is important that we stay united under the cornerstone of fashion.

How to Rainy Day Chic:1. Rain BootsIt is absolutely necessary to have a pair of these rubber waders, for it is the accessory that will make the biggest statement. You should either have a pair in black or classic red, or have a pair that goes along with your personality. I recommend Hunter rain boots because they are definitive, reliable, and fashion-forward. But for those of us on a strict budget, I would also recommend checking out Charlotte Russe or Claire’s for some fun-printed, unique, and fabulous de-signs.2. Trench CoatIf you think about it, you can save money from buying a trench coat instead of purchasing an additional

rain coat. As Tom Ford says, “Dress-ing well is a form of good manners.” While one could wear a rain coat, es-pecially on a college campus, it is bet-ter to own a trench coat because it is appropriate to wear for any occasion and allows one to look modish.3. UmbrellaUmbrellas give individuals a chance to add some flare into their outfit. For some cute umbrella patterns, I suggest that you explore the Totes website and explore your options. But nonetheless, the classic black umbrella should always remain a pos-sibility.4. HairIf you’re like me, whose hair always frizzes in the rain, it is helpful to put your hair in a high bun. This avoids your hair from transforming from a brushed, clean masterpiece of lus-ciousness into a tangled, wet mess.5. Nylon BagDon’t you just hate it when cotton bags get soaked with water in the rain?! This is why it is best to have a nylon bag, so that the water that gets onto the bag is easy to wipe off. A popular bag brand is Longchamp, which sells expandable, reasonably priced nylon bags. By following these five steps, you’ll become the most fashionable Cru-sader on campus. Enjoy your chic rainy days!

Rainy Day Chic

A Must-Watch TV Show: True DetectiveStef Schefter

Features Co-Editor

For the past two weeks I have been completely enthralled in HBO’s new drama True Detec-tive. I was a little late to the game, I guess, because as I was settling in to watch the premiere, I saw countless tweets and news arti-cles about the finale. Either way, the show was so good that I’ve al-ready seen the entire first season. The show is centered on two detectives in southern Louisi-ana, Rust Cohle (Matthew Mc-Conaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson) and their 17-year-long search for a strange and terrifying serial killer. They first come across one of the killer’s victims, a woman who had been murdered in a myste-rious way that hints at the Sa-tanic. Their manhunt takes them through the bayous of Louisiana, a part of the country that has al-ways held America’s fascination. The show plays off many of the most common misconceptions

about the Deep South—that it is rundown, past its prime, desolate, and full of hillbilly-esque uncivi-lized poor people. Nevertheless, it’s a captivating look into what southern Louisiana ‘could’ theo-retically have been like during the

late 1990s and early 2000s. The detective pair find themselves in all sorts of strange places: abandoned churches, old, decay-ing homes, warehouse raves, and dark, swampy marshlands. The

general atmosphere of the show is eerie and chilling, and some-what reminiscent of HBO’s other hit drama, True Blood, which also takes place amongst the swamps of Louisiana. As True Detective is an HBO

show, you can have high expecta-tions. The acting is top-notch—McConaughey is out of his usual rom-com element here, and his performance is incredible to watch. Never before have I seen

the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days actor in such a serious role. It truly showcases his talent. For his part as detective Rust Cohle, McConaughey lost around forty pounds and grew out his hair, making him look totally creepy and nothing like the hunky ac-tor we’re all used to. Harrelson is great as tough-guy macho cop Marty Hart, his lips permanently pursed in a “don’t mess with me” face. The two work well together, and their give-and-take banter make them convincing. As for the subject matter of True Detective—a fair warning: it’s very bizarre. I don’t want to give anything away, but let it be said that you will probably see some things you wish you hadn’t. The show also often ventures into the cerebral and philosophi-cal, which is thought provoking and interesting but can also get a little confusing. It’s a creepy show for certain, and sometimes I re-gretted watching episodes alone at night. However, True Detec-tive doesn’t get by on “cheap”

scares—the show is well thought-out and brilliantly crafted by someone who has an eye for what truly makes peoples’ skin crawl. The one thing that bugs me about True Detective, however, is its lack of dynamic female charac-ters. The show is run by males—Rust and Marty the detectives, the rest of the male police squad, male witnesses and male suspects. The female characters are carica-tures of themselves—the scorned wife, the busty waitress, the re-bellious emo teenager, the drug-dealing prostitute. I’ve found the more often than not, the women in this show are either naked or dead, and they hardly ever have anything interesting to say or of-fer. While this is a bummer, it’s not a deal breaker, and obviously did not turn me off from watch-ing the show. All in all, True Detective is a must-see; as long as you’re willing to go to the dark and unnerving places that the show is inevitably going to take you.

@GossipSquirrlMarch 25, 2013

“‘What is slower: glaciers, tectonic plates, or a sloth on a turtle? Trick question: The answer is HCNetReg’ Okay HCNetReg I’m sorry...you can come back now”

Follow Gossip Squirrel at www.twitter.com/gossipsquirrl

The Crusader FEATURES April 4, 2014 11

Shak is BackKarina CamargoPop-Culture Specialist

Her hips don’t lie, she has recently been named the most followed Facebooker worldwide, and she’s not going anywhere. Shakira has always been my girl. She’s one of the few celebrities that are known worldwide by their first name, like Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Britney. When this happens, there’s no denying your stardom. I was excited to hear that she and Usher returned to serve as coaches on this sixth season of NBC’s ‘The Voice” after taking a year hiatus. Everyone could use a little Shakira to brighten up his or her week. I find her so inspira-tional. She’s an extremely classy woman who also knows how to play up her sexiness and fierce-ness, and that’s what makes her so flawless. While watching her on the show, viewers also can get a taste of her musical intellect, and it’s clear that she’s a genius when it comes to singing and performing. This talent shines

through her newly released self-titled album, Shakira. The moment it came out this past Tuesday, I was ready at mid-night to buy it off of iTunes. I have not stopped listening to it since. She’s got a new vibe go-ing this time, and it’s killer. I’m in love with all of the songs, but the list of my favorite top three are: “Dare (La La La),” “Broken Re-cord,” and “Medicine” featuring her fellow “Voice” coach, Blake Shelton. I can’t forget to mention the famous “Can’t Remember to Forget You” (no pun intended) duet with the aforementioned Rihanna, and the Spanish version of that track as well. Then there’s “Empire,” which was her second single from this album and whose music video just came out the same morning of her album release. It’s a fancy video of her frolicking in fields wearing a fine white wedding dress, and includes contrast-ing cuts of her bringing out her rocker chic side in a black low cut V-neck dress that she flaunts to perfection.

The reason why I love those three songs the most is because ‘Dare (La La La)’ is a fun, upbeat, Latin dance song that truly dares the listener to get up and get out on the dance floor. I also love how she throws in subtle refer-ences to her partner, profession-al Spanish soccer player, Gerard Pique’s “blue Spanish eyes,” for example and later on in the al-bum, she includes another loved one in her song ‘23’, which ends with the sweet gentle cooing of her one year old baby boy, Milan. Precious. ‘Broken Record’ is a soft, genuine, inspiring song, and ‘Medicine’ is the perfect pairing of a well-known Latina lyricist with an incredible Country king. Latin music mixed with Country crescendo is a dream come true, and they made it happen! The rhythm and the poeticism of the song are unparalleled. Obviously, I am a huge fan of the album and I just think Shakira deserves some major props for her hard work.

Katie DeGennaroStaff Fashion Consultant

On June 29th, 2007 Apple, un-der the leadership of mega-brain Steve Jobs, released the iPhone 1st Generation to twenty-two coun-tries. Since then, Apple has unveiled seven different generations of iPhone models: the 1G iPhone, 3G iPhone, 3GS iPhone, 4 iPhone, 4S iPhone, 5 iPhone, 5C iPhone, and the 5S iPhone. With each iPhone comes a new case. As years pass and trends come and go, case options endlessly seem to grow. With the population continuing to consume Apple’s fruitful products, brand-name designers and product devel-opers everywhere are competing for the trend conscious consumer’s credit card. So which case did you choose…? If you have an OtterBox…you are an adventurous animal. You are constantly active and need the reli-ability of a working phone. You play hard and party hard and sometimes you’re clumsy. So, like a baby in a car seat, you protect your iPhone, and proudly wave your gigantic Game-boy-like cellular device in the air for all to see! If you have a designer label case…you are a materialistic fashionista!

You recently traded in your color-faded Lilly Pulitzer iPhone 4S case for a Marc Jacobs printed iPhone 5S case. You change your case to match your mood. Monograms for Mondays, Tory Burch for Tuesdays, and Kate Spade when you’re feeling cute. You want everyone to know that you’re trendy because you’re worried your Longchamp tote bag just isn’t enough! If you don’t have a case…you are a rebel. You walk around like you don’t give a crap and you are cer-tainly not worried if your iPhone breaks. You’ve cracked four screens to date and with each replacement you assure your dad you are us-ing protection. But you’re not. You don’t need it. You are invincible, un-breakable, the bomb.com. You may think a case is just a case. You may think my study of caseol-ogy is crazy. But if it is, then why are iPhone cases the number one searched item on Amazon? (I may have made that detail up, but I think it’s totally true) So next time you are looking for a case, think about how you want the world to categorize you… Warmly,Your Fashion Fairy Godmother

What Your iPhone Case Says

About You

Alannah HeffernanFeatures Alum

Dear Alannah, What are your five tips for Holy Cross success? Sincerely,Your fans Dear Fans,

1) Do something crazy, do some-thing crazy… freshman freshman first year first year. So for all my freshman first year students out there, this is the time to apply! Whether you dreamed of being an OL or in PKS, it’s your time!2) Throw a party. While I am not saying have a rager (but if you are I expect an invite), be social. The spring is the time to enjoy the warming air. Invite your friends over to watch scandal with lobby shop candy and enjoy these last few calm weeks before finals.3) Make your life into a movie…or just go see one in Seelos…FOR FREE! I wish I took advantage

of going to see movies more. You and members of the Worcester community, many of whom re-mind me of my grandparents, can see award-winning films for free! I am definitely going to miss this next year!4) Find all the free food you can! It’s that time of year when dining dollars become scarce and every-one is on their own. In order to prevent from overdrawing your bank account because you are in desperate need of a cup of deli-cious Cool Beans coffee, make sure you find the free food! Go to club meetings and events you would never go to for the food! Trust me! You might even enjoy going while nomming on some grub.5) Put down the phone and take out the ear-buds. Enjoy the sights and sounds of H.C. –especially the constant leaf blowing that is about to start! Ask Anytime, -A

Ask Alannah

The Summer Job Hunt Maggie Walsh

Chief Features Editor

Your parents have been ha-rassing you for at least a month now and by second semes-ter, your bank account is beg-ging for reprieve. It’s time to start the summer job hunt and while some have secured cov-eted internships for the next three months, many of us are still searching for the perfect summer job in which we do as little work as possible for maximum pay. Finding a job of this nature requires months of searching and submitting up-wards of twenty applications in the hopes that you might trick someone into hiring you. If you haven’t had your ten-year plan mapped out from age 12, this hunt might require some soul searching. You’re going to have to take a job that you think you are overqualified for, you’re go-ing to be someone’s slave in the workplace, and you just might hate it, but you will gain valu-able work experience, pivotal spending money for next year, and you might learn something. Though summer feels un-fathomably distant when our weeks are still plagued by unan-ticipated snow flurries, it’s time to hit the pavement – or the Google search bar – for a sum-mer job. The best way to avoid

certain misery for the best sea-son of the year is to know your qualifications. If you don’t love children, you probably shouldn’t be applying to be an eight-week live-in nanny for a family with three small children, no matter what the salary is. If you cringe at the thought of hyperactive six-year-olds, resist the urge to apply to the day camp that your best friend has worked at for years. If you wouldn’t like it now, you’re not going to like it when you have been doing it for 90 days straight. If you don’t have the patience or knack for customer service, avoid being a waiter or waitress. The tips are great but the hours are long and the customers are pushy. If you can’t handle the heat, you won’t want to be sitting in the hot sun for nine hours a day as a lifeguard. If you’re looking for a killer tan; however, this might be the spot for you. Who doesn’t love sit-ting at the beach all day? But keep in mind what you’re there for…you should be prepared to save someone on the rare occasions that something goes wrong. Rejection is an unfortunate reality in life and in the com-ing months, you will probably be hearing a lot of “no”s. In many cases, you won’t even hear back at all but don’t let this dis-courage you. You learn some-thing from every interview you have and ever cover letter you write so send out as many ap-plications as possible and up the odds of you being accepted for the summer job of your dreems. If you are lucky enough that your parents are willing to fi-nancially support you for the summer, seize the opportunity

to do something similarly pro-ductive to working. Take some summer classes or join Holy Cross’ Summer Business Pro-gram to gain qualifications and resume build in a slightly alter-native way. Your productivity doesn’t have to end on the last day of classes. Take a service trip, volunteer in your commu-nity, or start your own charity. Travel, keep a blog, write col-umns, get yourself out into the world and document everything that you are doing. These ex-periences could be as valuable, if not more, as the networking that your friends are doing. So you didn’t get the Gold-man Sachs internship or you won’t be able to spend all sum-mer hanging poolside with your friends, don’t panic. Spring has only just sprung and there are plenty of job opportunities to be seized. Don’t make yourself miserable by selecting a job you aren’t suited for but lower your expectations; this isn’t “The Devil Wears Prada” and you probably aren’t going to be Lau-ren Conrad living in L.A. and interning at Teen Vogue. Hit the web and search for local day camps because you will often have to go through their web-sites directly. Walk around your town center looking for “Now Hiring” signs. Ask friends and friends of friends if they know of any openings in your area for the summer. Network now and chances are, someone will hire you. This may not be the summer you take New York City with your closest friends but pick yourself up, dust your-self off and keep looking. In-ternships are still available and jobs positions are waiting to be filled. Happy job hunting!

Overheard On The Hill...Girl 1: I heard that the spring concert is going to be Miley Cyrus.

Girl 2: Wait, I read that it’s going to be Creed.

12 The Crusader FEATURES April 4, 2014

The EggplantThe Crusader’s Satirical Page

Hot Bob

The Men’s Hockey Team’s season came to an end a week ago after losing 4-1 to the number 1 Mer-cyhurst Lakers in the AHA quar-terfinals game. Despite a strong season, head coach Paul Pearl was livid in his post-game interview in which he blamed the loss on his players for “going out” every night since mid-December, claiming that he had concrete proof thanks to a particularly popular iPhone app that has changed the Holy Cross social scene forever. WiGo: Who’s is Going Out is the

brainchild of sophomore defense-man Ben Kaplan and the much-de-served winner of the 2013 Pre-busi-ness Shark Tank Competition. After months of development, WiGo was launched on the iTunes App Store in mid-December. Despite a respectable 10-13-1 record since the debut of WiGO: Who’s Going Out?, the head coach insisted that his players had blatant-ly disregarded the team’s 48 hour rule that forbids all members from drinking 48 hours before a game and claimed the app was all the evi-dence he needed. When asked about the accuracy of

Coach Pearl’s assertion, one player claimed, “We all say we’re going out but that’s only to see if people are using the app. Obviously we don’t go out every night. We have a lot of homework and practice everyday, but our friend made this app and we want to support him.” CEO and Founder Ben Kaplan responded to his teammate’s claim saying, “He’s lying...we all go out every night and you should too! Download WiGo and I’ll shoulder tap you because I totally know you and I want to go out!” The men’s hockey team pushed blame even further away from

WiGo: Who’s Going Out and pointed towards their various ankle injuries in practices leading up to the game. The ice was apparently very jagged due to poor Zamboni driving by a gentleman who prefers to go by the mononym “T-Mac.” When asked for comment on the situation at hand T-Mac said, “So what, yeah maybe I’ve had a g-and -t during work before. So what I slam ales. I fixed the ice, man, this isn’t my fault. I got all these accusations flying in my face all the time and I didn’t do any of it! Ask Mell, he saw me.” Mell declined to comment. Several open ice skaters, however,

did comment that the ice was “as jagged as The Agro Cragg,” and that the ice was far from suitable for skating. T Mac coincidentally was “Going Out” on WiGo: Who’s Going Out every night leading up to the big game. This has led to many other questions about the app, such as, “Does it count as going out if I’m going to church?” and “Why isn’t the message system working because not a single girl who I have shoulder tapped has responded to my messages?” However much like the hockey teams loss there are no definitive answers.

Men’s Hockey Team on Thin Ice (lol) Due to Hip New App WiGO

Brendan HigginsCute /Confused Editor

Alright, we need to talk about whatever happened last week. “Hi all! This is just another email reminding you that next week’s issue is the Eggplant April Fool’s day issue,” read my com-puter screen four days ago. I do not think I have ever been more confused about anything in my life. Eggplant Issue? I was told when I signed my contract and various endorsement deals that every issue of this newspaper was the Eggplant issue. What is go-ing on here? I feel like I’ve been duped altogether. Alright I should probably ex-plain my situation from the be-ginning. I was told when I took on the editor position that the newspaper was just called the “The Eggplant” and that I was going to be the star and editor. “Just write an article a week and edit two other loser’s articles and you’ll by golden,” they told me. They even offered to hand deliv-er me a newspaper every week to do this editing. That probably ex-plains why people gave me weird looks when I folded every news-paper in Hogan to the Eggplant section, only because I thought it was the front page to begin with. This also explains why there

was always a “12” in the top cor-ner of The Eggplant and why it was in black and white. And now here I am sitting here Monday night looking over every article in the newspaper to see if they’re “funny enough to make the cut.” Man this sucks. Besides, look at some of those articles. Pretty much every opin-ions article I’ve read was hysteri-cal. I mean seriously, who actually feels strongly enough about the weather or blogging to write a five to eight hundred word article about it? I do not think anyone will blame me for chuckling about reading the sports section week after week thinking it was satiri-cal given our school’s success in athletics (with the notable excep-tion being on the diving boards where we have some of the best and best looking athletes in the school). And I’d say three quarters of the news articles can be passed off as satirical, especially any arti-cles about the school actively try-ing to better itself (I really got a kick out of the article on Kimball Renovations being done the year after I would stop eating there). And I still don’t believe that the Public Safety Blotter is not 100% satirical because those are always good for a chuckle or two, I mean how many times can kids on the

Mulledy Third Floor knock their screens out, and how many times are the RAs in Loyola going to report a “Suspicious Looking Person?” That person happens to just live in Loyola and his name is Pete Carlino, and yes he is sus-picious looking. Good luck with him for the rest of the year. Man this is weak. No wonder everyone was confused when I showed them the article on how Worcester was the ninth snowiest city in America saying, “Imagine if that was actually true?!?” Be-cause it WAS actually true. Man I am really gonna have to send out a bunch of apology letters after all this. Worst of all I still have to read through the whole newspaper and actually edit it to make sure it’s funny this week. I’m not that funny to begin with, just look at my twitter account: @Higgie_Smalls for the ladies wondering. If you follow that for a week you are gonna see it’s ninety percent cringe worthy puns and ten per-cent talking about the accom-plishments of my younger sib-lings as I vicariously live through there successes (go Georgetown Lacrosse!). Well I better wrap this up, I still have to read three ar-ticles about the snow and decide which one is the least bad.

Editor Speaks Out On “April Fools Day”

IssueConfusion Over Why the Entire News-

paper is Not Considered Satirical

Arthur Guinness Creator of the Greatest Beer on Earth

One resident of 125 College is tak-ing the next step to ensure that we all have a good time. “Nico” Fasano, ‘14, has been the latest Holy Cross student to lay victim to the most rampant epidemic/fad the school has seen since the “Granola Plague” of the 1960’s: becoming gluten-free. More and more students are being forced into this unfortunate lifestyle, but a lot are embracing the disease. “I love being gluten-free,” said se-nior Christin DiScipio, who isn’t actually a celiac. “It was a choice I made a while ago and my body and overall lifestyle feels refreshed and cleansed.” Some other students have no choice in the matter. Mary B, a fellow senior who chose to omit her last name because of trademark is-sues, said, “It is something that fol-lows me every day. I am just a glu-ten-free girl living in a gluten filled world. Every meal is a challenge, but I make it work. I make salads and quinoa and salads…” For a lot of these people, it is hard to keep up in the social realm. Beer is loaded with gluten and alternatives are few and far between. Fortunately for this select group of nutritional savants, Fasano has found the an-swer. Every weekend until the end of the semester, he will only get kegs at his house of wine, Red Bridge, and Red’s Apple Cider. At his inaugural tapping this past weekend, legitimate and illegitimate celiacs alike came to-gether for some anti-beer fun. The response? Astronomical. Over 500 students and faculty showed up to the door of 125 and drank their lit-tle faces off without the unfortunate side-effects. Although this is seen as a major

breakthrough, the transition for some of Fasano’s housemates has not been easy. Zach Lanning, one of Fasano’s closest friends and roommate, is not a fan. “When people come up to my shrine, my temple if you will, I expect people to drink beer. Beer is the true nec-tar of the gods. And I get it, these people have it rough. I’m glad I’m not like them, but let’s be real. 125 College has a reputation to live up to. Do you see the Natty Light cases I have plastered to these walls? This is Mecca for beer drinkers. I have rugby parties here all the time and this gluten-free lifestyle is cramping my style.” Fasano refuses to back down. “The gluten-free population at this campus needs a voice, and I want to be that voice. I am a man of the people and I will do everything in my power to give our kind a safe, comfortable place to party.” In an odd turn of events, the col-lege has completely endorsed the move made by Fasano. In a state-ment released by the Board and Committee Dedicated to the Con-trol and Limited Consumption of Adult Beverages With Gluten, fund-ing may be provided to Fasano for his efforts. They claim that they have gotten so many complaints from the gluten-free crowd through Food Services that they are open to any options, no matter how radical they seem. “We support Mr. Nico fully in his efforts to integrate the glu-ten-free crowd into, well, everything. They are so far removed from the social scene that we feel our invest-ment will yield full returns.” Wheth-er this epidemic/fad is here to stay or not, us normal people are glad that we are not them. Let us raise a pint of Guinness in celebration.

125 College: Catering to All Walks

of Life

The Crusader SPORTS April 4, 2014 13

Sports Emily Iannaconi

Sports Co-Editor

In our team meeting last Thurs-day, before the meet Coach Al-fonso told the team the weather predictions for Saturday: about 50 degrees and rain. She told us however, not to worry about the weather because the oth-er twelve teams would be fac-ing the same condition. She said that “We will all be under the same sky.” We then came to-gether for the team cheer and walked away confidently, heads high, knowing that no amount of rain could diminish our spirits. Turns out Saturday, March 29th had no less than 100% of rain scheduled for the entire day, ac-cording to the updated version of the iPhone. And credit to Ap-ple technology, our phones were one hundred percent correct. It rained. It rained and rained. The whole team squeezed next to one another underneath a purple tent that could not fit us all. Parents came to support and ended up waiting it out in their cars. Clothes were stored away safely in water repellant garbage bags and every article of clothing that athletes brought was used. Socks were soaked and fingers went numb. The Holy Cross women’s Cru-saders did not let the circum-stances affect their performances however. The Crusaders won the

13 team meet at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Con-

necticut with a staggering 248.50 points. The second place team was the Coast Guard Academy, earn-ing 74 points. In all, the Crusad-ers had seven first place finishes.

Senior Stephanie Okpoebo won both the 100 meter dash and

the 200 meter dash, with times of 12.50 and 26.20 respectively. Sophomore Caroline Carley won the 1500 meter run in an impres-sive 4:36.24. Junior Emilia Sain-

ato won the 100 meter hurdles in 15.62 seconds. Senior Mariel

Flood ran 1:08.35 in the 400 meter hur-dles, also earning first place. The girls 4 by 100 meter relay team of Okpoebo, Brianna Tabin, Kathryn Bo-binski, and Macken-zie Arndt also earned first place with a time of 47.63. Final-ly, junior Michelle McGahan won pole vault in 3.50 meters. Keep in mind that, for the field events, the grass is complete-ly soaked through; it is like quicksand. And the track is a sponge. There is no bounce to help you move forward and there are strong winds working against you. Yet, again, despite these challenges, the Crusaders also had six second place fin-ishers. Junior Brianna Tabin came in second in the 100 meter dash with a time of 12.51.

Freshman Jennifer Kimball ran the 400 meter hurdles in 1:09.13 and Mariel Flood jumped 5.02 meters in the long jump. Freshman Alexa Eldracher jumped 10.83 meters in

the triple jump. Sophomore Eliz-abeth Provost threw 12.18 meters in the shot put and also earned second place in the discus throw with a throw of 34.52 meters. There were also other nota-ble performances that cannot be overlooked. Junior Payton Shu-brick ran the 400 meter dash with a time of 1:01.49. Senior Lauren Bellerose ran a 2:24.74 in the 800. Junior Abby Mitchell ran a 4:42.04 in the 1500 meter run and fresh-man Mary Welsh ran 18:32.30 in the 5000. Junior Mackenzie Arndt ran 16.09 in the 100 meter hur-dles. Sophomore Melissa LaCoste jumped 1.57 meters in the high jump, Eldracher jumped 5.01 me-ters in the long jump, and Junior Marissa Romano jumped 10.68 meters in the triple jump. Senior Christy Manning threw 42.78 meters in javelin. All of these girls earned third place finishes. Throughout the meet, despite all of the rain, members of the women’s team stood outside in jackets and hoods, cheering for their teammates both on the field and on the track. The weather did not stop us and the team is very excited about the strong start to the season. Select athletes trav-elled down to William and Mary yesterday for the Colonial Relays, looking to use the win at the Coast Guard Academy as motivation for more strong performances.

Holy Cross Women’s Track and Field Starts the Season Strong

Senior Mariel Flood got first place in the 400 meter hurdles and second in long jump.

John Morton Chief Sports Editor

After coming back from the Weekend Workshop on Leader-ship, I got back to Holy Cross, dropped my bag off in Loyola, and ran back up to Hogan to get a taxi. Why did I do all of that running around? The first reason was that my dad was in Worcester and I have not seen him since January since I went on a Spring Break Immersion this year. The second was that Holy Cross was hosting the Northeast Regional for the college hockey tournament this past weekend. For those who only focus on March Madness basketball, as I am sure many of you do, the hockey tournament starts in the round of the Sweet 16. There are four regionals across the coun-try and the four winners from each regional converge at the Frozen Four. This year the tour-nament is going to take place in Philadelphia. In fact, next year’s tournament will be held in Bos-ton for the first time since 2004. The reason why my dad was in Worcester is because he is a huge Boston College hockey fan. Yes, I am at Holy Cross and I certain-ly was proud that Holy Cross has been one of only two schools to defeat BC in hockey since Thanksgiving (the other being

another Catholic school in No-tre Dame). However, the reason I am so interested in hockey now is because of my dad bringing me every Friday and Saturday night

to watch Boston College take on its opponents in Hockey East. When I was younger, I was defi-nitely a BC Superfan and, although my fan support for BC dissipated once I got to Holy Cross, there still is that attachment to support-ing the school near my hometown. When I attended the BC- HC

hockey game the day after Thanks-giving, I marveled at how my dad went from supporting Holy Cross in one minute, but then rooting for Boston College to make a

comeback the next. I think Holy Cross’ 5-4 victory was bittersweet for my dad, but it was definitely one of the best games I have wit-nessed as a Holy Cross hockey fan. Going back to this past week-end, Boston College played Den-ver in the first round. Before I even got there, BC had scored

three goals to take a 3-0 lead. As I watched the rest of the game, I could tell the BC team I watched back in November was not the same team now. The line of

Johnny Gaudreau, Bill Arnold, and Kevin Hayes was virtually impossible to stop. If you know of Johnny Manziel from Texas A & M, look at how well Gaudreau has performed this year. Not many people call him Johnny Hockey, but he will probably win the Hobey Baker award for best

college hockey player and may earn that nickname this year. BC ended up defeating Denver 6-2. The next game featured UMa-ss-Lowell against Minnesota St. Mankato. While I was rooting for Lowell since they are from Massachusetts, I found myself pulling for Minnesota in some instances since their captain is actually from my hometown of Quincy, Massachusetts. My dad and I did not stay for this whole game, but it was a hard-fought game and UMass-Lowell emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. The next day featured one of the best games of the col-lege hockey season as BC bat-tled Lowell for the right to head to Philadelphia. In a back and forth contest, BC edged Lowell 4-3 with goals from its freshmen to help propel them to victory. Watching these games at the DCU made me wish Holy Cross could have been there. I think fans would turn out to support the Saders when they win Atlan-tic Hockey again and compete in the national tournament. Until then, there are three more college hockey games left this year. Bos-ton College plays Union (NY) and Minnesota plays North Dakota. The winners will face off for the National Championship game.

Holy Cross Hosts Regional at the DCU Center

Bostonians can tell where the 2015 Frozen Four will be.

14 The Crusader SPORTS April 4, 2014

Patrick KerrStaff Writer

On Pi[e] day of March 14th, 2012, DeSean Jackson just had a lot more cake to eat— he inked a five year deal with the Philadel-phia Eagles for a cool $51 million dollars. Jackson shined in the 2013 season as the quintessential deep-threat in a score-happy Chip Kelly offense, logging a career high 1,332 receiving yards with a career-tying 9 receiving touchdowns. On pa-per and on the field, Jackson not only seemed, but was an integral part of the dynamic offense that generated the NFL’s second most productive offense (second to Denver). However, after the early Wild Card playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles’ offen-sive juggernaut begun to unravel. Less than 48 hours after the Eagles’ defeat, Jackson issued a demand for a new contrast say-ing, “I definitely think it’s some-thing deserving.” Despite having signed his current contract less than 22 months earlier, Jackson’s plea for a new deal after a tough playoff loss, and less than note-worthy individual game (3 catch-es, 53 yards) undoubtedly stirred the ire of the Eagles’ front office. Amidst months of trade rumors, the Eagles released Jackson, at the prime of his career, citing work ethic problems. However, less than an hour before the Birds released Jackson, an article penned by El-iot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com wrote that LAPD had talked to Jackson concerning two separate murders in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Furthermore, it had been widely speculated that Jackson has certain gang affiliations thanks to his pub-lic Instagram account that captures Jackson and his certain “gang” in-dividuals (although DeSean vehe-mently denies any gang affiliations). What was the true nature of Jackson’s release? It is hard to un-derstand the team parting with its most explosive offensive threat based on a few photos with sus-pect individuals. Was it a money issue? Jackson was still due $30.5 million from his deal, but the Ea-gles will only eat a $6.5 cap penalty by releasing the headache receiver. Or, was the move based off Jack-

son’s attitude? DeSean’s history of blowing up at players and coach-ing staff mid-game (Minnesota 2013) makes it easier to paint the

picture that Jackson wasn’t exact-ly the model teammate. Veteran Eagles quoted at a fundraiser the night before Jackson’s release all suggested that no player is above the team, or is irreplaceable in Kelly’s unique offensive scheme. Furthermore, Eagle’s center Jason Kelce tweeted, “We just made an extremely unpopular decision, but I couldn’t be more excited and hap-py with where this organization is going!!” which further strength-ens the case that Jackson did not mesh neatly in the locker room. From a purely objective review of Jackson’s contributions to the Ea-gles franchise it is extremely diffi-cult to warrant his release. Yet, Ea-gles dealt this way similarly in the past when releasing Terrell Owens after his own similarly ego-antics in

2005. The team once again demon-strated its power and intolerance for players that cause contract de-mand distractions by simply cutting

Jackson loose and not trading him to dump his problems on another team. Seemingly, Kelly is confident in his system to replace Jackson’s uncanny ability to stretch the op-ponent’s secondary. At the end of the day, a nagging Jackson had the potential to develop into a worst headache for the Eagles and Kel-ly. With a deep wide receiver draft coming up this spring, the Eagles can plug in fresh legs to fill in Jack-son’s void. Regardless, the Eagles’ message is clear— no one is above the team, and intangibles, such as being a good teammate and re-spectful of coaching personnel are the franchise’s standards. Some may beg to mention the Riley Coo-per racist tirade caught on video last summer breaks such newly im-posed standards. The difference is

that Cooper and Jackson handled their respective situations different-ly. Cooper was briefly suspended and made sincere apologies both

privately and publicly. Eventually Cooper’s teammates accepted them and moved on. In Jackson’s case, he dodged repeated calls from Coach Kelly this off-season indicating his unhappiness with his current con-tract. Nevertheless, judgements about his character off-the-field are muddled and to render judge-ment on them (from a bystand-er’s perspective) would be pre-mature and possibly undeserving. The stakes are high for the Ea-gles, they made a judgement call and released their offensive star in the prime of his career. Seeing number 10 streaking down the sidelines en route for a touchdown at the Linc in an opposing jersey will certainly sting Kelly and an-ger the Eagles passionate fanbase. However, the Eagles may lose

some offensive prowess but the real strength of the Eagles offen-sive is that they have a multitude of threats. Cooper, Maclin, Celek, Ertz, McCoy, and now, Sproles are the preliminary weapons that Kel-ly can spread out on the field in 2014. Plus, quarterback Nick Foles remains the reliable centerpiece of the Eagles’ offensive hopes and all signs point to his improvement at the helm of the offense. Perhaps, without Jackson the Eagles’ locker room will be wrapped a bit tighter, or the Eagles offensive numbers’ dip below the 2013 watermark. Regardless, the Seattle Seahawks proved that the best defense beats the best offensive on the game’s biggest stage this past February. Jackson’s six seasons at the Eagles are full of memories, like the Mir-acle at the Meadowlands II that all Eagles’ fans, and some New York

Giants fans, will never forget. Only time will tell if the Eagles made the correct call, until then look for the Eagles to solidify the defensive side of the ball in the draft to be able to contain players like Jackson from lighting up the scoreboard.

The Mysterious Case of DeSean Jackson

DeSean Jackson’s off the field issues may have led to his release from the Eagles.

Patriots fans know how hard it is to lose a talented player to poor off the field choices. Aaron Her-

nandez is a good example.

Th e Crusader SPORTS April 4, 2014 15

John Morton Chief Sports Editor

“Your grandfather is smiling right now.” My uncle texted me that as Koji Uehara was fi nishing off the Cardinals en route to their third World Series Championship in the past ten seasons. I watched as Uehara struck out Matt Carpenter and jumped into the waiting arms of David Ross to celebrate while Joe Buck yelled, “It has not hap-pened at Fenway Park in 95 years!” Elated, I immediately wished I could have been at Holy Cross to see the chaos that erupted around campus when the majority of New England students went nuts in cel-ebration. Where was I? I was in Washington D.C. I did have the opportunity to watch the game with some devoted Red Sox Na-tion fans while there. I guess that is true, but to witness history made in Boston would have been special. Reading this now, you are proba-bly questioning whether this is the guy who only writes about hockey and, occasionally, the Holy Cross Hunger Games? (Still happening by the way) You would be right. So why the change? The truth is, I am an avid Bruins and Patriots fan. I love the quick pace of play, the intensity, and the drama accom-panying every playoff game that means so much. With baseball, the slow pace always sapped my ener-gy in actually watching it. You had to really invest a long period of time to watch a full game and the added replay this year could make the game last even longer. Howev-er, maybe it was not even the slow pace, which led me away from sup-porting the Red Sox as passionate-ly as I did in 2004 and 2007. The Bobby Valentine debacle led me to have a profound disgust for the Sox as it seemed like the players did not even care anymore. But the 2013 Red Sox changed all that. However, I am getting ahead of myself. I played baseball up until high school. In fact, I played base-ball longer than basketball or even hockey. My dad always insisted that baseball was my best sport and if I spent more time with it than hock-ey, maybe I could have been better at it. Of course, I devoted more of my time to hockey and, at least hitting wise, my baseball play suf-fered. I am always proud of how I played defensively though. When I was little (and by little I mean both younger and much smaller, I am already small now and I am 21), I loved playing catcher. My mom was always afraid every time there was a home plate collision as I usually took the worst of the hit. I never got hurt though and I knew that it was simply a part of the game. After playing catcher for most of little league, I switched to second base and outfi eld when I got older and adapted to those positions rel-atively easily. I always admire Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pe-droia. He is not the biggest player, but he certainly plays with the most

heart. The fact that he played all of 2013 injured was a testament to how dedicated he is to what he does. While my baseball skills did not

develop as envisioned and I even-tually gave up playing, the love for baseball itself was always there. In large part, that was due to my grandfather. Whenever I went to visit him, he always greeted me by saying, “Hey John! How are you? How about those Sox?” Any con-versation we had usually entailed discussing the team’s progress, who they should trade for, or how expensive a trip to Fenway was get-ting. He never gave up hope when the 2004 team was down 3-0 in the ALCS against the dreaded Yankees. Three years later, we were able to celebrate again as the 2007 team swept the Rockies out of the World Series. I think when he passed away in 2010, my ardent passion for the Sox went missing for a few years. Then the 2013 Sox came in. When I initially saw the makeup of that team, I was thinking who the heck is Jonny Gomes? Why did they sign Shane Victorino to such a bad contract? Why are they taking a health risk on Mike Napoli? Why did they sign J.D. Drew’s little brother? However, from Day 1, that Red Sox team proved me wrong with how hard they played. As frustrating as it was to watch Stephen Drew struggle, Clay Buchholz to once again suf-fer an injury taking him out for months on end, and Will Middle-brooks to fl op at the beginning of the year, the team rallied togeth-er when a city needed them to. While I wish the Bruins could have pulled off an upset over the favored Blackhawks, the Bruins and Sox really came together to fi ght for their city in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bomb-ings. After the Boston Marathon, there was a different vibe around this year’s Sox. Suddenly, it did not become a bridge year anymore. The mantra Boston Strong united the team together and helped them heal a city that needed to hope again. I remember watching the Pa-

triots pull off a last second come-back against the Saints when Tom Brady hit Kenbrell Thompkins in the end zone. Hours later, David

Ortiz stepped up with the bases loaded against Joaquin Benoit and blasted a grand slam into the right fi eld bull pen. Torii Hunter toppled into the bull pen as cop Steve Hor-gan raised his arms in celebration. After stealing a game from AL CY Young Award winner Max Scherzer, the Red Sox had more con-fi dence facing Tigers ace Jus-tin Verlander. I believe my g r a n d f a t h e r was smiling, as my uncle said, when Octo-ber 30 rolled around as the Red Sox went on to win the World Series at Fenway Park for the fi rst time since 1918. In the span of one season, when I doubted them so often, they had proved me wrong and helped me be-lieve again. Now, it is 2014. The Sox do not look too much different than last year. Salty and Ells-bury are gone and have been replaced by A.J. Pierzynski and the reju-venated Grady Sizemore (The Red Sox were defi nitely chan-neling some

of Billy Beane’s magic from Mon-eyball with that signing). Oh and the Red Sox are starting some-one who is younger than I am at

short with Xander Bogaerts (be-sides some occasional remind-ers from friends who are still 20, that really makes me feel old). Instead of relying on fi ll-ins this year, the Yankees spent so much

money with getting Boston fan favorite Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltran, and a Japanese pitcher named Masahiro Tanaka. Will all of those signings pay off? While Ellsbury carries some inju-ry questions and you never know how well these signings from Japan will turn out, I am really looking forward to the Red Sox Yankees rivalry heating up again this season. On paper, the Sox clearly do not look like they have the best team in the American League. I think, on paper, that the Tigers, Rangers, and possibly even the Rays may be bet-ter. But, that is what was lost to me amidst my focus on the Bruins and Patriots. The Bruins prove time and again that it takes a team effort rather than a superstar to win. The Red Sox proved that through 162 games last year and well into Oc-tober. The 2013 Red Sox did not simply get me interested in baseball again. It gave me hope that things can defi nitely occur unexpectedly. I cannot wait to see what 2014 has in store for Red Sox Nation this year. And I cannot wait to witness the 2013 Red Sox get their rings on Opening Day. But, most of all, I cannot wait to hear the two words starting every game: Play Ball!

No offense to Big Papi, but to me the Sox could not function without Dustin Pedroia.

Looking Back and Moving Forward: Baseball, Boston, and Belief

16 The Crusader SPORTS April 4, 2014

Purple Pennings with Patrick Buscone Remember when Warren Buffet offered $1 billion to anyone who could pick a perfect bracket and suddenly everyone thought it would be them? Yeah, that was funny. In-stead of anyone winning the billion dollars, everyone just realized two things that we probably should have known from the beginning. One, Warren Buffet, one of the greatest investors in history, does not make bad bets; if he did he wouldn’t be worth around $60 billion. And two, THE NCAA TOURNAMENT IS THE MOST UNPREDICTABLE EVENT IN SPORTS (sorry, accidental-ly hit the caps lock there, but you get the point). Now, these two point go hand-in-hand be-cause inevitably, the second point is the reasoning to the first one. I realize that last sentence might not have made perfect sense, so I’m going to spell it out here. Es-sentially, because March Madness is so difficult to accurately predict, Warren Buffet felt willing to put up some of his money (wouldn’t it be nice to have $1 billion be classified as just “some” of your money), knowing that, in all likelihood, no one would have a perfect bracket.If you assume every team has an equal chance of winning—which is actually a fair assumption given the absurd upsets that happen ev-ery year—your odds of a perfect bracket are 9.2 quintillion to one (that is, 9.2^18 to one). To put that in perspective, you have a better chance of winning the lottery 860 million times! In other words, if you liked your odds of winning Warren Buffet’s billion, you would have much better odds of winning the lottery enough times to make a billion dollars and then some. Now, as ESPN points out, you can usually pick with better than 50% accuracy. With that in mind, their generous odds of a per-fect bracket are only 5.74 billion to one. With those odds, you are only more likely to win the lottery four times. So, why don’t we then?

Why are we so much more infatu-ated with winning $1 billion on a bracket than through the lottery?Sure, plenty of people still play the lottery and expect to win, but they don’t obsess over it as with March Madness. Is it the fact that $1 billion is such a larger sum of

money? Are we just that greedy? The answer is no. Although “greed is good” according to Gor-don Gecko, there is a more power-ful driving force between the race for the billion dollars (but I’d be lying if I said that one billion dol-lars is not incredibly appealing). The lottery is pure chance. You can’t watch the ping-pong balls all year long to make an educated guess as to which numbers will come out. With March Madness, however, we have some say in the matter. You can watch endless college basketball all season and

do hours of research on the 68 teams that make the tournament. There is a reason nearly everyone has Florida winning it all this sea-son. Everyone did their homework and realized that the Gators have not lost since Shabazz Napier hit a buzzer-beater in December (unfor-

tunately, hardly anyone predicted that the Gators would face Shabazz and his UCONN Huskies again in the Final Four). There is also a rea-son why no one picks the same lot-tery numbers, because no one has any idea what the numbers will be. Whether it be for a billion dollars, a hundred bucks in a league with friends, or just bragging rights, peo-ple love to have the chance to win by virtue of their own doing, not by luck, not by chance, but by being more informed and more insightful than all of your peers (okay, may-be there is a little luck involved).

Winning the lottery is cool. Win-ning your tournament league is both cool and impressive. The dis-tinction between the two comes in the actual work and judgment nec-essary to have a successful bracket. The chance to win, and to do so because of your own exper-

tise, is enticing. But there is a part of the March Madness experi-ence that is more appealing than the money, the chance to win, and the work that goes into it. Ask yourself this question: why are you reading this right now? I’m not so naïve that I believe every-one is reading because I am such a talented writer. It is because we love sports, plain and simple. We are addicts and can’t get enough of it. March Madness, more than any other sporting event, fulfills our al-most insatiable craving for sports. We love sports because they

are competitive, unpredictable, and often evoke a rooting in-terest in all of us. March Mad-ness has all of this in spades. You want competitive games? The first day of the tournament had four overtime games. You want un-predictability? Eight higher-seed-ed teams pulled off upsets in the first round while 11 seed Dayton made it to the Elite Eight and the Final Four has both seven seed UCONN and eight seed Kentucky. And as for a rooting interest, al-most everyone wants the teams they picked to win. Others, however, just want to see upsets. Either way, you get all the best parts of sport in March Madness. And did I mention that there are a total of 67 games which go on for over two weeks?March Madness is essentially the same as binge watching “House of Cards” or other TV shows on Netflix. Only it doesn’t really com-pare at all for the sole reason that March Madness is happening in real time and it is real. Although it may seem to be the case at times, there is no script and no intentional maneuvers to attract an audience. March Madness doesn’t need planned drama or cheap tricks to entice us. As it is, the whole prem-ise of the tournament reaches us on so many levels:, the desire and possibility to win—either pride or money — for us bracketologists, and above all, the love of the com-petition, unpredictability, and being a fan that we find in sports. With March Madness, those of us who fill out a bracket and every team who makes it both have the chance to win through hard-work and tal-ent. No one knows exactly what will happen, the only thing we do know is that we will be witnessing the greatest couple weeks in sports. Now, forget Warren Buffet’s of-fer, take away the money and ask yourself this question: would you still fill out a bracket and watch all of the games religiously? I, for one, know my answer to that question.

Did you predict Shabazz Napier (left) and the rest of the UConn Huskies to make the Final Four? That is what makes March Madness so enjoyable.

Men’s Lacrosse: 4/5- vs. Lafayette @ 1 PM

Men’s Baseball: 4/5- @ Navy @ 12 and 2:30 4/6- @ Navy @ 12 and 2:30

Women’s Lacrosse: 4/5- @ Bucknell @ 1

Women’s Softball: 4/6- @ UMass Lowell @ 1 and 3

Support the Crusaders in the Following Games!