The Villanovan | Volume 114, Issue 10: April 6, 2022

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2022 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan

STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916

VOLUME 114 | ISSUE 10

Opinion: Better Final Four Transport Needed

Campus Mourns After Final Four Loss

Kai da Luz Staff Writer

Without a doubt, nothing makes someone more proud to be a Wildcat than a March Madness run like this year. Though we did not get the result we wanted, in the end, Villanovans should take pride in the performance of this year’s Big East Champions in making it to the Final Four.

After Villanova’s astounding victory over Houston in the Elite Eight, members of Nova Nation poured out of the Game Watch in the Villanova Room, gathering around the Oreo. Full of passion and pride, many students immediately whipped out their phones. Through the haze of music, megaphones and collegiate screaming, they were somehow able to open up the Nova Athletics Student Tickets App and enter the lottery, with hopes of winning their own tickets to the Final Four.

When the lottery results came out on Sunday, Mar. 27, the lucky winners naturally jumped for joy, while those not so fortunate decided their lives were over because obviously, the world was out to get them. However, even for the winners, some smiles quickly turned to frowns and furrowed brows as they began to plan their trip.

The price of the student ticket for lottery winners was only $40 for the semifinal game, with a complimentary ticket to the championship game, should Villanova advance.

While the cost of the ticket is not problematic, the transportation costs to get to New Orleans was hefty.

Continued on p. 6

Sarah Wisniewski Co-News Editor Vivi Melkonian Co-Editor-In-Chief

University students experienced a true Final Four weekend filled with game watches, excitement, heartbreak and most of all, increased police presence.

According to CBS3, more than 10,000 fans were expected to be in the area of the University’s campus. In preparation for what could have been joyous celebrations, the

Students in New Orleans boo during Villanova’s Final Four loss to Kansas.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

Radnor Township Police Department collaborated with about a dozen other police departments, as well as Public Safety.

In 2016 and 2018, police were presented with the challenge of subduing large, sometimes rowdy crowds. Due to past experiences, the department chose to grease the traffic poles on Lancaster Avenue. The Radnor Police Department also alerted residents of potential road closures and traffic detours.

“On Saturday, Apr. 2, 2022, the Villanova University Men’s Basketball Team will be playing in the

NCAA Final Four Tournament,” the RPD Instagram read. “There will be increased police presence in and around the Villanova University Campus and along Lancaster Avenue into the late evening hours on Saturday… Neighbors of the University should note, the Villanova Stadium lights will remain on until the commencement of all events for safety purposes.”

Due to the team’s loss, activities were limited following the game. Many students retreated back to their dorms or apartments.

Students could be seen

leaving the game watch in the Finneran Pavilion with their heads down and overheard listing all opportunities the men’s team had to win. Not surprisingly, many students were discussing the impact of Justin Moore’s injury while leaving the game watch.

Freshmen were excited to experience the excitement of March Madness but upset with the outcome.

“Walking out of the Finn, there were a lot of sad faces,” said freshman Ava Towers. “It was hard for people to be proud of

game exactly once. It was the most hyped up game of the season, though I don’t remember who we were even playing now. The experience was one that picking a word like

“abysmal” or “horrid” would actually misrepresent it.

Sure, it was pretty terrible. Most of all, though, it was simply forgettable. The entire game, my group of

friends were seated, talking about anything but the game, in the small and rafter-relegated student section William & Mary saw fit to give us in the much-larger-than-The-Pavilion Kaplan Arena. Needless to say, I was unmoved by the experience, and never once made the two minute walk to Kaplan ever again during my year there.

Fast forward a few months, I visited some friends from high school who went to Villanova over winter break.

Continued on p. 7

Continued on p. 2

Class of ‘22: Dear ‘Nova Basketball, Thank You Jack Roberge

Editor Emeritus Each year on Jan. 2, I get a Snapchat memory from my freshman year that makes me laugh a bit. It’s simply a picture of The Finn from the student section, but the caption I chose was “wrong school lol.”

I made the mistake of starting my collegiate experience elsewhere. My first school lacked community and had virtually no sports to speak of.

I tried going to a basketball

Although the team fell just short, the Wildcats made Villanova proud.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

Olympian Speaks On Campus p. 3

University Hosts Discussion on War in Ukraine p. 4

Too Hot to Handle: Switch HVAC to Cooling p. 5

Will D Cat Exclusive: The Mascot Unmasked p. 8

If There’s A Will, There’s A Way: Students Trek to NOLA p. 9

“Curtains” Opens At The Mullen Center p. 10

Augustinians of Villanova: Fr. Joe Calderone p. 10

Athlete of the Week: Chris Rotondo p. 13

Men’s Track and Field Competes Across East Coast p. 14

Women’s Tennis Loses Twice p. 15

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PUBLIC SAFETY BLOTTER

VOL. 114 | ISS. 10 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan

COLIN BEAZLEY VIVI MELKONIAN TINA ARON CATE McCUSKER RACHEL REINIGER SARAH SWEENEY SARAH WISNIEWSKI BELLA IRWIN JACKIE THOMAS A.J. FEZZA ELENA ROUSE CHLOE MILLER MATTHEW RYAN MEGHANN MORHARDT MOLLY BAKER OLIVIA PASQUALE

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

NEWS

Public Drukenness April 2, PAVILION A female non-resident student, over the age of 21, was found intoxicated in public.

Public Drukenness April 2, PAVILION A female non-resident student, over the age of 21, was found intoxicated in public.

Liquor Underage/Public Drunkenness April 2, ST. MARY’S HALL A male resident student, under the age of 21, was found intoxicated in public.

Public Drukenness April 2, PAVILION A male non-resident student, over the age of 21, was found intoxicated in public.

Liquor Underage/Public Drunkenness April 2, TRINITY HALL A male resident student, under the age of 21, was found intoxicated in public.

Criminal Mischief April 4, GOOD COUNSEL HALL A staff member reported a broken window at Good Counsel Hall.

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor-in-Chief Senior Editor Digital Editor News Editor News Editor Opinion Editor Opinion Editor Culture Editor Culture Editor Culture Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Copy Desk Chief Photography Editor

MICHAEL BRADLEY Advisor DEENA SMITH Advisor CONTACT villanovan.eic@gmail.com

CORRECTIONS Factual errors are corrected as soon as they are brought to The Villanovan’s attention. Please send an e-mail to villanovan.eic@gmail.com to report errors.

COVID-19 TRACKER CONFIRMED CUMULATIVE CASES AS OF 6:00 P.M. TUESDAY, APRIL 5

1340

14

Cumulative Cases Estimated Active (From 1/5) Cases

17.32K

Total Number of Tests (From 1/5)

768

Residential Students

369

Non-Residential Students

203

Employees

ASK THE VILLANOVAN “How do I cope with the Cats’ loss?”

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

-Dr. Seuss

“My boyfriend is coming home with me for Easter and I think we might cross paths with my ex…, how should I handle it?”

It’s bound to happen, but the best thing to do is to give your man a heads up. As long as he isn’t shanghaied, he shouldn’t be mad!

Forget him, queen!

Follow-Up on Final Four

Continued from p.1

the team because we were expecting a huge celebration after the game. Lots of people just chilled in their dorm rooms after. I think the worst part was the DJ playing ‘See You Again’ at the end of the game. He could not read the room.”

Students who traveled to New Orleans for the game echoed this feeling. They sulked out of Caesar’s Superdome as UNC fans refilled the student section.

“It was a tough loss, especially after making it this far,” said sophomore Victoria Dattilo. “I don’t regret making the trip to Nola, but it would have been amazing if we’d won!”

Some students initially

planned to watch the UNC-Duke game that followed, but after a disappointing ending for the ‘Cats, the inclination to attend “the game of the century” faded.

“After 15 minutes, I was no longer interested,” said sophomore Regan McEnroe. “It was a game I was originally excited to watch, but after we lost, I just wanted to get out of there.”

The streets of New Orleans were scattered with Villanova fans Saturday night, who appeared to be congregating in similar establishments. Conversations mumbled words of disappointment. There was, however, an overall feeling of gratitude and appreciation for an amazing basketball team.

The loss in the Final Four ended the Men’s Basketball Team’s season.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

“Is it a green flag or red flag that my crush isn’t on social media?”

Green flag! Being on social media tends to let people compare themselves to others negatively.

Maybe he’s confident enough in himself that he chooses not to be on it, good for him!

“Recently my friend is only talking about her new love interest and I’m trying to be a good friend, but truthfully, I’m tired of hearing it. What should I do?”

Slowly distance yourself from her. If she’s going to put you down to build herself up, that’s NOT someone you want as a friend.

Affordable Materials Project Caitlyn Foley Staff Writer The Affordable Materials Project (AMP) was created to help meet student financial needs and support academic success.

AMP is a university-wide collaboration between the University bookstore, Falvey Memorial Library, the Center for Access, Success and Achievement and the Office of the Provost. Each of these groups work together to address the serious issue of student access to high quality and affordable course materials.

Linda Hauck, Business Librarian and AMP Committee Member, believes strongly in the positive impact that this group is making on Villanova’s campus.

Hauck was the person who proposed that the AMP group should make faculty required books available in the Falvey Memorial Library. This was not an easy task, as the group needed to gather the course materials data from the bookstore and then ingest that data into the library catalog. There was lots of technical work involved and a significant library budget set aside to help make affordable materials more accessible for Villanova students. “[It is] a huge effort for faculty to use low cost and affordable materials as well,” Hauck said.

Luckily, the AMP group has raised awareness of Open Educational Resources (OER)-textbooks. These textbooks are free for students to use due to Creative Commons licenses

and OER Adoption grants. These grants are given to faculty members who chose to use these openly licensed textbooks.

“The OER textbook is a very good primer for the course subject matter giving clear definitions, and several examples for each item covered, which enhances understanding while also giving practical application/use of the material covered,” said an anonymous sophomore.

The grant helps in the University’s goal of meeting 100% of all demonstrated student financial needs. OER promotes equity in the classroom by giving all students direct access to required course materials.

The investment made by the library towards AMP has yielded strong results. Now in AMP’s fourth year, its e-book matching and OER adoption programs have potentially saved students more than $1.4 million in course materials.

Students have voiced their gratitude for AMP’s efforts to make these course materials accessible.

They feel more engaged and secure in their ability to do well in their courses.

“The free textbook was a stress reliever,” a student said. “This textbook was always available, and I never had to worry about access to critical material.”

AMP has lowered the stress and anxiety that some students feel when acquiring course materials.

Many students are reluctant to disclose that they need financial help.

AMP helps the students get the materials they really need without worrying about cost.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Villanovan | 3

NEWS

University Celebrates Annual Immigration Week Lydia McFarlane Staff Writer The week of Mar. 28 to Apr. 1 was Immigration Week at the University. On Monday, Mar. 28, University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S,A., Ph.D., sent an email announcing Immigration Week on campus and pointing students in the direction of the link containing the schedule of events for the week.

“The goal of the weeklong celebration is to raise awareness within the Villanova community about migrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers, as well as to provide various ways to take action and ignite change,” the email said.

According to the Immigrant Learning Center, there are approximately 44 million immigrants within the United States. This large number highlights the necessity of Immigration Week at the University and the need to bring awareness to immigration issues nationally.

Also according to the Immigrant Learning Center, most immigrants in the United States are authorized, with only about 23% being undocumented, and nearly half of all immigrants in the United States have gone through the naturalization process and have become U.S. citizens.

The five largest immigrant populations in the United States come from Mexico, China, India, the Philippines

and El Salvador.

University organizations Amnesty International and No Lost Generation Villanova presented Immigration Week on campus, and they were responsible for hosting and organizing many events on campus throughout the week. Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people in more than 100 countries that is dedicated to ending human rights violations worldwide. According to its Instagram page, “Amnesty International and No Lost Generation partnership at Villanova University bringing awareness to immigrant and refugee issues.”

On its Instagram page, in honor of Immigration Week, it started a series called “Myths vs. Realities Campaign: Migrant Issues.” Through this series, it addressed different issues that affect the migrant community every day of the week during Immigration Week. The posts included topics such as seeking asylum as a man versus as a woman, as well as the experiences of queer migrants. Day Two’s myth was “Queer migrants have the same experience as all other people when migrating,” while the reality was that “Queer migrants often have to travel in groups within caravans for their own protection and are more vulnerable to assault and harassment.”

Throughout the week, there was an event every day hosted by Amnesty International and No Lost

Generation. On Monday, March 28, the Myth vs. Realities campaign began on Instagram, and “footsteps of migrants,” a visual campaign around campus providing perspectives on the immigrant experience was held.

On Tuesday, March 29, an interfaith prayer vigil was held in solidarity with speakers of different faiths at the Grotto from 8 to 9 p.m. On Wednesday, an open discussion about the intersectionality of immigration was held in Driscoll 240 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

On Thursday, Amnesty International and No Lost Generation partnered with the University’s Latin American Student Association, or LASO, for a Trivia Night with food provided in Tolentine 305 from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.. For the last day of

Immigration week, on Friday, Apr. 1, the two organizations hosted a poster making event, encouraging students to make posts advocating for immigrants to post around the University’s campus.

Immigration Week on Campus, Amnesty International and No Lost Generation came together to host and organize several events throughout the week to bring attention to the experiences of immigrants not only on campus but throughout the world. Be sure to keep an eye out for the posters created throughout Immigration Week and head to the Instagram page mentioned above to continue to learn about issues that immigrants face both on campus and globally, even after Immigration Week is over on campus.

Footprints seen across campus represent the stories of immigrants.

Courtesy of Natalia Fossas & Elizabeth Isaula-Mejia

Olympian Ibtihaj Muhammad Speaks On Campus Kathy Fair Staff Writer On Monday, March 28, the University hosted Olympic bronze medalist and World Champion Ibtihaj Muhammad for a Spotlight on Leadership Lecture. Muhammad is an entrepreneur, activist, speaker and author. In 2016, she became the first American woman to compete in the Olympics in a hijab.

The lecture was mediated by Crystal Lucky, English professor and CLAS Associate Dean of Baccalaureate Studies. Muhammad grew up in northern New Jersey and began fencing through a program at her high school. She emphasized the attitude her first coach instilled in her that every kid had the ability to be the best, and every kid belonged in the sport.

“I found fencing as much as fencing found me,” Muhammad said.

“It’s a uniquely accommodating sport to my faith, and it allowed me to be an athlete, unapologetically. When I was a kid and put on my mask, I always felt like I was a superhero. No one knew my gender, no one knew my race, no one knew my faith.”

After fencing at Duke University, Muhammad began to study for law school following her graduation.

She was back at home in New Jersey, and she explained that “something about being back home made me want to get back into fencing.”

She began to train in New York City, with intentions to make Team USA after a “random idea” to do so. Muhammad had never competed internationally, had no world rank and had never even competed at

Junior, Senior or Cadet levels.

Muhammad gathered the resources to compete at a World Cup event and finished nearly last.

“I literally think I can do anything,” she said. “I just need more time and I’ll make it happen.”

In 2009, Muhammad began to work with a new coach, Akhi Spencer-El, and by 2010, she was on the USA National Team.

“I was always the first person in the gym and the last to leave,” Muhammad said, explaining the drive she found within herself. “You literally have to be crazy and know how bad you want it. I don’t think I’m the most talented athlete, but I do know that I’m always the hardest working person in the room.”

Lucky inquired about Muhammad’s experiences with discrimination within her sport and her time on Team USA. Muhammad responded that she thought Team USA would be a core group of women who respect each other, but that was not the case.

“I found that competing on Team USA was a very traumatic experience for me,” Muhammad said.

“There was a lot of nepotism, I was always made to feel like I was replaceable, when [the coach] talked about the team it never included me, and I was never celebrated. As a Black athlete, there was always this emphasis on my strength, almost like I was unable to think tactically, which a lot of Black athletes can say.

“I felt like I was taking so many shots all the time, but that’s where my family came in… my mom used to tell me: you have to let words be like water, and let them roll off your back. Sometimes, there was no one to protect me, but then that’s

when my own worth and perseverance came in. Kids of color have to learn to be resilient at a young age.

You have to almost mature faster.”

Muhammad described the pressures of being an African American, Muslim-American, female during the Olympics.

“My journey has always been bigger than me,” she said. “All my interview questions on Team USA were always political ones about really heavy topics, and my teammates got to answer ‘what did you eat for breakfast?’ It was an opportunity for me to reshape this narrative as a Muslim-American. There are Muslim women who choose to wear hijab, that are verbal, that are not oppressed, and I’m flipping that narrative and also showing that there are Black

people who fence.”

Junior Alex Allen attended the speaker event and was struck by the impact of Muhammad’s high school coach, Frank.

“She had a solid mentor that made her strongly believe in herself, even when she questioned competing in this sport,” Allen said. “How she wishes everyone had just one coach like that in their life makes me think about the impact one person could have. Little did he know, he inspired an Olympian. It makes me want to be that mentor or coach for someone else later in life.”

The University was honored to host such a remarkable guest, and Muhammad’s lessons on perseverance, leadership, family and equality left their mark on the campus community.

Muhammad was the first Olympian to compete in a hijab in the Olympics.

Courtesy of Getty Images

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Villanovan | 4

NEWS

University Hosts Discussion On War in Ukraine Anthony Grasso Staff Writer As the tragedy of the war in Ukraine continues to unfold, the University has worked to keep the community informed. On Tuesday, Mar. 29, the Russian Area Studies Program hosted the event “Russia in the Headlines,” which featured Lucian Kim. The moderator of the discussion was Mark L. Schrad, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Political Science at Villanova. Kim has extensive experience studying and reporting on Russia and former Soviet republics, including Georgia and Ukraine. During this event, Kim detailed his experience reporting from Crimea and Eastern Ukraine during the Russian annexation in 2014 before transitioning to explain the implications of the events of 2014 on what is currently taking place in Ukraine.

One of the most significant impacts of the events of 2014, specifically the Maidan Revolution, is that they led Ukrainians to forge a collective “civic identity.” While the Russian identity is principally an “ethnic identity,” the Ukrainian identity has grown to supersede ethnic and religious boundaries.

In total, Kim took seven trips to Ukraine during the year 2014, with his first being during the Maidan Revolution and his last during the bloody protests that led to the shooting down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 on July 17. One of the most intriguing observations from Eastern Ukraine in

2014 that Kim shared was that many of the pro-Russian demonstrators were very unsure of what they desired.

He explained how one protester told him that he had seen what American democracy did to Libya and the former Yugoslavia, but he then told him that the pro-Russian population of Ukraine wanted to be able to enjoy life in a democratic society. Kim shared that he had never experienced the level of hostility in his entire career as a journalist that he did while covering pro-Russian protests in Eastern Ukraine, let alone from a group allegedly being oppressed.

One of the justifications being employed by Vladimir Putin for waging war in Ukraine is that Russian-speakers in Ukraine are being attacked in a genocide perpetrated by “Ukrainian Nazis” with the backing of the West. The hostility with which pro-Russian Ukrainians treated Kim was further evidence to him of the complete falsity of this supposed “genocide.”

This idea of Putin protecting Russian-speakers is a myth that continues to exist during the current war in Ukraine.

However, this is immediately disproved by noticing that arguably the two-most destroyed population centers so far, Mariupol and Kharkiv, are both predominantly Russian-speaking. Kim asserted that the war in Ukraine “is a fight about the Putin regime’s survival.” He explained that Putin’s actions are reflective of a statement from Zbigniew Brzeziński’s,

former National Security Adviser under President Jimmy Carter, that Russia could never be an empire without controlling Ukraine.

One of the questions directed at Kim from the audience was whether he predicted that Russia would carry out this full-scale invasion. His answer was that he was “shocked but maybe not completely surprised,” for two reasons. The first was the list of ridiculous demands that Putin shared in December 2021 in which he wanted the borders of NATO territory to return to their 1997 positions.

The second reason was that countries do not engage in such a major movement of troops and military equipment, as did Russia at the end of 2021 and beginning of 2022, just to show strength.

As many in the West have been questioning whether the Russian society and military will turn against Putin after the losses suffered by Russia in the war, Kim warned that it is not appropriate to compare how Americans would react to how Russians will react. He said that his friend in Russia told him that the “best weapon Putin has is his propaganda.”

The information reaching the Russian population, especially older Russians, is so extremely limited and censored that superimposing on the Russian population how we would react to young soldiers coming home in body bags is simply not possible.

Another characteristic of Russia is that the military has never been an independent institution and has always been subordinate to the Russian

government, dating back to the zarist era. However, this is not to say by any means that Putin finds himself in a favorable position right now.

Kim outlined some massive flaws that Putin has committed, with perhaps the worst being his belief that Russia would be welcomed into Ukraine and that all of Ukraine would fall as easily as Crimea did in 2014, which stems from his failure to see the changes that have occurred in Ukrainian society over the last 30 years.

Historically, many famous Russian authors were geographically from Ukraine, as was Soviet Premier Leonid Brezhnev. However, in the last three decades, Ukraine has developed an identity for itself that does not center on it being a brother country to Russia.

Hesitant to make any predictions, Kim concluded the discussion expressing his view that this conflict has no real end in sight, largely in part since Putin’s objectives are so unclear: What does it mean to “demilitarize” Ukraine? To “de-Nazify” Ukraine?

Nonetheless, Kim does not see only darkness in the future of Russia and Ukraine. He affirmed that “we need to be aware of what country we are dealing with,” implying that there are millions of Russians risking imprisonment and even death every day to try to create a democratic Russia that respects the dignity and rights of every human being. For now, we must continue to stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they exemplify the true meanings of bravery and heroism.

Discussion on Increasing Disability Awareness Katie Reed Staff Writer On Friday, Apr. 1, Christa Bialka, Ed.D., the Director of the Department of Education and Counseling and an Associate Professor of Special Education, hosted an event entitled “From Ableism to Empowerment: Increasing Disability Awareness” in Tolentine Hall.

Bialka was thrilled by the number of people who attended the event “I am so appreciative that there are so many people who are interested in hearing more about disability awareness,” Bialka said. “People have a lot of different demands on their time, and I feel overwhelmingly supported.”

The term empowerment is important for Bialka, as it allows people to have more conversations about disability and leads to greater inclusivity of people with disabilities.

“What I want to give you today are tools for you to think about disability in ways you may not have before,” Bialka said. “I think, in line with some of the research, a lot of people are hesitant to talk about disability because they don’t want to be offensive. My aim is to empower people with the tools to function as allies and self-advocates and to move people from feeling hesitant to feeling confident.”

She accomplished this through discussing the language that we use when we talk, or don’t talk, about disability and the implications

it has for how disability is thought of and stigmatized in our society. She was able to use her research in K-12 and higher education to inform this presentation and offer strategies for reducing the stigma around disability.

At the beginning of her presentation, Bialka implored audience members to “think back on moments when you might have been unsure how to talk about disability,” mentioning how we are socialized to think about disability in ways that reinforce stigma. This aligns with many standard educational experiences as well, where disability was not often included in classroom conversations.

These experiences also underscore the history of disability rights, which is intersectional in nature and aligns with the civil rights movement.

Bialka mentioned how the longeststanding model for talking about disability is the medical model, which is the basis for much of the special education training that people receive. This model, according to Bialka, posits that “disability is a fixed condition,” and it “suggests that it is the person’s job to fit into society, that they should change.”

She explained that it is important to move toward a social model to reframe how we think and discuss disability, demonstrating how the world needs to be more accessible for disabled individuals, as opposed to those individuals having to adapt to an inaccessible world. “[The social model] is not saying that human difference doesn’t exist, what it’s saying is that these differences have become exacerbated because of the ways society is con-

structed,” Bialka said. “It’s okay to recognize that the world is set up for people without disabilities, but what we try to avoid are language and systems that separate.”

To further highlight this point, Bialka included a quote from TikTok user Crutches & Spice (@crutches_ and_spice), who uses her platform for disability advocacy.

“Hey disabled people, stop confusing what your body can and cannot do with the obstacles put in your place by society,” Crutches & Spice said.

Demonstrated by how the language in both the medical and social models has implications for the way people with disabilities are positioned in society, language plays a key role in disability awareness, something Bialka highlighted as a key takeaway from the presentation.

She addressed if the word “disabled” is offensive, explaining that there are two ways to talk about someone with a disability. Person-first language centers the person with a disability in the dialogue, an example being “I am a person with a disability.” Identity-first language recognizes being disabled as an identity that can help to celebrate disability pride, with an example being “I am disabled.”

Bialka pointed out how different people have different preferences, so in the same way you would ask someone what their pronouns are, you would ask someone whether they would prefer to use person-first or identity-first language in reference to disabilities.

Additionally, Bialka talked about disability invisibility, which en-

tails using language that glosses over disability, thereby ignoring the historical oppression and exclusion that people with disabilities have encountered. She mentioned that although this language is coming from a place of trying to be kind, it implies that beauty and disability cannot coexist, which further reinforces the stigma attached to disability.

In addition to language, disability is not always visible, which also impact the way disability is talked about.

“Oftentimes there’s so much stigma around mental health and other elements of invisible disability, and people don’t talk about it a lot,” Bialka said. “The more we talk about it, the more we remove stigma, and the more we destigmatize people’s experiences.”

For those who could not attend the event, Bialka implores all to think about how “disability can touch on every facet of human life” in addition to “all of the ways our lives can intersect with disability, the messages we receive about disability, and how we can function as critical consumers of this information.”

“Villanova students in general are so deeply invested in disability as it relates to service,” Bialka said, mentioning student organizations such as Special Olympics and LEVEL.“Villanova is a service-oriented community, but it’s helpful to think about disability through the lens of identity.”

Bialka mentioned that in the Fall of 2022, the University is launching a new Disability and Deaf Studies minor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, open to all students.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

OPINION

The Villanovan | 5

OPINION

Board Editorial: Win or Lose, Have Pride in the ‘Cats After a loss, it is only natural to undergo a grieving period.

Saturday, April 2 was a day of loss for the Villanova community and, as it goes, its members are in at least some degree of mourning.

Following the Wildcats’ fatefully heartbreaking Final Four appearance versus Kansas, the University’s campus (and, of course, the city of New Orleans) witnessed Villanova students undergo the denial, anger, bargaining and depression that so often characterize cases of grief.

However, while it would be easy to wallow in disappointment and dream wistfully about what could have been, that is not the Villanova way, and The Villanovan commends and encourages the student body’s attitude after Saturday’s letdown.

The typical grief cycle ends with acceptance, but Villanova’s ended with something stronger: gratitude. While paths along campus, YikYak posts and general student attitudes carried palpable anguish Saturday night through Sunday, a general feeling of mutual support and pride was just as strong.

This immediate wave of support was a forceful demonstration that the University’s slogan, “Veritas, Unitas, Caritas” (especially in the case of the latter two terms), is more than just a motto for this

Villanovans have much to be proud of in this team’s performance throughout the season.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

student body—it is a promise put into action, realized through solidarity and community.

There is perhaps no better visualization of that solidarity and strength than the photo of Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels standing together, in tears but embracing, as the final seconds on the game clock ticked down.

This image became a symbol of pride and support from the fanbase as it went semi-viral over the weekend within the Villanova community, both for the two players specifically as their college careers

came to a close, as well as for the team and school at large.

The show of appreciation is well-deserved—‘Nova fans have much to be proud of looking back at the 2021-22 season, and The Villanovan applauds the team for all they acheived.

While fans cheered them on in the Finn, at watch parties and in sub-freezing temperatures in the Wells Fargo Center parking lot, the ‘Cats delivered a season with victories including sweeps over conference rivals Providence and Seton Hall and going undefeated in the

Big 5. Memorably, they also won the Big East Conference Tournament and, of course, made it to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament.

But true Wildcat fans are not only fans for the sake of the victories (although they are frequent). If that were the case, the parking lot would be much emptier at sunrise Wells Fargo Center tailgates.

No, the satisfaction comes from the unity that students, alumni and other fans find in supporting the team. It comes from the example set by Naismith Hall of Fame inductee head coach Jay Wright. It comes from the rush of getting a fist bump from Will D. Cat. Although some may question why basketball is such a massive deal at Villanova, experiencing a season like this one, with a team like this one, is enough to eliminate any doubt. Yes, it’s just a game, but it is also a crucial part of the University’s culture as a close-knit student body that supports each other, good times or bad, win or lose.

Coming off a tough loss, then, that spirit of pride and community needs to conquer the inevitable disappointment, made even more poignant by Kansas’s championship win on Monday.

Judging from the state of campus, though, love has already won over frustration. Stay proud.

Go ‘Cats. See you next season.

Too Hot to Handle: Switch HVAC Systems to Cooling temperatures that would ruin the systems?

Finally, and perhaps the most confusing, are the systems Spring at Villanova is finally in Alumni, Austin, Corr, Fedigan, Good Counsel, Sheehan, Stanford here with the trees blossoming, and Sullivan Halls. These buildthe sun shining and, obviously, ings, along with all dorms on West the temperatures rising. With this change in climate, the heating units Campus and in the Commons, are controlled by a central heating and in all dorm buildings should be cooling station, meaning the heat switched to air conditioning, but Villanova Residence Life, unfortu- cannot be changed to air until the main station is switched. nately, thinks differently.

Importantly, considering On March 18, Residence that the Commons apartments Life sent out an email to all stuopened less than three years ago, dents expressing that the heating why weren’t they given the option would not be switched to air conditioning any earlier than April 15. of a self-controlling HVAC system The explanation was that tempera- like the south campus dorms? It seems more convenient to have tures can fluctuate from the 70s all the way down into the 20s, and each person decide when their heat and air should change as the it is not an easy task to switch the people who are living in the room. heating from AC. Overall, the March 18 The email also described email brought annoyance because how different buildings on camthe given date, April 15, means stupus have different HVAC systems.

Buildings like Caughlin, McGuire, dents can only enjoy the comfort of air conditioning for two weeks Katharine and St. Monica have before the end of the school year.

HVAC systems similar to those in Additionally, since the email hotels where one can switch from the weather has not dropped below heat to air conditioning whenever the 30s at night, let alone in the needed. The email’s explanations day. Even if it did, students have did not include why all systems on blankets and winter clothes to layer campus cannot operate this way. in in case the temperature dips.

Buildings such as Delurey, Not turning the heating off seems Moriarty, O’Dwyer, Simpson and St. Rita’s operate by window units. to be more of a hassle than a gift.

Students shared how Notably, though, the window units they felt about the AC not being are locked until a certain point so switched for a while. Freshman freezing temperatures don’t ruin Sydney Barhite lives in Alumni the units. However, the warmer Hall and described how she felt April temperatures beg the quesabout the air conditioning not betion: where are these freezing Loghan Hirkey Staff Writer

ing on for at least another month.

“I’m not thrilled about it,” Barhite said. “It is too hot, especially at night. It is hard for me to fall asleep and stay asleep.”

Although the late switch to cooling poses a problem for many, others are adapting to the HVAC system and aren’t concerned when it switches to AC. Senior Ryan Haack, who lives in The Commons, discussed the HVAC systems and temperatures in his room.

“I don’t know much about HVAC and how all that works, but my understanding of it, while I was an RA, is that somehow all systems in the building are connected,” Haack said. “I’m sure it’s difficult to pick the right date to switch over. I’m personally not one to care too much about the thermostat anyway. Opening or closing the window has regulated the temperatures just fine throughout the year.”

David Roth, the Assistant Director of Maintenance Residence Life, provided insight into the seemingly absurd procedure.

“We use the April 15 date as a guide,” Roth said. “It is not written in stone when we will turn on the air conditioning in the Spring or the heat in the Fall.”

Roth also explained the process of changing from heat to air conditioning, and it does seem to be an intricate process.

“The changeover involves an intricate process of closing and opening valves between the two systems and allowing an eight-hour cooldown or heat up time to avoid

thermal shocking the system to completely switch over,” Roth said.

“Because of the nature of this process, we collect all the data and make the switch when it makes the most sense based on that data.

Our goal is to obviously make the decision that will be least impactful to our customers on campus both in the dorms and the academic buildings, but sometimes Mother Nature throws us a curveball, and we get caught being uncomfortable for a short period of time.”

Roth also explained the reasoning behind the HVAC systems in the Commons.

“While the self-controlling systems like the ones at the four low rise dorms on South Campus seem to make the most sense from a user standpoint, they are not the most efficient,” Roth said.

“When looking at new construction like the Commons were, the most efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly design was the central plant with individual fan coils.”

All in all, despite the technical considerations, waiting to turn the heating off is too uncomfortable of an annoyance to wait any longer. Windows are a great alternative, but they can only do so much on humid and consistently warm days.

Although Residence Life uses April 15 as a guideline, it seems the air conditioning will not be coming on soon. The heat needs to be turned off to make it truly feel like spring.

6 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

OPINION

EDITORIAL BOARD

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

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

COLIN BEAZLEY Editor-in-Chief VIVI MELKONIAN TINA ARON BELLA IRWIN JACKIE THOMAS

POLICY

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

Students Struggle to Get to the Final Four Kai da Luz Staff Writer continued from p. 1 “I was supposed to go with my family, but the day after we bought our tickets to the game, flights to NOLA were sold out so fast that we weren’t able to get any,” junior Jade Singh said.

Singh, like many others, was not able to use her ticket because of flights being completely booked or too expensive. Even though Villanova ended up offering a round-trip flight for students from Philadelphia to New Orleans for $750 (relatively cheap compared to available flights for the weekend), it was too little too late for many like Singh.

“I wish the flight option for students was confirmed sooner,” Singh said.

“If I had known it was going to be available, I could have possibly kept my ticket and went. I feel like in the future, they should plan ahead to have this option if we get close to the Final Four so that students are aware of transportation options since traveling there seems to be harder than getting a ticket.”

For others who were able to make the trip and secured a spot on the Villanova-chartered plane, like freshman Jack Hobart, the whole process was still a hassle

team.

Beyond this, the whole hassle of booking flights and the seemingly last-minute limited student plane makes one question how this situation could be better handled in the future.

In future years, Nova Athletics Student Tickets should better anticipate the travel cost surges and complications that arise in the wake of March Madness, actively planning travel options ahead and working to lower the cost of student flights as much as they did with the tickets.

Furthermore, as hotels and other lodgings near the game venue skyrocketed in price anticipating a surge in demand, students should be allotted the opportunity to purchase affordable hotel rooms (shared with other students to reduce costs). Proactive changes would undeniably allow more students to attend.

Seeing footage of the plane Villanova University should do a better job planning for March Madness. headed for NOLA full of VillanoCourtesy of Victoria Dattilo vans on The Nationer Instagram, and undoubtedly expensive. room and getting lucky enough full of excitement and school spir“I paid $46 for the tickto secure a spot on the Villanova it, is an indication of how integral et, $760 for the Nova flight and round-trip flight, the cost of the the Nova Nation is to the Wildcat’s $1,200 for the first two hotel journey to New Orleans seemed success, as well as the degree to nights,” Hobart said. to be at least a couple thousand which we students love our team.

“I hadn’t booked the last dollars for most.

We need to make a better two nights in case we lost. HowevThe cost of this trip alone effort next year to get students er, I was with a few people in that makes it very unattainable for and fans out there with less stress, hotel room, so I didn’t have to pay many students, creating a situation money and confusion to make the the full $1,200.” where only those who can afford it presence of Nova Nation known Even with sharing a hotel are allowed to go and support the on a national stage.

Villanovans Should Attend the Wildcat Thrift Shop Zoë Kim Staff Writer Have you ever heard of the saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? Well, this is true when it comes to thrifting.

On April 8, the Wildcat Thrift Shop is returning to campus. Located under the tent near Driscoll Hall, it is open to all Villanovans. From 2 to 5 p.m., the student-run pop-up shop will have racks and piles of graphic t-shirts and vintage sweatshirts––an article of second-hand clothing for everyone.

It was a success for student sellers and shoppers last year, and this second pop-up will surely be a hit as well. There is no doubt that the Wildcat Thrift Shop is now a Villanova tradition.

The pressure of dressing well on campus has led me and many others to amass a wardrobe of blouses, jeans and sweaters.

The clothes we wear around campus not only show others our taste in patterns and colors, but they also show how we feel about

certain fashion trends.

So often, clothing becomes outdated and unwearable-even after being worn for a mere two months. This demands another trip to Zara, H&M or Forever 21, shops that carry trendy clothes promoted by designers and influencers. Such recurrent consumer behavior is wasteful, as every year, Americans throw away 10.5 tons of clothes.

The Wildcat Thrift Shop is set up by Villanova’s Student Sustainability Committee. This twice-a-year pop-up shop is one of the committee’s many efforts towards a more sustainable and greener Villanova campus. In the past, it has held a t-shirt tie-dye event, an open mic and a reusable metal and bamboo utensil sale.

With spring cleaning right around the corner, one should consider thrifting. Rather than throwing out or disregarding outdated tops and pants, donate or sell them.

One can also buy from these second-hand shops to find new clothing for the summer sea-

son. Pop-ups are open to everyone.

If you have some unworn or unused clothing items in the back of your closet, take them to the Wildcat Thrift Shop. It is not only better for our planet, but also for your wallet.

Long ago, picking up preloved clothes was only for bargain hunters. Now, thrifting has become a fad and hobby for young Americans looking to find chic, vintage, one-of-a-kind clothes.

They are purchased for cheap and sold for high to shoppers through apps like Depop and Poshmark. Just in 2020 alone, more than 220 million shoppers said they had or would be willing to buy second-hand.

Proceeds from the Wildcat Thrift Shop will also go towards a great cause. With multiple student-run booths, it was able to raise $1,200 towards charities such as Women’s Heart Health, Breast Cancer Awareness, The Laurel House, The Ability Experience, Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center, Eden Reforestation Project and Guide Dog Foundation for the

Blind. With a similar if not greater turnout, it is sure to raise even more money for many causes.

While the Wildcat Thrift Shop will only be on campus for a day, Villanova students can continue to buy second-hand clothing elsewhere. Last year, the Wildcat Thrift Shop had a line of eager shoppers outside of the Driscoll Tent.

Outside of campus, there is the Junior League Thrift Shop in Ardmore and Nana’s Attic Thrift Store. Seventeen miles away from campus, there are dozens of thrift stores in Philadelphia. Beyond clothing, one can thrift furniture, accessories and other decorations.

The Wildcat Thrift Shop has brought back the saying “the old is gold” for second-hand clothes. From vintage t-shirts to chic jackets, one is sure to find a few treasures from these student-run booths.

If not for the clothes, come for the Villanova community and to support and celebrate the efforts of the Student Sustainability Committee.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Villanovan |7

CULTURE

CULTURE

A Senior’s Letter To The Student Section

Jack Roberge Editor Emeritus Continued from pg. 1

They told me that if I wanted, they had an extra ticket to a game against Xavier in the Finneran Pavilion. I accepted, and I tried to look the part, leaving my yellow and green of William & Mary behind for a random assortment of navy clothes I found in my wardrobe.

Lucky for me nobody checks all that closely, and without even a Wildcard, my screenshot of a ticket from someone I’d never met got me in.

The Villanova student section is what convinced me I needed to come here.

Believe me, I’m well aware it isn’t the best student section ever. There are way too many people who dress only for a tailgate as though there isn’t a game afterwards. There are too many people who are unsure of who anyone other than the starting five are. There are far too many people who leave for Xfinity Live at halftime, even during close games. None of that mattered to me then, even though it bothers me now.

What mattered to me then, and what will be so hard to leave now, was the sense of community I found in that student section. I found myself looking around constantly, in awe of the fact that so many people were so excited for their school. Even though I really didn’t care for either team then, I quickly found myself enraptured in the energy of the student section and rooting for Villanova as though I was a part of the community.

What I didn’t know then in that Snapchat caption, and what I laugh about now, was that I was at exactly the right school. I eventually realized that, and after some external convincing and self-reflection, I chose to transfer here, excited for the new-

found community. The universe had different ideas, though.

I got about four months of basketball, but ultimately the pandemic put a quick end to that. The season ended anticlimactically without a March Madness tournament, which hurt even more as I still believe that was the best team I saw in my three years here.

As sophomore year came and went without a conclusive end to the basketball season, junior year began with a lot of question marks. Ultimately The Finn went fanless that season, but watching games in friends’ apartments was at least better than nothing.

Once again, however, the season ended with disappointment, and the culture of basketball was once again mostly nonexistent. Collin Gillespie going down in the Senior Night game against Creighton led to low expectations for the tournament, and ultimately the ‘Cats made a relatively unsurprising Sweet 16 exit against the future champion Baylor Bears.

My first time back in The Finn in well over a year, like many of us, came when I got to cover Hoops Mania with my former Co-Editor-inChief, Cate McCusker. Seeing people back in The Finn for the first time in years for the elderly among us, and the first time at all for the underclassmen, was an overwhelmingly emotional experience.

“Hoops Mania in The Finn last semester was one of those times when you’re just so happy to be a Villanovan,” McCusker said. “Honestly, I got a little emotional when we did the Swag Surfin’ cheer. I felt like I belonged, like I was a part of something bigger than myself, and that’s a really cool feeling. It was definitely a highlight in my time at Villanova.”

That overwhelming emotion of seeing in-person games faded as the

The Villanova student section is one of the best parts of Villanova.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

season progressed, but throughout the Big East and March Madness tournaments, many seniors once again reflected on the return to normalcy they had experienced over the past year.

“After seeing the Big East Tournament get cancelled in 2020 and having no in-person spectators last season, I cherished every moment inside the Pavilion this year,” Senior Jason Mitala said. “Watching a team led by guys who have been at Villanova longer than I have was a special memory that speaks volumes about the culture of our basketball program.”

Fellow senior Susannah McHugh agreed.

“Having the chance to watch games like the Big East championship and the Elite Eight win with other Nova students and other members of the senior class really did feel like a full circle moment,” McHugh said. “Even with two basketball seasons affected by COVID, it felt like we all had grown up as students watching the games together. You could feel the sense of pride and community in the room, and as seniors, it was so awesome to watch Samuels, Gillespie and Slater act as key players and team leaders after watching them on the court for all four years.”

The Villanovan’s own former

Sports Editor, Billy Vinci, put it succinctly: “At the end of the day I’m here because of the basketball program.

Getting one more mostly normal season and postseason as part of my experience after two bad ones has been incredible.”

This season meant more to us as seniors than we can begin to put into words. After the pandemic took so much of our college experience, this season was the sendoff none of us ever really thought we would receive. It’s something the words “thank you” can never really begin to express, but nonetheless, thank you.

Thank you to Coach Wright and the entire coaching staff. Thank you to the entire team, but especially Collin, Jermaine and Dhamir for all that you’ve given to this community.

Thank you as well to Justin, this entire community is rooting and praying for you and cannot wait to see you back on the floor next year. Thank you to all of the staff and student groups who made this experience possible in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. To anyone involved in making this season even a remote semblance of normal, and to all of those who made it exceptional beyond that, thank you, we will never forget it.

March Madness Ensues at Kelly’s Taproom Maddie Schieder Staff Writer As the Wildcats made their way through the March Madness tournament, Villanovans have known how to celebrate, especially at the hottest off-campus bar, Kelly’s Taproom.

Senior Kiera Kalafut explained her experience at Kelly’s this month as the Madness progressed.

“There is only one place I wanted to be on gameday, and that was Kelly’s,” Kalafut said. “I needed to make sure that I got there early enough so I could be inside for the 6 p.m. game, so my friends and I got there at around 3:20 p.m. When I walked in, I saw people trying to pass the time with card games and numerous rounds of heads up. It’s funny because you saw the whole building shift in its energy from tired of waiting for the game, to starting to get pumped up once the first glimpse of Jay Wright came on the TV.” Kalafut expressed that the camaraderie of students was special. Certain parts of Kelly’s would start chants, and the whole building flooded with spirit. Students have mentioned the long line, anxiously

awaiting to get inside because of the mayhem around the past few games.

Kalafut mentioned how the last few moments of the game were quite the experience. All of the students at the bar had been there for hours, and once the final buzzer went off, people went wild. Chairs and tables were stood on, drinks were sprayed, and everyone came together through the beauty of sports. Kalafut was certainly not the only one who experienced this core memory, as getting in was a challenge.

Other places on and off campus got in the spirit as well, as this is a moment in Villanova’s history that will be remembered forever, especially by current students. Flip and Bailey’s Bar and McSorley’s Pub were also packed with fans, celebrating any way they could.

The Oreo also hosted a watch party and celebration that allowed students on campus and underclassmen to get in the spirit as well. Freshman Ellery Gray attended the Oreo on the night of the Elite Eight win.

“You couldn’t hear anything from the Connelly Center, but when you stepped foot outside to Main campus, there was music blaring and blue LED lights shining over the

Green,” Gray said. “People were on shoulders and dancing to music. It really felt like a movie.”

This past Saturday, the day of the Final Four, students arrived at Kelly’s as early as 9:45 a.m. and were carrying portable chairs, towels and games. The doors did not even open until 3 p.m., and the game had a 6:09 p.m. start time. Some students reported waiting in line for four hours before getting into the bar. Some might consider these precautions

extreme, but as the University’s only college bar, many Villanovans saw it as a necessity.

Though the result of the game did not go as hoped, the devotion of Villanova fans to watch the game among community members is something to be admired. Whether it was a day spent at Kelly’s or in the Pavilion’s, everyone at Villanova made the most of this once in a lifetime experience, choosing to spend hours together all for the team.

Students waited hours to watch the game in Kelly’s.

Courtesy of Kiera Kalafut

8 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

CULTURE

Will D. Cat Unmasked: Man, Myth, Legends Kendall Hayes Staff Writer Before this semester, I did not think much about Will D. Cat. Will D. Cat entered my mind more when I met his biggest fan: My Quantitative Research professor, Allyson Levin. Before that, all I knew were the basics.

He or she was Villanova University’s mascot. His or her identity was meant to be “lowkey.” However, there is apparently a lot more to Will D. Cat. All one had to do was ask. Senior Nick Capriotti, one of Villanova’s Will D. Cats, opened up about what the ever so coveted position is like.

The Villanovan: Would you be able to explain how you got started with Will D. Cat? Nick Capriotti: I first got involved with the team when I saw a post advertising mascot tryouts on Will D. Cat’s Instagram. I decided to go to the information session, and learning more about the program convinced me to take part in the tryout. After a couple of weeks, I was offered a position as a mascot. Four years later, I’m now one of two captains who leads the team.

TV: Why do you think there is the perception that the identity of Will D. Cat is secret?

NC: Most people are correct in assuming that it’s a secret.

Every member of the mascot team is required to keep their identity a secret in order to maintain the illusion that Will is a singular character rather than a team of individuals. We’re finally able to reveal our identities during the second semester of our senior year, which is a nice way to gain some recognition for all of the hard work

that we’ve done over the past four years.

TV: Since there are multiple Will. D Cats, do all of you go to each game? If yes, are you ready for New Orleans?

NC: There are usually two mascots at each game— one in the suit, and one handler or “shadow,” as we call them. Shadows are responsible for guiding the mascot throughout the stadium on game days and making sure that he is in the correct location during each timeout. Unfortunately, the NCAA only allows one mascot to travel for any given tournament game, but the rest of us are always eager to cheer on our teammate as well as the Villanova basketball team.

TV: How does your transportation/boarding work? Do you stay with the team?

NC: We aren’t required to travel very often. We are essentially an extension of the Villanova Cheer team, so we usually travel whenever they are required to. For short distances, we drive Villanova University vans. For tournament games, we are put on the same flight and in the same hotel as cheer.

TV: Since you are a senior, I hear that you are looking for a new Will D. Cat. If someone is interested, what should his or her next steps be?

NC: Right now, we’re looking for a current freshman to join the team. If you’re interested in learning more, we’ll be hosting a super laid-back information session on Tuesday, 4/19 that will tell you all about the mascot program.

We’re going to announce the location and time of this information session on social media very soon, so be sure to follow Will D. Cat on Instagram @Willdcatvu for up-

dates.

Nick Capriotti stands unmasked with another Will D. Cat mascot.

Courtesy of Nick Capriotti

TV: What’s been the most rewarding part of your role?

NC: Being Will D. Cat provides you with incredible, once-ina-lifetime opportunities, but the most rewarding aspect comes from interacting with people during appearances. Seeing excited kids,

students and alumni approach you for a hug, high five or selfie never fails to make you smile. Ultimately, being a mascot gives you one of the most fun and unique college experiences that you could possibly have here at Villanova, and we can’t wait to welcome another member to our group.

Guest Speaker Poet Camille Dungy Speaks to Students Elena Rouse Co-Culture Editor On Tuesday, March 29, poet Camille Dungy came to campus for the third installment of the English Department’s Literary Festival. Thus far, speakers have included Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown and social media activist Emma Dabiri, and this occasion marked another talented visionary coming to speak about their work.

Dungy is a nature poet focusing on the African American experience through the world around us, challenging just what it means to define things as nature and human, and if the two are even separate at all.

She has written four collections of poetry and prose pieces and is the recipient of the American Book Award, the Northern California Book Award and California Book Award silver medal. She has edited three anthologies, most notably “Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry.”

The poet came to speak to students for the course titled “Authors On and Off The Page” about her collection of poems titled “Trophic Cascade.” Written in 2017, the collection intertwines the complications, beauties and hardships of motherhood,

racial violence, death and the wildness of nature. Students were able to ask Dungy a myriad of questions both about the poetry collection itself as well as more expansive questions about her career and writing process.

When one student asked about her depiction of nature, Dungy used an anecdote from her childhood, describing her domesticated front yard in comparison to the desert in her back one, and how the two were both beautiful and uncontrollable in their own ways. She also covered things like when she writes, how she tricks her mind into locking into creativity and revision. For the young writers in the room, it was a wonderful opportunity.

“Getting advice from accomplished writers provides such great insights for all of us in class,” junior Jessica Laino said. “I’ve learned so much about ways to better my own writing just from listening to what these poets and novelists have to say.”

As for the reading itself, Dungy took to the Falvey Speaker’s Corner at 7 p.m.

A collection of English students and faculty congregated in lined up folding chairs to witness the poet, clutching complimentary refreshments from the event coordinators.

Two students from Authors On and Off The Page, Daniel Gor-

Dungy spoke to students as part of the Literary Festival.

Courtesy of VU English

man and Maxwell Karibian, introduced Dungy to the spectators.

Dungy then took to the podium, reading student suggested poems, as well as some of her own favorites.

Some of the titles included “Natural History,” the chilling “From the First, The Body Was Dirt” and “Glacial Erratics.”

Following the reading, listeners partook in a short Q&A, mirror-

ing questions from the students in her previous session with Authors On and Off The Page.

This event was the third installment of the English Department’s Annual Literary Festival. The final one will be on April 21 at 7 p.m. in the Falvey Speaker’s Corner.

Novelist, essayist and poet Tiphanie Yanique is set to speak and close out the year’s Festival.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Villanovan | 9

CULTURE

Madness on Main: Students Celebrate After Elite Eight Win Julia O’Keefe Staff Writer The ‘Cats faced a tough loss in New Orleans this Saturday against Kansas, who went on to win the National Championship. Celebration plans may not have come to fruition this past Saturday, but Villanova students did not fail to celebrate the men’s basketball team’s advancement to the NCAA Final Four on Saturday, March 26. At the final buzzer, Jay Wright and the team secured a spot in the semi-finals over Houston.

The celebration immediately began as students ran out of their dorms towards the action on Main Campus.

Sophomore Gavin Woodin described his experience as he and a group of friends ran out from the quad to join in the celebration.

“Everyone was running around in the quad, doors kept opening and closing with people screaming about the game, and everyone was in the stairs going out to the Oreo,” Woodin said. “It was really awesome to see everyone get so excited to support Nova and see how regardless of who you knew there, we were all celebrating the same thing.”

The celebration certainly did not disappoint. A DJ played fan-favorite pump up songs, lights flashed blue and white and food trucks lined the perimeter of the Oreo. Students flooded the center of campus from all different directions to celebrate the victory, cheering and screaming their favorite songs the whole night with their Vs in the air.

First-year student Michael Lavin spoke about attending the cele-

Students celebrated the Elite Eight win at the Oreo.

Courtesy of Mia Zhu

bration and what the win meant to him.

“It was electric,” Lavin said.

“For a couple hours, everyone was able to forget about any stress, assignments or problems. We were simply living in the moment. Dancing, eating, singing, but most importantly, united.”

Unity was a common theme that night, as students came together to celebrate and support our team.

The “madness” on Main certified that there is one thing Villanova certainly does not lack: school spirit.

Between Hoops Mania, themed games, game watches and after parties, Villanova students never fail to rally behind athletes and show their support.

Sophomore Arthur Byrns also attended the celebration at the Oreo on Saturday, March 26th, and

expressed how he felt after the Wildcats advanced to the Final Four.

“After the game on Saturday, I was honestly in shock,” Byrns said.

“People don’t realize how awesome it is to cheer for Villanova and watch them succeed after seeing them put in so much work all season long,” Byrns said. “Everyone coming together at the Oreo after the game was amazing. It was surreal to see the whole campus come together and celebrate a great win.”

Sophomore Jennifer McMahon attended the campus game watch in the Villanova Room and agreed that the energy, spirit and support for our team was amazing to see firsthand.

“It is always great to see a large turnout for a game watch and see everyone filled with energy and hope,” McMahon said. “It feels like

you are watching the game with your closest friends. I personally feel the most connected to Villanova during the games, and I feel a lot of pride for my school. Villanova really has a unique camaraderie, it doesn’t matter if you know the person next to you or not because you all share the love for Villanova basketball.”

That love is especially radiant this time of the year. Whether someone knows statistics for every team in the tournament or builds a bracket based on team colors, March Madness is an opportunity for students to come together in a friendly competition and celebrate the chance of a lifetime. Villanova students have watched the Wildcats start as one of 64 teams and become one of four, a feat that only a small population of students across the country have the chance to witness.

“During the game, everyone’s eyes are glued to the screen and the tension and excitement are palpable,” McMahon said. “Every time we would make a basket, the room would erupt with screams of joy. When we finally won, the room exploded with energy. Everyone was hugging and screaming. It honestly felt like a dream come true. I loved being able to celebrate Villanova in the perfect combination of pure excitement and chaos.”

That excitement and chaos is something Villanova fans never fail to deliver. Reminiscing on the celebrations from the Elite Eight is one way for students to get over the sad Final Four loss. Despite the early ending, the Wildcats continue to have one of the most loyal fanbases in the country.

If There’s A Will, There’s A Way: Students Trek to NOLA Emma Cahill Staff Writer New Orleans, Louisiana is no longer just Caleb Daniels’ hometown. This year, New Orleans was home to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, which Villanova competed in. Many members of the Villanova community took this opportunity to celebrate their basketball team. It is a long trek to NOLA, but many could not pass up this once in a lifetime experience.

The first step necessary for the journey to New Orleans was acquiring a ticket. Many students entered the Villanova ticket lottery. Their entry into the lottery functioned the same as the home game lotteries, and many students emerged triumphant, winning a ticket.

Although the ticket lottery seemed to be one of the main ways of attending the game, other students got their tickets through other ways, such as their campus involvement. Sophomore Colin Beazley, Co-Editor-In-Chief of The Villanovan, was given the opportunity to attend the game as a representative of the newspaper.

“I got my tickets through The Villanovan,” Beazley said, “Press passes are so cool.”

Junior Tommy Lynch se-

cured his attendance at the game by being a vibrant part of the Villanova basketball experience. As a member of the band, Lynch will be traveling with his fellow bandmates to play during the game.

“I got my tickets because I am in band,” Lynch said, “I am excited to perform for the team.”

After procuring a ticket, the next step on the trek to NOLA was finding transportation. One of the popular options this year was one that the University offered. Due to the elevated prices of many commercial plane tickets, many students found it best to buy tickets from Villanova’s very own charter plane.

“I am getting to NOLA through the Villanova flight,” freshman Anna Hughes said. “It was the best option, especially because it is a round trip.”

However, if some were unable to get the Villanova flight, many resorted to other options to get to New Orleans. In fact, it appeared that some students may have even been driving down to New Orleans.

“Can’t believe people are actually driving to NOLA,” a YikYak post from April 1 said.

With a ticket and a way there, students secured their presence at the Final Four. Many students reflected on their excitement.

The last two times the Villanova Men’s Basketball team played in

The band made its way to New Orleans, along with hundreds of Villanova students.

Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

the Final Four, they won the championship, and many students were anticipating another victory.

“I can’t wait to see how the team does and go out to support them,” freshman Anna Hughes said. “I hope they win.”

The students who went to the Final Four game couldn’t wait to celebrate the team and looked forward to showing their school spirit.

“I am most excited to see Villanova fans in other places,” sophomore Tallulah Laska said. “It is such a connection to see anoth-

er person wearing Nova gear, so I cannot wait to see a different city full of Villanovans.”

For students going to NOLA, it was sure to be an experience that they would never get the chance to do again. Watching the team play in this game was an unforgettable memory that will last a lifetime, even though the outcome was not what we hoped for.

“In all likelihood, this is something that none of us will get again as students,” Beazley said.

“This is a weekend we’ll never forget.”

CULTURE

10 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Club Spotlight: Campus Activities Team Charlotte Ralston Staff Writer It’s no secret that Villanova’s student body is full of diehard basketball fans. But when the teams play the majority of their games in far-away arenas, rather than campus’ beloved Finneran Pavilion, many students don’t have the time or resources to travel during the school week to cheer them on in person. Tuning in from the comfort of one’s dorm room is one alternative, but it doesn’t quite compare to the atmosphere of standing in the middle of an enthusiastic student section. That’s where the University’s Campus Activities Team steps in.

“The Campus Activities Team (CAT) is an entirely student-run organization that creates events and programs for an inclusive campus community,” its web page reports. “CAT partners with student organizations for various programming initiatives that help promote an active and welcoming Villanova experience.”

Throughout the basketball season, CAT has collaborated with The Nation, the Official Student Fan Group of Villanova Athletics, to host game watches in the Connelly Center for these away games.

Complete with giveaways and free food, including local favorite Campco pizza, these game watches attract a large crowd of students who want to watch the ‘Cats in the company of fellow Villanova super fans.

“Sporting events are the

CAT hosts many different student celebrations for the campus community.

Courtesy of Villanova University

perfect opportunity to capitalize on bringing the school together, especially when Villanova is not playing at home,” current president Grace Pawelczyk said. “We want to bring that game-like experience to the students.”

Pawelczyk also emphasized the amount of planning on the club’s part that goes into creating events like the game watches.

“It takes weeks to plan all our events because there are a lot of individual groups involved: we contact facilities to make sure we have the space reserved, we connect with VUTC to handle the

tech/production side of things and we contact custodial services to make sure we have extra garbage and recycling bins, just to name a few,” she said. “While we have a lot of support, our CAT members deserve so much credit because they put in a lot of work every week. I am always so proud of them.”

However, game watches are far from the only events CAT puts on for students. Over the course of the school year, the club offers a wide variety of late-night programs ranging from themed Thursday night Quizzo compe-

titions to movie nights in Conn Cinema. It also holds special holiday events like gingerbread cookie decorating in Cafe Nova.

“No one celebrates annual Villanova traditions and holidays better than the Special Events Department on CAT,” CAT claims.

“From Catchella to Halloween Weekend, we have all of your most cherished Villanova traditions and holidays covered.”

All six departments within CAT work hard each week to organize events that foster community among the student body, enabling students to meet other Wildcats and get more involved on campus. It’s not always easy to make friends in college, but the club strives to make Villanova feel like home for everyone.

“I was lucky enough to have a smoother transition to college where I felt like I found my place at Villanova pretty quickly,” Pawelczyk said. “However, I know that is not the experience for most, so I wanted to get involved with an organization whose main mission is to enhance the campus community with inclusive programming to make sure all students feel like they belong.”

Be sure to check out @villanovacat on Instagram or the Office of Student Involvement’s “This Week on Campus” emails for upcoming events, because there’s something new happening every week. If one is looking to get involved in helping plan these programs or wants to partner with CAT, reach out to cat@villanova. edu.

“Curtains” Opens at the Mullen Center Emily Schoonover Staff Writer The Villanova Theatre Presents “Curtains” opening on March 30th and closing April 10th, Villanova theatre has successfully put on the production of “Curtains” otherwise described as a “musical whodunnit.”

This production takes place in the Topper theater, the biggest of all the performance spaces in the Mullen Center, seating four hundred people. Additionally, this show was directed by Villanova’s University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A, Ph.D., which drew a lot of attention from the greater community. So much so that the show was completely sold out for each performance and the process of buying tickets was very competitive, with tickets selling at around thirty dollars.

“Curtains” is based on the original novel by Rupert Holmes, and was adapted for the stage by Peter Stone, beginning its theatrical debut in 2006. The story takes place in a Boston theater in 1959, where the lead of a show is mysteriously killed at the end of a performance. Following this, the entire cast and crew are potential suspects of the murder and have no choice but to remain confined in the building until the murder is solved, all while attempting to save

their dying production so that they could take the show to Broadway.

The show’s dialogue is very clever and endearing, and the musical numbers are reminiscent of that of classic musical theater.

The cast is made up of mostly graduate students working toward their masters here at Villanova, some members of the greater community, a few undergraduate students, and even Father David, Associative Dean of Academic Affairs and Strategic Initiatives for the College of Professional Studies. Needless to say, “Curtains” has a fairly diverse cast.

“Curtains” is the first production to use the Topper Theater, the biggest out of all three theaters, which is another reason why it was so monumental. Many people from the Villanova community and greater community altogether wanted to see the show that was directed by the University’s president and took place in the new and large theater.

This production means a lot to the members of the Villanova theater community because it is the first to take place in the Topper Theater at full capacity with no Covid restrictions. After nearly two years of limitations such as virtual performances or masks, cast and crew members were over the moon to get back to a sense of normality and take advantage

“Curtains” is now showing in the Mullen Center until April 10th.

Courtesy of Villanova University

of the new theater spaces here at Villanova. Through the Mullen Center, there was a special viewing party for donors of the building to celebrate this thrilling first use of the Topper Theater. Additionally, following the April 7th performance, Father Peter will be around post-show to answer any questions about the show or the process and he will be followed by the theatre department chair, a guest speaker.

This show symbolizes a lot for the Villanova theater program.

The entire staff is working to make

sure that this is widely celebrated.

The show ran for about three hours and included one fifteen-minute intermission. There were a little over twenty musical numbers, all of which kept the audience engaged. The show itself was very entertaining and easy to follow. There were witty moments that produced a lot of laughs as well as moments that were deeply emotional.

For more information, check out the Villanova Theater website.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

CULTURE

The Villanovan | 11

Dr. Heidi Rose Performs “A Letter to Ava DuVernay” A.J. Fezza Co-Culture Editor On the night of Monday, March 28, the Communication Department was treated to an impressive 30-minute uninterrupted performance by its Chairperson, Heidi Rose, entitled: “A Letter to Ava DuVernay.”

Rose is on sabbatical this semester but returned to the University to deliver this powerful letter. The performance took place at the Garey Hall Studio, which was filled with student and faculty attendees.

As the title suggests, the performance was addressed toward famous African-American filmmaker Ava DuVernay, yet Rose began by spending a minute reflecting on a quote by Jewish writer Elie Wiesel: “Forgetfulness leads to exile, memory to redemption.” If the audience did not see the connection between Wiesel and DuVernay, it would very soon become clear.

Rose showed the audience photos of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 march on Selma, Alabama, followed by DuVernay’s representation of the historical event in her 2014 film “Selma.” One glaring difference — that is, an absence — distinguishes the cinematic representation from the original: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heshcel stood right beside King in 1965, but is missing from DuVernay’s “Selma.”

Heschel’s absence is particularly glaring, as DuVernay made a point to include other religious figures, like Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos in her film.

This struck a nerve with Rose, who always looked up to Heschel as a leader for the Jewish community and an advocate for civil rights. She wondered if Heschel’s absence (and the general absence of rabbis in “Selma”) was deliberate and what it says about the current state of Black-Jewish relations in the United States.

“The absence dredged up fear in me that has been building for some time, Ms. Duvernay,” Rose said. “From everything I’ve learned, one messy reality is post-Civil Rights deterioration of Black and Jewish relations that has been continuing in one way or another for decades.

In 1967, James Baldwin said Black people are antisemitic because they’re anti-white.”

At this point, Rose delved into the broader schism between Black and Jewish Americans and its connection to iconic African-American writer Baldwin. The schism

Dr. Heidi Rose performed “A Letter to Ava DuVernay” on Monday, Mar. 28 at the Garey Hall Studio.

Courtesy of Heidi Rose

developed in the late 1960s, partially because Black Power and Nation of Islam leaders saw Jews as white oppressors rather than allies. In some ways, Baldwin shared this view, but in others, Baldwin was sensitive to the Jewish struggle and could relate it to his own hardships.

A little more than 50 years later, Rose worries about rising antisemitism and racism, and the ways in which this continuing schism leaves all groups more vulnerable.

Still, she remains hopeful.

“There’s the groundbreaking alliance between US senators Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff,” Rose said. “Warnock, the first African American senator from Georgia, Ossoff the first Jewish senator from Georgia. They’re forging a coalition on voting rights among other vital issues and intentionally invoking the power of the relationship between Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel. I hope we all can do the same, because the stakes are high.”

Rose’s letter was not merely prose. It was a performance through and through, complete with acting and prop placement.

“I didn’t want to do a TED Talk,” Rose said after her performance.

Rose took on the accents and mannerisms of both Heschel and Baldwin to bring their perspectives to light.

The stage consisted of three main parts. On the right was a small table, stacked with Rose’s books about African-American and Jewish American relations. It was at this table where Rose began her performance and reflected on her pertinent research, particularly “Blacks and Jews in America: An Invitation to Di-

alogue” by Terrence L. Johnson and Jacques Berlinerblau. In the center was a stool upon which Rose could both impersonate Rabbi Heschel and bare truths about her own experiences and her relationship with her Jewish identity. On the left was a sofa chair upon which Rose could impersonate Baldwin’s sharp and relaxed manner of speaking.

The performance element was of vital importance to Rose.

“As I wrote, I realized I didn’t want to talk about Heschel,” Rose said. “I wanted to show him. I think as a performer, one of my strengths and interests lies in embodying others — creating characters who, through me, enter conversation with each other and with me, and thus with the audience.”

After the performance, Rose engaged in a talkback session with the audience in which she could respond to questions and comments.

Both at Monday’s talkback and later in the week, attendees mostly expressed positive reactions to the performance.

One student in attendance was junior Anthony Grasso.

“The passion and emotion that Dr. Rose exuded through her performance was simply remarkable,” Grasso said. “I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to learn through such a unique and creative medium about the complexities of this topic in intercultural relations that is talked about so little.”

On the other hand, some students felt uncomfortable with Rose questioning a Black-directed Black story, or felt that the performance could have embodied more of a callto-action.

Rose’s letter comes after

months of preparation.

She began writing in summer 2021 and performed a shorter, 10-minute draft of the letter at the National Communication Association in Seattle in November 2021.

Originally, discussion of Baldwin was not part of this draft.

“Following a really generative discussion about it at the conference, I started diving into expansion and revision in January 2022,” Rose said.

“That’s when Baldwin’s excerpts were added.”

As Rose began to flesh out these expansions and revisions, she felt it was time for another public performance.

While Rose’s letter on March 28 was cohesive, she said that it is still a work-in-progress and that she is seeking constructive feedback.

All in all, it has been a difficult process to work on this performance due to the topic’s complicated nature. Despite such difficulties, Rose maintains that her performance brings issues to the forefront that are in critical need of discussion.

“The urgency for us to work together has never been stronger in terms of the looming challenges to civil rights and our democracy’s foundation, and the dangerous threats from white supremacy (which targets Jewish people as centrally as people who are BIPOC and LGBTQ+),” Rose said. “But I know this performance opened more possibilities for conflict than anything I’ve done in the past. There have been moments when I questioned or second-guessed myself, and in those moments, I’ve tried to focus on how I always convey to students the importance of trying things that scare you — and that I need to do the same.”

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Wednesday, April 6, 2022

CULTURE

Augustinians of Villanova: Father Joe Calderone Olivia Sabalaskey Staff Writer “Everything we have is a gift from God,” said Rev. Joe Calderone, O.S.A. “We have a responsibility to use these gifts to help one another.”

This week, Fr. Joe offers Villanovans a glimpse into his life as an Augustinian at Villanova University in the Augustinians of Villanova Column.

Fr. Joe attended Monsignor Bonner Catholic High School where he looked up to his Augustinian teachers, feeling as though they were a part of his large family, like older brothers. They inspired Fr. Joe to pursue the Augustinian way of life full of travel and a devotion to God. “In school, I loved geography because I could study different parts of the world,” Fr. Joe said. “I’d imagine what it would be like to go to these distant lands. The Augustinians who taught us got to travel to some of these amazing places.”

After high school, Fr. Joe entered the Novitiate, a year-long process where he and other Augustinian Candidates learned about the order’s history and prayed together to discern their vocation. At the end of the year, Fr. Joe took a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. His faith in God then brought him to Villanova as an undergraduate.

“I was so impressed by the Campus Ministers here at Villanova,” Fr. Joe said. “When I was younger, I had always wanted to go into a profession to help people. The Augustinians at Villanova did just that.”

In 1971, Fr. Joe graduated from Villanova. He pursued a graduate degree in Theology in Washington D.C. In between semesters, he returned to Villanova to receive a master’s degree in Counseling.

After years of hard work, Fr. Joe was ordained into the priesthood as an Augustinian in 1974. Given his

Theology and professionally serve the ministry.

“The world has become more secular,” Fr. Joe said. “Organized religion isn’t as popular as it used to be. If you want to be successful in the area of religion today, you need to go where the people aren’t.

You can’t just expect them to come to Mass. Those in the Lay Ecclesial Ministry have a passion for reaching out to those who don’t and welcoming them in.”

Fr. Joe also serves as an advisor to Villanova’s OASIS and VU Pride organizations on campus.

These two organizations help raise Fr. Joe Calderone serves as the Associate Director of Campus Ministry. awareness and offer support to the Courtesy of Villanova University LGBTQ+ community on campus.

“Pope Francis encourages love for travel, Fr. Joe journeyed to criminally insane (i.e., those with a dioceses to participate in the Synod many different parts of the world. mental defect that prohibits them process, or to go out to the fringes First, Fr. Joe traveled to to understand that their criminal Merrimack College in Massachusetts actions were wrong) and others who and talk to the people who feel like where he served as the Campus Min- dealt with mental health diseases like they are in the minority,” Fr. Joe said. “Given my experience in the ister for five years. He then helped schizophrenia. oversee the graduate studies program “I worked with many people medical field and my work here on campus, I enjoy working with those in Higher Education Administrawho suffered mental illnesses,” Fr. tion at Northeastern University for Joe said. “One of the patients on my on the fringes. I’ve learned a lot.”

Lastly, Fr. Joe often helps another five years. floor was John Hinckley Jr., the man Fr. Joe often reminisces who shot President Ronald Reagan.” Villanova’s NROTC, or the Naval about his experience as the Campus Upon receiving his CPE cer- Reserve Officers’ training Corps, Ministry Director for the Diocese of tification, Fr. Joe was sent to work at by attending staff meetings, offering prayers at events and lending a helpOrlando, Florida in which he super- a Navy hospital in Bethesda, Maryvised six college campus ministries in land as a Civilian Chaplain given his ing hand to those who may struggle.

“After 48 years as an Augusthe Orlando area. in-depth knowledge of, and experiAs if Fr. Joe was not busy ence with, the Navy Reserve. But Fr. tinian priest, I’ve learned that the enough, he also joined the U.S. Navy Joe’s passion for helping others in the mind, body and spirit make up a person,” Fr. Joe said. “When one of Reserve to further cultivate his pasmedical area did not stop there. the components is weak or broken, sion for helping others. Fr. Joe served Next, Fr. Joe traveled to the other two help restore it. Medical in dozens of places around the world. Loyola University Medical Center. work is only 15%: the other 85% is “I traveled to Tokyo for three For about eight years, he served as and a half weeks,” Fr. Joe said. “I medical students’ spiritual guide. He the bedside manner. Patients need to build trust with you and have faith also went to Glasgow, Scotland. I also participated in the Chaplain worked part-time in the Navy for 21 Mentor Program to help train future in you. Having that sensitivity helps heal people as much as, and if not years, and it was a wonderful experi- chaplains in the medical area. more than, their treatment.” ence.”

In 2003, Fr. Joe returned Fr. Joe feels blessed to have Given Fr. Joe’s devotion to to Villanova to work in Campus been called to help guide people God and helping others, he was then Ministry as the Associate Direcduring critical moments in their sent to return to D.C. where he stud- tor. He continues to help organize lives. Whether it’s a joyous event ied for his CPE certification, or Clin- everything related to the Liturgy. ical Pastoral Education, for Training However, his primary work involves like a wedding, or a sorrowful event in Compassionate Presence as a supervising Villanova’s Lay Ecclesial like the anointing of the sick, Fr. Joe continues to walk with God’s people Chaplain. In D.C., Fr. Joe worked at Ministry where young Villanovans a hospital and helped those deemed study to receive a master’s degree in in an effort to serve Him.

The Slap Seen Around the World: Villanovans Weigh In Sydney Singh Staff Writer Let’s talk about the infamous slap at the 94th Annual Academy Awards.

For those who do not know, at the Oscars on Sunday, Mar. 22,, Chris Rock made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s hair, comparing her to the bald film character G.I. Jane.

“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it, all right?”

Rock said.

This was a sensitive issue for Smith, given her alopecia, a condition that prevents hair growth. As a result, her husband Will Smith walked on stage and physically assaulted Rock before screaming expletives at him. The moment has since been highly and hotly debated, with people talking about the scandal on the internet like a wildfire. Who was at fault? Did Rock deserve it? Was it all a publicity stunt? Should Smith give back his Oscar?

Villanovans weighed in on the controversy.

“Was the joke maybe too much?” freshman Ava Eberly

asked. “Yeah, but the slap was crazy.”

Many Villanova students felt in the middle on whether the slap was staged or not due to Smith speaking and cursing after slapping Rock. Many also expressed feelings that Rock went too far with a joke about alopecia.

“Will Smith’s emotions might have gotten the best of him, but ultimately, he was defending his wife,” junior Maddie Schieder said.

Some students were fully convinced that the slap was staged due to unorthodoxy.

“I think it was staged to generate more buzz around the [Oscars],” junior Maggie Cavanaugh said. “Viewership numbers have been steadily declining, but after the slap, all anyone could use for small talk was the incident.”

Freshman Kayla MacKinnon also weighed in.

“The Oscars’ viewing has been going down and I think they needed something to make people watch,” MacKinnon said.

Since the event occurred, Smith resigned from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienc-

Actor Will Smith slapped comedian Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards.

Courtesy of Bryan Snyder / Reuters

es and issued a public apology on Instagram.

The Academy has begun disciplinary proceedings for Smith and will make an official decision on April 18.

Rock is “still processing what happened,” like most of us.

No matter how Villano-

vans feel about ‘the slap,’ whether they are vehemently against it, convinced it was a publicity stunt, somewhere in between or do not care at all, the facts remain that it will forever be one of those infamous moments in pop culture that Hollywood is so successful at creating.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Villanovan | 13

SPORTS

SPORTS

Loghan Hirkey Staff Writer

Athlete of the Week: Chris Rotondo

Chris Rotondo has been around for a game or two as a graduate student of the Villanova baseball team. He has always been viewed as an asset, being one of the top center fielders in the Big East, while ranking second in school history with 12 career triples. Rotondo is also a fourtime Big East weekly honoree, a four-time selection to the Big East All-American team and a five-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. Nevertheless, with all these accomplishments, Rotondo’s season this year has been special.

With a hitting streak of 19 games for most of this season, Rotondo leads the team in RBIs (22), home runs (six) and batting average (.351). Being the batting leader has been all about mindset, according to Rotondo.

“Taking that at-bat one pitch at a time, putting in the work hitting has obviously helped,” Rotondo said. “But having a positive mindset at the plate has been the most helpful.”

Thinking about each at-bat in the present moment and having a positive outlook on every hit has helped Rotondo become a force to be reckoned with at the plate. He also mentioned the training that not only he goes through but also what the entire team does to be prepared for any game.

“We start out with lifting and some speed work at one,” Rotondo explained. “Then around two to two-thirty, main training starts with batting practice, fieldwork, and sometimes the pitchers do some live pitching for us to prepare for our weekend series games.”

This training appears to be making an impact with the Wildcats having won five of their last seven games, including their first sweep since May of 2021. This improvement brings great excitement to Rotondo and the rest of the team.

“It is really good to have a three-game sweep, and it brings momentum into our Big East play,” Rotondo said. “Offense has been showing up, and hopefully, this leads us to a Big East win.”

Rotondo has been leading the ‘Cats to several victories and multiple hits, but how has he been shaping up defensively?

This season, Rotondo has had 49 putouts and only two errors. His athleticism and speed have been assets in center field.

However, center field is not the only position Rotondo would play.

“If I had to play another position, it would probably be shortstop,” Rotondo said. “I think that’s another place on the field where you need athleticism and speed, and I feel I have that, and that would be a great place for me.”

Despite these great moments for Rotondo, whether batting or out in the field, he said his favorite memory so far this season actually involves an opposing team, the Richmond Spiders.

“During the Richmond sweep, one of the pitchers was a close friend of mine,” Rotondo said. “I actually hit a home run off of him, and it was fun taking a nice run around the bases and laughing with him. It was a great moment for me to hit a home run off of a close friend like that.”

Overall, Rotondo has been extremely helpful in trying to improve the ‘Cats’ record. He has worked hard, earning multi-

ple honors, including leading the team in batting. However, through it all, he still tries to stay humble.

Rotondo recognizes that it takes the pitchers, catchers, as well as other batters to really bring a team together.

“Cole Patten has really been an asset for this team,” Rotondo said of his teammate. “He transferred from Seton Hall, and so far, he’s been our best pitcher every game. Every time he goes out on the mound, he puts us in a good position to win.”

Although it is Rotondo’s last year, he is determined to make an impact and hopefully earn a Big East tournament win.

Chris Rotondo (above) has enjoyed a stellar season with the Wildcats.

Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

Softball Goes 2-2 Over the Week Aphrodite Dimopoulos Staff Writer Villanova softball had a week that can be summed up in one word: perseverance. The Wildcats won their home game on Wednesday against Saint Joseph’s, 7-0, before traveling to play a weekend Big East series against DePaul. After falling short on Friday (9-1) and Saturday (7-1), the team rallied to end the weekend on an 11-3 win, providing its largest scoring contest of the season.

At Wednesday’s home game, Villanova played the Hawks and continued its home winning streak. The Wildcats boasted an underclassmen pitching staff with sophomore starter Caroline Pellicano and freshman reliever Kelsey White. The pair worked together to allow only three hits throughout the game, which ultimately led to a shutout. This game brought Pellicano’s ERA to an astounding 0.93. Over her 30 innings pitched this season, the sophomore has allowed just four earned runs.

Offensively, the Wildcats were forced to be patient as the Hawks’ pitcher walked the first five batters and hit the sixth. After the first out, two more walks allowed for two more runs scored for Villanova before the Hawks brought in some relief pitching. Paige Rauch, who was playing second

base, tied her career-high for runs scored with four. Rauch led off the bottom of the second inning with a long home run and later tripled into right field. On her final at-bat of the game, the graduate player singled with one out, bringing her to 3-for-3, one RBI and one walk in the game.

After a solid home win, the Wildcats traveled to Chicago to take on their Big East competitors, the Blue Demons, but dropped the opener, 9-1. The team trailed DePaul for the entirety of the match-up and totaled just five hits in comparison to DePaul’s 12.

Villanova had many hard-hit balls in the early innings, none of which went over the fence besides senior catcher Ryan Henry’s home run in the top of the second. Her home run tied up the game at 1-1 entering the third inning.

The Wildcats started to gain some momentum offensively in the fifth inning thanks to freshman pinch hitter Amanda DeSantis and junior third baseman Chloe Smith. DeSantis and Smith led off the inning with consecutive singles, but Rauch’s line drive towards the middle of the diamond was caught and converted into a double play to end the inning.

Villanova entered Saturday hopeful and ready to play. But, a third-inning score-fest for the Blue Demons put the Wildcats in a hole they could not climb out of, eventually losing 7-1.

The first hit of the game for Villanova was in the sixth inning with shortstop Megan Kern’s hard-hit solo home run.

This marked the sixth home run of the season for the senior, and it sparked a Wildcat rally in the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, Villanova loaded the bases with nobody out, and junior catcher Ally Jones scored on an error. Although ending in a loss, this seventh inning carried into Sunday as the team fought to win the final game of the series.

On Sunday, the Wildcats found that groove in their offense that they seemed to be lacking in the first two games of the series.

The bats found a way to connect the best they have all season, and the team accumulated 11 runs on 14 hits to win, 11-3.

The offense started to pick up in the fourth inning with a single to left-center field from graduate second baseman Angela Giampolo. Jones responded with one out and drove the ball into left field to bring in the first runs of the game. Senior center fielder Sydney Hayes kept up the momentum with a double to left field, and with only one out, junior left fielder Dani Dabroski beat out an infield single. This opened the gates to four straight run-scoring hits that put the Wildcats in a winning position they refused to leave.

Smith provided an RBI single, Rauch and Kern hit back-to-back

RBI doubles, and White singled to bring the team to a 6-0 advantage.

Each player began to feed off each other and use their momentum to push the lead to greater margins with each hit.

The Blue Demons responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with two runs, but senior pitcher Sara Kennedy retired the two batters she needed to keep a DePaul runner on third base. In the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Demons reached their closest score, 6-3, with a sacrifice fly. But when the seventh inning started off the same as the fourth with a leadoff single up the middle from Giampolo, the Wildcats were in a great position. Henry and Jones each singled to load the bases with no outs, and the rest of the lineup was ready to score the runners on base. Hayes hit a two-run double to center field, and Smith hit a home run past right field to bring in a total of five runs.

Sunday showed the caliber of gameplay that the team played with last season. As long as this energy and teamwork continue, the team has the potential to grow and improve in both conference and non-conference play.

The Wildcats have a short drive this week for a game at Penn on Wednesday. Next weekend, the Wildcats host Big East foe Georgetown for a three-game series, with first pitch of the series scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.

14 | The Villanovan

SPORTS

Men’s T&F Competes Across East Coast in the 5000 meter race.

Senior Josh Phillips took the top spot, with a time of 13:49.64.

Junior Haftu Strintzos finished right behind Phillips in second place, The men’s track and field posting a time of 13:51.28. Gradteam was all over the East Coast uate runner Ryan Cutter finished this past weekend as it competed at fourth, with a personal best time of meets hosted by the University of 14:02.4, and Cutter smashed his old Florida, University of Pennsylvania high school personal best by more and Princeton. than 23 seconds.

Despite the different locaWith these times, Phillips tions the athletes were in, the high now ranks eighth on the East Reresults were consistent. At the Sam gion qualifying list, which is used Howell Invitational at Princeton, to determine who makes it to the junior middle distance runner Sean NCAA East Preliminary next Dolan won the 1500 meter race, month. Strintzos is ranked 11th on with a time of 3:45.97, in a field of that list. In addition, the three dis29 runners. Senior Charlie O’Dontance runners of Phillips, Strintzos ovan finished second, with a time of and Cutter posted top four times on 3:46.37. the Big East leaderboard.

Redshirt freshman Cole Earlier that day, junior Walker posted a time of 4:00.54 Miller Anderson posted a fifth place in the same 1500 meter race. Two finish in the 800 meter race, with other runners ran for Villanova in a time of 1:51.38. Other middle the 1500 meter race as unattached distance runners who competed entries. Freshman Sean Donoghue in the 800 meter race included finished third in the race, with a senior Trevor Potts, with a time of time of 3:47.77, and freshman 1:55.63, sophomore Chris Weeks, Devon Comber recorded a time of who ran 1:57.07 and graduate Jacob 3:51.58.

Bonanotte, who cemented a time of Senior Patrick Spychalski 2:06.31. placed third, with a time of 9:16.69.

A trio of throwers, sophoJunior Mathias Powell won the 3000 more Andrew Grinnell, sophomore meter steeplechase, with a time of Nick Coffey and junior Joe DiDario, 9:08.32. Powell’s winning time puts competed at the Florida Relays. him in 38th position for the East re- Their throws were postponed from gion qualifying list. This was the first Thursday evening due to inclement time both distance runners raced in weather. Grinnell placed sixth in this event this season. his section, with a throw of 59.10 The Villanova distance run- meters. Coffey placed eighth in a reners dominated a field of 19 runners corded throw of 58.76 meters, and Jacob Artz Staff Writer

DiDario placed ninth, with a 56.96 mark. All three athletes rank in the top 10 on the all-time performance list.

Senior pole vaulter Jim Keys posted a top mark of the outdoor season as he cleared the bar at a height of 4.76 meters. Keys failed to clear the 4.91 meter height, which would have broken his personal best of 4.87 meters from last outdoor season. Freshman Tristan Bolinsky and graduate Shane O’Connor competed in the discus. Bolinsky threw for 45.45 meters and O’Connor threw for 41.90 meters. O’Connor also competed in the shot put, throwing for 13.28 meters.

At the Philadelphia Big 5 Meet, sophomore sprinter Jakob Kunzar finished first in the 200 meter dash, with a personal best time of 22.35 seconds, and the 400 meters, with a time of 49.40 seconds.

Junior Mac Costonis ran in the 200 and 400 meter races as well, putting up times of 23.05 seconds and 49.78 seconds, respectively. Sophomore William Seijas posted times of 23.05 in the 200 meter race and 51.84 seconds in the 400 meter race.

Graduate Sosa Omuemu recorded a jump of 6.23 meters, which was good for first place in the long jump. Junior thrower Eduardo Perez threw for 36.19 meters in the discus and 13.60 meters in the shot put.

This upcoming Friday and Saturday, the Wildcats will travel to the University of Miami for the Hurricane Alumni Invitational.

Wildcats Fall to Georgetown, 13-11 Amanda McKean Staff Writer On Saturday, April 2, the Villanova women’s lacrosse team faced off against Georgetown at Villanova Stadium for its first Big East matchup and lost, 13-11.

The leading scorer for the Wildcats was freshman attacker Sydney Pappas, who scored four goals and had a season-low zero turnovers. Senior midfielders Libby McKenna and Alexa Tsahalis both added two goals while senior attacker Olivia Piccirrili provided the Wildcats with two goals. The last player to score for the ‘Cats was senior attacker Caroline Curnal, who scored one goal. The leading scorer for the Hoyas was Erin Bakes, who scored four goals.

Things started in favor of the Hoyas, who surrounded the attacking end in the first couple of minutes, leading to a goal at 13:19

by Bakes. The Wildcats responded about a minute later when junior midfielder Addie Fisher connected with Tsahalis, who scored a goal.

About two minutes later, the Wildcats recovered a turnover from the Hoyas and took the ball up the field where they were eventually fouled.

This led to a free position shot for Piccirilli, who capitalized to give the ‘Cats a 2-1 lead. The last goal of the first quarter for the Wildcats was scored at 3:04 when Tsahalis took the ball straight to the net and scored an unassisted goal. However, the Hoyas were able to recover as Bates scored her second goal, fol-

Caroline Curnal (above) scored one goal for the Wildcats in the loss.

Courtesy of Maggie Graw/Villanovan Photography

lowed by a goal from Ali Diamond with 2.8 seconds left on the clock to tie the game entering the second quarter.

At the start of the second quarter, the Wildcats were quick to break the tie when freshman attacker Sami Carey passed the ball from behind the net to a well-defended Tsahalis, who slipped it by the goalkeeper. The Wildcats then went on a 4-0 run for the first five minutes of the quarter. A minute after Tsahalis’ goal, Carey gave a second assist for a goal by Pappas.

The Wildcats won possession after each faceoff from these goals, which led the Hoyas to foul Curnal only 40 seconds later. Curnal earned a free position shot, which she seized, followed by another free position goal from McKenna, leading to a Hoya timeout. This break proved useful for the Hoyas, who cut their deficit to two within the last 10

minutes of the quarter to leave the game with a score of 8-6 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Hoyas continued to fight, going on a 4-0 run of their own to give them the lead throughout almost the entire third quarter. Diamond scored two goals within this period, as well as Bates and Emma Gebhart, which led to a timeout for the Wildcats.

After one of the Hoyas got a yellow card, the Wildcats played with a man up and eventually tied the game. With 38 seconds remaining, Pappas scored her second goal of the game, and with five seconds left, Piccirilli scored her second goal of the game to tie it up going into the fourth.

The game did not stay tied long at the start of the last quarter, as 90 seconds in, the Hoyas got their lead back on a goal from Maria Hudson. The Wildcats tied the game again at 9:43 with a fourth

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

WEEKLY SCOREBOARD Mar. 30 - Apr. 5

Wednesday, March 30 Softball vs. St. Joseph’s 7-0 W Thursday, March 31 None Friday, April 1 Women’s T&F @ Florida Relays No Team Scoring Men’s T&F @ Florida Relays No Team Scoring Women’s Tennis @ St. John’s 6-1 L Baseball @ Georgetown 6-9 L Softball @ DePaul 9-1 L Saturday, April 2 Water Polo @ No. 23 LIU 14-7 L Water Polo vs. St Francis College 13-8 W Women’s T&F @ Florida Relays No Team Scoring Men’s T&F @ Florida Relays No Team Scoring Softball @ DePaul 7-1 L Women’s Tennis vs. Loyola Maryland 5-2 L Men’s T&F @ Philadelphia Big 5 Meet No Team Scoring Men’s Tennis vs. Loyola Maryland 6-1 W Women’s T&F @ Philadelphia Big 5 Meet No Team Scoring Men’s T&F @ Sam Howell Invitational No Team Scoring Women’s Lacrosse vs. Georgetown 13-11 L Baseball @ Georgetown 3-2 L Men’s Lacrosse @ St. John’s 22-9 W Men’s Basketball @ Kansas 81-65 L (Final Four) Sunday, April 3 Water Polo vs. Siena 13-4 W Water Polo vs. No.25 Marist 13-12 L (OT) Baseball @ Georgetown 5-3 W Softball @ DePaul 11-3 W Monday, April 4 Men’s Golf vs. Columbia Spring Invitational T-4th of 12 Tuesday, April 5 Women’s Tennis @ St. Joseph’s 4-3 W Baseball vs Lafayette 4-0 W goal from Pappas. However, this was the last goal for the Wildcats of the game. To break the tie and win the game, the Hoyas went on to score two more goals, and the Wildcats were unable to respond.

The next game for the Wildcats will take place on Saturday, Apr. 9 at Marquette. The last time the Wildcats faced the Golden Eagles was on Mar. 28, 2021, where they were defeated, 8-7. Faceoff is set for 12 p.m.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

The Villanovan | 15

SPORTS

Women’s T&F Competes in Florida, Philly a personal best time of 4:20.07, placing ninth out of 43 runners.

Junior Anna Helwigh finished in 11th place, with a time of 4:23.47, Over the weekend, part and senior Lydia Olivere folof Villanova’s women’s track and lowed close behind, with a time of field team traveled down south to 4:26.03 and finishing in 14th. the Florida Relays, while the rest “The first few meets are of the team stayed closer to home [meant] to go out and try to qualito compete in the Philadelphia Big fy for the Regional Championships 5 Meet. which are the NCAA first round At this point, most people [meets],” Procaccio said. “We are familiar with the name Sade went down to [Florida] this weekMeeks, as she continues to break end hoping McKenna [Keegan], school records week after week.

[Madison Martinez] and [MagOn Friday, in Florida, the gradugie] Smith will get that done and ate thrower broke her own school everything is going according to record in the hammer throw, with plan.” a mark of 59.38 meters. This Graduate student Taryn weekend’s performance should be Ashby competed in javelin and listed as one the top 30 throws in earned a mark of 46.76 meters, the East region, which serves as a finishing in seventh place, while sedeterminate for the NCAA East nior Liv Morgan threw a personal Preliminary meet later in the seabest of 45.46 meters. Morgan beat son. her personal best by more than “[Meeks] continues to 3.6 meters, which moved her up improve every week,” head coach to fourth place on Villanova’s allGina Procaccio said. “She got time performance list in the javelin her throw out there [and] that event. should get her into the [NCAA To close out Friday’s comfirst round] meet. We are hoping petition in Gainesville, Florida, with her projection [that] she will senior Ashley Preston tied for continue to get better every week 10th place in the pole vault as she and she definitely has a shot to be cleared the bar at a height of 3.76 at the NCAA finals at the end of meters. the year.”

On Saturday at Florida Junior middle distance run- relays, graduate runner McKenna ner Maggie Smith competed in the Keegan ran in the fastest heat of 1500 meters run and finished with the 800 meter event and earned Catherine Browne Staff Writer

the second-fastest time in the nation of 2:03.19. This is recorded as Keegan’s third-fastest time in this event.

Junior Madison Martinez and freshman Maya Dorer competed in the second heat of the 800 meters. Martinez placed first, with a time of 2:05.87, and Dorer finished with a personal best time of 2:08.51.

Graduate thrower Jul Thomson also made an appearance in Florida, where she competed in the shot put event, throwing 12.44 meters.

Back in Philadelphia, freshman middle distance runner Emily Robinson competed in the 800 meter event and finished in first place, with a personal best time of 2:14.83. Sophomore Kate Flynn competed alongside Robinson and finished fourth, with a personal best time of 2:25.83.

Freshman thrower Faith Haught threw a personal best mark in the discus for the second straight competition, this weekend throwing a distance of 42.63 meters. She is currently ranked seventh on Villanova’s all-time performance list for the discus event. Additionally, she threw a mark of 33.20 meters in the hammer throw on Saturday as her first attempt in the event. Senior Emily Galvin placed second in the hammer throw with a mark of 52.09

meters.

Junior Alexis Martin competed in both the 100 meters and the 200 meters event. In the 100 meters, she crossed the finish line with a time of 12.47, and she finished the 200 meters with a time of 25.69. Freshman Alex Stasichin ran the 400 meter event in 58.90.

Sophomore Marcella Krautzel represented the Wildcats in the 1500 meter event and recorded a personal best time of 5:00.91.

Villanova competed in the 4x400 meter relay to close out the day where it placed second, with a time of 4:05.71.

Freshman Taylor Woodeshick cleared the bar at a height of 1.60 meters in the high jump. Similarly, sophomore multievent athlete Caroline Carlson also competed in the high jump and had a successful attempt, setting the bar at 1.50 meters.

This weekend, the first-year Wildcats really stepped up and proved their athletic abilities.

“This class is a very good group,” Procaccio said. “They are pretty close, really support each other and they work hard.”

Procaccio is very excited for the future of the team with this young talent.

The Wildcats will travel to Coral Gables, Florida to compete in the Hurricane Alumni Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Women’s Tennis Loses Twice Charlotte Ralston Staff Writer The Villanova women’s tennis team came up short in two matches this weekend on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. The team lost against St. John’s and Loyola Maryland, 6-1 and 5-2, respectively. The ‘Cats had a third consecutive match against Providence scheduled for April 3, but the Big East matchup was canceled midway through as rain set in on the Villanova courts. These two back-to-back losses drop the team’s record to 2-7 on the season.

Although senior Annalise Klopfer captured her fourth straight singles win on Friday, moving to a dominant 7-1 singles record this spring, it was not enough to overcome powerhouse St. John’s, and Villanova failed to win another point against the Red Storm.

“With [Klopfer], it’s a little expected, she was All-Big East last year,” head coach Steve Reiniger said of the number one player’s strong start this season. “I think she’s been our best player in maybe 20 years.”

Villanova lost the rest of its singles matches against St. John’s in straight sets, but Klopfer and current doubles partner freshman Emma Brogan, playing up to replace injured senior Emily Strande, found success in the first doubles position, outlasting their opponents in a 7-5 nailbiter. Senior Sabina Grigorian and freshman Valieriia Kornieva were bested, 6-2, in the second slot, while in the third, junior Caitlin Fisher and senior Olivia Kapp were defeated by the

Annalise Klopfer (above) picked up a singles win on Friday.

Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

same narrow 7-5 margin. Despite losing the doubles point, Reiniger was encouraged by Friday’s showing and the overall progress he has seen in the doubles pairings over the season.

“I think the doubles teams have been playing better,” he said. “[Against] St. John’s, we actually had two set points at third doubles to clinch the doubles point, but we got some unlucky breaks so it just didn’t fall our way.”

Following Friday’s match in Queens, NY, the Wildcats traveled home to Villanova to face off against the Loyola Greyhounds on Saturday. Klopfer and Brogan were again victorious in a decisive 6-2 match in the top doubles slot to open the day, marking their third win in four matches as partners.

Although the other two pairs each fell, both matches were competitive, with Grigorian and Kornieva suffering a 6-4 loss at No. 2 and Fisher and Kapp falling in a hardfought 7-5 set in third.

To preserve his highest-seeded player for the Big East dual match that was scheduled for the next day against Providence, Reiniger pulled Klopfer from the singles lineup against Loyola.

Playing up two spots between the absences of Klopfer and Strande, Brogan was defeated by the Greyhounds’ top player, 6-4, 6-2.

“She had to step into the one spot as a freshman, so she battled her butt off, but maybe it’s a little early for her to jump into that one spot and succeed,” Reiniger said of Brogan’s performance on Saturday. “Next year, if I do the math, it looks like probably [Brogan] would be our number one player once [Klopfer] and [Strande] graduate.”

Playing at the head of the lineup in this Loyola dual match will provide Brogan with valuable experience as she prepares to step into the top spot next season.

The Wildcats’ two points of the day came in the second and

third slots from Fisher and Kornieva. After dropping the first set, 4-6, Fisher rallied from behind to take control of the match. She won the second set, 6-2, and sailed to a 6-0 victory in the third to complete the comeback.

Kornieva started out hot in the third position, blanking her opponent, 6-0, and held on for a 6-4 victory in the second set to clinch Villanova’s second and final point.

Although two of the ‘Cats’ three other matches went to three sets, Kapp, sophomore Bella Steffen and freshman Chloe Floyd were all ultimately defeated to give Loyola the victory.

As the season comes to a close, the outcomes of Villanova’s last two Big East matches against UConn and Georgetown are crucial for determining its seeding in the conference tournament. Battling injuries and the exhaustion of playing multiple matches a week, the entire roster has to be ready to step into the rotation if necessary.

“I’ve told the team in the past, if you’re not in the singles lineup, you’ve got to prepare like you are,” Reiniger said. “It’s just making sure we’ve got the depth needed to compete when players go down, that’s probably the first priority.”

Up next, the ‘Cats are scheduled to play local rivals Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday, April 5 and Temple on Saturday, April 9. While Temple in particular will pose a challenge for Villanova, earning wins against these local teams will give the team vital momentum before it squares off against its last two Big East competitors to cap off the season.

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DINING SERVICES

Villanova Dining Services April is Earth Month!

true sustainability everyone needs to eat. our connection to food is a direct connection to our environment.

begins with food Purchasing Local and Seasonal foods whenever possible

Nutrition Program with a focus on reducing animal protein consumption

Recycled Cooking Oil Program

Sustainable Seafood Purchasing Practices

Reusable Water Bottle Hydration Stations located across campus

Fairly Traded Coffee, Tea, and Sugar are always standard in our locations

Reducing Animal Protein through the Cafe Nova Blended Mushroom Burger

Offering plant-based oat milk at Holy Grounds locations

Pre-Consumer Waste Composting and Compostable Take-Out Containers in Dining Halls