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InCity Letters

Main South reacts to Holy Cross president’s comments re: Main South

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editor’s note: we missed this one, but it still may be of interest to folks …

Subject: Main South reacts to the President of the College of the Holy Cross, Father Michael McFarland, and his comments on Main South and Clark University in today’s T & G article.

When: Today, December 8, 2pm

Location: Front gate of Clark University, 950 Main Street

Worcester City Councilor Barbara G. Haller will be joined by Main South residents and leaders to make a statement about remarks attributed to Father McFarland, President of the College of the Holy Cross in today’s article in the Telegram & Gazette by Jacqueline Reis.

Councilor Haller explains, “Main South residents understand that the College of the Holy Cross is working on improving its town-gown relationship, especially with it near-campus neighbors. Holy Cross has our full support in this effort and we wish them every success. That being said, the residents and business owners of Main South take great umbrage over Reporter Reis’s attributing Fr. McFarland with commenting that ‘there’s so much other crime in Clark’s Main South neighborhood that drunken students aren’t as remarkable as they are near Holy Cross.’”

Haller continues, “After reading the article this morning I emailed Father McFarland with my sense of insult over these remarks. Father McFarland responded quickly with an apology and a request that I convey his ‘sincerest apology to the people of Main South.’ Today’s event is intended to extend this apology as requested.”

“It is equally important to correct the record regarding Main South and Clark University student behaviors. While Main South does indeed suffer from crime problems it does not distract residents from reporting poor behavior, regardless of whether it comes from Clark students or not. In fact, the cooperative partnerships developed by residents with Clark administrators and the Worcester Police Department means that problems, when they arise, are quickly identified and dealt with. In my memory there has never been one occasion with hundreds of Clark students taking over a street in Main South with openly inebriated misbehaviors. It is incorrect for Father McFarland or anyone to imply that this is the case and that neighbors just don’t notice.”

Haller adds, “I am pleased that Father McFarland has recognized the mistake of such characterizations and am pleased to share this with the community.”

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog, Uncategorized

Holy Cross college’s Father McFarland: Enabler extraordinaire

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By Rosalie Tirella

This is why the College of the Holy Cross has so many problems with underage drinking/partying: Father McFarland, president of Holy Cross, is an enabler extraordinaire. When it comes to his young charges on College Hill, there is no limit to the bull he will throw at HC critics, no end to the denial of a reality that Worcesterites and even most Holy Cross students have acknowledged for years: HOLY CROSS COLLEGE IS A PARTY SCHOOL.

During a TV newscast last night, which pretty much recapped the point we made about the rowdy/booze-fueled parties HC students hold on Caro Street, the TV reporter tried to get a quote from a Holy Cross official – most likely the school’s president, Father McFarland. On our tv screens we saw pictures of trash on Caro Street, a huge banner hanging from a three decker front porch on Caro Street advertising a party. You would think the school president would do the mature thing … .

But how did Father McFarland react to these TV shots – Worcesterites’ reality?

Neither McFarland nor any HC p.r. flak, for that matter, would show his/her face on TV. How sad when you compared McFarland’s silence and the TV shots featuring Worcester City Manager Mike O’Brien looking exasperated and telling the camera that for the past three weeks Holy Crss students have been out of control on Caro Street – doing things like “urinating in bushes.”

Holy Cross release a “statement,” a blurb thrown up on the TV screen with no name attached. The statement pretty much sounded like a spoiled kid. It said Holy Cross college was pissed that City (Worcester) officials would talk so critically of their students! And if they continued to do so, HC’s and Worceter’s relationship would not move “forward.” Meaning they would pull the plug on whatever good they are doing in town.

No apologies. No, reaching out to the community. No promise of educating HC students. Nothing. Just blasting the city – and then threatening the city.

Jesus would be ashamed of these Jesuits.

Holy Cross does not pay PILOT! WPI, MCPHS and now Clark University pay PILOT!

Holy Cross has the largest endowment of any Worcester College – millions, upon millions, upon millions of dollars! Yet Holy Cross does not offer full scholarships to poor South Worcester kids who ace their reportcards and are good enough (all A’s) to attend Holy Cross but cannot afford to pay the steep tuition. Clark University has a great program that does just this – gives full scholarships to high achieving Main South kids – ultimately lifting poor Main South families out of poverty and creating a lot of good will in the ‘hood (and city). Truth be told, Holy Cross is the biggest cheap skate college in town! HC has even closed all worker holiday parties (like cafeteria workers) to Worcester kids. They used to invite our inner-city young ones!

Who does Father McFarland think he is? When his puss is plastered on the cover of the Telegram and Gazette and the paper’s website, when his school is featured on the TV news and other websites (like ours) and more – with EVERYONE TELLING HIM TO GET HIS STUDENTS UNDER CONTROL AND STOP THEIR PUKING, PISSING AND PRANKS – he shuts down. Just like the wizzened, dried up, loveless, arrogant man he is. What was the name of the priest in The Scarlet Letter?

Father McFarland needs to listen to the community and react appropriately.

Green Island Grrrl, Rosalie's Blog, Uncategorized

Holy Cross college: even its students admit it’s a mega-kegga all the time!

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By Rosalie Tirella

Interesting stuff! Even the students at Holy Cross admit that booze plays a major part in their lives at HC. I just visited a very interesting website – unigo.com – a website where kids rate their colleges, talk honestly about the schools they attend. It’s meant to be read by other college students or high school kids who are thinking of attending various colleges, including The College of the Holy Cross. The straight dope – for their pals.

Depressing fact that District 4 City Councilor Barbara Haller and half of South Worcester have been wrestling with for years: kids at Holy Cross love to party. At unigo.com, Holy Cross students even list the name of the street – CARO STREET!!! – where the Holy Cross partying happens! Wow! Caro Street – a kind of landmark for budding alcoholics! Tell Father McFarland! Let him learn – or stop denying – the truth.

Read what the rest of the world is reading about Holy Cross and its environs in unigo.com:

“The social scene at Holy Cross is largely run by students involved in athletics, perhaps due to the lack of Greek life on campus. Much of the partying takes place on Caro St, where several upperclassmen live in off-campus houses and throw big, loud parties that can spill into the street.

“There aren’t frats or sororities, but there’s Caro St. off-campus apartments people go to, and sports houses that function kind of like frats or sororities,” writes a senior sociology major.

“Alcohol has a definite presence at Holy Cross, and students who like to party will go out several nights a week. “People tend to party 3-4 times per week, and drink excessively on the weekends,” reports a junior majoring in political science. ”

Lovely.

Here’s more:

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest score, the students at Holy Cross rate alcohol/alcohol use a whopping 8!

Take that, Father McFarland!

Out of the mouths of coddled babes … .

And from another Holy Cross student: “Sports are very popular at Holy Cross. Unfortunately, on the weekends much of the fun revolves around drinking, so for those of you who don’t drink, try to be prepared for that … .”

Yeesh ….