ISSUE NO. 15
MARCH 2020
THE STUDENT VOICE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON
THE ULTIMATE CLUB SPORT
LIVA HOUSE GETS GLOW-UP
SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW
For members, it’s more than tossing plastic around
Four students claiming leadership roles within their first semester
Highlights from every Division III spring sports team on campus
INSIDE ISSUE NO. 15 / MARCH 2020
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Letter from the Editor
Spring Sports Preview
Spring Sports Preview (cont.)
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Ultimate Frisbee
Student Government
The Ghost of Mrs. Liva
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Athlete of the Week
Campus Comment
Aquinas Bingo
FROM THE EDITOR
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ow that the spring semester is in full swing, our staff is back to producing monthly content just in time to help you get through these winter months! In this issue, we’ve highlighted many different aspects of the University community, as we always try to do, including LIVA, the Ultimate Frisbee Team, Student Government and our University sports teams. Last semester brought great success for The Aquinas, as we published 4 issues, grew our staff and increased our readership. I want to specifically note that we added an amazingly talented art director, Minahil Sami, to our staff last semester who hand draws all of our unbelievable covers and most graphics inside the magazine. Ultimately, we hope to keep the success-ball rolling into this semester, and produce another 4 magazines by the end of May. So be sure to look out for the issues at the beginning of each month! I want to thank Matthew Reavy, Ph.D. and his editing class for serving as our copy editors each month last semester. In addition, thank you to Jeffrey Kegolis, Ph.D., and Janet Schieber for their continuous guidance and support, as well, with anything we need from publication logistics to office supplies. And of course, thank you to our amazing staff for being the absolute greatest every single week. This great team of people is appreciated more than I could ever explain, and they are what makes this publication as great as it is If you’re interested in contributing or being featured in The Aquinas, be sure to contact us via email, which can be found on the back cover of this edition! We’re always open to expanding The Aquinas family. Thank you all for allowing us to continue being the student voice of The University of Scranton for another semester, and we hope you enjoy our March issue!
Lauren Gallagher, Class of 2020 Editor-in-Cheif
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-sports preview-
Spring 2020 Athletics BY LAUREN EARNSHAW BASEBALL
WOMEN’S LACROSSE
After finishing the regular season fourth in the Landmark Conference and ultimately losing both games during the championship, Scranton Baseball looks to move up in the conference this season. The team was slotted third in the Landmark Conference Preseason Poll. Connor Harding ‘21 leads the Royals into this next season having earned Third Team All-American honors from D3baseball.com for his performance in the 2019 season. The 2019 Landmark Conference Player of the year, who also earned 2019 All-Mid Atlantic Region honors, has been named a First Team Preseason All-American, so expectations are high for the junior outfielder.
Scranton Women’s Lacrosse ended the 2019 regular season in second place in the Landmark Conference with a 6-1 record. The team only lost to Catholic during the regular season. The group ultimately lost to Catholic in the Landmark Conference Championship game. After being so close to winning it all, the team looks to make that final push this season. The IWLCA Preseason Poll ranked the Royals No. 20, which puts the national spotlight on the group. Multiple women’s lacrosse players earned awards for their 2019 season performances, and on top of all those awards was Becca Russo ‘20, who earned All-American honors (during the 2018-19 school year, Russo earned All-American honors in both lacrosse and soccer). Expectations are high for this talented squad.
WOMEN’S GOLF
MEN’S LACROSSE
With a 4-0 finish on its fall season and a third place finish at the Landmark Conference Fall Preview, the women’s golf team looks to make forward progress in the conference standings this spring season. Katie Pagano ‘23 was the top finisher at the Fall Preview, finishing 11th in the field.
MEN’S GOLF The Men’s Golf team ended the 2019 Fall season with a 10-0 record, and the group placed second out of seven teams at the Landmark Conference Fall Preview. Nicholas Campanelli ‘22, Thomas McAuliffe ‘21 and Matthew Fleming ‘23 all placed in the top ten during the Fall Preview, so be sure to keep an eye on them for the coming spring season.
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The Men’s Lacrosse team ended the regular season tied for first in the Landmark Conference with Elizabethtown. Etown earned the No. 1 seed in playoffs, and No. 2 Scranton lost to Susquehanna in the semi-final game. The Royals hope to make it all the way to the end this season, led by Michael Elefonte ‘20, who was tabbed as a Honorable Mention selection to the 2020 Inside Lacrosse NCAA Division III Preseason All-American team. In the 2019 season, Elefonte was named 2019 Landmark Conference Offensive Player of the Year and to the All-Landmark Conference First Team, as well as earned both USILA Honorable Mention All-American and IMLCA All-South Region Honorable Mention honors.
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Klosinski ‘23 was named University of Scranton Athlete of the Week this winter season, after breaking a The University of Scranton Softball team end- program record in the 60 meter hurdles and posting a ed the 2019 regular season tied for third and ended second best time in program history for the 400 meter up earning the fourth seed going into the champion- run. ship. Despite its underdog status, the team won all MEN’S TENNIS five games and ended up winning the Landmark Conference Championship title. As the team closed out In the 2019 spring season, University of Scranthe season on top, expectations are high for the Roy- als. Megan Zinn ‘20 led the squad in batting average ton Men’s Tennis ended the regular season tied for (0.459), hits (72) and runs (51). Jennifer Sweeney did it second with Juniata in the Landmark Conference all for the Royals, as she led the stats in RBIs (46) as standings and entered the Landmark Championships well as was crucial to the pitching rotation. Zinn and at the No. 2 seed. The team made it to the finals but Sweeney, who both earned All-Landmark Conference ultimately lost to No. 1 seed Goucher. After falling just honors, are joined by four others who earned honors short last year, the team looks to come out on top in in the 2019 season for what should be a great season the conference in 2020. Tarquin McGurrin ‘21 leads the Royals into this season, as he earned All-Landfor the Royals. mark Conference First Team honors in singles and doubles play last year and went 6-2 this past fall. In WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD the fall season, newcomer Nathan Tauber ‘23 was able The University of Scranton Women’s Track & to show for himself well, with a 5-3 record. Field team looks to continue its momentum from its WOMEN’S TENNIS winter track season into the coming spring season. Their top headliner of the winter season highlightAfter finishing the regular season second in ed Jessica Hoffmann ‘22, who was named Landmark Conference Track Athlete of the Week for the first the Landmark Conference and losing to No. 1 Moratime in her career after winning the 3,000 meter run vian in the Landmark Conference Championships, at the Collegeville Classic in January. Last spring sea- the Scranton Women’s Tennis team looks to take that son, the team finished in fifth place at Landmark Con- extra push to clinch the championship this spring ference Championship, and they look to move up in season. The Royals have four returnees who earned All-Landmark Conference honors a year ago, leaving the standings this year. them with a promising roster for the Spring 2020 season. Leading the four is Natashia DeNunzio ‘20, who MEN’S TRACK & FIELD was named Player of the Year in 2019 and had a 9-1 With the winter season well underway, Scran- singles record this fall and went 6-2 in doubles with ton Men’s Track & Field has been putting themselves Marissa Campo ‘21, who also earned All-Landmark on the map already in 2020 to set themselves up for First Team honors in 2019. Joining them as the other a successful spring season With their top meet per- two 2019 All-Landmark Conference returnees are Emformance of the season, Royals registered three top- ily Kelly ‘20 and Claire Loughlin ‘22, who earned first five finishes, at the SU invitational in February, as team and second team honors respectively. Matt Kinback ‘21 broke his own program record and finished third in the mile (third fastest in the Landmark Conference this season), Liam Mead ‘23 finished fourth in the 3,000 meter run, and Phil Cocco finished fifth in shot put and set a new school record. Trevor 7
SOFTBALL
The Ghost of Mrs. Liva Current president of the LIVA Arts Company gives a long forgotten off-campus house a makeover, and traces the club to its roots in the process BY BAILEY MCLAUGHLIN When you hear Liva mentioned on campus, you may immediately associate the club’s name with the student-run musicals that the Liva Arts Company performs. You may be surprised to learn that Liva is not an acronym, but rather the last name of a woman who was at the center of music in Scranton. Mrs. Liva’s home at the corner of North Webster and Vine used to be not only a residence hall, but also a music studio with 12 grand pianos, where she brought many people
the joy of music through her teaching. Although the house has been vacated for several years, the Liva House is slowly bringing music back into its halls with the help of the current Liva Arts Company. Mrs. Liva donated her home to The University in the 1980s, and it soon became a residence hall dedicated to the arts in 1990. The home was full of artists, musicians, writers and actors, and they held concerts as well as their wildly popular fall revue in their home. The fall revue was started in the 1960s by Father Edward Gannon and the tradition fell into the hands of the Liva Arts House. The house produced the fall revue as well as a spring musical every year. Common spring musicals included shows like Godspell, which was performed 6 times in 12 years. The group also performed original musicals written by the members of the house. So, from the fall revue to the spring musical, the Liva House was always busy. In the early 2000s, the group started to perform musicals every semester and let the fall revue tradition fade. In 2003, the residence program was shut down due to a lack of enrollment. While the house remained open, it was no longer an arts residence. The group of students previously residing in the Liva House decided to become a chartered club under moderator Dr. Josephine Dunn due to the continuing interest. The Liva Arts House had fallen out of regular use at The University and was rediscovered by the club in the spring of 2019. Be8
fore the house, the Liva Arts Company was split between different places on campus, and the cast and crew did not have much space to practice or interact with each other until the show took place. The club had visions of bringing the house back to life with rehearsal rooms and storage space under one roof so cast and crew could work side by side. Together the club brought the house back into the Liva Arts Company tradition, and in the spring of 2020, the club officially brought the arts back to the old musical landmark. While still working to make the house feel more like a home and rehearsal space, the group is putting in constant effort to maintain the home and make it fit for the club’s needs. The Liva Arts Company recognizes that its members are students above all else and is even adding study spaces and student lounges to use while rehearsal is underway, in addition to costume rooms and prop storage spaces, because while putting on a show is the ultimate goal, the club is made up of people who are students first. Staying true to their roots, Liva Arts Company is a purely student-run group. With the help of Moderator Father Ronald McKinney, the students get a chance to experience every part of a full length production from the administrative side of ordering lights and sounds, to the more creative side of designing costumes and choreographing. The club provides a platform for students to do what they truly love and embrace musical theatre in all aspects.
Make sure to join in the fun of Mamma Mia! the Musical, April 23-25 in LSC 133. 9
U LT I M AT E F R I S B E E
20 Years of Tossing Plastic throughout the semester. Anyone who is interested, regardless of skill level or athletic ability, can be a member of the team. Jack Garvey, one of the team’s two captains, had this to say about the team’s policy of no cutting: “ECSU has never had cuts and will never have cuts because we don’t want to strip anyone of having a great experience like so many ECSU alumni have had. I’m confident in the playing ability of the first year players we’ve trained and taught and never have I ever seen so much improvement in the sophomore and junior classes,” Garvey said. “ It’s been a challenge to balance competitiveness with the goofy, family atmosphere the team has, but I think I’ve done my best to preserve both aspects of our team.” In fact, captains encourage students who have never played ultimate frisbee before to try out for the team. It’s an excellent sport to learn and a great way to stay in shape. The team spirit aspect of the ultimate team is integral. We asked team Vice President, Diana Francheschelli, how she would describe what it’s like to be a member of the Electric City Scranton Ultimate team.
BY DOMINICK M. MELARA AND PHIL RAUCH The University of Scranton Ultimate Frisbee team is one of the most popular club sports we have on campus. Believe it or not, the Electric City Ultimate team is celebrating their 20th anniversary since it was created as a club sport in 2000. Totaling 77 members, the team has grown a lot since then, and continues to have one of the largest club sport rosters every semester. How have they been able to sustain this continuously high level of interest and loyalty to this otherwise unknown sport? That question could best be answered by senior President of the Ultimate Frisbee team, Daniel Coleman. “The biggest thing is the community of people. College is a place where you go to find out who you are and what you want to be. The ultimate team has given people a place to do that, and improve on and off the field. I feel that’s one of the main reasons people stick with it,” Coleman said. In addition to the strong community within the ultimate team, there are other factors that play a role in the team’s intrigue. First and foremost, the leadership team does not make any cuts to the roster 10
“When I was a freshman I ning the Bloomsburg tournament at couldn’t throw a frisbee. I would our rival’s expense. Over the course have never expected to not only fall of the semester the team finished in love with the sport of frisbee, but with a record of 21 wins and 6 losses, also find a home. The team is my as well as 2 tournament wins. friends, family and community all at The Electric City Scranton once. We’ve been through the trials Ultimate Frisbee team has always and tribulations of life and frisbee, been, and will continue to be a place but despite all of that the team is where competition meets commustill the best support system I have nity. Team member and senior, Rob found at the University of Scranton,” Rade, spoke to how the community Francheschelli said. has impacted both his life and his The team aspect definitely college career. plays a major role, but on the field, “Frisbee transitioned from a team to the members of ECSU are dedicata family during my junior year, and ed to the sport. As members of the I realized that the friendships I have team ourselves, we can attest that the made because of frisbee are stronger ROBERT RADE ‘20 tournaments are some of the most and more genuine than most friendexciting events of every semester. About 3-5 times a ships I have made throughout my life. I now get exsemester, split into A and B groups, the team travels to cited about going to practice because I get to hangout various colleges throughout Pennsylvania and com- with my friends and play a sport which I’ve come to petes in tournaments from Saturday morning until love,” Rade said. the late afternoon. At these tournaments, competition After 20 years of memories, friendship, and a is fierce, but fun, and there is always great comradery whole lot of frisbee, the current members of the team among the teams. This past semester, Fall 2019, the continue to carry on the traditions of old, while also team enjoyed somewhat unexpected success--win- making their own mark on history.
“I GET TO HANGOUT WITH MY FRIENDS & PLAY A SPORT WHICH I’VE COME TO LOVE”
Photos courtesy of Robert Rade, Diana Franeschelli, and Jack Garvey
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-Updates & Happenings-
Student Government Aquinas Staff spoke to President Fahad Ashraf and Vice President Jeffrey Colucci to report recent news and upcoming events organized by the Student Government to kick off the Spring Semester. BY JOSEPH BARRY
Campus Events Grocery Bingo on February 7 proved to be an outstanding night. Over three hundred student attendees participated in the popular food-hoarding game, while notable faculty and staff participated throughout the evening. A town hall meeting with Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., will occur Tuesday, March 24th at 6 p.m. in Brennan Hall. The meeting will be followed by an open conversation with the University President, where students are encouraged to attend to get to know Pilarz and have important concerns addressed. Student government will soon announce their “We Are Scranton� campaign project to showcase diversity on campus and encourage an active and inclusive environment for education at the University.
STUDENT AFFAIRS Student Government has been hard at work organizing and expanding student access to crucial resources across campus, as well as promoting participation in University activities. The third floor of Weinberg Memorial Library is now open 24/7 throughout the week to provide an additional quiet place for students to study, in addition to the first and second floors. Six new Brita water fountains are expected to arrive in Loyola Science Center soon, alongside those being rolled out in the Byron Center due to student demand. Three new student clubs have been started, including the Royals Fishing Club, Royal Expressions and Phi Beta Lambda, a business competition organization. Student Government also encourages all official student groups on campus to reach out to utilize the New Initiative Funding program to host new events not originally credited in their budget for the year. 12
Government News
Student Government has been coordinating with the Counseling Center and University Police to improve student health and safety across campus, such as working to solve Counseling Center wait times and Royal Ride effectiveness. Discussions continue regarding student concerns with dining options on campus, as well as laundry access. A resolution last semester to enforce “no camping” policies in study rooms has begun the pilot development of a monitoring system within Loyola Science Center to allow students fairer access to study locations. A Classroom Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, created in collaboration with the Faculty Senate has been constructed to ensure the best possible student and faculty experience in the classroom by outlining expectations for those in the academic environment.
“Student Government is completely fueled by what students want” President Fahad Ashraf
For those interested in serving within Student Government next semester, election information sessions will occur on March 25 and 29 in the Student Forum at 6 p.m. All students are welcome to visit the government office at the Student Forum in the DeNaples Center or email fahad.ashraf@scranton.edu or jeffrey.colucci@scranton.edu for any questions or concerns they would like to discuss. 13
-Athlete of the WeekBY LAUREN EARNSHAW
At the beginning of each week, The University names an Athlete of the Week. The selection is based off of athletic performances of the preceding week. The selected athlete may be on a men’s or women’s team. This accolade is an honor, so we make sure to speak with each University of Scranton Athlete of the Week. Read below to learn a little more about each selected student-athlete. bounds in the game. In the second game of that week, Monaghan put 11 points up on the board in a 73-51 win against Juniata. On the week, Monaghan averaged 13.0 points per game and shot 47.1%. How is your season going so far? We are doing pretty well so far. We are 18-3 and just had a great win against Catholic. Pre-game rituals/superstitions: We have a few pre-game rituals. Before games we always pray and do a chant as we walk up the stairs to the gym. One superstition I’ve always had is that I straighten my hair for game days. I’m not sure why I do this, but it started in high school. Favorite moment of your Scranton basketball career: My favorite memory from playing basketball this year would probably be when we beat E-town away because they beat us when we played on our home court. The seniors were so happy and it was a great team win. Favorite thing about Scranton: My favorite thing about Scranton is the community. I love how friendly people are here and how supportive everyone is. Plans after Scranton: I will be here for a fifth year for my masters in occupational therapy & then hope to work back home on January 20 to January 25 Long Island. Bridget Monaghan is a guard on The University Role models/athletes you look up to: of Scranton women’s basketball team. Monaghan One role model in my life is my brother Brian. He is earned Scranton Athlete of the Week after helping a junior here at Scranton and plays basketball on the lead the Lady Royals to a 2-0 week during which she men’s team. His dedication and work ethic is inspiring scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting in the and motivates me. I have learned a lot from him on team’s 59-46 win over Susquehanna. She had five re- and off the court, and am so grateful to have him in my life. 14
BRIDGET MONAGHAN ’23
MAKENZIE MASON ’20
I typically like to listen to music leading up to warmups so that I can hype myself up and prepare myself for the game. I wear the same purple hair tie for every game and I always wear my hair up in a braid. Favorite moment of your Scranton basketball career: My favorite moment playing basketball as Scranton was my Junior year on Parade Day when we beat Tufts in the Elite 8. The gym was packed with fans and students and we were down by 11 going into the fourth quarter. We held Tufts scoreless for eight minutes to come back and win by four. I’ll never forget hitting a three-pointer with a few minutes left and the crowd erupted with excitement. Favorite thing about Scranton: That Scranton is a small school with a big school feel. Although I see the same people every day, there’s also a lot of new people that I see and meet. Plans after Scranton: I plan on going to graduate school because I am in the 5-year Occupational Therapy program here. I also plan on still being a part of the team and helping out as a Graduate Assistant. Role models/athletes you look up to: I look up to Tom Brady, not just because I am a huge Patriots fan but because he works extremely hard every day to improve his performance on and off the field. I want to be the best player on the court, and I work my hardest every day so that I can reach that goal.
February 3 to February 9 Makenzie Mason of The University of Scranton women’s basketball team is no stranger to awards and honors. The senior is highly decorated and continues to add to that trend this season. The week she was honored for, Mason averaged 19.5 points per game on 66.7% shooting and 6.0 rebounds per game while leading the Lady Royals to a 2-0 week. Her performances included 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the win over Susquehanna, which was highlighted by her layup with one second left in the game to put the team up 62-61 to win the game. Additionally, Mason contributed 21 points to help her team beat Catholic 65-52. This win moved the Lady Royals into a tie for first place with Catholic. How is your season going so far? Our season is moving so fast and it’s going pretty well so far. We had a few midseason losses that we weren’t happy about, but we have made it our goal to not lose another game, and we haven’t since. We are currently ranked 16th in the country and we feel we have so much more to prove then what that number says. We are also tied for first place in the Landmark, which is where we want to be, and ultimately we want to be the team on top and have won the Conference title. Pre-game rituals/superstitions: 15
-Campus comment-
Aquinas staff asked students: "What is your most ridiculous first-year dorm memory?”
Brandon Loftus ‘22
Francis Walter ‘20
“Too much happened in Hafey. There was so much destruction there. I’d have to say the memory that stands out to me the most is the Hafey flood. I was in GLM and my old roommate called me and told me that the building started to flood. I went over to see what was going on and saw tons of the guys outside and the fire department. I wasn’t surprised by anything that was happening at all.”
“I remember waking up on a Saturday morning to find that 4 out of our 5 faucets had all been bent to the side 90 degrees; like, who is even strong enough to do that? The whole floor had to use a single faucet until they replaced them over three weeks later. The school still has no idea who did it.” 16
Timmy Kiess ‘22
Emily Termyna ‘21
Maria Vizzuso ‘20
“Every morning, for like a solid two months last year, I would wake up and walk into the hallway only to see almost all of the exit signs in pieces on the floor or just totally gone. It was wild.”
“Someone walked into the lounge, cracked all the pool sticks in half, dropped them and dipped.”
“One night, some random guy came into GLM and locked himself in the bathroom. The next morning he was gone and the bathroom was covered in vomit. Gotta love GLM.”
Rachel Weber ‘21
Colin Pierce ‘23
“My friend and I put popcorn in the microwave for like 5 minutes, but the popcorn started to burn and the smell of it was so horrible that I ended up throwing the entire microwave away instead of just cleaning it out.”
“One of the craziest dorm memories I could think of is when a bunch of the guys in my dorm would steal this one kid’s bed every single day. It was in a different spot in the building every day for like a solid month.”
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Kate Donfield ‘21 “The last night of freshman year, me and my old roommate were getting so emotional about leaving our room for the year, then some lady came running past our dorm with a shopping cart, screaming and yelling. We were ready to go after that.”
The Aquinas BINGO Forgot to bring a towel into the communal bathroom
Slept through a class that started after 2 p.m.
Burned through all flex dollars before midterms
Bought a wine slushie from city mart
Accidentally hit “reply all” to a D2L email
Waited in the starbucks line for 20+ minutes
Pulled an all-nighter in the library
Still keeps in contact with first-year roommate
Left class and returned with Einstein’s
Has been to a birthday dinner at Osaka
Roasted a professor on RateMyProfessor
Burnt tongue on dollar slices
Made it past midnight on parade day
Recognized someone from class on Tinder
Accidentally stole dishware from third floor
Showed up for Chick-fil-A on a Sunday
Made a purchase at Jamaica Junction
Got food poisoning from POD sushi
Showed up for the wrong class during syllabus week
Got written up by your RA
Survived a water main break
Ordered pasta from Lou
Changed major at least twice
Mourned the loss of chicken fingys from POD
Share your finished board with us on Instagram @SCRANTONAQUINAS 18
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Lauren Gallagher MANAGING EDITOR & GRAPHIC DESIGN
Colleen Boyle ART DIRECTOR
Minahil Sami SPORTS EDITOR
Lauren Earnshaw PHOTOGRAPHER
Amanda Boland SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Laura Freedman DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Gabriel Ragusa STAFF WRITERS
Nick Barone Joseph Barry Dominick M. Melara Isabella Travaglia Phil Rauch FEATURED WRITERS
Bailey McLaughlin
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Are you a student looking to join The Aquinas? Email Managing Editor Colleen Boyle colleen.boyle@scranton.edu
Are you a club, organization, or business seeking story coverage? Email Editor-in-Chief Lauren Gallagher lauren.gallagher@scranton.edu
