Mitchell Baker '22

April 22, 2021April 4, 2021

In Praise of the Holy Cross Libraries

I’ve spoken of the beauty of Holy Cross’s famed Dinand Library with its elegant steps arising from the majestic Linden Lane. However, I’ve yet to discusses the true beauty of the library system at the College, that is, how expansive the library’s collections are and how helpful the dedicated team of librarians is!

To start, the library system at Holy Cross consists of a team of librarians who all specialize in certain disciplines. The librarians work in close conjunction with academic departments and students to ensure that the collections are up to date with the resources students need for class and research. Further, the librarians are dedicated to ensuring that course reserves are always met, thus ensuring equitable obtainment of textbooks and other resources for classes that some students may not be able to afford.

The librarian team may be the friendliest group on campus (and that’s saying a lot as everyone at HC is friendly beyond belief)! I’ve had wonderful discussions with the librarians concerning my personal research and other matters.

I have never had an issue getting a book or journal article for class or personal research before. THe ILLIAD (interlibrary loan system) allows HC to request books outside of our collections from other universities. More importantly, if you are unable to get a book HC has a no-questions-asked purchasing policy, meaning that students will always be able to get the resources they need for their studies!

One of the upper-reading rooms in Dinand Library where students can study.

April 4, 2021

Study Abroad at the University of Oxford!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted here, but I’m finally back! And with good news! Ever since January, I have been studying at Mansfield College at the University of Oxford with five other Holy Cross students during the latter half of the pandemic.

All sophomores at the College have the wonderful opportunity of applying to study abroad in a variety of places during their junior year such as South America, the UK, Germany, Athens, France, China, India, and a wide range of other places – all at the top universities of each respective country!

As noted by this recent report, for the last decade Holy Cross has been the top school for placing students in interesting and rigorous study abroad programs!

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Mansfield College at Oxford, where I am able to undertake the rigorous tutorial system which consists of writing a paper each week that I present to my tutor for rigorous questioning.

Small class sizes at Holy Cross as well as seminars have greatly prepared for me the defense of my arguments in front of my tutors. Further, all the tutors here have commented that Holy Cross students present some of the best analysis and writing they have ever seen, a testament to our rigorous curriculum and great professors back at home!

While studying at Oxford requires a lot of dedicated studying and time management

skills (something HC has prepared us all for), there still has been some time to get out and view the amazing nature and architecture scattered throughout the city. Dazzling towers and magnificent churches line the streets throughout Oxford, making for an amazing view for daily walks to the library!

To all prospective students, studying abroad has been one of the highlights of my undergraduate experience, and Holy Cross is amazing in sending students wherever they want to go!

Check out the pictures below for a glimpse into the sights I experience every day!

The towering entrance to the famed Christ Church College

My friend Nina making a cameo in a picture of Mansfield’s Philosophy, Politics, and Economics library!

Me in front of the famed Radcliffe Camera Library building known to be a staple of the City of Oxford!

The beautiful common of Mansfield College with the library and administrative building in the background!

January 25, 2020

Christmas on the Hill!

Christmastime at Holy Cross is one of the best times to be a part of the campus community. From dorm halls holding door decorating contests to the chaplain’s office and school groups offering services for students who celebrate Hannukah and Kwanza, there is something to do for students from all sorts of different backgrounds.

As students engage in spreading Christmas cheer by decorating their dorm rooms the school puts on major events that the whole community takes part of. First, there is the annual Christmas tree lighting where students partake in Christma carols, hot cocoa, cookies, and pictures with Santa Clause during the celebration of lighting the campus Christmas tree in front of the historic O’Kane Hall! Then there is the “Festival of Lessons and Carols” where the whole community squeezes into Saint Joseph’s Chapel to sing Christmas songs deep into the night!

Despite the deep connection of Christianity to the celebration of Christmas, one does not have to be a practicing Christian to be part of the campus cheer during the season. Whether Jewish, Muslim, or non-practicing, the true essence of Christmastime at Holy Cross rests in everyone’s love and respect for each other. We come together as a community to celebrate every unique individual that makes Holy Cross such an amazing place for college.

Saint Joseph’s Chapel where the popular Festival of Lessons and Carols is held.

The clock tower of O’Kane hall sporting festive snow and icicles

The Nativity Scene set up before the entrance to the historic O’Kane Hall.

October 21, 2019

Rushing in the Second Year!

Mount Saint James is abuzz with excitement in the first couple of months of the school year! Between the construction of the new recreation center and the new performing arts center, the campus has never been busier than ever!

When I returned to campus to begin fall classes it was as though I had never left. Having dinner in Kimball with friends, going to classes in Stein and Smith Hall, and studying late into the nights in Dinand put me right back into the groove of things!

The second year of Holy Cross has also opened up so many new avenues for me as a student to explore! While I have been busy with my classwork, as usual, I have also been busy with so many extracurricular activities on campus!

Being a now second-year “veteran” in the school’s Moot Court Team has lead to me diving into the matters of constitutional law more than I had ever thought I would in my lifetime. Recently, the school just held its Moot Court invitational, where my partner and I successfully made it past the first-day competition to the highly coveted “out-rounds” of the tournament. While I was eventually knocked out, Holy Cross proudly showed our HC Pride as the finals of the tournament were held between two Holy Cross teams!

Becoming a more active member of the school’s College Democrats chapter, I have had an abundance of opportunities to get involved with politics on the local and state level. I started off the year with a few other Holy Cross students attending the Worcester Labor Breakfast where we all held signs for senatorial-candidate Congressman Joe Kennedy!

While this summer was an amazing experience for me, I am so grateful and happy to be back on campus: my second home with my second family.

Dinand Library, my absolute favorite spot on campus!

A rendering of the new Performing Arts Center

A rendering of the new recreation center!

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019

A Campus Away From Campus

While Holy Cross has a wonderful campus with essentially unlimited extracurricular opportunities, I do have to admit that sometimes you develop that need to get away from campus for a few hours. Thankfully, the college has its very own retreat center less than 25 minutes away!

Holy Cross’s retreat center, the Joyce Contemplative Center, presents students with an amazing opportunity to get away from what can sometimes be a busy campus and simply slow things down to reflect on life. Located on a hilltop that overlooks gorgeous hills and a waterway, the JCC always offers an amazing sunset for students to look at! Most of the college’s retreats are held at the JCC. There are retreats for first-year students, the LGBTQ+ community, as well as a variety of other retreats that offer amazing opportunities. I definitely recommend trying to get to the JCC at least once during your first year at Holy Cross!

On a snowy day in February, I and my Montserrat classmates piled into school vans at Hogan to make the journey to the JCC. While pulling up the driveway our gaze was met with a beautiful contemporary building that just screamed: “forget about all your classes for an hour and just relax!” In the snow and cold, we all dashed to the entrance where we were greeted by a cozy crackling fireplace and a spacious dining room. On the left side of the building, there were hotel rooms for overnight retreats and there was a beautiful fully glass contemplation room that overlooks the surrounding nature located in the back of the building where we ended up performing our group presentations.

The main attraction for students is not just the beautiful building, the serene campus, or the escape from coursework. No, what do college students love almost more than anything else? FOOD of course! The JCC is renowned for dishing out some of the tastiest meals every single crusader has ever experienced in their lives. My meal was no different. With chicken parm as the main course with fresh veggies, salad, pasta, and garlic bread as sides I was stuffed. Oh wait, did I forget to mention that they also have freshly baked cookies for dessert?

Whether it’s for the retreat, the beautiful building, the serene campus, or the food; I can’t recommend going to the JCC at least once during your freshmen year!