Tag Archives: MSJ Students

Clubs & Activities, News

The Weightlifting Club is here to help you achieve your strength goals

What is weightlifting

At this point in our lives, many young men, like us, are striving to achieve their peak physical strength and appearance. While we know that we cannot achieve pure perfection, there is a club at MSJ that could help us reach these goals. The Weightlifting Club provides a way of exercising that helps build up physical and mental performance.

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Weight training is all about putting stress on the muscles to build strength, which can be beneficial in gaining muscle mass and reducing body fat. The Weightlifting Club provides that opportunity and encourages its members to go above and beyond to improve their physical form.

The Benefits of Weightlifting

Lifting weights provides many benefits, particularly to those who play sports. Mr. Matt Schmidt, the Weightlifting Club faculty advisor, points out, “The major adaptation that weightlifting provides is injury prevention.” Along with reducing the chances of injury, weightlifting can improve cardiovascular endurance, agility, and energy levels. So, the Weightlifting Club might interest you if you play sports like football, basketball, or hockey.

According to Mr. Schmidt, weightlifting provides several benefits besides improving muscular form and appearance. He describes how weightlifting supports various body systems, including the skeletal system, the immune system, the circulatory system, and the nervous system. Mr. Schmidt also describes how consistently working out and doing physical activities, like weightlifting, can help maintain your body throughout your life.

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While weightlifting helps your body physically, it can also help your body mentally. Studies show that weightlifting helps improve the mood of people suffering from depression and anxiety. In addition to helping with mental wellness, Mr. Schmidt claims that individuals who reach physical fitness milestones are often filled with a sense of accomplishment. Studies have concluded that weightlifting helps keep the mind mentally engaged and stimulated.

Why you should participate in the club

The Weightlifting Club at MSJ provides an experience you will not find by working out alone. The club offers weightlifting resources to students who either cannot afford it or find it too intimidating to participate in a social environment. But the most unique thing is the club provides a sense of community. While the community is described as loose, it is a community that encourages its members to go above and beyond and reach milestones they find intimidating in order to reach their full potential.

Aidan Bajadek is a Junior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.

News

Does material matter? A look into the revised MSJ dress code

We wanted to simplify the outerwear as much as we can.

Mr. Ryan Luckman, Dean of Students

As Mount St. Joseph eases into the 2021 academic year, confusion regarding the dress code has already taken place. The new rulings impact in-classroom coverings, specifically 1/4 zips. In an act to end the confusion, Mr. Luckman sent a faculty-wide email regarding the new enforced 1/4 zip mandate. According to the email, “Only gray and black 1/4 zips with the school seal on them [or MSJ], bought from the school store, may be worn during class, all other outer coverings are coats and should be removed during the class period.” As most students are aware, the hunt for illegal outerwear has been ongoing since the second week of school. But what does this new ruling precisely encapsulate? I interviewed Mr. Luckman, our Dean of Students, to clarify the attempt to end covering chaos.

A senior wearing an “illegal” blue Under Armor 1/4 zip.

Early this year, and years in the past, students have been wearing 1/4 zip coverings from companies like Under Armor, Patagonia, and Columbia and have been asked to remove them during class. Senior Jonah Matthews was told that he cannot wear a blue Under Armor 1/4 zip, see above. Students like Jonah are thrown into a spiral of questions on why their covering is not allowed. What makes that covering any different from the school-store 1/4 zip coverings? If the covering matches one of the permitted school colors, why must it be removed? The answer is the material of the 1/4 zip. The administration believes that the fabric of the covering determines its appropriateness.

This change made by Mr. Luckman was “all based on making it easier for teachers and staff,” to determine the correct covering. Mr. Luckman stated, “Some students are wearing things that kinda have (a) flat look to them, but then they have sweatshirt material inside…that’s a no-go.” He explained how the covering worn by Jonah Matthews would be allowed two years ago, but is now a violation of the dress code.

The new MSJ Seal (sweatshirt material) 1/4 zip from the School Store

The reason the material matters to administration is because of its connection to professionalism. I asked Mr. Luckman to dive deeper into professionalism and how material indicates that idea: “You don’t see too many people going to work at a business with a sweatshirt…we [the administration] don’t want anything that’s sweatshirt material.” So even if you wear the new light grey 1/4 zip with the MSJ seal (see above) from the school store, it is deemed unprofessional due to its sweatshirt-like material, and you will be asked to remove it during class. But you can wear it all around campus in between classes for that five-minute break!

  • Appropriate 1/4 zip, available at the school store
  • Appropriate 1/4 zip, available at the school store

For the past few years, students were allowed to wear 1/4 zips with sweater-like material. This led to the question: What is sweater-like material? This question can then snowball into a disruption of class time where a teacher must debate with a student over their apparel. Situations occurred where a teacher has told a student to remove their covering at the end of the day while this student has been allowed to wear it in all of his other classes. Students and faculty alike are adjusting to the full-time return to school, and are also adjusting to the new outerwear rule and its application. For example, I had a conversation about whether the Mount Saint Joseph 1/4 zip sweaters sold from the School Store a few years ago are allowed.  I would think the answer is yes, based on my conversation with Mr. Luckman.

After talking with Mr. Luckman, I think the revised rules are straightforward. Students can, in class, wear either of the two 1/4 zips from the school store, a cardigan or pullover sweater of the appropriate school colors, or a blazer. Hopefully will help faculty and staff quickly determine if the student is appropriately dressed for school.

Ethan Webber is a senior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.

Features, Opinions

Student Investigation: Which Water Fountain Reigns Supreme?

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The Taste Testers – Nick Palacorolla and John Torroella

This month, two of my friends and I set out on a mission to find the best water fountains at Mount Saint Joseph.  Juniors John “The Cuban Missile” Torroella and Nick “Big Daddy Nick” Palacorolla served as the water judges. After narrowing down our top candidates, they taste tested each one.  Based on a poll conducted via social media, we narrowed down the criteria for judging water fountain supremacy.

https://twitter.com/MSJQuill/status/991674285587562496

The three main criteria for judging were taste, temperature, and water pressure. Each factor was rated on a scale of one to ten, and the three scores were averaged for an overall score. We also decided to test the pH of the fountains using a digital pH probe.  A pH lower than seven is considered acidic, and a pH greater than seven is considered basic.  Pure water has a pH of seven, but the pH drinking water generally falls between 6.5 to 8.5.

Library Fountain

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“This is my personal favorite, and it is in a good location.” – A previously thirsty St. Joe student

Nick: Temperature: 9, Taste: 9, Water Pressure: 7

John: Temperature: 9, Taste: 9, Water Pressure: 8

pH: 7.76

Overall: 8.5 The fountain near the library is probably the best tasting one at the school. This fact, paired with its convenient location make it a serious candidate for being the best fountain on campus.

2nd Floor of Founders Hall (Near Bathrooms)

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“This is one of my favorites, but it sprays up in your face.” – A blinded St. Joe junior

Nick: Temperature: 9, Taste: 7, Water Pressure: 8

John: Temperature: 9, Taste: 6.5, Water Pressure: 6 “It’s way too high.”

pH: 7.84

Overall: 7.58 This fountain has an extremely high spray.  It has the highest water pressure at MSJ, but it’s a little too high to be used comfortably.

Fine Arts Center (Near Box Office)

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“Pretty average” – A parched freshman on his way to Mr. Breen’s class after a pitstop

Nick: Temperature: 9, Taste: 7, Water Pressure: 6

John: Temperature: 9.5, Taste: 7, Water Pressure: 6.8

pH: 7.68

Overall: 7.55 Pretty average fountain.  Not the best tasting, but the water is decently cold.

Fine Arts Center (Near Piano Lab)

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Looking for some stellar water? You’re gonna have to go out of your way to find it!

Nick: Temperature: 10, Taste: 8.5, Water Pressure: 8

John: Temperature: 10 “Coldest one at St. Joe.”, Taste: 8.5, Water Pressure: 8

pH: 7.57

Overall: 8.83 This water fountain is most definitely the coldest one on campus. However, for many students it’s out of the way. Although the water is ice cold, it’s a bit of a hassle to get to it.

Smith Center (Top Floor Near Bathrooms)

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“Best water on campus!” – An athlete running late to workouts

Nick: Temperature: 8, Taste: 7, Water Pressure: 10

John: Temperature: 8.5, Taste: 8, Water Pressure: 9.5 “It’s like perfect.”

pH: 7.59

Overall: 8.5 This fountain is probably the best one in the athletic facilities.  With a good balance of taste and temperature and nearly perfect water pressure, the water fountain at the top floor of the Smith Center is a serious contender.

St. Joseph’s Hall (Near Studies Office)

Nick: Temperature: 8.5, Taste: 8, Water Pressure: 8

John: Temperature: 8, Taste: 7 “Lowkey flat”, Water Pressure: 8

pH: 7.67

Overall: 7.92 Pretty average water fountain overall.  There is an emergency defibrillator attached to the wall right above the fountain that students could accidentally hit their heads on (see video below).  This might be the most dangerous water fountain at MSJ! 

Based on the overall scores, the top three water fountains at MSJ are the piano lab fountain, the fountain near the library, and the top floor Smith Center fountain. Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses, so which one is best is still up for debate.

The pH probe showed that all of the fountains that we tested were basic.  However, the probe’s readings were slightly sporadic during the testing day, so the data may have a minor margin of error.

Ease of access to good drinking water is important to students and faculty. For this reason, we support the installation of water bottle refilling stations. These refilling stations can be mounted onto existing fountains, making it more cost effective. Installing water bottle refilling stations around campus could make it easier to get cold, tasty water throughout the day.