The Villanovan | Volume 115, Issue 10: April 26, 2023

Legal Interpreter Mentors’ Demands

Katie Reed News Columnist

In a partnership be tween The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and the Charles Widger School of Law, Villanovans can apply for the Commu nity Interpreter Internship, which introduces them to oral interpreting and written translating between English and Spanish in a legal setting. The internship follows along side a course taught by Dr. Raúl Diego Rivera Hernán dez, Associate Professor and Director of the Latin Ameri can Studies Program.

After completing the coursework and serving around 130 hours in the Law School Clinics, students can be selected as a Legal Interpreter Mentor, a paid position that helps manage and train interns, assists with clients and attends to court cases taken on by the law school.

According to the program’s website, it is “very much at the core of what Villanova University is all about: learning while also giving of yourself to others,” specifically helping Hispanic and immigrant communities. However, as highlighted by three mentors—Enrique Rosado, Victoria Rozas-Rivera and Melanie Gonzalez—the University’s boasting of the program did not align with its compensation of their staff. This dispute was settled, however the mentors discussed the process.

However, as highlighted by three mentors— Enrique Rosado, Victoria Rozas-Rivera and Melanie Gonzalez—the University’s boasting of the program did not align with its compensation of their staff. This dispute was settled, however the mentors discussed the process.

Rosado initiated the

Continued on p. 3.

University Hosts Annual Anti-Poverty Symposium

p. 4

“I’m Lester Holt. Please take care of yourselves, and each other.”

Would Lester Holt end a commencement speech the same way he signs off of NBC’s Nightly News? Well, on Friday, May 19th, the date of the University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony, we will certainly find out.

Honoring tradition, The Villanovan is privileged to be the first to break the commencement speaker news to the community, and University President Rev. Peter M.

The Villanovan sat down with Fr. Peter to find out and deliver the answer to the burning question of, “Who will be the Class of 2023’s commencement speaker?”

Being that almost the entirety of the Class of 2023’s college undergraduate experience has been shaped by the coronavirus pandemic, Fr. Peter wanted to acknowledge its strength.

“They have a lot of fortitude,” he said about the personality of the Class of 2023.

“I know it hasn’t

because of the students and the students’ commitment to being here and being a part of this place. I see very much COVID in the rearview mirror right now.”

Fr. Peter wants students to focus on the future and not all that was lost through their college years due to the pandemic.

“I realize it’s been difficult,” he said. “And we’re hoping not to dwell on that. Let’s dwell on the future.”

And with the speaker being award-winning NBC news anchor Lester

Holt, known most notably for his hosting of the NBC Nightly News and NBC’s Dateline, where he has covered topics ranging from the pandemic to elections to weddings, will be joining Villanova undergraduates on Friday, May 19th as the speaker at their graduation ceremony. Holt is currently the anchor and managing editor of NBC’s broadcast, “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” which won the 2022 Edward Murrow Award. He has also been the anchor of “Dateline NBC” since September of

Continued on p. 3

No. 12 Men’s Lacrosse Tops Marquette

Brooke Ackerman Co-Sports Editor

This past weekend, No. 12 Villanova’s men’s lacrosse team (10-3, 5-1 Big East) won in an overtime thriller, 16-15, against Marquette on Senior Day.

Fifth-year midfielder

Austin Fraser was the star of the game, scoring the game-tying goal with 32.8 seconds remaining in regulation, and then scoring the game-winning goal with 2:49 left in overtime

to give the Wildcats their third conference win.

final timeout to organize the ‘Cats.

“We wanted to try and run our offense,” Corrado said.

didn’t just want to isolate one guy, we wanted to get their defense moving, spinning.”

After the timeout, midfielder Matt Campbell missed his shot, but Villanova retrieved the ball to give Fraser the chance to even the score and send the Wildcats into their first extra period of the 2023 season.

“[We told them] to just try and make sure they didn’t do too much,” Corrado said, heading into overtime. “[I said to] make the easy pass, pick up

Continued on p. 14

PUBLIC SAFETY BLOTTER

Liquor Underage

April 20, ST. MONICA HALL

A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and transported to the hospital by VEMS Ambulance.

Liquor Underage

April 20-21, FEDIGAN HALL

A male resident student, under the age of 21, was transported to the hospital for alcohol intoxication by VEMS Ambulance.

Public Drunkenness

April 21, CANON HALL

A resident student, over the age of 21, was evaluated by VEMS Ambulance for alcohol intoxication.

CORRECTIONS

Theft of Property/Lost Delivery

April 21, LANCASTER PROPERTY GROUNDS

A female resident student reported a missing package after it was delivered. The amount of the loss is $145.00.

Disorderly Conduct/False

Alarms to Public Safety

April 21, ST. MONICA HALL

A fire alarm pull station was activated within a residential building without a legitimate purpose resulting in the building being evacuated.

Liquor Underage/Public Drunkenness

April 22, MAIN CAMPUS GROUNDS

A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication.

Carry a Fake ID/Liquor Underage

April 23, STANFORD HALL

A male resident student, under the age of 21, was transported to the hospital by VEMS Ambulance for alcohol intoxication.

Criminal Mischief

April 23, SULLIVAN HALL

An RA reported finding a broken chair in a hallway of Sullivan Hall.

Theft of Property/Lost Delivery

April 18, MAIN CAMPUS GROUNDS

A female resident student reported a missing package after it was misdelivered. Approximate total loss was $221.50.

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.

Writers and Editors, Ethics and Craft Event in Falvey

Katie Lewis Staff Writer

Acclaimed writer and editor Lisa McInerney flew from Galway, Ireland to Philadelphia last Tuesday to hold a lively conversation with 2023 Irish Studies Heimbold Chair Mary O’Donoghue on the topics of writing, editing and translation.

“Writers and Editors, Ethics and Craft” took place at 4 p.m. on April 19th in the Falvey Library Speaker’s Corner. The event was presented by the Center for Irish Studies and was co-sponsored by the Villanova Writing and Rhetoric Program and Falvey Library.

“A literary event like this not only highlights Villanova’s intimate ties to Ireland through the prestige of the Charles A. Heimbold Jr. Chair of Irish Studies, but offers the Villanova community the enriching experience of closely learning from and dialoguing with some of Ireland’s finest minds,” Center for Irish Studies Acting Director Jennifer Joyce said.

Joyce introduced the speakers during her opening comments.

O’Donoghue, selected by the University as the 2023 Heimbold Chair for the spring semester, is the author of the novel Before the House Burns (The Lilliput Press, 2010) and the poetry collections Among These Winters (Dedalus Press, 2007) and Tulle (Salmon Poetry, 2001). O’Donoghue’s latest short story collection will be published this summer in the Irish literary magazine The Stinging Fly, of which McInerney was appointed editor in 2022.

Apart from editing, McInerney is the author of three novels: The Glorious Heresies, The Blood Miracles and The Rules of Rev -

elation. She is also the winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and published in eleven languages.

O’Donoghue initiated the conversation with an anecdote to address the often tense relationship between writers and editors, describing a preferable dynamic as one characterized by mutual trust.

“The job of an editor is ideally undefined and open, depending on each writer’s individual talents, needs and integrity,” O’Donoghue said.

The speakers then led into a discussion of The Stinging Fly literary magazine, which was featured in a New York Times story earlier this month. McInerney discussed her vision for the magazine, including its mission to publish a diverse range of work from new writers and reflect what is currently happening in Ireland.

O’Donoghue and McIner ney also spent time exploring the ethics of literary editing and the characteristics of a good editor as someone who a writer can both trust and expect to refine a work to better fulfill its vision.

“I feel almost cheated when I’m not pushed by an editor,” McInerney said. “The editor’s role isn’t dictatorial and should feel like a second champion of the work, advocating for the story as its own separate entity.”

O’Donoghue followed this idea by emphasizing the impor tance of rewriting not as an at tempt to “fix” a piece of writing, but rather, as a process of discov ery and continuous improvement upon existing ideas.

“A work is never finished, only abandoned,” McInerney said.

O’Donoghue and McIn erney then allowed audience members to ask questions. Topics

included the role of cover art in complementing a piece of writing, the process of translating works between English and Irish, and advice on starting a new piece and defeating writer’s block.

“The blank page is the worst thing in the world, but nobody else has this idea, so it’s your responsibility to get it into the world,” McInerney said, noting that she is currently working on her fourth novel.

The conversation’s focus on the craft of writing and the ethics of editing brought in the attendance of numerous students involved in the Writing and Rhetoric Program, which takes the form of either a concentration or a minor.

“The value of an event such as this is that it shows the

scope of the program,” Ellen Bonds, professor in the program, said. “Although English and Communication are the two main departments that sponsor the program, there’s so many connections. This particular connection is Irish Studies and literature.”

O’Donoghue and McInerney’s conversation will also be available as a Center for Irish Studies podcast on YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.

“The Conversation with the Heimbold Chair event brings Irish Studies to life for the community,” Joyce said.

The interdisciplinary event proved a valuable experience for all those in the audience, whether interests in writing, Irish Studies or both drew them to the conversation.

The event was held in Falvey Memorial Library. Ryan Sarbello/Villanovan Photography.

Father Peter Announces 2023 Commencement Speaker

Lydia McFarlane Co-News Editor

Continued from p. 1

2011. The Hollywood Report and Morning Consult poll named Holt the “most-trusted television news personality in America.”

On top of all of these honors and awards, he has received multiple Emmy Awards and a Robert F. Kennedy Journalism award. A Black man, he was named “Journalist of the Year” by the National Association of Black Journalists.

Holt is well-known for his on-the-ground reporting, reporting from the scenes of major events, including in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, in Uvalde, Texas following the deadly shooting in a school and from the scene of natural disasters such as Hurricane Ian in Florida.

Fr. Peter believes students will be excited about this year’s speaker being Lester Holt.

“[I] think they’ll recognize the name, and I think they’ll recognize him,” he said.

The search for a commencement speaker began months ago. Fr. Peter shared that the search typically starts back in August, around the beginning of the fall semester. He shared how difficult it is to get people, especially the busy professionals that the University scouts out

as potential commencement speakers, to look so far ahead in their calendars. The University also has a tradition of giving the speaker an honorary degree as their payment for taking the job, so many people turn the opportunity down because of the lack of monetary pay.

The University also searches for certain qualities in a speaker. Fr. Peter said the University wants to ensure that the speaker has something to share with students that students would find interesting or learn a life lesson from.

The question Fr. Peter asks himself while conducting the search for a speaker is, “Are their values in line with ours?”

Last year, the community erupted with commentary on the original lack of a commencement speaker at the ceremony for the Class of 2022 before Jay Wright was approved by the University board to be the speaker. However, this did not change the process of searching for a commencement speaker, Fr. Peter shared.

“I think he will have a message to offer to the graduates,” Fr. Peter said about Holt.

Fr. Peter closed the conversation by wishing the Class of 2023 “good luck” with these last few weeks of the semester, saying he looks forward to sharing more well wishes with the class at their graduation.

Legal Interpreter Mentors Demand Better Wages

conversation to increase wages for mentors, as when he returned to the program as a graduate student, the pay was still the same. At first, HR agreed to increase the mentors’ pay from $10 to $12.50 an hour, but then froze all wage increases and sent out a survey to assess student wages across campus instead. After all of this, dining services was granted higher wages, but not the mentors.

The situation escalated when the mentors met with Bo Connell, Associate Dean for Finance, Administration & Strategy at the law school.

“That meeting was really discouraging, and I think we all left feeling defeated and disrespected because the least that was insinuated was that we were doing our job because of the money,” Rozas-Rivera said. “Considering that all but one of [the mentors] are either children of immigrants or immigrants ourselves, it’s just an incredible thing to insinuate. We’re all extremely connected to these cases and that does not mean that we don’t have a right to still demand to be paid fairly.”

“I know, for me at least, that was a big slap in the face because I had chosen to spend my two years in grad school doing my research assistantship and also working at the law school,” Rosado said. “I chose that, I wanted to do that because I had a connection [there]. I had been in the clinics for a long time, and a lot of the clients I’ve known since 2019.”

Rosado further detailed not only the technical skills involved in interpreting—being fluent in two

languages (including the many dialects of Spanish), maintaining the flow of conversation between clients and student lawyers and overseeing the internship—but also the emotional toil that comes from doing this work.

“Even though you know that it’s not your story, it’s very hard for your subconscious to differentiate that when you’re repeating it in the first person over and over again,” Rosado said. “It was very frustrating to try and get that message across [to Connell], and it felt like we were being completely iced out and woefully misunderstood.”

“The hardest [part of our job] is how to deal with the emotional weight of the cases and translating in the first person while doing it professionally,” Gonzalez added. “It’s not only about your professional skills, but you as a person and how you are treating another human being when you have to translate their traumatic story. We are all from different backgrounds and we can relate to what some immigrants go through—some of us are immigrants ourselves, some of us have immigrant parents—so it’s [also] something that is particularly touching to our own stories.”

April 3rd was the first day the mentors did not report to work. It took more than a week for HR to schedule a meeting with them, giving them less than 24-hour notice. This time, the mentors spoke with Connell, Ray Duffy (Associate Vice President of Human Resources and Affirmative Action Officer) and Rabbia Evans (Senior Director, Compensation & HR Strategy).

“I did feel a little bit more seen this time around,” Rosado said. “Ray Duffy was the lead for this meeting, and I think he did a way better job of making us feel like human beings that were being wronged.”

Rozas-Rivera agreed, noting that administration took accountability for their actions.

“I think one big difference and one of the things that really reassured us from this meeting was that for the first time, we saw somebody admitting wrong from everything that had happened,” Rozas-Rivera said.

During the meeting, it was explained that there are different tiers of pay for student workers: the first tier is $10, the second is $11.50, the third, which involves advanced technical jobs, is $13 and the fourth, which involves managerial positions, is $15. The mentors spent the meeting proving that, at the very least, they fall into the managerial positions tier, as there is always at least one mentor in the clinic from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and they are the people that both interns and student lawyers turn to consistently for assistance.

From the meeting, HR committed to increasing the mentors’ wages to $15 an hour, effective April 17th, which is when they returned to work. HR also committed to continue deliberations about further increasing that wage to $17 an hour and meeting again with the mentors in two weeks.

The mentors also learned that, at the law school, research assistants will be receiving $15 an hour wages, and after a certain number of hours accumulated in this role, they can increase to up to $18. The mentors, who have spent well over the 130 hours accumulated in just the internship, would like to see the same process implemented for them.

“With a little bit of training, the interpreters can be research assistants, but with a lot of training, research assistants cannot be interpreters,” Rozas-Rivera said, quoting

a professor who works with both research assistants and mentors.

It is especially important to keep the conversation about wages going, as the mentors hope to grow the internship program and attract more students to replace those who will be graduating.

Overall, throughout this process, the mentors felt supported by their peers, faculty and the student lawyers especially. However, as Rozas-Rivera reiterated, there is plenty of room for improvement, given that the stalling over wages targeted a specific community on campus.

“We did feel very supported, but we know that Villanova has a commitment to help immigrants and [promote] justice and equity,” Rozas-Rivera said. “Most of our staff are from Latino backgrounds, so we are very much an equity issue because often we’re all going here either on scholarship or financial aid, and we need the money. One way to get that is to be fairly compensated for the skills that we are already bringing in, [which] is an issue beyond Villanova. People often get asked to do their jobs in two different languages and they do not get compensated for that, and they should, so this is not just us.”

Rosado had parting words for other student workers who are feeling neglected, encouraging them to not be afraid to exercise their right to organize.

“I’m sure that there’s a lot of jobs on campus that feel equally as disrespected and disregarded for the work that they do,” Rosado said. “I would just remind them to not lose hope and to advocate for yourself, because if you never start the conversation, it’s never going to be had.”

Award winning NBC journalist Lester Holt will speak at this year’s graduation. Courtesy of NBC News.

Katie Reed News Columnist

Continued from p. 1

University Hosts Annual Anti-Poverty Symposium

Zoe Garrett Staff Writer

On Tuesday, April 18th, Villanova hosted its second-annual Anti-Poverty Symposium, an event that boasted the motto “Unitas in Action: Fighting Poverty and Living Sustainably.” There were a total of seven 50-minute panels, which spotlighted a variety of guests, from respected bishops to bestselling authors to founders of environmental organizations and more. The second panel honored three highly accomplished writers, educators and environmentalists: Naomi Klein, Raj Patel and Bill McKibben.

The panel addressed a variety of questions and issues surrounding the pressing issue of global climate change and the increasing need to address it. The discussion opened soberly with McKibben, the moderator. “What can we realistically and legitimately hope for?” he asked the panel.

To answer this question, Patel frankly shared that he “has a very dim view of hope.” He went on to explain that hope often comes in the form of words and thoughts, not actions. Therefore, in his opinion, what matters even more than just having the idea of hope is the ability to take action to make change.

“Change is going to be inevitable, and [we] are going to win,” Patel said, to which the crowd responded with applause.

“Hope is something that we earn, not something we just wake up with,” Klein said.

Both panelists agreed on the point that hope is not a feeling one feels unwarranted, and instead must be supported with tangible cause and action. She continued to say that while she may not have hope in every moment, she does have humility– humility that she does not know exactly what will happen next. Indeed, in the unprecedented times in which we live, one can never be fully certain what will happen next regarding the climate crisis.

“I appreciated that the panelists’ discussion about hope was very real and did not seem superficial in any way,” freshman Jordyn Mann said. “I feel like so often we hear about blind hope, so to hear about

thinking of the importance of a more physical course of action was really powerful.”

The panel also discussed the relevance of considering other issues in tandem with climate change. McKibben prompted Klein with the term “everything-ness” that she writes about in some of her works and asked her how we should go about talking about this all-including idea. Klein began the discussion by noting the impossibility of thinking of the climate crisis as an entirely differentiated issue from other, large social issues in play both nationally and globally

“When climate fighting is paired with fighting white supremacy, with fighting poverty, with fighting

hunger, you don’t have to choose between caring about issues of the present and the issue of the abstract thing called ‘the planet,’” she stated, thus weaving together the seemingly separate matters. She described how, when all these smaller issues are portrayed as one problem, people can band together and fight it in with the common goal of change.

Environmental justice emerged as one of the final topics covered by the panelists. Klein stated that, although actors in certain industries in some cases know what they must do to fight climate change, they do not want to actualize those steps because it would jeopardize their social and economic hegemony. It is not just the huge corporations that will have to concede their luxurious lifestyle, but “the over-consumers of us have to reckon with less,” Naomi Klein said.

Klein closed the panel with a powerful reflection on the role of social hierarchies within these crises, and the concept that every environmental decision made comes with detrimental human consequences. “Fossil fuels are cheap because lives of certain groups around the world are treated as cheap,” Klein said. “The ranking of life in a pyramid is at the heart of this crisis. Instead, [we must recognize] we live in a circle.”

The panel explored a variety of concepts that related the symposium’s themes of anti-poverty and sustainability to a multitude of other contexts. Patel and Klein’s views provided a clearer view of theses issues.

University Receives Grant for Veterans’ Services

On April 17th, 2023, Villanova University announced a $1.25 million dollar donation from Brian F. Prince as an endowment for the Director of the Office of Veterans and Military Services. Prince, President and CEO of Hegemon Capital, Inc., has funded the Veterans Resource Center at Villanova, and has cumulatively granted the school more than $2.5 million dollars for military and veteran services at Villanova, helping a multitude of veteran students receive their well-earned Villanova degree.

Villanova is dedicated to ensuring that those who attend Villanova hold true to the three categories of Unitas, Caritas and Veritas; categories also seen within the United States Military. The grants gifted by the Prince family help ensure these students are able to engage in the Villanova community without worrying about the rising costs of education in the United States.

Villanova’s Office of Veterans and Military Service Members was founded in 2018, and since then has received almost $8 million dollars in donations in the short five years since its founding. The Office is dedicated to helping veterans reach their full potential, whether it be personal, academic and professional.

“Villanova University is committed to ensuring stu -

dent-veterans have access to a world-class education and professional development opportunities, and are successful in the classroom and beyond,” Mike Brown, the Prince Family Director in the Office of Veterans and Military Service Members, said. “Brian’s continued support has made our goals a reality. We want to be more than just veteran-friendly; we want to be veteran-inclusive and ready to give veterans, service members and their families a place to learn, grow and succeed. I cannot thank Brian enough for his support and commitment.”

The impact of Prince’s donation has had equal effects on the mindset of students, in addition to those who work for the office.

“With the rising cost of tuition in the United States, it is crucial that Universities have funds set aside for those who academically deserve the same education, but may not be able to afford it,” freshman Marissa Bastian said.

“Prince’s grant to the University is such a gift that will allow more and more service members who were willing to serve our nation and put their lives on the line the opportunity to receive a Villanova degree and education.”

Villanova has strong ties to the military, dating as far back as World War II. Even today, the University holds a strong history of service, as well as a variety of ROTC programs. The University’s Yellow Ribbon Project has also been expanded, a program dedicated to helping veterans and their dependents fund tuition. Villanova

now has a record-high 50 students participating.

“We are proud to support Villanova University and the Office of Veteran and Military Service Members with its mission of providing the support and space for student-veterans to get their Villanova degrees,” Prince said. “The University’s long-standing tradition of supporting military service members and nurturing individuals dedicated to lifelong learning, critical thinking and commitment to community is in direct harmony with what veterans can offer as civic leaders following their service to our country.”

The grant provided by Prince will help a multitude of veteran students pursuing their higher education for years to come.

Panelists speak at the anti-poverty symposium. Gabi Frank / Villanovan Photography.

Lauren Armstrong Staff Writer

Office of Veterans and Military Service Members received a million dollar grant. Courtesy of Villanova University.

The grant helped the veteran services. Courtesy of @novavets_ on Instagram.

Public Safety Swears in New Community Canine

Hannah Sweeney Co-News Editor

This past week on campus, the Villanova student body welcomed the newest member of the Public Safety Department: a dog. Taffy, a Golden Retriever and Labrador mix, is a two-year old female who was brought to Villanova as the first-ever dog in the new Community Canine program. This program was established with the goal of providing students and staff with alternative forms of support on campus.

To find Taffy, the Villanova Public Safety Department researched and contacted several different organizations. With the help of Deputy Chief Police Debora Patch and Taffy’s current caretaker, Officer Amy Lenahan, Villanova decided on the organization “Paws with a Cause.” “Paws with a Cause” is centered in Michigan and works to custom train dogs to become assistant animals for people with varying disabilities. In addition to guide dogs and service dogs, they also train therapy dogs, such as Taffy.

“It’s funny, when Taffy was a puppy, she ate cement so they didn’t think she would make a good service dog,” Lenahan said. “But her love for people and temperament made her a great fit for a therapy dog.”

Because of this love for people, Taffy specializes in motivating, socializing and comforting individuals. In hopes to use her skills to provide students with a friendly face around campus, Villanova chose Taffy for the

out the week for any student or faculty

celebrate the new addition to the Public Safety team. Held at the Rowen Campus Green, the ceremony included short speeches from Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. and Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police David Tedjeske. Additionally, III Magisterial District Judge, Honorable Leon Hunter, facilitated the official swearing in of Taffy with a short oath. Afterwards, members of the Public Safety Team as well as students and faculty, congregated outside for food, cupcakes and to meet Taffy.

Members of the community greeted Taffy with pets and smiles. Many even stopped to take pictures with her.

Student Emma Conlin was one of many able to meet her after the ceremony.

“Taffy is beyond sweet, and I am so excited for her to make a positive impact on other Villanova students,” Conlin shared.

Student Emily Schoonover also expressed her excitement.

“I think the Community Canine program is a really good idea,” Schoonover said. “My freshman year I went to a lot of the weekly pet therapy sessions the school would host and it was always such a fun way to relieve all the stress from work. Having a dog like Taffy around always cheers people up.”

Katie Reed News Columnist

On April 18th, author, editor and critic Steph Cha arrived on Villanova’s campus as the fourth and final speaker in the 2023 Literary Festival. She did a reading from her book Your House Will Pay, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the California Book Award, and then answered the questions of those gathered in Falvey Library’s Speaker’s Corner.

The Literary Festival is run alongside a supplemental course entitled Authors On and Off the Page, taught by English professors Adrienne Perry and Tsering Wangmo. Two students from the class who introduced Cha at the event, Rachel Rhee and Keenlyn Kilgore, provided their insight into both the course and the Literary Festival.

“Authors On and Off the Page has been one of my favorite courses I’ve taken this semester,” Rhee said. “I think that the format of the class is really unique, and it gives us a lot of unique opportunities to connect with authors that we might not be able to read or go meet otherwise. The professors AGP and Tsering Wangmo have been just amazing and such great mentors.”

“I think that it is a very well thought-out and planned course,” Kilgore added. “I really like that the course was split up so that we would read both poetry and prose works by authors and discuss with

progress

and is a very quick learner,” Lenahan said. “She already knows seven commands and is trained not to bark.”

Each week, Taffy will be walking around campus and engaging with students as they walk to class and

As Taffy was not trained to be a K-9 police dog, Lenahan explained that “[Taffy’s] main job is just to make people smile. She is here to provide comfort for staff and students, or anyone going through a difficult time.”

Last Wednesday, the University hosted a swearing-in ceremony to

Villanova faculty members and members of the Public Safety Department look forward to having a new member of the community.

“We are so glad she found her forever home here at Villanova,” Tedjeske said in his speech.

Author Steph Cha Attends Final Literary Fest

them their process, while also creating our own works of fiction. Also, AGP and Tsering did a phenomenal job at structuring the class and teaching us more about craft and how it works in creating pieces of literature.”

Both Rhee and Kilgore appreciate the diverse works incorporated into the Literary Festival, in addition to the personal connection they get to establish with authors when they come to campus.

“It’s been exciting to see so many [students] passionate to come see these authors that give their time to come visit us at Villanova,” Rhee said.

“The Lit Festival is a lot of fun, and I think it is really special that we are able to not only read works with authors, but then get to have conversations with them and go to readings where other people can also ask questions,” Kilgore said.

Kilgore, who had read Your House Will Pay before, was thrilled to have Cha in class.

Rhee emphasized how intimate of an experience it was, “getting up close and personal” with Cha.

“It was a huge room with lots of kids listening in, and it was a really great experience,” Rhee said. “It was so great to be able to ask her questions about the work that we have been studying for the past couple of weeks of school. She definitely shined a new light on her novel and what it was like

to write these two very different perspectives of the main characters Grace and Shawn, so it was lovely and we were very lucky to have her come to our class in addition to hearing her [speak] later that night.”

Cha’s novel, based on the real-life murder of Latasha Harlins that came just weeks after the beating of Rodney King at the hands of the police in the 1990s, is “a powerful and taut novel about racial tensions in LA, following two families, one Korean-American, one African-American, grappling with the effects of a decades-old crime.”

Rhee felt a strong personal connection to the novel, adding to her excitement as a presenter.

“I was really excited to be a presenter for Steph Cha,” Rhee said. “One of the characters in her novel is from a Korean-American family, so the little details and jokes that some people may not pick up on, I definitely picked up on, since I’m from a Korean-Indonesian household. A lot of the struggles and experiences are the same, so I was really excited to be able to introduce her and give her the praise that she deserves coming to Villanova.”

Kilgore’s prior experience with the novel made it especially important to her to do justice to Cha’s work when presenting.

“[Presenting] was very nerve racking, especially because I have had time to build up this respect and love for her novel,” Kilgore said. “I just wanted to make

sure in the introduction that I fully encompassed it and represented its themes correctly, especially since Cha herself was going to be there. I really enjoyed being able to show the impact the book had on me.”

Kilgore found the historical context of the novel to be the most compelling, as it showed her the impact of the Los Angeles race riots through the dual perspectives of its protagonists.

“The thing that has stuck with me for two years is this conversation Grace has with her dad,” Kilgore said. “He explains that he believes the only reason there was so much news coverage for her mother’s trial was because a week or two before, the videos were released of the Rodney King beating, so the police and government were trying to shift the focus. It was just really interesting because it brings up this question of who is controlling the tension between these two communities, what do they gain from it and how are they making sure it stays between the communities instead of shifting to the government which is controlling it.”

Rhee and Kilgore both raved about the class and encouraged students to not only take the course, but to also open themselves up to trying new books that they might not normally read, as they have done in this course. They are especially grateful to Perry and Wangmo for being so dedicated to both the course and its students, allowing them to have such a great experience.

Fossil Free Villanova Hosts Demonstration

Nicole Liddicoat Staff Writer

Fossil fuels are the world’s leading source of global warming pollution due to excessive carbon dioxide emission. Villanova University divests itself from industries based on “morality vs. profitability.” The fossil fuel industry, however, is not found on this list, despite its’ overwhelmingly harmful impact. Villanova currently holds $48 million of its endowment to be “indirectly” invested in fossil fuels.

Fossil Free Villanova (FFV), a student-led campaign, aims to bring this issue to light and advocate for environmental justice through conversation with faculty. The administration’s response has sparked outrage from the student body, with groups like Fossil Free Villanova stepping up to campaign for a sustainable endowment plan and against the University’s harmful investment practices.

A press release by FFV announced that, when questioned about their detrimental investments, the Villanova Investment Board of Trustees claimed that “it is not [its] responsibility to create a world in which we do not have to use fossil fuels in our day-to-day lives,” precisely because it believes that it should not be “expected to find sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels when the developing world isn’t.” This response to the climate issue implores the student body to educate and advise the administration on environmentally regenerative practices.

On April 21st, an on-campus climate demonstration broke out amidst the Friday afternoon heat with guest speakers, marching and witty signage. Students witnessed their peers parading through campus shouting chants, such as “Hey! Ho! Fossil fuels have got to go!”

The group began at the Oreo, where Gabriella Slentz, a leader of the FFV campaign, vocalized her disappointment with the University’s “rose-tinted glasses.” Her passion for this issue brought out a crowd of students and supporters. Slentz and many others do not understand how “fossil fuel investments are not the same caliber as issues involving human life.”

As students marched, senior biology major Olivia Fedio spoke on how the administration is doing an injustice to its student body by turning away from issues that plague the campus. She recognized that creating a widespread impact can be difficult, suggesting one reason the administration might shy away from their responsibility.

“Championing the divest movement is something small [that can] have a much larger impact,” Fedio stated.

The University should be proud of the young activists it has created and, in turn, listen to the powerful words they have to say. Fedio noted that “knowledge is painful,” yet we can use this knowledge to our advantage to create real change.

FFV was joined by Fossil Free

UPenn. Member Megha Neelapu, a junior at University of Pennsylvania, called out established universities nationwide that seemingly have the funds to invest in projects without excessive use of fossil fuel technology.

She expressed that these “universities have millions and billions of dollars with [the] ability to fix these problems,” yet they “take no action.”

Issues like climate divestment can unite schools in the area that want to enact change for the good. Neelapu emphasized that universities “who want to continue to pitch themselves as global leaders” must do something for climate justice to stay that way.

The group moved towards Mendel Hall, where an Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT) member spoke about advocating for a sustainable and just economy. EQAT campaign organizer, Lina Blount, spoke about the long fight that will ensue over climate justice. Blount stated that it is in our hands to “take on these big institutions” and do something about our future.

She mentioned that Villanova has an advantage over other campuses because the University already places value-based filters on its investments. We must advocate for justice because divesting from the fossil fuel industry should share similar significance to other leading issues.

The last stop was the church, where those gathered heard from Cathy Nguyen, a senior majoring in theology and peace and justice. She desperately urged Villanova, as an

Augustinian University, to follow its values and meet at the intersection of faith and justice. Nguyen commented on the administration’s “horrifying” response to the groups’ requests for divestment.

“This is not the Villanova that I have come to know and love,” she expressed.

The overall impact of this demonstration was positive between students and faculty alike.

A first-year student, Reetika Agarwal, joined the march.

“I was surprised to hear about [Villanova’s investment],” she said. “I hope that the protest, along with the other efforts of Fossil Free Villanova, encourage[s] Villanova to reevaluate their endowment.”

Stephanie Sena, an anti-poverty fellow at the Villanova Law School, instructed students, as a part of a social activism class, to create a campaign for which they are passionate. FFV was born from this project. Sena commented on the protest and a call to action for students to get involved.

“[We] need broad support… to leverage our privilege [and] fight for a better world for ourselves and future generations,” Sena said.

The Fossil Free Villanova group urges the student body to take action. Students can visit its Instagram @fossilfreevillanova and support it by copying and pasting the email link on its page and sending it to the Office of the President and the Board of Trustees.

Fetterman’s Return to Senate Poses Challenges

Chad Woerner Staff Writer

After April’s Congressional recess and six weeks on medical leave for depression and an array of mental health issues, Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has completed his first full week back in the chamber.

Fetterman has had an outpouring of support from both sides of the aisle during his treatment.

Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith, Pennsylvania Democratic Senator Bob Casey and Alabama Republican Katie Britt paid visits to his treatment room at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

In the past month and a half, Fetterman’s struggles have brought mental health in politics to the forefront, and his experience has helped other members of Congress to realize the gravity of his situation.

While many members of Congress have worked around disabilities in the past, Fetterman’s current condition presents a unique challenge for the daily tasks of a senator.

Dan Crenshaw, former Navy SEAL and current representative from Texas, wears an eyepatch on the floor as a result of losing an eye during combat in Afghanistan. Bob Dole, Republican Senate Majority leader in the mid 80s and later in the mid 90s, learned to write with his left hand

because of a damaged right arm from World War II. Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs while deployed in Iraq in 2004, has shown she belongs, too. In fact, according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking, Duckworth’s “Legislative Effectiveness Score” was the 11th highest out of the 48 total Democrats in the Senate.

However, no Senator has ever had to return to the floor after enduring a severe stroke in the aftermath of a highly publicized Senate race. Fetterman has acknowledged that the tense race between him and Republican Dr. Oz further exacerbated his depression and has contributed to his unstable start to his term as Senator.

Skeptics rightly doubt whether he can effectively fulfill his role, and they have a long list of compelling concerns.

Since his stroke, Fetterman has suffered from increasingly poor hearing. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Fetterman has been walking around the Capitol with an aide carrying an iPad that transcribes conversations to help add further communicative transparency beyond the capability of his hearing aids alone.

Still, his hearing loss prevents him from participating in Senate meetings and conversations with the same speed and mental processing as a healthy person, and the transcription software leads to even more hesitation and delays.

Given the highly impromptu nature of a day in the Senate and the frequent, spontaneous conversations that are viewed as essential to the job, this assistance will continue to inhibit his ability to debate legislation connect with other members of progress, but so far, he has been very persistent in making an effort with transcription technology. His office includes large monitors that display transcripts of conversations during meetings.

What is more problematic is Fetterman’s ongoing slurred speech. This past week, he led a hearing in the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics and Research.

He struggled to get through his opening remarks, including a discussion of SNAP Employment and Training, a federal program offering employment training, transportation, childcare and other basic necessities.

Republicans have questioned Fetterman’s suggestion to increase funding to this program, a part of a larger farm bill, and Fetterman’s stumbling propositions certainly didn’t have a positive effect on the opposing point of view.

The ability to communicate clearly is essential in the Senate, and given that most neurological improvement is not likely to keep getting better after a year’s time, Fetterman’s path looking forward is grim.

Nonetheless, the Philadelphia Inquirer stressed Fetterman’s

work ethic to best fulfill his duty, reporting the remarks of Fetterman’s Chief of Staff Adam Jentelson.

“[Fetterman] wants to be accessible and wants to answer questions and with a little trial and error, we’ll figure out a system,” Jentelson said. “He’s not gonna be hiding.”

Indeed, Fetterman’s accomplishments in his return have been admirable and are without doubt an important step forward for the Senate’s often stigmatizing view of members with mental health issues.

Even still, his ongoing challenges will clearly hamper his effectiveness as a legislator in the remainder of his six-year term.

Questions remain prevalent about whether or not the senator will be able to fully participate in congressional subcommittees that align with his political priorities. In an interview with NPR, Fetterman has admitted he is “not the kind of senator” Pennsylvania deserves.

The months ahead will be busy for Fetterman and the Senate, with no prolonged recess until a 30-day break in August. Fetterman will have to continue to adapt quickly and work around a professional environment that has presented enormous challenges to his condition.

As it is, Fetterman is not in position to be an effective politician, and the costs of his incompetence could be devastating for Pennsylvania and beyond.

Filing Taxes is Daunting, but Resources Help

Jackie Thomas Co-Opinion Editor

Although it is perhaps the least exciting holiday to think about, Tax Day is an annual occurrence that should matter to college students more and more as we take on higher-paying jobs and look to enter the professional workforce for the first time. That date, anticipated by few and dreaded by many, fell on April 18th this year.

For anyone who has not yet had the pleasure of celebrating, Tax Day refers to the deadline to file tax returns or to file for extensions to the IRS each year. Getting together the many documents, bills and paychecks necessary to file returns proves to be a headache, even for the most seasoned of the taxable population. The task is even more daunting for those who are less financially literate, with potentially serious consequences for mistakes.

Of course, this confusion may apply to many students or young professionals. It is an age-old story that high schools and even universities do not do enough to educate their students about “real life skills,” like filing and understanding taxes.

Students here at Villanova feel this stress acutely.

“I feel like filing tax returns

and other financial skills were something I always just assumed I would know when I was older,” junior Carly McNulty said. “But there’s never really been a resource to help me learn. It honestly stresses me out to think about having to deal with it all in the years ahead.”

Indeed, the process is daunting and seems incredibly overwhelming to the inexperienced tax-filer. It can feel like drowning in an alphabet soup of forms and documents - the W-2, the W-4, the 1099-a and on and on.

And if it seems mind-boggling to the likes of you and me, imagine the situation in the shoes of someone facing more extenuating circumstances. Think, for example, about refugee clients of the Philadelphia-based refugee non-profit HIAS Pennsylvania. As an intern at HIAS, it was eye-opening to realize how much more difficult language and cultural barriers make this process (along with many others).

Thankfully in that case, Campaign for Working Families (CWF), another Philadelphia non-profit organization, stepped in to offer free tax preparation and filing services to HIAS clients this year. This support, involving language interpretation and help to understand the process more generally, made a world of difference for

the refugees that partook in the tax assistance event.

Assistance programs, events or workshops are not necessarily uncommon, but finding them does require proactive searching. In fact, some of these services exist here on campus.

For example, the Villanova Law School offers a federal tax clinic, in which law students work with low-income individuals and families who would not otherwise understand the bureaucratic and confusing system. Additionally and similarly, the Tax Law Society on campus offers the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program, which allows student volunteers to learn tax filing basics and then volunteer to help members of the fixed-income population in the Philadelphia area file their own taxes.

These programs are valuable and important to help those in our area who do not have the resources or support to effectively handle the tax filing process on their own, but it still does leave the question of where students themselves can go for help.

Of course, volunteering for the tax clinic as a law student or for VITA would help build tax skills, but not all students who need help have the ability to make the time commitment to a full-fledged

volunteer obligation.

To help bridge that gap for students, VITA actually began offering assistance recently to faculty, staff and students along with members of the community that they had historically already served. This past tax season, for example, they offered assistance for those needing tax help on campus on March 19th.

It is helpful that CWF, the federal tax clinic, VITA and other valuable organizations offer these important services, but the fact that they are so necessary to such a massive part of the population is indicative of a greater systemic problem.

The tax system should be less cripplingly bureaucratic and complicated, and filing taxes (including how the process works and what purpose it serves) should be a mandatory part of high school curricula.

As something that will affect every American adult with a job, which ideally would ideally be every high schooler in the future, this is an important skill that would serve young Americans well to understand.

However, systemic change takes time and cannot be guaranteed. In the meantime, it is vital that we as students, and other Americans, take initiative to find the helpful resources that are out there.

EDITORIAL BOARD LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

COLIN BEAZLEY

VIVI MELKONIAN

MATT RYAN

JACKIE THOMAS

BELLA IRWIN

Editor-in-Chief

Editor-in-Chief

Associate Editor-in-Chief

Opinion Editor

Opinion Editor

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

POLICY

The unsigned editorial that appears is the opinion of The Villanovan as 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.

Professors Should Feel Comfortable Changing Syllabi

With the end of the se mester rapidly approaching, there is only so much more time left to cover the important topics in a class. What if the most important topics have been saved for last, but suddenly there does not seem to be enough time to reach them? A professor should not be opposed to changing their syllabus.

I have heard that a syllabus is a binding contract between a professor and their students, but I disagree. Life happens. Time passes. There is no possible way to know how the semester will go when planning for it beforehand. A syllabus should not be some thing to be beholden to.

In my mind, a syllabus serves as a guide or a general idea for the structure of a class. Things like grading procedures, academic expectations and assessment for mats should probably not change, but the course schedule absolutely can.

My one request, if a profes sor decides to change something, is to give their students a little bit of notice. I am someone who likes to plan ahead, so last-minute disruptions to my schedule often frustrate me and hinder my work performance.

With that being said, I still

However, my professor was very concerned that this was violating student trust because it was an edit made to the syllabus, even though he believed it would be more beneficial to our learning if the test was on Monday.

For instances like these, it is beyond acceptable to edit the syllabus, especially when it is diplomatic and far enough in advance. Moving the test was beneficial for both the students and the professor, so I see no reason why anyone would frown upon changes of this

However, in other classes, professors can often spring work on students unexpectedly or move due dates with minimal notice. It is frustrating to learn that the expectations for a paper or project have changed just before its due date or to learn that there is something extra coming up in the next few days with a disproportionately large effect on overall course grades. Changes of this nature contribute to the already high levels of stress at the end of

So, while I think it is okay to make last minute edits to the syllabus if it is in everyone’s best interest, it is important to leave enough time for everyone to mentally prepare for such changes. This should leave both students and professors pleased with their courses.

Amid Stressful Semester, Taffy is Just What We Need

Loghan Hirkey Staff Writer

On April 19th, Villanova welcomed a new member to the com munity. Taffy, a two-year-old, female, yellow Labrador Golden Retriever mix from Michigan was sworn into the Public Safety team.

Not only is Taffy adorable, but I believe she is just what we need on campus.

Taffy’s duties on campus will not only be looking adorable as she walks around, but being a full-functioning therapy dog. She specializes in social interaction, recovery, motiva tion, comfort and providing a feeling of safety.

As someone who often attends the pet therapy offered at Villanova, I can attest that interacting with dogs is always a stress reliever. I think Taffy is a wonderful addition to campus to provide comfort during the stressful moments of college.

What’s more, this is a perfect time for her to come here, with the high tensions of finals week and the end of the school year right around the corner.

around Villanova and know her sole purpose is to give attention and make us feel better.

Sophomore Lila Trollip also expressed her excitement about Taffy being sworn-in.

“The campus really needs this,” Trollip said. “It’s just an event that brings us together after a long semester.”

Students at Villanova are feeling the pressure of classes as finals loom, so this has been a nice addition to our typical day-to-day. Additionally, bringing Taffy to campus is a step in the right direction for Villanova’s care for students’ mental health, as sophomore Pepper Ritchey suggested.

“I think Taffy’s presence is an advancement in showing how Villanova cares for students’ social and emotional well-being,” Ritchey said. “I don’t know many other colleges who would have a swearing-in ceremony for a therapy dog, but I love that Villanova’s community welcomed her in that way.”

According to the Alliance of

I am not the only one excited will inspire us all for years to come.”

Without our dogs here, it will be nice to see a familiar animal walking

Not only is Taffy very cute, but I am sure she will also be providing a lot of comfort to students for years to come at Villanova. Many Villanovans are looking forward to seeing her roaming around campus.

Taffy is a the perfect addition to Villanova’s campus. Graydon Paul/Villanovan Photography

What’s Next: A Freshman’s Year In Review

Sofia Krzewicki Staff Writer

I began watching The West Wing the summer before my senior year of high school. In the show, Jed Bartlet, the principal character and fictional President of the United States, often uses the phrase, “What’s next?”

This stuck with me. Throughout the course of his presidential tenure, Bartlet frequently asks this question of himself and the staff closest to him. The purpose of this signature phrase is to emphasize the importance of moving on, moving forward and moving in the right direction. It is a motto not only applicable to politics, but to life as well.

At that time, I, too, was thinking, “What’s next?” as I was gathering the materials to submit my application to Villanova University. Now, almost two years later, I am here at the school I so desperately wanted to attend, at the end of my freshman year, looking back on a year in which I made “What’s next?” my motto.

A defining aspect of my first year at Villanova has been my involvement in Blue Key. Upon my arrival to campus in August, I knew that the tour guide association on campus was something that I wanted to get involved in, as it played a key role in my decision to attend the University.

Not only did the process of applying and interviewing for Blue Key increase my confidence in my written and oral communication skills,

but my involvement in the organization has also allowed me to give back to Villanova and provide a positive tour experience to prospective students, making them feel welcome on our campus as I was in my junior year of high school.

The pinnacle of my Blue Key experience this year was Admitted Students Day. While I was already committed to Villanova before my own Admitted Students Day, my experience on campus confirmed that I had made the right decision.

I was eager and excited to begin the next part of my academic journey and to seek out “What’s next?” Participating in Admitted Students Day was evidence of the power and impact of the Villanova community.

I would stop and look around to see Blue Key members in their lime-green shirts spread around the Oreo, talking to prospective families, helping each other set up tables for major and involvement fairs, all while going out of their way to ease the pressure felt by members doing their best to make Admitted Students Day an enjoyable experience for all.

Of course, I would be remiss if I neglected a discussion of Villa nova basketball in my year-in review, which is arguably one of the most, if not the most exciting aspect of being a Villanovan.

It was much better getting to watch my favorite players from inside the Finneran Pavilion or the Wells Fargo Center than from my couch at home. At the end of last season,

fans of Villanova basketball asked themselves, “What’s next?” with Jay Wright’s retirement and two star players leaving the team.

In many ways, I feel the Villanova Men’s Basketball team this season and the Class of 2026 had a lot in common, as both were new to the school, both were experiencing new things and both were trying to answer that “What’s next?” question.

I saw our season as an accurate representation of the college years – a period of trial and error, along with occasional victory and plenty of lessons to take with you. And with players moving on to the next chapter of their athletic careers, they too are asking themselves Jed Bartlet’s question.

This is my biggest takeaway

Ultimately, the greatest part of my first year at Villanova has been the connections that I have made. While it was completely and utterly unexpected, I found my greatest friends in my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. It came to me at the perfect time, at a period during my first year when I was desperately looking for an answer to that “What’s next?” question.

The sorority has given me a place to celebrate my individuality, to embrace who I am and to be vulnerable with a group of strong, independent women navigating their college years.

I had no intention of joining a sorority or getting involved with Greek life, but I remembered Father Peter’s words during Orientation

Auto-Theft Inspired by Popular TikTok Challenge

Regan McEnroe Staff Writer

This past week, seventeen states urged the U.S. government to place a recall on millions of Kia and Hyundai vehicles that are at risk of being stolen, thanks to a newly viral TikTok challenge.

Videos populating TikTok pages have shown viewers how to start Kia and Hyundai mod el cars using only a screwdriver and a USB cable. In Los Angeles alone, car theft of these models has increased by nearly 85% and accounts for as much as 20% of all car thefts in the city.

Within the last 10 years, both Kia and Hyundai have re leased cars that do not have an en gine immobilizer. This important feature prevents a car from being started without a key. Without this immobilizer, Kia and Hyundai ve hicles have become subject to the threat of theft.

Beyond the tragedy of a stolen car, this increase in theft has led to even worse consequences. Car crash incidents that led to many teenage deaths have also been linked to this viral challenge, seeming to show that TikTok, perhaps made with the intention of being a fun social media source, has led to danger, fear and even death.

Since this increase in thefts, both Kia and Hyundai have announced they are providing software updates to their vehicles, ensuring that a key is required to

alarm software is being updated to increase the length of an alarm from 30 seconds to one minute. While the companies are scrambling to improve the situation, much harm has already been done.

What is most interesting is that Kia and Hyundai seem to have quickly risen to accept blame, while TikTok and those participating in the challenge have not.

The federal government ordered a recall on all cars of these models, however, did nothing to federally mandate any restrictions

ly targeting teenagers, the main demographic of the app, and these teens are posting videos of themselves stealing and driving the cars using the hashtag “Kia Boys.”

These teenagers are taking the cars for joyrides or even worse, to commit other crimes. And yet, Kia and Hyundai still seem to be taking the majority of the blame in this situation. If this “crisis” is going to teach us anything, it should be that, once again, TikTok is the real danger here.

Though TikTok is a platform that should be used to spread videos about joyful things

like dancing, lifestyle trends and vacations, it has often been used to spread hatred and danger.

Not long ago, a widespread challenge on the app encouraged viewers to overdose on Benadryl in an effort to experience hallucinations. Another challenge encouraged children to hold their breath until they fell unconscious due to a lack of oxygen, which also led to multiple deaths.

Now the app is releasing videos encouraging kids and teenagers to steal cars. As fun and entertaining as TikTok can be, it has also proven to be a problem.

This issue has become so severe that State Farm and Progressive insurance companies have even stopped insuring Kia and Hyundai models that are vulnerable to being stolen.

This is only perpetuating financial and legal problems for victims of these auto-thefts. While Kia and Hyundai seek to right these wrongs, much irreversible damage has already been done.

It is unclear how many more dangerous and harmful trends will be released on this app until it becomes abundantly clear that TikTok has grown to be a real societal danger.

It is only a matter of time before worse challenges are released, compelling viewers to commit unthinkable crimes. It is important to get ahead of this while it is still possible.

TikTok needs restrictions and, in the end, may ultimately need to disappear.

As the end of the semester approaches, freshmen Sofia Krzewicki reflects on her first year at Villanova. Brian Luppy/Villanovan Photography

An increase in car thefts and teenage deaths are all tied to a popular TikTok challange. Brian Luppy/Villanovan Photography

CULTURE

Cammie Norman’s “Will You Accept This Rose”

Chloe Miller Co-Culture Editor

Ghris Marrison arrives on stage. A cue card is held up, reading “CLAP.” The audience does as it is told. This may feel like a live taping of The Bachelor, but this is not Los Angeles. This is the opening scene to Cammie Norman’s feminist satire

“Will

You Accept This Rose?”

On Wednesday, April 19th and Thursday, April 20th, Norman, a senior in Villanova’s Communication Department, presented her senior thesis performance, which allowed her to explore whether watching reality TV makes one a “bad feminist.”

The inspiration for Norman’s play stemmed from a character she created in her Theories of Performance Studies course.

“We were tasked with compiling a comedic monologue and delivering a two-minute bit of playing a certain character,” Norman said. “I chose this Bachelor piece, and I embodied this really exaggerated satirical character of this woman that goes on The Bachelor. I didn’t really think much of it. I’m a really big Bachelor fan, so it was natural to do that piece.”

After receiving positive feedback on her character, Brittany, Norman began to question why people resonated with her so deeply. In “Will You Accept This Rose?” Norman rethinks and deepens the character of Brittany, alongside a variety of other contestants, producers and a host of a show based on The Bachelor.

During her Qualitative Research course in the fall of 2022, Norman began compiling research to help guide her through her senior thesis performance and understand how to ethically perform gendered bodies. The actual script writing process began in the winter. Knowing that she wanted to create a feminist satire,

Bailey Quinn Staff Writer

Norman worked to highlight female voices throughout the show.

“The whole root of the show is that it’s a feminist satire and, while the content of the show ought to be feminist, I also wanted the methods of creating the show to be feminist,” Norman said. “That included going to my actors, specifically my female actresses and hearing their opinions.”

The story went from simply being Norman’s to being a story that was crafted by her accompanying actors. One of Norman’s priorities was highlighting the actors’ voices.

“This isn’t my story anymore,” Norman said. “This is our story. This is everything that we are creating together.”

With a last-minute change to the final line, Norman’s show came together and premiered in the Communication Department Theatre.

“Will You Accept This Rose,” was an interactive experience for the audience. Those in the audience of Norman’s performance played the role of the live audience for the fictional television show based on the play’s name. In under two hours, “Will You Accept This Rose?” details an entire season of the reality television show, complete with an engagement at the end. The audience explored both the on-screen and off-screen dynamics of reality TV. The show alternated between the filming of the fake reality show and showing conversations behind the curtain that never air.

Ghris Marrison, played by Derek Lattmann, introduces the five women vying for the heart of bachelor Nick Daly, played by Kristian Williamson. The women include Brittany, an actor posing as the ditz, played by Norman; Brianna, the intelligent frontrunner, played by Aaliyah Abdelhadi; Vanessa, the producer-constructed villain, played by Violet Bennett;

country girl Hannah B. played by Madigan Reens and Bekah, the single mother and sob story, played by Bianca Brucker. Each contestant was brought on the show to fit a specific, gendered archetype.

Kylie Horan, who plays Vivian King, and Monroe Byer, who plays Trent Fleiss, are the producers of the fake television show “Will You Accept This Rose?” They constantly feud with each other and work as the masterminds behind which woman is eliminated and who becomes engaged. With their show in jeopardy of being canceled, they are determined to make this season perfect.

Throughout the show, the audience watched as the women fought, sometimes, literally, for Nick. One by one, women are eliminated, almost exclusively by the producers’ doings. Throughout the play, the audience clapped, booed and cheered on the women alongside their journeys to find love.

At the forefront of the show is Vanessa. Despite being shown as the villain, Vanessa is an MIT graduate with a Nobel Prize. The audience watched as the producers worked to dumb her down, manipulate her conversations with Nick and ultimately ruin her chances of finding love and getting engaged.

Nick and Brianna become engaged by the end of the season, leaving Vanessa heartbroken. Understanding the manipulation she has gone through, Vanessa confronts Vivian, critiquing her on her exploitation of the women and asking why she values pageants over science fairs. Vivian urges Vanessa to question why little girls love love and why the show is successful. In the end, they conclude that “nobody can beat the game.”

By the end of the play, the women get together for a fictional reunion episode, where they call out the influence the producers have and the stereotypes

they were made to fit. The women prove that they can be multifaceted. The show, despite receiving high ratings, is canceled, but Vivian comes to terms with the fate of the show and even goes out for a drink with co-producer Trent.

Norman’s play urges those to rethink their notions of reality television. She portrays the blatant manipulation, scripting and stereotyping that occurs on shows such as The Bachelor. With Vivian, however, Norman adds a second voice to the narrative. This voice urges the audience to enjoy reality television for what it is, but to watch with a critical eye.

“We can take a look at reality television shows like The Bachelor and understand it through a critical lens,” Norman said. “I think something that is super fun about the show is that I don’t hate The Bachelor and I don’t fully love The Bachelor. I’m a feminist who watches The Bachelor, and I can recognize the anti-feminist aspects of it. It’s about having the audience look within themselves and think the next time they consume this media.”

More so, Norman wanted to portray the fact that popular culture is something that shapes the world.

“Popular culture does mean something,” Norman said. “It’s meaning-making and world-building. When you toss aside reality television, which is something that is very celebrated specifically within womanhood, that is tossing aside these meaning structures of the way that we perceive gender, the way that we perceive heteronormativity and heterosexual relationships and, honestly, how we manufacture this ‘ideal’ woman.”

As the curtain closed on “the most dramatic season of Will You Accept This Rose?” audience members shared laughs and learned the true reality of reality television.

A Preview of VSMT’s A Chorus Line

director, Zach (played by Quinn Burns).

and heard.

The lights flood the stage of the Court Theatre in Villanova University’s John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts. A group of dancers stand, all with their backs to the audience, facing an array of mirrors and a barre. A medley plays over a smattering of vocals building in volume and excitement from the cast, still practicing the moves swiftly and instinctually, as though they are a well-oiled machine, all breathing one collective breath, each dancers’ movements a contribution to the conversation happening in front of us; in unison, but no without their character’s personal flair. This is the opening scene of Villanova Student Musical Theatre’s (VSMT) Spring 2023 production of A Chorus Line.

Directed by Jacob Long (Musical Director Minh-chau Scott and Stage Manager Lily Panunto), this show is almost two hours of the joys and pains of being in “showbiz.” The show follow a group of performers as they compete together and against one another for a spot in the chorus, while also responding to the surprising personal questions posed by the show’s

The main question asked – “Why did you start dancing?” –leads all the dancers to explanations that range from logical to downright hysterical – whether its dance lessons that led to childhood teasing (Mike Costa played by senior Aidan Fecko) to acting classes gone wrong (sophomore Vanessa Rosado’s Diana Morales) to discussions of sexually transmitted diseases with a priest (Mark Anthony played by sophomore Matt Sabol) – these dancers cannot seem to catch a break.

Between stunning group dances, there are breathtaking solos and monologues. Junior Pat Calhoun’s character, Paul San Marco, divulges a particularly rattling story, detailing his experiences growing up as a queer boy trying to learn what it truly means to be a man. Calhoun’s lip quivers as he delivers each line, his voice cracking as he details how his character has been bogged down by life time and time again, yet he continues forward. The monologue is so meaningful that the director leaps up from the shadows of the stage and runs to hug San Marco, holding him tightly, letting the sobbing dancer know, without speaking, that he is seen

Sophomore Ainsley Williams, playing Val Clark, offers a solo that, in contrast to San Marco’s heartbreaking story, will have the audience rolling in the aisles of the Court Theatre, laughing until their sides hurt. Val is unapologetically herself. Williams dazzles as she unabashedly takes up space on the stage, throwing her hips around, strutting as she serenades her fellow dancers and the directing team about how her investment in plastic surgery brought her looks up from a rating of 3, landing her jobs left and right. Every character who steps forward to introduce themself to the director inevitably reveals a personality and a past that pulls the audience close and asks them to consider what they love doing, what they would do if they could not do it anymore, and how far they would go to keep doing what they love.

VSMT’s A Chorus Line will leave the audience speechless with complex group musical numbers featuring high kicks, twists and turns every which way (all while wearing the stylings of Co-Costumers Abigail Maroun and Madeleine Brooks, who also play characters Judy Turner and Connie MacKenzie, respectively.

The variety of talents displayed by the VSMT cast is no surprise, yet still will leave their audience in awe of them and their skills show after show. However, perhaps the most impressive part is witnessing some of the talented performers of VSMT pretend to not be as talented as they are. Some characters in the show are shown, from the get-go, as destined to be cut. These dancers miss their mark, twirl the wrong way, or tap dance to their heart’s content, but not to the rhythm. In spite of this variety of apparent skill in their characters, the cast of VSMT will leave their audience rooting for each and every one of them to get a place in the chorus.

Ultimately, VSMT has wrestled with the challenge of taking on not only a physically demanding production that has pushed their comfort zone, but also a show that once ran on Broadway, raising the bar in terms of skill and ability. VSMT, per usual, has risen to the challenge and succeeds at what they set out to do – show up and show out.

VSMT’s A Chorus Line runs from Wednesday, April 26th to Sunday, April 30th. Follow @novavsmt on Instagram to stay up to date.

Augustinians of Villanova: Father Kail Ellis

Olivia Sabalaskey Staff Writer

“Villanova was my dream,” Father Kail Ellis, Ph.D., O.S.A., said. “It was always known not only as a great university, but also as a great Augustinian Catholic university. When I look back on my time here, I consider myself very fortunate in what I have been able to do.”

This week, Fr. Kail offered Villanovans a glimpse into his 56 years as an Augustinian priest at Villanova University in the Augustinians of Villanova Column.

Fr. Kail grew up with five siblings in Carthage, a small town located about 25 miles from the United States and Canada’s border in northern New York. Founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1873, Saint James Catholic Parish offered Fr. Kail and his family masses and a private Augustinian curriculum, namely the private school nearby, Augustinian Academy.

“After I graduated from high school, I convinced my parents to send me to Lebanon for a year, given that they were both immigrants,” Fr. Kail said. “That’s when I really got interested in Middle East Studies. I lived with my uncle over in Lebanon for a bit, and it was a life-changing experience. I was only 18-years-old at the time, so I came back and attended a Jesuit school in Syracuse, New York called Le Moyne. My older brother went there, so I stayed with him my first year. My favorite subject was, of course, political science.”

Fr. Kail, inspired by the Augustinians from his hometown parish, joined the priesthood in

1967 after spending time at the collegiate seminary at Villanova. Once ordained, he went on to study at an Augustinian college in Washington D.C., located directly across the street from Catholic University.

“My interest was international relations, particularly Middle East studies,” Fr. Kail said. “My mother was particularly influential in cultivating my academic interests because, growing up, many in the Lebanese community in Carthage weren’t able to read, write or speak Arabic or French. However, my mother went to a school owned by French nuns, so she served as a translator for the community whose letters from Lebanon were written in an unfamiliar language.”

Fr. Kail enrolled in the Middle East studies program at Georgetown University, later earning his doctorate from Catholic University with a specialization in Middle East History. In 1979, he joined Villanova University as an administrator under then President Rev. John M. Driscoll, O.S.A.

“I was first the Director of Summer School Programs here at Villanova,” Fr. Kail said. “Then, I became Dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Traditionally, this role belonged to an Augustinian, and I had the honor to serve for 25 years.”

As the Dean, Fr. Kail helped develop Dr. Jack Doody’s revolu

tor until 1998. Also, he previously held the position of Vice President for Academic Affairs. Currently, Fr. Kail works as an assistant to the president, Rev. Peter Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D., an associate professor of political science and as the Chair of the Mendel Medal Advisory Committee.

“Named after Gregor Mendel, the award was established in 1928,” Fr. Kail said. “In 1993, we saw that it had faded away in 1968 for some reason. So, as Dean, my team and I really sought to see the award return. Now, every year, the Advisory Committee nominates and selects a candidate who has demonstrated distinguished service in the advancement of science.”

While Fr. Kail is an extraordinary administrator and professor at Villanova, he also works as an acclaimed editor of numerous academic journals and books. For example, he edits the Journal of South Asia and Middle Eastern Studies

various surrounding universities contribute to the journal as well, all sharing a passion for studies relevant to the Middle East. Specifically, Fr. Kail enjoys topics regarding Christians in the Middle East.

“I also frequently participate in and lead conferences relevant to the Middle East,” Fr. Kail said. “One of the most recent academic conferences I attended was Christians in the Contemporary Middle East. I also had the honor of contributing to conferences on the Vatican, Islam and the Middle East and Lebanon’s second republic.”

In terms of his nearly 40year career, Fr. Kail is most proud of his contributions regarding Villanova’s liberal arts curriculum.

“My team and I wanted to show that the sciences are still very important in terms of research,” Fr. Kail said. “It makes me so sad that many colleges are now dropping the liberal arts foundation in their curriculum. Between science and religion, there is no intrinsic conflict.

Club Swimming Hosts Annual Swim Across America

Julia O’Keefe Staff Writer

Villanova’s club swimming team hosted its annual Swim Across America charity swim on April 15th to conclude its month-long fundraiser for the organization. This year, the team raised nearly $4,000 for cancer research, prevention and treatment.

Founded in 1987, Swim

Across America is a non-profit organization that hosts charity open-water and pool swims to raise money for cancer research across the country. Club swimming partners with SAA every year, setting up individual fundraising pages and ending with its charity swim, in which all teammates swim as many laps as they can for 10 minutes.

“Club swim aims to raise the most money possible and have lots of fun during the event,” club swim’s philanthropy chair, Kate O’Malley, said. “We could not participate in this fundraiser each year if we were not seeing positive impacts.”

As philanthropy chair, O’Malley was tasked with communicating with a representative from Swim Across America to organize the event and set up individual pag-

and was happy to know the team’s efforts are going towards something bigger.

“The people at the Swim Across America organization appreciate our support and love our enthusiasm, so we can’t let them down,” O’Malley said. “Everyone on the team wants to be part of something bigger than themselves, and Swim Across America is a great way to contribute to a great cause.”

teammates to have fun, play music and cheer each other on during the swim, but to also reflect on why events like these are so important. Every lap swam reflected the work put in to make an impact and help contribute to the fight against cancer.

Organizing the event connected O’Malley to a larger network of people who are both devoted to the sport of swimming and enact-

ing positive change. She spoke to representatives who informed her of how other university teams structure their own fundraisers, providing further encouragement and ideas. She was so inspired by the mission that she decided to take an extra step to become an SAA ambassador.

“Cancer affects everyone in some way,” O’Malley said. “This fundraiser is a great way to connect with others throughout the U.S. and raise money for a great cause. I was really inspired to raise a lot of money last year because of the incredible work Swim Across America does. Now, I can continue to be a bigger part of it.”

Club swimming will continue its partnership with the organization and will host another charity swim next spring, where it will try to surpass this year’s total. O’Malley and her teammates can only see the fundraiser becoming bigger and better. With such a large percentage of the team participating and supporting the SAA mission, club swimming hopes to help “make waves” to fight cancer.

For more information about Swim Across America and its mission, visit https://www.swimacrossamerica.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=SAA_Homepage to read about past and upcoming fundraisers, its history and successes.

Fr. Kail founded Villanova’s Center for Arab and Islamic Studies and has worked at Villanova since 1979. Courtesy of Olivia Sabalaskey

Villanova’s Club Swim team raised nearly $4,000 for cancer research. Courtesy of Julia O’Keefe

Class Spotlight: Vaccines and Public Perception

Elijah McDow Staff Writer

As a professor in the Biology Department and the co-director of Villanova’s Comprehensive Science Program, Dr. Joseph Comber works mainly with science majors, with one exception: his Vaccines and Public Perception students.

Part of Villanova’s Mendel Science Experience, MSE 2211 is designed specifically for non-science majors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

For the past five years, Comber has given non-science students a glimpse into the world of vaccines. In this class, students learn about the history of vaccination, read a book entitled The Doctor Who Fooled the World, discuss anti-vaccination movements, take cultures of bacteria and create fake antibiotics during lab.

Comber’s own interest in vaccines and his passion for teaching inspired him to teach this class.

“I’ve always been interested in vaccine science and the discussion around the importance of vaccines,” Comber said. “I combined my love of teaching with my interests in vaccine science and developed this course, mostly to talk with people in the public about complex scientific issues in a way that is understandable.”

As a class of students of many majors, everyone brings something different to the labs and lectures. Students in this class have frequently shared perspectives that traditional science students overlook.

“I hear a lot of non-science majors in the class say, ‘I’m not good at science,’ but I don’t think that’s true,” Comber said. “I think for these students, their interests are focused in different areas, and they gravitate towards those majors when entering college. Non-science majors bring a slightly different perspective to the table. A lot of times this means that our discussions in class focus more on

the broader, non-science impact of vaccination.”

While all MSE classes are made up of non-science majors, this class is different from the rest because it is ungraded.

The only grade that students receive is a final grade at the end of the semester. This grade is agreed and decided upon by Comber and each student based on individual goals, participation and performance on papers and projects.

When asked why he adopted this approach, Comber was open about his own views on grades and how detrimental they can be to a student’s growth.

“Grades aren’t really reflective of how much a student understands, learns or grows throughout a course,” Comber said. “We know that grades are not a great motivator for learning in the classroom and there is quite a bit of evidence that grades stifle creativity. Over the years, I’ve seen that students come to class less stressed about tests and quizzes and feel more comfortable participating and being creative in their papers and projects.”

Instead of making his students write lab reports or take exams, Comber has replaced these with paper assignments and projects.

Comber has also designed labs to be fun rather than something to lose sleep over. He uses them as a way of helping students get hands-on experience with content from lectures, but in a stress-free environment.

Playing the board game “pandemic” and analyzing bacteria from shoes, door handles and soap dispensers are all activities done during the lab.

Students genuinely look forward to this class. They know they are going to learn something but in a fun and memorable way.

One of these students is junior Dan Arcilla. Arcilla, who is studying economics, learned about this class from his roommate.

was interested in learning more about vaccines, and my roommate took the class before and recommended it.” Arcilla said. “I have learned a lot of things from taking this class that I did not know before. There are many misconceptions about vaccines and this class will allow [students] to learn more about them.”

Arcilla is not alone in his appreciation for this class. Sophomore Ava Tower has also truly enjoyed her time as Comber’s student.

“My favorite thing we’ve done in class is definitely labs,” Tower said. “I never thought I would be culturing bacteria or anything like that, but Dr. Comber makes the class so fun, as well as easy to understand as a non-science major.”

As someone pursuing a B.A. in psychology, Tower was initially intimidated at the thought of having to take a science class, but that quickly changed after meeting Comber and understanding his philosophy.

“This MSE course has made science less daunting for me,” Tower said. “While the material is science-based, I feel as though there are many ways you can interpret what Dr. Comber teaches us and apply it to your own major.”

Along with Tower and Arcilla, junior Maddie Stewart is also glad she decided to take this class. As a

is grateful that Comber provided a similar experience.

“I’ve been extremely fortunate to take two incredible MSEs,” Stewart said. “My first was Heredity and Human Affairs with Dr. Winterton, which is another amazing MSE.”

When asked if she would recommend these MSEs, Stewart mentioned that this is something she is actively doing.

“I have already been recommending both to all my peers,” she said. “They both create comfortable environments for non-science majors, while providing interesting and engaging material.”

Vaccines are a controversial topic, and talking about them can sometimes be uncomfortable but Comber and his students have created a space where all views and backgrounds are welcome, which is a rule established on the first day.

“I want students to feel comfortable sharing their opinions and not feel like their opinions must conform to mine or others in the class,” Comber said. “That’s one of the things that makes this class most enjoyable, [that] we don’t all agree about everything. Sure, we may agree vaccines are important, but we might not agree on mandatory vaccinations or something like that. The only way we promote discussion in the classroom is to en

Villanova Club Tennis Hosts Tournament

Katie Formato Staff Writer

This past weekend, the Villanova Club Tennis team held its annual tennis tournament at the courts on West Campus. The tournament took place on Saturday, April 22nd and Sunday, April 23rd from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Five other schools came to the tournament: Drexel University, Penn State, Princeton University, Stockton University and St. Joe’s University. However, there were a total of nine teams playing the tournament because Drexel, Stockton and Villanova each entered two teams to play in the tournament.

During the tournament, many fans, including family, friends and other teammates, came to watch. Even though Villanova had only 23 players in the tournament, many club team members still came out to watch their teammates compete.

The club tennis Tournament Director, Catherine Taubner, was in charge of coordinating and planning the event.

“We have been playing this

the semester, so it was very exciting to see it all come together,” Taubner said. “Villanova Club Tennis usually hosts at least one tournament a semester, so we wanted to continue this tradition. Also, everyone loves playing, and having a tournament is a great opportunity to play on Villanova’s campus, which has many amazing courts to play on.

“We first decided on the dates and times the tournament would be and ended up choosing to have a two-day tournament so we could play more matches,” she said. “We reached out to schools to see if they

were interested in coming to play, and any school that wanted to come was welcome. Once we had the teams that were coming, we focused on other details, such as food, rosters and format.

“On Saturday, we will be playing a ‘Fast 4 format,’ with three rounds,” Tauber said, discussing the format of the tournament. “This means that each match will be the first to win four games, and each school will play three other schools on Saturday. Every round will consist of one men’s and one women’s singles matches, one men’s and one women’s doubles matches and one mixed doubles match.

“Based on how every team does on Saturday, they will be placed in one of two brackets to play in on Sunday,” Taubner said. “The matches on Sunday will be a six-game set. The winner of each round is the team that has won the most games.”

Since Villanova had two teams in the tournament, they were placed in different pools of the bracket. On Saturday, Villanova’s first team won its pool with St. Joe’s, Penn State, Stockton and Drexel. However, Princeton won the other pool with the other teams for Villanova, Stockton and Drexel.

On Sunday, Princeton won the finals over Villanova, 23-15. Penn State came in third place and Stockton came in fourth. The winter was determined by the number of games that each team won during their matches.

Even though Villanova had lost to Princeton, the tournament was a great opportunity for players to compete against other schools and it was a lot of fun to cheer on teammates over the past weekend.

Follow the Villanova Club tennis team on Instagram @villanovaclubtennis to stay up to date.

Club Tennis participated in a tournament this past weekend. Brian Luppy/ Villanovan Photography

The Mendel Science Experience is a rite of passage for all liberal arts students at Villanova. Ryan Sarbello/ Villanovan Photography

The Superlative: Battle of the Elements

Leah Cardinale Staff Writer

On April 15th, The Superlative performed its explosive sixth-annual dance showcase. The Superlative is an all-styles, multicultural dance team that features a blending of dance styles, which viewers definitely saw in last Saturday’s performance. This year’s theme was Avatar: Battle of the Elements and was inspired by Avatar: The Last AirBender.

The show opened with hosts Tiane Parris and Lauren Jones. They explained that The Superlative team was in shambles and had split into tribes made up of the elemental groups of fire, water, wind and earth. These tribes were arguing with one another over who was more skilled and had the Avatar in their tribe. After this introduction, a comedic video was played. This video showed the chaos of The Superlative dancers breaking into the elemental groups and all the arguing involved.

Before each tribe performed, “confessionals” played on the screens. In these “confessionals,” members of the tribes poked fun at the other elements and stated why they thought the Avatar was in their tribe.

Thirteen of the 18 dancers choreographed this amazing show.

“We geared the choreography towards Avatar with elements and spent hours and hours on the audio mixes,” senior Mark Anthony said. “We also found quotes from our favorite music artists that had to do with the show and elemental noises like water from TikTok that mixed in with all our dances. We kept with the theme using Music from Legend of Korra, for example and for our program we used different images and fonts from the show, as well. We also had a description of the show Avatar: The Last Airbender, so people understood what we were

talking about.”

Samantha White is co-cap tain of The Superlatives, alongside Brianna Davis. White spoke about the time and effort that went into planning this event.

“Our recent showcase took lots of effort and late nights to put on, but it all paid off,” White said. “We choreograph and clean all of our own dances, make all the music mixes, [create] the program, [design] the graphics and [take] videos throughout the show, organize costuming and so much more. It truly took the whole entire team, as well as our advisor, to make this all possible. They all deserve a huge thanks.”

In Book I: Fire, fire set the tone for the rest of the show, be ginning with a dance to “Roman’s Revenge” by Nicki Minaj, during which all the dancers wore bright pink wigs.

In Book II: Water, water shifted the vibe of the show from a fiery explosion into a visually stunning, more lyrical and emotional performance. “I’m Tired” by Labrinth and Zendaya and “Woo” by Rihanna were some of the songs The Superlative danced to during this section.

Nova Step Nation did a brief but amazing performance before The Superlative began Book III: Earth.

In Book III, The Superla tive did not disappoint with the Earth soundtrack, moving to songs like SZA’s “Low” and Beyoncé’s “THIQUE”. White did a heartfelt solo to “Slipping Through My Fingers,” by Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried.

Davis commented on being a dancer this year, as well.

“I think my biggest thing is that the dance community on campus works really hard and the planning is not easy,” Davis said. “Planning a production takes 20 hours a week [with] practicing, and dancers shouldn’t be overlooked, especially the multicultural organizations that add more to the story. I’d love dancers to be more

appreciated on campus. You can learn from us, too.”

One of Villanova’s a cappella groups, Measure Up, sang a few catchy songs for the audience while The Superlative got ready for Book IV: Air.

The crowd was blown away by Book IV. This book featured a variety of dancing styles and music ranging from upbeat songs like Britney Spears’ “Circus” to slower songs like JVKE’s “golden hour.”

The show concluded with love conquering all in Book V: Love. The Superlative danced to songs about love, like Ariana Grande’s “Into You.” Freshman Karissa Shamah choreographed a beautiful tribute to famous dancer tWitch, who passed away this past winter.

White, at the end of the performance, revealed that she was injured and that the team had to modify the dances a few days out from the show. Davis commented on the team making these adjustments for her co-captain.

“We are dancers, it is a sport, and there are a lot of injuries that happen,” Davis said. “When that happens, we won’t say you can’t be in a number, I mean, we had someone dancing in a boot. You put in so much work, how could you not dance at your last showcase? We re-blocked those dances, all 20 she was in, two days out from the show. Attention to detail is important, and so is making sure everyone is included and isn’t left out just because of an injury. I think there were five

members injured in the showcase.”

The Superlative brought a blend of different dance styles and music to their performance.

“I think something that is really amazing about the team is that we are a multicultural organization, and we dip into different dance styles,” Anthony said. “The team is what we bring to it. Whatever styles and unique backgrounds we come from is what makes us The Superlative. All the choreography is student-done and original. We are always collaborating with each other. I am in a lot of clubs [and] I haven’t been in any team this diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and cultural backgrounds. It celebrates and uplifts all people, their art and creativity.

“It is hard because there isn’t a lot of space for dancers on campus and our advisors in the student performing arts, Manny Chacón, Beth Sokolowski and Christine Nass, have been amazing advocates and allies for us. Andrea, who works on the lighting, helped to enhance and elevate the performance.”

“The Superlative is more than a hip-hop team; we are all styles [and] all inclusive,” Davis said. “Dance is supposed to be something fun, and we infuse a lot of different cultures. There is no team or club that is as inclusive of gender, race and sexuality. It is an inclusive group [and we wanted] to make a safe space for us. We have a lot of fun and learn from each other.”

The Superlative performed this past weekend at the Mullen Center. Courtesy of @vusuperlative on Instagram.

The Superlative found inspiration for their showcase from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Courtesy of @vusuperlative on Instagram.

Men’s Lacrosse Tops Marquette in Overtime Thriller

Brooke Ackerman Co-Sports Editor

continued from pg. 1

to] make the easy pass, pick up the ground balls and communicate well. Don’t lose focus on the basics, and try to stay calm in the chaotic moment.”

And that’s exactly what the ‘Cats did.

After winning the overtime faceoff, Villanova held possession as Fraser dodged two defenders, and charged forward towards the net, firing off a shot that would hand Villanova a victory.

“It was great,” Corrado said. “It was a beautiful day, we had a great crowd and to win that game that way is really exciting, it really energizes you.”

But it wasn’t just the offensive efforts that helped the ‘Cats to secure their comeback win.

Faceoff specialist Justin Coppola was the Wildcat who racked up the most accolades of the day. In the matchup, Coppola broke the program’s career record for faceoff wins with the 591st of his career. He was 20-of-30 at the X, making him just one faceoff short of matching his single-game career high.

“It’s about consistency,” Corrado said about Coppola.

“Justin’s got a really great temperament for the position. He’s healthy, he’s tough, he’s in great

shape ... to be able to handle the physical demands of that position, and to break that record is quite an accomplishment. I’m just really excited for him.”

Other standout players in the matchup included freshman defenseman David Evanchick and junior defenseman Reid Colwell. Evanchick had two caused turnovers for the fifth time this season, with one being the play that gave the Wildcats possession late in regulation. As for Colwell, he had a team high three caused turnovers on the day, and added on five ground balls.

“[Evanchick] and [Reid]

were matched up against two really good attackmen, and they [handled] it well,” Corrado said.

On the season, Evanchick has 14 caused turnovers and 28 ground balls, while Colwell has 21 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls.

Before the thrilling finish, the first three quarters of the game were fast paced between the two Big East teams. The teams combined for four goals within the first five minutes of both the first and second quarters, with Villanova going up, 4-1, in the start.

“As a coach I didn’t like the way we were playing, even though

we had a three goal lead,” Corrado said. “I don’t think we played our best half – everything was a step slow — but it happens.”

Come halftime, the Wildcats were down, 9-7, but after scoring seven goals in the third quarter, Villanova regained its lead to head into the final quarter of play, 14-12.

“Marquette is a really good team,” Corrado said. “I think we all figured it was gonna be a close game, and that’s exactly what it was.”

On the day, the Wildcats outshot the Golden Eagles, 51-25, and won a season-high 21 faceoffs.

“We started winning a bunch of faceoffs, and dominated control of the ball later in the game,” Corrado said. “I think that led to us getting a ton of shots — we just kept the pressure on them, and wore them down a little bit. I don’t know, we scored enough to win.”

With the Senior Day win behind them, the Wildcats are now tied for second place in the regular season conference standings with Denver. Villanova takes on first place No. 9 Georgetown (9-3, 4-1 Big East) on Friday, April 28th at 7 p.m. on Cooper Field.

“It [should be] a great game,” Corrado said, “Two rivalry schools with a game that has some implications for the seedings in the tournament. Friday night down there is gonna be a fun environment, and a great challenge for our guys.”

The Analytics Behind Baseball’s Tough Season

players get the best possible sense of how to improve and what needs to be worked on.

and a BB% of 14.6%. Those gaps are not good.

Villanova’s men’s baseball team has had a season filled with frustration, high highs and lower lows. At 11-28, the wins have been few and far between. Even after a glimmer of optimism from sweeping Butler last weekend, the Wildcats came back a week later this weekend to get swept by Xavier, including a brutal 14-1 loss on Saturday.

The team has been one of the tougher watches on campus. But why is the struggle so prevalent?

The answer itself is complicated because baseball itself is complicated. Beyond runs and strikeouts is a whole universe of analytics designed to gauge not just the different ways teams are successful - the ways that aren’t as obvious - but why they are that way and how they got there.

Josh Mould is the former president of the Sports Analytics Club at Villanova and will be heading to Boston next year to join the Red Sox as a quantitative analyst. After stepping down as club president, he got involved with the baseball team as its Director of Scouting and Analytics, and has assembled a team of 16 scouts from the club in partnership with the team to help the coaches and

While the team as a whole has struggled, Mould points to the play on the mound, putting the bats in a position to have to perform exceptionally well in order to have any chance of a competition.

“I think [the struggles are] most prevalent on the pitching side of things, where even in the games where we win, the other team scored a lot,” he said. But it’s not just throwing the ball, it’s where it’s being placed. “Command” is a term in baseball to measure how effectively a pitcher can place the ball in and out of the strike zone with attention based on their strategy. Analysts will determine what the ideal pitch placement is based on other factors, and then quantify a rating for that pitcher’s command.

“To put it simply, we have struck out 292 batters and walked 218,” Mould said. “So that’s not a very good strike-rate-to-walk rate ratio. Usually you want that to be around three [to one]. It’s true that you don’t always want to throw strikes because you want batters to chase, but we just haven’t been able to locate in great spots.”

The Wildcats are getting on base at a rate of .347 with a walk rate BB% (walk rate) of 12.2%, while they’re letting their opponents get on base at a rate of .419

“Stuff” refers to the movement the ball has when pitching a certain type of pitch, for example, a curveball with not much verse has poor stuff.

The walks that are being generated from the pitching staff are coming from pitchers trying to get batters to bite on balls outside the zone, but they don’t. The percentage of time a pitcher gets a player to swing and miss on a pitch outside the strike zone is called “whiff rate,” and the Wildcats are low in that category. Of the 397 teams with at least 100 pitches logged on trackman devices in college baseball, Villanova projected whiff probability is 315th. But Mould thinks there’s potential.

“If you look at all the teams on trackman this year, they have very low whiff probabilities,” he said. “But they’re not far from success.”

Outside of walks, the pitchers are having their pitches get hit pretty hard by their opponent’s lineups, causing matchups that often seem uncompetitive. This has caused a pattern of Villanova getting down by multiple runs early on so that even if they make adjustments, the hole is too deep to dig out of.

There are two metrics that can be used to quantify why this happens. One is wOBA, or

Weighted On Base Average, which is a form of base percentage that’s weighted by run values of each event - singles and walks are weighed less than doubles and triples. The other is FIP, or Field Independent Pitching, which is ERA that only accounts for pitching that causes strikes, walks, and runs. The Wildcats have a poor FIP of 5.43, requiring exceptional hitting from the offense for the game to be competitive.

But in a lot of ways, the offense is there. Villanova has scored double digit runs in its last four wins and in five of its ten total wins this season. Villanova strikes out more than its opponents (22.6% to 19.9%), but the power on the bat is there.

“I think it’s coming a lot from slugging,” Mould said. “Cam Hassert [has] been a big breakout player I would say. He wasn’t expected to do as well as he’s doing, but he’s been really impressive. His OPS is 1.025. His wOBA is 4.68. Our swing decisions metrics are showing we have some ups and downs with it.”

The gap between living up to success and falling short of it in baseball can come down to the smallest of adjustments. The baseball team is more than just a win-loss record: they’re a group of people with skills, ones that can be refined and harnessed into runs that lead to wins.

The Wildcats are tied for second place in the Big East. Brian Luppy/Villanovan Photography

Anders Pryor Staff Writer

Men’s Tennis Ends Season with 8-15 Record

Lauren Armstrong Staff Writer

Villanova’s men’s tennis team traveled to Cayce, South Carolina to compete in the Big East Tournament, resulting in a first round loss for the ‘Cats.

“This season was better than the last,” head coach Brad Adams said. “We had two big wins against Bucknell and St. Joseph’s. In the tournament, we came up a little bit short against Creighton who was the number one seed.” ly for the ‘Cats, as they lost the doubles point.

Fourticq took on Creighton, los ing, 6-2. Josh Robinson and Eitan Khromchenko’s match went un

finished, while Justin Suarez and Ryan Nguyen lost, 6-2, in their match.

“Doubles we truly need to improve for next year, but I have faith we will,” Adams said.

The Wildcats also lost the singles point at the tournament.

‘Nova’s one seed Robinson lost in three sets, 3-6, 7-6 and 5-7, while Brunetti’s match was determined in two as he fell, 4-6 and 5-7.

“Robinson played an incredible season at the top spot,” Adams said. “Brunetti also played

Suarez lost both sets, 4-6 and 3-6, while Nguyen’s match was also unfinished, with the earned points being 4-6, 7-6 and 1-1 (UF). The only win of the day came from Fourticq who won in two sets, 6-2 and 7-6.

“Fourticq had a really nice win, and it has truly been shown how he has improved throughout the season,” Adams said. The Wildcats ended their 2022-23 season with an 8-15 record.

“We came a bit short this season, but we have high moti -

WEEKLY SCOREBOARD

April 19 - April 25

Wednesday, April 19

Women’s Lacrosse @ Xavier 21-9 W Softball @ Lehigh 12-1 W

Thursday, April 20

Women’s Tennis vs No. 8 Marquette — BE Championship 0-4 L

Men’s Track @ Virginia Challenge No Team Scoring

Friday, April 21

Men’s Golf @ Robert Kepler Intercollegiate

T-14th of 17 (Day 1)

Men’s Tennis vs. No. 1 Creighton — BE Championship 1-4 L

Women’s Track @ Virginia Challenge

No Team Scoring

Baseball vs Xavier 4-8 L Softball vs DePaul 8-0 W

Men’s Track @ Virginia Challenge No Team Scoring

Women’s Track @ Widener Invitational No Team Scoring

Men’s Track @ Widener Invitational No Team Scoring

Saturday, April 22

Men’s Golf @ Robert Kepler Intercollegiate

This weekend, the Big East held its annual women’s tennis tournament in Cayce, South Carolina. To start off the tournament, Villanova played Marquette on Thursday, April 20th, resulting in a first round loss for the ‘Cats.

“It was a closer match than it seemed on paper,” head coach Steve Reiniger said. “We have a really young team with our top four players being all freshman or sophomores. I am eager to see them improve in the next season”.

To start off the match, the ‘Cats lost out on the doubles point.

Emi Callahan and Maggie Gehrig lost, 3-6, in the opening doubles match for Villanova.

“Moving Callahan and Gehrig to the top spot as freshmen really helped us,” Reiniger said. “We moved some things around

with doubles and it truly has made a difference.”

Emma Brogan and Bella Steffen also faced off in doubles, losing, 5-7.

“Steffen moving to the second doubles position has really

Amanda Rivera-González took home the ‘Cats’ only doubles win of the day, beating the Golden Eagles, 6-4.

Singles were not much better for the ‘Cats. Brogan lost her match, 3-6 and 1-6, and Gehrig’s match was unfinished after holding a 5-7 and 1-4-(UF) lead to her opponent. Callahan also lost her match, 3-6 and 1-6.

Kornieva’s match was unfinished as well, the points earned were 6-2 and 5-3-(UF). Steffen was unfinished once 7-6-(0) and 1-2-(UF) and Caitlin Fisher also lost, 3-6, in both sets.

With this loss, the Wildcats finished with an 8-14 record on the season.

“Our team competed really well this season,” Reiniger said. “There are a lot of amazing and talented players on this team, [and] our incoming players are really lucky to get to play alongside these girls.”

17th of 17 (Day 2) Softball vs DePaul 6-1 W

Men’s Lacrosse vs Marquette 16-15 W

Women’s Track @ Virginia Challenge No Team Scoring

Men’s Track @ Widener Invitational No Team Scoring

Men’s Track @ Virginia Challenge No Team Scoring Baseball vs Xavier 1-14 L

Sunday, April 23

Men’s Golf @ Robert Kepler Intercollegiate 17th of 17 (Final Day) Baseball vs Xavier 3-9 L

Women’s Lacrosse vs Marquette 8-12 L Softball vs DePaul 9-1 W

Tuesday, April 25 Softball vs Princeton (Game 1) 5-7 L Baseball vs Wagner 5-4 W Softball vs Princeton (Game 2)

Lauren Armstrong Staff Writer

Villanova finished their 2022-23 season with an 8-14 record. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

The Wildcats went 0-3 against Creighton in the Big East Championships to conclude their season. Brian Luppy/Villanovan Photography

Coach Steve Reiniger is enthusiastic about the fiture of the women’s tennis program. Graydon Paul/Villanovan Photography

Marco Langon Joins the Sub-Four Minute Mile Club

Jacob Artz Staff Writer

The sub four-minute mile is a staple of the Villanova men’s track and field program.

Freshman Marco Langon is now the 25th member of the club, as he raced to a time of 3:58.82 at the Widener Invitational at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium on Friday night. What makes the feat more impressive is that much of Langon’s training has been for cross country and that this meet came together only a couple of days prior.

“Honestly, it’s not that I didn’t expect it,” head coach Marcus O’Sullivan said. “He’s good enough to be able to do that kind of stuff. It just wasn’t on the plan for another month.”

Langon was an unattached runner as he is redshirting for the 2023 outdoor season. He was racing in the elite section of 10 runners.

Langon ran a time of 57.39 in the final lap to secure the sub-fourminute time.

This is the 19th sub-four-minute miler that O’Sullivan has coached over his 25 years leading the ‘Cats.

This number could have easily been 21 runners, as graduate student Evan Addison posted a time of 4:00.08, and redshirt freshman Devon Comber ran a 4:00.24. Both times are personal bests for each runner.

“There’s nothing,” O’Sullivan said about the narrow difference Addison and Comber had to join the

sub-four-minute club. “It’s just being in the right stride at the right point from what they are doing. You’re talking only, like, a couple of feet.”

In the sprints, freshman Amari Prescod posted the fastest 100-meter dash time in four years at Lannigan Field in the Virginia Challenge with a personal best time of 10.64 seconds. Prescod shaved more than a tenth of a second off his previous personal best time.

As Prescod got onto the blocks, a gust of wind came up, which helped him post this personal best time.

“Psychologically for him, to run as fast as he did, I think that was nice for him,” O’Sullivan said. “He was pretty fired up.”

In the 400-meter race, fresh man Jimmy Milgie led the Villanova runners in that event with a time of 49.20, and junior Jakob Kunzer finished close to Milgie with a time of 49.29.

At the Widener Invitational on Saturday, freshman Luke Rakow itz posted a personal best time of 48.88 seconds in the 400-meter dash for fifth overall out of 73 runners. In the 200-meter event, he created another personal best with a time of 22.68.

Back at the Virginia Challenge on Saturday, graduate student Trevor Potts beat his previous lifetime personal best in the 800 by more than eight tenths of a second with a time of 1:52.46.

Potts was not going to return this season because of a job offer, but

after his job offer was extended, he came back for another year and has made the most of it.

“That’s the best race I’ve ever seen him run,” O’Sullivan said. “He passed about five guys to end up winning his section and running a big PR.”

In the throwing events, junior Nick Coffey threw to a mark of 66.34 meters in the javelin to finish runner-up. Coffey now owns three of the top-ten throws on the Wildcats performance list, and the throw he executed was the second longest in his career.

Sophomore Tristan Bolinsky posted a mark of 52.15-meter mark in the hammer to post his second longest throw of the season and the third

longest of his career.

Next week, the ‘Cats will race in the prestigious Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia this Thursday through Saturday.

Much of the distance events will run on Thursday with graduate student Ryan Cutter having to lower his time in the 10k to make regionals. Graduate students Haftu Strintzos and Josh Phillips will compete in the 5,000-meter, and the milers will be racing as well.

Friday will feature the distance medley relay and Saturday will showcase the 4 by mile.

“We got two good teams on the relay side,” O’Sullivan said. “It’s always good representing the University in a competitive nature.”

Women’s Lacrosse Sets Single Season Win Record

Elijah McDow Staff Writer

For the second week in a row, Villanova’s women’s lacrosse team added another chapter to the history books.

In a midweek victory over Xavier, 21-9, Villanova picked up its 11th win of the season, setting up a program record for wins in a season.

“It was awesome,” Batch eller said. “I think personally it was such a special moment when it came to fruition and for the team it was a lot of validation that they are heading in the right direction.”

Despite the strong start to the week, the Wildcats fell to Marquette, 12-8, five days later on Senior Day.

For seniors, including midfielder Addie Fischer, defend er Nina Mainello and graduate attacker Caroline Curnal, Sunday, April 23th was their final game at Villanova Stadium.

“The seniors’ biggest contribution has been the way that they have shifted the culture of the team,” Batcheller said. “I’m so thankful for all nine of them for all they’ve done for the program, especially this year.”

All the seniors have made their contributions, but Batcheller discussed Curnal’s impact on the team.

“Curnal is going to be the biggest loss,” Batcheller said. “Caroline Curnal is one of our captains and she’s like the heart

and soul of this team. She does a great job of showing her passion for this program and how much she wants to win.”

After honoring the seniors before the game, the Wildcats took the field to take on the Golden Eagles. The first quarter saw Villanova open the scoring courtesy of junior attacker, Kayla Gulmi. With just under four minutes left in the quarter the Wildcats took a 3-1 lead.

The second quarter saw Marquette take the lead for the

first time in the game, but sophomore attacker Sami Carey tied the game a few minutes later.

After Carey’s equalizer, Marquette scored three unanswered goals, taking a 7-4 heading into halftime.

During the break, Batcheller made a few changes.

“We mainly refocused on the game plan,” Batcheller said. “Offensively we changed up some spots within our personnel.”

Following these changes, Cara Moreau scored the first goal

of the second half to trim Marquette’s lead to two. Marquette initially took its second three goal lead of the game, but Curnal netted home a goal to trim it back to

Despite delivering the first blow, Marquette maintained its lead throughout the entirety of the third quarter, and heading into the fourth, the score was 8-6.

At the start of the fourth, sophomore attacker Sydney Pappas recorded her third goal of the game, narrowing Marquette’s lead to just two goals.

Pappas’s efforts gave the Wildcats momentum, but Marquette was relentless in maintaining their lead, as they scored three more goals to take a 10-7 lead.

With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, junior attacker Jessica Lee scored a goal, but it was not enough. Lee’s goal proved to be the final goal of the regular season for the Wildcats.

Following the regular season, the Wildcats now turn their attention to the Big East Tournament, which is scheduled to begin on May 5th.

“The goal of the postseason is to win,” Batcheller said. “To put this last bit away and use everything that we have learned this season. I think we have really learned how to play in tight games and how to play under pressure so I’m really hoping that this team can take all the lessons with them and finish strong the rest of the season.”

Marco Langon (second from right) broke four minutes in the mile for the first time in his career. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

Villanova won 21-9 to give Jill Batcheller her 11th win and set a program record. Olivia Gordon/Villanovan Photography

Katie Lewis Staff Writer

This past weekend, Big East opponent DePaul only managed to score two runs off of a confident Villanova team in a three-game series.

After sweeping the Blue Demons, the Wildcats stand in third place in the Big East, with a 29–18 overall record and 13–5 conference record.

The Wildcats opened the series with an 8–0 mercy-rule in five innings.

Freshman Kat Gallant pitched a three-hit shutout and was perfect during the first four innings.

Senior third baseman Chloe Smith notched the first hit of the weekend with a single in the first inning. A hit to right field by senior catcher Ally Jones moved Smith to third, and another hit by senior first baseman Victoria Sebastian brought Smith home.

Graduate catcher Ryan Henry then gave the Wildcats a 4–0 lead, blasting her ninth home run of the season.

After a scoreless second and third inning, the Wildcats loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch and singles by freshman shortstop Lilly St. Jean and senior outfielder Dani Dabroski.

Junior center fielder Tess Cites earned an RBI to score St. Jean. Smith and Jones then added two more runs with back-to-back sacrifice flies, and another Sebastian single brought the Wildcats to 8–0.

Softball Sweeps DePaul

After DePaul threatened by loading the bases in the fifth inning, Gallant and the Wildcat defense shut down the Blue Demons’ bats to end the game early.

In game two, Villanova claimed a second triumph over DePaul, 6–1.

Sophomore Kelsey White was the starting pitcher and earned the win for the Wildcats, striking out three and allowing just three hits and one run during her just over five innings in the circle. Junior Caroline Pellicano relieved, surrendering two hits but striking out one to bring the Wildcats to victory.

After a scoreless first inning, the Wildcats were the first to get on the board, notching one run in the second inning after a St. Jean line drive brought a baserunner home.

The Blue Demons struck back in the fourth, scoring a run after a double, wild pitch and single, all before sophomore shortstop Ava Franz took the Wildcats out of the inning with a deft double-play.

Despite a series of threatening hits in the bottom half of the inning, the Wildcats did not take the lead until the fifth, loading the bases after two walks and a Sebastian single. White then earned a two-RBI double, and Franz singled to score two more and grant Villanova a 5–1 lead.

The Wildcats added one more run in the sixth after Cites launched a pitch to the wall for a double, Smith singled and Sebastian delivered a sacrifice fly to score Cites.

“Our bats came alive and we

got big leads, so our pitchers were relaxing, and that definitely helped us play well defensively,” head coach Bridget Orchard said. “They all played well.”

Sunday’s game proved to be another mercy-rule victory, with a 9–1 final to complete the Wildcat sweep.

Gallant was back in the circle for all five innings, leading the defense with four strikeouts, while giving up just five hits and one unearned run.

The Wildcats took an early lead, tallying four runs in the first inning. Cites began with a single, then Smith got on base from a fielder’s choice. After a DePaul error brought Cites to third, redshirt sophomore Brooklyn Ostrowski brought Cites home with a single.

Another Sebastian hit brought Smith home for a 2–0 lead. Back-to-back walks and a St. Jean

more runs.

Following a scoreless second inning, a walk and Henry double in the third put the two runners in position to score after another double from White.

The Blue Demons marked their only run of the game in the fifth, taking advantage of a Wildcat error. Villanova then ended the game early in the second half of the inning, starting with a Franz home run that scored two. Cites then smashed a walk-off home run to finish the series on a high note.

Looking ahead, Villanova will face Seton Hall next weekend, from April 28th to April 30th. The Wildcats will need to sweep this series to reach their goal of replacing the Pirates as second place in the Big East.

“The biggest thing is just continuing what we’ve been doing: relaxing, playing hard and focusing on

Baseball Gets Swept by Xavier

Villanova only allowed two runs across three games against DePaul Brian Luppy/Villanovan Photography

The lone run came from

Friday, April 28th.

Zach Camp was named to the Weekly Big East Honor Roll for his performance last week. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

THE BACKPAGE

Across

4. NBA team that ‘Nova duo is leading in the playoffs

8. Intelligent popcorn brand

9. What Father Peter holds an MA in

11. TV host fired from Fox

13. Maiden name of the celebrity in a feud with Selena Gomez

15. TV host fired from CNN

17. Taylor Swift’s most recent ex boyfriend

18. I hardly know...

Down

1. Beverage brand caught in conservative controvery

2. “Meal or...”

3. Finding

5. French fashion brand started in 1910

6. Slang term for an undefined, confusing romantic relationship

7. Coachella headliner who dropped out of weekend two

10. Slang term for romantic skill

12. Funny acronym or the name of famous electronic duo

14. Finding (the sequel)

16. ‘Nova recruit transferring from Maryland

MISTER WILDCAT