Quadrangle
ManhattanUniversityHolds AnnualBloodDrive
ManhattanUniversityhelditsannualwinterblooddriveonWednesday,Feb.12.
NewBlockScheduleChanges ProposedforSpring2026 Semester
Angelina Persaud Senior Writer
Dean of Kakos School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS)
Marcy Kelly, Ph.D., held a student town hall on Feb. 11 to review the new block schedule draft, which includes an extended common period for commuters.
The new changes to the block schedule are expected to take effect in the spring 2026 semester, with some minor changes to language labs being implemented as soon as the fall 2025 semester.
On Jan. 23, an email was sent from the Office of the Provost to announce that an ad hoc committee had been created, which consisted of students and faculty representatives, to propose new changes that they wanted to see in the block schedule.
“The ad hoc committee sought community feedback via a survey and determined that our current block schedule was not meeting all of the needs of the community,” the email stated. “The ad hoc committee used the feedback they received from the survey to inform the development of a new proposed block schedule.”
Kelly explained that the need to revise the current block schedule system was due to scheduling conflicts with two-hour block classes. If a science course was slated to run for two hours but there was no two-hour block available, professors had to schedule into other three-hour class blocks.
“I ran into this problem with faculty who were trying to schedule courses,” Kelly said.
“The current block schedule doesn’t have two-hour blocks or four hour blocks, and some of our courses are two hours. So what ended up happening
was faculty who taught two hours, like the science courses, because there’s no such block, they would have to schedule off of the block, [and] schedule in a three hour spot.”
The new draft of the block schedule includes an extended two-hour common period at 3:30pm on Tuesdays, whereas it previously began at 12:30pm. There is also an additional 75-minute common hour at 2:30pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This change specifically arose from the concerns of students who had a larger gap after 12:30pm but wanted to participate in activities that began at 2:30pm and still make it to class in the 3:30pm block.
“We decided we needed to move that common [time] down to 2:30 with the stipulation that there’s a class period right after it at 3:30,” Kelly said. “Students
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Manhattan UniversityStudent Government Announces Midyear Appointees
trying to do, which is laying the foundation for future success.”
Manhattan University’s Student Government Association (SGA) has announced three new members to fill their vacant positions. The newly elected students will serve through the end of the spring semester. Andrew Berg was sworn in as one of two O’Malley School of Business vice presidents, Delaney Briggs as one of two Kakos School of Arts and Sciences vice presidents and Maggie Voll as one of the sophomore class vice presidents.
Candidates presented their speeches on Feb. 5 at SGA’s general meeting where they presented their goals and initiatives, which were followed by current and executive assembly members voting on who should be appointed.
With the intent to fulfill the positions that were currently vacant, Executive Vice President Colin Ratner, a senior communication major, discussed what qualities he was in search of when regarding possible candidates.
“Personally, I was just looking for someone wellconnected and enthusiastic,” Ratner wrote to The Quadrangle. “Someone who’s up for the challenge and can follow-up while working efficiently. These roles fit perfectly into what we are
The new appointees have made it their mission to represent the student body of their new constituents through efforts to ensure student voices are heard and concerns are addressed.
Berg, a junior finance and accounting double major, shared what led him to his decision of running for the position. He elaborated on how his involvement in other MU spaces have contributed to his ability to fulfill the position.
“I’m involved in a good amount of business clubs [and] on the E-boards as well, so I felt like that gave me the experience to be able to represent the student body here at the O’Malley School of Business,” Berg said. “I feel like now being in this role, I’m able to let all business students know that I’m a contact point for them.”
Berg went on to discuss the plans he has moving forward in this position.
“I would like to host a town hall,” Berg said. “It would give myself, as well as my co-Vice President Chris Parson, a better understanding of some of the concerns or maybe even ideas that students would like to see here in the school of business. I think it would also be helpful to engage in that open dialogue to understand where everyone is coming from, especially in terms of certain events that they would like to see.”
Leyla J Mercado A&E Editor
Volume CXI, Issue 5
FEBRUARY 18, 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 5!
I hope you all had a very happy Valentine’s Day and celebrated love with the people you hold closest to your heart. Having the privilege to love someone is such a gift, and any opportunity to celebrate love in the many ways it comes is such a beautiful thing. I am a person who will text my friends that I love them unprompted on any given day, so needless to say Valentine’s is one of my favorite holidays.
Speaking of Valentine’s Day, campus was filled with love this week. Between themed bake sales, candy grams, crocheted flowers and everything in between, there was something going on just about every day the past week. Even Provisions got in on the fun, setting up a little Valentine’s market for students to purchase chocolate and stuffed bears. For what was an exhausting, stressfilled week for many, it was nice to see the love on campus bringing some smiles to student’s faces.
While this issue may not have a ton of Valentine’s specific content for you, I can promise you each story was edited and written with love and care from our staff. In news, we discuss proposed changes to the MU block schedule coming spring 2026 and SGA’s mid-semester appointments for their empty positions. In features, we cover MU’s resource fair and Kappa Delta Pi’s Literacy Alive event. In A&E, we cover a new Grammy awardwinning faculty member for music as well as a Valentine’s themed Jasper Jams. Lastly, in sports, we cover the men’s basketball game against St. Peter’s and provide a Games of the Week update. We hope you’ll check it all out!
Until next time,
@mu_quad @mu_quad mcquad
Editor-in-Chief
ManhattanUniversityStudentGovernment AnnouncesMidyearAppointees
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Manhattan University Student Government board members for the 2023-2024 year.
@MCSTUDENTENGAGE / INSTAGRAM
Briggs, a junior environmental studies major, discussed the importance of student engagement and how she intends to increase it throughout campus.
“I wanted to take on this
position, or at least help in student government to encourage more student engagement on campus,” Briggs said. “There’s a lot of events that happen that people don’t hear about because
there’s not a lot of marketing for it…so I wanted to help with that process so more people can get involved with the events that are actually happening.”
Briggs further elaborated on her main goals as vice president.
“With all the recent changes in the past two years, or even the last six months within Manhattan University, with the staffing and advising, a lot of Kakos students don’t know who their advisors are,” Briggs said. “They haven’t sat down and had a genuine conversation, so I really want to help with that process [and] help everyone get to know each other.”
Both Briggs and Berg hold the intent of fostering a sense of community amongst both respective student bodies.
“It’s about listening to my peers,” Berg said. “My job is to represent them. My sole
responsibility is for them to have a voice in student government and I just want them to know that I have their backs, that I’m their point of contact and that I will be the one who advocates for them.
I take that responsibility very seriously because I’ve been really grateful to be a student here.”
Briggs went on to discuss
why it is so important that students take advantage of their opportunities to be heard.
“As a student you have so many ideas of how to make stuff better, how to change things, but you don’t really have that position,” Briggs said. “So, it’s exciting to be given this opportunity to listen to my peers about their concerns and with those concerns, help change things.”
NewBlockScheduleChangesProposedforSpring 2026Semester
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could take the class afterwards, stay on campus and participate in any activities we have during the 2:30 common hour.”
Kelly also announced that there was a desire for students to have at least one day off of campus during the week to fulfill other obligations outside of class.
“Everybody expressed a desire to have one day off campus,” Kelly said. “Off campus doesn’t necessarily mean not working. Off campus means perhaps doing an internship or a job.”
Michael Mulrooney, executive director of Jasper Central, explained further that the extended common times would be more convenient for the commuter population on campus to allow them to participate in activities without a longer, burdensome gap between classes.
“In terms of the common period that we were looking for, we wanted a period that was later in the day, that also allowed enough time to have sections for commuter students and residential students,” Mulrooney said. “[Gaps that] weren’t burdensome and put
that much of a break in between your schedule, allowed you to participate in on campus events during this common period, and still have classes afterwards at a common time.”
Kelly also noted that there was a desire to change the current Monday and Wednesday and Tuesday and Friday schedule for 75 minute classes to a Monday and Thursday and Tuesday and Friday schedule.
“There would be two days in between each class session to allow students time to complete any necessary work for those courses,” Kelly said.
Additionally, to accommodate the day off campus request, 50-minute classes would run on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday instead of Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The new block schedule model is based off of the one adopted by Drexel University, who has seen success with the changes.
“To meet the criteria that everybody would love to have a day off campus, compared to Drexel’s schedule, we flipped Thursday and Friday,” Kelly said.
However, to allow for the
two-hour extended common period on Tuesday, there would have to be a shift in the time for 75-minute classes that ran on Tuesday and Friday. Namely, the Friday classes would have a different start time at 3:30pm and Tuesday class would begin at 2pm.
Mulrooney commented that the main reason for the shifts is to keep students engaged with the activities occurring on campus while allowing them adequate time to attend classes during the day.
“Is there a better time that would engage students and have you continue to participate in some of those [activities]?,”
Mulrooney said. “That’s a big piece of what we’re going to do is, again, allow interaction, not only with each other, but with some of the great academic pieces that we have here.”
Cassidy Recio, a former commuter student, expressed her concern over the lack of available lounge space for commuters during the prolonged gap periods prior to the proposed changes. She explained that having more common areas for commuters while they have a gap on campus would be crucial to a
productive school life balance.
“The library gets, even early in the morning, so crowded,” Recio said. “If we’re gonna do spaces, at least have consideration of commuters because I have to spend hours trying to find a spot. If I was not there at 9am in my same spot, it was impossible for me to just look for a single space to be with my friends too.”
Kelly emphasized that regardless of the changes, she and the rest of the ad hoc committee are continuously
seeking student feedback to determine what changes will make their experience at Manhattan University the most effective.
“One of the things that we really wanted for this block schedule is to be student centered,” Kelly said. “That’s the priority here. We need to make sure that all of the needs for students inside and outside of the classroom are met, regardless of whether they’re residential or commuter students.”
Features
ManhattanUniversityHolds ResourceFairtoHelpSupport
UnderrepresentedCommunities
and foster inclusivity within the campus.
Manhattan University held a resource fair on Feb. 11, featuring booths from various clubs and organizations from both on and off campus, all aimed toward providing resources and opportunities for underrepresented communities. Some of the booths present were run by groups such as the Black Student Union (BSU), the Mexican Student Association (MEXSA), It’s On Us, the Women and Gender Resource Center (WGRC), Rainbow Jaspers, Friendly Fridge Bx and many others.
Not only was the event an opportunity for students to gain more knowledge about what resources are available to them, but it also served as an educational platform, raising awareness about the challenges that minority communities face. Representatives from various organizations shared informative messages about what initiatives they are taking to help bring everyone together
Faramoluwa Davis, a senior and the president of BSU spoke about why events such as the resource fair are essential for students to know and understand their rights and freedoms. She also mentioned how the resource fair is a place to become more knowledgeable on what clubs are around campus and how they can provide extra help and opportunities.
“We have so many clubs on campus that students don’t know about,” Davis said. “Even I wasn’t aware of some, so I was so glad that we held this event. Also, the resource fair is very helpful because I feel like students have to know their rights, and so we have organizations here to tell them about that.”
Among the many organizations present, MEXSA played a key role in educating attendees about the rights of immigrants currently affected by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Their primary focus was to act as a support system for Mexican students as well as ensure that those who come from
impacted communities have full knowledge regarding what resources are accessible to them.
Danae Cecena, a junior and the vice president of MEXSA spoke about how she hopes the club can help provide students or anybody currently impacted by ICE with proper education about their rights, especially in a state such as New York.
“We want to bring our community together on campus,” Cecena said. “And, for today, we want to give people knowledge about their rights as immigrants, or to even spread information to people so that they know how to support people that are immigrants. We have a lot of different resources. We have pamphlets about what New York City’s laws are toward helping immigrants and giving them sanctuary in the city, as well as information about their rights.”
In addition to learning about one’s rights, the resource fair was full of clubs that were promoting upcoming events that could serve as informational opportunities. With that said, the Rainbow Jaspers announced that they are hosting a free selfdefense class that can benefit individuals by teaching them how to protect themselves against violence during a time where hate crimes are on the rise.
Ashley Karlosky, the president of the Pride Center and a member of the Rainbow Jaspers spoke about how she is looking forward to the selfdefense event, as it will serve as an important resource for individuals who may want to learn how to protect themselves efficiently.
“We want to cultivate a space for students, specifically LGBTQ+ students and allies to have a space on campus where they feel safe, included and like their identity is heard but also empowered and embraced,” Karlosky said. “With that said, we have a self-defense course with one of our alumni that is coming down and teaching everybody how to protect themselves, especially in our current climate.”
The resource fair was also an event that provided students with the opportunity to find new internship positions. Representatives from the WGRC mentioned how they are always on the lookout for individuals who are interested in advocating for women’s rights and take on an internship program through their organization.
Elliot Babilonia is a sophomore and a current intern for WGRC. He is currently specializing in the intersectionality between women and gender within the internship program. Babilonia spoke about how his role as a part of the organization gives him the space to educate others on important issues that he has dealt with on a personal level.
“As an intern, I specifically talk about the intersectionality between being a person of color and also being a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Specifically, with me being
Hispanic and also me being a transgender man. I am going to hold an event on March 31 in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility.” The resource fair was able to unify a number of different communities, ultimately creating a space of diversity and inclusion for all students around campus. Representatives at the event spoke about the importance of coming together and providing a space of opportunity for all Jaspers.
Gabrielle Blair, a senior and the secretary for BSU shared her thoughts regarding the resource fair, and how it adds to the overall campus culture.
“I think by having groups here that actually represent underrepresented communities makes a really great start toward inclusivity on campus,” Blair said. “And it gets people to care about issues that they not might not recognize or might not know about.”
Laili Shahrestani
Features Editor
Elliot Babilonia (pictured right) and another representative from the Women and Gender Resource Center are ready to speak about opportunities and resources for women.
LAILI SHAHRESTANI / THE QUADRANGLE
Ashley Karlosky (pictured on right) and Sadie Fox have their booth set up to represent the Rainbow Jaspers and educate students on resources within the organization.
LAILI SHAHRESTANI / THE QUADRANGLE
Kappa Delta Pi HostsAliveLiteracy Event
Victoria Schiller Senior Writer
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, Kappa Delta Pi (KDP), the education honor society, held their Literacy Alive event. Students K-3 were invited from surrounding areas to practice their literacy skills, while incorporating new and improved strategies for reading comprehension through games, various learning stations and free books. Literacy Alive has been an ongoing event for the past several years at Manhattan University. Its purpose is to enhance literacy within the community, while also reminding students that literacy skills can always be improved, no matter their age. The Quadrangle attended the event and had the opportunity to talk to faculty, as well as several students who planned and worked the event.
Ruth Zealand, Ph.D, has been a professor in the education department at MU since 2017 and is actively involved with the event each year.
“I love the energy that the KDP students have in putting it on,” Zealand said. “I actually have two favorite parts. I love to see the joy that they [students K-3] have in having older students who to them look like adults help them with the different, varied activities. In the past, we used to do readalouds and have storybook characters.
Mary-Abigail Caglione [KDP member and assistant to the community liaison] has created a lot of different activities on different levels for the children so there’s really something for everyone. And then, the fact that they can take a book home with them, there’s something about having a book as a present that is really rewarding and feels like a rich present.”
The Quadrangle caught up with several KDP members who had the chance to work the event. Pearl Marinas, a graduate student in the five-
year program for special and adolescent education, is the fundraising chair for KDP. Marinas shared what it is like to hold events such as Literacy Alive after having the real-world experience of student teaching.
“I student taught for the high school side,” Marinas said. “But, I’m definitely seeing a lot of deficits in terms of reading comprehension, so I think that an event like Literacy Alive is super important especially to start early on for these kids, because they need that extra reinforcement. Especially if they’re having people who are education majors, we know about these strategies, we’re practicing them in the classroom and now to get to practice with the students - [it] is especially rewarding. Also, to be able to help the students in a way and have them come to campus, bringing them books, and having their parents involved as well really makes a difference.”
Marinas also talked about the main factors that inspired the event.
“In terms of KDP, we’ve been seeing a lot of reading deficits, especially because of COVID, a lot of students are really behind in terms of reading and comprehension skills,” Marinas said. “We wanted to bring something that would be really fun and engaging for the students. To have something like this where they’re able to have fun with us and learn these kinds of skills is really what we wanted to do and have to inspire the students.”
Marinas was in charge of the Wordle station at the event and chose random or school-related, five letter words to present to the students attending.
“I’ve spent the most time at the Wordle station, just because I really love the game and I think it’s fun to have,” Marinas said. “It’s a really good idea if you have a whole class doing it and then each student can pick a word each day. I feel like that’s exciting for them. It increases their vocabulary, those critical thinking skills in terms of where the letters go and things like that, just
Delta Pi hosts the Literacy Alive Event to help young local students practice their literacy skills.
bringing more awareness to the alphabet, words and letters.”
Matteo Casale, a junior adolescent education major with a concentration in history, also led a station at Literacy Alive. He spoke about his favorite moments during the event.
“I think it’s just engaging the kids in a fun way with reading,” Casale said. “A lot of kids, when they think about reading, they don’t want to do it or whatever the case might be. Just trying to find ways to make it fun is really great. It takes away that stigma of reading and makes them excited to have to deal with reading or words.”
Casale also shared what was most rewarding about being a part of such an ongoing event for the education department at MU.
“Spending time with the different members of KDP, but also the kids in the community that are coming, it’s a fun opportunity to meet them and talk with them for a little bit and see what it’s like for them,” Casale said. “Every grade level that comes through the doors is always different from when you were at that point or stage of your life, so it’s always interesting to see
the differences between those periods of time and understand how they’re interpreting and dealing with the world at that stage of their life compared to when I was.”
KDP has several upcoming events for the spring semester, including their new member induction in late March, as well as their Teacher Appreciation Day event in April.
The flyer promoting the Literacy Alive event. VICTORIA SCHILLER / THE QUADRANGLE
Kappa
VICTORIA SCHILLER / THE QUADRANGLE
Two Time Cellist Grammy Winner, Sasha Ono Joins Manhattan’s Communication, Sound And Media Arts Department
Kayla Werth
Contributor
Two-time Grammy winning cellist Sasha Ono has recently joined Manhattan University faculty. Ono is currently serving as an adjunct professor in the communication, sound and media arts department.
Ono is featured on two Grammy winning songs and is on soundtracks for streaming networks such as Netflix, Disney Pixar, Hulu and Amazon Prime. In recent years, Ono has performed a variety of orchestrations for many well known singers, late night shows and televised performances in addition to substituting in the broadway orchestrations of Moulin Rouge and Suffs. Along with serving as an adjunct professor at MU, Ono is also currently playing cello on the JJ Lin Tour: Final Lap 2.0.
Ono talked with The Quadrangle and shared her journey on joining the MU community.
“The head of the music department, they were looking for a cello instructor for some students and we had been in touch and then through various coincidences, I happened to know the orchestral instructor, Sharon Gunderson,” Ono said. “We talked through how Manhattan University may be a good fit for me and how I could be most useful to the university, teaching students and expanding upon the university’s goals as a music department, bringing opportunities to the students and talking about my own experiences as a performer and how that can be helpful to the program.”
Ono also shared with The Quadrangle her excitement on encapsulating her career experiences into lessons for students.
“I’m really excited to show
students how to expand upon the university sound studies, like vision about how sounds are so prevalent in different ways,” Ono said. “So I’m excited to expand upon that through the lens of my experience as a cellist.”
Mark Pottinger, Ph.D, spoke with The Quadrangle about welcoming Ono to the university’s communication, sound and media arts department.
“She came highly recommended and I took a look at her resume and she’s fantastic, she has her masters degree, she’s also a performer with many different types of groups, from rock and pop to K-pop, to Asian pop, pop from Singapore, but also with ensembles in orchestras,”
Pottinger said. “She specializes in primarily trying to present music of people on the margins that are not in the standard repertoire”
Pottinger talked about the unique ideas Ono is bringing to the table as a member of the department.
“She’s really trying to embrace not just the idea of being a classical musician, but being an advocate for the power of music in people’s lives and trying to explore that in different ways and the type of music she plays but also in her discussions…the goal for me is just to showcase who she is to the rest of the student body.” Pottinger said.
In fall 2024, Ono began coaching student Kevin Cullin, a junior majoring in English with a minor in theater. Cullin discussed with The Quadrangle how it has been working with Ono over the past two semesters.
“I never really had a lot of confidence in myself but
working with her, it’s probably been the biggest jump in confidence I’ve had,” Cullin said. “She really makes sure you understand what you’re doing… It’s very much guiding, she’s very calm with it. It leads to an understanding that once I have something figured out, a lot of other things go into play really easily…She’s just fantastic to work with and I look forward to everything that we do.”
For those hoping to have a chance to hear her play, Ono will be featured in the MU faculty showcase this April.
Cellist Sasha Ono. SASHA ONO / COURTESY
Jasper Jams: A Hopeless Romantic’s Favorite Holiday
Angelina Perez Senior Writer
I have a confession to make… I, Angelina Perez, am a hopeless romantic and will not take any more Valentine’s Day slander. Why has it become so easy to dismiss a day celebrating love? So many kinds of love are often overlooked on Valentine’s Day, and I feel like that deserves some attention just as much as relationships. It is a privilege to love and be loved no matter the circumstances. While a million songs are sung about love, here are just a few that can get you in your feels any day of the week.
Laufey - Valentine
Laufey writes love songs for those who don’t know how to register what love that turns you upside down and leaves you excited feels like. There’s something so relatable in her music, as it captures that feeling of falling hard and fast for someone, not entirely understanding what’s happening, but knowing it’s something that changes everything. With this song, Laufey embraces her love for this person, and because of that, she has a Valentine to celebrate every year. It’s that feeling of finally finding someone who makes you feel alive in a way you never expected, and in the process, you create your tradition of love, year after year.
Favorite lyrics: “I’ve lost all control of my heartbeat now / Got caught in a romance with him somehow / I still feel a shock through every bone /
When I hear an “I love you” / ‘Cause now I’ve got someone to lose”
Mitski - My Love Mine
All Mine
Mitski has this raw, unflinching ability to write love songs that feel deeply personal and universally relatable. This song highlights love that’s allconsuming, possessive and vulnerable. This song reflects the need to take love that once felt fleeting and impossible and claim it as your own, fully and unapologetically. Her ability to blend the deep pain of longing with the joy of having something that’s genuinely yours that should be protected and valued makes this song both comforting and heartbreaking and is the kind of song you want to play when you’re not just in love but when you’re embracing the complicated, beautiful truth of it.
Favorite lyrics: “My baby here on Earth / Showed me what my heart was worth / So, when it comes to be my turn / Could you shine it down here for her?”
Edison Lighthouse - Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
When I’m in the mood for a song that helps reflect the innocent, gentle side of love, “Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” shows the warmth and joy that the lyrics effortlessly convey from the very first note. This kind of track makes you want to skip down the street, screaming you are in love and reflecting on the most straightforward, heartwarming kind of love that grows quietly, steadily and without warning. The lyrics
paint a picture of love that’s so genuine and natural it feels like it’s always been there, just waiting for the right moment to bloom. Lighthouse speaks of Rosemary; through her, we get this sense of being consumed by a unique love that changes everything. The charm of the song lies in how easy it feels. It’s not complicated or dramatic; it’s just a simple, beautiful expression of affection. The upbeat, catchy melody only adds to the joy of the song, making it feel like a perfect celebration of love that, while small and understated, is still powerful in its own right.
Favorite lyrics: “I’m a lucky fella / And I’ve just got to tell her / That I love her endlessly / Because love grows where my Rosemary goes / And nobody knows like me”
Beabadoobee - Glue Song ft. Clairo
Glue Song is a tender, intimate ode to a love that’s as subtle as sticky. This song is about the quiet but unshakable love that sticks with you, even when your world is spinning. It’s not dramatic or over-thetop; instead, it’s the kind of love that hasn’t always been there but that realization that feels like finally finding the missing piece you didn’t even know you were searching for. Being “stuck” to someone has this warm, comforting undertone as if love is a gentle force that keeps you tethered, but not in a way that feels suffocating. Instead, it feels grounding, the connection that makes everything else seem less critical. The song is like a quiet confession of how much you care, yet it feels as if it’s just a natural thing to say, something you can’t help but express when you’re sure of how you
feel.
Favorite lyrics: “I always knew I’d find you / To be here is worth the wait to / I’m not lying / When I say I’ve been stuck / By the glue onto you”
Laufey - Bewitched
I had the pleasure of seeing her perform this song live, and I did bawl my eyes out. For most of Laufey’s discography, this song especially, there is this feeling only as explainable as what it would be like to ballroom dance with the love of your life as you are both trying to assess how the other feels. Okay, maybe I need to stop reading so many romance novels…Bewitched speaks about the confusion of falling hard and quick for someone, not knowing how you ended up under their spell, which changes everything you believed love was before you met them.
Favorite lyrics: “You bewitch me / Every damn second you’re with me /I try to think straight / But I’m falling so badly, I’m coming apart / You wrote me a note, cast a spell on my heart / And bewitched me.”
Billie Eilish - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
I said I would include a song that shows the need for platonic, familiar love and how we connect and see each other when no one else is watching, and Billie indicates just that. There’s something raw about how Billie sings about seeing someone and knowing how they look to her, even if they don’t quite realize it yet. You can feel the depth of admiration of being so in tune with someone that words aren’t even
necessary to communicate the connection, and it’s something felt rather than spoken. Birds of a Feather showcases the bond that doesn’t need constant reassurance because it’s built on shared moments and a deep sense of belonging.
Favorite lyrics: “ want you to see, hm / How you look to me, hm / You wouldn’t believe if I told ya / You would keep the compliments I throw ya”
Taylor Swift - You Are in Love
Any Jasper Jam I write would not be complete if T.S. were not listed. Not only is this one of my favorite songs by her, but it is her more simplistic lyricism that doesn’t rely on dramatic twists, grand gestures or hidden meanings. Instead, it’s about the little details, the subtle shifts in the way you see someone when you’re in love. The lyrics describe a love that feels like it’s been built on shared experiences and mutual understanding and is a perfect depiction of how love doesn’t always need to be vocalized, sometimes it’s just felt in the space between words, in the way you hold hands or exchange glances, in the moments of being together, even in silence. There’s a kind of magic in that, the quiet certainty that comes with knowing someone and feeling at home with them.
Favorite lyrics: “And so it goes / You two are dancing in a snow globe, ‘round and ‘round / And he keeps the picture of you in his office downtown / And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars / And why I’ve spent my whole life tryin’ to put it into words”
Manhattan Men’s Basketball Adds a Win to Record After NailBiting Overtime
Grace Cardinal Editor-in-Chief
Men’s basketball had yet another nail-biter of a game on Saturday, Feb. 8 against the St. Peter’s Peacocks. After a well fought overtime, the Jaspers came out on top by one point, winning 84-83 and bringing their record to 11-10.
The game was filled with energy from the first buzzer, but St. Peter’s was able to sink the first hoop. Jaden Winston quickly took over, shooting a three-pointer and letting the Jaspers take what would be one of their few leads of the game, 3-2. The Jaspers were able to soon extend this lead with two free throws, leading to an advantage of 5-2.
Manhattan’s defense was commanding, but St. Peter’s offense still found openings.
The Jaspers struggled with some slippery fingers and allowed for a turnover, letting the Peacocks’ Adetokunbo Bakare land a three-pointer that put St.Peter’s back in the lead five minutes into the half with a score of 7-5.
Manhattan continued to struggle to get the ball through the hoop, allowing St. Peter’s to keep their lead. With a rocky start to the first half from the Jaspers, the Peacocks managed to extend their lead to five after a triple from Bryce Eaton.
Manhattan allowed St. Peter’s to keep their six point lead throughout the half, chasing them but not able to keep up. With five minutes left in the half, the score sat at 2519, St. Peter’s lead. Two good free throws extended this lead to 27-19 for the Peacocks.
The Jaspers’ Shaquil Bender had a solid three pointer from downtown with just under five minutes left in the first half in an attempt to close the gap. The play was followed closely by a jumper and a freethrow from Will Sydnor, allowing the Jaspers to close the Peacocks’ lead to 27-25 with 3:45 to go. Sydnor, an invaluable asset to the Jaspers’ roster
this season, has been headto-head with Devin Dinkins in record gameplay. When asked how two feed off each other’s energy, Sydnor didn’t hesitate.
“All of it. I feed off all of it,” Sydnor said. “[In the] locker room, practice, off the court [and] on the court.”
Shortly after, Jaspers’ Marko Ljubicic was able to close the gap to one point, but was called on a technical foul for his dunk. The resulting free throws allowed the Peacocks to maintain a lead of 32-286 .
The Jaspers continued to chase the lead for the rest of the first half, but to no avail. The half ended with a score of 40-35, after a foul on Sydnor. A last minute attempt to close the gap was made by Winston, but was unsuccessful.
Head Coach John Gallagher credited the Peacocks for their intense game play.
“I’d like to give credit to St. Peter’s and head coach Bashir Mason,” Gallagher said. “They have had injuries, they’ve had bad luck, they’ve had balls bounced the wrong way, and they continue to fight, and they continue to compete, and they play like champions. I don’t
care what the record is, they are going to be an extremely hard out down the stretch. We’re fortunate to win both games against them.”
The first points of the second half were put up by Manhattan, with free throws from Wesley Robinson. Bender and Sydnor soon capitalized off of this lead, both shooting triples that gave Manhattan their second lead of the game, 43-42.
Bender yet again extended the team’s lead shortly after with another three-pointer, bringing the score to 4644. Immediately after, the Peacocks’ Bakare, a standout for the team throughout the game, brought back the team’s lead 47-46 with 15 minutes left in gameplay.
The Peacocks refused to lose their energy in the second half, and soon extended their lead over Manhattan after scoring seven unanswered points, bringing the score to 55-48. The Jaspers’ Dinkins lowered the deficit after hitting a scoring streak with 10 minutes to go in the game, scoring back-to-back triples that brought Manhattan to
54-58. A jumper from Bender further closed the gap to 56-58.
Dinkins, a standout for the Jaspers, was announced as the MAAC Male Student-Athlete of the week on Feb. 5. As for where his head is at in game play, he has one goal: winning.
“Really just focusing and doing anything to win,” Dinkins said. “This was a big game for us to win.”
A key play for the Jaspers came with just under six minutes left, when a dunk from Masiah Gilyard tied the game 63-63, a feat the Jaspers struggled to consistently make happen throughout the game. Dinkins was once again able to tie the score 67-67 with just over three minutes left in gameplay after a pull up.
The last minutes of the game were hard fought, with the Jaspers managing a 7169 lead before a St. Peter’s timeout. The lead did not last long, quickly becoming tied back up at 71-71 with a driving layup from the Peacocks’ Eric Morgan Jr. - the last score of regular gameplay before overtime.
Shortly into the five minutes of OT playtime on the
clock, the Peacocks put up two points with a jumper from Eaton. The Jaspers soon after were able to make two good free throws, tying the score once again. The back and forth of OT was filled with energy, desperation, heavy fouls and sunken hoops for both teams, but ultimately the Jaspers were able to come out victorious by one point with seconds left after a foul shot.
Looking forward to a potential run in the MAAC championships, Gallagher hopes to tighten up the team’s defense.
“I think we’re a team that’s two possessions a half away from really tightening our defense up from being really special,” Gallagher said. “It’s two to three possessions, and it’s that lack of focus. But look, we shot 50 in the second half, which is a great number, from three, 40 from the floor. So we have to figure ways to get our offense cooking, but the defense has to be our staple.”
The next game for the men at the time of publication will be Friday, Feb. 21 at Iona.
Men’s basketball celebrated their win with participants of the kid’s clinic. RAVEN JAMES / COURTESY
Andrew Mannion Sports Editor
Men’s Basketball
Games of the Week
The Jaspers men’s Basketball team had a game against Merrimack in Draddy on Friday night. With Merrimack leading the MAAC with an 11-2 record coming in, they looked the part as they put up an impressive 42 points in the first half of gameplay. The Warriors shot 50% from the field for the half, and held a nine point lead over the Jaspers.
Merrimack held on to the lead for the first portion of the second half, but Manhattan went on quite the run to close out the game. Being down 11, they managed to tie the game and go on an 11-0 run unanswered. After a free throw from Merrimack put them back up one, Masiah Gilyard hit a big three-pointer to put the Jaspers up by the same amount.
The Jaspers closed out the next four minutes of the game, and took down the MAAC’s number one seed with a score of 79-75. This win puts the Jaspers in a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference, and Merrimack in a tie for first place with Quinnipiac.
The Jaspers’ next game will be against Iona, which will be broadcasted nationally on
Swim & Dive
Both men’s and women’s swim teams competed in the MAAC Championships last week. Hosted in Geneva, Ohio, the four day event lasted from Wednesday to Saturday, and included some big milestones for the Jaspers.
Jaila Williamson broke the Jasper record for the 50 meter freestyle. Her time of 23.85 seconds was good enough to win her heat in the B final and place ninth overall in the MAAC.
Joe Brennan also made the A final for the 100 meter breaststroke, as well as joining the men’s 400 medley team. The 400 medley team included John Carsen, Abelardo Cartagena and Gavin Harding as well.
The women’s team also found themselves in the finals, with their 400 meter medley team consisting of Jaila Williamson, Sophia Leber, Ella Feneide and Leticia Fontes.
Baseball
The Jaspers’ baseball team started their season in Mississippi against the #18 ranked Mississippi State Diamond Dawgs. They dropped both games of the first doubleheader 17-3 and 13-1, respectively.
In the first game, the Jaspers started scoring in the later minutes. In the seventh
inning, Tyler Galetti was able to drive home two runs with a double down the right field line. In the next at bat, Dylan Mayer got a base knock to drive in the third and final run of the game.
For game two, the Jaspers had Brad Grasser on the mound. He was able to go 4.2 innings, and strike out four batters. This gained the kudos of Interim Head Coach Steve Rosen.
“I thought Brad Grasser really competed and showed what he is about,” Rosen said
in an interview with GoJaspers. “Some really competitive at-bats throughout the day.”
Men’s Lacrosse
Men’s Lacrosse fell to Vermont on Saturday afternoon by a score of 12-6. The offense saw most of its production in the second half, with contributions coming from all around. The six goals scored came from five different players. Connor Engel netted ten for Jaspers, with an assist as well.
Defensively, the Jaspers had good stats, despite the 13 goals. Jaspers’ goalie, Connor Hapward, was able to tally an impressive 15 saves. The defense also combined for eight caused turnovers, Damien Blando leading the way with two of his own.
The Jaspers will take a trip to Fairfield next week, as they take on the Stags next Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.
Women’s Lacrosse
The women’s lacrosse team fell at home to Hofstra, 18-5. Emily Fiola and Olivia Cruthers led the way for the offense, netting two goals each. Their goals kept the Jaspers in the game early on, with the first quarter ending 2-1. Hofstra would take over from there, going on a 14-2 run from the second quarter till the final buzzer.
The Jaspers will begin a road stretch next week, as their first of three straight road games will be against FDU on Wednesday afternoon.
Devin Dinkins, #0 and Jaden Winston, #2 celebrate after the Jaspers win against Merrimack.
Jaila Williamson broke the 50 meter freestyle school record twice, with her times in both the preliminary and final races dropping below the previous record.
Liam Peabody, #34, during the game against Vermont.