Hilbert students learn to throw axes on the quad.
Author Talks to Hilbert Students
Hilbert First Year Experience Program held their annual “Hilbert Reads” speaker event earlier this semester.
Throughout the fall semester, all freshmen at Hilbert College participate in the “Hilbert Reads” program, where they read and discuss a book in their GS 101 classes. In the past, they’ve read Maid by Stephanie Land, and What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan. This fall, the freshmen read Normal Sucks by Jonathan Mooney, who spoke to students over zoom.
Mooney’s book explored the challenges of living and learning with differences such as ADHD and dyslexia, as well as attempts to answer the question of “what is normal?”. These topics opened a wide range of discussion opportunities for GS 101 classes, including Brett Gomez’s. Gomez is a freshman in Dr. Reis’s GS 101 class, studying Digital Media and Communication with Graphic Design.
“I did enjoy the book. It definitely brought out some thoughts about growing up in the public school system.” Gomez said regarding the book, “You see these things he talks about, the discrimination against some kids by making them go into these special classes. And as Mooney says in the book, they’re not worse or stupider in any means, they actually can be smarter than us.”
Gomez’s class talked about these things during group discussions. “Its always easier to talk about things and express how you feel via verbal communication”, he said. Overall, this is a goal of the Hilbert Reads program, as students practice open communication on difficult topics.
In Mooney’s presentation, he further discussed the book’s topics of not being “normal”, and fielded questions from students.
“It was very helpful to get a better point of view on what he believes about the whole situation”, Gomez said when asked about his thoughts on the presentation. “It definitely brought it (the book) more to life when he expressed his emotions. You could hear it in his voice when he would talk about certain things, so it made it a little more emotional.”
As the first year experience program wraps up this fall’s Hilbert Reads, it looks towards next fall and the incoming freshmen class.
Athletic Teams Push for New Uniforms and Equipment
With Hilbert Athletics getting back into full swing after having a major gap in their collegiate careers, athletes are looking to have some changes made for their teams.
Many teams, including women’s volleyball, are pushing for new, redesigned black jerseys with the Hilbert logo.
The coaches and players are pressing the need for something more professional and sleek-looking. Right now, teams have been utilizing the blue and white colors for their Home and Away games. But a majority seek a change.
Stephan Houghton on the men’s volleyball team said he is hoping the department goes forward with the change to black jerseys.
“It looks so much more intense and intimidating with the black background and our logo,” Houghton said.
Some students, including Houghton, think it’s time for new equipment, especially in the weight room. He said the equipment needs to be updated and more space would make for a better experience.
Kenny Dango, an athlete from the men’s Lacrosse team, noted the inconvenience that could arise with the new sports, including football with its large roster, in the upcoming Fall semester.
“It’s hard for us to do the workout if we’re crammed in a tight space and don’t have any room,” Dango said. “Personally, I think it needs remodeling because you want to be pumped up to go to the weight room and never leave.”
Dango said that possible issues could arise with sharing the weight room with the new sports programs that were recently announced at Hilbert, particularly adding a whole football team.
“With that many people going to the weight room, it wouldn’t really work out, especially if we’re still social distancing,” the sophomore said. “They would have to divide into groups.”
Athletes also point out the condition of Athletic facilities on the campus. The women’s locker rooms have also been mentioned among the women’s volleyball team, pushing for a more updated and larger feel. Dango also mentions the urgency to have some of these upgrades made before we add three new sports. With Division III Program expansion for Fall 2022, it is unknown how teams will adapt and operate due to the welcoming of our student athletes.
The Hilbert petition argues that since black is an accent color of the college branding, then it should be allowed as an option amongst teams for their jersey color. The petition has been signed by 100 people and has been approved by Dr. Brophy, President of Hilbert College. There is some great potential with the upcoming seasons for our student athletes. Athletes look forward to seeing the possible change in uniform, since it is now up to each individual sport. With the preceding news that we will be gaining these teams, fellow athletes look forward to sharing the program with some of the most popular sports.
Krista Stephany, a sophomore looks forward to the student life that could be brought back with the addition of Football.
“I look forward to watching the football games the most,” Stephany said. “In high school, it was always fun meeting up with my friends and rooting for our team.”
Stephany said that the football team could help revive the Hilbert Stars Cheerleading team.
“The team has been dormant for some time and I think having a football team will really bring that atmosphere back to a college like Hilbert.”
Hawks Pitcher Looks Forward to Upcoming Season
Since the Covid-19 Pandemic hit in the Spring of 2020 the way our world works has changed drastically. More specifically, College Athletes’ worlds have changed even more drastically. Between not playing games, having to go on pause and limited practices everything a college athlete does has to be one step at a time. The coming season should offer a more normal experience
Brendan Walsh, a right handed pitcher for the Hilbert Baseball team, said he has yet to experience a normal College Baseball season. Last season, the Hawks baseball team was lucky enough to have a season but it was only half the slate as a normal one. With many protocols and precautions added into the mix it was tough to get that full student-athlete experience.
“I’m mainly most excited to get back to the field and play, and see what the guys got in them.” he said. “After a covid season too, I’m excited to actually experience a full season, including our trip to Myrtle.”
Last season, the Hawks finished with an 8-26 overall and 4-14 record in conference play. Although they anticipated a better overall season, it wasn’t for lack of competition. In the end the Hawks found themselves in a one game play-in game vs their rival Medaille to reach the AMCC Playoffs but unfortunately they fell short in extra innings.
However, on Walsh’s end it was anything but disappointing. The then Freshman pitcher had the opposing Mavs held scoreless through five innings. Walsh finished the day going six innings while striking out 7 batters. His day finished with 3 earned runs to his credit.
Walsh said the prospect of a more normal season has he and his teemates more motivated than ever to compete.
“The extra drive everyone has this season that wasn’t particularly there last season,” he said. “No one wants to go out the way we did, and I think the guys really took it to heart, so this coming season I think our whole mindset is really gonna change.”
The Hawks certainly have a lot to look forward to with this coming season as they’ve gotten a multitude of transfers and incoming freshmen to come in and compete this season. Walsh was hurt this summer and had to rehab the tendonitis in his throwing shoulder. However, he said he remained focused on his goal.
“This off season was mainly just lifting and getting mentally and physically prepared for what’s to come,” he said.
Looking forward the underclassmen seems primed and ready to build off some of his successes on the mound last season with a full schedule to look forward to, as do the Hawks as there is quite a bit of buzz for what they might look like when they take the field this spring. The Hawks will get their next opportunity to compete this fall as their month long practice/scrimmage period is currently in the thick of things.
Video: Hilbert Celebrates Veterans Day
The Hilbert College community came together the celebrate Veterans Day with a ceremony earlier this month.
Email Outage During End-of-Semester Crunch
Many Hilbert students have been dealing with an email outage in the last week, just as the end-of-semester crunch gets underway.
Students trying to access their email have been consistently receiving an error message since the power outage on late Wednesday, November 18th, 2021. Professors’ emails were back up and running as soon as Thursday, however that was not the case for students.
Network Administrator Jeff Wirth has sent out a message to students via email regarding the outage and how to fix the problems you may be experiencing.
“If you are experiencing issues logging onto the Hilbert email system… try clearing your browsers cache, if that does not fix the issue, please try using a different browser.”
Senior commuter students Nicole Hueber and Sheila Le both said that the outage has made school more difficult.
Le said that her email is something she regularly checks to make sure she is up to date on the happenings of the school. She said that it is something that has affected her negatively and made her anxious.
“I always constantly check my email every single day to make sure I’m not missing out on stuff… I’m worried I might miss anything like a quiz or a test,” she said.
Hueber said that not being able to access her email at a crucial part of the semester has made school more difficult.
“How am I supposed to get my schoolwork done if I can’t read my emails?” Hueber said. “Especially for three weeks in the grad program when you are constantly getting new information every other day.”
Hilbert Student Holds Bake Sale for the Rachael Warrior Foundation
Hilbert junior Taylor Beers held a bake sale and 50/50 raffle on campus benefiting the Rachael Warrior Foundation last month.
Beers, a Business Management Major, held the sale as part of her marketing management class with help from her boyfriend and her family. Despite the sale being part of her class, it held a deeper meaning for her because it benefited a cause close to home.
Beers was close friends with Rachael Wierzbicki throughout middle and high school, who was killed November 28, 2018, as a victim of domestic violence. Her killer was recently found not guilty. Out of that tragedy, the Rachel Warrior Foundation was born, aiming to help those in crisis due to domestic violence and to get them out of dangerous situations before it’s too late, Beers said.
“I saw this as a great opportunity to get the word out there”, Beers said.
She also cited the national Gabby Petito story with Rachael’s as motivation to raise awareness.
“With that happening, I thought it was a really good topic to get people to talk about,” she said.
Similar to other fundraisers, a lot went into the planning process for Beers and her family. “I wanted to make sure everything I needed was covered, and it was a little stressful, but it all came together in the end,” she said.
Altogether, Beers had donations from several local bakeries including Haak’s Cakes, Bon Bon’s Gluten Free Bakery, Paula’s Donuts, and Tim Hortons, and raised several hundred dollars for the foundation, Beers said.
As the Rachael Warrior Foundation’s website says, stories like Rachael’s are all too familiar, and is a reality for some. That’s why raising awareness, speaking, and reaching out, and telling stories is so important. For more information about the Rachael Warrior Foundation, and ways to help, visit their website: https://www.rachaelwarriorfoundation.org/home.
Video: St. Joe’s Debate
Candidates in the Buffalo Mayoral race debate at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in the week leading up to election day.
Video: Gamer Night
Hilbert College students celebrate their favorite scary video games as part of Spirit Week.
Hilbert Celebrates Expansion of Athletics Department
The Hilbert Hawks next just got a little bit bigger.
The Hilbert athletics department and college announced that they would be adding four new sports teams: men’s track and field, women’s track and field, women’s ice hockey, and football.
For a small college like Hilbert, it’s quite a big proposition, but one that brings much excitement to the community. The school also announced that they would be building an all-turf complex that the football team would play on with the track on the outside, with the hope of it being done by fall 2023.
Perhaps the most ambitious addition is the new football program, which is set to take the field next fall. Creating a football program and having it ready for competition in a nine-month span is uncommon, but something that Hilbert plans on achieving. The man who will be leading that charger will be newly announced and inaugural head coach Jim Kubiak.
Hilbert announced that Kubiak, who is from the Western New York area went to high school right down the street at St. Francis, was announced as the school’s first ever head football coach at a press conference this week.
The new coach expressed his excitement, saying he is ready for the challenge ahead.
“Being here today reminds me of the first time I walked out that Army-Navy tunnel,” he said.
After a successful high school career Kubiak attended the United States Naval Academy, where he was a four-year letterman and three-year starter on the football team and also received the Navy achievement medal. Jim not only started there but he stills hold the all-time records in passing yards and completions. After his time at Navy, he signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted rookie in 1996 while also being on active military duty. From then on he played for the Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, and Colts again while also making trips in the arena football league all from 1998-2005.
After his playing career Kubiak has coached at numerous colleges, most notably at Division two Mansfield as their offensive coordinator. Kubiak has also been the director of the WNY Quarterbacks academy where he has worked with numerous local student athletes.
In his press conference Kubiak said He also said how he has spent fourteen years here in WNY working and developing players in our region and how he is honored to have the opportunity to recruit students from the area. Kubiak said that when he was young he was taught, “be on time, know what you’re supposed to do, and bust your behind doing it.”
As he tries to build this program he said the foundation begins with “growth, constant improvement, hard work and execution.” Kubiak said he believes the Hawks will represent the traits of hard work and discipline. The most important thing in his presser was when he stated that the Hilbert football experience will be “fully prepared to imprint the belief that our players can achieve anything they can put their minds to.” Lastly, Kubiak was not shy of the fact that on the field work ethic and who you are on the field translates to who you are off the field.
The Scribe 