On November 8, Ohio citizens will vote
on Issue 2, a veto referendum of Ohio
Senate Bill 5, which limits collective bargaining rights for government workers.
Senate Bill 5, signed into law by Gover- nor John Kasich on March 31, has been infor- mally referred to as the “Collective Bargain- ing Bill.” The bill stipulates that Ohio public workers’ rights to collective bargaining would be limited to wages only. This means that gov- ernmental workers would not have rights to bargain for benefits such as health insurance, sick time or pensions. The bill also prohibits workers from striking. Although it was creat- ed in response to Ohio’s fiscal woes, the bill’s opponents argue that it cuts money from the areas workers need it the most.
“When it was passed, our family was wor- ried that my dad would lose his job,” sopho- more Tom Bulgrin said. “Luckily he didn’t, but worrying about it wasn’t fun.”
Ironically, the historic legislation that created collective bargaining rights on a na- tional scale in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s
New Deal program was enacted during the largest depression America has undergone to date, whereas the Ohio Senate, under Gov- ernor Kasich’s administration, has passed a law banning these rights during a similar time of economic hardship. The law does not, however, affect John Kasich, the members of the Ohio General Assembly, or other elected judges    and    of fice    holders    in    Ohio.
“We ought to let the people that have to pay the bills figure out what the wage settle- ments ought to be, rather than having some wack-a-doodle from California come in and propose some wage settlement,” Kasich said to    the    Canton    Repositor y.
Ohio voters will be able to decide wheth- er they want the stipulations put forth by Sen- ate Bill 5 to remain the law of Ohio. Issue 2 was placed on the ballot throughout the ef- forts of Ohio citizens who collected the sig- natures necessary to place the issue on the ballot this November. This referendum allows the population to directly vote on the law. One Hoban    teacher    par ticipated    in    collecting    sig- natures to put the issue on the ballot.
“Repealing    Senate    Bill    Five    is    impor tant
to me, but I collected signatures from those who I knew would want to see the bill re- pealed,” English teacher Jamie Adaway said. “I never want to offend anybody, but some- times you have to challenge people’s beliefs to do what is right.”
The movement was spearheaded by the political action group We Are Ohio. According to the Associated Press, Governor Kasich has met with We Are Ohio multiple times, but has not to date satisfied the organization.
“The time for compromise has passed,” said a We Are Ohio spokesperson to the As- sociated Press.
Issue 2 has received vehement opposi- tion from supporters of Senate Bill 5, such as BetterOhio.org. These organizations argue that it will promote a more fiscally responsible Ohio.
However, voters must beware when reading literature put forth by groups that either support or criticize Issue 2. Many proj- ect rhetoric, labeling them as facts or busted myths. This perversion of the truth creates massive confusion when voters approach the booths Nov. 8. n

In today’s constantly fluctuating economy, and with the price of college rising an average of 6% each year, money now plays a larger part in the college decision then in previous years. “Cost is definitely important because it limits everything in the process because [for] some, even to apply is expensive,” senior Jake Pelini said.

Unfortunately, limitations caused by price often discourage people from applying to schools which they would like to attend. Also, the limited number of  high-value scholarships given out by universities often leaves those who did not receive one reverting to fallback schools rather then their original choice.

In order to prevent cost from disrupting the United States education system, the government has worked with colleges to create financial aid programs which help make higher level education more available to all.

In 1965, the U.S. government passed the Higher Education Act, which authorized federal student financial aid programs such as the Educational Opportunity Grant Program and the Guaranteed Student Loan Program. Over the years, this act has been reformed in order account for changing times. Recent reforms in 2003 and 2008 promoted the increase of availability of financial aid to a wider range of people. As a result, 65.6% of undergraduate students in the 2010-11 school year received some form of aid, according to the College Board’s yearly report, compared to the 55% in 2001. The reforms also allowed for greater aid distribution by both public and private schools resulting in both the University of Akron and the highly selective Harvard College providing over 70% of their undergraduates with financial aid opportunities in 2011.

With the number of financial aid opportunities on the rise, it is important that college applicants take full advantage of every option. Researching into the different types of aid available such as merit-plus-need scholarships, grants and loans is a great way to learn more about how to receive aid. Using tools such as financial aid estimators and college price calculators also helps put the cost of college into perspective.

Financial aid and scholarship programs are offering students much needed relief when it comes to paying for college. The impact of the recent reforms can be seen in the fact that the majority of college students now receive aid.

“I probably wouldn’t have gone to Marquette had I not gotten a scholarship,” 2011 Hoban graduate Alex Redle said.

However, despite the rise in college tuition, many students do not plan on making their college decisions based solely on cost.

“Cost is something to consider but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor,” senior John Paul Gromofsky said.

For those where cost is not a deciding factor, financial aid can still have benefits such as helping to lower student debts and, if necessary, the ability to save money for continuing education.

A great moment for the Hoban community occurred while most of the student body was fast asleep after the Homecoming dance.
At approximately 4:45 A.M. EST (10:45 A.M. local time), Brother André Bessette became the first canonized saint in the Brothers of Holy Cross’s 169 year history.

As a 2008 Hoban alumnus, I realize the importance of this event for the Hoban community and consider myself blessed to have been a part of the canonization.

I am a seminarian, who is studying abroad in Rome. It just so happened that I was given the honor of being Hoban’s representative at the canonization.

I, along with my seminary formation director, Fr. Mark Ott, a St. Vincent-Mary graduate, joined the estimated 50,000 pilgrims from around the world to celebrate the canonization of Brother André and five other saints.
After waiting in line for about an hour, we found our seats near the Obelisk which is a tall pointed structure towards the middle of the square, a little more than 600 ft away from the altar.
The excitement grew as the procession began and the Pope came out on the pope-mobile. Many people waved flags to show their support of a particular saint’s native country. Although I was 600 ft. back, I could not help but feel a part of something extraordinary.
One of the unique parts of the Mass was when the relics of the new saints were brought up and placed next to the altar. I could not help but think of the vastness of the Church. Only in the Church could, St. André, a onetime illiterate factory worker’s remains be placed near where the Pope, who would later switch between five different languages in his homily, would celebrate Mass. Holiness in the Church does come in many different forms.
Back in the 19th century, Fr. Andre Provençal sent the young Alfred Bessette to the Fathers of Holy Cross with the message, “I am sending you a saint,” and on Oct. 17, 2010 the Church officially agreed with that statement.”

“That game was won purely on intensity,” Christina Dickos said.
Dickos and her fellow seniors, Tabitha Brainard, Chelsea Evans, Emily Orsini, Paige Parson, Kelsey Radabaugh, and Jessica Walpole, were pinnacles of team’s intensity and skill on their special night.
“They did the program proud; they are the epitome of what Hoban vol leybal l is about,”Freshman coach Deb Stewart said.
Stewart has watched many of the seniors grow from budding ninth-graders to the vibrant players they are today.

Coming off their senior night victory, the Knights successfully defeated the Green Bulldogs. Both teams donned pink jerseys to support the “Dig for the Cure” effort. Proceeds from a bake sale and raffle supplemented the team’s donation to the American Cancer Society.

The team finished the season with a winning record of 13-9.

With a satisfactory regular season behind them, the dynamic team is eager to begin postseason play.

“We should definitely win the first game,” senior Jessica Walpole said.
Walpole and the rest of the team are eagerly anticipating battling rival St. Vincent-St. Mary in their quest for a state championship.
For more than a third of the team, this year’s high school playoff run will be their last high school.

“Everything we’ve put into making practices and games this season successful will pay off,” Walpole said.

The team wants to insure that this year, they finally get that “pay off” in the playoffs. Results from Thursday night’s playoff game were not available
at press time.

After the arrival of new head coach Joe (Peach) Zampino this season has been all about improving runner’ s form, identifying the competitive way to run and unity
within the team.
“ We have definitely had a re-building year,” senior captain Max Straus said. “ The team did a lot of conditioning and everyone applied themselves during practice.”

In last week’ s North Coast League Meet, the team pushed on even though the squad was plagued with injury. Straus finished the course in 19:35.42 and received the best time for Hoban. Also contributing to the meet was sophomore David McHenry who finished in 19:44.77.
As for the girls, sophomore Eileen Cummins finished second team all North Coast League with the time of 22:11.50, earning the girls nine points. Freshman Casey Surblis finished second for Hoban with a time of 22:45.66 earning 13 points.
In the end, the boys finished with 120 points, coming in fifth place. The girls finished with 89 points, coming in fourth place.

“Overall, I am very impressed with the improvement I have seen from the team,” Zampino said.
Junior Liz Santucci who has been out of competition due to an injury will be returning for the district tournament.
Tomorrow at 1 p.m., the cross country team will be competing in the District Tournament at Good Year Metro Park.

“Districts will be a challenge, but I’ m sure the
kids will give 100%,” Zampino said.

It will be a tough task to accomplish, however, in part because the team dug itself a deep hole on Oct. 8 by falling on the road to the Holy Name Green Wave. The Knights came up short in this heartbreaking nail-biter, losing 13-7. It
was a game the team agrees it should have won handedly.

“We did not take advantage of Holy Name’s mistakes,” head coach Ralph Orsini said. “There were some controversial calls towards the end, but we should have taken care of business.”

Still smarting from this tough loss, the Knights squared off against Notre Dame- Cathedral Latin on their home turf. Hoban stumbled out of the gate and found itself tied with the 1-7 Lions at halftime. The unit reached deep within itself in the second half and pulled out a 14-0 victory.
Senior free safety Kerrigan Cain ignited the Knights with two key interceptions.

“In the second half we took control thanks to some big plays by the defense,” Orsini said.

The victory kept alive the Knights’ slim playoff hopes. But the road to the postseason only gets rougher as Division II powerhouse Lake Catholic visits Dowed Field tonight. Lake Catholic is a formidable opponent but the Knights are not intimidated in the least.

“There is no reason we can’t win this game,” bone-crushing cornerback Ian Santoferraro said. “Nobody is unbeatable.”
The Knights will need to be firing on all cylinders to conquer the Cougars.

“I think the game’s X-factor will be the play of our special teams corps,” special teams specialist Riley Kramer said.

Currently ranked fifteenth in Region 9, Hoban real ist ically must win out in order to crash the postseason party. The top eight teams in each region qualify.

Tonight at 7 p.m. the Knights make their final push for the playoffs.

Each Catholic parish has a chance to gather high school students from the Akron area to compete in league play and even advance to a state tournament. This is an opportunity for all boys or girls who don’t play for their high school team to showcase its talents.
CYO basketball was designed to ensure that high school students can play competitively even if they don’t play for their high school hoop squad. Many gifted high school basketball players are now playing for their Catholic parishes instead of their own high school. The time and stress needed to be a dedicated team player seems to be too much as many athletes are exchanging daily practices for time to
work to make money, focus on their studies, or prepare for a different sport. The thrill of competition is also involved, although the games are often comical and high scoring.

CYO basketball is designed to be laid back and that is why more talented players are filling the teams. There are two divisions of CYO that are split into a freshman and
sophomore league and a junior and senior league. The league keeps the same rules of
normal basketball except the infamous “no dunking” rule which does not always stop
some high flyers from throwing the hammer down.
“The excitement is like nothing I have ever seen before; I count down the days of the week until I step out on the court with my St. Francis Xavier jersey on,” junior Pat Carabin said.
CYO basketball is something high school boys and girls look forward to week in and week out. Each team has the chance to take it seriously or to have as much fun as possible with little or no stress at all.
“I love the game of basketball, even though I’m not the best. I can still show up and have fun with my friends,” senior Ashley Fisher said.
As the season starts, players all over the league have high expectations on how competitive the league will actually be.
“I know some great players that are coming out this year and should make it a season to remember,” junior Braden Evans said.
From the powerhouse teams of Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Sebastian, Holy Family, and St Hilary to even some of the small parishes like Queen of Heaven and Nativity; each team in the junior and senior division has the opportunity to advance to the state tournament held near Cincinnati.
“I think this year St. Sebastian has what it takes to advance to the state fi nal and bring
the title back to West Akron,” senior Anthony Arnone said.
December 18th the ballers of CYO will lace up the Nikes and start their quest to the state tournament.