the Quadrangle
FEBRUARY 11,
JasperDancersHoldKid’sClinic
TheJasperDancers,incollaborationwithmen’sbasketball,heldakid’sclinicat Saturdayafternoon’sbasketballgameagainstSt.Peter’s. @MANHATTANDANCETEAM / INSTAGRAM
FriendlyFridgePartnersWithMU CMSAForCampusVolunteersAnd NewPickUp/DropOffLocation
Angelina Persaud Senior Writer
Manhattan University’s Gourmet Dining along with Campus Ministry and Social Action (CMSA) have partnered with Friendly Fridge BX to address food insecurity in Riverdale and spread the Lasallian mission of serving the community.
Friendly Fridge was originally founded on May 21, 2020 with the mission to “normalize reducing environmental waste and harm while also reducing the stress of many. We accomplish this by developing and strengthening partnerships within our community to redirect good food from the landfills and instead, sharing this food with anyone who may need a little extra help,” according to the organization’s website
To date, the Fridge has partnered with more than 25 universities and local businesses to create a pipeline of 65,000 pounds of food to those in need.
Additionally, the mission of Friendly Fridge BX is to evaluate food waste’s “impact on the environment around us and the power it holds to alleviate hunger for so many.
The Friendly Fridge BX is all about community-based solutions,” according to the Fridge’s website.
The partnership initially started from the efforts of Christopher Fidanza, a sophomore baseball player at MU. He was seeking a way to collaborate with Gourmet Dining to donate leftover food items and consumables to the Friendly Fridge, so that they could be distributed to people in need.
Fidanza eventually contacted CMSA to find a
Begins Spring Recruitment
more direct approach to spreading the word about Friendly Fridge’s mission and how to encourage students to volunteer their time and efforts.
Once the partnership was underway, one question that remained was where the food items would be collected for pick-up by Friendly Fridge volunteers. It was soon determined that Zaro’s Bakery in Thomas Hall would be the distribution center and pick-up location for food donations.
Rev. Robert Joerger, C.P., and Rev. Edward Beck, C.P, co-directors of CMSA, spoke to The Quadrangle about the initiative and how it is currently operating from Zaro’s Bakery, which is also making donations of their own pastries to the Friendly Fridge.
“They’ve committed Monday to Friday at 2 p.m.
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Manhattan LaunchesUniversityNew WebinarSeries onStudent Resources
larger audience, and the topics that we will be discussing, they’re the critical things that help make a student’s decision about whether or not to attend an institution.”
Manhattan University has officially released a new webinar series that is designed to inform incoming Jaspers and their families about various student resources available to them. Some of these resources consist of financial aid, career services, on-campus housing, academic support services and how to navigate choosing your major.
The program made its debut on Feb. 6, where individuals were able to tune in virtually to discuss the first topic of the series - financial aid. More meeting dates and future webinars are scheduled to be held within the upcoming months.
Stephen Pugliese, Ph.D, is the vice president of enrollment at MU and served as an important figure in the creation of the new series. He spoke about his motive behind the development of this program, and how he hopes it can benefit incoming students.
“When I took over a position in enrollment management last fall, one of the things that I wanted to do is provide more opportunities for prospective students and their families that will help them in learning about the programs and services that our university has to offer,” Pugliese said. “Looking at the webinar series, it is just another avenue to reach a
Pugliese’s main goal with the creation of this series was to spread informative messages about the resources MU has to offer, and why individuals should consider enrolling at the university. In addition, Pugliese advocated for the information to be spread through a virtual platform such as a webinar, rather than an inperson event, hoping to cater to a larger audience. Pugliese discussed how MU is hoping to maintain the enrollment trends that are moving outside of the tri-state area, and how an online platform to discuss campus resources can be beneficial to those who reside further away.
“We decided to create a virtual platform because we know that students may not always be able to come to campus, maybe their families can’t or maybe they live somewhere not as close to the university,” Pugliese said.
Michael Mulrooney is the executive director of Jasper Central and a keynote speaker for the first financial aid portion of the webinar, which took place last Thursday. Mulrooney discussed how prospective students can fill out their FAFSA, how scholarships are awarded and a multitude of other resources in relation to financial aid.
Laili Shahrestani Features Editor
Volume CXI, Issue 4
FEBRUARY 11, 2025
The Editorial Board
Grace Cardinal
Editor-in-Chief
Emmanouel Sofillas Managing Editor
Brooke Della Rocco News Editor
Laili Shahrestani Features Editor Mary Haley Asst. Features Editor
Leyla Mercado Arts & Entertainment Editor
Owen McWalters
Asst. Sports Editor
Barbara Vasquez Production Editor
Mary Haley Marketing Chair
Andrew Mannion Sports Editor
Ivy Jaep Production Editor
Barbara Vasquez
Web 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 4.12. All are welcome to come and join the club.
Connect with The Quadrangle mcquad.org
LETTER from the EDITOR
Dear Readers,
Hello, and welcome to issue 4!
I hope you all had an enjoyable Super Bowl weekend. I know I enjoyed watching, despite still holding a bit of resentment that I was not watching my beloved Bills compete in New Orleans. Alas, I was an Eagles fan for the weekend, and was very happy with the result of the game.
This week, as usual, we have some wonderful stories for you. I particularly want to shout out Angelina Persaud’s piece on the Friendly Fridge, an organization in the Bronx helping the hungry. The MU campus, which works closely with this organization, is in desperate need of volunteers during the week to help bring donations down the street. It is a quick walk, and a wonderful way to give back to the community. Be sure to check her story out in news for more information on the organization and their new collaboration with MU.
As for everything else in issue 4, we have a wonderful week of stories to bring you. Outside of the Friendly Fridge, news brings information on a new webinar series on student resources. In features, we cover SDT’s spring recruitment week along with a Valentine’s card making event. Keeping with the spirit of love, A&E covers both the “Love is Dead” Scatterbomb show and the annual V-Day performance. Lastly, in sports, we cover the Jasper Dancers’ wins at regionals along with features on Track and Field as well as men’s lacrosse. I hope you’ll check it all out!
Until next time,
@mu_quad
@mu_quad mcquad
Grace Cardinal
Editor-in-Chief
ManhattanUniversityLaunchesNew WebinarSeriesonStudentResources
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@JASPERFAMILIES_MANHATTAN / INSTAGRAM
Within the webinar, Mulrooney mentioned how MU is on the lookout for more talented students who would be deserving of renewable merit and institutional scholarships offered by the university.
“The merit and institutional scholarships we have here range from $12,500 to $35,000 annually,” Mulrooney said. “Again, we are looking for very talented students. We’re looking for great opportunities to be able to help pay for your education and come join us at Manhattan University. Most scholarships are renewable for four years, as long as you stay in good standing and you progress toward graduation.”
The next topic within the webinar series will be regarding student life resources, which will take place on Feb. 13, and cover topics such as the
residence halls, dining options, health services, the counseling center, on-campus clubs, athletic events and much more.
According to the event page, this webinar will allow for incoming students and their families to “learn more about life outside of the classroom at Manhattan University.”
Student life is hoping to use the webinar as a space where individuals can easily get informed on what will be accessible to them once enrolled at the university.
On manhattan.edu, student life claims that they are ultimately, “dedicated to delivering an exciting on-campus experience for all Jaspers, residents and commuters alike.”
With several other webinar events scheduled in the near future, faculty and
administration are hopeful for the outcomes of this new program. Mulrooney expressed that he is looking forward to the future of the new series, considering that it will allow for a much more efficient way for students to prepare themselves for becoming a new Jasper.
“Whether someone is a transfer or first time student, the goal of this webinar is to prepare them for the next steps that they will need to come and join us at Manhattan,” Mulrooney said. “Again, we want to get as much information in their hands, make the process as easy as possible for them and hopefully, again, answer as many questions as they have before they step on campus, so that they can fully enjoy their experience.”
FriendlyFridgePartnersWithMUCMSAForCampus VolunteersAndNewPickUp/DropOffLocation
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
when they close, everything that’s remaining, not only from their daily baked goods, but anything that’s remaining at the concession or anything expiring that we can have students bring it down to Friendly Fridge and donate it,” Beck said.
“The university’s Gourmet Dining and Zaro’s Bakery have been extremely generous,” Joerger said. “We were expecting that we’ll send a student down there after they close up and there’ll be a couple of sandwiches and a couple of buns. We need to send two to three to four people a day down there to bring the food and pastries to the Fridge.”
Joerger and Beck emphasized the campus’ proximity to people in need in the community and how students do not have to look far to find ways to give back to those in need. They also noted that giving back to the community is a highlight of MU’s Lasallian mission, which students can directly have an impact on by volunteering.
“It fits with the Lasallian mission, because the vision of that is that you do serve the
poor and the needy, and that service is part of the hallmarks of being Lasallian,” Beck said.
“So, if we can engage students, it makes a connection. There’s no better way to model the Lasallian mission than actually to jump in and do it.”
“You don’t have to go far to find the hungry,” Joerger said.
“They’re right down the block or in the [Waldo] sanctuary, you don’t have to go far to find people in need. I think that’s an important piece of it, that these really are our neighbors.”
The primary concern facing the partnership is staffing the food delivery with consistent volunteers. Currently, MU has agreed to be the primary deliverers to bring the donations down to the Friendly Fridge.
Beck explained that one way they tried to increase staffing is by requiring students who participated in the L.O.V.E. trips to complete 25 service hours.
“We’re assigning them with the Friendly Fridge for pickup and sometimes line work as part of their service,” Beck said. “I’m having trouble just staffing that right now. It’s hard to do further outreach, because
you need students to respond. I put an announcement out saying this was happening, and from that announcement, we only got one student volunteer from the whole university.”
Joerger and Beck stated that their main goal is to find ways to unite the student body using service projects such as this. Yet, retaining student engagement has been easier said than done.
Joerger emphasized that one of the main challenges to uniting the student body is to find a common schedule time between residents and commuter students to ensure everyone has a chance to participate.
“You have a large population of commuter students, so you go to school, you do what you need to do, you go home, which is a different kind of involvement than students who actually live here,” Joerger said. “So, to bring those two communities together, and also to be able to speak to both, and have a schedule that’s inclusive of both is hard at times.”
“To build community is one of our primary tasks, and part of that is working together and doing projects together, and
doing service together, having religious services together and spiritual events together,” Beck said.
Beck shared the most inspiring part of seeing the partnership come to fruition and the dedication of the few student volunteers who have been helping so far. Primarily, they noted that the MU community doesn’t shy away from the opportunity to do service.
“The most inspiring part is to see the generosity and see the willingness of some students to recognize a need,” Beck said. “We’ve had students come to us out of the blue who were never really part of religious service, never part of campus ministry, and just say, ‘I’d like to do some service.’ And I said, ‘Do you have to do service hours? Or is it something for a class?’ They said, ‘No, I just want to do this.’ So that kind of generosity is inspiring, because you could be doing anything else.”
Joerger shared an anecdote that he connects to feeding the poor. He explained that a religious brother had once told him one of the most effective ways to cope with anxiety and worries about the world around
you is to feed the poor and be present in the moment.
“I think students think about the future, the climate, all of that and it’s a lot of anxiety, how do you process it?,” Joerger said. “How do you deal with your feelings? And I remember an old brother said, ‘When you have those doubts and when you have those feelings, the best thing to do is go and feed the poor.’ You can’t solve this, but you can help feed somebody.”
Joerger also noted that the importance of initiatives such as this is to create a sense of community and normalcy for those who are disadvantaged by reminding them they are valued as people.
“There’s a line of people who are hungry,” Joerger said. “You see the little children. Most of us were fed as children, then you see these parents trying to find food to feed their kids. You know when I look at you, you are a person to me, and I am a person to you.”
CMSA and Gourmet Dining welcome student volunteers to assist with delivery and pickup of the food donations from Zaro’s Bakery Monday through Friday at 2 p.m. in Thomas Hall.
Pictured in the right-hand corner of the flyer is QR code to sign up for a spot in the Manhattan University Webinar Series.
SigmaDeltaTauSorority BeginsSpringRecruitment
Andrew Mannion Sports Editor
This past week, the Sigma Delta Tau sorority (SDT) kicked off spring recruitment. The organization’s recruitment, also referred to as “rush week,” is meant to draw in potential members and connect them to the sisters of SDT.
The week spanned from Monday, Feb. 3 through Friday, Feb. 7, and included three events. These included philanthropy on night one, scholarship on night two and a sisterhood event for night three. The events were focused on creating bonds between the sisters and potential members. With rush happening in both the spring and fall semesters, the sorority is constantly recruiting potential new members throughout the year.
Recruitment is the life of the sorority, as that is how all members are brought into SDT. Without new recruits, the sorority would not exist. Maggie Shediac, the president of SDT, spoke about how recruitment helps the sorority.
“Rush is extremely important to our sorority specifically because we are a smaller chapter compared to many of larger schools with
SDT chapters,” Shediac said. “For us, recruitment is integral in terms of expanding our sisterhood and ensuring we have dedicated sisters that will continue the SDT legacy. Rush this semester went extremely well with our newly elected E-board, and I am very hopeful that the rest of the semester will continue to go just as well with our new members.”
SDT also has a new executive board for this calendar year. This is the E-Board’s first recruitment since taking charge and planning the events. There are plenty of new ideas that have come to the sorority with the new executive board. Brooke Hill, the recruitment chair of SDT, spoke on how the new board has worked together to make rush week special.
“I enjoy finding our groove, as we have a whole new E-board this semester,” Hill said. “This is my first recruitment that I’m putting on. It comes with planning everything and seeing everything come into a full picture. The first few days have just been meeting all the girls and it’s been great.”
With the new position, Hill is able to shake things up a bit.
Like many, Hill came into her new position with ideas of how to make positive changes for the group.
“I’ve been trying to make it
fun for all of the active sisters,” Hill said. “There’s 66 of us right now, I can imagine that’s intimidating to walk into (as a PNM), but also making sure all of us get to participate in something. That’s vital for me and growing our sorority is really important to me as well. Rush week is essentially five days of us all being together, and I know that can be a lot for all the girls. My main goal this time is to make it fun for the active sisters.”
The first event of rush week, scholarship night, was held to show the scholarly and
professional values the sorority focuses on. The scholarship chair, Scarlett Demasi, wrote to The Quadrangle explaining the event.
“For our second day of rush, I had the honor to speak in front of the active sisters and potential new members,” Demasi wrote. “Scholarship is a significant part of the sorority and is valued for our accomplishments and the
academic help we have to offer. I am so proud of the hard work the girls put into rush, and I look forward to the rest of the events we have this semester!” With rush week coming to an end and the potential new members selected, SDT is looking forward to another successful semester of sisterhood.
Rush week ended on Friday, Feb. 7.
Sorority members and recruits met in Leo Lounge for rush week events. @SDTMANHATTAN / INSTAGRAM
Residence Life Hosts Event for Jaspers to Create Homemade Valentine’s Day Cards
Flynn Myers Staff Writer
On Feb. 6 in Jasper Hall, resident assistant (RA) and junior Ian Pruiksma held an event for all students to make homemade Valentine’s Day cards. The event provided attendees with all the necessary materials to make the cards and spark their creativity including colorful paper, markers and colored pencils.
Keeping in mind traditional Valentine’s Day gifts and celebrations, Pruiksma wanted to allow students to have a chance to create cards with meaningful messages for the people most important to them at no cost.
With the new year in full swing, Pruiksma discussed
Residence Life’s goal to offer more events that will encourage community building and collaboration, as well as give students a chance to meet new friends. Pruiksma found that this event was a simple way to get students involved, together and thinking creatively.
“Residence Life this year is trying to up the quality of their events,” Pruiksma said. “So, this one is simple, just arts and crafts, but it’s supposed to be a community building experience.”
The main message Pruiksma wanted the event to have was “fun”. When discussing the reasons behind creating the event, she emphasized her love for Valentine’s Day and wanted to spread her own joy by having people make cards for others or even for themselves.
“I just wanted to do something cute,” Pruiksma
said. “I really like Valentine’s Day because it is cute and pink.”
The supplies for the cards were laid out on a table for people to take freely and make them their own. Many students designed their cards with bright backgrounds. Pruiksma also made some example cards to help spark students’ imaginations. Her cards featured phrases on them that said, “You light up my life!” or, “Will you officially be my Valentine?”
Jamie Schneider, senior marketing major, discussed what he was going to do with the cards he made, as well as his thoughts on the upcoming holiday. Schneider also emphasized to The Quadrangle how giving to others on the holiday can help spread kindness.
“I’m planning on making a couple,” Schneider said. “I
Students had the chance to create cards with meaningful messages for the people most important to them.
MYERS / THE QUADRANGLE
thought it would be fun making cute drawings. I like making Valentines, and I think it’s nice to give people a Valentine.”
Many students wrote to people that were closest to them, while some made multiple cards to spread the message of love this Valentine’s Day. Elisa Ortiz, a senior environmental studies and psychology double major, spoke about the certain people on her mind who she wanted to give her cards to, and even spilled who would be her Valentine this year.
“I’m going to write one for my grandma,” Ortiz said. “She’s my best friend, and this will be two years in a row of her being my Valentine. But, I also asked my old roommate to be my Valentine, so I got to make two cards, and then make some for my sisters too. I got plans.”
FLYNN
Scatterbomb’s “Love is Dead” Performance Celebrates Love, Heartbreak, and Everything In Between
Leyla Mercado & Barbara Vasquez
A&E Editor & Production Editor / Web Editor
Manhattan University’s student improv group Scatterbomb held their first show of the semester last Friday with performances that were to die for.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the show took on the theme “Love is Dead.”
Scatterbomb performers entered Hayden 100, where the show took place. The performance began with a funeral procession, with the members dressed in all-black and some even carrying a makeshift casket. After introducing the theme of the night, the performers opened the floor to the audience to shout out words to center scenes around.
“If something triggers a thought and you think it’s a good story, you go for it,” Jack Devaney told The Quadrangle, when asked about how performers pick the words they start the show with. “Sometimes you have to think, ‘this reminds me of this, which reminds me of this’ because some of the words are really out there, but we do that to prove to the audience that we’re not making any of it up, that it’s all on the spot.”
Devaney seemed to be a fan favorite with his creative punchlines and connection to the audience before him. Audience members recognized him as the most memorable part of Scatterbomb’s first performance.
Sanjana Salem, a junior communication major who attended the show, shared with The Quadrangle how impactful Devaney’s performance was.
“Jack Devaney, he made it for me,” Salem said. “I think he was very relatable and he was able to take on the stage as if he
was talking to his friends and I loved that. I know Jack and he’s just like that in-person as well, so I think his performance really reflected his personality.”
Devaney, a sophomore philosophy major, has been in his fair share of performances with the improv group. Some of the newer members, like freshman Antonio Coffaro, have been with the group for less time, but enjoy their membership all the same. Coffaro joined in the fall following the university’s club fair.
“For me, it’s the community,” Coffaro said when asked why he decided to join the group. “When I went up to the improv stand [at Scatterbomb’s club fair table], I told my little joke, and got a little eraser, so I thought this would be a loving and very supportive community. I really enjoy being myself around here.”
Lucia Kobayashi, a junior political science major and Scatterbomb performer, agreed with Coffaro’s sentiments.
“The first show is always super nerve wracking and it’s so scary, but exactly like Antonio said, after a while you get comfortable with it and everybody in it, and that’s what’s really cool about it,” Kobayashi said. “It gets rid of stage fright very well.”
Being an improv show, Scatterbomb relies on a good audience. For Scatterbomb president Chayse Martino, the bigger the better.
“Honestly it’s easier with a big audience,” Martino said. “If there’s more people, there’s going to be more laughs, more noise and more involvement with the audience, and it definitely takes the nerves away. It disrupts the whole ‘we’re on stage and they’re watching us,’ thing, and it turns into us all experiencing the show together.”
Even viewers understand the value of a dynamic audience. Cara Loganadhan, a junior global business and finance major, has been
The cast of
attending Scatterbomb shows since her freshman year.
“I think when there’s a lot of people laughing and having a good time, it just makes it more enjoyable, because you even start laughing at people in the crowd,” Loganadhan said.
Salem agreed with Loganadhan’s sentiment, speaking on how attendees were given more than just a collection of good jokes and laughter.
“Scatterbomb left me with a really nice view on college itself,” Salem said. “Having these performances increases my mood and I love that. It makes my college experience a lot better. I want to go to a performance that lets me forget about everything and lets me focus on the moment…I like unpredictability and I very much enjoyed the show.”
Vivian Nartey, a junior communication major also touched on what she expected to see coming into the show and the experience she left with.
“I didn’t know much else other than to wear pink and red,” Nartey said. “I’ve been to the show a couple times before, so I know that it’s really funny and everyone is really talented
in a funeral procession to fit their theme, ‘Love is Dead.’ LEYLA MERCADO / THE QUADRANGLE
so I had that expectation coming in. I would say after, I was very impressed with the show today. I thought it was very well done.”
Nartey went on to speak about the effect Scatterbomb had on her.
“I just really like how they have fun with it and I think
that’s a good reminder to remember to have fun yourself,” Nartey said. “I’d say that’s what they did that inspired me. I’d definitely come back, it’s a fun environment to be in.”
Scatterbomb will soon announce their next show via Instagram @scatterbombmu.
Scatterbomb member Liam Zaglauer leads a scene. BARBARA VASQUEZ / THE QUADRANGLE
Scatterbomb enters
V-Day Returns to Raise Awareness
Mary Haley
Marketing Chair & Asst.
Features Editor
Every year on and around Valentine’s Day, domestic abuse and violence against women increases. V-Day, an international activism movement, is commemorated annually by Manhattan University’s Players’ performance of V-Day, which includes a collection of monologues that range from violence against women to simply – or not simply – how it is to live life as a woman.
Senior Angelina Perez and sophomore Karie Alvarez directed this year’s V-Day performance, named “Her Body, Her Voice: A Collection Of V-Day Monologues,” where they set up chairs on the stage of Hayden 100 to create a quiet scene for the topics presented.
The performance was a series of monologues recited by eight students. The monologues ranged from “The Woman Who Liked To Make Vaginas Happy” and “My Angry Vagina” from V-Day’s founder, V’s (formerly Eve Ensler), book, “The Vagina Monologues.”
Anna Burnett, a current MBA student, performed “The Woman Who Liked To Make
Vaginas Happy,” a lighthearted story about a woman’s journey on how she fell into the particular career she is in.
Burnett has been a part of V-Day productions since 2018, and this year’s production was her last. She reflected on how she has been able to grow through being a part of V-Day at MU through the years.
“[Perez and Alvarez] actually assigned me [the monologue],” Burnett said.
“At first, I was kind of nervous because I had not really explored a monologue like that, but I honestly ended up really loving it. So it’s been a fun learning curve, and being more comfortable in things that I wouldn’t necessarily do. In the past I performed pieces on domestic violence and addiction because that was my upbringing, so I used to always pick pieces like that. So I think it’s also good that I’m stepping away from that, because I used to make that my identity, so I feel like this also shows a lot of healing for me.”
This year was the first that Perez and Alvarez made the directorial decision to have the performers sit on the stage all in their own chairs. The chairs faced the crowd and in a half circle, referencing a rehab meeting, as each performer stated their name along with what they were “dealing” with.
Alvarez also explained to The Quadrangle that this year,
they chose more than just the monologues from V’s book.
“A few of [the monologues] were from ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ which are like the original V-Day monologues,” Alvarez said. “It’s an entire show of monologues, so it’s about an hour long. So we took a few from there, and then we researched a few other different plays.”
Junior Juliana Verdone performed “The Vagina Workshop” monologue, a story of a woman’s self identity, anatomically and emotionally.
“I’m glad that I grew up having a more comprehensive sex education than other people, but I think it’s really important the fact that not every woman knows how their own vagina works,” Verdone said. “So I feel like it’s really important that women understand their own anatomy, because it’s literally you. The fact that we are all surrounded by male anatomy constantly in society, and everyone knows what it looks like, it’s time for women to rise up.”
Alvarez concluded on her time directing this short, but crucial, production.
“For me, this collection of monologues can really show the breadth of experience for a woman’s life,” Alvarez said. “I think it’s really important to showcase that for everyone.”
“The Vagina Monologues,” by V, formerly Eve Ensler. AMAZON.COM / COURTESY
The 2025 cast of V-Day performing in Hayden 100. MARY HALEY /
MU Film Society Rises From the Ashes!
Maria Castro Contributor
The MU Film Society is kicking back into high gear for the spring semester. To gain back their popularity on campus, the club has been trying to organize new projects and collaborations with other organizations, while maintaining the original essence of what Film Society stands for.
Nana Sam, a management major and the main organizer of the club, spoke to The Quadrangle about the difficulty of screening movies after the departure of their previous faculty advisor. Margaret Groarke, Ph.D., the new advisor for the club, has opened new horizons for what Film Society is able to do.
“I wanted to bring back [the club’s] original form,” Sam said. “Which was to screen a movie and have discussions about it, what we think…to bring out your real thoughts and opinions.”
One of the main goals of the club is to have people dig deeper into film and have insightful conversations about the movie they’ve watched, bringing different perspectives
and ideas.
“I don’t want to limit [Film Society] to one specific area, it could be someone who’s just getting into film and wants to just watch a movie and talk about it,” Sam said.
The Film Society is open to anybody who wants to have a conversation about a film they enjoy.
Sage Clarke, a senior communication major with a minor in Spanish and digital arts, frequented this club during its most active period and shared her experience with The Quadrangle.
“It’s a really great environment, it’s super easy to show up, you don’t even need to come with any friends,” Clarke said. “Honestly, a lot of people just showed up alone because they liked to watch movies and wanted to have a conversation with somebody.”
Aureliano Morales, a communication major with a media production concentration and a minor in film studies, has been working alongside Sam to bring the film society back while also focusing on how the club is capable of bringing people together.
“Half the time we watch films either by ourselves or on Netflix so it’s very rare to have room for interaction or reactions while watching a
film,” Morales said. “I want a union of bringing people together and watching a film and then seeing how they feel about it, like what did [the film] mean to you?”
Outside of watching movies, MU Film Society is meant to provide a space for individuals to socialize and share their takes on a wide variety of topics.
“To keep people engaged, I don’t wanna show any types of films that are too safe or vanilla, I want to bring their interest into the club,” Sam said. “If they have a movie that they wanna show to other people that would sort of bring their taste and their interest there and that would keep them there [in the club], they could probably find people that were into their tastes and all.”
Plans to capitalize on the conversational nature of the club are meant to keep people engaged and returning. Clarke praised how Film Society takes advantage of the flexibility and diversity of film, showing movies that are not mainstream and can spike the interest of a disparate group of people.
“We see a lot of stuff that we personally are interested in, things you know you are more inclined to watch, so I think things like this gives people a chance to see different kinds of entertainment and media that
they might not usually choose for themselves,” Clarke said.
“I think it’s also good because when you have a bunch of different people meeting you can hear people’s different perspectives, they can bring different cultural standpoints to it and I think that it’s always good to have a space where you can look deeper into everyday things or concepts that you might not normally think about.”
Morales agreed with Clarke’s sentiment, and discussed further the club’s plans heading into the future.
“We want to branch out more.” Morales said. “I also wanna promote low-key theaters too because they don’t really get a lot of money, but they really show good films too.”
Jasper Dancers Take First and Third at NDA Regional Competition
Mary Haley Marketing Chair & Asst. Features Editor
The first weekend of February saw the Jasper Dancers take home third place in their jazz routine and first place in hip-hop, as well as a choreographer’s award. The team competed in Long Island, where they premiered their 2025 dances –the same numbers that will be performed at the Metropolitan Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in March and the National Dance Alliance (NDA) Collegiate finals in April.
Brooklyn Schriver, a junior communication major and social media coordinator for the Jasper Dancers, reflected on the team’s early-season accomplishments.
“We usually just compete at Nationals in April,” Schriver said. “But this year, our coach decided to sign us up for regionals too. It helps us get the nerves out and get feedback from judges before Nationals.”
Their first regional competition, the Walt Whitman Invitational on Long Island, featured teams across all levels—from middle school to college. The Jasper Dancers performed in both the jazz and
hip-hop categories, competing against five other college teams.
Annie Rasetina, another junior on the dance team and the team’s apparel coordinator, explained that the addition of regional competitions wasn’t the only change the team made this season.
“For jazz, we hired a choreographer this year, which was different,” Rasetina said. “He came in for a day or two to teach us the dance, and then our coaches refined and perfected it.”
For hip-hop, the team learned their routine just a month before competing — showcasing their ability to adapt quickly and deliver highlevel performances.
Assistant coach Brylee Watkins ‘24, alumna of both MU and the team, credits the dancers’ dedication for their success.
“The fact that they performed at such a high level with just a month of preparation is so exciting,” Watkins wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.
Watkins, in her first year as assistant coach, shared how the team’s approach to competition has evolved.
“In recent years, we haven’t been able to compete at regional competitions, which is something Head Coach Madeline Donohue and I felt
The 2025 Jasper Dancers team with their first and third place plaques. BRYLEE WATKINS / COURTESY
put us at a disadvantage,” Watkins wrote. “We knew we wanted to prioritize early feedback to set the team up for success at Nationals.”
The feedback from the judges at regionals will be integral to how the dancers prepare, adjust and clean their routines moving forward.
“I definitely feel more prepared going into nationals,” Schriver said. “Getting feedback and performance experience is helping us see
what works and what we can improve.”
As Watkins inches closer to coaching at her first nationals competition, she explained to The Quadrangle what she feels is the biggest hurdle in team’s training as they start the countdown to their biggest competition of the year.
“Dance is a really hard sport to excel in because so much comes down to subjectivity,” Watkins wrote. “But this team continuously finds a fight and a
fire to keep getting better.”
With their eyes set on nationals, the Jasper Dancers are not only building on last season’s third-place hip-hop finish at NDA but also aiming to showcase their growth and hard work.
The Jasper Dancers will perform next on Feb. 16 at their UDA regionals competition.
Manhattan University’s Track and Field Team Shines at Metropolitan Championships
Brooke Della Rocco News Editor
Manhattan University’s men’s and women’s track and field teams stunned this past weekend at the Metropolitan Indoor Championships held on Staten Island. After an immense amount of both injury and sickness, the team barrels on towards the MAAC Championship that is fast approaching.
The men’s team came away with a third-place finish, scoring a total of 101 points. Senior runner, Darion Lopez had a lot to say about the team’s morale and why they are so cohesive as a group.
“Genuinely, I think it just [comes] down to team culture,” Lopez said. “Everybody is around each other a lot more than just practice…we hang out not just at practice, but outside of practice. We’ll do team dinners by accident.”
Lopez went on to mention how he considers his teammates some of his closest friends, and that contributes greatly to the team chemistry. Lopez had an impressive meet as well, proving to be one of the standouts for the 2025 indoor season. Despite two fractured ankles, he went on to finish tied up with two competitors
in the men’s 60-meter dash with a time of 6.95 seconds, and finished first in the men’s 400-meter dash with a time of 49.49 seconds.
Lopez commented on his mindset entering both the Dr. Sander Scorcher meet the week prior, along with the Met Championship, speaking on how his injuries contributed to
him losing confidence. When given the opportunity at the beginning of the season to get surgery or perform through it, he chose the latter.
“I’ve been doing a little bit of different training than the rest of the team,” Lopez said. “This week, I’m in the pool all week, so I haven’t really touched a track. I was really not confident going into it.”
However, due to his impressive performance, Lopez hopes to rest and restore his ankles so he can achieve a few personal goals before he graduates.
“Honestly, there’s like three school records that are in pretty good view,” Lopez said. “So there’s the 200-meter indoor, which I was .04 off breaking last year. So I definitely want to do that sooner rather than later… Just based on no training this year, and running faster than I did last year…it’s projected to get there.”
Coach and Director of Track and Field, Kerri Inman, commented on how Lopez
contributes to the team.
“Darion has a lot of heart and strong competitive spirit,” Inman wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “His willingness to work through his injury under the direction of the trainers and physical therapist is admirable and definitely inspiring for his teammates.”
Also making extremely impressive advances in this season is senior runner Kylie Conroy. Conroy continues to be a major contributing factor to the team, taking home fourth place, and second place in the women’s 4,000-meter distance medley relay. She also logged eight points for the women’s 5,000-meter run, finishing second place, 10 seconds behind a Fordham runner.
“I definitely feel good about it,” Conroy said. “Going into the race, I also wasn’t feeling 100%, but I knew that I just had to go and do what I needed for the team.”
Conroy explained that one of her major strengths this season is focusing on racing
for the team, rather than just for herself. Especially for the relay, the women’s members were changed throughout the day, with Conroy getting asked as an alternate to participate.
“When we’re asked to do something, like volunteering to be on the relay, even if your legs are tired and you just had a race an hour before or earlier in the day, you kind of just do it for the other girls on the relay,” Conroy said. “Because they’re giving it their all, so you have to give it your all too.”
Inman also expressed her extreme pride in this hardworking team and the progress of the program.
“Our program has been on a steady upward trend the past few years and all the credit goes to the work ethic and enthusiasm of the athletes and my fellow coaches,” Inman wrote. “We have a lot of fun doing what we do and have a lot of good things coming our way!”
Manhattan’s Men’s Lacrosse Starts the Season Off Hot!
Isaiah Rosario Senior Writer
The Manhattan University men’s lacrosse team opened up their 2025 season in amazing fashion as they beat Wagner College by a score of 14-3. The Jaspers had a total of nine goalscorers in their season opener and five of those nine scorers had two goals.
Head coach of men’s lacrosse Doug Sage mentioned a goal for him and his team this season, which is to be 1-0 at the end of every gameday. With the win to open the season, he’s so far achieved his goal. Sage brought up the rough start to the season his team had last year, as the men were 0-5 in February of 2024.
“Now we are 1-0, in the
month of February,” Sage said.
“We’re hopefully going to build some momentum off the first win. Always happy with wins. Team came out strong and built some momentum early on … We watched the second half, and it was a lot of things that we got away from fundamentally … we didn’t finish as strong as we started. Our goal [was to] play four great quarters, and I think we played two and a half, pretty solid quarters. We’ll take the win and move on and get ready for Monmouth.”
During the 2024 season, the Jaspers were fourth to last in the MAAC in goals per game. Those numbers certainly change as this game could be a potential showing on how dangerous this Jasper offense could really be. Midfielder Kelly DuPree spoke to The Quadrangle about what went so well for the offense against Wagner.
“Everybody just did a good job of just playing within our offense,” DuPree said. “No one was trying to do too much. As a group we play really well together. We played well around each other, kept it simple, and we were able to get some easy goals.”
A saying around any sport is that defense is the best offense. When a team’s defense is playing well, it makes it a lot easier for the offense to come through in games such as this one.
One of the standout players for the game defensively was Manhattan goalkeeper Connor Hapward who allowed only three goals on 15 shots on goal. Those statistics led Hapward to receiving the honor of MAAC men’s lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week.
“It’s a great honor, but
I think it’s a testament to our team, and, more specifically, our defense,” Hapward said. “They gave me a lot of shots that I liked seeing from outside and [Robert Pousak], Damien [Blando] and Matt Pantorno, [when] downlow they all won their matchups on their guys, and they were frustrating their attacks … they had guys in their hands and whatnot. Just credit to our defense for giving me the shots that I want to see, and to our team. It’s a lot easier to play defense when your offense builds you that cushion early on. It’s a great honor for me, and I’m happy to be named Player of the Week, but it’s more of a team award than anything.”
The team was bottom four in the MAAC in goals allowed last season and Hapward mentioned that with the plethora of returning players they created a goal for themselves, that the defense will
look to hold opponents to single digits goals.
Manhattan’s second game this season is against Monmouth University. Sage spoke about some of his goals leading into his second contest.
“Our goal is always prepare ourselves as best we can, so that when we are facing off tomorrow at 11:30 A.M. we’re ready to compete at all levels of the field, knowing that we’re not going to be perfect, and that if one area is struggling, hopefully another area can pick up some slack,” Sage said. “Our goal will be to play four quarters of great lacrosse tomorrow. Hopefully we come out clicking offensively early on and defensively lock it down like we did last week, because it allowed us to build some momentum for the game.” Defense for this team will be key in order to make a successful run during the MAAC Championships. The team believes that they have the players and the pieces around them to hold up the trophy again and push MAAC lacrosse to make the Jaspers proud once again.