Over a decade ago, when Worcester resident Sarai Rivera was considering a run for a city council seat, she turned to one person: Ogretta McNeil, Holy Cross associate professor emerita of psychology and, at the time, a member of the Worcester School Committee.

Girl making a heart-hand symbol for her favorite band. Photo credit: astrosystem

No one can question singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s business acumen; however, the reported Midas Touch effect that her 2023 Eras stadium tour has had on local economies is questionable and deserves greater analysis, according to one expert.

“She is a remarkably good business person. Re-releasing select albums is absolutely genius and how she structured her Eras Tour is brilliant,” said Victor Matheson, professor of economics. “However, the data on the economic impact for local communities is not clear and is more perception than reality.”

Benjamin Lepper ’25, a pediatric cancer survivor, is advocating for greater access for children in need of life-saving cancer treatment. Photo credit: Michael Ivins/Holy Cross

When it comes to improving access to care for childhood cancer patients, Benjamin Lepper ’25 uses his inner strength pulled from personal experience to advocate for change.

This fall, Lepper joined advocates from the New England region of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) in Washington, D.C., to lobby Massachusetts Congressional members in support of the bipartisan Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act. The bill would improve children’s access to needed out-of-state health care by streamlining the Medicaid provider screening and enrollment process.

Volunteers pack food supplies for donation. Photo Credit: Mediaphotos (stock.adobe.com)

Last year, 17 million American households were considered food insecure, up from 13.5 million in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Within that community is a subset that is often overlooked: college students.

“This should be an issue that concerns everybody,” said Christopher Staysniak, a lecturer in the Holy Cross history department, whose scholarship includes American food and food systems.

Caroline Hanson ’27 and Hunter Sullivan ’24 are encouraging peers and educators to normalize talking about and seeing support for mental health challenges. Photos by: Michael Ivins/Holy Cross

Nauseous and dizzy, Caroline Hanson ‘27 didn’t know what was happening. The intense anxiety she felt led to an overwhelming desire to immediately leave whatever situation she was in. She was in elementary school and needed help. “It’s confusing when you’re young. You don’t know why you feel this way and don’t know how to communicate how you feel. I needed someone to explain this to me in a way that my child brain could understand,” Hanson said.

Curious about the effect that road salt has on the ecosystem of the Blackstone River, Aidan Bowler ’24 and Francisco Luc Zafon-Whalen ’24 worked with Pedro Torres, assistant professor of biology, collecting and analyzing data in the hope of gaining a better understanding of the changes.

Video by Avanell Chang.   

Pope Francis waves to the faithful in Vatican City in 2018. Photo by: Ashwin Vaswani on Unsplash

The Pope has convened a gathering of more than 400 bishops and lay people from around the world in Rome this month, a move that is garnering headlines due to some of the invitees and potential topics of discussion; however, experts say the significance of this meeting is not the issues, but the people actually involved.

The sun rises over the U.S. Capitol. (DoD photo by Cpl. Christina O’Neil, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

While the government shutdown did not materialize as feared on Sept. 30, it does not mean the U.S. is in the clear due to intense political polarization.

“At the end of the day, the decision on these spending bills is going to have to be bipartisan. Delaying the inevitable is creating a lot of pain on the country,” said SoRelle Wyckoff Gaynor, assistant professor of political science whose research centers on the U.S. Congress, congressional leadership, partisanship and the policy-making process.

On the 174th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe’s death, Susan Elizabeth Sweeney, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Humanities, talks about the author’s literary influence and continued popularity. Photo by: Michael Ivins/Holy Cross

Edgar Allan Poe’s ability to incorporate the dark side of the human psyche, his creation of several literary genres and his innovative approach to storytelling makes him one of the world’s most influential writers — even 174 years after his death, according to one expert.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for teen and young adults. Henry Meiser ’27 and Holy Cross officials are advocating for greater education, prevention and postvention action and support. Photo by: Michael Ivins/Holy Cross

Already an established advocate for school and student safety, it was a no-brainer for Henry Meiser ’27 to be invited in 2021 to sit on the Maryland Governor’s Commission of Suicide Prevention. Yet thinking he didn’t know enough about suicide prevention and education, he declined.

Cassandra Smith ’23 (left) and Micaela English ’08 reunite to talk about the importance of the Holy Cross fashion and beauty networking group. Photo by: John O’Boyle

As a child, Cassandra Smith ’23 was enamored by the glamour of the Met Gala and New York Fashion Week. The designs, colors and displays caught her attention and fueled her dreams of one day being part of the international fashion industry.

Experts warn that the amount of E-waste is predicted to double by 2050, with only a small portion of it recycled. Photo Credit: BingAI/Michael Ivins

Last Friday, Apple released the iPhone 15 in stores, selling out available stock around the world and marking the fifth fall in a row the company has released a new model. Yet before consumers upgrade, an expert in ethical consumerism advises they should also think about the consequences of the decision.

As climate change has a more significant effect on local orchards, Ross Comcowich ’25 and Matthew Rigione ’25 worked with Daina Harvey, associate professor of sociology and anthropology, to document how orchardists and cider-makers are preparing for the changes to apples throughout New England.

Video by Avanell Chang

It was spring 2011 when Phil Dardeno ’02 and Meg Griffiths ’04 visited campus to attend a community conversation for LGBTQ students and alumni, an event requested by the students. Neither can recall where the event was, debating whether it was held in Rehm Library or on the third floor of Hogan Campus Center, with Griffiths jokingly calling them “unreliable narrators.” But what they both are sure of is there was a conversation about creating an alumni network for LGBTQ students and allies.

Historically dismissed as juvenile at best, evil at worst, graphic novels and comic books are finding their place as a valuable academic tool in higher education.

Beyond Marvel and DC, faculty are using the College’s Dr. Mark D. Nevins ’86 Collection for the Study of Comics and Graphic Novels as a centerpiece to teaching. Learn more in our graphic novel, below.

Alice Laffey, late associate professor emerita, is remembered as the conscience of the Department of Religious Studies. Photo credit: College of the Holy Cross

Thanks to her acute sense of justice and purpose, a sharp, analytical mind, and tremendous kindness, friends and former colleagues say Alice Laffey was the conscience of the religious studies department during her 35-year Holy Cross teaching career and through her retirement, until her recent death at 78 after a brief illness. 

On August 26, first-year students experienced their first Holy Cross tradition, Move-In Day, when they were welcomed to Mount St. James by students, staff, faculty, and alums who helped carry their bags and boxes to their dorm rooms. Video by Avanell Chang

Worcester’s North High School is building up a substantial base of student and alumni crusaders, including, left to right, Gordon Burnett’ 12, Shakira Suazo Valdes ’27, Sofia Torres ’27, Krystle O’Clair ’13, Yuliana Sanchez Reyes ’27, Vanessa Acheampong ’12 and Juleein Nicolas ’27. (Submitted photo)

Holy Cross surrounded Shakira Suazo Valdez. Four of her classmates at North High School in Worcester — including her best friend — received acceptance notifications in March. Three of her teachers proudly wore purple as alumni.

A spring freeze and a hot, wet summer will translate into a challenging fall for New England orchards, says Daina Harvey, associate professor of sociology and anthropology. Photo by Avanell Chang/Holy Cross

Already a precarious endeavor, farming in an age of wild weather fluctuations has become more challenging, and growers and consumers will need to make adjustments to navigate the nation’s food system in the months and years ahead, according to experts.

“Most of what we have now were developed for taste and storage, not climate resiliency,” said Daina Harvey, an associate professor of sociology and anthropology who researches agrarianism and food geographies.