JaspersVoteEventEmpowers StudentstobePolitically
Educated
another college.
Emmanouel Sofillas Assistant Sports Editor
In an event held on campus last Tuesday, Oct. 29, students from Margaret Groarke, Ph.D.’s political science class, The U.S. Presidency, hosted a special event in tandem with Jaspers Vote to celebrate and promote awareness for the upcoming presidential election.
Held in front of Squeri Hall, the event featured the debut of an election information booklet, which the students had researched and compiled as part of their semester project.
Reflecting on the journey that led to the creation of the election information booklet, Groarke shared how its inspiration sparked from an initiative she heard about at
“I met somebody who does this at another college, and I was like, ‘That’s a good idea’,” Groarke said. “So I talked to my US Presidency class about it, and they were game. So we talked about what issues should we include and they each took an assignment to research a single issue, and we pulled together a lot of information.”
Gabrielle Blair, a senior philosophy major who worked on the project, explained the purpose of the booklet, highlighting its role as a resource for student voters.
Blair noted that it covers key topics like candidate backgrounds and major policy issues.
“We have abortion, gun policy, climate change, economic policy, foreign policy, and probably any issue you might be concerned about in this election is all in this data
that we collected,” Blair said.
Blair also discussed the process that went into the booklet, emphasizing the hard work each student put into making the booklet a comprehensive guide.
“Each of us was assigned an issue in this upcoming election and had to do extensive research on it. We then compiled all the information into this booklet, and then we all formatted it together,” Blair said.
Groarke explained the purpose behind the booklet, noting its aim to help students understand each candidate’s stance on key issues.
“The purpose is really to try to give people a sense of where the candidates stand on the issues,” Groarke said. “There’s a little bit of information about
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Manhattan University IntroducesJames
Program
Otito Maduegbuna Contributor
Manhattan University recently announced a new honors program co-led by New York Times best-selling author, James Patterson ‘69, that will be implemented across the institution starting in 2025.
The James Patterson Honors Program will provide students with workshops and opportunities centered around improving writing skills, personal development and preparation for entering various industries.
According to an article on manhattan.edu, “The mission of the Patterson Honors Program is to provide a strong foundation in critical thinking, writing and creative problem-solving to prepare top students for fulfilling careers in various industries. Manhattan University conscientiously equips its students to be ethical, successful citizens in the real world.”
Bridget Chalk, Ph.D., associate provost and English professor, spoke to The Quadrangle about the program’s relationship with James Patterson.
“He [James Patterson] came to us with the interest in supporting something like this, and so it’s been a really interesting process talking to him about his vision, but sharing with him the more academic, higher education side of it,” Chalk said. “The program is being developed
through a dialogue with Mr. Patterson, which has been a really fascinating process to be a part of, and should be really wonderful and dynamic for our students when they enter the program.”
The James Patterson Honors Program has been declared to be open and available to students from all majors across the university and will provide a variety of experiences for students to cultivate their skills in their major.
“Right now, there’s a certain amount of courses that students have to take,” Chalk said. “We’re going to scaffold the Patterson Program on top of those academic requirements, because the Patterson Program is primarily about leadership and career development. So though there will be rigorous academics, the program is really aimed more toward developing our students abilities at professionalization, networking and seeking out opportunities and internships in the field that they wish to enter upon graduation. There will also be a high profile speaker series where students will be able to network in more intimate settings.”
The Patterson Program will be available to students regardless of major through a carefully vetted process.
Rani Roy, Ph.D., interim provost, spoke to The Quadrangle about the types of students that are considered for the program.
Volume CX, Issue 10 NOVEMBER 5, 2024
The Editorial Board
Grace Cardinal Editor-in-Chief
Angelina Persaud Managing Editor
Leyla Mercado Asst. News Editor
Mary Haley Asst. Features Editor
Jill Tuthill Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
Emmanouel Sofillas Asst. Sports Editor
Barbara Vasquez Asst. Production Editor
Elizabeth Kalaj Web Editor
Angelina Persaud News Editor
Mack Olmsted Features Editor
Angelina Perez Arts & Entertainment Editor
Andrew Mannion Sports Editor
Ivy Jaep Production Editor
Mary Haley Marketing Chair
Molly Callahan Video Editor
Thom Gencarelli Faculty Advisor
About The Quadrangle
A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan University. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism.
The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the University or the student body.
Join The Quadrangle
The Quadrangle’s staff holds weekly open meetings on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. in Kelly Commons Room 412. All are welcome to come and join the club.
Connect with The Quadrangle mcquad.org @mu_quad @mu_quad mcquad
LETTER from the EDITOR
Dear Readers,
Hello, and happy Election Day!
If you have not done so already, this is your reminder to go out and vote! It is more important than ever for us to have our voices heard to guide the future of our nation. I voted in my first-ever presidential election via absentee ballot two weeks ago, and it felt rewarding to know that my voice will be one of millions heard this evening. Please take some time to educate yourself on the candidate’s positions for the issues that matter most to you before you hit the voting booth - there are plenty of resources out there, including some from Manhattan University students!
There is another nationally important event happening this week…100 years of The Quadrangle! Our centennial is of great importance to our staff, and we hope that you will check back in this Thursday, Nov. 7, to read what we put together for our special issue. If you live nearby and would like to come celebrate with us in person, we’ve organized a launch event for the occasion accompanied by music, snacks, and complimentary Red Bull. We’ll be on campus in Kelly Commons 4C from 7-8:30 P.M. this Thursday, and whether you’re a student, faculty or staff member, alumni or anyone else, we’d love to have you come celebrate.
While you wait in line at the polls, we have a great issue for you to check out. In news, we cover James Patterson’s recently announced MU Honors program, an event held by Jaspers Vote on campus to empower and inform student voters and a very special Election Day edition of Manhattan Caucus. In features, we cover yet another successful Safe Halloween event on campus and some of our engineering students at AIChE’s Chicago competition. In A&E, we cover a spook-tacular coffee house event and a new rock band on campus. Lastly, in sports, we cover the newest addition to MU Jasper athletics, Men’s Volleyball, and Ultimate Frisbee’s first game (and win!) of the season. Check it all out!
That’s all from me for now…until Thursday!
ManhattanUniversityIntroducesJames PattersonHonorsProgram
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“Those who are receiving our highest merit scholarships would be eligible to be invited to this program,” Roy told The Quadrangle. “James Patterson was very clear that he wanted to ensure that we capture those things outside of just GPA and test scores. So we will be developing an application process for those who may not have been initially invited into the program, but once they got here they demonstrate significant leadership qualities and could be invited into the program at a later date based on the application process.”
Both Chalk and Roy touched on the importance of preparing students for entering real-world industries as well as the guidance and opportunities that the Patterson Program can provide for admitted scholars.
“We want to be very intentional about mentoring students and advising students as to the different types of
career pathways they can take,” Chalk said. “Manhattan has a very strong engineering and business network, and James Patterson is, of course, in the cultural sphere. He also worked in advertising for a long time, so there are really a range of industries associated with both this university and this program that students from any one of our majors could go into. Our mentor program is organized by different industries, so students will have the advantage of working through that structure and finding their career paths as well.”
The James Patterson Honors Program will formally launch starting in 2025 with plans to prepare students to develop their leadership and creative thinking abilities in new and exciting ways.
“For me, it’s the leadership and professional development aspects and key access to
industry professionals and leaders in their chosen fields,” Roy said. “It’s the fact that we’re focusing on those leadership and professional development skills that I think is what sets us apart and what the students would really be gaining from being in it.”
Chalk also commented on her hopes for the program in the future.
“I think a great benefit of this program is that as the university seeks to educate the whole person, a lot of that has to do with the content of your degree, but it also has to do with you developing your professional and interpersonal skills,” Chalk said. “I think this program is really intentional on helping students to cultivate that professional persona and develop the connections that will help them once they leave campus.”
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what they’ve done on some of the issues so that people can choose right like people might have different points of view. You can decide, based on where you stand, which one of them wins your support.”
Lucia Villasante Mata, a student in the U.S. Presidency class, emphasized the importance of providing reliable information, highlighting the dangers of misinformation online.
“Some people will put information out there that is not real and that is biased, and you might believe it just by looking at a quick Google search. So many people fall into this, and we want to make it easier for everyone,” Mata said.
Groarke shared her enthusiasm for continuing the project in the future, suggesting it could be useful for local elections where information might be harder to find.
“I really think this might be fun to do again, maybe with a lower profile election
where there’s less information available, like in the spring, New York City residents will be voting in mayoral primaries,” Groarke said. “So that might be a great opportunity for us to have people learn about who the mayoral candidates are.”
The Jaspers Vote event and election booklet equipped MU students with key insights for informed voting. Groarke and her class hope to expand this effort to local elections, fostering a more engaged campus community.
The James Patterson Honors Program will begin
ManhattanCaucus: ElectionDay
Today’s the day - Election Day is finally upon us! This election has been historic, with the different strategies used by the presidential candidates to get the American people to cast their vote for them. Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump remain neck and neck according to recent polls. Harris is leading by a small margin with 49 percent and Trump sits at 48 percent in a round of final polls drawn up by New York Times/Siena College National Poll.
Millions of Americans have already voted by early mail-in ballots, and this is crucial to the election. President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020 was largely attributed to mail-in ballots, but it appears that Republicans are eroding the Democratic lead in early voting in 2024, according to CNN Portland, Oregon, police responded to a complaint on Monday, Oct. 28, regarding a ballot box fire that burned hundreds of ballots at one location, according to CNN This was in addition to another fire that was reported earlier this month. CNN reported
that according to Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Mike Benner, evidence from the incendiary devices discovered at the vote boxes on Monday indicates that the fires are related to a third incident that was recorded in Vancouver, Washington, on Oct. 8. According to election officials, hundreds of ballots were destroyed in a Vancouver ballot box, but many ballots in Portland remained intact. Investigators have concluded that one individual is responsible for both incidents. This is not the only issue that states are running into when it comes to mail in ballots. Given that Maricopa County, Arizona, has a twopage ballot, it is estimated to take roughly two weeks to receive the presidential verdict, even though many people anticipate it by the end of the day, according to Arizona Family. According to Arizona Family, Jennifer Liewer, deputy elections director for communications, said, “With races that are going to be tight, it’s going to be difficult, and people may need to have some patience.” Since 2006, it has taken Maricopa County an average of 13 days to finalize votes, according to the Arizona Family article.
With this being said, Harris and Trump made valiant efforts during their individual
campaigns to get their political agenda across to the American people. Harris made her closing pitch to her campaign in D.C on Oct. 29. Reported by NPR, Harris delivered an elaborate speech outlining her goals and denouncing her opponent’s behavior and character. According to Harris’ campaign per the Washingtonian, more than 75,000 people attended the event.
As quoted by NPR, Harris said in her concluding statements that she wants to establish a middle ground with those who don’t agree with her. Along with this, she emphasized she will bring her
own ideas to the position in an effort to distance herself from Biden’s policies. Additionally, on Oct. 27, Trump held his closing rally in New York at Madison Square Garden. Trump was introduced by his wife Melania Trump, which has not been a normal occurrence within Trump’s 2024 campaign. He then went on to deliver a 78-minute long speech. According to NewsMax, speakers that followed Trump’s speech at the rally included Elon Musk, former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., political commentator Tucker Carlson,
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York, TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw and others. Today, we the American people could potentially witness history. The next president of the United States of America will shape our country in a pivotal time in history. If you have not yet voted, go out and vote. Each vote is not just a ballot; it’s a powerful expression of hopes, values and a vision for the future. No matter the outcome, your participation is what truly matters—so make your voice heard.
Elaina Batista Contributor
Vice President Kamala Harris Making Her Closing Statement in Washington, D.C. KENT NISHIMURA / COURTESY
Features
KDP is Back With Another Safe Halloween
Mack Olmsted Features Editor
The education honor society Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), brought Halloween to campus for another year with the Safe Halloween event.
Previously called MC Halloween, the Safe Halloween event is for the children in the Riverdale community to go trick-or-treating in a safe environment on campus. The event ran for two hours and had approximately 25 clubs participating with rooms and stations set up with activities for the trick-or-treaters to take part in.
“This event was open for everyone to participate in,” KDP’s vice president of campus and community events, Yumnah Chaudhary said. “It was a good way to connect the campus community, the different honor societies, greek life and sport teams with the surrounding community. Everyone was welcome, and everyone was
extremely excited. Everyone took great initiative and made sure that their rooms were decorated and interactive for the children. It’s not just the education department that was connecting with the kids, but everyone helped create a fun interactive environment.”
All the different clubs had different themes and activities they were running. Some popular rooms at the event included Sigma Delta Tau’s “Inside Out” themed slimemaking activity, the Women and Gender Research Center’s witch-themed potion-making activity and Beta Alpha Psi’s monster-themed maze.
“I also really liked that there were some clubs that worked together,” KDP’s co-president, Sara Morejon said. “I liked seeing all the teamwork. And I like how efficient everyone was, it was because of these clubs that we had a successful event at the [University].”
The biggest difference from last year is the staff felt they had better communication,
in comparison to last year. Specifically, Morejon noted that the students and faculty took extra measures to communicate the event to the broader community.
Morejon described how she felt the staff were “a closeknit group.” This year, they had more Spanish speaking translators and were actively promoting the event in Spanish.
“We know that a lot of the families around here are Spanish speaking, so it’s just something we’re used to,” KDP’s assistant to community liaison Mary-Abigail Caglione said. “It’s not something we have to do, but we know the type of people that are coming, and we want to make sure that everyone feels included.”
Safe Halloween helps KDP members get more in touch with parents and children they may work with. The event allows KDP members to talk to parents and children in a safe environment outside of the classroom.
“Events like this help
KDP get more in touch with the parents and the children, something that maybe not a lot of colleges out there have,” Morejon said. “There were even some parents that came up to us and said, ‘Oh, I wish I had this when I was a kid’. It’s such a fun thing to do, to get kids and parents out there and to look forward to just doing things in their community. We even had a few parents say their kids were going to be future Jaspers.”
Riverdale students enjoying Safe Halloween activities. @KAPPADELTAPIMC / INSTAGRAM
MU Chemical Engineers Take Home First Place at AIChE Competition in San Diego
Angelina Perez & Jill Tuthill
Arts & Entertainment Editor & Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
The executive board for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) chapter at Manhattan University traveled across the United States to San Diego, CA, where they took first place for the K-2 age group in the annual K-12 STEM Outreach Competition under the supervision of J. Patrick Abulencia, Ph.D.
The competition is held by AIChE at their yearly conference, which draws in chemical engineers with a variety of education and experience. According to the AIChE website, the importance of this conference lies in that it, “Unites academic and industry researchers at all career stages to explore topics at the forefront of chemical engineering.”
MU has participated in this showcase for the last two years.
Abulencia, AIChE chapter advisor, approached this year’s president of the chapter, senior Quinn Nagle, with the idea of participating in the showcase at the end of last semester where she was able to assemble the team over the summer months and create the module that was presented at the competition.
“Part of my job as the student chapter advisor for AIChE is to identify and offer opportunities for our students,” Abulencia wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “I personally got involved with K-12 outreach a few years ago and presented that competition as a possible venue for our students to compete. I am a big proponent of students working independently on projects, with minimal faculty help. Aside from reminders for deadlines here and there, student teams did the work on their own, which is very satisfying to see.”
Nagle wrote in an email to The Quadrangle about how the preparations for the conference happened in many different areas over a long period of time.
She noted that herself and the executive board first had to
NAGLE/COURTESY
decide on an idea for a lesson plan that they could plausibly teach to younger students, and they ultimately decided on acid and base chemistry for students in grades K-2.
Patrick Ryan, a senior chemical engineering major and treasurer for MU’s AIChE chapter, expanded on the lesson that the cohort prepared for the competition.
“We’re presenting on how your stomach acid balances out the foods that you eat to make sure that you’re feeling good,” Ryan said. “We’re using vinegar to stimulate stomach acid, and we’re gonna dip it in different foods to see how the pH changes. I’m so excited.”
Nagle told The Quadrangle about the other work that went into preparing for the competition.
“After settling on that, there were a lot of forms we had to fill out including safety aspects of the experiment, ways to engage the students throughout the lesson with things like
worksheets, discussion topics and questions throughout the lesson to ensure they are understanding what is being taught to them,” Nagle wrote.
After submitting all of this content, in addition to vocabulary sheets and an indepth video of the experiment they planned on doing with the children, they waited for about three weeks before getting the news that they were invited to attend the conference.
“Going into the conference, I was definitely most excited about being able to represent our school and compete in the K-12 competition with a project we all put a lot of work and energy into,” Nagle wrote. “Having a lasting impact when it comes to STEM outreach is really important to me and to our whole department, so even being able to go to San Diego and present to the kids who had the opportunity to attend the competition was really exciting.”
Nagle went on to express that the conference is an irreplaceable opportunity for chemical engineers to expose themselves to the industry outside of the classroom and connect with other people in the same position that they are in.
“Going to a conference like this helps you realize that so many other people are in the same boat, and there are students, professors and professionals all over the world who are so open to talking to you no matter what the question or concern you have is,” Nagle wrote. “These [conferences] are another way for students to apply what they learn in class, outside of class and also help combine creativity and engineering into one project. It is also beneficial for Manhattan University for us to have the ability to compete in these competitions and get our name out there as an engineering school!”
Nagle, Ryan and the rest of their peers not only took first place in the competition, but also took advantage of the other resources available at the conference. The group attended the graduate and career fair in addition to workshops on varying topics in chemical engineering, helping prepare them for their careers in more ways than one.
Maylee Green, Patrick Ryan, Quinn Nagle, Angelina Persaud, Dominique Whyte and advisor J. Patrick Abulencia, Ph.D., with their first place award. QUINN
Coffee House Hosts a Spook-tacular Event!
Asst. Production Editor
This past Thursday, Manhattan University hosted a Coffee House with a haunting theme: Halloween!
Due to the event falling on the holiday, Coffee House was held with a Halloween theme for the open mic. Promotional flyers encouraged attendees to come in their Halloween costumes, and the show featured performances from students dressed as Taylor Swift, Jesse Pinkman, a number of cowboys and more.
Senior William Reed, dressed up as a construction worker, delivered an offholiday performance and performed a piece from the Pipes and Drums repertoire, usually associated with the later holiday, St. Patrick’s Day. Reed shared his thoughts on the night’s theme.
“It was nice to see some interesting costumes,” Reed said. “It definitely was a great way to add a little bit of spice to a semi-regular occurrence.
I mean, every Coffee House is themed in some way, but the Halloween costumes were a nice little touch.”
Reed, a civil engineering major at Manhattan University, appreciates the opportunity that Coffee House provides for him to express himself more creatively despite his major in the STEM field.
“It definitely brings out a way to still practice performing arts and art while also hitting the books and doing work 24/7,” Reed said. “It’s a good distraction from the worst nights when things get tough, and a good way to enjoy all aspects that the university has to offer.”
“There’s this whole idea that you do arts or you do STEM,” Vanessa Goncalves, a junior computer science major said. “I think it’s more like you have to have a little bit of each in your life in order for it to be good.”
Goncalves later took to the open mic herself, wearing a shark costume.
Co-host of the event Matt Regalado, dressed as “the guy from Whiplash,” shared his
belief in the importance of Coffee House providing this opportunity for students.
“I think it’s one of the most important things,” Regalado said. “I think it’s what college is all about. You would be surprised how many engineering students and physics majors– I mean, I’m a biochemistry major– how many of these people have a musical, or very artistic side. Liberal arts majors are very lucky that they get to wear that on their sleeve, but when it comes to us STEM majors sometimes we get type casted in a box. Every now and then it’s good to let that [artistic] side out.”
In his fourth year of studying biochemistry, Regalado shows equal interest and appreciation for his studies and performances.
“It’s really interesting how science and music are very intertwined,” he said. “Being a biochemistry student, you’re surrounded by all of these things in the field of chemistry where things just make sense and happen for a reason. When you’re surrounding yourself with things that just make sense, when you put that down and go out into your life, you find that a lot of things tend to just make sense. Music is that way too.”
As an open event for all students at the university, Coffee House strives to be a source of potential comfort for all students.
“The important thing to know is that every single show is different, and still when the objective is getting people comfortable, it’s a success every time,” Regalado said. “The point is to put people in a space where they’re comfortable to enjoy themselves, and if there’s only two people in the room, and I get them both to feel comfortable, I feel like I’ve done it.”
Regalado and co-host Jill Tuthill are successful in this part of their mission and have acquired several regular audience members.
Michael Freeman, a sophomore chemical engineering student, donned an elaborate Joker costume and shared that attending Coffee House events is common for him.
“I’ve been going to these for a while, since my freshman year,” Freeman said. “When I first watched it, I had a good time and just kept going.”
Reed commented on how the event can positively affect his mood.
“The thing with all of these Coffee Houses is they put you in a good mood,” Reed said. “You’re able to see a lot of local talent from a lot of unrealized potential on campus.”
Regalado told The Quadrangle the reason behind his love of performing, which he discovered after his first-
ever performance in front of others during a Coffee House.
“Even if the song’s not yours, the performance is,” Regalado said. “I have something that I’ve worked on and it’s mine, and no one can take that away.”
Despite the attendance of male strippers, carnivorous animals and pirates, Coffee House allowed all students an opportunity to have their voices heard on an open mic. To stay updated on when future Coffee Houses are being held, follow their Instagram page @ mucoffeehouse.
Barbara Vasquez
Hosts Jill Tuthill and Matt Regalado shared a stunning performance of Lady A’s “Need You Now.”
BARBARA VASQUEZ / THE QUADRANGLE
One cowboy performed his original song at Coffee House last Thursday.
BARBARA VASQUEZ / THE QUADRANGLE
A Taylor Swift costume made an appearance performing “All Too Well.”
BARBARA VASQUEZ / THE QUADRANGLE
arts & eNtertaiNmeNt
Manhattan University Students Come Together To Form a Rock Band: Meet Help Wanted!
Laili Shahrestani Staff Writer
Five Jaspers have collaborated to create an alternative rock band called Help Wanted to share their art with individuals both on and off campus. The group consists of sophomores Alex Parra, Jack Devaney, Ben Domingo, Lucia Kobayashi and newest addition, freshman Ivan Rocks.
Help Wanted made their first debut performance on Oct. 26 at the Lotus Halloween Bash, where they put on a show outside Squeri Hall. This was their first-ever performance as a complete band of five.
Parra, the guitarist of Help Wanted, mentioned that he had a great time performing at the Halloween Bash. He expressed how the band struggled with technical difficulties prior to the show, yet still managed to put on a successful first performance.
“I had a lot of fun,” Parra said. “It was stressful because it took a while to get everything set up, and we had some technical difficulties. But overall, as far as our first
performance goes, and only practicing with Ivan for a week before the show, I think we did very well. We just had fun. We just played the songs that we love.”
Rocks is a freshman and is the newest member of the band. He joined the group as a drummer in October, and was still able to adjust to the group in time for the Halloween Bash performance.
Rocks expressed his enthusiasm for his new position in the band this year. He spoke about how he felt accomplished after his first show and looks forward to the band’s future.
“For me, performing in a rock band is just a very fun and cool thing,” Rocks said. “The people are great. We make great stuff. I’m glad to be a part of it. I viewed the performance as a watershed moment, a moment of progress.”
Help Wanted’s performance received positive feedback from Jaspers who attended the event. Students around campus emphasized that the band showcased art and talent through their music.
Giada Dougherty, a freshman communication major, spoke to The
Quadrangle about how Help Wanted’s Halloween Bash performance brought people together through their music. She highlighted how the band radiated passion and creativity during their performance.
“It is important to showcase the talent of students in order to influence other students, especially freshmen, to come out of their shell and start something they have always wanted to do,” Doughtery said. “For me, the band opened my taste to different genres of music and helped me appreciate the creativity that others put into their music. Music brings people together, and having peers showcase it to all of us out on the quad last Saturday brought a sense of community.”
When it comes to the future of Help Wanted, band members expressed that they are currently recording and putting out new songs and planning upcoming events at venues across New York City.
Devaney, the lead singer of Help Wanted, spoke about his idea to collaborate with other bands on the rise to perform shows together in the near future.
@JACKDEVANEY7 / INSTAGRAM
Guitarist Alex Parra plays while lead singer, Jack Devaney jots down ideas for the band.
@HELP.WANTEDBAND / INSTAGRAM
“I’ve talked to another band actually, Thrush, and we want to do shows together,” Devaney said. “There are a lot of venues in New York City that will welcome us, but typically want to have more than one band. So we had to put in a little bit of work in preparation. But, there are so many opportunities in the city. So that’s the next avenue we’re going to pursue, as well as getting more music out and recording.”
Parra added to the idea of wanting to perform more shows by telling The Quadrangle that his ultimate goal with the band was to tour the nation. He emphasized that going on a tour with the rest of Help Wanted is his dream.
“The biggest dream here is to record stuff, for it to take some route, and for people to like it,” Parra said. “That saying, I would love to tour. I would love to tour the country. I mean, of course, I think we all like to use music to speak to people, and we’d love to play it around the country.”
Parra went on to speak about how, as a musician, he feels it is important for him and his bandmates to create music their audience can connect with. Parra noted
how he hopes Help Wanted’s music leaves their listeners with an emotional reaction or response.
“I hope we’re creating something, pieces of music that resonate,” Parra said. “Resonate and strike some memorable emotional chord. People don’t even realize it, but they’re humming the song the next day. You know, we want to create something that sticks with people.
Ben Domingo, the bassist of Help Wanted, explained how the band’s chemistry creates a productive environment where ideas flow freely. Domingo emphasized that when all five of the band members put their minds and contributions together, they can create music that they are “incredibly proud of.”
“When we focus, we make some pretty cool songs, and we all just combine our brains together,” Domingo said. “And sometimes, Alex and I, for example, will just be sitting there, and then come up with a masterpiece. And then, our new drummer here, Ivan, will tell us we can change things up a little bit too. So we’re going to pop out music faster this time as well.”
The Help Wanted Band prepares to perform at the Lotus Halloween Bash. Pictured (left to right): Lucia Kobayashi, Alex Parra, Ivan Rocks, Ben Domingo and Jack Devaney.
Manhattan WelcomesUniversityMen’s Volleyball
Mack Olmsted Features Editor
Manhattan University will assemble its first-ever men’s volleyball team for their season beginning in the 2025-2026 academic year with Chris Schortgen as the head coach for the program.
“I’d like to thank Director of Athletics Irma Garcia, president Dr. Frederick Bonato and the entire Manhattan University community for welcoming me to campus,” Schortgen said in an article published on gojaspers.com.
“It is an honor to lead our new men’s volleyball program here at Manhattan…I am ready to work tirelessly to bring even more prestige to our Jaspers brand that has long been respected.”
The head coach of the MU women’s volleyball team, Mauro Miletic, told The Quadrangle that the athletic director, Irma Garcia, brought volleyball to St. Francis in Brooklyn before they closed their athletic programs.
Inspired by her past actions, she wanted to do the same thing at Manhattan University
and bring more sports to campus, starting with men’s volleyball.
“Chris Schortgen brings a mix of all the right qualities to this job and is motivated to build a winner with Manhattan Men’s Volleyball,” Garcia wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.
“His track record at CUNY Hunter speaks for itself and he will be a consummate player’s coach here at Manhattan.”
Miletic explained that he worked with Schortgen in the past for a charter school.
He told The Quadrangle that he was happy that he joined the Manhattan University community, and appreciates the opportunities to bring something to the table.
Miletic hopes the men’s and women’s volleyball teams can work closely together and help each other improve their skills.
He believes having the men could also help the women get stronger by having a “different level” of practicing opponents.
“I loved working with him [Schortgen],” Miletic said. “I know he’s driven. He loves volleyball. Volleyball is all he talked about prior to this job.
I’m pretty sure he is going to bring a lot of knowledge to Manhattan University when it
comes to volleyball. We’re going to have more international players coming here, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to be very successful here.”
Miletic also explained to The Quadrangle the benefits that could come out of the new team. He believes the new men’s team could bring in more student-athletes, and believes that volleyball is a fastgrowing sport that will allow other programs to start up.
“I believe that this sport is going to be good for Manhattan University,” Miletic said. “It’s going to be good for the athletic department, because volleyball is going to bring more interest from people around. And it’s going to be definitely good for Manhattan University on the financial standpoint, because more students means more money.”
According to gojaspers.com, Schortgen said that he looks forward to building a program that will join the MU athletics community for the foreseeable future. The program is prepared for its inaugural campaign to begin in the upcoming spring 2025 semester. Led by the Virginia Beach native, Schortgen is determined to start the season off strong for the Jaspers.
Head coach for the Manhattan University Men’s Volleyball team, Chris Schortgen. GOJASPERS.COM / COURTESY
Season Two, Game
One: Ultimate Frisbee Team Cuts Adelphi Out of the Field With 22-8 Win
Jill Tuthill Asst. A&E Editor
In their highly anticipated first game of the season, the Manhattan University Ultimate Frisbee team pummeled Adelphi University with a 22-8 win on Oct. 19, kicking off their second year as an established club sport team.
Senior electrical engineering major Bryan DaSilva has been on the team since its creation at the beginning of last season. Throughout that time, he’s experienced both his growth as a player and the team’s development as a whole, and he was thrilled at the team’s first performance of the season.
“We absolutely destroyed them, and it was a fun experience,” DaSilva said. “Overall, the whole team was hype. It was a pleasure to play Adelphi again. Everybody played well and hopefully we’ll face them again.”
John Catalano, a sophomore electrical engineering major on the Ultimate Frisbee team, was one of the original members back when the club first began last fall. Catalano attributes their big win to the morale the team has accumulated through their regular biweekly practices.
“We were pretty confident going into it, and that confidence usually builds a momentum that lasts the whole
game,” Catalano said. “It’s a good thing to see that even though we don’t have as many people, we can still compete with these schools that do.”
Keller Peterson, a junior electrical engineering major, has a unique perspective on the team’s growth as both cocaptain, alongside Christian Molina, and coach since the team’s creation last year. Peterson said that their success against Adelphi was in part due to an adjustment in how the practices are run, with this year’s early season practices focusing on the team’s main strategy in addition to getting the new members up to speed on the pace of the game.
“I think that was received a lot better than last year,” Peterson said. “We had a couple of people who were strong right off the bat that I didn’t have to spend an entire semester teaching how to play, and having the resources of the team from last year helped in that. Because it wasn’t just me teaching, it was everyone helping out.”
According to Peterson, the win was much harder to get when the team played against Adelphi last year, proving the team’s progression both offensively and defensively.
“Looking forward to the season, this early win lets me know that when we have all of our pieces, when we’re all playing at our best, we can really be a good team,” Peterson said.
DaSilva echoed Peterson’s
optimistic view on the rest of the season.
“We see that we’re a promising team,” DaSilva said. “We can win against other teams. We’re capable of actually being competitive. Honestly, it seems like a bright future for us. We could see our team growing as years go on.”
Although they crushed it this time, it will take perseverance and practice to continue their winning streak.
DaSilva said that since what they’ve been doing until now seems to be working well for them, they should stick to it.
“Honestly, practice,” DaSilva said. “Keep doing what we’re doing. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just keep the pattern going. Just
keep practicing, keep doing drills, keep being in shape, keep being motivated. Keep the mindset that you want to be successful.”
Although MU’s team had a comfortable lead throughout the game, Catalano said that instead of getting comfortable with their current strengths, the key to continuing their success is to keep working harder so that they can build upon their improvement that they have been working on since last year.
“By not taking it as [a sign that] we’re good to just continue what we’re doing,
have to improve on things to keep getting better.”
DaSilva agreed that the route to improvement and success for the team lies in continuity, but that their success is also what makes the team stand out against other more established teams with longer histories.
“It keeps getting us better,” DaSilva said. “It’s like stepping stones. Our experience keeps growing bigger and bigger every time we play a game. I know we’re a new team, and we’re playing teams that have been around for three years, five years, 30 years, who knows, but the sense of growth is what makes this new team special.”
“The sense of growth is what makes this new team special,” DaSilva said. KELLER PETERSON / COURTESY
