Lens

By Nathaniel McDonough Community leaders are not stepping down in the fight against opioid addiction, even though overdose deaths are dropping.  There were 2,125 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2023, which is 232 fewer than in 2022 when Massachusetts had a record 2,357 fatal opioid overdoses, according to a Department of Public Health report. The opioid crisis was fueled by Purdue Pharma plans to sell their prescription drug OxyContin in 1996. They manipulated studies to persuade the FDA to sign off on tthe drug and convince doctors to prescribe OxyContin for cases that did not require such heavy opioid prescriptions, according to the United States Department of Justice.  Senator Patrick O’Connor, a state Senator representing the Norfolk district of Massachusetts has long been a champion for those who are affected by addiction and the opioid epidemic.  “ This issue was one of the impetuses for me to get involved in government in the first place," he said. ...

Ryan Cassery, a Junior Marketing major at Stonehill, attended a career fair run by the Stonehill career development center called “Meet the Firms” during his sophomore year.  This fair brought together over 30 hiring companies for students looking for internship and job opportunities. “I was able to talk to each company at the event and gave my resume to about 10 of the ones I connected with the most,” Cassery said. After the career fair Cassery reached out to one of the companies and was asked to apply directly through their website. He is now a paid fall semester sales intern at ALKU.  ALKU is a staffing firm that matches individuals and companies to personal consultants. Cassery said his role is mostly “cold calling to hiring managers, trying to see if they are hiring pharmaceutical consultants.” Cassery also applied to Black Diamond, the Red Sox organization, Aflac, and LabCorp on Stonehill’s Job search site handshake. He did not end up following through with these after r...

 By Jenny Olson     A first year at Marist college finds ease in her adjustment to college thanks to her deeply rooted faith.      Eighteen-year-old Mary E. Olsen grew up in New Hampshire and was introduced to Christianity at a young age. Her parents Dave Olsen and Michelle Olsen are active members of their local church, often volunteering for community events.       "I always grew up in the church,” Olsen says. “My parents brought me in every week to church.”       For Olsen, Sundays weren’t just a day of worship; they were an integral part of her life. As a child, she went to Sunday school and those lessons were followed by youth group as she got older, shaping her early understanding of God. Yet, like many young people, Olsen found herself with questions as she transitioned from childhood to adolescence.       “As I got older, I didn’t understand what it meant to have a relationship with Go...

  By Grayson Sparr                Mental health concerns among college students continue to rise as studies show that 60% of college students suffer from at least one mental health problem.          Salter Arms, a sophomore at Brown University, said being away from his family in Michigan is difficult. “Not being able to see my family and my mom especially is very hard for me and with such a large workload it’s one of the first times I've really had problems with anxiety.” Salter said that while anxiety has affected him, he doesn’t feel the need to consider seeking professional help at this time.     According to the American Psychological Organization, mental health problems on college campuses continue to worsen every year especially with the aftermath of Covid-19.     Sam Parks, a senior at Stonehill College, said juggling schoolwork while playing Division 1 baseball was difficult, but ...