WEDNESDAY APRIL 13, 2022 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan
STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916
VOLUME 114 | ISSUE 11
Priest “I Play For Ukraine”: With War at Inspires Home, Kornieva Competes For Country Mark Wahlberg Elena Rouse Co-Culture Editor
An actor. A boxer. A Catholic Priest. What do all of these titles have in common? Each belonged to Father Stuart Long, an inspiring man and the main character of Mark Wahlberg’s latest film. “Father Stu” stars Wahlberg as Father Stuart Long, a boxer turned actor who moves to Los Angeles to jump start his new career. When he falls in love with a Catholic woman, he gets baptized to impress her. But when he gets into a near fatal motorcycle accident, Stu’s trajectory completely shifts to divine devotion, even as his physical health starts to crumble. The story is as much a testament to the human spirit as it is intensely touching. Last Wednesday, on the 59th floor of Philadelphia’s Four Seasons Hotel, the window’s expansive cityscape view worked as the backdrop for The Villanovan’s one on one interview with Wahlberg. During it, the actor opened up about his journey getting to know Father Stu and the making of Father Stu’s story. “It’s a big responsibility, telling somebody’s story and having to make sure we get right,” Wahlberg said. But when a Priest from Good Shepherd Parish in Los Angeles pitched the idea to him one night at an early dinner, he did not immediately jump on the idea. “We’re sitting down to dinner – five o’clock,” he said, describing the moment Father Stu’s story first came to him. “He [the priest] just started pitching me this movie.” Wahlberg reiterated the priest’s pitch about Continued on p. 8
Valieriia Kornieva, freshman on the Villanova tennis team from Dnipro, Ukraine, plays for more than just Villanova on the court. Photo Courtesy of Villanova Athletics, Graphic by Digital Editor Rachel Reiniger
Colin Beazley Co-Editor-in-Chief
On February 24, what was supposed to be a quick check of the news before bed turned into a nightmare for freshman tennis player Valieriia Kornieva. “It was Thursday, and I was going to bed,” Kornieva said. “I didn’t even expect anything.” However, the reports began to flood her feed, announcing a catastrophe. Russia had begun military action and invaded Kornieva’s home of Ukraine, suddenly engulfing Kornieva’s family and friends in war. At first, Kornieva didn’t believe it, but when she checked again
and saw the videos of attacks against the capital, Kiev, she knew it was true. “When I saw video and sounds of shooting, I immediately called my parents,” Kornieva said. “My father said that they woke up from [guns shooting]. I was terrified. I began to cry. I didn’t sleep that first night because you don’t really know what will [happen].” That day started as any other Thursday would have, as Kornieva prepared for the impending spring tennis season. Kornieva struggled with injury in the fall, preventing her from playing. But on that Thursday, Kornieva was less than a week away from her collegiate debut, as a March 1 meet-
ing with Lipscomb loomed. However, with the news of Russia’s invasion, tennis no longer seemed as important. Kornieva is from Dnipro, the fourth largest city in Ukraine, with a population of more than a million people. Dnipro is a beautiful city in the Eastern part of the country, located along a river, and if she could choose, Kornieva would spend her whole life there. In the initial stages of the invasion, Kornieva hoped that Dnipro would be spared and the Russians would focus their efforts on Kiev, Odessa and Kharkiv. But when her father was awakened by the sound of gunfire, they knew that the war had come to them. Adding to the danger
was the fact that the family lived near Dnipro’s airport, so Kornieva’s father, mother and younger sister packed their things and headed west to the safer confines of their grandmother’s city. Staying informed from afar, Kornieva feared for her family. “My body was shaking,” Kornieva said. “Because when they travel between cities, it’s so dangerous.” After leaving Dnipro, Kornieva’s mother and sister made plans to leave the country, heading further west before going to Poland, where Kornieva’s Villanova teammate and now-doubles partner, Sabina Grigorian, has a house. The two made it across the border and to
admission and coursework requirements as well as improve the overall student experience. A key aspect of Villanova’s academic mission is for every student to receive a
well-rounded education and develop essential critical thinking and communication skills. These skill sets are meant to be fostered through the many foundational courses that
CLAS students are required to take. Ultimately, I am not arguing that this core curriculum should go away or be majorly altered. Rather, certain aspects of the core curriculum should be adjusted based on whether a student is pursuing humanities or the natural sciences. At Villanova, CLAS awards both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degrees. Astronomy, chemistry, biology and computer science, Continued on p. 5
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Divide CLAS into Arts and Sciences Colleges Lindsay Gallagher
Staff Writer
The experience that a liberal arts or social science major has at Villanova is vastly different from that of a natural science major. I spoke to both arts and sciences students about whether their academic careers would have benefitted from being a part of a unique college. The consensus was that CLAS should be separated into a College of Arts and a College of Sciences to clarify
CLAS awards both Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts Degrees. Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography
University Celebrates Accepted Class of 2026 p. 2
Deane-Drummond Honored With Civitas Dei Medal p. 3
Philly Justice Project Hosts Event for India Spellman p. 4
Going Greek: Is It Worth It? p. 5
Pro/Con: Villanova Goes Test-Optional p. 6
VTV Hosts Second Annual Villys p. 9
Sustainability Council Hosts Wildcat Thrift Shop p. 10
Women’s Water Polo Prepares for Postseason p. 11
Men’s Club Hockey Completes Successful Season p. 13
Penn Swimmer Sparks Transgender Rights Debate p. 15