The Villanovan | Volume 112, Issue 4: Wednesday, February 24, 2021

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 24, 2021 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan

STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916

VOLUME 112 | ISSUE 4

Self Care: University Offers First Working Break A New Social Media Trend Isabella Otero Staff Writer

Social media was always seen as the downfall of our generation. Our parents would get on us about being on our phones too much and seeming “disconnected” from reality. The term “social media” comes with a negative connotation and has been considered something that can deteriorate our mental health. While an excess of almost anything is bad, just enough exposure and use of various social media applications may actually be beneficial.

Take Tik Tok for example. Tik Tok will push videos onto your feed through an algorithmic technique. This means that they will show you videos they think you will like based on your previous video likes.

If you like a bunch of videos that are comical, you will see more comedy videos. If you like educational videos, you will see more videos that have an educational purpose.

If you were to go through my Tik Tok likes, you would see videos labeled “self care hacks,” “productive night routine,” “5 ways to improve your mental health,” and “60 second guided meditation.”

I, as well as the other users of Tik Tok, have been exposed to these kinds of videos on numerous occasions. The hashtag “#selfcare” on Tik Tok has 8.7 billion views.

Likewise, hashtags such as “#mentalhealth,” “#productivity,” and “#selfcaretips” all respectively rake in over 5 billion views. This trend of self-care, mental health awareness, productivity tips, and health conscious choices have taken social media by storm.

Tik Tok is not the only platform that this may be observed on. Instagram is Continued on p. 8

An Update on Love: The Marriage Pact Results p. 3 The GOP Remains the Party of Donald Trump p. 6

Working Breaks were designed to give students a rest from work, while staying on schedule to complete the semester.

Courtesy of Sarah Jones

Molly Mook Staff Writer

The 2020 fall semester was unprecedented and a learning experience for all. After listening to student feedback about last semester, the University made changes and implemented new ideas for the spring. One of them is student “working breaks,” University mandated pauses from academic assessments.

In an email on Jan. 21, University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A, Ph.D. wrote that the University heard its students and discovered that one of the areas to im-

prove upon for the spring was “the importance and necessity of mental health breaks throughout the semester.”

Without the University’s typical fall break in 2020, students had no real pause on work or stress. As a result, students were run down and struggling. Since there is no 2021 spring break and the Easter recess is abbreviated, the situation may have persisted without the addition of the “working breaks.”

“To help alleviate some stress we have added working breaks for students where for a period of time no assignments, exams, or papers are due,” Randy

D. Weinstein, Associate Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, wrote in an email to the student body.

Two sets of these breaks were added into the spring semester calendar.

The first was Wednesday Feb. 17 and Thursday Feb. 18, and the second will be Tuesday March 16 and Wednesday March 17.

“These are mandatory for all undergraduate courses and recommended for all graduate courses,” Weinstein said.

During the working breaks, students still must attend class. However, for the first break, some professors decided to provide a complete recess and cancel

their sessions.

“I was pleased that we incorporated working breaks into the spring calendar because they were adopted in response to student feedback,” Dean of Students and Assistant Vice President Tom DeMarco said. “Whether students use the time to catch up, get ahead or just relax, it is a great opportunity for everyone to engage in selfcare.”

Many students were grateful for the first break and the change of pace that it brought.

“Professors got creative with the working break, which is something

Continued on p. 2

#FreeBritney Movement Regains Traction In New Documentary movement that erupted over the past few months. The contributors of this movement are dedicated to advocating for the removal of Spears’s father, Jamie Spears, as the pop star’s conservator. A conservator is someone who has control over another’s individual and financial affairs because the conservatee is incapable of doing so. Conservatorships are usually enacted on the elderly. For Britney Spears, her conservatorship was formed after her public mental strug-

gles in 2008 during her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

After her stints in

Grand Opening: The Commons Welcomes Holy Grounds p. 3

The Working Break: Did it Really Work? p. 5

The Path to National Unity: Leave Each Other Alone p. 5

Discrepancies in the American Justice System p. 6

Vibe Check: Students Thoughts on the Working Break p. 9

Student Podcast Feature: Restless Success with Luke Pastore p. 10

Weekly Club Spotlight: The Villanova Art Club p. 11

Pitcher Graceffo Named to Preseason All-Big East Team p. 15

Elena Rouse

Staff Writer

Britney Spears has been making headlines with the release of the The New York Times’s documentary about her life. The documentary, titled “Framing Britney Spears,” aired on Hulu and FX on Feb. 5 and has revamped fascination with the pop star.

The documentary comes following the expansive “#FreeBritney’’ social media

rehabilitation centers, Spears went on to make new music and millions of dollars on tours and Continued on p. 14

People gathered at a rally in Miami for the #FreeBritney Movement.

Courtesy of Getty Images

2 | The Villanovan

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PUBLIC SAFETY BLOTTER

VOL. 112 | ISS. 4 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan

CATE McCUSKER JACK ROBERGE MADISON BURKE ARIANA MEGERIAN SARAH SWEENEY SARAH WISNIEWSKI TINA ARON VIVI MELKONIAN A.J. FEZZA ELENA ROUSE JULIA STANISCI COLIN BEAZLEY BILLY VINCI MOLLY BAKER

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

NEWS

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

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

Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness February 20 St. Monica Hall Male resident student, under the age of 21, appeared in public intoxicated. Student was transported by VEMS to Bryn Mawr Hospital.

Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness February 21 West Campus Grounds A female resident student, under the age 21, appeared in public intoxicated.

Student was evaluated by Public Safety and released.

Liquor Underage February 21 Stanford Hall A male resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication.

Student was transported by VEMS

to Bryn Mawr Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness February 21 Lancaster Property Grounds A male resident student, under the age of 21, appeared in public intoxicated. Male was transported by Radnor ALS to Bryn Mawr Hospital for further evaluation and treatment.

Disorderly Conduct / False Alarms to Agencies of Public Safety February 21 Sullivan Hall A fire alarm was activated within Sullivan Hall. There were no signs of smoke or fire.

The cause of the alarm was a pull station.

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

Women’s Basketball vs Seton Hall February 27 8:00 p.m.

Finneran Pavilion

Fratelli Tutti Fridays February 19 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Virtual

Men’s Basketball at Butler February 28 12:00 p.m.

Indianapolis, IN

2021 Literary Festival Event: Hannah Khalil February 25 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Virtual

Men’s Soccer vs Georgetown University February 27 1:00 p.m.

Higgins Soccer Complex

Women’s Soccer vs St. Joe’s February 28 1:00 p.m.

Higgins Soccer Complex

Baseball vs Northeastern February 26 2:00 p.m.

Plymouth Meeting, PA

Men’s Baseball vs Northeastern February 27 1:30 p.m.

Plymouth Meeting, PA

Continued from p. 1

Despite hopes of mass vaccination in the coming months, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen with mutated variants and limited vaccine distribution. Just six weeks into the new year, the United States has recorded the highest number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Though there has been a slight decline from January to February, these reports still worry hospitals around the country as they quickly near full capacity—an issue the University is facing as well.

To deal with this, the University is taking any precautions necessary, including renting out another hotel for isolation space in addition to The Inn at Villanova.

Due to the frightening rise of campus cases, the University thought it would be best to acquire more space for students who must isolate themselves after being contact-traced. Doing so will help avoid the possibility of returning to fully online classes and closing for the remainder of the semester. With this concern in the administration’s minds, the University was able to rent out the DoubleTree by Hilton in Plymouth Meeting, which is about 13 minutes from campus.

Upon arrival, students must sign a contract agreeing to abide

by CDC guidelines. They then give their name to a University representative, who checks them in and takes them to a room. Most suites include a bedroom, living room, bathroom and closet. Bedrooms contain a king or queen-size bed, a desk to complete schoolwork and a TV. Living rooms have a table and couch to relax on situated in front of another TV. Other amenities include a

839 917,848 28,887,469 112,611,970 Villanova University

United States

Men’s Tennis vs Bucknell February 26 5:00 p.m.

Bryn Mawr Racquet Club

Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon College Filmmaker Presentation February 24 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Virtual

CONFIRMED CUMULATIVE CASES AS OF 6:00 P.M. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23

Pennsylvania

CAMPUS CALENDAR Student Involvement Fair February 23-25 Virtual

COVID-19 TRACKER

Men’s Baseball vs Northeastern February 28 1:30 p.m.

Plymouth Meeting, PA

Worldwide

Courtesy of Villanova University

Number of Tests and Confirmed Positive Cases by Day at Villanova

Community First Releases New COVID-19 Campus Statistics Garret Whitton Staff Writer

Students and faculty recently experienced their first working break. Implemented by the administration before the spring semester started, these periods replace the vacation breaks students had prior to the pandemic. No assignments, exams or papers were due, and the University urged students to clear their minds and catch up on sleep. During this time, the student body received a series of emails containing updates on the latest COVID-19 situation on and around campus.

A blue graphic displaying the University’s logo and the words “Community First: The CARITAS Commitment” greeted readers in the weekly email. The University sent this first email out during the late afternoon on Feb. 15, and provided case numbers from the previous week.

It began by listing the 173 new positive cases among students and faculty. Despite this being an alarming quantity, the email emphasized the significant decrease from the 397 cases recorded during the week before. It disclosed the total amount of surveillance (1,525) and diagnostic tests (317) that the Student Health Center administered in addition to the percentages of isolation (59%) and quarantine

(69%) space available at the end of the week. The University will send the next update on Feb. 22, which will reflect the numbers from Feb. 15-21.

At the end of last week, another list was sent out that highlighted updates with explanations. This included expectations of the working break, incite on regular contact the University has with nearby health departments, information on the directive that University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue O.S.A., Ph.D. ordered about two weeks ago and the status of the long-awaited vaccine.

Through the Pennsylvania Department of Health, the University has registered to be a vaccine provider. But, due to limited doses nationwide, no specific date has been given for its arrival here on campus.

“At this time, the Student Health Center highly recommends that any Villanova community member who can obtain the vaccination elsewhere should do so,” the email said.

In a second email sent from the Office of the President, an attached file contains a video of University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue O.S.A., Ph.D., stressing the importance of the directive he has set in place. He began his nearly two-minute-long video thanking those putting the community first and then reiterating

the directive’s instructions. A few include “removing your mask only when actively eating or drinking” and “sitting only in designated areas.” Though these are good reminders, the most crucial part was his directive extension until Monday, Feb. 22.

“It is important that we have another low-key weekend before these guidelines are lifted,” Donohue expressed in the video.

A day later, the University sent the last email to students subscribed to the Wildcat Newswire, the University’s weekly bulletin. It included links to web pages that give more information on the matters discussed in the video, while also listing what is happening on campus throughout the week.

Students are encouraged to utilize these links to understand the transpiring situation better.

Though these emails were not in the same string of messages and sent at different times, the information in each must be read carefully and comprehended.

Understanding the material will encourage students to wear their masks, pay attention to who and how many people they are with and spend most of their time in their rooms away from those who may be experiencing symptoms.

Performing these actions will not only slow the spread, but it will help get our community back to where it once was.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The Villanovan | 3

NEWS

An Update on Love: The Villanova Marriage Pact Results people cared was really exciting,” Gaughan said.

One of the biggest challenges they faced, according to McKeon, was social media cam On Tuesday, Feb. 16, paigning. students anxiously checked their “It’s a lot harder than it emails throughout the day as they awaited the arrival of results from seems,” he said, jokingly.

McKeon saw the biggest the Villanova Marriage Pact. The Marriage Pact is a program started challenge as getting the male

by Stanford students in which uni- student population to fill out the versity students take a compatibil- Pact.

“Convincing guys to sign ity quiz that uses an algorithm to up for something called the ‘Marmatch them with another student riage Pact’ was not the easiest who could become a romantic thing in the world,” he said. partner or a new friend.

The beginning of the

Later that night, teasers Marriage Pact started with the in the form of the match’s inidisclaimer, “We can’t promise you tials were sent a few hours before a match made in heaven, but we the actual results came out. The can promise a match made via team of the Villanova Marriage groundbreaking algorithms and a Pact includes sophomores Melittle linear algebra. Swoon!” gan Gaughan, Will McKeon and

The Villanova Marriage Grace Manchester. They thought Pact team recorded about 50% that 2021 would be a great time participation among undergradfor Villanova to hop on the Maruates, which equates to around riage Pact trend, being that it is 3,500 people who filled out the so difficult to meet people in the pact. The Pact is still the buzz midst of a pandemic, especially around campus, as students have for freshmen.

“Going outside of your cir- been very excited about receiving their matches. cle freshman year, especially with

“I was more excited than COVID, is nearly impossible,” Manchester said. “My biggest goal nervous awaiting my match,” was not so much romantic match- freshman Kylie Horan said. “My es, but specifically for freshmen to match and I actually had a very high compatibility, so we’re going meet someone outside their cirto meet up and get to know each cle.” other.”

The three sophomores

Like Horan, many students responsible for the Marriage were thrilled with their high compatPact craze at the University were ibility matches, but many others were shocked at how well it was relet down. Freshmen Kendra Lewis ceived. and Catherine Messier received ex “The fact that so many Lydia McFarlane Staff Writer

The Marriage Pact advertised the need for more male sign-ups.

Courtesy of Villanova Marriage Pact’s Instagram

tremely low compatibility matches.

Messier’s was 3% and Lewis’s was 21%.

“Seeing my friends with matches in the 99th percentile, I can’t help feeling like I missed out somehow,” Lewis said.

Many of the young women who filled it out were not sure what type of match they should expect, due to a much higher number of female participants.

“The gender disparity was a bit anxiety inducing though, as I was not sure if I would get a romantic match or a friend match due to a lack of male submissions,” Horan said.

The Marriage Pact team says there were around 500 more girls who filled out the pact, but the algorithm was able to match everyone, even if it was just as a friend match.

Freshman Sadia Decastro received an “optimal friend match.”

“I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when I received an email that gave me the initials of my match,” Decastro said.

“Shortly after, the initials changed, and I was a bit confused. It was a letdown when I found out that the second initials were for an optimal friend match. I wish they would’ve just told me that I had no match from the start.”

Although the results faced some negative backlash, the Marriage Pact team is deeming this project a success, with everyone who filled out the marriage pact getting matched.

Manchester says it was exciting to see how many people were so compatible.

“Meeting people outside of your circle is a success in itself,” she said.

Grand Opening: The Commons Welcomes Holy Grounds Jadyn Ramos Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, another brand new Holy Grounds coffee shop opened its doors on campus for the first time.

The new location of the Holy Grounds is now open on the ground floor of Friar Hall in The Commons.

It is open daily during the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. for students to come and get their favorite coffee, espressos, teas, baked goods, etc.

Similar to the Holy Grounds located in the Falvey Library, students can pay with meal points, but Meal Point Equivalents are not accepted.

The grand opening of the new location was made known to all the students on campus, giving them an opportunity to stop by and receive a complimentary beverage for the day. There was a steady flow of students on and off-campus that came to The Commons that day in anticipation of trying out the new Holy Grounds.

There are many perks to this new Holy Grounds that have students excited. For one, it is a more accessible location for the students living on South Campus along with the students living in The Commons. Other Holy Grounds at the University are located on Main Campus where the center of student activity is.

The new Holy Grounds also offers the same menu as the other locations, with a few additions as well. There is a list of coffee flavors and coffee syrups posted on the front counter for students to be able to look at when ordering. To the right of entering the Holy Grounds, there is also a cooler with a variety of options from grab and go breakfast, such as yogurts, to other beverage options, such as juices and waters.

A few students offered up their feedback on the opening of the new Holy Grounds and their thoughts on the new options available.

“I am so excited to not have to wait at the intersection if I want to get coffee,” freshman Anna Flynn

said. “I am happy they placed a Holy Grounds close enough for freshmen to conveniently get to.”

“I love having Holy Grounds so much closer to South campus!”

Claire Barrett, a junior Resident Assistant living on South campus said.

“Stopping to get coffee after class without taking a detour to Connelly or Bartley is so convenient!” As for her feedback on the coffee, Barrett described it as so smooth and delicious, calling it the “classic Holy Grounds experience.”

Senior Cecilia Spesia had a different perspective on the opening of the new Holy Grounds. “As someone who isn’t on a meal plan I usually make coffee in my apartment or opt for an off-campus cafe where I

can also sit and study,” Spesia said.

“I love the concept of having Holy Grounds in The Commons, but I think it caters more to the freshman on South campus on their way to class.”

Abby Burns, another freshman living on South Campus, says the environment of the new Holy Grounds promotes a community atmosphere to study while enjoying coffee. “It was so cute and so welcoming,” Burns said. “Very convenient location, so I can grab my coffee on the way to class!”

All in all, the opening of the new Holy Grounds had a lot of positive feedback from the student body and is a great addition to the University.

The new Holy Grounds is located on the ground floor of Friar Hall in The Commons.

Courtesy of Villanova University

4 | The Villanovan

NEWS

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Lecture Series Highlights Mental Health Amid Pandemic Jackie Thomas Staff Writer

On Feb. 18, members of the University community gathered virtually for the second installment of this year’s Naratil Family Health and Human Values Lecture Series, entitled “The Emotional Journey of Many Individuals and Families During the Pandemic” presented by Linda Carman Copel.

Evie Lengetti, Assistant Dean of Continuing Education and Assistant Professor for the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, opened the evening’s program by introducing Copel and the goals for the broader lecture series.

“In this series, we are looking to explore some of the issues and challenges as people construct and reconstruct their lives during and after this pandemic,” Lengetti said.

The series has been an annual tradition within the College of Nursing at Villanova since 1994, focusing on a particular critical health theme or issue that is relevant in that academic year. Fittingly, the 2020-21 series surrounds the varied effects of the coronavirus pandemic and is titled “The Face of COVID-19: A Look at the Impact on the Person Beyond the Disease and Its Symptoms.”

This particular lecture, one of three in the series, focused on the pandemic’s effect on mental health at the individual and familial levels.

Lengetti outlined Copel’s expertise in mental health issues and treatment, noting her degrees and certifications in counseling, family counseling and bereavement counseling, among others, as well as her past published research focused on family and wom-

en’s issues.

Copel, who also works as a professor at the University within the College of Nursing, opened her lecture with a dedication acknowledging and thanking those who have made her research and work possible.

“The work that I do is really the result of the work that other people do,” Copel said, emphasizing the important role her colleagues and patients have played in her analysis of public mental health during the pandemic and beyond.

Copel introduced the objective of her lecture as two-fold: to present the prevalent challenges of mental health caused by the pandemic and outline recommendations to assist in facing these issues.

For context, she explained the broad mental health trends seen throughout the pandemic both globally and here in the United States.

Citing reports from the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Copel described the current state of mental health around the world as rather bleak. There are disruptions to existing mental health services in 93% of countries within the WHO and underfunding of those services compounded by the emergence of COVID-19.

Turning to the specific issues concerning our nation and community, Copel emphasized loneliness and loss as major contributors to the apparent rise in depression and anxiety, substance abuse disorders and other mental health concerns.

“We now know that loneliness is of great clinical concern,” she said, adding that recent research has implicated loneliness as a certain “antecedent to depression.”

Likewise, Copel discussed the

similar and related role of loss during the pandemic. She highlighted that loss, in this context, is more broadly defined than strictly loss of life (of a loved one, for example). The concept also extends to the loss of “contexts,” as Copel put it, or those norms and routines around which we based our lives pre-pandemic.

“We are actually living grief daily,” Copel explained, pointing out the confusing, disorienting and stressful nature of life in the past year, further complicated by the fact that there is no clear end in sight for this new way of life.

Copel pointed to effects of these feelings of loneliness, grief and loss, particularly discussing their correlation with increased rates of depression, anxiety and emotional and physical exhaustion. This exhaustion, which she noted has also been commonly dubbed as “inner weariness” or “pandemic fatigue” by patients and professionals, is tied to unrelenting stress and grief during the pandemic and is worsened by the common public aversion to seek help.

“We still see that many people see asking for help as a sign of weakness, when it’s just the opposite—it’s a sign of strength,” she said.

Additionally, Copel expounded on the rise in anger seen as a result of the pandemic, which has been observed by counselors across the country. Particularly, she explained that feelings of lack of control, stress and uncertainty lead many toward anger more frequently than under normal circumstances. She emphasized this effect’s importance in connection to conflict and violence in relationships—romantic, familial or otherwise.

Beyond simply presenting

issues, Copel also discussed ways counselors, healthcare professionals and members of the wider public can approach and overcome these challenges. She presented strategies to combat loneliness and grief, like TEAR and REAL, which are centered around acknowledgement, self-analysis and eventually moving past mental health challenges.

She also cited ways to identify, de-escalate and prevent relationship and family conflict, including the THINK strategy and conflict resolution behaviors like communication, empathy, calmness, role-modeling and remaining hopeful, among others.

Copel reaffirmed the importance of discussing mental health issues to bring greater visibility and reduce stigmas, as well as the significance of making efforts to seek and provide connection amid pandemic-driven isolation.

“Just some interaction, reaching out, can make such a positive impact,” she said.

Following Copel’s lecture, participants joined in a live virtual Q&A and discussion of her talk with a panel of experts in the areas of family, relationship and broader mental health issues. In this discussion, participants worked to further unpack the diverse, complicated effects of COVID-19 on mental health of individuals and among family units.

This year’s Naratil Family Health and Human Values Lecture Series’ final installment will take place April 15 and will focus on ways the pandemic has revealed and magnified disparities in the public health system. As with all lectures in the series, it will be free and open to the public.

Devastation in Texas Raises Concerns Nationwide Jackie Thomas Staff Writer

In the past week, unprecedented winter weather ravaged the southern U.S., bringing record-low temperatures, massive snowfall and — in the state of Texas in particular — the revelation of statewide failures in energy infrastructure and emergency preparedness.

As temperatures dropped to historic lows on Feb. 14, Texans across the state cranked up their thermostats and, almost immediately, the energy grid struggled to maintain power amidst the exceptional demand. In the following days, millions were left without electricity in subfreezing temperatures. Several factors contributed to the massive system failure, one of the most notable being Texas’ isolated and fully deregulated power market.

State utility officials throughout the 20th century consciously avoided linking Texas’s grid across state lines (a break from the national norm, as almost all other states commonly import and export their energy supply beyond their borders) to remain outside the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). To this day, Texas is not subject to FERC regulations, instead managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The uniquely independent electric grid and system allowed for its fairly seamless deregulation about two

decades ago by the state legislature.

Though at times it brings Texans positive outcomes most notably including cheaper average electricity prices for the state, the preference toward self-sufficiency and market competition in the energy sector showed a much more negative side last week.

There is statewide outrage toward the massive power outages largely caused by the deregulated energy model, specifically in that providers along all steps of the supply chain elected against weather-proofing infrastructure in the past. Such preventative measures are common, and even mandated, in other states where the government controls energy production and distribution, but deregulation in the Lone Star State allowed providers to bypass this step.

Consequently, plunging temperatures and icy conditions brought several areas of energy production to a grinding halt — energy sources themselves including wind turbines, solar panels, natural gas stores and coal energy generators, literally froze over, along with the pipelines responsible for transporting energy resources from production sites in west Texas to regions with high demand.

Thus, when low temperatures set in, the ERCOT grid experienced a simultaneous shrinking supply aside a surge in demand. With no ability to quickly syphon out-of-state energy, ERCOT chose to implement rolling

outages to avoid a statewide blackout.

The controlled blackouts lasted throughout the week and were much longer than ERCOT originally promised, with many going without any power for days on end. The effects were devastating.

For one, carbon monoxide poisoning cases and deaths increased immensely as many without power attempted to stay warm amid sub-zero temperatures by running their cars in enclosed spaces. Additionally, there were numerous reports of deadly house fires caused by families trying to generate warmth through wood fires in homes without wood-burning fireplaces. Drinking water systems, too, were knocked offline in many parts of the state.

Assignments of blame have been prevalent in the days during and following the system breakdown, with many politicians using the storm as a platform for political posturing on a variety of issues. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, for example, initially blamed renewable energy like wind and solar for the failure.

“It just shows that fossil fuel is necessary for the state of Texas as well as other states to make sure we will be able to heat our homes in the winter times and cool our homes in the summer times,” Abbott said in a Feb. 16 interview on Fox News.

Among those who pointed to renewable energy as to blame for the crisis in Texas was Republican Senator Ted Cruz, whose decision to take a vacation to Cancun, Mexico in the midst of the crisis illicited national outrage.

However, in reality, all energy sources — renewable and otherwise — failed across the board. In fact, according to ERCOT representative Dan Woodfin, gas shoulders more blame than renewable energy for the breakdown.

Alongside conspiratorial arguments about clean energy, there has been prevalent discussion of the grim situation in Texas as a reflection of climate change and evidence that the nation at large is underprepared to respond to consequent extreme weather events, which scientists report will become more and more common in years to come. This sentiment was echoed by federal officials like White House homeland security adviser and national security advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.

“The extreme weather events that we’re experiencing this week across the central, southern and now the eastern United States do yet again demonstrate to us that climate change is real, and it’s happening now, and we’re not adequately prepared for it,” Sherwood-Randall said.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The Villanovan | 5

OPINION

OPINION

The University Implemented Working Break: Did It Work?

Derek Ramirez Jerez Staff Writer

With no fall break, the previous semester felt very long and arduous to many students, spawning various complaints throughout the term. As a response to this sentiment, the University implemented “working breaks” to make the compressed schedule more bearable for the student body. The first working break occurred on Feb 17-18, and students had differing experiences.

Was it an effective way of alleviating stress for students, or did it fail to accomplish its goal?

Villanova put the handling of working breaks to the discretion of professors entirely, on the condition that they did not assign work for that day. There seemed to be three different ways in which students experienced their work break.

They either did not have class entirely for that day, they had a shorter class, or class ran normally without any homework. The latter of these three modalities should not have been an option.

The definition of a “working break” should have been a break from class. Students with not-sopleasant professors had normal school days, which isn’t exactly in line with what a “break” should be.

Until I read the disclaimer on the academic calendar, I figured the working breaks meant a couple of days off from class, and I was

Working Breaks were implemented to provide a break for students while still holding class.

Courtesy of Sarah Jones

disappointed when I scrolled down.

The two days should have been centered around what the name entails, not up to the discretion of professors, since these breaks are supposed to be a substitute for spring break.

Another solution that some professors implemented was to just make classes asynchronous for one day. Professors now have the tools to do this because of the pandemic. Many had the ability to make recorded lectures, discussion boards or anything else to avoid holding

class that day. It is a way to have students relax for the day while still not disrupting the schedules and lesson plans for professors. This is more in line with what a break should be.

A flaw with disallowing professors from assigning work for students over the two days was that many just moved the work initially assigned for the break to Feb. 15, making that day incredibly busy and difficult for various students. Many major assignments or the regular work for that week were compressed

entirely for that one day, creating bigger stressors for some students.

However, this seems to just be a consequence of the compressed semester instead of the work break, creating pressure for professors to give out assignments in a very short amount of time. I did have professors cancel assignments altogether for the break, but this is not something that is realistic across all classes.

Despite these flaws, the working break did alleviate some stress from students. The snow day made sure it became an actual “break,” but barring that, some professors did allow students some time to relax, giving them the entire day off or making class on Wednesday asynchronous.

In a broader sense, The University allocating more time off for students is a step in the right direction, especially considering these unprecedented circumstances. Taking feedback from last term and making changes to benefit the student body was something that I did not expect given the shorter semester format.

There is communication between the students and staff, which in many other cases, that aspect seems to be absent.

Along with this, it shows that staff is willing to make changes to accommodate for students, who have been impacted greatly with the abrupt changes to life over the past year. While not perfect, any change along this vein is a net positive no

The Path to National Unity: Leave Each Other Alone Brendan Donoghue Staff Writer

When President Joe Biden delivered his Inaugural Address, one theme rose to the forefront: unity. In the wake of a polarizing election cycle, and just two weeks after the violent riots at the Capitol Building, it was only natural for the new President to stress unity above all else as the tone-setter for his administration. Standing in front of politicians from both parties, the 46th President claimed that overcoming the challenges America faced would require “the most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.” Biden was right, unity is perhaps the most elusive thing in a democracy, especially one as populous and fractious as the United States of America.

There are a few different paths to unity. People can unite around common interests or shared traditions and culture practices. Unity may even be achieved through fear and intimidation, as the history of authoritarian regimes undoubtedly shows. Another form of unity, and the one most apt to flourish in the United States, is one of pluralism grounded in a fealty to common values.

In other words, with a few baseline values in common, Americans must be willing and able to leave

each other alone.

There may be no greater argument for a unity rooted in pluralism than the sheer unpopularity of our national leaders.

The American people are simply too divided to hold our leaders in high esteem, and our leaders very rarely succeed in making themselves more likeable. According to Gallup, only two Presidents since 1945 (Dwight Eisenhower and George H.W. Bush) have averaged at or above a 60% approval rating during their tenures in office, and only three more (Lyndon Johnson, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton) averaged an approval rating at or above 50%. Over the last 75 years, only five out of 13 Presidents (not counting President Biden) have won the favor of more than half of Americans.

Congress’ record is no better. According to the same Gallup approval rating poll, Congress’ approval rating has hovered below 50% for much of the last four decades, with recent approval ratings rarely cracking 30%.

What can we make of such low approval ratings for our national leaders? It seems that there is only one answer - putting our faith and hope for national unity in the hands of our national leaders is a fool’s errand. We hear every election cycle that, “this is the most important election of your lifetime,” or my personal favorite, “I know we always say

Joe Biden’s central theme of his Inaugural Address was unity.

Courtesy of AP News

this is the most important election of our lifetimes, but this one really is.” How can we ever achieve unity when one half of the country believes that every visit to the ballot box is an opportunity to cram their political perspectives onto the other half of the country? Or worse, that their very political existence depends upon it? Winning an election may empower one faction to enact its will over the other, but it certainly does not result in unity.

This leaves us with only one path forward. Read the Declaration of Independence and Constitution and pledge fealty to their principles alone on the

national stage. If Americans of all factions cling to the notion that all are created equal with individual rights, if we cling to the notion of checks and balances, and of a government designed to protect those rights, then we can - and we must - allow California to be California.

We can allow Texas to be Texas, New York to be New York and Alabama to be Alabama.

If President Biden was serious about his desires for unity, then he must prioritize an America where we agree to buy into foundational principles and then leave on another alone. If we succeed, then unity will not be as far off as it may seem.

6 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

OPINION

EDITORIAL BOARD

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

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

CATE McCUSKER Editor-in-Chief JACK ROBERGE MADISON BURKE TINA ARON VIVI MELKONIAN

POLICY

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

Discrepancies in the American Justice System Ava Lundell Staff Writer

The unprecedented second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump began on Jan. 25 and officially ended on Feb. 13.

Trump was charged with inciting the insurrection at the US Capitol building on Jan. 6. Ultimately, 57 senators voted “guilty,” and 43 senators voted “not guilty,” resulting in Trump’s acquittal of the charge (a conviction requires a two-thirds majority vote).

Trump’s acquittal does not mark the only time a former President has escaped the reach of the American justice system during his presidency. For example, along with being acquitted during his first impeachment trial charging him of abuse of power, using his office for personal aims, Trump also avoided accountability under the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution, which prohibits members of the federal government from receiving gifts from foreign states. For example, according to NBC News, representatives of at least 22 foreign governments spent money at Trump Organi-

zation properties during Trump’s presidency. Nevertheless, Trump has not been held responsible for violating the Constitution. The US government has also implemented a range of conflict of interest laws and regulations applicable to most federal workers. However, most of these legal provisions (e.g., Chapter 11 of USC on “Bribery, Graft and Conflicts of Interest”) do not apply to the President. As such, while Trump made more than 500 visits to Trump Organization properties and hosted various events at such venues during his time in the White House, he was not prosecuted for conflicts of interest. For example, according to Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold, the Secret Service alone paid more than $1 million to the Trump Organization to provide security during such visits. However, while the President may not legally be subject to various conflict of interest rules, Trump clearly disregarded any attempt to avoid ethical conflicts of interest.

Plainly put, Trump consistently avoided ethical accountability for creating conflicts of interest between his public office and his personal assets. Paradoxically, I

would argue the President of the United States is the one person who should always, without exception, have to accept responsibility (ethical as well as legal) for his or her decisions. When assuming office, Trump took an oath to “faithfully execute the office of President of the United States,” which includes enforcement of US law. The presidential oath also states that the President will “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Evidently, the President of the United States is accountable by personal commitment (moral obligation), if not the letter of the law, to uphold the Constitution and legal concepts upon which our country was founded. However, for some mystifying and upsetting reason, although Trump swore the same oath as every President before him, he has not been held accountable for blatantly disregarding his obligations of public service.

Trump’s ability to avoid accountability for his actions stands in stark contrast to the many Americans (predominantly Black men) who are imprisoned without any provocation or evidence. One example of the injustice of the American justice system is the incarcer-

ation of Curtis Flowers, a Black man who was convicted for a crime he did not commit. Flowers was accused of murdering four people in 1996. Despite the absence of solid evidence of his guilt, Flowers was sentenced to death. For more than 20 years, Flowers lived on death row in Mississippi until the state reently dropped all charges against him. Sadly, Flowers’ story is just one of many. Still, the question remains: How can a man such as Flowers, who committed no crime, be imprisoned when someone like Trump, who has blatantly disregarded the law while serving as the President of the United States, walks free of any censure?

It is worth questioning what makes Trump so immune to the standards most Americans set for themselves and for others. Time and time again, Trump has walked free when so many others have been accused and incarcerated for crimes they did not commit. As the next presidential administration takes root, we as American citizens need to take a long look at the prejudice of our justice system, as well as how and why certain individuals are either immune to or targeted by this institution.

The GOP Remains The Party of Donald Trump Andrew Portas Staff Writer

Two impeachments, a rampant pandemic and an insurrection on Capitol Hill: these are and will likely remain the refining moments of Donald Trump’s tumultuous tenure as President of the United States.

One might assume that a president so divisive and controversial, who has stained the legacy of his party and administration, would face universal condemnation and disdain, having now been stripped of his executive powers.

In part, this is true; Trump’s disapproval rating parting the White House stood at 57.9 percent according to an aggregate of major polls

by FiveThirtyEight. In addition, all Democrat and even seven Republican senators, voted to convict the former president on incitement of insurrection.

Despite this, evidence suggests Trump has not lost a foothold within his own party. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that 75 percent of Republicans say that they would like to see Trump play a prominent role in the Republican Party. It seems that vilification from the Democratic party, banishment from social media and a barrage of legal accusations has done little to sway Republicans’ favorable opinions. In fact, 89 per-

cent of Republicans stated they were against convicting Trump in the same poll.

Additionally, a CBS poll found that 33 percent of Republicans surveyed would join a third party founded by Trump. This mark of unwavering loyalty underlines the former president’s overwhelming partisan support. He has unequivocally managed to persist as the face of the GOP, a matter largely up in the air during the latter months of his presidency.

It seems that Trump’s popularity has also reinvigorated his “America First” policy approach.

Most party members still praise what they believe to be his administration’s greatest accomplishments: strong pre-COVID economic development, a tough stance on China and multiple conservative Supreme Court nominations. In light of this, many GOP politicians and campaigns have adopted pro-Trump policies and approaches.

An exemplar of this is former Ohio state treasurer Josh Mandel, who seeks control of retiring GOP Senator Rob Portman’s seat.

In bold white print, Mandel’s website reads that he, “Vows to continue the fight for President Trump’s America First Agenda and to pulverize the Uniparty in Washington.”

Mandel and many other early GOP candidates have cited instances like the recent impeachment trial

Trump will make a lasting impact on the GOP party.

Courtesy of AP News

as motivations for their campaign.

Trump is still in favor with rank-andfile Republican voters, and Republican campaigns will continue to capitalize upon this reality.

These trends are consistent in other battleground states, like Pennsylvania, as well. Trump’s ultimate demise in states like Pennsylvania arose from his failure to pull votes in major suburbs around Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Despite this, most party officials believe disavowing Trump would only hurt the GOP’s odds of winning upcoming senatorial and gubernatorial races.

The Chairman of the Delaware County GOP, which encompasses many of the suburbs Trump lost last November, said, “In the western part of the state, they love

the guy, so to walk away from Trump, you lost the Trump base, and you can’t afford to lose the Trump base.”

Trump has proven that his influence in the Republican party is far from waning. A profusely loyal base, particularly around rural America, has allowed him to persist as the face of the GOP post-presidency. Republican strategists are now challenged with prolonging the former president’s political platform while trying to put behind the vulgar rhetoric that turned away many independents and suburban Republican voters in 2020. Whether or not this strategy is successful, Trump’s legacy will be felt in the party for years to come and his parting words, “see you soon,” suggest a direct return to GOP politics is only inevitable.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The Villanovan | 7

OPINION

Letter from the Editors: Finding Love During Lockdown

At this point, I think we all patiently await some kind of email from Father Peter on late weekday afternoons. A little over two weeks ago, he sent an email asking the student body to abide by a twoweek “Stop the Spread” directive, in which he asked the student body to take extra precautions in hopes of decreasing COVID-19 numbers.

The overall message was clear: if we don’t take immediate action and make an effort to combat the spike in cases, our semester would be short-lived.

On Thursday, Feb. 18, the day the directive was scheduled to end, our inboxes were graced with yet another email from Father Peter. After getting over the initial gut-wrenching feeling that accompanies an email from the administration, we came to realize that its content was not as frightening as

we anticipated.

He was sure to thank the student body for its commitment to “stop the spread,” and then explained that he decided to extend the directive until Monday.

While this extension may seem a little menial, as it is only three more days, it sends the message that we still need to continue to lay-low and be extra safe, regardless of the newfound drop in numbers.

As cases drop, both on campus and nationwide, the end finally seems to be in sight.

Now that vaccines are being rolled out, we just need to patiently await the time that they are delivered here to Villanova. As we approach the one-year mark the COVID-19 shut down when the entire world, this pandemic has obviously taken its toll on all of us.

Among the rules put in place are strict new guidelines regarding how many guests are allowed in dorm rooms, which only permits one more than the number of people who live in the room.

In other words, one guest at a time, or you run the risk of getting written up, or worse, getting sent home. It seems the rumor mill around campus is swarming with stories of someone who knows someone who had a couple too many people in their room and is gone until August.

Is getting sent home too strict a punishment for having a couple extra people in your room?

Where do we draw the line between sufficient consequences and overreaction? Should students feel like they are walking on eggshells every time they need a little social interaction? It’s not as if we

can comfortably sit outside with friends, given the constant snow.

And as fun as sledding is, after a while, you’re covered bumped and bruised. But as long as these rules are put in place, we should do our best to abide by them in order to avoid another scary and dramatic spike in cases.

It’s time to get creative with how we socialize. For those of you who are satisfied with your Marriage Pact match, maybe use this time to go on a romantic walk around campus, take in the snowy scenery and see if you and your match have a spark. As for those of you who were a little less than pleased with your match, join The Villanovan. It’s honestly the only relationship that matters.

Although things are a little less strict this week, we do need to keep up the good work and continue to put community first.

Follow the Science, Reopen Schools Nationwide

been open for months, as countries have conducted a data-driven policy approach to school reopening. The European Centre for Disease Control

During his campaign, Prespublished a report in December that ident Joe Biden constantly intoned looked at countries throughout the that his administration would “follow EU and, according to the Journal of the science” in regards to COVID-19 the American Medical Association, policies. Unfortunately, just one researchers concluded: “schools were month into the presidency, the Biden not associated with accelerating comadministration has already broken munity transmission.” this promise.

Joseph Allen, a professor at

Recently released CDC Harvard’s School of Public Health, guidelines for school reopenings fly in and Helen Jenkins, a professor of biothe face of scientific consensus. These statistics at Boston University’s School guidelines will keep schools closed of Public Health, recently explained and cause needless suffering among the situation succinctly. families and children.

“The science is clear: Kids —

First, look at the science. especially young children — can get During the Spanish flu pandemic, and transmit COVID-19, but they children were very susceptible to that are less likely to do so than adults,” virus and died at high rates. It was this Allen and Jenkins said. “Kids can die tragedy, and numerous flu epidemfrom the disease, but the risk of that ics taking many children’s lives, that happening is one in a million; they informed the decision to close schools are about 10 times as likely to die in the spring. We were faced with a by suicide. Teachers also have lower novel virus, and schools had historirisk than other occupations and can cally been key vectors of viral transbe kept safe through adherence to mission. Then, data from around the universal precautions.” world quickly emerged suggesting that If the science is this clear, then children were less likely to develop sig- why did the CDC release guidance nificant or even moderate disease and that would keep schools closed potenwere not spreading the virus as much tially through next fall, which would as adults, suggesting schools could re- mean a third school year disrupted open safely. Subsequent research has due to coronavirus? Why would the only further solidified this scientific CDC implement scientifically dubireality. ous recommendations, despite the

The Journal of the American undeniable evidence that remote Medical Association recently released learning has led to a mental health findings confirming this phenomecrisis amongst students and rapidly non. In Mississippi, they report that falling test scores, including widening among children between 0-18 years racial and socioeconomic educational old, “having attended gatherings and attainment disparities? The answer is social functions outside the home clear: teachers’ unions. as well as having had visitors in the

President Biden said during home was associated with increased the campaign that he would have a risk of infection; however, in-person “teacher-oriented Department of Edschool attendance during the 14 days ucation.” (Why not a student-centric prior to diagnosis was not.”

DOE?) He also noted that teachers’

The researchers also report unions would get the support they that “In the fall of 2020, 11 school “need” given that the First Lady is districts in North Carolina with more a long-time member of a teachers than 90,000 students and staff were union. In fact, Jill Biden met with the open for in-person education for 9 presidents of the nation’s two largest weeks. During this time, within-school teachers’ unions at the White House transmissions were very rare (32 on her second day as First Lady. infections acquired in schools; 773

It looks like President Biden community-acquired infections) and has kept those promises, as according there were no cases of student-to-staff to the Washington Post, the CDC met transmission...” with “stakeholders” when writing its

In Europe, schools have guidance, including having meetings Andrew Ceonzo Staff Writer

Schools across the country must decide to hold in-person instruction or online-learning.

Courtesy of Getty Images

directly between the country’s two largest teachers’ union presidents and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.

Teachers’ unions have been leading the effort across the country to keep schools closed until their demands are met. It’s a hold-up, with America’s school children being held hostage. I say this not to disparage individual teachers, many of whom have gone to incredible lengths to support their students during this challenging time.

I do mean to criticize teachers’ unions and their incentive structure that is misaligned with what is best for students. For example, a study from the fall found that states with more powerful teachers’ unions were more likely to keep schools closed, all other things equal. Unions have cited hundreds of billions of dollars in increased funding, which would be a windfall for their balance sheets, as a prerequisite to returning to school.

They claim this money is necessary to safely reopen schools. They are wrong.

According to the Cato Institute, the per-pupil cost of implementing appropriate virus mitigation efforts comes out to around $450.

Between the numerous coronavirus relief bills that have already been passed, public schools have already

received approximately $3,920 per-pupil, more than enough to cover precautionary expenses. The schools haven’t even spent all of these funds. According to the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, from last March to November, public school bureaucracies spent only $3 billion of their allocated $12.8 billion, and only three states have spent more than half of the money.

I am not suggesting that teachers and students return to unsafe environments. However, public school bureaucracies are sitting on the money needed to reopen safely and implement science-based mitigation efforts.

Further delaying school reopening until teachers’ unions’ unrealistic demands are met needs to be called out for the sham it is.

Teachers’ unions know that if they continue to hold out, the mounting pressure from parents to return to school no matter the cost and their friends in the White House will deliver them a massive payday. It’s a shameful tactic.

Officials around the country, especially President Biden, need to embrace the science and push back against the opportunistic teachers’ unions. America’s schoolchildren and families are counting on them to prevent even more unnecessary damage.

8 | The Villanovan

Opinion

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Streaming Service Madness: Navigating New Platforms Joe Adams Staff Writer

A few weeks ago, as I sat and watched the Super Bowl, I laughed to myself as I watched Jeff Probst and Dora the Explorer walk up an icy mountain. Not only was I laughing because of how ridiculous the situation was, but I also found it funny that there was yet another streaming service being released called Paramount+.

Has anyone else felt overwhelmed by all of these streaming services that have been released?

Gone are the days when virtually every show was on Netflix or Hulu. Now, we are forced to choose from a number of different services.

I was devastated to find out that one of my all-time favorites, The Office, was recently removed from Netflix and moved to NBC’s new streaming service, Peacock.

(Luckily, I found out that through Villanova and Xfinity on Campus,

we can log into Peacock for free).

TV has monumentally changed since the childhood of our generation. Today’s kids will never understand how good the classics were back in the day, nor will they understand the rush of trying to get things done during a commercial break. Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows reigned supreme.

As I grow up, I find myself going back to classic TV shows or watching shows that have already been on the air that my parents might have watched. Sure, some hidden gems like Money Heist on Netflix are new, fresh and exciting.

But, I always seem to gravitate towards the classics that were on years ago.

Where does one find these classics? The answer used to be on Netflix or Hulu. But with the addition of Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, CBS All Access, Peacock, Apple TV+ and now Paramount+, you never know when a favorite show might be

sent to another streaming service and viewers are forced to either pay up or make a bunch of free trials.

It has been a bit annoying to see more and more streaming services being created over the years. It was inevitable, though.

These companies saw how successful Netflix and Hulu were back in the day and have created their own, taking their shows with them. It’s a smart move, but with so many streaming services available, a lot of people now have to pick and choose what their favorite services are.

What’s the solution to this streaming service dilemma? I’ve thought long and hard about what to do so that if I want to watch a show, I can pretty much open an app and watch whatever, whenever. Here are a few tips.

First, as college students, we can sign up for a lot of these services with our Villanova credentials to get lower prices. Services such as Hulu, Apple TV+

and Amazon Prime Video offer discounts for students. This can be a great way to save money on an otherwise expensive monthly charge.

Something else that can be extremely helpful is to get a dedicated streaming service friend group. All of these streaming services allow 4-6 devices to log in and stream. If each member of a friend group pays for a separate service and then logs in as each other, one can have a plethora of TV shows and movies to watch anytime. Remember, sharing is caring.

Lastly, many streaming services offer bundles so one can get multiple services for a lower price.

Be on the lookout for deals to save money and watch more.

The madness of streaming services may continue to stress us out, but hopefully, some of these tips will help with navigating the rocky waters of streaming services.

Where Democrats Went Wrong During Trump’s Trial Stephen Prager Staff Writer

This past Saturday - to the surprise of no one - former President Trump was acquitted by a vote of 57-43 in the Senate on the charge of inciting the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol, which brought a gaggle of armed yahoos and preening social media influencers within a hair’s breadth of our nation’s lawmakers.

The proceedings of the impeachment trial went just as one might have expected. House impeachment managers, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), provided emotionally resonant firsthand accounts of the attack and slickly-edited video montages to drive home Trump’s egging on of the volatile crowd of his enraptured followers, not only on the fateful day in question, but also during the weeks leading up to it.

While it’s a stretch to say that Trump explicitly directed his followers to commit violence, no serious person could fail to see how his statements led many to believe they were acting on his behalf. Encouragement of his followers to “fight like hell,” to stage a “wild” protest and “go by very different rules” amid a “fraud” was grossly irresponsible. Especially when threats and plans for violence had been publicly circulating online for weeks before January 6.

Other facts raised by the impeachment managers demonstrate that Trump was, at best, unconcerned by the attack. This includes his bashing of former Vice President Mike Pence on Twitter mere minutes after learning his life was in danger. Meanwhile, other evidence, such as his reported comment to Kevin McCarthy that the rioters were “more upset about the election than you are,” his hesitancy to call them off, and his cloying video message saying “We love you” and “You are very special” to them, indicate that he,

Nancy Pelosi introducing the Articles of Impeachment against Donald Trump.

Courtesy of Associated Press

in fact, approved of the attack.

Yet, all of this overwhelming evidence felt entirely incidental to the actual mechanic of government that was set in motion last week. The ostensible goal of this impeachment - to bar Trump from running for future office was dead on arrival. The vast bulk of the Republican Party, save for a few already hated stragglers in the mold of Liz Cheney or Mitt Romney, has tied itself to Trump.

And given that his approval with Republican voters is still 81% according to a recent Politico poll, they are clearly right about where the wind is and has been blowing for the past four years. An unprecedented act of mass political suicide notwithstanding, a conviction in the Senate was always a pipe dream.

Understanding this makes the impeachment last week feel less like a concrete political maneuver on the part of Democrats inclined toward a meaningful

result and more like a grotesque act of political theater, or a sporting event to give the masses something else to chatter about besides the monstrous reality of living in America in 2021 and the hesitancy of the Biden administration to do much of anything about it.

The first 100 days of Joe Biden’s term came with perhaps the most urgent set of political crises to beset a new president since at least Franklin Roosevelt, if not Lincoln. At the time of the impeachment vote in the House, COVID-19 was ripping through the country at record rates, killing nearly 3,000 Americans per day.

Meanwhile, unemployment was greater than 6 percent. 12 million Americans owed more than $6,000 in back-rent. More than three million people (and possibly far more depending on the study) had lost their employer-based health insurance. Millions of Americans entered food bank lines for the first time in their lives.

While pointlessly relitigating Jan. 6 became the focus of the newly-minted Democratic Senate, priorities like passing the desperately needed stimulus package Biden proposed were pushed to mid-March. This is to say nothing of the fact that Democrats have needlessly winnowed down their stimulus proposal at multiple points, reducing the size of the checks from the promised $2,000 to $1,400 and making those with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 ineligible after they had received $600 checks under Trump.

Meanwhile, Biden has backtracked on other promises made on the campaign trail to drowning low and middle-income Americans. He has abandoned passing a $15 minimum wage as part of a stimulus package on procedural grounds despite having the ability to do so with 51 votes through budget reconciliation.

Likewise, he insists on pushing his plan to cancel $10,000 worth of federal student debt (far less than the $50,000 or more he could unilaterally cancel) through regular order in Congress, which will surely lead it to be winnowed down further by Republicans and Democratic budget hawks like Joe Manchin.

It is in this context of dither and delay where the impeachment of Trump felt less like a moral end unto itself and more like a diversion meant to compensate for the lack of material aid Americans desperately need.

Democrats have control over the levers of government by the slimmest of margins and cannot waste a moment more waving the bloody shirt from Jan. 6. If they truly want to banish the eldritch horror of Trumpism to the dustbin of history - as they claimed to during impeachment - and constitute a new majority, they must come through on the material promises that Americans elected them to deliver.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

CULTURE

The Villanovan | 9

VIBE CHECK WITH THE VILLANOVAN Student’s Thoughts on The Working Break

“Working breaks don’t provide enough of a break for students.

We still have class and many teachers still make homework due on those days. Not having assignments those days just makes professors assign many tests before and after the working break.”

“The break was very relaxing and my professors cancelled classes which was a bonus. i got to hang out with my friends and catch up on all my work. the break was definitely necessary and much-needed.”

“It was really dumb. I still had all my classes, it was like a regular day but with a title to try to make myself feel better.”

- Kaelin Trombly, ‘24

- Manisha Vadali, ‘24

- Angela Ferrigno, ‘24

“Most of my professors took it seriously and felt that we truly needed a break. I know some of my friend’s professors did not take it quite as seriously or see it quite as important as mine did.

I appreciate the university recognizing that we need a break, but I don’t think that the working breaks can ever match the benefit of having a full week off to truly relax.”

“Working breaks are just excuses for students to spend entire days working to catch up on homework due once the break is over instead of working around they’re typical schedules” -Regan McEnroe, ‘24

- Hillary O’Neill, ‘23

CULTURE

#FreeBritney Movement Regains Traction In New Documentary Elena Rouse Co-Culture Editor Continued from p. 1

during her Vegas run. Even during this time of hard work and fortune, Spears was still under the duress of her father as a conservator. Using this as evidence, fans argue that the star has risen from incapability and is no longer in need of a conservator, especially because Spears herself is against having one as well. Participants of the movement are convinced that Spears’s father is using the conservatorship as a means to control his daughter and extort exorbitant amounts of money from her. On social media, talk of hidden messages in the pop star’s social media posts have ignited fans’s interests in the well-being of the star, resulting in surges of videos theorizing and speaking out for Spears’s release.

The #FreeBritney movement and the star’s current legal

situation act as the overarching focus of the documentary, but the film follows Spears’s entire life as well. It covers everything from her small town upbringing, her rise to stardom with The Mickey Mouse Club and her eventual mental breakdown. The documentary highlights the often misogynistic brutality Spears faced from the media. Some particularly upsetting moments were the recounts of her public break up with Justin Timberlake and the Today Show interview with Matt Lauer, where he discussed claims that Spears was a “bad mother.” The information is presented in a way that suggests the star’s eventual breakdown and infamous shaved head were not entirely unforeseeable or independent of externalities.

The documentary also focuses on Spears’s seemingly unhealthy relationship with her father, depicting the last known court case regarding her conservatorship. As of right now, Spears’s father is still her conservator, but

her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, has been awarded a co-conservator for Britney’s estate.

Fans of the pop icon have quickly rallied around the star

once again after the release of the documentary, but there are still a lot of unknown factors surrounding the case as it continues to unfold.

The young pop star faced much scutiny from the media at a young age.

Courtesy of Felicia Culotta

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

CULTURE

10 | The Villanovan

Student Podcast Feature: Restless Success with Luke Pastore Chelsea Le Staff Writer

Luke Pastore, a junior Communication major, hosts the radio show “Restless Success,” which is all about motivation.

As a practice player on the Women’s Varsity Basketball Team, an orientation counselor and a real estate owner of two rental properties in Philadelphia, Pastore inspires others to create what success means to them through his broadcasts and experiences.

“The purpose of this show is to have listeners walk away and feel like they are armed with the confidence and knowledge to take the first step in whatever it is that they want to pursue,” Pastore said.

Pastore’s first episode focused on the word “success” and what it can represent to an individual.

Unpacking the different meanings behind the word and considering whether it is objective or subjective, Pastore established the topic as a foundation for future episodes relating to how success can be achieved daily through small actions that lead to substantial results.

“Restless Success” is unique

in having three co-hosts from different backgrounds and methods of thinking that allow them to consider multiple perspectives.

“When we cover topics such as ‘What is success?,’ there are three educated, honest but different opinions on that deep, multilayered question,” Pastore said. “This makes for a podcast that is relatable to a wide range of people, which makes it a podcast for everyone and anyone.”

The cover art features a person celebrating at the top of a mountain, which Pastore believes captures the theme of constantly encouraging people to be diligent in their accomplishments.

“I want listeners to leave this show feeling like the impossible is possible,” Pastore said. “I am a firm believer in making whatever you may want to happen, happen, and I hope that listeners of ‘Restless Success’ will walk away feeling that same way. There is nothing more powerful than human connection when trying to achieve goals.”

As a first-time radio host, Pastore’s show has received positive reception among the community, with consistent listeners including Pastore’s family and friends. A few freshmen from Pastore’s orientation

group in the fall also tuned in and submitted questions to his broadcast.

For future episodes, Pastore hopes to engage more with his audience by discussing topics that are relevant to their lives.

“I would love to have people write or call in so that they can present us with scenarios in their life

You can listen to the “Restless Success” podcasts on Fridays at 4 PM on WXVU. Courtesy of @lukepastore

that we can then provide them with, not only the motivation, but the support they need to break through the barriers and get to their end goal,” Pastore said. “This could be some friendly advice or a step by step plan that they can follow so that listeners leave the podcast feeling like they are capable of way more than they have ever thought.”

Produced under WXVU, the University’s radio station, Pastore’s podcast allows him and his team to make use of the equipment provided, including the microphones and soundboard.

If there is anything that Pastore wants his audience to know, it is that he loves people.

“I love hearing people’s stories and learning what makes them ‘tick,’ and I like coming up with actionable steps to make these dreams come true,” Pastore said. “Plus, we all know someone who knows someone and connections are not that far away.”

Listeners can tune in to “Restless Success” at 89.1 FM or at WXVU.com on Fridays at 4 p.m.

To email him with any questions for future broadcasts or to begin a conversation, Pastore can be reached at restlesssuccessradio@gmail.com.

Main Line Restaurant Review: Azie on Main Maddie Schieder Staff Writer

Restaurants on the Main Line are known for being classy and high quality, so Azie on Main fits right in.

Azie on Main opened in 2009 and is one of the numerous Main Line area restaurants opened by couple Win and Sutida Somboonsong. Their other restaurants are Mikado Thai Pepper in Ardmore, Teikoku in Newtown Square and Azie in Media (Azie on Main’s sister restaurant).

Corporate Executive Chef of Azie on Main, Kazuyuki Mitsu, was born and raised in Japan and “has nurtured his lifelong love of food and cooking into professional mastery with intense training and mentorship from top Japanese chefs,” according to the Azie on Main website.

Executive Chef Ricardo Franco is a Brazilian native, yet focuses his culinary practices on Asian foods, working to expand the menu at Azie each day. Anni Toti-Steptoe runs the show outside of the kitchen as the general manager, and she makes each guest feel welcome with

incredible hospitality.

These are only a select few members of the Azie team that contribute to the amazing experience the restaurant offers. The restaurant is right down the street from Villanova’s campus, which is an ideal location for students. Also, Japanese food with a contemporary twist is a popular dining trend right now, especially for young adults. The ambiance of the outdoor seating is welcoming, along with the atmosphere indoors. Although I am not

a fan of sushi, I still fell in love with this restaurant and all its options.

The menu is diverse and not limited to sushi rolls.

“Azie is the perfect place to have a delicious meal with friends on the weekend or a great place to take your parents when they come to visit,” junior Clare Delaplane said. “My favorite menu items are the avocado salad and the fried rice. I also love getting edamame as an appetizer.”

Clare’s favorite menu items demonstrate that Azie is not just

Azie on Main serves a wide array of contemporary Asian cuisine favorites.

Courtesy of www.azieonmain.com

limited to sushi. However, this is not to say that the sushi isn’t well known on the Main Line.

“The sushi at Azie is very fresh and well prepared,” sophomore Maggie Mick said. “My top pick would be the shrimp tempura roll, but the cucumber crunch is an unexpected favorite as well.”

Some top menu items that I would recommend are the pork dumplings, truffle French fries and calamari tempura. For those who don’t like sushi, these items never fail to satisfy cravings for some delicious Japanese American food.

Azie’s location is perfect for members of the Villanova community, as it is within walking distance or just a short drive. There are even private rooms that can be reserved for special occasions, along with private booths for smaller parties.

In 2018, the Main Line Today named Azie the “Best Japanese Fusion Restaurant.” The restaurant holds its own considering its popularity, as it is often packed with hungry Villanovans. Once the Slow the Spread Directives come to an end and students need a new restaurant to uncover, Azie on Main is an excellent choice.

Self Care: The New Social Media Trend Isabella Otero Staff Writer Continued from p. 1

home to millions of posts urging people to take care of themselves both physically and mentally. When quarantine first began in March of 2020, posts containing tips to beat lockdown stress, workouts to do at home and ways to be more mindful popped up in my feed and my

Instagram stories, as well as on the feeds and Instagram stories of my friends. With aesthetically pleasing images as well as supportive language, the self care help on social media is extremely appealing to our generation.

At Villanova, there are plenty of resources at a student’s disposal. Places such as the counseling center are great resources and outlets to take advantage of when struggling with any kind of personal issue. The counseling center has also taken advantage of the appeal

of social media to students by modifying their instagram, @vucounselingcenter, to fit that aesthetic and relaxing vibe to self-care and mental health that has been taking over social media. With encouraging quotes, helpful graphics, and educational information presented in a welcoming manner, Villanova has also embraced the use of social media to reach its students in a way that they would be responsive to.

Our generation has always been good at creating new trends, breaking down stigmas, and open-

ing conversations that would otherwise have been uncomfortable a few years prior. By taking something that could potentially be negative or harmful, like social media, and turning it into an outlet that can be used to help people, the conversation of mental health may flow openly and comfortably. It is interesting to observe what new trends come about, as well as observing how they flourish. The self-care trend truly has taken social media by storm, and I hope to see it prosper and continue to reach such a large audience.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

CULTURE

The Villanovan | 11

Villa-Vogue: New York Fashion Week Spring 2021 Kaelin Trombly Staff Writer

Rain or shine, global pandemic or not, New York Fashion Week perseveres. What was once known as a glamorous weeklong marathon of events, an encapsulation of fashion shows all over the five boroughs of New York City with after parties and enough street style to clothe all of America, is now nothing of the sort. This year, amid the pandemic, many headline brands opted out of New York Fashion Week’s Spring 2021 show, while other designers had to get extra creative to fit COVID-19 guidelines.

From tropical prints to carpet-ready gowns, most designers served their sartorial imaginations on a virtual platter.

Digital activations, such as lookbooks and videos, were the substitute for jam-packed runway shows this season. While every designer had the liberty to present their clothing the way they wanted, most stuck to the Runway360 platform.

CFDA Runway360 served as a centralized hub of virtual showrooms for spectators and buyers. While it’s certainly not the same, it is certain that Runway360 will be here to stay even without COVID-19.

Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the sister duo who founded Rodarte in 2005, presented silk sweatshirts, track pants, midi skirts and floral lounge sets in a pre-photographed lookbook. Other designers, such as Amma Sui, Peter Do, Sandy Liang and Khaite, stuck with the lookbook method as well. While Sui photographed a collection of pouf sleeved dresses, Do focused on leather boots and Liang presented a collection of cutout tanks and skirts. The world renowned designer Tom Ford used a lookbook to promote his theme of escape, which acted as an ode to travel through tropical prints and loungewear.

Lookbooks weren’t the only resolution for COVID-19 restrictions. The Manhattan native designer Ulla Johnson created a series of videos to spotlight her collection.

The videos were pre-recorded fashion shows that took place at Roosevelt Island, and it was so well done that viewers felt that they were at the runway in real life. Johnson’s collection featured abstract, neutral toned, patterned clothing that can still be viewed and purchased on her website.

One main focus during NYFW’s Spring 2021 show was addressing political controversies.

Collina Strada used her voice to address the pressing issue of climate change by coming up with a bikini set line made entirely out of deadstock. The American fashion label Chromat went a different route by promoting support for the LGBTQ community through a collaboration with Reebok.

Two designers managed to hold in-person runway shows while still following COVID-19 guidelines of course. Jason Wu held his show centered on escapism atop Spring Studios. His 36 attendees had their temperatures taken and sat six feet apart as they admired his caftan-inspired dresses and loose silhouetted pants. The grande finale goes to designer Christian Siriano, who brilliantly hosted his show at his own home in Connecticut. His collection was portrayed throughout his garden, as every model was adorned with a face mask.

Even though New York Fashion Week was certainly not the same, it is hopeful to see society adjusting to the challenges we are currently facing. In a world riddled with uncertainty, fashion perseveres.

One of Bibhu Mohapatra’s designs.

Courtesy of Runway360

Weekly Club Spotlight: The Villanova Art Club Kara Dempsey Staff Writer

ment and creativity from members regardless of artistic ability.

Now more than ever, because of COVID-19, it is important to make sure students are staying on campus, but you also want to make sure that they are entertained,” Penzi said. “This is why it became even more of a goal to have the art club be a place for people to have an outlet for creative expression.”

Especially with the stress that comes with the pandemic, it is crucial for people to have a way to express themselves in a stress free

environment.

In previous years, the Art Club held events with very limited space for attendance. Penzi believes that this perpetuated the idea that the club was a space only for students with great artistic ability. However, Penzi wants to make it clear that students can be involved in the club and attend events no matter what level of artistic skill they hold.

Initially, the small budget of Art Club restricted the ability to increase attendance at meetings because art supplies are quite

The Art Club set out this year with goals to reinvent how it provides an artistic outlet for students on campus. When the club president, senior Alexandra Penzi, took on her leadership role this year, she had aimed to make it a more inclusive club. One way this has taken place is through the scheduling of more events.

Starting last semester, the executive board began to schedule events weekly rather than monthly.

Even with high COVID-19 numbers on campus this semester, Art Club continues to meet virtually by being as prepared for virtual meetings as it would be for in-person events.

“A lot of clubs cannot do anything virtually, but the fact that we can meet to work together and talk on Zoom is good,” club secretary sophomore Anthony Pasles said.

“The easiest way for us to have members meet, talk and feel included is through our Zoom meetings, but playing games on Zoom isn’t necessarily what art club is about,” Penzi said.

The executive board has made art supplies available for members to pick up out of the Student Involvement Office to use for certain projects.

“Having project materials available as something that people can pick up and then do on their own is nice even if we aren’t able to meet as a group in person and work together on it,” Penzi added.

As a further attempt to Clay figurines sculpted by Art Club member freshman Nikki Amoachi. increase inclusiveness, the club Courtesy of Nikki Amoachi has a goal to encourage involve-

expensive.

“I wanted to work on having more spots available for attendance, more frequent meetings and more fun activities but we did not have the money to host more meetings and be more inclusive,” Penzi said.

After several club members participated in Cat Cabs on 1842 Day during the fall to raise money, the club had the funds to do just that.

“Cat Cabs really saved us because without it, we would not have had the money to host all the meetings that we do,” Penzi said.

With more money to be spent on supplies, the executive board has been able to plan more creative and engaging activities.

With a variety of art projects planned, members have been able to explore different interests and discover what they like doing in terms of art. The variety of activities and frequency of events is beneficial for students to destress.

“It is nice after stressful classes, to come and be creative,” Pasles said. “Doodling in class is not enough so it is important to have this creative outlet.”

Art Club events provide a place where students can express themselves and destress, which is particularly important since COVID-19 has changed so many aspects of student life.

“Art Club is for members to be able to try new things,” Penzi said. “It provides the means to express yourself and destress. It is a place to get your mind off other things and have fun.”

12 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

CULTURE

Book Buzz: The Page Turners You Need on Your Shelf Elena Rouse Co-Culture Editor

The Female Lead: “The Four Winds” is Kristin Hannah’s most recent release. Already receiving rave reviews, the novel centers around the Great Depression. Elsa Martinelli is a Texas native during the infamous Dust Bowl and faces the toughest challenges of the time.

She is witnessing her livelihood fail despite all efforts, deciding whether or not to stay steadfast in protecting the land or leave and is figuring out how to protect her family. Encapsulating the American spirit, elite historical context and female strength, Hannah has once again achieved a spectacular best seller.

Netflix Made You Do It: The first book in the series, “Bridgerton: The Duke and I” by Julia Quinn has been all the rage recently as the Netflix adaptation smashed streaming records upon its release.

In 1813, Daphne Bridgerton and playboy Duke of Hastings hatched a scheme of a fabricated courtship.

Things start to get dramatic when feelings get involved, as well as the gossip that spreads like wildfire due to the allusive gossip columnist Lady Whistledown. The first book in the series coincides with the plot lines of

the first season, but there are a total of nine books in the series. There is plenty of reading to do before the next season premieres on Netflix.

If You Live for the Thrill: A top of the list best-seller, “The Sanatorium,” by Sarah Pearse is a great mystery novel to read. Elin Warner is a detective on break staying at a hotel that was once a sanatorium for her estranged brother’s engagement. However, at the peak of their stay, Elin’s future sister in law goes missing, and Elin must use all her instinctual detecting abilities to find her. Bound to the confines inside the snowy walls of the hotel, all the members are panicking, wondering who will be next. It is up to Elin to find out what happened and to un-

cover the true danger everyone is in.

For Some Light Hearted Philosophy: “Greenlights” is the autobiographical novel by actor Matthew McConaughey. The award-winning actor has kept journals of his life experiences and musings about the meanings of them for the last thirty five years. McConaughey dives deep into his journals to discuss what he has learned from the life he has lived by analyzing the words he wrote throughout his years. He uses his wisdom to elicit inspiration to live better, understand more and find the “greenlights’’ in one’s own life.

For the Love of Comedy: Ever wondered what it felt like to be a part of one of the greatest television sitcoms of all time? Author

Be on the lookout for these fresh finds.

Courtesy of Amazon

and Rolling Stone journalist Andy Greene has recently published a deep dive history of the beloved show, “The Office.” In his novel “The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History,” Greene takes readers on a journey through the creation of the show, the fight to keep it on air, experiences of cast members and the inspiration behind famous lines and episodes. Receiving a whopping 4.17 star rating on Goodreads, this look into the beloved show will intrigue “The Office” aficionados and more.

When You Crave a Little Magic: “The House in the Cerulean Sea” by T.J. Klune is a fantasy novel centering around Linus, a forty year old Caseworker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. Goodreads synopsizes it: “A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.” Linus is summoned to take on a deeply mysterious task of travelling to an island where six especially magical and terrifying children reside. His job is to determine whether or not these children will end all things. As Linus learns more about the island, the children and their mysterious caretaker, the decision of his task becomes unclear and the dangers escalate.

So You Have Too Much Stuff? Try Minimalism Chloe Miller Staff Writer

Everyone remembers movein day, with parents finally bringing the last load of trash bags into the tiny dorm room. You stood there asking yourself, “Where is this all going to go?” College dorm rooms are a pain, especially if living in the quad. Someone may claim that everything in his or her closet sparks joy, but no matter how many sweatshirts were left at home, there are always too many things and not enough space. If you have found yourself in this position, read ahead for the easy guide to collegiate minimalism.

Minimalism gets a bad rep for being daunting and impossible.

Who really wants to get rid of all their clothes and knick-knacks?

The key to decluttering and finding more space in one’s room is not necessarily becoming a true minimalist, but becoming minimal-ish.

A person doesn’t have to hunt through the closet and only keep

one white tee-shirt: this is rather impractical. A whole lifestyle does not have to be turned upside down.

To become minimal-ish, one must be practical. Before starting the declutter, commit to the process and remember that you can’t hold onto everything. Everything kept at school should be serving a purpose for life on campus, not necessarily life at home. Be honest with yourself; how many times do you really dress up for class during the week?

More often than not, you are probably in your pajamas for most of the day, even when heading to the dining hall for food.

The first step to becoming minimal-ish is trying to figure out what exactly it is that one has too much of. Maybe you have too many workout clothes that are rarely used, desk trinkets that clutter your workspace or maybe you even have too many mugs or dishes. It is easier to minimize when starting from the category that one has the most items in. Once you figure out the first area you want to work in, trash the triples. If one already

has two of one item, are any more really necessary? How many duplicates of a single item does one really need? Two mugs, two sets of sheets and two blankets is perfectly enough, especially in small, confined dorms. When tackling the closet specifically, the rule of triples will be extremely helpful. Another helpful tip for decreasing one’s absurd amount of clothes is to throw away the extra hangers. Once you do a first declutter of the closet, only keep the number of hangers at this point. Getting rid of those extra hangers ensures that whenever buying new clothing, one can get rid of as many pieces that were brought in.

The next important step to maximizing space is figuring out how often items are used. If it isn’t used once every two months, how necessary is it? Maybe it’s a yoga mat you never get around to using or a pair of shoes you constantly swear you will wear. However, if it’s not used within two months, be honest — it probably will never be used.

A minimalist-styled closet scene.

Courtesy of Grana

Living in dorm rooms isn’t, and will never be, easy. Trying to decrease the number of knickknacks lying around and black sweaters in the closet will help make the space feel more open and comfortable. One doesn’t need to become a by-the-book minimalist. Be realistic and practical, and becoming minimal-ish will follow.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

The Villanovan | 13

CULTURE

How Spotify Has Become More Than a Streaming Service Kendall Hayes Staff Writer

Throughout this inconsistent year, there has been one enduring aspect of life: music. During the pandemic, artists have not only released music, but they have also been inspired by the world around them. Singers of all different genres released record breaking albums and tracks during this time. Yet, it is not just the artists that have been inspired by music; listeners are inspired too.

Back in March, life took a pause. No one truly understood what was happening or when it was going to stop, and because of this, hobbies formed out of the unknown. For many people, Villanovans included, that hobby was mastering their own Spotify aesthetic.

Spotify is a music streaming service, created in 2006 by Daniel Ek with the intention of creating a listening service in which music consumers could easily listen to and find new music. As of January this year, Spotify had 144 million premium subscribers, many of these premium subscribers being Villanovans.

Spotify’s website claims that “it’s easy to find the right music or podcast for every moment.”

Villanova students strongly

situation or feeling makes everything so much better. Spotify also makes it easier than ever to discover new artists with their personalized playlists that always seem to be spot on for my taste in music.”

Sophomores Zac Spader and Madeline Wujek also spoke about the convenience of using playlists on Spotify.

“I make playlists to fill an aesthetic because I enjoy it and I find it fun to just mess around and imagine myself in different situations or scenes in movies and make playlists to fit the vibe,” Spader said.

“I also love Spotify because if I ever find myself somewhere where if I don’t have a playlist to match what I want, I can type in how I’m feeling and there will be a playlist made by someone else that you can listen to.

I like how social it is.”

“Music is definitely my biggest outlet, so I take a lot of pride and comfort in organizing my playlists,” Wujek said. “Every time I find a feeling or situation that I don’t feel I have one solid playlist for, I’ll take the time to make one surrounding that and it’ll actually help me work through things just by making it.”

During a time when nothing seems to be clear, people find themselves turning to things that they can understand. For Villanovans this year, this outlet has been Spotify. As Junior Stephanie Horne organizes her Spotify to maintain a certain aesthetic. long as the music keeps on playing, Couresty of Stephanie Horne everything will be alright.

agree with the website’s description regarding the streaming service.

Not only is Spotify a way for students to easily listen to music, but it has become a form of social media.

Spotify users have started to create a certain aesthetic for their Spotify accounts. Users are creating certain playlists for every mood imaginable, usually with a creative playlist title.

In addition to the playlist title and aesthetic, users who really want to go the extra mile can add a playlist cover that depicts the mood that specific playlist emits. If users do not have the right playlist for a current mood they are feeling, they can easily stalk other Spotify users’ profiles.

One place that has become a petri dish for Spotify creativity is the social media platform Pinterest.

On the explore page, thousands of users post ideas for Spotify playlist names, cover photos and songs for certain moods.

The Villanovan asked students why they love the streaming service and what makes them want to customize their Spotify profiles to form a certain aesthetic.

Junior Stephanie Horne, spoke about her specific use of playlists.

“I love making playlists for very specific moods and having the titles and cover reflect that,” Horne said. “Having music to fit the exact

Stepping Through the New Year: A Shoe Guide for 2021 Devin Toolen Staff Writer

Fashion isn’t just about clothing. This year, why not enhance your personal style with a fresh pair of shoes? Many brands are releasing great shoes for 2021, and some popular sneaker brands have a slew of styles that are set to drop during the coming months.

One of my personal favorite shoe brands is Jeffrey Campbell. Although little is known about Campbell himself, the designer’s shoes are a clear indication that he is not too far removed from the modern fashion world. The Jeffrey Campbell label has been around for about two decades, however its popularity skyrocketed in 2010 with the release of the “Lita Pump.” Now, Jeffrey Campbell shoes are staples in the collections of those who love unique shoes. Because of internet sensation Emma Chamberlain, Jeffrey Campbell shoes have regained popularity with the “Student-2” platform loafer.

Although these shoes are almost completely sold out, there are so many other Jeffrey Campbell styles that are guaranteed to intrigue. The “Quavo” boots are my personal favorites on the website, but there are a handful of other shoes that will spark one’s interest.

Another shoe trend that has spiked in popularity this year is platform boots, which come in so many different styles. These types of boots are all over Pinterest, and many fashion Tik Tokers consistently make videos about their appeal. Both knee-high platform boots and ankle platforms are quite stylish when

paired with the right outfit. One brand that is great for platform shoes is LAMODA. The website features so many platform styles, including the iconic “Candyfloss Love Knee High Platform Boots.” These platforms are black with pink hearts scattered on the boot and the heel.

While they would have been perfect for Valentine’s Day, there is no harm in showing some love during the rest of the year. The LAMODA website features many other styles that are great for any occasion.

Sneakers are an everyday shoe that are essential for everyone’s closet. In the next coming weeks and months, there are some exciting sneaker drops people should keep an eye out for. On Feb. 25, Nike’s Air Force 1 Low “Rose” are dropping.

These are similar to the classic Air Force 1 that almost every Villanova student has. However, they have a unique rose detailing on the side.

According to “House of Heat,” a well-known sneaker website, these Air Force 1s are a play on the famous bodega shopping bags. The insole of the shoes features a face with an iconic Nike swoosh smile, and the classic bodega bag words “Have a Nice Day.” On the tongue, the word Nike repeats just like the words “Thank You” repeat on a plastic shopping bag. These shoes will sell for $110 and will be available in colors white and pink foam.

“House of Heat” is a great resource for staying up to date with the latest sneaker drops. The site features a wide variety of shoe brands aside from Nike, including Yeezy, Adidas, Converse and others.

One drop that I am looking forward to is the Air Jordan 1 High OG “University Blue.” These shoes are

set to drop on March 6, and they are quite similar to the “UNC Toe” Jordans that were released in 2019.

The difference is that the “University Blue” colorway has a more baby blue tone compared to the more cerulean “UNC Toe.”

Along with the Jordan drops of 2021, Nike recently announced a floral collection set to release in the coming months. This collection will feature two versions of the Blazer Mid shoe. The first, called “Indigo,” is a white sneaker with a light blue swoosh, an embroidered plant on the side and a cork heel tab, according to Footwear News. The next shoe is called “Catechu,” which will be similar to “Indigo” as a white sneaker, but the swoosh is a salmon pink tone. An embroidered plant is on the side of the heel and cork is added to the heel tab and tongue tab. These highly anticipated sneakers have not been given a drop date yet, but it is likely that once released, they will be very hard to come by.

While it is great to shop for

shoes that will make heads turn while walking through campus, the reality is that students don’t leave their rooms too often because of the pandemic. With this in mind, a great option is to look for slippers.

There are a lot of shoe companies that make slippers, however personal favorites are slippers from the brand Madewell. The “Quilted Scuff Slippers” are both comfortable and stylish. For men’s slippers, Minnetonka is a great place to shop. The “Genuine Shearling Lined Ankle Boot” will keep one’s feet warm while walking around a dorm room or even outside to pick up takeout. One pair of slippers that is particularly interesting this year is the “Smiley Home Slippers” from Yellow the Label. These slippers have a cute embroidered smiley face on the top, guaranteed to brighten one’s mood.

Shoes are essential items to each wardrobe. They can easily dress up or down any look, so take advantage of new styles and be ready for drop dates.

Jeffrey Campbell’s “Student-2” platform loafer, a hot commodity this season.

Couresty of jeffreycampbellshoes.com

14 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

SPORTS

SPORTS

Women’s Basketball Defeats Georgetown, 64-56 Meghann Morhardt Staff Writer

After a tough loss to Creighton on Friday night, Villanova women’s basketball bounced back on Sunday afternoon, beating Georgetown 64-56.

Both teams started the game off slow, with the score sitting at 11-11 after the first quarter. The Wildcats struggled on the defensive end, giving up six offensive rebounds to the Hoyas, allowing for several second chance scoring opportunities. Luckily for the ‘Cats, Georgetown was unable to convert on most of these chances, allowing Villanova to keep the score close.

The second quarter proved better for the Wildcats, as they were able to get a rhythm on the offensive end, sparked by back-to-back three pointers from freshman forward Lior Garzon off the bench. Garzon has been key for the ‘Cats this season and has provided energy and scoring off the bench that has been crucial in many victories.

Behind scoring from Garzon and redshirt sophomore Maddy Siegrist, the ‘Cats were able to build a small lead, heading into halftime ahead by five.

Georgetown scored the first two baskets and a free throw in the third quarter to tie the game at 28-28.

The ‘Cats responded with a 13-6 run to go up by seven with 1:52 remaining in the third. Villanova tried to continue this run and pull away, but the Hoyas were not done yet. Georgetown scored

Maddy Siegrist scores in the road win.

Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

six quick points to cut the Wildcat lead to three entering the final quarter.

Georgetown made every effort to take the lead in the fourth, cutting the lead to one with 6:51 remaining, but the Wildcats responded with a 14-4 run to extend the lead to 11 with 53 seconds left in gameplay. Georgetown had multiple scoring opportunities in the last minute to try and catch Villanova but were unable to capitalize.

Siegrist made two free throws with

0:03 remaining to clinch the win for the Wildcats.

It took an all-around team effort from the Wildcats to close out the game, with five Wildcats scoring in the fourth quarter. Freshman guard Bella Runyan scored her only two points of the game in this quarter, as well as recording two steals to spark the Villanova defense, which was much improved from the first half.

Siegrist led all scorers with

31 points and 16 rebounds, on 11-21 shooting from the floor, and 8-9 from the free throw line. This was Siegrist’s fourth 30-point game this season, fifth in her career. Siegrist also leads the Big East with ten double doubles this season and 21 in her career.

Senior forward Brianna Herlihy added 18 points and four rebounds for the ‘Cats, on 6-9 shooting. This marks Herlihy’s 15th double figure scoring game this season.

Garzon scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting, 3-5 from beyond the arc.

This is Garzon’s ninth double figure scoring game of the season.

Georgetown only played seven players in Sunday’s matchup, all of them contributing on the offensive end.

Sophomore forward Graceann Bennett led the Hoyas with 13 points and five rebounds.

Leading scorer for Georgetown this season, freshman guard Kelsey Ransom scored 10 points and added six rebounds, six assists and two steals.

Fellow freshman guard, Taylor Baur, tallied seven points, five rebounds, three steals and three assists for the Hoyas.

The loss drops Georgetown to a record of 1-13 in conference play. The Hoyas have not played any non-conference opponents. The Wildcats improve to 13-4, 8-4 in conference play, keeping them in fourth place in the Big East.

Villanova is scheduled to play next on Wednesday Feb. 24 when it travels to Providence. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Pitcher Graceffo Named to Preseason All-Big East Team Colin Beazley Co-Sports Editor

Villanova pitcher Gordon Graceffo was named to the preseason all-Big East team on Wednesday, the only representative from a Villanova team predicted to finish in sixth place in the conference.

Graceffo, a junior, will be expected to lead the Wildcat pitching staff alongside senior Jimmy Kingsbury. Before the 2020 season halted, Graceffo won all four of his starts, going 4-0 with an ERA of 1.42.

Graceffo was the winning pitcher for one of the biggest wins in school history, as the Wildcats knocked off number three Arizona State, 3-1, in the second game of the season. The win in Phoenix is the highest ranked in Villanova history.

The 2020 season was setting up to be a success for the Wildcats, as the team raced to a 9-5 record before the season was shut down.

A vast majority of last year’s core returns this season, including three starting infielders and three outfielders with significant playing experience for Villanova.

Much of the offensive load will be handled by outfielder and freshman All-American Lucas Latrenta, who led the Big East in slugging percentage over the shortened season. Hopefully his sophomore campaign is as successful as the beginning of his freshman year, as he batted .333 with three home runs over his first 14 collegiate games.

2018-2019 Big East Freshman of the Year Nick Lorusso hopes to rebound after a disappointing sophomore season, as he struggled with a leg injury for much of the year. However, the potential is there, as shown in his standout freshman year. Lorusso hit .302 with four homers during his last full season, finishing second on the team with 29 RBIs and leading the team in hits, walks and total bases.

The strength of this Villanova team is in the pitching staff, as the team led the Big East in wins, ERA, WHIP, batting average against, runs allowed, earned runs allowed and saves in 2020. The Wildcats weren’t just atop the Big East, as they were in the top 25 nationwide in earned runs allowed and hits allowed per nine innings.

Behind the headliners Graceffo and Kingsbury, sophomore Brandon Siegenthaler rebounded from a difficult first appearance against Arizona State to earn a spot in the starting rotation, starting and pitching six innings against both St. Louis and Bucknell.

Graduate pitcher Tyler Arella is one of manager Kevin Mulvey’s most trusted arms out of the bullpen, tying for the team lead in appearances last year and earning a save against Eastern Michigan.

Graduate transfer Johnathan Cole also joins the Wildcat pitching staff after four years at Franklin and Marshall, where he was named a preseason Division III All-American

before his senior season. The team will not be short on leadership, with six seniors and six graduate students.

Three freshman pitchers join the Wildcats to combine with the talented sophomores who got to experience collegiate baseball for the first time in the limited 2020 season. Jack Povey, Cole Vanderslice, Chic DeGaetano, Siegenthaler and Arizona State hero Danny Wilkinson are all expected to take a step forward during the season as they develop further and gain more experience.

Two impact transfers join the team for the 2021 campaign, as sophomores Vance Anderson and Jack O’Reilly moved from Stetson and Notre Dame, respectively.

O’Reilly, who went to high school at Episcopal Academy outside Philadelphia, was a Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-American in 2017 and 2018, as well as an All-

Philly honoree.

The season was scheduled to open this past weekend with games against Fordham and Hofstra, but both games were cancelled.

The Hofstra game was postponed because of weather and the Fordham game was scrapped due to COVID-19 concerns in the Rams program. The season will now open at home on Feb. 26 with a threegame series against Northeastern.

Big East play begins April 1, with four games at home against Georgetown, and the home slate is highlighted with four games against the preseason Big East Champion UConn in the penultimate series of the year, starting May 14. The Wildcats will travel to Omaha, Indianapolis and Queens for their three away series of the season, looking primed to surprise many as an improved squad takes on the Big East.

The baseball team celebrates after last season’s win over Arizona State.

Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

SPORTS

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

The Villanovan | 15

Volleyball Opens Season, Splits Opening Matches Meghann Mordhardt Staff Writer

After having its fall season cancelled, women’s volleyball began the abbreviated spring season on Feb 11. With the series against St. Joe’s being postponed, the team has only had the chance to play two matches in the last two weeks.

The Wildcats split the two matches, defeating Coppin State but falling to 19th ranked Pittsburgh.

The ‘Cats kicked off their season with a road match against Coppin State, winning 3-2. Villanova started out strong, winning the first set 25-16, but struggled in the next two sets, losing 25-18 and 25-23. The Wildcats regrouped and put on a strong performance in the last two sets to close out the match.

The first set was an-all around team effort, with kills coming from four different Wildcats, and strong serving from junior Clare Delaplane. Behind a Delaplane serving ace, the Wild-

cats took a 15-5 lead. Coppin State was able to cut the lead to 19-12, but the ‘Cats closed out the set with a string of kills from Delaplane, Sophia Howling, Maddie Barber and Mallory Potts.

The ‘Cats could not keep the momentum going into the second set, falling to an early 11-5 deficit, after tying the game 4-4. A strong effort from Kathleen Johnson sparked a 3-0 run for Villanova, but Coppin State was able to finish the set 25-18.

Delaplane and Howling both stood out for the Wildcats in the third set. The ‘Cats fought hard in this set and had the serve down 24-23, but a long rally on match point ended with an attack error for Villanova, giving Coppin State the set.

The fourth set showed the power of Villanova’s hitting with kills coming from every angle.

Setter Belle Morgan was able to set up Delaplane, Howling and Barber for multiple kills each, propelling the Wildcats to a 25-19 victory in the set, tying the score at 2-2.

The Wildcats held a 8-5

Junior Claire Delaplane sets up to return the ball.

Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

lead in the fifth set, but the Eagles would not go out without a fight.

The ‘Cats had the serve up 1413, and a match-winning kill by Delaplane, assisted by Morgan, clinched the victory for the Wildcats.

Junior outside hitter Delaplane tied a team high 14 kills. Other notable performances include 13 kills from Howling and five from Johnson.

Morgan finished with 45 assists and sophomore defensive specialist Maddie Schieder recorded a team high 13 digs for the Wildcats.

Barber, getting the start in her debut match as a Wildcat, tied Delaplane with a team high 14 kills, along with a 0.571 attack percentage. This strong performance earned her the title of Big East Freshman of the week.

Between the two matches, Barber averaged 1.88 kills per set for Villanova. In the loss to Pittsburgh, Barber had one kill, two blocks, and two digs. Barber, a freshman from Cedarburg, Wisconsin, has gotten off to a strong start in her time with the Wildcats. Standing at 6’2”, the middle blocker will be an important piece for head coach Josh Steinbach for the next four years.

Coming off the tough victory against Coppin State, Villanova hosted the No. 19 ranked Pittsburgh in its home-opener on Feb. 14.

The Panthers proved to be a challenge for the ‘Cats and triumphed 3-0.

Pitt came out hot in the

first set, winning 25-6, tallying 15 kills on 24 attempts, for a hitting percentage of 0.625. Despite the strong efforts from Delaplane and Howling in this set, the power from the Panthers was too much for the Wildcats to combat.

The ‘Cats had a better showing in the second set, with kills from Potts and freshman Kiera Booth, along with service aces from Morgan and Schieder. The Panthers jumped to an early lead of 15-7, but Villanova chipped away and trailed 16-13, before Pitt took over, scoring nine of the last 11 points.

The Wildcats had an early lead in the third set, leading 10-8 behind two kills from Booth.

Pitt scored five straight points to reclaim the lead 13-10. Kills from Potts and Howling made it a two-point game at 19-17, but the Panthers were able to score six of the last eight points and close out the match.

Booth had a team high six kills, along with Potts who added five kills of her own. Freshman Andrea Campos had a team high 11 assists, and Delaplane recorded five digs.

Villanova’s next match is scheduled for Mar. 2 at 7 p.m. at Delaware. The Wildcats open Big East play March 5th at 6 p.m. when they host Connecticut. A strong performance in Big East play would put the Wildcats in the Big East Tournament, scheduled for April 2nd and 3rd in Omaha, Nebraska. A victory there would put them back in the NCAA Tournament.

Men’s Basketball Crushes St. John’s 81-58 Billy Vinvi Co-Sports Editor

The Villanova Wildcats defeated the St. John’s Red Storm 81-58 on Tuesday night at the Finneran Pavilion to improve to 14-3 on the year and 9-2 in Big East play.

Redshirt junior Caleb Daniels finished with the high for the Wildcats, leading the way with 17 points on 6-8 shooting, including 4-6 from deep to go with two rebounds, and two assists. Senior guard Collin Gillespie added 14 points and five assists, while senior wing Jermaine Samuels also added 14 points on 2-2 shooting from three while grabbing nine rebounds.

“We just had to get back to playing Villanova basketball, making sure that we were defending and rebounding. This was our most important game because it was our next game, not because it was against St. John’s or [for] payback,” Gillespie said.

The final Wildcat in double digits was sophomore big Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, who contributed 12 points and six rebounds.

“Good effort, I was proud of our guys,” said head coach Jay Wright. “We have great respect for St. John’s. They taught us a lot last game, when you get beat like that you got to give them respect, learn from it, then you have to grow.”

The Wildcats were able to get revenge on St. John’s after the Red Storm handed Villanova their first

Big East loss of the season in a 70-59 defeat back on February 3rd.

This time around, the Wildcats came out firing, not nearly as affected by the Red Storm press as they were in their first meeting in New York. Shots falling in general usually helps, and Villanova went 4-6 from deep in the first eight minutes of play after hitting only eight in the entire game the first time against St. John’s.

Gillespie was especially hot, contributing 10 points, including two three’s, in the first 10 minutes of play before committing his second foul of the half and having to take a seat for the rest of the first half.

The Red Storm did tighten up their defense some in the middle of the first half and forced some turnovers with the press, but the Wildcats drew fouls and showed improvement at the press break to take a 34-19 lead into the last four minutes of the half.

Wright also expanded his bench. Both redshirt freshman Eric Dixon and sophomore Bryan Antoine saw action in the first half. In total, nine Wildcats got playing time early on.

The Wildcats built on their lead in the last minutes of the half, and went into the break with a 42-25 advantage. After scoring just 59 points against the Red Storm in their first meeting, 42 points for Villanova in 20 minutes was a marketed improvement. By the half, the Wildcats had shot 6-14 (42.9%) from three and 1632 (50%) from the field. They held up on the defensive end as well, holding St. John’s to 2-13 (15.4%) shooting

from deep and 9-31 (29%) overall.

The second half didn’t include as much offensive basketball as the first twenty minutes did. The Wildcats had four early turnovers, and there were multiple timeouts for referees to take a look at the monitor for a variety of reasons.

Regardless of the sloppier theme the second half took on, the Wildcats still remained in control of the game and held a 56-34 lead with just under twelve minutes left as a Cole Swider three forced the Red Storm to call timeout.

Both teams continued to struggle to make shots as the second half progressed, but the offensive struggles by the Wildcats were offset by enough defensive success. Wright continued to give Dixon and Antoine some playing time in the last ten minutes, as the

Wildcat lead was 64-42 with less than eight minutes left.

That would be more than enough the rest of the way, as sophomore Chris Arcidiacono made an appearance and newly enrolled freshman Trey Patterson made his collegiate debut.

The Wildcats finished 11-26 (42.3%) from three and 29-60 (48.3%) from the field overall, an enormous difference from the first matchup. One of the most important pieces defensively for Villanova was preventing St. John’s from hitting threes, as the Red Storm went only 3-23 (13%) from deep.

The Wildcats return to action Sunday at noon at Butler in Hinkle Fieldhouse, where they will return for the NCAA tournament in just a couple of weeks.

Brandon Slater jumps for a slam dunk.

Courtesy of @novambb Instagram

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In celebration of Black History Month, Donahue, Dougherty, & St. Mary’s will feature menus inspired by renowned Black chefs across the country each Tuesday during dinner!

Tuesday, March 2, 2021 Menu inspired by recipes from Chef Patrick Clark

Visit our website to learn more about the lives and accomplishments of all of our featured chefs! https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/services/dining/news/BlackHistory.html

ring a menu inspired by recipes from Edna Lewis!