Culture

CULTURE How to Decorate Your Dorm Room Like a College Pro

Julia Stanisci Staff Writer Welcome back, Villanova. We’ve been moved in for a couple weeks, and hopefully your dorm room is absolutely everything you dreamed it would be. However, many students are still struggling to make their room really feel like home. Whether you’re living in a shoebox in Sullivan Hall or in a sprawling apartment, here are some tips and tricks that can help make your space a little more cozy: Personality: Make sure your room is “you.” Whether this means choosing blankets and pillows that are your favorite colors or hanging your favorite quotes on the walls, customizing your decor to fit your personality is crucial for making your space feel like it’s yours. Lighting: Lighting is key. Especially if you’re in a dorm on South or the Quad, the light fixtures provided just don’t do the trick. Try buying some cheap lamps from Target and investing in some string or fairy lights to brighten up the walls. Rugs: Rugs are important. They warm up a room and make it feel like a comfy home instead of a cold little box. Look online for a nice soft-looking throw rug (or two if you have room), or check out HomeGoods or Target. If your A.J. Fezza Co-Culture Editor During this peculiar semes- ter, one club has declared its mission to keep the spirits of University students high: Campus Activities Team (CAT). CAT, the official pro- gramming board of the University, has made sure to provide ample opportunities for fun activities since the pandemic began. When students were sent home back in mid-March, CAT had to improvise. The organization never had to deal with a problem of this magnitude. CAT dealt with the situation by holding games of Nova Quizzo, Villanova’s beloved weekly trivia competition, and other com- munity building sessions over Zoom. Now, with students back on campus, CAT has stepped up its game even further. If you’ve been confused by the sight of a white gate sur- rounding the Riley Ellipse every Thursday, wonder no longer. The gate is for a special socially-distanced outdoor version of Nova Quizzo, which is now held outside Cafe Nova every Thursday at 9:30 p.m., rather than inside. As per usual, teams consist of four players, though answers are now submitted on a Google form instead of on paper. CAT has made sure to keep the event totally safe. The gate wall feels as bare as your floor, look on Amazon or Redbubble for some

cute tapestries. Pictures: Fill your room with the places, people and things you love most. This will really make your dorm feel like home. If you’re looking for a place to print photos near campus, try the CVS Pharmacy in either Wayne or Rosemont. Their kiosks allow you to print as many photos as you want right off your phone in seconds. You can also order some cute frames for canvases of your photos, but these will just take a little longer. If you’re looking to get a little crafty, try making some collages. These look awesome either done by hand in big frames or on cork boards. You could also try using an app like PicCollage to make one digitally and then print it.

Inspiration: If you’re looking to step up your decorating game with some aesthetically pleasing additions, spend some time surfing Pinterest to find cute quotes or artsy images that’ll spruce up any cinderblock wall.

Apartments: How’s adulting going? If you need any kitchen decor or supplies, there’s a HomeGoods in Wayne. Its clearance aisle has decorations that can cozy up any kitchen or living space. If you’re in need of some inexpensive, easy-to-set-up storage containers for either your kitchen, separates the ellipse from the rest of campus so that Quizzo participants all come in through one entrance. That way, CAT officers can ensure capacity and spacing limitations. CAT also provides hand sanitizer and extra masks at its events and enforces the policy “BYOC” (Bring Your Own Chair). “We want to establish community at Villanova and give students something to do in a safe and socially distanced way,” Jared Plattman, Director of Movies, said. The first week of Quizzo was a Back to School theme. The second week Quizzo was unfortu- nately rained out at the last minute, but those who showed up received a free milkshake. The event was then held online. With workouts at the Uni- versity’s fitness centers now requir- ing a reservation in advance online, it can be harder for students to find time to hit the gym. Thankfully, CAT has been offering outdoor fitness sessions as a fun way to keep students in shape. On Saturday, Aug. 22, CAT held its first session, which consisted of four workout videos played on a big screen. Participants were offered free snacks afterwards. Movies and other showings remain a staple of CAT. On Satur- day, Aug. 22, CAT showed “Aveng- ers: Endgame,” and on Saturday, Aug. 29, it showed the 2016 NCAA championship, when the men’s

Stanisci’s dorm room is decorated to her liking in Friar Hall of The Commons. Courtesy of Julia Stanisci

bathroom or even bedroom, Target still has lots of options.

Men: Room decorating can be tougher for you, I know, but you can put a little bit of effort into keeping your dorm from looking like a jail cell. How about a Villabasketball team defeated UNC for its first championship victory since 1985. Other events that CAT has held so far include virtual speed dating and bingo, which both took place over Zoom. More CAT events are set to take place in the near future. CAT partnered with the Student Government Association to kick off the virtual Student Involvement Fair from Monday, Aug. 31 to Sunday, Sept. nova flag to hang on the wall next to your bed? Some fun posters or funny sayings? Anything to give it some life. If you’re still feeling like your room isn’t yours, don’t worry. It takes time to make any new

Weekly Club Spotlight: Campus Activities Team (CAT)

space feel like home. 6. A weekend-long virtual scavenger hunt is set to take place from Friday, Sept. 4 to Sunday, Sept. 6 (with the prize being AirPods). As for in-person showings, the award-winning 2019 film Little Women will play at the Riley Ellipse this Friday, Sept. 4, and Villanova’s Funniest Home Videos will play on Monday, Sept. 7 at the same location. You can submit videos by using the link in the bio of Villanova CAT’s Instagram (@villanovacat) by Sunday, Sept. 6.

Men’s Fashion in 2020: Are Short Shorts Back in Style? men’s fashion, let’s take a stroll Clothes were practically falling The trend of decreasing A.J. Fezza through history: off bodies. After all, sagging was short length for men was more Co-Culture Editor Women’s short shorts have a popular phenomenon, in which than anecdotal; a brief walk been the norm since the 1960s men would let their pants sag low, around campus will demonstrate TikTok, a purveyor of (around the same time Mary revealing most of their underwear. an obvious difference when comtrends for Generation Z, has Quant’s miniskirts were popularWomen even had their own version pared to old footage of students. recently declared war on long, ized) and have barely changed of sagging in the form of low-rise Check out photos of the Univerdrooping shorts. This declaration since, but the history has been jeans. sity’s students from 2009-2012 on has been promoted by men and different with men. As sagging became largely the bottom left. On the bottom women alike. Since the trend startThe men’s short shorts overdone by the mid-2010s, the right are photos of students from ed in early August, the #5inchseam trend was the biggest in the 1970s length of men’s shorts seemed to just a week ago (Aug. 26, 2020), for hashtag has already gained over 25 and 1980s. Our fathers probastabilize around the knee. Recent comparison. million views. However, the truth bly wore them, along with many trends may indicate that in the For the most part, men’s is that TikTok is only promoting a of our male professors who were 2020s, the pendulum could once shorts in 2020 are still not quite as trend that had already been in the young at the time. Professional again swing in the opposite direcshort as what was popular in the making. Official publications, like basketball and tennis players also tion: that is, upwards. 1970s and 1980s, when inseams GQ and People Magazine have participated in this trend. HowevChange is gradual. Many would often measure under four been writing articles on the matter er, beginning in the 1990s, men’s people, especially adults, may not inches. However, it seems that ulfor the past few years, with People clothes gradually became larger even realize changes in fashion, but tra-casual, cargo-laden and baggy Magazine claiming over a year and baggier, a trend that reached all it takes is some research to nofashion trends of the 2000s are and a half ago, “Shorts are getting its peak in the 2000s. tice some stark differences between being thrown out the window. shorter for men in 2019.” In the 2000s, men’s clothes popular styles now as opposed to So, are short shorts the new To understand the shift in were generally as loose as possible. just eight years ago. wave? Only time will tell.

Students at Orientation between 2009 and 2012 Courtesy of Villanova Television

Students walking around campus on Aug. 26, 2020 Courtesy of Ally Weitzman

University Students Display Their Creativity on TikTok

A.J. Fezza Co-Culture Editor

Arguably the biggest shift in the social media landscape over the past few years has been the rapid rise of TikTok. It only took TikTok a little more than three years since its creation in late 2016 to reach one billion downloads in February 2019. Then, the app catapulted to two billion downloads, just over a year later in April 2020. Currently, President Trump is threatening to ban the app in the United States if it continues under Chinese owner- ship, and this has brought TikTok even more recognition and demon- strated the platform’s global signifi- cance. TikTok is very popular among college students in partic- ular. The largest demographic is 18-24 year olds, who comprise 42% of the app’s users. Part of what makes TikTok unique is that most content that a user comes across on his or her algorithm-driven feed, called the “For You Page,” is not from celebrities. Celebrities certainly do have a major presence on the app, but most of the content encountered is from fellow ordinary teens and twentysomethings. Villanova has some popular creators of its own. Jordan Mc- Means is a senior from Connecti- cut, who has over 86,000 followers on his TikTok account @jordanmc- means. An avid runner, McMeans has dedicated most of his account to showing his runs and giving fitness and diet tips. Now that he is back on campus for the year, his videos how feature walks on cam- pus and trips with his friends to the local Starbucks. Also from Connecticut is sophomore Sara Hecht, who hap- pens to be a writer for The Villanovan. Hecht’s account @what- theactualhecht has almost 21,000 followers. She mostly posts fashion videos, but she also occasionally posts humor and singing. She takes requests from her followers on what to post and what styles to try next. “I started using TikTok during quarantine once classes end- ed because I needed something to do before my summer job started,” Hecht said. “Making the videos was a good alternative to sitting in bed all day and just watching other people’s videos. This past week, I joined the TikTok Creator Fund which pays creators for every 1,000 views.” Even students that don’t post often or don’t have many followers can strike it big with their posts. For example, the freshman Natalie Monti recently posted about her experience being quarantined at The Inn at Villanova University, receiving more than 120,000 views and 16,000 likes. In her video, Monti showed off the tasty options that the hotel had to offer for breakfast, lunch and dinner. McMeans, Hecht and Monti are far from the only Villanova students that have made it big with their TikToks. A simple search of #villanova on the app will show you hundreds of videos, some receiving over 10,000 likes, that people (mostly students) have made about the University. Topics range from jokes about the University’s promotion of portable chairs to comparing Villanova to other Pennsylvania schools (like Temple and the University of Pennsylvania). Villanova’s student organi- zations are creating TikTok ac- counts left and right. For example, Villanova Television (@vtv17), the University’s Dance Team (@ villanovadance) and the Universi- ty’s South Asian fusion dance team Nova NASSA (@novanassa) all have accounts. Despite this, Villanova may not be as deep into TikTok as some other schools. While we succeed with our youth activity, our adult activity lags behind. Unlike the University, institutions like the University of Southern California and Auburn University have TikTok-famous professors. Also, Johns Hopkins University, Hofstra University and Harcum College have official TikTok accounts, a trend that the University Administration has yet to follow. Still, one thing is for sure: if TikTok ends up getting banned anytime soon, the Villanova community would be affected. Although, given the amount of time that many students spend on the app, this could be good news, at least for their grades.

Matthew Clarkin encourages students to register to vote. Courtesy of The Villanovan request an absentee ballot to vote Katie Reed in the state you are currently regisStaff Writer tered. This summer, while evRegistering to vote is an imeryone was stuck at home, the portant milestone in many people’s Student Government Association lives, but it is also a great responsiof the University, known as SGA, bility. Any United States citizen 18 along with the Office of Student years or older has the privilege of Involvement and the Office of voting, and with the General ElecGovernment Relations, created the tion coming up on Nov. 3, if you #LetsVoteNova campaign. The are not already registered to vote, it goal of this campaign is to promote is time to get on it. You can either the importance of registering to register to vote in Pennsylvania, vote, so that every student’s voice request a mail-in ballot if you don’t can be heard in all elections. It is want to physically go to a poll or if run by Caroline Levine, who is you are from out of state, you can also the Student Body Vice Presi

dent. This campaign was launched via Instagram, so @letsvotenova can be a one-stop shop for finding more information about the elec- tion, links to registering to vote and opportunities to get involved in the #LetsVoteNova campaign. The most important dates to keep in mind for voter registration are as follows: Monday, Oct. 19 will be the last day you can register to vote for the General Election; Tuesday, Oct. 27 will be the last day that you can apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot; Tuesday, Nov. 3 is Election Day. All absentee and mail-in bal- lots have to be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day for them to be counted, and the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. To register to vote in Penn- sylvania, you can do it online, or you can mail in a registration form. You are able to do both of these things by visiting votespa.com, which will also offer you a plethora of helpful information. You can find information about mail-in and absentee ballots to decide what the best option is for you and the ap- propriate applications for them. If you are unsure about anything, you can also check your current regis- tration status. On the website, you can update your voter registration in- formation if you have changed your address, your name or your political party. This is especially important if you registered to vote in Pennsyl- vania last year using your campus address because the University’s campus is separated into four differ- ent wards with four different polling locations. If you are in a different dorm this year, make sure to regisRyan Weicht Staff Writer Not many bands can engineer an explosion of guitar-filled sound while also voicing sobering realities and illuminating down-to-earth scenarios. The Beths, a fiery quartet from Auckland, New Zealand, do just that— and they excel at it. The band’s spirited power pop is filled with emotion and instrumental riffs that go above and beyond, making the quartet’s two resulting albums some of the most exciting releases on the indie scene. The band’s unique backstory has influenced its sound, especially on its sophomore album “Jump Rope Gazers.” Band members Elizabeth Stokes and Jonathan Pearce originally met in high school, but the development of the band truly began when the two met Benjamin Sinclair and Ivan Luketina-Johnston while studying jazz at the University of Auckland. While The Beths’ two albums are certainly not jazz records, the impact of their studies is noticeable in their guitar work. Especially in live shows, the band plays with a certain flexibility that sets them apart from any typical rock act. The Beths released their punchy first single, “Idea/Intent,” in 2015, not long after the four members formed the band. The tune, as well as two other singles, would go on to form ter to vote with your new address and visit the corresponding poll on election day. If you are from out of state and want to register to vote using your home address, you can visit vote.org to register and request an absentee ballot. According to the SGA website, voters in Alumni, Austin, Corr, Delurey, Fedigan, Moriarty, O’Dwyer, Sheehan, Simpson, St. Rita’s and Sullivan will all report to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Election Day. Farley, Gallen, Jackson, Klekotka, Moulden, Rudolph, St. Clare, St. Mary’s and Welsh res- idents will report to Radnor Ele- mentary School. Arch, Canon, Chapter, Cu- pola, Friar and Trinity residents will report to Rosemont Plaza. Caugh- lin, Good Counsel and McGuire residents will report to Rosemont Presbyterian Village. Katharine, St. Monica and Stanford residents will report to Radnor United Methodist Church. Free shuttles will be offered on Election Day to transport stu- dents to the polls, leaving every 30 minutes from the Connelly Center Circle. Make sure to bring a form of ID with you to the poll if it is your first time voting. The goal of SGA is “to be representative of the interests of the entire undergraduate body in all matters.” Additionally, if you are still a little unsure about registering to vote, be sure to check out villanova.edu/LetsVoteNova to find information pertinent to you. Do your research ahead of time and vote for what you believe is best, all while considering the opportunity to vote in Pennsylvania,

New Music Corner: The Beths and “Jump Rope Gazers”

a swing state. the band’s first EP, “Warm Blood.” The band’s music seriously rose to prominence with its 2018 release, “Fu- ture Me Hates Me.” Stokes’ deadpan but powerful vocal tone and Pearce’s red hot hooks characterized the album and caught the attention of many— including emo alt-rock powerhouse Death Cab for Cutie, with whom the Beths toured in 2019. The Beths’ newest album is a very welcome release for many quar- antined and live-music-deprived fans. The 10-track project, which dropped in early July of this year, shows a different and more pacified side of the Beths. While some criticized the album for being too subdued, others saw it as the maturing band taking a new direction. The songs lean less on energy-fueled movement and instead attempt to soak the listener in sentiment. This step away from the band’s earlier motifs may have been surprising to some but is a sign that The Beths are looking for more than a simple formula for their music. New music is valuable in a time where so much seems indefinite, and The Beths have provided brilliantly. The band has become more than just an exciting new act, and they now must pay attention to the reception of their past projects while developing their future sound. For now, though, it’s more than enough to be thankful for the dynamic sound they have already created.

Julia Stanisci Staff Writer

COVID-19 has dramatically altered almost every single aspect of our lives, and being back at Villa- nova this semester definitely looks different. As everyone continues to get used to this “new normal” as best they can, the most important thing is that we stay safe and are conscious of each other in the face of this pandemic. But that doesn’t mean that we have to stop doing fun things altogether, even if those things might look a little different. While many Villanovans are content with chilling on campus and soaking up Radnor Township, others are accustomed to getting out and taking trips into Philly on the weekends or going out on an occa- sional date night. While going into the city is definitely tougher now thanks to COVID-19, it is certainly possible to still enjoy the City of Brotherly Love in safe and socially distant ways. Transportation is the first issue to tackle. If you have a car, that is obviously your safest bet. Otherwise, both Ubers and SEP- TA are still running, with masks required at all times, capacity limits enforced, social distancing absolute- ly necessary and temporary closures for cleaning. If you plan on taking public transportation, just remem- ber to be mindful of social distanc- ing guidelines at all times. As for the city itself, Philly has been rolling out a “Reopening Tyler Kemp Co-Editor-in-Chief If you told me this past Friday morning when I woke up that my night would end with me on the floor of a friend’s house bawling my eyes out following the death of superstar actor Chadwick Boseman, I would probably say that you are crazy, since that moment was not supposed to happen for another handful of years. But then, the murmurs and notifications began buzzing. Once I received word, I did not want to believe it was true, at least not this soon. Boseman passed away at the age of 43, after a fouryear battle with colon cancer. Neither did I meet the man nor did I ever see him in person, but for whatever reason, his death hit me harder than any other that has happened over the past eight months of 2020. Once I took the time to collect my thoughts after being consoled by friends and family, I finally got to think for a few days, “Why did Boseman mean so much to so many people?” The answer was easy. The general consensus for sure will be the fact that he played one of the most beloved superheroes in Black Hollywood history, with his portrayal of the namesake in Mar- vel’s “Black Panther.” While I enjoy watching films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe just as much as the next comic book and/or superhero junkie, Boseman was more than just T’Challa, King of Wakanda. with Care” plan. Currently, it is in the Green Phase. This means that all social distancing guidelines are being strictly enforced, including wearing masks, maintaining a six foot distance, handwashing and crowd reduction. However, so long as these directions are followed accordingly, outdoor spaces are open, including outdoor dining.Indoor dining is set to reopen on Sept. 8, but if it’s nice out, being outside is safer anyways. Here is a list of some fun and safe options that you and your inner circle can try out this season:

• See a drive-in movie at Navy Yard. Philadelphia’s Film Society is showing a wide array of movies daily through September.

• Enjoy the lovely September weather at a park. Some great ones are the waterfront Penn’s Landing or the lovely green Fairmount Park.

• Have a cute picnic at any one of Philly’s many parks. Get takeout from your favorite restaurant to support local businesses. Some restaurants like Rouge 98 are even offering takeout picnic baskets (complete with cocktails) or aesthetic charcuterie boards. Just bring your own picnic blanket.

• Rent paddle boards or kayaks at places like Penn’s Landing Marina or Bartram’s Garden for a fun activity on the water.

• Go out to dinner at one I was first introduced to Boseman in a main role on the big screen in his representation of baseball Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson in the 2013 film, “42.” Going in, I had little to no idea what I was getting from Boseman representing one of the pillars of Black American history, but he proved to me and the rest of the world that he was more than ready for the bright lights. Fast forward about a year later to August of 2014 when I went to see Boseman play the late James Brown in “Get on Up,” alongside my 87-year-old great grandmother. Whether or not Boseman had the pipes that mimicked one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century is another conversation for another day, but his performance put a smile on my great-grandmother’s face, as if she had just seen Brown himself put on a show at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York. While Boseman started his career with a bang by playing influential Black figures, the biggest break of his career came with his introduction to Marvel. His first portrayal of Black Panther was in “Captain America: Civil War” in 2016. Over the next three years, Boseman made appearances as T’Challa in the hero’s solo film, “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” With this four-film run, Boseman was officially stamped as an icon in the industry. Boseman’s acting resume included playing the first Black man to ever play in the Major Leagues, a

Roommates Lulu and Liv (Class of 2021) enjoy brunch in Philadelphia. Courtesy of Liv Whytosek

of the many Philly restaurants that are offering outdoor dining. Enjoy a meal at restaurants offering up their open-air patios, like The Garden at Cherry Street Pier or Harper’s Garden (which even has plexiglass partitions between tables). Or, enjoy rooftop dining at places like City multi-platinum recording artist and the first Black superhero with super- natural abilities in the Marvel comic universe. Boseman also played Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice in the 2017 film, “Marshall.” In such a short period of time, Boseman took over Hollywood like few others could. Throughout Black culture, there have been great debates about the greatest actors in film history. Names like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman and Laurence Fishburne are the ones that come to mind throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Boseman was supposed to be the one that led the charge going forward. Whether it be telling the next chapter of the story of Black Panther or stepping into differ- ent roles that were offered to him, Boseman was more than capable of taking on the mantle of the “next Tap University City and Attico Rooftop. Just don’t forget your mask.

• Other outdoor attractions like The Magic Gardens or the Love Park are always fun, safe op

In Memoriam: Chadwick Boseman, a Real Life Superhero

tions.

Chadwick Boseman smiles on the red carpet. Courtesy of The New York Times Denzel.” What makes Boseman’s run even more remarkable is the fact that following his diagnosis with cancer, he was still a public figure. Being a part of films that would bring in billions of dollars in the box office, executive producing proj- ects, making appearances at MLB, NFL and NBA games and events, Boseman lived every day as if noth- ing was wrong. That was the most powerful part. He showed his fans that he would not let his own personal battle get in the way of telling some of the most iconic stories in American history. With his versatility, talent and charisma, his acting quite literally transcended generations to give the world the closest thing we have seen to a hero in a time where the world needed one. Rest In Power, Chadwick Boseman. Your story and legacy will live on forever.