The Waltonian

Within the past week, the Eastern Men’s Lacrosse team played against Wilkes University on April 10 and King’s College on April 13. Looking back at how the team played against these two teams last season, both games were an expected win this week. However, each game was a close call. The Eagles were able to come out with wins but only through overtime.

Their away game at Wilkes was a scary one to say the least. Wilkes was able to score six goals in the first half with only 12:51 minutes left on the clock. A minute and a half later, Mark Buannic was able to get a shot in goal. Slowly the team started closing Wilkes winning gap. One of the largest highlight of the game was Kyle Finelli’s spinning move to get the ball in goal 13 seconds on the clock before halftime. Compared to previous games, our shots on goal were spread out amongst our offense, and most were unassisted. The Eagles only allowed two more goals from Wilkes to enter their net after halftime and fought back with four more goals in the third quarter. It was tied, 9 to 9, throughout the fourth quarter leading into overtime. Buannic was able to make a goal with 1:21 left on clock, leading the Eagles to victory.

The Eagles had a great first period against King’s College, the Monarchs, this past Saturday. Within the first four minutes, Kyle Finelli, Sam Emig and Antonio Yeoman, each made a goal, giving Eastern a lead. The second half of the game was neck to neck. The Monarchs were able to score two goals in under a minute in the third quarter and were able to tie the game in the fourth, pushing us into overtime. What was possibly to be expected a longer overtime, took a quick turn as Emig scored 27 seconds into overtime, winning the game for the Eagles.

Join the Eagles at FDU-Florham in Madison, New Jersey, on April 17 at 7pm for their next game. If you cannot make it, watch the livestream. As the team is heading closer and closer to MAC Freedom Championships, make sure to support your Eastern Eagles Men’s Lacrosse team, on and off the field.

We hear it all across the news. It can be commonly found in a room filled with people. Most times it is ignored. It’s the elephant in the room that needs to be addressed. Mental health. In advance, this article may trigger those who suffer with mental health issues.

Oh, yes, you have heard of it. The first time it was presented to you was in middle school health class. More than likely you believed only crazy people suffered from it or maybe you thought what you feel or how you act finally makes sense, or maybe your eyes closed and you took a nice nap in sixth period. Either way, it was talked about once and then ignored until you got older and started to notice most people surrounding you have some form of mental illness.

However, is it still not a hush hush topic? People tend to take notice once a serious incident occurs. This is the very reason to check up on your friends. People often do not realize that there are many people who suffer from mental illness. One of the very first things you should do for a loved one with mental health illness, is make sure they know they are cared for and their feelings are valid. Many times, insecurity arises with those with mental health illnesses as they have often been critiqued for their feelings and actions. It takes tons of courage for them to tell people in their life. Just being there as a friend is enough for certain people.

There are many myths about mental health, which the media portrays. You have to be sure that what you are hearing and what you read is from a reliable source. Educating yourself about mental health diagnoses may help you understand your loved one better. This will allow you to listen to what your loved one is saying, or not saying. A few great sources for education about mental health are mentalhealth.gov and nami.org (National Alliance on Mental Health).

Listening plays a large part for being there for your friend. You may or may not understand what they are going through, and as a response, the best thing to do is let them vent to you. Unless they ask questions, don’t respond with rehearsed answers, as not everything you have been through can compare exactly to what they’re going through.

There will be times when you will not know how to handle your friends’ issues when they seek for your help. That is okay. You are encouraged to ask other professionals to help you help them. Your friends’ personal issues should stay confidential but you are able to ask others how to handle situations that are foreign to you. Not only will your friend need outside help but you need to care for your own mental health. For some, knowing that your friend is suffering becomes strenuous.

Lastly, if you feel truly concerned for your friends wellbeing, there are many sources that are able to help your friend further. You can call a crisis line at 1-800- 273-TALK. At Eastern, we have the Cushing Center for Counseling and Academic Support (CCAS). For questions or appointments, call 610-341-5837, or email them at ccas@eastern.edu. Remember that you are not alone in your struggles.

The Men’s Lacrosse team has just finished the last round of non-league games and will head into the Freedom Conference games beginning this week. Teams in the line up are Manhattanville College, Misericordia University, Wilkes University, King’s College, Delaware Valley University, among others. Their past couple of games played have been against the some of the top teams such as Dickinson College, Gettysburg College, Ursinus College. Within the past two weeks, they competed against Widener University, Messiah College, and Dickinson College.

The home game against Widener on March 20 was a win for the Eagles. One of the key players who made a difference throughout the entire game was goalie, Brett McDonald. McDonald’s saves kept Eastern with a solid lead during the game. Mark Buannic, number 50, and Trent Ashton, number 28, helped keep the lead with their buried shots in goal. Widener picked up their pace in the second half of the game with almost tieing in the fourth quarter. Buannic was able to give the team an ease of mind with a two goal cushion for the Eagles. The final score was 12 to 9, Eastern.

Three days later, the Eagles competed against Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. This was a great game for the Eagles, especially for a few first year players. Antonio Yeoman, number 6, and Anthony Firmani, number 11, were on fire during their playing time. Buannic and Ashton were not seen on the field as they were resting from injuries earned in the previous game against Widener. However, Yeoman stepped up to the plate, scoring a total of six goals. If it was not for Firmani’s 16 out of 23 face off wins, the team may have had more of a difficult time. The Eagles stepped up their game and were not ready to back down with a 13 to 9 win.

The most recent home game against #10, Dickinson College, on March 30, was a challenge for the Eagles. One of their top scores, Buannic, was still benched from his injuries. By the end of the second quarter, Dickinson was leading by 7 points, creating a stretch that the Eagles would not be able to break for the rest of the game. Offensively, Dickinson knew how to pick corners of the goal. One of the highlights of the game was Kyle Fanelli’s blind shot to the goal, making it his first goal of the year.

The Eagles will be playing Manhattanville College on April 4 at 4p.m. Come fill the hill and support your Men’s Lacrosse team.

Recently, the city of Nashville, Tennessee, announced its plan to cut down 21 of 68 historic cherry trees that would be in the way of the NFL’s draft stage leading up to April’s NFL Draft event. The irony behind this announcement is the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival the city will hold on April 13. The draft is taking place two weeks after on April 25 to the 27. They had planned to cut down the trees on April 1 but due to a challenge from the public the plans have changed.

After a petition which consisted of 20,000 signatures, Mayor Briley of Nashville made a statement that they will be removing the trees and replanting them elsewhere, instead of cutting the trees down. Last year, the NFL Draft in Arlington, Texas, had over 420,000 people apply for tickets to attend the event. Due to the size of the crowd, the NFL Draft will have a 400 foot structure and will be paying the city $10,000 for the removal of the trees for the structure to fit.

“Incredibly short-sighted,” Noni Nielsen, president of the Nashville Tree Foundation, stated in response to the city’s decision of removing the trees for an event that will only last a couple days.

If the trees are unhealthy, they promised to replace the unhealthy trees with new ones to make sure the environment is replenished. Some people are arguing the trees will not grow to full maturity for many years, stunting the beauty of the park. The NFL and Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp announced that they will each plant 100 trees in the Metro Parks.

As this event has been tradition for the NFL since 1936, many cities desire to host the event due to the large tourism possibilities and economic impact, since the first traveling Draft in 2015 in Chicago. The 2017 Draft in Philadelphia projected $56.1 million through hotels, restaurants, shops, bars, etc. For instance, the last round of draft ticket packages being sold are starting at $499 in Nashville. There are 20 teams that are competing to hold the event in their city within the next five years. Nashville continues to support the event of the NFL Draft but wished the plan was more transparent to understand the consequences of what would happen to the environment.

Sources: ESPN, 247sports.com, NFL.com

We hear of it all across the news. It can be commonly found in a room filled with people. Most times it is ignored. It’s the elephant in the room that needs to be addressed. Mental health. In advance, this article may trigger to those who suffer with mental health issues.

Oh, yes, you have heard of it. The first time it was presented to you was in middle school health class. More than likely you believed only crazy people suffered from it or maybe you thought it finally makes to what you feel or how you act, or maybe your eyes closed and you took a nice nap in sixth period. Either way, it was talked about once and then ignored until you got older and started to notice most people surrounding you have some form of mental illness.

However, is it not still a hush hush topic? People tend to take notice once a serious incident occurs. And this is the very reason to check up on your friends. People often do not realize that there are many people who suffer from mental illness. One of the very first things you should do for a loved one with mental health illness, is make sure they know they are cared for and their feelings are valid. Many times insecurity arises with those with mental health illnesses as they have often been critiqued for their feelings and actions. It takes tons of courage for them to tell people in their life. Just being there as a friend is enough for certain people.

There are many myths about mental health which the media portrays. You have to be sure that what you are hearing and what you read is from a reliable source. Educating yourself about mental health diagnoses may help you understand your loved one better. This will allow you to listen to what your loved one is saying, or not saying. A few great sources for education about mental health is mentalhealth.gov and nami.org (National Alliance on Mental Health).

There will be times when you will not know how to handle your friends issues when they seek for your help. That is okay. You are encouraged to ask other professionals to help you help them. Your friends personal issues should stay confidential but you are able to ask others how to handle situations that are foreign to you. Not only will your friend need outside help but you need to care for your own mental health. For some, knowing that your friend is suffering becomes strenuous.

Lastly, if you feel truly concerned for your friends wellbeing, there are many sources that are able to help your friend further. You can call a crisis line at 1-800-273-TALK. At Eastern, we have the Cushing Center for Counseling and Academic Support (CCAS). For questions or appointments, call 610-341-5837, or email them at ccas@eastern.edu. Remember that you are not alone in your struggles.

Retired mathematics professor at University of Texas at Austin, Karen Uhlenbeck, has recently won the 2019 Abel Prize Laureate. Through the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, the Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo, Norway, announced the winner and the monetary prize of $700,000. King Harald V of Norway will be presenting Uhlenbeck the prize on May 21 during a formal ceremony. This award is commonly compared to the Nobel Prize for outstanding works in mathematics and is decided based on a committee of experts in mathematics and science.

This is a large step in the mathematics community as Uhlenbeck is the first woman to receive the award.

“Many thanks to the Norwegian Academy and the institutions and people who have contributed to what has been so far a full and interesting life. I hope that my selection for this award demonstrates that a great variety of individuals are capable of contributing to mathematics at the highest level,” Uhlenbeck’s response to winning the award, Fox News said.

The Abel Committee is honoring Uhlenbeck “for her pioneering achievements in geometric partial differential equations, gauge theory and integrable systems, and for the fundamental impact of her work on analysis, geometry and mathematical physics,” the Institute of Advanced Study said.

Since 1979, Uhlenbeck has been a member of the Institute of Advanced Study School of Mathematics. Uhlenbeck founded the Park City Mathematics Institute and co-founded the Institute’s Women’s and Mathematics program (WAM). The WAM program has had over 1500 participants take part in collective research and mentoring to note the gender imbalance in the mathematics community.

A graduate from University of Michigan and Ph.D. from Brandeis University, Uhlenbeck is living in New Jersey with her husband, and is currently a Visiting Senior Research Scholar at Princeton University.

Sources: ias.edu, fortune.com, abelprize.no

Are Philly fans really known for their aggressiveness?

On March 15, the Philadelphia Phillies played against the Toronto Blue Jays in Clearwater, Florida. Phillies fans are making sure their prized possession comes to no harm and are ready to defend him if he does. Bryce Harper, the prized possession, was recently signed with the Phillies with a thirteen year and $330 million dollar contract. In other words, Harper is costing us a lot of money and we only hope he can repay us by playing well.

During the afternoon game, Trent Thornton, Blue Jays pitcher, pitched a 96 mph fastball, hitting Harper, who was up at bat, in the right ankle. Harper fell immediately to the ground in pain, while the teams’ medics rushed out to meet him.

Trent Thornton has apologized, explaining he was aiming for an inside fastball but failed to follow through correctly, admitting it was a complete accident. The Blue Jays manager, Charlie Montoyo, has asked people to stop threatening Thornton on social media as he has does not have history with Harper, nor desired for the player to get hurt.

After the game ended, the Phillies winning 3-2, the team announced Harper had a foot contusion in his right ankle and did not know how long it would take him to heal. Philly fans are still unforgiving and have been sending Thornton death threats within the past couple of days. However, the threats should be less intentional, as he played in the March 17 game on Sunday.

Harper has recovered in less than two days, noting it was nothing severe enough to keep him from playing on Opening Day, March 28, in Philadelphia. As Philly fans, we can only hope there will not be a similar incident in the near future, as Harper is a key player in our lineups and will continue to be.

Sources: Philly.com, NY Daily News, NBC Sports

Two players on the Eastern Men’s Lacrosse team know exactly what it is like to feel the pressure that comes with starting on the field. Brett McDonald, number 12, is a senior business marketing major and the starting goalie this season. Antonio Yeoman, number 6, is a freshman exercise science major and plays midfield.

One of the most important aspects a successful team should have is a solid bond. I asked the two players if there were any obstacles they had to overcome this season, Yeoman was the first to respond by saying the team began this new year with fifteen freshmen, “we needed more bonding. We needed to be around each other more and mature together.” Agreeing with Yeoman, McDonald added, “Spring break allowed us to get closer and kick start our season, and we only hope to build upon it.”

Once there is a bond in place, the players can start honing more on their own skills. McDonald was excited to start this season as goalie. “I worked hard this off-season and I believe it came full circle for myself,” McDonald stated. He wants to see the teams defense in the top ten this season and man down become top ten also.

As a freshman starter, Yeoman wants to see their offense click on the field in order to get more goals. He realizes there will always be pressure against him as a starter, “I feel like I constantly have to be better, but I enjoy the experience.” His first college goal was a highlight to his season and got him pumped up for the rest of the season.

As a goalie, McDonald is able to get himself pumped up on the bus by encouraging other players to get into their best mindset to play. “We need to believe in ourselves and the team,” McDonald explains on getting into the focused mindset. Yeoman added on, “we feed into each other.”

As they continue further into the season, make sure to support the team. Attend their upcoming games and keep an eye out for numbers 12 and 6!

Witness some of Philadelphia’s true creativity from local artists, poets and performers. Experience the artistic diversity of Philadelphia from the past to present with different types of media. These events are perfect for the college student seeking a new original experience.

1. Whitman 200: Art and Discovery

This year, Walt Whitman, the famous poet, would have turned 200. In order to celebrate his bicentennial, there will be performances, exhibitions and programs held by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. This free event will be held on Wednesday, April 3, at 12 p.m., at the Historic Landmark Building, Hamilton Auditorium.

2. Poetry Festival and Book Fair

Continuing to celebrate Walt Whitman, on Sunday, April 28, head to the Rotunda to witness readings and performances with free entry throughout the day. Starting at 12pm you can meet famous poets, buy their works and see local presses. If you want to make a day out of it, there are wonderful eateries close by.

3. Argentine Tango Class

Ever wanted to try a tango class? Well, now is the time. At the Philadelphia Argentine Tango School, they are offering a free beginner session at 7pm on Friday, April 5. No need for registration, just show up ready to dance!

4. Azuka Theatre

From Wednesday, May 1, to Sunday, May 19, witness the hilarious drama of Boycott Esther at the Azuka Theatre. This play is written in response to the #metoo movement showing how fast information can be spread or quickly hidden in a workplace. Plus, each showing is pay what you wish!

5. Art of Pictorial

At the Free Library of Philadelphia you can learn so much about pictorial maps and how their humorous jokes and historical narratives shaped the city. For free on Thursday, March 28, at 6p.m., you’ll be able to look at the maps firsthand and discover the creativity of the 20th century.

Sources: Creativephl.org

After the past seven successful seasons, the Men’s Lacrosse team is ready for their eighth season. In preparing for their first season game at York, Cole Millard and Hassan Mackey were able to offer a few words.

Millard, a junior who has been playing lacrosse since fifth grade, is a defenseman on the team. Leading up to the game in York, the teams’ defensemen made sure to study York’s offense through film and knowing Eastern’s defensive schemes by the back of their hand. Playing since he was two years old, Mackey mentioned that practice has been intense all week for the entire team. As a midfielder, they watched film and tried not to do anything too strenuous, as it could result in injuries.

There will always be unforeseen circumstances as an athlete. I asked them if there were any obstacles leading up to this game in York. Mackey laughed, “There will always be injuries that you can’t help. I was injured two weeks ago but now I’m in the all-clear.” Since this is the start to a new season, another obstacle was losing their graduating seniors.

“We knew we would be taking the places of the seniors,” Millard said. “We were ready to fill their shoes, or make shoes of our own,” Mackey said.

Considering the game itself, I asked Millard what his feelings are before the game. “The night before everyone is nervous and you can’t stop thinking about the game. But once I’m playing on the turf for a couple of minutes, I’m in the zone,” he answered. Mackey, on the other hand, said he goes into the locker room to have some alone time in order to get into his focused state.

Once on the turf, they’re excited to see certain players play for the upcoming season, and the York game especially. “Attackers are something to look forward to,” Mackey said. “Everyone should be excited to see [Colin] Piper. You could see what he could amount to when he was a freshmen, and now everyone will be able to see him dominate the field,” added Millard. Both agreeing that attitude is a large factor of winning, I asked the tricky question of how they handle losing. “If we lose we go back to drawing board. It’s in the past but all we can do is think about and fix it.” Mackey said.

As an update to this article, they lost to York on Saturday, and we can assume they are back to the drawing board and are getting ready for their next game. Even though they lost, they are still filled with a fighting attitude, ready to conquer on their own turf. Millard exclaimed that despite the negative stigma the team receives due to the sport itself, he wants people “to give us a chance. We are not all bad guys.” They really admire the community sports bring to Eastern’s student body. “We want people to come to our games,” Mackey said, “We love seeing classmates and friends on the hill!”

Let us fill the hill this lacrosse season, Eastern, and be sure to keep an eye out for numbers 45 and 22. We’re ready to support them on the road to the MAC Freedom Championship.