Despite great uncertainty and sudden changes that cut their senior year short, the Saint Mary’s class of 2020 had no shortage of great memories to share about their college experience as they reflected on their time as Belles. For business administration major Maggie Cloud, her favorite Saint Mary’s memory happened during her first week of freshman year. “We would play card games every night that week, and that is how I met my best friends,” she said in an email. “Since that first week, we have been inseparable, and I always remember that week as the first time I really fell in love with Saint Mary’s and it became home.”These were the moments that solidified her friendships and contributed positively to her experience at Saint Mary’s.“It was small moments like playing cards on the floor of my dorm room with my friends that really shaped my entire experience at Saint Mary’s, and I am forever grateful for that time,” Cloud said. Rebecca Strom, a humanistic studies and English writing major, said in an email that her favorite memories of college include both her earthly and supernatural college friends. “The ghost in our Le Mans dorm, Paul, liked to play Cards Against Humanity with us,” Strom said. “Sometimes, he even won.” The pandemic is not the first unprecedented circumstance the senior class experienced during their four years. Psychology major Olivia Rake’s favorite memory took place during the temporary cancellation of classes during the Polar Vortex of 2019.“It was so fun just being able to spend all that time with my best friends,” Rake said in an email. “We were living in Le Mans at the time. We spent a solid two days binge-watching shows, laughing and eating way too many snacks. It was great.”Rake said her time at Saint Mary’s was made special by the amazing people she met. “Having these close friendships has enabled me to have a ’family’ at school, and I think that’s what I will miss most,” she said. “I can’t wait to come back for football games and see all my friends again.”In addition to the extreme cold, warm weather has also contributed to many great memories for students. History and political science major Molly Donegan said in an email that her favorite memory is playing frisbee outside Le Mans.“One of my most favorite memories at SMC occurred the spring semester of my junior year,” she said. “One of my friends had a frisbee in her backpack, and it was such a beautiful day, so she suggested we go throw it around on Le Mans Green. We made our way to the iconic side of Le Mans and just threw it in a circle for a couple of hours with not a care in the world.” Donegan said experiences like this one and the welcoming community made Saint Mary’s feel like a second home for her. “The friends I’ve made here are lifelong friends,” she said. “I truly feel I am somehow a part of this giant extended family. I am going to miss barging into my friends’ rooms to see what they are going to wear on a night out and our late Steak n’ Shake outings. Most of all I’m going to miss living right down the hall from my best friends. This tight-knit community is what I’m going to miss the most.”Despite all of the changes that occurred this semester in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional hooding ceremony still was a highlight for chemistry major and engineering student Andrea Ruiz-Montoya. “My favorite memory is the hooding ceremony,” she said in an email. “Even amid a global pandemic and having it virtually, the people who I cared about were there and that was enough for me.”Ruiz-Montoya spoke on behalf of her class, stating that experiencing this virtually helped provide her with the closure she needed. “I was able to speak on behalf of the class of 2020 and express our gratitude towards the people who made this possible,” she said. “Although it was last minute, I was happy to see it resonated with many people. There was something about putting my feelings into words that gave me the sense of closure a live ceremony probably wouldn’t.”Biology major Kassidy Jungles said in an email that her time at Saint Mary’s was defined by moments that made her understand what it means to be a Belle. “I have so many special memories of Saint Mary’s, but I will never forget walking over with fellow Belles to attend Domerfest,” Jungles said. “A few hours earlier, I remember saying tearful goodbyes to my parents and in a matter of hours, I felt so welcome and as though I truly belonged at SMC. When we walked past Le Mans, juniors and seniors opened their windows to display SMC posters and shouted, ‘Belle Yeah!’ to the first-year students below. In this moment, my entire college journey existed right before my eyes and I would do anything to be able to experience it all again.”Becoming a resident assistant and participating in the Study of the United States Institutes for Student Leaders (SUSI) had had a positive impact on gender and women’s studies major Genesis Vasquez’s experience, she said in an email. “I was a RA 2017-2019 and in the SUSI program summer 2018,” Vasquez said. “I met amazing people and some of my best SMC friends that have been with me through a lot of different phases in my college career and personal life. They have shaped me into the person I am today, and I thank them a lot for really having my back.”Abigail Seubert, a psychology major, said in an email that she will miss the wonderful people she has met during her time at Saint Mary’s.“The friendships I made in the first weeks of my freshman year that have become my lifelong friends,” Seubert said. “From Domerfest and dorm parties to spring breaks, sleepovers, holiday gift exchanges, wine nights, 21st birthday celebrations, all-nighters studying for exams, you name it … I’ve had my best friends by my side. I will miss living with my best friends, but I know the relationships I have formed during my four years at Saint Mary’s have foundations to last us a lifetime.”Tags: commencement 2020, dorm life, friendships, Graduation
“Agriculture is the number one industry in Georgia,”said Janet Rodekohr, CAES public affairs manager. “To showGeorgia families the exciting advancements in Georgia agricultureand to celebrate agriculture’s contributions to the Georgia economyand quality of life, we are partnering with Zoo Atlanta for aday of family fun and education.” Walter Reeves, host of GPTV’s Gardening in Georgiaand WSB 750-AM’s Lawn and Garden Show, will make an appearanceto give gardening advice and answer gardening questions. A to Z: Agriculture at the Zoo is free with admissionto the zoo. For Zoo Atlanta tickets for March 24, contact yourcounty Extension Service office, Zoo Atlanta’s web site at www.zooatlanta.orgor purchase tickets at the gate. “We think this day will be very exciting, because it offersyoung adults, adults and children a chance to learn more and seemore about the Georgia dairy industry and the nutritional importanceof dairy to today’s diet,” said Louis Hogue, area manager,Southeast United Dairy Association. SUDIA is co-sponsoring thisyear’s event with the American Dairy Association and the GeorgiaMilk Producers Association. Marchis National Agriculture Month. Zoo Atlanta, the University ofGeorgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences andthe American Dairy Association are holding a special celebrationfor Georgia families. Just for kids, the exhibit area will feature hands-on scienceexhibits and environmental protection displays. 4-H club membersfrom around the state will have displays on their own projectwork in agriculture and the environment. For adults, the event will showcase antique tractors, a plantdoctor exhibit by Georgia Master Gardeners and the latest developmentsin the diverse fields of agriculture. Visitors to the event don’t want to miss the Got Milk? truckfor free milk samples and your own milk mustache photo. A to Z: Agriculture at the Zoo, March 24 from 10 a.m.to 4 p.m., will feature education exhibits, fun events and entertainmentfor the whole family. Scientists from CAES, agricultural commoditiesand agribusinesses will showcase the latest in agricultural researchand improvements.
by Jim Litke(AP)—Joe Paterno had barely hung up the phone when his wife of 50 years picked it up and redialed the number scrawled on the slip of paper.“After 61 years,” Sue Paterno said to the man who had just fired her husband, “he deserved better.” On the other end was John Surma, vice chairman for a Penn State Board of Trustees that couldn’t muster enough courage or decency to fire Paterno in person. Board members were desperate to stanch the tidal wave of bad news that followed the indictment of Paterno’s longtime former assistant, Jerry Sandusky, on multiple counts of child sex abuse just a few days earlier.So an assistant athletic director knocked on the front door of Paternos’ home that cold November night and wordlessly handed over the note with Surma’s name and a phone number on it. In that mercilessly brief call, Paterno was told that after nearly a half century as coach of the Nittany Lions, he was being fired “effective immediately.”Like that conversation, the one that began with Sue Paterno’s call back didn’t last long.“He deserved better,” she repeated, and then hung up.Yes, he did.And there may be no more fitting postscript for the life and career of a football coach, husband and father who became not just the face, but the unyielding, cantankerous soul of a school that over the course of his tenure was transformed from a “cow college” into a top-shelf public research university. Now all those people who rushed to judgment about Paterno’s role in the Sandusky case will have to find their way out from under the sordid scandal without the longtime coach.Paterno, 85, died Sunday of lung cancer. Those who knew him well believe it was something more akin to a broken heart.“The thing you hear about people who live long lives is that they were still passionate about something, still striving,” said Brett Conway, who played for Paterno before graduating from Penn State in 1997 and embarking on a six-year career in the NFL as a placekicker. “Once they took that away from him, a lot of us felt he was going to have a tough time surviving.“I talked to a few teammates this morning and tried to think of something profound to say about the man who did so much for so many of us. But I can’t think of any single thing. … I had my 4-year-old daughter in my lap when the news came on and she asked me who Joe Paterno was. I told her he was my coach, that we called him JoePa and that he was one of the finest men I ever met in my life.”In his quiet moments, Paterno occasionally invoked the fate of Bear Bryant—another coaching legend who died within weeks after stepping down at Alabama—as though it were some kind of cautionary tale. Yet he remained stubborn to the end, beating back more than one previous attempt by higher-ups at the school to force his hand, most recently in 2004. He kept insisting the game hadn’t passed him by, and that getting through to kids who weren’t as old as some of the sportcoats in his closet was no big deal.In the only interview granted since his Nov. 9 firing, a frail and sometimes-foggy Paterno told Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post many of the same things he said when news of Sandusky’s indictment broke. Most important, that he wished he’d done more when assistant Mike McQueary came to his house on a Saturday morning in 2002, shaken by what he would later tell a grand jury he had seen the night before in a shower at the team’s football complex: Sandusky raping a young boy.Except that out of deference to his aging and decidedly old-school coach, McQueary apparently withheld the most gruesome details from Paterno.It was a story Paterno couldn’t—or wouldn’t— comprehend.“You know, he didn’t want to get specific,” Paterno told the newspaper. “And to be frank with you I don’t know that it would have done any good, because I never heard of, of, rape and a man. So I just did what I thought was best. I talked to people that I thought would be, if there was a problem, that would be following up on it.”We know now that didn’t happen. Paterno never sufficiently explained why, after meeting his legal obligations by notifying his superiors at the university, he didn’t satisfy his moral obligation to do more. He said several times he wish he had. People who judged him guilty then will not change their opinions.“This is not a defense, or an excuse, and maybe it’s even a bad analogy,” Conway began. “But there were so many things about Joe and his ‘old-schoolness’ that probably kept him from comprehending the horror of what Jerry had done. He knew something was wrong, something of a sexual nature and ultimately, all he could bring himself to do is what he was supposed to do.”And if the people who ultimately made the decision to fire him measure up to being even half the man he was,” he said finally, “I’ll be plenty surprised.”Paterno’s legacy will forever be clouded, in large part because the chance to prove his remorse in the final chapter of his public life was taken by the trustees and now is gone forever. For the lion’s share of his 85 years, though, Paterno piled one good deed atop one another that had nothing to do with football—things that time can’t erase, like the library that sits several blocks from the football stadium and was built in large part with his donations back to the school.On balance, all that good should have been enough to earn him one final opportunity to erase the stain that he called one of the great tragedies of his life.He deserved better. LEGENDARY COACH—In this Sept. 4, 2004 photo, Penn State coach Joe Paterno leads his team onto the field before a game against Akron in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) 
7 p.m. – Chinese Taipei A vs IndiaTAIPEI – Addressing all the problems it had the night before, Gilas Pilipinas came out a much better team on Sunday and tore Chinese Taipei A to shreds, 88-72, for its first win in the 39th Jones Cup Invitational carved out in front of a very hostile crowd at Taipei Peace Basketball Hall here.Matthew Wright and Christian Standhardinger did the damage on the Taiwanese in different phases of the game, finishing with 17 points each with the 6-foot-7 Fil-German winding up with 15 rebounds in a truly impressive outing.Team Philippines improved to 1-1 and totally put the stigma of a lukewarm debut against Canada behind.Wright scored 14 points in the first half and set the shooting tone for the Filipinos, who played much better compared to a losing effort in their debut on Saturday as Gilas got back in the title hunt.ADVERTISEMENT Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. End of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legend “We wanted to take care of the ball and make sure that we defended better,” coach Chot Reyes said. “And we did that tonight.”Gilas had just seven turnovers and clamped down on the Taiwanese, playing more intelligent defense by giving up just 19 free throws. Against the Canadians, Gilas had 23 errors and yielded 40 free throws.Kiefer Ravena started out at the point and orchestrated with great effect for Gilas, which looked a lot more composed and refused to be ruffled by the boisterous hometown crowd.Ravena hit a shot clock-beating triple with 3:17 to play that made it 80-69 as the gritty Filipinos wrapped it all up to take a winning feeling going into a clash with Chinese Taipei B at 3 p.m. on Monday.The scores:GILAS PILIPINAS 88 – Wright 17, Standhardinger 17, Ravena 15, Pogoy 10, Myers 9, Cruz 6, Ferrer 5, Tolomia 4, Jalalon 3, Parks 2, Belo 0, Paras 0.CHINESE TAIPEI A 72 – Zheng 16, Po 14, Yi 13, Davis 11, Cheng 6, Long 5, Yi-Jie 4, Zhi 0, Huan 0.Quarters: 23-22, 47-40, 68-60, 88-72. GALLERY: Ateneo tops La Salle in Battle of the Rivals Malacañang open to creating Taal Commission Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Marcosian mode: Duterte threatens to arrest water execs ‘one night’ Duterte’s ‘soft heart’ could save ABS-CBN, says election lawyer OSG plea to revoke ABS-CBN franchise ‘a duplicitous move’ – Lacson Missile-capable frigate BRP Jose Rizal inches closer to entering PH Navy’s fleet
IT happens: Facebook sorry for Xi Jinping’s name mistranslation Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks PLAY LIST 01:40Filipinos turn Taal Volcano ash, plastic trash into bricks01:32Taal Volcano watch: Island fissures steaming, lake water receding02:14Carpio hits red carpet treatment for China Coast Guard02:56NCRPO pledges to donate P3.5 million to victims of Taal eruption00:56Heavy rain brings some relief in Australia02:37Calm moments allow Taal folks some respite 787 earthquakes recorded in 24 hours due to restive Taal Volcano 11 a.m. – Atletas All-Stars Lithuania vs Japan1 p.m. – Iraq vs Canada 150FEATURED STORIESSPORTSEnd of his agony? SC rules in favor of Espinosa, orders promoter heirs to pay boxing legendSPORTSRedemption is sweet for Ginebra, Scottie ThompsonSPORTSMayweather beats Pacquiao, Canelo for ‘Fighter of the Decade’3 p.m. – Gilas Pilipinas vs Chinese Taipei B5 p.m. – Iran vs South Korea LATEST STORIES MOST READ LIVE: Sinulog 2020 Grand Parade FILE PHOTO – Matthew Wright. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.netGames Monday(Taipei Peace Basketball Hall)ADVERTISEMENT View comments
WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney aggressively challenged the motives of congressional Democrats on Tuesday, as the House and Senate prepared to consider a war-spending bill that would order troops to be withdrawn from Iraq beginning later this year. In separate appearances that served as a prelude to an inevitable veto showdown, Bush and Cheney accused Democrats of political opportunism in forging ahead with a $124 billion measure that sets a timetable for leaving Iraq. “Instead of fashioning a bill I could sign, the Democratic leaders chose to further delay funding our troops, and they chose to make a political statement,” Bush said Tuesday morning before leaving for New York. “That’s their right. But it is wrong for our troops and it’s wrong for our country.” Cheney was even tougher as he spoke to reporters after a private weekly lunch for Republican senators. He lashed out at Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, who delivered stinging comments of his own Monday, portraying Bush as being in denial about the war and saying Cheney had tarnished his office. “What’s most troubling about Senator Reid’s comments yesterday is his defeatism,” said Cheney. “And the timetable legislation that he is now pursuing would guarantee defeat. Maybe it is a political calculation. “It is cynical to declare that the war is lost because you believe it gives you political advantage,” Cheney said. Democrats confident Democrats, bolstered by what they see as strong public sentiment for the administration to wind down the war, were confident they could win approval of the measure in the House and in the Senate on Thursday. While acknowledging that Bush would send the bill back, they said they were determined to force him to formally reject legislation that provides more money for the military than sought by the White House but puts conditions on its use. “For the first time, the president will have to face up, will have to be accountable for this war in Iraq,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “And he doesn’t want to face that reality.” Reid fired back directly at Cheney on Tuesday, appearing at the same microphones just moments after the vice president. “I’m not going to get into a name-calling match with the administration’s chief attack dog,” he said. Defending the legislation up for a vote this week, he said, “We believe the troops should get every penny they need and we have put our money where our mouth is with supplemental appropriations, but we believe there must be a change of direction in the war in Iraq.” Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, is scheduled to visit Capitol Hill today to ask that lawmakers allow more time for the troop increase initiated by the administration to work. Members of the House are set to hear from him in a closed briefing this afternoon just hours before the spending measure is to reach the floor. He is then scheduled to brief senators. Democrats were skeptical he would change many minds. “He’s the commander,” said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Armed Services Committee. “We always know that commanders are optimistic about their policies.” Petraeus’ briefing comes in a week when war-related developments are not running in the administration’s favor. Nine U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq on Monday and 20 others wounded. And members of the family of Pat Tillman, the professional football player and Army Ranger accidentally killed by other U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, appeared at an emotional House hearing Tuesday and accused the Pentagon and administration of misrepresenting the circumstances of his death. Benchmarks set Under the legislation before Congress, the United States would establish benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet to show progress in securing the country. If the president determines the Iraqis are complying, he would be directed to begin removing troops by Oct. 1, with a goal of having most combat forces out within six months. If the president concludes that the Iraqis are not making progress on the benchmarks, the pullout would begin earlier, by July. The House narrowly approved its version of the spending measure last month when it required a full withdrawal by fall of 2008 to mollify anti-war Democrats. Several House Democrats said they would support the latest version of the legislation even though the withdrawal date is now in the form of a goal. “It is the best we can do under the circumstances,” said Rep. Hank Johnson Jr., a first-term Democrat from Georgia. While Republicans have argued strongly against the Democratic-sponsored Iraq spending plan, they have put forth little resistance to the actual legislation, saying they are simply waiting for the president’s veto so lawmakers can try again to come up with a war-spending bill. Enemy would benefit Discussing the Democratic approach on “The Charlie Rose Show” taped Tuesday, Bush was asked what evidence he had that a hard withdrawal date would have a negative impact in Iraq. “Just logic,” Bush replied. “I mean, you say we start moving troops out, don’t you think an enemy is going to wait and adjust based upon an announced timetable of withdrawal?” In his criticism of Reid, Cheney noted that the Democratic leader had said the administration’s troop increase ran counter to the recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. The study group said a surge might be advisable if commanders thought it would be useful. But Cheney failed to mention that it also recommended a withdrawal of combat units by the end of the first quarter of 2008, about the same time envisioned in the legislation. 160Want local news?Sign up for the Localist and stay informed Something went wrong. Please try again.subscribeCongratulations! You’re all set!