The Setonian - Volume 93, Issue 21 - 03/23/2017

In Sports, Page 15 Volume 93, Issue 21

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March 23, 2017

SGA refutes claims of breaches in bylaws Senate Secretary accuses organization leaders of violating constitution Brianna Bernath Asst. News Editor As Student Government Association (SGA) elections draw near, presidential candidate and current Senate Secretary, Adrian Orozco, has compiled a list of grievances he has noted within the organization.

Orozco, member of the SGA Finance Committee and a sophomore political science major, recently notified The Setonian of several instances that he felt to be clear breaches of the SGA constitution and bylaws. He said that this information was open to the public and that he was not “revealing SGA secrets.” He further insisted that the timing of pointing out these grievances has nothing to do with the impending elections, which begin on March 27.

As senate secretary, Orozco’s responsibilities include recording meeting minutes, sending warning letters to SGA members who do not complete their required weekly office hours and, according to At-Large Senator Christopher Morbelli, a senior political science major, notifying senators and Executive Board members when they are in violation of the rules.

However, Morbelli said that while The Setonian has been made aware of these breaches, not all senators have.

“Our minutes do not reflect either the Parliamentarian or the Senate Secretary in advising senators to fully fulfill their duties or correcting them when in violation of the bylaws,” Morbelli said.

Orozco said that his intention in sharing these grievances is to create “a little more transparency” in SGA. …

Greg Medina/Asst. Photography Editor All student senators are required in the bylaws to complete one weekly office hour in the SGA office.

The first instance Orozco cited was the creation of the SGA budget. According to the SGA Constitution, Article III, Section II, line c.i, the SGA Treasurer must “assist the Finance Committee in the formulation of a budget, under normal operating circumstances as stipulated by the bylaws to be submitted to the Senate for approval before the end of the month of September.”

Orozco said that while Treasurer Alyssa Potenzone and the Finance Committee are currently in the process of approving the 2017-18 SGA budget policy, the Executive Board has not presented a budget to the Senate in the past three years.

Orozco said that he had informally brought his concerns to the attention of SGA President Teagan Sebba on two separate oc-

casions, but those concerns were “not heeded to.”

“I guess the E-Board thinks of it as an efficiency thing,” Orozco said. “Like, it’s not really necessary. It just takes up another meeting.”

However, when The Setonian presented both Sebba and thirdyear SGA Adviser Maggie Bach with the claim that the Executive Board has not gotten Senate approval on the budget, they both refuted it, stating that the budget policy has been created and approved by the Senate each year and enacted by a partnership of the treasurer, who is a member of the Executive Board, and the Senate Finance Committee.

Morbelli also provided meeting minutes and emails verifying the dates of the approvals. The 201516 budget policy was approved

during a meeting on Sept. 21, 2015, and the 2016-17 budget policy was presented to the senators via email upon request on April 25, 2016. Since no one drew an issue or asked to bring it up at a meeting, it was accepted.

“The rest of the E-Board has played no role,” Sebba said in an email interview. “I can say this confidently because I, myself, have been on E-Board for the past three years.”

Sebba added that the Finance Committee is open to everyone to join; it is even a requirement for the committee to include at least one non-SGA member. Sebba said that meeting attendees can often see the finance chairperson or treasurer asking for participation during each of their reports to complete the “daunting” task of creating the budget.

SHU makes strides to decrease campus food waste

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Orozco said that only one or two other senators have complained informally about the matter.

“The Senate seems apathetic about it, as if they don’t care,” Orozco said. “Only a few senators care that we don’t approve the budget. Most senators probably don’t even know that we have to approve the budget, that we have that power as elected senators.” …

The second complaint Orozco brought to The Setonian’s attention was on the matter of the appointment of an assistant treasurer. According to Sebba, “there is a lot of precedent” that influences the appointment of an assistant treasurer, which Treasurer Potenzone had the option to do this year if she felt the need.

Potenzone appointed Michael Roma, a sophomore diplomacy, economics and finance major, who is currently a sworn SGA senator, to the position of assistant treasurer for the 2016-17 school year. Roma’s responsibilities include delivering the Treasurer’s report when Potenzone cannot attend meetings due to a conflict with her class schedule.

“Michael Roma was chosen to be Assistant Treasurer because he is one of the only senators who attends a majority of the Finance Committee meetings,” Potenzone said in an email interview. “He is very involved and because of that I thought he would be a good fit.”

Orozco said that Roma’s appointment is an issue because this makes Roma a member of both the executive and legislative branches of student government, something the SGA Constitution forbids.

See Breaches, Page 2

Men’s basketball offseason notes In Sports, Page 14

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Breaches:

Continued from Page 1 However, Sebba also refuted this claim, saying that Roma’s appointment is not an executive one, meaning that the SGA President did not make the appointment.

She said that his appointment does not make him a member of the executive board and therefore could not make him a member of the executive branch.

Bach agreed with Sebba.

“I don’t see this as a problem,” Bach said. “The Treasurer needed assistance and appointed someone with Finance Committee experience to help her.”

Potenzone, who served as assistant treasurer during the 2015-16 school year, said that she chose to ask Roma to deliver her updates in her place as opposed to Thomas Kraft, a junior political science and philosophy major and Finance Committee chairman.

She said she did this in an effort to keep the Finance Committee separate from the responsibilities of the treasurer, effectively keeping the legislative and executive branches separate.

Orozco said that when he verbalized his concern to Kraft and Roma earlier this semester, he was brushed off with a joke, saying that Roma isn’t really Assistant Treasurer but “assistant to the treasurer.”

“It just ended at that with a one-line response,” Orozco said.

“I didn’t pursue it much after that, but it’s clear he’s serving as Assistant Treasurer. He does the reports as if he’s the Treasurer.

He’s been commenting on The Setonian articles as if he was the Treasurer, while Alyssa hasn’t.”

Roma is currently running for Treasurer on the Simon-Reed ticket, led by presidential candidate and current SGA Secretary Christina Simon, a sophomore English and psychology major.

Orozco is running for SGA President on the Reform Party ticket. …

The third complaint that Orozco brought to The Setonian’s attention dealt with Robert’s Rules of Order, the set of rules that SGA has adopted to govern meetings.

According to Robert’s Rules of Order, “you can’t transfer time” during a debate. “When you yield the floor, you waive your remaining time, but that remaining time doesn’t get added to another member’s time.”

Orozco said that Senator Morbelli yielded, or gave his speaking time, to Sebba on two separate occasions this school year. The first was on Oct. 17, 2016, during debate about a Multicultural Advisory Committee co-sponsorship. The second was on Feb. 13,

NEWS 2017, during a debate on a women’s leadership development book club, presented by Bach. Bach excused herself during this discussion so the group could speak freely about her request.

Orozco added that there was a third instance between the two recorded instances, but he raised a point of privilege, saying that the Senate cannot yield time during debate. He said that Zachariah Boyer, senior political science major and SGA parliamentarian, backed this claim and did not permit Morbelli to yield his time to Sebba.

Orozco said that both of Sebba’s comments were in favor of the co-sponsorship requests. Her support was documented in the Oct. 17 meeting minutes, but not the Feb. 13 meeting minutes.

Orozco, who is tasked with recording all meeting minutes, said he did not record Sebba’s response because “she’s technically not allowed to influence debatable senate motions.”

“I actually wasn’t even paying attention to what she was saying,” Orozco said. “I missed that part.”

While Orozco’s claim stemmed from his stance that only sworn senators can take part in debate, both Sebba and Morbelli cited the SGA Constitution, Article II, Section VI, line (c), which states “The student senate shall not… deny speaking privileges in the student senate to any member of the executive council branch, or any university administrative officer or college dean.”

“If Parliamentarian Boyer found it as a violation of procedure, which was not the case during either of the instances referenced, that is not a violation of our Bylaws – it’s simply speaking out of turn,” Sebba said.

Morbelli agreed that neither Boyer nor Orozco said anything during either of the noted instances.

“I chose to yield to President Sebba because she had the most knowledge pertaining to both topics. As such, I felt the Senate would benefit further from hearing from President Sebba,” Morbelli said. “Should the most qualified person be in the Senate, we would trust their opinion more.”

Orozco, however, said that is what the President’s Report and Open Forum portions of the SGA meeting are for and that he’s already spoken to Boyer about putting a stop to it. “[Sebba] is a role model to many of our student leaders so yes, I do think that her opinion could influence others, and that is the essence of debate,” Bach said.

“She was elected to have her voice be the voice of the students. The constitution allows for her to have voice in the meeting. Whether or not that extends to debate, I defer

to Parliamentarian Boyer.”

Boyer did not respond to The Setonian’s requests for comment.

“There are a lot of nuances to parliamentary procedure. In my 10-year career I have never seen a student group use it perfectly,” Bach said. “However, I believe that our SGA follows their bylaws, constitution and Robert’s Rules to the best of their ability.

Any errors, I’m confident, happen in good faith.”

Bach added that this year, she has witnessed the most “well-run and productive” meetings during her time at Seton Hall. …

According to the SGA Bylaws, all senators are required to serve one open office hour in the SGA office per week; members of the Senate Leadership Committee (all committee chairs, the Senate Secretary, Parliamentarian and Senate Speaker) and Executive Board must serve two.

Orozco pointed out that the sign-in binder indicates that some senators frequently fail to complete their required office hours, and Sebba has not logged any during the Spring 2017 semester.

Does this mean that the officers are choosing not to fulfill their time requirements? Not in Sebba’s case.

“I’ll admit, since I was a freshman senator I have sometimes forgotten to sign in,” Sebba said.

“I could literally save the world in that office and still forget to sign my three initials into that binder.”

Sebba said that while she does not have an assigned time listed in the binder, she is in the office from 2-4 p.m. on Mondays, and when she is not she reschedules for Friday, most of the time spending more than two hours per week in the office.

While both Sebba and Bach noted that the tracking of office hours falls into Orozco’s jurisdiction, Orozco pointed at the Senate Speaker and the Student Leadership Committee.

Elianni De La Cruz, Senate Speaker and junior economics major, said in an email that office hours are the individual responsibility of each senator and executive board member, but there is no real method to enforce their completion.

De La Cruz explained that it is the Senate Secretary’s job to maintain sign-in sheets and relay issues to her.

Bach said that the Senate Leadership Committee can ask members who in SGA they feel are not meeting expectations, and from there they could receive a warning or ultimately be brought to the Senate for impeachment. She said that while she’s seen this happen for missed Senate meetings, she’s never seen someone brought up for impeachment due to missed

March 23, 2017

Photos via Facebook/@SetonHallSGA Orozco, running for president on the Reform Party ticket, accused leaders in SGA of violating the organization’s constitution. office hours.

Orozco said that he sent warning emails to officers who did not complete their hours in the fall, but that this semester, the committee has been more focused on addressing absences at meetings, so no warning emails have been sent. …

Orozco said that he does not expect his observations to cause much of an issue during elections because his presidential opponents have generally stayed out of what he deems to be issues.

One such opponent, Billy Toney, a junior communication major and current SGA senator, thinks that though Orozco has been hard-working and passionate about leadership and reaching out to students and administration, his timing was poor.

“I think it’s petty to present

problems with SGA officers’ attendance when elections are so close,” Toney said. “It’s kind of petty to accuse SGA officers of not doing hours when there is no proof of this accusation other than what’s presented in a sign-in sheet.”

Toney said that while he has consistently served his weekly office hours, he often forgets to sign in and has never received any kind of disciplinary action for it.

While it is still unclear as to whether the SGA Constitution and Bylaws have been breached due to the conflicting reports members of SGA have given, The Setonian has not received an account that agreed with Orozco’s claims.

“I sense a lot of shade,” Toney said.

Brianna Bernath can be reached at brianna.bernath@student.shu.edu.

March 23, 2017

NEWS

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Lab tests show cafeteria lettuce free of coliform bacteria Kaitlyn Quinn Staff Writer The Student Life Committee of the Student Government Association (SGA) received a report from a student a few weeks ago that the lettuce on campus contains bacteria.

Michelle Pan, SGA Student Life Committee chairwoman and a sophomore double majoring in psychology and economics on track to marketing, provided information about the situation.

“The bubbles (found on the lettuce) are actually gas bubbles that are associated with little tiny red dots called colonies,” Pan said via email. “There was growth on the gas bubbles that indicates the presence of coliform bacteria.”

Coliform bacteria is, “a large group of bacteria inhabiting the intestinal tract of humans and animals that may cause disease and whose presence in water is an indicator of faecal pollution,” according to Dictionary.com.

Due to the numerous complaints received from students, Pan spoke with Gourmet Dining Services (GDS) representatives Michael Garcia, director of Business Affairs, and Alfred Frungillo, Gourmet Dining chairman.

“They said that the items test-

ed, like the romaine lettuce, comes triple washed and in vacuum safe bags. However, the results will be sent to a chemist to be examined more thoroughly and a message will be sent to the growers,” Pan said.

Garcia discussed the results of the test, which was conducted on March 6. “In response to student requests, Compass/GDS hired Sani-Pure Food Laboratories to conduct (laboratory) testing of the lettuce for coliform and E coli. The testing was witnessed by the Essex County Health Department,” Garcia said via email.

“The industry standard threshold is 10 CFU/g (colony-forming units per grams); all lettuce tested came back with less than 10 CFU/g.”

In response to student’s concerns, Pan said, “GDS and SHU Administration have (been effective) by conducting lab tests to ensure that the salad is safe to eat.

They took immediate action once the issue was brought up.”

Diane Lynch, director of Health Services, shared her knowledge of students’ illnesses in recent weeks. “We have had students come in expressing concerns regarding food borne illness but their symptoms seemed more consistent with viral gastroenteri-

Greg Medina/Asst. Photography Editor GDS hired Sani-Pure Food Laboratories to conduct testing on the cafeteria lettuce to check for bacteria. tis. In other words, we see a pattern where it is likely that the illness is spreading person to person versus a large number of cases in one day,” Lynch said in an email interview. “Viral gastroenteritis presents with many of the same symptoms that people associate with food bourne illness: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain.”

Jennifer Hobeika, a sophomore nursing major who lives in Serra Hall, said that as a vegetarian, the salad at the cafeteria is a

key part of her diet. “Although we don’t get the freshest vegetables or the best quality things, I try to make the most out of it and try to switch up the ingredients of my salads,” she said.

Some students suggested improvements that GDS can make.

Emani Miles, a freshman political science major, said, “The salad and fruit just aren’t fresh.

I had grilled chicken once that was green, so there is a lot that can be improved. Also, I’m allergic to tree nuts and when I asked

a GDS employee whether there were any nuts in the granola, he said there weren’t any nuts but when I tasted it there were.”

Richel Lartey, a junior biology major, said, “I’m normally fine with the salad and I eat it. I feel like there are more things for the cafe to improve on, though, like more vegan options. I have residents who are vegans and they can’t find much to eat at all, but they’re paying for a meal plan.”

Kaitlyn Quinn can be reached at kaitlyn.quinn@student.shu.edu.

SHU working to donate leftover GDS food to people in need Isabel Soisson Asst. Digital Editor This school year, Seton Hall University has taken strides toward reducing food waste on campus.

The University is in the works to begin a Food Recovery Network that, “recovers unsold, surplus food from the cafeteria and other campus events and delivers it to people that need it,” according to Andrew Aguilera, Student Government Association (SGA) vice president and junior accounting and information technology major.

The Food Recovery Network is a student movement to fight waste and hunger across the country, according to foodrecoverynetwork.org.

The network works to bring the food left over at the end of the day in college cafeterias to local food banks and homeless shelters.

Other universities that participate in the Food Recovery Net-

work include Monmouth University and Rowan University.

The process includes collecting leftover food from the cafeteria, weighing it and packaging it so that it can be delivered to the local facilities safely, according to Divine Tanamal, dining coordinator for SGA and freshman business marketing major.

This club has more than 200 chapters across the country and was brought to SHU this year by Aguilera, according to Rishi Shah, president of the Food Recovery Network at SHU, freshman senator of SGA and marketing and economics major,.

“We are hoping to reduce food waste on campus, help the surrounding starving communities, and raise awareness about food waste in general,” Aguilera said in an email interview.

According to Michael Garcia, director of Business Affairs, Gourmet Dining Services (GDS), prepares 8,000 to 10,000 pounds of food each day and 200 to 400

pounds of food are leftover, typically.

“The Food Recovery Network is just starting to work with GDS to provide some of the leftovers to needy community groups,” Garcia said via email.

Tanamal offered her thoughts on the subject.

“Essentially, we hope to raise awareness to the wasting of pounds of food on college campuses,” Tanamal said. “If we have excess food, why waste it?”

Shah offered his thoughts on what he hopes to accomplish.

“We wanted to reduce the food waste on campus and be able to turn it into something positive,” Shah said. “In the surrounding area, there are so many people that can benefit from a cause like this, and we wanted to take advantage of that.”

Shah also commented on where he sees the Food Recovery Network at SHU in five years.

“We see this club making routine recoveries each week night,

Greg Medina/Asst. Photography Editor GDS has anywhere from 200 to 400 pounds of leftover food at the end of the day. collecting plenty of food for people that need it and having many networks set in place to helping hundreds in need,” Shah said.

“We intend to make the Food Re-

covery Network one of the largest and most recognized student organizations at SHU.” Isabel Soisson can be reached at isabel.soisson@student.shu.edu.

Check us out at The Setonian.com!

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NEWS

Crime Log March 10 Incident: A non-student was wandering around the Recreation Center.

He threatened the Public Safety officers on the scene and was escorted off campus by the South Orange Police Department.

March 10 Incident: The South Orange Fire Department responded to the University Center on a report of an odor of gas. A gas meter was used, and it did not detect any natural gas.

March 13 Theft: An unidentified male stole food from the Pirate’s Cove.

March 18 Theft: A student reported that he left his laptop in the lobby of Boland Hall, and when the student returned, it was gone.

March 20 Incident: A non-student was harassing an employee at the library. The subject was gone when Public Safety arrived at the scene. A search of the area for the suspect was negative.

March 20 Incident: A student had alcohol and a candle in the residence hall.

Upcoming Events What: Ireland and New Jersey: From History to Heritage When: Thursday, March 23, 7 p.m.

Where: Nursing Amphitheatre The Details: This event is part of the Pirates of Irish Persuasion and Extraction (PIPE) Alumni Club. It will feature Dr. Dermot Quinn, professor and director of graduate studies in the department of history at SHU. Quinn is the author of “The Irish in New Jersey: Four Centuries of American Life.” The event is open to the public.

Cost: Free For more information, contact Maura Logue at maura.harrington@shu.edu or (201) 463-5967, or visit the event’s Facebook page.

What: Sixth Annual Servant Leadership Day When: Thursday, April 20, 4:15-5:15 p.m.

Where: Chancellor’s Suite, University Center The Details: Sponsored by the Center for for Vocation and Servant Leadership, this event was made possible by Colleen and Hank D’Alessandro, Regent. Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk will be giving a talk on “Saint Teresa of Calcutta: Model of Servant Leadership.

Cost: Free For more information, contact Laura Garofalo or Francia Peterson at csl@shu.edu or (973) 313-6042.

March 23, 2017

Newly-appointed Archbishop will attend mass on campus Brynne Connolly Staff Writer Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis has recently been appointed the Archbishop of the Newark Archdiocese and will be attending a special Mass on campus on March 23 at 5 p.m. as part of a six-month tour of the diocese.

Rev. Brian Needles, director of Campus Ministry, said in an email interview, “Our hope is that he will feel at home at Seton Hall and will feel free to visit with our students on a regular basis.”

Jenna Leis, a junior diplomacy major, said she thinks it’s a good thing that Tobin is coming to campus. “Students are often overlooked when it comes to a lot of religious things. The fact that he is reaching out to us is really cool.”

Leis added that it is important for Tobin to meet the people he is in charge of. “It is important that the community sees that he is there for us,” she said.

As Tobin is the chair of Seton Hall’s Board of Trustees and president of the Board of Regents, Needles said that Tobin has had a lot of influence on campus already. As for rumors that Tobin may be taking on a larger role

Photo via rcan.org Newly-appointed Archbishop of Newark Joseph Tobin will attend mass on campus on March 23. here on campus, those are still just speculation.

Jim Goodness, director of

SGA Updates Brianna Bernath Asst. Digital Editor The Student Life Committee reported that Senator Josie Martinez spoke with Paul Fisher about spotty WiFi on campus.

Student Life also reported that they are working with the Student Activities Board (SAB) for Stress-Free Week.

During the Finance Committee report, Chairman Thomas Kraft said that the Senate should not worry about funds because the group has plenty of money for the rest of the semester.

Kraft also reported that Archbishop Joseph Tobin will be coming to campus for mass and a dinner session on Thursday, March 23 at 5 p.m.

During the Treasurer’s Report, Michael Roma reported that the co-sponsorship budget is at $6,641, the Spring budget is at $5,707 and the operational budget is at $3,459.

Roma also read the 2017-18 Finance budget policy for the second time.

President Teagan Sebba told the Senate to look to upperclassmen for guidance during elections.

Brianna Bernath can be reached at brianna.bernath@ student.shu.edu.

www.thesetonian.com instagram: @thesetonian twitter: @setonian

communications for the Archdiocese of Newark said, “[Tobin] is looking out for those studying

the faith in the seminary and lay people interested in theology as well. His presence on campus is a given.”

Thomas Kraft, a senior philosophy and political science major, serves as sacristan for Campus Ministry and Financial Chair for the Student Government Association (SGA). He said he is excited to be attending the upcoming mass. “I think that he (Tobin) has a sincere passion about our Archdiocese and all that it encompasses,” Kraft said.

Tobin is the first cardinal in history to be selected from the Indianapolis Archdiocese and is now the first cardinal Archbishop of Newark, according to the National Catholic Reporter. He replaced Archbishop John Myers, 75, who has received criticism for his handling of sexual abuse and for his spending on his own retirement residence.

“I have many hopes for Cardinal Tobin’s time as our Archbishop,” Needles said, “including that he will be a visible and present shepherd to the people he has been called to serve.”

Brynne Connolly can be reached at brynne.connolly@student.shu. edu.

Lent - Sacrifice - Clothing Bins - Any Connection?

Lent is a time of sacrifice in order to bring us closer to Christ.

As we progress in a deeper relationship with Christ, we become more charitable.

Would you be willing to sacrifice your time and efforts to go through your closet to help those who are less fortunate?

We need all forms of used clothing, shoes, small appliances, linens, sheets, towels, stuffed animals, novels, and children’s books.

Items may be place in our bin located behind Mooney Hall, near the Campus Mail Room, under the fire escape. Thank you.

Any questions or comments, please contact Maria Biancheri at Catholic Charities, at 973.596.3985 or mbiancheri@ccannj.org.

March 23, 2017

NEWS

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Seton Hall names 2017 Woman of the Year Ashley Turner News Editor

On Monday, March 20, Seton Hall University named Dr. Grace May, associate professor of Education Studies and former dean of the College of Education and Human Services (CEHS), the 2017 Woman of the Year.

The award will be given to May, who has been with the University since 1989, for her “significant contributions to the success and advancement of women at the University,” according to the Office of the Provost.

May said in an email that she had many “wonderful” female role models in her life.

“My grandmother was a teacher and my mother worked as a journalist, both, at various times, providing the sole support in the family,” May said. “They were bright and hardworking, setting an example for me of what women can do in the world.”

May attended Cedar Crest College, a women’s college in Allentown, Pa. She said that she arrived at the institution during a transition period, when younger female faculty were being hired. May said that these women with families and active work lives provided her with mentorship and support –

Photo via rcan.org Dr. Grace May is the former dean of the College of Education and Human Services. she wanted to do the same for her students at Seton Hall.

“When I arrived at Seton Hall, one of my goals was to advocate and promote the potential of my students as it had been done for me,” May said. “As a faculty member in elementary and special education, the majority of my students have been women. Their intense focus and dedication to serving children and their families inspires me on a daily basis.”

Anne Bucca, a senior special and elementary education major, was one of the students who submitted an essay to nominate May for the

award. Bucca said that May was the first person that came to mind when the University called for nominations.

“She has been an inspiration and a role model for me since day one here at Seton Hall. She is passionate, humble, and has tremendous faith in her faculty and students,” Bucca wrote in her nomination essay. “She created an environment within the College of Education that I feel no other college has. It is an environment of respect, kindness, teamwork, and passion…

She has inspired me to become a leader and has instilled confidence

in me that I never thought I had.

When I graduate Seton Hall in May with my Education degrees, I am ready to take on the world and pursue my career as a woman with passion, confidence, and determination.”

Jacqueline Murdocca, a junior special and elementary education major, said in an email that May “is a great example of what it looks like to be a leader and a woman.”

Murdocca said she first knew May as dean of the CEHS and got to know her more when she became her professor.

“Even before (May) was dean, she worked with individuals with intellectual disabilities, fighting for their fair treatment and rights,” Murdocca said. “She is passionate about teaching teachers to teach, and wants us to walk away from her classes knowing how to integrate every individual into the curriculum, no matter what anyone says about them. She was able to take her passion and make a difference with it.”

Catherine Gonzalez, a senior special and elementary education and social and behavioral sciences major, said that May “embodies the characteristics of the Woman of the Year award.”

Gonzalez said she knows May from her role as former dean of

the CEHS and that May was one of her instructors for her education senior seminar course.

“She is a great role model for college aged women as she is a true leader and is dedicated in all that she does. Dr. May strives to go above and beyond when dealing with her students. She is extremely knowledgeable in her field and her presence is always enjoyable to be around,” Gonzalez said in an email. “She is a good role model because she is successful, determined, compassionate, and intelligent. With all that Dr. May does and is involved in, she always has a smile on her face ready to take on the next thing.”

May said that her daughter is in her early 20s and that she listens carefully to the experiences that her daughter has in the work world.

She said that some of her daughter’s stories are encouraging, but others are reflective of the “continued work we need to do to create a level-playing field for women.”

“It is imperative that women, of all ages, remain engaged in the conversation about human rights,” May said. “Complacency and the assumption that others will ‘do the work’ is a dangerous path. Every voice matters.”

Ashley Turner can be reached at ashley.turner1@student.shu.edu.

KEEP CALM, SUMMER’S ON Enrich your mind and your summer by studying on campus, online or overseas.

Choose from a variety of courses — from Anatomy to African Civilization, from Genetics to Journalism.

Registration Now Open! www.shu.edu/summer2017

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NEWS

The Setonian places 7 times in N.J. College Newspaper Contest Editorial Board Press Release The Setonian has placed in seven different categories in the New Jersey Press Foundation’s annual NJ College Newspaper Contest.

In total, the Seton Hall undergraduate newspaper had two firstplace finishes, three second-place finishes and two third place finishes.

Of the seven awards, four categories recognized individuals, while three honored the joint efforts of The Setonian’s overall Editorial Board and staff. The total is an increase from last year when The Setonian won three individual awards and placed no higher than third in a category.

Here is a complete breakdown of the awards won by The Setonian: First Place, Four Year Feature Writing: Gary Phillips, The Setonian • “From nothing: Hurricane molded SHU forward.”

• “President Esteban addresses impending departure to DePaul” First Place, Four Year Biography/ Personality Profile: Gary Phillips, The Setonian • “Activist, gangster, educator: Dr. Pritchett a Seton Hall ‘jewel’” • “SGA President no stranger to

the campaign trail” Second Place, Four Year Editorial Writing: Editorial Board, The Setonian • “Don’t let fear and hate define us” • “Calling all Pirates to the polls” Third Place, Four Year Column/ Opinion Writing: Ashley Turner, The Setonian • “An open letter to my pro-life father” • “The Garden State could get a little greener” Second Place, Four Year Sports Writing: Elizabeth Swinton, The Setonian • “Thomas, Jones trying to move on from past mistakes” • “SHU baseball shaves heads for pediatric cancer” Second Place, Four Year Overall Website: The Setonian • TheSetonian.com Third Place, Four Year General Excellence: The Setonian • Issue 19, Vol. 93 • The Basketball Issue (No. 10), Vol. 93 Editorial Board The NJ College Newspaper Contest is a statewide competition that looks to highlight the best collegiate journalism in New Jersey. Advised by Anthony DePal-

ma, who has more than 20 years of experience at The New York Times and serves as the College of Communication and the Arts’ Writer-in-Residence, The Setonian competed with Rutgers’ The Daily Targum, Kean’s The Tower and Rider’s The Rider News, among other university publications.

“News of these honors has me ecstatic,” The Setonian’s Editor-in-Chief, Gary Phillips, said in a statement. “The number of awards won and certain specific honors is a reflection of not only how hard everyone on this paper works, but how we all have embraced a team mentality. I am incredibly proud of the individual placings by Elizabeth, Ashley and myself, but it’s the categories like General Excellence and Overall Website that takes an entire group to buy in. Those honors include everything that goes into being a successful media outlet — writing, reporting, editing, design, graphics, digital, social media, photography, management, etc. — so I am particularly happy that our team was recognized. This is a group I am so beyond proud of.”

For more information, contact thesetonian2016@gmail.com.

March 23, 2017

Throwback Thursday

What was The Setonian reporting years ago?

“SHU sued”

Author: Caitlin Carroll Date: March 24, 2011 The story: Student Jesse Cruz was suing the University for claims of discrimination, saying that they removed him from his dorm room in Xavier Hall because he was gay. Cruz said that he was assigned a roommate at the beginning of the school year, but that roommate allegedly complained to administration that he did not want to live with Cruz because Cruz was gay.

“Student Twitter accounts target SHUFly”

Author: Kaitlin Stellingwerf Date: March 27, 2014 The story: Students launched a petition against SHUfly, attempting to get them to deal with a driver who had been leaving the SHUFly unattended, talking on a cell phone while driving and drinking and driving.

The petition was supported by @SHUflyStories and @CanSHUNot, which students tagged to voice their complaints on Twitter.

Michigan State U.:

College of DuPage:

Syracuse University:

University of Michigan: Binghamton U.:

Where: East Lansing, Mich.

Date: March 20 The update: Student Joey Adams has gone viral with his dating resume he created after a girl rejected him after asking if he had a dating resume she could see. The resume starts like a professional resume, listing things like his education and work experience, but then he gets into skills and how he spends his free time.

From: www.kdvr.com Where: Syracuse, N.Y. Date: March 21 The update: The University has installed nest cameras on campus to track a family of red-tailed hawks that have made their home on campus as they lay their eggs this spring. The hawks were first spotted on campus last year. The project was funded by alumna and avid bird-watcher Anne Marie Higgins.

From: www.syracuse.com

Where: Glen Ellyn, Ill. Date: March 20 The update: The man accused of robbing a student at the college more than six months ago, Deandre Ford, has been arrested in Texas. Bond was set at $300,000 for him. He is facing an armed robbery charge in connection to the incident on Sept. 12, 2016. Ford is currently waiting to be moved back to Illinois.

From: chicago.suntimes.com Where: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Date: March 21 The update: A graduate student rented a small plane at the Ann Arbor airport and is now missing.

That same night, a plane crashed in Marathon, Ontario, and that plane is believed to be the one the student rented. However, officials did not find the student in the wreckage of that crash.

From: www.clickondetroit.com

Hampshire College:

Where: Amherst, Mass.

Date: March 19 The update: Student Carmen Figueroa, 20, is facing charges after she allegedly assaulted a female basketball player from a visiting team over her “culturally appropriated” hair in January. Figueroa was attending the game, approached the student from Central Maine Community College, and insisted she remove the braids from her hair.

From: www.heatst.com Where: Binghamton, N.Y. Date: March 20 The update: Freshman Conor Donnelly has died after falling from a fourth-floor balcony during a house party hosted by Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity, according to police. Police said that Donnelly was trying to climb down to a third-floor balcony.

According to the autopsy report, alcohol was a contributing factor.

From: www.localsyr.com

Emory University:

Where: Atlanta, Ga. Date: March 21 The update: University President Claire Ster chose to name the school a “safe harbor” rather than a “sanctuary city,” as any private school in Georgia that adopts “sanctuary policies” could lose state funding. Students have demanded that Sterk go beyond that and offer protection to undocumented students or those that have DACA status.

From: www.marketplace.org

U. of Minnesota:

Where: Minneapolis, Minn.

Date: March 21 The update: The University presented engineering student Collin Brown with his diploma nearly two months before the school’s commencement ceremony in May so that Brown’s dying father could see him graduate. His father is in the late stages of ALS and his condition has been declining rapidly.

From: www.11alive.com

Campus Life Jan. 19, 2017 www.thesetonian.com

March 23, 2017 CAMPUS LIFE

Release the DOVEs

Page7 7 Page

Students travel to El Salvador for mission trip Evelyn Peregrin Asst. Campus Life Editor In the frigid 30 degree weather on March 4, students huddled by the entrance to the parking deck on Seton Hall campus. The sun had not risen, adding to the chill and preying upon those who had opted to wear clothing more suitable for the climate of their destination.

It was nearing 4:30 a.m. before the bus containing 22 students and five chaperones departed for the airport. Destination: El Salvador.

The Releasing the DOVEs: El Salvador program began in 2004 when director Michelle Peterson and Fr. Mino Chica decided to work together to create an immersive experience for students while doing service.

“When I became the Director of DOVE, I knew that I wanted our students to experience living in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in need,” Peterson said. “Fr. Mino was a classmate of mine who was from El Salvador, so we created the trips together.

He found the worksites, [and] I recruited and prepared the students.”

Peterson has been to El Salvador about 20 times since 2004 and continues to foster relationships with the families there.

“Children who I held as babies are now teenagers.” Peterson said.

She confirmed that more than 350 students have taken part in the opportunity to experience a service trip to El Salvador.

The Seton Hall groups have become well known to the area, receiving visits from the Archbishop, survivors of the civil war in El Salvador and receiving priests and sisters in the United States so they may fundraise locally.

Seton Hall students have made an impact through the years, according to Peterson. They fundraised for a bus to take children from an orphanage to school, built a psychological center at an orphanage and paid the first year salary for the psychologist.

They have funded a water filtration system, surgery for orphans, a washer and dryer for the nursing home, physical therapy equipment for another nursing home, repairs for various site, and school supplies, all through service trips.

“Year after year, our students return to campus changed,” Pe-

Students volunteered in various ways while visiting El Salvador. terson said. “They have experienced material poverty, yet spiritual richness. They love children and adults who they only knew for a week. The trips to El Salvador leave a lasting impact on each one of us; we know love in a very real way.”

This year the group consisted of 27 students and chaperones who traveled from Newark to San Salvador, El Salvador met Fr. Mino in his home country to begin their journey. After spending the first days experiencing the culture of the country, the groups split up.

Half stayed in the city of Santa Tecla and worked at sites including a nursing home, day care, and a soup kitchen from Monday through Friday.

The other 14 students traveled to San Miguel where they spent their time at an orphanage, nursing home and a special needs school for children.

Many of the students who took part in the trip had experienced service trips before. Ian Galamay, a sophomore biology major, participated in last year’s trip to Haiti. After that experience he had the “urge in his heart” to do it again.

“It made me realize that what we have here are just add-ons to what we need,” Galamay said. “I feel like there, they know how to live.”

He felt the most impact on the trip when he met women at the nursing home and through the relationships he built at the or-

Photo courtesy of Ian Galamay phanage. In these moments, he said he knew what pure happiness felt like.

“One thing that I’m scared of is that it’s just going to be something I did,” Galamay said. “Maybe, if people see what we did, they will do the same. Our feelings are too great to keep to ourselves. Now we have to share it.”

Acting as one of the lead chaperones for the San Miguel team was A.J. DeSilva, a seminarian at the Immaculate Conception seminary at Seton Hall. He had worked for three years as a campus minister and has led a total of six mission trips with Seton Hall.

This being his return trip to El Salvador, he knew that something felt different.

“What excited me about this

trip was I felt like a lot of students were open to a spiritual experience as well as service,” DeSilva said. “We need to be taken out of our comfort zone to make sense of our own lives. Our lives can be put into perspective when we see how others live.”

DeSilva described service as a gift. No matter how much he gave, he always received so much back. “I wish everyone could have that experience,” DeSilva continued. “Obviously, I really hope people fall in love with Jesus Christ, that’s really why I do it.”

Editor’s Note: The reporter, Evelyn Peregrin, was a part of the DOVE trip to El Salvador.

Evelyn Peregrin can be reached at evelyn.peregrin@student.shu,edu.

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CAMPUS LIFE

March 23, 2017

Alumni launch online art gallery overseas Kiah Conway Staff Writer

John Cobb and Cory Madonna, Seton Hall alumni, have their own business, called Artist Affiliated, under which they started a Latin American digital art gallery, called Patria Gallery.

They sell artwork from Latin America on their website patriagallery.com. They both majored in international relations at the School of Diplomacy at Seton Hall and found it to be rather helpful in their business career today.

“As a diplomacy major, I had a robust amount of education on international law,” Cobb, founder and 2014 graduate, said. “I was able to build upon that knowledge and learn more about intellectual property law.

It also helped me feel comfortable with visa processing.”

Diplomacy and international relations professor Dr. Benjamin Goldfrank also found value in having this background when it came to business transactions in other countries.

“The School of Diplomacy, with faculty from all corners of the globe, tries to enhance not only students’ knowledge and skills, but also to instill a sense of global citizenship,”

Photo courtesy of John Cobb Cory Madonna (left) and John Cobb (right) hope to expand their business to other avenues.

Goldfrank said. “We try to help students understand and appreciate diverse cultures and effectively interact with people from different backgrounds and societies. The curriculum also requires students to obtain proficiency in a second language, which should aid in these international interactions.”

Originally, the business started out as a movie company, but did not work out, so they

moved on to artwork.

“We had this idea for a Netflix-type website for Africa,” Madonna said, vice president and co-founder who graduated SHU in 2013. “We couldn’t make it work, as it was too hard and it is very easy to pirate in Africa. We have an office in India right now, and we’re hoping we can make Hulu-like websites for Indian entertainment companies, if the art galleries suc-

ceed.”

While their digital art gallery may seem to be similar to other online venues, their selectivity in what artwork they accept is what sets them apart from the rest.

“We’re extremely selective,” Cobb said. “I look at thousands of pieces of art each week and accept less than 5 percent of what is sent to me. Other online platforms will take any

old thing and put it up there because, amongst e-commerce stores, there is this notion that quantity means quality. We can’t be everything to everybody and we understand that.

We try to be the best at what we do.”

Even though the company is an art gallery right now, both Cobb and Madonna have big plans for the future of their company.

“In five years, I see the art galleries up, with our Latin American art gallery completely working and fine, with maybe an Indian art gallery as well as a Southeast Asian and Chinese art gallery,” Madonna said.

“Hopefully a few other things

as well, like a ground-level music website with music videos from other countries. Hopefully we’d be able to go back and try to stream movies, as well as create video games.”

Madonna explained that Cobb chose the name Arist Affiliated because it represents how versatile they can be as artists. Both Cobb and Madonna said they hope to branch out to other art forms in their business.

Kiah Conway can be reached at kiah.conway@student.shu. edu.

Student veterans build network to make each other at home Nicole Peregrina Staff Writer

Senior Conor Murtagh went through a slight culture shock going from life in the armed forces to Seton Hall. In order to better adjust to life on campus, he reached out to others on campus who might understand his difficulties.

“I went from being one of the ‘young guys’ to the oldest student in almost all of my classes,” Murtagh said.

Murtagh was an Aircraft Maintainer from 2007-2011, completed a tour in Afghanistan in 2010, and majors in secondary education and English at Seton Hall.

He is also one of the founding members of the Seton Hall’s new Student Veteran Association.

The Student Veteran Association was created last semester to help ease the transition for students like Murtagh who find assimilating into civilian life harder than they had expected. The current editorial board created the club when they noticed the lack of veteran involvement at Seton Hall.

“A lot of us [veterans] feel out of place at school because of our past experiences and age, so it is a way to become more integrated into

Photo via shu.edu Veteran students meet on a bi-weekly basis to share their experiences in the armed forces. the SHU community,” Murtagh said .

The club currently has a roster of at least a dozen students ranging from freshmen to graduate students. Time commitment, however, is not a major concern among the members, where building a support system and community are more key factors in the club’s mission.

“Life outside of the military can be solitary and finding like-minded individuals can really make life easier,” said President Kevin Quigley, a senior diplomacy and international relations major.

Before even becoming a veteran when he ships out for the Navy after graduation in May, Public Affairs Chair and senior psychology major, Jake Leary, already

immersed himself in this tightly bonded community.

“I have had a chance to hear firsthand the challenges that our veterans face,” Leary said. “Having the chance to talk to these veterans will help me have a better relationship and be a more effective leader to the enlisted personnel that I will be in command of.”

On Tuesdays, members meet in

the library. On Friday nights, they get together outside of campus and share memories of a camaraderie they miss from the military.

On other days, they put on events to bring awareness and branch out to other Seton Hall students.

Recently, Alpha Sigma Phi and the Veterans Student Association collaborated to put on an assembly where they spoke informally about what they did in the military, some difficulties they had transitioning, and veteran suicide awareness.

“It gave us a chance to meet new people and answer questions that a lot of people have but might be too uncomfortable asking in a non-formal setting,” Murtagh said.

The club will be raising awareness about veteran suicide again on the green on April 6. They will invite students to participate with them in the social media movement where doing 22 push-ups will represent the 22 veterans a day that commit suicide.

“I believe any member of the club would say the same thing, there’s nothing we wouldn’t do to help out a brother or sister in arms,” said Leary.

Nicole Peregrina can be reached at nicole.peregrina@student.shu.

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CAMPUS LIFE

March 23, 2017

Gospel Choir sets spiritual goals each semester Julie Trien Campus Life Editor The Gospel Choir continues to follow its guiding theme of “enduring the process or qualification,” according to Christina Levy, Gospel Choir president.

Each semester follows a certain theme that guides both the selections of scripture members study and song choices for concerts. This semester’s theme helps members grow closer to God despite the common distractions that may slow a person’s spiritual journey. In particular, the group’s president cited social media as a prominent distraction in contemporary society.

“Yes, it might be hard because it’s stuff we love but (it is) putting aside those things so we could, at the end of the day, become closer to God,” she explained.

Last year, after the final song of their spring concert, members of the Gospel Choir broke into tears and hugged each other.

Levy explained that the feeling of belonging to a spiritual community struck her as she reflected on how the group had planned and worked to make the performance a reality.

“We were like, ‘Wow, this is a family and God definitely dwells here,’” Levy said. “I’m going to live with that (memory) for the rest of my life.”

In the spirit of spreading God’s

The SHU Gospel Choir invites everyone to join, even those who don’t have singing experience. word, the choir holds a Bible study on the first Wednesday of every month for men and women, conducted by two different reverends.

These Bible study sessions are held a half hour before the 8:00 p.m. rehearsal in Corrigan Hall Room 83. The group also holds shorter 10-15 minute study sessions before the weekly Wednesday rehearsals.

Despite how Bible study and rehearsals are connected, Gospel

Choir invites students to participate in a variety of ways. For example, Vice President and public relations coordinator Heather Harris said students may be involved by attending performances or rehearsals without participating in concerts. However, if students wish to become year-long members, they must follow certain guidelines such as attending on and off-campus events.

Harris added that students do not need prior singing experience

to join the choir.

“We are definitely open and welcome to everybody,” Harris said. “We have some people who love to belt it out and some people who just prefer to be a choir singer and that’s absolutely fine because we can use everybody.”

Belonging to this community has helped many members grow in their faith.

Sophomore biology major David Tapley explained that joining Gospel Choir has been one of the

Photo courtesy of Christina Levy most impactful experiences of his college career.

“It’s rekindled a fire inside of me to want to be connected spiritually and live my life in the way God would want,” Tapley said.

The Gospel Choir will have the opportunity to showcase the work they have done throughout the semester at their spring concert at St. Matthew AME Church on April 29 at 5:00 p.m.

Julie Trien can be reached at julie.trien@student.shu.edu

South Orange greets next blues artist in series Alyssa Schirm Staff Writer

Every month, the South Orange Performing Arts Center, SOPAC, proudly presents a new blues artist in its “Blues in the Loft” concert series. On March 5, the loft at SOPAC was visited by Eliza Neals, an award winning rock-blues singer and Regina Bonelli, a singer-songwriter known for her album Open Up The Door. A combination of blues and soul, it’s been in the Amazon Top 10 Blues Chart every week since it was released. Her new album, which is unnamed, is heavily influenced by her own experiences and global events, although she’s no stranger to writing songs with political messages.

Bonelli is also a fierce supporter of the arts, specifically music, as she’s taught music and piano before. While speaking about SHU’s music programs and students pursuing music at Seton Hall, she explained that the music industry is hard, but perseverance is key. Bonelli, who shared the stage with Eliza Neals, gave South Orange and the neigh-

The Loft is a concert series hosted by the SOPAC showcasing blues artists. boring communities the chance to listen to a set of classic blues music.

Although most students at SHU were unfamiliar with the artist, Bonelli is extremely popular with an older age demographic.

“A lot of my music is played on college radios. I don’t know if kids like to listen to blues, it’s an older crowd,” Bonelli said.

Violet Reed, a sophomore

anthropology major, agreed. “I would visit more if they brought in more popular artists for my age demographic or even authors that are popular right now,” Reed said.

Bonelli also noted that Seton Hall students don’t frequent the Blues in the Loft event. Sophomore social work major Michelle Villa explained that she may attend these events in the future.

“I didn’t attend and I don’t think I’ve heard of the event, al-

though I would consider going,” Villa said. She agreed with Reed that SOPAC should search for performers that more college students would enjoy.

“It would probably also help if the events were targeted at college demographics rather than people in the communities nearby that are in the older population,” Villa added.

Reed noted that the monthly performance was a great event for

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Schirm SHU students and faculty. She also explained that SHU students should definitely try to visit the village of South Orange more often.

“Not only does the event sound appealing, but I feel that if students want to make South Orange more of a college town, they must make an effort to integrate themselves into it,” Reed said.

Alyssa Schirm can be reached at alyssa.schirm@student.shu.edu

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CAMPUS LIFE

March 23, 2017

Kimble talks research and projects Claudia Emanuele Staff Writer

Dr. James Kimble is an associate professor of communication who’s his research was featured in People magazine, NPR/Inside Higher Ed’s “Academic Minute” and other media outlets across the globe. Kimble’s focus was the iconic “Rosie the Riveter” in the “We Can Do It!” poster, which he said he came across back in 2004.

“I came across a book by two Smithsonian curators,” Kimble said. “It mentioned that the Smithsonian owned both a copy of the “We Can Do It!” poster and a bunch of its sibling posters by the same artist. That was a shocking moment for me. I had no idea of the original context of that poster.”

From that moment forward, Kimble became deeply-rooted in the project itself, and more than a decade later, he is still interested in that poster.

In terms of how he came to teach at Seton Hall, Kimble explained that he “[came] to know SHU when [he] was coaching speech and debate at George Mason University. It was a famil-

iar place for [him] to apply [to teach].” Since joining the SHU community, Kimble co-produced a documentary and “[became] much more confident in [his] research agenda and its relevance to both scholars and the public.”

Emma Glackin, a junior majoring in communication, said of Kimble’s teaching, “Instead of just reading off of a PowerPoint the whole time, he always gets everyone involved in the very beginning then keeps the energy up by posing questions, giving us examples, and often having us work in groups.”

Gabriel Fiore a first-year graduate student and public relations major, explained that Kimble “deeply cares about his students’ success.” Fiore added, “Dr. Kimble’s speaks so eloquently [in his research] and his articulation helps engage the audience.”

In regards to students in his field, Kimble advises students to double major, or at least have a few minors.

“You want to have a variety of skills and knowledge bases in whatever you do, and it’s a way of attracting more interest from potential employers or investors,”

Photo via Facebook/Norman Rockwell Museum Dr. James Kimble keeps his research skills sharp by cultivating multiple projects.

Kimble said.

When asked if he had any other projects on the horizon, the professor remarked that he plans to write up a biographical piece on the artist J. Howard Miller.

“It’s ironic that one of his pieces of art is one of the most famous images in history and yet we know almost nothing about him personally,” Kimble explained. “I’ve had some preliminary talks with

a publisher about that research eventually becoming a book project.”

Claudia Emanuele can be reached at claudia.emanuele@student.shu.edu

Letter to the Editor SGA senator reacts To the Editor,

*Items Include: Burgers, Veggie Burgers, Chicken Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, and Grilled Cheese, OR Free Regular Fries!

On Feb. 13, the Editorial Board of The Diplomatic Envoy published an opinion piece criticizing the SGA Diplomacy Senators’ decision to abstain from a bill on undocumented immigrants. The Diplomatic Envoy had every right to criticize their elected senators with regards to this bill brought before the SGA senate.

For the sake of transparency, let me tell you why I am writing to you today.

The two and a half years as a writer for The Envoy were a definite highlight of my college career. The writing tips that the editors gave me, along with the fact that I was working with some of the best writers on campus, are aspects that I will never forget.

However, the month after the passing of the bill made me question not only The Envoy’s journalistic integrity, but also my position within it.

For starters, it was petty and unfortunate that a respected student paper chose to sacrifice this integrity by

deciding to state in the article’s URL, since redacted, that I and my fellow SGA senator were an “embarrassment” to our own school.

Moreover, why did The Diplomatic Envoy wait nine months to criticize our records as senators and where were they during that time challenging us?

Also, where were they when a majority of the senate body recently voted against a bill that would’ve abolished the ROTC senate seat? A seat, I should say, that represents several Diplomacy students in uniform.

The Envoy stated in this piece that our positions in SGA were just for “a line on their resumes,” but couldn’t we say the same about you as a result of your silence before the passing of the DACA bill?

Ever since the opinion piece was published, I thought I would hear ridicule from my constituents. However, it turned into the exact opposite; ridicule for the paper that was supposed to keep us honest and challenge us.

A paper that was supposed to be above reproach.

Just because my fellow Diplomacy Senator and I didn’t ac-

tively hear the concerns of our constituents, as we should have been, doesn’t mean that we sat on our hands during our entire terms.

As a member of Finance Committee for two years and assistant to the Treasurer for the past semester, Senator Roma has learned greatly about the financial process of student government and this is why I believe he will make a fantastic treasurer for the upcoming year.

Spearheading an initiative praising students, faculty, clubs, and organizations with congratulatory letters, dubbed “Happy Letters,” has narrowed the bridge between them and SGA in recognizing their valuable contributions to the Seton Hall community. I do hope that my fellow senators carry on my wonderful initiative going into the next academic year.

With election season soon coming to a close, my message is simple: Accept criticism from those that challenge us and keep us honest and transparent.

However, for those that wish to go below the line, turn it around and rise above it.

Matthew Schaller Seton Hall University Class of 2017

Opinion thesetonian.com

March 23, 2017

Page 11

The Voice NJPF recognizes The Setonian’s dedication, teamwork I

was recently reminded that hard work and success ought to be celebrated, so that’s exactly what I am going to do.

Recently, The Setonian placed in seven categories in the New Jersey Press Foundation’s annual NJ College Newspaper Contest. Among the entries were two first-place finishes, three second-place finishes and two third place finishes.

Four of the awards honored three individuals: Ashley Turner, Elizabeth Swinton and myself. The re-

maining three recognized the joint efforts of our collective Editorial Board and staff.

The categories in which The Setonian placed were Feature Writing, Biography/Personality Profile Writing, Editorial Writing, Column/Opinion Writing, Sports Writing, Overall Website and General Excellence.

Those last two – Overall Website and General Excellence – those are the ones that are special. As honored as I am to have received indi-

Jenna Pearsall Social Media Editor

to be the black sheep in the family growing up, and I was further proving that point by majoring in journalism when I was born into a family of teachers and businessmen. Why not add a university no one in my family had ever attended before to the mix to keep my track record going?

I wanted the university that I originally attended to be a place I could call my own and not just be a legacy as expected. It was this naive and egocentric 18-year-old mindset that led me to make the wrong decision in the first place.

However, making the wrong decision is what ultimately led me to where I am today. So, in retrospect, this decision was a blessing in disguise.

Immediately after I began my first semester, I surmised that I felt completely out of place. I tried to rationalize that I was judging too quickly and not giving this university a chance, but by early

vidual recognition, and as thrilled as I am to see Elizabeth and Ashley duly acknowledged, it is those two awards that I take special pride in.

While all of these awards are deserved upon individual efforts, it is those last two that are true testaments to The Setonian’s team mentality. Winning those awards, which essentially acknowledge the overall quality of our site and paper, requires writing, reporting, editing, photography, design, layout, management, social media and

more. In other words, everything we do – and in cooperation with one another to boot.

What makes me so proud, as The Setonian’s Editor-in-Chief, is that teamwork is something I have stressed all year. Our showing in this contest is a direct reflection of that. But that has been the case long before we won anything, and for that I am even prouder.

So this is my public recognition and celebration of a group that I feel doesn’t get enough of it despite

the countless hours it puts in. That doesn’t mean the work stops, the hunger ceases or the drive disappears – we’re certainly determined to maintain and improve our standards.

Instead, I’m just taking the time for a team that gives so much of it.

The Voice is intended to best represent the collective opinion of The Setonian’s Editorial Board. This particular edition was written solely

by The Setonian’s Editor-in-Chief, Gary Phillips.

dentials were in order. At the end of the meeting, the adviser stood up, shook my hand, and said the four words I longed to hear for months: “Welcome to Seton Hall.”

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I picked Seton Hall in the first place.

Looking back, though, I know I wouldn’t have had the wonderful experiences I did had I done so.

I wouldn’t have met the friends I

have now or even be the person I am today had I started a semester early.

I learned to take matters into my own hands and went after what I wanted. In the end, I learned that making the wrong choice can sometimes lead to the right one.

Jenna Pearsall is a journalism major from Pompton Plains, N.J. She can be reached at jenna.pearsall@student.shu.edu.

Correcting my choice: My journey to Seton Hall

I didn’t know it then, but exactly four years ago I was in the midst of making the most important decision of my life as a high school senior: picking which college to attend.

I had my pick of the litter, but in my mind I had already narrowed the pack down to two. I made the wrong choice.

I think I knew even then that I was making the wrong choice when I came to my final decision, but at that point, there was no turning back. Seton Hall University, the right choice, turned me off for a selfish reason. My sister, my grandfather and my cousin had all attended Seton Hall, so suffice to say, I was bleeding blue before I even stepped on campus.

However, I wanted to be different and decided to look elsewhere. I always considered myself

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Senior Column November my mind was made up. My mother and I had open and honest discussions about me transferring schools leading up to that point and figured I would finish out my freshman year before making the jump. However, it hit me all at once that I couldn’t wait an entire semester.

By mid-December, my transfer was almost complete. All I had left was a meeting with an adviser to make sure my credits and cre-

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Volume 93 Issue 21

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Page 12

SPORTS

March 23, 2017

THROUGH OUR EYES

Sports Quote of the Week “I think we can do really well this season, maybe even win the Big East.”

Freshman Darby Pandolfo aims high on Seton Hall softball’s potential this year.

Take a seat: Why NBA World Baseball Classic teams are resting their stars doesn’t do enough to draw fans in

Matt Ambrose Staff Writer On March 11, the Golden State Warriors touched down in Texas for a big matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, the team riding their coattails at the top of the Western Conference. The game was highly anticipated and was set to broadcast on national television. However, the draw of the game quickly evaporated, as Warriors head coach Steve Kerr elected to bench star players Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala for the game.

On March 18, history repeated itself as the Cleveland Cavaliers headed west to Los Angeles for a nationally televised showdown with the Clippers. What was expected to be a battle of two of the NBA’s best teams soon became something very different, as Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue decided to rest Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and LeBron James.

Kerr cited the extensive travel the Warriors had endured in recent weeks as the reason for the decision. Not helping with the attractiveness of the matchup was that Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tony Parker were all out with injuries.

In Lue’s case, he benched Irving and Love due to nagging injuries, and also stated he sat James because he did not want him carrying the burden without the team’s other two stars.

Many fans were disgruntled with the teams’ decisions to sit their stars, as these were supposed to be premier matchups on the NBA schedule. Instead, they turned into unwatchable games.

This prompted NBA commissioner Adam Silver to send a memo to all 30 NBA teams, calling it an “extremely significant issue,” according to ESPN. The bigger issue here is that the NBA schedule is ridiculous.

The Warriors’ in San Antonio was their eighth game in 13 days, with seven of those games being on the road. But that’s not all. Of those seven road games, five of them came against Eastern Conference foes on the opposite side of the country. Additionally, the Warriors had three back-to-back’s over that same stretch of games. All in all, the Warriors traveled about

Matt Lapolla Staff Writer

Photos via NBA.com LeBron James (top) has rested five games this season. Adam Silver (bottom) warned teams of the issue of resting stars too often.

10,000 miles in a 13-day stretch.

That’s unacceptable.

For the Cavaliers, they had already had 11 back-to-backs on their schedule, with the game against the Clippers being the start of their 12th.

The NBA has a scheduling problem, and it’s nothing new.

The discussion about limiting back-to-back’s on the schedule has been a relevant topic for years.

Changes were made this season, as Silver reduced the total number of four-games-in-five-nights stretches significantly, from 70 to 27.

This change has had an impact, as offensive efficiency has gone up this season, but it isn’t enough.

The Warriors and Cavaliers aren’t the only team to endure harsh schedules this season. Over a 27day stretch from Jan. 6 to Feb. 2, the Houston Rockets traveled a total of 12,415 miles. By Dec. 15, the Denver Nuggets had already traveled 33 percent of their road schedule.

With these vicious travel sched-

ules still prevalent in today’s NBA, it’s no wonder why teams are electing to rest their starters.

Teams are showing they are focusing on long term goals instead of on one individual game.

How can this problem be solved? Could the NBA reduce the number of games per team from 82 to a more manageable total? Could the NBA season begin earlier? The NBA could take after the NHL, which typically begins play about three weeks prior to the NBA. Whatever the NBA decides to do, the vicious travel that these NBA teams endure has to come to an end. It will be in the best interest of both the league and its 30 teams if the teams are at full strength each game and the league is able to showcase its best players night in and night out.

Matt Ambrose is a journalism major from Exeter, N.H. He can be reached at matthew.ambrose1@ student.shu.edu or on Twitter @ mambrose97.

Baseball may be America’s pastime, but American interest in the most prestigious international baseball competition is not high.

The World Baseball Classic came to an end Wednesday night as the United States faced Puerto Rico in the Championship game.

Despite haivng their home country in the finale, the WBC has struggled to capture the interest of American fans.

The World Baseball Classic feature a great deal of talent on several international rosters. The Dominican Republic was represented by Manny Machado and Jose Bautista, two of the strongest sluggers in baseball. The Puerto Rican team was led by three of baseball’s most talented young players in Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez and Carlos Correa. Even the American team had a frightening roster; former MVP Buster Posey, perennial MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt and reigning AL Rookie of the Year Michael Fulmer are part of a dominant American lineup.

Yet the United States went without some of its most popular stars. The two reigning MVP’s – Kris Bryant and Mike Trout – did not accept the invitation to join the United States National Team.

Three-time Cy Young award winner Clayton Kershaw also elected to stay home, along with reigning winners Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello. From Bryce Harper to Noah Syndergaard, fan-favorites from all 30 MLB teams elected to not partake in the World Baseball Classic. When dominant pitchers and hitters choose to play spring training games rather than compete for their country, it causes the tournament as a whole to lose some legitimacy. Why should fans want to watch the World Baseball Classic if their favorite players are not going to participate?

Compare this to the most prominent international competition for a team sport – the FIFA World Cup. Dozens of countries from several continents compete in the World Cup, and the world of soccer comes to a halt to focus on international competition.

No league play occurs during the World Cup, as leagues like the Premier League in England and La Liga in Spain organize their seasons from August to May in order to leave room for international play in June and July. In the World Cup, soccer fans get the chance to see players that they normally would not. If a person follows the Premier League, they may only get the chance to see players in the German Bundesliga during Champions League matches or during preseason friendlies. In the World Cup, they have another chance to watch these players.

Contrast this now with the World Baseball Classic. Spring training begins in late February, which means that preseason games for MLB run directly in conflict with the World Baseball Classic.

In addition, MLB is the premier destination for baseball. Players in Japan and Central America often leave the leagues in their respective countries to have the chance to play in America. The level of talent in MLB is much higher, so the best players from all over the world play for American teams.

In soccer, leagues like the Premier League and the Bundesliga are incredibly similar in talent; this is simply not the case for baseball.

American fans already see all of the best players in the world play every day. As a result, the World Baseball Classic does not inspire intrigue to the American fan.

The World Baseball Classic as an institution is not a problem.

The issue for Americans lies in that it is simply not interesting to watch. Baseball is dominated by the United States, and the World Baseball Classic offers nothing that MLB does not already provide. If baseball had the same worldwide reach that a sport like soccer does, then maybe the United States would pay more attention to it. But when the league’s best players view it as an afterthought, it’s hard for the World Baseball Classic to be anything worthwhile to American fans.

Matt Lapolla is a broadcasting major from Union, N.J. He can be reached at matthew.lapolla@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @MatthewLapolla.

March 23, 2017

SPORTS

Page 13

Pitching struggles pester Pirates in early season contests Andrew Lombardo Staff Writer The starting rotation was supposed to be the backbone of the Seton Hall baseball team heading into this season. However, after 18 games, the top of the Pirates’ staff has been arguably their biggest disappointment thus far.

Last spring, SHU rode its stellar pitching staff to a 38-20 record and third place finish in the Big East.

They were led by two dominant starting pitchers in Shane McCarthy, now a junior, and Cullen Dana, now a sophomore.

The duo both had an ERA under 3.00. Dana finished the season with a 2.75 ERA, just behind McCarthy’s 2.38 ERA. McCarthy also led the conference in innings pitched (102) and strikeouts (84).

His stellar season earned him First

Team All-Big East honors, while Dana made the Second Team.

Zach Prendergast rounded out the starting rotation, finishing with a respectable ERA of 3.97.

The Pirates sit at 10-8, but they must improve vastly if they wish to make a run at a Big East Championship and NCAA Tournament bid. Specifically, the pitching staff needs to improve, as the team ERA sits at 4.26, more than a run higher than last year’s 3.21.

Surprisingly, the senior, Prendergast, has been the steady force in what has otherwise been a rough start for the Pirates’ pitching staff.

Prendergast has built on his performance last year by leading the starters with a 3.72 ERA. The main culprits of that inflated ERA are the ones you would least expect, McCarthy and Dana.

Dana has a 4.05 ERA and his

numbers pale in comparison to last year. The southpaw is allowing opponents to bat .238, normally a superb number for a pitcher. For Dana, however, that is a regression from his incredible mark of .201 last season. On the other hand, Dana has struck out 32 batters in 26.2 innings, a promising factor knowing he had just 66 strikeouts in 72 innings last season.

The pitching staff needs to improve as the team ERA sits at 4.26, over a run more than last year’s 3.21.

Although Dana has underperformed, there is no cause for concern. That might not be the case for McCarthy, who has stumbled out of the gate with a 7.56 ERA. While Dana has merely been unlucky, McCarthy has been struggling, turning the start of his season into

the worst stretch of his collegiate career. For a pitcher usually known for his impeccable location, he has been uncharacteristically wild. Last year he had 84 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 102 innings. In 25 innings this year, he has only struck out 15 batters. More alarmingly, he has already issued 11 walks, already more than half of last year’s total.

It is clear his location has betrayed him. Opposing hitters have also realized this and taken advantage, as they have hit a brutal .333 off him.

Despite taking on the loaded lineups of Florida or Michigan, it is vital to recall how high the expectations are for McCarthy after leading the Big East in ERA for two straight years. After all, he threw a perfect game as a sophomore last season. There certainly is no question of his capability to become one of the best in the country.

Setonian Stats Pitching Struggles by ERA 2015-16 2016-17 ERA ERA McCarthy 2.38 Dana 2.75 Prendergast 3.97

7.56 4.05 3.72

Graphic by Clara Capone

Prior to this past Sunday’s game against Lehigh, his ERA sat at 9.45 after four starts. Against a weaker Lehigh lineup this past Sunday, McCarthy started and gave up just two hits and threw five scoreless innings in the Pirate’s 3-0 win. His location struggles were still present, despite that, the performance was encouraging and gave him something to build on. The season is still young, meaning any concerns about McCarthy’s struggles will probably be mitigated in due time.

Andrew Lombardo can be reached at andrew.lombardo@student.shu. edu or on Twitter @Anlombardo8.

HALL ACROSS THE BOARD SCORES OF THE WEEK MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Friday, March 17

Seton Hall Arkansas

71 77

Friday, March 17

Seton Hall Villanova

SOFTBALL

2 7

7 0

Friday, March 17

Brown Seton Hall

0 8

3 5

3 7

Friday, March 17

Saturday, March 18

Saint Peter’s Seton Hall

BASEBALL

Friday, March 17

Manhattan Seton Hall

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

2 11

Saturday, March 18

Sunday, March 19

Hartford

Seton Hall

Iona Seton Hall

0 8

Manhattan Seton Hall Sunday, March 19

Lehigh Seton Hall

What’s 3/23 ON DECK Thursday Home

Away

3/24 Friday

3/25 Saturday

3/26 Sunday

0 3

3/27 Monday

3/28

Wednesday

Princeton 4 p.m.

Baseball

Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut 3 p.m.

1 p.m.

1 p.m.

Iona 3:30 p.m.

Softball

Villanova 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Fordham 4 p.m.

Women’s Tennis Men’s Golf

LIU-Brooklyn 1 p.m.

Villanova 12 p.m.

3/29

Tuesday

Photo via SHU Athletics The SHU women’s golf team earned a third place finish from a field of 17 teams in the Low Country Intercollegiate. Freshman Sammie Staudt lead the Hall with a second place finish on Sunday, Mar. 19

TWEET OF THE WEEK

Xavier 12 p.m.

Towson Spring Invitational Two Rounds All Day

For complete coverage of all Seton Hall Athletics, visit thesetonian.com or follow us on Twitter @SetonianSports.

SPORTS

Page 14

March 23, 2017

Much of Seton Hall’s offseason up in the air Elizabeth Swinton Sports Editor

The attention of Seton Hall basketball now shifts to the team’s future, as its season ended March 17 in a 77-71 loss to Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament. With a gaping hole in the starting lineup and the possibility of a starter or two leaving, here are four things are what Seton Hall fans should keep an eye on this offseason.

NBA Hopefuls After three years at Seton Hall, putting up 27 double-doubles and leading the country in rebounds this season, Angel Delgado has to decide whether he wants to continue his collegiate career or to explore professional aspirations.

While he may not be on the 2017 NBA draft radar, Delgado can play for the Dominican Republic’s national team. The big man has spent his last two summers playing at the national level, but he may want to start being full-time on the team sooner rather than later.

“Next for me right now is to go and see my family,” Delgado said after losing to Arkansas. “I’ll call the decision like in two weeks.”

It is likely that Delgado returns to Seton Hall.

A report came out Tuesday

that Delgado and Khadeen Carrington were both entering the NBA draft without an agent, but that news was refuted by both players through their Twitter accounts. By not hiring agents, Delgado and Carrington maintain their academic eligibility.

Replace Madison Jones Being a graduate transfer point guard, Madison Jones’ time with Seton Hall was short. In that time, he was able to play his first, and only, NCAA Tournament game with the Pirates. He played an important role to the team all season after Isaiah Whitehead left for the NBA. “I’m happy for him, I’m proud of him,” associate head coach Shaheen Holloway said. “He did an unbelievable job for us this year, with the circumstances coming in, trying to fill a kid’s shoes that went on to the pros, especially since he never played in the NCAA Tournament. So I think he came in and did a solid job for us, all year.”

With Jones leaving, the point guard spot at Seton Hall is in dire need of being filled.

SHU does not have a floor general yet on next year’s roster, and with three scholarships open, the team will have to look to find a guard that can round out its core

Seton Hall swim coach steps down after 17 year career Matt Ambrose Staff Writer Seton Hall men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach Ron Farina has stepped down from his position after coaching 17 years with the University, Athletic Director Pat Lyons announced on March 18.

Farina, who will pursue new opportunities, just recently led the men’s swimming and diving team to its first Big East championship in program history last month. Farina’s squad took home the championship in dominant fashion, beating the runner-up Georgetown by nearly 150 points. Lyons thanked Farina for his 17 years of service to the program in a statement.

“He has helped raise the program’s bar for success by molding our student-athletes into very strong competitors in the Big East Conference, and, with the teams’ historic performances in the pool this season, he has set our student-athletes up to

be successful for years to come,” Lyons said.

In addition to the men’s Big East title, Farina coached the women’s team to its highest Big East Championship finish ever, finishing third out of eight schools.

“It has been an honor to coach the young men and women who have come through this program the last 17 years,” Farina said. “I take a lot of pride knowing that this program will continue to compete for multiple Big East swimming and diving individual and team championships in the future.”

During Farina’s time at Seton Hall, his swimmers totaled 37 Big East relay, individual and diving championships, and nearly every school record was broken during his time at the helm.

The program stated that it will begin to look for Farina’s replacement over the next several weeks.

Matt Ambrose can be reached at matthew.ambrose1@student.shu. edu or on Twitter @mambrose97.

starters.

Trevon Duval The answer to Seton Hall’s guard needs could come in top point guard recruit Trevon Duval.

The McDonald’s All-American has Seton Hall listed in his final five schools, along with Arizona, Baylor, Duke and Kansas.

Seton Hall has tough competition, but it can be argued that the Pirates need Duval’s presence the most, which may be attractive to the recruit. SHU also has Myles Powell, who happens to be good friends with Duval.

“Everything that’s going on, I haven’t really had a chance to really get to talk to him about it, but once everything is said and done and my full focus is off here, I’ll try to work on Trey a little more,” Powell said of recruiting Duval prior to the NCAA Tournament.

Duval completed his second visit to Seton Hall and watched the Pirates beat Marquette in the Big East Tournament on March 9.

Along with everyone else, Seton Hall awaits Duval’s decision, but if he chooses to come to South Orange, it would be a big-time move that would help Seton Hall tremendously at the point guard position.

Incoming Recruits So far, Seton Hall has two com-

Joey Khan/Photography and Digital Editor Angel Delgado has yet to make a decision on his future. mitments from recruits in the 2017 class: Myles Cale and Darnell Brodie.

Cale is a shooting guard from Appoquinimink High School in Middletown, Del. He is a fourstar, top 100 recruit in this year’s class. ESPN.com ranks him No. 63 overall, No. 2 in the state of Delaware and No. 17 among the nation’s shooting guards.

Brodie has just a verbal commitment with Seton Hall. He is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports.com, but unranked

most elsewhere. He was not heavily recruited, but the power forward is going to bring depth in the frontcourt for Seton Hall next season.

With three scholarships left, Seton Hall has room to build on the two recruits already committed.

The roster currently has no natural point guard, and that is an area to look out for going forward in Seton Hall’s offseason.

Elizabeth Swinton can be reached at elizabeth.swinton@student.shu. edu or on Twitter @eswint22.

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March 23, 2017

SPORTS

Page 15

Bozzella talks Pirates’ losing season, ‘inconsistency’ Keith Egan Staff Writer Women’s basketball coach Tony Bozzella has changed the program around in the last three seasons.

After making the NCAA Tournament in the previous two seasons before this year, he has the best winning percentage as a coach in program history. However, this season was different for Bozzella, who coached a young team to a 12-19 record.

Bozzella admitted it was a hard season to get through and the season was not up to the program’s new standards. However, there were still positives he noted, and many of the negatives he feels can turn to positives.

Bozzella saw the team as too inconsistent, which hurt the Pirates in their journey through the long season.

“Our inconsistency on the floor, our inconsistencies outside the floor, our inconsistencies with everything that we did,” Bozzella said. “Now we understand what we can and cannot do to be successful.”

Seton Hall did win a Big East playoff game for the fourth year in a row, something Bozzella noted as a positive. The Pirates beat the Providence Friars in the first round of the tournament, 73-60, in an ef-

Joey Khan/Photography and Digital Editor This year was Tony Bozzella’s first losing season at Seton Hall in his four-year tenure. fort that Bozzella feels showed the level they could play at.

“There were times that we didn’t play nearly to our level and that was a problem,” Bozzella said of the season as a whole.

A big problem for the Pirates entering this season was inexperience.

They were a freshmen-heavy team with players like Kaela Hilaire, Deja Winters and Jayla Jones-Pack, who all had impacts on the floor, but at times struggled with the adjustment to college basketball.

“We’re playing with 18- and 19-year-old kids against 21- and

22-year-old women,” Bozzella said.

In the past, Bozzella had players more used to what it took to play in college, and having a team that was not used to the difference in season caused them to struggle at times. They were not used to the longer schedule, the long road trips

or just going through practices day in and day out.

However, Bozzella is confident that this year was a huge stepping-stone to making sure his team is ready in the future.

“I think our young guys got a lot of experience and a lot of time on the floor, which will only be valuable for us next year,” Bozzella said.

Not relying on freshmen next year will be a change for the Pirates, but with the best recruiting class in the Big East, they will have weapons both young and old to get the program on the right track. Kim Evans and Selena Philoxy are the two incoming freshmen for next season who will combine with Taylor Brown, a transfer from Western Kentucky, and Tyeisha Smith, who will be a 20-year-old freshman after sitting out this season.

Despite the positives Bozzella brought up, he admits he had a growing year himself. He said he learned n a lot. He stressed learning from the mistakes both the players and coaching staff made, and continuing in the right direction.

With the future looking bright, the Pirates and Bozzella hope they can go back to being a Big East force and a tournament team once again.

Keith Egan can be reached at keith.egan@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @Keith_egan10.

SHU softball freshman shining in young season Andrew Lombardo Staff Writer For most freshman athletes, expectations are usually low.

However, Seton Hall catcher Darby Pandolfo has not been just any freshman thus far, as she has been raising the bar with her veteran-like numbers.

The Massapequa, N.Y. native began her collegiate career with a bang through the team’s first three games this season. Pandolfo went 8-12 with four doubles, a triple, a home run and seven RBIs, leading the Pirates to three straight wins.

Her blistering start to the season did not go unnoticed, as she was named Big East Player of the Week shortly after. She has since fallen back down to earth, hitting a solid .333 through 23 games.

For Pirate coach Paige Smith, there was never a question about Pandolfo’s talent.

“Darby is a gamer and is learning to hit at the college level at a very quick pace,” Smith said.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Pandolfo’s young season has not even been her spectacular bat, but her steady glove behind the plate.

Even though she splits catching duties with sophomore Destini Peck, Pandolfo has yet to commit

an error. She has also thrown out two runners in the process.

Since her early season tear, it is clear teams have taken notice of her bat and have prepared accordingly. Teams have scouted her as a key cog in the lineup, trying to learn more about her as a hitter. According to Smith, opposing pitchers will pitch around her more and more with time. As she develops at the plate, she will need to recognize this and become a more patient hitter.

Smith credited Pandolfo’s travel program and family for developing her into the promising young backstop she has become.

“She came from a travel program that really teaches the game well,” Smith said. “For the last eight years she has had great trainers and an incredibly supportive family.”

She also praised Pandolfo’s work ethic and character, pointing to those reasons as to why she has excelled so soon.

“She’s the kind of kid that never complains and only wants what is best for the team,” Smith said.

“That comes from a background of great coaching and a fantastic family. All I have to do is not screw it up.”

One thing Smith said sticks out about Pandolfo is her commitment

Photo via SHU Athletics Darby Pandolfo was named Big East Player of the Week soon after her collegiate debut. to being a student-athlete, in that order. According to Pandolfo, being a student first was the reason she came to SHU. “It was exactly what I was looking for because I knew I could get a great education,” Pandolfo, a business major, said. “I wanted there to be more to my college experience

than just being an athlete. But at the same time, as an athlete I could not ask for anything more.”

Although the season is young, Pandolfo has already made a name for herself not only as one of the best Pirates, but as one of the best in the Big East Conference. However, she is not concerned with per-

sonal accolades.

“I think we can do really well this season, maybe even win the Big East,” Pandolfo said. “I just really want to play my best and give it all I have.”

Andrew Lombardo can be reached at andrew.lombardo@student.shu. edu or on Twitter @Anlombardo8.

Sports

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Bozzella looks back on rocky WBB season Page 15 March 23, 2017

Page 16

SHU softball thriving on veteran-rookie dynamic Matt Lamb Staff Writer

The Seton Hall softball team swept the Inaugural Pirate Invitational over the past weekend, winning all four contests it played in, and winning three by way of the mercy rule. The Pirates seemed confident, relaxed and poised after fighting off cold weather conditions to take down its opponents.

The team returns several starters from last season, and has also added in a few key freshmen newcomers. The upperclassmen core, however, has led to the Pirates being more trusting and supportive of each other not just off the field, but also on it.

“We have the most amazing leadership this year,” Smith said.

“It’s not one single person and I think that’s important because over the course of how many games we play and how much we’re out here practicing, we’re in the gym before 6 a.m. almost every day. It all can’t fall on one person so it’s really exciting to see a variety of girls set up.”

Currently on a four-game winning streak after the tournament, Seton Hall sits at 12-9-1 with a three-game set against Big East

Photo via SHU Athletics Junior Alexis Walkden has seen younger teammates step up so far this season. foe Villanova starting on Saturday. According to Smith, the team’s chemistry and energy levels have both been working hand in hand in order to contribute to a more cohesive unit.

“We’re making it a point as a coaching staff to acknowledge the leadership; we actually have an award that goes to whoever is

most ‘Hall In,’” Smith said. “It’s been somebody different every week and everyone contributes to it, so at the end of the year it will be named after whoever has won it the most.”

Now a junior, Alexis Walkden has been one of the players who has been a leader on the team after having two strong seasons already

under her belt. The veteran-rookie mentality has been creating a stronger unit, and allows both groups to learn something new.

“We’ve showed up in different ways every game, and it’s been great to see,” Walkden said. “Going into Big East play, we need everyone in those different situations to show up, and that’s been

a great surprise.”

It is not always the junior and senior players who make the biggest impact on the team. No matter the strengths or weaknesses, Walkden has seen all players take each other into their own arms this season.

“It’s great because of all of the new talent we have, and that makes it easier in allowing the older girls to play their own game and you don’t have to be too big,” Walkden said.

Walkden added that this Pirates team in particular has the potential to be not only her favorite, but also one of the best.

“This is honestly one of my favorite teams I’ve played on,” Walkden said. We all trust and love each other, and we know whoever is in the moment will get the job done and that’s a great feeling.”

Seton Hall will aim to use its impact freshmen and skilled veterans to take on the Wildcats and put their four-game winning streak on the line on Saturday, March 25, with the first game of a doubleheader set for noon.

Matt Lamb can be reached at matthew.lamb@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @MattS_Lamb.

Seton Hall’s Dalton Soffer to transfer, sit a year Tyler Calvaruso Staff Writer After two seasons in South Orange, reserve guard Dalton Soffer has decided to transfer.

The news was first reported

by Full-Time Hoops. Soffer later confirmed the decision with a tweet.

In a brief interview, Soffer declined to comment on the reasoning for his departure. However, he further expressed that he’s grateful for his time in South Orange.

“I appreciate all that this school has offered me,” Soffer told The Setonian. “It has been an honor being a Pirate.”

Soffer’s departure comes as no surprise, as he didn’t see the floor much in his time as a Pirate. The San Diego native and former two-star recruit, according to 247sports, saw 55 minutes in his two seasons with the Hall and scored 18 points.

Soffer came to Seton Hall billed as a dead-eye shooter, but he struggled to connect, going 6-21

from deep. Most of his minutes came at the end of games that had already been decided.

Prior to deciding to come to Seton Hall, Soffer was a Loyola (Md.) commit, but he switched his pledge after an in-home visit from the Seton Hall staff.

With Khadeen Carrington, Myles Powell, Eron Gordon and incoming top-100 guard Myles Cale taking up most of the minutes at shooting guard, Soffer, already seeing limited action, would have had to battle for more minutes in his final two seasons had he stayed put.

Soffer is the seventh player to leave the Seton Hall program since last spring. He will have two years of eligibility left after sitting out next season. Seton Hall now has three scholarships available for the 2017 class when one takes Cale and big man Darnell Brodie, who is verbally committed, into account.

Tyler Calvaruso can be reached at tyler.calvaruso@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @tyler_calvaruso.

Joey Khan/Photography and Digital Editor Dalton Soffer joins Veer Singh, Myles Carter and Jevon Thomas in plays who left the team this year.