The Villanovan | Volume 114, Issue 23: December 7, 2022

Student Finds Live Bug in Salad

Cate McCusker Senior Editor

Most Villanova students don’t expect five star meals at the Universi ty’s dining halls. Whether it’s mold on grilled cheese, uncooked chicken, or maggots in the broccoli, Villanovans usually as sume they’ll be unsatisfied when they sit down to eat.

Yet this freshman student, who has asked to remain anonymous, had quite the surprise when she opened up the salad she bought from Belle Aire Terrace.

“I opened it up, and then the grasshopper stuck to the cap,” she said. “At first I just thought it was a leaf, so I poked at it with my fork, and it moved. It kind of freaked me out.”

The student ex plained that she then quickly closed the salad container, and the bug continued to move around inside.

“I was definitely surprised, but at the same time, I guess it’s kind of understandable,” she said. “It blended in kind of completely with the leaves, so I could see how that would happen… but it obviously kind of changed my idea about going to eat there. I’ll still eat the food there, and sometimes I’ll get the salads, but now I’m just way more cautious. I have to look through everything and make sure there’s not any thing living in there.”

The freshman and the upperclassmen she was eating with took a video of the bug to show their friends, who then showed their friends, and the video began to spread like wildfire. Eventually, the video ended up on @bar

Flu Season Has Fallen

Upon Campus: Health Center Responds p. 3

The Villanovan Presents: Semester in Review p. 8-9

Students Celebrate ‘Nova Basketball with

graduate and teams that were once nationally ranked are no longer in this position. De spite all these drastic changes there is still one thing very much at the heart of Villa nova basketball: Wells Fargo tailgates. The last one was held on Feb. 12, and for the first time in 10 long months, this staple of the Villanova experi ence made its return this past weekend when the Wildcats hosted the Oklahoma Soon

basketball schedule is released to the public. The dedica tion of Villanova tailgaters is unmatched. Whether it means forgoing the opportu nity to sleep in, arriving three hours early or standing out in the rain, Villanova students always show up.

As early as 9:30 a.m., thousands of students be gan packing the parking lot equipped with food, ponchos and Wawa cups. For many

in for finals. As time creeps closer to the last day of classes and the stress intensifies, supporting the team even when the work is mounting is part of what it means to be a Villanovan. With only 11 days until the start of exams, this weekend provided a nice outlet for students before much of their time is spent on academics.

For students who were here last year, many of

was miserable, she remained positive.

“Honestly it was real ly fun,” Patel said. “Everyone just embraced the weather and had a great time with their friends.”

When asked how this tailgate compares to ones from last year, Patel shared her take on which one is harder to withstand.

“I think the ones in the cold are a little worse just because your fingers can get

Continued on p. 11

Opinion: Our Finals Schedule is in Shambles

Kai Da Luz Staff Writer

To anyone reading this, know that you are not alone if you suffered a minor panic attack trying to wrap your head around the incom prehensible failure that is our schedule for finals this semes ter. It is honestly impressive how the University managed to make it as inconvenient as possible.

To begin, this year, the holiday spirit on cam

Finals Season: Students React p. 4

Best Christmas Decorations On Campus p. 10

Board Editorial: Thank You Seniors p. 6

End of Semester Horoscopes p. 11

CUP OF JOE: Switching to Outlook Is Unneccessary p. 6

Women’s Basketball Routs American, 83-42 p. 14

My family has been planning a trip to Canada for the holidays since last year, and we bought tickets before the school year began to get a lower rate. In an effort to avoid any complications with finals, we bought flights from San Diego to Canada for Dec. 20, thinking that all finals would surely be finished by then. I could not help but laugh upon discovering during syllabus week that some of my finals were to take place on Dec. 19 and 20. Thankfully, because of

Continued on p. 5

Grasshoppergate: The State of Villanova Dining p. 7

Women’s Club Hockey Off To 10-0 Start p. 15

Students tailgated outside Wells Fargo before the Wildcats hosted the Oklahoma Sooners Courtesy of Isabella Balian

COLIN 2 | The Villanovan News Opinion Culture Sports

BEAZLEY VIVI MELKONIAN TINA ARON CATE McCUSKER RACHEL REINIGER SARAH SWEENEY SARAH WISNIEWSKI LYDIA McFARLANE A.J. FEZZA ELENA ROUSE CHLOE MILLER MATTHEW RYAN MEGHANN MORHARDT MOLLY BAKER OLIVIA PASQUALE MICHAEL BRADLEY 1 5 9 14

VOL. 114 | ISS. 23

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

Disorderly Conduct/ Hate Crimes November 11, ITHAN AVE.

Liquor Underage/ Public Drunkenness November 12, WEST CAMPUS GROUNDS

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

Carrying a False ID Card/ Liquor Un derage/ Public Drunkenness November 12, ST. MONICA HALL

A female resident student, under the age of 21, appeared in public carrying a false identification and was evaluated for alcohol intoxication.

CORRECTIONS

DEENA LEH

NEWS

Criminal Mischief/ Theft By Unlawful Taking or Disposition November 12, DELUREY HALL

A resident assistant reported damaged and missing exit signs in a campus building.

Criminal Mischief November 12, HOVNANIAN HALL

A resident assistant reported a damaged exit sign in a campus building.

Liquor Underage/ Public Drunkenness November 13, STANFORD HALL

A female resident student under, under the age of 21, appeared in public and was evalu ated for alcohol intoxication.

Theft By Unlawful Taking or Disposi tion

A male resident student reported a theft of an unsecured non-motorized scooter valued at $80.00.

Simple Trespasser November 14, HOVNANIAN HALL

A non affiliated female was found trespassing in a University Building.

Harassment- Repeated Communication November 30, WHOLE CAMPUS

A student reported harassing conduct carried out by an on-campus roommate.

Cate McCusker Senior Editor

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.

Student Finds Live Bug in Salad

President for Auxiliary Services, in a statement to The Villanovan.

“Villanova Dining Services takes this matter very seriously and has spoken with its vendor to find out how something like this could stoolnova, an Instagram account with over 25.6K followers.

have occurred. Dining Services has suspended use of the produce used in these salads and is assess ing other options to bring in for our customers.”

Continued from p.1

“You don’t go to Villanova for the food,” read one comment.

“I want a public apology with tears,” read another.

The freshman student ex plained that she didn’t expect the video to get so much attention.

“It was kind of funny like seeing it blow up with all those comments,” she said. “I was kind of surprised. I didn’t think that the video was gonna get that pop ular, or get sent out like that, but it’s kind of funny seeing that.”

Many students were ap palled by the incident, but they were not completely surprised that it happened.

“It’s unfortunate, but this is not the first time that some thing like this has happened,” said a junior who wished to re main anonymous. “My freshman year there were maggots in the broccoli, last year, there were a bunch of caterpillars in the salad bar. I was horrified, but this is not the first time this has happened, so it’s not something that I was shocked.”

The Student Government Association (SGA) has a specific committee to deal with problems like this, called the Student Life Advisory Committee (SLAC). The Villanovan spoke to a member of this committee to discuss what happened.

“As soon as SGA found out about this bug, we sent an email immediately to Dining Services,” said the member of SGA, who asked to remain anonymous. “I mean, it was within 20 minutes, probably, of us finding out… we’ve gotten that statement out to them, asking them what was go ing on, you know, basically what’s the problem?”

According to Villanova’s Dining Services, they learned of the incident through social media.

“The experience this student had was unacceptable,” said Tony Alfano, Associate Vice

Dining Services handles the food, and he explained that they are committed to serving “only the highest quality product” to the Villanova community.

“Any time an issue is brought to Dining Services’ at tention, we take the matter very seriously and work to address it,” he said. “Dining Services receives fresh produce deliveries five days a week. Products are visually inspected at our loading docks when received, and once again when being prepared by our chefs. Additionally, most produce is washed when packaged for shipment from our suppliers. As a final step upon receipt, our staff then washes all produce once again before being prepared for

The student on SGA explained that they understand Dining Services works to provide the best experience for students, but more action needs to be done.

“We do also recognize that they’re responsible for packag ing the salads themselves, right, there’s not an outside compa ny… we do it ourselves here,” the member said. “Being able to kind of have that quality control should be possible. It should be possible to have that regulation based on the fact that they’re packaging their own salads. There needs to be some reconcili

“I will say, you know, it’s made me grateful that I don’t have a meal plan anymore,” they

In its December Monthly Newsletter, SGA commented on the problem and noted what the organization is doing to try to improve the dining experience for

Alfano described how

Anne Welsh McNulty Institute Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

Reed News Columnist

On Wednesday, Nov. 16, the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership hosted an event in the John and Joan Mullen Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

The event began with a re ception at 5:30 p.m., and at 6:45 p.m., attendees gathered into Topper The atre for a Legacies of Leadership Pan el Discussion. The panelists included Michaela Walsh, Neeti Dewan and Anne Welsh McNulty. The conversa tion was moderated by Ericka Plater.

Many people attended both the reception and the conversation portion of the night, which Terri Boyer, the Founding Director of the Institute, was pleased about.

“The turnout was fabulous, we had hundreds of people in person, we had hundreds of people online, and we had people tuning in globally from other countries to hear a little bit about the celebration,” Boyer said. “That was pretty cool because the In stitute, when it was founded, had this vision to be nationally recognized as a place that advances women leaders.”

She also added how import ant it was to see many different mem bers of the University in attendance, reflecting how the Institute seeks to extend its impact to the entire com munity.

“There was significant rep resentation from the leadership at Villanova, too,” Boyer said. “A lot of the deans were there, Father Peter was there, other leadership throughout the University, faculty members, and students were there. Our mission is to serve a broad constituency, and people came out and represented.”

Danielle Ross, the Associate Director of the Institute, also spoke to this, noting how the Institute’s collab orative mission was at the forefront of the event.

“So much of our work is col laborative across campus, and all of those collaborations were represented there that night,” Ross said. “The au dience and the people attending were really telling of the work we have done through all of the collaborating, the programming, the events and the research over the last five years.”

Boyer also noted that there were a lot of alumni present in the audience who marveled at the work of the Institute, expressing how valu able it is to the University and how they wished they had been able to participate when they were students.

The main focus of the night was the thoughtful, inspiring con versation between the panelists and facilitator.

“In terms of highlights, [one was] definitely listening to the conversation around the legacy of leadership that the women on the stage were having,” Boyer said. “All of them were talking about being a woman in a field where there aren’t a lot of women, but it was different generations, different experiences, and bringing different perspectives to it. Neeti was talking about being from India and bringing that experience to the space, Michaela was talking about being from Kansas City and showing up as the only woman in the 50s, and Anne was talking about being there in the 70s and 80s in her first entry. It was just so cool to see people bring ing different perspectives to the same experience and growing as leaders as a result of that experience.”

Ross affirmed this, further mentioning how all of the panelists’ experiences could resonate with audi

ence members.

“I think hearing what impact [the panelists] have made and the little nuggets of wisdom throughout the night that they dropped [was the highlight],” Ross said. “They all had different experiences, and in the audi ence were faculty, staff and students, so different ages in the audience could take something from their conversa tion no matter where they were in life. Their message felt very universal and relatable.”

Ross also detailed what the fifth anniversary event meant to her and what it was like to see all of the Institute’s collaborative work come to fruition.

“It felt like this moment of how much the Institute has grown in the [last] five years and the connec tions that we’ve made on campus,” Ross said. “I started about a year into the Institute’s launch, so to just see all the work that both Terri and I have done with partners, with other staff at the Institute, and with our ambas sadors, just to see that come to life in that moment felt really special. Our work is not done, we hope to sustain and continue to grow, [but] it was a moment of pause, celebration and recognition of the work that has taken place, the people who have helped to make it happen and what we want to continue to do in the future.”

Boyer expressed a similar sentiment and noted that when doing equity work, it can be easy to forget all of the progress being made in the community.

“I feel like it’s kind of arbi trary—five years, so what? —but for me it was a moment, and that mo ment is important to look at,” Boyer said. “Humans who are doing work, especially work like this that isn’t ever going to resolve easily, [know] it’s not going to be done in five years. We

get so caught up in always doing the work that we don’t take the moments to celebrate the joy of having really done something. [This event] made us be conscious that we’ve actually done a lot and gave us that moment to say that and think about how we get more people to know about it.”

Over the next five years, according to Boyer, the Institute is focused on “scaling and sustaining,” building on all of the great programs it already has in place and thinking about how they can get more people involved to expand the Institute’s impact.

There are many ways for students who are interested to get involved with the McNulty Institute, such as applying for the Lorenzini Leadership Ambassadors Program (applications open in the spring) or attending Let Her Speak conversa tions focused on how leadership and identity intersect.

“The best way to get involved is to join us for an event that we are either hosting or co-sponsoring,” Ross said. “We also know there are a lot of student organizations and groups on campus that are focused on women’s leadership, and we are always open and willing to collabo rate, partner, sponsor and promote what is happening on campus. We would love to connect with those students and organizations because we know there’s tons of pockets of good in women’s leadership hap pening, so my message is to reach out to us.”

March is a major month for the Institute, with Women’s History Month celebrations and Women’s Leadership Wednesdays, so look for those events. Make sure to check out the Women’s Leadership Diaries to see more inspiring stories about women’s leadership.

Flu Season Has Fallen Upon Campus:

The Health Center Responds

heightened these numbers of stu dents, and the flu has also caused

sick he became. McGonigle explained that

The temperatures are getting colder, Starbucks has released its seasonal drinks and the ever-pres ent cough has started to sound a little louder. Just as naturally as the holidays roll around has come the flu, and this year, it came stronger than ever.

Post reported last week that so far, the flu season of 2022 is more se vere than it has been in the last 13 years. While it usually takes place between the months of October and May with peaks in December and January, flu season arrived around six weeks earlier this year.

University has felt this intense surge, and it has weighed heavily on the staff even though they are very prepared for large influxes like flu season.

Director of our Student Health Center, reported that normally her staff of around 30 people sees about 100 students per day. How ever, the COVID-19 pandemic

the University has an overnight infirmary that students have vis ited because of their flu-positive

On campus, the flu has traveled through teams, clubs and classes alike. For example, the women’s water polo team has tem porarily lost a handful of players due to the flu. One player, Colette Jones, explained how horrible her experience being sick was.

“I can’t remember the last time that I’ve felt so sick, and it came completely out of no where,” Jones said. “One minute I was working on a project and the next I literally could not get out of bed. I was so disappointed to have to miss classes and prac tices and to make up all of that work. I was out for basically the

Numerous other students agreed with Jones and reported that the sickness forced them to put their lives on hold.

While Jones mentioned how she usually gets her flu shot, distance from home kept her from the vaccination over fall break. She was planning on making an appointment the following week, but by then, she had already come down with the flu.

Katie

Arden West

The Health Center sees about 100 students a day. Courtesy of Villanova University

led by University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D., included music from the Villanova Voices Women’s Choir and the Villanova Singers Men’s Choir. Those in attendance also enjoyed hot cocoa, pictures with Santa and the warmth of many fire pits.

Keeping with tradition, Fr. Peter delivered a speech and prayer for the community before hitting the button to illuminate the nearly 50-foot tree, which is adorned with silver and blue ornaments. This year, he invited the daughter of a staff member to read the story of Jesus’ birth. Onlookers met the reading with reverence and appreciation. Fr. Peter also delivered a blessing for the children and invited them to help him light the tree.

“What a festive and upbeat

light show, hot chocolate, and festive tent igloos were a great addition.”

“Voices loves singing at the Christmas Tree lighting every year,” Villanova Voices President Rachel Jordan said. “It’s so great to help the school get into the holiday spirit with a few Christ mas carols. Being able to see the students and local families cele brate the holiday makes this an event we look forward to singing at every year.”

Latham noted that there is more to look forward to in the coming days.

“Now, I can’t wait for Lessons and Carols on Tuesday at 7:30 [p.m.] in the Church, and the Pastorals’ ‘There Can Be Miracles’ concert on Wednesday at 7 [p.m.],” he said. “What a

The Christmas Tree can be seen outside the Oreo. Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

OPINION

Our Finals Schedule is in Shambles

da Luz Staff Writer

a few fantastic professors who were willing to work with me, I will still be able to make my trip, taking one final early to fly back home and another a day later to fly to Canada. This issue only scratches the surface.

In order to study for finals and finish up final papers, students must take advantage of every second they can get. It would make sense to give them sufficient uninterrupted time before finals, right? A good idea would be to schedule the start of finals to follow a weekend, des ignating Monday as Reading Day. This would give students ample time to prepare for the grueling week. In fact, many other schools, like Notre Dame and Harvard, have reading periods and are granted multiple days up to a full week off from school to prepare for finals.

Instead of going this route, Villanova thought it would test its valiant students by throwing anoth er curveball into the upside down jungle gym that is this finals week. Instead of having a Reading Day on Monday, Villanova designated Tuesday, Dec. 13 as the Reading Day for Fall 2022. While many could argue that this is a small vari ation from my proposed schedule, it makes all the difference.

As Monday is a regular

school day, professors can schedule assignments to be due, something they cannot do on Reading Day. I have heard numerous accounts from peers in all four colleges lament ing that a professor had assigned homework due that Monday. This pulls the student’s attention and time away from finals and makes it harder for them to start their final studying on the weekend as they are worried about other assignments.

To top it off, we still have Saturday finals this year. When I saw the new schedule, my only

solace was believing that no finals would be held on Saturday this year, allowing for a much-needed respite and an intermittent period for students to prepare for the tail end of finals. Even this small victory could not be granted, as I realized when looking further at the schedule that low and behold, Saturday finals have reared their ugly head once more.

A lot of my friends at other universities are flabbergasted when I show them our horrendous finals layout. Though it seems preventing

this stain at the end of the semester would have been easy for the Uni versity, it touts this is not the case.

In an earlier article that appeared in The Villanovan con cerning the qualms of long-distance students revolving around the break schedules, Villanova’s Director of Public Relations Krissy Woods stat ed that providing additional days off would force the University to “either have to start the semester earlier or end later.” She revealed that starting earlier “interferes with the end of summer programming, the prepar ing of facilities for the start of the Fall, and new student orientation and new faculty orientation,” and that ending later would push us fur ther into Christmas, something that no one in their right mind would desire.

Even so, the lament that extending finals week, a necessary change for the student body, would push us too close to Christmas highlights that there is an inherent problem with our end-of-the-semes ter schedule to begin with.

This Christmas, rather than giving students the gift of added anxiety, Villanova should reevaluate its finals schedule, making necessary changes to the schedule as a whole to prevent such a conundrum from happening ever again. Until then, make sure you load up on pepper mint lattes and artificially manifest ed holiday cheer because these next two weeks are going to be messy.

Should the University Accept More High School Credits?

Leah Cardinale Staff Writer

Did you devote countless hours studying for IB exams just to be told that your college only takes a score 6 or 7? Did you take dual-en rollment courses at your high school with another college, only to find out your university wouldn’t accept those credits? If so, you are not alone in your frustration.

International Baccalaureate, or IB, is a very rigorous secondary program of study that is offered at high schools all over that have chosen to affiliate with the program. Upon completing IB courses, students take exams in each of the major subject areas. These courses may be offered at two levels: standard or higher. Students receive a score ranging from 1-7 in each subject. A total of 24 total points is required to earn the IB diploma, in addition to completion of the core. Similar to AP (Advanced Placement) test scores, students receive their scores, and in addition, they may be sent directly to colleges.

Yet, despite their similarities, the IB and AP systems do not seem to be receiving equal treatment.

The University only accepts credits from the higher level IB cours es and only accepts the hard to obtain scores of 6 or 7. Students are voicing frustration over the IB scale being compared to the AP scale.

“I went to Biotechnology High School in New Jersey, which was an IB school,” senior A.J. Fezza

said. “It was at least as rigorous as high schools with AP options. I feel that IB is still a bit undervalued at most universities, including Villa nova. Villanova only accepts credits from Higher Level IB courses, and then usually only offers credit when you receive a score of a 6 or 7. I feel like they don’t realize that the IB 1-7 exam scale is not simply the AP 1-5 scale plus two. It is very difficult to receive a 6, and I feel like 5s in IB should be accepted in more subject areas. Additionally, Standard Level IB courses are rigorous enough to deserve credit too. The University of Florida is a good model, as they are incredibly accepting of IB credit at both the Standard and Higher levels.”

Villanova also has a strict pol icy on dual enrollment course credit.

The University’s webpage states: “College-level work complet ed prior to high school graduation, including college courses that fulfill high school graduation requirements, may be awarded transfer credits upon receipt of the following: an official letter from the high school principal, secondary school counselor or other educational professional describing the college-level program of study, an official letter from the college/uni versity stating that the courses were taught by members of the regular faculty, open to enrollment by and graded in competition with regular ly matriculated undergraduates at the college and a regular part of the normal curriculum published in the college catalog; a course syllabus; and

an official, seal-bearing transcript from the college/university showing a grade of C or better. Credit or ad vanced standing for courses taught at the high school will not be accepted.”

As someone who has taken multiple dual enrollment classes at my high school to receive college credit, it was dissatisfying to not be allowed to use any of the credit I had earned.

Freshman Josie Calareso voiced similar feelings.

“I specifically took courses in high school that were dual enrollment because I thought they would give me a head start when I got to college,” Calareso said. “Being told that they wouldn’t accept them simply because the class wasn’t taught on a college campus was extremely frustrating, as many other universities that my class mates are attending accepted their credits.”

This sentiment is not only limited to freshmen.

“It’s very frustrating that Villanova isn’t accepting of dual enrollment credits,” senior Lydia McFarlane said. “I worked very hard in high school to get into those dual enrollment classes and then to do well in them. When I got to Villanova and they only counted for electives rather than the cores, I was forced to take basically the same classes I had already taken, such as core English, history and math classes. The most frustrating part was how I pushed myself in high school in order to pass the AP calculus and AP biology exams, but my credits only counted

as electives. As a non-stem major who already had college credits for two sciences and one math, I was still forced into taking Villanovas version of these classes, of which the science courses have negatively affected my GPA.”

Catherine Connor, Vice Dean of Enrollment Management at Villanova, offered some clarity on why Villanova has such a rigid dual enrollment policy.

“It is becoming more com mon to accept dual enrollment,” Connor said. “Students come in sometimes and get an associate’s degree because they were at dual en rollment schools. We enroll students here from archdiocesan schools in Philadelphia, we put them in classes here and if they choose to attend college here those credits would be transferable. We want to make sure it [the curriculum] is robust and what they would be learning here. If you are transferring college credit, we want you to have that college experi ence.”

It seems that restrictions on IB and dual enrollment credits are meant to keep the standards high with regard to what Villanova accepts as college credit. Yet, given the laxity afforded to AP credits, I definitely think there should be more mobility with the IB and dual enroll ment methods with regard to obtain ing college credit in high schools. Stu dents put in a ton of effort into these strenuous college-level classes, and it is not far to completely discount such classes because of lack of familiarity.

Kai

Finals season each fall is usually the busiest time for students all year. Kai da Luz / Villanovan Photography

EDITORIAL BOARD LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

COLIN BEAZLEY

VIVI MELKONIAN TINA ARON AJ FEZZA

Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Associate Editor-in-Chief Opinion Editor

The Villanovan encourages all members of the Villanova community to voice their opinions. Let ters 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 anony mous letters will be published. All submissions be come 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.

Board Editorial: Thank You Seniors

There’s no better time and place on campus than the Corr base ment on a Tuesday night.

Good times can be had sitting around tables in the Connelly Cen ter. Memories are made in the Wells Fargo parking lots, and many a story has been shared around tables at Pit or Spit.

There’s simply nothing that beats the magic of The Office at newspaper production.

Some may think that magic comes from InDesigns pages, careful removal of the Oxford comma, marks on paper with blue pens or front page controversy. But no, that magic comes from something much better: the people.

This edition, the last of the semester, is also the last edition in illustrious careers for a huge chunk of our Villanovan family. We have nine, incredible seniors. They’ve put in countless hours to producing a news paper this community can be proud of, yes, but more importantly, these people have created a family.

Molly Baker is the foundation of The Villanovan. Our Copy Desk queen, Molly has protected the edito rial staff since her freshman year from the dangers of comma splices and us ing the wrong “their/there/they’re.” Molly’s one of the kindest souls you’ll ever meet, someone who makes your life better just because you know her.

It’s impossible to imagine The Villanovan without AJ Fezza. AJ’s been here for three years, doing a little bit of everything during that time, and his unwavering dedication is un matched. AJ has a way of lighting up a room and a group chat with a photo or a story.

Cate McCusker is the paper’s beating heart. Another who’s been here since the beginning, Cate was in charge in 2021, helping resurrect the paper’s culture after the end of in-per son events due to COVID-19. Cate has welcomed so many with open arms, offering smiles, encouragement, pasta and Lunchables to create the Villanovan family.

Olivia Pasquale may not only be the sweetest person on campus, but possibly in the world. Always smiling and down for adventure, Liv is known and loved by every person she meets. Liv has a way of being everywhere at once, sharing her time between organizations and making them all so much better just because she’s there.

Running a newspaper occa sionally leads to moments of panic for any and all editors on the staff, but Tina Aron is the voice of rea son. Tina keeps everything running smoothly, yes, but she also always keeps it fun. Tina always finds a way to make everything better, little mo ments and big projects and everything in between.

Elena Rouse is the coolest person we know. Elena’s a person who just gets it, bringing positive vibes and good energy every time she enters a room. If you don’t know Elena, you wish you did, and if you do, you know why everyone wants to. Her creativity makes her special, bringing horoscopes, hilarity and Zach Bryan to The Villanovan. Mark our words – Elena is the next Anna Wintour confirmed.

Sarah Wisniewski is undoubt edly the funniest person you will ever meet. There’s no such thing as a reg ular day when Sarah is there, because you never know what you’ll hear. When Sarah speaks, you listen. Sarah never fails to make everyone laugh, but her contributions to the paper go so much deeper than just that.

Rachel Reiniger’s dedication to the paper is unmatched. She is the most aesthetic person anyone knows. She’s turned our Instagram into the best out there, and pours her heart into each graphic. She makes us all better. Whether it be Photoshopped jokes or Editors’ Meeting Surveymon keys, in just a year Rachel has made the paper feel like family.

Finally, Meghann Morhardt is extraordinarily dedicated and just as kind. Meghann never draws attention to herself and hates when she gets the credit she deserves, yet she’s grown so much in the last year and built the

sports section into a juggernaut. More importantly, Meghann’s a friend who’s always there for you, ready to find a way through, even in low moments.

Our nine seniors have made The Villanovan great, creating a leg acy and a high bar for the rest to live up to. We’re so thankful to our juniors as well: Matthew Ryan, Chloe Miller, Sarah Sweeney, Lydia McFarlane and our friends abroad Bella Irwin and Jackie Thomas.

We’ve got an amazing incom ing staff too, filled with people who will create Villanovan legacies of their own.

However, this one’s for our seniors. Whether they’ve been here for one year or three, they’ve made indelible impacts and made The Vil lanovan into what it is today. To all of you, thank you, for everything.

There’s no better place than the Corr basement, but at the end of the day, it’s just a basement. What makes it great isn’t the newspaper. It’s not the sticky notes on the wall. It’s not the books on the shelf, the March Madness poster or even the calendar filled with jokes.

What makes the Corr base ment great is the people. What makes the Corr basement so special is that family.

To those who make The Vil lanovan great: Thank You. You mean the world to us.

Joe Adams Opinion Columnist

As the fall semester comes to a close, there is a lot to think about. Finals are stressful, the holiday season is here and the women’s bas ketball team is killing it this season. However, one big change is in store for next semester, and a quiet one at that: Villanova is officially chang ing from Google Suite to Microsoft Outlook, effective next semester.

In an exclusive email that I obtained from an Outlook “tester,” the school sent this to a limited number of students:

“UNIT is preparing to mi grate students from Gmail to Micro soft’s Exchange...I was hoping that you would be willing to participate in our pilot migration from Gmail to Exchange on 12/21. We are asking that you look at documentation and help us to ensure that the migration will run smoothly for everyone.”

The details are not entirely clear, but it seems that starting in the spring 2023 semester, students will no longer be able to send or re ceive emails in Gmail. Instead, they must use Microsoft Outlook. It is

unclear at this time if Google Drive use will be impacted, but the spec ulation is that we will not be able to edit any of our previous documents with our Villanova email accounts.

I decided to break the news publicly to my Instagram followers, to see what Villanova students had to say about the abrupt change. The results were clear: this is a terrible idea.

The responses ranged from “Gross,” to “It sucks,” “NOOOO,” “Ew,” “Hate it,” “Not good,” and even “I hate this!! Gmail suprema cy.”

Other students explained their discontent in more detail.

“NO ABSOLUTELY NOT WHO APPROVED THIS?” one student said.

“Seems like it will be an other thing on my plate to worry about,” another said.

That is the question I was trying to answer. How did we come to this, and with no warning from administration?

I reached out to Jonathan B. Hardy, the Deputy Chief Informa tion Officer at Villanova University.

“The decision to switch from Google Workspace to Mic rosoft Office 365 was centered on

increasing collaboration, enhancing cybersecurity, and preparing our students for a modern workforce,” Hardy said. “Students have been using a different email, calendar and document platform than the faculty and graduate students with whom they regularly interact. Bringing students, faculty and staff together in the Microsoft environment will improve students’ ability to work and communicate with faculty and TAs at Villanova, increase function ality with other Microsoft Office 365 tools (like OneDrive and unified calendaring) and provide a smooth er end-to-end user experience.

“In terms of enhancing security, the Office 365 environment has more robust tools designed to detect and protect against this type of threat and will offer bet ter protection for our students in the future. In recent years, higher education has become a consistent target for increasingly sophisticated phishing campaigns. With regard to preparing our students for a modern workforce, nearly 95% of Fortune 500 companies use Microsoft Office 365 as their primary platform for email and collaboration. By intro ducing our students to the Micro soft environment now as part of

their higher education experience, it is our hope they will be better equipped to embark on their profes sional careers after graduation.”

Even given this information, there were still a lot of great points brought up by my Instagram fol lowers, who are all fellow Villanova students.

“Gmail is very practical with all the programs it is attached to, so this seems like a downgrade.”

Some students were worried about the transition, since Google is all they’ve known.

“I’m incredibly frustrated. I’ve used the G-Suite for my whole academic life and it’s the best.”

“Not great, I love Gmail,” one junior told me. “It is going to make things difficult given that we’re all so used to Gmail.”

This change is clearly un welcome by the Villanova student body. Why would we switch from a perfectly fine and beloved service to something different? What was the reason behind this change? We may never know.

With many things at Villa nova, we must again get used to an unwelcome change. Best of luck with the new adjustment, Villanova students.

Grasshoppergate: The State of Villanova Dining

Sofia Krzewicki Staff Writer

As Villanova students pre pared to leave for Thanksgiving break, a video posted to a non-uni versity affiliated account became the talk of campus. The live grasshopper trapped in a sealed, pre-packaged Belle Aire Terrace salad quickly rose to stardom, after making its social media debut on @barstoolnova.

That week, Yik Yak, a pseudonymous social media ap plication popular with college students, was riddled with refer ences to the grasshopper. It soon replaced talk of the Taylor Swift Eras tour. Students outwardly ex pressed their disgust and discontent with the state of Villanova Dining Services. With meal plans ranging from $1,000-$4,000 and based on class year, residential status and personal preference, quality food should be a given.

The presence of an in sect—a live one, at that—could have had serious consequences to the individual who consumed the salad. Students should be able to eat without fear of consuming insects—dead or alive.

The individual who brought the salad recalled her experience.

“I didn’t even see it when I bought it, so when I opened it up I just saw the green thing on the lid and I assumed it was a leaf,” she said “The[n] I saw it move and kind of freaked out…I actual ly never brought it back up to the workers…I actually just ended up throwing it out.”

Tony Alfano, Villanova’s

“Dining Services was made aware of the video on social media, and the experience this student had was unacceptable,” Alfano said.

“Villanova Dining Services takes this matter very seriously and has spoken with its vendor to find out how something like this could have occurred. Dining Services has sus pended use of the produce used in these salads and is assessing other options to bring in for our custom ers.

“Villanova Dining Services is committed to serving only the highest quality product, as well as the cleanliness of both its food and facilities. Dining Services receives fresh produce deliveries five days a week. Products are visually in spected at our loading docks when received, and once again when

our suppliers. As a final step upon receipt, our staff then washes all produce once again before being prepared for service. Any time an issue is brought to Dining Services attention, we take the matter very seriously and work to address it.”

This was indirectly echoed in the SGA’s monthly newsletter released to the Villanova commu nity on Dec. 1. “SGA is in the process of working with Dining Services on improving our food on campus,” it said. “Dining Services is no longer working with the specific vendor after a complaint about the quality of food.”

Then again, the video was posted on Nov. 17. It took two weeks for it to be addressed. Stu dents were waiting for a statement

from the University, or at least Dining Services, to acknowledge the situation, take ownership and promise improvement.

However, the food quality is not the only thing that Dining Ser vices needs to improve. It is only one issue in a pattern of flaws from a seemingly flustered, overworked Dining Services at the University.

For example, the online menus available on the Dining Services website and on Nova Now are riddled with daily inaccuracies.

The online menu is a help ful tool for all. It can help students discern where and what they want to eat. If the fried chicken sandwich at Dougherty Hall or the Gyro bar at Donahue Court does not suit one’s fancy, then a meal swipe will not be wasted, and students can choose to eat at another location. However, at times, there are items listed on the online menu that are not available in the dining hall.

The most common menu items that were unavailable in person but seemingly available on the menu were vegetarian or vegan options, such as the Meatless Meat balls or Grilled Veggie Burger. This is particularly frustrating for those who have dietary restrictions or rely on the online menu to make sure there is something for them to eat. Additionally, at times, whole stations were unavailable in person: most often, this was the Made to Order Sandwich station.

This is a simple fix for Din ing Services that can only improve the quality of the service.

But, of course, improving the quality of the food itself is the most important problem that needs to be rectified.

Let’s Spice Up Spotify Wrapped

A.J. Fezza Opinion Editor

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Spotify Wrapped sea

Every year in early De cember, the music streaming giant releases a highly-personalized slide show of statistics and listening hab its for each of its users. This year, Spotify Wrapped arrived on Nov. 30, its earliest release date ever.

It provides an excellent opportunity for people to show off their taste to their friends and social media followers. Even those who typically never post come out of their shells and post on their Insta gram stories to let the world know that they do, in fact, listen to very cool and niche music.

One sophomore finds fault with this.

“Even though I use Spoti fy, I think Spotify Wrapped is just another way for Spotify users to flex on people who use other music streaming services like Apple Mu sic,” Kai da Luz said. “It’s a really cool thing Spotify does, but when they encourage people to share it on their stories at the end, it turns it into more of a status thing.”

Despite this connection with status, Spotify Wrapped still brings people together in a spirit of joy that is fitting for Christmas time.

Two people who presumably had little in common suddenly discover that they are both major fans of The Strokes and form a new bond.

With all that said, there is still room for improvement for Spo tify Wrapped.

First of all, Spotify Wrapped comes out too early each year. The release dates for the past few years have been: Dec. 6, 2017, Dec. 6, 2018, Dec. 5, 2019, Dec. 2, 2020 and Dec. 1, 2021. Clearly, the re lease date has been creeping back wards, but now it has crossed a line by bleeding into November. People should not be thinking about their year in review while they are still recovering from Thanksgiving din ner.

Spotify Wrapped data is based on listening habits from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31 of each year. The fact that two whole months are omitted from the review yields a skewed representation, which is retrospec tively justified by rushed release dates.

Instead, Spotify should collect data from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30 and release Spotify Wrapped in mid-December. Yes, the month of December would still be left out, but 11 months of data is still better than 10 (and December is typically filled with Christmas songs that would skew data more than any thing else).

Speaking of data, despite all the statistics that Spotify throws

at us each year, it never includes statistics for top albums. While we may be in the streaming era in which singles can be appreciated independent of album purchases, albums are not obsolete and are still significant as cohesive works for music lovers. Not including them in Spotify Wrapped implicitly sends a bad message about the meaning of albums in the 21st century.

Also, a good portion of users discover that they are in the top 0.01% of listeners for their favorite artist. While it is nice to be notified of this fact, it would be much nicer if these users were actually reward ed for their dedication through free merchandise.

Senior Jake Saunders would be satisfied even with just a dis count.

“I was the top .001% of listeners for my favorite artist in my 2021 Spotify Wrapped,” Saun ders said. “I think when you have quantifiable proof of supporting an artist that much, it would be great to receive something even as small as a discount towards their merch.”

It could be argued that it would make more sense for art ists to be rewarding their top fans rather than Spotify, since Spotify is simply a mediator. Even so, Spotify should work with artists to encour age this practice, as artists are what make Spotify great.

Thankfully, Spotify has adopted a limited version of this

practice by offering Artist Messages to top fans of certain major artists in which the artists thank them for their support. However, these video messages are not even personal — they are sent out en masse to fans. Besides, if Spotify truly wants to do right by its users, it would promise more than mere messages.

Spotify could reward its most avid users in general with Spotify merchandise. As a billion dollar enterprise that relies upon algorithms to do the bulk of its work, Spotify certainly has money to spare.

Finally, Spotify Wrapped should also extend its analysis to the community level.

How great would it be to see a Spotify Wrapped playlist or slideshow for Villanova University as a whole at the end of each year?

This would require Spotify to collect geographical data from users or to ask about university en rollment. However, given the lack of privacy that is pervasive in the modern media landscape, Spotify is likely collecting this data anyway.

It would be fascinating to see both the musical variety and the commonalities of the student body. While there inevitably would be a good chunk of Taylor Swift and Harry Styles on Villanova’s Spotify Wrapped, as expected, some of the results would be bound to subvert expectations and offer deeper in sight into the community.

Best Christmas Decorations On Campus

Isabella Ledet Staff Writer

Though the holiday season has just begun, Villanova has been setting up its festive decor since before Thanksgiving break. What amazed me as a freshman last year was the sheer volume of Christmas decorations that the University dis played in every building. It really got me into the Christmas spirit.

This year, I was coming in with high expectations, especially in the Christmas tree department. I was about to shock the world by giving the Christmas tree in the lobby of the Saint Augustine Center my top bid, but it is so much smaller and less spectacular than last year that I could not help but gasp when I walked into SAC on Nov. 29. In addition, the impressively large tree in the upper lobby of the Connelly Center is nowhere to be found this year. Whenever I would walk into Conn last year during the holiday season, that impressive tree was there to greet me. Now, the only way I even know it is the holiday season is because of the Christmas tunes playing over the speaker sys tem.

Despite the fact that some notable pines are missing, the University still has plenty of other Christmas decorations all over cam pus. Without further ado, here are the University’s best holiday deco rations in my humble, Christmas-fa

natic opinion.

Number five: The Exchange in Bartley Hall. The exchange not only has an adorable Christmas tree displayed, but it also has garlands and little Christmas nick-nacks all over the place. The beautiful dec orations have caught my eye even though I always seem to be hurrying somewhere else when I am walking past the exchange.

Number four: The SAC Stairs. Though the tree is not as impressive as last year, the beau

tiful pine garland wrapping its way around the SAC stairs is still wonderful to behold. The garlands match the tree and cast a warm light from the heart of SAC. I still find this beautiful. I only wish the large tree that was there last year could make a triumphant return. Number three: The Grotto. The Grotto is always beautiful, but during the Christmas season, it gets completely revamped. The Grotto is set up into a giant nativity scene with beautiful twinkling lights. The indi

rect lighting combined with the lights of the nativity scene make the grotto even more peaceful and beautiful than it is all year round.

Number two: The Tree, Spe cifically with the Blue Lights, Outside of Corr Hall. This tree is magnifi cent. The motion of the blue lights make it feel like it really is a piece of wintery nature. I cannot help but stare at the tree in awe every time I pass by.

Number one, the best Christ mas spectacle on campus: The Riley Ellipse as a whole. I know this is the most basic answer, but something about all of the twinkling lights and all of the colors make the Ellipse feel like the epitome of holiday cheer. The giant tree in the center compli ments the wreaths on the lampposts and the blue of the icicle lights in the big tree. The red and green indirect lighting on the twinkling trees is so festive. I love the colors and the light. Every time I am walking on campus in the dark during the holidays, I always look forward to passing by the Ellipse because it makes me smile.

Since I am an avid Christmas enthusiast, I am grateful that the University puts so much time and effort into putting up such beautiful holiday decorations. Even if there are not as many Christmas trees as there were last year, there is still a consid erable holiday cheer that is brought to campus at this time of year. The decorations make my day feel more festive, and they take away from some of the stress that the end of the semester brings.

The Advising System Should Work For All Students

Isabel Choi Staff Writer

In college, exemplary aca demic advisors prove essential for students’ success, and Villanova is no exception. However, among the student body, there appears to be mixed emotions about the advising system. Villanova prides itself on its integrated advising model and is aware that “no two students share the same goals and the right path may call for different perspectives.”

In direct relation to this quote on Villanova’s website, Mathematics major Isabella Ledet shared that she has had an excel lent experience with advisors. She has had to make a recent transfer to a different major and college at Villanova.

“Last year, when I was in the school of engineering, my advi sor was able to give me a lot of help surrounding course selection and even career advice despite having an extremely large number of advi sees,” Ledet said.

She continued to beam about this year’s advising experi ence with her Math major advisor being knowledgeable about the selection of courses she could take despite being in a unique situation after switching colleges.

“It is really important for advisors to really know their advi sees so that they may give them the best advice possible about classes and other academic opportunities,” Ledet said.

An advisor’s knowledge of

their students becomes so crucial in this process because students come to universities not always knowing the technical aspects of it.

My own experience as a freshman in CLAS put me into an advising class of around 40 stu dents that met once a week about different resources on campus. Sometimes these classes and con versations were held on different areas of campus to give students a chance to see where each of these assets were. Presentations on health services, diversity and career resources were shared, and they helped me to easily locate differ ent resources. However, I did feel a sort of discomfort during these weekly classes, especially when students were asked to participate in conversations together. Because arts and sciences are part of the same college, I found it difficult to relate to my peers in my advising section, and I feel that the large class size disconnected me from my academic advisor in class time as well.

When it came time for schedule building, I was required to meet with my advisor to receive my personal code for spring semes ter registration. During this time, I was able to open up to my aca demic advisor about my intended major and ask for course recom mendations based on my prefer ences. Meeting with my advisor was extremely helpful because I felt like I had someone I could go to for advice if I wanted to stay on track. However, I am under the assumption that Ledet and I were among the lucky few who have had

a reliable and reassuring advisory experience.

There have been a number of complaints regarding advising faced by students at Villanova, especially during class registration.

“During registration for my junior year classes, I had been able to get written into a class necessary for my minor,” one student said. “However, a week or so later, I was asked by my advisor if I would con sider dropping the class so seniors could take it instead. The only op tion that kept me on track for my minor was to take a graduate level course that I did not feel I had the experience necessary to get a good grade in the class.”

Ultimately, the student expressed that they did not feel comfortable dropping the class and the advisor was understanding, but the indecision around being “writ ten into” a class is an issue that deserves to be addressed by Vil lanova advising. It also must have been uncomfortable for the student to state that they would like to stay in the class they were originally en rolled in, especially because of the pressure of the advisor’s suggestion that the student should drop the class for seniors.

According to another indi vidual’s experience, their advisor ignored their requests to meet with them at all, despite multiple email attempts at getting their attention.

“I emailed him all the time, but he wouldn’t even respond to me,” an anonymous first year stu dent said. “So, I didn’t even have help making my schedule, I had to do it all by myself.”

Eventually, through the help of other campus faculty, the student was able to create a sched ule that worked for them, but it is truly disappointing to hear that an advisor would ignore a student’s request for help when it is part of their job to assist students in need.

However, this negligence could be due to the fact that aca demic advisors have a lot of differ ent responsibilities. At Villanova, advisors are also full-time profes sors and head directors depart ments. This puts a lot of pressure on advisors because while balanc ing coursework in their regular class periods, their own research and personal life, they also have to advise multiple students who want to take different courses and have different goals for college.

“I feel as though advisors, if they want to provide as much as help as possible to their students, should focus strictly on advising rather than grading other students or running a department,” the first anonymous student said. “Whenev er I mention this to friends at other schools, they all seem surprised that my advisor does things other than advising, so having someone not only teach classes but also run a department seems like stretching them quite thin.”

I also agree with this state ment, as it seems that not all ad visors at Villanova have the same quality. It is unfair for students to be matched to an advisor who can not give them the help necessary to stay on track to graduate and it is obvious that this is a huge concern for Villanova’s student body.

The Riley Ellipse is filled with Christmas lights this year. Courtesy of Isabella Ledet

CULTURE

The First Basketball Wells Fargo Tailgate

Elijah McDow Staff Writer

Continued from pg. 1...

frostbite even with gloves,” she said.

Junior Melanie Gonzalez also had a good experience despite the rain.

“The tailgate in the rain was a very different experience than usual, but still really fun,” Gonzalez said. “Even though the weather was really bad, I still really enjoyed tailgating with my friends.”

Besides getting to spend time with friends or seeing the debut of Cam Whitmore, it was the umbrella that Gonzalez brought with her that provided the highlight of her day.

“I brought my umbrella with me, and a guy gave me 70 dollars for it,” Gonzalez said. “That was the highlight, and it will be a core mem ory of my time at Nova.”

For almost any college student, it does not matter if it is pouring down rain, giving up their umbrella for that amount of mon ey is a no brainer. While Gonzalez gave up her ability to stay dry, it was worth it knowing she had just made the easiest $70 dollars one could make.

While he did not leave with $70, sophomore Will Thompsen still had a good time with his peers. Simi lar to Patel and Gonzalez, Thompsen

also had a different tailgate experi ence than in years past.

“I would say it was definitely more wet than I would have liked,” Thompsen said.

Despite getting drenched, Thompsen still enjoyed himself as he shared in the collective excite ment that comes with gameday in a 19,500-seat arena.

“It was a nice feeling to be back at the Wells Fargo Center,” he said. “I enjoyed cheering on the Wildcats and having a good time with fellow Villanova students.”

Backed by the enthusiasm of thousands of students, the Wildcats got the win over Oklahoma to snap a three-game losing streak. Because of this result, the push for more games in South Philly has started.

There are four more Wells Fargo games scheduled for the 2022-23 season. This means that rain or shine, there will be four more tailgates. Standing out in such bad weather showed that students are more than ready to do it again.

A Wells Fargo gameday is one of a kind, and to have one with finals on the horizon is extra meaningful. For five or six hours, students could forget about the upcoming late nights in Falvey writing papers and memo rizing terms and formulas. Instead, they could put the textbooks down and spend the day cheering on the Wildcats to victory.

Those ACS or ethics papers,

End of Semester Horoscopes

Elena Rouse Co-Culture Editor

Aries: As the Christmas season approaches, you will be called to make a big change. You might face some apprehension about the decisions that go into such a feat, but know that when you welcome the big life choice, you will feel much more content in life.

Taurus: You’re feeling like there are so many hours in a day, and yet you have no time at all. It’s been go, go, go, and you’re facing the consequences big time. Know that soon, the relief you’ve been searching for will come. In the meantime, make sure to take some time each day for self care.

Gemini: Have you been ly ing to yourself lately? Telling yourself that something is good for you when you know, deep down, it isn’t? Stop shrouding yourself in darkness and come to terms with the things that are cluttering your life.

Cancer: You are in for some spice! The stars are shining bright for you, and soon? You’ll discover some one else has stars in their eyes for you. Trust the universe, the wait will be worth it, and oh so sweet.

Leo: Sometimes we feel mis understood, and that’s okay. Though you’ve been feeling like you’re talking on mute, you are on track to be touched by those around you. Just keep the faith. You’re going to feel content and understood very soon.

Virgo: Time for a refresh.

Your life is feeling like the same old, same old, and quite frankly, you’re bored. The issue is that you keep doing the same things everyday, when ther is so much opportunity for adventure right under your fingertips. The next time something outside your schedule pops up, don’t say no. Embrace the new.

Libra: You’ve been hurt, and that feeling is hard to grapple with. Sometimes, life surprises us in ways we wish it wouldn’t, and you’re on the receiving end of that. It may feel pointless, but don’t let one experience jade you. This is only the beginning of finding out what is right for you.

Scorpio: The times are changing, and you my friend are ready for it. Buckle up and do not fret, you are more than prepared for what lies ahead. Stay the course and do not let distractions get the better of you.

Sagittarius: The holiday season is a special time, and you are in desperate need. Channel your holiday spirit, not only do you need the ‘pick me up,’ but so do those around you, and it is time to spread the love you are always so apt to give.

Capricorn: There is some thing in the water. While you’re unsure whether or not to welcome it, know that whatever unsettled feeling you have is necessary for what you’re going after. Be open, and stay aware that everything happens for a reason.

Aquarius: What you thought was true wasn’t. It happens! And though you may feel like life keeps blindsiding you, it’s just because you aren’t looking at the things that have always been there for you. It’s time you appreciate what’s always

been right under your nose this whole time.

Pisces: Stay true to who you are. There are things coming at you from all directions, threatening to cut

you down and question your choices. Do not do this, by any means. You are on the right path, and as long as you stay true to who you are, you will be more than okay.

biology and accounting exams or the two-part Spanish finals are only part of being a Villanova student. The other part involves having fun, and season showed the importance of this

The final horoscope installment of the semester. Courtesy of Elena Rouse

History Impacts the Future: The Albert Lepage Center

Colin Nemeth Staff Writer

History is critical for ed ucation, as it analyzes the causes and effects of events that define the contemporary world. The Albert Lepage Center at Villanova is ded icated to teaching impactful history lessons to help students understand historical events and how some thing similar could repeat itself or be prevented.

Kevin Fox, the center ad ministrator, helped explain the im portance of having resources such as the Lepage Center on campus for students.

“The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest strives to advance the cause of a historically-informed public,” Fox said. “The Lepage Center is com mitted to training a new generation of historians who understand the connection between history, pol icymaking, journalism and much more.”

Fox is in his first year as the center administrator but attended the MA program at Villanova for History in 2017. His youth and excitement attests to the many di rections that the center is heading — connecting generations through historical dialogue.

The center’s primary mis sion is “to reflect upon the present through the lens of the past.”

During the year, the Lep age Center holds on-campus and virtual events, bringing scholars from across the globe. All students, regardless of their academic pro gram, are welcome to attend. Fox explained that to help guide his torical discussion, there are themes

for academic years. This year the theme is being “Climate Change in Historical Perspective.”

The theme is meant to ex plore climate change denial, activ ism, national security issues and the future of Philadelphia and cities like it, all while inspiring students to act.

The center’s events can be educational workshops, open discussions and panels. Jonathan Zimmerman, a University of Pennsylvania history of education professor, led discussions on “Cul ture Wars in Public Schools.”

Erin Vintinner Betley of the Center for Biodiversity and Con

servation at the American Museum of Natural History also joined the center to discuss eminent domain regarding Lower Merion schools and explained the rich history con nected to women’s agriculture. Many more educators have joined, but ultimately, the center empowers diversity in academics and history.

There are many low-stakes opportunities for students to hear from educators in casual encoun ters, such as Lunch @ Lepage: a moment for students and faculty to think about the history behind current headlines– all with lunch provided.

As well as events for the students, the center provides in ternships to students too.

“We provide six internships per year to graduate and under graduate students - allowing them to work at local and national histor ical sites and organizations while we pay them a stipend,” Fox said. “Partners this past summer includ ed Yellowstone National Park and the Women League of Voters of

Graduate student Tripp Wright ‘23 MA and undergraduate student Alise Adornato ‘23 CLAS joined the center as History Fel

Adornato explained her motivation for being involved in the center, as she is a History and French double major on the pre-medicine track.

“Due to my interests in multiple fields, being involved at the Lepage Center has offered me an opportunity to connect modern events and issues in my various fields of study and embrace them in a historical context,” Adorna to said. “It has been a fun way to meet other students and faculty, while also broadening my perspec tive on the behind the scenes of event planning and research here at Villanova.”

The Lepage Center encour ages all students to attend their events and hopes to see students of various academic backgrounds. Center administrators clearly state that their motivation is to inspire students to acknowledge the inter connectedness of their academics. History is embedded within all ca reer paths, and the Lepage Center has resources to learn more about it.

Spread the Spirit: Villanova’s Guide to the Holidays

Tallulah Laska Staff Writer

Grab your hot cocoa and put on your favorite Hallmark mov ie, it is that time of the year again. Whether you spend the holidays by the fireplace or on the beach, this season is universally known for laughter, joy and love. If one is in need of holiday inspiration or just wants to get in the spirit, look no further.

Every family has its own tra ditions, and that is what makes the holiday season so special. Whether it’s giving and receiving gifts, shar ing a meal or watching a movie, it does not matter exactly what this month looks like, as long as one is surrounded by people they love.

“[My family] has started go ing to Bryant Park Winter Village in NYC, walking around to the differ ent vendors, buying food and taking pictures by the [Rockefeller] tree,” senior Sofia Lopez said. “I love seeing people out holiday shopping and doing winter activities.”

Being in a community can be the most rewarding part of the holidays. Although students may not be on campus for Christmas and New Year’s, the Villanova com munity spirit can be felt all month long. With the Christmas tree light ing and new holiday decorations in

each building, there is no lack of spirit on campus.

Villanovans curate their holiday spirit in the first few weeks of December, making their time on campus joyous and warm. Junior Caroline Colgan discussed how she likes to spread the spirit by doing gift exchanges with her friends.

“I always love doing secret Santa or white elephant with my friends,” Colgan said. “It really helps to bring holiday spirit to Vil lanova since we are not on campus for the holidays.”

Gift exchanges are not the only way to spread holiday spir it. On and off campus, there are events that can add some holiday twinkle to the final weeks of the semester. The annual Christmas tree lighting brings the community together, and the Campus Activities Team’s (CAT) trip to NYC takes the community to see New York’s hol iday festivities. Villanova’s holiday village brings a tradition found al most everywhere: holiday shopping and eating with friends and family.

Another holiday classic is music. Holiday music has always been something that bridges people of all faiths and backgrounds. You can hear holiday music playing in the Connolly Center, and it is likely that there will be Villanovans singing along from their respective tables.

Junior Annie Dudrear

explains how much of an impact holiday music has on her and her family. Dudrear’s family constantly has holiday music playing in their house.

“My family loves holiday music,” Dudrear said. “We always have Christmas music playing throughout December because it brings so much spirit to our house. I also like to play holiday music in my apartment during finals season to brighten the mood.”

off, Villanovans on campus and at

home are starting up their tradi tions. Everyone does something to make the holiday season their own, but there is one thing everyone has in common: their community.

Whether one is with friends, family or any Villanovan, the sense of togetherness is all around. And during the holiday season, we get even closer. Through holiday events, gift exchanges or just lis tening to the holiday music in the

The Lepage Center opened in 2017 thanks to donor Albery Lepage ‘69 CLAS. Courtesy of Villanova University

Villanova students are enjoying the holiday season while on campus.

Courtesyof GreatHorgan

Club Spotlight: Club Rugby

Emma Cahill Staff Writer

Looking for a close-contact sport filled with excitement on the field? Look no further than Villano va’s club rugby team. As one of the many club sports Villanova has to offer, rugby stands out from the rest due to the thrilling nature of the sport. Ever since its establishment at Villanova back in 1959, the rug by team has provided an outlet for students’ athleticism to thrive.

Like all club sports at Vil lanova, club rugby has its own set schedule for practices and games. With two practices a week on Pike Field, some conditioning and a pre-game walk-through, the team has sufficient preparation for their games.

“Our games are almost al ways exclusively on Saturdays, and this season, we played 10 games in 11 weeks,” junior Joe Young said. “We started early this year and had a match the very first week we got back to campus as part of our pre-season. We then kept the tempo up and played a match week after week till we got to nationals”

However, unlike all the oth er sports at Villanova, rugby has a reputation for being a particularly intense sport due to the close con tact nature of the game. Despite this fact, rugby is not considered to be dangerous by the team. Since the team learns to play the game a certain way and takes second ary measures to prevent risks, this seemingly intense game is actually quite safe.

“There are lots of rules in place to keep players safe along with proper safe tackling technique always being one of the first things players are taught,” junior Joel Casingel said. “Other than that, we always make sure to stretch and warm up properly along with prioritizing recovery the day after games.”

During this season, club rugby worked hard and partici

pated in many games. The team played in what is known as the “15s season,” which means that there are 15 players on each side of the ball for an 80-minute game. This season, the team’s hard work ad vanced it to Nationals, which was a great achievement.

“We had a very success ful 15s season, reaching the Mid Atlantic Rugby Conference Cham pionship and qualifying for Na tionals,” junior John Duggan said. “This was the first time we had qualified for Nationals since 2018, where we reached the quarterfi nals.”

However, being a part of club rugby is more than just prac ticing and partaking in games. It is also being a part of a tight-knit community. For its members, club rugby has given them a sense of what it means to be a part of a brotherhood. United by a common interest in the sport, members not only get a chance to showcase their

athletic abilities but to also form lifelong friendships.

“I originally chose to try rugby out after I saw the team at the activities fair and knew a little bit about the sport from my fami ly,” freshman Charlie Gorman said. “I wanted something which would keep me active and to meet new people. I get so much more out of this club than I could have ever ex pected. I have met some great guys and have had a very fun time with this team.”

Specifically for freshmen, club rugby is a great way to bond with upperclassmen and to get to know more people when first coming to college. Freshman Nate Caruso discussed his experience with club rugby and how he felt welcomed into the team.

“From my experience, rug by exemplifies camaraderie more than any other sport,” he said. “The moment you join the rugby team, you join a brotherhood. As

What is Sidechat?

Tommy Lynch Staff Writer

You know that you’re in for an interesting time when the first post you see on an app is about being disappointed that Dr. Oz lost to John Fetterman. I don’t know which part of the meme was better; the poor formatting or the fact that it was posted over four days after the elec tion was called.

The app is Sidechat, an anonymous social media app not unlike Yik Yak, except you can create and post memes as well. The big difference between the two is that Sidechat makes you create your anonymous account with your school email, so that every post you see was made by a college student. Think of it like a Villanova subreddit, but if the only people who could access the subreddit were Villanova students.

The app is also full of “Side chats”, which are separate sections

to post more specific things. These Sidechats can be viewed by anyone with an account, not just Villanova Students. I went under the “Advice” Sidechat and was bombarded with five posts in a row about dating and love advice. Pepper in some random questions about buying Timberland or Ugg boots and a few existential “What’s the point” posts and you’ve got the basic idea.

As of now, the app does not get a lot of traction. It appears to still be getting its footing, and when you compare it with the giant, instant success of Yik Yak, it can be hard to see this app having a future. To be fair, Yik Yak was returning, and many people wanted to go back for the nostalgia. Sidechat does not have any of this charm, and it shows in its lack of users.

I took to the app to ask it some of my own questions to see how much buzz I could get on my posts. Usually, when you post on Yik Yak, you get instantly downvoted five times and the post is removed, so the

goal here was to have people enjoy what I say.

I went to the main Villano va page and made a meme about how difficult it is having class on the fourth floor of Tolentine, an expe rience I have actually never had. I understand that this makes me priv ileged, but this is not the point. Was it a good meme? Not really. It took a total of three minutes to make. Did it represent the amount of effort other

a freshman, I have been on teams where the underclassmen are bare ly part of the team. On the rugby team, the upperclassmen make sure all of the freshmen go to every so cial event to get to know them and make sure they are comfortable on the team. I could not have asked for a better group of guys, they all really care about me along with the other freshmen. My favorite team bonding memory is the car ride home from our game at West Point. It was only the second week of preseason, and I really got close with the team on this trip.”

Looking toward the future, club rugby looks forward to its spring season. Switching up from the 15s season to a 7s season, the game will change a bit. In anticipa tion of the spring season, club rug by is feeling very prepared. With a great group of players and lots of team spirit, the team is excited about what will come.

“After losing our play-in game in nationals, our 15s season is over for the Fall,” junior Thomas Criswall said. “However, our club also fields a 7s team in the Spring. For those who may not know, 7s is the equivalent of arena football for rugby. With a lot less contact, there are a lot less players on the field but a lot more scoring. It is a great way for new, inexperienced guys to get more playing time and get a good feel of the game without as much contact. This group we have right now has a strong core of dedicated players and some very promising underclassmen. I could not be prouder to be a part of our club right now and believe we can make some deep playoff runs in the near future”

It is clear that club rugby has a bright future ahead for next season, and many fans cannot wait to see what is in store for them. If anyone is interested in joining club rugby, there is no prior experience necessary and no tryouts or cuts, and one can reach out to villa novarugby1@gmail.com for any potential interest.

people put into memes I saw? Abso lutely.

I forgot about the app en tirely for two weeks. Going back, my post had 33 upvotes and no com ments. Scrolling through my homep age, it still feels like a smaller version of Yik Yak. I do not see Sidechat taking off, especially with the end of the semester approaching, but if you are looking for a substitute for Yik Yak, it is a fine place to start.

is a new app that bears similarity to YikYak. Courtesy of Sidechat.lol

Club Rugby played a game at Army West Point this semester. Courtesy of Club Rugby

Sidechat

Women’s Basketball Routs American, 83-42

Katie Lewis Staff Writer

After a convincing win over Big East opponent Providence on Sunday, the 25th ranked Villanova women’s basketball team was back at the Finn on Tuesday, Dec. 6 to take on American University. The Wildcats maintained the Eagles’ eight-game losing streak with a sound defeat, winning 83–42.

The Wildcats entered the game unhesitant to take shots from outside the arc. Junior guard Mad

led to another three-pointer from Burke sparked momentum for Vil lanova with three minutes to go in the first period, which ended with a score of 25–9.

Despite making a series of substitutions as the first period came to an end, American con tinued to trail Villanova on the scoreboard throughout the first half, failing to complete their first ten three-point attempts. Senior forward Maddy Siegrist dominat ed the half as Villanova’s leading scorer, tallying 17 points and five rebounds. The Wildcats doubled the Eagles’ points, finishing the

and showed what they’re capable of.”

Villanova finished the game strong, shooting 10-of-13 during the last period for an impressive 77%, while American shot 3-of-12.

The Wildcats, with a record of 8–2, currently stand in seventh

overall. On Saturday, the Wildcats ning streak against the undefeated turning to conference play on Dec.

[the players] keeping in mind both finals coming in and having to finish the conference schedule strong,” Dillon said. “But with two of those games being Big Five games, I think that the motivation is there and they have no time to rest.”

Cam Whitmore Makes Collegiate Debut

Hewitt Co-Sports Editor

Villanova outlasted Okla homa in a tight Big East-Big 12 Battle game at Wells Fargo Center Saturday afternoon, 70-66. The win improves the ‘Cats to 3-5 in non-conference play. Freshman guard Cam Whitmore made his long-anticipated debut for the Wildcats, putting up seven points and three rebounds in 20 minutes.

“I’ve been itching to go since the day I got hurt,” Whit more said.

Whitmore, who was the 13th ranked prospect in the class of 2022 according to the 247Sports Composite rankings and the second highest-ranked prospect for the program since 2000, underwent surgery on his thumb on Oct. 11. He missed the Wildcats’ first seven games.

‘Cats fans were excited to see Whitmore on the floor after his rehab period, as was evidenced by the roar that arose from the Wells Fargo Center when Whitmore checked in.

“That was love from ‘Nova Nation,” Whitmore said. “Since the beginning, they’ve been build ing me up, helping me.”

Whitmore provided a spark off the bench to get the Wildcats’ offense moving, scoring seven points in 12 first-half minutes.

Neptune said when asked what he thought of Whitmore’s debut. “He literally has not played basket ball except for like four, five days, for seven weeks. Normal human beings, they would have been com pletely discombobulated.”

The ‘Cats got off to a slow start offensively, with the Sooners building a double-digit lead by the 13:18 mark. Whitmore came in and energized the offense, even af ter starting 0-3. He hit a step-back

collegiate career, and had a posses sion where he drove strong to the basket for a lay-in. He also showed a bit of rust, with two turnovers.

But he played hard, forcing three steals.

“I’m so proud of this kid,” Daniels said when he was asked about Whitmore’s performance. “That starts in practice and ev erything he does off the court. He’s willing to struggle, and that’s unique about a freshman. Not

many freshmen are like that.” Whitmore was restricted to 20 minutes, meaning he didn’t play for much of the second half.

As for the rest of the matchup, the game remained tight through the second period, with neither team able to build a lead larger than two possessions through the first 10 minutes of the half. Daniels was able to hit his stride offensively, knocking down two threes and tallying eight points in the first 10 minutes of

It remained close through the latter part of the second half, with the largest lead for either team being the Sooners by six. The game stood 64-62 with Villa nova in front heading into the last minute-and-a-half.

Daniels hit a three in the closing minute to boost a onepoint game to a four-point game. The ball whipped around the perimeter to Daniels, who pulled a quick three that went down.

“I was just thinking about the shot clock,” Daniels said when asked about the play. “We had a lot of time being used up on the ball reversal. It’s what we preach every day, reverse the ball and make a play.”

The Wildcats’ next game is the Finneran Pavilion on Wednes day, Dec. 7 as they take on the Penn Quakers in a Big 5 matchup. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Maddy Siegrist scored 24 points in the win.

Quinn Burns / Villanovan Photography

Owen

Cam Whitmore scored seven points in 20 minutes.

Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

Christina Dalce scored 13 points in just 22 minutes. Quinn Burns / Villanovan Photography

Anders Said It: Don’t Panic About MBB

Anders Pryor Sports Columnist

Slow starts are not what the Villanova student body is used to. In fact, the Wildcats’ 3-5 record after their win against Oklahoma could be 5-3 and there would still be a certain degree of frustration.

A new head coach, players lost to the NBA and injuries to the best players makes pointing fingers at certain groups really easy in the heat of the moment. Although criticism of the men’s basketball team is valid, there needs to be a sense of perspec tive and nuance before making any claims about the rest of the season.

We all knew this season was going to feel a little “off” at first. But let’s not sugarcoat it: this is much shakier than expected. Living and dying by the three, something Villa nova has always done, has caused the team to flirt with death on the score board. Multiple games have made us say to ourselves, “if we made just two more, this game is entirely different.”

Everything feels forced, even in the first half, as if the players are chasing points from the start. And the fact that it’s coming from veter ans like Caleb Daniels, who last year was one of the most reliable scorers in moments of crisis, makes it espe cially disappointing. Villanova’s lack of size is starting to show itself on the boards as rebounds, especially on defense, continue to be a big strug gle.

The four guard lineups we’ve

seen coach Kyle Neptune exper iment with made it as if the Cats didn’t even have a chance to grab the ball from the other team. We feel as small as we look. All the while, the tallest player, Nnanna Njoku, rides the bench when his physical frame is desperately needed. You can’t grab rebounds without your best rebound ers on the floor. I don’t understand why that’s so hard to grasp.

Not seeing a number 1-25 next to the V logo on national televi sion is a weird feeling.

But let’s take a step back. There are good things moving in the right direction for us.

Cam Whitmore has ar rived. Two minutes into his debut on the court, it was obvious that he was better than anyone else on the floor for the Wildcats, or any of the opposing players. The freshman’s size, strength, speed, athleticism and refined ability became immediately apparent. His presence on the court brought a sense of not only consis tency, but relief. He patches nearly all the holes that have haunted Vil lanova so far this season. And by the time he starts, this offense is going to run through Whitmore in a way that Villanova has never really seen their offense run through one person before.

“Honestly, I’m shocked,” Neptune said. “Normal human beings, they would have been just completely discombobulated.”

Mark Armstrong is a starter. Finally.

The offensive spark that

Armstrong was able to provide off the bench got the attention he need ed from not just the coaching staff but also from members of the stu dent body who have been calling for Armstrong to start since the second loss of the season against Temple. Until Whitmore gets his starting job, the last spot feels like it has been solidified as, Chris Arcidi acono had his best performance of the season so far against Oklahoma. If he underperforms again, Jordan Longino would likely be called to fill that role, but Arch is off the hot seat for now.

The win against Oklahoma was a vintage Villanova win: me thodical, consistent, pump fakes, guards in the paint and most impor tantly, discipline. Daniels had his best game of the year and was extremely patient in one-on-one situations and didn’t just chuck up threes like he had been in the past four games.

Eric Dixon had not yet been able to be himself and focus on utilizing his frame in the offensive system when he was the primary option. Now that other players are starting to put the ball in the basket with more consistency, he can focus on making the best of pick-and-roll situations the way he did last year. And most importantly from the victory, the ‘Cats controlled the tempo, even when they were down. Neptune was vocal in making sure everything was slowed down, which is just one reason why this was the best game he’s coached all year. Let’s take a deep breath. Ev

SCOREBOARD

Nov. 30 - Dec. 6

Wednesday, November 30

Thursday, December 1

Friday, Decemebr 2

Women’s Basketball vs Creighton 46-67 L

Saturday, December 3

Men’s Basketball vs Oklahoma 70-66 W

Sunday, Decemebr 4

Women’s Basketball @ Providence 79-54 W

Monday, December 5

Tuesday, December 6

Women’s Basketball vs American 83-42 W

erything is going to be fine with this team.

Having five losses before New Year’s would be something nobody would be excited about, and the fact that they occurred consecutively makes them appear bigger than they really are. Saying that there’s tons of basketball left to play seems cliche, but with a starting Armstrong and a healthy Whitmore, it won’t be the same kind of basket ball Villanova played up until this point.

The Cats are back.

Women’s Club Ice Hockey Off to 10-0 Start

Haupt Staff Writer

If Wildcat fans learned that Villanova has 10 wins and are still undefeated, most would think about men’s basketball. Well, we all know that’s not the case. Maybe women’s basketball? Nope, but that’s closer. The truth is that one of the most successful teams this year for Villanova has been the women’s ice hockey team. The Wildcats stand at 10-0 in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) for women’s Division II Ice Hockey.

Villanova is tied for fourth in points and ranked fourth overall in the league. The Wildcats were also ranked as the No. 1 team in the Southeast Region, which is the biggest region in the ACHA for women’s Division II. The title of being in Division II describes nothing about the difficulty of this league and the skill of this Villa nova team. There are 64 teams in total and 28 teams in the same region as the Wildcats. The com petition spans across the country, yet Villanova is near the top.

Much of the success is due to its goal differential of +52, which also ranks fourth in the league. This is partly due to Villa nova forward Grace Curran. She has 19 goals and 12 assists on the year, accounting for 31 points this season. Her 19 goals are tied for

second in the league with a player who has two more games than her, and she is only behind a player with 24 goals in three more games. She averages 3.1 points per game, and for all teams who’ve played 10 or more games, this makes her third in the league. In addition to this already impressive resume, she has three game-winning goals this season, tied for the team lead with Zoe Garrett. This is an elite pro

duction over a span of 10 games that makes Curran a top player in the ACHA for Women’s Division II.

Some other key players for the Wildcats include Camryn Browne, Sarah Rumley and Ceci Jenkins, who each account for 16 points on the season. Browne has 10 goals and six assists in nine games, Rumley has nine goals and seven assists in eight games, and

Jenkins has six goals and 10 assists in eight games. The team consists of many more major contributors as they all play a part in this unde feated record.

While the team is filled with goal scorers and play mak ers, just as important are the shot blockers. The Wildcats have had three goalies make appearances this season, all with impressive stats. Molly McKenna is the lead goalie and has appeared in six games with a 5-0 record, one of those games being a shutout. In her 340 minutes played, she has made 133 saves and only allowed 12 goals, with a 91.7% save per centage. Behind her are Nadia Balduf and Aubrey Organ. Balduf has played in four games and has a 1-0 record. In her 120 minutes played she has made 54 saves and allowed nine goals, for an 85.7% save percentage. Organ has played in three games this season and has a 3-0 record. She has played 140 minutes and has made 73 saves, giving her a 92.4% save percent age. The Wildcats have done well all season in preventing goals con tributing to their flawless record.

The women’s ice hockey team keeps improving every day and it looks to continue its success this season. The team is putting women’s ice hockey on the map as it represents Villanova in this difficult league. The next game takes place on Jan. 28 as the Wild cats look to start the new year and semester with their 11th win.

James

Villanova women’s ice hockey is off to a 10-0 start to the season.

Courtesy of Deena Ghazzi