By Jack Beall–
As the 2020 school year approached, COVID-19 continued to loom over Gonzaga, threatening to spoil any on-campus return. Sure enough, it did. Eye Street remained vacant in the early months of the school year. There were few teachers, no students, and sadly, no spirit. For the first time, students were not looking forward to spending their time at Gonzaga, but rather dreading the hours of screen time ahead; the community was absent.
Finn Cousins, a senior class representative, was not okay with this. He spent his first three years on Eye Street greeting friends, going to football games, screaming the alma mater in church and personifying the brotherhood of Gonzaga at every moment. Cousins, realizing that the freshman class would not be introduced into that brotherhood and that many other students would be fading away from it, decided to try to demonstrate the spirit of Gonzaga through his new “Eye Street Podcast.”
“I decided to do the podcast in October to try and bring some Gonzaga spirit back, even if it was virtual because of the pandemic. Listening to the voices of people on eye street gives all walks of life on campus so much wisdom,” Cousins explained.
Cousin’s initial plan was to record weekly episodes with different faces from Gonzaga, both students and staff members, but after releasing the first episode, Finn was unable to carry out this plan.
He said, “I fell short of the goal because sometimes life throws a curveball and you are forced to weigh your priorities.”
With a lot going on in the world, and in Cousin’s own life, it is very understandable that he was unable to record more episodes. However, his first podcast featured fellow seniors Ryan Bond and Patrick Fogarty.
The first episode was released with the intention of expressing to all viewers the “different paths to success on Eye Street.” As most Gonzaga students will learn, Gonzaga is not a place where students can slack off and relax, but if you do participate in the community you will come to learn a lot about yourself and your friends.
“Between failures, a couple of bad grades, new friendships, and shocking realizations, the journey to success on the Gonzaga campus comes in all different ways,” Cousins said.
Cousins hoped his podcast would reassure the underclassmen that they will have their chance to be part of Gonzaga, even though the future seemed cloudy. The future of the “Eye Street Podcast” remains in question as the year begins to wind down. Cousins hopes to release at least one more episode featuring Ms. Meghan Tracey, counseling department chair, Ms. Caitlin Farley, science teacher and Ms. Danielle Flood, assistant director of campus ministry.
Although the spirit of the Gonzaga community starts to return, Cousins hopes “that someone in the class of ‘22 ,‘23, or ‘24 will consider picking up where I left off with the idea of making a podcast about the life of the Gonzaga community because it is a special place.”
Carol Corgan • Mar 22, 2021 at 6:10 pm
Thank you, Jack! Finn has noble aspirations. Even pulling off the first podcast was a feat in these times.