Opinion

OPINION Student Responsibility During the Time of COVID-19

Maggie Cavanaugh Staff Writer

Responsibility is a scary word for any college student. It piles up in syllabi, calls from parents and general expectations of our growing place in the world. The pandemic has added another layer of nuance to the responsibility that college students share, and no case better shows this than Northeastern’s dismissal of 11 freshmen who violated the school’s social distancing guidelines. Obviously, Twitter users held a thought-provoking and civil discussion about the role of institutional obligations versus youth versus the role of community safety, and obviously, this is sarcasm. Word limits and hashtags do not promote the careful gradation of consideration that this situation deserves. In the case of these Northeastern students, they signed a contract stating that they would abide by rules issued by their administrators. Their administrators agreed tocreate comprehensive safety measures that if followed would keep their community Michael H. Skurecki University Alumnus, Class of 1991 On Sept. 11, 2020, the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks upon our soil, let us again remember, honor and reflect on those who perished and the families and friends they left behind. We must keep our flags flying and participate in ceremonies that will keep the memories alive for the past, present and all future generations. During the day on 9/11, we must reserve a moment of silence, reflect on the events and share our love and compassion for the victims and family members. On this day of infamy, our hearts, along with those who have perished and those left behind, will be united. This attack on our country and our principals must never be forgotten. We honor those who perished in New York World Center Tower’s at- tack which included Flight 175 passen- gers (51) and crew members (9), Flight 11 passengers (76) and crew members (11) and those in the Towers: firefight- ers, police, response teams, medical and other agencies and individuals (2605), for a total of 2,752 victims. I lost 15 of my fellow Villanova graduates in the Towers. Mike Brown Director of the Office of Veterans and Military Service Members This year marks the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on this country. For many on that day, it was just a typical Tuesday, but that quickly changed to a day that safe. Even the parents had to sign a statement saying they understood the risks and accepted that students could be sent home, forsaking tuition, if they violated the rules. These 11 students violated the rules, got caught and were sent home. Beyond this case, there is a strong desire to pin all of the blame for university shutdowns on the students who violate the rules. “Do you really want to be the reason that Tulane and New Orleans have to shut down again?” Tulane’s Dean of Students said. “Prove them wrong,” University President Peter M. Donohue, PhD, O.S.A., said. We all laughed at videos of UNC freshmen making water slides and saw evidence of our own freshmen gathering. Other sophomores and myself used our six months of seniority on this campus to blame them as the reason we could be sent home. However, that’s not entirely fair. Students absolutely should carry some of the responsibility for keeping themselves and those around them safe. Those who break the rules deserve to be sent home. However, new studies about the coronavirus and conWe honor those who perished in the Pentagon attack in Arlington Virginia, which included Flight 77 passengers (53) and crew members (6) and those in the Pentagon that included military and civilian personnel (125), for a total of 184 victims. I lost my Northrop Grumman Corporation co-worker, Julian Cooper. We honor those who perished on a field near Shanksville Pennsylvania, Somerset County, whose actions on board the aircraft prevented it from continuing on the course to what has been determined our White House. This included Flight 93 passengers (33) and crew members (7) for a total of 40 and an unborn child. We must never forget our 9/11 victims as we continue to love our country and be proud that we are Americans. At every opportunity, we must also thank our military members, veterans and various agencies who are responsible for protecting our country. On Sept. 11, 2020 and all fu- ture anniversaries, we must remember our 9/11 victims “not who they were, but who they are.” God Bless Ameri- ca, our 9/11 victims and families, our military, our veterans, our wounded warriors and our citizens. In remembering, there is peace. ended far from typical, and one that changed the world forever. Since then, we have fought in two separate wars, we have gone through several presidential elections, and we are currently going through a global public health crisis. What have we learned, and where are we headed? What we as an institution

Letter to the Editors: 9/11 — A Moment of Silence and Love

tainment come out every day. Harvard and Yale recently published a joint study on how frequent and strategic surveillance testing is needed to figure out which students are sick before they infect others. Debate still rages about the safety of dining halls, shared bathrooms and indoor classroom space. Institutions do share some of the responsibility for keeping us safe. In UNC’s case, the Dean theorized that certain aspects of dorm living, like communal bathrooms, were ultiThe University is beginning random testing starting this week. This is fantastic news; many on campus have been calling for the school to test more often since we arrived on campus. What this also means, however, is that students will no longer be able to get away with holding parties, either on or off campus. It is no secret that there have been a few parties that have gone on since we have been back on campus. Despite most students taking the commitment to CARITAS seriously, there are some who seem to think that it does not apply to them and have continued to act as though there is not a global pandemic currently going on. While you may have been able to get away with this so far, surveillance testing will end that. Random testing ensures that, in all likelihood, you will be caught if you choose to host or attend parties this semester, especially when combined with contact tracing. Parties will cause large outbreaks of COVID-19 since the disease is incredibly contagious, meaning that, among other things, your chances of getting caught will increase once testing begins. Surveillance testing is unequivicolly a good thing for the University community. It ensures that those who lost that day were 15 people who were proud alumni of Villanova, and there is a stained-glass window in Corr Chapel, that lists their names, and pays tribute to them. We also have students on this campus who because of 9/11 chose to join the military, or students here, whose parents served in Iraq or Afghanimately what allowed cases to spread unchecked. However, in Notre Dame’s case, a two-week lockdown of online classes allowed the school to get a han- dle on the cases. Most colleges have created contact tracing departments who work quickly to notify the potentially infected friends and lunch buddies of a sick student, but students can make it easier by being strategic about with whom they keep company. It’s a strange semester, Villanova, but we

Villanova students must follow school and CDC guidelines to stay on campus this semester. Courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer

Letter From the Editors: No More Parties in Radnor

can make it a good one. are not respecting the commitment to Community First aren’t causing outbreaks that affect the rest of the community. As we have been saying since we came back to campus, it is on each and every one of us to ensure that we are holding each other accountable this semester. While it is true that the vast majority of students will not be severely impacted by COVID-19 even if they contract it, it is selfish to think that your decisions will not impact high risk students, staff and faculty. Our community has been extremely lucky thus far, but that does not mean that we are out of the woods yet. The Villanovan Editorial Board fully supports the University’s decision to enact surveillance testing. It is a necessary further step towards ensuring that we remain on campus for the remainder of this academic year. We are aware that the temptation to act like things are normal is strong, but we cannot do that this year. To those that have been following the entirety of Community First and CDA guidelines thus far, we applaud and thank you for taking the steps necessary to staying here. To those who haven’t, we sincerely hope that the addition of randomized testing will ensure that everyone is

Letter to the Editors: The Legacy of 9/11

helping to protect one another. stan, and are here working towards their degree. The legacy of 9/11 is complex, and one that varies depending on your perspective. What I hope we can do this year, is take a step back from our hectic lives, and remember those who died, those who served, and those who carry on.

EMILY COX Editor-in-Chief

TYLER KEMP Editor-in-Chief

JACK ROBERGE Opinion Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

The Villanovan encourages all members of the Villanova community to voice their opinions. Letters to the editors may be submitted via e-mail to villanovan.eic@gmail.com. Letters must not exceed 500 words and must be signed. No anonyous letters will be published. All submissions become property of The Villanovan and are subject to editing for clarity and space.

POLICY

The unsigned editorial that appears is the opinion of The Villanovan as deteermined by the majority of the Editorial Board. Other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their auhtors and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Villanovan.

Ending Police Brutality Starts with Increased Accountability

Thomas Finnerty Staff Writer

Enough is enough. In the wake of the most recent death of a Black man at the hands of police, we must address several problems within the police community. Daniel Prude was visiting family in Rochester, New York in March 2020 when he died via homicide due to “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint, excited delirium and acute phencyclidine intoxication,” according to the medical examiner. When the police officers first encountered Prude, they asked him to lie down and put his hands behind his back. Prude immediately complied and responded, “yes sir.” The toxicology report found traces of the drug PCP in Prude’s system, and body camera footage shows him in a somewhat manic state of behavior while he lay naked in handcuffs on the street around 3 a.m. Prude rambled incoherently for about four minutes after being put in handcuffs, and one officer put a “spit hood” over his head after Prude claimed he had coronavirus and began to spit at them. With a hood over his head and his hands cuffed behind his back, Prude began saying “give me that gun.” Despite his erratic behavior, Prude posed little threat to the officers. Body camera footage shows the Rochester Police

Jacob Artz Staff Writer “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” This is a statement that a former teacher of mine always said before a test. The University faces a huge test this semester by operating on campus despite the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking hav- oc on the world. It seems, so far, that the University is living up to its name as an academically prestigious uni- officer pressing Prude’s head into the pavement for over two minutes with his entire bodyweight. He can be heard saying, “You’re trying to kill me,” as the officer continues to press his head into the ground. After two minutes of this excessive force, Prude went unconscious. Seven days later, he died at Strong Memorial Hospital. In today’s political climate, it often feels like you must either condemn all police officers or support all police officers. I refuse to be grouped into one of these categories; there is a middle ground. We must respect and praise police officers who make a positive difference in their communities, as they have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. Simultaneously, we must wholeheartedly condemn police officers who abuse their power and fail to serve and protect their communities. The toxic culture within police departments of protecting each other regardless of the situation has created this backlash against cops. We will continue to see Black men killed by police in this country unless police officers hold one another accountable and work to de-escalate hostile situations. After watching the footage of Daniel Prude’s death, I posted a link to the video on social media and implored people to watch the video. Hours later, a retired police officer reached out to me asking me to stop posting videos about things I know nothing about. After a long discussion, he informed me that “these are people with no respect for themselves much less anybody else” and “cops can’t murder people.” While each of these statements was appalling to me, it allowed me to see the point of view of someone who has been in high-tension situations like this before. The mindset that police officers cannot murder people is just plain backwards, and it shows how having authority can cloud one’s judgement. The assertion that a certain group of people have no respect for themselves shows an implicit bias that will certainly affect one’s judgement while policing. We need to eliminate these false notions rooted in prejudice and find ways to build a level of mutual understanding and respect between police officers and members of their community. Daniel Prude’s death has parallels to George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, when a police officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds, suffocating him to death. In both incidents, there were several police officers at the scene watching as their partner killed the detainee. This lack of empathy, leadership and compassion for another human being’s life is mind boggling to viewers of these videos. When you are dealing with a threatening situation, it is your responsibility to keep your fellow officer in check. In both cases, the officer used excessive force and none of their coworkers seemed to care. Another example of the lack of accountability within the Rochester Police Department is the fact that this video took nearly six months to surface. The incident took place on March 20, 2020, but the police officers remained on active duty until Sept. 3, when seven officers were suspended. From March until September, the officers responsible for Daniel Prude’s death have been patrolling the streets of Rochester. How can we expect citizens to trust police officers with this utter lack of communication and transparency? No one disputes that police officers have difficult jobs, but, to do this difficult job successfully, they

Villanova’s Handling of Online Classes Has Been Fantastic

must hold each other accountable. versity. Through its preparation and commitment to community, this plan has unfolded smoothly. March 13 is a day we will never forget. Many of us thought we would be back on campus after Eas- ter, but after a few weeks, it became official. The rest of our college year would be cut to an abrupt end, espe- cially for the seniors. There is, however, a bright spot that shined through the grim outlook reported on news networks, and that is the University’s commitment to a world-class education. When I left my last class of my freshman year, I figured classes on Zoom would be a disaster. I was wrong. All of my professors worked diligently to give us the best experi- ence possible. They eased into shar- ing screens, utilizing breakout rooms and encouraging us to use the raise

Zoom classes have been a massive change for most colleges and students across the world. Courtesy of Bark Blog hand feature to cement our particiOn June 23, University pation. They kept the classes live so President Peter M. Donohue, PhD, we could follow our normal weekly O.S.A., announced we would be routine, though, trust me, it was just coming back to campus in-person for as hard getting up for the 8:30 a.m. the fall semester. While he discussed class. An especially inspiring story many categories of the plan, the came from my Theology professor, most important sentence was that we Dr. Paul Danove, who is mostly blind. would be back in the fall. This was Through two computers, one showimperative to everyone involved in ing students and the other showing this community because we would his lecture notes, he was able to give be able to experience our semester us quality lectures on the Gospels. together. Obviously, not all of the op- The handling of classes and erations were perfect. I experienced adjusting to schedules has been notha couple of moments when I could ing short of outstanding. All classes not hear my professor or when the have been moved to areas where audio was choppy. The quality of larger spaces are available. All classes the quizzes and tests were impacted include spread-out desks to mainsignificantly; some classes allowed tain social distancing and wearing students to use notes and textbooks masks to ensure the limiting of the while others may not have, creating COVID-19 spread. Schedules were a difference in difficulty throughout adjusted for 20 minutes in between otherwise similar classes. classes so students can clean their

areas and maintain distance when going to class. Everyone is encouraged to use hand sanitizer or wipes to keep their space clean for themselves and others. There is much credit to go around as this plan has unfolded almost as cleanly as the sanitizer makes our hands. The summer to prepare enhanced Villanova’s reputation as one of the greatest schools in the county and is the reason I love being a Villanovan. The amount of effort they put into our return to campus is evident including the spaced-out lines at the dining halls and plexiglass at tables to limit the spread. The students, for the most part, have taken this commitment seriously by wearing masks and preventing large gatherings. If students have thrown parties or refused to wear masks, they have been punished severely. The University always commits itself to the highest standards. This article may seem like I am praising the school I attend, and I am, but more so because of how shocked I am at how well this plan has worked. My education has not skipped a beat, as many institutions have seen a de- cline in instruction in online learning. Online classes here have their downsides with technical gaffs, but professors have worked extremely hard to give us all the content we would have had in person.